LOS ANGELES – Patrick Swayze personified a particular kind of masculine grace both on and off screen, from his roles in films like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" to the way he carried himself in his long fight with pancreatic cancer. Swayze died from the illness on Monday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 57.
"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," Annett Wolf said in a statement Monday evening. She declined to give details.
Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from an especially deadly form of cancer. He continued working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E drama series for which he had already made the pilot.
Swayze said he chose not to use painkillers while making "The Beast" because they would have taken the edge off his performance. The show drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran this year, but A&E said it reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.
When he first went public with the illness, some reports gave him only weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic" than that. Swayze acknowledged that time might be running out given the grim nature of the disease.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_en_mo/us_obit_swayze
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 July 2009
CONTACT: Katie Walker
540.659.4942| kwalker@all.org
PENCE AMENDMENT PASSES RULES COMMITTEE; SET FOR FRIDAY VOTE
Washington, DC (24 July 2009) – In a Thursday surprise, an amendment to strip hundreds of millions of dollars from the nation's largest abortion business is set for a Friday vote on the House floor.
The Pence Amendment to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain, of Title X funding in the Labor/Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill passed successfully through the House Rules Committee late Thursday.
"In a time of economic crisis it makes no sense for the federal goverment to spend millions of dollars killing millions of future taxpayers," said Shaun Kenney, executive director of American Life League. "Why are the American people forced to fund this vile organization? It's time our legislators represent the will of the people against Planned Parenthood's powerful Washington lobby."
U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) introduced the Amendment Tuesday which states:
“None of the funds made available under this Act shall be available to Planned Parenthood for any purpose under Title X of the Public Health Services Act.”
American Life League motivated supporters around the country in the past week to support the measure. ALL's STOP Planned Parenthood project is the nation's largest watchdog organization dedicated to eradicating Planned Parenthood in the United States.
“Millions of tax dollars are wasted each year fueling an organization that promotes eugenics and protects sexual predators under the guise of ‘family planning’” said Rita Diller, national director of American Life League’s STOP Planned Parenthood project.
Kenney agrees:
"Planned Parenthood is leeching off our impoverished economy while raking in money hand over first," Kenney said. "Any legislator who votes to fund Planned Parenthood is putting the lives of men, women and children at risk."
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Townhall: It's Time to Defund Planned Parenthood (23 July 2009)
http://townhall.com/columnists/MikePence/2009/07/23/its_time_to_de-fund_planned_parenthood
American Life League: Pence Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funding (22 July 2009)
http://all.org/article.php?id=12055
Standard Newswire: Pence Urges Vote on Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood (23 July 2009)
http://www.standardnewswire.com/news/53704357.html
# # #
_______________________________
Katie Walker
Director of Communication
American Life League
1179 Courthouse Road
Stafford, Virginia 22554
540.659.4942
kwalker@all.org
http://www.all.org/
To unsubscribe, click here
http://ss.all.org/sendfriend.php?M=77267&C=6c8addabd70dfd3f9e88c0099e751bd0&L=5&N=275&F=2&i=289
Katie Walker
Director of Communication
American Life League
1179 Courthouse Road
Stafford, Virginia 22554
540.659.4942
kwalker@all.org http://www.all.org/
Dear Phyllis,
As Congress plans sweeping healthcare reform, there's a troubling legislative development underway on Capitol Hill ...
The proposed healthcare plan currently includes mandatory coverage for abortions in both government and private insurance plans.
This is outrageous! The ACLJ is demanding (review our press release) that Congress insert a critical exemption to REMOVE abortion services from mandatory coverage. We need your help.
Add your name to our online nationwide PETITION TO STOP AN ABORTION MANDATE now and stand with the ACLJ to keep abortion services out of national healthcare legislation.
Decisions about this issue in the coming weeks are essential to the future of the pro-life movement - and, more importantly, the millions of unborn babies killed as a result of any insurance-covered abortion.
