Who Are You?
January 31, 2010
Source: Bible Says
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| Photo: Studiomill |
The Bible tells us in Job 9 that God can move mountains, but anyone who has ever surrendered their life to Christ can tell you that sometimes He will move the mountains to you instead of from you. Sometimes he will place mountains in our path, not because He wants us to fail or give up, but because He knows that climbing mountains builds strength.
When faced with a mountain, people will react differently. Some will tackle the mountain with all they’re worth, some will strategize the best way to get around it, some will give up before even trying, and others, after a failed attempt or two, will look at the mountain and say “Hmm, I could get used to this.”
Choose to Keep It
Who are you? What defines you? To the person who has given up after a try or two, and has chosen to adapt, the mountain is who they are. This person has become so used to the mountain that they find they are not themselves without it. So they will not climb it, go around it, or attempt to get rid of it at all. The mountain, complaining about the mountain, and wishing the mountain were gone, have become such big parts of their lives that even when it becomes easy to get rid of the mountain, they choose to keep it.
God did not place mountains in our path so that they overcome and become us, He meant for us to overcome them. He wanted us to look at the mountain and ask Him for help, to surrender everything that held us back and weighed us down, and with His strength overcome our problems.
Are there problems in your life that you’re holding on to? At first look, it’s easy to make excuses and say that we can’t get rid of the problem. But can God? Yes! Face your problem, pray about your problem, and then let it go. We are to have our lives center around one thing, and it’s not a mountain. We are to be defined by the awesome and all- encompassing love of Christ. The love than can move mountains.
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By Raquel Levy. Copyright © 2010 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.
Original Post: http://e-gracenotes.org/article.php?id=3502
Every Bird that Flies
January 30, 2010
Source: ScripShot Photo devotionals
| "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them..." (Genesis 2:19) NASB Context |
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Stalking Crane - by Scott Liddell, Edinburgh, UK |
Center for Creative Ministry © 2010. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ® Respond to this image. |
Original Post: http://creativeministry.org/article.php?id=588
The Master Designer — January 29, 2010
January 29, 2010
Source: It Is Written's A Better Way to Live video podcast.
Summary: As we bask in God's presence—as we spend time with Him—we actually become more like Him.
Verse: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?'"
—1 Corinthians 15:51-55
Original Post: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iiw/betterway/~3/mgD83XKVt1U/29
A Clear Road
January 28, 2010
Source: ScripShot Photo devotionals
| "With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow." (Proverbs 3:5-6) CEV Context |
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Highway 101 - by Studiomill © 2010 |
| Center for Creative Ministry © 2010. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION ®Respond to this image. |
Original Post: http://creativeministry.org/article.php?id=845
Relief workers face challenges distributing deluge of supplies
January 28, 2010
Source: Adventist News Network
More than two weeks after the earthquake, relief agencies are fighting blocked roads and lack of centralized organization while attempting to distribute food and fresh water to Haitians around the capital of Port-au-Prince, workers said.
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"Once you find out where [supplies are] sitting at the airport, you have to figure out how to transport them and then you have to arrange for security," Weber said. "That means you have to have [United Nations] troops there to guard the convoy as you're getting it through."
Medical supplies from Adventist-run Florida Hospital and partner organization Harvest International arrived in Haiti last Thursday morning, Weber said, but ADRA workers were unable to deliver them to the hospital until Sunday night.
"Half the streets are blocked," Weber said. "You have to know the routes -- we had maps of the blocked streets. You drive along and next thing you know you find a couple hundred people living in the street in tents."
Weber added that while the amount of aid pouring into Haiti can be beneficial, there are unavoidable side effects.
"Logistically, it's a nightmare. You have so many different aid groups trying to come in and help, which is wonderful, but trying to coordinate all that with the U.N. ... it's a tough process right now," he said.
Despite the obstacles, ADRA workers distributed 100,000 pounds, or 45 tons, of rice, beans and other food items to more than 15,000 displaced survivors still living on the campus of the Haitian Adventist University, the agency reported. The distribution, which took place Monday, was the latest of several ADRA-assisted projects.
ADRA and partner organization Global Medic also trained 20 Haitians with motorbikes to set up portable filtration systems in areas without access to safe water.
The drivers travel around the city, pumping clean water and handing out purification tablets. For their time, the drivers receive food, a small salary and reimbursement for their fuel.
ADRA workers in Haiti say they hope to have a total of 30 bike drivers soon.
The death toll for Adventist Church members is currently 600, church leaders reported. Half of the 115 collapsed churches in the region are considered a total loss, and roughly 25,000 Adventists are homeless. Local church offices and university dormitories also sustained heavy damage.
