Sometimes charm is not enough. Arriving with the proper introductions and support is essential to developing workplace rapport. This is especially critical if you do not fit the local people’s stereotype of the Foreign V.I.P.
If you are not, by way of example, “The Beautiful Italian”, but instead you are of a respectable age with charming features, your initial reception may be less enthusiastic than if you fit the hosts’ preconceived image.
Unfortunately, some corporations play to the “stereotypes” and if you are a member of a minority, racial or ethnic group, female or physically disabled, this might be to your detriment.
When a former president of an Oil Company in Saudi Arabia said, “This business of communicating has become as important as finding more oil,” he stated a belief held by many.
According to a study done by Watson Wyatt of 267 U.S. companies between 1998 and 2002, those that communicated most effectively provided a 26% return to shareholders and those with the least-effective communication provided a return of only 15%.
It was also concluded that those with the most effective communicative ability also had the less employee turnover.
Our local newspapers inadvertently record daily, companies who are constantly and consistently seeking new hire. Why is that?
Think about it! Whatever type of organization you work in, now or in the future, your success and your organization’s success hinges on the collaborative ability to communicate effectively.
As we gallop full speed ahead into the 21st century, the concept of a global economy rings sharper than ever before!
Technological advances in travel and telecommunications have provided the means for accelerated integration of the world market.
COMPETITION
Competition comes from every corner of the globe in today’s marketplace and is forcing many businesses to look at new ways of cutting costs while maintaining market share and high-quality levels.
I’ve also learnt that it is becoming more and more of an asset for an individual to become proficient in foreign languages. I need to brush up on my French. Lol!
Managers and Consultants schooled in the ways of multinational business and multicultural service organizations are critical to the expansion of international opportunities.
For example, if we were to glance at the job ads in any of the big city newspapers around the world, if you have international skills, many countries are in need of English-language teachers.
This trend of internationalizing business and services has led to increasing numbers of people working in multicultural settings.
Business relationships are now being forced to overcome cultural differences as firms strive to maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
However, according to my studies this is not as easy as it sounds.
Working in a foreign country is, as the name implies, an alien experience.
This means language and, most importantly, understanding diverse values in the workplace or country you’re currently residing in, is extremely important.
Therefore, individuals should be cognizant of their methods of communications and note that what might be successful in one country’s operations can and will sometimes meet with failure when transplanted into another cultural setting.
Nevertheless, the basic communication process still remains the same.
The Communication Process
As we’ve all learnt as adolescents in school, it involves a sender or encoder who then sends a message using various channels or mediums (i.e. telephones, radios, televisions, computers, written memos, videotapes, electronic mails etc.) to a receiver or decoder.
In this new age of advance technology, messages are communicated via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Snapchat, through the media, integrated in our songs, music videos, etc.
We have become a very interactive world!
It has become regular news in today’s society to create products and methods which helps us to share and connect more and more with each other.
Early Inventions and Patents
The Fax (Facsimile) Machine
The fax (facsimile) machine is considered one of the oldest inventions. It is even older than Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Patents for the first fax machine dates back nearly 150 years.
The first commercial fax system was invented and patented in the United States in 1863 by an Italian priest, Giovanni Caselli, who helped establish a fax line between Paris and Lyons for five years, 1865-1870. At the time, Giovanni was considered “some kind of a nut” with his scientific “junk” scattered all around his home. The Italian priest’s small home looked more like a mad scientist’s workshop than the residence of a man of the cloth.
Giovanni worked alongside Alexander Bain, who was an expert clockmaker, for seven long years from 1857-1864, refining and improving the fax machine and Bain’s clock-driven pendulum idea.
Finally, in 1863 Giovanni Caselli made major improvements to the fax design:
He installed a separate clock in the transmitting end that synchronized the pendulums on each perfectly.
His fax did not require the original to be scratched in metal or written in special ink. Ordinary ink worked.
Originals could be reproduced in the same size or reduced.
Different messages could simultaneously be transmitted through a single wire.
While decorative and flowery pictures were occasionally faxed, the fax line was predominantly used to carry stock market information between 1866 and 1870.
Eventually the fax caught the attention of the press, mainly because they could clearly see its benefits to their industry. Newspapers and magazines praised the new invention for its public service.
“Who could do better?”
Wrote a journalist at the time. But the interruption of the 1870 war and the siege of Paris, saw the era of the mechanical fax machine with their pendulums and clockworks coming to an end.
At the turn of the century, mankind had upgraded to the modern fax machines that used light beams to read and write and had replaced the swinging pendulums.
Pictures by Fax – In 1902 physicist Arthur Korn of Germany dramatically improved English inventor Frederick Bakewell’s rotating drum idea. He constructed his cylinder out of glass, positioned a selenium cell inside, and wrapped the intended fax around the cylinder. By shinning a light through the picture and onto the selenium, Korn’s machine accurately converted the picture into electrical signals. On the other end, the signal was converted back to light and was shone on photographic film. As a result, a permanent copy was created.
Arthur Korn’s system was an overwhelming success, especially for the newspaper business, which was rapidly growing in circulation at the time. The fax machine was quickly becoming indispensable to the press and realizing the machine’s value in the competitive newspaper business, the French newspaper at the time called L’Illustration bought out Arthur’s rights to the machine in 1906 and monopolized its use in France.
As I said before, we have become a very interactive and open world. Privacy is now a highly sought commodity!
Especially for Public Figures and Celebrities and I can seriously understand all the reasons why. However, let me not deviate from my own message which I’m trying to communicate. (Lol!)
The Telephone- Alexander Graham Bell (Patented on the 14th February 1876
Alexander Graham Bell is famous for inventing the telephone, but during Bell’s era another experienced inventor called Elisha Gray took Bell to court in the 1870s, suing for the patent rights to the talking machine.
