Violence topples Nigeria’s ‘bridge’

Posted on 28 July 2012

Jos (CDN) — Gyang Dantong was killed while attending a funeral.

He was among a handful of elected members of Nigerian government attempting to bury the more than 100 Christians killed just the day before, when Muslim gunmen had rampaged through several villages in Nigeria’s central Plateau state.

The sheer scale of the violence July 7 convulsed a country where attacks upon Christians are commonplace. Then the attackers returned the next day, killing scores more, including Datong, 53, and another elected government official, who had gathered to bury their dead. The two days of brutality have pushed Nigeria beyond shock into a debate about whether it can even survive as a nation.

About Right From The Knees

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. - Colossians 4:2

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What is the value of prayer?

Watchman Nee said, "Our prayers lay the track down which Gods power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails."

We too believe that prayer makes a difference for the one being prayed for, but also for the one doing the praying. We believe that prayer is communication with God. We believe that God is mighty, but that He is also mysterious. We don't always understand why He answers some prayers but is silent at other times. We believe prayer is the glue sticks your heart to God's...and to the hearts of the people you pray for.

Prayer Without Jesus?

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." - John 16:23-24

As a pastor, I’m often asked to pray in some public setting. And very often when I’m asked, the person giving the invitation tells me, “Now we want this to be an ecumenical prayer,” or “We want this to be a kind of generic prayer.” 

Generic, ecumenical, these are just code words for “Whatever you do, don’t mention Jesus!” Sorry to disappoint these folks, but I can’t go into a public setting and deny Jesus or my faith.

On the other hand, I think it’s important when praying in a public setting that includes non-believers, that we say, “I pray this prayer in the name of MY Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” It would not be a true statement if we were to say, “OUR Lord and Savior.” 

Becoming One Flesh

"...and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one." - Mark 10:8

Jesus describes marriage as two people becoming one flesh. What does this mean? Now an obvious meaning is an expression of sexual intimacy. But it is more than that. There is also an emotional oneness. For instance, upon the death of a life-long mate, many people will declare, "I feel like a part of me has just been ripped away." And that's exactly right! God wants your marriage to be so close that your flesh almost literally does become one.

Why Childfree Couples Have It All

Laura Carroll

Author and Communications 

Consultant

Keli Goff hits the nail on the head in her post "Why Women Shouldn't Want To Have it All" when she makes the point that for all the solutions Anne-Marie Slaughter lays out as necessary for more women to be able to "have it all," "she completely omits one of the most obvious: the need to change the entire conversation about how women define success, from a one-size fits all model that includes marriage, motherhood and career into a find-what-works-for-you model."

Why is parenthood always in the work-life equation? Because we assume that at one point or another, our personal lives will involve raising children. And we make this assumption because for generations, we've been taught to believe that parenthood is the ultimate path to fulfillment in life. We may have successful careers and do many other things in life, but becoming a mother and father is what's going to make life truly worthwhile.

The key phrase here is what we "have been taught to believe" about parenthood. To understand how we've come to believe what we do about parenthood we have to go back in time. Throughout history, valuing fertility was necessary to ensure survival. Leaders encouraged, even mandated population growth to offset population losses due to infant mortality, war and disease. The larger a society's population, the more it could expand and gain power. 

1 in 5 Women Will Experience a Mood or Anxiety Disorder While Pregnant or After Giving Birth (PPD)

CHICAGO, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Up to 1 out of every 5 pregnant and new mothers will experience prenatal or postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety. Most women are undiagnosed and inadequately treated, if treated at all. This can have devastating effects on women and families.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (Pediatrics 2010; 126;1032-1039), untreated postpartum depression (PPD) and prenatal depression can lead to increased medical costs, inappropriate medical care, discontinuation of breastfeeding, child abuse, and neglect.

Support groups can be an effective way to help prevent these negative consequences (Am J Psychiatry 2001; 158:638-640). Unfortunately, women with postpartum depression (PPD) and other maternal mood disorders frequently struggle to find a group that overcomes barriers of geographical location, traffic, timing, and childcare.

