Tag Archive for 'Church'

‘ONE - Sharing The Joy Of Giving’ By Masami Sato - Key Quotes

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Masami Sato
on December 21, 2009
in self improvement
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Part Two of Three

This collection of beautiful quotes that will inspire you to discover and embrace the joy of giving is extracted from Masami Sato’s second book - “ONE”. Masami is the founder of a global giving movement called Buy1GIVE1. The quotes in this edition include topics that are related to our everyday lives, such charity, giving, receiving, joy, making a difference and rich-poor separation. This article is the second part of three “ONE Book Life-Changing Quotes Series”.

On giving (and receiving)

“When we give more and communicate wholeheartedly, we have less insecurity-both emotionally and physically.”

“Giving love is the only way to be generously loved.”

“The people who give more (time, money, kindness, love, ideas) have more of these things because that’s the balance. And balance is the natural law of life.”

“one key in the giving process is never to expect a return when we give.”

“We can feel the real joy of giving when we’re doing something for others knowing that we’re simply doing it for ourselves-we’re doing it for our own joy.”

“Giving something to others is so much easier than trying to get it first.”

“Giving is just a part of who we are.”

“Every single one of us prospers when we learn to give value to others first. We are rewarded naturally.”

“We’re not here to give in order ‘to get’. We’re here to have more to give more.”

“Because we can’t have scarcity when we are totally grateful.”

“Giving to others is actually giving to self.”

“What if giving actually was as important as brushing teeth?”

“Giving is not just about helping others. It is about sharing the joy. We do it for our own joy first and we pass it on.”

On joy

“So without denying the benefit of having more innovation (because it feels good), can we find the way to have more joy in our life? If we can, then we can go beyond the temporal gratification. We can create a sense of permanent certainty.”

On charity

“Charity organisations are like our out-sourcing agencies for the giving of our life.”

“Businesses and charities are actually the same thing. Someone started the organisation with the passion to do something-to make a difference.”

“The moment we start giving out of guilt, we appreciate charities far less.”

On having more or having less

“The moment we perceive someone as ‘poor’, our perception creates the poor feeling in the other person.”

“The moment we believe we have more, we’re saying others have less. And OUR attitude creates separation.”

On making a difference

“Big is nothing other than a whole lot of ’smalls’. Small things can actually transform the world.

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The Christian That Is Two Faced

Published
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Dan Capusan
on August 6, 2009
in self improvement
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by Dan Capusan

Sadly, a large number of Christians are found to be different in their houses or with their friends than at their place of worship.

When with believers, the average Christian has it all together. He shows a passion and a desire for relationship with God and other people, an amazing insight into what it means to know God and His word.

Outside the church walls, these perfect Christians are drastically different. Telling all sorts of lies or cheating people out of their money or things is a regular occurrence for them. Conning those they do business with or having flings with coworkers is something they approve of. It is a curious matter how these tricky Christians make great efforts to keep their dark actions hidden away. Extreme caution is used to make sure those that hang out at church don’t have a clue about these sinful activities.

Can Christians really live life in two different ways? The number one reason why Christians can live like this has to do with their capacity to lie. Killers and rapists sometimes get away with their crimes because they live a big lie and show society that they are normal, like the majority. When studying these people it is shocking to uncover that even those close to some criminals were clueless that they were killers or rapists.

Such killers were indulging a fantasy while living in the real world because of how well they were able to deceive everyone.

The second factor of the double life Christian has to do with the evil human heart. God condemns sinful actions even if we only commit them in the heart.

Jesus captured this idea in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder,’ . . . But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matt. 5:21-22).

Imagine, I can consider myself good for not committing a crime but by getting mad at the people close to me I am not much different than someone living a double life, and will be rewarded for doing what a killer does.

Anger paralyzes us, as it seems to overpower us to do the regrettable. We snap at our spouse or children without realizing that they are being caused pain. Afterward we are stuck trying to fix a difficult situation.

In conclusion, it is important to realize that what we do in our hiding place is seen by God and the things of the heart are to Him as the committed action.

My inclination toward murder on the inside makes me an automatic two faced Christian even though on the outside I seem like a nice lad.

About the Author:
Get more information on Daniel Capusan, an author, at Christian Books

The Holy Spirit: Questions To Ponder About

Published
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Paul Peter
on July 16, 2009
in self improvement
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by Paul Peter

Many believe they know who and what the Holy Spirit is. Let’s explore that thought. Is the belief based on personal experience or is it based on church doctrine? Is the Holy Spirit even explainable or can we only be lead to our own personal experience with God? We are told the Holy Spirit is a counselor and a guide. How do we hear our guidance? These important questions remain unanswered for many ‘believers’.

