yesterday i had the opportunity to be an irate customer but God used it for Himself. i bought a bed & desk at ikea, choked down the price, and after i went through the checkout looked at my bill. the bed was on sale for 25% off but the clerk hadn't given me the sale price. i pointed it out to her and she gave me the credit and rang the sale up again. the sale goes through instantly but the credit doesn't so the second charge wasn't approved because i was now over limit. she apologized and called the supervisor over. he spent the next 1/2 hour calling the visa centre, the bank, the visa centre again, the bank again. at first i was getting impatient, i wanted to be on my way home before rush hour started. as i could feel the impatience hitting me a God thing happened. i started thinking about a video i'd seen the night before talking about how blessed we are. i started thinking how it really wasn't such a big deal and before i knew it i was smiling and laughing. the supervisor was apologizing profusely and after a lengthy time he called another supervisor over to see how they could resolve the problem as the bank / visa said they couldn't do anything. had i been impatient it would have made me miserable and added to the discomfort the supervisor was already feeling. then the sales clerk came over and apologized again. when i thought of all their apologies i had a thought they might give me a discount coupon or something. instead i got something better. i got that good feeling that you get when you brighten someone else's day.
that wasn't as a result of my nature. i was ready to be impatient. that was a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He changed my attitude from going to be miserable to choosing to - here i was going to say choosing to be in a good mood. i didn't choose it - it was His work in me. thank You Lord.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
God's in the small stuff too
do we only look for God in the big things. or do we find Him in the very small, everyday things. for the past 2 months i have been using the plastic knife, fork and spoon from the plane. yesterday the knife broke, this morning the spoon broke, this weekend i'm moving and will have regular utensils. God gives me what i need, for as long as i need it.
suffering produces character
If you find yourself in a time of suffering, now is the time to press into God. Let your roots grow deeper. Whenever there is a famine, tree roots are forced to drive deeper into the soil to find water. These times are designed to create such a deep-rooted faith that our natures will be changed forever.
boy do i know a lot of characters.
boy do i know a lot of characters.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
piano for sale
$800 and you pay to move it. otherwise it's going to toew's music store where they will charge $1100. need to move it soon - if not sold in a week it's going to toew's.
it's a yamaha, in mint condition and it's played regularly and i'm told it's smooth.
if you're interested send me your email and i'll email you a picture of it. i can't get the picture in the blog.
it's a yamaha, in mint condition and it's played regularly and i'm told it's smooth.
if you're interested send me your email and i'll email you a picture of it. i can't get the picture in the blog.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
wow! what a revelation
sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. God puts us into "the shadow of His hand" (isaiah 49.2) until we learn to hear Him. pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? if so then remain quiet. if you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood - darkness is the time to listen. don't talk to other people about it. don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. if you talk to other people you cannot hear what God is saying. when you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light. (from my utmost)
in the time of My favour I will say to those in darkness, 'be free' isaiah 49 (from God)
i can't count the number of time i've been in darkness. talked to a lot of people, read a lot of books.
in hindsight i know it was only in the time of the Lord's favour that i was delivered from the darkness.
in the time of My favour I will say to those in darkness, 'be free' isaiah 49 (from God)
i can't count the number of time i've been in darkness. talked to a lot of people, read a lot of books.
in hindsight i know it was only in the time of the Lord's favour that i was delivered from the darkness.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Four places I have been:
1. Costa Rica
2. Nicaragua
3. Panama
4. Mexico
Four places I would like to go:
1. middle east
2. Africa
3. the Amazon
4. anywhere in central america
Four jobs I have done;
1. secreatary
2. receptionist
3. dispatcher
4. hairdressers assistant
four places i've lived:
1. costa rica
2. vancouver
3. new westminster
4. burnaby
four things i like to do:
1. worship
2. travel
3. dance
4. read
Four things I detest;
1. hedonism
2. materialism
3. lewd music videos
4. pornography
Four things I love:
1. worship
2. sunshine
3. plants
4. puppies
Four foods I love;
1. chocolate
2. coffee
3. avocados
4. black beans
Four people I would like to meet;
1. Jesus
2. my dad
3. peter
4. sponsored kids
1. Costa Rica
2. Nicaragua
3. Panama
4. Mexico
Four places I would like to go:
1. middle east
2. Africa
3. the Amazon
4. anywhere in central america
Four jobs I have done;
1. secreatary
2. receptionist
3. dispatcher
4. hairdressers assistant
four places i've lived:
1. costa rica
2. vancouver
3. new westminster
4. burnaby
four things i like to do:
1. worship
2. travel
3. dance
4. read
Four things I detest;
1. hedonism
2. materialism
3. lewd music videos
4. pornography
Four things I love:
1. worship
2. sunshine
3. plants
4. puppies
Four foods I love;
1. chocolate
2. coffee
3. avocados
4. black beans
Four people I would like to meet;
1. Jesus
2. my dad
3. peter
4. sponsored kids
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
The HDI measures achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/ (united nations report sept 2005)(to me that translates as the richest and poorest nations in the world.) just think what we, as the 5th richest nation in the world, could do to help the poorest nations in the world. if you're not sure check out the link at the bottom.
