Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, in London, to Prince Albert, Duke of York (later known as King George VI), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947, became queen on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.
She officially became Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
Elizabeth II, 2007.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
She is the mother of Prince Charles, heir to the throne, as well as the grandmother of princes William and Harry. As the longest-serving monarch in British history, she has tried to make her reign more modern and sensitive to a changing public while maintaining traditions associated with the crown.
History states that at the time of her accession to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II, the public did not know anything about the human being behind the royal façade-and could not, due to the tradition of maintaining the Monarch and the Monarchy apart from all others.
Only her Family and Palace courtiers, as well as a select group of dear friends, were aware of all the wonderful qualities of the young woman who was now Queen.
Even though her official birthday is on 21st April 1926, within the Cayman Islands the Queen’s birthday is a holiday and is usually celebrated on the Monday after the Saturday in June that is designated as the official holiday observance in the United Kingdom. Generally, it is the second Saturday in June every year. This year it will be on the 10th June 2019.
To celebrate the day there will be a parade in the capital, George Town, followed by a garden reception.
Like the UK, the June birthday of the Queen is a time to give out birthday honors to those who have made a notable contribution to the Cayman Islands.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and President Donald Trump
Queen Elizabeth II officially welcomes President Donald Trump
According to ETonline, President Donald Trump’s visit to the U.K. began with a state dinner at Buckingham Palace on Monday, where he dined with Queen Elizabeth II in the opulent banquet hall.
The American national anthem was played and Mr Trump was invited to inspect the guard of honor Getty Images
The American guest of honor was introduced by a toast from the 93-year-old monarch, who welcomed him graciously and expressed the importance of the bond between the U.S. and the U.K. and their history together.
The queen also stressed the importance of a global mindset and the value of relying on allies and international friends when it comes to sustaining a nation’s health and maintaining its standing in the world.
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump (right) and Queen Elizabeth II walk in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth also showed the Trumps the royal gift collection — a room filled with artifacts.
During his speech at Buckingham Palace on Monday night, President Trump remembered D-Day and commended Queen Elizabeth II for her service during World War II.
The anniversary of the largest war invasion in history is coming up on June 6, and while many Americans have been taught about WWII, few were likely aware of the British monarch’s military service during it.
The queen is a trained mechanic and worked for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during the war. She also learned how to fix machinery and drive a military truck.
President Donald Trump praised the “eternal friendship” between the UK and US at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen said the countries were celebrating an alliance:
“which had ensured the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades”.
Dominic Lipinski- WPA Pool/Getty Images
Mr Trump ended his speech with a toast to:
“the eternal friendship of our people, the vitality of our nations and to the long-cherished and truly remarkable reign of Her Majesty the Queen”.
The Queen praised the two countries’ role in creating an assembly of international institutions that would ensure
“the horrors of conflict would never be repeated”.
Duties of a Sovereign
During her address to the opening session of the 1999 biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), held on November 12 in Durban, South Africa, Queen Elizabeth II recalls vividly:
“it was in Kenya that word reached me of the death of my father, and the responsibilities I then assumed as Queen and as Head of the Commonwealth in 1952.”
In the summer of 1952, she moved into Buckingham Palace where she undertook the routine duties of the sovereign and carried out her first state opening of Parliament on November 4, 1952. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey the following year on June 2, 1953.
Beginning in November 1953 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made a six-month round-the-world tour of the Commonwealth, which included the first visit to Australia and New Zealand by a reigning British monarch. In 1957, after state visits to various European nations, she and the Duke visited Canada and the United States.
In 1961 she made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years, and she was also the first reigning British Monarch to visit South America (in 1968) and the Persian Gulf countries (in 1979).
During her “Silver Jubilee” in 1977, she presided at a London banquet attended by the leaders of the 36 members of the Commonwealth, traveled all over Britain and Northern Ireland, and toured overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, in Canada, and in the Caribbean.
Public Persona
The Queen’s public persona has been described vividly in The Monarchy, An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II by Deborah Hart Strober and Gerald S. Strober, by many who have had the privilege of working with her or the honor of meeting her.
Bishop Michael Mann has been reported as saying that she has the sincere belief that she is consecrated to her post.
While Bryan Forbes has said she is a rather beautiful woman with a translucent sort of, almost porcelain, wonderful skin, and wonderful eyes. As a young girl, when she was crowned, she was exceedingly beautiful.
Sir Edward Dillion Lott du Cann, KBE, PC, minister of state, Board of Trade, 1963-64; former chairman, and part of the Conservative Party stated passionately that she is a performer who knows her role, has great experience in it, and realizes that she must perform.
I rather liked that statement as I felt it represented my previous article very well called Performances of Understanding which deals with real life events and theories.
The Queen has become increasingly aware of the modern role of the Monarchy, allowing, for example, the televising of the royal family’s domestic life in 1970 and condoning the formal dissolution of her sister’s marriage in 1978.
In the 1990s, however, the royal family faced a number of challenges. In 1992, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, separated, as did Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Unfortunately, Princess Anne also divorced, and a fire gutted the royal residence of Windsor Castle.
According to Britannica.com, In 2002 Elizabeth celebrated her 50th year on the throne. As part of her “Golden Jubilee,” events were held throughout the Commonwealth, including several days of festivities in London.
In April 2011 Elizabeth led the family in celebrating the wedding of Prince William of Wales-the elder son of Charles and Diana to Catherine Middleton.
Elizabeth II (right) and Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, visiting Leicester, England, at the start of the queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom, 2012.Andy Rain—EPA/Landov
The Duchess of Cambridge was escorted into the banquet by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
The following month of May, she surpassed George III to become the second longest-reigning monarch in British history, behind Queen Victoria.
Also, in May, Elizabeth made a historic trip to Ireland, becoming both the first British monarch to visit the Irish republic and the first to set foot in Ireland since 1911.
In 2012 Elizabeth celebrated her “Diamond Jubilee,” marking 60 years on the throne. On September 9, 2015, she then surpassed Queen Victoria’s record reign of 63 years and 216 days.
The Institution of the Monarchy
The institution of the monarchy has surely been affected by sweeping changes in Britain over the past half- century, including successive waves of immigration; leveling of the social and economic playing fields; the declining influence of the established Church; progress in human rights-particularly women, racial minorities, and homosexuals; the waning regard for established institutions; the end of the Cold War and the Technological Revolution.
Elizabeth, the Queen however, is known to favor simplicity in court life and is also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties.
Privately, she has become a keen horsewoman. She keeps racehorses and frequently attends races and is periodically seen visiting the Kentucky stud farms in the United States.
Her financial and property holdings have made her one of the world’s richest women.
The banquet was held in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace
Sometimes they pile up faster than leaves falling from a tree in autumn, but you got to keep track of them, study them, reflect on your shortcomings, identify what went wrong and why.
In the same way, we must study our mistakes in life and reflect on our motives from the past and identify what is in our power to change and let go of those things that are not.
Turn your burdens over to the Lord so your vision can become clearer.
Picture it with me! Vibrant rosebushes are swaying in their yellow-green dresses. Ok everbody, let’s do the 1-2 step! Lol!
A vivid sapphire sky kisses the horizon, as a brilliant sun bathes the faces of the first man and the first woman with an amber-yellow glow.
Isn’t love a beautiful thing?
Their union is supernaturally blessed and they know it! Predestined and orchestrated to embody the very Image of God.
