Jesus rose from the tomb and triumphed over death. This was the belief that turned a group of devastated, heartbroken, disillusioned followers of a crucified Rabbi into the courageous witnesses and martyrs of the early church. This was the one belief that separated the followers of Christ from the Jews and turned them into the community of the resurrection. You could beat them, imprison them, stone them or kill them, but you could not make them deny their conviction that on the third day He rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of Christianity.

But the question is, can 21st century man actually believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. This obviously simple question is one of the most perplexing problems confronting the modern Christian. Is the resurrection of Jesus a postulate of faith or is it a historical fact? This is a question that cannot be easily dismissed. An uncritical view accepts everything the Bible relates as history. However, a moment’s reflection shows that there is a valid and necessary distinction between faith and history.

Faith has to do with the invisible world of God. History has to do with the visible, empirical world of man and things. God therefore, is not a historical figure. The Christian believes in the God revealed in Scripture, and we believe we talk to Him in prayer and that God talks to us through His Word and His Spirit. But, we have never seen God with physical eyes as we see each other; we have never felt God’s hand as we feel the handshake of a friend; we never heard God’s voice with our physical ears as we hear the voice of a neighbor. John affirms this by declaring "No one has ever seen God." (John 1:18).

In fact, Scripture nowhere tries to prove the existence of God. It doesn’t seem concerned with this need as His existence is everywhere assumed. It is not subject to scientific scrutiny or historical investigation. Yet it is precisely at this point that the Bible seems to present us with a difficulty because even though the invisible world of God is distinct from the visible world of man, the central theme of the entire Bible is that God has intervened and acted in the world of man in historical events.

The Bible claims God called Abram out of Haran to Canaan. Now, history may be able to prove that Abram did indeed go from Haran to Canaan ? but how can history establish that it was God who led Abram to make this migration? The Bible says God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt through Moses. Keep in mind that this was no ordinary event in history like the events precipitating the abolishment of slavery or events which befall other peoples and nations. It was not an achievement of the Israelites. It was not attributed to the genius and skillful leadership of Moses. It was an act of God; an act through which God made Himself known and through which Israel was to know and serve God.

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. Exodus 6:6-7.

History can establish that the Israelites did indeed escape from Egypt and travel to Canaan under the leadership of Moses ? but how can history establish that it was God who lead them in this deliverance?

The same problem is inherent in the life and death of Jesus Christ. According to our Gospels, Jesus was the Son of God incarnate. The Gospels relate that He performed mighty works which testified to the nature of His person. But His works were subject to different interpretations. Jesus’ opponents admitted that He possessed supernatural power, but they said it was demonic power. His friends, and no doubt family members as well, admitted that He did marvelous deeds, but they thought He was out of His mind. Jesus was the Son of God only to those who responded to Him in faith.

Today, historians can read the Gospels and make judgments about what men thought about Jesus and even what Jesus thought about Himself; but how can the historian, as a historian, say that Jesus was the Son of God?

As to the death of Jesus, the historian scholar stands on firm ground. History can prove His death. Of course, this is only half the story. Christ died ? that is solid history. But, Christ died for our sins ? is that history?

Paul said, God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. This is the one sure evidence of God’s love: not God’s general providence; not the events of my own life; but that one event in history ? the death of Christ for sinners.

(continued in Pt 2)

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

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It says in Psalms 77:13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. God works is really a mystery Look at Acts 19:11 it says God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would, In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out. Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest were doing this. One day, the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you? Now continue reading too verse 17 it says When this became known to the Jews and the Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

It is written for us to pay attention look at Hebrews 2:1 it says We must pay more careful attention, therefore to what we heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angles was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Jesus performed many miracles during his time. Look at John 10:31 it says Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, I have shown you many great miracles for the Father, For which of these do you stone me? We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. Jesus answered them, Is it now written in your Law, I have said you are gods? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken-what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then so you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, I am God’s Son? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

Let’s see what Jesus said in John 14:11 it says Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. Look at John 3:1 it says Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemuss, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus a night and said, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. Now look at John 20:30 it says Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A Miracle In Me

Back in the year 1979 I had a large growth on my neck, the size of a golf ball. Still today I do not know where it came from. I went to the doctor, and a team of doctors told me that the would have to operate to remove it from my neck. So I check myself into the hospital and a day before the operation the doctors examine me again, and the told me I had additional growths in several places on the body, and I had to operated on those places as well.

