Repentance in the Attic

Ah, summer. For the educator it often means several weeks of re-grouping and of course lots of extra chores around the house. One of these is most certainly going to be cleaning the attic. While up there yesterday, I ran across a copy of a sermon of Spurgeon about lukewarmness. Spurgeon is always trouble for the flesh. A message on this topic could cancel a lot of plans.

I was awake early this morning. Not wanting to go to my regular prayer place and awaken my wife, I decided to read the Spurgeon message first thing while I was in bed. Oh my. The letter to the Laodiceans could have had my name on it. How easily we let the world poison our walk with God. What a dangerous place is America for a saint aspiring to a separated holy walk. There were two things I knew I had to do.

My wife and I had re-subscribed to Netflix because of their large array of Bible-based movies. Now, you can read the Bible's version of the Samson story and not think anything evil inside. But Hollywood's version is not that harmless. The movies were not edifying us and we knew it. Good-bye Netflix.

Then the TV itself. I've struggled with it all my life. I've destroyed TV's, sent them packing in the garbage can where they belong, "sworn them off." I had a problem like that with sugar until one day many years ago I just said to the Lord, "I won't partake of processed sugar for the rest of this life. Period." God has given me grace to keep that vow nearly perfectly, when he saw I was serious about it.

Today, TV has just gone the way of sugar in my life, and I give Him the glory. I promised Him I will not watch TV alone, I won't watch network TV ever, movies, all the rest. The only thing I will allow before my eyes on that TV is a video about North Korea or some such ministry. Even "Christian" TV does not offer the blessing that it ought. I'll read the Word and worship alone before I will a "star" to guide me.

I put this all in writing to strengthen further my vow but also to suggest to all of you that TV, especially today, is not a necessary commodity. The news is more thorough on the Internet. TV "entertainment", whether drama or music or comedy is done by men and women that most of you would not have in your home. Why should they get to talk to you, but you don't get to talk to them? And sports? How does the saint justify all those hours given to watching men win an earthly prize?

But I must be careful not to judge. It has taken me so long to get here. And I have introduced my entire family and precious saints to this worldly waste. May God have mercy on me for all the hours given over to things that just do not matter. Lately I have not watched much but I've noticed that even the little I do experience brings down my defenses, and my desire to please God.

I am confident that my life is going to be fuller and richer now. Hey, I have not missed sugar. Nature has a lot of sweet things. I will not miss television. God has a greater vision waiting for all those of His who will seek Him with the whole heart.

Look for "Bob Faulkner" on http://sermonaudio.com - There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Who Succeeded the Apostles?

Apostolic succession. The question for many centuries. Who has authority in the Church? Who's in charge? Jesus warned us about dealing with this question, reminding us that it is the "Gentiles", the nations of the world, that are especially worried over it. In the world, everyone wants to be the top man. Top woman, today.But we are to seek the bottom. Servanthood. Bondslaves of Christ, we are called. Nevertheless, Jesus did not shy away from the topic, and He let us know that there are indeed leaders among us. First and foremost, not just "in Heaven", but right here with us, is the Chief Shepherd of the sheep, Lord of the Church, Who said, "All authority has been given to Me..."

That settles that! All authority given to Jesus. He rules. Period. Then He went on to say, "Therefore, you go, you preach, you baptize, you teach." Since Jesus is in charge, we go, in His authority.

Now, right before that final word, the apostle John lets us in on a private conversation between Peter and Jesus. It was this little glimpse that gave the Medieval Church the idea that not only Peter, but some imagined "line" following Peter, would be the true rulers of the church. You remember the incident?

Peter, do you love Me? Sure I love You. Then feed My lambs. Do you love Me? Of course I love You! Feed my sheep. Do you really love Me? Master, You know everything. Surely You must know I love You. Three denials at the arrest. Now three affirmations, as Jesus arrests Peter.

We don't have to say the opposite of Rome in every word they speak. Remember that a goodly portion of Roman teaching is straight out of your Bible. It's the other part we must oppose. There can be no explanation of this passage that denies Peter the leading role in that Jerusalem church. Yes, James was the "administrator", yes Paul was free to oppose him. It was not military autocratic rule. But it was true leadership. Peter's always in a leading position when you see him in the Book of Acts. Eventually his leading position led him to go to the cross as his Master had done. True servanthood.

Of course it must be noted, that without consulting the church of Jerusalem, "Peter's flock," Jesus called another apostle, Paul, who established a whole new order of congregations among the Gentiles, independent of Jerusalem, governed by well-chosen elders full of the Holy Spirit.

That the other apostles shared in Peter's leadership is witnessed throughout Acts, and the histories that trace each of them to a violent death. Jesus had so indicated by filling them with the Spirit even before Pentecost and giving them a charge.

So they led, they fed, they died. Their witness of the resurrection was sealed. They laid the foundation , their words were recorded and passed on. Done. Course finished.

Where we differ with Rome and all latter-day "apostles" is in the need for such apostolic work to continue. Who succeeded Peter? No one. Where was the "headquarters" for many years? That question has been contested in every age, and never settled. Most historians tell us there were at least five "centers" of the church until the growing political structure of the Roman Church forced others into submission as their predecessors in Imperial Rome had subjugated the old Empire. The church had fallen into the trap Jesus warned about. The professing visible church was no better than "the nations." The salt had lost its savour. The world was plunged into darkness.

In every generation of that Darkened church, bloody struggles decided who was the "successor" of Peter. Today, in a world decidedly democratic in its ways, Rome "votes" for the leadership of God. But whether by sword or by ballot box, it is a fleshly line of succession that has fooled the world and good portions of the church for centuries.

Nevertheless God's true church prospers. For He has a people and He provides them with leaders whenever they call upon His Name. Elders are moved into place, and the true ones give their lives to protect and feed their flocks. And upon what do true ministers feed them? Why the words of the apostles, what else? For you see, the answer to my original question is, "No one succeeded the apostles." They do not need succeeding. Their words have remained, by God's miracle, for these 1,900 years, and added to the words of the prophets, they constitute everything we could possibly need.

Who are the leaders of my church? To whom do I submit? Jesus, Peter, Paul, Matthew, John, and the rest. And every minister of God who speaks their words. The apostles still lead God's church. Let all would-be "apostles" in our day be sure to speak exactly what they spoke. Those who do not need to be challenged and stopped.

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com - There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Travel Writing Course Solves Job Problem

Did you know that a travel writing course is a good investment? As with any career or job, it's imperative to know what is going on in your chosen field. If you want to stay competitive, find a travel writing course that fits your schedule and sign up today.

Travel writing courses can be taken online, in class, or self taught. Find the right travel writing course for you. If you prefer to be in a classroom setting, check out your local community college, tech or trade school, adult education classes, or university. You'll find a course that suits you.

Travel Writing Course

1. AWAI. Offers The Travel Writers Life. You can learn about travel writing from the comfort of your own home.

2. Offbeat Trips. This is another travel writing course that can be done from the comfort of your own home. It's a bit more economical than AWAI's.

3. Writer's.com. Is for writers on the net. They offer a 10-week course taught by Amanda Castleman, a freelance journalist who specializes in travel.

4. Media Bistro. Offers plenty of courses to choose from on their website.

In addition to enrolling in a travel writing course, consider purchasing writing software such as WhiteSmoke. This software can help you with grammar, punctuation, and much more. If your grammar is not up to par, check out this writing software today. Read WhiteSmoke's Testimonials and decide if this software can help you improve your writing.

You can find more than just books at your local bookstore. They often have courses in travel writing. Some have three day workshops and or conferences. The best part is they carry a plethora of travel and writing books. Before you leave the store, pickup a book or two and learn all you can about travel and writing.