Demand that Congress include a critical exemption to REMOVE abortion services from mandatory coverage. Add your name immediately to our online nationwide PETITION TO STOP AN ABORTION MANDATE.
And use our website's forward-to-friend tool to alert other pro-life citizens to this crucial campaign.
Thank you for standing up for life alongside the ACLJ.
To ensure that you continue to receive e-mails from the ACLJ,
please add jsekulow@aclj.org to your address book.
American Center for Law and Justice
P.O. Box 90555, Washington, D.C. 20090-0555
Phone: (800) 296-4529
Copyright©2009, ACLJ | Privacy & Security Policy | Registration | Unsubscribe
The ACLJ is an organization dedicated to the defense of constitutional liberties secured by law.
American Center for Law and Justice is a d/b/a for Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Inc., a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to educate, promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate, to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained b y writing to us at P.O. Box 450349, Atlanta, GA 31145-0349.
As always, let us know of threats to freedom in your area by calling (757) 226-2489. And tune in to our daily radio program, "Jay Sekulow Live!"
For technical problems of any type, contact the tech support staff by visiting www.aclj.org/help. Please provide all the information requested. Please do not use this for general correspondence as it goes to a technical support area.
How do I discontinue my membership/subscription to this e-mail list? Do not respond to this e-mail for any reason. To discontinue your membership automatically, please follow the link below. You joined this list as Phyllis Pleasants at the following e-mail address: stvienxfan@yahoo.com. You must use the correct e-mail address to discontinue your membership.
If you experience any technical problems and/or do not receive confirmation that your request has been completed online, please postal mail, phone, or fax your request using the contact information listed above. Your request will be processed within 10 days of the receipt of your request.
Discontinue my subscription
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE?
Make a secure online credit card donation.
For other ways to support the ACLJ at no additional cost to you, click here
URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW TO STRIP PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF TITLE X FUNDING
Dear friend,
We have less than one week to strip Planned Parenthood of hundreds of millions of tax dollars!
Our team here in Washington D.C. will be pounding the pavement of Capitol Hill to spread this message over the next week, but we can do nothing without your help!
Please call your representative immediately and ask them to act swiftly to make sure the House Rules Committee does not kill an amendment that could save lives. The Pence Amendment deserves an up or down vote!
It’s no secret that Planned Parenthood’s deep pockets are padded by our tax dollars.
It’s no secret that many of the funds freed by our tax dollars not only fund abortions, but are also used for highly offensive, immoral and dangerously misleading projects such as the Planned Parenthood-endorsed It’s Perfectly Normal book as well as Planned Parenthood’s Teen Talk and Take Care Down There web sites.
But it is a well-guarded secret that Planned Parenthood’s agenda is putting our kids in danger from sexual predators on a daily basis, that Planned Parenthood has come under fire for fraudulent use of those very same tax funds, and that Planned Parenthood’s racist mentality has deep roots that stretch all the way back to its founder, Margaret Sanger – a notorious racist and eugenicist.
Next week, Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana will propose an amendment to Title X funding under the 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. His courageous amendment would strip PP of tens of millions of tax dollars.
That means less money for PP’s sick sex-ed programs for children as young as kindergarten.
Less money for PP to peddle subpar condoms.
Less money for PP staffers who cover up statutory rape – a disturbing trend revealed by several recent undercover investigations.
The gravity of PP’s crimes transcends party lines. Any American concerned about keeping our kids safe should support the Pence Amendment.
Last year, PP received over 349.6 million dollars in taxpayer funds.
Now it wants millions more of your tax dollars to support its contraception, abortion and sex education agenda.
Our nation cannot afford to continue funding an organization that systematically destroys the lives of countless men, women and children around the country.
Please call the congressional switchboard NOW at 202-224-3121, OR call your representative’s office directly. Tell them that the Pence Amendment to strip Planned Parenthood of Title X funding deserves an up-or-down vote! The ethic of democracy in our country demands that the House Rules Committee allow a vote on this critical, lifesaving amendment.
