We All Live As If

Author : Freddy Davis

Several years back when I lived on the island of Okinawa, I took the opportunity to enjoy the ocean as much as I could. The waters around that small island are absolutely gorgeous. It is so clear with fantastic visibility, and is full of all kinds of colorful coral and tropical fish. I would swim down underwater and just cruise around looking at the beauty - sometimes for an hour or more at a time.No, of course I cannot hold my breath for that long. And I do not have gills that allow me to swim underwater like a fish. But I did have some equipment that allowed me to breathe underwater. Even though I was not a fish, my scuba gear allowed me to operate for extended periods of time in an underwater environment as if I were one.At this point, you may be wondering what this has to do with living life. Well, it is actually quite a good analogy of how we operate daily. Our worldview is the expression of our understanding of the nature of reality, and we live our lives in the world as if the universe functions according to the way we conceive it. There is a strange thing, though. Our belief may or may not be accurate. Every worldview literally contradicts every other worldview. And since there are numerous worldviews, that means that many people are living life based on untrue assumptions about how the universe is organized. This may seem strange at first thought, but people are able to do this because they have established a mental reality that lets them function in the world, even with wrong beliefs. It is like having spiritual scuba equipment that compensates for the parts of our beliefs which dont match up well with the way things are actually structured.There is something that is true concerning the way reality is structured and our lives will operate more smoothly and meaningfully if we figure it out and live by it. But it is certainly possible to construct an alternate set of beliefs and live our lives in the world, from beginning to end, as if that one is true.Lets look at how this actually plays out starting with our Christian worldview. We believe that there is a single transcendent Creator God who created the material universe in a way that would support life on planet earth. He then created mankind as a special creature in his own image and capable of personally interacting with him. Each individual makes a free will decision whether or not he or she will enter into that personal relationship. Those who do will spend eternity in relationship with God. Those who dont will be eternally separated from God.Now, lets take a quick look at Naturalism. A Naturalist believes that physical reality is all that exists. There is no God. Indeed there is no supernatural existence whatsoever. Matter is seen to be somehow eternal, and everything that exists is a function of the eternal operation of natural forces. As a result, there is no transcendent meaning in anything. Creatures who have evolved to the level of haatural existence whatsoever. Matter is seen to be somehow ving self-consciousness (only human beings) must create their own meaning for life. At death, the life form simply ceases to exist.Lets look at one more belief system simply to help us with some comparisons. Animism understands reality to be divided into two parts - physical and spiritual. It is believed that these two parts exist in a symbiotic relationship. When humans in the physical world do the right acts and ceremonies to take care of the gods in the spiritual world, the gods take care of their needs on earth. When people dont do the right things, the lives of the gods are disrupted and they cause bad things to happen to the humans on earth. When bad things happen, it is up to the humans to figure out what god has been offended and to make it right. When a person dies, they enter the spiritual world and become one of the gods themselves.We could continue on and talk about the Far Eastern Worldview and about the Theistic worldview in general. But the ones we have already dealt with will allow us to make our point.Looking at the worldviews above, it is obvious that they each contradict one another. One cannot believe that there is one God, no God and many gods all at the same time. One cannot believe that at death a person goes to either heaven or hell, ceases to exist, or enters a singular spiritual reality all at the same time. Each worldview literally excludes all others. One of the worldviews above may be the actual expression of Truth, but all of them cannot be. Of course, we believe that the worldview that is revealed in the Bible is that truth. But right now our purpose is to make the point stated above. There are many people in the world who are living life based on an understanding of reality that is simply not true.There are some pretty profound implications to this. Some of the implications relate to life as we live it daily on this planet. For instance, if I believe that there is no God and have to make up my own moral rules, why wouldnt I establish standards which please me no matter what harm it does to others? Or, what if I believe that the struggles I am having in my personal life are because I have offended some god? What do you think am I going to spend my time doing? There are real life implications to the beliefs we hold.There are also some potential eternal consequences. If it is really true that there is a God who has established a specific way to know him and get to heaven, what does that mean for those who choose not to believe in God?We could spend hours writing and talking about the specific implications of living life by the various worldviews. But here is the bottom line. Something is Truth, and when an individual is able to figure out what that is and align with it, life is able to be consistent and meaningful in a way that is not possible when trying to live by an incorrect understanding of the way reality operates.The difficult thing about worldview is that it is a faith position. This does not mean that it is not real. It is very real. But none of them can be empirically demonstrated. There is evidence that indicates one may be real or unreal, but there are no scientific experiments that we can do to prove one or the other. We have to evaluate which one matches up most closely with the way reality seems to operate, then take a faith step and align our lives with the beliefs that go with it.Naturalism cant account for the existence of matter, life and consciousness. Animism cant account for purposefulness and industriousness in life. Far Eastern Thought cant account for the human need for meaning. And most forms of Theism cant account for the depth of meaning in relationships.Every human being lives their life as if the worldview that they believe is true. Only most of them are not. It is only our Christian worldview that accounts for all of the elements of material reality, human existence, and spiritual reality in a way that matches up with the way humans actually experience it all.This is not to say that all Christians get it right. There are many Christians who claim the Christian faith, yet live as if parts of other worldviews were right. There are Christians who commit adultery as if God didnt care. There are those who dont take care of their bodies as if the Holy Spirit did not dwell within. There are plenty who never pray and read their Bibles as if God were not interested in personally communicating with them. All of this in spite of the assertion that they really are Christians.There is something that is True and we all live as if that is the case. Too many are living as if that something were not the revelation God gave in the Bible. Perhaps it is time we did some serious investigation about what the truth really is and begin living as if that were true. 2006 Freddy Davis Freddy Davis is the Executive Director of MarketFaith Ministries; an equipping ministry designed to help Christians become more effective in their faith life using worldview principles. Free worldview resources and contact information for MarketFaith Ministries can be found at http://www.marketfaith.org. Also, feel free to sign up for our free e-zine, Worldview Made Practical.