Elisha Gray
Elisha Gray, (born Aug. 2, 1835, Barnesville, Ohio, U.S.—died Jan. 21, 1901, Newtonville, Mass).
Obviously Gray did not win the patent rights as Bell is credited with the invention. However, history might have recorded Elisha Gray as the inventor if Bell had not beaten him to the patent office by a few hours on February 14th 1876.
The story is one of the most fascinating and illustrative of the contrast in style between two different types of men: My studies claimed that one man was steered by the promise of fortune and fame, while the other strictly believed in the pursuit of knowledge as his own reward.
Even after winning his patent Bell could not convince big businesses or Elisha Gray of the telephone’s usefulness. Gray was known to refer to the invention as a “beautiful scientific toy”.
Bell even offered to sell his telephone patent to Western Union https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-Union-Corporation but it was rejected by the company. A few years later, the very same company tried to strip Bell of his patent in a lawsuit with Elisha Gray.
Many agree that Gray was definitely an able and diligent scientist who had independently arrived at the same conclusion as Alexander Bell, but the courts were convinced that Bell deserved the patent.
To Elisha Gray, as a self-assured business man, the telephone was an annoying curiosity, almost in the same category as a hobby. However, to Bell, an amateur inventor working virtually alone, the telephone was his life.
Clarence Saunders (9th August 1881- 14th October 1953) was a flamboyant and innovative man who thought there was a waste in manpower and space in the conventional stores of his time.
It might sound strange, which it did to me when I came across this information, but the idea of a supermarket was indeed patented. According to Inventing the 20th Century,100 Inventions that shaped the World by Stephen Van Dulken, Saunders idea was filed on the 21st October 1916 and published as US patent # 1242872. C. Saunders – Self Serving Store: Patented October 9th 1917
He named the new chain Piggly Wiggly ® and franchised the format as high-volume, low-profit margin stores. The Supermarket chain is still in operation to this day.
Apparently, there is a legend told about the unusual name of the supermarket chain. Saunders stated that he once saw from a train several piglets trying to get under a fence. Lol! ked0 Smart Hy
Clarence Saunders
Over the next several years Saunders patented several improvements to the concept of a self-service store, as well as such ideas as price tagging, a lightening system for self-service stores and tape for adding machines.
Dispute with the New York Stock Exchange left him bankrupt and he never was able to live in the huge house in Memphis which he had started to build.
PINK HOUSE MUSEUM
It is now the Pink House Museum, and contains a replica of his first supermarket.
Inventing is a very tough business. It takes a thick skin and the ability to keep smiling after constantly hearing “no”.
With the death or departure of the founder of any innovative invention, quality often gives way to quantity.
Communication 101
In a survey of 480 companies and public organizations by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the ability to communicate ranked first among personal qualities of college graduates sought by employers.
We deliberately communicate through writing, reading, speaking and listening and according to Henry Mintzberg in The Nature of Managerial Work, Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO), spend allmost every minute of their day communicating.
In any organization, people communicate in many ways. Face-to-Face communication takes place during one-on-one discussions, in informal groups, and during meetings.
However, when individuals communicate face-to-face, they experience the most effective form of communication. Both nonverbal cues and verbal communication supply immediate feedback.
The critical question for you to ask yourself when communicating is, “What is my objective?”.
Do you want to motivate others to support a new or existing idea? Do you want to encourage healthy open dialogue or are you just disseminating useful information?
Miscommunication or no Communication
Unfortunately, there are many causes of miscommunication. As we know, right here in the Cayman Islands, we have many people living and working here from around the world and this can sometimes cause personality differences, word-meaning confusion, inferences, gender differences and intercultural differences.
However, I personally do not believe that this should be looked upon as a “bad thing” but as a necessary catalyst for stimulation and growth for our economy.
Individuals from different cultures bring different perceptions, value systems and different languages to the workplace. Yes, it may cause miscommunication but hey, most people are good people and there might be something you can learn from them and vice versa!
I strongly believe we just need to be more sensitive and aware of an individual’s background and experience when communicating in order to be our most effective.
We should also check to see if there are any hidden biases and if we are forming an opinion regarding certain people based on their sex, religion, age, race or simply because they belong to a particular group.
Prejudging people may make it difficult to communicate with them.
And I can’t stress enough that we should avoid stereotyping and the use of sexist, racist or ethnic remarks.
Feedback
Immediate feedback is best but sometimes not realistic. Feedback reports to the sender that the receiver (the decoder) received and understood the message. When the receiver responds to the sender, the communication process starts over again. Feedback therefore makes communication a two-way process, allowing the sender to become a receiver and vice versa.
Sometimes personal reflections can be a source of feedback when you make observations of yourself in action. You might ask yourself, “Wow, was that really me? I didn’t think I could really do it,” or “Why didn’t I think of doing this before?” Or, you might observe a certain scenario and state, “This didn’t really work the way I planned it, but the reality turned out to be better than I could have hoped for.”
Other people are also great for feedback, with one being the sender and the other being the receiver. Sometimes we need constructive observations of our actions towards others. Someone may tell you, “I didn’t think you had the guts to actually remain in such a toxic environment for so long. I know I couldn’t. I’m very impressed with you!” or, “Ever since you returned from college, you’re like a different person-so strong and decisive and self-confident. I like it!”
Unfortunately, there will always be those people around you who may be jealous of your decisive actions or your self-confidence and may give you negative feedback without any real reason for their comments. But, if you stop and think about it, you will realize that many times a person’s jealousy is just a way of revealing their envy of you. Either way, the feedback is necessary.
Results are another important source of feedback. By observing the actual effects of your actions on the intended subject, you may be able to clear up misunderstandings and explore each other’s viewpoints. If the necessary debates and negotiations work out well, everyone should feel as if some of their ideas were taken into account.
