Marketing Jesus Christ

www.MarketingJesus Christ.com

Welcome to my website about Marketing Jesus Christ to the world....www.MarketingJesus Christ.com .  In the bible God mentions over and over to testify for him in anyway that you can. It would make my day if you would send me your testimony about marketing Jesus Christ because of what he has done for you. You can email me with written text, send me a video that you have on YouTube or call me and I can
verbal witnessing while I video a slide show of images of Jesus Christ. 
New video No. 5 11-2-07

 Important words found on this site include: Marketing Jesus Christ. God, Testimony, Faith, Love, Mission, Church,  Blessings, Owners Manual. Bob Conklin, Dr. Baltes, Arlene Work, Jim Work, Robert Westheirmer YouTube.com

Contact information for this Website:
Brian Nelson
Webpage Marketing Consultant 
31 Gessner Rd. ,  Houston, TX 77024
713-467-3025  Fax 713-467-3192
 Click: E-mail me
You can find this site again by typing in the Google search engine  the very unique word " 1tsirhCsuseJ  "  which is  " JesusChrist1 "  backwards.

Article Word Count                                    MSW

1/3 

You are at: http://www.MarketingJesusChrist.com    ud 09/08/2008 05:13 AM -0500  Bookmark this page now!

1 
Marketing is the process or act of bringing together buyers and sellers. From the religious stand point humans are the buyers and God is the seller.   He gave us poor sinners a product called Jesus Christ which was forgiveness and eternal life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

The only price you have to pay is to believe, with all your heart and your mind.  "And you must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."- Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)

Once you have done that your eternal future in the next life is secure. It will be so awesome. To Christians it is a " No Brainer"   When I can have all that God will give to me, why for 1 second would I believe otherwise.
2  So the purpose of this website it to give your personal testimony why you have accepted Jesus Christ and want others in the world to do likewise.  Christians believe that the bible is our owners manual for living on this planet today.  He tells us exactly what he wants us to do.
3 This website is allow you to express your religious feelings so that others may learn from them. If you died tomorrow what religious legacy would you leave behind?  If you were you a "Closet Christian." would you only be comfortable preaching to the choir? God has told us it is not going to be easy. There will be many who tell you that you are wrong. Remember everything you have belongs to God. When you die you will not be able to take any worldly goods with you no matter where you think you are going. Even those who built pyramids to store their body and jewels lasted only a few years until the pyramid grave robbers took what was there. Unfortunately  they couldn't take anything with them either.

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4  Here are some examples of what God expects us to do. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." - Matthew 28:20
5

Romans 10:9-10 (New International Version)

 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
6

Important words found on this site include: Marketing Jesus Christ. God, Testimony, Faith, Love, Mission, Church,  Blessings, Owners Manual. Bob Conklin, Dr. Baltes, Arlene Work, Jim Work,YouTube.com

Contact information for this Website:
Brian Nelson
Webpage Marketing Consultant 
31 Gessner Rd. ,  Houston, TX 77024
713-467-3025  Fax 713-467-3192
 Click: E-mail me
You can find this site again by typing in the Google search engine  the very unique word " 1tsirhCsuseJ  "  which is  " JesusChrist1 "  backwards.

Article Word Count                                    MSW

7Misspelled words used to find this page 1 of 3. Marketing Jesus Christ. God, Testimony, Faith, Love, Mission, Church,  Blessings, Owners Manual. Bob Conklin, Dr. Baltes, Arlene Work, Jim Work, Robert Westheimer  Cursillo, YouTube.com

1 YouTube.com   2 Alt Tags , 3 MSW   5 BB4/FormLetter 
 6 BB3/NIDAS,   7 BB1 & BB2  Follow Ups in NI.   
7 Robert Westheimer testifies at MDPC in Houston, TX  what Jesus Christ means to him.
Click on the center arrow to play the vide. High speed broadband is required. .
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEDL4J6d2Yk
 
Added: August 11, 2008 (Less info)
Click http://www.MarketingJesusChrist.com I am Robert Westheimer from MDPC or Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church.   I am here to discuss what Jesus Christ means to me. I know that God loves me. My prayer life has increased. My bible study and study of scripture became a more important part of my life. Jesus has begun to come alive to me. When I pray I feel the presence of Jesus more and more. The bible, especially the parts of the gospel, become more and more meaningful. I recommend perseverance in your search for getting to know Jesus Christ. God will let himself be found. Don't give up. God will never abandon you. He will be with your always. If you would like to discuss Jesus Christ at any time call me at 713-626-0354 or email me rwestheimer1@comcast.net  .

If you would like to talk about Cursillo I would be interested in discussing that with you. Our Houston Texas Cursillo group website is http://www.houstoncursillo.org/ or http://www.days3.com/
Presbyterian Cursillo and Presbyterian Pilgrimage are spiritual renewal retreats. They are focused on the love of God for God's children thru the presence of Jesus Christ and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Presbyterian Cursillo and Pilgrimage conform to reformed teaching and are made up entirely of common elements - worship, teaching, singing - lots of singing - discussion, laughing, sharing, and new friendships.
 

  
Cursillo and Pilgrimage are coed. They are lay led and clergy supported.
What is Presbyterian Cursillo?
Presbyterian Cursillo is a purposefully designed method for renewing the faith of individuals and, through the individuals, the environments in which they live and work. "Cursillo" (pronounced Kur-see-yo) means a short course in living the Christian faith and is designed to provide a framework for the development of Christians in the local church and in the world. A Cursillo is a three-day retreat weekend filled with short talks, music, fellowship, small group discussion and great food. Each weekend is led by lay people from Presbyterian churches in Houston and the surrounding area. Several ordained Presbyterian clergy are on staff. The weekend is centered on the talks and personal testimony of the lay people and clergy that make up the staff for the weekend. The activities provide an opportunity for the participants to discover a new and exciting relationship with Christ and to encourage them to then take that newfound relationship back to their home, work and church environments. Cursillo is not designed to convert from unbelief to belief. It is intended for Presbyterians who seek continued growth in their faith and commitment. It is a life-changing experience.
 8 Bob Conklin Testimony
Houston, TX 
4 minutes 4 seconds. Click the arrow to play the video.(High speed Broadband Required.)		 This video from Bob Conklin is about Jesus Christ leading him to a new life. Bob is an active member of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church.  

This is a testimony of real life changing faith.
 

www.MarketingJesusChrist.com  

Let me publish your story here. Brian Nelson 713-467-3025. Click: E-mail me  
 To see Bob Conklins  Webpage  click here.

3/3 

9 12-15-07  AJ  Standing By. BN Let me publish your story here. Brian Nelson 713-467-3025. Click: E-mail me  
 www.MarketingJesusChrist.com  
10 Arlene Work Testimony  MDPC Katy, TX
 
4 minutes 17 seconds.
Click the arrow to play the video. (High speed Broadband Required.)		 This is Arlene's video testimony about how Jesus Christ came into her life. She feels so blessed to have known God.

 Your mission,  if you agree to accept it, is to tell your story so someone else can see how God changed your  life.  When you tell them about Jesus Christ, God will smile on you.
  Let me publish your story here . Brian Nelson 713-467-3025. Click: E-mail me  
 www.MarketingJesusChrist.com  
11   Jim Work Testimony MDPC  Katy, TX
  Happily married for 56 years.

4 minutes 57 seconds.
 Click the arrow to play the video. (High speed Broadband Required.)

 This video from Jim Work, a long time member of Memorial  Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX is about how Jesus Christ came into his  life to turn around the life of a man who needed to go the right way

If you know of someone who should hear these words send them to www.MarketingJesusChrist.com  

 
12
  Click the arrow to play the video. (High speed Broadband Required.)

5 minutes 32 seconds.
Recorded  11-2-07
99.2 megabytes on the original video. Max is 100.

 

Let me publish your story
here. Brian Nelson 713-467-3025. Click: E-mail me  

 Bob Conklin as  recovering sinner speaks again from Buffalo Bayou Stadium in Houston, TX. He wants us to open our heart and our mind to Jesus Christ. Being adopted into Gods family is such an important part of our life. Become a servant of God  with Jesus living with in us. We are in recovering from ordinary sin as quoted by King David in Psalm 51. Be careful on what we worship so we don't let idolatry lead us astray. We are a branch on the vine connected to Jesus Christ.  Listen to God's words and enjoy the salvation of God's love.

