Top 10 Gospel Albums

 Written by Oretha Winston on May 30, 2011, Elev8.com

The summer of Gospel music is starting to heat up. Yolanda, Kirk and Mary Mary maintain  their strength in the top 10 chart positions. Kim Burrell’s latest project, The Love Album, has entered Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart at #5
Here are the  Top 10 Gospel albums this week
1 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
2 | Mary Mary – Something Big
3 | WOW Gospel 2011
4 | Yolanda Adams – Becoming
5 | Kim Burrell – The Love Album
6 | Deitrick Haddon – Church On The Moon
7 | Juanita Bynum – More Passion
8 | Martha Munizzi – Make It Loud
9 | Ricky Dillard – Keep Living
10 | Marvin Sapp – Playlist: The Very Best of Marvin Sapp
What are your favorites?

Daily Direction

Helping you discover the truth of God's Word

Daily Directions, featuring Dr. Melvin Banks, is the two-minute daily radio program based on the themes found in UMI's annual commentary Precepts for Living.

Melvin Banks Sr., D. Lit.

 

May 31, 2011  |  ROMANS 9:6-12

Do You Remember The Poem “Invictus”?

William Henley wrote the poem "Invictus" in 1875. The last stanza goes like this: "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." Some quote the poem to express persistence during trials. Others quote it to express their belief that God does not exist to whom we must give account. The Bible makes it clear that while we humans do have freedom of choice, God reserves the right to overrule our choices to carry out His purposes. The Apostle Paul discussed this issue in his letter to the Romans. His critics questioned whether Jesus could be the promised Messiah since so few Jews accepted Him as such. Paul answered his critics this way: God is sovereign and retains the right to do as He pleases. He argues that even though we humans have free will and are indeed responsible for the choices we make, God can still overrule us and fulfill His purpose and plans. Unlike the attitude expressed by the poet, we do not have the last word concerning our fate, nor are we the captain of our souls. Paul asks a sobering question to those who complain about God's absolute rule, "Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God?" The only correct response we should have toward God's sovereign will is this: We should submit to Him and seek to do what pleases Him.

10 Foods Fit For Your Body

Written by Latwanas Stephens on May 26, 2011. Elev8.com

We all know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. They contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients to keep our bodies running in peak condition. Study after study shows that people who consume the most fruits and veggies are less at risk for a host of illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. And so, farmers’ markets have started cropping up all over and supermarkets have begun expanding their produce sections to accommodate the increased demand.

Eight Ways To Know If You’re Fit

The best fruits and vegetables to eat are the ones grown locally and seasonally. Doing this saves money, protects the planet, and pleases your palate. Crops are more bountiful during their natural harvest times, and your pocketbook benefits from the surplus. Plus, if you buy locally, you won’t incur the costs of the food being transported to your store, and the planet won’t incur the costs of fossil fuels being burned to ship that food. But even if money were no object and global warming weren’t an issue, the best reason to eat locally and seasonally is taste. The following 10 foods are reaching their seasonal peaks. They’re grown and available in most regions of the United States.

