Livin' the life...

“What a mighty God we serve, what a mighty God we serve! The angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him, what a mighty God we serve!” These are the words to a common jingle uttered by Christians all over the world. Personally, I know God is awesome, I know He is omnipotent, I know He is capable of wondrous works, but a few days ago I was blown away once again by what I think is an amazing, breath-taking scene – which I’ve included in this TFTW. I took it from a plane, as we were flying over what I believe to be The Alps. I’d like us this week to meditate on this photo and all of the other scenes you know about that help give an idea of how wonderful God and His creations are.

We can never fully comprehend God, or all His wonders, but we can definitely use them to appreciate our lives, and all He has put under our dominion. Thanks be to God!

Helen Slatter, a practising Catholic, says she is being forced to choose between her job and her faith after her NHS employers demanded that she remove the religious symbol, which she wears beneath her uniform.

Ms Slatter, a phlebologist who collects blood samples at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, in Gloucester, was told at a disciplinary meeting that her position was at risk if she continued to wear the one inch-tall crucifix.
The NHS Trust insisted that their demands were due to a uniform policy and not down to religion. ...

The mother-of-one, from Gloucester, added: "They have told me that for health and safety reasons and for infection control I must take it off or I will be sent home.

Full story.

Sami Hyypia, possibly Liverpool’s greatest foreign player leaves the club at the end of the 08/09 season. Full story.

Recently I’ve felt like there is a vicious, and epic battle going on in my mind. When it isn’t the common ‘good vs evil’-themed fight, it’s centred around doubt, frustration, anger, impatience, hopelessness, and feelings of injustice. There seems to be always something pulling me one way or another, and it really is one of the most frustrating things. So this week when I read the Daily Bread for Tuesday, I was quite shocked when it said, “In the book of Revelation, we read of the endtimes: “War broke out in heaven . . . . [And Satan] was cast to the earth” (Rev. 12:7-9). That future war is being preceded by an earthly conflict on the battlefield of our minds.” Wow, where did that come from? That statement is slightly comforting, because (i) I know what’s happening in my mind isn’t unique, and also I’m not going crazy! and (ii) these battles in our mind are quite real, but rest assured, in the end we know which side wins. But to be frank, that statement is also scary. It more-or-less states that we’re going to fight these fights in our mind possibly for all our lives. There will be this constant struggle, the flesh vs. the Spirit, if you wish.

If you’re like me, your next question probably therefore is, “Can anything be done to help it?”. And in reply, fortunately there is! We must strengthen the side we want to win! Prepare for the battle! I always like using the school analogy.. when it was exam time at school, how did you pass/ace an exam? By hoping your mind would recall all that happened the preceding term/year? Or, by hitting the books, pulling all-nighters, and burning the candle at both ends? The answer? You read the books, and studied them. Simply put, you prepared. With the battle in your head, the preparation is quite similar, instead of reading the textbook however, you read the Bible, and additionally pray for understanding and guidance. Supporting material such as guidance books, study Bibles, also are quite useful in helping you sharpen your wits. In some situations, the Bible needs no support or ‘middleman’ as it’s quite explicit. For example, the fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-26 are stated as plain as day, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. These are the things we should aim for and try to always reinforce in our minds.

Directly focused on the mind and supporting God’s side of the battle, we can take courage from these words in Phil 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.” Consciously focusing our mind on the good, and praying to God for His help is a must if any sign of peace is to surface in your mind, or mine.

Prepare with God’s word, because regardless of what you do, the battle awaits..

“Wolfram Alpha, the latest alleged Google killer, is not a search engine. Rather, physicist and software entrepreneur Stephen Wolfram's long-awaited new Web project is a "computational knowledge engine." The difference is important. A search engine tells you where to find stuff on the Web. Type "box office goodfellas" into Google, and you get a list of links; it's up to you to figure out which page to click on to find how much money the Scorsese film made in theaters. Wolfram Alpha, which launched over the weekend, tries to give you a direct answer—ask it the same question, and you get the result without having to look on any other site: $46.84 million. The site's best trick is its sometime ability to make calculations on the fly. Type in "box office goodfellas + box office casino" and it'll tell you that the movies made a combined $89.35 million. Think of it as a calculator attached to a reference library—or your own personal HAL 9000.” (Full article)

Good article! Really clarifies Wolfram Alpha (esp. as it relates to the “vs Google” topic)! I must agree with the author though, even though the concept is quite cool, at times.. it is quite useless in what it “knows”.

God blessed us with the ability to laugh, so it’s only right that I focus on that ability in a TFTW. Hope you enjoy..!