Category : General Religion: Christian

Free Checking Accounts Are The Right Way To Bank

Author : Jeff Lakie
Banking fees certainly have been climbing over the years. Today it is common to hear about banks charging $35 for one returned check, $20 for a money transfer, $125 for a consumer loan application, and $12 per month for checking. Fortunately, some financial institutions are wising and realizing that customers do not want to over run with fees. While many of the charges I mentioned won't go away, checking account fees can if you follow a few simple rules.Minimum Balances – Most banks that charge for checking accounts do allow you to avoid fees if balances stay above a certain amount such as $1000. While you essentially forfeit $50 per year by not investing the thousand dollars in a CD, you could save yourself $100 or more in banking fees by maintaining the required minimum amount in your account.Plus Accounts – Offered under a variety of names, plus or "package" accounts allow you to avoid checking account fees if you bundle several accounts together. This means in addition to a checking account, a line of credit, a credit card, or some other consumer account would cancel out the fee. Typically this type of account involves your opening up a credit card with a credit line of $1000 or more.Free Checking, No Strings Attached – Yes, some banks still offer these types of accounts and they are not temporary bargains either. Open an account with $100 in it and maintain a balance of at least $1 and your account is free. Credit unions and some internet banks are offering free checking and certain larger banks are now doing the same in hopes that they will attract your business. Look for the bank that will give to you your first checks for free and offers free online banking with their plan.Free Checking, With Strings – Some financial institutions will give to you free checking as long as you have some other account with them. This works somewhat like the bank's plus account, but without account minimum balances, however.No, free checking hasn't disappeared completely and some financial institutions are now joining in to combat the strength and competition of internet banks, powerful credit unions, and other progressive consumer friendly financial institutions who are trying to win over your business. Truly, free checking accounts are the right way for you to bank. Have you opened your account yet?Jeff is the owner of Loan Guide one of the UK's leading secured loan quote providers. If you are searching for that low rate on a secured loan then visit our site today for a free no obligation quote.
Category : Finance:Personal-Finance

