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Interesting facts about human commented

2009-07-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

People with higher number of moles tend to live longer than people with lesser number of moles. I never knew that. But for sure, under uncontrollable circumstances a person with many moles can die in an accident and will not live any longer. Anyway, I have more than ten moles on my body. Is that enough for me to live long?

Thinking about your muscles can make you stronger. Really! I believe so because sending impulses on a specific part of our body will not make it useless.

The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you’ll have a bad dream. How many times have I experienced a bad dream? Only a few. I love covering myself with blanket every time I sleep even when the climate is hot. I'm just used to it. Now I have one more reason sleeping in a warm bed.

The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night. It's good I stopped smoking already. I stopped smoking when I tried exactly one cigarette already. That was when I was still in grade school. Grade four I think :)

Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day. Now I have more reason to share my jokes to the people around me - serious jokes. I mean something I really think will surely make them laugh.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. I'm just wondering if we can collect those heaps of hair so we can create commercial metal sheets.

The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet! My poor heart. Now I will take care of it more so it will keep to circulate my blood along my veins and capillaries.

The brain is much more active at night than during the day. Now I'm wondering what is my brain thinking when I am asleep.

The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain. So the victim did not feel any pain when Hannibal took part of his brain and ate of it.

The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades. Hydrochloric acid, the type found in your stomach, is not only good at dissolving the pizza you had for dinner but can also eat through many types of metal. Can I now eat my metal spoon?

Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. While many people find earwax to be disgusting, it’s actually a very important part of your ear’s defense system. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal.

Babies are always born with blue eyes. The melanin in a newborn’s eyes often needs time after birth to be fully deposited or to be darkened by exposure to ultraviolet light, later revealing the baby’s true eye color. I never knew I was blue-eyed when I was that young...

Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.

After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp. What did you just say?

Women are born better smellers than men and remain better smellers over life. This implies that Eugene Domingo is better in smelling compared David Archuleta and David Cook in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbK_6eIzbOo

Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. That's good since I have read that smell is a good way for us to remember things. We remember things easier through our sense of smell.

By the age of 60, most people will have lost about half their taste buds. Perhaps you shouldn’t trust your grandma’s cooking as much as you do. Where did that other half of their taste buds go?

Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing.

Monday is the day of the week when the risk of heart attack is greatest. A ten year study in Scotland found that 20% more people die of heart attacks on Mondays than any other day of the week. Researchers theorize that it’s a combination of too much fun over the weekend with the stress of going back to work that causes the increase.

Provided there is water, the average human could survive a month to two months without food depending on their body fat and other factors. Wanna try?

Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress.

We are about 1 cm taller in the morning than in the evening. This means I am 1 cm shorter while typing this blog entry haha....

Tears and mucus contain an enzyme (lysozyme) that breaks down the cell wall of many bacteria. It is part of God's design for sure :)

The width of your armspan stretched out is the length of your whole body. While not exact down to the last millimeter, your armspan is a pretty good estimator of your height.

Humans are the only animals to produce emotional tears. Should we cry for that?

Women burn fat more slowly than men, by a rate of about 50 calories a day. Most men have a much easier time burning fat than women. Women, because of their reproductive role, generally require a higher basic body fat proportion than men, and as a result their bodies don’t get rid of excess fat at the same rate as men. And I guess it is because men have more of the hormone testosterone and this makes them more active than women.

Koalas and primates are the only animals with unique fingerprints. Humans, apes and koalas are unique in the animal kingdom due to the tiny prints on the fingers of their hands.

Cna yuo raed tihs? I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Source: http://www.tastyhuman.com/50-weird-facts-about-humans/

Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership

2009-04-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis

New studies of the brain show that leaders can improve group performance by understanding the biology of empathy.

In 1998, one of us, Daniel Goleman, published in these pages his first article on emotional intelligence and leadership. The response to "What Makes a Leader?" was enthusiastic. People throughout and beyond the business community started talking about the vital role that empathy and self-knowledge play in effective leadership. The concept of emotional intelligence continues to occupy a prominent space in the leadership literature and in everyday coaching practices. But in the past five years, research in the emerging field of social neuroscience-the study of what happens in the brain while people interact-is beginning to reveal subtle new truths about what makes a good leader.

The salient discovery is that certain things leaders do-specifically, exhibit empathy and become attuned to others' moods-literally affect both their own brain chemistry and that of their followers. Indeed, researchers have found that the leader-follower dynamic is not a case of two (or more) independent brains reacting consciously or unconsciously to each other.

Rather, the individual minds become, in a sense, fused into a single system. We believe that great leaders are those whose behavior powerfully leverages the system of brain interconnectedness. We place them on the opposite end of the neural continuum from people with serious social disorders, such as autism or Asperger's syndrome, that are characterized by underdevelopment in the areas of the brain associated with social interactions. If we are correct, it follows that a potent way of becoming a better leader is to find authentic contexts in which to learn the kinds of social behavior that reinforce the brain's social circuitry. Leading effectively is, in other words, less about mastering situations-or even mastering social skill sets-than about developing a genuine interest in and talent for fostering positive feelings in the people whose cooperation and support you need.

The notion that effective leadership is about having powerful social circuits in the brain has prompted us to extend our concept of emotional intelligence, which we had grounded in theories of individual psychology. A more relationship-based construct for assessing leadership is social intelligence, which we define as a set of interpersonal competencies built on specific neural circuits (and related endocrine systems) that inspire others to be effective.

The idea that leaders need social skills is not new, of course. In 1920, Columbia University psychologist Edward Thorndike pointed out that "the best mechanic in a factory may fail as a foreman for lack of social intelligence." More recently, our colleague Claudio Fernández-Aráoz found in an analysis of new C-level executives that those who had been hired for their self-discipline, drive, and intellect were sometimes later fired for lacking basic social skills. In other words, the people Fernández-Aráoz studied had smarts in spades, but their inability to get along socially on the job was professionally self-defeating.

What's new about our definition of social intelligence is its biological underpinning, which we will explore in the following pages. Drawing on the work of neuroscientists, our own research and consulting endeavors, and the findings of researchers affiliated with the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, we will show you how to translate newly acquired knowledge about mirror neurons, spindle cells, and oscillators into practical, socially intelligent behaviors that can reinforce the neural links between you and your followers.

Followers Mirror Their Leaders-Literally

Perhaps the most stunning recent discovery in behavioral neuroscience is the identification of mirror neurons in widely dispersed areas of the brain. Italian neuroscientists found them by accident while monitoring a particular cell in a monkey's brain that fired only when the monkey raised its arm. One day a lab assistant lifted an ice cream cone to his own mouth and triggered a reaction in the monkey's cell. It was the first evidence that the brain is peppered with neurons that mimic, or mirror, what another being does. This previously unknown class of brain cells operates as neural Wi-Fi, allowing us to navigate our social world. When we consciously or unconsciously detect someone else's emotions through their actions, our mirror neurons reproduce those emotions. Collectively, these neurons create an instant sense of shared experience.

Mirror neurons have particular importance in organizations, because leaders' emotions and actions prompt followers to mirror those feelings and deeds. The effects of activating neural circuitry in followers' brains can be very powerful. In a recent study, our colleague Marie Dasborough observed two groups: One received negative performance feedback accompanied by positive emotional signals-namely, nods and smiles; the other was given positive feedback that was delivered critically, with frowns and narrowed eyes. In subsequent interviews conducted to compare the emotional states of the two groups, the people who had received positive feedback accompanied by negative emotional signals reported feeling worse about their performance than did the participants who had received good-natured negative feedback. In effect, the delivery was more important than the message itself. And everybody knows that when people feel better, they perform better. So, if
leaders hope to get the best out of their people, they should continue to be demanding but in ways that foster a positive mood in their teams. The old carrot-and-stick approach alone doesn't make neural sense; traditional incentive systems are simply not enough to get the best performance from followers.

Here's an example of what does work. It turns out that there's a subset of mirror neurons whose only job is to detect other people's smiles and laughter, prompting smiles and laughter in return. A boss who is self-controlled and humorless will rarely engage those neurons in his team members, but a boss who laughs and sets an easygoing tone puts those neurons to work, triggering spontaneous laughter and knitting his team together in the process. A bonded group is one that performs well, as our colleague Fabio Sala has shown in his research. He found that top-performing leaders elicited laughter from their subordinates three times as often, on average, as did midperforming leaders. Being in a good mood, other research finds, helps people take in information effectively and respond nimbly and creatively. In other words, laughter is serious business.

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Health Benefits from Banana

2009-04-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickestways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Just earned for posting comments online

2008-11-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

www.myLot.com

My first payout:

What encouragement can do

2008-10-08T04:09:00.000-07:00

Pete Barlow was an old friend of mine. He had a dog-and-pony act
and spent his life traveling with circuses and vaudeville shows. I
loved to watch Pete train new dogs for his act. I noticed that the
moment a dog showed the slightest improvement, Pete patted and
praised him and gave him meat and made a great to-do about it.

That's nothing new. Animal trainers have been using that same
technique for centuries.

Why, I wonder, don't we use the same common sense when trying
to change people that we use when trying to change dogs? Why
don't we use meat instead of a whip? Why don't we use praise
instead of condemnation? Let us praise even the slightest
improvement. That inspires the other person to keep on improving.

In his book I Ain't Much, Baby-But I'm All I Got, the psychologist Jess
Lair comments:
"Praise is like sunlight to the warm human spirit; we
cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, while most of us are only
too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are
somehow reluctant to give our fellow the warm sunshine of praise."
(*)
----
[*] Jess Lair, I Ain't Much, Baby - But I'm All I Got (Greenwich,
Conn.: Fawcett, 1976), p.248.
----
I can look back at my own life and see where a few words of praise
have sharply changed my entire future. Can't you say the same thing
about your life? History is replete with striking illustrations of the
sheer witchery raise.

