Tuesday, June 30, 2009
WHY ARE FAMILIES IMPORTANT
May it be our resolve this year to build a gospel-centered home, a safe harbor from the storms of the adversary.
In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father's plan. This statement from "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" declares the responsibilities of parents to their families:
"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."1
In recent meetings with the First Presidency, they have expressed concern about the deterioration of the family. Their mandate to the Priesthood Executive Council was to concentrate on the family in our assignments.
In response to the First Presidency, many plans and efforts are already in place. We will use all of the resources we have to encourage greater harmony, greater love, and greater influence in the Lord's special designated unit—the family.
We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us. Even if the smallest openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls of our homes. Let me cite an example.
Several years ago, I was having dinner with my daughter and her family. The scene is all too common in most homes with small children. My daughter was trying to encourage her young, three-year-old son to eat a balanced meal. He had eaten all the food on his plate that he liked. A small serving of green beans remained, which he was not fond of. In desperation, the mother picked up a fork and tried to encourage him to eat his beans. He tolerated it just about as long as he could. Then he exclaimed, "Look, Mom, don't foul up a good friendship!"
Those were the exact words he heard on a television commercial a few days earlier. Oh, what impact advertising, television programs, the Internet, and the other media are having on our family units!
We remind you that parents are to preside over their own families.
Helps and reminders will come from the Church Internet site and television channels, as well as through priesthood and auxiliary leadership to assist you as we strive to fulfill our family responsibilities.
In some of the zones of the world, we have an alternative to commercial television networks and some of their antifamily programming. We have BYU Television, which presents family-oriented programs. In addition to programs that bring gospel teaching, there are programs directed to parent instruction and family entertainment. We will also be striving to increase the quality and frequency of our family-centered Homefront public service spots.
We have other helps, covering a wider area than the television network: we have the Church Web site, lds.org. It has recently been updated to include a new home and family page. The page includes thoughts from the scriptures and Church leaders to strengthen the family. It also includes ideas for family activities. A new home and family section provides:
Teachings from Church leaders specifically for the family.
Ideas for family activities.
Family home evening quick tips to help you have meaningful and enjoyable family home evenings.
Featured articles on topics such as making family home evenings more successful, strengthening the relationship between husband and wife, and ideas for feeling closer as family members.
As the site is updated, additional ideas for planning family home evenings will appear. One of these will offer suggestions for activities for Faith in God, Duty to God, and Personal Progress programs.
We do have one media source, however, that reaches the entire Church—it is our wonderful Church magazines. These magazines come into our homes regularly and are another way of delivering information to help strengthen the family. Perhaps you noticed in the March Ensign and Liahona, the international magazine—a message from President Gordon B. Hinckley on family home evenings:
" 'We have a family home evening program once a week [Monday night] across the Church in which parents sit down with their children. They study the scriptures. They talk about family problems. They plan family activities and things of that kind. I don't hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you'd see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world' (interview, Boston Globe, 14 Aug. 2000)."2
Following President Hinckley's encouragement for us to hold family home evenings, the next article in the Ensign was entitled "The Calling I Didn't Know I Had":
"Family home evening was challenging when our children were young. My husband and I took seriously the latter-day prophets' counsel to hold regular family home evenings, but between our Church callings and other responsibilities, we too often found there wasn't time or energy to plan an effective, loving family home evening when Monday night came around.
"While visiting Primary one Sunday I noticed how captivated the children were by the stories, visual aids, and brief but effective activities planned for sharing time and music time. I was also absorbed in learning from the well-prepared efforts the Primary counselor and music leader put into their callings. 'They obviously spent adequate time mingled with lots of love,' I thought. 'They do wonderful things in their callings.'
"Just then a thought came to mind: 'Family home evening is one of your callings. In fact, it is part of your most important calling—motherhood!' I reflected on that insight. 'If I can make the time to magnify my callings as newsletter editor and visiting teacher, I can surely magnify my family home evening calling.' "3
What a wonderful thought she has brought to us to encourage us to be more effective in our planning for this special night set aside for the family.
We can also alert you to the fact that our June issues of the Church magazines will be dedicated to a family theme. In addition, throughout the year there will be issues of the Liahona, Ensign, New Era, and Friend containing materials for teaching in the home. There will be wonderful suggestions for family home evenings and ideas for everyday teaching moments. The articles are written so they can easily be adapted for lessons for your family.