Thomas the Train: Anniversary of a Legend

Author : Jared Winston

For those of us who grew up hearing the stories and reading the books, Thomas the Train is a living legend. On 2005, Thomas and, of course, his friends celebrated their sixtieth birthday. Back in 1945, in England, the Anglican reverend Wilbert Awdry started the Railway Series by writing the first book. From that moment on, an entire generation of children has learned to love the beautiful adventures lived by Thomas the Train and his group of human-faced friends.When he was a little boy in Box, Wiltshire, in his father's vicarage (his father was also a clergyman), Wilbert Awdry dedicated his nights listening to the sounds made by the trains of the Great Western Railway running along the main line. This main line went between Paddington to Bristol, and passed near Vere Awdry's (Wilbert?s father) house. He spent hours imagining the "conversations" between those trains. He may not have realized it yet, but Thomas the Train was already being born. In the year of 1943, reverend Awdry's son, Christopher, happened to be ill in bed. As with every child, he was very active and being in bed was frustratingly boring for him. As an attempt to entertain his son and keep him amused, Wilbert started making up stories about a locomotive named Thomas the Train. As an easy way to remember some basic information and preserve uniformity between the stories, he wrote down some of the attributes of his characters on a piece of paper; this way every story he told little Christopher was consistent with the previous one. That was a need, since Christopher's inquisitive nature and intelligence (he was just three years old, by the way) made him pick up differences between versions when he asked his father to re-tell him a story. Having everything written on paper, Reverend Awdry easily remembered every detail of the adventures of Thomas the Train and his friends.By the time of 1945, a retired businessman named Edmund Ward was looking for a diversion when he heard about Wilbert Awdry's stories. He decided to publish the first book. The first Thomas the Train book was so successful that Mr. Edmund Ward had to come out of his retirement to satisfy the increasing demand.The success of the Thomas the Train and Friends' books was amazing. Reverend Awdry had to write a high number of new stories in order to fulfill the people's expectations.After having written twenty-six books, Wilbert decided that he was too old to continue writing. His son Christopher took up the series, then. Thanks to his efforts, there are now a lot more stories in addition to those original 26.Thomas the Train stories will live in our hearts forever, filled with adventures and healthy entertainment not only for children, but for not-so-young parents too, who sometimes are even more excited about a new Thomas the Train book than the kids themselves. Happy birthday then, to Thomas the Train and all his friends, and let there be many more adventures coming soon!Copyright ? Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved. For decades Thomas the Tank Engine has fascinated children, leading to the release of everything from the original book series to Thomas the Train clothes. Stop by Thomas Fans to read more about Thomas, his friends, their history and their adventures.

http://www.thomasfans.com

Category : General Art & Entertainment: Books

Best Herbal and Ayurvedic Home Remedies For Constipation

Author : Anna

28th, 2007

DON'T OVERLOOK YOUR MOST PROFITABLE SOURCE OF BUSINESS

Author : Bob Leduc

A new business owner called me recently with a question I hear often. She asked, "What can I do to build my business faster? I'm making a small profit but cannot seem to generate enough sales to make the real money in this business."As Karen answered some of my questions it became clear she had done a good job of targeting a niche market. She also provides a compelling reason for prospects to do business with her instead of with her competition. She was obviously effective at attracting customers because she already had over 100 of them.In fact, she was so busy chasing down new customers she completely overlooked her existing customers as a source of additional business.HIGHLY PROFITABLE AND EASY TO GETYour existing customers and clients already know and trust you. It's easier for you to get more business from them than to get business from new prospects. It's also more profitable than business from new prospects because you get it without an advertising expense.Some businesses have natural repeat sales built into their operation. For example, most MLM companies sell consumable products that periodically need replacing. And web site hosting services collect a new fee at regular intervals to keep your site up.These replacement needs automatically generate repeat business. But how can you generate additional business from customers when it's not automatically built into your product or service?HOW TO TURN A ONE-TIME SALE INTO REPEAT BUSINESSTo capture additional business from your existing customers you have to find or create additional products or services your customers are likely to want. Start by asking yourself what else you can offer your customers and clients to improve their lives in the same area as their original purchase.One type of product every business can use for repeat sales is instructional material. It can be a book, videotape, audiotape, software or any combinations of them.For example, a pet store owner I know of regularly sends her customers special postcard offers for some of the books and videotapes she stocks in her store. She sells a lot of books and tapes this way. It also generates a lot of profitable referrals from her customers.AFFILIATE PROGRAMSAffiliate programs are especially effective for generating repeat business from existing customers. Just announce the product or service to your customers and include your personal endorsement of the program. The affiliate program handles all aspects of the transaction and pays you a commission.The cost of finding new customers is a big expense. Maximize your return on this expense by getting all the business you can from these customers. Create or locate other products or services you can offer them. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to get additional sales from customers -- and how much additional profit it generates for you.