13There were  a lot of requests to replay the phone call that Pastor Mike shared during their church service on Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2007. Here you'll find the video clip that was created just for you
Share with  your family and friends. Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station di...

2 min. 24 seconds.

 

You can find religious videos on this site.
http://www.godtube.com/

 

Logan, The Sky Angel Cowboy

Click on this Link
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d5d4ee2c067a456e7c0f

14 http://youtube.com/watch?v=0CZr4ZziiLQ
Is your faith so strong that you would tattoo it on your face?  
  (more)
Added: December 05, 2007
Click http://www.MarketingJesusChrist.com
Brians's Interview Script.Read this if  you were not able to understand the words on this video because there was a lot of traffic noise at the McDonalds Restaurant in Downtown Houston.  Here is the 20 second dialog.
 Brian Nelson "You are on YouTube now. What is your name and tell me about your Gods Son Tattoos? "
Gods son: " I just got Gods son because I am the son of God and I like Jesus."
Brian Nelson " Well that's Good. All right. Do you go to church once in a while?
Gods son. "I am going to start going."
Brian Nelson " That's good. And then you have another Tattoo over here. What does that say?"
God's son " AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.NO."

End of video He left to be with his friend.

 

http://youtube.com/
watch?v=0CZr4ZziiLQ

15
Channel Icon
From: johlysid
Joined: 1 year ago
Videos: 18
 
About This Video
Say and mean this prayer,
"Heavenly Father I bel...
Added: December 21, 2007
Say and mean this prayer,

"Heavenly Father I believe that it is your standards not my own that matters. I know that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I accept Your Son Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior. I will do my best to follow his commandments. I will continue to pray and pursue the truth by reading the bible and sharing my faith with your grace. I ask that you please reveal your expectations of me and continue to teach me how to love you accordingly in my heart, thoughts, soul and deeds. In Jesus Name. Amen."
to contact me...
http://home.comcast.net/~johner/site/
 
 From YouTube.
16a Marketing Jesus Christ Baptist Pastor Johnnie Zuniga In Houston. He is near Antoine in  Spring Branch with an apartment ministry for Children.  Call him at 832-661-3109
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhHriwGM8Nc 		 
16b  
16 c  
16d "Closet Christian" Steps Out

Dr. John M. Cimbala
 

John M. Cimbala received his Ph.D. degree in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In 1990, Cimbala was granted tenure and made an associate professor of mechanical engineering. During the academic year 1993-94, Professor Cimbala worked at NASA Langley Research Center, where he advanced his knowledge of computational fluid dynamics and turbulence modeling.

A Christian professor explains how he was motivated
to begin sharing his faith with students and colleagues

I began my teaching career in July of 1984, fresh out of graduate school. I was already a Christian at that time, having accepted the Lord several years before. During my first few years of teaching, however, I kept my Christianity quite separate from my job. Christianity, although the most important thing in my life, was something to be practiced at home and at church; my Christian beliefs were not displayed in the office or in the classroom.

Don't misunderstand methis is not to say that I acted immorally or in any way condemned Christianity while at workit's just that my Christian beliefs were not openly displayed or discussed. You might say that I was a "Closet Christian." It would be fair to assume that none of my students and none of my colleagues even knew I was a Christian, except for those few who happened to attend the same church.

My "closeted" condition lasted until January of 1987, when I attended a seminar at Penn State entitled "The Christian Faculty Workshop" (which has since been updated and renamed "Relating to Students"). This workshop was the catalyst that permanently changed my outlook about my role and purpose as a Christian faculty member. In particular, the workshop motivated me to begin to share my faith with my students and with my colleagues.

I started by displaying a few Christian posters and wall hangings in my office. I then began to introduce myself as a Christian on the first day of class. After telling the students my name and educational back ground, I would tell them a little about my personal life, such as "I have two boys, ages 7 and 4. I am a Christian, and that's the most important part of my personal life. I like to swim for exercise. . . ."

I remember the nervousness and sweaty palms the first time I did this; but looking back, those few words spoken on the first day of class set the tone for the rest of the course. Once I had identified myself as a Christian, it was then very easy later on in the semester to announce lectures by Christian speakers, to state my views on certain topics, and, where applicable, to mention God in my lectures. For example, when I teach the second law of thermodynamics, I explain how the entire universe is winding down like a giant windup clock. "How did the clock get wound up in the first place?" I ask the students, and continue, "Does this prove the existence of God?"

In the past couple years, I have developed a lecture of my own on science and the Bible, stressing in particu lar the conflict between creation and evolution, and the evidences for the existence of God. I generally present this lecture several times a year to various churches or campus Christian groups. I always announce these lectures to my classes, and several of my students have attended. In many cases, the mere announce ment of the lecture prompts some students to ask questions after class. 1 can recall several instances where I've had the opportunity to explain my faith and to witness to nonChristian students after class. I feel that the Lord is using me as His ambassador to engineering students; this is my ministry, and the classroom is my mission field.

I have some simple advice for Christian faculty who may be in the same situation now as I was in 1987 wanting to start to share your faith in the classroom, but not knowing exactly how to begin.

First, pray for boldness to announce your Christianity to your students.

Second, and most importantly, be a good teacher. I have learned that in order to become an effective witness to your students, you must first become an effective teacher. If your teaching is poor, students will not look to you as a role model, nor will they take your Christianity seriously.

It is critical that you show genuine concern for the students, prepare well organized lectures, and show them that something is important to you. In short, you must be willing to put sacrificial time into course prepara tion students can really sense when this is (or is not) done.

In closing, I quote from some letters I received from students in one of my classes in the fall semester of 1992, after I had asked for feedback about my lectures, homework, etc. One student wrote the following:

"Your class is the only class I enjoy day in and day out. I feel that your lectures are easy to follow, neatly outlined on the board. . . . You are the first instructor I've had at PSU in three years who openly leads a Christian way of life. That means a lot to me, since most of my professors don't."

Another student wrote: "Your lectures are great! They are very clear and easy to follow (which is a big compliment because not all profs are good at this). The homework requires thought, yet is not impossible. . . . Actually I'm glad you gave us a chance to comment, because I have been wanting to since the first day when you said you were a Christian. I am too, and I thought it was quite a courageous thing to doyou see, students often get frustrated and annoyed with teachers, and to continue the rest of the semester as a testi mony knowing that we all know you're a ChristianI thought would not be easy. But you are excellent, and people respect you. Thanks, because my friends know I'm a Christian. Actually I'm probably the only one they know besides you, and I'm glad they know you are too, because we can tell you're fair and care about us."

Such letters have encouraged me to continue to share my Christian faith in the classroom, and I hope they are as motivating to other faculty as well.

17 Subject: Rick Warren -- Purpose Driven Life
 I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
   
 We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
   
 The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
   
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys -
you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
   
 Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there
 is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
   
 If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
   
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of
helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
 You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
 Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?  
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than
what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
   
     Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
     Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
     Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
     Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
     Every moment, THANK GOD.
     NOW .... PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18 
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 1:28 PM
Subject: [NI-FORM] Christ to me
 

Dear Brian,
Christ to me is everything and all of anything.  He is the redeemer he is priceless artwork.  He is the healer the almighty the omnipotent he is the ut most high being in the universe.  He forgives he saves and he is the superior of all beings.  I would be dead if not for The Heavenly Christ above.  I am nothing if I have not he.  I love the Lord with all my might and soul.  He is Jesus Christ the holy of holy God bless Jesus God Bless you precious Jesus Christ whatever is to be will whatever will come will come oh how holy you are to me.  Love you Lord Jesus.
cyndi allee
cynallee@hotmail.com
317-539-5482
19
About This Video
This year's 'Queen's Speech', first broadcast on Christmas Day 2007. Her Majesty speaks of the importance of friends and family and remembers members of the Armed Forces serving overseas at Christmas. (more)
Added: December 20, 2007
This year's 'Queen's Speech', first broadcast on Christmas Day 2007. Her Majesty speaks of the importance of friends and family and remembers members of the Armed Forces serving overseas at Christmas.