Magic Power Coffee: Potentially Dangerous—Not Magical

Consumers should not use an instant coffee being sold online as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, warns the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The product, Magic Power Coffee, contains a potentially dangerous ingredient. The product is sold in a two-serving box as well as in a carton that contains six two-serving boxes.

FDA’s lab analysis determined that Magic Power Coffee contains a chemical similar to the active ingredient in the prescription drug Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction. The chemical may interact with prescription drugs known as nitrates, including nitroglycerin, and cause dangerously low blood pressure.

Although Magic Power Coffee is labeled as an “all natural dietary supplement,” it can cause serious harm. Sexual enhancement products that claim to work as well as prescription products are likely to expose consumers to unpredictable risks and the potential for injury or even death.

Public Notification: “Hard Ten Days” Contains Undeclared Drug Ingredient

[2-18-2012] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to purchase or use “Hard Ten Days,” a product for sexual enhancement sold on various websites.  FDA laboratory analysis confirmed that “Hard Ten Days” contains sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA approved prescription drug for Erectile Dysfunction (ED).  


Sildenafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.  Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease often take nitrates.

Consumers should stop using this product immediately and throw it away.  Consumers who have experienced any negative side effects should consult a health care professional as soon as possible. (See label)

Public Notification: “Man King” Contains Undeclared Drug Ingredient

[2-18-2012] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to purchase or use “Man King,” a product for sexual enhancement sold on various websites.  


FDA laboratory analysis confirmed that “Man King” contains sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA approved prescription drug for Erectile Dysfunction (ED).  Sildenafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.  Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease often take nitrates.

Consumers should stop using this product immediately and throw it away.  Consumers who have experienced any negative side effects should consult a health care professional as soon as possible. (See Label)

Public Notification: Rock Hard Extreme and Passion Coffee Contain Undeclared Drug Ingredient

[12/30/2010] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to purchase or use Rock Hard Extreme and Passion Coffee, products promoted and sold as dietary supplements for sexual enhancement. 


These products are promoted and sold on various websites, such as www.drivetotalenergy.com,  and possibly in some retail stores.

FDA laboratory analysis confirmed that Rock Hard Extreme and Passion Coffee contain the undeclared ingredient sulfoaildenafil. Sulfoaildenafil is structurally similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA approved prescription drug for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). 

Caution about Sexual Enhancement Products

FDA Consumer Corner

You can easily find them on the internet - products sold as "dietary supplements" to enhance sexual performance or treat erectile dysfunction. Many of these products are said to be "all natural" alternatives to prescription drugs. That might make you think they're harmless. But they may not be.


FDA has found that many of these supposedly "all natural" products actually contain ingredients that aren't on the label, and these ingredients could lead to serious and even fatal effects.


An FDA investigation of a number of these sexual enhancement supplements found that a third of them actually contained the same or similar ingredients to the class of prescription drugs that includes Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Cialis (tadalafil) and Levitra (vardenafil HCl.

Stiff Nights - product contains undeclared drug ingredient

Audience: Consumers, Pharmacists

[Posted 11/05/2009] FDA notified consumers that Stiff Nights, a product sold as a dietary supplement, contains sulfoaildenafil, a chemical similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. 


Sulfoaildenafil may interact with prescription drugs known as nitrates, including nitroglycerin, and cause dangerously low blood pressure. The product is distributed on Internet sites and at retail stores by Impulsaria LLC of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is sold in bottles containing 6, 12, or 30 red capsules or in blister packs containing one or two capsules. 

The FDA advises consumers who have experienced any adverse events from sexual enhancement products to consult a health care professional. 


Any adverse events that may be related to use should be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program online [at www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm], by phone 1-800-332-1088, or by returning the postage-paid FDA form 3500 [which may be downloaded from the MedWatch "Download Forms" page] by mail [to address on the pre-addressed form] or fax [1-800-FDA-0178].

[11/05/2009 - News Release - FDA]
[11/05/2009 - Hidden Risks of Erectile Dysfunction "Treatments" Sold Online - FDA Consumer Updates]

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm189300.htm

Hidden Risks of Erectile Dysfunction "Treatments" Sold Online

 

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Men looking online for "dietary supplements" to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) or enhance their sexual performance should beware: these products may contain prescription drugs or other undisclosed ingredients that can be harmful.