HDI rank - High human development
1 Norway 2 Iceland 3 Australia 4 Luxembourg
5 *** CANADA *** (what's considered the poverty level for canada? $25,000? we live in a rich nation, free from war, with enough food and clean water, health care and education.)
6 Sweden 7 Switzerland 8 Ireland 9 Belgium
10 United States 11 Japan 12 Netherlands
13 Finland 14 Denmark 15 United Kingdom 16 France
17 Austria 18 Italy 19 New Zealand 20 Germany
21 Spain 22 HongKong,China(SAR) 23 Israel 24 Greece
25 Singapore 26 Slovenia 27 Portugal 28 Korea,Rep.of
29 Cyprus 30 Barbados 31 Czech Republic 32 Malta
33 Brunei Darussalam 34 Argentina 35 Hungary 36 Poland
37 Chile 38 Estonia 39 Lithuania 40 Qatar
41 United Arab Emirates 42 Slovakia 43 Bahrain 44 Kuwait
45 Croatia 46 Uruguay 47 Costa Rica 48 Latvia
49 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 Bahamas 51 Seychelles 52 Cuba
53 Mexico 54 Tonga 55 Bulgaria 56 Panama
57 Trinidad and Tobago
HDI rank - Medium human development
58 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 59 Macedonia,TFYR
60 Antigua and Barbuda 61 Malaysia 62 Russian Federation
63 Brazil 64 Romania 65 Mauritius 66 Grenada 67 Belarus
68 Bosnia and Herzegovina 69 Colombia 70 Dominica 71 Oman
72 Albania 73 Thailand 74 Samoa (Western) 75 Venezuela
76 Saint Lucia 77 Saudi Arabia 78 Ukraine 79 Peru
80 Kazakhstan 81 Lebanon 82 Ecuador 83 Armenia
84 Philippines 85 China 86 Suriname
87 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines 88 Paraguay 89 Tunisia
90 Jordan 91 Belize 92 Fiji 93 Sri Lanka
94 Turkey 95 Dominican Republic 96 Maldives 97 Turkmenistan
98 Jamaica 99 Iran, IslamicRep.of 100 Georgia
101 Azerbaijan 102 Occupied Palestinian Territories
103 Algeria 104 El Salvador 105 Cape Verde
106 Syrian Arab Republic 107 Guyana 108 Viet Nam
109 Kyrgyzstan 110 Indonesia 111 Uzbekistan 112 Nicaragua
113 Bolivia 114 Mongolia 115 Moldova,Rep.of 116 Honduras
117 Guatemala 118 Vanuatu 119 Egypt 120 South Africa
121 Equatorial Guinea 122 Tajikistan 123 Gabon 124 Morocco
125 Namibia 126 São Tomé and Principe 127 India
128 Solomon Islands 129 Myanmar 130 Cambodia 131 Botswana
132 Comoros 133 LaoPeople’sDem.Rep. 134 Bhutan 135 Pakistan
136 Nepal 137 Papua New Guinea 138 Ghana 139 Bangladesh
140 Timor-Leste 141 Sudan 142 Congo 143 Togo 144 Uganda
145 Zimbabwe
HDI rank - Low human development
146 Madagascar 147 Swaziland 148 Cameroon 149 Lesotho
150 Djibouti 151 Yemen 152 Mauritania 153 Haiti 154 Kenya
155 Gambia 156 Guinea 157 Senegal 158 Nigeria 159 Rwanda
160 Angola 161 Eritrea 162 Benin 163 Côte d’Ivoire
164 Tanzania,U.Rep.of 165 Malawi 166 Zambia 167 Congo,Dem.Rep.ofthe
168 Mozambique 169 Burundi 170 Ethiopia 171 Central African Republic
172 Guinea-Bissau 173 Chad 174 Mali 175 Burkina Faso
176 Sierra Leone
177 NIGER (earnings less than $1 a day - less than $365 a year)
HDI rank - High human development
1 Norway 2 Iceland 3 Australia 4 Luxembourg
5 *** CANADA *** (what's considered the poverty level for canada? $25,000? we live in a rich nation, free from war, with enough food and clean water, health care and education.)