That night I prayed and went to slept. The next morning the growth on my neck was gone. I mean as if nothing was ever there or any other place on my body, the doctors were baffled. Thanks be to Jesus and his Father God for the Miracle of his power. I thanked him for allowing me to receive his miracle, believing in him, and the Power of the Holy Spirit. All Praise and Glory go to the Lord Jesus and his Father God.

Love Always, Your Sister in Christ, Mellody Davis

Enjoy more reading at: http://www.hostinghelps.com/allaboutjesus/AboutJesus.html

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The Moment Of Truth!

Regardless of whom you are, you are unique, you are special, and you are a wonderful person. Yet, certain people may not think so. :>) if you feel that they react negatively and offensively to many things that you say and do, you may discover some insight here: They are just as human as you are.

You might not want to believe this but; everything that makes you special makes them special. If something offends you, it might also offend them. If something influences you, in some given manner, the same thing might also influence them.

Undesirable reactions on the part of others could be due to what you say and how you say it. Or, it could be because of inner attitudes and your true inner feelings.

The spoken word is often a reflection of the hidden thoughts and attitude of the mind. It may be difficult at times to realize that the fault lies with you. And, it can be just as difficult to initiate a change when you do realize that the fault lies with you.

A Little Difference Makes A Big Difference!

There is a very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it’s positive or negative.

People who want to be happy make the decision to have a positive attitude. People who have a negative attitude, many times, think they have a positive attitude and repel the very happiness they are trying to achieve.

What they attract is unhappiness and go around scratching their head trying to figure out who busted their chops. They don’t recognize it, but a negative attitude is what robbed them of their happiness.

It Just Goes To Show!

Most people don’t really give much thought to “happiness”. They just observe whether or not they are. Most people will try to obtain happiness by searching for it. Most fall flat on their face.

You see, happiness is not obtained by searching for it. Happiness is not obtained by acquiring things like money. I know; I can hear someone now saying, “You’re speaking heresy”! Now listen. There are rich people all over the world that are miserable. And, if you set out to make yourself happy, you will find happiness to be very elusive.

One of the surest ways to obtain happiness is to bring happiness to someone else; when you do this, happiness comes to you. What happens is; it turns on the attraction mechanism and you can’t beat it off with a stick.

Raining Cats And Dogs!

The more you share happiness, the more you will get. But, if you share unhappiness and misery you will get back unhappiness and misery. Sounds logical right? Have you ever known someone who was constantly in trouble? I’m not talking about “opportunities” in disguise.

I’m talking about the person that no matter what happens to him it just isn’t good. This guy will find gasoline in his water bucket if he needs to put out a fire. The reason is; this type of person is always sharing his troubles with someone else.

What happens then? Others begin to avoid him which just makes his unhappiness worse. Other people know if they get around him all they will hear is, “woe is me”.

Whether he will admit it or not, He is trying to get happy by making others feel sorry for him. And maybe they will do something to “fix” his unhappiness; although, he won’t admit he is unhappy.

Someday My Ship Will Come In!

These are the kind of people who long for happiness and love but never seem to get it. They are repelling the very thing they yearn for with a trouble mentality. They just secretly hope that something good will someday somehow come their way.

Take notice of a conflict sometime between two people. If two forceful personalities are similar you can determine that one personality will respond in the same way the other responds.

It’s amazing; one harsh word spoken brings another harsh word. One soft word spoken brings another soft word. For these two personalities to get along in harmony, one will need to develop a mindset of a peacemaker. There will be no harmony until one does so, just a lot of bickering.

Getting To The Top!

The simplest illustration of making this work is that of a salesman and his customer. Every salesman is doing his best to create feelings of happiness and trust in another person. He won’t be able to do that by rubbing where there’s already a rash.

And, that’s where the problem is in most cases. We try to “rub another person’s rash”. They need honey not vinegar. So, we try to achieve our “happiness” by causing others to do what we want; instead of giving them what they want.

