Religion

People don’t live in Cades Cove anymore. But there are still bibles there!

Cades Cove, TN, is an isolated valley in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains

National Park. Located on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park draws approximately 10,000,000 visitors each year…the most visited national park in the nation.

Cades Cove is a favorite destination for many of the visitors to the park. Settled in the early 1800’s, the cove became a population center, somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. At one time approximately 600 people lived there.

Residents of Cades Cove had to move out when the national park was opened. The Cove was kept as a “living museum” so that present day visitors could see how the pioneers of the area lived.

Several of the old pioneer cabins are still standing, and the Cades Cove cabins are maintained by the National Park Service. There are also 3 churches dating from the 1800’s still standing in the Cove, and open to the public.

Each of the Cades Cove churches has a collection of bibles. These bibles have been left there by visitors to the church, usually in memory of a loved one who had died and who loved the mountains, and particularly Cades Cove, in life. Some of the bibles have prayer requests for loved ones, and invite anyone who has a need for healing prayer to write their prayer request in the bible, so that other visitors can pray for them.

The bibles contain wedding announcements, at least two proposals of marriage, messages to loved ones in Heaven, and prayers for people with terminal illnesses. Favorite bible verses are quoted.

Pictures of the pages of the bibles can be found at http://cadescovebibles.historystreasure.com. These bibles are proof that some people still believe in the power of prayer.

.About the Author

A pre-maid Christian layout makes it simpler for users to make a connection with fellow Christians without having to understand the nitty-gritty?s of

internet coding and programming. The best part is that there are standard guidelines for installing a pre-maid layout, so even if users do have problems with installing pre-maid layouts there is no dearth of help files and advice on the internet. A well made Christian layout ensures more visitors and helps people find users that share the same passion for Christianity as themselves. Myspace is by far the most successful social networking site on the internet and people from all walks of life are using Myspace to bond with each others. Christian Myspace layouts are more than just a look and feel; they are a way for people to show their solidarity for the Christian faith.

.

Nathan Martyn is webmaster for
Christian MySpace Layouts,
a good source of Christian MySpace layouts,
religous myspace backgrounds,
icons and more.

Churches have always been a fundamental parts of every society, they influence people’s life in several ways. In today’s world Churches face many obstacles

when trying to deliver the right message to people, and many times that very same message might be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Not only that, but creating and maintain a well informed and organized church society has become increasingly important.

It is widely known that the internet can help people connect and share ideas with each other, so the best way to build a church community is to build a church website.

Church webmasters need to keep in mind 10 important steps when building a church website:

Keep an attractive and professional design

Churches just like any other organization require a certain degree of formality when presenting its ideals and information. That is why a professional looking site is important. Remember that the aspect of a site says a lot about an organization but do not overdo it since it is also important to keep it attractive to church members.

It needs to be useful and interactive

There are millions of sites on the web. The reason one site is more popular others is due to the usefulness of the site to a certain community. People look for topics relevant to their interests, that is why the site must be properly organized and presented so that the church community can make the most out of it. Making a site “interactive” also important if you want to create a constantly aware and updated church organization.

Choose a company which offers great support for your church site

This is an important and yet often overlooked step. Many people like the “do it yourself” kind of approach to many things in life, but what happens when something goes wrong?. Don’t let a great community down by not being able to solve technical problems!. That’s why having a great support team, backing you up every step of the way, is an unvaluable asset you should not overlook when building a church site.

Choose a company which offers the best church site features

Getting the right church site features can make a webmaster’s life a bit easier. Useful features like site statistics can come in handy if you want to track the community growth over a certain period. Weekly backups can prevent headaches if for some reason you loose important data. WYSIWYG editors can help you design and give you a real feel of what the final product will look like. Alway look for the company who offers the most features.

Plans

Work with a company which will offer different plans according to your community needs, regardless of its size.

Upfront Pricing

Avoid hidden charges, choosing a company which shows everything the way it is gives you the power to keep proper accountability which is required in every church community.

Management Tools

This is a required an essential step. Get the right set of management tools and make sure you become familiar with the term CMS or content management system. This system lets you effectively manage and organize content in order to deliver relevant messages at the right time. So as you can see it “is a must have” feature for every church webmaster.

