All posts filed under: z135

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Make Yourself Healthy With the Bible

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Have you heard of LKM? Me neither, until today. The letters mean “Loving Kindness Meditation” and it’s one of the newest health fads. Apparently it’s right up there with KETO diets and Yoga and fruit smoothies. Who knew? Apparently, this meditation helps with migraines, depression, and possibly aging. LKM is even recommended by the Mayo Clinic: RELATED: Mayo mindfulness: Can sharing kindness help your health? Kindness, or some expression of God’s love, is highly recommended in the Bible. Really, I don’t think it’s recommended; kindness is required. There is no other lifestyle for a Christian. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) These words are instructions, not one more fad to think about. So does that mean the Bible had LKM first? Can the Bible make us healthy? Yes. And this is important for the Christians I know; kindness is an action, not a feeling. Kindness is not warm and fuzzy, and sentimental. You can be kind when you are not in the mood. The …

Newcastle, Northern Ireland, home to another verified miracle. Photo: Newcastle harbour. Credit: Phil Rogers Flickr/Creative Commons

La curación del cáncer desafía a los médicos en Irlanda del Norte

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English version: Cancer healing challenges doctors in Nothern Ireland En 2004, los médicos diagnosticaron Sharyn Mackay de Newcastle, Co Down en Irlanda del Norte con un tumor canceroso en su riñón. Sharyn y su esposo William, quien en ese momento era un pastor metodista, tenian cuatro hijos. Después de tomar una biopsia del cáncer, el cirujano de Sharyn del Hospital Área Craigavon ​​envió una muestra a los especialistas de la Universidad de Harvard, porque su forma de cáncer era muy raro. Ella le dijo al  Belfast Telegraph : “Me dijeron que era sarcoma de células fusiformes que normalmente es cáncer de hueso. Yo era uno de sólo 10 casos conocidos en los que se había convertido en un tumor renal “. En una entrevista con Stuart Chalmers publicado en YouTube, Sharyn dijo que después de enterarse de su cáncer habian muchas personas en las cuatro iglesias que su esposo pastoreaba orando por ella. Pero en ese momento, Sharyn dijo que su confianza estaba en los médicos que le trataban a ella su enfermedad. Sin embargo, …

Cairo, Egypt where God speaks to Muslims through dreams Credit: Gwenael Plaser/Flickr/Creative Commons

Why dreams work?

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Open Doors USA is reporting on another remarkable conversion of a Muslim because of a dream. This one involved a young man in Egypt who was actually planning to kill his cousin after hearing he had converted to Christianity. Mostafa traveled to Cairo, where his cousin Mohammad lived, and when he found out his cousin was at church. Mostafa went to the service secretly sitting behind him. However as he sat through the service, the worship particularly impacted him. After the service, Mostafa approached his cousin and having now confirmed he was Christian, Mostafa said he should turn his cousin in to the family, but admitted the singing had affected him. For the next few hours, Mohammad shared the gospel with Mostafa, but in Egypt converting to Christianity is a dangerous decision. Not only do you face expulsion from the family, but Islamic extremists hearing about Muslims becoming Christians will murder them, as Mostafa was planning to do. Because of this Open Doors has Egypt listed as the 16th most dangerous country for Christian persecution. …

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Why an Ottawa city councilor opposed Michael Olsen’s volunteer appointment

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It was a bizarre move, and some would argue a sign of the times, but a city of Ottawa councilor recently opposed the appointment of Michael Olsen to a volunteer position on the Ottawa’s transit board. With a population of nearly a million, Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and the city’s transit board has set aside one position for a member of the public. Over 92 people applied for the position on the board and it had been narrowed down to three and according to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, he understood that Olsen was the transit commission’s top choice. So why did city Councillor Shawn Menard oppose Olsen’s appointment? Menard opposed it because Olsen, a retired Federal employee, is actively pro-life. A shocked Olsen told Lifesitenews, “What does this have to do with transit?” Nothing. Fortunately when Menard tried to thwart Olsen’s appointment, the city clerk, who also happened to be a lawyer, told city council that it couldn’t reject Olsen’s appointment because of his belief on abortion because it is protected under …

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New research concludes divorce rates are much lower than commonly believed

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Marriage can be tough at times and most of us just presumed that the stats being thrown around that half of marriages end in divorce is basically true. Some have even suggested the divorce rate is the same in the church. Yet in my sphere, both secular and religious, there were divorces but it was nowhere near half even among those who don’t consider themselves Christian. Now recent research by Shaunti Feldhahn has come to the same conclusion. After studying the contradictory realm of research on divorce, in here book entitled The Good News About Marriage, Feldhahn concluded the actual divorce rate is closer to 20% to 25% for first time marriages.  (Note the divorce rates for those who have divorced and remarried is higher, which skewers the results but still does not push the overall average to 50%.) She did extensive research for her book and actually interviewed academics and researchers who were releasing often contradictory data. She re-examined their statistics, often with their help. For example, when she looked at the 2009 US …

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Don’t Be A Goat!