1. Apples. An apple a day can keep the doctor away in more ways than one. Studies have shown that apples can help lower cholesterol, manage diabetes, and prevent several diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, and asthma. Make sure you don’t peel the apple. The peel contains quercetin, an antioxidant shown in a Finnish study to reduce heart disease and inhibit tumor growth. The skin also contains insoluble fiber; the flesh contains pectin, a soluble fiber. While apples are great on their own, they also make great crunchy additions to salads or tasty additions to baked dessert treats.
2. Corn. Generally, our society eats way too much corn. It’s in almost every food we eat, especially in its most nefarious form-high fructose corn syrup. It’s easily America’s number one crop. But fall is the time when we get the harvest of the tastiest sweet corn. Besides being delicious, in its unprocessed state, it’s actually quite healthy. A food study at Cornell University showed that ferulic acid, an antioxidant produced when sweet corn is cooked, is another heart disease and cancer fighter. It’s also a good source of vitamins B1, B5, and C, folate, and fiber. Besides eating it on the cob, try corn in salads or as a colorful, crunchy addition to a salsa.
3. Cucumbers. Normally, we don’t see cucumbers until they’ve been pickled and sliced and added to two all-beef patties and a sesame seed bun. Cucumbers are very low in calories (just 4 calories per ounce), a natural diuretic, and thought to help prevent pancreatic, liver, and kidney diseases. They contain potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. The skin contains silica, which helps strengthen connective tissue. And they’re not just for eating. The juice makes a great skin lotion. Those spa ladies with cucumber slices on their eyes aren’t doing it for nothing. The juice reduces swelling not just for eye bags but also for burns and skin disorders. A tasty way to eat cucumbers is my Russian grandmother’s simple recipe of thinly sliced cucumbers, low-fat yogurt, thinly sliced onion, and chopped dill (she actually used sour cream too, but we won’t go there).
4. Eggplant. Eggplants contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and also high levels of antioxidants, including nasunin, which has been shown to protect cells from free radical damage. Eggplants also contain terpenes, which are believed to help lower cholesterol. Eggplant is a very versatile ingredient in all kinds of cooking, including Italian, Indian, and Chinese dishes. It can be baked, stewed, or sautéed, among other cooking methods. One thing to watch out for is that the flesh of the eggplant is highly absorptive, so if you fry it in oil, it will soak it all up. One cooking technique is to lightly salt sliced eggplant before cooking it; then let it sit for a half hour and rinse the salt off. This will cause the cell structure of the eggplant to contract, making it a little less “spongey.” My mom’s been dealing with a bumper crop of eggplant from her backyard garden and has been putting eggplant in everything. A recent success was replacing the pasta in her favorite lasagna recipe with thinly sliced eggplant. It absorbed the tomato sauce instead of the oil and made the dish richer and creamier.
5. Grapes. There’s been much written about the benefits of wine, and the harvest for the 2009 vintages is beginning. But you don’t have to get loaded to get the benefits of grapes. In their unfermented state, they’re a great source of vitamins A, B6, and C, folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and fiber. Like apples, they contain the antioxidant quercitin. They also contain resveratrol, which has been shown to reduce blood clots and protect arteries from free radical damage. Generally speaking, the darker the grape, the higher the antioxidant levels. Grapes are great snacks and low in calories. They make great additions to salads, or you can freeze them for a warm-weather treat.
6. Okra. This may be the most intimidating ingredient on this list. Many people are put off by okra’s bristly outside and somewhat slimy inside, but it has a lot of health benefits that should make you take a second look. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And it has great gastrointestinal benefits. Its high mucilage content, which thickens stews and gumbos, also helps absorb cholesterol, toxins, and bile and has a gentle laxative effect. Its seeds also contain amino acids and protein. It is also believed to be good for the skin and hair. It has been said that Cleopatra ate okra as part of her beauty regimen. Okra is great in soups and stews or lightly sautéed as a side dish.
7. Pears. This is my favorite fall food. The biggest, juiciest pears start showing up in farmers’ markets right about now. Besides being a great source of stains on my shirts, they have high levels of vitamins C and K, copper, and fiber. They contain even more of the soluble fiber pectin than apples, which can play an important part in digestive health and lowering cholesterol. Pears have also been shown to reduce kidney inflammation and colitis. Asian pears, which are crunchy like an apple, are also in season now and contain the health benefits of both fruits. Pears are great plain, broiled, or poached. Asian pears can be shredded as a healthy addition to a slaw.
8. Peppers. Whether you like them spicy or sweet, now is prime pepper-picking time. Fiber-rich peppers have high levels of vitamins A, C, and K, with red peppers containing the highest levels. Red peppers, like tomatoes, are also good sources of lycopene, which studies show may be linked to cancer prevention. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which has been shown to help prevent ulcers and lower cholesterol. Plus, hot peppers can help ramp up your metabolism. I can’t think of many dishes that couldn’t be improved with a little peppery zip. Soups, stir-frys, salads . . . I even had some chocolate cayenne ice cream that was pretty good.
9. Raspberries. Raspberries are some of the healthiest, but priciest, berries out there. So now when they’re in season is the most economical time to enjoy them. Raspberries contain several flavonoids called anthocyanins, believed to have antimicrobial properties, which can help prevent fungal and yeast infections and aid with irritable bowel syndrome. A Netherlands study recently showed that raspberries had 10 times as many antioxidants as tomatoes. Like apples and pears, they also contain high levels of pectin. While they’re great as snacks and desserts, think about trying them in a salad.
10. Tomatoes. The big new star of the tomato nutritional profile is lycopene. This carotenoid has increasingly been shown to be a powerful antioxidant that may play a big role in preventing cancer and heart disease. They are also great sources of vitamin C. And for those of you who don’t care for raw tomatoes (as George Carlin said, they look like they’re in the larval stage), tomatoes lose very little of their nutritional value when cooked. So they can be enjoyed stewed, in sauce, and even as ketchup (although we recommend a ketchup free of high fructose corn syrup and low in sodium). This is a prime time to seek out tomatoes at the farmers’ market. Especially exotic are the heirloom varieties that come in yellows, greens, purples, browns, and reds. They can make a beautiful multicolored and antioxidant-rich salad.

