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Journal Archives – January, 2003 |
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| AN ONGOING SPIRITUAL WEBLOG |
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January 29, 2003
Last night President George W. Bush gave his “State of
the Union” address to the American people. This annual
event is an opportunity to present and promote an administration’s
agenda. There is always a great deal of applause and “rah-rah”
during the speech. Afterwards the pundits, spin doctors and
talking heads work overtime to give their analysis.
God’s “State of our Union” address (the Bible)
is analyzed, discussed, interpreted and spun constantly. My
greatest concern is for clear discernment of the message. God’s
greatest concern is that we all look to him and his son, Jesus
Christ and listen to the Holy Spirit.
I sincerely hope that we will all pray for each other, especially
for those in positions of power. President Bush claims to be
a God – fearing man. I’m glad he does. I pray it’s
true. We all need to care deeply about each other, pray for
each other, and daily do something for each other.
The economy, health care, AIDS ravaging Africa, terrorism and
war in Iraq are all big deals. It sure is easy to be overwhelmed.
It sure is easy to disengage and become apathetic. It sure is
important not to, and to let God be in charge.
Tom Gilbert
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January 24, 2003
It’s been about four months since we launched our Living
the Solution website. That’s just a blip in time really,
yet a lot has happened over this period. Our venture into cyberspace
ministry has resulted in new relationships. We’ve met
many new friends through email. Our articles have reached out
to you and a few have even made it to other websites. The global
connection has manifested itself in a real way for me.
I’ve also seen the many benefits of daily being a part
of this. My awareness of God’s great love, mercy and care
is constantly growing. Not because God’s love and caring
for me has increased. No, my awareness of His love is
greater. This reinforces the importance I’ve been taught
to spend more of my conscious time in prayer, contemplation
and gratitude for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The theory
of a personal relationship with God moves forward into a daily
living application.
Where do we go from here? Wherever God leads. His hand is on
this. As long as we let Him direct and we dedicate our efforts
to his guidance then it’s all worthwhile. Thank you all
for your visits, your support and your participation. The Internet
can truly be used for God’s kingdom and the body of Christ!
Tom Gilbert
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January 22, 2003
Thirty years ago today the Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade
and changed the course for the future of many unborn children.
Estimates are that 40 million abortions have taken place in
the United States since then. Forty million pre-borns, life
in the womb that ended before what pro-choice believers would
say really began. They don’t believe it’s a human
life before birth.
What if we thought of life after death that way? What if we
believed we aren’t spiritual beings, that we could not
be born again of the Spirit before we died? I see the analogy
plainly. We are human in the womb just as surely as when we
leave it for our life outside that environment. We are spiritual
in this human form, albeit groaning for the future birth of
spiritual completion in union with God.
Abortion is a very divisive issue. Christians are frequently
bothered by this divisiveness. Yet, we continue to let the body
of believers, the universal church, to be divided over various
denominational differences that tear at the heart of our unity
in Christ. We are in the midst of the annual week of praying
for Christian unity. Please lift up your heart in united prayer
that we may all recognize the importance of being one with Jesus
in fulfillment of his prayer (). More here
from the World Council of Churches on praying for Christian
unity.
Tom Gilbert
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January 20, 2003
The Bible tells us that God will pour out His spirit and there
will be those of us who will have dreams and visions (). Do you ever wonder what
those dreams might be?
Thirty-five years ago a great American spoke of his dream. On
August 28, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a stirring talk
on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He told us, “I have
a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have
a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but
by the content of their character."
There was much more to this speech, given not long before King’s
life would be taken by an assassin’s bullet. It seems
that many who have a message we should hear-- a message inspired
by God – die for their beliefs. But, the message lives
on.
Today is a national holiday in the United States commemorating
a brave leader, a God-fearing man who believed that the way
to live is by loving others, not hating. You can read the “I
Have a Dream” speech online here.
Tom Gilbert
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January 17, 2003
Life is truly a gift and that is something we should never forget
and always give thanks for. Unfortunately, life ends in often
tragic and horrible ways. This next week (1/19-26) is “Sanctity
of Human Life” week. President Bush has also declared
January 19 “National
Sanctity of Human Life Day”.
As the 30 year anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court
decision to legalize abortion approaches take some time to consider
the implications of abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering,
the death penalty, war and other ways that humans play god.
We’ve got a new article online
about this issue that you can read. There is also more on our
Spotlight Specials page.
Tom Gilbert
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January 15, 2003
A lot of people are searching for God. In their search they may be sincere.
They may also get sidetracked. It’s easy to be deceived,
especially when all of us tend to operate from the idea that
we can make all our decisions ourselves without help from
others and clear discernment from the Holy Spirit.