6 Sweden 7 Switzerland 8 Ireland 9 Belgium
10 United States 11 Japan 12 Netherlands
13 Finland 14 Denmark 15 United Kingdom 16 France
17 Austria 18 Italy 19 New Zealand 20 Germany
21 Spain 22 HongKong,China(SAR) 23 Israel 24 Greece
25 Singapore 26 Slovenia 27 Portugal 28 Korea,Rep.of
29 Cyprus 30 Barbados 31 Czech Republic 32 Malta
33 Brunei Darussalam 34 Argentina 35 Hungary 36 Poland
37 Chile 38 Estonia 39 Lithuania 40 Qatar
41 United Arab Emirates 42 Slovakia 43 Bahrain 44 Kuwait
45 Croatia 46 Uruguay 47 Costa Rica 48 Latvia
49 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 Bahamas 51 Seychelles 52 Cuba
53 Mexico 54 Tonga 55 Bulgaria 56 Panama
57 Trinidad and Tobago
HDI rank - Medium human development
58 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 59 Macedonia,TFYR
60 Antigua and Barbuda 61 Malaysia 62 Russian Federation
63 Brazil 64 Romania 65 Mauritius 66 Grenada 67 Belarus
68 Bosnia and Herzegovina 69 Colombia 70 Dominica 71 Oman
72 Albania 73 Thailand 74 Samoa (Western) 75 Venezuela
76 Saint Lucia 77 Saudi Arabia 78 Ukraine 79 Peru
80 Kazakhstan 81 Lebanon 82 Ecuador 83 Armenia
84 Philippines 85 China 86 Suriname
87 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines 88 Paraguay 89 Tunisia
90 Jordan 91 Belize 92 Fiji 93 Sri Lanka
94 Turkey 95 Dominican Republic 96 Maldives 97 Turkmenistan
98 Jamaica 99 Iran, IslamicRep.of 100 Georgia
101 Azerbaijan 102 Occupied Palestinian Territories
103 Algeria 104 El Salvador 105 Cape Verde
106 Syrian Arab Republic 107 Guyana 108 Viet Nam
109 Kyrgyzstan 110 Indonesia 111 Uzbekistan 112 Nicaragua
113 Bolivia 114 Mongolia 115 Moldova,Rep.of 116 Honduras
117 Guatemala 118 Vanuatu 119 Egypt 120 South Africa
121 Equatorial Guinea 122 Tajikistan 123 Gabon 124 Morocco
125 Namibia 126 São Tomé and Principe 127 India
128 Solomon Islands 129 Myanmar 130 Cambodia 131 Botswana
132 Comoros 133 LaoPeople’sDem.Rep. 134 Bhutan 135 Pakistan
136 Nepal 137 Papua New Guinea 138 Ghana 139 Bangladesh
140 Timor-Leste 141 Sudan 142 Congo 143 Togo 144 Uganda
145 Zimbabwe
HDI rank - Low human development
146 Madagascar 147 Swaziland 148 Cameroon 149 Lesotho
150 Djibouti 151 Yemen 152 Mauritania 153 Haiti 154 Kenya
155 Gambia 156 Guinea 157 Senegal 158 Nigeria 159 Rwanda
160 Angola 161 Eritrea 162 Benin 163 Côte d’Ivoire
164 Tanzania,U.Rep.of 165 Malawi 166 Zambia 167 Congo,Dem.Rep.ofthe
168 Mozambique 169 Burundi 170 Ethiopia 171 Central African Republic
172 Guinea-Bissau 173 Chad 174 Mali 175 Burkina Faso
176 Sierra Leone
177 NIGER (earnings less than $1 a day - less than $365 a year)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
lottery tickets
birthday / valentine's / christmas cards... we sign them 'with love'
the next time you want to give someone a lottery ticket in their card, enclose a gift card in their name instead... feeding a child... 'with love'
the next time you want to give someone a lottery ticket in their card, enclose a gift card in their name instead... feeding a child... 'with love'
valentines's - a time of love
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/default.stm
go to this site and watch the video "How the gift of a goat has helped one Rwandan community" and see how a 15 year old girl has made a difference. Ethical gifts to the developing world enjoyed bumper sales over Christmas, with Oxfam taking 5,000 orders a day. Teenager Eleanor Paish, who bought a goat, was invited to Rwanda to see how the gifts have helped communities."
