Freedoms of speech, religion, to assemble… But are we using our life to make a difference in creating a better world? How about in America? America has declined. Unless this nation's leadership lives up to the mission ordained by God, many troubles will come. God is beginning to leave America. This is God’s warning. In our time, all Christians should be world champions, destined to fulfill for God the role of the right-hand side thief. Christians must rise & be willing to struggle for the salvation of the world. But Christians today are too busy perfecting their separate denominations & church interests. Read more »
Welcome, February! It’s that time again- change your desktop wallpaper! Smashing Magazine features several great backgrounds with February calendars. Pick your fave & download here!
These are just a few! Sneak a peak below…
“The distinction between the general abstract formula of moral law, and the living, personal, concrete manifestation of God’s Will in our own lives is one of the most fundamental truths of Christianity, for it is the distinction of the letter, which kills, and the spirit which gives life. Jesus who came not to destroy the law but in order that every jot and tittle of the law should be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18), also taught that in order for the law to be fulfilled the doctors of the law should be confounded.
The justice of the scribes, who perfectly understood the letter of the law, was not sufficient to gain anyone admittance into the Kingdom of Heaven. It was necessary for the law to be fulfilled in spirit and in truth. It was necessary that men should be perfect in the law, not by the exterior observance of precepts but by the interior transformation of their whole being into sons of God. Then they would be children of their Father in Heaven, perfect as He is perfect (Matthew 5:45-48). They would no longer keep the law with a formalistic perfection that defeated the whole purpose of the law, but they would realize that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”
-No Man Is an Island by Thomas Merton
In life most people have goals, things they would like to accomplish or see made real. During the process of realizing these goals, people have to face reality. They have to face all the variables and unexpected turns that life gives, ideally, overcoming all obstacles accomplishing their aim. So what does confidence or faith have to do with all this? Perseverance. Read On ––>
We each have concepts we’ve formed over some situation, memory, or experience on an individual level which influence our behavior and views about others. On top of that we have our family history, culture, and national concepts that are collectively embedded in us. These shape our personalities, decisions, and opinions on life in general. We can argue we are so different but the reality is that humans are more alike than we think we are. Read more ––>
From the Whitehouse: Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to @RedCross relief in #Haiti. Learn more here @dipnote and read about the earthquake here.
To give your support to Haiti through another agency, review this list.
I have suffered from many ailments, physical and spiritual for most of my life. Since I was a child I was tormented by headaches that would leave me dizzy and crouching in a corner avoiding all light and sound. After college I started reading up on anything having to do with nutrition and health, with the result being that I was admitted into the hospital for malnutrition. If you get into anything too much, it can be dangerous. Discover a secret ––>
Richard Wiseman, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, tracked 5,000 people who made goals and New Year’s Resolutions. 9 out of 10 failed to meet their goals! Are you one of them? To make success more likely:
Break your resolution into a series of small steps; tell your family and friends about your resolution, thus both gaining support and increasing the personal cost of failure; regularly remind yourself of the benefits of achieving your goal; give yourself a small reward each time you achieve one of the steps towards your goal; and keep track of your progress towards your goal, for example by keeping a journal or putting a chart on the fridge door.
Think about it: how easy is it to keep those goals we each spend minutes, or perhaps days on, determining to conquer bad habits in the beginning of the new year? I like how Peter Singer, University Center for Human Values’ Bioethics Professor at Princeton University and Laureate Professor in the Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne, refers to Aristotle. It’s almost as if we know what we should do, but then can’t control our mind to dominate our body and emotions from controlling us! By our negative ways of thinking, we unconsciously prohibit ourselves from acting upon the true desires screaming throughout our very essence.
It’s a good thing we’ve been implanted with a conscience! God gave us that tool to follow Him. Let’s encourage one another to follow it and make external goals that reflect internal goals. We all want world peace, right? Collectively, if the human race is centered on a goal of peace and prosperity, we can each make individual goals, and through our own thoughts and actions toward others in our relationships and workplaces, our resolution can “resolve” the problems we can’t overcome alone, both inside and out.