Children and youth are shown, through prophetic words and through living examples, the importance of loving and honoring their parents. Parents are taught ways of building and maintaining close family ties, both in good times and in difficult times. The good spirit in these magazines will help fill your homes with warmth, love, and the strength of the gospel.
The Church News is also helping to spread the message of the family. It has articles on strengthening love and respect in the home, putting the gospel in action, and planning wholesome recreation.
We hope that by flooding the Church with family-oriented media, members of the Church will be assisted and encouraged to build stronger and better families. We hope it will cause a conscious and sustained effort in building an eternal family unit. An abundance of Church materials will be available for you from which to pick and choose useful ideas. At least by seeing family issues mentioned so often, we all will be reminded to focus our attention on the most important organization the Lord has established here on earth.
From the very beginning the Lord has established the importance of the family organization for us. Soon after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, the Lord spoke to them:
"The Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, [and] beareth record of the Father and the Son. . . .
"[Then] in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: [If it were] not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters."4
"President Brigham Young explained that our families are not yet ours. The Lord has committed them to us to see how we will treat them. Only if we are faithful will they be given to us forever. What we do on earth determines whether or not we will be worthy to become heavenly parents."5
The Church has established two special times for families to be together. The first is centered around the proper observance of the Sabbath day. This is the time we are to attend our regular meetings together, study the life and teachings of the Savior and of the prophets. "Other appropriate Sunday activities include (1) writing personal and family journals, (2) holding family councils, (3) establishing and maintaining family organizations for the immediate and extended family, (4) personal interviews between parents and children, (5) writing to relatives and missionaries, (6) genealogy, (7) visiting relatives and those who are ill or lonely, (8) missionary work, (9) reading stories to children, and (10) singing Church hymns."6
The second time is Monday night. We are to teach our children in a well-organized, regular family home evening. No other activities should involve our family members on Monday night. This designated time is to be with our families.
We hope all of you have noticed the special emphasis the First Presidency has put on family home evenings. The First Presidency letter of October 4, 1999, was recently repeated in the magazines:
"To: Members of the Church throughout the World
"Dear Brothers and Sisters:
"Monday nights are reserved throughout the Church for family home evenings. We encourage members to set aside this time to strengthen family ties and teach the gospel in their homes.
"Earlier this year we called on parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. We also counseled parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities.
"We urge members, where possible, to avoid holding receptions or other similar activities on Monday evenings. Where practical, members may also want to encourage community and school leaders to avoid scheduling activities on Monday evenings that require children or parents to be away from their homes.
"Church buildings and facilities should be closed on Monday evenings. No ward or stake activities should be planned, and other interruptions to family home evenings should be avoided."7
May it be our resolve this year to build a gospel-centered home, a safe harbor from the storms of the adversary. Let us again remember the promises and instructions from the Lord to His children:
"The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
"Light and truth forsake that evil one. . . .
"And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
"But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."8
May this be our year for enjoying the light and truth of the gospel in our homes. May our homes truly become places of refuge from the world is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father's plan. This statement from "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" declares the responsibilities of parents to their families:
"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."1
In recent meetings with the First Presidency, they have expressed concern about the deterioration of the family. Their mandate to the Priesthood Executive Council was to concentrate on the family in our assignments.
In response to the First Presidency, many plans and efforts are already in place. We will use all of the resources we have to encourage greater harmony, greater love, and greater influence in the Lord's special designated unit—the family.
We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us. Even if the smallest openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls of our homes. Let me cite an example.
Several years ago, I was having dinner with my daughter and her family. The scene is all too common in most homes with small children. My daughter was trying to encourage her young, three-year-old son to eat a balanced meal. He had eaten all the food on his plate that he liked. A small serving of green beans remained, which he was not fond of. In desperation, the mother picked up a fork and tried to encourage him to eat his beans. He tolerated it just about as long as he could. Then he exclaimed, "Look, Mom, don't foul up a good friendship!"
Those were the exact words he heard on a television commercial a few days earlier. Oh, what impact advertising, television programs, the Internet, and the other media are having on our family units!
We remind you that parents are to preside over their own families.
Helps and reminders will come from the Church Internet site and television channels, as well as through priesthood and auxiliary leadership to assist you as we strive to fulfill our family responsibilities.
