Easily Led
EASILY LED ......I would like to tell you a story of a woman who was dying of AIDS. She summoned a Christian friend to comfort her, but it seemed hopeless.
.
"I'm lost," she said. "I've ruined my life and every life around me. I have made so many mistakes. I'm headed for Hell. There's no hope for me. Pray for me"
.
Her friend saw a framed picture of a pretty girl on the dresser. "Who is that?" he asked.
.
The woman brightened. "She's my daughter, the one beautiful thing in my life."
.
"Would you help her if she was in trouble, no matter how many mistakes she'd made? Would you forgive her if she asked you too? Would you still love her, no matter what?"
.
"Of course I would!" the woman exclaimed. "Why would you even ask a question like that?"
.
"Because I want you to understand," explained her friend, "that God has a picture of you on His dresser, too."
.
That is what faith is all about. God knows our name. We are God’s work of art. God made us and knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows even the number of hairs we have on our head. Each hair is numbered. God knew us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. No matter how far we might wander away from God, no matter how many mistakes we make,
God is always waiting with open arms to welcome us home.
.
One can of coke contains nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar or the entire daily recommended amount of calories from sugar;
.
One of five American children is now considered obese. Americans consume nearly 53 teaspoons of sugar daily;
.
Sugar in soda makes blood acidic robbing the body of calcium and which can lead to osteoporosis;
.
The "quick energy" from soda is followed by "lows", ask any teacher who has to deal with students loaded with sugar;
.
The sugar in soda helps to whither crucial bacteria in our intestines, reducing vitamin B which inhibits thinking, making children sleepy;
.
Studies have shown that girls who play sports and consumed soda daily experienced 3x the risk of bone fractures.
.
Clean a toilet with Coke it remove stains from vitreous china. Use Coke and a ball of aluminum foil for rust on chrome. Clean corrosion from car battery terminals. Use a Coke-soaked cloth to loosen a rusted bolt. Use a can of Coke in a load of greasy laundry.
.
<><><><><><><><>
.
Big movie stars were happy to endorse smokes on TV as well, and the number one celebrity of the era was the Duke. John Wayne appeared for Camel in 1952, speaking highly of the product: "Mild and good tasting pack after pack. And I know, I've been smokin' em for twenty years." This commercial was filmed in conjunction with Wayne's movie Big Jim McLain. Coincidentally (or not), John Wayne died of lung cancer twenty-seven years after that spot aired; some of the last commercials he filmed were to ask people to stop smoking.
.
Remember when the government made a big stink about Joe Camel in the nineties? They were outraged that more kids recognized Camel's cartoon carton-pusher Cool Joe Camel than could ID Mickey Mouse. Camels were flying off the shelves and (presumably) into the tiny fingers of young children.
.
This was nothing new, cartoon characters had been selling cigarettes for decades, particularly on television.
.
In 1988, Camel cigarettes were in trouble. They were perceived as an "old man's" cigarette, and sales were slipping. The R. J. Reynolds people knew that most people who start smoking start early, certainly before they're mature, and usually even before high school. Every year, a million kids under the age of 18 start smoking. According to a study by the University of Michigan, the peak periods for kids to start smoking is in the sixth and seventh grade.
.
So they created a cartoon character (Joe Camel) to sell their cigarettes to young people. They gave him a face that's a clear example of the subliminal power of building a character around human genitalia. They dressed him up in cool clothes and put sunglasses on him. And they pumped millions and millions of dollars into the ad campaign (last year they spent 40 million bucks on Joe, up 63% from the year before). Sad to say, their strategy has worked. Sales of Camels are up (get this!) 8000% among teenagers! That's not a typographical error -- it's eight thousand percent. One out four kids aged 12 - 17 say that they smoke Camels.
.
In a recent brand recognition study, 67% of adults knew who Joe Camel was and what he was selling. Among 6-year-olds, that recognition factor increased to 91%, bringing Joe Camel equal to Mickey Mouse in being recognizable to children.
.
<><><><><><><>
.
in a survey taken by Kids Peace these startling concerns of children were uncovered. Children today live with life stresses that a generation ago did not exist. The survey was taken of 1023 American children. Consider the finding:
.
* 54 percent fear they may contract AIDS;
.
* Four in ten children as young as ten believe they may fall into the
traps of early pregnancy, unwed parenthood, drugs, or alcohol;
.
* 45 percent fear they will be physically or sexually abused;
.
