Two recent incidents, Murthy and national anthem and Tendulkar and national flag, refreshed my memories on how over-sensitive and under-confident as a nation we are. Narayana Murthy, the chairman of Infosys, and his critics alike are blissfully unaware of how much they share in common. Murthy is under heavy criticism for his remarks that only an instrumental version of the national anthem was played at a recent function organized by his company because “foreign employees present would have been embarrassed at their ignorance of the lyric”. What can be more symptomatic of a complete lack of self-assurance than the fact that a self-made billionaire, founder of one of the fastest growing InfoTech companies in the world and an icon of India’s economic rise, felt ashamed at singing Indian national anthem at an Indian location, and that on the occasion of visit of the Indian President?

His critics, the so called nationalist forces, have been so outraged at this suggestion that they have launched a campaign against him. Karnataka Police is investigating the matter and the Honorable Home Minister of Karnataka has promised a legal action against him. What a shame! Here is a man who made a tactless remark. He did not insult the national anthem. He cannot be accused of crime or treason. If at all, he can be blamed for is, is the fact that despite all his achievements in life, he still remains an under-confident man. Perhaps a man who is still trapped in an inferiority complex inherited from our colonial past; and a man who still feels the need to bend to the pleasure of white race.

But, that is not a crime. That is a symptom of a disease. And lest his critics feel vindicated or superior, let me state it squarely and boldly, if he suffers from this disease, so do the rest of us. If not, why do we find it so hard to shrug the incident aside? Are we trying to find a scapegoat for our own inner frustrations? Are we not trying to put blame on one person and feel superior? What is the need to be so sensitive to any sign of weakness in other person?

After every minor success, we feel the need to project ourselves as world powers; and after every failure, we start baying for blood. If we win a cricket tournament, we become world champions. If we lose a tournament, we feel we are the worst team in the world. Winning one silver medal at the Olympics is enough to send the entire nation into mass hysteria. One Indian company acquires a foreign company and we go into frenzy: India the next global economic power shouts our media. Try running a Google search on “India and superpower”, and you will be surprised to see over a million hits. Counter that with the reality. We are unable to manage our tiny neighbors. We are a home to the world’s largest population of hungry and illiterate people. The diseases, that have been conquered everywhere else in the world, flourish among us. Dowry and female infanticide are our specialties and caste-based distinctions our proud reality. Our sports, notwithstanding our population of over a billion, suck.

If India had been winning at the Cricket World Cup, we would not be incensed at our “beloved” cricketers cutting a cake that had our flag’s tri-color on it. But, since they lost out to the minnows, our indignation knows no bounds.

The fact is that as a nation we are so short on successes that we are given to mass hysteria over whatever little comes our way. And if some incident reminds us of our inadequacies and failure, our sensitivities are triggered to an extent that we lose our sense of proportions. Our sensitivities, to me, are symptoms of a paucity of successes and a collective lack of confidence. We are so scared of facing up to our real problems that our feelings are ventilated in our “righteous” anger over non-issues.

Yes, forget hunger, disease, missing girls, bonded labor, suppression, and human rights. They are all minor irritants. Let us focus on Narayana Murthy and his foolish remarks. Let us focus on whether a cake should have national colors on it. Let us focus on whether we can wear T-shirts with pictures of national flags on them. Nowhere else in the world have I seen people plagued with such enormous maladies occupied with such trivial pursuits! No wonder we are the under-achievers of the world. No wonder we are so unsure of ourselves.

What a waste of time and talent! Go back and resume your great debate, if you must. Else ask your leaders to focus on real issues, not trivial distractions.

Punit Arora is an expert on management and public policy in developing countries. He can be reached at pun8max@gmail.com

It has been estimated that cigarettes kill 1200 people per day. What this actually means is that 1200 people die from smoking related illnesses like lung cancer or emphysema. But smoking is not the only habit that causes disease.

In the US there are an estimated 1.5 million bankruptcies per year. Many more people are deeply in debt and are on the verge of bankruptcy. In our politically correct world, the media quickly points out how dangerous cigarettes are. But what about financial problems? Many studies have shown that our physical health closely parallels our state of well being. Our state of well being depends a lot on our financial health. Cancer, heart disease, and mental illness can thus be related to our finances.

Bad financial habits are directly the result of campaigns initiated by the Credit Card Industry. As a result people wind up deeply in dept and getting cancer, heart disease, or worse yet, committing suicide. The Credit Card Industry is pretty much like the tobacco industry, they are responsible for the deaths of millions.

Our politicians in the US like to pass laws protecting us, whether we like it or not. In particular, they feel that we’re not smart enough to figure out what’s good for us, so they order the placing of warning labels on items like cigarettes to make it clear that they’re bad for our well being.

Under the circumstances, we should write, call, or email our legislators and ask that they do the following:

• Ban all credit card advertising on radio and television. Get those CapitalOne Pillagers off the air!
• Ban all mail and phone offers of credit cards.
• Put warning labels on credit cards. Here’s an example of how one should read:
  • Surgeon General’s Warning: Indiscriminate Credit Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Suicide And May Complicate Pregnancy. View Picture.
• Repeal the new bankruptcy law. The old one was better for the working man.
• Allow a maximum interest of 10% on all credit cards.
• Collection agencies should be required to send all their field personnel to sensitivity training.
• Congress should hold a hearing on the subject. They should subpoena the heads of major banks issuing credit cards like Chase, CapitalOne, WaMu, Citibank, and others. The lawmakers should charge these executives with addicting the nation to credit cards, knowing full well how habit-forming credit cards actually are.
• Credit card companies should be prohibited from issuing credit cards to anyone under twenty one years of age.
• Law suits against credit card banks regarding individual illness, death or financial ruin, should not only be allowed, but encouraged. Class action suits should be considered a possibility.