Remember that editors and publishers are busy people. If you submit inquiries that are full of grammatical and spelling errors, you just lost out on a potential writing opportunities. You may have an excellent style and voice, but your writing may be lacking in other areas.

If travel writing is your dream career learn as much as you can about it. Remember it's what you do with the knowledge that is important. You can take 20 different courses and still fail because you're not applying the lessons. Determination, perseverance, and a little work will take you far in travel writing. Find a course that's right for you, sign up, and watch your writing take-off.

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

Radical Religious Leaders

In North Korea - Pyongyang Teaches Us A Lesson

North Korea, land of many surprises.

Shaped like a rocket, nose like a needle, largest structure in all of the land. It's the Ryugyong Hotel. Meant to be the largest hotel in the world, it met a few obstacles in its construction. The concrete was of poor quality. The elevators could not operate in its crooked shafts. Power failures nation-wide plus the famine of the 90's finally shut it down. The only real sign of ongoing "life" is a construction crane perched forever at the summit of the building. I say "real" because postcards show the building all lit up and wonderful. This is an unfortunate manipulation of facts, using trick photography. One feels sorry for the builders of the colossus, the Baekdu Mountain Architects and Engineers. For those who have a glimmer of recognition about that name, from Mt. Baekdu has come the Korean gods, the present leader. And now, well, the world's tallest pile of useless concrete.

As for the hotel's handle,Ryugyong, that's the old name for Pyongyang, "capital of [weeping] willows" . It is aptly named. It was to have 3000 rooms, seven revolving restaurants, and a worldwide reputation, all by 1989. Well, it got the latter, not as expected, and costing the country 2% of its gross domestic product that year! It is a deserted place of sorrow and shame now.

This aborted dream is not only typical of the whole North Korean project under Communism, but very reminiscent of some of our own personal plans. Christians, we've been warned, and comrade Leader has now given a modern day illustration for us, to sink forever into our awareness: Finish what you start when Jesus leads you into His work. Above all, finish carrying the cross until it becomes the crown. I close with the words of the Master Builder Himself in Luke 14:27-30:

"Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple. For, which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish."

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Do You Believe In The Bible

Free Real Estate, No Money Down

How would you like to have a luxurious mansion with sweeping vistas, great neighbors, and perfect weather? Even more so, how would you like to be given this mansion, free of charge? Believe it or not, such an offer is on the table right now, and it can be yours for a limited time only.

If you've ever dreamed of having greater wealth than any person on earth, then you've come to the right place. Keep on reading, and you'll learn the details of the greatest real estate deal in human history.

It's the offer of a lifetime. Free real estate with no money down, and you don't even have to pre-qualify or meet any net worth requirements. You don't need to be part of an exclusive fraternity or an alumnus of an elite college or university. However, there is one catch - you do need to be well connected. In order to close this once in a lifetime deal, you must have an intimate and personal relationship with the man who's offering it.

The Offer

By now, most of you are skeptical. Nothing's free, right? But I assure you, this is not a pyramid scheme or a late-night infomercial scam. This offer comes from the most trustworthy person in the entire universe - Jesus of Nazareth. You might better know Him by the name of Jesus Christ.

If you've spent most of your life chasing after the pleasures and luxuries of this world, then I ask you to take a moment of your time and consider the following offer from Jesus. After all, it's a pretty sweet deal. He's offering you a life of abundant wealth in a luxurious mansion with amenities beyond your wildest dreams, and best of all, the wealth He offers lasts forever!

But don't take my word for it, this is what Jesus says:

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going." John 14:1-4 (NLT)

What is this place that Jesus has prepared for those who trust in Him? And what does it look like? Luckily, the Book of Revelation describes it in detail:

"So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone - like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side - east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:10-14 (NLT)

Chapters 21 and 22 of the Book of Revelation provide an in-depth description of the place Christ is preparing for His followers, a place which includes the very presence of God Himself:

"No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there - no need for lamps or sun - for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:3-5 (NLT)

To all who wish to live in such a place and consume the water of life, the Lord Jesus Christ issues a freely issues this invitation:

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." Revelation 22:17 (NLT)

The glory of what Christ offers is beyond comprehension, and the Return on Investment you'll receive if you accept His offer is truly astronomical. Just take a moment to consider the terms of His offer. The real estate component alone makes it the best deal you'll ever encounter - a luxurious mansion never in need of repair where God is your neighbor and you live forever while never growing hungry or thirsty for anything He can't readily provide.

Such a place is invaluable. There's no way to put a value on it, because there are no comparables. This is a neighborhood completely unique unto itself, a truly one of a kind place, and anyone would be a fool to turn down a sweetheart deal like this one.

In fact, this real estate is so valuable, you should be willing to give up everything in order to make certain you close the deal.

Nothing is More Valuable

According to Jesus, nothing is of greater value than the Kingdom of Heaven. You should be more than willing to give up everything you have in order to devote the rest of your life to obtaining it:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field." Matthew 13:44 (NLT)

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!" Matthew 13:45-46 (NLT)

The Kingdom of Heaven is so valuable, you should forsake everything else in an effort to obtain it. For people of great wealth and high position in this world, an enormous amount of faith and self-discipline is required in order to exhibit a willingness to trade everything in this world for the reward that Christ offers. But the payoff is immense. That's why Jesus warned us of the dangers presented by love of money and the material and physical pleasures of this world.

The Things Of This World

Because of the pitfalls associated with this world, the followers of Jesus must be careful not to allow their thoughts and ambitions to become captive to the things of this world. The danger inherent in pursuing the wealth of this world lies in a lack of ambition to produce fruit for Christ:

"The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced." Matthew 13:22 (NLT)

We see this danger firsthand in the Gospel of Matthew, when a rich man expresses His desire to follow Christ:

"Jesus told him, 'If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions." Matthew 19:21-22 (NLT)

Despite his apparent willingness to follow Christ, and his acceptance of the words and deeds of Jesus as truth, the rich man is unwilling to accept Christ's deal. He is consciously unwilling to trade His earthly wealth for treasure in heaven. As a result, He can never be a follower of Christ, because a person cannot serve two masters:

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

The man in question could've experienced wealth beyond his wildest imagination. Unfortunately, because of his love for this world, he willingly traded the finest of pearls for a pile of ashes; He traded his buried treasure for a pile of counterfeit coins. Don't make the same mistake!

Would you place millions of dollars under a mattress instead of inside a bank? Of course not! The danger of fire or theft is too great. Why then, should you treat your heavenly treasures any differently? Too many people spend their lives hoarding earthly wealth, while their heavenly treasures go unclaimed:

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

Hoarding earthly treasures is utterly foolish. Christ tells us so:

"A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.' Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, 'My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!' But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God." Luke 12:16-21 (NLT)

What good is all the wealth in this world, if to attain it, you have to forfeit your soul? Don't be foolish. A deep and intimate relationship with the Creator and Master of the Universe is far more rewarding than the fleeting comforts of this world.

Closing The Deal

So now that we've established what really matters, how does one go about closing the deal of a lifetime?

To properly close the deal requires humility:

"God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." Matthew 5:5 (NLT)

Why is humility required? Because to accept Christ's offer, one must acknowledge His glory. Obtaining the Kingdom of God independently is simply not an option. It's impossible. Only one person can open the door to the Kingdom of Heaven - Jesus Christ:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6 (NLT)

To those who are willing to humble themselves and accept Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, a Kingdom awaits - built on the foundation of Christ's glory:

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me." Matthew 25:34-36 (NLT)

The Kingdom of Heaven is yours to inherit. It's already yours if you simply lay claim to it, so don't be worried when the world mocks you as foolish for accepting it. To such people, the things of this world are perceived as valuable, while the rewards of Christ are perceived as worthless. Don't worry about what such people say. Instead, pray for them. For at one time, we were all as foolish as they are. Pray they recognize the value of true treasure, to the very point of sacrificing their lives in order to obtain it:

"God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven." Matthew 5:11-12 (NLT)

Don't let their ridicule divert your focus, for you have full knowledge of the reward which is just around the corner:

"God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:10 (NLT)

Remember, our Lord Jesus Christ was Himself persecuted by this world. What, then, makes us think we will encounter anything less?