When Forest Gump died, he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "Welcome, Forest. We've heard a lot about you." He continued, "Unfortunately, it's getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance examination before we let them in."

"Okay," said Forest. "I hope it's not too hard. I've already been through a test. My momma used to say, 'Life is like a final exam. It's hard.' "
"Yes, Forest, I know. But this test is only three questions. Here they are."
    1) Which two days of the week begin with the letter 'T'?"
    2) How many seconds are in a year?
    3) What is God's first name?
"Well, sir," said Forest, "The first one is easy. Which two days of the week begin with the letter 'T'? Today and Tomorrow."
St. Peter looked surprised and said, "Well, that wasn't the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I give you credit for that answer."

"The next question," said Forest, "How many seconds are in a year? Twelve."
"Twelve?" said St. Peter, surprised and confused.
"Yes, sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd .."
St. Peter interrupted him. "I see what you mean. I'll have to give you credit for that one, too."

"And the last question," said Forest, "What is God's first name? It's Andy."
"Andy?" said St. Peter, in shock. "How did you come up with 'Andy'?"
"I learned it in church. We used to sing about it." Forest broke into song, "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own."

St. Peter opened the gate to heaven and said, "Run, Forest, Run!"

Have a great week!

Popular US breakfast cereal Cheerios is a drug, at least if the claims made on the label by its manufacturer General Mills are anything to go by, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

"Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug," the FDA said in a letter to General Mills which was posted on the federal agency's website Tuesday.

Cheerios labels claim that eating the cereal can help lower bad cholesterol, a risk factor for coronary heart disease, by four percent in six weeks. (Full Story)

A drug… really now!

Veteran games developer 3D Realms has closed down because of a lack of funds.

Founded in 1987, the firm popularised the concept of shareware gaming and published the seminal Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein 3D first-person shooters.

The company was working on a follow-up title, Duke Nukem Forever, which after being in development for 12 years has become the object of industry derision.  (Full story)

No Duke Nukem Forever.. ? :-(

As I read through the first few chapters of Acts this morning and saw the works of the apostles and disciples, I could not help but wonder about myself and my passion, and/or purpose in this world. This pondering also reminded me of the ‘lukewarm’ feeling that has come over me lately regarding my Christian walk. By ‘lukewarm’, I simply mean that at times my Christian life seems to be made up of just going through the paces – I don’t feel “on fire” for Christ, nor do I feel as if I neglect Him completely. For example, my days almost always goes like this: pray when I wake up; do a devotion from Our Daily Bread; during the day if/when I’m faced with problems I pause and ask God for help/guidance; in times of success or relief, I’m sure to thank Him for His aid; then, before I go to bed, I kneel and pray. On Sundays, I spice things up a bit and head off to church, read my Bible a bit more, and – as you well know – do the TFTW.

I’m sure many of you can empathize with the set of daily tasks mentioned above, but is this all Christianity is about? Is this all we were put here to do? Just go through the paces? Surely not, we must have a bigger purpose or, if I dare say, passion! Regarding the word ‘lukewarm’ highlighted above, Jesus speaks strongly against it in Revelations, i.e. “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” Rev 3:15-16. In reading the notes given in my study Bible for this passage, it states, “Avoid lukewarmness; stir up your zeal for the Lord.” To put it plainly, we must be “on fire” for Christ in some regard. Whether that be evangelism, prayer, teaching, administrators, etc. – all of which are identified as valid members of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27-28). All of which are important!

To believe in God, there is an implicit belief that we were put here for a purpose. We all have personal mandates to fulfil. Do you know yours? Are you working towards it? I think Christ will be very interested to hear about it on that Judgement day, which is coming very soon.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in your sight, our Lord and our Redeemer. Amen!

The Barbados Perfect Weather Guarantee gives travelers cash back when the weather in Barbados isn’t “perfect.”

Travelers booking their vacations with the Barbados Perfect Weather Guarantee from May 1-June 7, 2009 for travel during May 28-December 18, 2009 will receive $100 for every day the weather falls below an average of 78 degrees Fahrenheit and accumulates more than a quarter-inch of rainfall.

Those who book a five-night stay or longer, will enjoy an instant credit of $200 per booking.

As an old time Barbadian saying goes, “The devil and he wife fighting for the cou-cou stick,” meaning the rain is falling and the sun is shining brightly at the same time, is something travelers booking the Barbados Perfect Weather Guarantee won’t have to worry about. (Full story)

Well I never.. :\

For this week's TFTW, I thought I would use a song that's very close to my heart. It's name is Praise You In This Storm, and I trust you will like it as well.

Let's remember to praise God in the storms of life too. He always whispers, “I’m with you”.

(Thanks for the song MC)