I did not find a Christmas message from George Bush on YouTube This year. Maybe next years..

12-26-07  820am 346,084 Views.

Click here to hear the queen speaks  to the population. She speaks about Jesus Christ. How wonderful.

 
20

Queen Elizabeth fears for the vulnerable in Christmas message

23 hours ago

LONDON (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II, in her annual Christmas Day message to Britain and the Commonwealth, on Tuesday urged people to take responsibility for vulnerable individuals excluded by modern society.

The sovereign, 81, said the modern world could be a distant, hostile place where it was all too easy for people to turn a blind eye to outsiders.

The birth of Jesus Christ was a tale of a family "which had been shut out," the queen said in the pre-recorded broadcast.

"The Christmas story also draws attention to all those people who are on the edge of society -- people who feel cut off and disadvantaged; people who, for one reason or another, are not able to enjoy the full benefits of living in a civilised and law-abiding community," she said.

"For these people the modern world can seem a distant and hostile place.

"It is all too easy to 'turn a blind eye', 'to pass by on the other side', and leave it to experts and professionals.

"All the great religious teachings of the world press home the message that everyone has a responsibility to care for the vulnerable.

"Each one of us can also help by offering a little time, a talent or a possession, and taking a share in the responsibility for the well-being of those who feel excluded."

The broadcast Christmas speech is a tradition started by Queen Elizabeth II's grandfather king George V in 1932.

It is a personal message to the Commonwealth and a rare occasion where she does not need to seek the advice of ministers.

The queen considered the changes she has witnessed in the 50 years since making her first televised Christmas message.

This year's broadcast started and ended with black-and-white clips from the 1957 message. The queen, wearing an apricot outfit and the same three-stringed pearl necklace as then, watched them on a flatscreen television.

As a sign of the changing times, the queen posted her message on the video-sharing website YouTube for the first time in an attempt to reach out to younger audiences.

"One of the features of growing old is a heightened awareness of change," she said.

"To remember what happened 50 years ago means that it is possible to appreciate what has changed in the meantime. It also makes you aware of what has remained constant.

"In my experience, the positive value of a happy family is one of the factors of human existence that has not changed.

"The immediate family of grandparents, parents and children, together with their extended family, is still the core of a thriving community."

She also paid tribute to the armed forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and hoped that people missing loved ones would find strength and comfort in their family and friends.

The queen ended her message by quoting from a traditional Christmas carol service.

"'Because this would most rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and the helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed; the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and the unloved'," she said.

"Wherever these words find you, and in whatever circumstances, I want to wish you all a blessed Christmas."

A Yuletide institution, the 10-minute broadcast is televised at 3:00 pm (1500 GMT) in Britain, as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch.

It is broadcast at convenient local times across the 53-nation Commonwealth, a successor to the British empire which encompasses around a third of the world's countries and a quarter of the world's population.

At Sandringham, the queen's private country estate in Norfolk, eastern England, the royal family were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as they stepped out in the rain to attend a Christmas church service.

Afterwards, the queen collected bouquets of flowers from children outside the church. Wearing a beige overcoat and carrying a transparent umbrella, the sovereign smiled as she chatted with well-wishers.
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22 http://youtube.com/watch?v=J_a87ld2MAI
 

About This Video
http://www.gospelofjohnthef...

The Gospel of Joh... (more)
Added: April 13, 2007
http://www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com/
The Gospel of John

Jesus Before Pilate
John 18:27-40

Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"

They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.


Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified
John 19: 1-16

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

23 Disabled man's TV interview with Cross TV
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0WT_WUOyud4  Click here.

 
24
ent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 5:49 PM
Subject: [NI-FORM] Jesus Christ is real and alive

Dear Brian,
i wish to confirm that Christ Jesus is alive, my wife and i were blessed with a baby boy who happens to have neurological problem but our daily prayers have strengthened us that we do not see this as a problem any more. Something tells us it will not last for a long time we both are confident it is temporary, we have so much faith the Lord will take us through this small problem,,,,, i thank God for this boy because each time i look at him he reminds me of what the Lord is capable of doing and he gives me hope,,,, thank you Jesus
amen
joseph katenje
jkatenje@bnc.co.zw
+263 71 6230
25 Bible. Author comments.
About This Video
God is pursuing you; you can give Him a chance ... (more)
Added: December 27, 2007
God is pursuing you; you can give Him a chance right now with this prayer, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain...

"God as a truth seeker I am to explore the possibilities; therefore I know I have to try giving you a personal chance at some point. Right now I would like to do this by asking you how much truth is there to the Bible, and what are your expectations of me? I will keep praying and pursuing the truth by reading the bible, and sharing my truth seeking with others when I feel comfortable. I will continue to genuinely and diligently seek you with all my heart, soul and mind."

Please read the Bible yourself I would recommend any of the 1st four chapters of the New Testament as a priority.

More importantly however is living the Bible, please sincerely and patiently communicate with God in prayer...this is something that can be done at anytime.

Followup to this video...the gist of what Jesus did...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=szJLegDKHAE 
 wwww.YouTubeSite.com

 

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=oQNAC2ilZwQ

26  Elderly woman witnesses to man trying to rob her.

A 92-year-old woman from Dyersburg, Tennessee recently turned an attempted robbery into an opportunity to minister to the would-be robber.

Read the full story on WMCTV.com here:

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp...

This story aired during Action News 5 at 10:00 on December 9, 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDmp967UMds

 
27
Reported by Nick Paranjape
 Dyersburg grandmother witnesses to man trying to rob her
 Updated: Dec 6, 2007 09:07 AM CST
 
92-year-old Pauline Jacobi reads her Bible everyday. Her strong faith keeps her going in life and may have saved it after she almost became the victim of a parking lot robbery.

Jacobi had just finished putting her groceries inside her car at a Dyersburg Wal-Mart when a man jumped into the car through the passenger's side door. He told Jacobi he had a gun and that he would shoot her if she didn't give him money.

"I'm not going to give you my money," Jacobi said.

In fact. She told him "no" three times.

Then she started to talk to him. 
 "As quick as you kill me I'll go to heaven and you'll go to hell," Jacobi said she told the man. "'Jesus is in this car and he goes with me everywhere I go."

"He just looked around and the tears just began coming down his eyes."

She told him to ask God for forgiveness and ministered to him for 10 minutes inside her car.

"He says, 'I think I'll go home and pray tonight,'" Jacobi said. "I says, 'You don't have to wait until tonight. You can pray anytime you want to.'" 
As tears were rolling down the man's face, Jacobi voluntarily gave him $10. All the money she had.

"When I told him I was going to give him the money, I said, 'Don't you go spend it on whiskey either,'" Jacobi said. 
The man thanked her for the money and kissed her on the cheek. Then he walked away.

He told Jacobi his name was Ricky and he was from Halls, Tennessee. She doesn't want to see him in jail, but also doesn't want him to hurt anybody. However, police do want to see him in jail and are asking for help.

If you have any information, call Dyer County CrimeStoppers at (731) 285-TIPS.
28 Funeral Sermon (Part 1) for Cpl. Richard J Nelson
(Not related to Elvera Nelson)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gqq3UVC7JTA

Ricky was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. This video is of the talk that his brother Dave gave at his funeral on April 24, 2008.

 
29 Funeral Sermon (Part 2) for Cpl. Richard J Nelson

(Not related to Elvera Nelson)

Ricky was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. This video is of the talk that his brother Dave gave at his funeral on April 24, 2008.

  
30 Funeral Sermon (Part 3) for Cpl. Richard J Nelson
 (Not related to Elvera Nelson)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X0cgCwARhTY

Ricky was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. This video is of the talk that his brother Dave gave at his funeral on April 24, 2008

  
31 Cpl Richard J Nelson's Funeral

(Not related to Elvera Nelson)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jiYaSwmE8VM

Funeral Service Highlights for Cpl Richard J Nelson, who died in Iraq by a roadside bombing

 

  

32Closet Christians

Romans 10:9-10

Copyright © 2004 Jeremy Myers

 What are your views on closet Christians? Do you know what a closet Christian is? It is somebody who has believed in Jesus for eternal life, but has never told anybody they have become a Christian. They maybe are a little ashamed or scared to tell others, and so they don’t.