Even though technology has revolutionized the way we communicate and conduct business, the most vital element of communication remains the continued development of an organization’s most valuable resource-its people.
Most writers spend countless hours brainstorming their characters and plots, and they even write page after page that they know they’ll never include in their books. They do this because they know that ideas need time to develop. We tend to hesitate when it’s time to get started because we know that our ideas aren’t perfect and that what we might produce might not be good.
But how can you ever produce something great if you don’t get started and give your ideas time to evolve? Think about it! One of my favorite quote says, “”Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Begin it!”
However, we have to be careful when choosing our pursuits, because our habits make us who we are.
Satanism is a big problem around the world and it is beyond anything that has been portrayed in the press. Every city, town or country has its covens, groups or community of people who directly worship and serve Satan.
Unfortunately, it also appears that even some High schools, Universities, Colleges and even Christian schools have their own covens.
In addition to this, did you know that many Asian religions practice another form of Satanism like Egyptians, and Caribbean cults?
Types of Doorways
Inheritance
Ouija board
Yoga
Palm reading
Ritual sex
Tarot cards
General occult games
Animal sacrifice
Murder
Horoscope
Blood contracts
Witchcraft
Drugs
Kung fu
Karate
Human sacrifice
Drinking blood (animal & human)
Hypnosis
Incest
Rock music
Occult & horror movies
Rebellion
Drunkenness
Multiple sexual relationships
Cannibalism
Astral-projection
Blasphemy
The Meaning of the Lotus Flower
Nothing is more spiritual than the lotus—it experiences immaculate conception every single day. Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, Egyptian bean or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is often colloquially called a water lily.
According to my most recent studies, a prominent figure in Buddhist and Egyptian culture, and native flower for both India and Vietnam, the lotus holds enormous symbolic weight. It spans various thousand-year-old Eastern cultures and yet, is still considered one of the most sacred flowers today.
So, what is it about this mysterious blossom that people find so enrapturing? Its colorful bloom is one obvious example, but the lotus also has a life cycle unlike any other. With its roots based in mud, it submerges every night into murky river water, and—undeterred by its dirty environment—it miraculously re-blooms the next morning without residue on its petals.
Although cultures have their own interpretations of this daily process, there is a general consensus among ancient texts that it symbolizes spiritual enlightenment and rebirth. The lotus stunned people with its ability to dip into the grime and revive itself unscathed—an incredible daily cycle of life, death, and a sudden immaculate rebirth that can only be described as spiritual. It is no wonder the lotus is associated with such celestial symbolism—the flower simply defies logic.
The lotus represented something unearthly and enlightening for Eastern cultures, which is why the flower is often seen alongside divine figures. In Buddhist and Egyptian culture, the flower represented the universe. In Hindu culture, it is said that gods and goddesses sat on lotus thrones. And according to Buddhist myth, the Buddha appeared atop a floating lotus, and his first footsteps on Earth left lotus blossoms.
As divine as the Gods, the flower of rebirth was thought to contain magical properties as well. The ancient Egyptians believed lotuses had the ability to resurrect the deceased.
“The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud.”
Each flower color also has its own symbolism. For Buddhist practitioners, a white lotus symbolizes purity, whereas a yellow lotus is associated with spiritual ascension. However, the real question remains: how has the flower acquired such all-encompassing spiritual significance?
The lotus flower’s daily resurrection is certainly interesting, and surely symbolic of revival. (This makes it the perfect gift for anyone recovering from injury or a traumatic experience.) But the flower also has a fascinating will to live. A lotus seed can withstand thousands of years without water, able to germinate over two centuries later.
The flower also blooms in the most unlikely of places such as the mud of murky river water in Australia or Southern Asia. Not only does it find sanctuary in the muck, but due to the waxy protection layer on its petals, its beauty is blithely unaffected when it re-blooms each morning. It continues to resurrect itself, coming back just as beautiful as it was last seen. With such refusal to accept defeat, it’s almost impossible not to associate this flower with unwavering faith.
Although many cultures have largely dubbed the lotus as a spiritual figurehead, it is most emblematic of the faith within ourselves. It is particularly what the Buddhist proverb, aims to edify; living life with unwavering faith, as the lotus does, ensures the most beautiful revivals.
Awwh- what a cute story! However, it doesn’t matter how you pretty it up and make it look glamorous, every religion that worships and serves demons is a form of Satanism. Some people refer to them as energies, vibrations, pagan gods, spirit entities etc.
On March 20th 1995, Tokyo’s Fire Department had received its first emergency call-there was no fire, but something a lot more catastrophic! For the first time in modern history, terrorists had used a chemical weapon to attack ordinary, innocent people. Twelve people had died, hundreds were injured and thousands felt the effects. Billions of people around the world now realized that they too could become victims of a weapon of mass destruction as they went about their daily lives.
It was a fear that would be on the minds of millions of commuters everywhere and perhaps is still remembered by many today, every time they descend into the mazes of the subterranean tunnels of major cities.
The death toll would have been substantially higher except for the fortunate fact that these terrorists-originating from a bizarre but determined and dangerous cult known as Aum Shinrikyo-simply did not know much about what they were doing and botched the job of spreading their highly lethal chemical, a nerve gas called sarin.
The terrorist cult, Aum Shinrikyo, began when a young man named Chizuo Matsumoto opened a small publishing firm and school for yoga. He gave himself a new name-Shoko Asahara, which means “Bright Light”, which seemed fitting, for he had long ago set his sights on being the leader of Japan.
Asahara shaped his school into a movement and then a cult. He perverted precepts of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity in a doctrine that emphasized an impending apocalypse, complete with far-out practices and rituals and a belief in subversion or mutiny as the path to supremacy.