Daily Bread: Let Honor Meet Honor

May 30, 2011 — by Randy Kilgore

I’ve always been impressed by the solemn, magnificent simplicity of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The carefully choreographed event is a moving tribute to soldiers whose names—and sacrifice—are “known but to God.” Equally moving are the private moments of steady pacing when the crowds are gone: back and forth, hour after hour, day by day, in even the worst weather.

In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on Washington, DC, and the guards were told they could seek shelter during the worst of the storm. Surprising almost no one, the guards refused! They unselfishly stood their post to honor their fallen comrades even in the face of a hurricane.

Underlying Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:1-6, I believe, is His desire for us to live with an unrelenting, selfless devotion to Him. The Bible calls us to good deeds and holy living, but these are to be acts of worship and obedience (vv.4-6), not orchestrated acts for self-glorification (v.2). The apostle Paul endorses this whole-life faithfulness when he pleads with us to make our bodies “a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1).

May our private and public moments speak of our devotion and wholehearted commitment to You, Lord.

Grant me the strength this day, O Lord, to persevere,
to return honor to Your name where I am serving.
My desire is to give myself in selfless devotion
because of Your love for me. Amen.

The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve self.

Houston Church Sues To Remove Lewd Minister

Written by Elev8 on May 27, 2011

Members of an east Houston Baptist church filed a lawsuit this week to remove their minister, a man they accused of abusing alcohol, threatening parishioners with fists and a firearm, making lewd remarks to females and embarrassing the congregation by being arrested for waving a pistol while speeding down a freeway.

10 Steps To Prevent Sex Abuse In Churches

The plaintiffs, 70 members of Mount Olive Baptist Church, 3515 Yellowstone, also accused the Rev. Theodore Baines Sr., 49, of Rosenberg, of making unauthorized electronic withdrawals from a church account. A hearing for a temporary restraining order in the case has been set for June 6 in Judge Jaclanel McFarland’s 133rd state district court. A telephone call to Baines’ church office on Thursday was answered by a woman who identified herself as the church secretary. She declined to refer the call to the minister, saying that the plaintiffs weren’t church members.

One of the plaintiffs, Elton Valary, who said he has been a member for about four years, said that “everyone who signed is a member.” “If I’m not a member,” he said, “I’ve been putting my money in the wrong envelope.”

Baines was selected to lead the largely African-American congregation in October 2009. However, the lawsuit contends, the minister never was formally installed. read more here

Michelle Obama Discusses The Sacrifices Of Military Families [VIDEO]

Written by Oretha Winston on May 30, 2011, Elev8.com

First Lady Michelle Obama visited The Gayle King Show to alert the public that their help is needed with military families.This weekend as we think about our soldiers who lost their lives in far off land, we pause for a  moment.

“This is a challenge to every segment of American society not to simply say thank you but to mobilize, take action and make a real commitment to supporting our military families,” Mrs. Obama said.

President Barack Obama, for his part, said it was time to do more to support “the force behind the force.”

“They, too, are the reason we’ve got the finest military in the world,” he said.

Over the past year, Mrs. Obama’s primary focus has been an ambitious campaign against childhood obesity, in which she urged businesses, non-profits, school and others to get involved in fighting the problem. Now Mrs. Obama, working closely with Mrs. Biden, wants to use that same model to tackle military family issue.

As a down payment, the White House released a list of companies and groups that already have signed on to the effort.