"You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)

Follow the example of Jesus and serve others. If you do, even the smallest act will be acknowledged by our Lord:

"And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." Matthew 10:42 (NLT)

So don't worry when others call you foolish. Instead, trust with absolute faith that Jesus Christ will make good on His promise to reward you. The return you will receive from serving Him is far greater than any financial return the world can offer:

"I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property - along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." Mark 10:29-31 (NLT)

Despite what the world may tell you, you lose nothing of real value by following Christ. In fact, it's just the opposite - you gain everything!

It's the deal of a lifetime, and all you have to do is accept it. If you haven't taken advantage Christ's offer, I strongly encourage you to do so today. Like all great deals, it's available for a limited time only. Once your life is over, the deal is no longer on the table. Right now, it's available free of charge to as many people as are willing to accept it. It could all be yours - an opulent mansion with great neighbors. A personal relationship with God Almighty. Eternal life. Wealth beyond belief. It's yours for the taking because Christ gave His life. Only a fool would turn down such a sweetheart deal. Don't be a fool.

"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.'" 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NLT)

Britt Gillette is the author of BrittGillette.Com, a Christian website examining bible prophecy and emerging technology. Visit his site to learn more about this free real estate, no money down deal.

Power Of Faith

How to Find a Spiritual Community

Spiritual communities provide benefits we can't find in other social circles. Throughout known history, people have sought out such communities. And in these communities they revealed the most important and personal developments in their lives. Joys and sorrows, vows and confessions, hopes for a better life beyond life on earth, and fears of eternal abysses have all been shared in spiritual communities around the earth. And yet, spiritual communities have also been the causes of much deep-set heartbreak and disappointment. Corruption and depravity have destroyed churches, synagogues and mosques, as well as numerous alternative spiritual communities. Then the faithful often scatter, and some decide to never trust or be a part of a spiritual community again.

How can you know if a spiritual community is likely to be strong and hold integrity or become corrupt and fall apart?

Common Pitfalls for Spiritual Communities
The quality and dedication of a spiritual community's leadership is central to its success or failure. The most common cause of a spiritual community's breakup is the fall of the leadership into sexual or financial scandal and opportunism.
Spiritual leaders often are confronted with great temptation to abuse the trust their congregations or students have given them. Misguided or troubled members may offer sexual favors or naively believe that sexual relations with a spiritual leader will help them grow spiritually.
Many religious and spiritual organizations also keep no checks and balances on the moneys generated through their membership and services, and the leaders are allowed to take extravagantly from the generosity of others who trust them.

Finding the Right Spiritual Community for You

How then might you find a spiritual community with integrity? You can start researching the websites of various groups. Do note that there are hate-groups and people who deride almost all small spiritual groups, so do not go by what they are saying on the Internet.

Instead, if you see a group that interests you and that resides in a place you are willing to travel to, find out if they have introductory classes or services which you could attend to get to know them. Ask about their sexual and financial mores: Do the leaders or ministers sleep around? Do they make exorbitant salaries that are not commensurate with what their typical members make? Do they live ethical lives?

When you visit the communities you are considering joining, trust your heart. Is there an atmosphere of warmth and love that is also honest and open? Does this group help their members learn better communication skills? Do they teach how to develop a deeper relationship with God?

You will want to know yourself enough to know what you are looking for. If you want a quite in-depth spiritual training program, then you will need to find a place that offers that. If you mostly want a social spiritual group, then look for that. Take your time, trust your heart, and treat yourself to a spiritual community with which to grow and deepen.

Mother Clare Watts is a mystic, ordained priest, Master Teacher, and Co-Director of an independent, mystical Christian Order and spiritual school that has spiritual centers, called Centers of Light, in 15 cities nationwide. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, with extensive post-graduate training in Jungian analysis, is a Certified Professional Midwife, and has enjoyed successful careers in both fields. She is the mother of four grown children and currently lives in Dolores, Colorado, where she directs The Peace Temple Initiative - an organization working to build a retreat center for peace workers from around the world. She is a nationally known speaker and lectures in a different city nearly every weekend of the year. She has also been a featured guest on several radio broadcast programs, including Wisconsin Public Radio's At Issue with Ben Merens, Contact Radio in Seattle, and Seeing Beyond in San Francisco. Jim Lewis, author of The Oxford Handbook of New Religions, as well as 11 other works, and leading scholar internationally on new religious movements, is currently writing a scholarly book about the Order that Mother Clare co-directs, expected to be published in the spring of 2009.

Mother Clare has found recent acclaim as the author of the book, Giving Birth to God: A Woman's Path to Enlightenment. This moving account of her life tells of her journey through yoga ashrams and Sufi training schools to find a mystical Christian spiritual school with Master Teachers. Wonderfully moving stories give an in-depth rendering of the inner spiritual path. As she writes in the book, "Each of us was created with the full potential to become masters over everything on Earth, not so that we might dominate the Earth, but so that we might bless it with consciousness."

To hear Mother Clare's podcasts, visit http://www.AskMotherClare.com

Can You Ask God For Wisdom

Meditating On Religious Scriptur
Effects Of False Prophets

Putting Up With Organized Religion

Let me explain where I'm coming from in my writing. Organized religion worked good 200 or maybe 500 years ago, but I really don't see a need for it today. We fight wars over religion and even kill people that speak out against organized religion. Religions and governments all over the world control people through fear and pleasure.

I'm tired of people fighting and killing all over the world in the name of some religion. I once heard an Iranian man, through a translator, on our local news say, "if he dies in the name of Allah, he gets to go to heaven." I don't know if I want to be signed up for that program but obviously he believes in it enough and is willing to die for what he believes in, right or wrong. Some people view this man is evil while others view him as a hero, how do you think you would do this person?

What the Romans did to people 2000 years ago is what I would consider a very bad. Was the devil actually providing an evil influence for Roman leaders back then. I've never heard anyone mention that but they did kill Jesus of Nazareth and he seemed like a pretty good person.

If Jesus would have kept his mouth shut, he could have lived to a ripe old age. He chose not to, because he believed in his cause. Some Jews believe that he was under the influence of evil, that's hard to imagine. He believed that some of the ideas and teaching of the Romans and Jews were wrong and he was going to make them better. These leaders were afraid of change and decided to eliminate what they view as they evil problem.

I started writing to influence and educate people in a positive way. I really don't want to upset religious followers, but I would like them to understand, a little more about their religion. What causes people to kill others in the name of their god? Is that evil or an evil influence from other religion's of the world.

I would imagine most of these people choose to accept words from their religious leaders as facts and will never question their faith. If religious followers could understand other religions, maybe they wouldn't persecute them or try to convert them into their own beliefs.

My influence will affect others and will provoke them to think, always question your religion and when they start thinking, this is when I've made a positive influence in a constructive way. If someone starts to think about their religion and it gives them stronger feelings and deeper beliefs, maybe they can answer some of my questions, instead of avoiding them with spiritual scripture or faith.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, The Power of Myth. If you've ever wondered, where religion has evolved from. Check this book out.

Good Explanation of Old Testament Tithing

Questions To Ask Your Pastor
What Happens To Nonbelieving

Observer and the Observed

So quantum physics tells us that the observer causes the observed, or at the very least that the observer interferes with that which is being observed by the very process of observing it. Ive heard some people crying "heresy!" They do not like the idea that once the observer is not observing the observed, then the observed is not.