Let’s celebrate this special day as God’s Day by making goals to deepen our relationship with our Heavenly Parent, extend His love unto others, & also deepen our relationships by practicing to take God’s viewpoint and love others as He does <3 !! Happy New Year 2010!! Let’s create unity beyond barriers of race & religion & create a world where all people feel accepted and loved, as we are all equal as God’s children!
Boot up & stay organized in 2010 with a Creative Burst January wallpaper. It also displays a clean calendar at the bottom! The texture looks like a real canvas background. It’s pretty sweet- download it here.
True Spirituality must emphasize living for the sake others-selfless service and the denial of fleshly desires. Anything other than this is false. This is the basis for spiritual maturity.
We’re finding volcanoes erupting under the ocean, taking vacations to the moon, and discovering new dinosaur species every day. Scientists have even found a way to turn deadly, toxic waste into oil and glass. But are our priorities in line? Is it imperative to spend our energy on energy? It seems that we are so concerned with changing the environment and cleaning up around us, inventing the newest gadget or robot phone, but how about starting within?
On buses, our ears have attached themselves to these funny things that block out sounds we don’t want to hear, our hands are busy texting, and we’ve become zombies that avoid all possible eye contact. Sometimes people don’t even say “God bless you” when you sneeze. Yes, we get headaches and colds and yes, we’re constantly searching to cure disease. But the illness is in our hearts. Sure, communication is more advanced with our tools via web and social platforms, but it seems that more and more people are beginning to forget what’s important- having true, authentic relationships with true communication of an open heart and a warm hug. Please read more––>
It’s already been over a year leading this, and many times I’m still surprised that I’m heading a Bible study group. Looking back on my life and what disdain I had for Christianity, it boggles me that I am now doing this… But the amazing part is that I love it. I have come to receive so much from this experience. There’s been many days where I found myself hopeless or lost and yet having to prepare this Bible study pushed me into a place of serious self-refection and prayer.
If it wasn’t for the Principle Study Center, I would have never encountered the reality of the Bible in such a deep and profound way; it would never have been my life’s enjoyment to talk about God and love. I am deeply indebted to these people and I want to give others a chance to taste the seriousness and truth that the Bible softly veils. What I have been left with is a deep yearning to reach up to my Heavenly Father and touch Him, comfort Him, and love Him; I cannot reason with the eternal truths that I have encountered that display a poignancy all too beautiful to put into words.
I have encountered a suffering God; a parental God who loves this world so deeply but who is bound by the very laws which He set into play in order to make His children true owners, not slaves. And so it is with this mindset that Thursday’s roll around, and I think to myself: is there any way to express this heart?
The Reason and the Reason Part 2 are charity events organized by the Orange County Mentors for Youth and various contributing parties. Through music, food, and the spreading of a message love through giving, funds were raised to help the children that desperately need the guidance; nurturing and love that the OCMFY provides.
Sirkle of Sound, The Carlos Gutierrez band, Shane Fachinello, and myriad artists joined forces for the first event hosted by Step Off Ministries in Buena Park, CA. Based on the success of that event, OCMFY and Custom Air Techniques went on to organize another event held at The Tropics Lounge which was also a success. With more events on the horizon we hope that you will join us in love to give these children the means for a better life. Thank you!!!
Movie Night Club, or MNC, is basically a watching-movies event-based club held every Tuesday night at Santa Monica College, or SMC. The club is ran by Principle Study Center’s STUDENTGroup. Our purpose for featuring these great movies is not just for having fun; we want to reach out to college students by inspiring and encouraging people to become more aware of social issues and have deeper understanding of cultural diversities. Through films we study and understand various cultural and societal groups for the purpose of creating a culture of conscientiousness in the community.