* 51 percent are worried about their own deaths;
.
* In a country where happiness and its pursuit are virtual birthrights written into our founding documents and cultural DNA, nearly half (47 percent) say they are afraid they might be unhappy in life.
.
Reflecting on what many experts in the field believe is an epidemic - that is the problem of ‘obesity among children", It appears that one of the strategies employed in the battle against this ever growing problem is to teach parents preparing and eating home cooked meals at home so that they can monitor not only what goes into their kids mouths, but also what comes out of it as well!
.
We live in an age when we worship slimness yet, have to deal with the modern phenomena of the super-sized meal. Christianity Today carried an article entitled "Fit or Fat" that stated that 16 % of American children are obese, while another 11% have an eating disorder such as either anorexia or bulimia.
.
Today we have witnessed the baptism of two children, Haley Samantha Anne and MacKendrick. As we welcome these children into the household of faith, we perhaps need to remember that we are not making little Angicans here.
.
One wonders what kinds of challenges and changes these two children will face. In just one generation the world has undergone tremendous change and is facing tremendous challenges. Terrorism, wars and rumours of war abound. Drugs, pornography, sexual abuse, eating disorders, mlutrition, AIDS and a million other things are there to be faced, challenged and overcome.
.
What a privilege it is to hold a new born baby and to feel the pride and joy he or she gives. But greater still, is the calm assurance of faith, that these children can face uncertain days, because of Jesus Christ, who came into our world as a tiny, helpless baby and would die on the Cross so that those who believe in him may live for ever.
.
What has happened here today is in direct response to the words of Jesus, that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live for ever.
.
Sometimes the Church gets into denominational arguments regarding baptism - whether it ought to be infant baptism or adult baptism. That’s the wrong question - the real issue in whether these children are surrounded by people of faith - and whether they will be raised in the faith - so that they may grow into the knowledge of Jesus Christ and be inheritors of the kingdom of God.
.
"I'm lost," she said. "I've ruined my life and every life around me. I have made so many mistakes. I'm headed for Hell. There's no hope for me. Pray for me"
.
Her friend saw a framed picture of a pretty girl on the dresser. "Who is that?" he asked.
.
The woman brightened. "She's my daughter, the one beautiful thing in my life."
.
"Would you help her if she was in trouble, no matter how many mistakes she'd made? Would you forgive her if she asked you too? Would you still love her, no matter what?"
.
"Of course I would!" the woman exclaimed. "Why would you even ask a question like that?"
.
"Because I want you to understand," explained her friend, "that God has a picture of you on His dresser, too."
.
That is what faith is all about. God knows our name. We are God’s work of art. God made us and knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows even the number of hairs we have on our head. Each hair is numbered. God knew us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. No matter how far we might wander away from God, no matter how many mistakes we make,
God is always waiting with open arms to welcome us home.
.
One can of coke contains nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar or the entire daily recommended amount of calories from sugar;
.
One of five American children is now considered obese. Americans consume nearly 53 teaspoons of sugar daily;
.
Sugar in soda makes blood acidic robbing the body of calcium and which can lead to osteoporosis;
.
The "quick energy" from soda is followed by "lows", ask any teacher who has to deal with students loaded with sugar;
.
The sugar in soda helps to whither crucial bacteria in our intestines, reducing vitamin B which inhibits thinking, making children sleepy;
.
Studies have shown that girls who play sports and consumed soda daily experienced 3x the risk of bone fractures.
.
Clean a toilet with Coke it remove stains from vitreous china. Use Coke and a ball of aluminum foil for rust on chrome. Clean corrosion from car battery terminals. Use a Coke-soaked cloth to loosen a rusted bolt. Use a can of Coke in a load of greasy laundry.
.
<><><><><><><><>
.
Big movie stars were happy to endorse smokes on TV as well, and the number one celebrity of the era was the Duke. John Wayne appeared for Camel in 1952, speaking highly of the product: "Mild and good tasting pack after pack. And I know, I've been smokin' em for twenty years." This commercial was filmed in conjunction with Wayne's movie Big Jim McLain. Coincidentally (or not), John Wayne died of lung cancer twenty-seven years after that spot aired; some of the last commercials he filmed were to ask people to stop smoking.
.
Remember when the government made a big stink about Joe Camel in the nineties? They were outraged that more kids recognized Camel's cartoon carton-pusher Cool Joe Camel than could ID Mickey Mouse. Camels were flying off the shelves and (presumably) into the tiny fingers of young children.
