Three Essentials

In Matthew 6, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged His followers by identifying three opportunities that every Christian can, and should, participate in.

“When you give…” (vs 2)

“When you pray…” (vs 2)

“When you fast…” (vs 2)

Much today exists on the subjects of giving and praying, but very little is said about fasting. And yet, probably the most profound lesson found in the life of Jesus was His 40 day fast in the wilderness. Immanuel God with us abstained from food and pressed in with His Father to prepare not only for the temptation that would follow, but also for the days of ministry ahead. As we face the challenges of this life, this mindset of Christ should be ours as well.

Fasting is truly the source of great power in these three “D’s” of your spiritual journey:

Discipline. In 1 Corinthians 9 the Apostle Paul uses athletics as an illustration to describe a disciplined life. In verse 25, a great competitor “exercises self-control” (NASV). Today, in the Church in America, too often “King Stomach” is on the throne, and controls most of what we think and do. We plan our lives around meals. Fasting disciplines us to “just say no” to the flesh. When we get to the place where we lay aside the “natural” desire for food, we begin to learn the discipline of putting on the “spiritual” desire our critical need to go deeper with God.

Discernment. “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting…” Acts 14:23 (ESV) Fasting coupled with prayer gave the early church discernment as they made leadership choices. Rather than making a decision, and then asking God to bless it, they discerned the heart and mind of God and then acted on it. One has to wonder how that might work today.

Direction. Jehoshaphat was in deep trouble. A “great multitude” of the enemy was coming against him. Overwhelming odds were stacked against him. And “Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord; and proclaimed a fast throughout ALL Judah.” 2 Chronicles 20:3 (NASV) All of Jerusalem and Judah fell down before the Lord. God then gave them clear directions and they watched as the enemy literally destroyed themselves. Better than that (if that is possible) it took the people 3 days to gather all of the loot!!

“Fasting positions you to discern the difference between your thoughts and God’s thoughts. There is no higher authority than to know the heart of God for a situation you are facing. His Word is final.”

Start practicing the big three, Give, pray, and fast. It might just turn your life around.

Source:AACC

Unwanted Holiday Guests

Watch out for these unwanted holiday guests… Stress and Anxiety…

You don’t invite them but they show up, seemingly out of nowhere. Often however, their arrival is a result of these three “R’s”:

Relationships. Conflict between family members can happen anytime. But the holidays seem to heighten our tension levels, or at least our awareness of it. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (ESV) That’s a pretty tough assignment when the “Griswolds” are coming to visit. Do what you can to get along but remember, you are not responsible for the actions and attitudes of anyone but yourself. Smile, and be nice. Laugh, and be nice. Here’s a thought… make amends. Maybe even give forgiveness a try…

Resources. Making ends meet is always a challenge, and especially in today’s economy. Trying to make everybody on your “gift” list happy can be a real “joy”, and send you down the drain… financially and emotionally. Ask yourself these two questions: “Whose birthday is it?” and “What are we really celebrating?” 1 John 4:9-11, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only son into the world, so that we might live through Him… Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (ESV) Your greatest gift is love, His love. So be careful in your attitude and words.

Routine. Extra demands on your time, dietary free-fall, and a lack of rest will jerk the jingle out of you!! 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 reminds us, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” Take care of yourself. Rest. Eat right. Exercise. And don’t let the “busyness” rob you of time with your Heavenly Father. Keep your routine. Don’t get off track.

Remember the Christmas miracle? It’s in your heart. Make it all about Jesus this season. When you focus on Him, every “unwanted guest” fades into Peace and Joy.

Source:AACC

Bitterness

Have you ever had to deal with bitterness? I know I have, and here are some tips I hope and pray will help you.

1-Acceptance

Make a list of the persons who have hurt you.
Next to each name, write what you needed from that person.
Next to that, write how it made you feel when that person did not meet your need.
In the last column write whether you think that person will ever be able to meet your need. Be honest.
Accept your loss and grieve it.

2-Forgive

Ask God to help you forgive. Forgiveness is letting go of anger and your quest for revenge. Realize that you are powerless to forgive through your own strength, but God does not ask you to do something without giving you His strength and power to do it.
Ask God to help you feel compassion for your offender. Psalm 78:38 says that God is full of compassion.

3-Break the Chain

Bitterness often runs through families: When a parent does not meet a child’s needs, that child can become bitter and is then unable to meet his or her own child’s needs. The chain can continue through several generations.
Ask God to help you break the chain with your generation.
If you have a bitter parent, see your parent as an emotional cripple. Just as you would not expect a person in a wheelchair to run a marathon, don’t expect an emotional cripple to meet your needs—he/she cannot. Ask God to help you have pity for that person.