It just seems normal to get what we want by force, power, position, authority, etc. All we end up with most times is a can of worms. In the heat of battle, it seems backwards to do otherwise.

So, we put on the boxing gloves and come out swinging. The salesman by contrast, if he has any training at all, will come out with his silver lined tongue all prepared to bathe us in honey and promise us whatever will give us our hearts desire.

Now think about it. If the sale is made, who won? They both did. Who got happy? They both did. Who got what they wanted? They both did. Who laughed all the way to the bank? They both did.

Now just imagine how you could persuade your teenager to clean his room by using the salesman strategy. The point is; we have within us the power to attract everything we want or, repel it into the bottomless pit.

When we get what we desire, we get happy. When we give others something that they feel will make them happy, then happiness comes back to us in waves.

So, what comes first is the sharing of something good and desirable with someone else. Then, something good and desirable that we seek will come back to us.

An Ace Up His Sleeve!

This type of salesman strategy is difficult to adopt. The salesman says the customer is always right. The salesman says there is something that the customer wants and, I have to find a way to give it to him and then I will get what I want.

Think about this: If you find that you are offended when someone yells at you or speaks in a harsh way, you can be sure that someone else is offended by it also, even if it is your five year old son.

Everyone has emotions that need to be stroked. To get what we want we find a way to give them what they want. That’s not to say we let them do whatever they want. Not even a salesman can do that. There will be some things about the product that can’t be compromised. But, that doesn’t stop a sale from being made.

A good persuader will find a way to give the other person what they want and at the same time give themselves what is desirable. If you like being complimented, then it is safe to believe others will like it also.

What Goes Around Comes Around!

So, can happiness be attracted? Can unhappiness be attracted? The answer to both questions is yes. Happiness is attracted by sharing happiness with others. Unhappiness is attracted by spreading trouble, domineering and manipulative attitudes, and imposing selfish desires with no concern of returning something of value to the other person. It’s the, “all about me attitude”.

Richard Vegas ©

About The Author

Richard Vegas is a popular recording artist and internet marketing professional. He invites you to subscribe to his FREE weekly ezine “Wing-Tips” Teaching The Success System That Never Fails, at: http://www.1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com. You may also hear some of Richard’s free music at: http://www.richardvegas.com.

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In the 2004 Olympics, an all-star group of athletes from around the world gathered together to compete for titles in gymnastics. In the spirit of competition, there are always tensions between analysts and spokespersons about whether or not athletes deserve the medals they receive. Sometimes, judges are found to be at fault for the controversy, and other times the fiasco is trumped up by uneducated speculation. In this case, the Paul Hamm stir was due to an ancillary error.: the judges mistakenly set his rival’s starting score at 9.9 rather than 10.0. Many believe that it is this error that cost Yang Tae Young, the South Korean rival of Paul Hamm, the all-around gold medal in gymnastics.

Gymnastics judging is not a science.

This is proven again and again. There is no mathematical way of measuring gymnastics routines — in fact, gymnastics is perhaps one of the most subjective sports of all. No goals are involved, as in soccer - no hoops like in basketball; no bullseyes are involved, as in archery; one does not go for distance or height, as in pole vaulting or shot put. In gymnastics, an athlete is judged on form, scored on perfection. It is exceedingly difficult to do so accurately, as there are no vectors that can be calculated to see if someone grasps hold of the parallel bars incorrectly or lands with a wobble.

If you have ever been to a gymnastics competition, you probably understand that panels look at execution for their scoring: something that is full of twists and turns and is poorly executed will score lower than something that is simpler but perfectly executed. The criteria for measuring this aspect of gymnastics include stability and landings — whether or not he or she wavered in the element’s terminus, or held position for less than three seconds at the end of the routine, or took an extra step or stumbled. This does indeed lead to criticism of the judges’ abilities to do their job, and leads also to mistakes in scoring.

Why does Paul Hamm deserve gold?

Paul Hamm, like any other athlete, is and was not a part of the politics of the game. He was there to compete, and indeed, he was there to win. This is the goal of thousands of Olympic hopefuls around the world — to go to the games and to show their skill at the sport they love best. In all actuality, no athlete should have to deal with the things Paul Hamm was forced through. It is entirely understandable that he should refuse to give up his medal — the gold is certainly not tainted; it was his and his alone. The mistakes of the judges are not his to bear. He is an incredible gymnast, indeed.