Sincerely yours in the Lord Who IS Life!
Judie Brown
President
American Life League
*American Life League is a 501(c)(3) organization cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown and nine other dedicated pro-life Americans. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life educational organization in the United States. Consult your tax advisor about the benefits of donating to our organization.
Unsubscribe from future emails by clicking the link.
http://tv.yahoo.com/slideshow/446/photos/1
Honoring Farrah Fawcett....
had my hair cut just like hers....but I really came to admire her when she broke away from Charlie's Angels and started acting in movies.
She will be missed....love you Farrah.
Two Boxes
God's Boxes
I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me.."
I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."
We should consider all of our friends a blessing.
Send this to a friend today just to let them know you
are thinking of them and that they are a joy in your life.
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.
It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends.
But the treasure inside for you to see,
Is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me.
Today I pass the friendship ball to you.
Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you...
Okay, here goes, instantly when you receive his letter, you
should send it to at least 10 people to brighten their day,
Reporting
Carol Cavazos
MANSFIELD (CBS 11 News) ¯
Is it okay to show your patriotism at the office?
For one Arlington woman, the answer was "no" after she hung an American flag in her office just before the Memorial Day weekend.
Debbie McLucas is one of four hospital supervisors at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield. Last week, she hung a three-by-five foot American flag in the office she shares with the other supervisors.
When McLucas came to work Friday, her boss told her another supervisor had found her flag offensive. "I was just totally speechless. I was like, 'You're kidding me,'" McLucas said.
McLucas' husband and sons are former military men. Her daughter is currently serving in Iraq as a combat medic.
Stifling a cry, McLucas said, "I just wonder if all those young men and women over there are really doing this for nothing."
McLucas said the supervisor who complained has been in the United States for 14 years and is formerly from Africa. McLucas said the supervisor took down Debbie's flag herself.
"The flag and the pole had been placed on the floor," McLucas said. But McLucas also said hospital higher ups had told her some patients' families and visitors had also complained.
"I was told it wouldn't matter if it was only one person," she said. "It would have to come down."
McLucas said hospital bosses told her as far as patriotism was concerned, the flag flying outside the hospital building would have to suffice.
Kindred Hospital Corporate Headquarters are located in Kentucky. They have yet to make a final decision on the matter. They have not returned our phone calls for comment.
The Kindred Hospital Corporation was chosen as Fortune's most admired for 2009. McLucas hopes they'll back her patriotism.
"I find it very frightening because if I can't display my flag, what other freedoms will I lose before all is said and done," McLucas asked.
Dear Phyllis,
It's clear that President Obama - through his actions and his words - is a strict church/state separationist.
Thankfully, there's a strong move taking place on Capitol Hill to refute this troubling denial by President Obama and preserve America's Judeo-Christian heritage.
Give generously to support the ACLJ's nationwide campaign to defend - and protect -America's Judeo-Christian heritage!
Congressman Randy Forbes has put forward a phenomenal resolution called ''America's Spiritual Heritage Resolution'' (H.R. 397).
In essence, the resolution outlines the progression of faith and freedom in our country - from its very inception - and supports the designation of the first week in May as ''America's Spiritual Heritage Week.''
Without a doubt, there's reliance upon the Lord in our country, and we must recognize and respect our rich religious heritage.
As Rep. Forbes (VA) said, ''If in fact we WERE a Judeo-Christian nation, at what point in time did we CEASE being one?''
Give now to undergird the ACLJ's urgent efforts on Capitol Hill to protect America's religious heritage ... and the future of religious freedom in this country!
Help us send a powerful message to Washington: Don't rewrite our nation's history!
To ensure that you continue to receive e-mails from the ACLJ,
please add jsekulow@aclj.org to your address book.
