Music in Stethoscope

What if a stethoscope could "hear" inside.  What would it expose.  Great pictorial of that found here in the is Music in Stethoscope clip.

And the mystery is that Christ lives in you and He is your hope of sharing in God's glory.  Colossians 1:27

Miracle of Life

INCREDIBLE video called the Miracle of Life from Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA.  Truly a miracle how God causes the planted seed to grow into a beautiful new life.  Amazing information shared as well.


Also here is an interesting slide show of fetal development that can be viewed too.

45 Lessons Life Taught Me

I saw this list published on a friend's wall on a social website and I took a minute to read over it.  It was really encouraging and so I wanted to share it with you.

This was written by Regina Brett (90) of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio.  She shared some of the things that Life Has Taught Her in her days here on earth.  Be encouraged and maybe even stop and think about these life lessons that she shared.  Life is just a vapor; carpe diem - seize the day.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3.. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone.. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time..

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone elses, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Life is NOT about weathering the Storm....it's about learning how to dance in the Rain!

You Are For Me - Kari Jobe

Sometimes we need to be reminded that He is SO FOR US.  Do you know that God is for you?  So many don't understand how WONDERFUL, how AMAZING, how PRECIOUS our God is.  Really? 

I SO know that You Are For Me and I want the world to know it too.  I can't keep silent!  I will shout it out....God is SO in love with us, His creation, His love, His bride. 

Take a moment and let the Spirit of the living God sing over you while listening to this song.  Let Him minster LIFE to you!  He is SO for you!

Holy Spirit Rain Down

In these trying days when there is impending financial disaster on the news, economic collapse in many countries, weather that is causing suffering worldwide, where food is in shortage and children are hungry throughout the globe there is still a God in Heaven who loves His children.  He has sent His Spirit to minister to us.  Call on Him!

Don't know how?  Listen to this song and let the Holy Spirit teach you how to hear the voice of Jesus and move the heart of God.  May the Power of the Holy Spirit Rain Down on us now.  We need THEE!

Bird Praying

So even a "bird" is known by his doings?  Really?  A bird can pray?  What does that say about the rest of us.

When was the last time you took a minute to quiet yourself in prayer?  Seems this bird is onto something.

Adorable 2 Year Old Singing

This link is about a two-year-old who is singing with his family the song, God Will Take Care of You.  It is not some masterpiece of musical perfection but it is incredible that this two-year-old can clearly be heard (toward the end of the clip) leading the song and singing out strong.

After I listened to it I felt the Lord ministering to me in a further way as the words of this song kept going over and over in my head.  Even a child knows this.  He has committed it to memory and is reciting his faith prophetically to himself, his family and now the world.  The words, GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.  Think about it.  Meditate on it.  Rehearse it.  Memorize it.  Chew on it and then start over and do it again until you believe it.  See, God WILL take care of you (and me).  He is faithful that way, you know?

You don't? You don't feel as though he will provide for you? Do you feel as though He has let you down?  Has He forgotten you; or at least you think that He has?

Well, let's see, just because your mother served you burnt biscuits once in the kitchen doesn't mean you don't go back into the kitchen, does it?  Of course you go back into the kitchen and then you also go back and eat from her table.   See, just because there was an incident that left a bad taste in your mouth doesn't mean you will never eat at your mother's table again, right?  Sometimes people or circumstance can leave a bad taste in our mouth too but that doesn't mean much in itself, does it?  Life can sometimes leave these "tastes" in our mouth and we need to choose to come back to God's table so we can enjoy the blessings He has for us in life; to enjoy ALL His goodness.  God didn't burn the biscuits in our life - He is for us...but none-the-less the biscuits sure were burned.  (Taken from the teaching by Pastor Dino Rizzo entitled, Don't Do Life Alone.)

Come back to the table, beloved.  Come to where the Lord is serving up goodness, mercy, love, provision, health, kindness and on and on.  See, God WILL Take Care of You!

Protecting Our Daughters

The information I am going to address here is how to prevent the sexualization of our daughters in this over sexually stimulated society.  As you know, I have three blogs; one deals with random things, another with political issues and then this one, the one that addresses spiritual issues.  Why am I addressing the sexualization of our daughters here, you ask?  Well, because this is a spiritual issue.  The culture is dictating to the parents more and more and we need to take back our parental controls.  We need to begin to intercede on the "education" that our daughters are receiving from the news media, television, Hollywood...pretty much anywhere and everywhere these days.  This darkness is spiritual in nature and is attaching to our children before they are old enough to even think for themselves.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA) there is a "new" discovery being reported that there is a proliferation of sexualization that girls and young women are exposed to and that this exposure in advertising, merchandising and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development.  Really?  Ya think?  We needed the APA to issue a report for parents to sit up and take notice?  They reported that this sexualization is linked to common mental health issues such as eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression.   (To read more about this go to: Sexualization of Girls by the APA).