In my mind that misses a large, obvious point which makes the concept ludicrous. We are all one, god if you will, or at the very least energy, unseparated my anything other than atomic configuration which on a larger scale appears to create separation of bodies of mass. Since we know better, then theres a couple other points we cannot overlook.

Firstly, because we are all one energy field, for lack of a better term, there is no disappearance of anything when it is not being observed. Our human notion of not existing encapsulates anything not within the small frequency band our six physical senses can pick up. Perhaps the observer causes the observed to become a manifest, physical experience (to the observer), but the lack of observer in no way takes away the existence of that experience/being/energy.

Secondly, because all energy is the same, and we as apparently individual human beings are conscious, then its very difficult to imagine that any spec of the energy field of all-that-is could not be conscious. The type of consciousness may vary greatly, in an infinite number of ways, but is still basic consciousness nonetheless. For us to be conscious implies that everything is, that energy itself is consciousness. That ours is focused into a small amount of matter at the moment (exclusively, as far as what we deem our conscious mind is concerned) does not mean that every other piece of this energy shares that form of focalised consciousness.

If our rule of free will stands up, as it must, in that the law of attraction clearly states that we create our reality by what we think about, thereby allowing that to become part of our reality, then all forms of consciousness must inherit this same trait, although perhaps experentially very different. Therefore the observer cannot observe the observed unless the observed is also an observer that is observing the original observer.

With this understood, all observers are in fact by nature observed, as that which they are observing is also by nature observer. The process of observation therefore does not contain observed and observer, but both of those in both participants, or what I will now call observed(er).

I dont mean to shake rocky ground, but this places all new challenges on the understanding of the role of observer in the observed.

And having raised an issue without providing satisfactory resolution, I leave you now.

jonpeeoh (http://www.jonpeeoh.com) is a new web community devoted to raising consciousness, magick, and teaching others to take control of their powers as creators of their own reality.

Examples of Prayer and Their Effects on Your Life

Christian Articles
Religion Articles

Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven? - The Good People Get to Go to Heaven Also

I found a website that was recommended to me and it had the comment, is Jesus the only way to heaven at, Gotquestions, seems like your typical Christian website that replies with biblical quotes and simple to follow information. If I was lost, they will help me find a way. There's even a button at the bottom that states, I have accepted Christ today. I guess if I was to push that button, I get to go to heaven and be with Jesus. Hard to imagine, avoiding a life of burning in hell could be as simple as pushing a button and uttering a few simple words.

I found this question and began reading their comment. The first comment is from somebody answering as a nonbeliever in Christianity. It states something like, if I'm basically a good person and live a moral life, I get to go to heaven, right, only the bad people like murderers go to hell.

Now the answer that the website gives, seems to create fear if you do not belong to Christianity and provide you with hope if you join the group.

It mentioned Satan as the ruler of the world, and he can plant these thoughts into your head if you're not a Christian. He also controls your mind and let's you believe, that it would only make sense to any rational person, they get to go to heaven if they're good.

Now this is what makes sense to me but according to this information, I am doomed to rot in hell for eternity, even if I am a pretty good person. All I have to do is accept Christ as God and I get to go to heaven. That seems pretty easy and I wonder why more people don't do it. Just push the button.

I wonder if Satan is controlling, non-Christians minds and that's why there's brutality and war throughout the world. If everyone was a Christian, would our world be better.

Here's a quote from Wikipedia The Crusades were a series of religion-driven military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents. Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, though campaigns were also directed against pagan Slavs, Jews, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemies of the popes.

These Christian Crusades killed thousands of people. To give you an idea how many people were killed, all I had to do was type the word crusades into a search engine and it took me to the Christian Crusades.

I guess that rules that out, it seems like the Christians a long time ago were pretty aggressive towards their enemies, I wonder if most Christians would refer to these people as enemies today or are they just being controlled by Satan. Do these Christians from the Crusades get to go to heaven? If people like this get to go to heaven, may be hell is a better place anyway.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Mere Christianity

Here's something to think about, go to heaven

Should Christians Buy This Book?

When Do We Get To Meet God
Personal Development

Marking 50 Years of Achebe's Things Fall Apart - Maintaining a Proud Presence in World Literature

50 years ago in 1958 a young Nigerian, Chinua Achebe, at the young age of 28, made major breakthrough for African Literature with the publication of his novel Things Fall Apart. This novel became widely read and recommended in schools and colleges all over the world. I could remember reading it for two years in succession 30 years ago when I was in secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and all of us in the class were as thrilled not only by the events but by the infectiously fresh idioms and imageries used to describe characters and scenes.

Up to now the imageries that lard the texture of the narrative still have place in the lexicon of my students. The most common included that comparing the speedy growth of Okonkwo's reputation and power: to "a bushfire in the harmattan" and that if a man should say yes his chi, his personal god, should also say yes, in accord with him. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, the "agbala" soon had his counterparts identified amongst us as much as were the fools and weaklings dubbed 'efulefus'. But Unoka was not seen as such a hateful character as his son was trying to make him, for he seemed like a lively fun-lover who had no problem with anyone, except of course his son who was ever burning with the hatred of a failed parentage and heritage as his father spent most of his time playing flute and drinking palmwine unmindful about tomorrow. I have had to read, teach, lecture, discuss, read and reread with new layers of meaning and interpretations unveiling themselves to me at each stage in that joyful cycle of engagement with it, with the text taking a permanent place in the imagination.

I am still trying to retrieve an essay I wrote whilst doing my masters on Achebe's unique style across his novels, then restricted to Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, A Man of the People and Arrow of God. For Anthills of the Savannah had not yet been written. So when I read the preamble to Joyce Ashuntantang"s interview of the literary sage in "50 Years After "Things Fall Apart": A Chat with Chinua Achebe" it was as if she was a spokeperson for our experience which I expect might be one all across Africa, especially. She recalled many secondary school children who were not macho enough ending up with the nickname "agbala" which meant womanly, a derogatory reference to a man in Umuofia who had not taken any titles as was the case with Unoka. Another name she identified was "efulefu" meaning worthless person,

Many of the proverbs from the text have flown beyond Umuofia to Anglo-literate communities across Africa like ours in Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Ghana and Gambia. For example, "The lizard that jumped from the high Iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did"; "Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing I have learned to fly without perching"; "A child who washes his hands can dine with elders"; "An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb".

Chinua Achebe's fate was being sealed from 1948, when in preparation for independence, Nigeria's first university, now the University of Ibadan, opened, as an associate college of the University of London.

Achebe obtained such high marks in the college entrance examination that he was admitted in its first intake with a bursary to study medicine.

After a year of gruelling work, however, deciding that science was not made for him, he changed to English, history, and theology. But this switch cost him his scholarship. He now had to pay his tuition fees. Luckily, he received a government bursary, which helped him halfway together with money contributed by his family. His older brother, Augustine, gave up money for a trip home from his job as a civil servant to enable Chinua continue his studies. From its inception, the university had a strong English faculty which attracted the brightest intakes including those who like Achebe were to become famous writers like Wole Soyinka, Elechi Amadi, John Pepper Clark, Christopher Okigbo and, Kole Omotoso.

In 1950 Achebe made a further advance towards his literary goal when he wrote his first piece entitled,"Polar Undergraduate" for the University Herald even serving as its editor during the 1951-2 school year.Through irony and humour it celebrates the intellectual vigour of his classmates. He followed this with other essays and letters about philosophy and freedom in academia, some of which were published in another campus magazine, The Bug.

Achebe then wrote his first short story, "In a Village Church", which combines details of life in rural Nigeria with Christian institutions and icons, a style which was to be of much use in many of his later works. Other short stories he wrote during his time at Ibadan include "The Old Order in Conflict with the New" and "Dead Men's Path" which examine conflicts between tradition and modernity, with an eye toward promoting dialogue and understanding on both sides. Professor Geoffrey Parrinder's arrival at the university to teach comparative religion, set Achebe on exploring the fields of Christian history and African traditional religions.