American Center for Law and Justice
P.O. Box 90555, Washington, D.C. 20090-0555
Phone: (800) 296-4529
Copyright©2009, ACLJ | Privacy & Security Policy | Registration | Unsubscribe
Democratic Republic of Congo 
Society & Culture
Teresa
- 47 minutes ago - youtube.com
http://tracking.aclj.org/cgi-bin/track.cgi?11-16100-2486904-82312-https://www.aclj.org/donate/Default.aspx?AC=DNE0904036&SC=3435&email=stvienxfan@yahoo.com&guid=AC84B3E9-D43E-4D1C-B8E0-6F1AC9DD0F37
Dear Phyllis,
It's utterly unconstitutional - the chaplains serving the men and women in our U.S. Armed Forces are being told they cannot pray ''in Jesus' name.''
Give now to help the ACLJ oppose efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others to silence prayer!
At least three major groups - the ACLU, Americans United (AU), and the ''Military Religious Freedom Foundation'' - are pushing to ban prayers in Jesus' name by our military chaplains.
The ACLU has actually threatened a federal lawsuit against the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis - they're insisting that the Naval Academy cut off prayer.
We need your immediate help. Your generous gift will help us fight this now. We're dealing with military institutions, the U.S. Department of Defense, and Members of Congress.
We can't sit silent - for if we do, the Washington decision-makers are only going to hear from the ACLU, Americans United, and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation ...
... and our military chaplains could eventually be banned from speaking the name of Jesus in their ministry to our servicemen and women! We cannot let this happen.
Please give generously today - we must preserve the right to pray in the military. Our own future freedom may depend on it. Thank you in advance.
http://www.popeater.com/movies/article/farrah-fawcett-hospitalized-for-cancer/414494?icid=webmail|wbml-aim|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2Fmovies%2Farticle%2Ffarrah-fawcett-hospitalized-for-cancer%2F414494 (April 4) -- Farrah Fawcett, who has been battling cancer for three years, is reportedly hospitalized due to worsening conditions according to a new report.
PRAYERS FOR THIS GRIEVING FAMILY
Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – 36 mins ago
NASSAU, Bahamas – An autopsy is planned for John Travolta's teenage son, who died after apparently hitting his head on the bathtub while the family was vacationing at their home in the Bahamas, authorities said.
Jett Travolta, 16, had last been seen entering the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, Police Superintendent Basil Rahming said in a statement.
A house caretaker found the teenager unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.
Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub, said a police officer who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matter.
Family attorney Michael Ossi said in a statement that Jett died suddenly on Friday. Publicists Samantha Mast and Paul Bloch released the statement but could not be reached for additional comment.
Obie Wilchcombe, a parliament member and former tourism minister in the Bahamas, said that an autopsy is planned for Monday, and "we expect a quick resolution."
"John spoke with the minister of health and the doctors and police are at the hospital. They're very, very quick to resolve things," he said.
Wilchcombe said Travolta "spent a tremendous amount of time with Jett."
"He always brought him along. There was a close affectionate relationship and lots of love," Wilchcombe told "Larry King Live" in a live telephone interview. "People in the old Bahama community today are in shock."
Travolta, 54, and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, 46, also have an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu. The family had arrived in the Bahamas on a private plane Tuesday and was vacationing at their home in the Old Bahama Bay resort community.
Preston and Travolta have said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. She blamed household cleaners and fertilizers, and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine. Both Travolta and Preston are practicing Scientologists.
"I was obsessive about his space being cleaned. We constantly had the carpets cleaned," Travolta said in a 2001 interview with CNN's Larry King, a portion of which was rebroadcast on the "Larry King Live" show Friday night. During that interview, when Jett was 9, Travolta spoke of how his son nearly died when he was 2.
It is unclear whether Jett was taking any medications for his seizures.
The Scientology Celebrity Center in Los Angeles declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.
Travolta's corporate and commercial attorney, Michael McDermott, said the actor had a very strong relationship with his son.
"There was unspoken communication between the two. ... It's just so hard," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Kelly is very quiet and both are grieving."
McDermott said his family and other friends are with the couple in the Bahamas. The group came for a two-day New Year's celebration and had planned to return to Florida on Sunday.
