Having Stratospheric Faith during Turbulent Times

If you did not already know by now, we are in the midst of very turbulent times.  People are suffering--high unemployment or underemployment, foreclosures on homes, high credit card debt, high cost of living and high health care costs. Some or all the worries or concerns I have just mentioned are very real to millions of people, including myself.  How does one cope with all of these worries or concerns? I think that we need to have extreme or stratospheric faith in God to help us through these rough and turbulent times.

As I watched the Hour of Power church program this past Sunday, I was moved by the sermon given by Sheila Schuller Coleman titled "Stratospheric Faith: Rising Above the Turbulence". She discussed 5 common cares or concerns we all have and what the corresponding cure is for each one of them.

Concern #1:  Animosity, Resentment, Bitterness
We have all had feelings of resentment or bitterness towards others because we felt that the other person hurt us on purpose.  The hurt could be perceived or real; physical or mental.  The point is that we harbor this anger and resentment for years and it does nothing but eat us up on the inside, causing increasing amounts of stress. God's cure for animosity and bitterness is FORGIVENESS.  In order to heal ourselves mentally and physically, we need to forgive the other person for what they have done.  I know that this is very difficult to do, because everyone is different, and the ability to forgive is also dependent on how deep the hurt is.  I am still working on this myself.  Even Jesus, when he was being crucified on the cross was able to practice forgiveness when  he said in 23:34 "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do". Forgiveness does not mean forget what was done, but rather make peace with yourself, let go of the animosity and resentment, and move on.  There is no point in holding grudges against people who have hurt you in the past because you cannot change the past.  Just let go and ask God to give you the strength to get past the hurt.

Concern #2: Worry, Fear, Anxiety
I do not think that there is a day that goes by when we are not overly worried or fearful about something in our daily lives.  We worry about the economy, terrorism, not having enough money to pay our bills; we also worry about our loved ones especially when they are doing something that could endanger them, i.e. serving in the armed forces, working as a police officer or firefighter.  God's cure for worry and fear is FAITH.
We need to stop worrying about the things we cannot change and instead start focusing on strengthening our faith in God to help us.  We need to have faith in God that He will set right what is wrong in our lives if we ask for His help in prayer.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 "...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Jesus also said in Matthew 6:27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" We need to stop worrying about things or situations that we cannot control, and instead focus on living our lives to the fullest.

Concern #3:  Pain, Depression, Grief
When something catastrophic happens, such as the 9/11 terror attacks and the devastating earthquake in Haiti, there is so much lingering pain, depression, and grief of enormous proportions, especially felt by those who were directly affected. There are differences of how people deal with major catastrophes--some overcome the grief and depression fairly quickly, while others may take years or never overcome the grief or depression at all.  I repeat, we need to stop worrying about things or situations that we cannot control; we must strive to do the best you can under the circumstances.  God's cure for depression and grief is PRAISE.  In her sermon, Sheila Schuller Coleman said that no matter how bad the situation that is causing us so much pain and depression, we need to give praise and thanks for something.  In other words, say Lord, I thank you for_____". If we get in the habit of saying thank you, that will help us overcome our grief and depression over time.

Concern #4:  Inferiority and Inadequacy
It is important to remember that God put every one of us on this earth for a reason. We are unique individuals who differ in appearance and thoughts. Therefore, we should not compare ourselves against each other, wondering why we are not as smart, rich, or have as much as the next person.  God's cure for feelings of inferiority is PURPOSE.  Each of us must find out what God wants us to do while we are on this earth.  Once we find out what God's purpose for us is, we need to fulfill that purpose to the best of our ability.

Concern #5:  Humiliation, Guilt, Shame
There have been times when we have all done something that we are not proud of and later regret--wishing that we could somehow undo what was done.  Because of our actions, other people were hurt and negatively affected.  In any event, we feel deeply sorry for what we have done and may be carrying a large amount of guilt and shame because of it.  God's cure for guilt and shame is GRACE.  We must remember that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for all our sins.  We do not have to "pay" for our sins; our sins are forgiven by God through Jesus paying the ultimate price. Therefore, we do not have to carry the burden of guilt and shame on our backs.

I think it is important that we each look inside ourselves and examine what worries us the most.  Once that is done, practice on God's cure for that worry.  This may take some time, but the most important thing is to make a start, one step at a time.  If this is done consistently, we can cope much better during turbulent times.

All bible quotes were taken from the Possibility Thinkers Bible, The New King James Version, 1982

Online Social Networking--A Cultural Phenomenon

In the not too distant past, people networked or communicated in the following ways:

· Meeting people face to face at parties or social mixers

· Writing letters, i.e. Pen Pals

· Telephone calls
As we have now entered the Information Age, it is now easier more than ever to network with others. As a result, online social networking has opened doors that did not previously exist.

With the presence of Internet social network sites like Facebook, PeopleString, and MySpace, one can communicate with friends and family by email or by downloading videos and photos. Online networking has made it possible for people to communicate with each other across the country as well as around the world-where they would otherwise never have the opportunity to connect.

As social networking becomes more and more popular among people and businesses alike, new social websites like PeopleString, will eventually emerge, bringing thousands of people together for a variety of purposes, such as:

· Career advancement-finding jobs

· Dating-finding a suitable mate for a long lasting relationship

· Forming groups or clubs that share a common interest

· Announcing or broadcasting important events

· Maintaining contact with friends and family who live far away

Online networking also provides low cost or free advertising for businesses. This explains why many businesses now have either fan pages on websites like Facebook or a Twitter account. Business owners in general now realize the ability of social websites to reach millions of people in order to promote their products or services.