"The number of these problematic products available on the Internet appears to be increasing," says Michael Levy, director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Division of New Drugs and Labeling Compliance. The division is part of the Office of Compliance (OOC) in the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

Young men using Viagra for fun may be more likely to develop ED

AFP Relax – Mon, Jul 23, 2012 


Young men who use drugs like Viagra and Cialis recreationally may be more likely to develop a psychological dependence on them, making erections without medication difficult, according to a new study.

"Among young, healthy men who used ED medicines recreationally, the more frequent ED medicine use was associated with lower confidence in achieving and maintaining erections, which in turn was associated with lower erectile function," lead study author Christopher Harte, a postdoctoral fellow at the VA Boston Healthcare System in the US, told WebMD.

For his study, Harte looked at data of more than 1,200 men whose average age was around 22. In the study, 72 were recreational users, reporting no diagnosis of ED from a doctor, while 1,111 didn't use ED drugs. Twenty-four were prescribed the drugs by their doctors for medical conditions. Men responded to an online survey about their erectile function, orgasms, sexual desire, and whether or not they used ED drugs and how often. They also reported their levels of confidence in their ability to get and maintain an erection.

Feast on the Word

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

The Word of God is to your spirit as bread is to your body. When your body feeds on physical food, it produces a physical power called strength. When your spirit feeds on the spiritual food of the Word, it produces spiritual power called faith. 

And just as you can't eat one meal and then feed on the memory of it for several weeks, you can't just remember what the Word says and stay strong in faith. You have to read it. Even if you've read it a hundred times, you need to read it again.

Try this: Close your eyes and see yourself slicing a lemon. Now stick that lemon slice between your teeth and when I say, "Three," bite down on it so hard that the juice squirts into your mouth. One. Two. Three. Bite!

Why do grooms carry brides over the threshold?

by Josh Clark 

1

 

Kiss Image Gallery

Even unusual weddings, like this mass Rockabilly drive-in wedding in Sweden in 2008, feature old traditions. See more pictures of kissing.

Ann Tornkvist/Getty Images

Anyone who's sat through a long ceremony, followed by a brief, dry reception can easily take weddings for granted. Brides and grooms, too, their minds lent almost ­exclusively to planning and celebrating their weddings, can overlook the themes inherent within the ceremony. Amid the flowers, limousines, gowns and honeymoons, common threads wind together to form the underlying traditions fou­nd in some form or fashion in just about every wedding.

What does R.S.V.P. mean?

1

Etiquette & Languages

Image Gallery: Dazzling Diamonds

Invitations often require a person to RSVP as to whether or not they will attend an event.

Getty Images

R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." The person sending the invitation wo­uld like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. That is, will you be coming to the event or not? 

R.S.V.P.

 "Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: ...And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:16, 23

LUKE 14:16-24

The man who made the supper symbolizes God who has invited "whosoever will" to come to Him. The parable teaches that it is not God who fails to offer salvation to everyone, but rather it is the invited guests who reject God's offer.

These people had feeble excuses just like the excuses of those today who don't accept God's offer of salvation. Therefore, the Lord's Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be furnished with "undesirables" from the world's point of view, not because God rejects the upper class, but because they reject Him.

You are God’s Masterpiece

by LEWIS

You are God’s masterpiece, a work of his own hands.

No one else has a vote on who you are. You’re free to be you instead of imitating someone else. You’re free to use your unique, God-given gifts, and there’s no need to compare your gifts to the gifts of others.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them —yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:10

How Do You Know When God is Speaking to You?

By Allen White 

Photo courtesy of melter.

“I believe that God is directing me to __________________.” How do you handle that in a small group? Whether the group member feels led to quit his job, move to another state, or end a relationship, how do you help your group member discern the truth?