For example, many years ago a boy of ten was working in a factory
in Naples, He longed to be a singer, but his first teacher discouraged
him. "You can't sing," he said. "You haven't any voice at all. It
sounds like the wind in the shutters."

But his mother, a poor peasant woman, put her arms about him
and
praised him and told him she knew he could sing, she could already
see an improvement, and she went barefoot in order to save money
to pay for his music lessons. That peasant mother's praise and
encouragement changed that boy's life. His name was Enrico Caruso,
and he became the greatest and most famous opera singer of his
age.

In the early nineteenth century, a young man in London aspired to
be a writer. But everything seemed to be against him. He had never
been able to attend school more than four years. His father had been
flung in jail because he couldn't pay his debts, and this young man
often knew the pangs of hunger. Finally, he got a job pasting labels
on bottles of blacking in a rat-infested warehouse, and he slept at
night in a dismal attic room with two other boys - guttersnipes from
the slums of London. He had so little confidence in his ability to write
that he sneaked out and mailed his
first manuscript in the dead of
night so nobody would laugh at him. Story after story was refused.
Finally the great day came when one was accepted. True, he wasn't
paid a shilling for it, but one editor had praised him. One editor had
given him recognition. He was so thrilled that he wandered aimlessly
around the streets with tears rolling down his cheeks.

The praise, the recognition, that he received through getting one
story in print, changed his whole life, for if it hadn't been for that
encouragement, he might have spent his entire life working in rat-
infested factories. You may have heard of that boy. His name was
Charles Dickens.

Another boy in London made his living as a clerk in a dry-goods
store. He had to get up at five o'clock, sweep out the store, and
slave for fourteen hours a day. It was sheer drudgery and he
despised it. After two years, he could stand it no longer, so he got up
one
morning and, without waiting for breakfast, tramped fifteen
miles to talk to his mother, who was working as a housekeeper.

He was frantic. He pleaded with her. He wept. He swore he would
kill himself if he had to remain in the shop any longer. Then he wrote
a long, pathetic letter to his old schoolmaster, declaring that he was
heartbroken, that he no longer wanted to live. His old schoolmaster
gave him a little praise and assured him that he really was very
intelligent and fitted for finer things and offered him a job as a
teacher.

That praise changed the future of that boy and made a lasting
impression on the history of English literature. For that boy went on
to write innumerable best-selling books and made over a million
dollars with his pen. You've probably heard of him. His name: H. G.
Wells.

Use of praise instead of criticism is the basic concept of B.F.
Skinner's teachings. This great
contemporary psychologist has shown
by experiments with animals and with humans that when criticism is
minimized and praise emphasized, the good things people do will be
reinforced and the poorer things will atrophy for lack of attention.

John Ringelspaugh of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, used this in
dealing with his children. It seemed that, as in so many families,
mother and dad's chief form of communication with the children was
yelling at them. And, as in so many cases, the children became a
little worse rather than better after each such session - and so did
the parents. There seemed to be no end in sight for this problem.

Mr. Ringelspaugh determined to use some of the principles he was
learning in our course to solve this situation. He reported: "We
decided to try praise instead of harping on their faults. It wasn't easy
when all we could see were the negative things they were doing; it
was really
tough to find things to praise. We managed to find
something, and within the first day or two some of the really
upsetting things they were doing quit happening. Then some of their
other faults began to disappear. They began capitalizing on the
praise we were giving them. They even began going out of their way
to do things right. Neither of us could believe it. Of course, it didn't
last forever, but the norm reached after things leveled off was so
much better. It was no longer necessary to react the way we used
to. The children were doing far more right things than wrong ones."
All of this was a result of praising the slightest improvement in the
children rather than condemning everything they did wrong.

This works on the job too. Keith Roper of Woodland Hills, California,
applied this principle to a situation in his company. Some material
came to him in his print shop which was of exceptionally
high
quality. The printer who had done this job was a new employee who
had been having difficulty adjusting to the job. His supervisor was
upset about what he considered a negative attitude and was
seriously thinking of terminating his services.

When Mr. Roper was informed of this situation, he personally went
over to the print shop and had a talk with the young man. He told
him how pleased he was with the work he had just received and
pointed out it was the best work he had seen produced in that shop
for some time. He pointed out exactly why it was superior and how
important the young man's contribution was to the company,
Do you think this affected that young printer's attitude toward the
company? Within days there was a complete turnabout. He told
several of his co-workers about the conversation and how someone
in the company really appreciated good work. And from that day on,
he was a loyal and
dedicated worker.

What Mr. Roper did was not just flatter the young printer and say
"You're good." He specifically pointed out how his work was superior.
Because he had singled out a specific accomplishment, rather than
just making general flattering remarks, his praise became much
more meaningful to the person to whom it was given. Everybody
likes to be praised, but when praise is specific, it comes across as
sincere - not something the other person may be saying just to make
one feel good.

Remember, we all crave appreciation and recognition, and will do
almost anything to get it. But nobody wants insincerity. Nobody
wants flattery.

Let me repeat: The principles taught in this book will work only when
they come from the heart. I am not advocating a bag of tricks. I am
talking about a new way of life.

Talk about changing people. If you and I will inspire the people with
whom we come in
contact to a realization of the hidden treasures
they possess, we can do far more than change people. We can
literally transform them.

Exaggeration? Then listen to these sage words from William James,
one of the most distinguished psychologists and philosophers
America has ever produced:

Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. We
are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental
resources. Stating the thing broadly, the human individual thus lives
far within his limits. He possesses powers of various sorts which he
habitually fails to use.

Yes, you who are reading these lines possess powers of various sorts
which you habitually fail to use; and one of these powers you are
probably not using to the fullest extent is your magic ability to praise
people and inspire them with a realization of their latent possibilities.

Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom
under encouragement.

To become a more effective leader of people, - Praise the slightest improvement and praise every
improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your
praise."

- from: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

"Sticks and bones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me." Have you ever heard that old saying? It's not true, you know. If you've ever heard anyone laugh and makes a rude remark about your looks, you know words can hurt. If anyone has ever started a rumor about you, you know words can hurt. But words can also heal. A word of encouragement, a simple compliment or an expression of appreciation can make you feel liked and confident. God reminded Ezekiel not to fear the words of his enemies but to "speak my words" to all. Be aware of the words you speak. Be sure they are words that heal rather than hurt. - See. Ezekiel 2:6-7

Quoted from The Teen Study Bible, New International Version. MI: Zondervan Publishing House.1998, p. 1074

Leader are meant to help others become the people God created them to be - Leadership: Promises for Every Day by John Maxwell

I believe every person carries the seed of success. The ability to find another's seed of success takes commitment, diligence, and a genuine desire to focus on others. You have to look at their gifts, temperament, passions, successes, joys, and opportunities. And once you find that seed, you need to fertilize it with encouragement and water it with opportunity. If you do, the person will blossom before your eyes. Raising people to a higher level and helping them be successful is more than just giving them information and skills. The good news is that when you understand some basic concepts about people, it opens the door to your ability to develop others. Remember...
Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
Everyone needs and responds to encouragement.
People are naturally motivated.
People buy into the person before buying into their leadership.
The more you understand people, the greater your chance of success in mentoring.

Source: Your Road Map to Success by John Maxwell

God is calling you now - the world needs you...

2008-08-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

In the belly of the whale
CTALK By Cito Beltran
Monday, June 2, 2008

The current preaching series in our church is about the biblical character Jonah and this week’s service focused on being in the belly of the whale. In many ways Filipinos are like Jonah who perpetually run from the idea of doing what is right or getting involved. We often think that we have more important things to do or that most people don’t care or won’t change anyway.

In the same manner our levels of self-righteousness exceeds sanity to the point that we can justify being tax evaders or law-breakers because others do it especially those in government. Like Jonah we cannot even comprehend why we should be part of any attempt or any solution to bring change or lead by example.

This perhaps is one possible explanation how a country with so many churches and religious people can be one of the poorest and most corrupt country in the world. Those who are suppose to teach and mentor churchgoers spend more time making political pronouncement or commentaries and performing like monkeys dancing to the sick o’clock news.

They promote equality and fairness at other peoples’ expense, they show charity from the charity given by others, they vilify and attack the sins of the national government but are blind to the prostitution and whorehouses of their allies in local government. They give sermons on obedience but challenge government programs resulting in more poverty and greater disrespect for authority.

Come to think of it, once you really analyze the book of Jonah, it almost looks like the national business plan.We proudly wear our faith on our sleeves like Jonah who called himself a Hebrew who served the Living God, yet when called to serve and obey, he skipped town and sailed south.

We are either: Catholics who dislike Christians, Christians who distrust Muslims, or Muslims who despise both Catholics and Christians. In general our behavior would be an embarrassment when it comes to our driving, civic duties such as paying taxes, and the worst of it all is the foul language that comes from our mouths when we express our opinion about people in politics and government.

Everyday, there are a few thousand Filipinos who skip town. The pretext is to get a job, to get a higher paying job or to immigrate to the US , Canada , Australia or some civilized place. While the general motivation is economic, a large number will never admit that they simply want to get away from the reality, the responsibility and the challenge, the same challenge that many of us still face and often overcome.

The rest would rather be by themselves and just send money than deal with parenting, parents and their spouse. They simply want to get away from it all. They want to chase the dream or cash in on the promise.Unfortunately we are either in the boat or in the belly of the whale.While I have spent many days at sea or by the sea, one thing I don’t enjoy and never like to be in is a boat in the middle of a storm. That in part is what and where the Philippines is. A boat in the middle of a storm, while those who have the shared responsibility of sailing to safe harbor sleep deeply, undisturbed and indifferent: Government officials, Religious leaders, Opinion makers, business personalities, passport carrying Filipinos and the FAITHFUL below deck, unseen and unaffected.

