Duggg!

Damn, after school,
I got home, and got scolded,

at first, My Father told me,
Did you already joined MTop?!
I said, no, I haven’t asked yet,

I think he’s mad.

at the last one, My Mother, and Akira
watching MMK (Maalaala Mo Kaya), they
told me the message, and ended up
both of us (Kirby, and Me), scolded, I didn’t
listen to her at all, I know, she’s already wrong,
but just saying another word would waste
another second of our life. It would be really stupid to answer. I learned from what “Kuya Marlon” told me this morning, “You already
know, that, your mother, or father, scolding you sometimes,
they’re wrong, right? they’re still insisting, just don’t listen,
or I mean, just don’t think about it, don’t say another word,
the result will be better. It’s like, you don’t want to be hurt, so pretend.”.

I think the message is:
Just don’t be so serious about the one that scolds you,
like, pretend you’re listening, but at least listen.

That is all..

~SeraphiPod

I wish a Happy Eid ul Adh-ha to all the Muslims on the globe.
May all of you pursue your lives in good health and with success in your goals and prosperity. Amen

"So much to be thankful for"

Isn’t it funny how God works in this world? Sometimes He is so quiet we don’t even know He is there, other times He will put up a billboard in order to get our attention. As we conclude this Thanksgiving I am in awe of all that I have to be thankful for. I have my beautiful family, my friends,  and so many other things. With all that God gives us you would think believing should be easy, but sometimes it’s not so easy. This is where God can be a real show off when He wants to be. We just get comfortable in where we are, whether it is believing or not believing, and there He is throwing us a bone just when we need it the most. Many times do I question this gift,  and many times does God show me the answer. I was very blessed the other day when after some times of doubt I prayed and asked God for his confirmation in what I am doing. I wake up in the morning and there on one of the websites I view each day is a story of a person who has almost identical experiences. Not only did I get to read her story, but I was also blessed in speaking to her. She confirmed for me that God is doing this with many people. How good it felt to believe in it once again. When speaking with her I shared with her a message which had some “warnings” associated with it. I told her I did not write this message because I did not want people thinking I was forecasting fear or the end of the world. She reminded me that it’s not mine to hold on to and I had to be obedient. So I will send out a “thank you” and I will record for you today what He shared with me. These messages never leave me with a feeling of fear, instead they leave me with a feeling of hope.  As I record for you what He said to me, you will see that He was encouraging me as well to keep doing what He has asked me to. So here it goes, as always please pray and discern. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

10/15/2009  &  10/16/2009

Lord: Yes my son it is I your Lord and God and Father. Be at peace my child, tell all of my children to be at peace. I am hard at work solving the issues of the world and I do not fail. I am never late. Remember the precepts? It is through obedience that you weaken the devil. Do not worry about him, for I will take care of him. Instead take care of your neighbor. Spread love, not fear. Do not get caught up in the media,  for its job is to keep you entrenched with it, good or bad. My son, spend some time with me in prayer instead. Give up one of your TV programs and instead of watching useless television shows come with me so we can develop your soul. Nurture it for a while and you will be surprised at what will happen to you in your life. My son spend time with me developing virtues and you can change the world. Do not,  and you get what you have now; a ruthless society of selfish and faithless people ( my children). Make time for me, you will be happy you did. That is all, go in peace my son. I love you, amen.

A few minutes later~

Yes my son your mission will begin. To spread my word to my lost children in and out of the church. You are chosen for this work, be at peace. It is a blessing not a curse. You are very special to me in my plan of salvation as I expose to the world the reality of my being and the weight of their sins. My son I love all of my children so much, as only a father could. I have literally given my life for them (in Jesus) and I would do it again in a second. My love knows no boundaries. It’s depths, its heights and its widths are greater than anything known to man. My son,  soon many things will start to happen in this world. Some may see me in them, others will not. It is a gift and a choice. For those who see me there will be no doubt, for those who don’t there will never be enough proof. Until it comes my son where they stand before me and answer for all that I have given them and all that I have asked of them to do. For no one escapes me. Not here, not anywhere. Learn from Jonah, you cannot hide in this world. I know where you are at all times, as I showed Adam in the garden. My child the time has almost come to reveal to mankind that of which he has chosen not to believe in. That I am God. That I am all-merciful, I am all loving, but I am also a judge. So many will see their sins and not be able to live with what they see. Others will Harden themselves harder than when they began. The chosen few, by their will and my love for them, will answer my call. That is all it will take to turn this world around and back to me their God. My word has been sent, it shall not return to me void. ( personal part omitted at this time) obedience my son, obedience. That is the word I have sent to you. Be obedient and all things shall be done for you. This is, in itself, Matthew chapter 6 verses 25 through 34. If the world was obedient the devil would flee, for nothing would come of his efforts. But the world is disobedient, and because of this you reap what you sow. I allow, I chastise, but most of all I love. I love all of you. No one more than the other, you are all my children. I gave my son’s life for you, which one of you would do the same? Especially for a stranger, or if you could imagine…. your enemies? That is your challenge my children, go out and love. Love with my love, not yours. Yours is wounded, it has missing pieces. Yours is distraught, but mine is pure. Mine is not political. I am love. I am God. So please my children heed my words, for the time is coming and you must be prepared. Be at peace my child, this is a message for all of my children. My son your time is coming as well. The time for you to go out amongst the lost and the chosen and stand up bravely and proudly for what I given you; the gift of my words which must be spoken. That is why I have called you. Now go my son. Go in peace. I love you, amen.

