- Created on 19 March 2013
Affirmation: There Is Hope
Hope often gets a bad rap. For some, it conjures up images of a blissfully naïve chump pushing up against a wall with a big smile. That's a shame. The person who has hope has the will and determination that goals will be achieved, and a set of different strategies at their disposal to reach their goals. Put simply: hope involves the will to get there, and different ways to get there.
The dictionary has the following definition for hope
hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation
Life is difficult. There are many obstacles. Having goals is not enough. One has to keep getting closer to those goals, amidst all the inevitable twists and turns of life. Hope allows people to approach problems with a mindset and strategy-set suitable to success, thereby increasing the chances they will actually accomplish their goals.Hope is not just a feel-good emotion, but a psychological trigger. When you hope you think outside the box.
Hope is a portion or part of faith. Faith and hope, in my mind, are overlapping realities: hope is faith in the future tense. So most of faith is hope.
The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). This implies that hope, like faith, is also strengthened by the word of God. Hope comes from reading his precious and very great promises and looking to Christ who purchased them.
It is important for us to remind ourselves that we are not helpless and we are doing our best to get better.
- Created on 19 March 2013
Pastor Gets Life Sentence After Killing Second Wife
A former Pennsylvania pastor was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole in the fatal bludgeoning of his second wife in 2008.
crimeArthur "A.B." Schirmer, 64, was sentenced in Monroe County Court nearly two months after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of Betty Schirmer. The conviction brought an automatic life sentence.
"My mom is finally able to rest in peace," Betty Schirmer's son, Nate Novack, said after the sentencing. "We do have some closure and it's a great day overall, even though the life conviction isn't going to bring my mom back."
Schirmer is charged separately with killing his first wife, Jewel Schirmer, in 1999. He awaits trial in that case.
Prosecutors said he clubbed Betty Schirmer on the head with a crowbar, then loaded her into their car and staged a low-speed accident in an effort to conceal the crime. The former Methodist clergyman took the stand in his own defense and testified that he was driving her to the emergency room for treatment of jaw pain when he swerved to avoid a deer and hit a guard rail.
A jury deliberated about 90 minutes before returning its verdict.
Local police initially believed Betty Schirmer's July 2008 death was the result of a car crash. State police began a more thorough investigation months later, when a man committed suicide in Schirmer's office after learning the pastor was in a relationship with his wife, the church secretary.
Authorities ultimately concluded the fender-bender could not have caused Betty Schirmer's extensive head and brain injuries. Police also found her blood on the garage floor, along with evidence that someone had tried to clean it up.
- Created on 14 March 2013
Affirmation For Today: Today I Am Able To Deal With Anything Calmly
An affirmation is a great way to start training your mind toward a positive way of thinking. Coupled with other positive thinking exercises, a positive affirmation will help you overcome any obstacle that is put in front of you. The object of these positive thinking exercises is to ensure that you train the most powerful muscle in your body: your brain.
Here is your affirmation for today which can help keep your day in alignment with your desire to be able to deal with anything calmly.
Affirmation For Today: Today I Am Able To Deal With Anything Calmly
Write the affirmation down and / or program an alert in your phone /computer to repeat throughout the day for inspiration to your brain.
- Created on 18 March 2013
Michael Vick Returns to Atlanta for Church Appearance After Canceling Book Tour
Just days after cancelling book signings, Michael Vick made a special appearance at a Stone Mountain church Saturday.
It's been several years since Vick was convicted on dog fighting charges. He's since worked to try to change things, and Saturday he brought his message back to the Atlanta area.
Vick received a warm reception at the victory for the world church, where he stopped by to encourage teens to make the right choices and avoid having to get second chances.
"I'm glad to be back," Vick told the congregation. "Every decision counts, it's very important to think before you speak, think before you act and kind of depend on the people who really believe in you."
Vick was invited by Team Freedom Outreach, a program that works with teens in youth detention centers. The appearance comes days after Vick cancelled book signings in Atlanta and two other states. He's been promoting his autobiography, "Finally Free."
PETA wants to make their opinion of Michael Vick crystal clear.
They issued the following statement:
"PETA believes that Michael Vick should be banned from owning dogs for life. Just as convicted pedophiles aren't allowed free access to children, anyone who is responsible for hanging, electrocuting, or shooting dogs or who has caused them to suffer in other unimaginable ways should never again be allowed access to dogs.
Michael Vick's book "Finally Free" shows how a gifted athlete's life spiraled out of control under the glare of money and fame, aided by his own poor choices. In his own words, Vick details his regrets, his search for forgiveness, the moments of unlikely grace—and the brokenness that brought his redemption on the way to a surprising, fairy-tale season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. Michael says he want to be remembered for so much more.
"I want to be remembered as a guy who never gave up, whether with my family, out on the football field, in a prison cell, or playing one-on-one basketball with somebody in the neighborhood. Standing firm in God always, pushing through, even in my darkest moments."
- Created on 13 March 2013
Pope Francis Name 'Precedent Shattering'
(CNN) -- Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, the new pope, is breaking historic ground by choosing the name Francis.
It's the first time the name is being used by a pope, said CNN Vatican expert John Allen.
The name parallels one of the most venerated figures in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Francis of Assisi.
Allen described the name of Pope Francis as "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering."
"There are cornerstone figures in Catholicism" such as St. Francis, Allen said. Figures of such stature as St. Francis seem "irrepeatable -- that there can be only one Francis," Allen added.
The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.
"The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual," Allen said.