It is very obvious that womanhood was not an afterthought with God, and it was through the creation of both male and female that God has offered us His fullest self-revelation.
If for some reason your imagination can not fathom the qualities of a perfect man or woman, if you reflect on who God is, we all carry His glory in ourselves individually and most of the time it can be seen in us. Lol!
Self-Image
Unfortunately, in today’s society the image of God often bears virtually no resemblance to our own self-image, because many of us walk around suffering from a low self-image. What’s up with that?
But how can our self-image be low when we contemplate the image of God in which we were created to reflect?
Please bear in mind your self-esteem shouldn’t be solely based on ego-boosting gratification that comes from awards, promotions, bonuses, money, status, cars, homes, land, who’s your partner or even new clothes.
Although realistically these things DO help.
I’d like to think those things are the temporary “uppers” of the “It’s all about you” generation.
I feel best about myself not when I am wearing a new outfit or dating someone new who is sizzling hot, but when I have selflessly reached out to an organization or an individual in need with no thought for reward -or of self.
Billionaire industrialist Damian Hale (Ben Kingsley) is master of his universe, until he encounters a foe that he can’t defeat: cancer. His only hope is a radical medical procedure called “shedding,” in which his consciousness is transferred to a healthy body. After the procedure, Damian, now called Edward (Ryan Reynolds), starts a new life in New Orleans, but he’s plagued by disturbing images. When he delves into Edward’s mysterious origin, he learns that some will kill to keep it secret.
It is only when my self is submerged or decreased that God’s image can increase and begins to shine forth.
Only then do I truly feel I have a healthy self-image that truly reflects God’s image.
So, let’s continue our walk together in this classic biblical story.
As the lovely couple basked in the loving presence of their Parent (The Lord God), like children discovering new toys on their birthday under the caring and watchful eyes of their mother.
We can just imagine a timeless moment, ethereal, limitless in its innocence and depth of beauty.
According to Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 2:8-9, Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there he put the man he had formed.
And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.
And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16-17. And the Lord God commanded the man,
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Now we must remember that Satan is very crafty and clever. His strategy is always to confuse reality and to make evil seem good.
He knows Eve is living in all the splendor of Eden, with all her needs met. So, the question is, how do you get at someone who is happy with being good and living righteous?
How do you get at someone who is trying to live right and do right?
The serpent had a plan. He approaches Eve with a theological discussion about God.
He correctly assumes that it is a safe subject, since he already knew she liked talking about God.
How many times have you found yourself standing in front of the tree that grows the forbidden fruit with your name on it?
You had good intentions but found yourself driving past an old flames apartment, walking past a liquor store, browsing the internet for the latest porn videos etc.
You had good intentions but you found yourself caught up in a swirling whirlwind of intense hypnotic memories from your past.
You ached for the penetrating feeling again, the illusion of intimacy and the need to communicate and connect.
The fruit looks so good dangling there right in front of you and would taste so sweet. Sweeter than the world’s best ice-cream and all its flavors!
You’re tired, your hungry, your longing for something that you haven’t found elsewhere. And along comes a snake.
He may be dressed in an Armani suit or she may be slithering along in a pair of six-inch heels and tight short red dress.
Snakes show up next to fruit that’s both forbidden and sometimes very good-looking.
They provide the voice urging you, convincing you, very subtly to give in to your temptations.
Inside many of us is the internal pressure that we are not good enough until we have attained the right clothes, man, house, job, or any other trappings that represent to the world that we are successful.
Speaking of internal pressures, our chosen lifestyle can increase or decrease our health.
According to many studies genetic components explain why some people have more difficulty with drug addiction or alcohol abuse.
Certainly, our genes, hormones, and other factors influence behavior. But apparently such influences, genetic or otherwise, can only create predispositions or tendencies.
“The devil made me do it”
becomes
“My genetics made me do it.”
Our genes may be God-given, but remember so is free will.
According to Dan Millman, the ego/self/personality is comprised of numerous tendencies.
He said, we tend to be lazy or to overwork; we tend to let our emotions drive our behavior; we tend to indulge or to deny ourselves; we tend to get attached to things, to lose perspective, to be overly serious or overly jealous.
We tend to be passive or aggressive, lackadaisical, or obsessive; to act without thinking or to think without acting; to be self-centered, defensive, and sometimes resentful.
We can’t erase our tendencies, but we can modify our behavior. Self-mastery entails transcending our tendencies and eccentricities, whatever they may be.
So, whether we tend to behave like a puritan or hedonist, a social butterfly or lone wolf – or to crave alcohol, or nicotine or to act aggressively- we can still live and act on purpose.
Remember who you are is God’s gift to you; what you become is your gift to God.
“When self-respect takes its rightful place in the psyche, you will not allow yourself to be manipulated by anyone” Unknown
Have you ever rushed through the supermarket and in your haste bought a bad piece of meat? Rather than taking the time to appropriately examine the meat, you grabbed the first piece of meat that “looked good” and raced home to cook it.
In this hypothetical story, I am referring to “meat” as “men”.
Why do we chose some of the men that we do as women? Many of us women, know a girlfriend, sister, mother or even a grandmother who in her haste to find someone to love, continually dated partners who ended up like that bad piece of meat from the supermarket in my story.
According to Toby Thompkins who works as a life coach and professional speaker on the topics of personal growth, relationships and cultural and social healing, many of us are actually better at reading the labels and checking the expiration date on an actual piece of meat from the supermarket than we are at heeding the warning signs that can appear in a new relationship.
How effective are you at meeting, dating and starting healthy relationships with partners who will love, respect and honor you? Personally, I’m not that good at it, but I am determine to learn.
The reality is that in the Caribbean alone there are too many single women who end in unhealthy relationships or become single parents. Also, let’s not forget unfortunate societal issues such as STD’s and AIDS.
He knows your value- Remember men know when a woman doesn’t value herself and some will take advantage of it.
He must be honest- If you meet a man who is willing to put everything on the table, give him a second look. An honest man’s words should match his actions.
He can turn his dreams into a reality- A man’s potential is what he has when he isn’t doing anything. A good man is a man who is ready, willing and able to turn his dream into a reality.If he’s full of dreams but has not created a game plan and following through, take note. If he is only interested in complaining about why he can’t do what he is meant to do, watch out!
He can tell you when he is hurt- Practicing emotional self-care is not only for women. If you meet a man who cannot tell you when he is hurt, watch out! men who are abusive or prone to emotional and physical abandonment are typically men who are not able to deal with the hurt that has accumulated in their lives. See my previous article: https://teneishajohnson.wixsite.com/dream/smooth-criminal-love-the-way-you-li
He embodies compassion(my favorite and sexists quality). How does he treat other people?
Remember ladies, keep your eyes open!
Don’t waste time on Fantasy Relationships
According to Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schmeider, coauthors of The Rules I and The Rules II, when a man is interested in a woman-he finds some way to ask her out.
He will figure out some way to see her as often as he can. End of discussion.Full stop.
Fantasy Relationship #1
Your accountant calls you over the weekend to remind you to submit your tax forms before April 15. You think because he called you on Saturday at home instead of during the week at work, that he must really like you.
What does The Rules say?
Many accountants work on the weekend. The lines between work and home, during-the-week and weekends can get very blurry in their occupation. Unless he suggested dinner, don’t read into it.
Fantasy Relationship #2
You think the waiter at the restaurant you go to twice a week likes you. because he always remembers how you like your eggs and coffee. You think he is being more attentive to you because he likes you.