4-Look Elsewhere

Find somewhere else to get your needs met. If you are an emotional orphan, God will provide people to meet your needs.
Be proactive and look for those God has provided to meet your needs.
Join a women’s or men’s group, or look for a prayer partner.
If your mother did not meet your need for love and acceptance, find an older woman in the church who would be willing to mentor you. She can give you the love and acceptance your mother never could. The same action is helpful in a father-son situation.
If your husband or wife will not meet your need for friendship and intimacy, look around and see if there is a friend (of the same sex) or family member who is willing to be your friend and kindred spirit. Give of yourself to that person and meet each others’ needs.

And remember, God wants you to forgive so you can be free from the destructive power of bitterness.

Source: AACC

Anger

Sometimes we as Christians feel that it is wrong to feel anger, we somehow feel it's unspiritual. Well we will never be "anger free" so then what do we do? Our goal should be to learn how to control our response to present anger: both the emotional and biological arousals that anger may cause.

Here are some action steps:

See It

Focus on the source of the anger. List the triggers. Until you can control the anger, avoid the triggers as much as possible.

Learn to identify anger before it is out of control.

Identify angry feelings while they are still minor. State out loud, “I’m feeling angry right now.”

Be aware of the first warning signs of anger, which may be physical changes. Anger promotes a sympathetic nervous system response (a physical state of readiness) and the following biological changes: rising heart rate and blood pressure, amplified alertness, tensed muscles, dilated pupils, digestion clenched fists, flared nostrils, bulged veins.

Step number two is to:

Delay It

Take a “time out”; temporarily disengage from the situation if possible (20-minute minimum).

Perform light exercise until the intensity of anger is manageable.
“Write, don’t fight”; jot down troubling thoughts. This exercise is personal and writings should be kept private, possibly destroyed, not sent.

Talk with a trusted friend who is unrelated to the anger-provoking situation: Don’t just vent—ask for constructive advice.

Pray about the anger, asking God to show you insight.

Read proverbs 16:32, "It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city". And Proverbs 29:11, A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back. -Proverbs 29:11.

Hope these tips help, I'll be posting more of them soon.

Source: AACC

Hypocrisy in Action

Speaker of the House Pelosi says that those who disrupt and protest at town hall meetings are un-American, however check the video out, and see her commending protestors and disruptors during protests agaisnt the war. I guess it only applies when people protest agaisnt what she supports, what a hypocrite.

If You Are Stressing About the Swine Flu

Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild. In fact, the current outbreak of the H1N1 virus, which emerged in San Diego and southern Mexico late last month, may not even do as much damage as the run-of-the-mill flu outbreaks that occur each winter without much fanfare. Read It Here.

On The Absurd Front

It seems the Obama administration will give in to a U.S. District Court ruling as an excuse to allow 17-year-olds to buy the morning-after pill without a prescription or their parents' consent. An official with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told reporters that an announcement on the subject was forthcoming but that the decision had been made to overturn the current policy, which dates back to the Bush administration.

Judge Edward Korman ordered FDA officials to make Plan B available over-the-counter to minors as young as 17. The Obama administration has decided to roll over and accept the court decision without a single appeal. Essentially, the President is allowing a lone federal district judge to make a scientific decision that affects the health and safety of women across America. For the young administration, it shows an incredible disinclination to fight for good policy. Considering the risks that Plan B poses to women and its unproven track record after repeated use, there seems to be no rational basis for the President's decision, except political ideology. So let me see, 17 year old girls can't buy cigarettes and they can't buy alcoholic beverages or go in to bars, but they can buy this pill and not tell their parents. How does that make sense?

More Pistachios Are Recalled

Setton Pistachio expanded its voluntary recall of pistachios to include all roasted shell pistachios and in-shell pistachios due to possible salmonella contamination, the Terra Bella, California, company said on Monday. Read Story Here.

Pelosi is At It Again

SHE IS ABOUT TO INTRODUCE GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE. Read Story Here.

Catch Them Doing Good

Here are some positive news from the states to help balance the discouraging stories of these past few months:

Montana: The Senate has passed a bill that protects all persons' rights; "person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency."

Oklahoma: The House passed a bill that would make it illegal to conduct research that would harm or kill an unborn child, including embryonic stem-cell research. House legislators also passed a bill granting more than $1 million to adult stem cell research.

Indiana: After ADF filed a suit in court, the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles decided to reverse a ban on religious messages on personalized license plates.

Mississippi: The House passed a bill that prohibits the University of Mississippi from using state money for research that destroys human embryos.

