I see so many people taking their relationships for granted, investing little or nothing in them, and then being surprised when they get a dismal return. But, it really doesn’t take all that much effort to make them much better, with just a little more effort to make them much, much better.

What about you? Will you invest heavily in your relationship this year?

Pay Yourself First

The financial budgeting industry uses this phrase a lot. By paying yourself first, they mean putting money aside for savings and retirement before you pay any bills, before you spend on anything else, and before you fritter it away in all the other ways possible.

This works for your relationship, as well. Pay yourself first. Put your relationship first. Put weekly dates on your calendar before anything else. Budget relationship money before anything else. Be intensional about those sweet, little thank you gifts you’re going to give throughout the year.

The first thing Pam and I do every morning is snuggle and cuddle for a half hour to an hour after the alarm goes off. What a great way to start the day! Pay yourself first!

Are You A Buyer, or A Looker?

Classical marketing teaches a very clear dictum: A buyer is a buyer, and a looker is a looker. Marketers are supposed to spend all their time on true buyers, and forget about engaging the lookers, because lookers just aren’t serious about doing or buying much of anything.

When it comes to your relationship, are you a buyer?

Will you invest the time, attention, energy, and money required to move things to the next level or above?

Time: Find those few moments everyday. Have a date every week. Create a special weekend every month. And remember those birthdays and anniversaries!

Attention: Really attend to your partner. Listen, and really hear!

Energy: Save some energy for the relationship. Figure out how to not use it all up on the job, or the kids, or on your hobby. Energize your relationship!

Money: Buy books and tapes, and read them and listen to them! Invest in a marriage counselor for a quarterly check up on your relationship portfolio.

And the Best Investment of All

Face into your anxiety. Emotional Intimacy means becoming closer to another human being than you ever thought possible. It’s probably closer than you’ve ever been comfortable with before. That means being afraid to some extent. It means tolerating the fear and talking about things you never thought you could. Your ability to do so will grow with your relationship and you’ll be amazed with how wonderfully close you’ve become.

So, watch for the things you’d prefer to not speak of. Face the scare and start talking anyway. If such an investment were easy everyone would do it, and we’d see marvelous relationships all around us. But, it is not easy. You will be one of the few. But, you can do it! Just about anyone can with a little encouragement. Consider this article as your encouragement. Invest in you and your partner this year!

Steve Roberts is an experienced Marriage and Family Therapist who shares tips and real life relationship secrets from over 20 years of practice. Get Insight and Wisdom for your Relationships at: http://www.WhatWorksForCouples.com

The birthplace of French Alpine history and home to the awe inspiring Monte Bianco - at 4807m the Common Markets’ loftiest point - Chamonix boasts a good snow register, a abundant ski season (November-April), unmatched off piste skiing, and perspectives to die for. Furthermore Chamonix has an international repute as having a few of the most dramatic, provocative, and invigorating telemarking accessible anywhere in the cosmos.

Chamonix Haute Savoie is ample and also bedeviling, and that’s before we count the local skiing towns; such as Espace Killy, Montroc, La Rosiere, Les Contamines-Montjoie and Tignes-les-Brevieres.

The Cham Ski skiing pass includes seven Chamonix, and twelve regional snowboarding towns; on skiing equal to 3842 metres, more than 300 snowboard lifts, and 800 kilometers of ski runs - with the majority of the snowboarding regions above 2040m. They supplies for every standard from initiates as well as professional skiers. Come to our skiing fields section for detailed look at every the major areas: Araches-la-Frasse, Samoens, Les Arcs, Grand Massif, Chamonix and Le Tour.

Most commonly wedding vendors provide you with formal contracts that may have been drawn up by an attorney. Contracts are not fun to read, and may be difficult to understand. You can pay an attorney to help you understand it, or you can spend the time to decipher it yourself. It is your responsibility to understand everything included in the contract. If you are unsure of something is included in the contract have it appended. If there are several things you are concerned about, you may need to append a detailed list of important points.

