Momma's Boy Tim TeBow Meets Playboy Tom Brady

By Patton Dodd, Special to CNN

Denver, Colorado (CNN) – A few weeks ago, a joke made its way around Denver about Tom Brady, the New England Patriots’ living legend, and Tim Tebow, the raw Broncos quarterback who is turning in a legendary season. It went something like this:

Tom Brady dies and goes to heaven and is greeted by God, who shows him to his new house – a cozy, modest home with a Patriots flag flying from the porch. “Gee, thanks God!” says Brady, feeling very special.

As Brady walks to his door, he notices another house down the street – a sprawling, gorgeous home with a 50-foot pole flying a Broncos flag, a swimming pool shaped like a horse, and a Tim Tebow jersey pinned to the front door.

“Um, God?” Brady begins. “I’m not ungrateful, but I don’t get it. I won three Super Bowls and went to the Hall of Fame. Why does Tim Tebow get a better house than me?”
God chuckles. “That’s not Tim’s house,” he replies. “That’s mine.”

It’s not a very good joke, but it neatly summarizes cultural attitudes toward Brady and Tebow, whose teams meet this weekend in the second round of the NFL playoffs.

Brady is a quarterback’s quarterback; his fellow players voted him the best player in football at the beginning of 2011, and he rewarded their admiration with another spectacular season. He’s been at this for a while – he was the winningest playoff quarterback of the last decade – and he’s settled into a life reserved only for guys like him: really good at sports, plus really, really, really good-looking.

Brady dated actress Tara Reid during his initial rise to fame, then settled into a relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan, with whom he had a child. By the time the child was born, Brady had moved on to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, to whom he’s now married and with whom he’s built a Brentwood, California mansion. (Forbes named them the world’s highest-paid celebrity couple.)

Brady’s post-game press conferences can be fashion shows. When my wife and I lived in Boston, we would watch Patriots game coverage until the conference began so we could spy Brady’s gingham shirts, thick-knotted ties, and pocket squares. No matter how tough a game he played, Brady looked ready for the red carpet. The man can wear a suit.

Tebow is something else altogether – an apparently God-blessed raw talent who wins games with a little bit of passing and a whole lot of prayer. Haters aside, he’s the most popular athlete in the nation.

He’s also made football itself more popular this year, drawing in admirers who wouldn’t be watching otherwise. Last weekend’s Broncos-Steelers matchup drew the highest television ratings in the history of the wild card round.

A Zillow.com poll named Tebow America’s Most Desirable Neighbor, and anyone who has sat through one of Tebow’s press conferences (or read his autobiography) can see why. Whatever you think of his faith commitments, he’s the genuine article. He builds orphanages and visits with sick kids and deflects praise and plays the game like a kid whose parents wouldn’t let him go outside until all the chores were done.

Brady is the guy every teenage boy wants to be. Tebow is the guy every teenage boy’s mom wants him to be.

Both quarterbacks overcame low expectations. Brady was drafted in the sixth round and seemed destined to life as a backup until Drew Bledsoe was severely hurt in Brady’s second year. Tebow was drafted in the first round, a move that every expert opinion deemed a mistake.
Both emerged in breakout fashion. Brady’s first season as starter turned him into a famous football player. Tebow’s is turning him into a cultural phenomenon.

What’s the difference? Why is Tebow’s fame supercharged? Why does Brady get a Brentwood mansion with Gisele, but only a quaint house in heaven?

Recall that Brady’s rise happened in the fall after 9/11, which was also an era before media platforms were numbered like stars in the sky. The nation is in a different mood now, and for better or worse, we have new, more powerful ways of making people famous. Twitter, Facebook and a billion blogs helped Tebow saturate everything.

But the biggest difference is that, in Tebow’s case, religion is a factor. Brady, a cradle Catholic, became famous as an athlete. Tebow is becoming famous as an athlete, acolyte, and avatar all rolled into one.

Tebow the athlete is fun to watch with his passion and flashes of brilliance. Tebow the acolyte – the devoted follower of God – is easy to admire, and even those annoyed by public piety can be won over by his goodheartedness and the sheer joy with which he plays the game.
Perhaps most acutely, he’s a cultural avatar. The internet meme “Tebowing” took off because it’s a readymade symbolic gesture people can use to express themselves against our scoffing, serious times.

Brady is a great football player. Tebow is a great football story, and stories are immersive – they give us a chance to get involved, to see ourselves through them.

Tebow’s story tees up the questions that frame many people’s lives: Is God involved? Can he help us overcome? Can he help us win? What if he stops helping us – where is God when our critics are correct, when our flaws are exposed for everyone to see?

Saturday’s game will likely be the most-watched second round playoff game in NFL history. Millions will be watching because they want to see how the story will unfold, and the hero most of them will be rooting for is not the playboy, but the momma’s boy.