For example, Best Buy’s Geek Squad will help military families use technology to connect with loved ones who are deployed, Sears and WalMart will offer transfers to employees who are military spouses who have to move, and the national PTA will expand efforts.

Watch the video below:

Daily Bread - Keeping The Wonder

On a recent trip, my wife was seated near a mother with a young boy on his first flight. As the plane took off, he exclaimed, “Mom, look how high we are! And everything’s getting smaller!” A few minutes later he shouted, “Are those clouds down there? What are they doing under us?” As time passed, other passengers read, dozed, and lowered their window shades to watch the in-flight video. This boy, however, remained glued to the window, absorbed in the wonder of all he was seeing.

For “experienced travelers” in the Christian life, there can be great danger in losing the wonder. The Scriptures that once thrilled us may become more familiar and academic. We may fall into the lethargy of praying with our minds but not our hearts.
Peter urged the early followers of Christ to continue growing in their faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). He said, “If these things are yours and abound [or are increasing], you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.8). Without them we become blind and forget the marvel of being cleansed from our sins (v.9).

May God grant us all grace to keep growing in the wonder of knowing Him.
On such love, my soul, still ponderLove so great, so rich, so free;Say, while lost in holy wonder,“Why, O Lord, such love to me?” —Kent

Continual growing in Christcomes from a deepening knowledge of Him.

TRENDING: Obama's 2012 Campaign Makes Moves

(CNN)– There are 531 days to go until the 2012 presidential election, and a new web video released today by the Obama campaign promises a jump start for a campaign designed to reignite President Obama's backers and build grassroots support.



"In September and October we will see a sea of volunteers come into our offices. We know we have to have an infrastructure in place, an organization in place to properly channel that energy," Obama's Battleground Director Mitch Stewart says in the video."What we've learned is that the best way is to have a team up where we empower local volunteers to take leadership roles within our campaign [and] make decisions within our campaign in their neighborhood or in their community based off of the work they have done leading up to the election, but also because of their experience."





"But we have a lot of work to do," Stewart admitted.
A summer organizer program will have supporters going door-to-door, registering voters to build group support within neighborhoods throughout the country, a function that Stewart says will make up the heart and soul of the campaign.
The campaign also plans to make the standard telephone calls, meet with past supporters and prospective new ones individually in a "One-on-One Program."








"The results are a massive army of newly energized volunteers, plus thousands of pages of ideas and feedback that will inform how we shape our organization nationally," Stewart said. "We're going to build it from the ground up. And we're going to use this summer to roll out our team







model and organizing structure through grassroots planning sessions in homes and by videoconference."
Such grassroots efforts were also part of Obama's successful 2008 campaign, which incorporated the internet and social networking to rally new supporters and made strides with the help of their "Yes We Can" slogan.
Numbers show the energy is still there for Obama's 2012 reelection. Applications to work on the president's campaign this time around have already exceeded the numbers at this point in the 2008 campaign.








Obama's re-election campaign is headquartered in One Prudential Plaza in downtown Chicago. In his 2008 campaign for president, Obama hauled in a record breaking $750 million dollars.
The president has the potential to raise up to $1 billion in his bid for re-election.

Daily Bread - Are You Listening?

He was frustrated. He was angry. He was tired of being blamed for everything that went wrong. Year after year, he had gotten them through one disaster after another. He was continually interceding on their behalf to keep them out of trouble. But all he got for his efforts was more grief. Finally, in exasperation, he said, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10).

That suggestion might sound preposterous, but it wasn’t. Forty years earlier, the previous generation had the same complaint: no water. God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff (Ex. 17:6). When he obeyed, water gushed out—plenty of water. When the grumbling started again so many years later, Moses did the thing that worked before. But this time it was the wrong thing to do. What Moses told the Israelites to do—to listen—he himself had not done. God had told him to speak to the rock this time, not strike it.

Sometimes in exhaustion or exasperation, we don’t pay close attention to God. We assume He will always work the same way. But He doesn’t. Sometimes He tells us to act; sometimes He tells us to speak; sometimes He tells us to wait. That is why we must always be careful to listen before we take action.

Lord, help us to obey Your Word,To heed Your still small voice;And may we not be swayed by men,But make Your will our choice. —D. De Haan


Listen—then obey.

Whaaaaattttttt.....Black women ugly? Says who?

