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Living The Solution – Online Newsletter |
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August 10, 2006 ISSUE |
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Opening Thoughts:
The new movie, World Trade Center, directed by acclaimed
and controversial director Oliver Stone is being praised
for its portrayal of two Port Authority officers who survived
the collapse of the World Trade Centers on the fateful
day of September 11, 2001.
It is still painful to recall the incident. For those of
us who were watching the news, or more so, for those in
New York, especially people personally touched by the terrorist
tragedy, there is the need to grieve, to find meaning and
consolation, and to remember. I have not seen this new
movie yet, but I plan to. In a world wracked by terrorism
and violence there are important stories to be told – human
stories of courage, kindness and love.
I’ve included in this issue something we posted to
our site a year after 9/11 that reminds us that God never
abandons us, even in the darkest hours.
Peace and joy,
Tom Gilbert
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IN THIS ISSUE
Feature Article: Where Were You…Where Was God?
In The Spotlight: Men as Leaders and Elders
Daily Thoughts: God’s Gifts to Everyone
Prayer & Sharing Requests
Quotable: Slow and Urgent |
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| FEATURED
ARTICLE |
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Where Were You…Where Was God?
REMEMBERING 9/11
There is one God, and one
mediator between God and humans, the person Jesus Christ
(1 Timothy 2:5).
If I could hear Christ praying for
me in the next room, I would not fear....
You say you will never forget where you were when you
heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor
in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye." I
held his fingers steady as he dialed.
I gave him the peace to say,
"Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is
OK...I am ready to go."
I was with his wife
when he called as she fed breakfast to their children.
I held her up as she tried to understand his words
and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell
of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help.
"I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said.
"Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now."
I was at the base of the building
with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated
souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven.
He heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes,
in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken.
I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and
assuring them that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas, Kansas, London.
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face.
I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for
the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me
calling to them through the smoke and flames;
"Come to Me... this way... take my hand."
Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day.
You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there
in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?
September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey
for you.
But someday your journey will end. And I will be
there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be
found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God
Read more articles here.
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| IN THE SPOTLIGHT |
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Men As Leaders
and Elders
 Men
typically lag behind women in spiritual growth.
It’s an observation that I think statistics
would back up. Women are better at expressing
feelings and having intimate relationships.
Men are less inclined to open up.
There’s a price to be paid for bottling
it all up inside. Fortunately there have been
some good men’s movements in recent
years aimed at changing that. Men
as Leaders and Elders (M.A.L.E.s) is a spiritual movement
of men who’ve done some tough spiritual
work and been through the experience of male
initiation conducted through the Men’s
Rites of Passage (another is coming up September
20-24 in Claryville, New York).
Discover what these men are doing to grow
and help other men at the Male Spirituality
web site.
Details
here
Be sure to visit our Spotlight
Specials page for more information.
Our Living the Solution online store
has resources to help you grow spiritually. It’s
secure and extensive with many great gift ideas!
Visit our
online store
There is something for everyone. When you shop with us,
you support our ministry – thank you!
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DAILY THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS |
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God’s Gifts to Everyone
God's various gifts are handed out everywhere;
but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried
out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various
expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind
it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone
gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by
the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 — The Message)
Each person is given something to do
that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone
benefits. This includes you..
So often we think it is just a special few that God has gifted and blessed to
fight the Battle of His kingdom. We figure the rest of us are just farmers and
town’s people carrying pitch forks and clubs instead of battle swords and
shields. We see our role as being a part of the group, but no more than just
part of the crowd with no special purpose or function. But the truth is each
of one of us is special. Each of us has been give a unique place in the Battle,
in God’s Kingdom, and no one can fill it except us. And no one is exempt.
We all are called and we all are given spiritual gifts by God for the purpose
of reflecting God’s personality to the world. In this way we bring glory
to God. This is how we point to God. It is our way of saying, "Look! There
is my creator, my king, my friend, my lover who has given me everything that
I have and made what and who I am."
You are special, you are gifted and you are loved. You are empowered to tell
and show others this God whom you love and serve and for whose heart you fight.
See yourself as God sees you — unique, special, someone worth dying for,
someone whom He has blessed — and show the world His love.
Live it with Passion
Pete Reinbold
Get daily inspiration with a Scripture verse and commentary
at
Daily Thought |
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PRAYER REQUESTS & RESULTS |
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Prayer works. It really does.Submit your prayer
requests and we will pray for them.
Of course, we keep your information confidential.
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My thoughts are shared regularly on the pages of
our web site, especially on
the Journal pages.
We welcome and appreciate your feedback. If you would
like to submit an article please see our writer's
guidelines.
It is our hope that the content of Living The Solution will
stimulate you to deepen your faith. That is certainly a result for us in both
our writing and reading. If you would like to see articles on a particular topic
or you have comments please let us know.
Send an email
Quotable: Slow and Urgent
“This is slow work;
it cannot be hurried. This is urgent work; it cannot
be procrastinated. ”
— Eugene Peterson (on the Christian life)
Copyright 2006 Living the Solution, all rights reserved.
Tom Gilbert
Editor/Web-servant
Living The Solution
www.livingthesolution.com
P O Box 25584
Albuquerque, NM 87125-5584
Toll free 1-800-399-2564 (US only) or 505-247-3232
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