They keep their Christianity secret. And oftentimes, not very much changes about their life. Sometimes, their language doesn't change much. Sometimes, their life doesn't change either. They might attend church, but only infrequently, and only when it doesn't interfere with other recreational activities.

Are such people Christians or not? There are many who would say no. And the primary Scripture they would use to defend their answer is Romans 10:9-10, which says 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

One teacher, in an article ironically called "By Grace You Are Saved" writes this:

According to [Romans 10:9-10], there can be no "closet" Christians. The very act of becoming a Christian requires us to confess publicly that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and have placed our faith in His shed blood to atone for our sins.

Another from Church of God writes,

Believing in your heart that a sin is wrong or that Yah'shua (Jesus) is your Saviour is indeed vitally important, but until you have confessed it with your mouth your…salvation is not complete. That act of speaking - of confession - is essential.

To be sure, the heart has a vitally important part to play, and arguably the most important part, but without that verbal confession, you are not a Christian.

There are no secret believers. So long as the verbal confession has not been made, that person is not saved… There are no closet Christians, only those who know they ought to be saved but refuse to be because of fear.

One very prominent pastor, author and teacher who is considered by many to be the best Bible teacher in America today says something similar.

…A characteristic of every genuine believer is that he or she will profess faith in Christ unreservedly. If the heart truly believes, the mouth will be eager to confess…What is the mark of true Christians? They confess Jesus as the Son of God.

Now to be fair, this last author does say that confession is not a condition for becoming a Christian, but is rather an inevitable result of it. He says that those who fail to confess Christ, even if they have believed in Jesus for eternal life, will be sent to eternal punishment. But really, what is the difference whether we say confession is a co-condition with faith or a necessary result of faith? Either way, those who don't confess Christ will not spent eternity with God. If public confession of Christ is necessary either alongside faith or subsequent to faith, then we are saying that justification is not by faith alone, but is by faith plus confession.

So is this really what Romans 10:9-10 is teaching? We have seen in passage after passage that the only condition for eternal life is believing in Jesus for it. Must we now add public confession to this? So far, we have seen that the Bible teaches that all who simply believe in Jesus for eternal life receive it. But according to these teachers and their understanding of Romans 10:9-10, it is more than just faith alone. Now it is faith in Christ, plus confess Christ with your mouth. Are they right? Is this what Romans 10:9-10 is teaching? Let's look at the text and find out.

9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

There are obviously two things that are being done in Romans 10:9-10. There is believing and there is confession. Verse 9 says that if you confess and believe you will be saved. Verse 10 clarifies this statement by saying that believing results in righteousness whereas confession results in salvation.

Let's look at these two ideas very carefully in the overall context of Romans. Let us first consider the condition of believing unto righteousness.

1. Believing Unto Righteousness

The word righteousness is the Greek word dikaiosune and comes from the exact same word family as the word justified (dikaiao). The word justified simply means to be declared righteous. So when Paul talks over and over in the book of Romans about how to be justified, about how to be declared righteous, he is using this dikaiao word family over and over. And Paul has talked at some length in Romans about how to be declared righteous, about how to be justified. In fact, he spent almost two whole chapters, from 3:21-5:11 telling us that justification is by faith alone in Christ alone. If you want to be declared righteous, you must simply believe in Jesus.

Remember, Romans 1-3 is all about the righteousness of God, and our complete sinfulness. We looked at this last week. Chapters 4-5 then are about how we, as sinful human beings, can gain the righteousness of God. Paul makes it very clear that it is not gained by works in any way whatsoever, but God declares righteous anyone who places faith in Jesus Christ. And it is vitally important to realize that nowhere in Romans 4-5 do we read of confessing Christ before men. Nowhere do we read of the necessity of making a public declaration that one has believed in Jesus Christ in order to really and truly be justified. The one and only condition for justification in Romans 4-5 (and the entire Bible) is to believe in Jesus Christ.

And this is exactly what Paul says here in Romans 10:10. He says that it is with the heart one believes and is justified. It is with the heart one believes and is declared righteous. It is with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness. This is in complete agreement with everything Paul has said up to this point, and everything the Bible says about how to receive eternal life.

But what about the second statement there? What about that confession with the mouth for salvation? What is that? Well, to understand this, we must once again look in the context of Romans and the context of this passage. Remember, context is key. And one of the things we are going to look for is what Paul means by the word salvation.

2. Confession Unto Salvation

Do you remember what you have been taught about the word salvation? Whenever you see the word salvation, or saved in Scripture, you must understand that most of the times it is used in the Bible, it DOES NOT refer to deliverance from hell and receiving eternal life. For some reason, we Christians are very careless with the word salvation and the word saved. We think it always refers to eternal deliverance from the punishment of sin in hell. But it almost never refers to that in Scripture. It most often refers to some sort of physical deliverance from sickness or death or our enemies.

And so if you were to ask me, "When were you saved?" I could Biblically say, "I have been saved several times every day for my entire life. Sometimes, I haven't been saved. Hopefully, I am getting saved right now. And I pray that God will save me tomorrow. When I drive into Whitefish to shop, God saves me. When I sleep at night, God saves me."  Do you understand this? I could get sick any time of any day. There are constantly germs and viruses floating around in the air. We probably breath them in with every breath. But God often keeps us from getting sick, and so He is saving us from sickness. When we walk down a road, or drive our car, a tree could fall on us, or another car could crash into us, a lighting bolt could strike us. But when these things don't happen, God is saving us from dying.

This is the way the word "saved" is most often used in the Bible. This is the way the word "salvation" is most often used in the Bible. So whenever you see the word "saved" or "salvation" you must stop and ask yourself, "Saved from what? What is this salvation from?" Then look in context to see. Romans tells us very clearly how Paul is using the term here in Romans 10:9-10. We can see it in the immediate context of chapter 10, and the wider context of the entire letter. Let's look at the wider context first.

        A. The Wider Context of Romans

The first time the word salvation is used is Romans 1:16 where Paul presents the theme of his letter. This is probably the most difficult reference to salvation in Romans to discern what kind of deliverance Paul is talking about.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

At first, it seems that Paul is talking about justification in verse 16, because he says that this salvation is for those who believe. But by carefully understanding the sentence structure and looking at the context of Romans 1, we discover that the salvation Paul has in mind in Romans 1:16 is a salvation that comes to those who are already believers. The salvation of Romans 1:16 is a salvation that follows justification.

What kind of salvation is this? According to Romans 1:18, it is a salvation or deliverance from the wrath of God. And once again, almost everyone who reads of the "wrath of God" immediately thinks of hell. But the wrath of God in Romans and in the Bible nearly always refers to God's temporal judgment being poured out upon the earth. The wrath of God is not eternal damnation or hell, but is a wrath being inflicted upon the world at the present time.  And since the wrath of God is being poured out upon the world at this present time, and will culminate during the tribulation period, Christians who are alive can experience the wrath of God to one degree or another while on this earth. I know this a challenging thought and a new idea to many of you, but there is no way I can begin to develop it more fully for you in this lesson. I encourage you to just do a study on your own and see what you come up with.

It seems that the Bible in general, and Romans especially, presents the wrath of God as a type of judgment that God pours out upon sinners here and now on this earth. And according to Romans 1:16-17, Paul is going to tell us in Romans how to escape, how to be delivered from, how to be saved from this wrath of God. This is the kind of salvation Paul is referring to in Romans 1:16.  Part of the reason we know this is because Paul does not refer to salvation again until Romans 5:9-10. In all of chapter 3, 4 and 5, when Paul is talking about how to receive eternal life, he doesn't mention salvation. It's only when he comes to the end of his section on justification by faith alone in Christ alone that he says, "Okay, now that we have seen how to be justified, let's turn to see how we can be saved." 

Look at Romans 5:9-10.