(CNN) --

In a couple of weeks my mother turns 65.
She takes yoga and Zumba every chance she gets and if you sneeze more than twice around her, she'll cook you a pot of collard greens. My mother believes her collard greens can fix just about anything.

She has a fiery personality that can rub people the wrong way. But those who know her don't mind, because it was that same fire that helped her overcome poverty, beat cancer and protect her five cubs. My mother is a black woman. And she is beautiful.

So to the editors of Psychology Today who thought it was a good idea to post a blog item calling black women ugly, I suggest you watch your back... my mother's cubs are looking for you.
And we are not happy.

Satoshi Kanazawa's post, "Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?" appeared Sunday and quickly circulated around the blogosphere. It drew a great deal of criticism, which I suspect led to the post being pulled, though you can still find it elsewhere on the Web.

While it's not quite as bad as Golfweek magazine putting a noose on its cover in relationship to a story about Tiger Woods, it is still rather disturbing that Psychology Today's editors needed public outcry to clue them in that the post was offensive and irresponsible.

It's challenging enough to see popular culture publications such as People and Maxim struggle to include black women in their annual most-beautiful listings, but at least their editors don't try to justify their choices under the guise of science.

"Because they have existed much longer in human evolutionary history, Africans have more mutations in their genomes than other races," Kanazawa's post read. "And the mutation loads significantly decrease physical attractiveness."

I do not dispute Kanazawa's credentials as an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics, but I do wonder why he even approached the topic.
I question a methodology that asks random people to judge the attractiveness of other random people without taking into account the influence of background and culture. Without taking into account a Westernized standard of beauty that has not only haunted some black women into buying cream to bleach their skin but prompted some Asian-Americans to undergo surgery to make their eyes more European looking.

That's not to say white skin or round eyes are necessarily unattractive. Rather, a system that declares one set of physical attributes as the standard to which a multiethnic society must adhere is destructive. And racist. And yet as much as I detest Kanazawa's post, I do recognize it as just another chapter in the ongoing assault on black women in our culture.
He says they're ugly.

The statistics say 42% have never been married.
Some rappers say, well, we know what they say... and apparently we don't mind, because they keep topping the charts.

If you comb through Donald Bogle's book "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films," you'll find a long celluloid history of black women being portrayed as anything but beautiful. Their sass is a constant source of comedic relief, but rarely are they seen as complete human beings, to be romanced or capable of being vulnerable.

Nowadays the most popular black female characters in film are not even played by black women. Tyler Perry's "Madea" and Martin Lawrence's "Big Momma" characters are unflattering caricatures of figureheads who for generations on top of generations held the black community together.

Funny, maybe. Fair, definitely not. More than two in three blacks in enrolled college are women. Three of four blacks in graduate school are women. It's a free country and film makers can say whatever they want. I'm just not sure why it's so hard to make a sequel about that. The First Amendment gives us the freedom to say whatever we want. But it doesn't say that we should.

Because of the long history of the deconstruction, Kanazawa's post, while tasteless and disgusting, is an attack black women can easily brush aside -- been there, heard that. But it does provide an opportunity for real talk within the black community and for recognizing that the wounds that hurt the most don't come from enemy lines but friendly fire. It comes from black men who know enough to respect the black women who are their mothers but not the black women who are their lovers. They fail to see the disconnect.

I'm not suggesting black women are absolved of any responsibility in how they are portrayed in the media. I'm also not suggesting that every black woman is looking for a black man in the first place. But certainly black men play a significant role in the way black women are perceived. Black men help create the environment in which a blog like Kanazawa's can be written.
We are the ones who use black women as shields because we lack the will to be disciplined, integrity to accept responsibility, or, for a small number of us, even have the courage to embrace our own sexuality.

The down-low isn't just about the impact homophobia has on black men; it's also about the selfish disregard these black men have for another person's life. In that, I see little difference between that and the black men who refuse to help raise the kids they father or resort to domestic violence.

The truth is Kanazawa's post doesn't hold a candle to the amount of damage black men continue to do to the image of black women ourselves.
That doesn't mean not choosing one as a spouse is an automatic slap to the face. Black men are free to date and marry whomever they want, just like everybody else.