"We're are all here and trying to help in any way we can," McDermott said. "Their pain is so evident."
Travolta, who gained fame as Vinnie Barbarino on the 1970s television show "Welcome Back, Kotter" and the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever," went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest names. He married Preston in 1991.
A television actress, Preston appeared with Travolta in the 2000 film "Battlefield Earth," based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Satan's meeting - thank you so much Phyllis for highlighting through this how we can so easily lose God - I thank him everyday that he never loses us and praise the Lord for keeping me focused on Him every second of every day. What an amazing Father in Heaven we have !!!
http://www.beliefnet.com/gallery/tipsforthesuddenlyunemployed.html?WT.mc_id=NL53
By Jennifer Kushell
For the tens of thousands who have lost their jobs, and the millions of others fearing for the jobs they still have, YSN.com's Jennifer Kushell shares these tips to survive the initial shock -- and bounce back like a star.
Read the First Tip
> Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
>
> In his opening address he said,
>
> "We can't keep Christians from going to church."
>
> "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
>
> "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with
their saviour."
>
> "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is
broken."
>
> "So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish
dinners
> BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship
with Jesus Christ.."
>
> "This is what I want you to do," said the devil:
>
> "Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that
vital connection throughout their day!"
>
> "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.
>
> "Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable
schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
>
> "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
>
> "Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to
work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty
lifestyles."
>
> "Keep them from spending time with their children."
>
> "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape
from the pressures of work!"
>
> "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small
voice."
>
> "Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive."
> To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home
and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays
non-biblical music constantly."
>
> "This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
>
> "Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
>
> "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
>
> "Invade their driving moments with billboards."
>
> "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs,
sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free
products, services and false hopes.."
>
> "Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their
husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll
become dissatisfied with their wives. "
>
> "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
>
> "Give them headaches too! "
>
> "If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin
to look elsewhere."
>
> "That will fragment their families quickly!"
>
> "Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children
the real meaning of Christmas."
>
> "Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection
and power over sin and death."
>
> "Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
>
> "Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
>
> "Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation.
> Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and
movies instead."
>
> "Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
>
> "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip
and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."
>
> "Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek
power from Jesus."
>
> "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their
health and family for the good of the cause."
>
> "It will work!"
>
> "It will work!"
>
> It was quite a plan!
>
> The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians
everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.
>
> Having little time for their God or their families.
>
> Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
>
> I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
>
> You be the judge!!!!!
>
> Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080927/ap_en_ot/obit_newman
What a man, a great humanitarian....he is a legend, and I miss him already. Say a prayer.
Having bipolar disorder doesn't mean you can't also have a spiritual life. In fact, it may help.
By Therese Borchard
Print Page
I don't think I'm romanticizing my bipolar disorder in saying that my real faith, the engine that propels me to love better and be better, was born during my severely ill days, that my mood disorder has been a helping hand in teaching me what I'm made of.
Not only can bipolar disorder act as a refiner's fire, purifying the faith of a believer, but manic depression itself, can mimic the behavior of someone growing in her spiritual life. That's great news for me! The next time I get manic and tell an inappropriate joke to a colleague, I can say that I'm just getting closer to God, that's all. A confusing statement, but a true one, I believe.
Carmelite scholar Kevin Culligan, O.C.D., explains this concept in his fascinating essay that was published as part of Dr. Keith J. Egan's book, "Carmelite Prayer: A Tradition for the 21st Century":
"The spiritual life can also easily mask a bipolar disorder or what has traditionally been called a manic-depressive condition. As a mood disorder, depression has usually been linked in systems of classifications of mental disorders with mania, an agitated mood that is at the other end of the affective continuum opposite a depressed or dysphoric mood. Manic symptoms are many: inappropriate elation, excessive irritability, severe insomnia, grandiose notions, increased talking, disconnected and racing thoughts, heightened sexual desire, markedly increased energy, poor judgment, and disruptive social behavior. These symptoms may suddenly appear in a person committed to the spiritual journey and life of prayer as making dramatic prophetic gestures, for example, standing on the street corner denouncing abortion or announcing the imminent Second Coming, or giving away one’s financial savings to charitable causes.
"Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross both stress that social consciousness and service of others are effects of genuine contemplative prayer. However, the sudden extreme, and, to one's family and friends, embarrassing character of a manic episode makes it easily distinguishable from the social fruits of contemplative prayer. Two or more of the manic symptoms noted above continuing over a two-month period can be an indicator of a bipolar disorder.
"As with serious depressive symptoms, evaluation and, if necessary, treatment are recommended. Just as we suspect something wrong when a person is continually down, with low energy, and withdrawn, so we also suspect something amiss when a person is on a continual high, with boundless energy, and talking incessantly.
"The diagnostic rule of thumb with mood disorders is balance between ups and downs. When we observe someone at either end of the mood continuum, higher or lower than we expect in normal everyday life, we may suspect a bipolar condition that is possibly in need of treatment."
8 Steps for Aging Gracefully
By Andrew Weil, M.D.
The suggestions in this gallery are intended to help you become more aware of your spiritual self. Any activity that makes you feel more alive, more connected to others and to nature, less isolated, more comfortable with change, is beneficial. It will enhance your physical and mental health. It will help you accept the fact of your aging. It will help you to age gracefully.
Take the first step to graceful aging....
http://www.beliefnet.com/gallery/aginggracefully.html
This post was modified from its original form on 07 Sep, 6:41
Tips for recovering your broken heart and taking the next step in your life.
In Tyler Perry's new movie, "The Family That Preys," paternity secrets, marital infidelity, greed and unsavory business dealings threaten to break up marriages and derail the lasting friendship between two families. To keep their friendship alive despite all the chaos, the two families’ matriarchs, Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and her dear friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) embark on a cross-country road trip. Along the way, they rediscover themselves and find ways to save their loved ones from splitting apart.
A road trip is certainly an original way to handle break-up stress! Here are ten other great tips.
http://www.beliefnet.com/topten/breakuphealers_intro.html
Friends,
Click here to view our online Blessing of the Animal's Service Resource, and here to reserve your copy of "Tending the Garden"!
God created an abundant world, filled with glorious creatures both large and small. As stewards of God's Creation we are called to protect all life, to keep and care for the garden. The blessing of fruitfulness is given to all of Creation in Genesis, and it is our duty to ensure that all life is allowed the opportunity of fruitfulness. God blessed the Earth so that all living beings will prosper with great abundance and diversity.
The protection of biodiversity, or the diversity of all life, is an essential part of our roles as stewards of Creation.
Every year, October the 4th is recognized as St. Francis Day, and is often celebrated through a Blessing of the Animals Service. The service recognizes the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, who wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God's living things. "All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures." Christians everywhere celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4 by blessing their pets in the spirit of this patron saint of animals and ecology. In the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark, it is clear that God provided for the blessing of animals in the same way that God provided for people. It is in that tradition that we pass God's blessing onto other generations of animals, reminding ourselves that God is in covenant not just with us, but with all of Creation.
This St. Francis Day, we invite you to celebrate in two ways. First, by holding a Blessing of the Animals Service in your community. Click here to view an online resource, including basic how-to's, along with worship and scriptural resources. Also, we encourage you to make the celebration of the biodiversity of God's Creation an integral part of your church's faith life, through our upcoming resource "Tending the Garden". Click here to reserve your copy now, or check online for its availabilty in PDF form in the next 2 weeks.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click here to check out our blog!
Click here to join our Facebook cause!
Click here to view our YouTube page!
Click here to make a donation and support the work of the Eco-Justice Program!
Here are 6 important facts about saving money.
1.) It is imporatant because it is part of God's plan for meeting our needs.
2.) It is hard now but it will reward us later.
3.) It takes planning and work, but it is less effort than getting out of debt.
4.) Responsible people do it because they know they will need the money someday.