From the very beginning, God has been in relationship with people. Today, we’re not walking in the garden with God in the cool of the day or getting inspiration to write new books of the Bible, but God does speak to us. The question is how do we know that it’s actually God and not wishful thinking or indigestion? Here are some tests for what you might be hearing:

1. What does the Bible say?

Biblical Christianity Is Not a One-Night Stand

By Dan Delzell , Special to CP

The life of a Jesus follower is very similar to a successful marriage. 

It begins with the joining together of two who desire to live together forever. It continues to persevere through both the easy times and the rough times. It is a relationship based on love, trust, commitment and friendship. 

It is far more than a one-time decision. That will only get a man and woman through the honeymoon or a "new Christian" through a few Sunday services. When the rubber hits the road and the challenges come into the relationship, it will either grow stronger and last or grow weaker and break up.

Have you experienced a marriage relationship that continues to go forward after many years together? Have you experienced a personal relationship with Jesus that is rock solid and presses on in spite of disappointments and trials? Don't let anyone sell you a bill of goods about marriage or about Christianity. It is not for the faint of heart. It is not for those who quit important relationships when things get tough.

Book says MacArthur encouraged widespread Catholicism in Japan in postwar era

A new book says that in the post-war era, Gen. Douglas MacArthur perceived a “spiritual vacuum” in Japan and tried to fill it with spiritual beliefs, including Christianity and Freemasonry.

In the book, 1945 Under the Shadow of the Occupation: The Ashlar and The Cross, authored by Eiichiro Tokumoto, the Japanese investigative journalist said that MacArthur, who then held absolute authority over Japan, believed that faith would help to offset communism, which in the early days of the cold war was gaining popularity, ENI News said.

Tokumoto based his contention on documents that were recently released to the public, that indicate that MacArthur tried to convince missionaries to intensify efforts in Japan, and even suggested mass conversions of the Japanese people to the Roman Catholic faith, according to ENI News.

Young ‘Millennials’ losing faith in record numbers

Posted on 20 April 2012

WASHINGTON (RNS)  A growing tide of young Americans is drifting away from the religions of their childhood — and most of them are ending up in no religion at all.

One in four young adults choose “unaffiliated” when asked about their religion, according to a new report from the Public Religion Research Institute and Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs.

But most within this unaffiliated group — 55 percent — identified with a religious group when they were younger.

“These younger unaffiliated adults are very nonreligious,” said Daniel Cox, PRRI’s research director. “They demonstrate much lower levels of religiosity than we see in the general population,” including participation in religious rituals or worship services.

Survey finds record 19 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans

Posted on 21 July 2012

(RNS) Unbelief is on the uptick. People who check “None” for their religious affiliation are now nearly one in five Americans (19 percent), the highest ever documented, according to the Pew Center for the People and the Press.

The rapid rise of Nones — including atheists, agnostics and those who say they believe “nothing in particular” — defies the usually glacial rate of change in spiritual identity.

Barry Kosmin, co-author of three American Religious Identification Surveys, theorizes why None has become the “default category.” He says, ”Young people are resistant to the authority of institutional religion, older people are turned off by the politicization of religion, and people are simply less into theology than ever before.”

Kosmin’s surveys were the first to brand the Nones in 1990 when they were 6 percent of U.S. adults. By the 2008 survey, Nones were up to 15 percent. By 2010, another survey, the biannual General Social Survey, bumped the number to 18 percent.

Mormons and Baptists compete for converts

Posted on 20 July 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Jake Pulsipher’s first day as a working missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began at 6:30 a.m. with prayer and exercise, followed by breakfast and study.

Then he put on a black suit, white shirt, and red tie, along with his official name tag, and headed out to knock on doors and tell people about Jesus.

In doing so, he became the latest of 20,000 Mormon missionaries in the United States.

In Knoxville, Tenn., Southern Baptists Kevin and Kristi Cabe quit their jobs and sold their cars and most of their belongings. They’re moving to Brooklyn, N.Y., where they’ll spend their two years as — two of the 4,000 who the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board placed nationwide.

Jesus Christ is so concerned about every detail in our lives

Word from Scotland: 

Take John Chapters 13,14 as one sweeping incident. After all that is what it is, and the chapter divisions can be such a hindrance at times. They are quite artificial and remember they were added many years after the Scriptures were written.