Carlos Gutierrez, the first President of SMC MNC, founded this club to inspire college students with movies, modeling the Movie Night Event at Principle Study Center. Then four other students with the same spirit and goal to inspire others gathered together to get this club officially approved and funded by SMC: Kyuho Lee as Vice President, Dariss Harris as Art Director/Logo Designer, Stephanus Tedja as Secretary, PJ as Treasurer, Carlos Gutierrez also as Head Photographer. Only with the help from Principle Study Center could we spend our first semester really successfully: Isahiko Kaizuma as Supervisor and Mentor, Luna Gomez as Supervisor and Organizer, Lindsey Daniels as a Social Networking Director, and Todd Kurlyowitz as Mentor and Sound System Technician.
Everyone agreed that we had the most amazing Club Row Event, which was the first SMC MNC event held to promote our Movie Night Events and recruit guests to join our club. It is the biggest event for clubs and is open to everyone on campus. It was the biggest thing I’ve ever done and made. We had to go through a whole bunch of paperwork and an elaborate approval process for funding. Anything out of the budget had to be paid out of our pockets. We had to prepare for fifty hot-dogs, fifty tamales, and fifty packets of popcorn. Read more––>
The Full Moon is a special time of the month when the divine energies from the heavenly world focus most intensely through the Moon’s Full Essence. It presents us with a time of opportunity, a time in which we can allow spiritual energies to reach human hearts and minds. Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names.
Last night’s Full moon was a Full Cold Moon, which is also known as the Full Long Nights Moon. During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
What a beautiful night for EXPLOREgroup! Our Full Moon Hike was held in Solstice Canyon at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Brandon, Brianna, Kyuho, Leanna, Mat, Nicole, and I attended. We hiked a moderate level trail called the Rising Sun Trail, which had some steep slopes and was a little difficult for all of us at some parts of the hike. I was informed that this trail headed up the mountain with a waterfall at it’s end, and I envisioned the Full Moon lighting the streaming water over a bubbly brook full of rocks in its beauty.
However, when an hour had passed and the trail started sloping downward, around, and then eventually down again, fear struck hold of some of us and even I started wondering if we had taken the wrong path. We definitely were not heading up the mountain anymore! But wait, there’s more––>
Freedoms of speech, religion, to assemble… But are we using our life to make a difference in creating a better world? How about in America? America has declined. Unless this nation, unless the leadership of this nation, lives up to the mission ordained by God, many troubles will plague you. God is beginning to leave America. This is God’s warning. Brace yourself––>
The forced recruitment and use of child soldiers is one of the most appalling human rights abuses in the world today. Many thousands of children are being exploited. Every day, they are compelled to endure and inflict violence that no child should ever have to experience. This is unacceptable. The recruitment and use of children in warfare violates international law. It also violates our most basic standards of human decency. The entire United Nations system and I are determined to stamp out such abuse.
-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Remarks at culminating event of “The Red Hand Day Campaign”
New York (USA), 12 February 2009
Four decades of armed conflict and civil war between the government and drug-trafficking militias have resulted in a humanitarian crisis that constantly threatens the rights of Colombia’s women and children. In rural areas there is little access to medical care, education and other social services. Poverty is rife. Unemployment, a shortage of housing and a complete lack of social welfare threatens the very existence of much of the country’s population. More than half of Columbia’s population of 42 million lives below the poverty line. Family life is severely disrupted as thousands flee from conflict, swelling the ranks of the displaced in urban slums. Children and young people are disproportionately affected, and many end up on the streets. It is often the children who suffer most in this cycle of poverty and family disintegration. They are left to their own devices and sent out on to the street to work, beg and steal. Parents, struggling to survive themselves, often have very little interest in the fate of their shattered children. Find out more––>
2010 Bible calendar children Christianity community service computer background computer wallpaper creation design desktop art drugs failure family fear food free background free download free wallpaper friends goals God government homeless humanity human rights inspiration life Love mind and body unity moon morals negativity peace race racism relationships religion sexual abuse spirituality students success suffering Truth war
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