Hosting Information

You need to have a good estimate of how much bandwidth your community will require or you can work with a company which will let you choose the bandwidth, disk space, amount of pages, email accounts and editors such project utilizes. Remember that church communities grow so you should always plan ahead.

Screen shots

When you consider working with a company which will help you host, design and maintain your site, it is important that you see what the interfaces and back end look like. You don’t want to be stuck with a highly advance interface if you are a beginner, or on the other hand, you don’t want to be limited by a simple interface if you are an advanced church webmaster.

Make sure you have Advanced Tools available:

You might be wondering, aside from a CMS what else do I need to get the most out of a church site?. For starters every church site needs advanced tools such as: a News Letter System, Ministries Management System, Members Connect center, Volunteer management system, sermon management system, Photo album, Prayer center and Advance calendar system.

The fact is that church communities grow fast and sooner or later you will need each and every tool mentioned above, so always plan for the future.

.
Learn more about echurchsites.com/The-News/Latest-News/eChurchSites-Features.html“>church website features and provide great flexibility to echurchsites.com/features/features/Members-Connect-Center.html“>church members and church volunteers. Visit eChurchSites today!

My lower lip felt dry. And tight, like it was being turned inside out. In the middle of the night I got up and walked to the bathroom, shocked by what

I saw in the mirror. I woke up Karen and demanded she look at me. My lip was swollen so badly, well, I thought I kind of had that James Dean pout from ?Rebel without a Cause,? but Karen thought I looked more like Roddy McDowell in make-up for ?Planet of the Apes.? Do you think I should put an ice pack on it to reduce the swelling? Should I just go to bed and forget about it? She took me to the ER, keeping an eye on her husband who could well become the missing link between primates and man. Allergic reaction, the doc says. What you taking? Motrin. Don?t take it any more. Here?s some pills.

Seek the Cure, Don?t Treat the Symptoms
1.We are allergic to sin.
2.Seek the cure of the Savior.

What did King Solomon see, when he looked in the mirror of power politics? We like to think of King Solomon as a man of peace, but if we look at the Biblical record, he had his troubles. He could see trouble on the southeast border with Edom. Although his father, King David, in unrelenting war against a people who would not stop attacking God?s people, almost demilitarized the nation of Edom in a six-month campaign, a young boy from the royal family of Edom had escaped. ?Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. Pharaoh king of Egypt, gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food (1 Kings 11.18).? And he did more. He married him into the royal family and permitted him to go back to Edom to cause trouble for the now powerful house of David, ruled by King Solomon. And you thought we invented the CIA and covert missions.

To the northeast Solomon could see a new power arising in Damascus, today?s Syria. The remnants of the army David and Joab had smashed reformed in the ungovernable hinterlands and, when they had grown strong enough under their leader, Rezon, they ?went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. Rezon was Israel?s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel (24-25).? And we thought Hezbollah was a modern phenomenon.

After my pills were gone, a storm front was moving in. My sinuses, blown out by years of stifling sneezes my mother says, were killing me. Can?t take Motrin. I reached for the aspirin. My headache would be gone before chapel was over. After chapel my throat felt dry. I take a bottle of water for my trip to drop off a marriage license at the county building. As I?m driving back I can feel that little thingy in the back of my throat that hangs down?it was really hanging down, like an Alabama hound dog hanging his head on a summer?s front porch. What if I can?t breathe? I was driving past the hospital. Let?s drop into ER. Allergic reaction, the doc says. What you taking? I didn?t take Motrin! I took aspirin. Same stuff, he says, don?t take it any more. Here?s some pills and see your doctor.

Why was this happening? Why is unexpected trouble popping up? What new horrors await me tomorrow?
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we know exactly why Solomon was suffering these symptoms. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Busy fellow. To make matters worse, ?As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites (4-5).? Not only did he worship these false, disgusting idols–Ashtoreth worship, together with Baal, was so filthy the Lord had demanded that Joshua and the Children of Israel drive it out of the Promised Land, and Molech was worshipped with child sacrifices?not only did Solomon worship these false gods, he even built temples for these false gods. And he did not completely follow the Lord his God, the true God who had appeared to him, not once, but twice in visions laden with blessings and promises.