But for how long? Worldwide monarchies, dictatorships and established systems are being disrupted, challenged or overthrown. Nature has made a mockery of mankind and each day makes “the boat” sink a little deeper. All because no one cared, dared, or obeyed to do the work.

Unfortunately Filipinos are the world’s greatest at self-deception. We deceive ourselves with the idea that things are still normal through our installment mentality, sachet economics, and by bending our knees so we can fit in our security blankets that we have long outgrown.Po Bronson an American author in his book “what should I do with my life” commented that people in general don’t respond to situations unless they become a personal matter. We may have an opinion about certain situations but we don’t really do anything about the situation unless it directly concerns our personal circumstance.

Unfortunately, even when things have affected us at a personal level Filipinos still look for the silver lining, the ray of hope instead of facing the problem or the situation and doing something about it.

You can read all the news, listen to all the commentaries and analysis but unless you start by admitting that the fault begins with you, you will never be able to do anything more than find fault in yourself or in others. The minute you begin to take responsibility and realize that your actions can harm others is when you stop being selfish. Jonah came to terms with his self-deception and went as far as willing to be thrown over board so that God would not sink the boat and kill the innocent on board.

No matter how high or low you are in society we all contribute to the storm. We are all part of the dead weight that lowers the boat deeper into water. The goal is to lighten the load, to be productive, to be of use and not to be the cause of the problem.

For many years people have associated being in the belly of the whale as God’s way of punishing Jonah. On the Contrary it was God saving Jonah and preparing him to have the right mind set to do what needed to be done.I have been “in the belly of the whale” on numerous occasions. Once I spent two years in a mind-numbing job on a construction site where I was everybody’s foot -rest and Gopher as in “Go for this and Go for that”. How was I to know that God was preparing me for my next big ticket: constructing a major resort in Palawan called “Club Paradise” which contributes to tourism and gives jobs to many.

That was followed by seven years on another island that’s reminded me of a whale. It was the beginning of what has been a 17-year journey growing up as a Christian and sharing hope and God. Perhaps the ultimate belly of the whale experience was close to five years spent as a glorified corporate GRO (Guest Relation Officer), the necessary training to becoming an effective Talk Show host.

Sometimes all we need to do is jump in the water and allow God to take us where we become our best and serve others.

Interesting Conversation

2008-08-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

We rarely read emails thinking those are just spams. But sometimes we miss out some interesting email messages because of that kind of thought. I've found this Interesting Conversation on my email account one day:

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Classon the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY.
He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .

Professor :You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But GOD didn't.
How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

( Student is silent )
Professor :You can't answer, can you ?
Let's start again, Young Fella.
Is GOD Good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That's right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ?
And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student :Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student does not answer)

Professor :Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student :Yes, sir.
Professor :So, who Created them ?
( Student hasno answer )
Professor :Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.
Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student :No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD?
Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor :Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student :Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?
Student :Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor :Yes, Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.

( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )

Student :Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,
a Little Heat or No Heat.
But we don't have anything called Cold.
We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as Cold.
Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.
We cannot Measure Cold.
Heat is Energy.
Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

( There is Pin - Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )
Student :What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the Absence of SomethingÃ¢â‚¬Â¦
You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it?
In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?
Professor :So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality..
You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD.
You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought.
It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that
Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.
Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor :If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )

Student :Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and
Cannot even prove that this Process is an On - Going Endeavor,
Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir?
Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

( The Class is in Uproar )

Student :Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?

( The Class breaks out into Laughter )

Student :Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that
You have No Brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor :I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . .
The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving & Alive.

It turned out later that the student is Albert Einstein.

Article That Can Really Make You Cry

2008-04-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

The Basureros
(The Garbage Collectors)

Ever since it was diagnosed that I am having a possible heart enlargement in the last APE, I have exerted more effort to do physical exercises.

I do jogging during week days and do long - ride mountain biking every Sunday.

But this Sunday is a special Sunday to me. While I was on my way to the mountains of Busay (cebu) hoping to strengthened my heart by this exercise, instead, I personally encountered a heart-breaking scene that changed me.

I already passed the Marco Polo Plaza (formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel) when I decided to stop to buy bananas at a small carenderia located along the road. I haven't taken any solid food that morning so I need fruits to have the needed energy to get to my destination - the mountain top.

I am almost done eating with the second banana when I noticed two children across the street busily searching the garbage area. "Basureros" I said to myself and quickly turn my attention away from them to sip a small amount of water. I cared less for these kind of children actually; to make it straight, I do not like them, and I do not trust them even more.

You see, several times I have been a victim to these kind of children who are pretending to be basureros looking for empty bottles and cans when in fact the 'plangganas' , 'kalderos', and 'hinayhays' are their favorites.

I remember one afternoon while I was watching a Mike Tyson fight when I noticed that the TV screen suddenly became blurred. I checked outside and saw two young basureros running away with my newly installed antenna.

Hatred may be a little bit stronger word to describe my feeling towards these basureros, but I do not like them honestly not till I met these three children.

I was about to embark on my bike again when I heard one of the two children, a girl of about 7 or 8 of age saying aloud to the other, a 12-yr old boy, "kuya si dodong kunin mo kasi tumitingin sa mga kumain, nakakahiya", only then that I noticed a small boy standing near to me biting slightly his finger. He's a few inches shorter if compared to my 5 years old son (but I knew later that he's also 5 yrs. Old).

Though he did not asked for food to anyone in the carenderia, the way he looked at the customers who were eating , enough to convinced me that he intensely craving for it. The older boy then quickly crossed the street and gently pulled out the little one who politely obeyed. As I watched the two crossing back the street to the garbage area, I heard the tindera saying "kawawa naman yung mga batang yun mababait pa naman". I learned further from the carenderia owner that the children are from a good family , both parents were working before, and that their father got a stroke 3 years ago and became partially paralized and their mother died of heart attack while their father was still confined at the hospital. The parents were still in their early forties when the catastrophe happened, and the children became basureros since then to meet their daily needs and for their father's medication.

Deeply moved by what I heard, I went to a nearby bakery and bought 20 pesos worth of bread and gave it to the children who initially refused including the little boy. "Sige lang po, salamat na lang, bibili na lang po kami mamaya kung makabenta na kami," the young girl said to me.

I explained that they need to go home because it started to rain. "Nasanay na po kami", the girl answered again.

Again, I explained that the rain can make them sick and if they'll become sick there's no one to take care of their father. Upon mentioning their father, they nodded and accept the bread but I noticed that the older boy did not eat.

When I asked him if he does not like the kind of bread I bought for them he smiled but as he's about to explain, the little girl, who is the more talker of them interrupted, "Linggo po kasi ngayon,pag sabado at linggo hapon lang po sya kumakain, kami lang po ang kumakain ng agahan pero di na po kami kakain pagdating ng hapon si kuya lang po. Pero pag lunes hanggang biyernes, kasi may pasok, si kuya lang po nag-aagahan, kami hapunan lang pero kung marami kaming benta, kami pong lahat (kumakain) she continued. "bakit kung kumain kayong lahat, hati-hatiin nyo na lang kahit kunti lang ang pagkain? I countered.

The young girl reasoned out that their father wanted that her older brother to come to school with full stomachs so he can easily catch up the teacher's lessons. "Pag nagkatrabaho si kuya, hihinto kami sa pamamasura, first honor kasi sya", the little boy added proudly.

Maybe I was caught by surprise or I am just overly emotional that my tears started to fall. I then quickly turned my back from them to hide my tears and pretended to pick up my bike from the carenderia where I left it.

I don't know how many seconds or minutes I spent just to compose myself; pretending again this time that I was mending by bike.

Finally I get on to my bike and approached the three children to bid goodbye to them who in turn cast their grateful smiles at me. I then took a good look at all of them specially to the small boy and pat his head with a pinch in my heart. Though I believe that their positive look at life can easily change their present situation, there is one thing that they can never change; that is , their being motherless. That little boy can no longer taste the sweet embrace, care, and most of all , the love of his mother forever. Nobody can refill the empty gap created by that sudden and untimely death of their mother. Every big events that will happen to their lives will only remind them and make them wish of their mother's presence.

I reached to my pocket and handed to them my last 100 peso bill which I reserved for our department's bowling tournament. This time they refused strongly but I jokingly said to the girl, "suntukin kita pag hindi mo tinanggap yan". She smiled as she extended her hand to take the money. "Salamat po, makakabili na kami ng gamot ni papa", she uttered. I then turned to the small boy and though he's a few feet away from me, I still noticed that while his right hand was holding the half - filled sack , his left hand was holding a toy ? a worn out toy car. I waved my hands and said bye bye to him as I drove towards the mountains again. Did he just found the toy in the garbage area or the toy was originally his - when the misfortune did not took place yet? - I did not bother to ask.

But one thing is crystal clear to me, that inspite of the boy's abnormal life, he did not given up his childhood completely. I can sense it that way he hold and stare at his toy.

My meeting with that young basureros made me poorer by 100 pesos. But they changed me and made me more richer as to lessons of life are concerned.

In them, I learned that life can changed suddenly and may caught me flat footed. In them, I've learned that even the darkest side of life, cannot change the beauty of one's heart. Those three children, who sometimes cannot eat three times a day, still able to hold on to what they believe was right. And what a contrast to most of us who are quick to point out to our misfortunes when caught with our mistakes. In them, I've learned to hope for things when things seem to go the other way.

Lastly, I know that God cares for them far more than I do. That though He allowed them to experience such a terrible life which our finite minds cannot comprehend, His unquestionable love will surely follow them through.

And in God's own time they will win.