We need to bring the middle and lower classes of the world back to economic health. One way this can be done is to limit their dependence on credit cards.

George Lunt is someone who feels the world is getting too corporate. His writings relate the individual’s struggle with big government and big corporations. His website is http://www.corporate-aliens.com

This article is © George Lunt. All usage of this article must include a citation to the author and a link to corporate-aliens.com

Let me start right out and state that I am not a fan of Don Imus. In fact I haven’t listened to enough of his shows to like or dislike the guy. So why am I focusing the attention of my very first ezine entry on Imus and his situation? Because it’s just the latest in a long string of double standard reactions by the liberal mutton heads out there that have driven me crazy for years. You see it’s not the insulting words that get you into trouble with today’s media and left wing kooks. What matters most to these bozos is who you are and whom you insult.

Let’s take Mr. Imus’ situation and change some of the players. For instance let’s say that talk show host Al Franken said equally disparaging remarks about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Let’s also say that someone actually listened to Mr. Franken’s show so as to hear these remarks. I guarantee you the outcome would have been completely different. The media would have given it limited play and let it die a quick death. Nobody would be demanding apologies and resignations. And a whole horde of Hollywood cuckoos would be rushing do Mr. Franken’s defense with a bundle of reasons and excuses justifying his behavior. The difference? Franken’s a liberal and Secretary of State Rice is a Republican. Therefore your rude behavior gets a pass.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some examples that have happened. Remember Danny DeVito on The View, parading about like a monkey as his imitation of President Bush. Oh that Danny. Well he’s a good Hollywood liberal, and besides he was hammered that morning. OK. That one was a slam-dunk. Almost all Hollywood liberal boneheads insult Republican Presidents on a daily basis.
But let’s look at something not so cut and dried. Remember Seinfeld actor Michael Richards repeatedly calling a black gentleman in his audience the “N” word as well as other derogatory comments referring to slavery. This was a hard one for the Hollywood libs. Here you have a white man using one of the most hated words in the vocabulary at the expense of a man belonging to a minority. However, the white man was a Hollywood liberal. Dilemma. Dilemma. In the end there was minimal outrage, overshadowed by ready-made excuses for Richards’ behavior. And as far as I know his apology was accepted by the liberal community and he was allowed to get on with his struggling career.

This did not appear to be the case for Mel Gibson. His insults were targeted at the Jewish community. Like all religious groups they are not exactly a high priority for liberals to defend. Plus, Mel had the Danny Devito excuse. He was drunk. He should have been able to slide on this one fairly easily. Not so fast. Mr. Gibson is seen by the liberal chuckleheads as a right wing guy. His numerous apologies were never accepted by liberals, even though many Jewish people, including Rabbis did accept the apology from Mr. Gibson. If you are a right wing guy and you produce media that is deemed right wing and therefore may influence people away from the nutball ideals that the liberal media shoves down our throats, you must be destroyed. Therefore, any slip-ups you make will be met with demands for apologies, resignations, firings and perhaps burnings at the stake.

Now as I mentioned at the beginning, I don’t know much about Don Imus. I have been told however that his views are considered mostly conservative. This would put him in the worst category of all for surviving a stupid comment. A conservative insulting a minority group with racial remarks. He never had a chance. And if he did have any little chance at all of surviving this event he completely blew it with sheer stupidity. First of all, if you are considered right wing, never, ever make a public apology for your actions. The liberal dumb dumbs that are demanding all of these apologies are doing so knowing full well that they have no intention of accepting any of them. To make a public apology is like dripping blood into the shark tank. The libs smell it and the feeding frenzy is on.

And if making a public apology wasn’t stupid enough, what could have possibly possessed him to go on Reverend Al’s show and make one there? Al Sharpton could care less about Don Imus except how his situation can help Al Sharpton. There is absolutely nothing that Imus could have said or done that would have gotten any other response from Rev. Al other than the one he got.
Sharpton simply used this situation to insert himself into the media frenzy and become a player. Last I heard he mentioned heading some kind of half-assed committee that will decide exactly what each of us can and cannot say.

For a group of people that instantly whips out the first amendment in defense of every whacko left wing statement or action ever made, they can’t wait to try and censor and suppress anything that they deem offensive. If Imus did feel remorse for his words, as I believe he does, the only apology that he should have made was the private one he made to the team. These were the people he insulted. To hell with the feelings of the liberal mush heads.

Jack Graham has been verbally arguing politics for more that 20 years. I have just recently started posting my views on a daily basis at http://www.righttothecore.com I love comments and never shy away from a good debate.

Long after the attack at Pearl Harbor, reports continued regarding
an incident involving a Chaplain who uttered the now infamous
phrase, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”

The actual Chaplain was Lieutenant Howell Forgy, aboard
the U.S.S. New Orleans. He was on duty that Sunday morning,
December, 7, 1941.

Another Lieutenant who had been in charge of an ammunition
line on the USS New Orleans during the attack remembered,
“I heard a voice behind me saying, Praise the Lord and pass the
ammunition. I turned and saw Chaplain Forgy walking toward
me along the line of men.” He reported that the Chaplain was
patting men on the back and encouraging them.

AS IT IS SPIRITUALLY, SO IT IS IN THE NATURAL

I don’t often talk politics, but something strange is going on in
Americas’ political scene for which we have a direct spiritual
correlation. Essentially, our Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi,
and others in our anti-war, Democrat-dominated House, want to
starve the “troop surge” escalation ordered by President Bush,
and thus force him to begin to withdraw them, a move increasingly
favored by a majority of Americans, if you credit the polls.
They want to do this in the name of “supporting the troops,” they say.

I say we do NOT want that war “over here” and it’s only our brave
men and women “over there” that are keeping us from another 9-11.

But I digress.

As you’d expect, Republicans, including the President, see the Dem’s
proposal as an attack on the very troops they profess to support,
despite whatever “spin” they try to put on this, their favorite pitch.

