What to do if Someone You Know is Raped:
“ Victims of sexual assault are apt to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts – even months after the attack. With this in mind, every attempt should be made to encourage crisis intervention with trained counselors and social workers who are committed Christians.”
Is there really only so much money to go around?
“Michael Novak, the highly-esteemed Catholic economist and social thinker, has argued that the next great national awakening will come from the affluent. I would have doubted that conclusion until I began to study wealth, economics and social theory more closely. I now agree with him. We are living in a different age, an age of incredible productivity. We must understand that we are the most affluent people, at least the vast majority of us, who have ever walked this planet. Feeling guilty about this will not work repentance. If we are to see a true spiritual awakening it will necessarily come from people who have the means to make a huge contribution to great good in the world. We ought to encourage even greater wealth production, protect personal freedoms and foster the spirit of the entrepreneur in every possible way. If the church can learn to preach the gospel well, teach spiritual formation as it ought to teach it, rebuild truly transcendent worshiping communities, and help businessmen and women to understand that they have a vocation from God, then we just might see the awakening Novak is talking about.”
This article stands by itself.
Supercure or snake oil – what’s the truth about echinacea? | the Daily Mail:
“However, I would think that eating a balanced diet, with five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and two portions of oily fish a week, and getting adequate sleep, are far more import in reducing your risk of getting an infection that taking this.
”If someone does all those things and still gets lot of colds, then maybe they could give echinacea a try.“”
Echinacea Wards of Colds by 50%
Echinacea can cut risk of colds by 50 per cent – Independent Online Edition > Health:
“”There has also been the suggestion … that continuous treatment with echinacea is not recommended – the benefits may only be effective for one or two weeks – and that after taking the agent for this time people should stop and give the immune system a week without the agent,“ Professor Cutler said. ”The true benefits and how the agents work remains unclear and further better controlled … clinical trials still have to be carried out,“ he said.”
Increasing Intimacy in Marriage:
“As this analogy shows, over-dependence in marriage can lead spouses to become tired and resentful of carrying the burden for the other’s happiness. Over-dependence creates feelings of powerlessness and weakness because your happiness is in someone else’s hands. Complete independence is also unhealthy because it causes spouses to feel unneeded and lonely. Interdependence is a balance between over-dependence and independence. In an interdependent marriage, spouses feel needed without being overburdened. They feel a sense of freedom and power, understanding that their happiness is in their control and not in the hands of another person.”
This is a great article encouraging others to be interdependent so the person feels needed and not lonely. This is our prayer for all marriages.
Sustaining Intimacy in Marriage
“Everyone agreed that after a full day’s work both men and women are weary and exhausted. But when a husband seems to reserve all his attention for his work and shows no attention to his wife, she feels unloved. When that happens, instead of having a loving and sexually responsive wife, he will run the risk of being at continual odds with her. He will get wrath instead of warmth.”
This is an excellent series of articles on sustaining intimacy in marriage. Even though one sees the other through the Finished Work of Christ, it is important to share the feelings with each other/the Lord together.
How the Good News Flows Through Us
Shovel Writings: 1 Timothy 1:15-16 in context:
“the bottom line of the good news of Christ is ”love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.“ As I had already summarized these in a previous Shoveletter I’ll just paste it below:
LOVE FROM A PURE HEART: Would Paul be referring to anything other than the love that flows from a heart that has been purified by the power of the risen Christ and indwelt by the Spirit of God? Timothy already knew this from having learned from Paul himself. It is in hearing the good news of Christ that our hearts are stimulated to real love for one another for it declares WHO our real life is and WHO is also our real connection with one another.
A GOOD CONSCIENCE: This is nothing less than a conscience that has been set free from sin and made alive to God through Christ. This is the conscience of one who is given confidence through the good news of Christ that there is NO MORE remembrance of sin.
A SINCERE FAITH: Sincere means genuine or real, and it has nothing to do with that pathetic ATTEMPT at sincerity that is often thrust upon us by the religious mind. The only ”sincere“ faith that has ever occurred has been the faith we have received in Christ. It is REAL because something has been done to us to cause us to actually be DEPENDENT UPON God – Christ has become our life. Paul was drawing a contrast between REAL faith and PROFESSED faith. In other words, one was the real stuff, the other, merely hot air.”