There?s the cause.
The doc scheduled me for an allergist. You wait a long time for an allergist. My pills ran out. I felt tense. Maybe a nice glass or two of wine. The opened bottle goes bad after three days, you know. Before I went to bed that night, I felt it, my upper lip. Sulpha sensitivity the allergist said. No sulpha based drugs, aspirin and motrin, easy on foods with sulphites in it. Here?s an emergency pack of drugs if you get in trouble with a bad salad bar.
Every bottle of wine in America has sulfites in it. One glass, I?m fine. The second glass, pow, back in the monkey cage or worse. It?s like I?m allergic to sin.

But I am allergic to sin. And so was Solomon. And so are you. It will kill us. It complicates our lives. The troubles we face are not money problems, they are greed problems. They are not marriage problems or boyfriend and girlfriend problems, they are lust problems. They are not medical uncertainty problems, they are doubt problems. We are all allergic to sin and if we only work on living without debt like the evangelicals are pitching or knowing what our wives wish their husbands knew like the mainline Protestants are pitching or a healthy soul in a healthy body like the Transcendental Meditation Hindus are pitching, we?d still be dying, eternally dying, because we are allergic to sin. Don?t treat the symptoms. Seek the cure.

That cure is near to all. That cure for sin is the Savior.
The sacred historian doesn?t come out in so many words and says it. Solomon is going to have a lot of wasted years he?s going to have to slug through and we won?t know if he?s going to make it until we read the ending of his Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. But the sacred historian who knows Solomon is going to end up repentant and in heaven, gives us some clues. He talks about the LORD, the Savior God, who had appeared to Solomon twice and now appears to him once more to warn him! Even when the LORD tells Solomon he is going to tear the kingdom away from David?s royal family because of Solomon?s sins, for the sake of his promises to David (and Solomon cannot help but remember the biggest of those promises was the promise of a Savior whom we know as Jesus Christ) and for the sake of his choice of Israel (and when we are talking choice we are talking God?s Gospel choice of bringing that Word of God into our lives and creating faith in our hearts) the kingdom will partially be torn away from David?s royal family after the death of Solomon. Our saving God tempers his judgment in light of the work and promises of the Savior.

Jeremiah?s words from last week?s Old Testament reading come to mind. ?Because of the Lord?s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail (Lamentations 3.22).? Is our life tough? Are we beset by problems we can?t get free from? Does there appear to be no hope? How much worse would hell be? Because of the Lord?s great love we are still here. Because of his unfailing compassion we have hope for a brighter tomorrow, if not in this world, then in the world to come.

That unfailing compassion, that great mercy, is only possible because of the work of the Savior. Where Solomon, you and I have failed in always putting the Lord first in our lives, Jesus succeeded. In the face of opposition in his home congregation, he still preached the Word of God, rather than saying, ?Oh, forget about it.? When tempted to avoid the cross, he prayed, ?Your will be done.? Even when he was bearing the shame and disgrace, the punishment and torment of all the world?s sins, he still entrusted his cause to a loving God??Into your hands, I commit my spirit.? Because he pleased God the Father so, our heavenly Father has graciously forgiven us our many sins and sent his Holy Spirit into our hearts to display the fruits of that forgiveness in our lives.

Seek the Cure, Don?t Treat the Symptoms
1.We are allergic to sin.
2.Seek the cure of the Savior.

So, what?s it going to be with you? Going to spend the rest of your life trying to treat the symptoms of sin? You?re going to have to go to the spiritual ER room a lot, all those preacher celebrity seminars and highly publicized interdenominational rallies. Maybe you?ll have to get a couple of new beginnings in your life, get rebaptized once or twice, get saved again and again and again. Lots of people in our town doing it and boy, are they keeping busy! You can read about it in the headlines. Or you can do what I?ve done?realize I have a deeper sickness that no human can heal, no behavioral change can beat. Only in the arms of my Jesus can I find rest and healing and there is where I will stay.

.
Rev.Don Pieper is a minister in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. He has devoted his life to
sharing the Gospel of Christ to all of Gods people. For more information about the Green Valley
Evangelical Lutheran Church visit us at
www.gvelc.com or call 702-454-8979 .
Ask for Pastor Don or Pastor Matt.