9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Paul clearly says here that the salvation he is talking about comes after our reconciliation. It comes after our justification. The salvation in Romans is not justification or reconciliation, but something that comes after we are reconciled and justified.  He says that if God reconciled us while we were enemies of God, now that we have been justified (past tense), we shall be saved (future tense). Now that we have been reconciled (past tense), we shall be saved (future tense). The salvation of Romans 5:9-10 is definitely not the same thing as receiving eternal life or being declared righteous in the sight of God. It is something that comes after we have eternal life.

And what is it in context? Once again, we see in 5:9, that this salvation which comes after our justification is a salvation from the wrath of God. And notice that while justification and reconciliation are by the blood and death of Jesus Christ, the salvation is by His life, by the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. What sort of salvation do we have through the resurrected life of Jesus?

Well, Paul does not waste any time to tell us. He goes right on to tell us in the rest of chapter 5 and on into chapters 6, 7 and 8. The salvation that Paul explains to us in Romans 6, 7 and 8, the salvation that follows our justification, the salvation that is dependant not upon the death of Christ but upon the resurrection of Christ is our ongoing victory over sin in our life. Look, for example at 6:11. In chapter 6, Paul has been explaining how we have died in Christ and have been raised to new life in Christ, and the benefits that come with each. In 6:11-12 he says,

11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Do you see it? Paul has told us in chapters 4 and 5 that the death of Christ gave us deliverance from the penalty of sin, which is death. But now, in chapter 6, we learn the resurrection of Christ gives us deliverance from the power of sin in our lives.  When we died with Christ, we were buried with Him, and we died to sin. When we were raised with Christ, we were raised to new life in Him which means that we no longer have to obey sin. We no longer are enslaved to sin. We no longer have to sin reign in our bodies. The salvation that follows justification is a deliverance from the power of sin in our lives. 

The challenge Paul lays out for us in Romans 6, 7 and 8 is that we would walk in this newness of life. We would walk in victory rather than in defeat. That we would live out our resurrected life here and now.  We all struggle with this, right? We have believed in Jesus for eternal life. We know we have been justified and reconciled. We know that we have new life and new identities in Christ. We know that we are no longer slaves to sin, but instead, we are children of God.  But so few of us live like it. We constantly battle sin and struggle with temptation. Well, one of the keys to victorious living is not to wonder whether you are really saved or not. That road just leads to constant fear and defeat. The road to the victorious Christian life, the road to experiencing the day by day deliverance from the power of sin in our lives, the road to living in the salvation from the wrath of God, begins with considering ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ.

That is a hefty theological concept, so Paul tries to explain it in Romans 6-8. If we can ever get a hold of the truths in these three chapters, it will go a long way in helping us live the victorious Christian life and giving us salvation, or deliverance, from the power of sin in our lives. Do you want to get victory over sin? Learn what Paul teaches in Romans 6-8, and it will change the way you live.  Paul concludes this section with a glorious statement in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which we will be looking at in a few weeks.

Then in chapters 9-11, Paul takes up the issue of the Israelite people. It is a controversial passage which I am not going to attempt to explain tonight. These three chapters contain several uses of the word salvation, but most of them have the final and ultimate deliverance of Israel in view (9:27; 10:1; 11:14, 26). Paul is talking here about the deliverance of Israel from her enemies and God making sure that they remain a nation so that He can fulfill His promises to them.

But when we come to Romans 10:9-10, Paul stops talking briefly about the Israelites, and returns again to speaking to his readers (notice the change from third person plural in 10:1 to second person plural in 10:9).  And he tells them two things. He tells them that it is with the heart that they believe and are justified, but it is with the mouth that they confess and are saved. And what does this salvation mean? Well, we have already seen that throughout Romans 1-8, salvation has been deliverance from the power of sin in the life of a Christian. Salvation in Romans is when a Christian gains day by day victory over sin.

So with all of this in mind, the confessing Christ in Romans 10:9-10 is not a condition to receive eternal life and justification, but is a condition for gaining power over sin in our lives.

This makes sense, doesn't it? When we publicly identify ourselves with Christ, it causes us to live more for Christ. When we have told our friends and neighbors and coworkers that we are a Christian, this spurs us on to live for Christ because we know that they are watching. If we fail to live for Christ in their presence, we know that eventually, one of them will say something like, "I thought you said you were a Christian."  But there is not this incentive when we fail to confess Christ. When we don’t tell people that we are a Christian, we leave that door open to continue living the way we used to. So you see, you can be a secret Christian. But you cannot be a successful secret Christian. There is such thing as a closet Christian, but there is not such thing as a victorious closet Christian.

Paul confirms this from the Old Testament in Romans 10:13. There, he quotes Joel 2:32 which says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you were to do a study of the Old Testament idea of calling on the name of the Lord, you would see that it basically is the same idea as confessing Christ.  Calling on the name of the Lord in the Old Testament was something that only Old Testament believers could do. Nobody who was an unbeliever would call on the name of the Lord. Calling on the name of the Lord was a public form of worship where the Old Testament saint identified himself with the one true God in heaven.

It is kind of like when you get baptized. Baptism would be one way to confess Christ or to call on the name of the Lord, because baptism is a public identification with Christ. It is a way to tell the world that you belong to Christ. Baptism is the first step in following Christ on the path of discipleship. Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality. 

Do you want to gain victory over the power of sin in your life? Confess Christ. Call on the name of the Lord. Publicly identify yourself with the cause of Christ. These are things God wants you to do. If you fail to do this, you will still be a Christian, but you will come under the discipline of God in this life.  Have you believed in Jesus for justification? Great. That has given you eternal life. But now, if you want victory over sin, you need to confess the name of Jesus.

Just as further proof that this calling on the name of the Lord and this confessing Christ is something that happens subsequent to believing in Christ for eternal life, look at Romans 10:14-15.

14How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

Having just told us how to be saved from the discipline of God, Paul presents a series of steps in these two verses which clearly show the progression of gaining victory over sin.  This is a famous missionary passage, and it can be used for that, but Paul goal was not so much to encourage missionaries to go where the Gospel has not been heard, but to encourage those who have already believed to make a public declaration that they belong to God. 

What Paul does is present these five steps in reverse order. He begins in verse 14 with the end - calling on the name of the Lord. If we were to rearrange them to the order in which they happened, we would begin with the sending.  Right? It's there in verse 15. The first step in getting people to gain victory over sin is to send missionaries, to send preachers to them. Sending is the first step. The second step, also in verse 15, is that the sent one must preach. What good is it to send someone if they don't do any preaching?

So, step number 1: People must be sent. Step number 2, the sent ones must preach. Step number 3, at the end of verse 14, is that the audience must hear what is preached. Step number 4, those who hear must believe. And we know that if they do believe, it is at this point that they are justified. And then finally, step number 5, those who have believed must call on the name of the Lord.  To put it another way, preaching can only occur after a preacher is sent. Hearing can only happen after someone preaches. Believing can only happen after people hear. And calling on the name of the Lord can only happen after people believe.

Calling on the name of the Lord, this public declaration, this public confession of Jesus Christ is something that only believers can do, and is something that gives them a jump start on gaining victory over the power of sin in their lives.

Here is the message of Romans. We are all sinners, and sin has far reaching consequences. In order to be justified, to be given eternal life, to be freed from the penalty of sin, all we have to do is place faith in Jesus Christ.  But being freed from the penalty of sin is not the same thing as being freed from the power of sin in your life. Justification is not the same thing as sanctification. So if you really want to live the victorious Christian life, if you really want to gain victory over the power of sin in your life, you need to first of all be a believer, and then secondly, submit yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Confess publicly that you are a Christian and that you are going to serve Christ with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Stand up for Christ. Live for Christ. With your mouth and your deeds, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life. It is only when you do this that you will begin to see God work in a whole new and powerful way in your life. The struggles with sin that you have face will not disappear, but you will get more and more divine aid and greater victory as your progress in the faith.  Are you a closet Christian? Have you been afraid and ashamed of letting people know you belong to Christ. There were some Christians in the Bible just like that. Some in Jesus' day were secret disciples for fear of the Jews (John 7:13). Nicodemus was one of these at first, which is why he came to Jesus at night (John 3:1-2; 19:39).