He preached that only through death and total destruction could there be a renewal. Asahara proclaimed himself savior and demanded total obedience from his followers. According to Taro Takimoto, a lawyer who is an expert on the cult:
“To followers, his existence is beyond God; he’s a superpower. So, he controls the whole universe. In actuality, he’s just a psychopath.”
Asahara’s following grew into the tens of thousands, among them a number of scientists and technicians. That suited his larger plan, a quest to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Along the way, according to the Carnegie Institute for International Peace, they had amassed a fortune- $1 billion- to acquire weapons that would kill large numbers of people.
Aum Shinrikyo disciples went to Australia to try to buy a uranium mine-to acquire material to make a nuclear bomb. They began an all-out effort to obtain biological and chemical weapons and materials-by any means.
“They specifically recruited scientists and technicians for this effort,”
said chemical arms expert Amy Smithson.
They set out to obtain the most lethal biological weapons they could find.
“Aum Shinrikyo sent some people to Africa, looking into the Ebola illness, which is a major and disastrous kind of bacterial effect,”
Said Robert Jay Lifton, a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and expert in the history of violence.
“And what’s very clear now is that Aum wanted to really have this kind of weapon to use rather than being interested in curing anybody.
You have, as with Aum Shinrikyo, a combination of ultimate zealotry and ultimate weapons. There couldn’t be a more dangerous combination. Anyone acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological weapons are dangerous. But those who are ultimately zealots are most dangerous of all.”
The group, led by Shoko Asahara, had already carried out several assassinations and terrorist attacks using sarin, including the Matsumoto sarin attack nine months earlier. They had also produced several other nerve agents, including VX, and attempted to produce botulinum toxin and had perpetrated several failed acts of bioterrorism. Asahara had been made aware of a police raid scheduled for March 22 and had planned the Tokyo subway attack in order to hinder police investigations into the cult and perhaps spark the apocalypse they believed in.
In the raid following the attack, police arrested many senior members of the cult. Police activity continued throughout the summer, and over 200 members were arrested, including Asahara. Thirteen of the senior Aum management were sentenced to death and later executed; many others were given prison sentences up to life. The attack remains the deadliest terrorist incident in Japan as defined by modern standards.
Jesus is tested in the Wilderness
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.,’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me”.
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministries.
I strongly believe that God has a purpose for my life, however, I know that my journey will not be an easy or glamourous pursuit.
Think about it! We wouldn’t want to create collateral damage.
The song writer says,
“He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear, gladness for mourning, peace for despair”.
Let’s cultivate constructive and beautiful habits that will send us in the right direction and create collateral beauty within ourselves and our community in our pursuit of happiness.
Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one of Drake’s experiments, Eddie’s body merges with the alien Venom — leaving him with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so intoxicating.
First Bowl
First Bowl (Revelation 16:1-2) – This bowl is poured “on the earth” and aimed specifically at those who have the mark of the Beast.
Studies also conclude that it is the fulfillment of
Revelation 14:9-11. The judgement is an affliction of serious and detestable
sores upon the human body.
Second Bowl (Revelation 16:3) – This bowl is poured “into the sea,” turning the water to blood so that every living thing that was left alive from previous judgements will be killed. Apparently, the stench and disease that will result from this is unimaginable.
Third Bowl
Third Bowl (Revelation 16:4-7) – The third bowl is poured
“into the rivers and the springs of waters” so that all remaining fresh water
is also turned to blood.
This judgement is God’s answer to the martyrs’ prayer that their deaths be avenged (Revelation 6:10).
Fourth Bowl
Fourth Bowl (Revelation 16:8-9)- This bowl is poured “upon the sun” so that an extraordinary heat goes forth and scorches people with fire.
We are told how the people on earth respond:
“They blasphemed the name of God…and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.”
14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Fifth Bowl
Fifth Bowl (Revelation 16:10-11) – The next bowl is poured
out “on the throne of the beast” so that his whole domain is darkened with a
blackout.
This is similar to the darkness experienced in Egypt during the ten plagues (Exodus 10:21-23). Apparently, this is not a normal darkness but is accompanied by some kind of agony that will cause people to gnaw their tongues because of the pain.
Once again, the response is to blaspheme “the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their
deeds.”
2 Timothy 3:1-9
3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Six Bowl
Sixth Bowl (Revelation 16:12-15) – This bowl is poured out “on the great river, the Euphrates” so that its flow of water dries up.
This prepares the way for the kings of the East to come to
the mountains of Israel for the battle of Armageddon.
Revelation 16: 12-21
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river
Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the
East.
13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs;
they came out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go
out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great
day of God Almighty.
15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that
in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Avoiding Armageddon
In the book Avoiding
Armageddon, Our Future. Our Choice by Martin Schram, the former President
Jimmy Carter stated,
“One of the things I’ve learned, I would say perhaps more since I left the White House than while I was president, is how attitudes of ordinary citizens can be welded or shaped by leaders, with their rhetoric. You can inspire a nation to want to go to war, to despise another culture or people by persuasive words of a respected leader.”
“But the thing that gives me hope for the future-in the Middle East…or on a global basis to control nuclear weapons-is that the people of every society really want peace. And they need to be guided by their leaders not to an avenue of hatred and animosity and exacerbating differences that are inevitable-religious, ethnic differences, geographical differences-but how do we assuage (I like that word!) another people? How do we understand them and offer them an agreement, or resolution of a potential conflict, where both sides come out winners?
‘So, that commitment to a negotiation, or mediation, or dialogue process to resolve problems, and respect for the other people who differ from us, I think, is a potential solution to regional conflicts and to the potential of a global nuclear holocaust. Because one that is regional can very well precipitate in an uncontrollable way to a much greater war”.
“One of the nurturing places for terrorism are countries that have so seriously deprived their own citizens of basic human rights that the citizens lose their self-respect and become hopeless about the future, and inherently tend to blame their plight on some-someone else-quite often, their own leaders. And that’s the origin of almost all civil wars.