What does the Rules say?
Waiters/Waitress are in the service business. It’s normal and actually proactive to remember a regular customer’s preference as a waiter/waitress. Everyone likes to be made to feel special. If this Waiter/Waitress really likes you, he/she will let you know directly and ask you out on a date. End of discussion. Full stop.
I repeat, when a man is really interested in a woman, he will figure out a way to ask her out.
Please note however that I still believe in daydreaming and its okay to day dream about your sexy Financial Planner, but keep it to yourself.
The danger lies in thinking there’s a relationship there that does not exist. Women who are absorbed in fantasy relationships usually don’t have real ones.
The Cayman Islands is susceptible to a number of natural disasters. Many of these including hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods.
With the beginning of hurricane season fast approaching, it is especially important that residents are educated and prepared. Having foresight and planning ahead can save your life and the lives of others.
The Cayman Islands plans to test its National Hurricane Plan this week with an exercise dubbed ‘Hurricane Kali’.
The annual hurricane exercise is scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday, when all agencies involved in responding to hurricanes will test their response and recovery processes.
‘Hurricane Kali’ is a tabletop exercise focusing on the response and recovery activities following an ‘All Clear’.
More information on improving preparedness and signing up with a CERT Team or as a shelter volunteer is available at visit www.caymanprepared.ky.
Population and Resource Limitations
Fear of the voracious appetite of a fast-growing human population lies at the heart of many worries about the environment. The following editorial from the world’s leading scientific journal states:
“The humans were so few, and the land so vast, that previous insults to mother nature could be quickly absorbed without any serious consequences. That is no longer true.”
Approximately half of the leading scientist’s concerns have to do with the behavior of the human population, and the other half involves the sources of pollution and other environmental problems. See my previous article:
With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, the birth control movement and new technological advancements, families now have the opportunity, capability and choice of managing their own resources and birth rates.
There is no doubt that as humans spread around the globe, they will displace trees, wolves, bears and even lakes to make way for farms, highways, cities and various human settlements.
However, would you say that economic growth and industrialization are the road to environmental ruin?
Economics
According to 18th Edition of Economics by Paul A. Samuelson and William D. Nordhaus, no such simple conclusion can be reached from the historical records.
They state that one important finding is that pollution trends tend to follow an inverse u-shape curve across different stages of economic development.
Inverse U-Shaped Economic Curve
Apparently the rising part of the curve occurs because urbanization, accompanied by the growth of highly polluting industries often replaces agriculture in the earliest stages of development.
For more on what I’ve learnt on Agriculture see my previous link:
However, here is the best part! As incomes rise, countries tend to invest in pollution abatement and their economic structures evolve towards services and away from heavy industry, reducing pollution. This would explain the inverse u-shape pollution curve.
Important Natural-Resources Economics
Important natural resources include the land, water and our precious atmosphere.
The land gives us food and wine from fertile soils, as well as oil and other minerals from the earth.
Our waters gives us fish, recreational activities and a remarkable and efficient medium for transportation.
Our precious atmosphere yields breathable air, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and flying space for not only birds but all of mankind’s various airplanes.
Our natural resources are important and deserve to be governed wisely and protected.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Heavenly Wisdom vs. Demonic Wisdom
James 3:13-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
Why you may ask? Because of the Untamable Tongue
James 3:1-12New International Version (NIV)
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Back to Heavenly Wisdom vs. Demonic Wisdom
Demonic Wisdom (James 3:15-16)
15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Heavenly Wisdom (James 3:17-18)
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
The Spirit of Truth vs. The Spirit of Error
1 John 4 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
According to the Dewey Color System, if you like yellow and orange, your first thoughts are about how to get things done.
Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody’s slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they’re worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.
By establishing a systematic approach, you can figure anything out. Your realism makes others see you as technical and efficient. You see yourself as someone who makes the most of his or her resources and gets results.
You embody the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” You are an innovator, far ahead of your time. This is your great talent! You have the ability to create something from nothing by reinventing the resources around you.
When you put your mind to something, new ideas and possibilities arrive with a bang! Use your abilities to encourage people as you are also a great motivator and construct new things as you are also an inventor and great at producing new products.
By pulling together the resources and talents around you- your know-how is unparalleled! Global competition, rapid-fire changes, increase customer demands, mergers, shrinking profit margins, downsizing, bankruptcies, insider stock trading scandals, and an unstable economy all contribute to the uneasy situations we experience in the world of business today.
Customer loyalty has been transferred to competitors offering better quality and faster delivery of products and services. Profits decline as costs increase and PRICE WATERs down, forcing you to be more cautious with your Sovereign Investments.
Happy Father’s Day- Honoring Father’s and Fatherhood
Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It will be celebrated on the 16th June 2019
Father’s Day is also celebrated in Burscough, Lancashire, North West of England
The idea for Father’s Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966.
The exact origins of what we now know as Father’s Day are disputed, though we do know the movement for a day which celebrated fatherhood began roughly 100 years ago.
While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, a breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently.
In Germany it is called Vatertag (Father’s Day) but is also sometimes known as Männertag (or men’s day).
In China, Father’s Day used to be celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is “ba”, while a colloquial word for father is “ba-ba” – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to “daddy”.
The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US.
The Prayer of Jabez
The prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles) is not a “quick fix”, a magical lamp with a genie or a magic wand. It’s not a few words that you memorize and just recite every day.
It is not a prayer that elevates you above your competition, gives you an unfair advantage or sets you on the path to prosperity.
No, the prayer is specifically for God to look upon you favorably with blessings as He sees fit. When you pray Jabez’s prayer, you’re asking God to bless you, to expand your territories, to guide and to protect you from evil.
The Lord changes everything based on the intent of your prayer. Jabez’s intent was focused on his desire to be used by God and was void of selfishness. His prayer was not asking God to show favoritism, partiality or take blessings from someone and give them to him. An act becomes selfish when someone is deprived or hurt by it.
Prophecy is a powerful gift to be handled very carefully. We can easily do harm if we have either got incorrect revelation for somebody, or have given them correct revelation but in an inappropriate way.
If we seek to exercise the gift of prophecy with anything in our hearts other than love for the Lord and the person or people we may be speaking to, it is all too easy for things to go wrong.
For those reasons, I believe anyone wanting to grow in the gift of prophecy, aught to be hungry for words that will strengthen, comfort and encourage as their first priority.
It is also vital that anyone exercising the gift of prophecy does so with a submissive heart. Prophecies should always be weighed and tested and confirmed by several different sources.
Most recently I located verses in the bible which once again, demonstrates the importance of understanding from a biblical perspective:
1 Corinthians 14:13-25
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
19 But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
21 In the Law it is written: “ “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgement by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
The Bible has always been and I strongly believe, will always be the best-seller year after year until the end of time and is peppered with many prophecies. In our fallen and double-minded world, we can either be encouraged or terrified by prophecy.
In 2 Peter 1:19 of the New International Version (NIV) it states,
“19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”.
And it continues to solidify verse 19 in verses 20 and 21 by saying the following:
“20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”.
In the Old Testament there are many stories of the prophets of Israel. One story in particular features the Priest Ezekiel who was among the Judeans that Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon in 597 BC.
Five years into their exile, God called Ezekiel to go to Israel and “speak my words to them” or prophesy. The Priest Ezekiel often spoke his messages by composing exceptionally polished poetic oracles which he would either speak or perhaps sing to the public.