A task force of the APA defined sexualization as occurring when a person's value comes only from her/his sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.  They went on to say that this sexualization comes from all forms of media including visual media and other forms such as music, lyrics, video games, magazines, and even toys like the Bratz dolls which are popular with young girls.  Parents, siblings and friends can also influence the attitudes of girls sexualization.

This battle is so worth fighting for our daughters because of the:
a. cognitive and emotional consequences - it undermines a person's confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems such as shame and anxiety.
b. mental and physical health - research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women; eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression or depressed moods.
c. sexual development - research suggest that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.


There are FIVE areas that need to be addressed if you want to help your daughter with her own unique self-image:

FASHION MAGAZINES:
A University of Minnesota study found that teenage girls who frequently read magazine articles about dieting were more likely five years later to practice extreme weight-loss measures than girls who never read such articles. The study further found that "girls in middle school who read dieting articles were twice as likely five years later to try to lose weight by fasting or smoking cigarettes, compared to girls who never read such articles. They were three times more likely to use measures such as vomiting or taking laxatives." Coauthor of the study, Patricia van den Berg offers this advice to parents: "It possibly would be helpful to teen girls if their mothers didn't have those types of magazines around.

MUSIC:
Growing up, the word slut was whispered under one's breath and used sparingly. If you were labeled a "slut," your reputation was sealed.  Today, the word is commonplace in every teen's vocabulary. Since when did it become a compliment to be called a slut?  How did such a word become so acceptable? When songs call women as "hoes" whose lifelong aspiration is to serve their "pimps" are these songs we should have our children memorizing and singing? These type of songs being played over and over again on the pop radio stations, MP3 players, and at school dances and we wonder why it's become acceptable and even in vogue to be called a "slut"? 

Consider listening to music and reading the lyrics before you let your children listen to them. If a song comes onto the radio and lyrics clearly degrade women, turn it into a teachable moment and then change the station.

TV, MOVIES, AND THE INTERNET:
Block channels from your home like MTV, VH1, HBO and any other like-minded cable channels that are known for their constant objectification of women. A great investment is a DVD player called ClearPlay.  ClearPlay allows you to set the filters you want for any movie they have in their library.  We have yet to find a movie that they don't have. 

Additionally, sit in and listen to the shows your kids are watching on TV to ensure they are appropriate.  Use sites like,  http://www.screenit.com/ is a great site to preview movies your children want to see before they see it.   Also, the Parents Television Council (www.parentstv.org) rates the most popular shows among kids and compiles a "best and worst shows" list based on the content. They also have a fabulous feature where you can select a popular show and read the corresponding review.

I highly recommend that you use filters for your computers and install Web devices to keep your children protected from as much as possible.  As they get older, you will not be able to shield them from 100% of what is out there, but you can lay a foundation now.

FASHION:
Most parents do the shopping for their children's clothes.  Would it surprise you to know that Abercrombie and Fitch has T-Shirts with messages on them like, "Who needs brains when you have these?" or when $1.6 million is spent on thong underwear by girls ages seven to twelve.  Victory Secret now has a line aimed at tween, teen and college girls.  Why would young girls want to be dressing in seductive underwear?  The APA study found that girls are dealing with teen pressures at younger and younger ages.  Many of these girls have no idea that what they wear has an impact on the opposite sex and if they do they don't understand to what extent.  These girls are not able to deal with these issues because their cognitive development is out of rhythm with their social, emotional and sexual development.  We need to allow girls to be girls.

In Shaunti Feldhahn's fabulous book For Young Women Only, she cited the results of a survey where guys were asked questions pertaining to the way girls dress. The study found that when girls dress in such a way as to call attention to their bodies, 85 percent of guys said that they would have a temptation to picture her naked (either then or later). The survey further confirmed that the majority of guys thought she was dressing that way because she wanted them to picture her that way. Her survey of girls found that in reality only less than 4 percent of girls dress in a revealing fashion in an attempt to get guys to fantasize about them.

AIRBRUSHED IMAGES:
As a photographer, I know what photoshop can do and achieve.  (An interesting video showing the production of a model can be seen at: http://suzannesselections.blogspot.com/2010/08/face-of-dove.html). We need to remind our girls that most of these women are not what they appear.  Even if they are altered by photoshop many of these women have also used other means to alter their appearances; from Botox injections, plastic surgery and then there are all the daily skin-care regimes.

We live in a culture obsessed with beauty and vanity and sexual images.  We need to teach our girls to love their skin, their bodies and how they are made, not all these unrealistic images out of media. Protect your daughter from these dangerous worldviews.

Does God Exist?

