Possibilities in Prayer
September 30, 2007
Prostrateology is the theological term for the doctrine of prayer. Prayer is the oldest form of worship and is universal to all types of religions and believers. Even atheists rely on prayer in some form or another to make it from day to day. Man has always marveled at how things happen in life and how to change those things that have not yet happened. The answer for the Christian has always been prayer to God, Jehovah, in the name of His son Jesus.
Without Prayer, You Have Nothing
Nothing happens outside of prayer. It may not have been your prayer, but somebody else’s prayer that has brought you to where you are today. Prayer is the prerequisite of possibility. There is no possibility where there is no prayer. Many lives have been changed as a result of an answered prayer. One can only imagine the billions of lives that have been changed as a result of someone’s prayer. Imagine, if you will, how many prayers are offered up every second, every minute, and every hour of every day. That’s a lot of prayers and a lot of impacted lives.
When God Says No
Egyptian Hanmde Galabeya (Galabia)
September 29, 2007
The Bedouin culture has a long history of beautiful costumes, textiles and Jewelry. The Bedouin costume has not changed in a thousand years, and the Bedouins today dresse in every particular as they did in the tenth century.
In Egypt’s Western Desert, there are some oasis’s that have a distinctive traditional costume style. The loose, unencumbered dresse of the Bedouin woman is well suited to her nomadic life for it requires little maintenance. Although black is the dominating Bedouin color, women of some of the tribes dresse in blue. The garment is long and ample. The armholes are deep to permit a wide sleeve. The dresse opens to the waist and is usually unbelted. When a belt is worn it is tied around the hips and serves to support the figure as well as to adjust the length of the garment.
Traditionally these dresses are made of cotton, and are heavily embroidered in cotton cross stitch. Patterns are usually geometric, arranged in large solidly embroidered areas around the chest, sleeves and lower skirt areas of the garment. The embroidery is of a bright contrasting color, usually red or yellow. Blue dresses are embroidered in black or red. Choices in fabric reveal social status, as wealthy people buy imported fabrics and silk threads for embroidery. While choices in decoration may reveal marital status (weather the women is married, unmarried, or widowed), age, religion, or even the number of children in the family.
About Happiness and Fulfillment
September 28, 2007
During a FULFILLMENT seminar, at the University of Arizona for the Affiliated Women’s Clubs, a charming and successful woman unintentionally made our point about success, satisfaction and happiness. Catherine Hendricks spoke about several major problems that are caused by living too secular a life-style in this period of swift, destabilizing and often disconcerting change. Catherine lamented;
I’m one woman who did everything well. I stayed out of trouble in school, married the right guy and joined a great company when it started taking women seriously. I’ve made sound business decisions along the way and shall surely become a V P before I’m forty. I live in a home my parents think a mansion and have two beautiful children. I do a job thousands envy. Obviously, I have everything. Right? Wrong! Much of my life feels incomplete and caught up in trivia. My kids are rebelling with sex and drugs and I’m almost certain my husband is having an affair with a little twerp. I feel deeply dissatisfied at the most inopportune times, as if nothing counts except for my sixty hour work weeks and paying for the house and the Mercedes. There must be more to life than this but when my therapist asks what’s missing, I can’t even tell her. I worry that I’m going mad to feel this way despite my accomplishments in the company and my prestige in my community. What do I do when I’ve won everything I’ve ever wanted and it isn’t enough to keep me happy?
How Should We Pray?
September 27, 2007
Many Christians often wonder, “How should we pray?”
I’m going to touch on this subject of prayer a few more times in the upcoming weeks, so today we’ll deal with asking for forgiveness in prayer.
This question of prayer isn’t a new one but is in fact one that the disciples asked Jesus while he was still roaming the earth. Jesus responded by giving them an example in the form of the “Lord’s prayer”.
Many people misconstrue the Lord’s prayer as the “sacred” way that we ought to pray. But this is simply not true.
You have to pay attention to a few key points in the Bible. If you’ve read “Christ Through Me” Then you know that you are no longer under the law of the old covenant, but you are under the new covenant law–forgiven by grace.
But what you must also keep in mind is that the New Covenant, the complete forgiveness of our sins–past, present and future was not put into effect until the ultimate sacrifice for the sins was made. Which came in the form of God’s sinless son, Jesus Christ.
Business Ethics: An Oxymoron
September 27, 2007
An oxymoron: the juxtaposition of contradictory words or concepts. That is what we have with the term “Business Ethics”. The very contradiction that is inherent in this latter phrase is an indication of the challenge that individuals who work for organizations face as we all approach the resource limits of this planet.