In John Chapter 14 at verse 6, Thomas is looking a bit worried. Right to the end Jesus said things that gave His disciples worried looks. Thomas is almost cheeky. You know where you are going but we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way. Jesus is so lovingly patient.

If it were not for these words of Thomas we might never have had these famous words in verse 6. I am the way and the truth and the life – no man comes to the Father except through Me. You know the way because you know Me. I am the way. When you know me you know the way. These sentences know no parallel anywhere.

Where Jesus Christ Has a Real Work To Do There Has To Be A Death

In John Chapter 12 and at verse 12, we come to that point where Jesus Christ rides into Jerusalem, and it is now clear to some that Jesus has not got long to live if he remains in that city.

The scene is one of where the scheme has begun to go into motion to have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified, killed and silenced, once and for all. It has been rumbling on now for some months, and we see this so clearly as John records the details.

When God begins to speak in a new way, there are always those whose only desire is to silence the voice of God. Sometimes people are successful, for a season, until God in His goodness and mercy and persistence, sends someone else along who will speak for him with a stronger and louder and more penetrating voice.

Are you looking around for an unused basin?

Word from Scotland: 

In John Chapter 13, where Jesus has stooped so low to wash the disciple’s feet we have that profound conversation between Jesus and Peter, where Jesus explains to Peter that what he wants is not necessary. Peter does not need to be washed from head to toe, but that desire and longing too has its significance. Peter wanted to be totally committed to Jesus Christ.

Jesus explains further. As I wash you in this way, you will be clean, but Peter, there is somebody else here who is not clean and he is so dirty that washing his feet will not do much good. Not only are his feet dirty Peter, but unlike you, his hands are dirty and his head is dirty. Judas had already agreed to sell Christ.

Jesus wants to come and wash us – clean our hearts and thoughts and minds – so that what we say and do will be worthy in His presence and sight. We need to know that deep within our hearts and minds and we also need to be reminded of it frequently.

Jesus becomes so personal while remaining so very practical

Word from Scotland: 

Notice how John is so Christ centred, in these closing verses of John Chapter 14. This passage is focusing upon Jesus Christ, and how Jesus Christ cares for, and is concerned about, those whom He calls.

No matter what you are going through or experiencing in these present days, know that the risen living Jesus cares for you and that He is concerned about every detail.

Jesus has been speaking about peace, and peace can be vague and illusive and many strive for peace, and march for peace, and hold ‘Peace Rallies’, but peace like Jesus Himself is unique and uniquely flows from Him and from Him alone.

Now, that is a lesson the world finds hard to accept, but it happens to be true. Peace is a gift of God and we so need that gift in these troubled times.

Poll: Nearly 80 percent of Americans are Christian

As Christmas nears, more than three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christian, Gallup reports.

Pollsters found that 78 percent of Americans identify with Christianity.

Overall, more than 82 percent of Americans have a religious identity, with this breakdown:

— Protestant/other Christian: 52.5 percent

— Catholic: 23.6 percent

— Mormon: 1.9 percent

— Jewish: 1.6 percent

— Muslim: 0.5 percent

— Other non-Christian religion: 2.4 percent

— None/atheist/agnostic: 15 percent

— No response: 2.5 percent

The findings fit the trend of an increasing percentage of Americans who do not embrace a formal religious identity. In 1951, 1 percent of Americans did not have a religious identity, compared to 24 percent identifying as Catholic and 68 percent claiming a non-Catholic Christian faith.

Gallup reports new low in religious confidence

(RNS)  Americans’ confidence in organized religion, slowly but steadily declining since the 1970s, slipped to a new low in the latest survey, the Gallup Organization reported.

Today only 44 percent of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in “the church or organized religion,” Gallup said. It was 68 percent in the mid-1970s.

Pollsters did not name any church or religion in particular, letting respondents define that as they wished, the organization said.

Most Protestants, 56 percent, expressed confidence in the church, but only a minority, or 46 percent, of Catholics did.