This article is a forward email which originally came from Melinda Empay

What's with Valentine's

2008-02-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Programmers are made, not born

2008-01-26T21:37:00.001-08:00

I started my first job this January. I'm still at the training period. It's just like when I was still studying: discussion, quizzes, exercises and exams. What differs is that the training is already part of the job. I'm sure the things discussed will be useful for future projects. To be honest, the topics are compacted. I think, we discuss 4 topics per day on the average. Fortunately, I have a background on programming especially in Java.

I thought Java is easy (though we were told during undergrad that it is one of the subject where students fail). My grade is far from failing anyway. I enjoyed the subject even if I took it along with my Special Problem which is also in programming. The two didn't have conflict though. The training tells me that I have more things to learn in Java. I'm taking it as a challenge. All I need is time. Time to review and time to read the books available. During my undergrad years, I usually go to the library. Not the main but the CompSci library instead. I found the books I want on the CompSci library. Literature helped me in self-studying on HTML, CSS, VB and Game Maker by Mark Overmars. That's another story.

Going back to the topic, my heads in information overload right now. The training phase is really fast. My schedule's eaten by assignments and exercises. But it okay. This things are normal when working. One good thing to do is adapt. People usually leave out other works to finish the ones they want instead of sacrificing sleep sometimes. Staying at night makes me do more things. I also found out that I many other programmers work more late at night. Programming is the job that I can really stay awake of at night. But still, deadlines and exams tell that we are not perfect in doing things.

The approachable people of the company (that includes my trainer) helped me appreciate topics in Java. Of all the topics, the one which I appreciate most is JUnit Test. Imagine yourself programming without the user interface yet. Are you sure the you're program's working properly without outputting anything? The Unit Test is a big help during this situation. But Unit Test can do more aside from that. The creator of it are so clever to think of such idea. In the training, we first discussed about layering. It's all about the presentation-business-data-access-layer stuff of your program. It was discussed at the beginning of the training but I get to know its importance as we applied it on exercises. Think of having a program that still works though the user interface and/or the stored data for your program was changed. Layering also makes your program organized. No wonder programmers prefer Java.

Thanks to the Sun Micro-Systems for creating Java. Programmers can program for any Operating System. I'm more familiar with Windows but it's not that hard to use Linux. The Ubuntu interface is pretty nice and user-friendly. Using the system is just like familiarizing with an easy to use software. Speaking of a new software, I was introduced to a software that was new to me. I never knew that Eclipse is very useful in Java programming. This complex IDE can do many things when programming in Java. Was its usefulness emphasized? :)

In the company I joined in, call all the employees "happy." You can do your work on a flexible schedule. But hey! Don't forget about the results. Results are the best way to show the product of that flexible time.

I thought the languages I can speak speak would only be English, Filipino and a little bit of Chinese. Now I can speak the Java language. :) I'm dreaming of a time when I am already well versed with Java. O & B is a great place for learning, working, and growing. I was blessed the day I stepped on the office. Life restricts what you can do with the things you want but God game me a place where I can use and enjoy my passion in programming.

Effective remedy to clogged nose

2008-01-14T03:28:00.000-08:00

You may have experienced a clogged nose. Here's a very effective way to clear your nose. It may sound crazy but this really works. Try this when your nose's clogged due to colds:

Inhale and hold your breath and
Gently massage the tip of your pinky and ring fingers using your thumb.

Very simple isn't it? This advise was given to me by a friend which he said was told to him by a nurse. The result comes after a few minutes between 10-20.

Maybe next time, you'll be more careful not to catch cold.
Read The things to know about colds.

20 Reasons Not to Sin

2008-01-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

The following list is useful in having a relationship with the Lord. I've just read it posted in my room when I arrived in it.

- A little sin leads to more sin
- Sin invites the discipline of God.
- The time spent in my sin is forever wasted.
- My sin never pleases but always grieves the God who loves me.
- My sin places a greater burden on my spirtual leaders.
- In time, sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
- Others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
- My sin makes the enemies og God rejoice.
- Sin deceives me into believing I have gained
when in reality I have lost.
- Sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
- The supposed benefits of sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedient.
- Repenting of sin is a painful process.
- My sin may influence others to sin.
- My sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
- Sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died
for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
- It is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
- Others more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
- God chooses not to hear the prayers of those who cherish their sin (Ps. 66:18).
- My unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it authority over me greater than I understand.
- I promised God He would be the Lord of my life.

Greatest Story Ever Told

2008-01-04T03:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over but this the story will never leave our mind.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,a that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 (NIV)

The size of this presentation is intended for it to be readable.

A Mouse Trap Story

2008-01-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

It is common to get the same e-mail messages sometimes. There are times when you fail to read the first time the message get into your inbox.

I received this message not for the first time and I internalized what it means the second time it entered my inbox:

A mouse looked through the crack
in the wall to see the farmer and
his wife open a package.
What food might this contain?"
The mouse wondered - - -
he was devastated to discover it
was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,

the mouse proclaimed the warning :

There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched,

raised her head and said,

"Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence
to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to
the pig and told him,

"There is a mousetrap in the house!

There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said, I am
so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there
is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to
the cow and said

"There is a mousetrap in the house!

There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse.
I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin
off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the
house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap . . .
alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout

the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching

its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see
what was caught. In the darkness,
she did not see it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital ,

and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the
farmer took his hatchet to the
farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to
sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer
butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well;

she died.

So many people came for her funeral,
the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from
his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone
is facing a problem and think it
doesn't concern you,

remember ----

when one of us is threatened,
we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.

We must keep an eye out
for one another and make an extra
effort to encourage one another.

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO
HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND
LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.

REMEMBER. . . . .

EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD

IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a FRIEND !!!

Things to know about Aspartame

2007-12-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to an artificial sweetener by my mother. She used it as substitute to sugar in fear of acquiring diabetes. The branded product was aspartame. My mother have been intaking it for years. After some years, she acquired an unusual disease. She got lumps on her stomach. After some months, she got lumps all over her body. This is not to blame the product she's been taking. But I guess there's really something on the product. After some months, she died. I have read this article after some months. to make it clear, I'm not putting the blame to the product on my mother's death. I just want to share what I have read about the product.

ASPARTAME CRISIS POSED TO WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE
From the INTERNET, 8/17/00 [quoting]
by Betty Martini

I have spent several days lecturing at the World Environmental Conference on Aspartame -marketed as “NutraSweet”, “Equal”, and “Spoonful”.
In the keynote address by the EPA, they announced that there was an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus, and they did not understand what toxin was causing this to be rampant across the United States. I explained was there to lecture on exactly that subject. [I bet that was a very embarrassing moment for the EPA speaker.]

When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in Aspartame coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire mimics multiple sclerosis; thus, people were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is.
In the case of systemic lupus, we are finding it has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially for Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. Also, with methanol toxicity, the victims usually drink three to four 12-ounce cans of them per day, some even more. In the cases of systemic lupus, which is triggered by Aspartame, the victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. The victim continues its use, aggravating the lupus to such a degree that sometimes it becomes life threatening.

When we get people off the Aspartame, those with systemic lupus usually become asymptomatic. Unfortunately, we cannot reverse this disease. On the other hand, in the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when, in reality, the disease is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We have seen cases where their vision has returned and even their hearing has returned.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus.
During a lecture, I said: “If you are using Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss, you probably have Aspartame Disease!”

People were jumping up during the lecture saying: “I’ve got this. Is it reversible?” It is rampant. Some of the speakers at my lecture even were suffering from these symptoms. In one lecture, attended by the Ambassador of Uganda, he told us that their sugar industry is adding Aspartame! He continued by saying that the son of one of the industry leaders could no longer walk, due in part to product usage! We have a very serious problem. Even a stranger came up to Dr. Espisto (one of my speakers) and myself and said: “Could you tell me why so many people seem to be coming down with MS?”

During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke drinkers, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence.

Here is the problem:
There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was originally included as a sweetener in 100 different products. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, but to no avail. Nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000 products containing this chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!

At the time of this first hearing, people were going blind. The methanol in the Aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the retina of the eye. Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of drugs as cyanide and arsenic -DEADLY POISONS! Unfortunately, it just takes longer to quietly kill, but it is killing people and causing all kinds of neurological problems.
Aspartame changes the brain’s chemistry. It is the reason for severe seizures. This drug changes the dopamine level in the brain. Imagine what this drug does to patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. This drug also causes birth defects. There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is NOT A DIET PRODUCT! The Congressional Record said: “It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT.” Dr. Roberts stated that, when he got patients off Aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds per person.

The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they have patients with retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the Aspartame. The Aspartame keeps the blood-sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma. Unfortunately, many have died.

People were telling us, at the Conference of the American College of physicians, that they had relatives who switched from Saccharin to an Aspartame product and how that relative had eventually gone into a coma.
Their physicians could not get the bloodsugar levels under control.
Thus, the patients suffered acute memory loss, and eventually coma and death. Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past the blood-brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said: “The ingredients stimulate the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Dr. Blaylock has written a book entitled EXCITOTOXINS: The Taste That Kills (Health Press 1-800-643- 2665). Dr. H. J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on Aspartame poisoning, has also written a book entitled Defense Against Alzheimer’s Disease (1-800-814-9800). Dr. Roberts tells how Aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer’s Disease, and indeed it is. As the hospice nurse told me, women are being admitted at 30 years of age with Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Blaylock and Dr. Roberts will be writing a position paper with some case histories and will post it on the Internet.

According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians: “We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly poison.” Dr. Roberts realized what was happening when Aspartame was first marketed. He said: “My diabetic patients presented memory loss, confusion, and severe vision loss.” At the Conference of the American College of Physicians, doctors admitted that they did not know all this.

They had wondered why seizures were rampant. (The phenylalanine in Aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and depletes serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage, and violence.) Just before the Conference, I received a fax from Norway, asking for a possible antidote for this poison because they are experiencing so many problems in their country. This “poison” is now available in 90+ countries worldwide!