He was also known to be a very talented and creative individual and told many of his stories with symbolic meanings, symbolic actions and often described and demonstrated his extraordinary visions that he had received to the public using his various abilities.
It’s interesting to note however in Ezekiel Chapter 2 verses 14, that when he was called to be a prophet, he wasn’t exactly jumping with joy. It says he went on his mission in bitterness and anger.
I believe there are still true prophets among us today, however we need to be cautious of people- even those inside the Church, who astonish us with their exploits.
Astonishment or amazement is not enough. I sincerely believe it would be wise for us as believers to observe their lives and determine if they have truly been transformed.
Many people agree that we should be able to see conviction, repentance, love and unity taken place within their lives. I strongly believe that people can be very susceptible or naïve when they have never experienced the power of the Lord. When supernatural things take place that they don’t understand or can not explain, they may call it divine or of God. But watch out!
Just because a person believes in Christ does not automatically qualify him or her to receive everything that is divine. I believe spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy is very much needed in the church today, but many who are ignorant regarding how God choses to deliver the Spirit, may feel that they can imitate the Spirit. They may even believe it’s a gift that can be purchased.
However, the bible said that for every supernatural gift that comes from God, satan has made a substitute. Ancient diviners or psychics have foretold events by countless methods but the Priest Ezekiel has warned us against this in the entire book of Ezekiel Chapter 13.
Ezekiel Chapter 13:1-23
It reads as follows:
“ 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. 6 Their visions are false and their divination a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.
7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares”, though I have not spoken?
8 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words, and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
10 “Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with white-wash, 11 Therefore, tell those who cover it with white-wash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.
12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the white-wash you covered it with?”
13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with white-wash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord.
15 So, I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 Those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them 18 And say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?
19 You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have sparred those who should not live.
20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, 23 Therefore, you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord”.
Wow! That’s some serious revelations right there!
However, as I stated previously, the Apostle Peter calls prophecy a “light that shines in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). I also believe that even though their may be different interpretations of prophetic theories, some things are still held in common by all legitimate people involved:
1 Jesus Christ, Son of God, is Savior and Lord
2 The Bible is the Word of God
3 Jesus Christ is coming back again (Titus 2:13, 1 Peter 1:3 and 3:15, John 3:2-3 etc.)
I still strongly believe that we must be willing to submit what we have heard from the Lord in good faith as we speak or shared to others around us, and especially to our leaders.
Doing it this way, preserves “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace”.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment over the years, whether substantiated or not, have frequently been discussed amongst the community and the places we each call home. It affects virtually all nationalities and religions around the world.
However, even one child or teen being abused by a priest/pastor (or by anyone else) is too many.
Most cases of abuse, although being reported recently, go back two, three, four, or even fifty decades. Unfortunately, there was much less knowledge of the dynamics of abuse then than there is available today. Many times, offenders would be allowed to continue in their ministries after going through a time of brief counseling.
I am not against restoration of an individual, however, I believe it’s worth mentioning that according to research approximately 70% of accused priest/pastors were reported to also be survivors of abuse themselves. Wow!
A psychopath is murdering women across the Midwest. The FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling to interview psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, diabolical cannibal who could provide insight into the killer’s identity. Lecter agrees to help Starling only if she’ll feed his morbid curiosity with details of her own complicated life. Starling is forced to confront not only her own hidden demons, but also an evil so powerful that she may not have the courage – or strength – to stop it.
Statistics recorded that many of them had serious psychological problems such as substance abuse and/or mood and personality disorders.
You may also visit www.silentlambs.org for additional information regarding sex offenders.
Thankfully, we have elevated our standards and now members of the clergy are more mature when they begin seminary. They undergo intense comprehensive psychological testing’s that includes specific evaluation for sexual problems and risk factors, and they are extensively trained in how to manage sexual issues.
We live in a culture where the sexual abuse of children is not uncommon. There have been reported cases of public and private school children that have been sexually abused or molested by school staff or employees. Regrettably, research also indicates that a greater percentage of children have been abused by family members, rather than by the clergy or school staff.
The publicity surrounding sexual abuse has raised consciousness in many communities of faith, and many have established stringent and detailed policies for ensuring the safety of children and young people.
These often include such things as never having a child alone in a room with an adult; an open-door policy in classrooms; extensive screening and background checks on all personnel who come into contact with children, and detailed procedures for reporting suspected abuse and dealing with offenders.
Child sexual abuse is a complex and serious problem. A few years ago, I attended a Darkness to Light training session at the Red Cross Cayman Islands and was also informed that the training could also be completed online at www.D2L.org
At Darkness to Light, their vision is to have a world free of child sexual abuse. A world in which all children are loved, protected, and nurtured, able to grow up healthy, with their sexual boundaries intact.
Sins that bring Curses
We read in Deuteronomy Chapters 27 & 28 that curses are promised for sins in these six areas: idolatry, dishonoring of parents, dishonesty and deception, cruelty to the helpless, sexual sin of any kind, and disregard for the law. (Some references concerning the sins of the fathers are Deuteronomy 29:24-28; 2 Chronicles 7:19-22; 34:23-25; Ezra 9:4; 13-15; Nehemiah 9:1-3; Isaiah 65:6-7 and Jeremiah 14:20-22; 16:10-13).
“There is that unseen and mysterious connection between a father’s (also mother’s) sins and the path of their children. If the parent commits certain kinds of sin, regardless of their training, or the social, cultural, and environmental influences on them- the sin or iniquity that is committed is “passed down” to the children, to the third and forth generation. Each generation adds to the cumulative iniquity, further weaken the resistance of the next generation”.
PASTOR BURTON STOKES
However, Mr. Stokes also stated that he does not mean to imply that there is any deficiency in the power of the blood of Jesus, which redeems us from the curse of sin, or that believers today are bound to the letter of Old Testament Law. But if we rebel in our hearts and rebuild idols in our lives, we can be ensnared again by the same yoke of bondage from which we’ve been delivered (see Galatians 5:1, 16). Therefore, we again become susceptible to the curse.
Please note however that these insights are not intended to bring you into fear or bondage, nor cause you to attribute every problem in your life, habit, or bad character trait to a curse or a demon. Sometimes emotional and behavioral problems have physiological or biological foundation as I have come to realize.
If we take the time to look at the various issues we have in our lives and become aware of our vulnerabilities, I strongly believe with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can renounce the sins we’ve yielded to in our lives and strengthen our defenses against the evil one.
An example of a prayer may be like this:
“Father, we come before you to confess and repent of our sins and the iniquity of our forefathers. Forgive us for the sins of idolatry, witchcraft, rebellion, immorality of any kind, addictions etc.
According to Ephesians 6:12, we bind all principalities and powers trying to influence us or our family, and we forbid them to operate in the name of Jesus. We declare that our Family is under the blood of Jesus; we revoke any generational curses and say that they will go no further. Jesus became a curse for us, therefore we are a generation that serves God.
Father, forgive us for depending upon any source that is not of you. Pour out your supernatural power in our families, so we will not be bound by the things of the natural world. We ask you to send your warring angels to do battle on our behalf. We thank you in advance that our children will take their place in the body of Christ and fulfill your calling upon their lives.
Father, we submit to you, and our hope and expectations are from you alone and no other spirit. By the power and authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we declare ANY satanic influence directed towards our families destroyed and defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross.