Let’s call it what it is: Denying funds to the military during
wartime (insanity!) may force the Military and Republicans to shift
tactics, but in the meantime, it would make the already difficult jobs
of our troops that much harder.

Imagine being in the heat of battle - in the heat of Iraq - running low
on ammo, body armor, fuel, medical supplies, not to mention the
falling morale of a warrior who perceives that his country has
abandoned him.

Now, imagine a soldier in the Lord’s Army whose superiors are
failing to sufficiently arm and train him to do his job. It’s happening
everywhere as we have become, far and wide, a Church with a
“form of godliness, denying the power thereof,” (2 Tim 3:5).

YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW

Most Christians have heard, or have sung the song, “I’m in the
Lord’s army.” Sung to the tune of “The Ol’ Gray Mare,” it goes
like this:
“I may never march in the infantry

Ride in the Cavalry

Shoot the artillery

I may never fly o’er the enemy

But I’m in the Lord’s army!

Yes Sir!”

The Body of Christ is often referred to as “the Army of God.”
God Himself is referred to as a Man O’ War (Ex 15:3). Ephesians 6
is a chapter that is all about warfare. Second Corinthians 10:3-5
reminds us that we are engaged in a spiritual war and if we
“submit ourselves to God” we can resist the devil and he will
flee from us (James 4:7).

Now, I have to get something off my chest before I explode like an
al-Qaeda martyr. It’s an aspect of Christianity with which I am
intimately acquainted. It’s something that, I’ve found, too many
Christians know too little about. It’s something that, if we will grab
hold of its biblical truth, it will not only change our lives but will
allow us to change the world as well.

This is, in my opinion, the “ammo” every soldier in the Lord’s Army
needs in order to maximize his effectiveness as a warrior.

Interested?

I’m talking about the manifestations of spiritual gifts. Once
you’ve renewed your mind to what you’re about to ingest -
and acted upon it - your spiritual life will never be the same.

LET’S GET LOGICAL

We must think logically about a few things for a moment…

In Luke 4:18-19 (AMP), Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord [is]
upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One,
the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor;
He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery
of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are
oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken
down by calamity], to proclaim the accepted and acceptable year
of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of
God profusely abound."

Next, we read in Romans, 8:11 (AMP), "And if the Spirit
of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
[then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will
also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable)
bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.”

After reading these verses, do you see the picture that has been
developed? God doesn’t live in any church building and Jesus is
not merely an historical figure in an ancient book. In truth,
the Anointed One dwells within US! Therefore, He wants to
use US to minister to others. Though we, ourselves, may know
nothing about healing or casting out a demon, for example, it
doesn’t matter so long as we KNOW the One who DOES the
healing THROUGH those who will make themselves
available.

You may step out on the water, so to speak, and give what you
believe is a prophetic utterance or Word of Knowledge. If it
blesses somebody, great. If you miss God by a mile, that’s Ok,
too, for you are, at the VERY least (A) trying to obey God and
(B) exercising a gift; developing it through use as you fall down
and get back up like a teetering toddler.

We’ve got to walk before we can run, amen?

Far too many of us are never taught about these truths. Many
who ARE taught these things never embrace them for ourselves.
Multitudes never see or experience miracles so we can’t bring
ourselves to believe in them. Merely hearing about them often
registers as being something strange to us.

In those groups where people DO witness prayer for healing,
and even see miracles taking place, generally, the only ones
doing the praying, laying on of hands and anointing with oil
are pastors and elders and Christian celebrities, all within
the friendly confines of a church building.

Question: What if the pastor or elder praying for you has no
faith for divine healing?

Another question: What if the one who needs healing is
in a restaurant or workplace conference room and there’s not
a minister in sight?

CONSIDERING THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST

Jesus said in case after case, “Your faith has healed you.”

He also said “Be it unto you according to YOUR faith.”

He could do no miracles in His home town due to the people’s
lack of faith.

He cleared the faithless from the room so that He could raise
Jairus’s daughter from death.

When it came to healing the sick, His methods varied from one
occasion to another; Blind Bartimaeus was healed instantly.
For another bind man, He had to put saliva on his eyes and pray.

Twice.

The ten lepers were healed, Scripture says, “as they went.”

The woman with the issue of blood was healed on the spot.

Some demons that He commanded to leave did so immediately.
In another instance, he told a Greek woman - a gentile - that her
demonized daughter was healed when the girl was nowhere in sight.
She went home and found the child on the couch, healed.

So much for understanding the Lord’s healing and deliverance
methods.

So much for putting Jesus in a box.

What I gather from these biblical examples is that there IS no
formula and that their ONLY common denominators were somebody’s
FAITH and JESUS. It’s all about what God Himself chooses to do
through His willing vessels for reasons of which only He may be aware.

Are YOU one of those willing vessels?

We know that Jesus was a willing vessel. He did NOTHING
until the Father gave the order. He declared in John 5:19-20 (NKJV),
“…the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father
do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner…”

In John 5:30 (NKJV), He said, “I can of Myself do nothing…I do
not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”

Likewise, we can - and should - do nothing without the Sprit
of Christ. Everything we do should be in obedience to His
directives. Sadly, far too many Christians - ministers included -
refer to the Holy Spirit as a “force” and as “it.” This isn’t Star
Wars, folks. He’s a person with characteristics and responsibilities
geared toward advancing the Kingdom.

And we’re powerless - and can have no effect - without Him.

Jesus said, John 14:9 (NKJV), “…He who has seen Me
has seen the Father…”

The question we must ask ourselves is this: When they see us,
have they seen Jesus? They will see Jesus - the things that Jesus
did and empowered His army to do - ONLY if we DECREASE
and allow Him to INCREASE through our lives, (John 3:30). To
accomplish this, we must step out in faith.