Whether you love or hate social networking or have no opinion about it at all, online networking is here to stay, and it can be extremely beneficial to anyone who uses it. To really take advantage of online networking, I suggest that people join as many of these sites as possible so that you can contact lots of people to develop long-term relationships. Social networking is something that should be embraced rather than feared.

PeopleString--The Newest Craze in Social Networking

Within the last few years, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become immensely popular.  These sites are so popular that even major businesses and celebrities have accounts, and are actively networking with thousands of people every day.

I think one of the main reasons for Facebook's popularity is that it is free to join, and you can send text, photos, and videos to hundreds of people that you designate as friends. Social networking through the internet is about the cheapest way to keep in touch with people you would otherwise not be able to do.
Due to its popularity, Facebook makes its money by the amount of revenue it receives from advertisers who place ads on the website.  However, for all the money Facebook takes in advertising revenue, not one penny of it is shared with its members.  You would think that the least Facebook could do is reward its members by sharing some of that revenue.




Well, this is where PeopleString comes in.  This is also a social networking website similar to Facebook in terms of setup.  However, what makes PeopleString unique and different from Facebook is that PeopleString shares up to 70% of its advertising revenue with its members.  In addition, PeopleString will pay you to do what you normally do on the internet, like chat with friends using IM, check email, visit favorite websites and  play games. 

Here are just a few of the benefits you get when you join PeopleString:
1. Sign up for either a FREE or Entrepreneur account

2. Get paid for direct referrals and also their referrals up to 6 levels deep
3. Get paid to receive postal mail from advertisers

4. Get paid to surf the web and visit all your favorite sites like you would normally do

5. Receive a FREE affiliate website promoting Black Grape, a nutritious health drink sold exclusively 
    through PeopleString and make commissions on every sale originating from your site




6.  Get paid to go shopping online

What I like best about PeopleString is that the website is very user friendly; it already has links to popular sites like Twitter and  Facebook which I visit daily. I can also add as many of my favorite sites as I want.  I have set my default browser page to PeopleString so that I can accumulate People Points.  PeoplePoints are used to determine how much you will be paid out of the advertising revenue.  The more I use PeopleString as a vehicle to do whatever I want on the internet, the more points I receive and the more money I make.

In order to increase your "string" of people, all you have to do is promote your affiliate PeopleString link.  For those of you who do not know how to do that, PeopleString provides free training videos to help you and marketing materials you can use to promote your PeopleString site.

The time is NOW for you to try PeopleString for yourself, and draw your own conclusions. If you are looking to get rich quick, then PeopleString may not be for you.  However, if you are looking for an easy way to earn money over time, then join PeopleString and be a part of the newest social networking craze!

Climb your Mountains to Reach your Goals

As I was watching the weekly church television program "Hour of Power", I was really moved by the sermon delivered by Jim Penner entitled " What in the World are you Waiting For?" He talked about how we need to stop waiting around wasting time; we should climbing our "mountains" instead. Our mountains can be anything--financial, medical, relationship, family, etc. We all have mountains to face everyday. In fact, we are never really free from mountains to climb. If we climb one, chances are that another one will soon take its place. Therefore, it is up to us to decide to "climb" our mountains. They will not simply disappear on their own.

How do you climb a mountain? Rest assured, you do not have to do it alone. God is always there to help us; we just need to be humble enough to ask for His help and guidance. (For those of you who are reading this blog post are atheists, agnostics, or not of the Christian faith, do not despair. Feel free to substitute whatever deity you like. The point I am making is that there is nothing wrong with seeking help in climbing your mountain.)

Jim Penner said that we can climb our mountains if we follow the acronym C.L.I.M.B.

C--Climb your mountain

You must be willing to climb it and remember that you don't have to do it alone. I remember several years ago I had to walk barefoot across a bed of hot coals during one of Tony Robbins' "Firewalk" seminars. I saw other people that were ahead of me walk across successfully. When it was my turn however, I was very afraid and I kept thinking that I was not going to make it, I would burn my feet, and I just could not do it. Then my friend Renee, who had already walked across the hot coals successfully, said to me, "If I could do it, you can do it". All of a sudden, I somehow mustered up enough faith and courage to do it. So I walked across, and to this day, I felt like I was floating across those hot coals as if God was holding my hand through it all. I did not have any burns on my feet either.

L--Live for today, not tomorrow

Of course, you must plan for tomorrow in terms of setting goals for yourself and your family. However, don't get so wrapped up in planning for tomorrow that you forget about living for today. I think that there is some truth to the saying "Live each day as if it were your last day on earth. Tomorrow is never promised to you".

I--Inspire someone else

Inspire someone else to climb his/her mountain as well. Oftentimes inspiration and determination are increased when people climb mountains together.

M--Motivate

Find a source of motivation for yourself as you climb your mountain. That source could be like the Bible or self-help books, or talk to other people who will encourage you to succeed.

B--Believe in God

Say to yourself, "With God's help, I will climb my mountain". Whatever that mountain is, you must believe that you can climb it--regardless that it may take days, weeks, months, or years. Never give up or stop believing that you will reach the mountaintop.

Just think, if you succeed in climbing a mountain once, you should never stop climbing future mountains because you now know that it is definitely possible after all--you actually completed the journey.