A MUST SEE: Most Daring - Fighting Back #26

Tim Tebow & Matters of Faith

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
-- Psalm 37:4

Believe. Have faith. Trust.

I've heard those words a lot lately, and not just in church or at Bible study. Now, they're as much a part of the discourse of sports as "cover 2," "helmet-to-helmet" and "boo-yah!"

Thanks, Tim Tebow.

Tim Tebow's record as a starter has been an illumination to those who predicted he could not succeed in the NFL. As a sports journalist and a Christian, I can appreciate the dual meaning of three phrases that are at the core of the bona fide cultural phenomenon that the Denver Broncos' second-year quarterback has become.

In a season that should be dominated by the excellence of the Green Bay Packers and their quest for perfection, Tebow has snatched the spotlight and become a lightning rod for opinions -- about his skills, and even more, about his faith.

The latter has been largely spurred by his PDFs (public displays of faith), especially the Tebow Bow, in which he drops to one knee in prayer following a touchdown. Of course, now everyone knows it as Tebowing.

By whatever name, it has inspired a full chorus of hallelujahs, hand-wringing and even hatred and ridicule.

From the onset of training camp, when he was the Broncos' fourth-string quarterback, Tebow was almost universally derided by NFL purists (snobs?) who labeled the run-first signal-caller as unfit to play the position. After he finally forced his way past the competitors on the roster, some called him the worst starting quarterback in NFL history.

And yet, Tebow has engineered one of the most extraordinary runs I've ever witnessed. He has guided the once-lame Broncos to seven wins in eight starts, and executed so many dramatic, unlikely late-game finishes that by now even your grandmother pretty much describes the fourth quarter of Broncos games as "Tebow Time." (Has Pat Riley trademarked that phrase yet?)

Before Tebow took over, the Broncos were 1-4 and threatening to join the Andrew Luck Derby. Now they're 8-5, leaders of the AFC West, all but a Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock to make the playoffs, and must-see television.

Much of the discussion of the Broncos' transformation credits how Tebow has inspired his teammates to pull together for one another and achieve beyond their physical gifts.

In other words, they now believe in each other, have faith in each other, and trust each other -- and are simply playing better because of it.

Christianity teaches us to believe and have faith in God, and to trust that He will not only provide for our needs but also bless us in ways our minds cannot fathom.

And He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Tebow has essentially embodied these tenets, steadfastly, even in the midst of public scorn and mockery.

Sunday, just after Broncos kicker Matt Prater converted a 51-yard field goal in overtime to defeat the Chicago Bears 13-10 and complete yet another Tebow Time comeback, the quarterback pointed toward the sky from the sideline and said with a smile, "Thank you, Lord" before hugging teammates and coaches.

Moments later he began his postgame interview as he always does, by thanking "my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." And he ended it just as he always does, as well, telling the reporter: "God Bless."

Clearly, Tebow's public testimonies make many people uncomfortable and some have lashed out.

Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer recently expressed admiration for Tebow's success but also disdain for Tebow's PDFs. "Regardless of whether I wish he'd just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he a winner," Plummer said. "I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I'll like him a little better."

In two widely seen displays of immaturity and disrespect during Detroit's 45-10 rout over Tebow and the Broncos in Week 8, Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch and tight end Tony Scheffler made light of Tebowing. In the first half, Tulloch struck the pose after sacking Tebow, and Scheffler mimicked it after catching a touchdown pass.

Just as he has done throughout the storm of criticism, Tebow did not stoop to their level, saying only that he didn't even see either player and that their actions do not bother him.

The Herd with Colin Cowherd
NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner talks about the discussion about Broncos QB Tim Tebow's faith, Tebow's leadership and more.

Well, I was incensed, though not at all surprised.

Despite the fact that America is widely considered a "Christian" nation that believes in religious freedom and respect for all faiths, attacks on and mockery of religions are as old as the Constitution codifying their protection. But to see it done on such a stage, and in such a fashion, was an embarrassment to Tulloch and Scheffler, the Lions and the league.

Other players were annoyed as well, especially other Christian players.

Larry Fitzgerald, the gifted Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, is one of about 35 teammates who participate in Bible study each week. "It was sad to see," he told me this week. "It was a bit disrespectful. [Tebowing] is a quiet tribute to the Lord and should not be mocked."

Fitzgerald is open about his own faith, though he is not as demonstrative as Tebow. That said, he has no dispute with the quarterback's PDFs.

"From the first time I heard about him at Florida, I never had a problem with him," Fitzgerald said. "I don't wear [my Christianity] on my sleeve but I don't have a problem with anyone who does. I respect him for his boldness and his ability to do that."

Christianity also implores its adherents to "walk" in a way that pleases God so that others may see Him in us.

Tebow's success has indeed transformed many into believers -- if not to his faith, then at least to his abilities as a quarterback. Once "the worst there ever was," he has become the "Mile-High Messiah."

