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The most often visited internet site in the summer of 2001 was reported to be an interview with God. Some of you have sent me a copy of this. It’s an imaginary question-and-answer session with God. In June alone it had 2.4 million visitors log on, and all of this without advertising!
Human beings long for a conversation with God. We’re still looking for answers to the basic questions of life. The greatest longings in our heart are found in Jesus Christ. We want direction for our life. Jesus said, “I Am the Way.” We want to know what’s real. Jesus said, “I Am the Truth.” We constantly look for life. Jesus said, “I Am the Life.” How do I deal with my guilt? John said of Jesus that he was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
A Christian doctor carried out an interesting survey recently involving his patients. As they waited in the waiting-room, they were asked to fill out a little survey on themselves. One of the questions asked was “What is your number one wish?” On analyzing the answers the doctor found that the number one wish of 67% of his patients was to have peace of mind.
"Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find there center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crossed, or were doomed to flames and burnt, to serve as nightly illumination, when daylight had expired."
And you thought Christians have it rough today?
On the slope of Longs Peak in Colorado lie the ruins of a huge tree. Naturalists say that it stood for over 400 years. It had weathered thousands of storms and had been hit with lighting 14 times. At the end, an army of beetles attacked the tree and leveled it to the ground. This tremendous giant, that age had not withered, that lightning had not blasted, that storms had not subdued fell at last before beetles so small that a man could crush them between his forefinger and thumb.
Many people survive rare storms and lightning blasts somehow but allow the beetles of worry, fear, s...
LIVING TOGETHER AND DIVORCE
A recent study by the Penn State University interviewed 92 couples found, in general, those who lived together before marriage were
• more verbally aggressive,
• more hostile and
• less supportive than those who waited until marriage to live together.
(http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020215/hl_nm/living_1&cid=594)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 70 percent of those who lived together for at least five years did eventually walk down the aisle. But these marriages were also more likely to break up. After 10 years, 40 percent of couples that had lived together before marriage had broken up. That’s a higher percentage of divorce than those who didn’t live together first experienced. (msn.com July 24, 2002)
Wade Horn, a marriage expert at the Department of Health and Human Services explains:
"When living together, the attitude is ’I vow to stay together with you as long as you make me happy.’ In a marriage, people focus on making their partners happy. If you’re used to viewing being together as a test of the other person’s ability to take care of your needs, once you get married it’s hard to just switch that."
Back in 1998, I read an intriguing article by a woman named Mary Roach wrote this in magazine "Health" (quoted in Digest, 12/98 p. 162ff) She wrote:
"I used to balk at the idea of life-long fidelity. But what did I gain for my freedom of living with a man for 13 years? The heart leaping off a cliff and flying through the air. And shortly thereafter, hitting the ground. Heart pulp. Guilt and regret. The knowledge that, by refusing to commit myself to a relationship, I destroyed it.
"Something I failed to grasp is that all marriages are group marriages. I am marrying a man; his delightful, beautiful children; his warm, welcoming parents, his sister, his cousins, their families. A whole clan of hearts and minds that wants me to sign on. What could be more wonderful? Would I belong if we simply lived together? Past experience says, not really. To share a house with someone but not marry sends a message – to him, to our families, to everyone. It says, ’I love this man, but I’m not sure he is it. That’s a message I don’t wish to send anymore.
"Of course, no marriage comes with guarantees. But you have to go into it believing...that this is it, for better and worse, for richer and poorer, liver spots and arthritis. If you do this, the what-ifs of divorce are moot."
(From a sermon by Jeff Strite, "Welcome to the Wedding Feast" 2/23/2009)
THE IMPACT OF MOTHERS ON CONSCIENCE
According to research published in Psychological Science (October 2004 issue), children who have the good fortune to interact with their mothers a lot develop healthier consciences.
These researchers conducts a couple of experiments where they encouraged toddlers to imitate their mothers in such simple activities as playing tea party or playing with a stuffed animal. As the researchers monitored this interaction, they classified the children based on their readiness to imitate what they observed in their mothers and then graded them on a sliding scale.
Then, in subsequent sessions, they enticed those same young children with prizes for games that they could win only by cheating or breaking an object that had some value to them.
What they found was: Toddlers who eagerly imitated their mothers were more likely to follow the rules and more likely to exhibit a sense of guilt when they broke something.
(From a sermon by Jeff Strite, On The Catwalk, 5/13/2012)
How people ’feel’ about your cause will determine how they will respond to your appeal. Dean Rieck, President of Direct Creative, Columbus, OH cites these top 11 emotions for fundraisers.
Altruism Anger Beliefs
Compassion Ego Gratification Fear
Guilt Idealism Immortality
Joy Recognition (DM News 8/10)
30% of an average person’s anxiety is focused on things about the past that can’t be changed. If we were honest with ourselves, we all would say that there is something in our past that we regret doing and wishe...
High Anxiety: 19 million Americans suffer from severe anxiety, finds a recent survey by Anxiety Disorders Assoc. of America. The afflicted individuals often shun others (49%), don’t answer the phone (41%) and avoid the news (16%). (Incentive Magazine 5/03/03)
Among Boomers of all ages, 50% have positive feelings of anticipation about their retirement and 50% have neutral or negative feelings. “Retirement” generates anxiety as well as excitement. (Boomer Project newsletter 3/06)