5.) We should save with a purpose in mind ( not for greed) so we know when to use the money we have saved.
6.) God gives us the ability to earn money, but He wants us to use it wisely. This includes saving.
See Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Related Verses:
Genesis 41:35-36; Proverbs 13:11
THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008
Dear Phyllis,
They're at it again.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is once again targeting the constitutionality of prayer -
This time, they are leveling their misguided threats at one of the most revered branches of our military ... the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.
Help the ACLJ answer the ACLU with the force of thousands of voices raised in protest: Sign on to our PROCLAMATION OF SOLIDARITY FOR THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY and protect the constitutional right to prayer!
I also ask you to use our website forward-to-friend tool to alert your friends of this important issue.
Here's the situation: For more than 160 years, there's been a mealtime prayer at noon at the U.S. Naval Academy ...
... a time-honored tradition of voluntary prayer that is now under attack.
The ACLU is demanding that the Naval Academy stop this long-standing tradition - or face a federal lawsuit.
This is an outrage! Congress and Supreme Court precedent support voluntary prayer. But, the ACLU is trying to shut down prayer - claiming voluntary prayer somehow violates the U.S. Constitution.
The ACLJ is taking immediate action and we need your help. Add your name to our online PROCLAMATION OF SOLIDARITY and encourage the Naval Academy to stand firm - to keep the noontime prayer - and to say NO to the unfounded demands of the ACLU.
THE ACLU IS DEAD WRONG. The Naval Academy's longstanding tradition of having a chaplain offer a brief word of prayer before lunch does not violate the First Amendment, nor does it endorse a particular religious viewpoint.
The fact is the lunchtime prayer at the Naval Academy is voluntary - and voluntary public acknowledgement of God is uniquely compatible with military service.
We've sent the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy a detailed letter outlining the legal reasons why this prayer tradition - believed to date back to the school's founding in 1845 - is not only proper but constitutional as well.
We've launched this nationwide campaign so you can join your voice with ours in this debate! Urge the Academy to uphold this tradition of military prayer by signing our nationwide online PROCLAMATION OF SOLIDARITY right now.
I'm grateful for the dedicated service of those at the Naval Academy who have committed their lives to defending the freedoms of Americans at home and abroad.
It's time for you and me to return the favor. Stand on behalf of the U.S. Naval Academy and in defense of their time-honored, constitutionally-protected traditions. Please make your voice heard by signing the ACLJ's online PROCLAMATION OF SOLIDARITY today.
Thank you.
ESPN anchorwoman tells audience: 'F--- Jesus'
ESPN, ABC Refuse to Take Any Action
Dear Frank,
ESPN and its parent company, ABC, have refused to take any action against ESPN anchorwoman Dana Jacobson for her hateful, slurring remarks against Jesus, saying "F-- -- Jesus."
On January 11, Jacobson was speaking at a celebrity roast in Atlantic City, N.J., when she unleashed a profane tirade, saying, "F--- Notre Dame," "F--- Touchdown Jesus" and finally "F--- Jesus."
"Touchdown Jesus" is the popular moniker for a statue of Jesus raising his arms, located on the Notre Dame campus.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke with ESPN about the attack and received an e-mail from Jacobson which basically treated the incident as a non-event. The statement said, in part, "I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words."
Jacobson's comments were at a public event where she was representing ESPN.
The fact that neither ESPN nor ABC has taken any action against Jacobson indicates they have a bias against Christians. Donohue said that Jacobson should be fired.
This anti-Christian bias of the networks is becoming commonplace. Actress Kathy Griffin used her appearance on the Emmy Awards program to tell Jesus to "suck it," responding to athletes who thank Jesus when they achieve certain levels. No action was taken against Griffin.
Send your e-mail to ESPN asking that Jacobson be fired for her hateful comments.Forward this e-mail to your family and friends asking that they send the e-mail to ESPN.
Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution? Click here to make a donation.
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman American Family Association Donate with confidence to AFA