Peter was a closet Christian for a while when he refused to confess Christ, but instead denied Him. Joseph of Arimathea also, was called a "secret disciple" (John 19:38) but when he saw the sacrifice Christ had made for him, Joseph decided to come out of the closet, so to speak, and ask Pilate for the body of Christ. Because of this, Joseph had the incredible privilege of having his tomb be the one that Jesus Christ was laid in and subsequently was resurrected from.  God wants to use us for His kingdom and His glory if we will only "come out of the closet" so to speak and take a stand for Christ (Rom. 1:16; Mark 8:38; Php. 1:17; Jude 3).

But did you know that although God does not want us to be closet Christians, he does want us to practice closet Christianity? You see, although God does want us to stand up for Christ publicly, He doesn't want us to do it arrogantly or proudly.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:5-6 that when we pray, we shouldn't pray like hypocrites who pray loudly on the street corners to be seen and heard by men. Instead, we should go privately into our closets, or some place where your actions will remain unknown so that you can pray to God who is in heaven. Don't pray to impress others. Pray secretly to develop your fellowship with God.

This kind of closet Christianity also gives privately and does good works privately. Hypocrites only give in such a way to receive praise and recognition from other people (Matt. 6:1-2). Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of this (Acts 5:1-10).  But Jesus says that when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matt. 6:3). God sees what we do in secret, and He will reward us.

Those who practice closet Christianity also study the Word of God in private. When most Christian seem to think that attendance at church is all the Bible study they need, motivated Christians recognize that they need daily and active and personal study of the Word of God in order to grow and mature (2 Tim. 2:15). As one reads and studies the Word of God, he draws closer to the Author.

We have seen from Romans 10 that we shouldn’t be a closet Christian. To gain victory over sin in our life, we need to stand up for Jesus. But at the same time, don't stand up in such a way that brings glory and honor to yourself. While we don't want to be a closet Christian, we do need to practice closet Christianity. Stand up for Christ publicly, but pray, give and study the Word in secret. Together, these things will accomplish much toward Christian vitality and victory.

Testimony

In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.

Contents

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 Legal testimony

In the law, testimony is a form of evidence that is obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact. Testimony may be oral or written, and it is usually made by oath or affirmation under penalty of perjury. Unless a witness is testifying as an expert witness, testimony in the form of opinions or inferences is generally limited to those opinions or inferences that are rationally based on the perceptions of the witness and are helpful to a clear understanding of the witness' testimony.

A subpoena commands a person to appear. It is compulsory to comply.

When a witness is asked a question, the opposing attorney can raise an objection ([1], [2]), which is a legal move to disallow an improper question, preferably before the witness answers, and mentioning one of the standard reasons, including:

There may also be an objection to the answer, including:

  • non-responsive

Up until the mid-20th century, in much of the United States, an attorney often had to follow an objection with an exception to preserve the issue for appeal. If an attorney failed to "take an exception" immediately after the court's ruling on the objection, he waived his client's right to appeal the issue. Exceptions have since been abolished, due to the widespread recognition that forcing lawyers to take them was a waste of time.

 Religious testimony

In religion, testimony generally involves an inward belief or outward profession of faith or of personal religious experience.

Christians in general use the term "testify" or "to give your testimony" to mean "the story of how you became a Christian" (or less commonly it may refer to a specific event in a Christian's life in which God has done something deemed particularly worth sharing). Christians often give their testimony at their own baptism or at evangelistic events, where non-Christians are able to hear what God has done in their lives. In the current age of the internet, many Christians have also placed their testimonies on the internet. For examples see http://www.testimonyshare.com/

In some religions (most notably Mormonism and Islam) many adherents testify as a profession of their faith, often to a congregation of believers. In Mormonism, testifying is also referred to as "bearing one's testimony," and often involves the sharing of personal experience—ranging from a simple anecdote to an account of personal revelation—followed by a statement of belief that has been confirmed by this experience.

 Testimony in literature

Some published oral or written autobiographical narratives are considered "testimonial literature" particularly when they present evidence or first person accounts of human rights abuses, violence and war, and living under conditions of social oppression. This usage of the term comes originally from Latin America and the Spanish term "testimonio" when it emerged from human rights tribunals, truth commissions, and other international human rights instruments in countries such as Chile and Argentina. One of the most famous, though controversial, of these works to be translated into English is I, Rigoberta Menchú. The autobiographies of Frederick Douglass can be considered among the earliest significant English-language works in this genre.

 

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Religion

Religious symbols, Left to right: Row 1. Christian, Jewish, Hindu Row 2. Islamic, Buddhist, Shinto Row 3. Sikh, Baha'i, Jain

Religious symbols, Left to right:
Row 1. Christian, Jewish, Hindu
Row 2. Islamic, Buddhist, Shinto
Row 3. Sikh, Baha'i, Jain

A religion is a set of beliefs and practices generally held by a community, involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

All patriarchal religions present a common quality, the "hallmark of patriarchal religious thought": the division of the world in two comprehensive domains, one sacred, the other profane. [1] Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion is also often described as a "way of life".

The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. "Organized religion" generally refers to an organization of people supporting the exercise of some religion with a prescribed set of beliefs, often taking the form of a legal entity (see religion-supporting organization). Other religions believe in personal revelation and responsibility. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[2] but is more socially defined than that of personal convictions.
Welcome!  This page is designed to show ways you can "MAKE A DIFFERENCE" in the lives of others.  In
today's society so many people look the other way.  There are so many people in the world who are going through tough
times.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of others.
THE WAY TO HAPPINESS... KEEP YOUR HEART FREE FROM HATE, YOUR MIND FREE OF WORRY, LIVE SIMPLY....EXPECT LITTLE....GIVE MUCH  (AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

Make a Difference

What does it mean to make a difference? People make a difference by thinking of problems in the world -- whether across the globe or right in their own backyards -- and giving of their time to help solve those problems.

watching a playDoes that mean making a difference is hard work? Yes, sometimes, but it can also be very rewarding and a lot of fun! Most returned Peace Corps Volunteers will tell you that they received much more than they gave while serving in the Peace Corps. Meeting new friends, learning new ideas, mastering new skills, and gaining a sense of accomplishment are all great reasons to volunteer.

And of course, you don't have to join the Peace Corps to make a difference! Kids are changing the world every day, by getting involved in their own communities and even around the world. Here are some of their stories -- and we hope you'll share with us some of your ideas about making a difference!

title graphic - Making a World of Difference Gov Spotlight

The People Who Make a Difference

Public service is about making a difference. As the Federal government's principal natural science and information agency, the USGS is committed to providing excellence in public service and to making a difference to the world we live in.

Our motto conveys an enduring message: science for a changing world. The changing nature of the natural and physical world is the primary driving force and motivation behind all of the work USGS does in biology, geology, mapping, and water. We live our motto each day in fulfilling our mission to provide reliable, impartial information to the citizens of this country and to the global community.

International Education and Resource Network

Map of the world Started in 1988, iEARN is the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and young people to use the Internet and other new technologies to collaborate on projects that both enhance learning and make a difference in the world.

Featured Projects and Programs:

A Vision 2007Team at Makati Science High School, Philippines publishes A Vision 2007, an anthology of student writing and artwork showcasing youth viewpoints around the world. See contributions from Austria, Belarus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Syria.

YouthCaN 2007 logoYouthCaN events held in Alexandria, Egypt, Beirut, Lebanon, and NYC, USA on April 23, 2007! The 2007 theme was "When Violence Causes Silence," proposed by students in Lebanon. Logo submitted by Abdel Rahman from Moussa Ibn Nassar Language School and Hossam from El Wessam Language School, in Egypt. Check out news coverage from the Daily Star in Beirut -- "ACS youth conference explores social, environmental costs of war."

Click here for more information about the 200+ projects underway in iEARN. 

Making a difference in the world
By Steve Kimmel, Pastor, First Baptist Smyrna

Published August 3, 2006

 

Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, August 20

 Irrelevant. It’s a dreadful word, really. I’ll confess it is a word that haunts my thoughts in the dark and quiet of the middle of the night. Whether the sphere is personal, professional, or spiritual, the one thing I never want to be is, irrelevant.