In some of the zones of the world, we have an alternative to commercial television networks and some of their antifamily programming. We have BYU Television, which presents family-oriented programs. In addition to programs that bring gospel teaching, there are programs directed to parent instruction and family entertainment. We will also be striving to increase the quality and frequency of our family-centered Homefront public service spots.
We have other helps, covering a wider area than the television network: we have the Church Web site, lds.org. It has recently been updated to include a new home and family page. The page includes thoughts from the scriptures and Church leaders to strengthen the family. It also includes ideas for family activities. A new home and family section provides:
Teachings from Church leaders specifically for the family.
Ideas for family activities.
Family home evening quick tips to help you have meaningful and enjoyable family home evenings.
Featured articles on topics such as making family home evenings more successful, strengthening the relationship between husband and wife, and ideas for feeling closer as family members.
As the site is updated, additional ideas for planning family home evenings will appear. One of these will offer suggestions for activities for Faith in God, Duty to God, and Personal Progress programs.
We do have one media source, however, that reaches the entire Church—it is our wonderful Church magazines. These magazines come into our homes regularly and are another way of delivering information to help strengthen the family. Perhaps you noticed in the March Ensign and Liahona, the international magazine—a message from President Gordon B. Hinckley on family home evenings:
" 'We have a family home evening program once a week [Monday night] across the Church in which parents sit down with their children. They study the scriptures. They talk about family problems. They plan family activities and things of that kind. I don't hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you'd see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world' (interview, Boston Globe, 14 Aug. 2000)."2
Following President Hinckley's encouragement for us to hold family home evenings, the next article in the Ensign was entitled "The Calling I Didn't Know I Had":
"Family home evening was challenging when our children were young. My husband and I took seriously the latter-day prophets' counsel to hold regular family home evenings, but between our Church callings and other responsibilities, we too often found there wasn't time or energy to plan an effective, loving family home evening when Monday night came around.
"While visiting Primary one Sunday I noticed how captivated the children were by the stories, visual aids, and brief but effective activities planned for sharing time and music time. I was also absorbed in learning from the well-prepared efforts the Primary counselor and music leader put into their callings. 'They obviously spent adequate time mingled with lots of love,' I thought. 'They do wonderful things in their callings.'
"Just then a thought came to mind: 'Family home evening is one of your callings. In fact, it is part of your most important calling—motherhood!' I reflected on that insight. 'If I can make the time to magnify my callings as newsletter editor and visiting teacher, I can surely magnify my family home evening calling.' "3
What a wonderful thought she has brought to us to encourage us to be more effective in our planning for this special night set aside for the family.
We can also alert you to the fact that our June issues of the Church magazines will be dedicated to a family theme. In addition, throughout the year there will be issues of the Liahona, Ensign, New Era, and Friend containing materials for teaching in the home. There will be wonderful suggestions for family home evenings and ideas for everyday teaching moments. The articles are written so they can easily be adapted for lessons for your family.
Children and youth are shown, through prophetic words and through living examples, the importance of loving and honoring their parents. Parents are taught ways of building and maintaining close family ties, both in good times and in difficult times. The good spirit in these magazines will help fill your homes with warmth, love, and the strength of the gospel.
The Church News is also helping to spread the message of the family. It has articles on strengthening love and respect in the home, putting the gospel in action, and planning wholesome recreation.
We hope that by flooding the Church with family-oriented media, members of the Church will be assisted and encouraged to build stronger and better families. We hope it will cause a conscious and sustained effort in building an eternal family unit. An abundance of Church materials will be available for you from which to pick and choose useful ideas. At least by seeing family issues mentioned so often, we all will be reminded to focus our attention on the most important organization the Lord has established here on earth.
From the very beginning the Lord has established the importance of the family organization for us. Soon after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, the Lord spoke to them:
"The Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, [and] beareth record of the Father and the Son. . . .
"[Then] in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
"And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: [If it were] not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters."4
"President Brigham Young explained that our families are not yet ours. The Lord has committed them to us to see how we will treat them. Only if we are faithful will they be given to us forever. What we do on earth determines whether or not we will be worthy to become heavenly parents."5
The Church has established two special times for families to be together. The first is centered around the proper observance of the Sabbath day. This is the time we are to attend our regular meetings together, study the life and teachings of the Savior and of the prophets. "Other appropriate Sunday activities include (1) writing personal and family journals, (2) holding family councils, (3) establishing and maintaining family organizations for the immediate and extended family, (4) personal interviews between parents and children, (5) writing to relatives and missionaries, (6) genealogy, (7) visiting relatives and those who are ill or lonely, (8) missionary work, (9) reading stories to children, and (10) singing Church hymns."6
The second time is Monday night. We are to teach our children in a well-organized, regular family home evening. No other activities should involve our family members on Monday night. This designated time is to be with our families.