He was now becoming critical of European literature about Africa.like Irish novelist Joyce Cary's Mister Johnson, about a cheerful Nigerian man who was working for an abusive British store owner for which Achebe and some of his classmates could not conceal their dislike . One of his classmates even went as far as announcing to the professor that the only enjoyable moment in the book is when Johnson is shot . In amother move to cultural nationalism, Achebe renounced his British name, Albert, replacing it with his indigenous name "Chinua."

At the end of his undergraduate studies in 1953 Achebe was so disappointrf at being awarded a second-class degree and not the first class that he had been expecting that he became uncertain as to how to proceed after that. So he returned to his hometown, Ogidi, to sort through his options. There, a friend from the university who visited him convinced him to apply for an English teaching position at the Merchants of Light school at Oba, a ramshackle institution with a crumbling infrastructure and a meagre library built on what the residents called "bad bush" or evil forest as a similar area in Things Fall Apart is called - a section of land thought to be tainted by unfriendly or evil spirits which was what was allocated to the Christian missionaries to build their church with the hope that they would not survive the evil spirits..

As a teacher, Achebe encouraged his students to be original in their work and read extensively. As the students did not have access to the newspapers he had read as a student, he made his own available in the classroom. But after four months here he grabbed an opportunity which arose in 1954 to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), in Lagos, and left.

Achebe was assigned to the Talks Department, where he was responsible for preparing scripts for oral delivery, a task which helped him master the subtle nuances between written and spoken language, thus enabling him later to write realistic dialogue with ease.The city of Lagos, a huge conurbation teeming with recent migrants from the rural villages also made a significant impression on him, as it did on Ekwensi. Achebe revelled in the social and political activities around him later drawing upon such experiences when describing the city in No Longer At Ease.

While in Lagos, Achebe started work on a novel though quite a challenging task, since very little African fiction apart from Amos Tutuola's Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952) and Cyprian Ekwensi's People of the City (1954) had been written in English. While appreciating Ekwensi's work, Achebe worked hard to develop his own style, even as he pioneered the creation of the Nigerian novel itself. Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Nigeria in 1956 which brought issues of colonialism and politics further to the surface, was a significant moment for Achebe.

His first trip outside Nigeria also in 1956, when he was to undergo training in London at the Staff School run by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).was an opportunity for Achebe to advance his technical production skills, and to solicit feedback on his novel. In London he met a novelist, Gilbert Phelps, to whom he showed the manuscript. Phelps with great enthusiasm, asked Achebe if he could show it to his editor and publishers. Achebe declined, insisting that it needed more work.

On his return to Nigeria, Achebe started revising and editing it, now titled Things Fall Apart drawn from a line in the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats' poem "The Second Coming". He concentrated only on the story of a yam farmer, Okonkwo, adding sections, improving various chapters, and restructuring and tightening the prose.

By 1957 having sculpted it to his liking, he took advantage of an advertisement offering a typing service to send the only copy of his handwritten manuscript (along with the #22 fee) to the London company. He waited several months without receiving any communication from them, and began to worry.

So when his boss, Angela Beattie, was going to London on her annual leave he requested her to visit the company and act on his behalf which she did rather decisively, angrily demanding why it was lying ignored in the corner of the office. The company quickly sent a typed copy to Achebe. Beattie's intervention thus rescued and revived Achebe's spirit thus enabling him to continue as a writer. Had the novel been lost, he would have been so discouraged that he would probably have given up altogether.

In 1958 Achebe sent his novel to the agent earlier recommended by Gilbert Phelps in London. The agent upon receiving it sent it to several publishing houses. Some rejected it immediately, claiming that fiction from African writers had no market potential. Finally it reached the office of Heinemann. Executives there hesitated until an educational adviser, Donald MacRae, - just back from a trip through west Africa - read it and forced the company's hand with his succinct report: "This is the best novel I have read since the war"

In the book Okonkwo haunted by the failure of his father - a shiftless debtor fond of playing the flute and drinking palmwine - tortures himself not to resemble him in any way by working hard and not showing any feelings or compassion. It also evplores the complications and contradictions that arise within him and in the wider community when white missionaries arrive in his village of Umuofia. Exploring the cultural conflict, particularly after the first encounter between Igbo tradition and Christian doctrine and European administration that ensues, the novel shows the crumbling of the infexible and inhumane structures of Umuofia along with the equally infexible Okonkwo. Achebe thus retold the history of colonization from the point of view of the colonized, in reversal of previous images presented. For Achebe's emergence as "the founding father of African literature ... in the English language," is traceable to his reaction to Joyce Cary's novel Mister Johnson, set in Achebe's native Nigeria which he studied at the University College in Ibadan. In a curriculum full of Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, Mister Johnson stood out as one of the few books about Africa which Time magazine recently declared the "best book ever written about Africa," but Achebe and his classmates had quite a decidedly hostile reaction to. For they saw the Nigerian hero as an "embarrassing nitwit," as Achebe writes in , Home and Exile, and detected in the Irish author's descriptions of Nigerians "an undertow of uncharitableness ... a contagion of distaste, hatred, and mockery." Mister Johnson, Achebe writes, "open[ed] my eyes to the fact that my home was under attack and that my home was not merely a house or a town but, more importantly, an awakening story."

Home and Exile, which describes this transition to a new era in literature is then both a kind of autobiography and a rumination on the power stories have to create a sense of dispossession or to confer strength, depending on who is wielding the pen. Achebe depicts his gradual realization that Mister Johnson was just one in a long line of books written by Westerners that presented Africans to the world in a way that Africans didn't agree with or recognize, and he examines the "process of 're-storying' peoples who had been knocked silent by all kinds of dispossession." He hopes -- that this "re-storying" will continue and will eventually result in a "balance of stories among the world's peoples."

Things Fall Apart marked a turning point for African authors, who began to take back the narrative of the so-called "dark continent."

The style of Achebe's fiction draws heavily on the oral tradition of the Igbo. He weaves folk tales into the fabric of his stories, thus illuminating community values in both the content and the form of the storytelling. The tale about the Earth and Sky , for example, emphasises the interdependence of the masculine and the feminine. Although Nwoye enjoys hearing his mother tell the tale, Okonkwo's dislike for it is evidence of his imbalance. Later, Nwoye avoids beatings from his father by pretending to dislike such "women's stories".

Achebe' s free but deft use of proverbs, which often illustrate the values of the rural Igbo tradition. sprinkled throughout the narratives, repeating points made in conversation is deft. For Achebe, however, proverbs and folk stories are not the sum total of the oral Igbo tradition. In combining philosophical thought and public performance into the use of oratory - "speech artistry" -, his characters exhibit what he called "a matter of individual excellence ... part of Igbo culture." as Okonkwo's friend Obierika voices the most impassioned oratory, crystallising the events and their significance for the village.

Ceremonial dancing and the singing of folk songs also reflect the realities of Igbo tradition. The elderly Uchendu, attempting to shake Okonkwo out of his self-pity, refers to a song sung after the death of a woman: "For whom is it well, for whom is it well? There is no one for whom it is well." This song contrasts with the "gay and rollicking tunes of evangelism" sung later by the white missionaries.

Okonkwo's tragedy perhaps could be seen as emanating from his furious manhood overpowering everything feminine in his life, including his own conscience. For example, when he feels awful after killing his adopted son, he asks himself: "When did you become a shivering old woman?" All things feminine are distasteful to him, in part because they remind him of his father's laziness and cowardice. The women in the novel, meanwhile, are obedient, quiet, and absent from positions of authority - despite the fact that Igbo women were traditionally involved in village leadership. Nevertheless, the need for feminine balance is highlighted by Ani, the earth goddess, and the extended discussion of "Nneka" ("Mother is supreme") in chapter fourteen. Okonkwo's defeat is seen by some as a consequence of his suppression of a balancing feminine ethos.

