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Melinda Emerson: 12 Bible Verses Every Small Business Owner Needs

Melinda Emerson in the Huffington Post shares 12 verses for us business owners. Thanks Melinda for this post.

All Christian business owners should have these on their office wall. Being a believer can be tough enough in 21st century America, but being a Christian and in business for yourself poses additional challenges.

Challenges yes, but opportunities to share what being a Christian is all about abound. We live in a lost and dying world. To many, there is no hope. We business owners have a unique place - and mission - in life. God calls us to this ministry to share and live Christ to His glory as His stewards.

What does that all mean? We minister to our employees. We love them for who they are and help them become what God would have them be. We minister to our customers and clients. We show them a special love, attention and compassion that they can't and don't find in many other businesses. Whether you own a gas or service station, are a plumber, lawyer or other service professional, or maybe you own an e-commerce business like me, we are to reach out and share Jesus in all that we do and say. Is it hard? Yes, it is. But God asks us to do the impossible! And by His Holy Spirit, that's exactly what we can do.

“I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” Psalm 119:104 - 106

Click on the link below for a good and practical read from Melinda Emerson and the Huffington Post.

"I normally do this post at the top of the year, but I was inspired to wait until now. With Easter having just past, I though this post would be particularly meaningful at this time of year. My relig..."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

How Easter Killed My Faith in Atheism

I LOVE Easter and the Easter/Passover Season. It is my absolute favorite holiday time of the year.

In Easter we find all that Christianity means as well as all that it brings to mortal men and women. In Easter we find true hope and forgiveness. In Easter we find life and assurance in a "hereafter". You could even say that we are demonstrated that there is a guarantee of a hereafter supplied by a loving, but just God. Jesus Christ overcame death in His Resurrection.

Passover was a foreshadowing of what God had in store for His creation. We just needed to wait for His perfect timing.

Back in January 2012, humorist Ricky Gervais presented his arguments (there's a link to this in the piece below) for atheism and why he thought he was a better "Christian" than many Christians. In this follow-up essay, writer attorney, former atheist and Christian apologist Lee Strobel offers his defense of Easter (author of "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Easter") and how this season and holiday changed his life forever.

Continue reading by clicking on the link below from the Wall Street Journal.

via blogs.wsj.com

Mark Twain: All Things Are Mortal But The Jew

The Jew, be it nation, culture or people, are an amazing phenomena. By all "earthly" measuring, they shouldn't be, yet they are.

Too many times throughout the millenia various men and women have tried to eradicate the Jew whether as individuals or as a people group or nation. But for some reason, it can never happen. They seem to have a supernatural hedge around them. They may be paired down, but they are always gloriously and amazingly restored.

As a Christian, I love the Jew. My Jewish friends are special to me. When their holidays arrive, I do my best to remember and wish them a "Happy Hannukah" or Purim or Rosh Hashanah, or whatever the day. They are special people. Out of all the people groups known throughout the ages, God specifically chose this line.

They were chosen to bring restoration and blessing to the world. We gentiles should honor them and love them. We also need to direct them to their Messiah who died for them as well. They are temporarily blinded.

What The Bible Really Says About Sex | Fox News

The Bible and sex? Yes. God has much to say about this act that He Himself created.

And not just for procreation. Sex is meant to be the ultimate expression of joy and love between a man and a woman; specifically, between a husband and wife.

"Sex is a selfish act, a conquest of personal fulfillment. That’s the mindset of most people in our culture regarding sex—even if it’s only subconscious. For the most part, our society celebrates the process of hook up, shack up, and break up. All you have to do is take a moment to observe the way sex is communicated in our culture. Thousands of articles are churned out on how to cope with a past of multiple partners and how to find the next one."

Continue reading this article at the link below...

via www.foxnews.com

What's Eating Media Matters' Founder David Brock?

"David Brock, the founder of Media Matters for America, is not one of my patients. I have not interviewed him, and I would never hazard a diagnosis of him. He is, however, a public and influential person whose history of destructive behavior, admitted drug abuse and even reported psychosis, may be best seen through a psychological lens."

Personally speaking, this is the face of someone who hates the Truth. God's Word has told us that in the last days, good will become evil and evil good. Evil hates good and strives to take Truth either out of context or twist it to meet its own agenda.

If I've learned anything in these times when it comes to news and headlines is to stop and look beyond those headlines. Go to the source. Read and think about the context of the story. Look at the author and his or her motivations.

A good and objective article written by psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow. Click on the link below.

via www.foxnews.com

Prayer 101: Being Honest

Remember what your mom always told you, "Honesty is the best policy?"

When we're young and impressionable, we are honest. Children are honest with their thoughts, words and actions. Children are emotionally and intellectually honest about their feelings and observations; sometimes to the point of embarrassment to their parents!

Honesty requires humility. Humility in itself can be self-embarrassing in that we have to show ourselves as we are. Humility requires a certain "nakedness" of thought and being. Children, in their innocence, are more humble and honest. Jesus calls attention to this fact when He says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:3-4.

Anxiety, Depression & Restoration, Part 2

According to the television commercial, "depression hurts". And so it does.

One of the beauties of God is that He wants His children to not only be happy, but whole. He wants our relationships to be whole; not only with Him but also with one another. In Philippians 4:2, we read of two ladies in the Philippian church, Euodia and Synteche, whose relationship was not whole. Heck, it was broken. And the apostle Paul in writing to the church, pleaded with these women and the entire church to reconcile and restore the relationship.

And in this admonition, Paul is given a teaching moment: how to not only restore broken relationships, but also how to deal with anxiety and depression. In Part 1, we looked at the downward spiral of anxiety and depression. We used the acronym SADDDR: Strife or Situation, Anxiety, Depression, Disruption in human relationships, Disruption in our relationship with God, and Restoration.

Anxiety, Depression & Restoration, Part 1

One of the most beloved passages of Scripture found in the New Testament is Philippians 4:6-7.

"Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

It's kind of a "how to" when it comes to dealing with everyday problems or issues. And that's fine, but I think there's a larger issue here. Let's take a closer and longer look at not only these two verses, but also what comes before and after them. Let's get the context in order. A couple of thoughts may be conjecture, but we're going to be very close, if not on the mark.

Demanding an Answer

"I'm human! Okay!?"

"And I'm tired. I'm frustrated. Things are crumbling around me. I cry out to God and He doesn't answer. My "friends" at church don't care. Heck, they don't even bother to call me and ask how I'm doing or take me for a cup of coffee."

"I go to church. I teach Sunday school. I sing in the choir. My kids are active in youth group. I'm in a small group, reading and studying the Bible. Things seem like they're finally leveling out and bam! I'm hit again. My spouse is clueless to the dilemmas and furthermore, they heap even more demands on me. They don't understand!"

Prayer 101: Silence & Solitude, Part 2

Practicing the disciplines of Silence and Solitude takes effort. Being silent and in solitude are not natural for many of us.

The busyness and noise of the early twenty-first century should actually be a clarion call to find some place of peace and tranquility. All of us are almost continually surrounded by people and their chatter (either live or via television, radio or internet), full schedules of meetings and appointments (whether it's our personal or professional lives, not to mention our kids, spouses, significant others), and a society that is literally screaming for attention.

In fact, it's so noisy and crowded that we often find it close to impossible to discover rest and peace. Silence and solitude are elusive friends.