Here are Ways #s 4 and 5 from the last post which promised you 5 Ways to Be More Great-full (Boost Your Gratitude Attitude)…

#4: FAMILY (or couple’s) GRATITUDE BOOK
We just spent a very pleasant hour doing this great art & writing interactive project. So simple and yet so meaningful and fun! Quality family time!

We do not watch television, nor do our children. We are dedicated to parenting consciously and strive to support a vibration of love in our household. Yet, given that my husband and I are both entrepreneurs, with seven businesses between the two of us, and given that our children are still quite young, we know how important and sometimes challenging it can be to come up ideas (not to mention time, energy and materials) for positive family experiences.

I myself am about the least craftsy person you will ever meet and can draw a stick figure on a good day! So believe me when I tell you: Yes, you CAN do this project, and probably with what’s already available in your home. It really ranks high on simple, high on fun, high on memorable, and low on expense. (I can NEVER do those Origami things, puuleeeeeazzze, can we talk?)

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to do this Family Gratitude Book…but of course so is any day that ends in “y.” Monday, Tuesday…. Enjoy!

Materials:

All you need is:

Some blank paper (we used printer or copy paper, white)

Construction paper

Ribbon or brass brads to secure the book

Markers, pencils, hole punch and/or scissors

Optional: Stickers, stamps, other art supplies, scrapbook, photos

Definitely: A little bit of time and lots of love!

We started by making a brainstormed list of everything we are grateful for. You can do this any way you like; follow your own creative impulses & inspiration. We have four family members, so I decided to color code what we wrote on this collective page or you could just all write and draw without attributing who said/drew what, or make a chart, have sections of the page, etc. The things my 6-year-old called out first were written in yellow, my 10-year-old chose blue, I picked purple and my husband green. We made a color key on the page and wrote and drew various things we are thankful for: Our dog came first, followed by a lovely torrent such as family and friends, food, a good home, music, the Earth, music, health, God, life and so on.

Then I gave each family member a separate page on which to do whatever they like, the only requirement being that whatever is on the page relates to or represents what they are thankful for. We stuck in some more blank pages, so we can add more later as we are inspired.

The kids each got to pick a color for the front and back covers. The older did the words, the younger did the drawings. We punched holes, added brads, all signed the masterpiece and voila! A Family Gratitude Book.

Not only a wonderful way to spend part of our Thanksgiving Day, but a precious keepsake, and, I trust, a new family tradition as well. We will be sharing this book with family all weekend long and inviting them to add to it as well. And of course, it can be done any day! Every day bears its own gifts if we just open the package.

Today we focused mainly on what we are thankful for in our current lives (now), but we could also include wonderful memories (past) and gratitude for all the blessings on the way! (future)

Alternative for Couples: You can also do this as a Couple’s Gratitude Book or Journal, a beautiful way to show appreciation and deepen connection. So few marriages last or are happy, as we all know, and I am blessed to have a deliriously, deLIGHTfully ecstatic marriage, 12 years strong and better every day. One of the reasons is of course, the selection of the right mate; but in order to do so, we had to do the necessary self-healing and inner preparation to bring whole, healthy individuals to the relationship. Much of this work is presented in my book: The Radical Self-Love Workbook. But it is also essential to nurture even the best of relationships, and my husband and I do so daily in many creative ways such as this.

More tips on love and relationships are at

www.LoveandSpirit.org

and at my love blog: loveandspiritblog.wordpress.com.

Whether you do the Gratitude Book as a homemade book like we did today, like a scrapbook or journal, and whether you do it as a family activity or a couple’s relationship-enhancer, it will help you see your life through the eyes of love and gratitude, and bring you even closer with those you love. Enjoy! And I welcome you to send me a comment or email to share your experience.

#5: Honor the 4 Directions and 4 Sacred Elements:

Earth, Air, Fire, Water

You do not have to be Native American to appreciate one of their traditions, which is to honor the Medicine Wheel, facing each of the four directions, thanking each one for their gifts. This is also a tradition in all indigenous cultures including pre-Christian Europe (a.k.a. Wicca, Druidry, paganism, et al.), Africa, Australia, Hawaii and South America.

In fact, if you scratch the surface beneath contemporary religions on any part of the Earth, you will find an ancient shamanic tradition that honors all the directions and all of nature as sacred.

All things follow this cycle of birth, growth, fruition and quietude, whether we are looking at seasons, a lifespan, a day, or a garden. The beauty of Medicine Wheel ceremony and the paradigm itself is that it can be applied to our lives in so many ways.

So how do you honor the directions and elements, to give thanks for what they give to us so generously? Here are a few ideas:

* Altar: Create an altar to each direction or a Medicine Wheel altar encompassing all the directions/elements. This can be in your home or outside. My husband specializes in creating Medicine Wheels as a sacred practice on the land, and has helped others to do this as well.