Fortunately, we had speakers and ambassadors at the Conference from different nations who have pledged their help. We ask that you help too. Print this article out and warn everyone you know. Take anything that contains Aspartame back to the store. Take the “NO ASPARTAME TEST” and send us your case history. I assure you that Monsanto, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.
They fund the American Medical Association, American Dietetic Association Congress, and the Conference of the American College of Physicians. The New York Times, November 15, 1996, ran an article on how the American Dietetic Association takes money from the food industry to endorse their products. Therefore, they cannot criticize any additives or tell about their link to Monsanto.

How bad is this? We told a mother who had a child on NutraSweet to get off the product. The child was having Grand Mal seizures every day. The mother called her physician, who called the ADA, who told the doctor not to take the child off the NutraSweet. We are still trying to convince the mother that the Aspartame is causing the seizures. Every time we get someone off of Aspartame, the seizures stop. If the baby dies, you know whose fault it is, and what we are up against.

There are 92 documented symptoms of Aspartame, from coma to death. The majority of them are all neurological, because the Aspartame destroys the nervous system. Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of the mystery of the Desert Storm health problems. The burning tongue and other problems discussed in over 60 cases can be directly related to the consumption of Aspartame products.
Several thousand pallets of diet drinks were shipped to the Desert Storm troops. (Remember heat can liberate the methanol from the Aspartame at 86 degrees F.) Diet drinks sat in the 120-degree F Arabian Sun for weeks at a time on pallets. The servicemen and women drank them all day long. All of their symptoms are identical to Aspartame poisoning. Dr. Roberts says consuming Aspartame at the time of conception can cause birth defects.”

According to Dr. Louis Elsas, Pediatrician and Professor of Genetics at Emory University, in his testimony before Congress, the phenylalanine concentrates in the placenta, causing mental retardation. (In the original lab tests, animals developed brain tumors; phenylalanine breaks down into DXP, a brain tumor agent.) When Dr. Espisto was lecturing on Aspartame, one physician in the audience, a neurosurgeon, said: “When they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of Aspartame in them.”

Stevia, a sweet food, NOT AN ADDITIVE, which helps in the metabolism of sugar, which would be ideal for diabetics, has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years, the FDA had outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to Monsanto. If it says “SUGAR FREE” on the label—DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers, and children of the dangers of Aspartame. The bill would have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological and behavioral symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting public.
Since the Conference of the American College of Physicians, we hope to have the help of several world leaders.

Again, please help us, too. There are a lot of people out there who must be warned; please let them know this information. — Betty Martini, 770-242-2599. [End quoting]
Sorry to have to give you all of this “bad” news, but we here at The SPECTRUM are trying to help you to stay healthy despite so many sneaky avenues to try to incapacitate you. The so-called “elite” are pushing their depopulation plan forward as fast as they dare to do without too many of us WAKING UP!

Article Source
The Spectrum. Vol. 2 No. 4 published Sept. 5, 2000, pp. 6-7 by Spectrum Newspaper, Inc., 9101 West Sahara Ave., PMB158, Las Vegas, NV 89117.
Email: thespectrum@tminet.com

Be Like an Ant

2007-12-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

In times of financial struggle, the Bible teaches us
to follow the example of a tiny insect.
By Al Jandl and Van Crouch
Reprinted from "The Storehouse Principle" with
permission from CrossStaff Publishers.

Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise.
--Proverbs 6:6

By what principles do ants live? Proverbs 6:7-8 tells
us ants have "no captain, overseer or ruler," yet they
gather their food during the harvest and it lasts them
until the next summer. Ants produce and gather,
preparing for the future, storing up against the
winter or calamity. The ant is not just thinking about
today, she's preparing for tomorrow.

Do you remember the old fable about the ant and the
grasshopper? The ant works hard all year long to store
up for the winter, while the grasshopper plays and
gathers nothing. When winter hits and the snows fall,
the grasshopper begins to starve and must go to the
ants to beg in order to survive. Meanwhile, the ants
are warm, safe, and secure--and they have plenty to
help the grasshopper out in his need.

Notice again, God said to go to the ant--not the
grasshopper.

In order for the ant to gather and prepare for the
future, she must have a storehouse. We believe God is
teaching us that if we are wise like the ant, we will
have a storehouse for the "winter" seasons of life.
Then, as springtime begins, the ant is still living
off her storehouse, but she also begins again to
immediately gather to rebuild and strengthen her
storehouse for the next winter. The ant never stops
working on her storehouse, and always has more than
enough.

For us, "winter" could mean a number of different
things. It could mean an unexpected change in our
careers, an accident, an economic slump, or any number
of "emergencies" or "storms" that come into our lives.
Some of these may even be good things, or seasons that
we can plan for, like our children going to college,
buying a new home or car, starting our own businesses,
or even retiring. Ants don’t' live in denial,
consuming all they have today, for today, and
believing that "winter" will never come; grasshoppers,
however, do.

Even if an ant can only put one grain at a time into
her storehouses, she still does it. Her storehouses
are also in a large network of underground tunnels
(she is diversified so that if one is destroyed by a
storm, the others will still be intact); and her
storehouses have different purposes (some are to take
care of the young, others to make it through the
winter, others set aside provisions in case winter is
longer than expected, etc.). Ants work hard to take
care of themselves and their colony and don't expect
anyone else to take care of them.

Indeed, there is a great deal we can learn from seeing
what ants do with their surpluses and how diligently
they manage them and work to make sure they have more
than enough.

There has been a great deal of debate and criticism in
the church in recent years on the subject of Bible
prosperity. It is true that some have misappropriated
true prosperity for selfish purposes, but that doesn't
change the fact that God wants to bless His children.
Some people have become so upset about the subject
that they say, "I don't believe in prosperity, and I
don't like to hear about prosperity." But, prosperity
in and of itself is not evil any more than money
is--it is the attitude of our hearts and what we do
with our prosperity that matter. If we prosper and it
only makes us more greedy and selfish, then, yes,
prosperity will not be a blessing for us; but, if we
use our prosperity to secure the future of our
families and to help others, then it will be a tool in
our hands for good.

How many times do we see a need in the life of a son
or daughter or relative, or perhaps a friend or
coworker, and wish that we could help meet that need?
All around us there are people who need help to have
food and the basic necessities of life. If we have a
storehouse, we are in position to offer assistance to
those in need. Without a storehouse, we miss
opportunities to bless others.

Like the grasshopper, if we do not have a storehouse,
we are subconsciously planning for somebody else to
take care of us. When we do not have a storehouse, we
are constantly focused on our own needs rather than on
the needs of others. Look again at Proverbs 6:7: the
ant "having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides
her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in
the harvest."

Now, please don't misunderstand what is being said
here. No man or woman is an island. God did not create
us to be completely independent of other people. At
times, we all need counseling. At times, we all need
help. We need mentoring. We depend on other people for
all kinds of things. Ants work in a community helping
each other--we should do the same and realize that
sometimes the burdens we face can take several of us
to handle. But, if we're not careful, we can make
ourselves so dependent on others that we expect them
to be responsible for us instead of taking
responsibility for ourselves. The ant accepts
responsibility for meeting her own needs. The Bible
says she is busy gathering and storing up food so that
she can take care of herself.

Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about
someone paying all your bills and doing all your work?
"Take care of me, honey." "Take care of me,
government." "Take care of me, Social Security." "Take
care of me, boss." With that kind of thinking, we'll
slide into a mindset of irresponsibility.

The Bible does not say that somebody is going to ride
into our life like a knight on a white horse and
rescue us from our financial problems. We can't expect
anybody else to just walk up to us and hand us a
million dollars!

We shouldn't expect anybody to make our mortgage
payments for us. We shouldn't expect anybody to make
our car payments for us. It's not right to believe
that another human being is obligated to get us out of
debt. Yet, many of us live our lives hoping that
someone else will take care of us, or believing an
inheritance from parents will someday, miraculously,
"make us rich."

Consider the ant. She waits for no one. The ant just
gets up in the morning and stretches her six legs and
hits the road. She says by her actions, "I am not a
victim. Life may throw some curves at me, but I'm
bigger than the curves of life. Life has given me
obstacles, but I will go around them. I will go over
them. I will go through them, if necessary. I'm going
to get there, bless God. I'm going to make it. I am
not going to sit here waiting for someone else to
solve my problems. I am going to do whatever I can
today--even if it is only a little."

Some of us may have lost everything. We may not have a
dime to our name. Perhaps we have filed bankruptcy or
filed for welfare. Perhaps your home burned to the
ground or you lost your job. Well, don't be a
victim--go look at the ant. That may be where we are
living today, but that's not where we will be
tomorrow.

Wherever you are, your situation is not hopeless.
Wherever you are today or whatever has happened to you
in the past, start preparing for tomorrow. Look at
what you have--whether it is time, talent, or treasure
or any combination of these--and start building
storehouses for your future. Build a spiritual
storehouse, a natural storehouse, and a mental
storehouse. Build storehouses for yourself and for
your children, and for others. Determine to have
reserves in every area of your life, so that whatever
tries to knowck you down will never knock you out.

If an ant can do it, surely God's children can do it
as well. If a tiny insect can have determination, we
can have determination. If a miniscule insect can be
brave, we can be brave. And if the ant can be strong,
we can be strong. If the ant can be wise enough to
have a storehouse, then we should consider her ways
and be just as wise. If we do, then who knows what
great things God may do in our futures!

Related article: Biblical view on work

Free books online

2007-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

There are many free stuffs on the net. Through technology, reading materials especially books are now available online. You may need to pay to view some but many websites offer informative materials for free. While browsing the net I found some useful links to free books and other free reading materials. I found these links useful when researching.

Adelaide University Electronic Texts Collection Classic works of Literature, Philosophy, Science, and Medicine.