We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of our past and cleansing us by the blood of Christ. We also would like to thank you for our faithful Christian heritage- for those ancestors who did follow you and prayed for us so that we may become stronger in you and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We thank you for your mercy and your grace and for the blessings you bestowed upon us and our families. Amen”.
Happy Father’s Day- Honoring Father’s and Fatherhood
Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It will be celebrated on the 16th June 2019
Father’s Day is also celebrated in Burscough, Lancashire, North West of England
The idea for Father’s Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966.
The exact origins of what we now know as Father’s Day are disputed, though we do know the movement for a day which celebrated fatherhood began roughly 100 years ago.
While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, a breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently.
In Germany it is called Vatertag (Father’s Day) but is also sometimes known as Männertag (or men’s day).
In China, Father’s Day used to be celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is “ba”, while a colloquial word for father is “ba-ba” – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to “daddy”.
The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US.
Satan’s goal is, through deception, to entice believers to sin or commit any act which quenches the Holy Spirit in their lives or dilutes their effectiveness in glorifying God through both personal conduct and Christian service. His desire is to find any areas in our lives where he can attach himself (See Ephesians 4:27). Through his demons he seeks to find any “sin handles” which give him access to influence us into actions of disobedience towards God.
Satanism is a big problem around the world and it is beyond anything that has been portrayed in the press or in movies. Every city, town or country has its covens, groups or community of people who directly worship and serve Satan.
After a spurned classmate curses him, an arrogant teen will be forever ugly unless he finds true love.
It doesn’t matter how you “pretty it up” and make it look glamorous, every religion that worships and serves demons is a form of Satanism. Some people refer to them as energies, vibrations, pagan gods, spirit entities etc.
Demons are masters of deceit. They have the ability in the spirit realm to “switch the sets” just the same as men do in the movie making industry. If you have ever visited Universal Studios, Warner Brothers (WB) etc., where many of the movies are made in America, you can walk down one street and be in the “Old West,” turn down the corner, and you are in 18th century England, turn another corner, and you are in a different time and country, maybe even on a different planet!
Demons can do the same thing in the spirit world and create all sorts of illusions, like modern day magicians for the humans under their control.
I have learnt that in some Eastern religions they center around gaining contact with the spirit world through meditation techniques to blank the mind. My scripture tells me that we are responsible for and should control our own minds at all times. (II Corinthians 10:5)
Visualization and guided imagery are also very old techniques but effective for gaining contact with the spirit world. Apparently, those techniques alone are responsible for thousands of Christians falling into the trap of using occultic practices.
It sounds like just another urban legend — a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.
14th February 2011 at The University College of the Cayman Islands
Most important to note is that children go through a developmental stage where they use a lot of imagination and visualization.
During my ongoing extensive research, I was stunned to find out that there are many occultic games and toys for children. Parents should be extremely careful about the toys they buy for their children and the types of video games that they play.
The Bible says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and just like a house, our temple should be guarded and protected from “unwelcomed doorways”.
What is a doorway? It’s a term used as a sin that defiles the temple.
Types of Doorways
Inheritance (Generational curses etc.)
Ouija board
Ritual sex
Tarot cards
General occult games
Animal sacrifice
Murder
Horoscope
Blood contracts
Witchcraft
Drugs
Kung fu
Karate
Human sacrifice
Drinking blood (animal & human)
Hypnosis
Incest
Palm reading
Yoga
Rock music
Occult & horror movies
Rebellion
Drunkenness
Multiple sexual relationships
Cannibalism
Astral-projection
Blasphemy
We can create many doorways and I’ve listed a few above however one such door way is sexual molestation.
Sexual molestation unfortunately is the most common childhood doorways. Apparently, it is always followed by a cycle of early sexual involvement on the part of the child with ever increasing involvement in sexual sins as the person gets older. This is usually because of the demons that may have been placed in the child at an early age.
Children are very vulnerable and should be protected at all cost! However, we adults are susceptible too and should be aware of the basic differences between the Occult and Christianity.
For example, the occultist will always try to control their contact with the spirit world and try to control the person or people within. If they do not do what the they are told, they are then punished. To a large extent, the Satanist appears to be controlling the power they are using for whatever purpose it’s being use for at the time.
However, as Christians, we are never in contact with the spirit world except for the brief occasions when the Holy Spirit allows such contact and we Christians do not and cannot control the power of God. We are simply his servants or vessels of honor, nothing more.
The Lord works through His servants as He chooses, not as we choose. Demons however, only cooperate with humans to give them power when that person wants it, and it is only used as a tool or I’d say a “carrot stick” to draw them even farther away from the Lord and into satanic worship.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be strong women of God, even in our moments of weakness. In the bible, Jesus promised his followers, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, or Strengthener) that He may remain with you forever; the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Work of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26-27)
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
I pray that as we will continue to be careful in our walk by faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will not allow desires for power and greed to draw us into Satan’s deceitful traps.
“The universe was created to teach us, not judge us. Yet we judge ourselves and our world”
This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic DARK PHOENIX. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.
It is not easy to behave constructively in the face of negative expectations, criticism, blatant disrespect and negative emotions and it certainly is not easy to say a kind word when we are angry or sad.
It sounds like just another urban legend — a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.
However, whether or not life is easy, how we respond determines how we live.
14th February 2011 University College of the Cayman Islands
Many times, in life we are quick to judge and slow to show compassion.
Matthew 7:1-5 says,
“1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”.
I believe moral concepts are personal and each person should have the right to choose how they wish to live their lives.
What one culture, religion, or nation prohibits, another may accept as moral behavior.
Life is not simple.
I believe it is up to each of us as individuals to be responsible for our own moral values and be willing to accept any resulting consequence.
The bible tells us that people have a severe sin problem that it is altogether beyond their means to solve.
Jesus often illustrated with metaphors and parables the havoc sin can wreak in a person’s life.
Jesus also continued in verse 20 to state that this is really what makes a man unclean or we could say sinful.
He also taught us in Matthew 5:28, that external acts are not the only things that render a person guilty of sin; inner thoughts do as well.
It seems quite clear to me that the human race is desperately in need of salvation in the worst sort of way!
This salvation can be found by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, so that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.
And right now, our present life is the only opportunity we have to place our faith in Him.
We live once, die once, and then face the judgement.
Now is the time for salvation.
The apostle Paul majestically inspired believers in 2 Corinthians 6:4-10,
“4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distress;
5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;
6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as imposters;
9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
So, I say once again, even though as believers it may not be easy to smile in the face of blatant criticism, disrespect and plain old jealousy, the time is at hand and we each have a job to do.
Now is the time for salvation and if we must judge, let us judge with compassion, because many times it is “we” that need forgiveness.
The patent system is the oldest form of intellectual property right. Since its development, the concept has been featured in many of the world’s major political upheavals. Testimony of this fact can be traced back as far as the late Middle ages where the element of monopoly conferred upon the holder of a patent has at least the potential to provide very significant economic benefits.
Brunelleschi’s Dome: The story of the Great Cathedral of Florence
Brunelleschi’s Dome
The first recorded patent was issued in Florence in the fifteenth century. According to the 5th Edition of Information Technology Law by Ian J. Lloyd, Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect of Florence’s remarkable cathedral won the world’s first patent for a technical invention in 1421.