christmas - a time of giving. what about the rest of the year?
how much are you spending for valentines? for one day to show someone how much you love them. what about for the same amount of money you could buy a piglet, or 2 rabbits or 2 ducks to help feed a whole family or seed packets and tools to enable them to grow their own food and/or earn income... or if you were really doing it up big with a night on the town you could buy a goat for the same amount... now that would be love.
matthew 25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
if a 15 year old girl, still in school, can make a difference... you can too... if you love enough.
go to this site and watch the video "How the gift of a goat has helped one Rwandan community" and see how a 15 year old girl has made a difference. Ethical gifts to the developing world enjoyed bumper sales over Christmas, with Oxfam taking 5,000 orders a day. Teenager Eleanor Paish, who bought a goat, was invited to Rwanda to see how the gifts have helped communities."
christmas - a time of giving. what about the rest of the year?
how much are you spending for valentines? for one day to show someone how much you love them. what about for the same amount of money you could buy a piglet, or 2 rabbits or 2 ducks to help feed a whole family or seed packets and tools to enable them to grow their own food and/or earn income... or if you were really doing it up big with a night on the town you could buy a goat for the same amount... now that would be love.
matthew 25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
if a 15 year old girl, still in school, can make a difference... you can too... if you love enough.
i dare you
I heard a story about a small church that was having a reunion. A former member who attended the celebration had become a millionaire. When he testified about how God had blessed him over the years, he related an incident from his childhood. He said that when he earned his first dollar as a boy, he decided to keep it for the rest of his life. But then a guest missionary preached about the urgent need on the mission field. He struggled about giving his dollar. "The Lord won, however," the man said. Then, with a sense of pride he added, "I put my treasured dollar in the offering basket. And I am convinced that the reason God has blessed me so much is that when I was a little boy I gave Him everything I possessed." The congregation was awestruck by the testimony—until a little old lady in front piped up, "I dare you to do it again!" from our daily bread feb 3/06.
from bbc news "Before Christmas I asked Zambia's finance minister, Peter Ngandu Magande, who is to blame for the poverty of so many of his countrymen.
He wrote: "Poverty . . . Most times is the perception of other people who decide to give a tag of poverty to another person . . . Only two days ago, someone in Europe defined me as being poor because I receive a monthly salary of $1,400 against his $5,000".
$1400 a month is poor by some standards but $1.00 a day is extreme poverty by anyone's standards and yet most of the world's population live like this daily.
check out bbc news on other countries and learn about poverty. we, one of the wealthiest nations, know nothing about real poverty.
Dominic Nkhata, 29 and his wife Patricia, 27 are a young Zambian couple with a two-year-old daughter. Dominic works as a factory hand while Patricia is a housewife. The couple are also responsible for four orphans, the children of Dominic's deceased sisters. The family live in two rooms in one of Lusaka's poorer neighbourhoods, a shanty town called Garden Compound, about five kilometres outside Lusaka city, and are typical of the millions of Africans who live on less than a dollar a day.
can you imagine trying to feed 7 people on less than $1 a day? oh did i forget to mention that most of their income goes to pay rent. or that they are dying of aids so they will leave 5 young children to care for themselves.
what are you doing to end poverty? are you doing enough? are you doing anything?
or are you buying another new cd, a new set of dishes or towels or decorations to go with the new paint job?
what do you perceive as poverty? your $3,000 a month, $2,000 a month. it's true the more you have the more you will spend. have you ever thought of spending it on someone other than yourself?
do you already sponsor a child somewhere? or two? if you can do one you can do two. if you can do two you can do three.
what would you give to have clean drinking water? food to eat?
can you not find it in your heart to deny yourself one new cd a month or one timmie's or starbucks coffee a day and send it to support a family in africa or india that is literally starving to death.
i dare you.
from bbc news "Before Christmas I asked Zambia's finance minister, Peter Ngandu Magande, who is to blame for the poverty of so many of his countrymen.