Australian National University E-Print Repository Materials since 1967. Users may need to register for free.

University of Melbourne eprint collection Materials are created since 1945. Needs user registration with no charge.

University of Queensland's digital repository Includes e-books, e-chapters, online journals, various articles, working papers, conference papers and proceedings, posters, miscellaneous research output, and pre-publication (draft) material. Materials are created since 1983.

New Zealand Digital Library Collections available include historical documents, humanitarian and development information, computer science technical reports and bibliographies, literary works, and magazines.

Project Gutenberg Ofer free digital library of books no longer in copyright. Materials are created since 1971.

Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts A collection of public domain documents from American, English literature and Western philosophy.

arXiv e-Prints Includes e-Print "preprints" in physics, mathematics, nonlinear sciences and computer sciences.

Bartleby Encyclopedia of World History and The Harvard Classics and more.

Bibliomania Offers more than 2,000 free classic texts, plus research works.

The Digital Library of the Commons (DLC) An archive of international literature on "the commons" (i.e. that which is held in common or by a community).

Ebooks Online Library Around a dozen authors ranging from Aesop to Sun Tzu, with huge representation of Charles Dickens & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, plus a goodly measure of Jules Verne & Mark Twain. This site is designed for the visually impared and older readers.

Electronic Texts On The Internet

Great Books and Classics A collection of free HTML online versions of many famous authors from before 200 BC to the 20th Century.

Internet Public Library Over 20,000 free books available online.

Kurt Stüber's Online Library A collection of historic and modern biology books .

Massachusetts Institute of Technology course materials available on the Internet List of courses here.

National Academy Press Over 3,000 National Academy science, engineering, and health texts free online.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Links to digital theses/dissertations.

Online Books Page 16,000 books online by the University of Pennsylvania.

Oxford Text Archive From Oxford University, this archive was founded in 1976. High-quality, well-documented electronic texts for research and teaching.

SAIL-eprints ind scientific or technical documents, published or unpublished, in Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Materials Sciences, Nanotechnologies, Microelectronics, Computer Sciences, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Earth Sciences, Meteorology, Oceanography Agriculture and related application activities.

Soil And Health Library

Universal Library A project of Carnegie Mellon University & the governments of China & India.

University of Virginia Electronic Text Center

Virtual Library The Virtual Library is the oldest catalog of the web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of html and the Web itself.

World eBook Library Opportunities to read or download thousands of HTML books online. Provides free, unlimited public access to a comprehensive collection of public domain texts & references, and links to thousand of on-line libraries around the world via the World Wide Web and/or Telnet.

Abacci Books

Alive & Free Recent books. Note: Controversial titles and authors appears here.

BestWebsitesPortal Website related to literature and free ebooks.

Ebooks for free

Elegant Solutions Software Company

Free Novels Online and Free Online Cyberbooks Novels including the LOTR prequel Isildur.

In Fact Book Search

Web Books books, journal and magazines.

Word IQ

Chemistry Journals

Children's/Young Adult Books

Comics

Electronics A free technical library and professional community for electrical and electronics engineers.

English language reference

General reference

Dictionaries of 14 languages

Top Health Tips

Internet Marketing Sally's ebook for Internet marketing.

Electronic Library of Mathematics

MathWorld A comprehensive and interactive mathematics encyclopedia intended for students, educators, maths enthusiasts and researchers.

Pseudocolor in Pure and Applied Mathematics

Free Math ebooks under stict license

Medical Dictionary Online

Medical Encyclopedia

Debt Management

Ebooklet about pets

Philosophy Encyclopedia

Free periodicals

E-library of science Math, phlisophy, physics and more.

TV Encyclopedia

Website Development Includes How To Get Thousands Of Links To Your Website and How To Triple Your Website Traffic Every 90 Days

The Holy Bible King James version of the Bible.

New English Translation Bible

New International Version (NIV) of the Bible

Project Wittenberg Works by and about Martin Luther and other Lutherans. Try also http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/

Proverbs

You can find most of the links here here

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Who is this?

2007-12-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

Do you know who is the person spoken of in these prophecies?

His pre-existence - Gen. 1:26
Born of the seed of a woman - Gen 3:15
Of the seed of Abraham - Gen 12:3
From the tribe of Judah - Gen 49:10
Heir to the throne of David - Isaiah 9:6-7
Born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2
At the appointed time - Dan 9:25
Born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14
Declared to be the Son of God - Psa 2:7
Would be a prophet - Deut 18:15
Rejected by his own - Isaiah 53:3
He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on an ass - Zec 9:9
Sold for 30 pieces of silver - Zec 11:12
Accused by false witnesses - Psa 35:11
Silent to accusations - Isaiah 53:7
Spat upon and smitten - Isaiah 50:6
Hated without cause - Psa 35:19
The sacrificial lamb - Isa 53:5
Crucified with criminals - Isa 53:12
Pierced through hands, feet and side - Zec 12:10
Given vinegaart and gall - Psa 69:21
Soldiers gambled for hiis coat - Psa 22:18
No bones broken - Psa 34:20
Buried with the rich - Isa 53:9
Resurrected from the dead - Psa 16:10-11, 49:15
Ascended to the right hand of God - Psa 68:18
His coming glory - Malachi 3:2-3

All of the above have been fulfilled.
The ONLY person... past, present or future... who fulfilled all these prophecies is Jesus.

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King James Version of the Bible

2007-12-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Old Testament

New Testament

You can copy the html codes of this page as long as you give a link back to this site.

Tongue twisters...

2007-12-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager
imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?

Tongue twisters are fun. Tongue twisters improve the way we pronounce words correctly without losing its meaning. Here's a tip: Inhale before each start of each one.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.

A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits

Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk,
but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.

Betty Botter had some butter,
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
that would make my batter better."
So she bought a bit of butter,
better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.

A big black bug bit a big black bear,
made the big black bear bleed blood.

The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.

I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop.

"Surely Sylvia swims!" shrieked Sammy, surprised.
"Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she shall not sink."

A Tudor who tooted a flute
tried to tutor two tooters to toot.
Said the two to their tutor,
"Is it harder to toot
or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.

I am not the pheasant plucker,
I'm the pheasant plucker's mate.
I am only plucking pheasants
'cause the pheasant plucker's running late.

Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

A bitter biting bittern
Bit a better brother bittern,
And the bitter better bittern
Bit the bitter biter back.
And the bitter bittern, bitten,
By the better bitten bittern,
Said: "I'm a bitter biter bit, alack!"

A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed
Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See's saw sawed
Soar's seesaw!

Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.

Once upon a barren moor
There dwelt a bear, also a boar.
The bear could not bear the boar.
The boar thought the bear a bore.
At last the bear could bear no more
Of that boar that bored him on the moor,
And so one morn he bored the boar -
That boar will bore the bear no more.

Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed
Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See's saw sawed
Soar's seesaw!

I can think of six thin things and of six thick things too.

I need not your needles, they're needless to me;
For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see;
But did my neat knickers but need to be kneed,
I then should have need of your needles indeed.

Cheap ship trip.

I cannot bear to see a bear
Bear down upon a hare.
When bare of hair he strips the hare,
Right there I cry, "Forbear!"

Gertie's great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie's grammar.

Tim, the thin twin tinsmith

Fat frogs flying past fast.

I need not your needles, they're needless to me;
For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see;
But did my neat knickers but need to be kneed,
I then should have need of your needles indeed.

Flee from fog to fight flu fast!

A tutor who tooted the flute
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot.
Said the two to the tutor:
"Is it harder to toot or
To tutor two tooters to toot?"

The boot black bought the black boot back.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Moose noshing much mush.

Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her
back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers.

Sly Sam slurps Sally's soup.

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,
With stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,
He thrusts his fist against the posts
And still insists he sees the ghosts.

My dame hath a lame tame crane,
My dame hath a crane that is lame.

A tree toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree toad
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad's heart,
For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree toad trod.
But the two-toed tree toad tried in vain.
He couldn't please her whim.
From her tree toad bower
With her three-toed power
The she-toad vetoed him.

Which witch wished which wicked wish?

The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.

Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
sheep should sleep in a shed.

What noise annoys a noisy oyster? A noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster.

Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.

Three gray geese in the green grass grazing.
Gray were the geese and green was the grass.

Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.

Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.

Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.

You've no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light's light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.

Six sticky sucker sticks.

If Stu chews shoes, should Stu
choose the shoes he chews?

Crisp crusts crackle crunchily.

Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.

Six sharp smart sharks.

What a shame such a shapely sash
should such shabby stitches show.

Sure the ship's shipshape, sir.

What time does the wristwatch strap shop shut?

Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.

Swan swam over the sea,
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan swam back again
Well swum, swan!

Six shimmering sharks sharply striking shins.

I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought.

Brad's big black bath brush broke.

Chop shops stock chops.

Sarah saw a shot-silk sash shop full of shot-silk sashes
as the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk sash shop.

Strict strong stringy Stephen Stretch
slickly snared six sickly silky snakes.

Susan shineth shoes and socks;
socks and shoes shines Susan.
She ceased shining shoes and socks,
for shoes and socks shock Susan.

Truly rural. Truly rural. Truly rural...

Betty and Bob brought back blue balloons from the big bazaar.

A big black bug bit a big black bear, made the big black bear bleed blood.

The seething seas ceaseth
and twiceth the seething seas sufficeth us.

If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor
who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the
doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does he doctor
the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?

Two Truckee truckers truculently truckling
to have truck to truck two trucks of truck.

Plague-bearing prairie dogs.

Which witch wished which wicked wish?

She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter.

Give me the gift of a grip top sock:
a drip-drape, ship-shape, tip-top sock.

While we were walking, we were watching window washers
wash Washington's windows with warm washing water.

Freshly fried fresh flesh.

Six twin screwed steel steam cruisers.