* Cherokee Dance of Life – You would need to learn this in person from someone who has learned it, oral tradition. This is an incredible moving meditation to all 4 directions, peoples, and elements which also honors Mother Earth and Father Sky, balances their energies as sacred partners in our hearts, and helps us give away the gifts of Spirit that are our special medicine to share with the world through our right work and service. Occasionally my husband and I share this Dance with our community. If you live near Sacramento, and would like to experience this dance, let us know so we can invite you. Or perhaps Spirit will guide you to another teacher of this beautiful tradition.

* Drum, chant, play flute to each direction

* Give offerings such as cornmeal, tobacco or sage smoke to each direction

* Speak aloud from your heart to each direction and give thanks

* Sweat lodge

* Vision quest

If you do either sweat lodge or vision quest, please do so with the guidance of a Native elder to be sure you do it properly and safely.

* Journal or journey (shamanic meditation) to discover what power animals comprise your personal Medicine Wheel of your own energy field. I love to lead these meditations when I am called to do so. Honoring your own inner Medicine Wheel supports a strong aura and keeps you connected to your spirit guides, if this resonates for you.

Associations with Each Direction

Depending on which culture or even which tribe you consult, there are somewhat different associations with the directions, colors, elements and meanings, the medicine or power that direction helps us receive and embody. The one I am most familiar with follows but this is not dogma, merely a summary of what I have found to be the more universal associations. Follow your own heart and work with any spiritual practice in the way that resonates for your own heart and inner truth.

While I have a small amount of native blood, I was adopted and was not raised in that tradition. I discovered shamanism after my initiation and spiritual awakening 15 years ago. I do not claim to be a tribal elder or teacher of any one tradition. I am an interfaith minister, meditation teacher, hypnotherapist, energy healer and intuitive life coach. I have been on the path of Spirit, studying, practicing and sharing healing and wisdom teachings from many cultures for several decades, so I offer here a simplified summary as a starting point for your discovery journey. You would do well to study more in depth with a local teacher steeped in the particular tradition that calls to your spirit, and of course feel free to research further on the Web, in books, classes, and listen to your own inner guidance. I always say the best way to pray, do ceremony or ritual is the way that feels best to you, with harm to none, of course. But we do need to honor the specific traditions so they are not all diluted through multiculturalism.

From the East we have the yellow people (Asia) and the gift of Air, Brother Wind, clarity of vision, inspiration, the new day, new beginnings, establishment of purpose and intention, and springtime.

From South, we receive the wisdom of the black people (Africa), Fire. The tools, strength, perseverance and energy to follow through and manifest, midday/ noon, summer, also humor and passion, innocence and trust.

The West gives us the culture of the Red people (such as Native Americans), the setting sun, Water, emotions, the fall season, self-evaluation toward completion, looks-within time, peace, rest and healing.

And the North represents the White (European) people and all their cultural gift. The sacred mountain, winter, midnight, time to slow down, go within and be still to receive guidance for what comes next. Completion, what you keep from the past cycle and all that you have accomplished and learned. It is also associated with the Spirit and wisdom.

Note: You can also honor the other 3 directions: Earth (below), Sky (above) and Center (within).

I hope you enjoyed these five creative ways to give thanks and I wish you abundant blessings on your journey!

Finally, in the spirit of Sufi mystic poet Rumi, I invite you to kiss the ground. Blow kisses to the sky. Bow to everything. Everything is sacred.

With Love,

Sage

More resources for your path, including free special reports on abundance, love, transformational classes, soul and energy healing sessions, intuitive readings, matchmaking and more are at:

www.LoveandSpirit.org

Taylor@LoveandSpirit.org

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

- Rumi

On Thanksgiving eve, Obama issues special Hajj message to world’s Muslims

Source: LA Times

Statement by the President on Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha, as provided by the White House
Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration’s commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak.   ###

19retouch89

your eyes on my wall

but I’m still no one

you’re now a star

who bought your cigarettes?

all things you’ve got

you’ll never need

thinking about you, there’s no rest

]]> http://spinneich.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/stille-nacht-alles-schlaft-niemand-wacht/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:14:36 +0000 SpinneIch http://spinneich.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/stille-nacht-alles-schlaft-niemand-wacht/

Laut – laute Kassen .. statt stille Weihnacht – alle schon beim Weihnachtseinkauf
4 Wochen vor Weihnachten schleppt man sich mit Geschenken ab.
die übliche Frage .. was kaufe ich .. was schenke ich.
Was ?  Eigentlich einfach – LIEBE – heißt das Dings …..
Vorteil .. ist kostenfrei .. leicht zu tragen .. einfach zu geben .. und die Verpackung welche auch wichtig ist – eine lange .. zärtliche Umarmung.
Kostet nichts ?   Für manchen vielleicht nur Überwindung – versuchen wir es einmal – kann nichts schief gehen
Weihnachten eine Geschichte .. der Weihnachtsmann eine Erfindung .. produziert von Coca Cola Managern.
Manager ? – hm – denke wir wissen zwischenzeitlich alle – warum sie Dinge erfinden – entwickeln.
Wir sind zu lange darauf reingefallen – selbst Rudolf säuft nur Cola
na denn – fröhliche – nur was ?

und unbekümmert schwappt George Michael`s Song über uns alls wäre nichts gewesen – Last Christmas ?
Nein – sicher nicht ….

