America,
Here's your President regarding prayer, so disappointing:
President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the following morning. All Mr. Obama will do for the National Day of Prayer, which is Thursday, is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the event. For the past eight years, President George W. Bush invited selected Christian and Jewish leaders to the White House East Room, where he typically would give a short speech and several leaders offered prayers. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. "Prayer is something the president does every day," he said. "We're doing a proclamation, which I know that many administrations in the past have done." Pressed by reporters as to the lack of a formal ceremony, Mr. Gibbs said the proclamation was Mr. Obama's choice. "That's the way the president will publicly observe National Prayer Day -- privately he'll pray as he does every day," he said. Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Committee, said the group was "disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama administration."
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Spending time wisely
I recieve a daily email from Christ Notes and a Weekly Wisdom email as well. I thought I'd share this weeks Wisdom on my Blog as it spoke to me today.
If you find it ineresting check out http://www.christnotes.org/
Are you causing more problems by not dealing with problems?
When a problem is concealed and not dealt with it tends to compound and become worse. For example, say you have a child who doesn't take school seriously and who studies infrequently. If you don't deal with that problem, it will likely get worse because your child will fall further behind in school. However, if you confront the problem—though it certainly won't be easy to confront—then you will likely prevent that problem from causing more and bigger problems in the future.
There are times when confronting others might inconvenience you, but not confronting them will only invite much bigger problems later. Permit yourself some inconvenience now in order to resolve problems before they worsen. Do not allow problems to multiply because you're afraid to confront.
Likewise, if someone sins against you, you should not simply ignore what happened because doing so could cause the problem to escalate. Instead, Jesus says you should confront the problem: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over" (Matthew 18:14).
In situations where it's really challenging to deal with a problem, it may take more love to confront someone and tell them the truth—even though it hurts—than it does to simply pretend nothing is wrong. In other words, it may be easier to let the problem slide, but to do so is not love.
You can spend your time, waste your time, or invest your time. It's your choice.
We all have exactly 24 hours in one day. No more; no less. You will use that time on what you consider to be important.
No one else is forcing you to do anything. You only commit to things because you choose to; so, your schedule reveals your priorities. Examine your schedule, and you might be surprised when you discover what your priorities turn out to be.
Instead of scheduling your priorities around your life, you ought to schedule your life around your priorities.
What should those priorities be? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Of the Ten Commandments, the very first commandment God gave was: "You shall have no other gods before me." The Bible is clear: God should be our number one -- most important -- priority.
In John 15:1-4, Jesus talks about pruning off things that produce no fruit. That is, he tells us to cut off anything that does not have meaningful, eternal value, which means that we are to get rid of anything that doesn't further our relationship with God. Clearly, God doesn't want to be number ten on a list of top ten priorities. In fact, God really doesn't even want to be number one on a list of ten; God wants to be number one on a list of one!
You could spend or waste your time doing meaningless things; or you could invest your time in order to achieve maximum eternal impact.
When you seek God as the only thing you need, he will take care of everything else (see Matthew 6:33). In Luke 10:38-42, we learn the story of Mary and Martha. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." That's what it means to seek the only meaningful, eternal thing -- God.
Therefore, prune your life. List practical ways that you can cut out the junk in your life in order to focus on knowing God better, seeking him and knowing his word and his truth. That's the only thing needed -- that's how you invest your time wisely.
If you find it ineresting check out http://www.christnotes.org/
Are you causing more problems by not dealing with problems?
When a problem is concealed and not dealt with it tends to compound and become worse. For example, say you have a child who doesn't take school seriously and who studies infrequently. If you don't deal with that problem, it will likely get worse because your child will fall further behind in school. However, if you confront the problem—though it certainly won't be easy to confront—then you will likely prevent that problem from causing more and bigger problems in the future.
There are times when confronting others might inconvenience you, but not confronting them will only invite much bigger problems later. Permit yourself some inconvenience now in order to resolve problems before they worsen. Do not allow problems to multiply because you're afraid to confront.
Likewise, if someone sins against you, you should not simply ignore what happened because doing so could cause the problem to escalate. Instead, Jesus says you should confront the problem: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over" (Matthew 18:14).
In situations where it's really challenging to deal with a problem, it may take more love to confront someone and tell them the truth—even though it hurts—than it does to simply pretend nothing is wrong. In other words, it may be easier to let the problem slide, but to do so is not love.
You can spend your time, waste your time, or invest your time. It's your choice.
We all have exactly 24 hours in one day. No more; no less. You will use that time on what you consider to be important.
No one else is forcing you to do anything. You only commit to things because you choose to; so, your schedule reveals your priorities. Examine your schedule, and you might be surprised when you discover what your priorities turn out to be.
Instead of scheduling your priorities around your life, you ought to schedule your life around your priorities.
What should those priorities be? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Of the Ten Commandments, the very first commandment God gave was: "You shall have no other gods before me." The Bible is clear: God should be our number one -- most important -- priority.
In John 15:1-4, Jesus talks about pruning off things that produce no fruit. That is, he tells us to cut off anything that does not have meaningful, eternal value, which means that we are to get rid of anything that doesn't further our relationship with God. Clearly, God doesn't want to be number ten on a list of top ten priorities. In fact, God really doesn't even want to be number one on a list of ten; God wants to be number one on a list of one!
You could spend or waste your time doing meaningless things; or you could invest your time in order to achieve maximum eternal impact.
When you seek God as the only thing you need, he will take care of everything else (see Matthew 6:33). In Luke 10:38-42, we learn the story of Mary and Martha. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." That's what it means to seek the only meaningful, eternal thing -- God.
Therefore, prune your life. List practical ways that you can cut out the junk in your life in order to focus on knowing God better, seeking him and knowing his word and his truth. That's the only thing needed -- that's how you invest your time wisely.
Friday, May 1, 2009
WHO update 7
Here is the most recent data from the World Health Organization.
Influenza A(H1N1) - update 7
1 May 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 156 confirmed human cases of infection, including nine deaths.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).
Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis. WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.
There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.
Related linksInfluenza A(H1N1) web siteDaily updates will be posted on this site.
Influenza A(H1N1) - update 7
1 May 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 156 confirmed human cases of infection, including nine deaths.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).
Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis. WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.
There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.
Related linksInfluenza A(H1N1) web siteDaily updates will be posted on this site.
H1N1 5/1/09 update
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
H1N1 Flu website last updated May 1, 2009, 11:00 AM ET
U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection(As of May 1, 2009, 11:00 AM ET)
TOTAL COUNTS
141 cases
1 death
International Human Cases of Swine Flu InfectionSee: World Health Organization
CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to an expanding outbreak caused by H1N1 (swine flu). CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.
CDC continues to issue and update interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. Early this morning, CDC provided interim guidance on school closures. Supplies from CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) are being sent to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.
Response actions are aggressive, but they may vary across states and communities depending on local circumstances. Communities, businesses, places of worship, schools and individuals can all take action to slow the spread of this outbreak. People who are sick are urged to stay home from work or school and to avoid contact with others, except to seek medical care. This action can avoid spreading illness further.
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