There is a lot of fervor going on right now about the movie “The Secret.” There are those who think that it’s the greatest thing to come along in centuries

and everybody should buy it. And there are those who look at it as evil incarnate and tell us that we should run away as fast as we can. And to be fair, I’m sure that most people are somewhere in between those two extremes.

As I Christian I do have one major problem with the movie. The idea that “the universe” is an all-powerful genie that will grant us our every wish clearly disagrees with the Bible. Scripture tells us that it is a loving, all-powerful God, and not some nebulous, impersonal force, who cares for us and provides all that we need.

When I consider the message of the movie from the standpoint of God’s word, the problem is that it appeals to something Jesus called the “deceitfulness of riches”. Which is not that we aren’t supposed to have wealth, in fact it’s quite the contrary. God has provides everything we will ever need or want, and Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us that He even gives us “super-abundance” above and beyond anything that we dare ask for or imagine.

The issue isn’t wealth, but the false idea that it’s really all up to us, that it is the power of our minds or our abilities that brings the riches to us. In Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” In the second half of John 10:10 Jesus tells us, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The promise is there, but it is God who has given us the ability to receive wealth, and not our thoughts.

One of the other problems with “The Secret” is its marketing. And I think that there is a real advantage to saying that there is this information, a secret, that has been hidden and suppressed for centuries, and if you could just get your hands on it, your life will be nothing short of miraculous. In some ways it’s great marketing, and shows that they understand their target market very well.

The problem comes from the fact that you are speaking to people who believe in scarcity and lack. If you look at it from a Law of Attraction standpoint, the marketing is attracting people who are happy to hear that the reason they are broke, sick, and married to a jerk is because wicked rich people and the evil church have conspired to hide something from them. But now, thanks to the marvels of modern communications and a few brave people who dare to expose it, the “secret” is out.

The truth is that this isn’t a secret, and abundance has been available to every person on the face of this earth from the beginning of creation. The marketing creates a problem that the movie then has to try and solve, because it speaks directly to people who feel that they’ve been cheated and lied to.

I certainly don’t want to imply that there haven’t been conspiracies. But people who don’t understand abundance and who, in that sense don’t understand the “secret”, have perpetrated those conspiracies. Because if they had understood it, they would have realized that prosperity is available to everyone and that there was no reason to hoard the wealth. Had they really known the truth, they would not have been the greedy, evil people that we often think of when we think about the rich.

The simple fact is that everything we could ever want is available to us. No one can keep us from it, and there is no hidden truth. What we do need to understand is that God is the source of everything in our lives, but He can’t give us something against our will or beliefs. In order for God to pour out His blessings on us, we must first understand that they are there for us. And once we comprehend that truth with all our hearts, and give Him the praise that He is due for pouring out His grace and goodness on us, our lives will be truly miraculous.

.
The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In “Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us,” author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcome any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters at:
www.TakingOnGoliath.com

What about the Garden of Eden, how do we know it existed? Although we cannot verify that the Garden of Eden actually existed, much less where it was,

science has determined that in all likelihood, everyone who is alive today is a descendant of a single woman, at least that is what some scientists evaluating human DNA have said. And if we all came from a single woman, it is also very likely that we descended from a single man: Adam and Eve.

What about Noah and the flood? We do know that fossilized fish remains have been found on Mt Everest in the Himalayan mountains in Nepal. We also know that, even though homosapiens grew to a population of millions, or even billions, some 74,000 years ago, Mt Toba erupted in a massive volcanic explosion, and the entire human race was nearly exterminated. Scientists theorize that the entire human race was reduced to less that 1,000 members. They apparently aren’t willing to commit to the number of eight that is given in the Bible’s account of the flood of Noah (Genesis 6:1-8:22), but they do say that our species nearly became extinct, while the Neanderthals did become extinct. Now it may well be that this happened far less than 74,000 years ago, but even if it did occur at that time, there isn’t necessarily any conflict with the Bible.

Some people say that according to the Bible, Adam and Eve were created about 4,000 B.C., or about 6,000 years ago. This is based on the genealogies given in the book of Genesis. However, when the Bible says that some individual was the father of another individual, it doesn’t necessarily mean the immediate parent. The ancient Hebrew word literally means ancestor. Notice that Jesus is called the son of David, even though David lived about 1200 years before Jesus was born, and David is called the son of Abraham, even though he may have lived more than 800 years earlier (Matthew 1:1). Therefore, the flood could have occurred 74,000 years ago without any violation to the actual ancient Hebrew texts.