Why does Yang Tae Young, his rival, not deserve gold?

Perhaps more convincing is the reason as to why Yang Tae Young, Paul Hamm’s Korean rival, does not deserve the gold medal so many have attributed to him. Firstly, the Korean gymnastics team’s representative was late in calling in a complaint, which made the investigation itself - and all the stress associated with it - completely invalid (Olympic rules state, that a protest needs to be made before the end of any full game, such as with the parallel bars, and the Koreans did not do so). Even then, the judges were suspended, and the probing took place. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, even if the judges gave Tae Young the extra .10 points warranted by the difficulty of his routine, he still would have scored lower than he did because of yet another ancillary error. After the tapes were reviewed, it was revealed that Tae Young accidentally made four holds on the bars rather than the allotted three, which would have resulted in a deduction of .2, still leaving him with a deficit of a tenth of a point.

The snafu regarding Paul Hamm’s gold medal - versus, of course, giving the medal up to the South Korean team - is regretable. There should have been no question that Hamm deserved his medal, and he certainly should not have had to deal with the problems around the world. Nor, indeed, did he deserve all of the ill press surrounding his name. The gold medal was well-earned. It certainly bears no tarnishing, and neither does his record.

By Murray Hughes Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/paul-hamm.htm

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics parents. Go here now: Gymnastics and Paul Hamm

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Presuppositions are the philosophical or theological starting points of reference which are usually shared by someone else. It differs from prejudice in that prejudice includes more personal factors that affect the judgment of the interpreter. The problem of Biblical authority would probably be less bothersome if we were able to approach the Bible unbiasly. Unfortunately, this is not possible.

Therefore, we come with our mental baggage that is packed with previous involvement with Scripture which prejudice our reaction to the periscope under consideration. The result is, oftentimes, only an interpretation that mirrors our biases.

Even though it is humanly impossible to interpret presupposition-lessly, there are safeguards we can use in the interpretive process that minimizes pure subjectivity and interjecting into text our own preconceived ideas. They are:

1) Awareness of the presupposition problem. 2) Use of the historical-critical method of interpretation helps to keep theological presuppositions in check. 3) Methods must be open to constant modification by the text itself. 4) Method must be open to investigation, evaluation and so forth. 5) Presuppositions must be allowed to be shaped or discarded. Exegesis guided by rigid pre-understanding only establishes what the interpreter already knows.

When Scripture is rendered supreme, the text will interpret the interpreter as the interpreter interprets the text. Interpretation therefore, necessitates dialogue with Scripture.

I think very few of us are cognizant of the extent to which our responses to Scripture are conditioned by a previously chosen orientation toward the church in general and toward Scripture in particular. These orientations, apparently for purposes of identification, are grouped under certain titles. Two of the broadest and, no doubt, misunderstood classifications are "liberal" and "conservative."

The typical liberal view of the inspiration of Scripture is that the Biblical writers were inspired in somewhat the same sense as Shakespeare and other great writers. What the writers transcribed were ancient religious conceptions about God and His workings. Liberals believe that Scripture is inerrant where it speaks on soteriological matters, but that it may possess errors in historical facts and other details.

The conservative view of the inspiration is that God worked through the personalities of the Biblical writers in such a way that, without suspending their personal styles of expression of freedom, what they produced was literally inspired. The emphasis of the text is that Scripture itself, as well as the authors, was inspired.

Of course there are those within each camp whose view of inspiration varies from the generally accepted. Both orientations also have their own strengths and weaknesses.

The strengths of the liberal position has been said to include the fact that they are not embarrassed by negative phenomena found in Scripture; no claim is made regarding Biblical inerrancy and so there is no need to deal with it; and since they do not believe texts are infallible, the do not have to be bothered with issues pertaining to canonicity of Scripture; and finally, liberals need not suspend their critical faculties when studying Scripture.

The weaknesses of this position are said to be located in its tendency to dilute the inspiration and authority of Scripture in a significant way. It places overemphasis on human reason; if Biblical claims cannot be grasped by human reason, it is unacceptable. Another weakness lies in the idea of progressive revelation. Liberals believe that as man developed mentally and spiritually, later divine revelation was superior to earlier ones. Thus, religious experience becomes the foundation for deciding divine inspiration. A further difficulty with this view is that it allows room to call into question or disallow all of the miraculous in Scripture.