He wrote: "Poverty . . . Most times is the perception of other people who decide to give a tag of poverty to another person . . . Only two days ago, someone in Europe defined me as being poor because I receive a monthly salary of $1,400 against his $5,000".
$1400 a month is poor by some standards but $1.00 a day is extreme poverty by anyone's standards and yet most of the world's population live like this daily.
check out bbc news on other countries and learn about poverty. we, one of the wealthiest nations, know nothing about real poverty.
Dominic Nkhata, 29 and his wife Patricia, 27 are a young Zambian couple with a two-year-old daughter. Dominic works as a factory hand while Patricia is a housewife. The couple are also responsible for four orphans, the children of Dominic's deceased sisters. The family live in two rooms in one of Lusaka's poorer neighbourhoods, a shanty town called Garden Compound, about five kilometres outside Lusaka city, and are typical of the millions of Africans who live on less than a dollar a day.
can you imagine trying to feed 7 people on less than $1 a day? oh did i forget to mention that most of their income goes to pay rent. or that they are dying of aids so they will leave 5 young children to care for themselves.
what are you doing to end poverty? are you doing enough? are you doing anything?
or are you buying another new cd, a new set of dishes or towels or decorations to go with the new paint job?
what do you perceive as poverty? your $3,000 a month, $2,000 a month. it's true the more you have the more you will spend. have you ever thought of spending it on someone other than yourself?
do you already sponsor a child somewhere? or two? if you can do one you can do two. if you can do two you can do three.
what would you give to have clean drinking water? food to eat?
can you not find it in your heart to deny yourself one new cd a month or one timmie's or starbucks coffee a day and send it to support a family in africa or india that is literally starving to death.
i dare you.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
you are so not worthy
I love you so much I gave my son's life for you.
ok so who are you going to believe. if you're a christian you have to believe the 2nd one because it's God telling you how much He loves you. right out of the bible - john 3:16.
how many of us had / have parents or other people in our lives telling us we weren't worthy.
well we're not, not in and of ourselves. it's only because God loves us so much that we become worthy. He gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us so how can we say we're not worthy. He made us co-heirs with His only Son Jesus, so how can we say we're not worthy.
so there's the truth - that's from God. and there's the lie - that we know is from satan because he is the father of lies.
who are you going to believe?
believe it - you are worthy. you are a precious, worthy, child of God.
ok so who are you going to believe. if you're a christian you have to believe the 2nd one because it's God telling you how much He loves you. right out of the bible - john 3:16.
how many of us had / have parents or other people in our lives telling us we weren't worthy.
well we're not, not in and of ourselves. it's only because God loves us so much that we become worthy. He gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us so how can we say we're not worthy. He made us co-heirs with His only Son Jesus, so how can we say we're not worthy.
so there's the truth - that's from God. and there's the lie - that we know is from satan because he is the father of lies.
who are you going to believe?
believe it - you are worthy. you are a precious, worthy, child of God.
Monday, January 30, 2006
my point is
i fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 1cor12:20
a perverse man stirs up dissension and a gossip separates close friends. prov 16:28
without gossip a quarrel dies down. prov 16:20
if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. matt 6:14,15
if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone john 8:7
do not judge or you too will be judged. for in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. you hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. matt 7:1-5
not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. matt 7:21... then i will tell you plainly, I never knew you. away from me you evildoers. matt 7:23
i like how greg did his sermon yesterday. he spoke God's truth, right out of the bible. the truth - it's staring you right in the face, you can't miss it.
ok so yesterday i used harsh words to make my point. i spoke my truth - lies and gossip hurt. today is God's truth, right out of the bible.
my command is this: love each other as I have loved you. john 15:12
even though we have sinned / are sinners... He loves us! and He wants us to love others... the same way.