THE KEYS: OBEDIENCE AND AVAILABILITY

Now, I’m just a guy, ordinary as they come. I’ve fallen in love
with our King and the cause of Christ and have learned firsthand,
by receiving a healing in my own supposedly incurably diseased
body, that Jesus sill heals. Matter of fact, while standing with
a cane, I prayed for people who received healing. The mind
boggles! In a previous message (Jesus: Still Healing after all
These Years), I listed a number of miracles that have
taken place while I was praying for an individual either
alone or with others. I am well aware that I know NOTHING
about healing and that I can’t heal anybody. But if I’m willing
and obedient, if I dare to pray when I say I will, dare to lay
a hand on another person who needs prayer, Jesus just MIGHT
show up and heal somebody (request my message “Seven
Hindrances to Healing Prayer”). You see, afflicted people don’t
want Jesus to appear in the clouds some day; they want Him
to appear on the scene RIGHT NOW, everywhere they are,
anywhere in the world, all at the same instant and on their
very worst day.

Of this I am certain: if we do nothing, NOTHING will happen.

Several weeks ago, I prayed for a 92-year old woman in a
wheel chair who hadn’t walked in 10 years. After I taught on
healing, I felt led to pray for her. She took 10 steps, crying
and praising God as she went.

Recently, after teaching on healing, an 83-year old woman
who was the victim of a stroke, said she believed she could
walk. She hadn’t walked in two years. After getting to her feet,
she walked around the end of the table and returned to her wheel
chair. I asked why she was crying and she answered, “It feels
so good…I haven’t done this in so long!” She, too thanked Jesus
with each step. Afterward, as I was speaking, she interrupted,
smiled and asked, “Can I do it some more?” Again, she got up
and walked around the table’s end and back. What joy we were
all feeling! I reminded those in attendance of their responsibility
to tell others about this, after all, we overcome Satan by the Blood
of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony (Rom 12:11). In retrospect,
maybe I should have prohibited tem from telling anyone what they
saw, in the fashion of Jesus, so that they WOULD run off and tell
others. Hmmm. Now, there’s a thought.

Anyway, after I told the head nurse (a Christian) what had happened,
she was amazed and praised God, too, confirming that the woman had
not walked for as long as she had known her.

Funny, but nobody cared what church everybody else attended
in those moments.

As I said, I’m just Mike. As those who know me will attest,
I’m an EXTRA ordinary person (extremely ordinary, in other words).
But this one thing I know: Jesus drew a crowd through healing.
He created quite a stir. Faith grew and people ran off and told
others. I can only imagine how it terrifies the devil to think of
millions of mini-Christ’s (literally, the meaning of “Christian”)
running around imitating the original.

Aren’t we are admonished to “Be imitators of God,” (Eph 5:1)?

“Megashift” is a book written by Jim Rutz - a book loaded with
faith-building miracles that are taking place in developing nations
worldwide. My faith grew as I read about illiterate, impoverished
people who were willing to be used by God to heal to the sick and
raise the dead.

These people are my new heroes, along with the persecuted Church.
But if they can do it, we can do it. God is no respecter of persons,
after all.

My advice: Jettison any faith-diluting input and whatever mind-
numbing, powerless flavor of Christianity to which you may be
getting exposed,
and begin to renew your mind to the truth.

Read the book “Megashift.”

Study the New Testament stories where Jesus healed.

Marvel at the miracles of Acts.

Talk to people who’ve been there and done that.

Let’s be DOERS and not hearers only. Let’s lead Purpose-Driven
lives, purposing to stop participating in spectator religion. Jesus
didn’t come to establish a religion or a denomination, after all.

He came to raise an army.

GROWING IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

Second Peter 3:18 admonishes us to “…grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The
Greek word for “knowledge” is gnosis, the same expression
of intimacy used in Genesis for Adam “knowing” his wife.
It’s a term of intimacy. Into-me-see, one might say.

The prophetic ministry of Graham Cooke opened my eyes
to the fact that the prophetic gifting could be DEVELOPED
and that, subsequently, ALL spiritual gifts could be
developed. There was a “school of the prophets” mentioned
in 1 Sam. 10:5, I had read; if one can be “schooled” in prophecy,
I reasoned, we can be schooled in other aspects of the spiritual
gifts, if one is so led.

Like all education, it starts between our ears. I already believed
what Graham was teaching was true; Graham’s teachings
confirmed what I already believed but had never heard taught.
All the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), like any fruit hanging from
a tree branch, do not appear in an instantly mature state. No, they
must develop.

The spiritual gifts must do likewise.

What do we have to lose by laying hands on a sick person? He
might be healed and he might not. It’s not my problem; it’s God’s.
What do I have to lose by praying against a tornado (hear this,
you folks living in Tornado Alley)? Nothing, but homes and property
and lives may be saved if I do. After all, Elijah was a man just like
us (James 5:17) and he prayed for the rain to stop and it did so for
three and a half years. I have found that, because we in the West are
so lacking when it comes to our faith levels, due mainly to poor teaching
on the subject - and poor learning - we must have our minds renewed.
Proper instruction will lay the groundwork which most people require
before they can become receptive to the concept of Divine
Healing. Once the muddy waters have been cleared away - once
the detoxification process is completed - the stage is set for
miracles to take place in any Christian’s life, NOT just the one
“anointed for healing.”

Anointed? We hear that word thrown around quite a bit in
the Church world. We say things like, “He has a strong anointing!”
Though we know what we mean, the truth is that the ONLY one
who is anointed is Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One.

Only a King is anointed, friends. The anointing oil, according
to Psalm 133, was poured upon Aaron’s head, flowed down his
beard and onto his garments.