Two outstanding strengths of the conservative view proposed are:
1) they take the Bible seriously as the only authority for life and the Christian faith; and ; 2) conservatives are serious about the actual texts of the Bible. Some of the weaknesses found in this view include: conservatives refusal to acknowledge obvious Biblical errors; the failure to see inconsistencies between any two scriptural passages; the proclivity to dislocate the true center of concern; the hermeneutical principles that guide them are extra-Biblical; and their harmonization process is flawed.

Achtemeier (Contemporary Theology) proposes another view of inspiration. He sees it as being located more in the interrelationship of tradition, situation, and respondent contained in Scripture rather than located in Scripture itself or the Biblical authors.

Whatever view one holds is important to hermeneutics. If we hold a liberal view of inspiration for example, it would probably be difficult, if not impossible, to not approach Scripture with the presupposition "Scripture contains errors".

Thus, if we encounter apparent discrepancies, we may decide that one or both of the pages involved contain mistakes. Likewise, as a conservative, we may be inclined to find an exegetically justifiable way of resolving the seeming discrepancy rather than entertain an erroneous possibility.

(to be continued)

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

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In my view, the significance of this miracle of nature as presented by Matthews lies in the theological teachings (which as acts of the "King of the Jews"), it contains. Like the healing miracles, they can probably be best understood against the background of the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, the restless sea is treated as the symbol of the troubled and sinful world. The power of God is supremely demonstrated through Jesus by His authority and rule over the wind and the waves. The author is attempting to say to his Jewish readers that they should put their faith in the Son of God, as the One who fulfills God’s promises to them; that Jesus is the Messiah and hope of Israel. Israel therefore should become disciples and stay faithful in the knowledge that He will deliver, rule and guide His people.

The scene in the boat as it begins to sail is one of Mark’s portrayals of Jesus’ humanity and those qualities that caused men to recognize Him as Savior of the world. The storm on the lake gives the picture of the trials and dangers of Jesus’ own life during this era. Mark illustrates the Servant’s weariness and need for rest.

There may also be some implicit message in the story for the church universal. Tertullian is often quoted as saying:

"That little ship presented a figure of the Church, in that she is disquieted by the sea, that is, in the world, by the waves, that is, by persecutions and temptations, the Lord patiently sleeping, as it were, until, roused at last by the prayers of the saints, He checks the world and restores tranquility to His own."

The Lukan periscope manifests Jesus in His majestic power, as a miracle worker commanding obedience of the natural elements. The emphasis is not so much on Jesus’ spoken words as it is the power of His word. Jesus is depicted in action, being used to bring deliverance and protection to His own disciples. The Christology of the "stilling of the storm" is obvious: Jesus delivers.

The disciples were in the same boat with Jesus. In all the difficulties and dangers of the Christian life, during the whole journey upon the waves, often agitated by the storms of life, we are always in the same boat with Jesus, if we are obedient to His will. It may seem to us that He is sleeping; nevertheless, if our Redeemer allows the tempest to rise and our faith gives way to our fears, we shall not perish since we are with Him in the storm. Christ Jesus’ security is our own. Come what may, we shall not perish as long as we don’t jump ship.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

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Teenagers do you find yourself in a rut? If so, be honest with yourself and determine why. Are your friends holding you back from venturing forth? Are you concerned about what they might say? If they are true friends they will be the first to encourage you, if they don’t, ask yourself, then ask them why. The answer you arrive at should indicate to you whether they are a true friend. Odds are they will be encouraging and perhaps follow your lead. You will have then become a trend setter. Be bold and rise above the crowd. Start immediately. All progress starts but with a single step.

Parents help your teen with gentle encouragement. Perhaps post notes on their pillow or in their lunch bag. Let them know how much you believe in them. For more information on decision making visit www.lunchbagnotes.com.

Ann Marie Parisi is a senior at Cal Luteran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. She is also a published author.