Heinemann published 2,000 hardcover copies of Things Fall Apart on 17 June 1958. According to Alan Hill, employed by the publisher at the time, the company did not "touch a word of it" in preparation for release. The book received such a rousing reception that merits a whole book or at least an article to detail.Mean while as we celebrate 50 years of Things Fall Apart the book keeps moving into new corners of the globe while holding and tickling the imagination of those of us who have grown and fed on it for decades.

Born and schooled in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Arthur Smith has taught English for over thirty years at various Educational Institutions. He is now a Senior Lecturer of English at Fourah Bay College where he has been lecturing for the past eight years.

Mr Smith's writings have been in various media. He participated in a seminar on contemporary American Literature in the U.S. in 2006. His growing thoughts and reflections on this trip which took him to various US sights and sounds could be read at http://www.lisnews.org

His other publications include: Folktales from Freetown, Langston Hughes: Life and Works Celebrating Black Dignity, and 'The Struggle of the Book'

Prayer In My Earlier Life and Its Effects

If I Hate My Brother
Are Your Prayers Being Answered

The Religious Background of Unicorn Tapestries

The unicorn has been a mythical symbol since ancient times. Some of the earliest depictions of the unicorn are from ancient China and featured a creature resembling a large horse with a single horn protruding from its forehead. The writings and drawings of many ancient cultures throughout Asia and Europe included unicorns and eventually they evolved into religious symbols.

By the middle ages, the unicorn was considered both a religious and secular symbol by most of Christian Europe. The unicorn represented chastity, holiness, and purity, and was even used as a symbol for Christ. Because of the unicorn's important symbolism, it was often featured in tapestries and other art of the period. There are even references to unicorns in the bible, although some historians question their inclusion in the Bible because of translations issues. References to unicorns can be seen in Deuteronomy 33:17, Psalm 22:21, 29:6 and 92:10; Numbers 23:22 and 24:8; and Isaiah 34:7. These passages do not infer that the references to unicorns are fictitious or that unicorns are not in fact real animals.

There are many examples of medieval art and tapestries that feature unicorns and once they were accepted as a religious symbol they became very popular subjects. Unicorns represented purity and the myth perpetuated by their holy meaning was that only a virgin could tame a unicorn. Tapestries were common among the aristocracy in the Middle ages and were used as decoration as well as insulation for windows and openings. The most common tapestry designs were biblical allegories including unicorns. One of the most famous sets of tapestries are the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Created in France in the late 1400's.

The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are perhaps the most famous examples of unicorns in art in the entire world. They were not discovered until late in the 1800's by Proper Merimee in a castle in Boussac France. They were damaged but were later restored and then put on display in the Cluny Museum in France in a room specially designed to house them. The novelist Georges Sands was responsible for making them so popular and included them in her writings.

It is not known who designed and wove the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, but historians do know who they were created for. The coat of arms on the tapestries belongs to the Le Viste family and the tapestries were probably created for this family in the late 1400's. Like other tapestries and art depicting unicorns, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are said to represent the human senses with the subject of the tapestries a virginal maiden and a unicorn. Five of the six tapestries represent the five senses, hearing, tough, taste, feeling, and sight. The sixth tapestry is one that carries some debate as some say it represent love, other think it stands for the "6th sense" while other think it represents understanding or empathy. Unicorns have long been a part of art and folk lore, and are still symbols of holiness and purity today.

http://www.touchoftapestry.com/servlet/StoreFront

Do You Actually Get to Go to Heaven - Christian Thinking

Meditating On Religious Scriptur
Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Weight Loss Spells For Those Interested in Witchcraft and Magick

Weight loss spells are becoming more and more popular. Both female and male witches alike often cast weight loss spells with hopes of obtaining their "dream bodies." A weight loss spell falls into the same category of "beauty spells" and "glamor spells." But do they really work?

Weight loss spells don't just magically work in the sense that they *poof!* make the witch thinner, but they can help the witch become more motivated to work out and to eat healthier. In order to lose weight, healthy eating and working out are always the most important things to do. But neither can be done if the witch has no willpower. Thankfully, a weight loss spell can help with that.

If you're interested in witchcraft and weight loss, here is a spell you can try:

Every Friday night for a month, light some white and pink candles (or red if you're a male witch or mage. I won't make you light pink ones.) Drink at least one full cup of water before, during, and after the spell. Have some jasmine incense burning as well, if you're not allergic to it. During the spell, while drinking the water, look in front of a full length mirror and visualize yourself shrinking and becoming thinner. Try imagining that you actually FEEL yourself getting thinner. Spend a few minutes doing this while saying this mantra:

"Extra weight go away, Venus be with me this day. Give me the strength, give me the power. I shall lose weight starting this hour."

Say this over and over again while visualizing yourself getting thinner.

After the weight loss spell is over, snuff the candles out and then set them in a private place until the next Friday. You may resume where you left off every Friday night until you begin noticing differences in your eating habits. Don't forget to thank Venus often.

If you are interested in a weight loss spell or any other type of spell, this is a great site to visit: http://www.AvonleeStarkeeper.com At this site you will find tips on love spells, money spells, luck spells, justice spells, REIKI, psychic readings, and more!

Did Jesus Actually Ever Get Mad - Video

Overcoming Difficulties Talking
Radical Religious Leaders

In North Korea - Two Fathers And Two Sons

The Billy Graham family has quite a legacy in North Korea. According to Thomas Belke's Juche Billy visited the nation in 1992 and 1994, the year Kim Il Sung passed on. He was permitted to preach at state "churches", and at the Kim Il Sung University. He gave his personal testimony to Mr. Kim, though with no positive results.

Belke theorizes that Graham was allowed such liberty because his wife had attended a Christian school in Pyongyang in the 30's. Others impute a more sinister motive to the Great One. Perhaps he was trying to tell a watching world that he was really open to religion, and how could they ever have thought otherwise?All of this drama while thousands of believers suffered in his prisons.

Belke says that the facade goes on today. Tourists to Pyongyang tell of visiting both Catholic and Protestant churches, and seeing some of the same North Korean faces! They see unused Bibles and "members" who don't know how to find songs in their hymnals. All actors. But actors whose job is of limited tenure. Repeat performances are never allowed by those who have genuine tears in their eyes after a performance...

And now, son Franklin Graham has visited son Kim Jong Il. Though far from praising the dictator, he urges that we keep communication lines open. I'm not necessarily in agreement with either of the Grahams' philosophy, but I feel it is important that we see what is going on as the door may be opening ever so slightly. We will not be of those who sit in judgment in "the seat of the scornful" though we offer our warnings regarding compromise and selling out the suffering.

The Gospel will get in to North Korea. It is circulating even now. It is for this that we continue to long and pray. Let us rejoice for any Light that penetrates. And let's keep praying.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Figure Out What You Want In Life

Can We Prove That an Invisible God Lives

Here's a pretty good interview about someone explaining the existence of God.

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Peaceful Warrior God

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a christian video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Searching For A Soul Mate
Jim Rohn Author Review

The Best Sunday School Books For Toddlers

Of course the first and foremost book to get is a children's Bible or several. One of the best ones that has been around for many years is The Beginners Bible: Timeless Children's Stories. It has wonderful stories and is beautifully illustrated. The stories are all short enough to hold a young one's attention. Another nice children's Bible is the Toddler's Bible. It has large print and nice illustrations. The stories are very short, more like a summary of the stories.

The Rhyme Bible Story Book for Toddlers is another awesome book. The book is a great introduction to toddlers to learn the bible stories. Each story is told in a rhyme (which toddlers love) in a span of 3 to 4 pages.

