Moral Leadership of The Christian Community

The presidential election of 1992 introduced the discussion of
family values as a political issue. Apparently the populous
did not accept this issue as being significant. Christian
organizations were reluctant to enter political activities so
they did not push the concept of family values as being a
religious imperative.

Do some of these issues seem too "political" for the Christian
community to become involved? Are not, however, some of these
issues important enough to be hammered home by the clergy of
this country? When is sin significant enough to talk about
it?

ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT

"Amazing Grace" was written by a slave trader who came to know
Jesus and his life changed dramatically. John Newton was a
sailor on a slave ship. After his conversion, he became an
Anglican minister and influenced Wilberforce against Slavery.

William Wilberforce, along with John Newton and Granville
Sharp lived in England in the late 1700's. These three men
stopped slavery in England and throughout the British Empire.
Sharp's work led to the emancipation of slaves in England in
1772 while the work of Wilberforce led to the abolition of
slave trade and the emancipation of slaves throughout the
British Empire.

Key Evangelical Christian leaders in the United States
included Samuel Hopkins, Lyman Beecher, Charles G Finney, John
Brown, Theodore Weld, Jonathan Blanchard, and Harriet Beecher
Stowe. These individuals preach Christ for the salvation of
the individual but also saw the total injustice of slavery in
the "land of the free". Abolition was not a hobby with them.
It was also not all they did. They were also Evangelical
Christians. Their efforts led to the abolition of slavery in
the United States and the emancipation of the slaves of
America.

AND NOW

The involvement of Christian leaders throughout modern church
history demonstrates the historical basis of involvement of
the church in secular affairs. Social reform is the business
of the church. Social reform is not "socialism". Social
reform is not "government handouts" or "entitlement". Social
reform is moral leadership.

Christian lifestyle is a moral lifestyle. Moral leadership is
not the imposing of "blue laws" or "religious fanaticism".
Moral leadership deals with life and death issues. It deals
with freedom under God. Christian morals protect life and
property, things that even non-Christians cherish. Decisions
concerning morality must not be left to the atheists and to
the anti-Christians.

Christian leaders must take the initiative in developing a
corporate moral character for the country and the world. We
Christians are the "salt of the earth and if that salt loses
its taste, just what is it good for." These words in quotes
are not my words but Jesus's words. Perhaps we better start
applying the "salt".

Doug Johnson has been writing and online publishing Christian and Social Conservative articles since the 1990's on http://www.IndependentChristian.org/

Doug has been a Bible believing Evangelical Christian since childhood. He has been received into fellowship with the Evangelical Free Church, the Plymouth Brethern, the Assembly of God, the American Baptist, and the Southern Baptist.

In the early 2000's, he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church after careful study of the Catholic Catechism and the Bible. He believes Catholics and Bible believing Protestants should build on what they have in common rather than looking at what is different.

He is presently helping to establish the Independent Christian On-Line Academy at: http://www.ICOLA.us

Doug has an online retail wallpaper business at: http://www.TheWallpaperPirate.com/

Doug is available as a consultant and or speaker. To reach him, use the Contact Us page at any of the above websites.

Dangers Using Wood Stair Cleats - New Stair Construction

I would imagine most people don't even know what it wood stair cleat is, in construction we have so many words that describe the same thing. A stair cleat is another word for a thread bracket. In other words it's the part of the stairway that connects the stair stringer to the stair step. These have been used for years and over time, most of them will develop the same problem.

Most wood stair cleats loosened up and create a safety hazard. If the stairs are located outside in extreme weather conditions, for example, if it rains or snows a lot, extremely humid humid weather, or extremely hot and dry temperatures, your staircase might not last that long, if it is or isn't maintained properly. It's not a bad idea to use steel or concrete for stairways in these climates.

If you're ever walking up a set of stairs with wood cleats and the stair steps feel a little loose or wiggly, make sure you examined the stair cleats for safety. It's not uncommon for someone to be walking up or down a set of wood stairs and having the stair step or tread giveaway because the wood cleats has loosened.

If the wood stair cleats are nailed to the stair stringer, the nails can loosen up, causing it to become loose, as you walk up and down the stairs applying pressure to the stair cleat, this will create movement in between the stair step and the stair stringer. This could cause the cleat to crack, break and separate the connection between the stair step in the stair stringer.

I would suggest using metal brackets instead of wood cleats. The metal brackets will not crack or disintegrate like some wood cleats. Stair building brackets of course can loosen up and should be maintained regularly.

If you decide to use wood stair cleats, I would suggest using screws instead of nails and drilling holes in the wood stair cleats, most of the time this will prevent cracking the cleat. Try to use a thicker material for the stair cleat, for example using a 2 x 4 with lag screws and washers would be better than using a 1 x 4 with nails.

If you're walking up a set of stairs and a stair step feels loose, contact the owner of the property and let them know, they have a problem with their staircase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more stair building books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

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Maximize Study Time And Retention

Learning, studying and storing information requires a great deal of memorization skills. Memorization doesnt come easy to those who have serious issues in doing the task at hand itself memorization. But for everybody else, its a task that comes naturally whenever necessary or needed. The thing about memorization is that not too many people have the knowledge to optimize the function of their brain and memorization abilities to the best it can offer. This what has been missing in man, the missing link in solving common setbacks and pitfalls in memorization.

What not too many people know back in the day when the advantageous technology called the Internet has not been born yet was the power or the natural ability of a persons mind to use its memorization skills to maximum. The mind receives information from a set of list and retains the first few items, the last ones and some parts in the middle of the list with no problems. This process is called primacy and recency but the problem isnt faced not until the task of recalling the entire items in the list is specified. This isnt the problem at all; in fact, its what the normal brain does.