Most importantly include the exact date of the wedding day. The exact time of you event must also be included. Many reception sites have multiple events, even multiple weddings on the same day. The total cost and itemized rundown of what is included in the prices is important to avoid last minute surprises and expenses. You may assume certain accessories are part of the price until you are told on the big day that it costs extra.

Make sure that accessories such as tables, chairs linens, etc. are included in the price. What specific decoration is included? What areas are decorated? If you agreed on specific colors, be sure to include it in as much detail as you can.

Insist on including the date and dollar amount of your deposit and the date of when the total amount is due. Include the exact address of the venue. You don’t want to send out invitations without having the exact address in writing. If the company has multiple rooms for events, make sure the name of the room is included in the contract.

Make sure you understand the cancellation and refund policy of the venue. You have to understand you options in case you must change the date or change the venue altogether. You should be provided with name and phone number of the emergency contact person. Room capacity, to make sure the site is big enough to accommodate your wedding party.

Contracts are a serious matter, and they require careful attention. They are legal and binding, so you might want an attorney or a wedding professional review it for you before you sign it. You may save a lot of money by investing a little in some professional help. Before signing the contract read it over carefully. Don’t allow it to be rushed into signing the contract until you have understood it entirely.

Never pay the entire amount in advance, but many companies will ask you to pay half of the total amount upon closure of the contract. Others may ask only for a down payment. Be prepared to pay with cash or a personal check, and always get a receipt. To protect yourself, try to pay with a credit card. When reading the contract and before signing, find out what your obligations are. If you guests drink a bit too much, find out who would be responsible should anything happen. Make sure the place is insured; get detailed information about their coverage.

Once you made your decision, you have to receive a written contract signed and dated by the person in charge. The contract must include all of your responsibilities and all of the responsibilities, warranties and guarantees offered by the venue.

After I thought and prayed about it - rejecting David Ben-Ariel for David Hoover as David Pack sternly suggested - I rejected the notion and questioned how anybody inspired by the Holy Spirit would make such a demand, as I honestly consider David Ben-Ariel my God-given Name, as I’ve written.

I also remember clearly how David Pack said to me, when I was being honest about my past, troublesome times when I was backslidden in some areas, that he thought I was never converted! Unlike Jesus who offers constructive criticism, who encourages you with the good and calls upon you to change for the better, all David Pack did was tear down and seek to destroy! That was not the Holy Spirit of God working through him.

Before this experience, David Pack had come at my request and visited with me and several other friends who had gathered to hear what he had to say in Toledo, Ohio. We were invited to the one service of his we attended in Ohio. He brought a box of materials the Worldwide Church of God no longer printed to make a statement. We all felt Gerald Flurry had already made that statement and was the first to do so, even though we hadn’t yet attended with the Philadelphia Church of God.

When four of us visited with the Global Church of God, my friend Carl gave him a copy of his booklet against abortion and I gave him one of my booklets (either God and the Gays - the first of its kind in the Church of God, or “Religion in America - the REAL Danger” now incorporated into Beyond Babylon: Europe’s Rise and Fall) he acted very interested, but later told me he never met a more proud person than Carl! Carl didn’t appear proud at all and was merely happy to do whatever he could to help expose and end the evil of abortion.

When David Pack said something to the effect that the Global Church of God was not for me, I asked him why he invited me then and he then acknowledged he only invited me along with the others because he felt they were good candidates for membership. In other words, he was being deceitful. Since then I’ve heard horrible stories about his pack of lies and hope it’s not true but suspect that it is, due to my own eye-opening experience with him.

I trust there are true Church of God members among the Restored Church of God flock, as with the other groups of scattered brethren, and I hope God spares them from such wolves and that they maintain, first and foremost, a personal relationship with the Shepherd of our souls, and not trust in any man for salvation.

I’ve seen some of the attractive literature the Restored Church of God offers, but doubt that I will link to it. I hope David Pack has repented of his sins that God may restore him and help him heal those whom he’s sickened and be reconciled with both God and man.