We hope all of you have noticed the special emphasis the First Presidency has put on family home evenings. The First Presidency letter of October 4, 1999, was recently repeated in the magazines:
"To: Members of the Church throughout the World
"Dear Brothers and Sisters:
"Monday nights are reserved throughout the Church for family home evenings. We encourage members to set aside this time to strengthen family ties and teach the gospel in their homes.
"Earlier this year we called on parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. We also counseled parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities.
"We urge members, where possible, to avoid holding receptions or other similar activities on Monday evenings. Where practical, members may also want to encourage community and school leaders to avoid scheduling activities on Monday evenings that require children or parents to be away from their homes.
"Church buildings and facilities should be closed on Monday evenings. No ward or stake activities should be planned, and other interruptions to family home evenings should be avoided."7
May it be our resolve this year to build a gospel-centered home, a safe harbor from the storms of the adversary. Let us again remember the promises and instructions from the Lord to His children:
"The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
"Light and truth forsake that evil one. . . .
"And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
"But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."8
May this be our year for enjoying the light and truth of the gospel in our homes. May our homes truly become places of refuge from the world is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
THE TRUE MEANING OF FATHERS DAY
The True Meaning of Father's Day (Father's Day Gifts)Interestingly, many, many years ago when Fathers Day was first raised as a concept for a national event, people scoffed at the prospect. It was first contemplated at a time when rewarding mothers for a long year of hard work was expected and enjoyed but fathers did not play as strong a role then as they do now. Resultantly, according to historians it was a while before Father's Day became a real fixture on the UK and US calendars because of this high humoured response to its usefulness.These days, Father's Day is an important day in the year and that probably relates to the changing social role of a father. Whilst a hundred years ago fathers might not have played as much a part in their childrens' lives as mothers, especially when it comes to early nurturing and care; they now have more family responsibility than ever before and are gentle, considerate and involved with children throughout their growth.So, if you had a progressive, modern dad who was always there for you whilst you were growing up then you should let him know how great he is on Father's Day, because if you had been born in a different era your dad may have been much less hands on.Celebrating Great DadsIt's easy to say 'any excuse for a party' with Father's Day and just enjoy the opportunity to get together with family (and your dad) to have some fun. However, celebrating your dad's achievements as a father is what the day is really about; if he taught you to cycle why not take him cycling? If he showed you how to fish why not do that? Thank him for all that you've learned from him and have a little party to show how grateful you are. There are probably hundreds of things which he has taught you over the years, from talking and walking to DIY.When choosing Father's Day gifts go for something meaningful and practical. Fathers like useful things such as gardening tools, calendars and golf putters more than decorations or nik naks, the more practical the gift, the more use he will get out of it and the more frequently he'll be reminded how much you love him. Giving a Personal ThanksSometimes we forget to say thanks to our fathers, in fact throughout the rest of the year you might rarely remember to thank him. But on Fathers Day you are given the opportunity to get him a present, write him a card and show him how much you care about him. The most important thing when it comes to presents and Father's Day cards is the message. As such, engraved gifts with meaningful messages cut in to them such as engraved tankards and golf putters are perfect. Equally, gifts which say your father's name and are related to his interests are perfect for Father's Day. Don't be afraid to pick out something kooky or quirky either, dads are notorious for their good senses of humour so they love presents which make them laugh or tickle their funny bone.Pushing the Boat OutBecause Father's Day is a Summer event you can have a BBQ in your dad's honour, throw a picnic or do some other grand outdoor events with the rest of the family. It is a time to get together and talk about old times and enjoy each other's company. You can find out what your dad enjoyed most about helping you to grow up, talk about your childhood and find out what a brat you used to be! You can also talk about those times he got you out of a scrape by collecting you in the car or 'lending' you some money.If you're planning a picnic choose his favourite foods and a nice spot in the garden or a park, get someone else to drive if you're taking the car and don't let him lift a finger all day. Often dad's are more vocal about what they do and don't like than mums are, so you'll know if he's happy and can make him happier, easily. If all else fails why not go to a good pub and sit outside in the sunshine with a glass of something hoppy.As well as outdoor pursuits, you could do one of his favourite hobbies, a spot of gardening, watch a footie match or even sample some real ales. Whatever he is in to, Fathers Day is the perfect day to get out there and enjoy it with him!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
JESUS IS ARRIVING VERY SOON!