Texas: The legislature is considering a bill that would coordinate and regulate adult stem cell research. It would also seek funding and direct grants to institutions around the state doing adult stem cell research, including the allocation of about $5 million a year to this ethical alternative.

What's Harry up to Now?

Harry Reid Says He Wants To “Fast Track” President Obama’s Health Care Initiative. In an effort to block a rumored filibuster from the GOP, the Senate Majority Leader is threatening to use a procedural maneuver to avoid any debate or resistance. Read Story Here.

My Way or the Highway!

President Obama may believe in health care for all, but he certainly doesn't support the freedom of all who provide it. Continuing its pattern of selective tolerance, the White House launched its first attack on the conscience protections that President Bush finalized before leaving office. Although the process to rescind the rules has just begun, the President has made no secret of his intent to strong-arm the medical field into a state of blind submission on issues like abortion. Under the rules issued by the Bush administration last year, health care employees have enjoyed stronger protections from these controversial practices that violate their personal or religious beliefs.

On March !0, a coalition of 36 U.S. senators expressed their "grave concern" about the administration's decision to coerce doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to provide "care" against their will. In the letter to President Obama, these senators agreed, "This regulation is not about whether or not abortion should or should not be allowed in America. This regulation is about whether we will respect the deeply held moral convictions of those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the life and health of others... To compromise their right to practice [reduces]... medical professionals to mere vending machines..."

As the senators point out, nothing in these regulations bars a patient from finding a doctor or pharmacist who shares their beliefs. The President, a constitutional law expert, ought to know that the mild inconvenience of finding a new doctor or pharmacist doesn't trump a caregiver's basic freedoms. Infringing on employees' rights may help advance political correctness, but it's certainly not compatible with the President's agenda which, I would remind him, includes a call to end workplace discrimination. These rules are pro-child, pro-woman, and pro-liberty. I applaud these 36 senators for asking President Obama to reinstate them. In the abortion debate, we cannot allow safety and ethics to take a backseat to politics.

Source:Kitchen Table Blog, FRC

Kudos to the OC

In Orange County, California, the only thing local leaders favor aborting is Planned Parenthood's current government contract. On March 11, behind a swell of area support, county supervisors voted unanimously to void the abortion merchant's $292,000 deal. Although the contracts were approved last year as part of a community health initiative, the county board only learned of Planned Parenthood's involvement after members voted in favor of it. According to various reports, none of the clinics receiving taxpayer money was named on the report that supervisors saw before voting.

A handful of concerned citizens, who were inspired by the undercover videos of UCLA student Lila Rose, followed the money trail directly to Planned Parenthood's door. Orange County bureaucrats had apparently buried the contract details in hopes of avoiding the controversy they now find themselves in.

Although the local clinics said the county's money wasn't funding abortion, Supervisor John Moorlach said, "Not to generalize, but when you contract a law firm that specializes in bankruptcies, they most likely will advise you to file for bankruptcy. If you go to Planned Parenthood, they are most likely to recommend their specialized surgical solution, which they provide and are compensated for, which appears to be a conflict of interest."

He called for a rare re-vote on the contracts, and it's encouraging to know that every commissioner in Orange County objected to the funding. Unfortunately, backdoor political deals like the one Orange County just overturned aren't unique to California.

Source: FRC

Pro-Life=Terrorist? So Says Chris Matthews

On Tuesday, March 3, MSNBC host Chris Matthews called pro-life groups and individuals "terrorists" because they oppose the Kathleen Sebelius nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Is it Mr. Matthews' opinion that pro-lifers are terrorists because they oppose a nominee with views that are diametrically opposed to most of America? A nominee so radical it is difficult impossible to find an instance when she stood up as an elected official in support of life.

Does Mr. Matthews want pro-life groups to remain silent on a nominee who voted to weaken and eliminate measures like parental notification and waiting periods? A nominee who directed funds away from programs that support women and towards abortionists like Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Matthews should know better.

We have every right as citizens to object to a nominee who as governor hosted a private reception at the governor's mansion for the notorious late term abortionist George Tiller and his staff, and worked hard to block criminal charges against Tiller.

It is our duty to educate our fellow citizens about a nominee for an influential cabinet position whose views on abortion and health care reform are radically outside the mainstream.

Source:FRC

Keeping Promises

After granting a 24-hour stay on the execution of the unborn, President Obama delivered yesterday on his promise of taxpayer funded promotion of abortion. Yesterday afternoon, the new administration inked the order overturning the "Mexico City policy" and freeing millions of federal dollars to international abortion groups. Of course, it was no accident that the new president postponed the act until the last possible minute on Friday, knowing the repeal would be buried in the weekend headlines. Issuing it now means that even the presidential blackberry will get more media coverage than his international abortion bailout. The end of "Mexico City" is nothing less than a tragedy for the world's poor.