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe’s Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

The first thing I feel I must say here before I begin is that, *nothing* of what I am about to say to you has anything to do, or is connected with, any ‘belief’ system on my part. You see, personally speaking, I have found that, to have a ‘belief’ in something - whether it is good or bad - can, so often, lead us to things that simply aren’t there but are ‘made’ real because of ‘belief’. For example, whilst thousands and even millions of people on earth ‘believe’ in ‘Angels’ yet, in my actual experience I have found that, as disappointing as it may seem yet, Angels do not exist. I have found that, although winged beings do exist yet, ‘Angels’, in the way that we view them - as in ‘messengers of God’ - they are not. Oh, I can imagine that this will upset an awful lot of people and either wont accept this or that they wont ‘believe’ me. But, whether we want to accept this or believe it or not yet, that is the truth of it. In having originated from a staunch Christian family myself, for a time, this truth didn’t sit too well with me either. But, a fact is a fact and that’s it. Facts overrule ‘beliefs’ every single time. Thus, what I am about to say is a fact that has nothing to do with my ‘beliefs’.

I Am Dying

Let us imagine that we are about to die. From here, I will walk you through what happens next.

You are about to take your final breath on this realm of being. However you have reached this end doesn’t matter that much since, when it comes to that final breath, all physical pain and anguish suddenly leaves you. But, as you draw your last breath on this plain of existence, you take your next one in another place. Our breathing doesn’t stop. Our hearts do not stop. And, as we close our eyes for the last time here, so they open again in another place. In less time than it takes us to blink, we have left one place and have found ourselves in another.

At first, nothing seems to have changed. Whatever we have been taught before now seems to have left us and that, far from expecting to jump from Earth to a ‘heaven’ yet, here we are, still here and wondering what has happened to us. Just moments ago, we were in the throes of an awful pain and yet, all of a sudden, there is no pain.

At this very moment in time, we are given a choice. It is a choice that we have given ourselves and one, that we will take. This takes place on more of an unconscious level more than a conscious one because, taking our attention at this moment is the fact that we are standing there wondering what has just happened. The choice is this…

Sovereign Entities

It is because we are all, in all reality, not just the ‘Children Of God’ that we have been taught to ‘believe’ but that we are, in actuality, much more than this. The truth of the matter is that, above all else, each and every one of us are Children Of God who are *Sovereign Entities*. As Sovereign Entities - Kings and Queens in our own individual light - ALL the knowledge and experience of ‘All That Is’ becomes available to us all. No longer are we minions. No longer are we slaves or chattels to jobs, bosses, spouses, partners, friends or whatever. We are not ‘owned’ anymore by anyone or anything and are completely and utterly free from all repression. At the back of our minds somewhere, we now *know* (not ‘believe’) that the universe and ‘All That Is’ actually belongs to us and is our treasure to keep or to use as we see fit. There is no one to now tell us what to do or to order us around anymore and this is what it means to feel and to be ‘free’ after we die. This feeling and sense of being brings to us a real sensation of being nothing less than God-like but that, no longer is this a dream or a fancy. Now, it is real. It is *very* real. When we come to that realisation, right behind it also comes a love the likes of which we have never known before on this Earth. This love that we feel, we know, pervades and is the very foundation of ‘All That Is’. And so, as it pervades all, so then does it pervade and make itself known through us all throughout our entire being and right down to our very essence. In fact, so all pervasive is this love that we, ourselves, become a large part of that love in our own rights and is, by any standards, the very best home welcoming there is in all existence.

It is at this very moment that we also come to realise how little we gave of it when we were here.

I mention this because, what I have said above applies also to anyone who has ever committed crimes physically, morally, spiritually and influentially to another being. You see, what we are not told is that, when we receive this love, our memories return to us whereby every moment that we lived here on Earth is now recalled in minute detail whereby all the relevancies are relived as if we have just lived them moments ago.

“Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged!”

It is then that, not ‘God’ but that WE judge ourselves and how we faired in this short, Earthly existence. Thus, it is not so much ‘God’ that we must ‘fear’ but *ourselves* and our own self-judgements. Once touched by this omnipresent, omniscient, all empowering love, once we feel and become a part of its power so much that we feel that we created it ourselves then, in abject loyalty to it, we judge and we judge in the fairest light possible. With ourselves, there are no ‘explanations’ and no excuses. No longer can we hide behind our parents, past, experiences or our circumstances for, along with this knowledge comes another ‘knowing’ that is also no longer a belief. This knowing tells us that, as we have received this love and power ‘now’ so too is it true that this power and love has *never* left us but was with us all the way. Indeed, this same love and this same power was even there in our darkest hour. All we had to do was to call upon it - and it was ours even then, to use at our will. Whatever we have ‘believed’ before, now doesn’t matter. It is not important. It is irrelevant for now, all we have is ourselves and this empowering love and, for the moment, that is more than enough to be getting on with.

You see, it is not just about shedding one skin and finding ourselves in another. Although this is true yet, it is so very much more than this.

Once we become aware of who and what we truly are, another option also becomes available to us. This choice is simple. We have the choice to return to the source of ‘All That Is’ or, as most of us do, to remain as we are. Not only may we choose to remain as we are but that, along with this, we may also choose to keep everything that comes along with it.

Why most of us choose to remain exactly as we are is because, as now God-like entities in our own rights, we now come to fully understand the real necessity of ‘the learning process’ - why it was created and why we chose to become a part of it. We then also realise that, the learning process is every bit as holy as First Source itself (God) and that, each life we have lived is an unbelievably precious addition to the holy tapestry that The Grand Scheme is. Then, and only then, do we come face to face with our most true value and of how extremely pivotal our very existence really is to ‘All That Is’.

We are not ’separate’. We were and never are ’separate’ from ‘All That Is’. Indeed, we ARE ‘All That Is’ and this is precisely why all our actions *count* for something and that, far - so very far - from what we have been led to ‘believe’ we are not, nor were we ever, mere chattels of God but were led, by our own kind, to BE chattels - full stop. Had we only recognised our own gifts, our own SELF as we *truly* are then, we now also know that, without our specific bidding, this would never have happened.

When we come to this full realisation, some of us (though not all) then, turn towards this planet as a whole and realise that this world too, is also every bit the living entity that we are.

“What have I done?”

“What have I not done?”

“What can I now do to put it right?”

But, as we are thinking about all of this, our own funerals are coming…

(Turn to part three please)

I Thank You For Your Time

Bob Daulby

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bob Daulby is a world renowned, global expert on matters of life after death, the greater life and Our Worlds Beyond. He has contacted and communicated with all kinds of entities from the spirit world, otherworldly beings as well as inter-dimensional entities and different time-lines. He can teach you to do the same in a very safe, sure and positive manner at: http://www.ourworldsbeyond.com/ so that everyone may glean limitless knowledge, love and understanding as well as adventures beyond dreams. Please visit http://www.ourworldsbeyond.com/ and this gift too can be yours.

Property can easily be found in the most popular regions of the world now, arguably the most exclusive area being real estate on the market in Dubai. It should really be quite easy to chart the tremendous properties on the market in Dubai, one explanation for opting for property here being a combination of the houses and apartments you can purchase and the terrific chance of living right amid such a pulsating population. It’s one of the most sought after areas now, and considering the gorgeous landscape and wonderful climate that surrounds you round the clock, who could go wrong. Property in Dubai is very rich in history, culture and art, this country has been and is still home to a number of cultures.

Find the best selection of Dubai properties here!