Just show respect for what continues to be the backbone of my community. Women like my mother. My sisters. My aunts, cousins, friends ... the sisters who retwist my locks, fight for equal rights, usher in church or go to work every day in a society where a publication like Psychology Today thinks it's OK to call black women ugly.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.

Has society gone too far for expressing their 1st Amendment right on what they believe what beauty really is? When is enough enough? Post your comments.

Oprah Says God is Behind Success Of Show

By Steve Almasy, CNN
(CNN) – Oprah Winfrey closed her sentimental final show with the words, "I won’t say goodbye,

I’ll just say until we meet again."
Then, after a subtle pause, she added, "To God be the glory.”

With her work done, she walked through the audience and left the set of her talk show. During the show's 25-year run, she interviewed more than 30,000 people and won more than 40 Emmys. The credits rolled as she walked the hallways of the Harpo complex, saying goodbye to her staff.

She has been one of the most influential people in America, if not the world. Commentators looked at the power she held over her audience, and some people even likened her viewers to members of a cult.

Winfrey professed her faith and her belief in God, but over the course of the show, some observers saw her more as a spiritual person than a Christian.
In her last show, Winfrey took several minutes to speak to her belief that God - and her staff - were behind the show's success.

"People often ask me what is the secret to the success of the show," she said. "How have we lasted 25 years. I non-jokingly say, my team - and Jesus."
It was a remark that drew applause from the studio audience but also may make Christian commentators take notice.

Kathryn Lofton, who has watched more than 2,500 episodes of the show, said she had recorded the finale and would watch it later tonight. But her friends were texting her about the episode. Lofton, a professor of U.S. religious history at Yale University and the author of "Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon," was intrigued that Winfrey had mentioned Jesus, since she had used his name sparingly on air.

"Early on (in her career) she was more comfortable in saying that but over time began to use this more universal language of 'spirit,'" said Lofton, who wrote about Oprah's final show for CNN's Belief Blog. Lofton says Winfrey wants to be viewed as someone who "translates and understands herself as a Christian woman" but reflects a modern attitude about religion and religious institutions. And that has angered a few folks.

In 2008, Winfrey endorsed the book "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose," helping it sell more than 3.5 million copies after the talk-show host selected it for her book club. Winfrey and the book's author, Eckhart Tolle, took part in a webinar in which she angered some Christians by saying that Jesus didn't come to die on the cross.

"It really was about him coming to show us how to do it, how to be, to show us the Christ-consciousness that he had and that that consciousness abides with all of us," she told the audience.

One viewer even asked the question on the Oprah.com message boards: Is Oprah a Christian? Pistis07 wrote: "I was surprised because I had always thought she was a Christian but after flicking through her website and watching clips of more shows where she seems to be promoting a type of New Age religion and books from 'New Age spiritualists,' I really doubt that she is a Christian in the way Jesus explained and most Christians understand. Or perhaps she's just confused about the nature of God."

It was an issue her critics seized on. They said she wasn't promoting the God of the Bible but instead was indoctrinating her audience into a New Age spiritualism.
Authors Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett say as much in their book, "'O' God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah's Spirituality." Sterrett told Crosswalk.com in October 2009 that Winfrey "reflects the common American practice of choosing whatever beliefs seem most attractive and leaving the rest."

Her message in the final years of her show was that the truth of life was within the individual, several commentators have said.

"Christians aren't people who have gotten in touch with their inner selves, but those who actually have Christ living inside of them through the Holy Spirit," McDowell told Crosswalk.
What Winfrey tried to get across is her belief that there wasn't just one right way to be connected to God, Lofton argues.

"The only right way is the way that she herself articulates and embodies, which is multiplicity," she said. "You can be many things. There are many paths to God, she says. It's that multiplicity which very much marks contemporary religious life."
Winfrey wanted to make sure that everyone knew she wasn't being ambiguous about her faith. In her final show, she spoke of how God has always been there, a voice whispering. And that her faith, while it might seem different than the one taught in religious institutions, was at its roots the same: It all centers on one thing.

"Nothing but the hand of God has made this possible for me," she said. "For all of you who get riled up when I mention God and you want to know which God I'm talking about, I'm talking about the same one you're talking about. I'm talking about the Alpha and the Omega. The omniscient. The omnipresent. The ultimate consciousness. The source, the force, the all of everything there is.