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Carly was born on February the fourth, 1988, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to a pair of loving parents - her mother, Natalie, and her father, Ricky. She is the first of a pair of girls (her younger sister is Jordan). Currently, she lives with her mother, her sister, and her pets in Allen, Texas. A straight-A student, she is almost a normal teenager when it comes to taste in music, boys, and shopping. However, one thing sets her apart from the rest of the crowd, even beyond her academics: she spends more than thirty hours a week training in her Texas academy. Of course, she could not have gotten to where she is currently without help. This logically leads to the question — what makes a champion?

Carly started early on with her gymnastics career. In 1994, she began taking classes after attending a friend’s birthday party at Gymnastics Elite, a gym facility in Baton Rouge, and meeting the head coach there. After five years of training, what began as a sport became a true career: she won her first state title in 1999 for Louisiana.

Then, she and her family moved to Texas, which gave her the chance to train at some of the best gymnastics gyms in the United States. She worked with Evgeny Marchenko and his team at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano, Texas, and within a year completed the Top Gym Tournament in Belgium in second place, taking the bronze medal in the beam event, and won the all-around gold at the American Team Cup. Thus began her rise to super-stardom in the world of gymnastics. She took dozens of titles, national and international, competing across the globe. Then, of course, she competed in the 2004 Olympics?and the rest, as they say, is history.

Certainly, her coaches had a lot to do with her success. They gave her the practical experience needed for proper training and for the creativity she displays in her favored events. Good gymnastics schools, dedication to her work, and certainly the allure of championships kept her motivated, and as she won title after title, she improved with the help of internationally renowned teams of gymnasts. And, too, love of the sport itself inspired by her coaches and her mentors aided her to the point where she is today?but to attribute all of her success to the work of these individuals would be erroneous without, of course, mentioning her parents.

Her mother, Natalie, and her father, Ricky, played perhaps the most important role in any young person’s life. They gave her encouragement; they were there when she needed them. This goes doubly for Miss Patterson, for they also showed confidence and interest in her gymnastics endeavors–in fact, by enrolling her in Gymnastics Elite, they gave her a good running start for motivation. It was with their help, too, that she got through some of the most difficult times of her career thus far. An injury to her elbow kept her out of several national and international championships; it was with her parents’ support that she was rehabilitated, and has now risen to become an Olympic star.

You, as a parent of a gymnast, can certainly take this to heart. You don’t have to be particularly well off to give your gymnast the confidence they need to become the best. In fact, all you have to do is encourage your child; if they show interest in the sport, let them participate. If they do well, encourage them further.

They’re already champions.

By Murray Hughes Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/carly-patterson.htm

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics parents by a gymnastics parent. Girls Gymnastics for Parents

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General Pericope Distinctions

In the gospel of Mark, the "stilling of the storm" and the whole sea sequence follow the day of parables. In Matthew, this story and the split sequence come in chapters eight and nine; the day of parables comes later in chapter 13. Luke agrees with Matthew in noting the presence of the disciples, Mark has an independent "they" throughout the passage and no mention is made of the disciples. Mark’s command in 4:3 is omitted here by Matthew who uses it to introduce the preceding passage (8:18). In Luke and Mark, Jesus stills the storm first and then admonishes the disciples. In Matthews, the action is reversed; Jesus rebukes the disciples and then stills the storm. One of the oddest features in Matthew is that it begins the story with "the disciples" but ends with "the men."

Exegetical Interpretation

None of the synopsis’ give specifics regarding the day and time when the stilling of the storm occurred. Mark and Luke simple indicate, "That day." Mark 4:35 shows that the crossing of the lake happened on the "evening" of the day when the discourse in parables had been pronounced. Luke suppressed the mention of the late hour of the day but his verse (22) can be easily harmonized if we view the first gospel as being topological rather than chronological.

When Jesus concluded His teaching, he commands the disciples to cross with Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The reason for this decision is undisclosed and can therefore, only be conjectured. Seemingly, the prevailing view assumes that Jesus was enervated and desired rest from the pressuring crowd. Walter Bundy in his book "Jesus and the First Three Gospels," suggest the possibility that Jesus may have desired seeking a new sphere for his ministry which Mark 8:35-39 seem to support.