We here at Left would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, but first you have to read my post.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I watched old movies on Turner Classic Movies. Now, these are really old movies. I happened to catch the musical “1776″. Why this was on I have no idea, maybe because there was a scene where Franklin argues for the turkey to be our national bird. That would have sure changed Thanksgiving as we know it. If you have never watched this show, I highly reccomend it. It has great scenes such as John Adam’s quote saying, “Its a revolution, we are going to have damn well offend someone.”. It also has Franklin saying, “Rebellion is only illegal when used in the third person.”. Of course it was not either of those two quotes that inspired my insomnia or this post; however, it was their fervent debate on independency that reminded me to be thankful today.

It seems to me we have lost some of these debate skills as of late. Oh there is still debate, but we have lost respect for the other side. As I reviewed the comments of this site over the last year, I was saddened to see the petty name calling and the misinformation that was being used in the name of debate. One commenter went so far as to question a man’s Christianity over a disagreement on politics. How did we evolve into this species? How did we lose so great an art as to debate the issues at hand?

This Thanksgiving, I challenge you to be thankful for our ability to freely debate. Be thankful for a country that allows both the ability to praise and criticize our leaders. Be thankful that our forefathers did not waste their time debating to see George Washington’s certificate of live birth, but yet saw fit to birth for us a country with freedom.

We here at Left on Lanier would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans: To the leaders of the republican party who declare their patriotic love for these United States, but spew forth their hatred for the people of this great land; To those who consider themselves democrats, but yet fail to stand on principle in order to avoid a fight; To the liberal who tolerantly advocates intolerance toward all those that disagree; To the conservative that accepts the status quo because the battle is just too hard to win; To the Christian who can remember the law, but fail to see the grace and love of Jesus Christ; To the Muslim who has been unjustly persecuted, but fails to call out those who persecute unjustly; To America, a land of bounty which calls forth it’s citizens to lead and not be led.

This is the time for a new American dream: A dream that our fore fathers were inspired by, a dream that transcends life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are Americans because we understand the fundamental principle of humanity to leave this world better than we found it.

This Thanksgiving be challenged to take up this calling. Fight for what you believe, but fight to make this world a better place.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I opened my email a short while ago I found that President Obama had sent me a message of Thanks Givings.

I know that this message of thanks was more than likely sent to thousands of his supporters and is not unique to me, but I am happy to receive it none the less and share it with all of you.

Michael –

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.

American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.

Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.

So tomorrow, I’ll be giving thanks for my family — for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.

The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.

We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.

So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.

In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.

You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished — and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.

So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,

President Barack Obama

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Here’s a Thanksgiving treat for you…

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off of your thighs!
- Unknown

And a great Thanksgiving message from former President Reagan:

How Our Thoughts Affect Us And Our Earth

A nation that destroys it’s soil, destroys itself.
Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Every thought, emotion and desire creates and transmits an “elemental” – also called thought-form – that carries on an existence of its own. We create and regenerate two types of elementals. When negative emotion prevails over thought, we have created emotional thought-forms, or desire-thoughts. When our ideas, desires and emotions pass through reason and love, we create reasoned thought-forms, or thought-desires. An elemental can never be destroyed, only disenergized (when no longer fed with etheric vitality). Elementals of a kind collect to form powerful group elementals. If an individual, or a collection of individuals, are vibrating at the same frequency, they will attract such group elementals. Archangels also create elementals (e.g. nature spirits and angels) in the service of the Divine Plan.”

-Daskalos

*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´

Water Crystal After Prayer

“With appropriate training, we can project and direct etheric vitality from the etheric doubles of the bodies and send it over vast distances, and perform so-called miracles. To do this we can take part of the Mind-substance of etheric vitality, give it form and project it as a mental image, outside both our gross material body and our etheric double.”

-Daskalos

*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´

Water Crystal from Japan Shimanto River, referred to as the last clean stream in Japan

“Our present personalities, that is to say the vehicle through which most of us experience and interpret the worlds, are compositions of  various thought-forms born either subconsciously, self-consciously or super-consciously. Thought forms having once been created and projected, gain a material existence  of their own. Upon still closer examination, we learn that each elemental owns a psychic and a noetical counterpart, which inherits the intentions of its creator.”

-Daskalos

*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´

Yodo River, Japan, pours into the Bay of Osaka. The river passes through most of the major cities in Kasai.

“Just as the gross material body consists of many cells, organized into a working whole, so our personality consists of a network of interdependent psycho-noetical images. The cells of our personality, as we might call them, are precisely, one by one, the thought-forms which we create and project as a result of our desires and weaknesses, strengths and virtues.”

“With every thought, each glance, idea, distraction or feeling we create thought forms. Even as we sleep, we are emitting thought forms that will affect us and those around us.”