God is moving all around the world. We’ve just posted the story of
Jasmine (Chong Shipei). She’s a young woman from China
who sent us her testimony. Read "Freedom
From Deception".
Tom Gilbert
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January 13, 2003
The most important thing in our lives is our relationship to
God and how we then live as a result. That’s the primary
purpose of this web site. Nevertheless, so many of us continue
to struggle with the day to day realities of financial insecurity.
This can be a real stumbling block…or it can be a way
for us to step out in faith.
It is troubling to not know how to pay the bills, or where the
next meal will come from, or even to feel we are stuck in a
dead-end job (if we even have a job!). A lot of the prayer requests
to Living the Solution are about these struggles. Sometimes
it seems overwhelming to face it.
What do we do? Regardless of the depths of our financial problems
there are always those worse off. I know that God enlarges my
heart and grows my capacity for compassion by recognizing this.
Doing something about it is difficult. Do we give what little
we have? How do we decide who to give to? The answer seems to
be “yes, give what I can” and to ask God for discernment
on who should receive it. Let’s all pray for that good
guidance and willingness to help.
On our links page under “media”
we list Eagle-TV.
This is a television station in Mongolia that is dedicated to
faith, freedom and democracy. It is run by Christians, but employs
many citizens of the country. They are shining a light of truth
in their programming. Unfortunately, their computers are old
and die out regularly. But, they’ve been able to find
a source that gets them broadcast reliable new computers for
just $150 each. If you can help you can send any amount to:
AMONG (stands for American Mongolian Foundation), 3108 W. 12th
Street, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104. Please designate your gift to
"Computers for Faith & Freedom" on the memo line
of your check, and state how many computers you would like to
sponsor for Faith and Freedom in Mongolia. If you prefer, AMONG
will send you an envelope for your gift. You can email Tom
Terry, General Director of Eagle-TV, for more information.
Please pray for them in their current emergency help, as well,
for the Christian radio station WIND-FM (also in Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia)—their studios were destroyed by a fire this
past weekend.
Tom Gilbert
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January 9, 2003
Some of the most inspiring writing in the Bible comes near the
end of the New Testament. There’s James, the letters from
Peter, and, mostly on my mind today, the letters from the apostle
John. His constant theme is love (true, as well, in the Gospel
according to John).
assures us that there’s no fear in love
and that perfect love casts out fear. The next
reminds us that God loves us first and that we love because
of this. pulls together the two great commandments to love
God with our everything and to love others. I think John is
saying you can’t do one without the other. You can’t
love God and not love others. You can’t love others and
not love God.
New prayer requests are continually submitted to us. While you
may not know the specifics, please hold them in your prayers
and pray also that we may be sincere and loving in our intercessions.
Although it is painful to read some of the requests, I’m
grateful for them for it is enriching my prayer life.
Tom Gilbert
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January 6, 2003
The holiday season is pretty much a wrap. How was it for you
this year? I found that it was enjoyable on a deeper level because
of the awesome growth and spiritual truth that God through the
Spirit has revealed to me in the past year.
At the same time, like many, I’m relieved that things
are getting back to “normal”. That’s odd,
as I think about it, because the special beauty of the Christmas
season is part of the appeal. Yet, it’s true that we can
get worn down from all the social interaction of family and
friends, the shopping, the parties, the eating and the gift
giving.
This is the time of year that traditionally many of us begin
to focus on fitness. Exercise is a real necessity if you’ve
been packing on the pounds from all the sweets and goodies.
One of the most important aspects of a fitness regimen is typically
overlooked. Are you in good spiritual condition? Having the
right “workout” equipment helps. Set aside some
quiet time each day for Bible and inspiration reading, prayer
and meditation. It works best for me in the morning, but find
what works for you. If you haven’t explored the benefits
of a daily devotional then you should. We have several featured
on our Living the Solution e-store. Get in the habit of a daily
spiritual workout.
Tom Gilbert
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January 2, 2003
Today, the day after New Year’s Day, is quite interesting
numerically speaking.
Today is 01/02/03. I don’t think it means anything special,
but if it gets you thinking about life and unusual occurrences
then it's beneficial. Why? Because it takes us out of the routine
and reminds us that life is wonderful and full of surprises.
When you believe in God and a divine plan you can rise above
the mundane, endure the hardships and sorrows and rejoice with
thanks for all blessings.
Continuing on the “numbers” theme, look up this
passage in the Old Testament from The Book of Numbers, .
That’s a beautiful blessing any day, but especially as
we start this year.
Tom Gilbert
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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PSALM 118:24 |
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"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it." |
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(NIV) |
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