The disciples, obedient to the command of Jesus, board the boat with Him. In the Lukan form of the story, the phrase "and his disciples" would mean the twelve and the women of 8:1-3; cf. 8:9. This is in stark contrast to the vague Markan "they" and "them."

The "other side" was the district of Decapolis, east of the Sea of Galilee. This side was more rocky and barren and not as heavily populated with people as the western shore. Thus being, it became a natural refuge from the active life of the western coast.

The sudden "squall" as used by Mark and Luke was not extraordinary. The Sea of Galilee, which is said to be approximately 685 feet below sea level, was surrounded by mountains on almost all sides. Particularly at night ("as evening drew near") a storm could develop quickly.

The Greek word employed by Matthew, "tempest," properly translates "an earthquake," while "squall" as used by Mark and Luke signifies a "hurricane."

Mark add the graphic picture of the waves breaking into the ship and mentions the dangerousness of the predicament. In contrast to the raging sea and storm outside the ship, Jesus is sleeping serenely inside the ship. Luke depicts Jesus’ falling asleep before he mentions the squall while Mark mentions it after he discusses the storm. Jesus’ falling asleep suggests He was subject to human fatigue and required a human necessity ? rest. There are theologians who propose Jesus wished to test the disciples’ faith and others who add that Jesus’ weariness may be considered voluntary because it was intended to assist the weakness of the disciples.

According to Mark, Jesus was "in the stern, sleeping on a cushion." Neither Matthew nor Luke mentions Jesus’ location on board the boat. Luke omits the disciples’ plaintive query about Jesus’ nonchalance and apparent lack of concern about His and their welfare. The disciples awaken Jesus.

Most commentaries draw attention to the somewhat gentler versions of Matthews and Lukes’ statements: "Lord, save us, we perish" (Mt. KJV), "Lord, save us, we’re going to drown" (NIV), "Master, master, we’re going to drown" (Lk., NIV), Master, master, we perish" (KJV). The most glaring feature is the boldness of Mark: "Do you not care if we perish" (RSV), "Master, carest thou not that we perish" (KJV), "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" (NIV).

The cry expresses fear, panic and indignation and the disciples seem to hold Jesus responsible. The storm did not disturb Jesus but it obviously did the disciples. Death appears imminent to the "chosen ones" and they resent Jesus for having the temerity to sleep during the crisis. It is at that moment that the disciples’ humanity prevailed over their faith and they were overtaken with fear.

Mark and Luke records Jesus’ reproach of the disciples following the stilling of the storm. In Matthew, the opposite is true. Opinions seem divided as to the exact order. Paul Ryan in "Gospels of the Sundays" made this observation.

"St. John Chrysostom, preferring the order given by St. Matthew, speaks thus: ‘Before Christ would still the tempest of waters, He, by this rebuke, first calmed the souls of His disciples. He did so that they might be in a better condition to witness the miraculous exercise of His divine power, and to learn the lesson which the miracle was intended to convey.’"

Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and all became immediately quiet. It is Mark alone who gives the actual words Jesus spoke, "Peace, be still," which literally means "be muzzled." Barclay also notes that Jesus uses the exact same words here speaking to the wind as He had to the demon possessed man in Mark 1:28.

Jesus’ reprimand to the disciples was sharp and may have been tinged with anger and disappointment. The disciples’ faith was insufficient to enable them to believe that Jesus, though sleeping, was still watching over them by His divine power, and could save them.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

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Many teens daydream often about the things they would like to do. Do you? If you can ‘dream,’ you can ‘do.’ You need to maintain a positive ‘can do’ attitude and like many successful people have done, you need to write your goals down along with a timetable and plan for achieving them. You need to discover what it will take, what your willing to do to accomplish your goal, identify possible obstacles and determine how you will overcome them. You must resolve to stay the course even when other’s discourage you or when problems seem insurmountable.

And there will many of those times; if it were easy everyone would be a star. Post reminders of your goals in prominent places like your bedroom mirror. Give yourself a pep talk every day. Reward yourself when you make significant strides.

Need more help on goal setting write us at info@lunchbagnotes.com.

Ann Marie is a published author and senior at Cal Lutheran University, majoring in Elementary Education. Currently living at home with her parents and younger brother, Anthony who is also a published author.

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