Filippo Brunelleschi was a classic man of the Renaissance: tough-minded, multi-talented and thoroughly self-confident. He claimed he had a new means of conveying goods up the Arno River (he was intentionally vague on the details), which he refused to develop unless the state kept others from copying his design.
Florence complied and Brunelleschi walked away with the right to exclude all new means of transport on the Arno River for three years.
When adopted in England, the purpose of the patent system was somewhat different. Unlike Brunelleschi’s patent, the technology covered by the patent was new to the country rather than new in itself.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the system fell increasingly into disrepute because unfortunately the system was frequently being used to boost the Royal revenues by conferring a monopoly in respect to basic commodities for a fee.
It was another hundred years however, before it was settled that in return for the award of a patent, the inventor was required to specify details of the manner in which the invention functioned and not until the enactment of the Patent Act 1902 that even a rudimentary form of examination of the patent applications was made with a view to establishing novelty.
In recent United kingdom statutes, it has been made absolutely clear that the element of invention is critical for any award and that a balance is to be struck whereby in return for putting details of the manner in which the invention functioned into the public arena, the inventor is to receive a temporary monopoly in respect of its exploration.
Description of the Modern System
The basic theory of the patent system is simple and reasonable. It is desirable in the public interest that industrial techniques should be improved. In order to encourage improvement, and to encourage the disclosure of improvements in preference to their use in secret, any person devising an improvement in a manufactured article, or in machinery or methods for making it, may upon disclosure of the improvement at the Patent Office demand to be given a monopoly in the use for a period of years.
After that period it passes into the public domain, and the temporary monopoly is not objectable, for if it had not been for the inventor who devised and disclosed the improvement nobody would have been able to use it at that or any other time, since nobody would have known about it.
Furthermore, the giving of the monopoly encourages the putting into practice of the invention, for the only way the inventor can make a profit from it (or even recover the fees for his/her patent) is by putting it into practice, either by using it themselves, and deriving an advantage over their competitors from its use, or by allowing others to use it in return for royalties.
United Kingdom’s Patent System- Patent Act 1977
Today the United Kingdom patent system is based primarily on the Patent Act 1977. This statute was enacted in part to reform and update the United Kingdom law relating to patents but also in order to bring domestic law into conformity with the provisions of the European Patent Convention, opened for signature in 1973, which provides for a measure of harmonization in matters of substance and procedure amongst signatory statutes.
There is no doubt that inventiveness is a key requirement of the patent system, what has been more debatable has been the application of the system to soft-ware related inventions. these are innovations where novelty resides primarily or exclusively in software components.
Concern:
1 Does the software developments fit conceptually into the industrial nature of the system?
2 Does the library and related resources exist to allow claim to novelty to be adequately assessed?
Patents in the International Arena
According to the 5th Edition of thew Information Technology Law by Ian J. Lloyd, the patent systems tended to be found only in the developed world. However, since the introduction of the World Trade Organization (WTO), it has resulted in many more countries introducing systems of patent protection.
The oldest international instrument is the Paris Convention, an instrument signed by ninety-six states, including all of the major industrial states. This provides that the submission of an application in one signatory state will serve to establish priority for the applicant in the event that equivalent applications are submitted in other signatory states within twelve months.
Although such a facility is of considerable value for inventors, the practical problems involved in obtaining patent protection on anything like a worldwide basis are immense, and a number of subsequent agreements have sought to ease the task facing applicants.
For a good description of the history of the United Kingdom Patent System, see the Patent Office Website at:
The Convention was first opened for signatory on the 20th March 1883, with the most recent revision occurring in Stockholm in 1968.
Intellectual Property in GATTS and WTO
Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade has provided a legal mechanism for international trade. Reform to the system in the 1990’s brought service into the international agreement for the first time and also introduced provisions relating to the intellectual property rights.
The Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Protocol, which was adopted in 1994, entered into force on the 1st January 1995. For more information on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) requirements and signatures to make patents, visit:
Aid for Trade Global Review 2019 on 3-4 July: Economic diversification and empowerment of women key to bridge development gaps
Economic diversification and empowerment of women are key to achieve a fairer and more efficient trading environment, speakers at various sessions said at the Aid for Trade Global Review on 3-4 July. The global economy offers many opportunities for enterprises to grow but much remains to be done in areas such as fisheries subsidies to safeguard resources and to ensure that the benefits of trade can reach more people, panelists agreed.
Empowerment of women
Speaking at a session on “Women entrepreneurs: Making the Buenos Aires declaration happen” on Day 1, DG Azevêdo focused on the empowerment of women as a means to ensure their full participation in global trade.
The session took stock of progress and national experiences since December 2017 when over 100 WTO members signed the Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment at the 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires.
“If we want to seize all the opportunities that the global economy has to offer, we have to make sure that women are fully integrated into those efforts. Women entrepreneurs already play a vital part in many economies. According to some estimates, a third of all small and medium enterprises in developing countries are led by women,”
DG Azevêdo said. “However, many barriers persist to their full participation in the global economy whether it’s fewer legal rights or political underrepresentation.”
For more of this fascinating and informative news visit:
A patent may be awarded in respect of an invention. The invention may relate either to a new
product or to a novel process (perhaps Blockchain Technology?). The Patents Act
1977 does not define the word ‘invention’, but it does specify attributes that
any invention must possess. These
require that:
In addition to defining the elements that most be found in
an invention, the Patents Act 1977 lists a number of features which will not qualify
for the grant of a patent.
Section 1(2) which mirrors Article 52 of the European Patent
Convention, provides that patent are not to be awarded for:
A discovery, scientific theory or mathematical method (I wonder if STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math is included?)
A literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work or any other aesthetic creation whatsoever;
A scheme, rule or method for performing a mental act, playing a game or doing business, or a program for a computer; or
Scott Rosenberg (born 1959 in Queens, New York is an American journalist, editor, blogger and non-fiction author. He was a co-founder of Salon Media Group and Salon.com and a relatively early participant in The WELL. Rosenberg’s first book, Dreaming in Code appeared in 2007.
Before Salon.com he wrote on theater, movies, and technology for the San Francisco Examiner and was honored with the George Jean Nathan Award for his reviews. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, and many other publications. Visit another of his website at: www.wordyard.com
Mr. Rosenberg states that the 1990s technology-industry boom
introduced us to the concept of “Internet Time “. The phrase meant different
things to different people, but mostly it meant fast.
A novice programmer’s first assignment is a new language
typically starting with “Hello World”, a bit of code that successfully brings
forth the computers voice and orders it to greet its master by typing those
words.
These programs are not too complex but cheerful and encourages beginner’s and speaks to the optimist in every programmer.
The Association for Computing Machines, which is the ABA or
AMA of the computer profession, maintains a Web page that lists different
versions of “Hello World “in nearly two hundred different languages. It’s a
Rosetta stone for programming code.
John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) seems like an ordinary teenager, but he is an alien and apparently very gifted and now he is ON THE RUN from merciless enemies hunting him and the eight others like him.
There were nine of them, three are now dead and now he is always changing his identity and moving to different towns with his guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John has no real past and no true home. However, in the small Ohio town where he now lives, he discovers love, powerful new abilities, and a connection to others of his kind.
Expert systems are real-world applications of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is a group of technologies that attempts to mimic our senses and emulate certain aspects of human behaviours, such as reasoning and communicating.
AI is unlike conventional economic theories as it uses reasoning to evaluate and dictate its conclusion.
Expert Systems (ES) also called knowledge-based systems, became one of several system development methodologies.