The solution to the problem of optimum learning and memorization is to give the brain a rest. Its important to break down the total time for studying into 40-50 minutes because the times the brain rests is the same time when it actually absorbs all the information learned from the last 40-50 minutes work.

The idea is to give the brain more breaks, approximately 10 minutes each break time so when it starts to work again, the natural extremities of the brain (primacy and recency) starts to work to receive information from where it has last stopped. 10 minutes because the brains retention ability works about this long and then drops off again. This idea makes the brain work naturally and efficiently without putting any pressure to the student.

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for http://www.memory-improvement-techniques.com which has Memory Improvement Books and Memory Game Software.

Lao Tzu

Supercharge Your Positive Thinking

Many people have come to realize that what we are focused upon often manifests itself in our lives. Thus, if we are apprehensive about or fearful of events in the future, we will often attract that very thing into our lives. Fortunately, it works the other direction as well. If we are strongly focused on what we want, and imagine it happening in our minds, frequently we will receive it, or a form of it, into our lives. Here are four powerful ways to optimize your ability to focus on what you want:

1. Take care of your physical body. The mind and body are intricately connected, and care of one will benefit the other. Make sure you are eating healthy foods, taking appropriate multivitamins and calcium, and exercising regularly. These measures will elevate your mood and clear your mind, allowing you to think about the things you desire.

2. Rid your mind of negative thinking. If you are harboring anger toward someone or something, allow yourself the full negative emotion and note how it affects your mood and physical body. Make a conscious decision to release this negative feeling inside yourself for your own benefit. Remind yourself that you are here and now, exactly where you are meant to be. Assure yourself that whatever decisions you made regarding the situation, they were the best decisions for you at the time.

3. Allow that the other person or event has its limitations, and if it is a person, that this individual did what he or she could with what they have to work with. Visualize releasing this person or event into the universe, back to the God who had purpose for it. Begin to seek out the benefits of the experience and look ahead toward what you may constructively do with your experience.

4. Begin daydreaming about the things you want. Is it a material item like a car? A romantic partner? A new job? Allow yourself to think big and experience in your sensory capacity what it will feel like, look like, smell like, and taste like to have that thing. Anytime a doubt or negative thought that you "can't have that" comes into your mind, imagine a big red "X" through the thought or image, and verbally say "Cancel". Repeat as often as necessary to plant the positive mindset.

Are you interested in addressing your life challenges from a holistic standpoint, assessing the physical, emotional, and relationship components?

For a free copy of my ebook, "Natural Methods To Fight Depression", click here: http://www.stoptoxicrelationships.com/gifts-naturalmethodstofightdepression.html

Shannon Cook is a personal growth and relationship expert who has written a number of informative articles and ebooks on the topic of toxic relationships and holistic personal growth, including physical, emotional and relationship health.

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The Importance Of Goal Setting

You get into personal development, and all it seems since the beginning, is that everyone tells you to set goal. We have heard about goal setting, once, twice, perhaps even hundreds of time! So, why do these motivators, life coaches, and self help books keep trying to get you to set goals?

You may have or may not have heard the term 'Without a vision people perish'. How true! Studies have found that more deaths occur after important public occasions. This is due, not because of an outbreak of violence! The deaths occur because of that vision. At least from looking at the facts, this is a belief I hold. Again it may or may not be true, however putting 1 and 1 together, you get 2. And this looks like the most likely cause of this phenomenon.

Another interesting research has found that more people have heart attacks on Mondays. More specifically Monday mornings! I don't need to say, the very likely cause is that people don't like the work they do! Here is why goal setting is so crucial in our lives.

I wonder how many of those people were so concerned about getting to work early to not have to have another long talk with the boss, that it ended on Monday morning! Goal setting can help us with such a simple thing has getting to work on time, however, goal setting is not just for time keeping.

Knowing how to effectively set goals is the key ingredient here. Effective goal setting allows you to transform your life, if you choose to. If you take a look around where you are, you will see what goal setting has done for man.

While many people go to work, can't wait for the paycheck, and spend life in front of a TV, goals do not mean much. And simply using goal setting strategies for getting to work in time is not doing goal setting its full justice. The house, the room, the building you are sitting in right now, is there because of a person's goal setting ability; and of course translating that into action.

The reason many personal development coaches stress the importance of setting goals is that of being mindful. We are born to the world and find a pretty much straight path through life. First learn, then earn, then get married, have kids and retire. Though we all generally follow the same pattern, life offers us much more to it.

If you really want to live life on your terms, goal setting is the first step. I have to stress the first step, as all too often, people will make the goal setting, and planning phase last from step one to step 10, and take no action!

Are you sick and tired of what you do for work? Are you working in a dead end job? Now we have passed the new millennium, and this millennium is showing us that, yes man and woman, and all can do what they want.

After all, if everyone does what they love, we would have a better world. Films such as the Secret, and several others are helping people see that vision. This may seem like a utopian view, and you may think to go back to work and function as you have. But, realize that people in the main are like ships without rudders, without a goal they don't have a destination, and no daydreaming is not goal setting.

Goal setting needs action, and now more and more people are awakening to the possibility that yes it is possible. I am excited at seeing a world where more people set goals and take action.

From goal setting to goal achievement, Kozan Huseyin has helped many people find there own success story. Learn the true success secrets to setting goals and seeing those goals materialize in reality!

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