This is an excellent article for those dealing with conflict. Yes the law keeps order for the unbelievers. However I pray we can show the mercy of God as he did for Paul, one of the worst of sinners. No one is too far gone. “God do not allow us to hold back Your grace towards unbelievers. ”Do not allow us to see believers as sinners.“ The have just forgotten who they are in You.
Shovel Writings: 1 Corinthians 11:
“”For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep“
I think he was referring to their obvious conditions during the celebration (something you had asked me about as I remember). These were probably all-day affairs. Some came hungry and left hungry. Others ate and drank all day.
Many were weak – it was in direct relation to the arrogance of those who despised them. Many were sick – while some had nothing, others were gorging themselves on food and drink. A number sleep – drunk and passed out.
All because of how they viewed themselves and each other. The coming together for judgment is the very real performance-based judgment they were manifesting toward one another. If we judged ourselves rightly this wouldn’t be happening among us because we would be viewing one another through Christ. But even when this happens God is not forsaking us but is continually disciplining (training as children) us. For if He didn’t stay with us in this we would be condemned along with the world.
Listen to the simplicity of this one thing that Paul suggests: wait for one another. It is a message of their common unity in Christ.”
This is an exciting article on the meaning of true communion! It offer hope that sin is no longer an issue for believers or unbelievers! The Good News of Jesus raises those still dead and convinces those who have been alive as to the life of Jesus in them!!!
Shovel Writings: 1 Corinthians 5:
“grace, wonderful grace. For here we have the privilege of reminding one another what Christ has done for us and is doing IN us! And in this, we ourselves are blessed for we end up reminding ourselves of our true ”righteousness“ at the same time. And then, when that brother (or sister) is ”restored“ all are encouraged and reminded that this life is indeed miraculous.”
This is a great article on where our encouragement for restoration needs to be and the way it is achieved. It is only through reminding one another of their and our righteousness in Christ. May He do it through us.
What is God Saying to The Church
Shovel Writings: What about God’s anger against the churches in Revelation?:
“Attention can be given to discernment while forgetting the simplicity of Christ (Ephesus). It is important to realize that suffering is all part of life in Christ (Smyrna). When the stumbling block -law- is taught, sin is produced (Pergamum). Be careful of those ”ministers“ who promote themselves (Thyatira). ”Form“ can give the illusion of godliness but there is no life in it (Sardis). Encouragement to hold fast is worthwhile (Philadelpia). Looking at ourselves stimulates a self-righteousness (Laodicea). There is much more in this. I do believe it gave much encouragement to the believers as they went through the great persecution that followed. It reminded them that the blessings of ”the overcomers“ (this only fits in the context of the miraculous work of Christ … see 1 John 5:4&5) would eventually be revealed. ”
This is an excellent synopsis of hearing what the Spirit says to the churches.
“John addressed them so that they would KNOW that he was speaking to the MIRACLE OF CHRIST WITHIN THEM. ”He who overcomes“. Overcomes WHAT? ”For whatever is born of God OVERCOMES THE WORLD; and this is the victory that has OVERCOME THE WORLD – our FAITH.“ How did we overcome the world? NOT by what we have done, but through Christ. Faith is NOT something we have done, or something that we do, but is a description of the ACTUAL (not ATTEMPTED) dependency of those who have been inserted into the vine (Christ). Our faith is the ”victory“ … the VICTORY … not the thing required. ”
This is an awe-inspiriring article! It is important God confirms His identity in people.
A B-person – as opposed to an A-person – genetically pre-disposed to operate better and to be more alert later in the day.
Denmark it seems is full of B-people. So where better to form the B-society?
Six months after it was set up, it already boasts several thousand members.
Now it is campaigning hard for businesses to sign up to its B-certification list.