-Daskalos

*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´

Water Crystal from Lourds -France

“The thought forms are emitted with an intensity corresponding to the strength of the desires which gave birth to them. When they have reached their goal and served their purpose, they return to their creator to be projected once again with ever increasing power. This procedure is repeated many times, creating within our personality, either a terrible environ­ment of darkness if the thought forms are of low degree, or a strong atmosphere of love if they are good thought-desires.”

-Daskalos

*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´

Fujiwara Dam, before offering a prayer

“In the same way we can poison the material body by consuming harmful food, or can cleanse it by improving the way we care for it, so we poison or cleanse our personalities.  This is how human character evolves.”

- Daskalos

- Photos courtesy of Masaru Emoto’s website – The Message In Water.

Masaru Emotos extraordinary work is an awesome display, and powerful tool, that can change our perceptions of ourselves and the world we live in, forever. We now have profound evidence that we can positively heal and transform ourselves and our planet by the thoughts we choose to think and the ways in which we put those thoughts into.

Material on this page is from the following website links.

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm

http://daskalos.org/

http://researchersoftruth.net/index.htm -

The above website link is to the virtual circle  lessons from which the above quotations are taken.  I am forever grateful to have read the huge body of work that is now part of  Daskalos’s legacy. His books are treasures.

By far, my favorite thing about the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta was Perry Noble’s message to youth workers. Perry spoke on Saturday morning and left most people in the room feeling encouraged, energized, and pumped up for youth ministry. Perry Noble is a 6’ 6” 230 lb. Senior Pastor from New Spring Church in South Carolina. He started off by making a joke about his southern drawl. He said that in heaven, everyone will have a southern drawl, if you don’t believe that, you may not be going to heaven!

Perry’s message was based out of Acts 20:7-12. I’ve spoken to a few different youth workers at the convention and have heard mixed reviews/feelings about this message. The reviews/feelings ranged from “he nailed it,” to “he took the passage and made it apply to his topic!” When someone takes a passage and make sit say what they want it to say, it is known as “eisegesis.” Eisegesis is when you put your own ideas into the text to make it mean whatever you want it to.

For the record, I do not know where I stand on this matter! I loved what Perry had to say but I am not a Bible scholar so I don’t know if it was eisegesis or not.

Anyway, regardless of how you interpret the passage and the message he gave us, it’s time to move on. Perry went on to tell us that he believes there is a breakdown in communication with youth pastors and the church in general. He and many others believe that youth pastors are viewed as glorified babysitters in that we are supposed to watch the kids, teach them a few things, and when they are old enough to attend big people church and tithe; then they matter to the church. This is not the case and it should never be viewed as such. Perry was not saying that this is the case in all churches, but it is definitely something that he has seen happen occasionally. But regardless of whether your church falls into either of these categories, an alarming statistic is that around 80% of students are walking out the door when they turn 18, and many of them are never going to come back!

Youth ministry is a hard and vital job. Most people will disagree with that, but that is because they have no idea what it means to be a youth pastor. They think we get paid to hang out and play video games all day, but that is 100% inaccurate. There are days when we go home from youth ministry and it isn’t “Thank you Jesus!” it’s “Help me Jesus!” Rest assured…there is hope! Perry said that we, as youth workers, are game changers. We work in the ripest harvest in the world and if we can get our minds (senior pastors, youth pastors, volunteers) around several of these soon to be mentioned concepts, we could see a revolution in youth ministry and the local church. When youth ministry catches on fire through the local church, nothing can stop it!!!!

Perry and many of the other speakers who were senior pastors were very much in support of youth workers. Perry has four prayers that he is praying for youth ministry. Those prayers are: For Attention, For Submission, For a Biblical Foundation, and For Stewardship.

For Attention:

In the Bible passage that Perry spoke from (Acts 20:7-12), Paul was speaking to a group of people late into the night (because he intended to leave the next day) and basically had a long message planned for them. There was a young man (a youth) sitting in a window seal in the back of the room who fell into a deep sleep as Paul was preaching. Eutychus fell to the ground from the third story and died. Yikes! Perry said that in this story, Eutychus fell out of the window because no one was paying attention to the youth ministry of that church. When a church refuses to pay attention to the youth ministry, kids fall out of the window and die (a.k.a. – leave the church and never look back) each and every day.

Youth ministry is important, not just for the teenagers but for also for the church as a whole. The youth aren’t the church of tomorrow, THEY MATTER TODAY! Perry said “The kids that we are called to ministry to matter today and the church better wake up and smell the Starbucks because if not, the kids will fall out of the back window and die.” Perry’s philosophy is that you can tell if a church is paying attention to the youth by looking at how much money they spend on them. He says that you can never spend too much on your youth and children. I understand the premise of what he was saying, but I don’t know if it applies to every circumstance. Some churches simply can’t afford to put a lot of money in the youth fund, and they could be the church that supports their youth way more than the church with the large youth fund. Money shouldn’t matter and shouldn’t be a deciding factor on whether or not a church is paying attention to their youth (my thoughts).