For more information, visit adra.org.
Original Post: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ann-en/~3/uQV8eN_G9ls/relief-workers-face.html
New smoking ban in Finland expected to pass by summer
January 28, 2010
Source: Adventist News Network
The Finnish government took further measures for public health earlier this month by proposing a ban on smoking in private cars with underage occupants and prohibiting stores from displaying tobacco products.
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Health experts for the Seventh-day Adventist Church supported the move, citing the church's long-time emphasis on health and wellness.
"Any measure that makes a substance a little more difficult to acquire ... has been shown to result in a decreased consumption of the product," said Allan Handysides, director of heath ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "There's a linear association between the amount of the product used and the amount of the disease that we see in the whole community."
What people don't realize when they start smoking is that giving up the habit is just as difficult as giving up cocaine or heroin, Handysides said.
Handysides added that making tobacco products less visible was key.
"It's a psychological impediment to it being so readily accessible, and that's a very, very good thing," he said.
Finland's ruling party in parliament is championing the anti-smoking legislation and faces little opposition from other parties, the BBC reported. The proposed laws will likely be implemented by summer.
"To make Finland a smoke-free country is probably the boldest goal ever against smoking from the [Finnish] health authorities," said Atte Helminen, president for the Adventist Church in Finland. "It is great to see how the health principles [the church] has promoted for so long are now recognized by the government as well."
The Finnish parliament first outlawed tobacco advertising in 1976.
Original Post: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ann-en/~3/5AObeLWAUeE/new-smoking-ban-in-f.html
The Rise and Fall of Human Kingdoms — January 28, 2010
January 28, 2010
Source: It Is Written's A Better Way to Live video podcast.
Summary: The vision of Daniel 7 shows us history from God's perspective—the rise and fall of human kingdoms.
Verse: "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time."
—Daniel 7:11-12
Original Post: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iiw/betterway/~3/9nXGVS2j2nU/28
Amazing Grace
January 27, 2010
Source: Bible Says
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| Photo: Terrance Emerson |
One Sunday we brought an especially wild horse into a confined chute. We needed a bucking saddle, so I mentioned that my neighbor had just purchased a new saddle and maybe I could borrow it. I soon started off towards Joe’s house a couple of blocks away. Joe greeted me with a nod, and reappeared at the door with his beautiful new saddle, placing it at my feet.
I slung the saddle over my shoulder and proudly walked back to where the boys were waiting. We proceeded to strap it on the reluctant pony’s back. It was then that things went terribly wrong.
The animal started to thrash around in the chute as we scattered in all directions. The pony finally ended up on its side, wedged tightly in the wooden poles. Someone removed the saddle and sheepishly dropped it at my feet. I’ll always remember the site of it. The once beautiful saddle was nothing but a pile of leather scraps, torn and damaged beyond repair.
I dropped to my knees before Joe’s pride and joy, knowing that I would have to knock on his door again. I reluctantly dragged the saddle behind me and soon stood before the dreaded door. When he appeared there was a long silence. Neither of us spoke. Joe’s expression didn’t change as he surveyed the scene. Finally I blurted out, “I’m sorry, Joe….” He reached down, grabbed his “saddle” and pulled it into the house. Just before he closed the door he spoke in his usual calm and gentle voice, “That’s okay, Dave. It’s all right.” I couldn’t believe what had just happened!
My Life, a Broken Saddle
It was years later, when I began to re-examine the claims of Christ, that this event came back to mind. When I accepted Jesus, my life looked like that broken saddle. All I could offer Him was, “I’m sorry.” And something incredible happened! He said, “That’s okay. I can repair everything broken.”
How many times have I laid my messed up life at the feet of Jesus and His response has always been the same? He will never say, “That’s enough. Don’t drop any more junk at My feet. You’ve had too many chances.”
The fact is, you can always knock on Jesus’ door and He will always appear. Don’t be afraid to knock. He loves to open the door regardless of the mess you lay before Him. That’s what Calvary was all about.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Is His grace amazing? You decide.
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By David Snyder. Copyright © 2010 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.
Original Post: http://e-gracenotes.org/article.php?id=3494
New Year, New Budget
January 27, 2010
Source: Adventist Review News
Adventist world budget shows more support for developing countries.Click here for the full article.
Original Post: http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=3101
GC President Marks 11 Years
January 27, 2010
Source: Adventist Review News
Paulsen believes people are "most important asset."Click here for the full article.
Original Post: http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=3102