Only 20 years ago there’d be a mere trickle of UK citizens keen on properties in Dubai. Ask just about anyone who has chosen to remove to Dubai and they’ll certainly back this up. Some people would call it a transitory craze and others call it a practically an infatuation. People who are looking to move over here generally range from young couples in search of a challenge to OAPs looking to enjoy themselves and rest. There could be catches when buying properties abroad — there’ll be dozens of heterogeneous, incredibly complex, steps be it when organizing, popping in or finalizing the deal. If you only miss one single minute action it may easily bring about insurmountable catches plus, of course, even more importantly, loss in financial terms.

Obviously and expectably with this popular destination, properties may be very pricey in this region and this, of course, is clearly on account of the expanding demand. Despite this clients are presently quite spoilt in terms of choice in a part of the world so wonderful in terms of happy view. It presently has the whole ball of wax a patron might covet and more.

A Sabbat is essentially a Holy day, similar to Easter and Christmas for Christians. They follow what Wiccans call the “Wheel of the Year” whose turning bring the seasons, and with them, the Sabbats. The word “Sabbat” comes originally from the Latin “sabbatum” which means “to rest.” Note that Sabbath and Shabbat come from the same root.

There are eight Wiccan Sabbats, and they include two Solstices per year, two Equinoxes, and four Sabbats that are known as “cross quarters.” Their timing can be a little bit tricky, but in general, if you send a card just before the Sabbat, most people are very happy to receive them, and if you get a “but the day was YESTERDAY and you must be a nincompoop who can’t figure out how to figure out when the sun reaches 15 degrees in Leo” then don’t give them a card again because they are being too anal to deserve one. (If you’re a Pagan who receives a card on the “wrong” day, Kestra urges you to sincerely thank the person for thinking of you and for their gesture of goodwill).

So what are the Sabbats? If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, here they are, with APPROXIMATE dates. Given that most Wiccans celebrate the Sabbats when convenient (generally on a Friday or Saturday night) figure that if THEY can move the Sabbat times around, you are certainly justified in giving a card that is not on the exact hour and minute that the Sabbat happens to fall:

Samhain (pronounced Sow-when) is the Pagan New Year, between October 31 and November 1, (or whenever the sun reaches 15 degrees in Scorpio)

Yule Remember the Yule Log and the decorated tree and all that stuff? Well, that’s Yule :-). It is also known as Winter Solstice and occurs between Decembert 20 and the 23rd, during the shortest day of the year.

Imbolc This occurs during February First or Second, when the sun reaches 15 degrees in Aquarius. It is also called Candlemas, and is often celebrated with lots of candles.

Ostara Also known as Spring Equinox. This occurs between March 20 and 23rd, when the sun crosses the Equator moving towards the North.

Beltane May 1, or when the sun is in 15 degrees in Taurus.

Litha Also known as the Summer Solstice. Occurs between September 20 and 23rd.

Lammas No, this is not also known as Llamas. Around August 1, or when the sun reaches 15 in Leo.

Mabon This is the Autumn Equinox, when the sun crosses the Equator moving South. It occurs between Sepetmber 20 and 23rd.

So, send your cards close to the appropriate day, and your Wiccan and Pagan friends will be very happy with you.

Kestra is a Wiccan Priestess, Master Herbalist, and Reiki Master, offering the best in practical information, unique and useful altar tools and ritual supplies. Please check out her offerings at http://www.enchantedworks.com Guaranteed to not be your “same ole” Wiccan shop.

I believe that the number one reason why new Christians drop out is because they do not know what to really do next and they do not get the proper teaching and coaching from either other Christians that they are associated with or the Church that they have joined does not have any type of progressive teaching system in place to lead them on their new journey.

The apostle Paul says you have to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Salvation is just the beginning. God has a purpose and a mission for each person’s life - if only people knew how to find it.

Here is what I call the basics. These are the areas that each new Christian has to be gradually led into if he or she is really going to walk the real walk with the Lord. I’ll list them in the proper order and then I will comment on each one.

• Full Surrender.
  
• Become Spirit-Filled.
  
• Establish Faith and Trust in God.
  
• Walk in all of God’s Ways.
  
• Obey all of God’s Commandments.
  