Larry Fitzgerald may not be as demonstrative as Tim Tebow, but he doesn't hide his faith.

ESPN colleague Merril Hoge, who had long been extremely critical of Tebow's skills, said this week on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" that he had finally come around to believing Tebow was indeed a bona fide, if not unique, quarterback. "I've been wrong on a lot of levels with him," he said during the show. "I've lost the ability, or the opportunity, I should say ... to shed light on what an amazing story -- how he has worked, persevered, changed, his diligence, all those things that you try to teach young people [that] sports are really about. Now I'm a huge fan. [He is showing] what you can do with what you've been given."

Later that same morning, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who had derided Tebow for weeks, was now, in his own words, "officially humbled."

"Something about this kid makes special things happen," he conceded. "He got it done [against the Bears] like an NFL quarterback. I sit before you here today a very humble man. I am officially humbled. It's as if he's been touched by a force that says bad things happen to those who go against him. ... The boy has clearly been touched."

Many of us have felt that all along.

"I'm happy for him," Fitzgerald said. "He's had success doing it the right way. He's setting a good example for kids by demonstrating that whatever your religion, if you believe strongly in it, live your life the way you want to live it, don't let society dictate how you live your faith."

Make no mistake: There are still Tebow naysayers, including those who want to "stop the madness" (the newest phrase to crop up when the discussion centers on Tebow). Charles Barkley used it last week during a radio show when he implored the Bears to defeat the Broncos. This week, according to NFL analyst Keyshawn Johnson, "some teams" have called players on the New England Patriots, the Broncos' opponents Sunday, and invoked the phrase as well.

I'm not sure what "madness" they're referring to -- other than working hard to improve, being a leader, winning football games and being a man of faith.

Even should the Patriots, or any team, defeat the Broncos, it won't stop the "madness," if you're referring to the people -- Christians or not -- who are proud of and inspired by Tebow's belief, faith and trust in himself, his teammates, and his God.

Do You Have A Genuine Prayer Life?

posted by elev8.com



Real faith filled life begins with real prayer. Many of us put in our weekly visits to church and consider that enough time.  True prayer can be a great thing.


A Good prayer can and should be intensely personal, we cannot learn to pray personally, or ever excel at it, unless we are willing to pray privately. Our Lord tells us this point blank when he warns us not to be hypocrites, who pray only in public, but to go to our rooms, close our doors and pray privately to our Father, who reads the secrets of our hearts (Matthew 6). In fact, the New Testament speaks repeatedly about private prayer (and says comparatively little about any other kind). Jesus prayed at his baptism (Luke 3:21), He frequently went aside to pray alone (see Matthew 14, Mark  1 & 6, Luke 5 & 6, etc.), He prayed at the time of his Transfiguration (Luke 9), He prayed that Peter would not fail in his faith (Luke 22), and He prayed mightily during his Passion (Matthew 26, Mark 14). Even his great priestly prayer at the Last Supper (for all those the Father had given Him in the world) was an intensely personal prayer said in the presence of the Twelve (John 17).



Not surprisingly for one who prayed so frequently, Our Lord also taught often about personal and private prayer. He enjoined us to pray for our enemies and those who persecute, curse and calumniate us (Matthew 5, Luke 6); He told us to pray for vocations (Matthew 9, Luke 10); He urged us to pray against the temptations and trials of the end times (Matthew 24, Mark 13); and He warned us to pray unceasingly (Mark 13, Luke 18, Luke 21). He also explained that we would receive whatever we asked in prayer (Matthew 21, Mark 11), and He taught us the Our Father so we would know both how to pray and what kinds of things to pray for (Matthew 6, Luke 11). The evidence abounds in the gospels, and this emphasis on personal prayer continues in both the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles.

In the many New Testament texts on prayer, we see Our Lord emphasizing again and again the need to pray persistently, without losing heart. He told two wonderful stories about the importance of persistence, one concerning a widow and an unjust judge (Luke 18), and the other about a man who needed to borrow bread from his neighbor in the middle of the night (Luke 11). Both the judge and the neighbor, neither of whom loved as God loves, succumbed to the onslaught of prayer. Moreover, Jesus sometimes demanded that same persistence from others, as in the case of the Canaanite woman who actually had to argue with the Son of God that even dogs get the crumbs from under their master’s table (Matthew 15, Mark 7). The result was that He healed her daughter.

After the story of the importunate neighbor, Our Lord so stressed persistence in prayer that it became a proverb: “I tell you, ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). But his next point is even more dramatic. What father, Jesus asks, will give his son a serpent when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? This question is the prelude to Our Lord’s final and greatest lesson about prayer: If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

For this reason, there is nothing on this earth more powerful than a person at prayer. Nothing is better calculated to overcome any conceivable obstacle, and we can give or receive no greater gift than prayer.

