ARE WE ALL JUST MISUNDERSTOOD?

I recently had the fortune or should I say misfortune to stumble
across a blog article with the title Sacrificial lamb on the Samson
blinded blog. See link below to read for yourself.

http://samsonblinded.org/blog/sacrificial-lamb.htm
It was a very negative article about how the Christians cant wait for
the Jews to be pulverized in Jerusalem. I would like to quote from
his site:

"A Christian editor sarcastically commented on one of my articles: "A
simple, inexpensive solution: pulverize Jerusalem. Think of the
problems that would solve." After a few seconds of shock, I realized
the suggestion as the quintessence of messianic attitude toward
Israel. Christians exterminated the Jews for fifteen centuries, and
neither mentality nor Christian religion has changed."

Several comments was made after the article and the importance of the
misunderstanding between Jews and Christians and even Christians and
Christians about the role the Jewish people play was what shocked me.
Some people are under the illusion should the Jewish people be
exterminated the whole world will be peaceful. I think we should
remember Jesus' comments to the disciples to go to the nation of
Israel first and then to the Gentiles. This shows the importance the
Lord put on the nation of Israel who because of their inherited
stubbornness not to conform to their surroundings was able to present
us with a clear message from creation up to the birth of the Messiah.

The lies Satan spread that the Jews killed Jesus has caused great
confusion and divide between two people who should have otherwise
been at peace. Fact the Jews could not touch Jesus until He allowed
it. He volunteered to be our Messiah. He choose the Jewish people. He
has not forgotten them or us his adopted children. He is coming back
for us. Amen

WASTE OF TIME

Got this from one of Baz Luhrmann songs Everybody's Free

"Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes
you're behind...the race is long, and in the end, it's only with
yourself."

Reference http://www.lyricscrawler.com/song/3953.html

FREEDOM WRITERS

For those of you that haven't seen the movie Freedom Writers, go get
it now!!
It's amazing how we can be divided over race or colour but deep down
we have so much in common that we are actually more alike than we
would like to admit.
We have to realize that there is potential in every person no matter
his or her background or dare I say their religion even. How much
greater is it to built up someone of an opposing faith in just being
there for him/her and in this way win their trust and respect without
confronting them first about that which "divides" or make us
"different".

May this movie impact your life and force you to think in a new
direction.

Destiny

I would like to share two things on destiny with you.

-Your destiny is in the people you meet.
Why do I say this? Think about where you are today and about the
people that changed you and helped you to be who you are.

-Your destiny is to change the world.
You were born to change the world, you are here right now because
there is a purpose for you. Believe this and live it!!

DARKNESS WITHIN FAITH

My personal reflections on an article by David Van Biema, Time
Magazine 23 Aug 2007 "Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith"

"O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self
thirsts for you, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and
weary land where no water is." [1]

The article Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith is written with a
shocking insight into the life of a great woman, Mother Teresa (Anges
Bojaxhiu), and portraying one of her deepest inner battles "the
darkness within faith" [2] that she faced for the biggest part of her
ministry. This "darkness" reflected in letters written to her
confessors, which showed a woman that very much loved God and tried
her very best to do His will, yet still felt even lonelier in doing
so.

On this subject I'm with Mother Teresa and David as with so many
others, when we in all our human failures ask the same question in
times of darkness. Even though we know there is a God we still ask
the question when looking at our situations.
"… that there was no human remedy for it (that is, she should not
feel responsible for affecting it); that feeling Jesus is not the
only proof of his being there, and her very craving for God was a
'sure sign' of his 'hidden presence' in her life; and that the
absence was in fact part of the 'spiritual side' of her work for
Jesus." [2]
Reading this statement strengthens my way of living for God in the
fact that, if the norm in my life is feelings and manifestations I
will fail in troubled times, but if the norm in my life is faith upon
the word of God, I will pull through troubles times. Mother Teresa
could have stopped believing, doing and caring but how many lives
would have been lost by her going on a feeling.

In my life as a Christian there will be times that I feel that God is
just not there. These are the times that I need to start acting in
faith as Mother Teresa did and continue pushing forward for that
greater goal, His kingdom. Mother Teresa said it so beautifully;
"I accept not in my feelings—but with my will, the Will of God—I
accept His will" [2]
Having times of darkness within faith forces me to turn my face away
from that which is around me and face towards my creator, it forces
me to search His will and not mine.

These are not times of abandonment but times of focusing on my
dependence in God.

References:

1 Psalm 63:1 Amplified Bible
2 David Van Biema, Time Magazine 23 Aug 2007

BECOMING REAL

What is it about becoming real? read on......

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the
others. He was so old and most of the hairs in his tail had been
pulled out to string bead necklaces. For nursery magic is very
strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and
wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side
by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room.
"Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out
handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing
that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time,
not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When
you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit
by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It
takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who
break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved
off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very
shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are
Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

from The Velveteen Rabbit

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html
by Margery Williams; illustration by William Nicholson