There are obviously many other questions and objections that could be raised against the existence of God and the accuracy of the Bible, but since scripture says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV), you settle these issues in your heart. If you have any continuing doubts as to the existence of God or the trustworthiness of God and/or the Bible, you owe it to yourself to thoroughly examine your questions and objections.

Remember, if you ever expect to receive anything from the Lord, you must

ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8, NKJV)

You cannot possibly expect to receive any good thing from a God who doesn’t exist. Remember: “… without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV). If God doesn’t exist, then He certainly won’t answer any of your prayers.

Even if you do everything right according to the Word of God, ultimately you will fall short of your desires and expectations if you cannot settle in your heart the fundamental issue of God’s existence.

My prayer is that you will settle this issue now so that you can have the life that the Lord has purchased for you.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jon Straumfjord

.
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is also the creator of the website www.7-spirits.com , and is the author of the book “The Seven Spirits of God.”

The problem with the way most people are working on the path to success is that they are trying to drive themselves rather than allowing themselves to

be driven. They are doing it the hard way rather than the easy way. It is the way that requires much effort and struggle because they are pushing themselves to do things rather than allow themselves to be guided naturally into action by their heart. If they would choose the easy and effortless way of inspired action instead, life would be much more enjoyable.

We think that since we are here on earth, we are supposed to do things to prove our self worth. We think we are supposed to make things happen. The truth is that you are not here to do anything, you are simply here to allow yourself to be inspired into doing what God inspires you to do. We are all here to serve God. Our identity is a being of light or an angel, a messenger of God. We are here to allow God to express himself through us. We do not do to live, we are to let life express itself through us.

We have been taught that in order to achieve big things in life, we should set goals. We should think about what we want and to set clear intentions to manifest those very things. We should come up with a plan of action to achieve the very things we desire. But that way of doing things is so unnatural and imperfect. It is hard to even think about what we want because don’t even know what we should want. We can’t even think what plan of action to take because we don’t know what actions would suit us.

If we would just stop trying to come up with our own way of doing things, we would eliminate all these tons of mistakes and struggles that we experience in the difficult and effortful path of creating success. The question to ask yourself is, do you want to play small or play big? You could try to set goals for things you think you should have and succeed in achieving them. But what you manage to achieve that way would only be very small compared to something much larger that God already has for you.

You were created for a purpose and everything you were supposed to do and truly desire to have are already created by God. All you have to do is to open yourself up to receiving all of it. You do not even have to think about what you want because your true desires have already been placed within you from the beginning. You do not have to think about what to do to get them because you were already designed to function in a certain way with gifts that seek expression through you for achieving your dream.

Therefore we do not need to think about everything we want, and to set goals to achieve them in the forms we think they should appear in, or to create an entire plan of action to achieve those things. All we have to do is to walk each step of the way and to act on whatever our heart is leading us to do at every present moment. When we take the step we are guided towards now, the next step will open up without us needing to figure it out beforehand. Life is much more exciting and liberating in this manner.

The same principle applies in manifesting your desires. You don’t have to force yourself to set specific intentions as you simply open yourself to being guided as to what to intend along the way. You will not have to work on visualizing anything but you will be naturally inspired to visualize the very things that your heart is drawn towards seeing happen. You don’t have to do any work at all because all the work is being done through you as you allow yourself to be moved into expressing your heart in every moment.

All the methods of mental power and physical techniques of doing things that you learn are not meant for you to try applying in getting what you want. They are actually meant for you to learn how to do better what you are already naturally doing. When you become conscious of the mechanics and explanations of how things work, you are able to refine and sharpen everything that you do to become more effective and efficient in the energy you expend and also more optimal in the results that you are getting.

Most people do things in reverse that is why they find the process so hard, so uninspiring and so full of effort. All the ways of achieve success are only the means to an end. But it is the nature of the world to focus on the means once success is achieved, and to turn them into ways that everyone should follow in achieving the same things. It is because people want control and certainty. They don’t realize that true control and direction of everything does not occur on this plane of reality but on a higher one.