But Lydia Saad, Gallup senior editor, pointed out that the question deals with churches and organized religion. Americans are still generally a very religious people, although increasingly on their own terms.

Churches shifting summer worship from Sunday to Wednesday nights

SALEM, N.H. (RNS) As New England sweltered in early July, Sunday mornings came and went without a single soul showing up for worship in the hot, stuffy sanctuary of First Congregational Church of Salem, N.H. Even the pastor stayed home.

But God wasn’t forgotten. Worship just waited until Wednesday evenings, when the cool comfort of the basement fellowship hall drew as many as 40 to sing and pray. That’s 50 percent more than the church attracted when it met on summer Sundays.


Merri Carlson, far right, sings during worship in the comfortably cool basement of First Congregational Church of Salem, NH.
RNS photo by G. Jeffrey MacDonald

“If people take a break from worshipping, they sometimes don’t pick that habit back up,” said Owen Williams, a longtime deacon at First Congregational, a United Church of Christ congregation.

Leftover Parts

Written by John Grant

 
How can we hear God’s voice speaking into our lives? Take this lesson.

“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.” 1 Chronicles 29:24

When my bride looked at me and said, “The toilet is broken,” I turned to her and said, “Do I look like Joe the Plumber?” Then she reminded me how much plumbers charge on weekends so I thought I should at least take a look. After all, it might just be a broken flap and I have replaced those before.

No, it wasn’t that. The whole flush valve was broken. I have never fixed one of those before. But, I thought, why not give it a try. So, I went to the local “fix it depot” and after staring at the different choices picked the one that most looked like the one in my tank.

When your loss is gain

It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed." —Kin Hubbard

I have a friend who has a great story about depending on money. He shared it with our church once, and this is about how it went:

In 1982, this issue of money started when I finished my degree at Dallas Seminary. I took a ministry position in California. Being young and confident, my wife and I bought another house when we moved. Ten months into that particular stint, I was fired. Now, we had two house payments... along with our third child just being born... along with all the expenses of a young family.

The importance of adding action to your plans

Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General Stonewall Jackson’s famous valley campaign. Jackson’s army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side. 

	Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. — James 1:23-24

After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks, and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before daylight, General Jackson was told by his wagon master all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river.

General Jackson asked, “Where are the engineers, and what are they doing?” The wagon master replied, “They’re in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge.”

With An Ant’s Focus

Written by Gail Morris

Is your best never good enough? Talk to a mentor. 

“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer…” (Proverbs 30:24-25)

While in an Ecuadorian rainforest, our group came across a long trail of army ants. They were thorough and determined to build their home. Proverbs 30:24 tells us that although ants are small, they are extremely wise. The ant highway was proof. There was a clean swath four inches wide across our leaf-littered walking trail. It was as slick as a newly waxed car. Busy workers raced in a straight line on this spic-and-span patch of dirt. Each followed the previous worker up the bark of an ancient tree, then, disappeared into dense foliage.

Disappointment - A disguise for blessing

Disappointment is delayed appointment. Disappointment will strengthen but will never destroy. When disappointment travels towards you, you must be determined to meet it with courage. Never give in to disappointment, hopelessness or despair. 

When you overcome disappointment, you acquire the strength to change your disappointment and turn it into an appointment. 

Celebrating The Wonder Of The Wilderness

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What can you learn about God in the wild places of the earth? 

In this study, educator and naturalist Dean Ohlman helps you to find treasures in the wilderness that reveal God’s eternal power and divine nature. 

Discover how you can pay more attention to the natural world and witness God’s glory in the theater of His creation.

http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/celebrating-the-wonder-of-the-wilderness/

Discovery Series is part of the RBC Ministries family of resources. Offering more than 200 Bible-based teachings from the study of Scripture to topics on everyday life, this collection of writings is designed to promote spiritual growth and enrichment in your walk with Christ.

When The Flame Flickers: Rekindling Intimacy In Your Marriage

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How do  you deal with shattered dreams and broken hearts in a marriage relationship? 