Telecommunications Firms use them to diagnose switching circuits and Financial Services Firms use them to choose financial planning and tax planning alternatives.
Today, under the term “intelligent systems”, many application specific systems embed AI features.
What is Consciousness?
In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: a human who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people’s minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that her life was stolen instead of saved. Now, she will stop at nothing to recover her past while punishing those who did this to her.
Most of us hold as self-evident that inside each of us lies a kind of executive entity, or self, some may even suffer with split personalities disorders (Three Faces of Eve) but however you see yourself, that self will freely make decisions.
Suffering from headaches and inexplicable blackouts, timid housewife Eve White (Joanne Woodward) begins seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Luther (Lee J. Cobb). He’s stunned when she transforms before his eyes into the lascivious Eve Black, and diagnoses her as having multiple personalities. It’s not long before a third, calling herself Jane, also appears. Through hypnosis and continued therapy, Luther struggles to help Eve recall the trauma that caused her identity to fracture.
That self will record sensory experiences, reason through problems, feel emotions, acquired skills, set and pursue goals, find meaning in our existence and ultimately retains its identity throughout our lives.
Thomas Martin Georges
Thomas Martin Georges, of Boulder, died peacefully in his home surrounded by his loved ones, on Thursday, July 6, 2006. He was 67 years old. Tom received his B.S. degree from Loyola-Marymount Univ. in 1961 and an M.S. from U.C.L.A., both in engineering. In 1967, he received a Ph.D. in engineering from CU Boulder. From 1963 until 2000, he worked as a research scientist focused on ocean remote sensing using over-the horizon radars at the Boulder Laboratories of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Tom is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications, including the books Business and Technical Writing Cookbook How to Write Coherently on the Job and Digital Soul–Intelligent Machines and Human Values.
He refers to the ongoing stream of awareness of ourselves
and our surroundings as our consciousness.
Aristotle thought the seat of the mind and consciousness was
the heart, and that the brain simply served to cool the blood. Descartes
realized that the mind had something to do with the brain. Most religions teach that the mind, the self,
the unique spirit that makes us human, lies in a nonphysical soul which
survives our mortal bodies.
Unraveling the secret of human consciousness has become the Holy Grail of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.
When a creepy guy called Richard tricks Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) into delivering a briefcase to a supposed business contact, the once-carefree student is abducted by thugs who intend to turn her into a drug mule. She is surgically implanted with a package containing a powerful chemical, but it leaks into her system, giving her superhuman abilities, including telekinesis and telepathy and the ability to use 100% of her brain.
With her former captors in pursuit, Lucy seeks out a neurologist (Morgan Freeman), who she hopes will be able to help her.
If some sort of algorithm for even a rudimentary kind of consciousness were discovered, the door would be opened to the creation of conscious machines.
Patent Software
Software-related inventions can be patented. In the United Kingdom, approximately 100 patent applications in their name are published each year. In proceedings before the European Patent Office, this figure rises to 100 per month. The report of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology on Patents, research and Technology indicates that in the last 10 years the (EPO) European Patent Office has granted around 10,000 patents for software-related inventions, and has refused only 100 applications.
In 2003, it was estimated that up to 30,000 software patents had been issued by the European Patent Office, although, in part because the existence of the statutory prohibitions requires that software-related inventions be cataloged by reference to their field of application rather than the software component.
High-Tech Careers IN DEMAND
According to Lisa Boushy’s article in the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Careers Guide of 2019, the growth of jobs like software development, data scientists and machine learning engineers are in great demand.
Growth of these and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers are challenging the future generations to solve real-world problems through technology.
Through the Enterprise Cayman initiative, Cayman Enterprise City is helping Cayman’s students and job seekers position themselves for high-tech careers currently being created amongst the 250 companies now set up within CEC’s special economic zones, which includes Cayman Tech City.
THE FUTURE IS CODE
Coding is one of the fastest growing occupations in our increasingly digitized world. Learning code is like learning any new language-its easiest when done young.
Believe it or not, even the simplest or basic job requires a person to know basic computer literacy and as time goes on, requests for coding skills will grow and these skills will be the ticket to securing well-paid jobs in the future.
The notion of freedom of expression is wildly recognized as a fundamental human right, the European Convention on Human Rights provides, for example that:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.
As with other rights however, the right cannot be absolute. The Convention goes on to provide that:
The exercise of theses freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
The law relating to defamation rules relating to obscenity, considerable variations exist between states. In the United States, for example, comments made concerning public figures will attract liability only if it can be shown that they were motivated by malice.
Countries such as France offer protection under the law of privacy in the event that information about an individual’s private life is brought into the public domain.
Given the ease with which material may be published on the internet and the range of dissemination which can readily be achieved, it is little cause for surprise that issues relating to the law of defamation have assumed considerable significance.
Decades before, the use of the internet and all of its users faced only unwelcomed comments or allegations and was rebutted by published responses, however increasingly today, the response is to turn to the legal system and seek a remedy under the law of defamation
The Nature of Defamation
The term ‘defamation’ tends to be used as a generic description for action in which it is alleged that the making of untrue and unwarranted comments about an individual has lower that person’s standing in the eyes of right-thinking members of society.
In English law, a distinction exists between libel and slander. The law of libel applies to comments which are recorded in some permanent form- in print or on tape, whilst slander is reserved for comments which are more transient in nature.
A statement on a live television broadcast might be heard and seen by millions or even billions of viewers and be far more damaging to the reputation of the subject than would be the case with a letter published in a local newspaper.
In the case of broadcasting, the Defamation Act 1952 provided that the law of libel was to apply in respect of any statements made.
In the case of emails and the contents of the internet, it goes beyond question that there is a sufficient degree of recording to ensure that the law of libel will apply.
Destruction of the Consecrated (Online Bullying and Hat8)
During a 30-year celebration of the World Wide Web, English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, delivered a speech during an event at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Meyrin, near Geneva, Switzerland on March 12th 2019.
In his speech he stated that at the ripe old age of 30 and with half the globe using it, the World Wide Web is now facing growing pains with issues like hate speech, privacy concerns and state-sponsored hacking.
Even though the web has opened the way to a technological revolution that has transformed the way people buy goods, share ideas, get information and much more, it’s also become a place where tech titans scoop up massive personal data, rival governments spy and seek to manipulate elections, and hate speech and venom have thrived.
Mr. Berners-Lee and his World Wide Web Foundation passionately wants to enlist governments, companies, and citizens to take a greater role in shaping the web for good under principles laid out in its “Contract for the Web.”
He continues to state that under the contract, governments are called upon to make sure everyone can connect to the internet, ensure that its kept available to the public, respect privacy and develop technology that will put people and the public at ease.
He also would love to see more citizens creating and cooperating with respect towards each other among other things.
At the time of this event, it was unclear how such rules would be enforced and he cautioned the public that it was important to strike a balance between oversight and freedom, however it was currently difficult to agree what that should be. How would tech companies be regulated? Where is the balance between freedom of speech and hate speech?
Tim Berners-Lee has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine.
Generation K (True Lies)
Everyone lies at one time or another including me. Lying is a universal talent. Some people can do it rather well. Most little kids start practicing the skill as soon as they master language. When you look at it objectively it seems the ability to lie is part of everyone’s kit of survival tools, a side effect of possessing language skills. There are a lot of situations in which the ability to lie is extremely useful.