“May God Have Mercy On Your Souls”: Troy Davis Executed

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — Georgia executed Troy Davis on Wednesday night for the murder of an off-duty police officer, a crime he denied committing right to the end as supporters around the world mourned and declared that an innocent man was put to death.

Defiant to the end, he told relatives of Mark MacPhail that his 1989 slaying was not his fault. “I did not have a gun,” he insisted.
“For those about to take my life,” he told prison officials, “may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.”
Davis was declared dead at 11:08. The lethal injection began about 15 minutes earlier, after the Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour request for a stay.
The court did not comment on its order, which came about four hours after it received the request and more than three hours after the planned execution time.
Though Davis’ attorneys said seven of nine key witnesses against him disputed all or parts of their testimony, state and federal judges repeatedly ruled against granting him a new trial. As the court losses piled up Wednesday, his offer to take a polygraph test was rejected and the pardons board refused to give him one more hearing.
Davis’ supporters staged vigils in the U.S. and Europe, declaring “I am Troy Davis” on signs, T-shirts and the Internet. Some tried increasingly frenzied measures, urging prison workers to stay home and even posting a judge’s phone number online, hoping people will press him to put a stop to the lethal injection. President Barack Obama deflected calls for him to get involved.
“They say death row; we say hell no!” protesters shouted outside the Jackson prison where Davis was to be executed. In Washington, a crowd outside the Supreme Court yelled the same chant.
As many as 700 demonstrators gathered outside the prison as a few dozen riot police stood watch, but the crowd thinned as the night wore on and the outcome became clear. The scene turned eerily quiet as word of the high court’s decision spread, with demonstrators hugging, crying, praying, holding candles and gathering around Davis’ family.
Laura Moye of Amnesty International said the execution would be “the best argument for abolishing the death penalty.”
“The state of Georgia is about to demonstrate why government can’t be trusted with the power over life and death,” she said.
About 10 counterdemonstrators also were outside the prison, showing support for the death penalty and the family of Mark MacPhail, the man Davis was convicted of killing in 1989. MacPhail’s son and brother attended the execution.
“He had all the chances in the world,” his mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said of Davis in a telephone interview. “It has got to come to an end.”
At a Paris rally, many of the roughly 150 demonstrators carried signs emblazoned with Davis’ face. “Everyone who looks a little bit at the case knows that there is too much doubt to execute him,” Nicolas Krameyer of Amnesty International said at the protest.
Davis’ execution has been stopped three times since 2007, but on Wednesday the 42-year-old ran out of legal options.
As his last hours ticked away, an upbeat and prayerful Davis turned down an offer for a special last meal as he met with friends, family and supporters.
“Troy Davis has impacted the world,” his sister Martina Correia said at a news conference. “They say, `I am Troy Davis,’ in languages he can’t speak.”
His attorney Stephen Marsh said Davis would have spent part of Wednesday taking a polygraph test if pardons officials had taken his offer seriously.
“He doesn’t want to spend three hours away from his family on what could be the last day of his life if it won’t make any difference,” Marsh said.
Amnesty International says nearly 1 million people have signed a petition on Davis’ behalf. His supporters include former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, a former FBI director, the NAACP, several conservative figures and many celebrities, including hip-hop star Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
“I’m trying to bring the word to the young people: There is too much doubt,” rapper Big Boi, of the Atlanta-based group Outkast, said at a church near the prison.
The U.S. Supreme Court gave Davis an unusual opportunity to prove his innocence in a lower court last year, though the high court itself did not hear the merits of the case.
He was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, who was working as a security guard at the time. MacPhail rushed to the aid of a homeless man who prosecutors said Davis was bashing with a handgun after asking him for a beer. Prosecutors said Davis had a smirk on his face as he shot the officer to death in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah.
No gun was ever found, but prosecutors say shell casings were linked to an earlier shooting for which Davis was convicted.
Witnesses placed Davis at the crime scene and identified him as the shooter, but several of them have recanted their accounts and some jurors have said they’ve changed their minds about his guilt. Others have claimed a man who was with Davis that night has told people he actually shot the officer.
“Such incredibly flawed eyewitness testimony should never be the basis for an execution,” Marsh said. “To execute someone under these circumstances would be unconscionable.”
State and federal courts, however, have repeatedly upheld Davis’ conviction. One federal judge dismissed the evidence advanced by Davis’ lawyers as “largely smoke and mirrors.”
“He has had ample time to prove his innocence,” said MacPhail’s widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. “And he is not innocent.”
The last motion filed by Davis’ attorneys in Butts County Court challenged testimony from two witnesses and disputed testimony from the expert who linked the shell casings to the earlier shooting involving Davis. Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson and the Georgia Supreme Court rejected the appeal, and prosecutors said the filing was just a delay tactic.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which helped lead the charge to stop the execution, said it considered asking Obama to intervene, even though he cannot grant Davis clemency for a state conviction.
Press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement saying that although Obama “has worked to ensure accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system,” it was not appropriate for him “to weigh in on specific cases like this one, which is a state prosecution.”
Dozens of protesters outside the White House called on the president to step in, and about 12 were arrested for disobeying police orders.
Davis was not the only U.S. inmate put to death Wednesday evening. In Texas, white supremacist gang member Lawrence Russell Brewer was put to death for the 1998 dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr., one of the most notorious hate crime murders in recent U.S. history.
Davis’ best chance may have come last year, in a hearing ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. It was the first time in 50 years that justices had considered a request to grant a new trial for a death row inmate.
The high court set a tough standard for Davis to exonerate himself, ruling that his attorneys must “clearly establish” Davis’ innocence – a higher bar to meet than prosecutors having to prove guilt. After the hearing judge ruled in prosecutors’ favor, the justices didn’t take up the case.
The execution drew widespread criticism in Europe, where politicians and activists made last-minute pleas for a stay.
Spencer Lawton, the district attorney who secured Davis’ conviction in 1991, said he was embarrassed for the judicial system – not because of the execution, but because it took so long to carry out.
“What we have had is a manufactured appearance of doubt which has taken on the quality of legitimate doubt itself. And all of it is exquisitely unfair,” said Lawton, who retired as Chatham County’s head prosecutor in 2008. “The good news is we live in a civilized society where questions like this are decided based on fact in open and transparent courts of law, and not on street corners.”
—
Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah, Kate Brumback and Marina Hutchinson in Jackson, Eric Tucker and Erica Werner in Washington and Sohrab Monemi in Paris contributed to this report.