if anyone says i love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. 1 john 4:20
a perverse man stirs up dissension and a gossip separates close friends. prov 16:28
without gossip a quarrel dies down. prov 16:20
if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. matt 6:14,15
if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone john 8:7
do not judge or you too will be judged. for in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. you hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. matt 7:1-5
not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. matt 7:21... then i will tell you plainly, I never knew you. away from me you evildoers. matt 7:23
i like how greg did his sermon yesterday. he spoke God's truth, right out of the bible. the truth - it's staring you right in the face, you can't miss it.
ok so yesterday i used harsh words to make my point. i spoke my truth - lies and gossip hurt. today is God's truth, right out of the bible.
my command is this: love each other as I have loved you. john 15:12
even though we have sinned / are sinners... He loves us! and He wants us to love others... the same way.
if anyone says i love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. 1 john 4:20
Sunday, January 29, 2006
love for enemies
matt 5:44-48 but I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise and fall on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. if you love those who love you what reward will you get? are not even the tax collectors doing that? and if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? do not even pagans do that? be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
whoa - that's a tough one. love your enemy. love those who persecute you. that is so hard to do. but it is possible. God makes possible the impossible.
i know when i was in high school and people were persecuting me i could never have forgiven them. i didn't have it in me to forgive them. i was crushed in spirit. but God says in psalm 34:18 that He is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
it's true - believe it.
whoa - that's a tough one. love your enemy. love those who persecute you. that is so hard to do. but it is possible. God makes possible the impossible.
i know when i was in high school and people were persecuting me i could never have forgiven them. i didn't have it in me to forgive them. i was crushed in spirit. but God says in psalm 34:18 that He is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
it's true - believe it.
christian love
how does that song go - you can tell we are christians by our love.
omg - if we are an example of christian love the rest of the world's in trouble.
sharing the gospel. what is that? what is the gospel? God's truth? what is God's truth? love Him above all others. love others. john 13:34 as i have loved you so you MUST love one another. He didn't say speak it - He said DO it.
1 john 4:19-21 we love because He first loved us. if anyone says i love God yet hates his brother he is a liar. for anyone who does not love his brother, who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. and He has given us this COMMAND: whoever loves God MUST also love his brother.
so - do you love God... or are you a liar?
omg - if we are an example of christian love the rest of the world's in trouble.
sharing the gospel. what is that? what is the gospel? God's truth? what is God's truth? love Him above all others. love others. john 13:34 as i have loved you so you MUST love one another. He didn't say speak it - He said DO it.
1 john 4:19-21 we love because He first loved us. if anyone says i love God yet hates his brother he is a liar. for anyone who does not love his brother, who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. and He has given us this COMMAND: whoever loves God MUST also love his brother.
so - do you love God... or are you a liar?
breaks my heart
it breaks my heart that we christians who are supposed to be living like Christ are the most unforgiving lot. if it breaks my heart what do you think it does to the heart of God. He who has told us to love each other and forgive each other as He has forgiven us.
He tells us to lift up the body of Christ. that's our job. He tells us not to judge - that's His job. and yet we're slamming each other, spreading lies, spreading gossip. who's side are we on? who are we fighting? we are supposed to be fighting the enemy. WE are not the enemy. that's satan. if you are not fighting FOR Christ you are fighting AGAINST Him.
who are you living for? Christ? are you sure?
or are you living like and for satan?
He tells us to lift up the body of Christ. that's our job. He tells us not to judge - that's His job. and yet we're slamming each other, spreading lies, spreading gossip. who's side are we on? who are we fighting? we are supposed to be fighting the enemy. WE are not the enemy. that's satan. if you are not fighting FOR Christ you are fighting AGAINST Him.
who are you living for? Christ? are you sure?
or are you living like and for satan?
stix and stones
i tell myself that if i am living for an audience of One that i am not going to care what people say about me. right now people aren't accusing me of anything, (at least not that i know of although we seem to have a way of being nice to each others faces but saying ugly, hurtful things behind each others backs) but that was not always the case.
when i was in grade 8 i had a reputation. people i didn't even know called me a slut, described in the dictionary as a)A woman considered sexually promiscuous, b) A woman prostitute, and c) A slovenly woman; a slattern. why? because in their dirty little minds i was not following the socially acceptable role they thought i should be?