TO look for signs of the coming of God's Kingdom on earth is not a fanciful pastime; it is the sober attitude of those who will be faithful to the words of Jesus. For he said that just as men knew summer was near when the fig tree put forth its leaves, so they might know that the world's summer, the Kingdom of God, was near when they saw "these things coming to pass" (Luke 21:29-31). So it is not only good sense but keeping good faith with Christ to look for signs that the dark and storm will soon pass. Did he not say: "When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28)?
1. Distress and fear among nations.
With one beautiful exception, "these things" of which Jesus spoke were not pleasant things. In easily understood figurative speech drawn from the visible world of nature, he had told of signs in the sun, moon and stars of men's social and political world -- the ruling powers of state and church; he had described the distress and perplexity among nations resulting from vast, restless upheavals of men like the roaring, heaving billows of the sea: he had foretold an atmosphere of frustration, fear, failing of heart in expectation of the things coming on the world.
2. The Return of the Jews.
The exception was not so much stated as very clearly implied: "And they (i.e., the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). We are entirely in harmony with other prophecy if we understand this to mean that as those "times" drew to an end there would be a return from captivity and a rising again of Jerusalem from her downtrodden state. Ezekiel, foretelling a last invasion of Palestine from the North, describes colonists regathered and settled in the land:
"In the latter years, thou (the northern invader) shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them ... the land of unwalled villages. . . the desolate places now inhabited ... the people gathered out of the nations which have gotten cattle and goods and dwell in the midst of the land" (Ezek. 38:8,11,12).
In his 37th chapter he had already given a vivid picture of national revival among the scattered and disorganized sons of Israel as one of the features of these last times. How clearly these forecasts are being fulfilled in our own day needs no emphasis. From 1918 onwards Jews have been returning and new life has come to the land. Since the State of Israel sprang into being in 1948, hosts of returning exiles have been received, and marvels have been accomplished in developing the country.
3. War and Preparation for War.
It is not only Christ's words which show that this sign of Jewish return to Palestine would come in a time of world distress. Ezekiel, Joel and Revelation all tell of a time of piling armaments and a mounting flood of war.
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war; wake up the mighty men, . . . beat your ploughshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears ... the day of the Lord is near" (Joel 3:9,10,15). "Gather them together to the war of the great day of God Almighty." -- " Behold, I come as a thief" (Rev. 16:14,15).
Further, the war would converge upon a point in the Near East, for it is said:
"Behold, in those days, and at that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land" (Joel 3:1-2).
"And he gathered them together into the place which is called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev. 16:16).
No longer can it be said: "There have always been wars and troubles; this age is no different from others". War in our day has been spread over the world in a deluge. No other time in history -- not even the era of Napoleon -- can compare with this enormous and horrid extension of conflict. The war of 1939-45 brought the Near East once more into the centre of world affairs. It ranged the nations round that centre as a further conspicuous stage in that process of "gathering together" which can be traced so clearly from 1914. Since then tension has grown between East and West, the powers of the land and the powers of the seas; and more and more clearly the Middle East is seen as the focal point of coming conflict.
4. Development in the Middle East.
The prophecy of Ezekiel 38 shows that in the last days merchant and maritime peoples having dominions associated with them would be in a position to challenge invaders of Palestine. That the British Empire is indicated in that description was perceived by students as far back as 1848: seventy years afterwards Britain received the Palestine Mandate, and while she has now withdrawn she is, along with the U.S.A., still deeply involved in the affairs of the Middle East. Another power is no less clearly identified, which will come as an aggressor from the north with a confederacy of peoples. In the light of that prophecy students have long expected the increase in Russian power and in her interest in the Near East which we now see.
The points here briefly made are enough to show that the days in which we live correspond to the signs given by Jesus and the prophets which would precede his coming. To have watched in the light of the prophets fifty years of such turmoils as we have seen is to be convinced that the Lord's coming cannot be long delayed. His message for such a time is: "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame".