The crow flew over the river
with a lump of raw liver.

Are our oars oak?

A bloke's back bike brake block broke.

A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place
where a plaice is pleased to be placed.

I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau,
he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.

Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.

Lily ladles little Letty's lentil soup.

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,
with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,
he thrusts his fist against the posts
and still insists he sees the ghosts.

Shelter for six sick scenic sightseers.

Give Mr. Snipa's wife's knife a swipe.

Chop shops stock chops.

Whereat with blade, with bloody, blameful blade,
he bravely broached his boiling bloody breast.

A lusty lady loved a lawyer
and longed to lure him from his laboratory.

You've no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light's light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.

She stood on the balcony
inexplicably mimicing him hiccupping,
and amicably welcoming him home.

Kris Kringle carefully crunched on candy canes.

On mules we find two legs behind
and two we find before.
We stand behind before we find
what those behind be for.

What time does the wristwatch strap shop shut?

One-One was a racehorse.
Two-Two was one, too.
When One-One won one race,
Two-Two won one, too.

Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle. Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle...

Pretty Kitty Creighton had a cotton batten cat.
The cotton batten cat was bitten by a rat.
The kitten that was bitten had a button for an eye,
And biting off the button made the cotton batten fly.

Pick a partner and practice passing,
for if you pass proficiently,
perhaps you'll play professionally.

Once upon a barren moor
There dwelt a bear, also a boar.
The bear could not bear the boar.
The boar thought the bear a bore.
At last the bear could bear no more
Of that boar that bored him on the moor,
And so one morn he bored the boar--
That boar will bore the bear no more.

A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.

If a Hottentot taught a Hottentot tot
To talk ere the tot could totter,
Ought the Hottenton tot
Be taught to say aught, or naught,
Or what ought to be taught her?
If to hoot and to toot a Hottentot tot
Be taught by her Hottentot tutor,
Ought the tutor get hot
If the Hottentot tot
Hoot and toot at her Hottentot tutor?

Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers.

Who washed Washington's white woolen underwear
when Washington's washer woman went west?

Freshly-fried flying fish.

The sawingest saw I ever saw saw
was the saw I saw saw in Arkansas.

Just think, that sphinx has a sphincter that stinks!

Strange strategic statistics.

Hi-Tech Traveling Tractor Trailor Truck Tracker

Ned Nott was shot
and Sam Shott was not.
So it is better to be Shott
than Nott.
Some say Nott
was not shot.
But Shott says
he shot Nott.
Either the shot Shott shot at Nott
was not shot,
or
Nott was shot.
If the shot Shott shot shot Nott,
Nott was shot.
But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott,
then Shott was shot,
not Nott.
However,
the shot Shott shot shot not Shott --
but Nott.

Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.

There was a young fisher named Fischer
Who fished for a fish in a fissure.
The fish with a grin,
Pulled the fisherman in;
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fischer.

That bloke's back bike brake-block broke.

While we were walking, we were watching window washers wash Washington's windows with warm washing water.

Pretty Kitty Creighton had a cotton batten cat.
The cotton batten cat was bitten by a rat.
The kitten that was bitten had a button for an eye,
And biting off the button made the cotton batten fly.

Susan shineth shoes and socks;
Socks and shoes shines Susan.
She ceases shining shoes and socks,
For shoes and socks shock Susan.

Sarah saw a shot-silk sash shop full of shot-silk sashes as the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk sash shop.

Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.

She stood on the balcony inexplicably mimicking him hiccuping, and amicably welcoming him home.

Suddenly swerving, seven small swans
Swam silently southward,
Seeing six swift sailboats
Sailing sedately seaward.

Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
Shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
Sheep should sleep in a shed.

The ocher ogre ogled the poker.

If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker,
It's slick to stick a lock upon your stock,
Or some stickler who is slicker
Will stick you of your liquor
If you fail to lock your liquor
With a lock!

Six sharp smart sharks.

The soldiers shouldered shooters on their shoulders.

Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.
Now.....if Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb,
see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.

The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

Swan swam over the sea.
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan swam back again.
Well swum, swan!

Some shun sunshine. Some shun sunshine...

Three gray geese in the green grass grazing.
Gray were the geese and green was the grass.

Thank the other three brothers of their father's mother's brother's side.

A truly rural frugal ruler's mural.

Irish wristwatch.

Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

A tree toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree toad
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad's heart,
For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree toad trod.
But the two-toed tree toad tried in vain.
He couldn't please her whim.
From her tree toad bower
With her three-toed power
The she-toad vetoed him.

Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.

Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades,
blunderbusses, and bludgeons -- balancing them badly.

Tragedy strategy.

They have left the thrift shop, and lost both their theater tickets and the
volume of valuable licenses and coupons for free theatrical frills and thrills.

You can also visit the following links for more tongue twisters:
Link 1 - Indexed tongue twisters from A to Z
Link 2 - International tongue twisters in different languages
Link 3 - A database of tongue twisters

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God will make a way

2007-11-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

What's the story behind this song:

Late at night in a remote part of the Texas panhandle, Don Moen's wife, his sister and sister's husband were traveling with their four children. They never saw the approaching truck, and its driver never saw them. The children were thrown from the van.

In the terrible darkness, the parents followed the sounds of crying to their wounded children. But Craig Phelp's 9-year-old son wasn't crying. His neck was broken upon impact, and he was dead.

Craig, a doctor, quickly tried to revive his son. But God's voice cut through the chaos: Jeremy is with Me, God seemed to say. You deal with those who are living. It took 45 excruciating minutes for the ambulance to arrive at this desolate little patch of wilderness.

The next day, on his way to the funeral by plane, Dom Moen opened his Bible. Was it merely a chance that directed his eyes to Isaiah 43:19? I think not. "I will even make a road in the wilderness," Don read, "and rivers in the desert." A song immediately welled up within him, as if fully formed. It was one of those moments when divine inspiration overpowers an artist.

After the mournful service, Don embraced the bereaved parents; their tears mingled with his own. He managed to tell them that God had provided a song especially for them. And with a lump on his throat, he somehow sang:

God will make a way when there seems to be no way,
He works in way we cannot see.
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side,
With love and strenth for each new day,
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a road in the wilderness He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see;
Heaven and earth will fade,
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.

Today, that little song has made its way around the world. It offers the comfort of the Lord in every corner of the globe, simply because God's grieving children made a way to woship in the worst of life's wilderness. They could have fixed their eyes on the wreckage of a wilderness road, but they saw instead the invisible road-the one God always provides toward hope and deliverance. The Phelpses and the Moens knew that at the end of that road, a laughing nine-year-old waits to welcome them.

-David Jeremiah. My Heart's Desire.
Source: Linsay Terry, "A Song Written for One Family," The Communicator, December 2001.

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Heart of worship

2007-11-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

Matt redman, a worship leader in England, tells how his pastor taught his church the real meaning of worship. To show that worship is more than music, he banned all singing in their services for a period of time while they learned to worship in other ways. By the end of that time, Matt had written the classic song "Heart of Worship":

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Biblical view on work

2007-11-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Many people ask how to be prosperous while seminars and even religious groups teach it. Being prosperous in not wrong. God would not have created it if He doesn't want us to be prosperous.... Also, we don't have to poor to live a holy and pleasing life to God.

Work is a command from God

God commands all able-bodied persons to work. Exodus 20:9 says, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work; and on the seventh day you shall rest." All have to work and those who does not sins. Some people work through others' hands. They tend to work with their mouth alone by commanding others to work for them. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, "Make it your ambition to work with your hands." Godly people are working people.

Ephesians 4:28 says, "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands." This verse pertains not only to the conventional stealing we know. We are stealing if we get something others have worked for. There are families where only one person works while other members of the family just stay at their home and spends money. They should only be excused if they are still young, disabled or are very old already enough to work right?

"You will never be prosperous unless you work."

Why work?

God commends it. In proverbs 31:13, God praises a working woman. In our homes, a worked-out hand of a woman is a trophy. What can a smooth-skinned hand of a woman be proud of if she does not know how to work. Husband and children recommence a mother with working hands. "Her children arise and call her blessed." We should work because God commends it.

God exemplified it. In the beginning, God worked. Genesis 2:2 says, "By the seventh day God has finished the work he had been doing, so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." God rested also because He worked. Godly men of God also exemplified work. Imagine the work of Noah in building the ark to accommodate the land animals and the birds. David created thousands of musical instruments for the temple to be played by 4,000 full-time musicians during his time. The glory of God comes down on earth for true worship coming from a true heart. One time out of industry, the apostle Paul spoke a sermon even during night time.

Work is God's way and provision to prosperity. God have chosen work as our way to prosperity. Anyone who works has the right to eat. Some people pretend to work in order to eat. Even children are meant to work in order to eat. They help in household chores like cleaning the house, cooking, and taking care of the younger siblings. Just imagine a tired parent coming home from work will always still clean the house and cook for dinner. Those who know how to ask for allowance should also know how to work. Parents give to their children because of love. The children should know this that they may also show their love to their parent by giving helping hands when inside the house. The more their parents do not ask them to work, the more they should volunteer in doing household chores.

Work Earns profit. Proverbs 14:23 says, "All hard work brings profit." We should not be ashamed to sell something'' to gain profit. We work for the profit in the first place. For our friends who have their own business, we usually ask for discounts and free stuffs. If we are their friends, we should be the one to understand the situation that they are working for profit and yet we ask stuff with discount and things for free. Sometimes we even tease them for their job. We should be the ones to encourage them more and support them for their industry.

People in the world are not meant to be poor. Many just have lifestyle designed for poverty. Psalms 128:2 says, "You will eat the fruit of your labor."

Hard-working people earn even good sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:12 says, "The sleep of a laborer is sweet." If you find it hard to get asleep (except for the insomniacs), take time to think if you just lack of work.