These guys — and especially the software company that allows you to show up to work whenever you want — are officially my new heroes. I’m almost ready to renounce my citizenship and move overseas… I just knew that someone, somewhere, had to understand that morning people need help and that it’s PERFECTLY normal to find the sun a significant and soothing contributor to the urge to sleep!
(BTW: for all you morning people among us — there is drug treatment available for the problem…)[GRIN]
Infidelity, Cheating Wives – Women’s Infidelity:
“Women at Stage 3 may also be
experiencing the ending of an extramarital
affair, and the ending may not have
been their decision. They may have been
involved with single men who either lost interest because the relationship could
not progress or who became attracted to
another women who was
single. Women whose affairs are
ending often experience extreme grief.
They may become deeply depressed and express tremendous anger toward
their husbands. They are typically unaware that they
are experiencing chemical withdrawal due to sudden
changes in their brain chemistry.
As a result, many will feel that they have
missed their chance at happiness due to their indecisiveness.”
This is excellent article shows the feelings one experiences during the progression of affairs. The anger/sadness/confusion/feaars needs to be expressed to God so the block can be removed. An openness needs to be present before God so his best desires and joy for the marriage can flow once again.
Infidelity, Cheating Wives – Women’s Infidelity:
“Women’s
relationships today follow
a very
predictable pattern:
They
push men
for commitment
They get what they want
They
lose interest
in sex
They
become attracted to someone else
They
start cheating
They become angry
and resentful
They begin telling their partners that they need time apart
They blame their partners for
their behavior…
and then…
They
slowly destroy their relationships and marriages”
This is a typical pattern. However if one gives the fear of love in the intimate relationship to the Lord, God’s sufficient love for the partners to give can flow once again. There is no blame necessary because the person does not realize they are doing the old and really doesn’t deep down want to do it. The new person in Christ is what is true.
Emotional Abuse and Alcoholism
Jennifer’s Recovery From Emotional Abuse:
“Jennifer describes her childhood as emotionally abusive and unpredictable. Her mother, now a committed Christian, struggled with uncontrolled rage and mental illness when her daughter was a child. Not only did the incidents of violent and frightening outbursts of rage leave her feeling insecure, unloved and inherently bad, Jennifer’s mom blamed her for her own unstable behavior. ”It’s your fault I act like this,“ she said. Suicide first entered her mind at age six. A sensitive child, Jennifer attempted to avoid her mother’s wrath through perfectionism. By junior high school, weary and disillusioned, she knew she could never earn her mother’s love and approval. If not her mother, she needed someone’s approval, so she sought it out by misbehaving at school, ditching it altogether or seeking affection from the opposite sex. Lonely, insecure and feeling unlovable, she grew to accept cruel and destructive behavior from friends, thinking she didn’t deserve any better.Then she met Rick, a quiet but popular football player, and she described it as ”love at first sight.“ But he had a difficult home life, too. Raised by an abusive, alcoholic father, Rick described seeing his father break a plate over his mother’s head because he didn’t like what she had cooked for dinner one night.”
This is an inspiring story of emotional abuse! However it does not talk about the Finished Work of Christ and His identity/character in believers. This eliminates the need for criticism. Jesus took all the issues away! We have had His constant approval and it will continue always.
Dealing With the Feeling of Temptation From the Evil One
“atthew 4:1-11 with your family. Consider these questions:How did Satan try to deceive Jesus like commercials try to trick you?How did Jesus deal with the temptation to have more ”stuff“?What can we learn from this story about temptation?Now read Hebrew 13:5; talk about what it means to want more things. Remind everyone that God has promised to take care of our needs. Ask each family member to complete the following sentence: ”One way I can be happy with what I have is to …“”
This is a good series of articles on dealing with the feelings of temptation. However one does not need to apply it. I believe one needs to pray in a position of victory that God will live out His way in handling the issue when we ask.
Defend the Faith Like C.S. Lewis, Part 2:
“Now I’ll take a closer look at two of Lewis’ key arguments that use abductive reasoning:The argument from ChristThe argument from longing”
This is another good article on talking about the contradictions. Although they are not stated that way.