The Land of the Re-Threads

Breaking news suggests that President-elect Obama is unlikely to govern from the middle. By appointing former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D) as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 44th President provided a frightening glimpse of his new Cabinet. According to Politico, "Daschle was also considered for health care czar in the White House, but the transition team decided he could be more effective with Secretary in front of his name." As Majority Leader, Daschle was a notorious opponent of every pro-life measure. He blocked the partial-birth abortion ban, voted for taxpayer-funded military abortions, and supported a measure that would have forced Americans to pay for the distribution of the morning-after pill to young school girls. Apart from his extreme political ideology, the selection of Daschle is even more troubling because the South Dakotan lacks any experience in the public health arena. To most Americans, who thought this election was about "change," these appointments must seem incredibly ironic. So far, the new Obama administration has only managed to change the titles of the same old liberal leadership.

Source: FRC

A Line In the Sand

Facing the most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history, the Catholic Church is mobilizing to respond. In a meeting yesterday, 220 Catholic bishops drafted an official statement, warning Capitol Hill and President-elect Obama that passing the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would be viewed as a direct attack on religion. Back in July of 2007, Barack Obama announced at a Planned Parenthood banquet that signing FOCA was his first priority: "Well, the first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. ...On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield." With almost full control of Congress, Obama will be expected to live up to his promise as payback for the abortion community's support. If successful, the newly expanded majority would abolish over 300 pro-life laws and restrictions even reinstating partial-birth abortion.

Although the Catholic bishops have offered to work with the administration on a number of issues, the defense of life is non-negotiable. "This is not a matter of political compromise," said Bishop Daniel Conlon of Steubenville, Ohio. "It's a matter of absolutes." For some leaders, the church's forceful opposition to FOCA could be the excuse Catholic Democrats need to vote the legislation down.

If not for their conscience, members should be wary of the Bishops' warning for the mere fact that Catholics are a powerful player in the U.S. health care system. As Ed Morrissey points out, Catholics run more than 550 hospitals and 415 clinics in America, spending billions out of pocket to help the disadvantaged get the care they need. Under FOCA, religious providers would have two options: either comply with the abortion mandate or end their services completely. Is Congress so intent on appeasing Planned Parenthood that it would jeopardize the health care of 90 million Americans? We'll see.

Source:FRC

The More Things Change The More they Stay The Same

Barack Obama's website, once home to the President elect's sweeping plan for America, is surprisingly empty. Blogs are speculating why the massive, 25 point agenda was replaced this week with a brief statement. But in Washington, where people are policy, Americans should focus on Obama's personnel directory not his website to understand where our country is headed.

This week, as reports circulate about who the President elect's appointments will be, the spotlight has briefly rested on Susan Wood, co-chair of Obama's "advisory committee for women's health." Wood, who is vehemently pro-abortion, is rumored to be the next commissioner of the FDA. Three years ago, Wood was at that very agency, heading the Office of Women's Health. When her boss postponed a plan to make "emergency contraception" available to teen girls over the counter, Wood resigned in protest. She was outraged that the FDA wanted to delay sales until they could ensure that children under 16 could not access the drug without medical supervision. Under Wood's authority, the FDA would err as she does on the side of abortion advocacy, not American safety.

Her influence in the Obama administration could also mean the end of pro-life measures in our global AIDS policy. In a speech, Wood claims the U.S. has been "going in the wrong direction" on PEPFAR. While leaders in Africa have universally praised Bush's emphasis on abstinence and monogamy, Wood hints that the new president will implement a condom-based approach "not just this narrow, political ideology." That would be bad news for Africans

Source:FRC

Obama's Abortion Extremism

Sen. Barack Obama's views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket. Read Story Here.

Follow Up

In following up on a previous post on what the Brithish House of Commons was doing about animal-human cloning,here is the update the British House of Commons has passed an animal-human hybrid law that pushes the U.K. deeper into science's uncharted waters than any other country in the world. After just three hours of fiery debate, critics of the research fell far short of blocking this radical marriage of the human and animal species. By a lopsided 336 to 176, MP's granted scientists the license to create any kind of hybrid, including those derived from cloning, animal eggs and human sperm, genetic engineering, and more. From here, the outlook is bleak. Hybrids will likely be approved in a final vote next month. Making matters worse, MP's also approved the creation of "savior siblings," which means that parents can use fertility treatments to create an embryo whose genetic material would be harvested to help a sick older child. Here at home, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) and Rep. Chris Smith's (R-N.J.) bill banning animal-human hybrids sits idle. Contact your leaders and ask them to move quickly in distancing America from Britain's ethical quagmire.