Likewise, Jesus is the Head of The Church; we are referred to as the
Body of Christ. The Anointed King dwells within His subjects. That’s us!
The Anointed High Priest lives within the Temple in the Holy Of Holies,
our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (AMP) reminds us of this truth: “…your
body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives
within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God…”

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Bearing these truths in mind, doesn’t it stand to reason that when Jesus
said “I have given you authority and power…over all the power of the
enemy,” (Luke 10:19) that He meant it?

Don’t you think that when Jesus said “Jn 14:12) “…anyone who has faith
in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things
than these, because I am going to the Father”? He also said. “Everything
is possible for him who believes,” (Mark 9:23).

Do you believe? I believe we can do nothing without the Spirit of Christ
in us. But because He lives in us, nothing that He directs us to do will be
impossible. We can exercise the authority He gives us; the results are
up to Him.

Log on at http://www.elca.org/evangelism/assessments/spiritgifts.html
by cutting and pasting this link to find a Spiritual Gift Assessment Test.
It may not be the best test of this type, but it was fun and results
were immediate.

When Paul runs down his list of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11),
the inclination of many is to try and determine which gift they possess.
The test I referred to might help you with this. But if I had taken such
a test ten years ago, I assure you that my answers would have been
much different. The inclination of the Institutional Church has been to
read Paul’s list (by the way, it’s not exhaustive as there are other
gifts mentioned in Scripture besides these), and to select which gift,
or gift clusters one might have been given.

I disagree with this school of thought. It’s too limiting. My contention is,
if you ask me what spiritual gift I have been given my response would be,
“The Holy Spirit Himself.” You see, not only have certain gifts developed
over time, but whatever gift I need that is required in whatever situation I
may find that He has placed me, the proper gift WILL be made available.
It’s not unlike a carpenter digging through his tool box for that perfect tool
to complete the task at hand. If someone needs healing on their death bed,
what sense would it make to say, “Hang on, brother! Let me fetch someone
with the gift of healing!”

Silly thinking!

Where God guides, He provides. Though someone may have been blessed
with the gift of administration or hospitality, for example, I encourage you
NOT to allow yourself, or anyone else, to pigeon-hole you. Ask for more
and He will GIVE you more. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect
gift is from above…”

Be warned! If you entertain this line of thinking long enough -
and I ENCOURAGE you to do so - you may actually act upon it and truly
become an Armed & Dangerous Christian.

You will become Satan’s worst nightmare.

You already ARE…only you may not know it yet.

Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
A servant of God
http://www.YourTown4Jesus.org/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
His mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since ‘99, he has broadcast nearly 700 inspirational articles to his online subscribers and a dozen booklets on subjects sure to interest the thinking Christian and accelerate the process of spiritual development.
He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries. An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” are read around the globe. Subscribe at team1min@our-town.com

Among the fairest and most balanced offerings on the Imus incident hails from journalist Ellis Cose in Newsweek for the week of April 23, 2007 in an article entitled “What Will We Learn.” Another offering well worth the read is “Imus’ Safety Net Failed” penned by the World Net Daily columnist Barbara Simpson, April 16, 2007.

TV interviews are too numerous to cite even though not much variation is offered. It seems like a replay of the same interview and it goes like this. Imus had a right to say what he wants, networks and corporate supporters have the right to bounce him and why doesn’t somebody call Rap and Hip Hop out on the carpet.

Naturally when a race card pops up Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are sure to pop up as well. Jackson is seen marching with a tiny placard about Rainbow Coalition and Sharpton is filmed as the magnanimous mediator of the Imus apology, just what we might expect, nothing new in this picture.

Not far behind these familiar scenes another recurring but worn out and highly questionable outcome is the monotonous drone of the interviewers trying to assuage Rappers with talk about their connection to art. A lot of sycophantic gushing can’t hide the fact that untold millions of people believe that calling Hip Hop “art” is like comparing Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup can.

Pop cultures’ fling can produce bling but it takes something a little more classic to add something significant to a nation’s culture, something that will endure through the ages.

Others have aptly pointed out something already well known namely, that it is the big green money machine that drives Hip Hop. Millions of bucks will also be lost by the networks and sponsors as a result of giving Imus the boot. So that question serves only to raise yet another question. Why did the networks and corporations suddenly go moral on such a lopsided scale?

A few voices have been heard that dare to call Hip Hop artists and sponsors to respond. Among them has been African American poet Maya Anjelou. In her customary dignified and refined manner Maya gracefully lambasted the rappers in an interview on CNN. Are there any other voices out there like this one? We are waiting.

Raising a plethora of new questions seems to be the main product of the entire controversy. These questions are useful only if we are willing to hunker down and search for the answers and beyond that we must demand that they be answered.

Here is a list of questions that should be asked of every citizen, network chief and corporation in America. It may not be a comprehensive list but it should do for starters.

If profanity has become art, hasn’t art become profaned?

Does America and especially African Americans know the difference between a mere activist and a real leader?

Are Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton activists or leaders?

Would Jackson and Sharpton be willing to march around network offices, media outlets and corporate sponsors who gain from Hip Hop?

Do Christians believe that the gospel and gospel music, traditional or contemporary, can really stand by themselves to produce the desired effect? If so why have some groups borrowed from the Rap genre to present their message?

Would the networks be willing to tone down the crap in rap just to give it a slap (no rap intended) in the next Hip Hop presentation? Would they be willing to cancel the next Hip Hop presentation?

Are African American women any less insulted by the rappers than they have been by Imus? Would they be willing to let their voices and their “Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn” be heard on the same?

Have parents listened to what is being piped into their children’s brains and what is bombarding their sight daily by Hip Hopsters and are they willing to pull the plug if necessary? Do you know the definition of difficult?

Has anyone at all noticed that the Imus incident clearly says that freedom of speech does have responsibilities connected to it?