I  am aware that this is most likely an urban legend but regardless if Einstein did or did not have this dialog with his professor on whether God Does Exist, the argument presented is still valid.  There are facts presented that should cause even the most cynical person to pause and consider their validity.  Think about it as you listen to the discussion.

A Muslim Cries Out To Jesus

This is an INCREDIBLE testimony of what the LOVE OF GOD can do.  Kamal Saleem (not his birth name) was born to a large Sunni Muslim family in Lebanon.  At seven he was recruited by the Muslim Brotherhood and immediately entered a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) terror training camp in Lebanon. He was involved in terror campaigns in Israel, Europe, Afghanistan and Africa and was part of making radical Islam converts in the US.  He was sent to the US Bible belt for a "new" type of jihad and he was effective.  He was seeking to destroy America, freedom and Christianity through intellectual jihad.  During this time in his life an accident occurred and then,well, his life changed.  Listen to his INCREDIBLE testimony.  Since his transformation, he has become an American citizen and has appeared on CNN, CBS News, FOX News programs and has spoken on terrorism and radical Islam at Stanford University the University of CA, the Air Force Academy and many other intuitions nationwide.

 There is NO God like Jehovah!

Jesus Throughout the Entire Bible

This is an incredible recitation from Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, Texas – December 2010.  This 11 year-old boy does and excellent job reminding us of who Jesus is - from Genesis to Revelation.

This was originally published as the Gift of Life by Pastor Tom Curry on December of 1994 and the author is unknown.  I have taken the video clip above and written out the text below.  ENJOY!

The Gift of Life


In Genesis, He (Jesus Christ) is the seed of the woman.
In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb.
In Leviticus, He is our high priest.
In Numbers, He is the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses.
In Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation.
In Judges, He is our judge and lawgiver.
In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.
In 1 & 2 Samuel, He is our trusted prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning king.
In Ezra and Nehemiah, He is the re-builder of the broken down walls of human life.
In Esther, He is our Mordecai.
In Job, He is our ever-living redeemer.
In Psalms, He is our shepherd.
In Proverbs & Ecclesiastes, He is our wisdom.
In Song of Solomon, He is our loving bridegroom.
In Isaiah, He is the prince of peace.
In Jeremiah, He is the righteous branch.
In Lamentations, He is our weeping prophet.
In Ezekiel, He is our wonderful four faced man.
In Daniel, He is the fourth man in life's fiery furnace.
In Hosea, He is the faithful husband forever married to the backslider.
In Joel, He is the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire.
In Amos, He is our burden-bearer.
In Obadiah, He is the mighty to save.
In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary. In Micah, He is the messenger of beautiful feet.
In Nahum, He is the avenger of God's elect.
In Habakkuk, He is God's evangelist crying, “Revive thy works in the midst of the years.”
In Zephaniah, He is our Savior.
In Haggai, He is the restorer of God's lost heritage.
In Zechariah, He is the fountain opened in the house of David for sin and uncleanliness.
In Malachi, He is the sun of righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.
In Matthew, He is the King of the Jews.
In Mark, He is the servant.
In Luke, He is the son of man; feeling what you feel.
In John, He is the Son of God.
In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.
In Romans, He is the Righteousness of God.
In 1 Corinthians, He is the rock of all of Israel.
In 2 Corinthians, He is the triumphant one giving victory.
In Galatians, He is your liberty; he set you free.
In Ephesians, He is the head of the Church.
In Philippians, He is your Joy.
In Colossians, He is your completeness.
In 1 & 2 Thessalonians, He is your Hope.
In 1 Timothy, He is your faith.
In 2 Timothy, He is your stability.
In Titus, He is truth.
In Philemon, He is your benefactor.
In Hebrews, He is your perfection.
In James, He is the power behind your faith.
In 1 Peter, He is your example.
And in 2 Peter, He is your purity.
In 1 John, He is your life.
In 2 John, He is your pattern.
And in 3 John, He is your motivation.
In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.
In Revelation, He is your coming King.

He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is the keeper of creation and the creator of all. He is the architect of the universe and the manager of all times. He always was, He always is and He always will be. Unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone. He was bruised and brought healing. He was pierced and eased pain. He was persecuted and brought freedom. He was dead and brought life. He IS risen and brings power. He reigns and brings peace. The world can’t understand Him. The armies can’t defeat Him. The schools can’t explain Him and the leaders can’t ignore Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him. The people couldn’t hold Him. Nero couldn’t crush Him. Hitler couldn’t silence Him. The New Age can’t replace Him and Oprah – can’t explain Him away.
He is life, love, longevity and more. He is goodness, kindness, gentleness and God. He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful and pure. His ways are right. His word’s eternal. His will unchanging and His mind is on me. He is my redeemer. He is my savior. He is my God. He is my peace. He is my joy. He is my comfort. He is my Lord and He rules my life.

Recited at Salem Lutheran Church – December 2010