• Develop a Personal Relationship with God.
  
• Seek after the Knowledge of God
  
• Establish relationships with other Christians
  
• Join a Good Spirit-Filled Church

Here are my thoughts on each of the above.

1. Full Surrender

The first thing each Christian has to do after they get saved is to completely surrender their entire lives over to God the Father. Jesus has to become LORD over your life, not just your Savior. If you want to find what God’s call is on your life and what He wants to do with your life, then you have to be willing to completely surrender every aspect of your life over to Him. It’s your all for His all.

When I say surrender your entire life over to God the Father, I mean everything. You can hold nothing back. If you do not fully surrender everything over to God, you will handcuff God and prevent Him from working full force in your life. You have to become saved and surrendered. Most Christians become saved, but not surrendered, and this is why very little happens after they first get saved.

I will give you all the Scripture verses in another article that will show you why God wants this full surrender from each one of us and the argument as to why each Christian needs to do this. For now, I just want to highlight the basics for reference purposes.

2. Become Spirit-Filled

The second step after a person makes a full surrender to God the Father is they need to become Spirit-filled. They need to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. You cannot walk this walk without the power of the Holy Spirit operating in your life. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to “guide you into all truth” and “to to teach you all things.” He cannot properly do all of this unless He is released from your spirit to come up into your soul. Again, I will touch in much more detail on how to receive this gift for those who do not have it in another article.

3. Establish Faith and Trust in God

Once you completely surrender your entire life over to God the Father and receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the next step is to establish Faith and Trust in God. The only thing that will bring you into God’s realm is faith and belief. Nothing else will!

The beautiful thing about this is God is only looking for a small amount of faith to get started. The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed will move a mountain. Your faith can grow, but God does not expect it to grow overnight. All He asks is that you give Him just a little bit to work with and He will more than prove Himself to you that you can completely and totally rely and trust Him to guide you on your new journey with Him.

4. Walk in All of God’s Ways

The Bible says we now have to learn how to walk in all the ways of the Lord. The Bible is the number one source where you learn what God’s ways are. I will be listing what these “ways” are in other articles. These are the “rules of the game.
If you want to play baseball, the first thing you have to learn is the rules of the game. You cannot step out onto the playing field unless you know what those rules are. It is the same with God’s playing field. If you do not learn what the rules are, the devil and his demons will come in on you for serious attacks and try to take you out. God says in the Bible that His people will perish for lack of knowledge.

It is a matter of life and death to learn what God’s ways are if you want to live out the allotted amount of time that you still have leftdown here on this earth. People’s lives are shortened due to stupidity and not knowing the ways of God.

5. Obey All of God’s Commandments

In the Bible, God specifically lays out what He does not want you doing. The Bible says that God sets out before each one of us a choice. You can either choose God and His ways and live - or choose your own way and die. There is only one way to live your life and that is God’s way, not your way! God specifically lays out certain sins that He wants you to stay out of. I will be touching on exactly what some of these are in other articles.

The Bible says you have to develop a healthy “Fear of the Lord.” This means developing a reverent and healthy respect for God, His ways and His commandments. This healthy fear of the Lord will help keep you out of serious sin that could end up ruining your life.

6. Develop a Personal Relationship With God

The number one reason I believe God created man and woman was for intimate fellowship. God wants to establish a deep, personal and intimate love relationship with each person He has created.

I believe God actually longs for this. It’s not that God needs us humans to exist, but for some strange reason and even to the amazement of the angels in heaven, God seems to have some type of special love and longing for us humans and wants more than anything to connect and establish this personal love relationship with each one of us.

Again, I will go in much more detail on this in additional articles, as this is a whole subject in of itself. I will give you all the Scripture verses to prove this point and show you how to really enter into this kind of personal relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

7. Seek After the Knowledge of God

God places an extremely high value on the pursuit of knowledge. God expects you to grow in the knowledge of Him, His Son and His Holy Spirit. The main sources of “God Knowledge” are:

A. The Bible - This is absolutely the number one source of spiritual knowledge available to man down here on earth. Each Christian needs to spend some type of regular, quality time in the Bible in order to learn more about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God’s ways, what He expects of us, what He can do for us, how to live a victorious and overcoming life in Him, etc.