1. Distress and fear among nations.
With one beautiful exception, "these things" of which Jesus spoke were not pleasant things. In easily understood figurative speech drawn from the visible world of nature, he had told of signs in the sun, moon and stars of men's social and political world -- the ruling powers of state and church; he had described the distress and perplexity among nations resulting from vast, restless upheavals of men like the roaring, heaving billows of the sea: he had foretold an atmosphere of frustration, fear, failing of heart in expectation of the things coming on the world.
2. The Return of the Jews.
The exception was not so much stated as very clearly implied: "And they (i.e., the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). We are entirely in harmony with other prophecy if we understand this to mean that as those "times" drew to an end there would be a return from captivity and a rising again of Jerusalem from her downtrodden state. Ezekiel, foretelling a last invasion of Palestine from the North, describes colonists regathered and settled in the land:
"In the latter years, thou (the northern invader) shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them ... the land of unwalled villages. . . the desolate places now inhabited ... the people gathered out of the nations which have gotten cattle and goods and dwell in the midst of the land" (Ezek. 38:8,11,12).
In his 37th chapter he had already given a vivid picture of national revival among the scattered and disorganized sons of Israel as one of the features of these last times. How clearly these forecasts are being fulfilled in our own day needs no emphasis. From 1918 onwards Jews have been returning and new life has come to the land. Since the State of Israel sprang into being in 1948, hosts of returning exiles have been received, and marvels have been accomplished in developing the country.
3. War and Preparation for War.
It is not only Christ's words which show that this sign of Jewish return to Palestine would come in a time of world distress. Ezekiel, Joel and Revelation all tell of a time of piling armaments and a mounting flood of war.
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war; wake up the mighty men, . . . beat your ploughshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears ... the day of the Lord is near" (Joel 3:9,10,15). "Gather them together to the war of the great day of God Almighty." -- " Behold, I come as a thief" (Rev. 16:14,15).
Further, the war would converge upon a point in the Near East, for it is said:
"Behold, in those days, and at that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land" (Joel 3:1-2).
"And he gathered them together into the place which is called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev. 16:16).
No longer can it be said: "There have always been wars and troubles; this age is no different from others". War in our day has been spread over the world in a deluge. No other time in history -- not even the era of Napoleon -- can compare with this enormous and horrid extension of conflict. The war of 1939-45 brought the Near East once more into the centre of world affairs. It ranged the nations round that centre as a further conspicuous stage in that process of "gathering together" which can be traced so clearly from 1914. Since then tension has grown between East and West, the powers of the land and the powers of the seas; and more and more clearly the Middle East is seen as the focal point of coming conflict.
4. Development in the Middle East.
The prophecy of Ezekiel 38 shows that in the last days merchant and maritime peoples having dominions associated with them would be in a position to challenge invaders of Palestine. That the British Empire is indicated in that description was perceived by students as far back as 1848: seventy years afterwards Britain received the Palestine Mandate, and while she has now withdrawn she is, along with the U.S.A., still deeply involved in the affairs of the Middle East. Another power is no less clearly identified, which will come as an aggressor from the north with a confederacy of peoples. In the light of that prophecy students have long expected the increase in Russian power and in her interest in the Near East which we now see.
The points here briefly made are enough to show that the days in which we live correspond to the signs given by Jesus and the prophets which would precede his coming. To have watched in the light of the prophets fifty years of such turmoils as we have seen is to be convinced that the Lord's coming cannot be long delayed. His message for such a time is: "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame".
THE DANGERS OF PROCRASTINATION
It can be extremely difficult for an individual to find the time that is necessary to study for a particular exam or interview among all of the activities that an individual normally performs on a daily basis. As a result, it is essential for an individual to be able to use the time that he or she has available in as effective a manner as possible. There are a variety of time management techniques that an individual can use to manage his or her time and each of these techniques helps the individual make sure that the time that he or she has available is not wasted. However, even an individual that is attempting to manage his or her time wisely may find that he or she is wasting more time than he or she should because the individual is procrastinating. Procrastination simply refers to the process by which an individual attempts to avoid or delay his or her need to complete an assignment or task as long as possible. In other words, an individual that is procrastinating is an individual that is attempting to avoid studying, is attempting to avoid doing his or her homework, or is attempting to avoid any of a variety of other similar tasks.