The one and only, G-O-D. That's the one I'm talkin' about."

Daily Bread - The Pilots Rutter

During the era of great sea exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, sailing ships traversed vast, hazardous oceans and navigated dangerous coastlines. Pilots used various navigation techniques—including a book called a “rutter” (not the “rudder,” the ship’s steering device). This was a log of events kept by earlier voyagers who chronicled their encounters with previously unknown and difficult waters. By reading the sailing details in a rutter, captains could avoid hazards and make it through difficult waters.

In many ways, the Christian life is like a voyage, and the believer needs help in navigating life’s perilous seas. We have that help because God has given us His Word as a “spiritual rutter.” Often when we reflect on a meaningful passage, we can recall God’s faithfulness through trying circumstances. As the psalmist suggests, perils are found not only in life situations but also in our inner tendency toward sin. Because of these dual concerns, he wrote, “Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me” (119:133).

As you reflect on the teaching in the Bible, you’ll be reminded of God’s past care, assured of the Lord’s guidance in trying circumstances, and warned against sinfulness. That’s the advantage of having a “spiritual rutter.”

My Bible is a guidebook trueThat points for me the way,That gives me courage, hope, and cheerAnd guidance for each day. —Anon.

With God’s Word as your map and His Spirit as your compass, you’re sure to stay on course.

Song of the Day - Show me your face - William McDowell

Song of the Day: Whitney Houston - I Look To You

Helpful Hint: How to Live on a Budget

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Calculators
• Checking Accounts
• Savings Accounts
• Personal Organizers
• Personal Financial Software

1. • 1

     List all of your expenses, savings and income from the past year. Use your checkbook register, credit card receipts and bills to do this. A computer-based financial program such as Intuit's Quicken may help.

   • 2

     Determine, as accurately as possible, what expenses you expect to have for the next year. You can project expenses for a shorter period, such as the next three months, then multiply by four for yearly expenses.

   • 3

     Enter this information into a ledger or computer-based financial program to accurately track your income and expenses.

   • 4

     Determine what you can reasonably afford to spend each month and then track how well you are doing by entering actual expenses into the ledger or computer program.

   • 5

     If you find that you are spending less than you had anticipated, you may want to put more money in your savings account to help out with unexpected expenses.

   • 6

     If you find that you are spending more than anticipated, try identifying the items you really don't need (new clothes, CDs, expensive dinners) and avoid purchasing them until you are back within your budget.

Read more: How to Live Within Your Budget | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_569_live-within-budget.html#ixzz1NKaGJ66f

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Are You Growing Spiritually?

Five Marks Of A Spiritually Mature Christian

Without a doubt the biggest problem that we have in the church today is that of spiritual maturity. We get ourselves into all kinds of problems by saying immature things, by making immature decisions, by acting in immature ways. We need to become spiritually mature. We need to grow up. Second Peter chapter three verse eighteen tells us to:

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 (NASV)

Did you know that it is God’s will that every Christian becomes spiritually mature? It’s true! God wants us all to grow to spiritual maturity. In fact Paul scolds the Corinthian church for their lack of maturity. He treats them as if they are babies in Christ. Look at what the Bible says in First Corinthians chapter three:

“I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (NKJV)

Paul tells them to grow up! God wants them to grow up – because spiritual immaturity causes all kinds of problems. God’s will for your life is spiritual maturity. One of the purposes of the church is to help you grow to spiritual maturity. What is spiritual maturity – let me start by telling you what it is not:

A. Spiritual maturity is not a matter of AGE.

Let me say up front – spiritual maturity does take time. It takes energy and it takes effort. No one becomes spiritually mature overnight. Even Jesus grew – as he grew up. Look at what the Bible says in Luke chapter two:

“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52 (NKJV)

But, (here is the warning), you can get older and not grow to spiritual maturity. It’s like the bumper sticker that says, “I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up.” Some Christians refuse to grow up. I’ve seen 50 and 60 year old spiritual babies. Spiritual maturity involves much more than just the aging process.

B. Spiritual maturity is not a matter of APPEARANCE.

Some people can look and sound spiritually mature – they know how to talk the talk – but question is – do they know how to walk the walk? Some people look holy – they seem to have heaven hovering around them – but that may just be appearance and not reality. Appearances can be deceiving. You know the saying – “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Spiritual maturity is not a matter of what a person looks or sounds like on the outside – it is a matter of what has taken place on the inside. God is in the process of transforming us into the image of His Son.