B. Other Books - God has anointed many of His teachers to be able to teach from His Word. There are many good quality books in the Christian bookstores that Christians can “feed off” of in addition to the Bible.

C. Tapes and CD’s - There are also many good teaching cassette tapes and CD’s from anointed teachers that Christians can also feed off of.

D. TV/Radio - Many of God’s anointed teachers also have TV and/or radio ministries where you can watch and/or hear them teach from God’s word.

If you’ll notice on the above 4 sources of knowledge, God does give you a wide variety of options to choose from in order to learn and grow from the knowledge that He wants you to have about Him.

8. Establish Relationships With Other Christians

Once you enter in on this walk with the Lord, you will need to establish some kind of contact and friendships with other Christians. God will start to do some real incredible things in your life and you will go nuts if you do not have someone else to share your walk with. God will lead you to the people that He wants you to be connected to. You have to have other Christians to feed with and to share your walk with.

9. Church

Join a good Spirit-filled church. I would personally recommend that each new born again Christian ask God which church He would like for them to join. There are different levels of the anointing in all the different churches and God knows best which one would be best suited for your spiritual development and growth. God will make sure He gets through to each person as to which church He would like for them to join.

Conclusion

I will go into much more detail on items 1-8 in upcoming articles as they are all subjects in themselves. I just wanted to make a short list of what I feel the basics are in becoming “active in God”.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their
Bible Knowledge and Commentary
website currently has over 100
Bible articles.
All articles on the site are free.

I know some conservative churches that never allow anything but a piano and a church organ for their music. They sing the old time hymns (from when I was a child in church), of which many are still beautiful and really nostalgic.

Other churches allow most any musical instrument. Christian songs by new Christian artists of today are played and sung as well. I’ve got to admit that some of the music that is popular is really beautiful, and touches my heart. One of them is “I can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. It describes what we will feel when we are standing before Jesus someday. It gives me goose bumps every time it’s played! There are many more beautiful Christian songs that are out right now as well.

Do you ever feel the Lord’s presence within you at church when you are singing? According to the Bible, singing and praising the Lord is what he loves for us to do.

Here is a verse from the Bible that talks about David:

And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. 2 Samuel 6:5

It seems like there was quite a collection of instruments! I don’t recall any drums mentioned in the Bible, but cymbals were mentioned and timbrels which are similar to tambourines. Psalteries were stringed instruments that were made out of a flat wooden box.

I really believe that when you are in church and praising the Lord with singing, it doesn’t matter what style it is as long as you are joyful in doing so. Singing feels good and makes your heart glad that God loves us, and at the same time you are thanking God for all he has done and continues to do. Singing out loud is a perfect release!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Psalm 98:4

Take a close look at how online poker players bet and you’ll start finding some patterns to their methods. Being aware of common poker betting patterns gives you a clue into the mind of your fellow players and also makes you aware of your own tendencies.

Take a look at this pattern: Call, check/call, check/raise, bet. Here we see someone with a good enough online poker hand to pay to see the flop, then a check or call after. The turn invites another call or a raise, and the river incites a bet. This is an indicator of a bettor with a strong hand. The calls before and after the flop tell you that he thinks that the hand is worth playing, and the turn keeps that vibe going. The bet on the river, though is the killer. Depending on how tight the player is with his chips, the fact that he’s betting when all the cards are out means that he thinks he’s got the best hand.

This gives you a good idea of how you want to proceed. Assuming he’s betting honestly, you know that if you want to play, you’d better know for sure that your hand can’t be beaten. On the other hand, you also know that he can’t be bluffed, so if you’ve got rags and are still in for some reason, now’s a good time to get out.