Appropriate humility notwithstanding, God has seen to it that we need never be deemed irrelevant. We can make a difference in this world.

“Make a difference” is a phrase that is used so much, so glibly, about so many unimportant things, that it has lost some of its punch. I entered “making a difference” in Google and got 431 million hits. I assure you, that kind of “difference” will be a mile wide and an inch deep. When we remember, though, that the difference we’re to make, the impact we’re to have, is to bring glory to God, then the bar is raised in a meaningful way.

How can we make a difference in the world?

 Stay near the world, but distinct from it 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

As believers, there is always the risk that we’ll get so near the world that we’ll blend in to irrelevance. With that concern in mind, Paul said, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14). This verse is often applied to the marriage relationship, but it is really about all of our relationships. Now, taken to its extreme, this verse might cause the believer to isolate himself completely from the world. In a prior writing, Paul balances his warning with the reminder that we can’t completely remove ourselves from the presence of fallen people. “In that case you would have to leave this world” (1Cor. 5:10).

Paul’s warning to us is a caution against forming any relationship that will silence our witness or cause us to compromise our faith. He uses a series of contrasts (vv. 14-16) to ask the rhetorical question, “How could you even consider it?” The implied answer should be obvious to any believer.

Why?

Because “we are the temple of the living God” (6:16b). As the Temple was holy and dedicated to the purposes of honoring God, so our dwelling place must be holy and dedicated to the purposes of honoring God.

Paul follows this promise with a command (7:1). The first part of the verse gives us the requirement, the second, the result.

The requirement is to “purify” ourselves. “Purify” means to put away deliberately. “Contaminates,” means that which stains and can include moral, mental, physical and ceremonial stains. In other words, we are to remove anything in our lives which would stain our personality and diminish our reflection of Jesus.

When we do that, the result is “perfecting holiness,” becoming more like Jesus.

A little girl fell out of bed one night. The next morning she explained it like this to her mother. “I guess I fell asleep too close to where I got in.”

To prevent that from happening in our walk with the Lord, to be sure we are continually becoming more and more like Jesus, we must stay near the world, but distinct from it. 

Let God use you 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

To make a difference in the world, let God use you.

God’s economy is counter-intuitive. It seems to work in a way that is contrary to common sense. God chose (chooses) ordinary people to do extraordinary things. What he takes away from you and me: “not many of you were … wise … influential … of noble birth” (1:26), he gives back to God: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus” (1:30). So, if there’s any bragging to take place, it will be about Him.

Where we are inadequate, he makes us adequate. Jesus then becomes in us, everything we are not, our “wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1:30).

Our value is realized in a relationship with God, not through personal accomplishment. Our value is at its greatest when we let God compensate for our weaknesses and use us as he sees fit.

 Be salt and light Matthew 5:13-16

To make a difference in the world, decide to be salt and light. The natural conclusion of “come apart from them” and “being in Christ,” is to have an impact on the world for God’s glory. So, Jesus purposely uses the analogies of salt and light to describe our calling. If His desire for us was to learn how to win arguments, He might have used an analogy that emphasized us being clever or forceful. Instead, he calls us to influence our world and calls on us to consider the characteristics of salt and light.

 Salt

• Purifies. Salt was considered the purist of things because it came from the purest of things, the sun and sea. We imitate the purity of salt when our thoughts, words and deeds are motivated by love. That’s what Paul meant when he said that we must “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates” (2 Cor. 7:1).

• Preserves. Plutarch said that meat is a dead body, and, left to itself, will go bad. But salt preserves it. When you die to yourself and take the spirit of Jesus into your life, you will preserve your life. We are to present and commend the life-preserving spirit of Jesus to a sick and dying world.

• Gives flavor. Salt adds zest to dull food. Your life is like salt when it is flavored with the joy of victory.

 Light

Light dispels darkness! Wherever it is introduced, darkness flees. Our calling is to introduce light into every dark corner of a dark world.

That’s because, the end of “coming apart from them,” and “being in Christ,” is to influence our world for Christ.

 
Here are a few Making A Difference Scholarships.
Many sites post their information for only part of the year.
Udall Environmental
Brower Youth Awards
Brick Awards
Leadership for Change
Peacebuilding Fellowship
New Voices Fellowship
Environmental Leadership
National Peace Essay
Anchor Environmental
Conservation Horticulture
Wilderness Society
Schweitzer Fellows
Ron Brown Scholarship
Harry Truman Scholarships
Roothbert Fund Scholarships
 

You Make A Difference

Introduction

So many environmental issues but so little time.  This activity requires you to connect with a single environmental issue, and develop a strategy to acquire support for the problem within your community.  You will learn a few facts about the issue, but your main job will be to convince your classmates that they should be committed to helping solve the problem.  

Task

Select one of the issues below.  Learn all you can about the topic, but most importantly, identify the reason why people should really care about the environment.   Your job will be to develop a  television, radio, newspaper or internet  public service announcement that will cause your classmates to make a personal commitment to help the environment.

Remember, before you can ask others to make a commitment, you must make the commitment yourself.

Web Site Resources

1. Garbage by The Annenberg/CPB Project

This Web site attempts to answer the following question about recycling:  "How can we find ways to meet our current economic and social needs without compromising the ability of our children, and our children's children, to do the same?"   Your job is to create a public service announcement that supports or rejects committing public funds to recycling.

  1. Travel to each (solid waste, hazardous waste and sewage) link, and pick out one fact from each that you find the most amazing.
  2. Follow the global efforts link, and play the Shrinking a Landfill game. (Click on the trash can) Determine which type of recycling is the most cost effective.
  3. List one thing you can do each day to help your community reduce garbage?

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

2.  Year of the Tiger by The World Wildlife Federation

Navigate the links in this site, and produce a tiger public service announcement.

Do not fill in your name anywhere on the site without your teacher's permission.

Here are a few questions you must answer.

  1. Visit the message wall and determine why other people care about the tigers.
  2. Why should a person in the United States be concerned with saving the tigers?
  3. List three interesting facts about tigers.

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

3.  Dumptown Game by the Environmental Protection Agency (Requires Shockwave Plug in) 

This is an really cool interactive game, but you will need to read the directions carefully.  The game will show you that it costs money to recycle.  Your job is to create a public service announcement that supports or rejects committing public funds to recycling.

After playing the Dumptown game, here are the question you must answer.

  1. Which waste programs do not cost the city anything?
  2. Which waste program will cost the city the most money?
  3. Which waste program reduces the city's waste the most?
  4. Now the big question, what is the best combination of programs for Dumptown? The most bang for the buck! 

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

4. Changing Seas by the World Wildlife Federation

The United Nations has named 1998 the Year of the Ocean.  Here are a few questions you must answer before  you create your announcement.   Your job is to create a public service announcement that convinces a person that they can help the ocean even if they don't live near it.

  1. What is the biggest threat to life in the oceans?
  2. Why should people care about the ocean environment?
  3. List three pollution problems the ocean is currently experiencing.

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

 5.  Habitat by National Geographic

Deep in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia the United States Forest Service  is studying  the process by which a forest evolves.  Your job is to study old growth forests and create a public service announcement that supports or rejects plans to stop cutting down old growth forests.

  1. Compare the 2 year old stand with the 86 year old stand.  What are the differences?
  2. Why would anyone cut down an old growth forest?
  3. Play the Fantastic Forest game.  Who lives in the old growth forest?  What happens to the wildlife after an old forest stand is cut down?
  4. Why should people care about the old growth forests?

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

6.  Everglades by the National Parks System

"No other place combines a subtropical climate, a broad, shallow river, and a stunning diversity of plants and animals into such a complex and fragile ecosystem."   Your job is to study about the Everglades and create a public service announcement that supports saving the Everglades.

  1. What are the major threats to the Everglades?
  2. List three endangered species in the Everglades.
  3. Why should people care about the Everglades?
  4. Is the purpose of a national monument/park to preserve the environment or provide access for people to enjoy the park?