C. Spiritual maturity is not a matter of ACHIEVEMENT.

You know you can be recognized by all kinds of organizations but that does not make you spiritually mature. You can have all kinds of degrees and diplomas hanging on your wall but that is not spiritually mature either. Achievements are not a sure sign of spiritual maturity.

Spiritual maturity is a matter of CHARACTER.

Character makes a difference. It’s character that counts. D. L. Moody said, “Character is what you are in the dark.” Recognition is what people say about you. Character is what God knows about you. God says it’s your character that determines who you are.

To continue reading the article above, please visit the website below. Also, check out the youtube clip and be sure to leave a comment. Are you growing spiritually?

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/five-marks-of-a-spiritually-mature-christian-tom-shepard-sermon-on-character-131872.asp

Daily Bible Verse

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."- 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

Today's passage is from the New King James Version.

What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Read the article below, view the youtube clip, and leave your comments. What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

What is baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Baptism of the Holy Spirit1 is a term used to describe a movement of the Spirit upon and/or within a believer usually sometime after the person is saved. There is controversy surrounding this phenomenon as to whether it is legitimate or not. Some people believe that once a person is saved the Holy Spirit is in the person and there is no subsequent "baptism in the Holy Spirit." In other words, they maintain that this Baptism of the Spirit occurs at salvation. Others believe that it is possible for the Christian to experience an additional movement of the Holy Spirit sometime after salvation. Generally speaking, it is the charismatic movement that supports the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

We need to know first that all Christians receive the Spirit upon their conversion and in this sense all Christians have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. This means that they are saved and that they have all they need at that time to be able to live godly and holy lives. 1 Cor. 12:13 says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."

However, there are many Christians who claim to have had this "secondary" experience of the Spirit.2 They say that it has brought great blessing and comfort to them. Furthermore, they say that the results of the experience is a renewed dedication and appreciation for God, a stronger desire to read the Bible, a stronger desire to fellowship with Christians, and a deeper sense of worship of God. Millions of Christians who claim to have had this experience forces us to deal with the issue. Is it real or not? Let's look at the Scripture to find out.

The term "baptize with the Holy Spirit" occurs several times in scripture:

• Matt. 3:11, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
• Mark 1:8, "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
• Luke 3:16, "John answered and said to them all, 'As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
• John 1:33, "And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, "He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit."
• Acts 1:5, "for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
• Acts 11:16, "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

We can clearly see that the phrase is used in the Bible. But, we do not find a clear teaching in the Bible of what the phrase means. Nevertheless, we can conclude that when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit he has power bestowed upon him. This power is for the purpose of the preaching of the gospel (Acts 4:31), living a purer life, and having a deeper devotion to God. Also, it is frequently accompanied by speaking in tongues. Acts 2:4, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." At this point, I would recommend the reader to examine Acts 1-2 to see the movement of the Holy Spirit upon the early church at Pentecost.

The issue now seems to be whether or not Baptism of/in/with the Holy Spirit is a subsequent event occurring after salvation. It would seem that this is the case. In John 20:22, Jesus commanded that the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." This means that they were saved since the Holy Spirit is not received by the unregenerate. Then, later in Acts 1:4-5 we read, "And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Conclusion

The danger of this phenomena is the potential division of the body of Christ into two categories: those who are "regular" Christians and those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. This, of course, would be an incorrect way of looking at Christians, and this is why. If you were to step outside into a soft mist, it would take a long time to get completely wet. On the other hand, if you were to step into a torrential rain, you'd be drenched quickly.

Those who have not experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (meaning a sudden and powerful experience) are not second-class citizens by any means. They are the ones in the gentle mist who experience the Lord over a long period of time and get just as blessed as those who suddenly step into the torrent of the Spirit's presence. In fact, the Baptism of the Spirit can be a pitfall since so many people who have experienced it long for it again, almost to the point of putting the validity of their faith in the experience instead of the clear teaching of the word of God.

We must all be careful not to fall in our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

This article was taken from the following website:

http://carm.org/questions/about-doctrine/what-baptism-holy-spirit