i wore black eyeliner and i wore skirts a bit shorter than others. that was the only thing that made me different than everyone else. did that make me a harlot? it's what i was accused of. it was hurtful. girls rejected me - were they jealous? boys paid attention to me. why? because 1 boy that i went out with lied and bragged to others saying he had 'scored' with me so the rest of them thought they could too.
it was the same at home. accused of things i had never done. i finally ran away and after a couple of times i was placed in a foster home.
i changed schools and when i started at the new school i changed my name and i started making friends. then someone discovered my real name and learned that i was 'that girl' from the other high school that had that bad rep. they couldn't believe i was the same person that the bad rumours (malicious lies) were about. i was accepted. they didn't throw stones.
who are you accusing?
who are you spreading malicious lies about?
why are you spreading malicious lies?
and you call yourself a christian? in the dictionary a christian is described as
a) Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
b) Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
c) Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
d) Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
e) Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
how can you if you are throwing stix and stones. first of all if you are without sin then go ahead and throw stones but we all know none of us are.
second are you showing loving concern for others? spreading lies and malicious gossip is not loving concern. it is not manifesting the qualities of Christ. it does not relate in any way to the teachings of Jesus.
so who do you think you are?
and you call yourself a christian.
i call you a liar.
when i was in grade 8 i had a reputation. people i didn't even know called me a slut, described in the dictionary as a)A woman considered sexually promiscuous, b) A woman prostitute, and c) A slovenly woman; a slattern. why? because in their dirty little minds i was not following the socially acceptable role they thought i should be?
i wore black eyeliner and i wore skirts a bit shorter than others. that was the only thing that made me different than everyone else. did that make me a harlot? it's what i was accused of. it was hurtful. girls rejected me - were they jealous? boys paid attention to me. why? because 1 boy that i went out with lied and bragged to others saying he had 'scored' with me so the rest of them thought they could too.
it was the same at home. accused of things i had never done. i finally ran away and after a couple of times i was placed in a foster home.
i changed schools and when i started at the new school i changed my name and i started making friends. then someone discovered my real name and learned that i was 'that girl' from the other high school that had that bad rep. they couldn't believe i was the same person that the bad rumours (malicious lies) were about. i was accepted. they didn't throw stones.
who are you accusing?
who are you spreading malicious lies about?
why are you spreading malicious lies?
and you call yourself a christian? in the dictionary a christian is described as
a) Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
b) Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
c) Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
d) Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
e) Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
how can you if you are throwing stix and stones. first of all if you are without sin then go ahead and throw stones but we all know none of us are.
second are you showing loving concern for others? spreading lies and malicious gossip is not loving concern. it is not manifesting the qualities of Christ. it does not relate in any way to the teachings of Jesus.
so who do you think you are?
and you call yourself a christian.
i call you a liar.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
kids on the internet
there are other stories to share with your kids about the dangers of disclosing personal information on-line at the following link.
http://www.operationlookout.org/pred/warning_for_kids.htm
http://www.operationlookout.org/pred/warning_for_kids.htm
Missing Teen
Abused By Man She Met Online
September 13, 2004
By Kim Riemland
The 14-year-old girl was found after reportedly being kidnapped, raped, and beaten by a man she met on the internet.
FIRCREST - A teenage girl who disappeared from her home in Camas nearly two weeks was reportedly kidnapped, beaten and raped by a man she met on the internet.
The girl's mom used her daughter's web postings to help track her to a home in Fircrest.
A Fircrest police officer knocked on the door and found the 14-year-old girl lying on a bed inside. She was nearly naked and dazed.
The officer also found rooms filled with what investigators believe is evidence of abuse.
The girl suffers from a form of Autism. Detectives say she met her suspected abuser, a father of three, online. What police say happened after that is sickening.
"We recovered a lot of sexually related materials. It looks like he had a couple of rooms set up in the house for videotaping and hardcore sexual activity," said Det. Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
"And we've recovered digital cameras and computers so we still have a lot of evidence to go through," he added. "We believe that there were some things going on there that may have been going on for some time."
The 47-year-old man is charged with kidnapping, rape of a child, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Court documents detail numerous allegations of sexual abuse.