Perry does something cool in his church. I don’t think it would work at every church, but it is something to hope for I guess. Perry believes that a youth group should never be asked to do a fundraiser for anything. He doesn’t allow the youth group at his church to do fundraising because he believes that the church and the older people should support them to show that they care.

If we want attention in our youth ministries, we need to start reaching kids for Jesus and seeing lives change! If the adults come into the sanctuary and have no place to sit because of the youth, the older people will pay attention and take them seriously. The last thing that Perry said about this first prayer for youth is that we need to not bang the budget drum, but we need to bang the kids need Jesus drum and change their lives!

For Submission:

The way a youth group gets noticed in the church is when they are completely submitted and sold out to Jesus! Perry says that we need less strategy and more spirit in our youth ministries, and I couldn’t agree more! Not only do we need submitted and sold out youth, but we need leaders who are as well. When God asks us to do something unbelievable, we need to say “Yes Lord!” In the Bible passage, Paul was so submitted to Jesus that he was willing to declare the impossible (that Eutychus was alive). We need to have complete submission.

In order to be completely submitted to God, according to Perry, “you have to be you!” We shouldn’t have the desire to be someone else or do ministry as they do it because you think they’re better than you. When you do this, it is known as ministry envy. You can read a post of mine about ministry envy by clicking here. Perry says that the problem with churches today is that there is too much imitation and no more revelation. He also said that youth pastors have a disease that he invented called “destination disease.” Destination disease is when people in ministry want to be over there (at the other church/ministry) because they think it’ll be better there. This is not true though because you take you with you and it will be exactly the same. You are you!

When we get to the point where we get it all figured out in our ministry, God will say “you don’t need me? Fine…go ahead!” We need to be in complete submission to God. When we do this, it is unbelievable. Leadership is as easy as listening to God and doing what He says! Perry’s prayer is to have a generation of youth pastors and workers completely sold out for Jesus. We are the ones who set the pace for what youth ministry will look like in 10-20 years!

For a Biblical Foundation:

After Paul (with God’s help) brought Eutychus back to life, they went upstairs again and broke bread. Paul got carried away preaching, the youth died, Paul declared something supernatural and brings the kid to life, and then comes back up to keep the focus on Jesus. Paul never stopped focusing on Jesus or teaching about him. This is an example to us. We need to never quite proclaiming who Jesus is to students. They need to know who He is and it is our job to tell them. Some people think that if we focus on only Jesus, then we won’t be relevant. Perry says that we won’t be irrelevant, we will be impotent! We’ve watered our youth ministries down with these next three things and the kids don’t even know who Jesus is when they graduate from or leave our youth groups. 1. Morality – we teach our kids to be good…problem is, if we teach our kids not to watch rated R movies or listen to “bad” music, they can become morally superior to everyone and no one likes them…we can’t teach them to be moral without Jesus. 2. Compromise – Everyone gets caught up in this game. We think that if a lot of kids come to our group and we do all kinds of fun things, we have a great ministry. But in reality, we are compromising who Jesus is to have a great crowd show up. Sometimes, youth ministries let kids show up and say it’s ok to do what you are doing and not repent. When they do this, they are leaving Jesus out of the picture…allowing compromise to creep into that ministry. 3. Personal Agendas – Don’t ever let your personal agenda trump the Gospel! We make our own personal agendas the agenda of the youth group. If we put anything in front of the cross, it becomes an idol in our ministry. Let’s worship God in splendor and majesty rather than trying to boil him down to fit into our social agendas.

For stewardship:

Perry’s prayer is that our prayer would be that we look at God and say “give me the ball…I’ll be hurt and play hurt, but I’ll do whatever it takes to push the ball down the field…I want the ball!” Perry said that in Acts 20:12, the youth ministry got brought back up and the church embraced stewardship…they said they want the ball.

We can do it, no matter how small our budget is. But if our attitude is that we want the ball, money doesn’t matter. It doesn’t happen because of lights, sound systems, looks, but because there is a sold out man and team saying give us the ball…and they are sold out for Jesus. Perry says that the senior pastor needs to make sure the youth ministry has everything they need and the youth pastor needs to sit down with his senior pastor and find out what his vision is…and then line up with that.

God’s plan is that youth ministry will thrive in the context of the local church to make a difference. When the church gets that right, it is on fire and is an unstoppable force!

Perry closed with the following comments:

“It’s always hard when we do what Jesus calls us to do. When we think it’s hard, may we think of Jesus hanging on the cross and bleeding! If no one else tells you this, I (Perry Noble) believe that you are the difference makers. Out of your ministries will be the next Billy Graham and other amazing church leaders! We will not fall…we want the ball!”

-          paulg

I hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving with their family! I can not wait to hear the stories about what you did this weekend! I will see everyone on Monday!

Just some information…

* Today Report Cards were sent home in your child’s backpack! Please make sure you send the signed report card back to school on Monday November 30th!

* Next Tuesday-Thursday Miss Mailhot will be having Parent/Teacher conference before and after school. I would just like to remind you that we only have a short 20 minutes with each other and it is important for you to arrive on time and for me to let you leave on time. I can not wait to talk to all of you about your wonderful children

* 3-M is sending home our Art Smocks for a cleaning. Please clean your child’s art smock and send it back to school on Monday November 30th. If you send in a new art smock please make sure your child’s name is clearly written on it.