For instance, there are times when you might have to lie to protect yourself or someone else. Or you might have to lie just to defend your personal privacy. People lie all the time to diffuse a tense social situation or to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or even to calm someone who is frightened.
The way I see it, if people couldn’t lie, they probably wouldn’t be able to live together in groups, at least not for long or with any degree of sociability. The bottom line is- if humans could not lie, civilization as we know it would cease to exist.
According to Noreena Hertz, an author and commentator who, among other roles, advises world leaders on strategy, economics, geopolitical risk and artificial intelligence, stated that Generation K, sometimes referred to as Generation Z, has been fundamentally shaped by technology and spends a third of their day on different social media platforms online.
As the keynote speaker at the Royal Fidelity Cayman Economic Outlook Conference held on February 28th2019 at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Ms. Hertz offered insights into this generation, which she says will make up approximately one third of the global workforce by the year 2022.
“Generation K” is made up of people born between 1994 and 2003. The “K” originates from the film franchise heroine with whom the generation’s members most identify: Katniss Everdeen of “Hunger Games”.
They have also been shaped by the worst recession in recent years, the financial crisis of 2008, job insecurities and a lack of financial optimism. Not to mention existential threats forged by the Manchester and Paris terrorist attacks, the rise of Al Qaeda and Isis, several terrorist attacks and multiply school shootings in many of their home cities.
Unfortunately, this generation has been desensitized from an early age to violence due to the repetitive and constant exposure experience in various ways as they grow. She states that it is not that the world had all of a sudden become garbage, but now many children and young adults’ own smartphones which never leave their side.
Unsupervised access to the internet, grants children many opportunities to bully others and be bullied. To view explicit videos and information and sometimes encounter sinister recruitment websites.
Ms. Hertz believes that because this generation saw the world as unequal and harsh, the impact is now making them extremely anxious. She says, statistics show that in the US, more than one in five high school students had contemplated suicide, and in the UK, there had been a threefold increase in the number of teenagers who self-harmed.
Although her research was primarily focused in the United States and the United Kingdom, she has also conducted limited studies in other western European countries as well.
She continues to state that this generation strongly believes in equality. Economic, educational, racial, gender and social equality. They also are concerned about global issues like global poverty, global hunger and climate change.
Generation K has had to master the art of true lies in order to survive. However, what can we as a global community do to steer them in the right direction?
The Governor’s Flag
A statement from the Governor of the Cayman Islands, stated that the media has an important responsibility for integrity and accuracy.
The UK Foreign Secretary Mr. Jeremy Hunt has launched an international campaign-“Defend Media Freedom “ which aims to shine a spotlight on media freedom.
On 10th and 11th July 2019, the first ever global ministerial-led media freedom conference will take place in London. It will be co-hosted by the UK and Canada and will involve over 1000 participants from across the world.
It will bring together a range of government ministers and officials, multilateral agencies, civil societies, the diplomatic community, academics, editor’s, publishers and journalists to debate various issues and take meaningful action to defend media freedom.
The Cayman Compass also continued in the Governor’s statement which I have paraphrased, that the UK has had a long history of an independent media. As long ago as 1863 Britain had 1000 newspapers. Wow!
Journalism is freedom of expression and the UK is committed to ensuring that journalists are able to do their jobs without fear.
Unfortunately I was devastated to learn according to the United Nations in 2018, at least 99 journalists and media workers were killed.
Health is often measured in terms of the absence of illness.
Henry Brogan is an elite assassin who becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, he soon learns that the man who’s trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself.
However, a better measurement of health is physical fitness; that is the optimal function of the heart, lungs, muscles, and blood vessels.
For children, physical fitness does not require them to become star athletes.
It simple requires that they engage in regular exercise that involves four aspects of condition: flexibility, muscle endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular efficiency.
In the movie 7 Pounds, a man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
The IRS tax collector Ben Thomas seeks out Emily Posa and resolves her situation with the IRS.
Emily has a serious heart problem and is waiting for a donor, but her blood is very rare and her odds are low.
Meanwhile Ben seeks out other people to help them in a journey for redemption for what he did in the past.
Every year in the United States over 13,000 patients with renal failure receive kidney transplants.
It is the second most common transplant operation in the country, with corneal transplant being the first.
A cornea transplant (keratoplasty) is a surgical procedure to replace part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor.
Your cornea is the transparent, dome-shaped surface of your eye that accounts for a large part of your eye’s focusing power.
A cornea transplant can restore vision, reduce pain and improve the appearance of a damaged or diseased cornea.
Renal failure is a condition in which the kidneys stop working properly or at all.
It occurs when the filtration of the blood at the glomeruli either slows or stops.
In acute renal failure, filtration stops suddenly.
Acute renal failure can have many causes, such as decreased blood flow through the kidneys as a result of heart problems or blockage of a blood vessel, damage to the kidney by disease, the presence of a kidney stone blocking urine flow, or severe dehydration that sometimes occurs in marathoners and other endurance athletes.
Only about 10% of persons with kidney failure survive for at least 10 years on dialysis due to the stress that toxic waste products place on the body organs.
Many more persons with kidney failure survive for at least 10 years with a kidney transplant.
56% with a transplant from a deceased donor and 76% with a transplant from a living donor.
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasingand perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath,
for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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We’ve all heard many stories of fans going overboard in their zealous devotion to a movie star, sports figure, world famous preacher or even political leader.
It might have started as innocent curiosity where the fan enjoys the actor’s performance, the athlete’s abilities, the politician’s way with words or even the preacher’s charisma.
However, somehow the secret infatuation with this person and their lifestyle grows into an obsession with being a part of the star’s galaxy.
The fan strongly believes that this “public figure” serves as a catalyst to fulfilling all their dreams.
If only they could meet them in person, the star would shine their elusive solar light onto this ordinary person next door and transform them into a beautiful Queen or King.
In our age of celebrity stalkers and media-obsessed viewers, many public figures have trouble trusting the intentions of complete strangers.
Unfortunately, too many times, the star or public figure may be bombarded with letters or emails from angry racists, extremist groups, anonymous sources threating death or even marriage etc.
I can think of many scenarios which can also be very dangerous. Of course, most sane and credible people enjoy their talents, ministry or contribution to the world.
Scott and Annie Russell couldn’t be happier after buying their dream home from a mysterious and lonely widower named Charlie in Napa Valley, Calif. Their newfound paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Charlie — still strangely attached to the house — begins to show up and interfere in their daily lives. When his erratic behavior turns to obsession, the young couple soon find themselves caught up in a violent confrontation that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.
However, there are those select few who either through mental illness or a variety of stressors, are simply looking for someone or something to give them life or hope.
Like the sensational tabloid-style gossip about stalkers and celebrity-crazed fans, affairs of the royalty are nothing new.
One of the most famous and fatal attraction or obsession in the pages of the scriptures was between King David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel, Chapter 11).
But here is my question to you. What is it that lights your fuse?
Are you lamenting about what you don’t have?
I’ve learnt that when you focus on what’s missing in your life, you automatically enter into a place of need, which can then quickly turn into an obsession to obtain that one thing you think will fulfill your need.
Obsession is a powerful thing. It fuels fantasies and drives the person to reckless behavior.
It can generate enough power to transform ordinary encounters into opportunities of exploitation in order to make that person’s dreams come true.
My message is simple – Be real about who you are, where you are and where you want to be.
Teneisha Johnson has a Dream 