God blessed work
God blesses those who work through His justice and through His favor or His pleasure. God's justice makes sure that workers are blessed. God created the natural laws and phenomena. He created formulas that if you started something and continued in doing it, you'll get the product. Work gives reward and even rewards. Proverbs 24:12 says, "Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?" if you want God to pay you, then do some work. His justice will see to it that you get rewarded.

God also blesses us through His favor/pleasure. Satan reacted to God's favor to Job when he said in Job 1:10, "Have you put a hedge around him and his household and everything that he has? You have blessed the works of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land."

If there's such as God's favor, there's also God's withholding of a blessing. In short is a curse. There are works that God despises. Ecclesiastes 5:6 says, "Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, 'My vow was a mistake.'" Turning back promises is despised by God and "Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?"

Favor is up to God. It is not his duty. We prosper or not depending on God's favor and we are not to blame God if His favor is not with our work. We should check ourselves instead. We affect God's favor by the things we do. We may make Him angry through words we say. We won't prosper if He will not allow it. God doesn't destroy our work. Removing His protection already makes our work to be destroyed. Everything in this planet leads to destruction because of our sin. Because of our fallen nature, we tend to be greedy, have murderous intentions and have selfish attitudes. All things are meant to be destroyed because of sin.

Can we override destruction? Only God can provide a protective fence around us. His protection is the only thing we need. God doesn't have to destroy us. All he have to do is remove His protection and we are destroyed automatically. Try not washing yourself for a day or two and describe your smell afterwards. All are meant to decay. We are just slowing down the process by doing something. Our destruction is natural and we need God's protection to be exempted with the natural process severed by sin.

In spite of our sins, God is so gracious to give us things that we enjoy. We are children of disobedience but God still give things we enjoy. God have all the authority to allow things to happen and it is He who exempts us from the consequences of sin.

Other people prosper while some do not and God or any other people are not to be blamed about such. We should check ourselves instead for unpleasant words we say or things on pour mind that displeases God. We are accountable for every word we say. There's power in words as God created things with His words. God indwells us and has created us in His own image that there's also power in our words.

Words we say usually come back to us that we should guard our tongue. It's better to bless people that blessing may also come to us. For every work we speak we should ask ourselves if it could happen to us. Just look at Satan, all his lies are just coming back to him.

Ethics of Work

Focused. Godly works are concentrated. Ecclesiastes 8:9 says, "I applied my mind to everything done under the sun." Solomon focused by applying his mind. You will not catch any if you run after two ducks.

Steadfast. Don't leave your work because of impatience. Psalm 104:2 says, "Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening." On the average, we are to work 8 hours a day, 8 hours to sleep and have 8 hours for ourselves. A godly work is steadfast; it is done until evening.

Righteous. Work is not blessed until done with righteousness; no cheating, no lies and no tricks. Proverbs 10:16 says, "The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment." We should not envy those who cheat. They will pay for any amount cheated. Will you envy a cheater whose income was just spent for his son's surgery and was filled with worries and sadness? Earning the exact pay and being exempted from big expenses is already a blessing. "The wages of the righteous brings them life." Not only to the biological life but the meaning of our life. Doing the rigth thing should satisfy us already. Food can be bought but not appetite. Beds can be bought but not sleep. There are many gifts from God that cannot be bought by money.

Honest. Proverbs 13:11 says, "Dishonest money dwindles away but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow." Money from dishonesty is gone easily and does not prosper. Though little (not because of small profit and slow business), an honest work prospers.

Industrious. We really have to be industrious. Proverbs 14:23 says, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads to poverty." Words without work will bring you to poverty. Work is a great channel of blessing. Hard work is one great way to prosperity. Our energies should not be spent in lifting barbells and in working out. We don't have to go to gym if we really are working. There's also no need to watch for your weight and diet if you work hard. God designed us not only to work mentally but physically also.

One great way to be prosperous is to work hard. Let the Holy Spirit finish the other things not mentioned. We should confess to God the times when we lack work.

We can glorify God through work. We are familiar with worship through dancing, singing, studying His word but we can also worship God through working with the abilities He has given us.

Source: Siksik, Liglig, at Umaapaw: Work, Invest, Save, Give, Atbp. By Eduardo Mendoza Lapiz. Mandaluyong: OMF Literature, 1999.

Translated from Siksik, Liglig, at Umaapaw: Work, Invest, Save, Give, Atbp. By Eduardo Mendoza Lapiz. Mandaluyong: OMF Literature, 1999.

Related article: Be Like an Ant

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Extremities

2007-11-29T19:11:00.001-08:00

Do you know that:

- The largest ever gold-bearing nugget was found in 1872 at a mine in New South Wales. It yielded 187 lb. of gold.

- The largest plants in the world are the Big Tress (Sequoia gigantea) and redwood trees of California. These trees are believed to live as long as 6000 years. These trees are also the world’s largest living organism.

- The world’s smallest flower and the world’s smallest flowering plant is the Brazilian duckweed called mofia. The whole plant can be less than 1/16 in. across.

- Rafflesia arnodii is produces the world’s largest flower. The lower can measure more than 3 ft. across, is ¾ in. in thickness and can weigh as much as 15 lb.

- The plant with the most repulsive smell is the tropical giant arum lily.

- The largest insect known to the world is the Goliath beetle. It measures 4 in. across and 5.8 in. in length

- The world’s largest animal is the blue whale. It can weigh more than 100 tons. This animal needs 4 tons of food per day.

- The largest organism without a backbone is the Atlantic giant dquid. It can weigh 2 tons and can grow to 55 ft. long.

- The largest mammal is the African bush elephant. Its average weight is 5.6 tons.

- The smallest mammal is the pygmy shrew of Northern Europe which is rarely longer than 1½ from nose to tail.

- The largest bird is the flightless North African ostrich which can weigh up to 345 lb. And can grow up to 9 ft. tall.

- The smallest bird is the bee hummingbird of Cuba. It is 2 in. long and has a 1.1 wingspan.

- The fastest creature is the spine-tailed swift. Records say that it can fly in excess of 200 mph.

- The largest of all the spiders is the South American bird-eating spider. It has a leg span of 10 in and has a 3½ in. body length.

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50 ways to Tell Your Child, “I Love You”

2007-11-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

- By Joe White

When your child is participating in an athletic event or musical performance, be there watching.
Help your son or daughter learn a new skill such as riding a bike, making a cake, or fixing a flat tire.
Leave an “I love you” note in your child’s school lunch box.
Read an entire chapter together from your child’s favorite book.
Find a new way to trust your child by granting a new area of responsibility that he or she would both enjoy and benefit from.
After your teen aged son or daughter comes in from a date, have popcorn together.
Go out in the snow together and throw snowballs at a target (even a few at each other).
Listen to your child – with all your attention.
Help your child wash his or her bike (or tricycle).
Snuggle in bed together as you tell a goodnight story.
Have a water-pistol fight (let your kids drench you).
Make up a secret code language and write messages to one another.
Say, “I am proud of you.”
Prepare your child’s favorite dinner menu twice in a week.
Make up and tell stories with your kids as the heroes.
Bring home your child’s favorite candy bar.
Take an evening walk together.
Have a pillow fight some night at bedtime.
Play games together (e.g. Old maid, Concentration, Candyland, Sorry, Pictionary).
The bible’s love chapter says that love “is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4). Think of a special way you can show kindness to your child today.
Take nature hikes together and collect leaves, acorns, rocks, mosses, sticks, or whatever.
Spend a special time praying together for others – for the leaders and teacher in your church, for government officials, for any missionaries your child knows, for neighbors, for friends, for family members.
Keep a scrapbook of your child’s awards, newspaper clippings, photos, and so on. Get it out often and look at it together.
Invite your son’s or daughter’s friends to your home to spend the night.
Build a “faith growth chart” on which you list prayers and answers in one column and memorized bible verses in another. See your child’s faith grow!
Make popcorn, curl up together on the couch, and watch your son’s or daughter’s favorite video for the 20th time.
After a scolding, tell your child, “did you know I love you even when you’re naughty?” Then give him or her a hug.
Build and fly kites together.
Show your child a special card or picture he or she has given you that you’ve kept for a long time.
Give your child your full attention when he or she tells you what happened at school today, and provide a thoughtful response.
Compliment your child’s attempt to keep a tidy room.
Show your child one of his or her baby pictures and tell why it’s one of your favorites.
Show your daughter fix her hair in a special way.
Take a winter’s afternoon off and do a puzzle together.
Take your child out to breakfast (just the two of you) before school.
Before a big event in your child’s life – a birthday, a competition, a big test at school – decorate his or her room with crepe paper and posters.
Allow your child to plan the day for your family.
Go on a bike ride together around the neighborhood.
Take your child out for bowling or miniature gold, and go out for dinner afterward.
Display (on the refrigerator or in another prominent spot) the artwork or other creations your child made at school, Sunday school, and so on.
Ask for your child’s opinion on a big family decision.
Cook breakfast together on a Saturday morning.
Tell your spouse how proud you are of your child or something he or she did, and let him or her overhear your remarks.
As you notice your child making or doing something creative, call other family members to come and see.
Give your child a hug when he or she is feeling down.
Make sack lunches for you and your child, and enjoy them together at a local park.
Plant flowers or vegetable seeds with your child. As you together see the plants sprout and grow, tell about your child’s growth – physically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.
Talk with your child about what you believe about god.
Tell openly with your child about your most significant convictions, and ask fir his or her opinions in response.
In a relaxed moment together, talk about favorite memories. (Even younger children enjoy this – their “past” may be short in years, but relative to their ages it seems just as long as ours.) Talk about favorite gifts, favorite toys, favorite surprises.

This list is excerpted from Faith Training by Jo White. Published by Focus on the Family. (c) 1994 Joe White

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