We have all been created with desires, talents and dreams that were placed within us for the fulfillment of our purpose. All we have to do is to allow God to unfold them through us in divine timing and divine order as we go through life expressing what we are drawn to express each step of the way. Our true and innermost choices were already made on a higher plane before we entered this world. All the pain and struggle we experience is because we are going against our true choices with different ones.

All these means is to let go of all control of everything, and to surrender wholly to God in directing and driving our lives, and to trust in him completely every step of the way. Have no agenda and no will of our own. Be a yielded vessel. Instead of making things happen, we let things happen through us. By not driving yourself but allowing yourself to be driven, you will gain your greatest fulfillment, happiness and peace. You will experience life at the highest level of reality creation where you are partnered with God.

.
Enoch Tan aims to help people achieve greater awareness in living and experiencing life. To evolve human consciousness to higher levels. To change lives and transform the universe. To revolutionize the way we understand the mind and reality. Because that is what governs every area of life and destiny. Get Free Ebooks of The Most Powerful Knowledge and Learn Secrets of Mind and Reality That will Fully Benefit You Now at: Secrets of Mind and Reality

You have it in you to be a winner. If you’re thinking that your spiritual fortitude may be at an all-time low, let’s think again.

Don’t

you know that you are in a race, and that only one can win the prize? (1 Cor. 9:24) When you’re watching the Olympics, it is obvious that every person striving for first prize is in top performance mode. Some even go as far as to take extra substances to give them an added advantage over their competitors. They will do their utmost in order to win top prize.

Although you are not in a physical race, and may not feel like striving for anything right at the moment, the truth is that you are. You are racing to the spiritual finish line. The price at the end of the line is: Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord! (Mat. 25: 21) Millions of people are in the same race. Millions will not make it as they don’t know your Lord.
You will make it, if you are His and you obey His Word.

The race has already been won! The Victor is living in you! Where there’s a victor, there’s a battle. Oh yes, there are always battles raging. In fact that’s why you may be suffering from battle fatigue now. Don’t worry; that won’t last long. When you build up your spiritual strength, the emotional and physical weakness will disappear!

Because you are battling a spiritual enemy, you need spiritual armor to win. Your strength lies in the Lord and the power of His might! He has given you His best to conquer every enemy: the Holy Spirit. In order to be protected from all sides, allow yourself to be covered by Him. How?

Replace fear with Truth, and acknowledge that Jesus has made you righteous. Be eager at all times to share the good news of the Gospel of peace. Constantly build up your faith as it is the component that fights off the doubting, debilitating, discouraging, negative and painful reports that are trying to bring you down.

Next, make a conscious decision to shield your mind with the helmet of salvation. It will dispel ungodly, defeating thoughts and keep your focus on the Victor and your victory. Then, speak the Word of God over every situation that is hindering you. It’s the sword of the Spirit and it’s for your use!

Whenever doubt gets in the way or the going gets rough, find what God has to say about your situation and speak the verse aloud. The more often you do it, the more your faith will be built up and you will be able to stand up against the odds!

Lastly, pray at all times and expect the victory. It’s yours! (Eph. 6: 10 - 18)

.
Ann Stewart, author of With Wings as Eagles, aims to encourage and inspire you to become the person God has purposed you to be: lifealteringwords.com/with-wings-as-eagles. You’re welcome to subscribe to her free weekly, inspirational newsletter here: lifealteringwords.com.

In June 1986 archaeologists of Tel Aviv University announced discovery of two small silver amulets. These two silver scrolls were found in 1979 deep inside

a burial cave at a site known as Ketef Hinnom, west of the old city of Jerusalem. They were hidden at the back of the tomb embedded in pottery fashioned as early as the seventh century BC.

Seven years later the fragile scrolls were opened and their texts deciphered. The scrolls contain an excerpt from Numbers 6:24-26, also known as the Priestly Benediction. In English the verses read: ?The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.? On the scrolls we find the texts:

Amulet 1: concluding benediction (lines 14?19):

?[?] May Yahweh bless you [and] keep you. May Yahweh cause his face to shine [on you] ?].?