Prayer for Children: 5 Year Old Prays at the Potter's House

In this clip, Isaiah Jackson prays. He decrees and declares or prophesies (w/subtitles). This is an awesome video. Take and look and be blessed.

What Should We Really Be Praying For?

Written by Stuart McDonald on Elev8.com

Too often we find ourselves praying for the wrong things. We pray for stuff; physical, material things. Instead, we should pray for the ability, character, and integrity to be able to properly handle those physical blessings.

We pray, “Dear God, I need a new job. I need more money. I need a new car. I need a spouse. I need this. I need that. I need. I need. I need!”

Do you really? Would you know what you would do if God dropped those things in your lap tomorrow? Would you be prepared to handle the incredible wealth, the dream job, and the new spouse that you so naturally ask God for?

Before you answer think about this: Is there a reason God hasn’t given you those things just yet? Maybe He hasn’t given you what you ask for because you’re not ready. Maybe you’re asking for the wrong thing.

Instead of asking God for physical things we think we need, we should have the response of King Solomon. Solomon was faced with a situation most of us would only dream of. We find this story in 2 Chronicles 1:7, 10-12:

God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Solomon replied to God, “…Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead properly…”

God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people — I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!“

Solomon had the chance to get absolutely anything he could think of, given by God Himself. Yet, what did He ask for? It wasn’t the car, the house, the job or the spouse. No. He asked for wisdom and knowledge. Why? He understood that if he had wisdom and knowledge, he could get everything else he would ever want.

Asking God for wisdom and knowledge, in spite of all the other choices he had, took incredible wisdom in and of itself. It showed God that Solomon could be trusted with, not only the wisdom and knowledge, but wealth, riches, and fame that God bestowed upon him.

I would venture to say that most of us wouldn’t have the same response. We would have gone for the money, the spouse, the job… the physical things. Let’s not ask God for tangible, physical things. Instead ask Him, like Solomon did, to give you knowledge and wisdom and let everything else fall into place.

What do you think? Should we be praying for wisdom and knowledge or something else? Have you prayed for wisdom and knowledge and seen it’s fruit?

Pastor Marvin L. Winans - Prayer About Maturity w/Singing

National Day of Prayer- Post A Prayer Request

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Watch the Promo below and post a Prayer Request. Also read some of the "Why Pray" article from the national day of prayer website to gain more knowledge. We want to hear from you. Be Blessed Paradise.

WHY PRAY?

1. We pray because we love God. We spend time with God in prayer and communion because we love him. Just as a man and woman in love desire to be together and communicate, so we – if we love God – will desire to be with Him and to fellowship with Him in proportion to our love for Him. 2. We pray because we depend on God. God is our source. He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Through prayer we receive the comfort, the strength and all the other resources that we need in life – both naturally and spiritually. Prayer – relationship to God – is as necessary to the spiritual life as air to the natural life. 3. We need to pray in order to resist temptation. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Mt. 26:41). Much sin is the result of the sin of prayerlessness. Through lack of prayer, we are weak, others are weaker and Satan gains the advantage in our lives. 4. We need to pray because it is necessary for men to invite God to act in salvation. God gave the earth to Adam and his descendants. We must invite God to work here. If no-one invites God to work here, Satan (the god of this world through man’s universal rebellion – 2 Corinthians 4:4) will dominate the affairs of men and eventually the judgment of God will come. By inviting God often and specifically, multitudes can be saved that would otherwise be lost. 5. We need to pray because God commands us to pray. “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2). “Then he [Jesus] spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). The need to pray is as great as the authority of God which commands us: “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is so vital to all that God wants to do on the earth, and so essential to us, that God commands us to do it all the time. We should even deny ourselves sleep and food at times in order to pray more and with greater power. (Matthew 6:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:27).