Otherwise, they tend to single out, in this new era of globalization or instant communication, symbols of excessive wealth and waste and what they consider to be degenerate lives. And there is fostered within that despairing a hopeless person, an inclination to take action to protect oneself, to protect ones’ religious beliefs, and maybe to improve one’s own lot in life.
“And that is the breeding ground for terrorism when, under the guise of a mistaken interpretation of God’s will, or the will of Allah, or whatever object of worship it might be, persuasive people say it’s God’s will to kill, or to maim, or to destroy, or to embarrass those people who may have caused your plight and your cause of despair and hopelessness.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and
out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying,
“It is done!”
18 Then there came flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals
of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred
since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.
19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of
the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup
filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be
found.
21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a
hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of
hail, because the plague was so terrible.
As writers we all share a common goal of telling a
story. It is our awesome responsibility to communicate successfully to our
readers information of all kinds.
I strongly believe that the function of both writers and
journalists are very relevant in today’s society.
According to Louis D. Brandeis who was an associate justice
of the U.S. Supreme Court, “The function of the press is extremely important.
To mistake or suppress the news is in breach of trust.”
However, I believe that although journalists try to honor
and protect their carefully won independence from party and commercial
pressures, they must be careful not to get detached from the outside pressures
which could bleed into disengagement from the community.
What’s your story and why do you like yellow? When I
see the color yellow- I think happy!
According to my latest research-the color yellow relates to
acquired knowledge. It is the color which resonates with the left or logic side
of the brain, stimulating our mental faculties and creating mental agility and
perception.
Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, the color psychology
of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness
and fun. In the meaning of colors, yellow inspires original thought and
inquisitiveness.
1 Corinthians 14:13 13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgement by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
The Yello Cayman Team placed special emphasis on education
and our children in the 2018 directory, featuring the history of our education
system, what it means to be a teacher, showcasing all of our youth associations
and the multiple businesses who generously invested in education.
Personally
however, I have come to realize that in order to promote and create equity
($$$) in an educational context and provide dividends; we teachers need to
‘understand’ how our students learn and how this is affected by their physical,
intellectual, linguistic, social, cultural and emotional development.
Therefore, I’d like to upgrade my lesson to include the
following features:
A student of Innovation or Creativity should be able solve problems, create products or raise issues in a domain that is initially novel but is eventually accepted in one or more cultural setting.
Such performances may include a student knowing the basics of marketing and creating a website like the following: teneishajohnson-dream(currently being upgraded to better serve you)
Creating standard blogs like the following: https://teneishajohnsondream.wordpress.com (For more detailed information read: Building a WordPress Blog people want to read, Second Edition by Scott McNulty) or
http://thinkr.xyz/members/teneishajohnson/ (For more detailed information read: Create your own Blog: 6 Easy Projects to start blogging like a Pro by Tris Hussey or go to the book’s blog where you can post questions in the forum at www.sixbloggingprojects.com for updates since her book was published.
The above are just a few examples of tools created or used to gather and disperse information, while displaying creativity and skill all at the same time!
Discovery Day in the Cayman Islands
On the third Monday of every May, the people of the Cayman Islands celebrate the discovery of their islands by Christopher Columbus in 1503. This year, Discovery Day will be on the 20th May 2019.
According to historical records, on May 10th 1503, it was recorded that Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles seen swimming in the surrounding waters.
Labor Day: Our Caribbean Neighbors
Also, during the month of May, many other Caribbean
countries like Montserrat, Barbados, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba,
Curacao, St. Maarten, Grenada and St. Lucia will recognized what is known as Labor
Day.
However due to 2017’s volatile hurricane season, many of
them are still truly laboring to build back their homeland.
Many places like Anguilla suffered catastrophic damage after
the passing of Hurricane Irma.
Many Government Infrastructures were demolished, Parliamentary buildings flattened, Hospitals and Schools swept away after the hurricane had finished its devastation.
Speaking of Labor, during the entire month of May which is the fifth month, we shall once again celebrate our children!
This May will be the annual observance of Child Month. During this time a series of events and family activities will take place that help raise awareness of the important roles and different functions of the various people in the community, who help make the Cayman Islands a better place for children.
Did you also know that five means grace or favor? I declare that our children are definitely sovereign favor from the Lord!
I have already started praying in earnest for young boys and girls to rise up and take their rightful place in a society that may instigate and perpetuate havoc with their ignorance and innocence.
Even though they may be earnest and young, may they find
God’s purpose for their life and grow in confidence and love towards one
another.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 1946, to
provide emergency food and healthcare to children and mothers in countries that
had been devastated by World War II.
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to save
children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their
potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And they never give up.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Logo (PRNewsFoto/St. Jude Children’s Hospital)
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children’s catastrophic diseases, particularly leukemia and other cancers. The hospital costs about $2.8 million a day to run, and there is no cost to the patient to be treated. Visit the following link for more information: https://www.stjude.org/
Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.
We have so many people who are famous for their philanthropic endeavors, however the wonderful experience of watching an awesome movie is definitely an art worth carrying forward!
The Share a Dream Foundation was founded by Shay Kinsella in
1989 after meeting a beautiful 7-year-old girl who was fighting a terrible
uphill battle with Leukemia. Seeing what this little girl (and her family) was
going through in her fight to hang onto life and find some quality of life was
heart wrenching for Shay.
He wondered if she had ever done anything special in her
short but traumatic young life and when he was told her greatest dream was to
go to Disneyland, Shay set about making her dream come true.
Sadly, however this little girl passed away before Shay was
able to help realize her dream and this left him devastated. At that moment he
promised that he would do everything he could to bring a little magic into the
lives of sick and disabled children all over Ireland and so was born the “Share
a Dream Foundation”. Now in its 27th year, the Share a Dream Foundation has
worked with thousands of children North and South to help their dreams come
true and give them a break away from hospitals, painful treatments, loneliness
and fear.