Would rappers be willing to ponder the question of why only rap music gets a bad rap? Why haven’t other music genres that African Americans have contributed to or wholly created been spoken against? Like Mississippi Delta Blues, Black Gospel and Choir music, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Dixieland, etc. etc. etc? Why doesn’t anyone question that these genres are actually art?

Would Rappers be willing to ponder this great proverb? In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19

Would the rest of us be willing to ponder these important words from the Saviour of the world? “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books one that is entirely on the second coming of Christ. He is a contributing columnist for several online news and commentary sites. His articles are read throughout the world. Please enjoy a visit to http://www.americanprophet.org

Importantly and correctly, our nation stands up to defend less powerful people and this is to be admired. However, public demeaning attacks of our most powerful women are gaining strength and need exposure. Jealousy and differing political postures alone would not generate this level of irrational and daily frenzied hatred directed at Laura Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. Have we slipped back to the fifties when little ladies need to stay in their place? I always try to look for the positive motive when I observe negative behavior. What is there to be gained by the insidious lean on Hillary, Nancy, Rosie, Condoleezza, Barbara Boxer, and really, all women, to be quiet? This wave of paranoia is not from only media big mouths but from a strong societal base.

In a study by Harvard Professor of Public Policy David King, King found that Independents and Democratic voters are more willing to cross party lines. “Compared with the otherwise-identical male Republican, the female candidate was imputed to be far more trustworthy, far more likely to share one’s own concerns, and far more likely to garner one’s vote. The female candidate’s advantage in terms of likely support is ten percent among Independent and Democratic voters.

In competitive elections, holding everything else constant, a ten-point swing from Independents and Democrats is something Republican Party leaders should savor.” However something stands in the way of Republican women’s success at the polls. King found, “Republican respondents – of both genders – judge their own female candidates more harshly, however. Among Republicans, the female candidate is thought to be a weaker leader, while Independents and Democrats hold the reverse view…

Compared with the otherwise-identical male Republican, strong Republicans are significantly less likely to support the female candidate. This is true of men and women Republican voters, and it survives multivariate tests controlling for age, income and race.” (http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~dking/bulletin.pdf)

Support for women politicians falls off sharply with the Republican base. A common denominator of the Republican base is a tendency toward the religious right. Perhaps the attack of sexist remarks has something to do with adhering to religious instructions, now thousands of years old. Written by men and reflecting attitudes of their ancient societies, all major religious works clearly define a woman’s place. In most cases, religion requires the woman to be subservient to her man. Following the teachings of spirituality and kindness raises men and women from base animal behavior origins to a higher level and saves our society from barbaric instincts. The words of years passed are essential to study yet, these early words must be analyzed in the context of the time period that they were written. Scholars can take the important lessons from great literary works and learn from the sum of people’s experiences. However, literal and blind following of another’s words has the potential to repeat the horrors of Jim Jones, suicide bombers or Hitler.

Imagine if your doctor blindly followed the medical books of three hundred years ago. Some of the information is timeless and universal and some of it could destroy you. As a psychotherapist, if I followed the original psychological treatment plan, the best I could offer your depression is to strap you into a tub of water and perhaps, a useless lobotomy. We must think as individuals in our current times to avoid disastrous group-think that requires one to disengage from personal truth and reason. An absolute truth of yesterday is replaced by a completely new absolute truth of today more quickly than most people can adjust to the change.

One constant is that the struggle of all humans to be free of dominance by others has never been successfully suppressed. Once there were emperors, kings and royals who selected life and death for the rest. Their law was self serving and required armies of enforcers. As a democratic nation we posture ourselves as giving equal power to every vote. But our votes actually elect powerful representatives who then make all the real decisions for us. This archaic system was useful when the population was illiterate but modern Americans are kept strangely dependent. Democracy, freedom and science continue to evolve, but must religion also shift?

Now, we have women who have volunteered, been elected to school board, worked their way up politically while serving a billion cups of coffee to others. The media shout these women down with personal attacks aimed at hurting their little girl feelings and making them go away. Is the motive not political at all, but an urgent and even righteous attempt to obediently follow narrowly defined roles for women from religious books and religious teachers of most faiths? Do some religious leaders need to maintain the status quo of ancient teachings for their corporations and big business product sales to survive? Or can religions grow and expand incorporating human history, the body of science and new roles for men and women. Religion need not fear loosening the rigidity of dogma because religion has always and may always trump science with the ultimate question, “What was the origin of the first speck?” Even science replies, “God.”

The shaming name calling endured by assertive women who step away from religious definitions of themselves reveals the obvious double standard held for powerful, aggressive men who are complemented for the very same traits. Many deeply religious people find difficulty accepting new roles for men and women that defy a lifetime of religious practice. How can we question which words we make as our law and then choose thoughtfully without prejudice? Is there room in God’s eyes for a non-subservient woman who seeks to right wrongs in a lawful, sane manner? Will our most strict religious leaders adjust their sermons to allow women to be respected as leaders in worship, legal or political arenas that were once reserved for men?

Do we as women take action to save our children from needless death from war, lack of health care or skyrocketing drug costs? Do we care when an African baby dies from hunger and thirst? Do we watch our men, tired from work, pay taxes that are squandered? Or do we sit passively and quietly with our hands folded in our laps like we did in the classroom, such good little girls? A beautiful speech by First Lady Laura Bush addresses the struggle of women in third world countries and her commitment to help. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/03/20050308-5.html)

Will the religious right expand the role of righteous women to include service to our country in a full political press? Can men unshackle their definition of women and still love them, even as leaders? Are sexist slurs simply a reflection of fearing God? Is there a place for the religious right female outside the home? The women who have made it to the top positions in our society could not be where they are today if they were easily intimidated or stopped by negativity thrown at them. Have these women bypassed the religious requirements by expanding their definition of home to include our nation and planet? How wonderful could Earth be if female leaders cleaned up the mess?