To Read More on Prayer including How to Begin to Pray, What is Prayer, and Principles of Prayer: follow the link below to the National Day of Prayer Website.

www.nationaldayofprayer.org

Underground Christians fear China crackdown

Beijing, China (CNN) -- This calm denim-clad 28-year-old identifies herself only as Water, based on the Chinese characters that make up her first name. She has been deemed an enemy of the state, an unlikely label for a petite and well-educated woman who eschews violence and confrontation.
Here in China, Water is living her life in fear, under the close watch of the Chinese government for practicing Christianity at Beijing's underground Shouwang Church. She requested her Chinese name not be published for safety reasons.
Shouwang Church has came under fire by Chinese authorities three weeks ago, when the government ordered the church to cease all activity until further notice. The Chinese government has stated that Shouwang operates unlawfully. To be recognized, the church must register to be a state-sanctioned operation, which includes censoring of certain religious materials.
The government mandate fell in the midst of a recent crackdown on dissidents, activists and lawyers across China, as the government fears a revolt that mirrors the unrest across the Arab world.
On Easter Sunday, police officers stood outside Water's home and that of hundreds of other Shouwang members, forbidding them from attending an outdoor service church members had spent months preparing. The senior pastor, Jin Tianming, remains under house arrest. Those who did make it to the site in northwest Beijing were rounded up in unmarked public buses and detained inside police stations.
Shouwang is one of China's largest Protestant Christian groups not sanctioned by the Chinese government. From 2005 to 2007, Shouwang actively applied for registration with the government but was unsuccessful.

"In church, we would call this a spiritual war," Water quietly said in a CNN interview. "Every day, this spiritual war is not what I prepared for but now I find I am in it."
Water says she merely wants a margin of religious freedom, but her pursuit has been rocky. Over the past three weeks, Water is followed by the police at home and near the church site. She was detained two weeks ago at the police station overnight. Her mother, who is also a Christian, and her father, who is not, have been harassed, she said.
"My father, who is not a believer, even came to visit me at the police station where I was held," Water recalled.
"Every day I face a new situation with new difficulties. I try to ignore them but their approach every day is different," she explained. "They make my daily life pretty challenging."
Water, who started practicing Christianity because she felt the Communist Party "left [her] empty," says that she prays for her country to find "strength" on a daily basis. At the same time, she is realistic about the risks she has taken.
"Personally I don't know how long I can last because the pressure is pretty intense, because they try to harass your family, your workplace and your landlord. They want to evict you," she told CNN. "They want to control you."
Water has been accepted to a graduate school program in North America that will commence this fall but unlike most Chinese, she worries less about obtaining the necessary foreign visa than her ability to merely exit the country.
"I've seen what is happening around me and to be honest, I'm not sure how I'll end up," she told CNN, referring to a recent series of detainments by customs police at the Beijing airport, most notably Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei on April 3.
They try to harass your family, your workplace and your landlord--"Water," a church member.

China
According to Shouwang Church, more than 200 worshippers have been arrested or detained in recent months and more than 36 were detained at police stations, including lawyers, students and artists. China Human Rights Dialogue, a non-governmental organization based in Hong Kong, report that 17 human rights lawyers and activists are currently reported missing.
Usually hundreds of worshippers gather at this illegal "house" -- or unofficial -- church, which is one of the largest Christian gathering places in the country. Shouwang -- which means "to keep watch" in Mandarin -- is an unregistered Christian group that was forced outdoors after authorities blocked the rental of its previous office space in November, the church said. It has not been able to obtain a new location since.
In China, the church debate is now being waged on the public stage. In a Tuesday editorial, the state-run Global Times newspaper published the first Chinese language coverage of the controversy. The editorial conceded the Chinese government "lacks 'house church' management experience." But the editorial also claims China does have religious freedom while also attempting to prevent "religion's shock on the rest of society."
The editorial later scolded Shouwang Church for "not engaging in religion but politics and that's taboo for the church."
"Now is a particularly sensitive time," the editorial read. "Shouwang Church is not acting appropriately, according to the state's management."
On Wednesday, Shouwang published a statement saying its actions were not political. In a blog post on its website, Shouwang accused the authorities for politicizing the church's existence while acknowledging that the 'house church' issue is difficult for the Chinese government government. "It will not be easy for relevant departments to 'completely resolve' this," the blog said in Mandarin.
"Shouwang wants nothing more than to be guaranteed to be able to gather inside to worship in stability," the church's post said.
As for Shouwang's church members, Water is not sure how long she can keep fighting for her faith. She is keenly aware of the fate of many Chinese dissidents, religious and otherwise.
"I'm really afraid of torture," Water said, with hands calmly folded. "Being tortured ... I heard many stories of that." Watch video and post your comments.