Each year Share A Dream Foundation helps hundreds of families throughout Ireland to escape from their everyday lives and just have fun. We hold Concerts, Trips to Disneyland, the National Children of Courage Awards and Dream Ball, Family Holidays and help make many individual dreams come true for terminally ill children.
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
The Son Superior to Angels (Hebrews 1:5-14)
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father?" Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son?" 6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire." 8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. 10 He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?" 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Warning to pay attention (Hebrews 2:1-4)
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Jesus made fully human (Hebrews 2:5-12)
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? 7 You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor 8 and put everything under their feet." In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises. 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Jesus greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6)
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house", bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
Warning against unbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19)
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”[c 16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
A Sabbath- Rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:1-13)
4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.[a]3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” 6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 5:1-10)
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”[ 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Warning Against Falling Away (Hebrews 5:11-14)
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Twinkle Twinkle little Star
Losing the Status of Pregnancy
Childbirth is a beautiful experience or it should be,
however many women not only discover and experience the yellow (child) within,
but many of them also experience the “Blues” or “Baby Blues”.
During the first days after childbirth, many women miss the
“simplicity” of their pregnant days. Before the baby arrived, they had few
responsibilities and benefited from enormous amounts attention. While pregnant,
they might have been pampered, taken care of, watched over meticulously by
doctors and treated as the most valuable commodity carrying the baby.
During delivery, the expectant mother may still be the center of the universe, but as soon as that baby is delivered, all attention has shifted to the baby. And it is not easy to give up one’s role as the star!
Baby Bottles
Friends and relatives run straight to the cradle without
asking how the mother is doing.
Many women have waited months, sometimes years to have a baby, only to now find their womb empty and themselves ignored. For many women, especially the “21st Century Super Woman” the hardest part is being referred to just a single role, that of mother.
Body Confidence
According to Sylvia Brown, author of The
Post-Pregnancy Handbook, this psychological fragility is often accentuated by
the disappointment that most women feel in regard to their own bodies. She
writes that many of them would like to recover quickly and get their bodies
back in shape and also regain their lost equilibrium.
I’m too sexy for my body (Lol)!
However, it must be realized that realistically, it takes months to do that. It takes nine months to create a baby and perhaps may take the same amount of time if not more to recuperate. New mothers must accept that their bodies will never be the same, that their body will now have a new appearance, and fulfill new functions.
Fatigue
Fatigue brings on depression. Most mothers are
exhausted after delivering a baby. If their labor was long, they probably
missed a night’s sleep. Added to the physical fatigue a mother may endure is
the nervous tension of actually giving birth, the physical suffering, and for
some “the excruciating” pain and constant worry.
After the actual experience of childbirth, some mothers may
have to deal with the pain of an episiotomy (find meaning), hemorrhoids, or the
scar of a cesarean section which also inhibits sleep.
Uncertainty and Regrets (Maternal Instincts)
The arrival of a baby can unleash a crisis of
self-confidence. Even if the new mother thinks she has “prepared” for the
birth, by reading wonderful and informative books like The Post Pregnancy Handbook by Sylvia Brown, the new mother may be
surprised by the baby’s apparent vulnerability.
The mother is now thrown off track by the number of new
things she has to know, and by how little direction her baby gives her. She may
also not be very confident in her maternal instincts and questions her fragile
feelings, that are so new to her:
“It’s not normal. Yesterday he opened his eyes and drank, but he has been sleeping nonstop since yesterday evening. That can’t be normal”.
The new mother doubts her ability to satisfy her baby. All
of this constitutes a shock for the woman who until now felt that she was in
charge of her own life.
The feeling of powerlessness can be multiplied if the
childbirth was a difficult one. Some
women feel the have “failed” in childbirth if they have had to use anesthesia
when they had expected to be able to master their own pain, undergo an
emergency cesarean section or had forceps used during delivery.
Some women miss their full, fertile belly, which is now
empty, or they are disappointed if the father is not behaving as they had hoped
he would.
They have now also lost their status as a little girl, and now must become a responsible mother, forsaking the previous attention bestowed upon them, and turning their attention to another.
Baby Blues (Different types of Postnatal Reactions)
The “Blues” is another word used for Postpartum
Depression and is very frequent and completely normal after childbirth. This mild
sadness usually disappears quickly as the hormonal and psychological systems
get back on track and the mother gets wrapped up in her child.
Unfortunately, researchers say some women develop a much
more severe depression that begins in the weeks following delivery and can
impair their ability to mother the child and fall in love with it.
Being detached then makes the mother feel even more
depressed and inadequate about not being a good mother. What was meant to be a
joyful time has now turned into a nightmare.
It is important to be alert to the possibility of severe
depression after delivery-especially in women who have had one in previous
pregnancies.
The baby blues: short-term state of depression principally of hormonal origin.
Postnatal depression: not strictly limited to the postnatal period. This is a psychiatric illness that requires both prescription medication and /or psychotherapy.
Puerperal psychosis: This is an extreme form of postnatal depression that requires immediate hospitalization, with symptoms including hallucinations, extreme confusion, and rejection of the baby.
Socioeconomic Causes
Financial and professional insecurity is one of
the biggest sources of real worries for many new mothers, especially if the new
mother has any doubts about whether she will be able to return to her job or if
she fears the reactions of her boss or colleagues.
Many single mothers are faced with the
uncertainty of support from the child’s father, or may not be able to identify
or locate the child’s father in order to receive that support.
Some mothers, even though they may be married,
may have a husband who is unemployed, or the couples combined financial
situation is not strong enough to support the baby’s arrival.