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

7.Yosemite Visual Simulations by the National Parks System

In 1980, a plan was proposed to help restore  the majestic Yosemite valley floor to its natural condition.   View the Visual Simulations pages to get a feeling of what the park is trying to do.  Your job is to create a public service announcement either supporting or rejecting the restoration plan.

  1. Why would people not want to restore the parks natural condition?  What would they have to give up?
  2. Why should people care about the Yosemite Valley?
  3. List three interesting facts about Yosemite.
  4. Is the purpose of a national monument/park to preserve the environment or provide access for people to enjoy the park?

After you have answered the questions, go to the proposal maker to begin creating your public service announcement.

The Process

Television Announcement

Get together with your group members and develop a skit that expresses why people should support your cause. If you have access to a video camera, you might try taping your skit. Remember, television is a visual medium, so pictures, graphs, props, and videos are your best resources. Good Luck! The environment is counting on you.

Radio Announcement

Develop an announcement that vividly expresses your issue. If you have a tape recorder, make a recording of your announcement. Remember people can't see you, so you will need to find items that make the sounds you will need to convince someone that your topic is important.

Editorial Announcement

Write a letter to the editor or create a cartoon that tells the story behind your issue. You don't have the luxury of sound, so your words must be vivid.  How about turning it into your local paper.

Internet Web page

Use Filamentality to create a Web page that supports your topic.  Carefully follow the directions provided in Filamentality, and you will successfully create your page.   Include a link to the Web site you used to gather your information.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Why take such a beautiful child, God, and give to her such awful pain?

"So that others may learn."

Isn't that a kind of punishment?

"No. It is love, of the deepest kind."

But isn't there an easier way?

"Sometimes, no."

Here was my silent conversation with God one recent morning while standing in the shower shampooing my hair. Such dire thoughts skulked in like a stealthy intruder, sneaking through my brain before I realized they were there - and before I realized I was getting answers.

I had known better than to ask for the "why" of things, for only God truly knows why. "Whys" are the mysterious depths we cannot begin to plunge to while we reside on earth in our limited human forms. But "why" also represents our fears and our deep cries of pain when we slip from faith. So "why" then, was I getting answers? Most likely to give me just enough information to take me in another direction.

Automatically, I turned to the five vital questions we should ask instead of "Why God". These five questions - who, what, how, when and where - are querries we can make that will cause a flow of knowledge to begin. These questions leave the way open for continuation and enlightenment, be they of a spiritual nature or simply as a way of communication in relationships. These foundation questions will end up giving you substance.

The who, what, how, where and when of my "why God?" in this instance is my niece, a brilliant, kind and loving thirteen-year-old. She is a ray of sunshine in everyone's cloudy day, a rainbow in a storm. She has also just been diagnosed with a tumor in the middle of her brain.

Does Meghan matter? Of course she does. She always has, to many people. But suddenly, Meghan is impacting people on a very large scale. News of her crisis cut through us like a hot knife. Suddenly concerns of a daily nature became petty annoyances shoved aside to concentrate fully on her well-being.

An outpouring of love and support is coming to this child-becoming-a-young-woman, from all directions. She needs all the prayers she can get. She needs all the love and support she can get. But perhaps, in the mysterious workings of God, the people involved need to give to Meghan even more than she needs to receive it. Perhaps, in the bigger picture, this is what all of this is truly about.

And Meghan isn't finished with her impacting. I have seen her kind before. She is strong and vital, yet vulnerable. These are qualities needed to get her through this terrible event. These are the characteristics that will impress us and leave us with a memory of having given love in every measure that we have to give to another sacred spirit.

Nobody involved with Meghan, on even the smallest scale, will be the same again. There is no going back, even for those who do not know her and volunteered to pray for her anonymously. Their lives will change in subtle ways that perhaps they won't even be aware of. In one way or another, we will all grow from this experience, even those of you now reading this.

There is no doubt in my mind that the surgeons who cut into Meghan's brain at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota the morning of February 4th, "felt" Meghan's presence in profound ways. And what Meghan might contribute in the form of medical knowledge will surely impact other children who will be similarly afflicted. She is a link in some mysterious God-given chain. The service that Meghan is giving to the world cannot possibly be measured in human terms. Who knows, perhaps she is an "Enlightened One", one who agreed prior to birth to give this opportunity to those she would touch with her presence.

The greatest healing for Meghan lies as close as our intentions, as near as love.

Metaphysically, what we do affects our descendants for four generations beyond ourselves, whether ours are acts of kindness or of disrespect. In other words, what you do will affect your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

When you grow more peaceful and loving, become more enlightened, you release the blocks that were set in place during your childhood. This affects your children. As they become more enlightened, their children are more purified of the things you were clearing out for your own enlightenment. As your grandchildren become more enlightened and purified it will affect their children. Imagine that - your great-great-grandchildren wil be the final link of your own enlightenment! But it takes a full seven generations before there is true purification. Yes, it takes a full seven generations down the line to carry the torch of the good we have performed - to affect true enlightenment, or destruction, by our acts of goodness of hatred.

Making the conscious choice then to be truly spiritual is essential. To be less than this and you harm the planet. You harm yourself and your descendants. There is an old Chinese saying: "When the wings of a butterfly flutter in the breeze by ocean's side, even the tallest tree in a mountain forest sways."

True spirituality is not easy, but it is quite simple: Respect and be kind to all living things. This does not mean that you lay down and become a mat for everyone to wipe his or her feet on. On the contrary.You must have strong boundaries. Metaphysical boundaries are invisible lines set by the integrity of the soul. They are different from barriers. Barriers keep everything out, including love.

Boundaries means you must live by the integrity of what is the inner you, doing what you are guided to do for the highest good of all concerned - even it if makes you unpopular.

One of the first signs I notice in people when they move into their true spirituality is a sudden concern about the planet and everything in it. They feel guided to take great care of whatever is their responsibility. This is called "human accountability", one of the most difficult aspects to master.

I have been accused of being a "tree hugger" in the past, but no longer. The results of whacking trees down in order to lay cement have changed weather patterns all over the world. San Antonio, Texas, for instance, is more humid in recent years, partly because of all the houses, streets, etc., that have replaced precious trees that once absorbed humidity. There is nowhere for the hot, sticky moisture to go now but to hang heavy in the air, clogging lungs and stimulating medical problems. Studies show that there has been a sharp increase (75%) in asthma sufferers nationwide over the past ten years. Is it because of our lack of clean air?

And what of our streams, lakes and rivers? Startingly, over 60% of them in the United States are polluted. As early as the age of six, looking upstream to observe someone in the process of throwing paint thinner in a creek, I "felt" the impact of it. In my simple child's mind I saw that if enough people did that it would have to end up "somewhere" hurting "something". It has.

We know better than to do such destructive things now, or at least I thought so until I moved to my home in Naples. There is a small stream running through my property. In it we found two sewage pipes from two different neighbors. I was horrified. This stream may be small, but it is polluted and it leads into Naples Creek not 150 yards from me, home of the annual spring trout derby. Worse still, Naples Creek creek flows directly into Canandaigua Lake, a source of public drinking water!

Brain tumors and cancers are rising at alarming rates, especially among children. One of the sneaking suspicions researchers have at this alarming situation is that our drinking water may be the silent culprit. We can only use just so many chemicals to try and counteract the pollution in the water coming from gray water (laundry and sink water), from black water (right from the john), and from pesticides and chemicals running into streams from farmlands and manufacturing plants, before serious trouble sets in. We are using chemicals to fight chemicals. It's not working with regards to our health and well-being. Serious trouble has set in.

Meghan's brain tumor may have been sitting there from birth, thought the experts at one time. But no longer. And what stimulated the growth of it? It may have been stimulated by her own changes in body chemistry as she matrues. Or, it may have been the environment triggering it. For me, this has hit too close to home with what we have been through trying to clean up the water in our own back yard. How can we take even a single chance with children's lives?

There is a wonderful lady living down the way from me who is most likely in her seventies. She tells me that when she was a little girl she used to play beside our stream. It was clean back then, she said, pristine and filled with fish, turtles and frogs. She used to wade in it for hours on end. What happened to destroy her lit