The Royle Endeavors Winter Session Class Schedule is Now Available Online.   

Make sure you check it out Miss Mailhot will be teaching a class with Miss Martin! I would love to have my students participate with me:)

Royle Endeavors is pleased to announce its Winter Classes to inspire our kids afterschool!  The Winter Session will run from January 11th until March 22nd. Please note that this will be our last session for this school year.
 
This Session there will be thirteen classes that range from a return of Rock Band to Jr. Athletic Adventures to Make It, Take It, Bake It, Elementary School Musical and Photography!  We are pleased to have added two classes for our Kindergarteners!
 
Check the Royle Endeavors page on the PTO Website (www.darienps.org/roylepto) to view the class descriptions and schedule. Registration for all Royle students, including Kindergarten, will begin next week.  Look for flyers in backpacks on Tuesday December 1st.
 
Please contact Royle Endeavors Co-Chairs if you have any questions – Kristina Puff at kpuff33@yahoo.com or Shannon Silsby at thesilsbys@optonline.net.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS:  ROYLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MOVIE MATINEE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1:00 P.M.
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Join the Royle Social Committee and Kids Care Club for an afternoon at the movies!  Tickets are $3 per person and include one bottle of water and a bag of popcorn.  Additional bags of popcorn will be on sale for .50 cents.  All proceeds will go to Kids Care Club!  A parent or guardian must attend.  Children will be dismissed to the gym-parents will then pick up their children and take them to the Common Room for the movie.  For safety reasons, there will be no exceptions.  For more information, e-mail or call Allison Ball (balls@optonline.net or 202-9203) or Karen Brennan (kbrennan15@aol.com or 202-9376).  Flyers will arrive home in backpacks and can be found on the Royle PTO website under Forms & Flyers (http://www.darienps.org/roylepto/FormsFlyers.htm).  Don’t delay … with one showing, space is limited.

GINGERBREAD DECORATING IS BACK AT ROYLE!

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 Royle Endeavors is pleased to announce the return of a favorite Royle Tradition, Gingerbread House Decorating!   Mrs. Steinle and Mrs. Clarke will be offering three one day workshops for students in grades 1 -5.  Choose from Tuesday 12/15,  Friday 12/18 or Monday 12/21.  The workshop will run from 3 -4:45p.m. and meet in the cafeteria.   Workshop fee is $35 with checks made payable to Royle PTO.  There is a limit of  20 students per workshop so get your registration in quickly.   Flyers went home in backpacks late last week and can also be found on the Royle PTO website.  Please contact Royle Endeavors Chairs Kristina Puff at kpuff33@yahoo.com or Shannon Silsby at thesilsbys@optonline.net.  Come join the holiday fun! 

CONFERENCE WEEK ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

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MagicMusicals presents the wonderful tale of “Russell the Hermit Crab” on Thursday Dec 3, 1:00-2:00 in the Royle Common Room. This program tells the story of Russell, a young hermit crab, and his journey to discover who and what he really is. With wonderful costumes and vibrant music, the show deals with identity, attitude and friendship in a fun, thought-provoking way. Program is available to all students Grades 1-5, and to Kindergarteners with a parent or caregiver. The fee is $15/student or $25/family. To sign up, please print flyer (from Royle PTO website) and return form with a check payable to DAEG. Forms are due no later than Monday, November 23rd.  We will need several adult chaperones at the performance (children of chaperones can attend free). Any questions or to volunteer, please contact Lisa Haas at lghaas@hotmail.com or Margaret Lane at mjlane123@aol.com. 

As a Muslim, I really anxious about the coming of 2012 movie. Why I say so? Because it exactly gives a big influence especially to the Muslims. Yeah, even I haven’t watched it yet, but I know a lil much of it. With my mouth and ears, I could gather information by asking here, there to someone who had already watched.

Me : Have u seen 2012??
X : Oh yes, absolutely…
Me : How’s that??
X : That’s a bad movie I’ve ever seen..
Me : W-what?? Why u say so? People here are excited about it.
X : But not me..
Me : ????
X : It’s talking about the end of time..
Me : Yeah, I know that… I mean..
X : Yeah, I got your point. Before we go any further, what do u know about the end of time??
Me : Mmmm… people dead, no human, no plants, animals, everything is gone, everything is nothing. Only God left!
X : Exactly..
Me : And then??
X : In 2012 movie, there’re 4 people left still alive…
Me : H-how come? That’s gonna be impossible…
X : That’s why I said bad movie, quite boring, just like the other movies as usual..
Me : Ooh.. gee! You are confusing me..
X : The point is, it’s one of the strategies of Catholics to apostate the Muslims. Do you know why the four people that I told you before still alive??
Me : ????
X : Because they entered to the church, took shelter there, and they’re fine. The church didn’t collapse. And they’re safe. Indirectly, anybody who moves to Catholic is gonna be safe. So, if you wanna be safe, leave Islam and be Christian.. Hahahahaa…!!!
Me : Ooh, I see. Hahahaha…!!