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Don’t be a goat! Be a sheep! Wait, what? I get the end is near routine, but what does that have to do with goats and sheep? Let me get right to the point on this one. Jesus, my hero, said that when He comes back He will separate the goats from the sheep. The goats get put on his left, which I am told is a place of shame. The sheep get put on the right, which is a place of honor. The goats are people who reject Jesus. The sheep are his followers. Don’t be a goat! I used to be a goat. I bounced around like all the other goats. Doing what I wanted and having a bunch of goat fun. Then I became a sheep. But I was not a good sheep. Instead of doing the things that the other sheep were doing like eating grass in the pasture and listening for the Sheppard’s voice, I jumped the fence and went to play with the wolves. Remember Little Red Riding Hood? …

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How to Die in Prison

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There is a news story developing, in Syria, that is very sad. As the last territory controlled by ISIS is overrun, and the militants face defeat, many people are trying to escape with their lives. ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, is described as a terrorist organization and it is accused of many atrocities. The horror stories have shocked the world, and now no-one wants the refugees. People who participated in organized evil against so many innocent victims, are not wanted back in their home countries. One refugee from ISIS is Shamima Begum, a young woman who is now nine months pregnant. Shamima left her home in England when she was fifteen, and travelled to Turkey with two other your girls, and then they crossed the border into ISIS territory to become brides of ISIS fighters. She was legally a child when she left England, and in ISIS territory she had two babies, both dead now, and she is about to have her third baby. She is appealing to the British government to let …

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Change and Choose

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Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT) I love this scripture and the promise it holds. I can hear God’s heart cry, ‘Oh, that you would choose life.’ It seems to present a logical choice as well. Of course I want life and blessings and not death and curses. But this scripture is not just a casual statement. God wants me to choose Him first in all things. But how can I do this when I am prone to go my own way and make my own choices? I can identify with the following scripture: I know that in me, that is, in my human fallen nature, there is nothing good, I can will myself to do something good but that does not help me carry it out. (Romans 7:18 Voice) It seems for me to want …

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Quit comparing

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We were recently on a cruise and one day I headed to the gym and exercise studio on the 11th deck. I decided to participate in a workout session that I had only observed from my corner of the studio the previous two days. The class was more challenging than what I was used to. Anyways, I made up my mind to step outside of my comfort zone and give it a try.  It was a tough workout. The instructor knew I was struggling and I found myself looking at the women around me who were obviously in better shape. Several times I was ready to quit, get up and walk away from the class. But it was a windy day at sea and we found ourselves either rolling to the left or the right during our routine and loosing our balance. We couldn’t help but laugh at ourselves. The laughter loosened me up a bit and I decided that I wasn’t going to quit and leave the class. Comparing myself to others has never gotten …

Eastern side of Uganda with the highest percentage of Muslims. Credit: hribisko/Flickr/Creative commons

Uganda Muslim extremists are now offended when Christians call Jesus the Son of God

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Located in East Central Africa, Uganda has a population of 42 million people of which 85% are Christian and only 14% (5.88 million) are Muslim. Most of the Muslims live in the Eastern side of Uganda. Yet according to an article in the Washington Times, Muslim extremists have declared open war on Christians if they preach one of the fundamental beliefs of the Christian Faith, that Jesus is the Son of God. When Jesus said “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), the pharisees knew exactly what Christ was saying: 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:33 NASV) The Pharisees were offended by Christ’s claims. Now two thousand years later, the same things seems to be happening today. We first need to understand that the Muslims believe in Jesus. In fact, there is considerably more written about Christ in the Koran than even Muhammad. The Koran calls Jesus a prophet (Surah …

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Toddler says bear protected him while he was lost in the wilderness

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On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, the family of Casey Hathaway reported the three-year-old boy as missing. Casey had wandered away from their North Carolina home into the woods surrounding the home. By the time search teams had organized that evening, the temperature was already below freezing. For two days they searched for the boys with volunteer and professional search teams. By Thursday the weather had become so bad that they stopped the volunteers from searching and continued on with just the professionals. The area is described as “treacherous” covered in sinkholes and flooded areas. Incredibly, that night they found Casey about a half a mile inside the woods after a woman walking her dog heard him calling for help. The sheriffs had to wade through waist deep water to recuse Casey and though cold, hungry and scratched up, he was safe. Then Casey told them a story about what happened. He said that bear looked after him while he was lost. Casey’s aunt posted on Facebook: “He said he hung out with a bear for …