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Beauty Must Be Heart Felt


The Most Beautiful Things in the World cannot be Seen or Touched. They must be Felt with the Heart! Helen Keller

Personal growth is not easy. But you can make many tiny changes each day that will make a difference in a big way. Many have discovered, little steps followed by little steps actually builds on itself.

Are you stuck and not sure what to do? Just keep moving forward one step at a time. And soon you’ll discover you have accomplished what you set out to do! – Darren Hardy

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Science Reveals the Creator

I remember my first telescope, as my dad and I set it up in the field in our backyard. We lived just far enough out of town so the lights of Livingston, Texas wouldn’t interfere.

Over the next 3 to 4 years, I gazed into the sky at night amazed at the universe. The book and interview (see video above) I saw on TBN fascinated and brought my imagination and curiosity alive again like when I was that curious young man.

“Where Science and Faith Converge!” According to Hugh Ross, “Science reveals God as the Creator of the Universe.”

As a Christian, you won’t find that hard to believe. Whereas any one else may feel otherwise.

RTB’s (Reasons to Believe) mission is to spread the Christian Gospel by demonstrating that sound reason and scientific research—including the very latest discoveries—consistently support, rather than erode, confidence in the truth of the Bible and faith in the personal, transcendent God revealed in both Scripture and nature.

I listened and watch Hugh Ross on CBN TV talked about “Where Science and Faith Converged” for many wise people. The interview above was fascinating to watch. The book is equally fascinating!

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120210 – Greet New Day, Avoid Online Holiday Scams,

Power Thoughts

  • “Forgiveness means letting go of your past and looking to tomorrow’s hope.”
  • “Don’t stand in someone else’s shadow when it’s your sunlight that should lead the way.”
  • “Be like a postage stamp, stick to one thing until you get there.”

How do you greet a new day? Whether you’re thankful for the sunrise or dreading the burdens that come with it, remember that God is waiting to hear from you. Will you let him help you through?

“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3 NLT

Free Shipping Day 2010! Dec 17th is Free Shipping Day … and while most stores won’t unveil their free shipping policy till Dec. 16.

Some participating merchants are listed at the free shipping day web site. On Friday, December 17, more than 1,000 participating merchants will offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve in the continental United States. Click link for more —> (FreeShippingDay)

Avoid Online Holiday Shopping Scams: Get Tips for Protecting Your Financial Information (ABC News)

The federal government is cracking down on illegal shopping websites — just in time for the holiday season. The government announced Monday it had seized and blocked 82 Websites that had been accused of selling counterfeit and pirated goods. That’s one thing you should watch out for. ShopSmart magazine has an article describing the sneakiest new shopping scams. Here are the scams you should watch out for, along with solutions to keep your finances safe.

Nine (9) Web Tips

  1. If you get a holiday e-card and you don’t recognize the sender, delete it. Do not download any executable programs associated with the card.
  2. Do your homework before you give money to charities any time of year, but especially during the holidays. That’s because many charities are fake. To make sure you give your money  wisely, check out charities with the Better Business Bureau.
  3. Never provide your personal information in an e-mail to a bank. Poor spelling and grammar can alert you to bank phishing schemes. Banks don’t send e-mails asking for information!
  4. If a company that’s unfamiliar to you sends you a promotional offer, don’t order any products from that company unless you do your research to make sure it actually exists.
  5. Gift cards from online auction sites are likely to be counterfeit, so don’t buy gift cards from those sites.
  6. Spammers frequently send fake links to PayPal or eBay during the holidays. Don’t follow links directly; type the url into your browser instead.
  7. If you plan on buying from an online auction site, use a seller who has a good reputation and if you’re not using a payment broker — such as PayPal — use your credit card. If you pay an auction seller with your debit card, you could be handing over your entire bank account. Credit card purchases can be canceled quickly if something goes wrong.
  8. Before you put your credit card numbers in at a website, check the url carefully to ensure it reads “https.” The “s” means all your personal information will be encrypted and kept safe from hackers.
  9. If you still aren’t sure about a website’s security status, click on the padlock at the right side of your browser’s address bar to see more detailed security
    information.
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Encouragement, A Personal God, Santus Real Story, Artist Prayer, Creative Home Buying

Power Thoughts

  1. “Those who trust in the Lord will never lack for anything.” Psalm 34:10
  2. “The Lord hears His people when they call on Him for help.” Psalm 34:17
  3. “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

A Personal God: Do you see God as some kind of impersonal being who is more concerned with punishing people than showing them love? However, the idea of God is impersonal is just that—an idea. It’s an incorrect one idea. God loves you, and it is your knowledge of and belief in His love that will boost your confidence. I have found that this comes through meditating on God’s the Word and spending time talking and listening to Him. When you read the Bible, be curious as you search for revelation and read expecting God to speak a word to your spirit that is meant specifically for you.

The Scripture says that God is love, “And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.” (1 John 4:16). AMP

Popular Song & Heart Tugging Story Behind It: Sanctus Real’s Matt Hammitt wrote “Lead Me” for his wife Sarah.  Matt and Sarah made the decision to share this song and their story in the hopes that others will be reminded that they are not alone in the “Lead Me” journey.  This commitment to lean in to one another and into relationship with God takes time and effort.  Above all else, this commitment takes prayer.

Lead Me Prayers: Click on the links below…
1. Lead Me Kids 2. Lead Me Husbands 3. Lead Me Wives

Artists Prayer Update: Yesterday we requested prayer for Matt and His family… here is the update… Bowen’s surgery is done and he’s off life support…he’s doing great! Next 24 hrs will tell us a lot, but we are soaking in the moment. Praise God! If you missed the prayer request yesterday here’s how it started please pray for Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real and his family. Bowen arrived September 9th at 7:59 PM. He underwent a heart catheterization that night and will undergo his first surgery tomorrow (Monday 9/13) at 7:30 AM CDT.

In other artist news please pray for Aaron Shust’s son is also hospitalized with a feeding tube as they run tests.

If You Are Looking: 6 ways to come up with a down payment on a home (KTRE)

  • FHA has programs that benefit state employees who choose careers that fill a void. Teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and medical technicians are eligible for deep discounts on home ownership. The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers a Good Neighbor Next Door program that will allow state workers to buy a home for 50% off of the list price. All homeowners need to do is live in the house for three years to be eligible for the discount. The house must be their sole residence. That’s a pretty good perk for working in a respectable profession.
  • State have Programs to make home ownership more affordable to lower income and moderate income buyers. For example, the state of Georgia has a program which offers assistance to lower income borrowers. States like Ohio offer down payment assistance grants for new graduates. Many states have similar programs.
  • Retirement Plans You can use up to $10,000 in funds for your first home purchase from your IRA, penalty free. Taking the money out of your 401(k), on the other hand, is a bit trickier. You can take a hardship withdrawal, but you will pay taxes on the amount that you withdraw and pay a 10% penalty. You can take a loan out from your 401(k) but you will have to repay the loan with interest.
  • Extra Income Take a part-time job or, you could ask to work overtime at your job for a few months until you have enough saved. You could do odd jobs around your neighborhood, such as painting, pet sitting or landscaping.
  • Gifts Now is the time to hit up the Bank of Mom and Dad. If not, see if relatives and friends want to contribute to your home buying quest. You just may find that Uncle John and others are more than happy to kick in funds to see your real estate dreams come true.
  • Loans Did you fail to convince Mom and Dad to give you the down payment for free? Another option is to ask them for a loan. Write up a contract and agree to repay the amount of money that they lend you.