After 2012, New Moon is coming…
New Moon or I can call it Twilight Part II. People not be patient to see it, I know they’re damn excited of it. Honestly, I’m not too interested into it. I have watched Twilight, and I was not obsessed with it. Most people like it because the good looking-actor. Instead, there should be a message that must we think about. But they didn’t realize it.

So, how about New Moon??
SAME…!!
2012 and New Moon just have the same message, that is the deviated message…
Monsignor Franco Perazzolo, The Leader Vatican of Culture (bener gag sih tuh englishnya???!) said that New Moon is nothing more than moral vacancy only with the deviated message. It’s the excessive behavior combination which is instructs teenagers and give them such as a big shit.

*Gimana klo uda ulama yg ngomong?? Hihihihi….
*Klo English gue ada yang salah, mohon dikoreksi yahh… ^__^

I have been thinking about Clouds. There is lots of noise (but hardly thunder). One area particularly attracts….

Assume that you have several (or many) separate applications running in your cloud. You want some or all of these applications to communicate. How do you do this?

From what I can see (and I do not see Amazon’s lightweight queuing as sufficient) there is a need for a memory based, inter-system messaging solution. This has to be able to be fast yet also be made transaction-friendly (there should be a demonstrable trade-off/choice – within the one solution – between reliability and speed which the user can select rather than have imposed).

Too me MQSeries is simply too plodding to be broad-based in a cloud. JMS is also probably too heavyweight. Something like RV might be more applicable.

There is an opportunity, in my assessment for someone to act and satisfy an opportunity that seems likely to grow and grow – and be applicable within private clouds, public clouds and especially hybrid public/private clouds.

Suggestions and/or comments are welcome.

my speech in our first and last prom..unfortunately, dapat kabidao ko iyon, ngunit, nablackout ang isip ko kaya umeksena pa ang pagkuha ko ng kodigo sa bulsa..imgine that? haha, anyway, here it is:

I may say that this lovely evening, this 20^th day of February in the year 2009, will be greatly rated for being one of the volumes of the most prestigious blockbuster film- our lives. In a few more episodes, we, seniors, will ascend to more difficult tapings and pictorials because we will encounter a greater production; more actors to be met and more roles to be performed. And of course, one thing is for sure: we are always the writer of our own story. As for now, let’s congratulate ourselves for we all have been doing so great to make this tale as fulfilling as we want it and as adventurous as we make it.

In four years of staying here in this institution, I may conclude that counting the wonderful moments that we shared in our high school days is a mind-boggling thing because even the depressing ones that we lived through contributed in helping us to become what we are today. Yes, even the giving of any sizes of paper during quizzes, “buraotan” during breaks and being “pasaways” in front of our teachers, all are considered factors that made this experience complete and of course, a perfect one. And if we are going to look at it, everything happened in a blast but, much unnoticed.

When I made my first footsteps in this school in the early days of my freshman year, one thing I can’t forget is our innocent selves just like a blind person who seeks the right path, looking for the white light behind the darkness of that innocence. By all means, we looked for the knowledge we need and we craved for the wisdom we must possess before we depart from this home, from this family. We were so curious about all the things that we encountered everyday but we did not know to whom we must hold on and how to distinguish right from wrong. And because of such blindness, receiving only the radiance of the twilight, some succeeded in knowing all the essential things to be remembered and to be understood by the heart but others got lost in the labyrinth and failed to know the indispensable truth of life.

We have encountered many things as high school students but still, our journey will not stop after this stage. And I’m very proud that we never lost hope when failures and disappointments came to our way. We defended what we love, and fought for what we believe in.

And as for you, the juniors, in a few more days, your job will be to continue the unfinished tasks we will leave behind as we sail in our respective ships to discover new oceans. In behalf of the seniors, we are thankful because you are our companions and these years will serve as memories that we will cherish forever.

After we move on, after we step on another phase of our lives, you must learn and remember the things that have helped us to finish this stage.

You must learn how to be responsible. Responsibility is one key in order for you to succeed. Some things that we did might not have worked out well but we trust that after we leave the portals of this institution, you may learn from our mistakes. Expect the worst but always strive for the best. Whenever you fail, don’t lose hope, just stand up. Consider such challenges as a blessing. We must learn from these challenges, particularly the failures so that we will achieve more success.

You must also learn how to be humble. Humility is one sign of being educated, of being wise. This will be the start of your time to grow up and make your own; we believe that you can do more than what we have done. But in doing so, always remember this:

“The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.”

And lastly, you must learn to be contented sometimes but grow most of the time. It is always right to be contented but this will sometimes hinder you from growing, from progressing. You only live once, so live your life to the fullest. It is not yet over so never make this as an excuse for you to be contented; there are many more fishes in the sea, waiting for you to discover them.

Just be grateful for all your achievements and be thankful to the One who is the first and the last thing we must think of, God, because His love for us and His will to guide us is everlasting.

We hope to see all your spectacular dreams come true.

Just remember that:

“All endings are also beginnings; we just don’t know it at the time.”