Defend the Faith Like C.S. Lewis, Part 1:
“ the law of non-contradiction deals with the concept of antithesis and states that something cannot be true and not true at the same time and in the same sense (A is not non-A). Third, the law of excluded middle is often presented as ”either A or non-A.“ For instance, God either exists or He does not exist.”
This is a fascinating article on Faith vs logic. Can both be true at the same time?
Cancer risk cut – National – theage.com.au:
“Women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three
times the US Government’s recommended daily intake for middle-aged
adults saw a 60 per cent lower incidence of all cancers than women
not taking the vitamin.”
This is an encouraging article for those individuals who do not drink fortified milk.
calgary.ctv.ca – Calgary news from CTV:
“A new American study shows women who took vitamin D were 60 percent less likely to develop breast, colon and ovarian cancers.
The Canadian Cancer Society is suggesting that adults should take 1,000 international units daily during the fall and winter.
The recommendation is different for those with darker skin, those who do not get much sunlight, as well was the elderly. They should take the daily supplement all year.”
“Setting expectations too high. If we don’t accept that life with children will include disorder, we will stay frustrated because we feel out of control.Forgetting how to have fun. Do you believe that now that you are an adult you can’t be silly anymore? Even as adults, we can still have slumber parties with our girlfriends, Chinese fire drills and pillow fights.”
BBC NEWS | Scotland | North East/N Isles | Teapot ‘is the healthiest option’:
“The traditional way of making tea in a pot is healthier than dunking a bag in a cup, according to scientists.
Previous research found antioxidants in tea could help protect against things like cancer and heart disease.
Now scientists in Aberdeen have shown that a cuppa only gets the maximum amount of these chemicals when the tea is given proper time to brew.
The researchers also found that adding milk to a cup of tea had no effect on its cancer-fighting properties.
The scientists tested levels of polyphenols, which are antioxidants naturally occurring in plants, in the blood of volunteers who drank black tea brewed for up to 10 minutes.
They found that volunteers who drank tea that had been brewed for five minutes had blood antioxidant levels which were 60% higher than those who consumed a one-minute infusion.”
“This is not blasphemy. There is no suggestion that God has created any new deities, but He HAS made us SHARERS of HIS divine nature (yeah, Peter believed it, too! 2 Peter 1:4). Don’t you get it? An entirely new thing happened when God invaded human history and became a man! He joined the creation forevermore with the creator! Then he killed the old creation when he died and rose as the head of the new creation. We truly are new creations, and Christ is the substance, the core, the life of our new identity!
And the deceiver has whispered in your ear. It is the same thing he said to Jesus. ”If you are the son of God then let’s see some proof!“
”
This is another thought-provoking article. Is Christ really in us?
calgary.ctv.ca – Calgary news from CTV:
“ ”Eight millimeter films shot in the 50’s and 60’s are reaching the end of their shelf life, even if they’ve been stored in optimal storage conditions.“
Videos also do not hold up to time and begin to degrade in as little as 15 years.
Consumer Reports says if you have working playback equipment for your original video, you can buy a DVD recorder and transfer the videos yourself.
”Take your playback device such as your camcorder, and plug in the DVD recorder cable. Press play on your camcorder/playback device. Press record on the DVD recorder, and you’re all set,“ says Langehennig.
When it comes to films you need to hire a service to do the transfer.
An average price for the service is around $50 for the first 15 minutes.”
BBC NEWS | Health | Folic acid ‘reduces stroke risks’:
“olate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate that is found in supplements and added to fortified foods
Both folic acid and vitamin B12 are essential for good health and good levels can be achieved by eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Green vegetables are rich in folic acid or folate, while B12 is found in foods such as eggs and meat.
Yet 13 million people do not consume enough folate, according to the Food Standards Agency.
How much?
The current advice is that all adults consume 200 micrograms of folate per day, and that women who are pregnant or thinking of having a baby should take a daily 400 microgram supplement from the time they start trying for a baby until the 12th week of pregnancy.”
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Session Notes n.
A professional record of confidential information including records, assessments, treatments, and rendered opinions obtained during counselling involvement.