.
This was nothing new, cartoon characters had been selling cigarettes for decades, particularly on television.
.
In 1988, Camel cigarettes were in trouble. They were perceived as an "old man's" cigarette, and sales were slipping. The R. J. Reynolds people knew that most people who start smoking start early, certainly before they're mature, and usually even before high school. Every year, a million kids under the age of 18 start smoking. According to a study by the University of Michigan, the peak periods for kids to start smoking is in the sixth and seventh grade.
.
So they created a cartoon character (Joe Camel) to sell their cigarettes to young people. They gave him a face that's a clear example of the subliminal power of building a character around human genitalia. They dressed him up in cool clothes and put sunglasses on him. And they pumped millions and millions of dollars into the ad campaign (last year they spent 40 million bucks on Joe, up 63% from the year before). Sad to say, their strategy has worked. Sales of Camels are up (get this!) 8000% among teenagers! That's not a typographical error -- it's eight thousand percent. One out four kids aged 12 - 17 say that they smoke Camels.
.
In a recent brand recognition study, 67% of adults knew who Joe Camel was and what he was selling. Among 6-year-olds, that recognition factor increased to 91%, bringing Joe Camel equal to Mickey Mouse in being recognizable to children.
.
<><><><><><><>
.
in a survey taken by Kids Peace these startling concerns of children were uncovered. Children today live with life stresses that a generation ago did not exist. The survey was taken of 1023 American children. Consider the finding:
.
* 54 percent fear they may contract AIDS;
.
* Four in ten children as young as ten believe they may fall into the
traps of early pregnancy, unwed parenthood, drugs, or alcohol;
.
* 45 percent fear they will be physically or sexually abused;
.
* 51 percent are worried about their own deaths;
.
* In a country where happiness and its pursuit are virtual birthrights written into our founding documents and cultural DNA, nearly half (47 percent) say they are afraid they might be unhappy in life.
.
Reflecting on what many experts in the field believe is an epidemic - that is the problem of ‘obesity among children", It appears that one of the strategies employed in the battle against this ever growing problem is to teach parents preparing and eating home cooked meals at home so that they can monitor not only what goes into their kids mouths, but also what comes out of it as well!
.
We live in an age when we worship slimness yet, have to deal with the modern phenomena of the super-sized meal. Christianity Today carried an article entitled "Fit or Fat" that stated that 16 % of American children are obese, while another 11% have an eating disorder such as either anorexia or bulimia.
.
Today we have witnessed the baptism of two children, Haley Samantha Anne and MacKendrick. As we welcome these children into the household of faith, we perhaps need to remember that we are not making little Angicans here.
.
One wonders what kinds of challenges and changes these two children will face. In just one generation the world has undergone tremendous change and is facing tremendous challenges. Terrorism, wars and rumours of war abound. Drugs, pornography, sexual abuse, eating disorders, mlutrition, AIDS and a million other things are there to be faced, challenged and overcome.
.
What a privilege it is to hold a new born baby and to feel the pride and joy he or she gives. But greater still, is the calm assurance of faith, that these children can face uncertain days, because of Jesus Christ, who came into our world as a tiny, helpless baby and would die on the Cross so that those who believe in him may live for ever.
.
What has happened here today is in direct response to the words of Jesus, that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live for ever.
.
Sometimes the Church gets into denominational arguments regarding baptism - whether it ought to be infant baptism or adult baptism. That’s the wrong question - the real issue in whether these children are surrounded by people of faith - and whether they will be raised in the faith - so that they may grow into the knowledge of Jesus Christ and be inheritors of the kingdom of God.
.
Haley Elizabeth Anne and MacKendrick have come home today. They have become through their baptism the newest members of the household of faith, the family of God and inheritors of the Kingdom of God. Their names are engraved on the Almighty Hands of God.
Haley Elizabeth Anne and MacKendrick have come home today. They have become through their baptism the newest members of the household of faith, the family of God and inheritors of the Kingdom of God. Their names are engraved on the Almighty Hands of God.
.
It is important to note that both children are surrounded by three generations of faith, both Haley Elizabeth Anne and MacKendrick represent the fourth generation of faith in their respective families. May they grow in their faith.
It is important to note that both children are surrounded by three generations of faith, both Haley Elizabeth Anne and MacKendrick represent the fourth generation of faith in their respective families. May they grow in their faith.
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posted by vesuvius2 @ 2:27 PM
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