Dr. Molly Barrow holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is the author of the new book, “Matchlines: A Revolutionary New Way of Looking at Relationships and Making the Right Choices in Love,” ISBN 159507158X. She is an authority on relationship and psychological topics, a member of the American Psychological Association and a licensed mental health counselor. Dr. Molly has appeared as an expert in the film, My Suicide, documentaries Ready to Explode and KTLA Impact, NBC news, PBS In Focus, WBZT talk radio and in O Magazine, Psychology Today, Newsday, The Nest, MSN.com, Yahoo, Match.com, N Magazine, Women’s Health and Women’s World. Take the new relationship compatibility test by psychology expert Dr. Molly Barrow. Please visit:
http://www.DrMollyBarrow.com/ Love and healthy relationship advice for pre-marital, marriage, dating and business relationships.

Don Imus used rapper and comic talk to describe a group of black basketball players. The words he used were defamatory and down right rude. Nobody would have noticed if he said those same words on the Daily Show or Comedy Central where filth abounds. Don Imus used the words to describe the young women of the Rutgers University Basketball team that played for the national championship.

Although the words were said in Don’s usual drown, they were picked up by the media and microphone-grabbing black activist. Indignation roared!

Imus quickly apologized, After all, he was talking on cable where nothing is regulated and everything goes. On cable, vulgarity, jibes, and insults should not be taken seriously. In other words, he didn’t really mean what he said.

The media quickly picked up on the story. Although the young ladies, to their credit, were more tolerant to Imus than most blacks, the media furry cost Imus his job. Now he is out in the cold—where he probably belongs. He has a history of racial intolerance—as most everyone does— but his intolerance is a public record.

When I was a boy, I brought a young friend home of Mexican decent. My mother, who was raised in a Utah mining town and who’s father had been stabbed (she didn’t say by whom), was startled by the presence of my friend. She said that I shouldn’t associate with a Mexican boy.

The fact of the matter was that I had been associating with my friend, Don Lopez, since we were in kindergarten. I broke out laughing at my mother. I said, “Mother, I didn’t think you had a racial bone in your body.” I did not change my relationship with my friend and when our National Guard unit was activate during the Korean War we stayed together until I left for Korea.

There were not many black people in the city where I was born but I knew that those who were there were not treated fairly by everyone. They worked shining shoes or cleaning the public restrooms under Main Street on the Temple Block. Kids would say evil things to black people on the street. One day, when I was very young, I repeated such a saying. I was then so embarrassed and humiliated that I spent the rest of my young life treating the man as a man, not a black man.

One black man in Salt Lake City had his own business. He had a pickup truck that he kept just like new. When I was going to the University of Utah and working in my uncle’s service station on weekends, this man would come in and we would shoot the bull together. He had gained a lot of respect in the community by owning his own business.

In Korea, the black men in our company fought and died like the rest of us. There was some prejudice in our infantry company against blacks and the blacks knew it and told us about it. Most of us treated each other as human beings.

As for the Mormon Church, we were taught racial tolerance, not only tolerance but that a black man in a “fine carriage” was as good as any other man. Joseph Smith, who founded Mormonism, made the “carriage” reference and it was often quoted. In the early days of the Church, a few black men received the priesthood.

Church policy changed with time. A reference in the Pearl of Great Price, a Mormon scripture, said that certain Egyptian men had been denied the priesthood. Church policy became to deny black men the priesthood and not to proselyte to black people. It was common knowledge in the Church that one drop of black blood could keep you out of the Mormon Temple.

Mormon missionaries were told to take courtesy leave if a black person opened a door to them. However, things changed. Blacks were joining the church in droves in Africa. One man had come up on the Book of Mormon and converted his friends. He wrote to the Church and action were taken to service the new congregations.

I was serving as the bishop of a Pennsylvania congregation. We had several mixed families in our ward. There were black adopted children. In our church it is important the children be sealed to their parents, but church policy was that blacks could not be sealed in the temple.

To tell you the truth, I prayed about it. I asked the Lord why the church could not make it possible for these families to be sealed in the Temple. I was surprised by the answer that I got in a very firm voice, It was: They must hold the priesthood.

I was sure of how to interpret that answer, but I knew the Lord was thinking about the problem. A short time later the Stake President called me and said, “John, I have wonderful news for you!” Then he read me the announcement from Salt Lake City that all worthy men, regardless of race, would now receive the priesthood.

To this day, I don’t know how the Stake President would know that would be wonderful news to me. I had never discussed the problem with him. Also, I didn’t know that I would have five black and four brown adopted grandchildren.

The news that all races would receive the priesthood was not accepted with joy throughout the church. Some probably left the church because it no longer was lily white. Missionaries started to proselyte any person who came to the door, not just white people and Asians.

The fact of the matter is that racial prejudice is not a white phenomenon. All races have some reservations about each other. A black father may not want his daughter living with a white man. A Chinese mother may not want a black or white man invited to dinner. In some cases, it is not hatred but a requirement of separation. “Stay on your own side of the street!”

Putting Don Imus out of business will not solve the problem but it has brewed a whirlwind that may change the way we treat women and each other. My father worshiped my mother because his mother taught him that women are to be worshiped. We should teach our children that all races are the same just as all dogs are the same. We are of the same species but different races. We would not look down on a dog because of his color. We don’t hate brown pigeons or gray rabbits.

The origins of racial wariness probably originated back in the darkness of time when the interaction of racial groups meant war. The American Indians discriminated against each other and war parties from one tribe would seek out and kill warriors from other tribes. Perhaps in the deep jungles of South America, this is still going on.

Adolph Hitler was the supreme racist of our time. Millions died because of the Nazi hatred of other peoples. If we don’t teach our children to ignore race, we may create a new Hitler.