Some mothers face public humiliation from the
public rejection by the father of their baby, especially if the father is
disturbed by the baby’s arrival. The father may be jealous or frustrated by
another human being taken his place in the “spotlight”. The new mother, wants
to make her husband happy and keep the couple intact (often, subconsciously, in
order to ensure her child’s financial and emotional security), but she is
disturbed by the father’s indifference or even hostility to the child.
Many women feel they are losing control of their life during
the weeks after childbirth. During pregnancy, they may feel that their body was
escaping their control and beyond proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, a
pregnant woman cannot control the development of the baby inside her.
An obsession with perfection or expectations set too high will most definitely lead to anger and frustration when events don’t go as planned. Many women find themselves in competition with other women or their own mothers, to try to prove that she can be a better mother, or deliberately does the opposite to show her disapproval.
A perfectionist, who has read everything and prepared for
every detail of the baby’s arrival as if motherhood were a science, may then
expect every aspect of her baby’s life to fit into well-defined boxes. If
childbirth or the baby presents even the slightest complication, the mother may
feel hurt and betrayed. Her self-esteem has now taken a real blow and she feels
extremely guilty that she cannot seem to satisfy her baby’s needs.
Many new mothers worry excessively the first time they conceive, but over-time and with the experience of perhaps several pregnancies, many mothers learn to relax and go with the flow.
Spiritual Fullness in Christ (Colossians 2:6-15)
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross
Freedom from Human Rules (Colossians 2:16-23)
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Living as those made alive in Christ (Colossians 3:1-17)
Read your bible, pray every day..and you’ll grow, grow, grow!
3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is you life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming]7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Further Instructions (Colossians 4:2-6)
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains
4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment over
the years, whether substantiated or not, have frequently been discussed amongst
the community and the places we each call home. It affects virtually all nationalities
and religions around the world.
However, even one child or teen being abused by a priest/pastor
(or by anyone else) is too many.
Most cases of abuse, although being reported recently, go
back two, three, four, or even fifty decades. Unfortunately, there was much
less knowledge of the dynamics of abuse then than there is available today.
Many times, offenders would be allowed to continue in their ministries after
going through a time of brief counseling.
I am not against restoration of an individual, however, I believe it’s worth mentioning that according to research approximately 70% of accused priest/pastors were reported to also be survivors of abuse themselves. Wow!
A psychopath is murdering women across the Midwest. The FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling to interview psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, diabolical cannibal who could provide insight into the killer’s identity. Lecter agrees to help Starling only if she’ll feed his morbid curiosity with details of her own complicated life. Starling is forced to confront not only her own hidden demons, but also an evil so powerful that she may not have the courage – or strength – to stop it.
Statistics recorded that many of them had serious
psychological problems such as substance abuse and/or mood and personality
disorders.
You may also visit www.silentlambs.org for additional information regarding sex
offenders.
Thankfully, we have elevated our standards and now members
of the clergy are more mature when they begin seminary. They undergo intense
comprehensive psychological testing’s that includes specific evaluation for
sexual problems and risk factors, and they are extensively trained in how to
manage sexual issues.
We live in a culture where the sexual
abuse of children is not uncommon. There have been reported cases of public and
private school children that have been sexually abused or molested by school
staff or employees. Regrettably, research also indicates that a greater
percentage of children have been abused by family members, rather than by the
clergy or school staff.
The publicity surrounding sexual abuse has raised consciousness in many communities of faith, and many have established stringent and detailed policies for ensuring the safety of children and young people.
These often include such things as never having a child
alone in a room with an adult; an open-door policy in classrooms; extensive
screening and background checks on all personnel who come into contact with
children, and detailed procedures for reporting suspected abuse and dealing
with offenders.
Child sexual abuse is a complex and serious problem. A few
years ago, I attended a Darkness to Light training session at the Red Cross
Cayman Islands and was also informed that the training could also be completed
online at www.D2L.org
At Darkness to Light, their vision is to have a world free
of child sexual abuse. A world in which all children are loved, protected, and
nurtured, able to grow up healthy, with their sexual boundaries intact.
Sins that bring Curses
We read in Deuteronomy Chapters 27 & 28 that curses
are promised for sins in these six areas: idolatry, dishonoring of parents,
dishonesty and deception, cruelty to the helpless, sexual sin of any kind, and
disregard for the law. (Some references concerning the sins of the fathers are
Deuteronomy 29:24-28; 2 Chronicles 7:19-22; 34:23-25; Ezra 9:4; 13-15; Nehemiah
9:1-3; Isaiah 65:6-7 and Jeremiah 14:20-22; 16:10-13).
“There is that unseen and mysterious connection between a father’s (also mother’s) sins and the path of their children. If the parent commits certain kinds of sin, regardless of their training, or the social, cultural, and environmental influences on them- the sin or iniquity that is committed is “passed down” to the children, to the third and forth generation. Each generation adds to the cumulative iniquity, further weaken the resistance of the next generation”.
Pastor Burton stokes
However, Mr. Stokes also stated that he does not mean to imply that there is any deficiency in the power of the blood of Jesus, which redeems us from the curse of sin, or that believers today are bound to the letter of Old Testament Law. But if we rebel in our hearts and rebuild idols in our lives, we can be ensnared again by the same yoke of bondage from which we’ve been delivered (see Galatians 5:1, 16). Therefore, we again become susceptible to the curse.
Please note however that these insights are not intended to
bring you into fear or bondage, nor cause you to attribute every problem in
your life, habit, or bad character trait to a curse or a demon. Sometimes
emotional and behavioral problems have physiological or biological foundation
as I have come to realize.
If we take the time to look at the various issues we have in
our lives and become aware of our vulnerabilities, I strongly believe with the
help of the Holy Spirit, we can renounce the sins we’ve yielded to in our lives
and strengthen our defenses against the evil one.