Prayer Books

Even toddlers can learn how to pray. The first prayer that many children learn is at supper. Then there are the bedtime prayers. There is a nice prayer book for toddlers called "Special Time Bible Prayers for Toddlers." It is very nicely illustrated and even comes with a CD.
"Teaching Children to Pray" is geared towards 2 and 3 year olds. Included are biblical story references and prayer suggestions.

Other Story Books

There is a series of books that are wonderful, and should be included in Sunday school. They are "Instant Bible Lessons for Children" by Rainbow Publishers, and they teach about life lessons. One is titled "God Takes Care of Me" and others are "God Blesses Me," "I Belong to Jesus," and "Growing Up For God." Each book includes Scripture references as well as plenty of activities to reinforce the lessons learned.

"The Big Book of Bible Crafts" is perfect for Sunday school. All of the crafts in the book relate to a Bible story or character.
"More Toddlerific Bible Funstuff" is jam packed with fun activities that support a truth from God's Word, teaches a verse or tells a Bible story. It has reproducible pages and hands-on activities to occupy those young minds. "Christian Children's Favorites" songbook has all the songs you loved as a kid. Title tracks include:

• Jesus Loves Me
• This Little Light of Mine
• Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
• Deep and Wide
• Do Lord
• Down in My Heart
• Jesus Loves the Little Children and many more

"God's Word for Little Ones" is a delightful book. It has nice illustrations and all the stories from both the Old and New Testament. But what is really great about this book is after each story there is a section entitled "Think about it" that asks questions about the story that was read. Then there is a fun fact section after the questions called "Did You Know?" that relates to that particular story.

"First Virtues for Toddlers" is a terrific first devotional Bible. It has 12 short rhyming stories about various virtues including sharing, patience, kindness, among others, and each ends with a short Bible verse that relates to the story. They are very simple and easy to memorize. The "First Virtues for Toddlers" book was so popular that they came out with a series of them. The illustrations are really cute. This is an awesome series of books. Titles in the series include:

• Kitty Shows Kindness
• Bunny Loves Others
• Bear Obeys
• Lion Shares
• Duckling is Patient
• Piglet Tells the Truth
• Panda is Polite
• Puppy Makes Friends
• Tiger Forgives

A Sunday school for toddlers needs to have more than just a Bible with Bible stories. You need to keep them occupies with crafts and singing also. It is also a good idea to teach them what they can understand in their terms by teaching them about life's lessons in simple terms.

Denise Oliveri has been a Sunday school teacher for the past 14 years. She has taught children between preschool through 5th grade in this time. She is the owner of Preschool Sunday School Central, a site designed to help preschool Sunday School teachers find the best resources for helping with Bible lesson planning. There are tons of free resources, as well as valuable eBooks to help with Bible lesson planning. The site is great for homeschoolers, too!

Denise is also a homeschooling mom of three wonderful boys for the past eight years! She has taught electives for a local homeschool co-op, as well as taken many facinating field trips with her children and husband. Homeschooling is a journey all in itself.

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Lifestyle Evangelism

There are certainly many references in the Bible to evangelism such as John 4:35-38 and First Corinthians 3:5-9 or the most popular Biblical example towards the end of Matthew 28 where Jesus told his followers "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

However, the means in which to tell other nations about The Lord and teach of the Bible was not specified. One of the more recent popular terms and practices is 'Lifestyle Evangelism' which simply means other ways of spreading the word of the Bible and Jesus (i.e., those of us who are not Ministers or who otherwise are looking for ways of spreading Christianity without necessarily preaching). So it could be interpreted as non-verbal means of spreading God's word by having others seeking to follow your ways (i.e., your lifestyle). Rather than pro-active means, Lifestyle Evangelism can mean reactive means of starting a conversation about Jesus, like wearing a Christian tee shirt certainly can be a conversation starter and lead to a discussion.

There are some who debate whether anything short of preaching or verbal evangelizing is really following God's word, but I think Matthew 28 is the best example in that it doesn't specify the MEANS in which to spread the word to other nations - it just says go out and spread the word.

Not everyone is the Type A personality that can start a conversation with anyone. Others need an ice-breaker and this has been for many the hardest part of fulfilling your need as a Christian to practice evangelism. So for many Christians, Lifestyle Evangelism can fulfill that desire to fulfill Jesus' statement in Matthew 28 by doing rather than by preaching. If others see that you're living a great life, doing good unto others, committing to family, friends, neighbors, people in need, then others will want to ask how you got there, and that's your ice-breaker to start a conversation. No you don't have to start that first discussion with reciting any Biblical text, but as you get to know the person, your beliefs and lifestyle will surely come out. Not by preaching, but in the things you do.

If you would like more about Lifestyle evangelism, we have an entire Blog on our website devoted to this topic and it's fun to see what ideas others have on this topic.

Bryan K. Johnson is the President and Owner of BlueHeavenTees.com

Blue Heaven Tees offers innovative and unique Christian Tee Shirts, Christian Hoodies and Sweatshirts and other great Christian gift ideas. Check out our new fall line now in stock!

http://www.BlueHeavenTees.com

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Earth's Final Empire

There is wild speculation, then there is speculation based on facts. Bible facts. Let me share a few facts from Daniel and John, then I'll speculate with some current information.

The prophet Daniel relates in chapter 2 of his book an incident that takes place involving himself and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of all Babylonia. The king is looking for someone who will not only tell him the interpretation of a dream he had, but will relate the dream itself. Daniel's God is able to satisfy the monarch, and in the process gives us some very important history.

The dream is of a statue of a human body, the parts of which tell the story of mankind from Daniel's day until past our own time. There is the Babylonian period, the Medo-Persian and Greek periods, and finally, the Roman. Important to point out here is that the Roman period is the final one. It is the legs and feet, which on most bodies reach the floor when standing. From the end of Greece until the end of time, one Empire is to dominate Earth's affairs. It is to be concluded with a ten-part kingdom.

We talk about the revival of the Roman Empire, and so it shall be. But not a revival from death, for Rome still lives. It is more of a revival from a long illness. First pagan Rome, then Papal Rome, then the gradual weakening until its present state. Yet is there a power on earth today that is greater in number and in potential political and financial power than Roman Catholicism and its powerful Pope?

A treaty that was signed in (political) Rome back in the 50's gave rise to the European Common Market and its offspring the EU. Prophecy students have long salivated over this piece of work, looking at its telling flag, and its currency and its potential military might. Surely this is the world's last power, they have said. I was of course swept into this thinking too until the number of members so far exceeded 10 as to cause one to lose count.

I shall share my speculation about what I believe the ten-nation confederation is after this brief run-down of the Biblical facts. Here is what Daniel and John (Revelation 17) tell us:

• after the iron-like entry of Rome into the world, it will resolve eventually into a mixture of iron and clay, in ten separate parts. Ten toes, using the language of the body.
• the iron and clay will not adhere to each other. Strong nations, weak nations.
• when this final empire is in place, the seventh world ruler will arise and moderate it for a short time.
• the miraculous and forceful appearance of the man of sin will cause the 8th ruler, who is really one of earth's 7 great anti-God anti-Israel anti-Christ personages, to gain the ascendancy.
• using the 10-nation alliance as a base, he will eventually conquer the world.
• in the days of these 10 kings and this world ruler, God will establish His own rule out of the New Jerusalem, a true city set on a hill in Israel.

Speculation: Since John and Daniel see Antichrist rising from the Great Sea, it seems to me that a Mediterranean Alliance, and not the European Union, will be the seat of the Beast. Headquarters, Rome. If this man is Antiochus (about which I have written elsewhere), Greece must be a part of it. Add on Turkey and Syria, part of the kingdom he reigned when here before. Then there are Libya and Egypt, mentioned in Daniel 12 as part of his final conflict.