It may seem like procrastination is not really a major concern because everyone puts off performing various activities to some degree. However, procrastination can often be a larger problem than an individual might realize at first. This is because an individual that procrastinates by performing other activities that are less important than the activity that the individual was originally supposed to perform is wasting time that could be used to complete other important tasks. As the individual wastes more and more of his or her time on trivial tasks, activities, and distractions while the individual should be completing the original task, the amount of time that the individual has to complete the original task will become less and less. In other words, procrastination is a problem that compounds as the individual wastes more time because every minute that the individual spends saying "I can do that later" is a minute that individual could have used to complete the original project. If an individual wastes too much time by procrastinating, it may not be possible for the individual to complete the original task or at least complete the task as effectively as the individual could if he or she had more time.
It may seem like procrastination is not really a major concern because everyone puts off performing various activities to some degree. However, procrastination can often be a larger problem than an individual might realize at first. This is because an individual that procrastinates by performing other activities that are less important than the activity that the individual was originally supposed to perform is wasting time that could be used to complete other important tasks. As the individual wastes more and more of his or her time on trivial tasks, activities, and distractions while the individual should be completing the original task, the amount of time that the individual has to complete the original task will become less and less. In other words, procrastination is a problem that compounds as the individual wastes more time because every minute that the individual spends saying "I can do that later" is a minute that individual could have used to complete the original project. If an individual wastes too much time by procrastinating, it may not be possible for the individual to complete the original task or at least complete the task as effectively as the individual could if he or she had more time.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
REAGAN STATUE UNVEILED IN WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, DC -- 06/03/09 -- Mrs. Ronald Reagan is on-hand today at the U.S. Capitol to unveil a statue of President Ronald Reagan in the Capitol Rotunda. She will be joined by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Members of Congress for this hour-long program and tribute to our nation's fortieth president.
"I know Ronnie would be deeply honored to see himself with a permanent home in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol and very proud to be representing his beloved California," said former first lady Nancy Reagan about the day's events. "I'm so grateful to Californians for giving him this honor."
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation provided the funding for the statue and its surrounding events.
The sculpture, designed by American artist Chas Fagan of North Carolina, depicts President Reagan's left arm resting on a column featuring eagles and a "torch of freedom." The figure is mounted on a three foot high marble pedestal which contains the Great Seal of the Governor of California on one side and the Great Seal of the President of the United States on the other. Shards of the Berlin Wall have been incorporated into the stone cap of the base to recognize the role of one of our nation's greatest leaders in the fall of Communism.
"In many ways, today's unveiling of President Reagan's statue marks the kick-off of a series of nationwide events leading up to the anniversary of the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan on February 6, 2011," said chairman of the board of trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. "It is only fitting that this kick-off event encapsulates both his time as a California Governor and President of the United States."
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The U.S. Congress began honoring these great Americans in 1864 and the entire collection now consists of 100 statues contributed by the 50 states. All fifty states have contributed two statues each.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and The Air Force One Pavilion. Located in Simi Valley, California the Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 40,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President.
"I know Ronnie would be deeply honored to see himself with a permanent home in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol and very proud to be representing his beloved California," said former first lady Nancy Reagan about the day's events. "I'm so grateful to Californians for giving him this honor."
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation provided the funding for the statue and its surrounding events.
The sculpture, designed by American artist Chas Fagan of North Carolina, depicts President Reagan's left arm resting on a column featuring eagles and a "torch of freedom." The figure is mounted on a three foot high marble pedestal which contains the Great Seal of the Governor of California on one side and the Great Seal of the President of the United States on the other. Shards of the Berlin Wall have been incorporated into the stone cap of the base to recognize the role of one of our nation's greatest leaders in the fall of Communism.
"In many ways, today's unveiling of President Reagan's statue marks the kick-off of a series of nationwide events leading up to the anniversary of the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan on February 6, 2011," said chairman of the board of trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. "It is only fitting that this kick-off event encapsulates both his time as a California Governor and President of the United States."
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The U.S. Congress began honoring these great Americans in 1864 and the entire collection now consists of 100 statues contributed by the 50 states. All fifty states have contributed two statues each.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and The Air Force One Pavilion. Located in Simi Valley, California the Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 40,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
DOS CAMINOS CANTA CARMEN V SANABRIA
Joaquin Maldonado did the art Work for this very beloved Singer Carmen V. Sanabria
Débora Velázquez
Debora Velazquez was one of the Greatest Christian artists. She now rests in the Lord. she brings back many memories of a bygone Era in La Sinagoga
Sra. Pentecostes 2008 (Carmen V. Sanabria
Veteran Singer Carmen V. Sanabria is honored in "La Sinagoga"
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