Category : Coaching

Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures, Reviews "The Cinquefoil Connection," by Recy Dunn

Author :

Recy Dunns debut novel, "The Cinquefoil Connections," principal protagonist, Jonathan McClendon, is caught in a deep web of deception and manipulation, when he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for his eventual rise to the Presidency of the United States."The Cinquefoil Connection" is an exciting tangled tale that is supported by ruthless five secondary characters that will not stop at anything-even murder in order to have their own hand picked candidate occupy the highest office in the land. These characters make up a secret organization, whose name-cinquefoil is derived from the old French term that signifies a flower structure comprising five (cinq) leaves (foil).The opening chapters of the narrative brim with intrigue as we find our principal protagonist running for city councilman in a small Texas town, Clemens. His chances of initially winning the election seem very slim, until he is approached and eventually seduced into swallowing campaign aid from Samuel Lewis, a member of the Cinquefoil group. Something akin to a small fish grabbing hold of huge bait, which ultimately proves to be the lesson of our novel.Firing his campaign manager Christopher Alvin and replacing him with Lewis is the first of McLendons betrayals, as his political fortunes rise with the help and tutelage of these five remorseless individuals. Along the way there is a series of murders, adultery on the part of McLendons wife, election fraud and a series of other irregular treacheries, most of which are unbeknown to a naive McLendon. After fifteen years of learning his skills as a political animal, our principal protagonist runs for the presidency of the United States. He succeeds in becoming the second youngest President of the United States, however, he is obliged to nominate as members of his cabinet all of the cinqefoils choices, with the exception of the Vice President."The Cinquefoil Connection" is not without flaws, particularly in the editing and proofreading, where I picked up several errors. There was also, from time to time, a lack of effective dynamism that keeps the episodes moving forward, holding us captivated in the suspense of the scene. Furthermore, if the character of the principal protagonist had been pushed further, the dramatic structure of the book would have been more effective.All in all and despite these flaws, this book has a great deal of potential and definitely is an impressive beginning for a debut novelist, who has demonstrated a zealous imagination and narrative acumen.

Category : Ghost Writing

Local Domains - Choose wisely!

Author : Christine Anderssen
A few years ago it did not matter whether you had a .com type domain or an extension specific to your own country.In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was probably considered quite 'cool' to have a .com domain. It gave the impression that you were serious about your business.Then Google decided to go local and now most local country searches would probably go through the version of Google specific to your own country.When Google launched my country's local version of Google (www.google.co.za) I investigated the matter of having a .com domain versus having .co.za domain and how that would affect where you would show up in the SERPS (search engine result pages).I searched through various forums (on Google itself) as well as other big forums like WebHostingTalk. I also did my own tests. The consensus seems to be that you will only show up in the regional search engine of Google (and I specifically refer here to using your country's local Google to LIMIT results to your country's results) if
1) your domain extension (e.g. .co.za or .co.uk etc.) corresponds with the region, or
2) your IP of the hosting server falls in the corresponding geographic region orThe implication of this is that if your domain ends in a .com AND you happen to be hosted physically on an internationally located server, your .com domain will NOT show up in www.google.co.za when the search is limited to South African results.
(How do you know whether your domain is hosted locally or off-shore? There are technical ways to find out but the easiest would be to ask your hosting service provider!)Now you might argue that people might not use the 'Limit to