The global concept of business is fundamentally based on the principle of competition for limited resources. That is the practice of maximizing one’s gains at the expense of others. This ultimately has the effect of creating a hierarchy of those who have and those who have not. This is really paramount to “eliminating the enemy” i.e other human beings.
The concept of ethics is based fundamentally on moral principles. That is, principles of right and wrong as dictated by the core human values that we as human beings hold dear in our hearts. These are core values of fairness, love, compassion, integrity, respect, peace, joy, fulfillment, harmony, beauty, etc.
Are You Missing What It Takes To Resist Sin?
September 26, 2007
I don’t care how much you go to church or read your bible sometimes no matter how hard you try to resist sinning you end up finding yourself giving in to it anyway.
I know first hand because this has happen to me on countless occasions. I’ve found myself getting frustrated and even questioning my own salvation.
One time I even tried to give up, of course, the Lord brought me back to repentance, but the point is I didn’t know what was missing from my life that could help me stay on the right track for good.
Jesus said to His disciples.
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But sometimes deep in your heart you feel the need to do more than just pray. Perhaps because you feel that your prayers are falling on deaf ears. You try to put your finger on what’s missing but just can’t seem to understand what it is.
Well I’m here to tell you that missing element in your prayer life is fasting.
Creating a Virtual Art Gallery
September 25, 2007
To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at first glance, to hear a recommendation to hold back work. The artist on the Internet often overproduces and displays their entire body of work. In essence, by placing it for casual viewing, known as “shopping” the work, devalues its worth by defying the Law of Supply and Demand.
How can the artist benefit by applying the advantages of the Internet with the successful business practices of the traditional gallery? Let’s look at the traditional gallery’s sales structure.
At the Preview, in an inner gallery, and by invitation only, previously unviewed works are presented to the gallery’s selected collectors. The works are tagged as sold, but left for viewing. An aspect of human nature, wanting what one cannot have, has been accommodated as well as a relationship to supply and demand.
To paraphrase Israel A. Kirzner, the, almost, universally accepted theory of supply and demand shapes production and consumption, and is, not only the skeleton, but the flesh and blood of the economic system which determines the artist’s survival in the marketplace.
Today It Is … Tomorrow It Will Be …
September 24, 2007
What is your life like today? What do you want it to be like tomorrow? Today it is a good life for my wife and I. We are enjoying retirement and spending the winters in Florida. Basically we are satisfied with the way our life is going for the moment. But tomorrow it will be even better.
We are a couple that is always looking for more joy and excitement in our lives. We are not opposed to change, for from it. In fact we will not settle for the mediocre life. That’s why we spend the winters in Florida where the weather is great and the community where we live is ideal, too. I especially don’t like the winters in Indiana. My wife doesn’t mind the seasonal changes but I do. So we compromise. We spent half a year in Florida and the other half in Indiana. Not only that but this is a new Florida home for us in the last year.
About a eighteen months ago we decided we didn’t like the community we were living in and decided it was time to make a change. The condo in this community was very nice but there were no planned activities. Our Indiana friends were satisfied but we were not.
Crazy in Love
September 23, 2007
Several years ago my cousin was pleased to find out that she wasn’t going crazy,she found out that what she suffered from was O.C.D. or better known as “obsessive,compulsive disorder”. Just knowing that what she suffered from had a name and could now be treated with proper medication and through the power of knowlege,she could contend with it on a more positive level. At least it was confirmed that she was not crazy. Through lack of knowlege, we however are quick to label this sickness as a brain disorder or just someone who is crazy.Obsessive compulsive disorder causes repeated behavior by the sufferer to the point that we veiw them as ‘not normal’. Anyone who doesn’t suffer from this to some degree can’t imagine why anyone would keep repeating a certain action when they know it was already completed.But this where lack of knowlege comes in.When we aren’t educated properly,we lack understanding and then rely on our opinions and not truth.
The Need for Biblically Minded Engineers
September 22, 2007
There is a great need in the world today for engineers who think and work from a Christian worldview. These engineers are needed to design, prototype, develop, and manufacture goods that support family economies, as opposed to city-corporate-paper economies, which strain the traditional family.
A Biblical engineering program must be more than the traditional hurdles of natural philosophy. It needs to include learning the history and philosophy of science, engineering, mathematics, and technology from a Christian perspective. This is necessary for engineering entrepreneurs to discern the signs of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32) and choose the better, narrow, and Biblically responsible paths.
Aiming engineering talent toward producing family-friendly products, services, and businesses based upon individual gifts and Biblical vision would be refreshing to many serious Christian families. Through the study of original writings and the replication of some great discoveries and experiments, students could think the great thoughts of world changing scientists and engineers. This fundamental and historic approach to engineering would provide foundational perspectives and entrepreneurial inspiration, while conveying a love for learning from the masters, as a pattern for deep learning.