Amulet 2: benediction (lines 5?12):

?[?] May Yahweh bless you and keep you. May Yahweh cause his face to shine [on] you and give you peace [?].?

The location of the find and analysis of the Hebrew on the scroll confirm a date close to 600 BC, perhaps earlier ? long before the capture of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile.

The importance of this find can hardly be overstated. It proves this section of Numbers was written at least 2,600 years ago. This Old Testament passage is 400 years older than the oldest Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts, and perhaps even older yet. The age of the text may prove a nail in the coffin of the Documentary Hypothesis theories that the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, or that it was not even known in Moses? time.

Those theories speculate that large segments of the first five books of the Bible originated in the period of Ezra: 400?500 BC. In this debate, some of the arguments revolve around the use of YHWH, the divine name of God (often rendered ?Jehovah? or ?Yahweh?), which is said not to have been in use before this time. The silver scrolls, dated before 586 BC, contain that name. In fact, this is the earliest the name had been found in any dig in Jerusalem.

Therefore the silver scrolls are not only the oldest extant (still in existence) text of the Bible, they also provide compelling support to the authorship of the first five books of the Bible by Moses.

.
Rob VandeWeghe is a sceptic turned Christian by studying the foundations for Christianity. Rob?s book ?Prepared to Answer? and more evidences for Christianity are available at www.WindmillMinistries.org. Or study more about Biblical archaeology.

“The Secret” has really caught on. It seems like you can’t watch news programs and daytime talk shows without someone bringing it up. The teachers from

the movie are showing up everywhere from The Ellen Show to Larry King Live.

As I listened to people asking some hard questions about Darfur and 9/11 during the Larry King Live show, I just had to chuckle. It’s not that the problems we face in this world are anything to make light of, because they aren’t. The world is full of horrible suffering that is not going to be solved with wishful thinking. In order to change the world, we will have to not only think positively, but we will have to think and act compassionately.

For years I have seen Christians maligned and ridiculed because people have looked at all the problems in the world, the suffering and the pain, and believed that the existence of these evils was proof that God doesn’t exist. They reasoned that a good God wouldn’t allow such things to happen, therefore there must not be a God.

But thanks to “The Secret” they now have something else to blame, because the Law of Attraction says that it’s the victims themselves who are causing their suffering. If you listen to Dr. Joe Vitale he will tell you that people attract everything that happens to them. So the people who are suffering around the world are creating their own problems, they just don’t know it. At some unconscious level the victims are really the perpetrators, because they must feel that they deserve to be beaten, starved, and murdered. After all, that is what they are “attracting” into their lives.

Not all of the teachers from the movie share Dr. Vitale’s sentiments. Their answer to the world’s ills is: They don’t know. The “universe” has good and bad in it, and that’s just the way it works out. The events in Darfur or the attack on 9/11 just happened, and we don’t understand why.

And then there are those who teach that the universe is a perfect balance between positive and negative, good and evil. If you take that thought to an extreme, you might begin to believe that bad things happen because of the good. For every person who is doing well in life, there would have to be someone, somewhere, who is suffering.

When I look at the world from a Christian point of view, I recognize that there is evil in the world. It got its power from the rebellion of Adam when he disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The world started going downhill from that point on and all the problems we see today are not because some cosmic balance has to be maintained, but because men are sinners. They don’t understand the blessings and goodness of God, so they cause pain and suffering.

It is Romans 12:21 that tells us we can overcome evil with good. With God all things are possible, and there isn’t some universal balance that needs to be maintained. As we learn to live and love in the way God wants us to, we can change the world. We can bring the truth of God’s love to a suffering world and tell them that He wants the absolute best for them. There isn’t some capricious universe that punishes some and blesses others, there is a God who died so that all men could be forgiven and freed from the power and consequences of sin.

As we learn to live in God’s abundance, fully recognizing that there is no limit to His goodness, all greed and competition will cease. Those who live in His blessings know that they can only enjoy more when they become loving, giving servants. The promise of scripture is so much greater than anything “The Secret” has to offer, because it puts everything in the proper perspective. And our faith in God will do more than put money in our bank accounts; it will fill the world with God’s love and blessings.

.
The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In “Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us,” author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcome any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters at:
www.TakingOnGoliath.com