We need to do what the Mormons did, eliminate race as an eternal principle.

copyright2007©John Taylor Jones, Ph.D. (Taylor Jones the hack writer)

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.internetbusinesstoolcenter.com

In today’s world, countries witnessing ancient culture and civilizations have relatively slow or less progressive economies. Living proof include (with the exception of Rome and Greece, being within the “European Economic zone”) China, Mesoamerica, Egypt, India and Mesopotamia. In the past, these countries were the frontiers of Medicine, Mathematics, science and trade. People from far and wide would come to witness these thriving countries. As time progressed new “superpowers” came into being, these countries lost its importance.

Taking this theory into account, Bihar being the cradle of India civilization Bihar lies aloof from the rest of India. Not because the people of Bihar are lazy but they have been misled.

A series of politicians appeared in the scene responsible for creating a “culture of crime” to maintain its prowess over the people of Bihar. They have been misled to believe that the leaders are the messiah who can deliver them from evil clutches of certain elements in Bihar. Various types of forces exist in Bihar from the extreme political left such as the banned “The Maoist Communist Centre” to organizations such as armed private armies of rich landlords. The responsibility lies totally on the government of Bihar from preventing the rise of such organizations. These organizations actually led to serve their purpose in creating fear in certain sections of the people based on caste and religion. Till now neither the people’s fate changed nor did of Bihar. Today as the rest of India enters the economic boom, Bihar lies isolated. Many of Bihar’s educated elite have left to look for better opportunities to other parts of India sometimes braving hostility. Not to mention the fate of poor Biharis outside Bihar.

Bihar today is a great and exciting place to visit. History of Bihar is the history of ancient India.

The recent media news frenzy about Don Imus and his totally inappropriate remarks have truly revealed what has happened to this country. Boy, if we make it to year 2010, we will be lucky and this is before we accept global warming.

As a young child who was both taller and heavier than her classmates, I can remember coming home many afternoons from schools in absolute tears. Being an ugly duckling among young children who look to tease others because they have learned it makes them feel good is not a good thing.

My mother told me numerous times these wise words: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. I have to be honest as a third grader it took me a long while before I realized the importance of these words. By the time I entered fourth grade, the insults, the taunts and the teasings no longer reduced me to tears. I knew that unless I gave them permission to hurt me with their name calling I would be safe from their endless torments. For words do not break bones.

Now almost 50 years later, I listen to a college basketball coach and girl’s college basketball team talk about their leadership skills and accomplishments. Yet, then they share how they have been traumatized by the terrible words of Mr. Imus. Give me a break! Yes, his words were hateful and mean spirited, but they were only words. To believe that some words can rob you of your successes demonstrates that we are not growing the leaders we need.

In all honesty, the negative publicity is probably more than the positive publicity that this team would have received for their athletic accomplishments. For our society in general, especially the news media looks for misery before joy and for scarcity over abundance. Bad news sells just like picking on the ugly duckling.

What is quite pitiful is that the news media is now promoting that words are more serious that physical actions in this case. However when it comes to those who wish to do America harm by their words, we are told by that same news media that they are only words. Come on drive by media – you can’t have it both ways!

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a business coach, writer and speaker with offices in Indianapolis and near Chicago. She explores how people get in their own ways and miss success.

If you would like Leanne to speak, please give her a call at 219.759.5601.

Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/ and explore everything from free articles to connecting with Leanne.

I have been watching this “somewhat of a lady” for quite some time. I have determined it’s time to give my opinion. For someone whom is somewhat educated, she’s not very smart. All I have witnessed from Ms. Coulter is ranting and raving aimlessly and most of the time unintelligently. She is a television personality who is playing to her fan base. I don’t even believe Ms. Coulter believes half of what she says within her own mind, she is much more interested in ratings and of course her book.

To all of her followers out there, this is how professional your “leader” is. She was fired by the “National Review” magazine after stating that 9/11 justified the killing of Arab civilians. This woman is constantly caught in trying to throw off facts that are simply not true. She once stated on television that Canada sent troops to Vietnam. When she was informed she was wrong, her intelligent reply was “I’ll have to get back to you on that”. Guess what? She never got back to anyone on the unintelligent remark she had made while being a guest on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations Fifth Estate News Investigative Show.

I have heard people voice, “She says what most people do not have the balls to say”, my reply to this remark is as follows, most people do not say what Ms. Coulter says because she lies and where Ms. Coulter does not mind looking absolutely idiotic in stating unfounded facts, most educated people do mind. To all the people out there that follow this woman as if she is the next anti-christ, She’s laughing at you. Ms. Coulter knows she has a fan base. She knows she has followers. I say those of you whom believe what this woman says should first educate yourself on what’s going on within our world, only then will you realize how out of touch with reality Ms. Coulter is.

Ms. Coulter claims that the liberals main agenda is abortion issues, such as protecting the right to chose over pro life. She states that liberals are so caught up on the abortion issues of our country that we are hypocritical for supporting a war in Iraq whereas mass casualties have accumulated. I would like to inform Ms. Coulter that the liberals is not why abortion is legal within our country. Abortion is legal due to the Roe vs. Wade decision. So when you speak of abortion issues Ms. Coulter, thank your conservative counterparts, they played a role in Roe vs. Wade becoming a trademark decision within our law history alongside the liberals. One can not compare abortion to a war. Is it not so blatantly obvious this woman knows nothing of military issues? Do remember, she still thinks Canada sent troops to Vietnam.

I would not be looking to this woman for educated inspiration. If you do, you are just as big of an idiot as she is. Ms. Coulter needs to be put in her place. I would like to see women stand up and voice how bad Ms. Coulter makes all women look, not just conservatives but our gender as a whole. I for one will NOT be one of her followers. She can take her book which contains alot of hogwash and unfounded facts and enjoy the royalties while they last, for the day will come when Ms. Coulter will be realized for what she truly is, an “educated idiot.”

http://convervativeidiots.tripod.com/coulter.html