Where can you find hope to rebuild the worn and damaged pieces? Find answers to help you bring restoration to your marriage as counselor Tim Jackson examines God’s original design for oneness in marriage. 

Experience the shared wonder of God’s plan for your marriage, when you allow Him to rekindle the fire.

http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/when-the-flame-flickers-rekindling-intimacy-in-your-marriage/

Discovery Series is part of the RBC Ministries family of resources. Offering more than 200 Bible-based teachings from the study of Scripture to topics on everyday life, this collection of writings is designed to promote spiritual growth and enrichment in your walk with Christ.

C.S. Lewis: The Story Of A Converted Mind

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Situations of pain and loss can challenge your religious beliefs. 

In this study, author Dennis Fisher takes you down the long and winding road of C. S. Lewis’s conversion to faith in Christ. 

Discover how your whole perspective on life can change when you allow God to transform your imagination, mind, conscience, and expectations.

http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/c-s-lewis-the-story-of-a-converted-mind/

Accepted By God: Our Justification Through Christ

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What does it take to be right with God—to be accepted by Him and assured you are going to heaven? 

Author Kurt De Haan helps to bring clarity to the biblical doctrine of justification, based on truths found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. 

Discover a fresh perspective of God’s forgiveness and how you can live a life of devotion to Him when you put your faith into practice.

http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/accepted-by-god-our-justification-through-christ/

Claiming God's Promises

Whatever your situation is, whether you lost your job, lost a loved one, going through a painful divorce or diagnosed with a life threatening disease, do not loose faith! 

There is always light at the end of the tunnel, just as there is calm after the storm. The God who delivered the Israelites out of slavery is still the same God yesterday,today and forever! 

You can take comfort knowing that He will never forsake you or leave you! The bible is full of God's promises, those are His words. Because His words are true and gives life we can use His words to get out of a sticky situation. 

This lens is about learning how to claim God's promises in the midst of the storm. To pray God's words through a time of crises and coming out victorious! 

This lens is for all of you who are facing the storms of life.

http://www.squidoo.com/claim-gods-promises-in-the-storm

How God Values You

"You are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7 Read Ministry Letter Dear Loved One, The people of Jesus' day lived under the brutality of Roman rule,  diminishing their sense of human worth. So Jesus gave the example of little birds that were cheaply bought and sold to help them understand their own value to God. If not one of these relatively insignificant creatures is forgotten by God, He said, then think of the value God places on people. "The very hairs of your head are numbered," He says. There's no way to count the hairs on a person's head without being intimately close and putting your hand upon them. Jesus is telling us, "Father God is that close to you. He knows every detail, and His hand is upon your life."

Finding Treasures

Written by Gail Rodgers

Are your days filled with loneliness?  Do you dread getting up and facing another day? Come talk to a mentor. 

“[I]f you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:3-5)

Time just seems to stand still when I am with my two grandboys! All the cares I have simply vanish when I am playing pretend with an imaginative, delightful three year old, or getting warm cuddles and ready smiles from the sweetest little baby!

Yesterday they came over and I was a ready participant when Logan said, “Let’s have an adventure, Gramma!” We put on our warm hoodies and went outside to explore the back yard. We were hunting for treasures and treasures we found!

Pastor Randy Opens Up About Depression, Addiction, IRS Probe

Randy White speaks at Without Walls International Church, July 15, 2012.

By Lillian Kwon , Christian Post Reporter

July 16, 2012

Without Walls Pastor Randy White revealed on Sunday the "hell" that he's been through over the last five years, including a battle with depression, an addiction to prescription drugs and being the subject of an IRS investigation.

"Five years ago – I know some of you really want to hear it – I started a downward spiral," the Florida pastor told thousands during Without Walls International Church's 21st anniversary service. "I emphatically, unequivocally believe it was a satanic attack, one like I've never witnessed before."

"And I believe it's because the fact that we were doing so well and the enemy wanted to take and silence our voice," he said.

White had been leading Without Walls with his then wife Paula until the power couple announced their divorce in 2007. The Tampa church had grown to be one of the largest churches in the country but the congregation began to dwindle as the Whites faced media scrutiny, debt and personal struggles.