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2011/04/27/grant.china.spiritual.war.cnn

Monday's Minute Meditation: Prayer For Your Parents

As you embrace adulthood, you come to realize what your parents mean. You look at their lives and study the ways they taught you. You find yourself copying their actions and motions. As they age, become ill and die we are left knowing that part of them loves on in us. It may be in the way we walk or laugh. It  may be in the way we cook or think. One can only hope that you learned something for their lives. Of course Parents are not perfect. Some of us may have never even known our parents. We still have a  hand in our lives that gave us support, or guidance. This prayer is for them too.

“Lord, I surrender to you my family. Lord Jesus, I pray for my parents. Though you blessed them abundantly, today they are in need of your help. Give my parents joy and strength. Fill them with your strengthening presence. Lord, give them real thirst and hunger for the Holy Spirit and for the Word of God. Give them health in spirit, soul and body.

Even though they may feel that all the trouble they took for their children are being wasted, help them to see the great reward waiting for them in Heaven. Help my parents to forgive themselves and forgive everyone else.

Even though as parents they may have failed to fulfil their duites, Lord, set them free from sadness and sorrow, regrets and sense of guilt. Jesus fill them with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus. Amen”

Praying for Lower Gas Prices....Literally!!!

Pastor Prays for Lower Gas Prices

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/04/13/exp.NR.praying.gas.prices.cnn

Post your comments.

Monday's Minute Meditation:Prayer For Volunteers

Volunteers are the life blood of any community. As we venture into this week that celebrates volunteers, let us remember that their hands are the hands of power that heal, rescue, mend, teach, love and represent Christ on Earth.  If you have had the time  to do something for others you know how great that feels. If you haven’t , now is the time to do so. Let’s call to mind all those who have stepped forward or are stepping forward.


Creator
We thank You most humbly for caring for all the people that we have laid before You and pray that You will continue to guide each of us to find our place in joyful service. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever. Amen.

Today’s challenge is to say thank you to those who give of their time, talent and abilities to make our lives better.

Let’s build a better world today.

LAUGH OUT LOUD....Michael Jr. - Pray With Your Neighbor

Researchers Say Don’t Get Angry Just Pray

Post by Cheryl Jackson in Inspirational on Mar 26, 2011-praisedc.com

Furious about an unkind comment? Angry about a social snub? Say a prayer, even if you’re not religious. There have been several different schools of thought on this. When you were little your mother most likely told you to “pray for that child, or this child” Well research is starting to  point in the direction that is can be possible that we can actually affect are emotional range by praying. Think about this for a moment. Do you  stop to count to ten when you are angry?  If the answer is yes than you are well on the way to proving that theory science is after.


New research from American and Dutch scientists shows praying can help ease anger, lower aggression and lessen the impact of provocation. “People often turn to prayer when they’re feeling negative emotions, including anger,” said Brad Bushman, a professor of communications and psychology at Ohio State University and a co-author of the study.

“We found that prayer really can help people cope with their anger, probably by helping them change how they view the events that angered them and helping them take it less personally.”
In research published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Bushman and his colleagues found that prayer helped to control anger regardless of the person’s religious affiliation, or if they attended church or prayed regularly.

In the first study they asked 53 U.S. college students to complete a questionnaire that measured levels of emotions such as anger, depression, tension, fatigue and vigor and then put them in a situation that could elicit an angry response.

Then the students were told to read a newspaper report about a cancer patient and randomly assigned to pray for her or to just think about her. Students who prayed for the patient had lower self-reported anger levels.
In other studies Bushman, Ryan Bremner of the University of Michigan, and Sander Koole, of UV University in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, found similar results about the power of prayer in dealing with anger, aggression and provocation.