Documents say the girl told detectives he also hit her with a whip, put a hood over her head, and hit her with a bamboo stick. When he left the house he would chain her to the bed.
After being missing for nearly two weeks, the girl called her mom from the hospital Sunday night.
"I didn't even know it was her, I thought it was her sister at first," said the teen's mom through her tears. "Then she said 'mommy, it was a bad man.' I realized it was her and all we could both do is cry."
The prosecutor says toxicology tests will determine whether the girl was drugged. Video tapes and computer drives seized at the home may tell investigators even more about what went on inside.
The girl is now home and away from the man who she calls "the bad man she met on the internet."
Prosecutors believe there could be other victims in the case. Other people might have also been involved in committing the crime.
The suspect is being held on $250,000 bail.
Copyright 2004 Fisher Communications, Inc. (KOMO TV)
September 13, 2004
By Kim Riemland
The 14-year-old girl was found after reportedly being kidnapped, raped, and beaten by a man she met on the internet.
FIRCREST - A teenage girl who disappeared from her home in Camas nearly two weeks was reportedly kidnapped, beaten and raped by a man she met on the internet.
The girl's mom used her daughter's web postings to help track her to a home in Fircrest.
A Fircrest police officer knocked on the door and found the 14-year-old girl lying on a bed inside. She was nearly naked and dazed.
The officer also found rooms filled with what investigators believe is evidence of abuse.
The girl suffers from a form of Autism. Detectives say she met her suspected abuser, a father of three, online. What police say happened after that is sickening.
"We recovered a lot of sexually related materials. It looks like he had a couple of rooms set up in the house for videotaping and hardcore sexual activity," said Det. Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
"And we've recovered digital cameras and computers so we still have a lot of evidence to go through," he added. "We believe that there were some things going on there that may have been going on for some time."
The 47-year-old man is charged with kidnapping, rape of a child, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Court documents detail numerous allegations of sexual abuse.
Documents say the girl told detectives he also hit her with a whip, put a hood over her head, and hit her with a bamboo stick. When he left the house he would chain her to the bed.
After being missing for nearly two weeks, the girl called her mom from the hospital Sunday night.
"I didn't even know it was her, I thought it was her sister at first," said the teen's mom through her tears. "Then she said 'mommy, it was a bad man.' I realized it was her and all we could both do is cry."
The prosecutor says toxicology tests will determine whether the girl was drugged. Video tapes and computer drives seized at the home may tell investigators even more about what went on inside.
The girl is now home and away from the man who she calls "the bad man she met on the internet."
Prosecutors believe there could be other victims in the case. Other people might have also been involved in committing the crime.
The suspect is being held on $250,000 bail.
Copyright 2004 Fisher Communications, Inc. (KOMO TV)
shannon's internet friend
please share this with your kids - it's worth repeating over and over.
Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster.
"You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe."
She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house. Once inside, she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty.
After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on.
She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really kewl.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 Age:13 State where she lived: North Carolina Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.
Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work.
He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School.
She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games.
Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back.
She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.
After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back.
He noticed her name on the back of her shirt He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room. "Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.
"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you." Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am Shannon?" The man asked. "No," Shannon answered."I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123." Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!" The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true.
You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line.
You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze." Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan?" He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?" She nodded.
"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone.
Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line.
The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."
"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.
"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?" "It's a promise!"
That night Shannon and her dad and Mom all knelt down together and prayed. They thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves.
This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.
Thanks to: http://community-2.webtv.net/imcraftee2/AWarningforKids for this vitally important word of warning to kids and parents regarding Internet Safety.
Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster.
"You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe."
She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house. Once inside, she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty.
After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on.
She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really kewl.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 Age:13 State where she lived: North Carolina Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.
Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work.
He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School.
She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games.
Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back.
She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.
After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back.
He noticed her name on the back of her shirt He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room. "Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.
"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you." Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am Shannon?" The man asked. "No," Shannon answered."I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123." Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!" The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true.
You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line.
You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze." Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan?" He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?" She nodded.
"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone.
Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line.
The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."
"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.
"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?" "It's a promise!"
That night Shannon and her dad and Mom all knelt down together and prayed. They thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves.
This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.
Thanks to: http://community-2.webtv.net/imcraftee2/AWarningforKids for this vitally important word of warning to kids and parents regarding Internet Safety.
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