Oh, and let's add on France and Morocco, who have begun making deals, with an eye toward a Mediterranean union. That leaves only two more nations.

I go from speculation to true subjectivity and ask not that you agree but consider. While thinking about all of this and wondering if indeed the world was headed toward what the Scripture seemed to be saying, the phrase "Mediterranean Alliance" came to my mind and I felt I should Google it. I had never, to my knowledge, heard that phrase. I was gratified to find that indeed the men of earth are contemplating a Mediterranean Union or Alliance, and the sooner the better, as the security issues in that part of the world get out of control more and more by the day.

That's as far as I can go for now. Like the statue's toes, today I offer you iron-clad facts mixed with some not so solid clay. Perhaps readers will care to respond with research of their own.

And as always I invite my readers to consider praying for North Korea, whose plight may some day be our own.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

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The Deity of Jesus Christ - Leviticus and Deuteronomy

In the Mosaic books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, one can trace the fact that Jesus is Divine.

Leviticus 11:44, Holy. Twice in rapid succession the God of Israel tells the Jewish nation, "Ye shall be holy, for I am holy." The Spirit that exudes from this God is called the Holy Spirit. Not the Happy or the Mighty but the Holy. Those filled with Holy Spirit are holy people! Isaiah sees the Lord as holy, and the angels of His vision thrice use the word in their classic proclamation: (6:3) "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!" And Jesus? Is He ever referred to as holy? (Acts 2:27) Peter quotes David's famous words, " Thou wilt not leave My (Jesus') soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption." Peter again, in Acts 3:14 says, But ye (Jews) denied the Holy One (Jesus)...and desired a murderer (Barabbas) to be granted unto you." In a passage that in many ways parallels Isaiah's scene, John the Revelator (4:8) quotes the angels thus: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." But in 1:8 of that book, that formulation of words is applied directly to Jesus! Yes, the "Holy Child" Jesus is also the Holy Lord Almighty! God!

Deuteronomy 6:4, the One God. We come to a critical passage. 6:4 says simply, "Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." We see in this most precious of Jewish Scriptures the reason that the orthodox of Jesus' day wanted to stone Jesus. They could not accept a second God. They knew, and they were correct, that the Lord our God is one, a unity. The idea of more than one was abhorrent. Would that they had listened to Jesus when He proclaimed His oneness with the Father, John 10:30. But it still is quite difficult for these finite minds to grasp that one plus one equals one still. Notice again Paul's use of the word only , in I Timothy 6:15-16: "[Jesus Christ] is the... ONLY Potentate, THE King of Kings...Who ONLY hath immortality..." Yahweh claims to be the ONE God. Jesus is proclaimed to be the ONLY Potentate (source of power and authority). No conflict. Jesus is GOD.

Deuteronomy 10:17, Lord of Lords. "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords..." Such an exclusive title. But it is also the title of the Lord Jesus Christ, written on His clothing, seen by the apostle John and recorded for us in Revelation 19:11-16: "The Word of God...hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

What can we say? Only that Jesus is God.

Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock.." This is one of many Old Testament passages calling the Lord a rock. Like in I Samuel 2:2, where we see Hannah, in the Spirit, saying, "Neither is there any Rock like our God!" Similarly in the New Testament we see Jesus telling Peter that the Church will be built on Peter's rock-statement that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 16). Peter later tells his flock that this Jesus is the "stone which the builders disallowed...the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence..." Paul comments that the Rock that followed the Israelites through the wilderness was none other than Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 10:4)!

Truth . The same passage as quoted above, 32:4, says that this God is "a God of truth." I need not even remind my readers that Jesus said (John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." If He is not God, He is a bit out of order to make such a claim!

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

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The Deity of Jesus Christ - Ecclesiastes and Isaiah

From Solomon to Isaiah, from Moses to John, the message is clear: Jesus is God. Here is a word from Solomon in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 11:14, Revealer of secrets. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (11:14) The revealer and judge of every secret. Reminds me of something Paul said about Jesus: (Romans 2:16) "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel." Everything that "God" is seen doing or being "alone" in the Old Testament, He is seen doing or being in association with one called Jesus in the New. What a unity!

And from Isaiah the prophet, many such words match with a New Testament counterpart.

2:2-4, Lord of the New Jerusalem. What a precious preview of events is given by Isaiah in his 2nd chapter, verses 2-4: "...the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains...and all nations shall flow unto it...and ...people shall say, Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob...for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."But where is Jesus in all of this? When John sees this final City in Revelation 21, he first is told , "The tabernacle of God is with men...and God Himself shall be with them..."(v. 3) So far, the same scenario as Isaiah. A location in a City, with God as its head. But look closer, in verses 22-23. There is no temple. Why? Because "The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." There is no sun. Why? "For the glory of God...and the Lamb" lighten it

You've heard perhaps of the " parallelism." It's a way of saying two things but meaning only one. Thomas didn't mean to say there were two persons in front of Him when he exclaimed to Jesus, "My Lord and My God!""God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" is another one. God and Father here are the same person, not two. I suggest that the only way "The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb" can make any sense is to consider them the same person. I have already shown that "Almighty God" is a title worn by Jesus! And we know Jesus is the Lamb. Something wonderful here!

7:14, Immanuel. The Name says it all. Isaiah 7:14, golden verse of the Old Testament, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name, Immanuel." Brother Matthew, in relating the fulfilment of the prophecy in the birth of Jesus (1:23) goes on to add the meaning of the Name: "God with us." Now, how better can God tell us who this Jesus is?

9:6, Father and Son. I guess this is my favorite of the declarations of Scripture regarding the Deity of Jesus Christ. Read carefully: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."(9:6) I can hardly stand it! Time to dance in the aisles. Time to rejoice in our spirits, though the brain has been dealt another curve. This precious Baby, Jesus, is the Son. But in a way that I hope is becoming clearer through the reading of the Scriptures I have assembled, He is also the Father! Enough said.

41:4, First and Last. "...I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He." says God.And,these are the very words of our Jesus: "Fear not; I am the first and the last." (Revelation 1:17)

41:14, Redeemer. "...I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer..." But we have always looked to Jesus as our Redeemer, Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law..." Indeed! The chorus in Heaven praises the Lamb Who "redeemed us to God by Thy blood."So here is God, redeeming us to Himself. We still want to see two People here, but our confusion comes because God became a Man. That Man is the one we see and know, because He is one of us. But we must constantly keep the eyes of the spirit open to seeing all that He is. He's one of that other race, too. The race known as the "Godhead."

43:10-11, The One and Only. This one is addressed to witnesses only! "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen...understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I even I, am the Lord; and besides Me there is no Saviour." I love it! For all time we are told that anyone claiming to be God, Lord, or Saviour is either blatantly false, or to be identified with this God. There simply is no other God. And Jesus, of course, claimed to be all three!

45:23, The One to Whom every knee shall bow. Yet another solemn vow from Yahweh: "I have sworn by Myself , the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Then Who is this accepting such obeisance in the New Covenant, if He is not God Almighty? Fill us in, Paul:(Philippians 2:9-11) "...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and...every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus is worshipped as God so that God can be glorified. Baffling unless we see them as one.

65:2-3, Spurned by Israel. "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people...a people that provoketh me to anger continually to My face..." Such horrid treatment was given to Yahweh by the Jews throughout their history. Was Jesus involved in this? In a revealing statement recorded by Matthew (23:37), we see that the Word was indeed there: After a full list of denunciations of Israel's religious professionals, it is as though Jesus is overcome by an emotional flood of memories. He could have learned some of this from reading His Bible, but the use of the pronoun "I" rivets our attention...He was there! He knew these people forever! "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" This is the same God who complains through Isaiah of being treated so pitifully poor. The same.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Do Only A Few Go To Heaven