The Greater Paradise Christian Center Celebrate Founder - Pastor Shawn L. Bell

The fresh anointing on Senior Pastor Shawn L. Bell, complemented with an insight in the revelation ofGod’s word, is touching the hearts of people around the country. It is very evident that God has raised Pastor Bell up to challenge the Body of Christ out of their complacency. With a perfect merging of foundational structure from both The Historic - Church Of God In Christ and A.M.E. Zion Church, he continues to take people from destruction to their destiny, while carving a path to spiritual renewal.
He began his education in the Gaston County (NC) Public School System, and later matriculated throughthe Livingstone College and Clinton College earning a degree in Liberal Arts. It is of greater knowledgeto couple education with experience.
At the tender age of 15, Pastor Bell ministered his initial sermon at Vestibule A.M.E. Zion Church(King’s Mountain, NC) under the tutelage of his Pastor and (natural) Father, The Reverend CorneliusBell. Ordained and Pastoring in the A.M.E. Zion Reformation at 18, by The Bishop George EdwardBattle, Jr., the pursuit of excellence was always a familiar mark set by Pastor Bell.
God has afforded Pastor Bell, throughout the years, the opportunity to serve in various internationalareas, most notably he serves on the Board of Directors of Dr. Thomas A. Dorsey’s National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses...which he was appointed by his spiritual mentor, The Late Bishop Kenneth H. Moales. Also, in 2010 Pastor Bell was elevated to the Office of International Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America under the leadership of his beloved Spiritual Parents, Archbishop Alfred A. Owens and Co-Pastor Susie C. Owens (Senior Pastors andEstablishmentarians of the Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church of Washington, DC).

Pastor Bell travels extensively throughout the country ministering in conferences, worship celebrations and leadership seminars. His gifting is recognized by many key leaders of the world to be in the forefront of the apostolic and prophetic function within the Body of Christ. Pastor Bell is not only anointed to preach and teach the word of God, but he also has been blessed musically as a vocalist. He has shared the stage and worked with numerous Recording Artists in workshops, seminars and the like.

Pastor Shawn along with his wife, Lady A. Faye Bell are the Establishmentarians of The Greater Paradise Christian Center, an exciting, urban and thriving church located in the City of Baltimore. Paradise has been impacting the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area since 2003 by challenging its members to realize and fulfill their regional and global responsibilities. With well over several hundred (active) members, GPCC is recognized as a holistic center of Hope on the cutting edge of new an innovative ways for presenting ministry. Many of the groundbreakinginitiatives include the GPCC Center of Hope Community Development Cooperation, which houses both Adult Day programs and Youth drivenactivities; the Paradise

Touch Apparel and Hair Salon; along with the 180-seat Eating and Dining Facility. Pastor Bell has prophetically challenged the people of God spiritually, and economically to remove traditional mindsets and replace them with Kingdom Building mentalities.

In addition to all of Pastor Bell’'s accomplishments, his role as husband to A. Faye Bell and father to Olivia L. Bell has bought the most fulfillment.When you experience the ministry of Pastor Bell, you will quickly recognize the sovereignty of God upon his life, family, and ministry.

So on this Founders Day, we the members of the Greater Paradise Christian Center salute you Pastor Shawn L. Bell.

Black Church Leaders Call For Support of President Obama's Health Care Reform

This article information is from: www.cogic.org

Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. released the following statement:

President Obama’s historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was passed by Congress last year, has greatly benefited many in the United States, and in particular those among us who have not previously had health insurance. As the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, one of the oldest and largest Holiness-Pentecostal denominations in the world, with an estimated membership of six million people in fifty-seven nations across the globe, I write in support of the law and urge Congress not to repeal the law or pass any amendments that will weaken it. I am joined in this position by our ruling council, our bishops and their Chairman. As I have argued before, based on our understanding of the Holy Scriptures it is not only our mandate to encourage men and women to come into right relationship with their Creator, but also to proclaim and advocate justice and compassion throughout all creation.

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NKJV

Therefore we petition Congress today, speaking on behalf of millions of Americans who have benefited from the health care law.

There are several historic provisions that we seek to preserve: the current restriction on insurance companies’ ability to deny coverage to children on the basis of pre-existing health conditions, the extension of coverage to children under 26 through their parents’ health insurance plans, the mandate for every American to have health insurance by 2014, and the provision of subsidies for the needy to cover health insurance are among the most important.

In this, the richest country in the world, thirty-two million Americans were without health insurance coverage prior to the passage of this law. Today the elderly benefit, as the law will close the “donut hole” in prescription drug benefits through Medicare by 2020. And the poor, who are of particular importance to us as Christians, benefit immediately from the expansion of Medicaid coverage to those within 133% of the poverty level and ultimately from the expansion of coverage to childless adults by 2014. Because of this law many will be spared untold hardship and unnecessary suffering due to ill health and death.

It is of particular importance to us a Christians that the law does not require any health care plan to offer coverage for abortion, and requires that taxpayer funds not be used for fees related to the provision of abortions.

As Christians it is also critical for us to urge fiscal responsibility among our national leaders.  For this reason we support the health care law as currently enacted which will reduce the national deficit by $143 billion over the first 10 years. 

We urge the members of Congress, and in particular the leadership, to resist the temptation to make this vitally important piece of legislation, which has such important benefits for needy Americans, The subject of divisive, partisan attacks.  Finally we call upon all Americans of faith and on all Americans of good will to stand with the President in support of this historic legislation.