An example of a prayer may be like this:
“Father, we come before you to confess and repent of our sins
and the iniquity of our forefathers. Forgive us for the sins of idolatry,
witchcraft, rebellion, immorality of any kind, addictions etc.
According to Ephesians 6:12, we bind all principalities and
powers trying to influence us or our family, and we forbid them to operate in
the name of Jesus. We declare that our Family is under the blood of Jesus; we
revoke any generational curses and say that they will go no further. Jesus
became a curse for us, therefore we are a generation that serves God.
Father, forgive us for depending upon any source that is not
of you. Pour out your supernatural power in our families, so we will not be
bound by the things of the natural world. We ask you to send your warring
angels to do battle on our behalf. We
thank you in advance that our children will take their place in the body of
Christ and fulfill your calling upon their lives.
Father, we submit to you, and our hope and expectations are
from you alone and no other spirit. By the power and authority of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, we declare ANY satanic influence directed towards our families
destroyed and defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross.
We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of our past and
cleansing us by the blood of Christ. We also would like to thank you for our
faithful Christian heritage- for those ancestors who did follow you and prayed
for us so that we may become stronger in you and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We thank you for your mercy and your grace and for the
blessings you bestowed upon us and our families. Amen”.
Demons are Masters of Deceit
Satan’s goal is, through deception, to entice
believers to sin or commit any act which quenches the Holy Spirit in their
lives or dilutes their effectiveness in glorifying God through both personal
conduct and Christian service. His desire is to find any areas in our lives
where he can attach himself (See Ephesians 4:27). Through his demons he seeks
to find any “sin handles” which give him access to influence us into actions of
disobedience towards God.
Satanism is a big problem around the world and it is beyond
anything that has been portrayed in the press or in movies. Every city, town or
country has its covens, groups or community of people who directly worship and
serve Satan.
It doesn’t matter how you “pretty it up” and make it look
glamorous, every religion that worships and serves demons is a form of Satanism.
Some people refer to them as energies, vibrations, pagan gods, spirit entities
etc.
Demons are masters of deceit. They have the ability in
the spirit realm to “switch the sets” just the same as men do in the movie
making industry. If you have ever visited Universal Studios, Warner Brothers
(WB) etc., where many of the movies are made in America, you can walk down one
street and be in the “Old West,” turn down the corner, and you are in 18th
century England, turn another corner, and you are in a different time and
country, maybe even on a different planet!
Demons can do the same thing in the spirit world and create
all sorts of illusions, like modern day magicians for the humans under their
control.
I have learnt that in some Eastern religions they center
around gaining contact with the spirit world through meditation techniques to
blank the mind. My scripture tells me that we are responsible for and should
control our own minds at all times. (II Corinthians 10:5)
Visualization and guided imagery are also very old techniques but effective for gaining contact with the spirit world. Apparently, those techniques alone are responsible for thousands of Christians falling into the trap of using occultic practices.
Most important to note is that children go through a
developmental stage where they use a lot of imagination and visualization.
During my ongoing extensive research, I was stunned to find
out that there are many occultic games and toys for children. Parents should be
extremely careful about the toys they buy for their children and the types of
video games that they play.
The Bible says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and just
like a house, our temple should be guarded and protected from “unwelcomed
doorways”.
What is a doorway? It’s a term used as a sin that defiles
the temple.
Types of Doorways
Inheritance (Generational curses etc.)
Ouija board
Ritual sex
Tarot cards
General occult games
Animal sacrifice
Murder
Horoscope
Blood contracts
Witchcraft
Drugs
Kung fu
Karate
Human sacrifice
Drinking blood (animal & human)
Hypnosis
Incest
Palm reading
Yoga
Rock music
Occult & horror movies
Rebellion
Drunkenness
Multiple sexual relationships
Cannibalism
Astral-projection
Blasphemy
We can create many doorways and I’ve listed a few
above however one such door way is sexual molestation.
Sexual molestation unfortunately is the most common
childhood doorways. Apparently, it is always followed by a cycle of early
sexual involvement on the part of the child with ever increasing involvement in
sexual sins as the person gets older. This is usually because of the demons that
may have been placed in the child at an early age.
Children are very vulnerable and should be protected at all
cost! However, we adults are susceptible too and should be aware of the basic
differences between the Occult and Christianity.
For example, the occultist will always try to control their
contact with the spirit world and try to control the person or people within.
If they do not do what the they are told, they are then punished. To a large
extent, the Satanist appears to be controlling the power they are using for
whatever purpose it’s being use for at the time.
However, as Christians, we are never in contact with the
spirit world except for the brief occasions when the Holy Spirit allows such
contact and we Christians do not and cannot control the power of God. We are simply
his servants or vessels of honor, nothing more.
The Lord works through His servants as He chooses, not as we
choose. Demons however, only cooperate with humans to give them power when that
person wants it, and it is only used as a tool or I’d say a “carrot stick” to
draw them even farther away from the Lord and into satanic worship.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be strong women
of God, even in our moments of weakness. In the bible, Jesus promised his
followers, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter
(Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, or Strengthener) that He may remain
with you forever; the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and
will be in you.
The Work
of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26-27)
26 “When the
Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who
goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you
also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:1-15
New International Version (NIV)
16 “All this
I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will
put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills
you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will
do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have
told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned
you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with
you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of
you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather,
you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very
truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away,
the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he
comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness
and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about
righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no
longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this
world now stands condemned.
12 “I have
much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when
he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will
not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because
it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that
belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from
me what he will make known to you.”
Jesus
Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus
Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)
20 “My
prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me
through their message, 21 that all of them may be
one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so
that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have
given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them
and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world
will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father,
I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory,
the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the
world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
I pray that as we will continue to be careful in our walk by faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will not allow desires for power to draw us into Satan’s trap.
Dream 