Nobody can really define the Holy Spirit in terms we can all understand. The reason for that is because each of our experiences gets filtered and interpreted through our ego mind. What needs to happen in order to communicate a fuller understanding of the Holy Spirit is for people who believe they are already receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit to gather and exchange their experiences with each other. Although not everyone has the same name when referring to their spiritual guidance everyone agrees that the guidance of the Holy Spirit comes from within.

I’ve heard people who refer to the Holy Spirit as their higher self and others believe that the Holy Spirit is what a guardian angel is. The belief in higher self is the idea that we eventually become an ascended master who then transcends time and space. Maybe the Holy Spirit and Guardian angels are 2 different kinds of beings altogether. Still others believe the Holy Spirit is another name for our Creator God who is everywhere.

What does the Holy Spirit do to guide us?

Why does the creator have a Holy Spirit for us to be guided by?

How do we connect with spirit?

When is the Holy Spirit going to guide the world into everlasting peace?

None of us can say that we have fully received the answers to these questions in our lives. If enough of us share what we understand about the Holy Spirit perhaps we will reach a fuller understanding as a group. Not everyone calls their spiritual guidance the Holy Spirit but everyone that feels lead by the spirit agrees that the Holy Spirit is a spirit which guides us from within. Its up to us to be open to the gift of guidance that we have all been given.

About the Author:
May you be blessed for reading my article about the Holy Spirit. It is our hope to gather the presence of 2 or more people who desire to understand more about the Holy Spirit. Here you’ll discover more people writing about the Holy Spirit on my blog site calledHolySpiritGuide.com which was created to gather kindred spirits who are on a journey towards true enlightenment.

Take the Next Step in Your Bible Reading

Published
by
Matt Tague
on June 15, 2009
in self improvement
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by Matt Tague

If you are like many people, you pick up the Bible to read every once in a while, but you don’t seem to get much out of it. You have trouble understanding HUGE sections of it, but you just can’t take the time to go to Bible college. Are you stuck in a cycle of trying to do the right thing by reading, but continually not understanding it? No way! In this article I will share some helpful tips that will allow you to begin reading the Bible with understanding instead of confusion.

First, remember that each section of the Bible has different rules for reading based on the differing types of literature in it. You would never read a love poem like you do the Wall Street Journal. It’s the same with the Bible. The Psalms are ancient songs of praise to God. You don’t read them like you read the book of I Samuel, which is a historical book about ancient Isreal. So for starters, if it’s history, read it like a historical account. But if it is poetry or “wisdom writings” (like the Proverbs) then treat it accordingly. Everything in the Bible is true, but the writing style can differ drastically.

Next, make sure that you are reading everything in the right context. Don’t just pick and choose what you want to read from different sections every day. If you read consistently chapter by chapter from the same section, the Bible will usually answer the questions that it prompts in the your mind. But sometimes you have to wait a chapter or so to get the answer. Stick with it. If you get confused, just keep reading. A solution is probably right around the corner.

Make absolutely sure that you have a modern translation of the Bible to read. It is essential that you not get caught up dealing with words that you have trouble understanding. the NLT, New Living Translation, or NIV, New International Version, are both great versions that provide up to date, readable translations of the scriptures.

Now, go ahead and pick a Gospel, it doesn’t matter which one, and begin to read. Ask yourself these questions as you read a chapter.

1) What is God communicating to the people in the story?

2) How are the people receiving what God is doing?

3) How does God react or respond to the people based on their reaction to him?

4) Now ask yourself, Am I like or dislike the people in the passage and is that a good or a bad thing?

when you think about these questions, make sure you have a journal or notebook and something to write with so you can write down your answers, thoughts, and questions. As you do this, you will find yourself really digging in to what the text means and how it applies to your life. This leads to your current situation in life and how you are doing in your relationship with God.

Once that is done, in order to mix it up a little bit, turn to the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. Start to read a Proverb every day corresponding to whatever day of the month it is. If it is the 15th of the month, then read Proverbs chapter 15. However, one word of caution. Please don’t read the Proverbs as if they were meant to give you specific life promises that are meant to be one hundred percent true for you. That isn’t the purpose of the Proverbs. They were given to us by God to give us general life truth and instruction, all things being equal. As you read the Proverbs, you will find yourself growing in the wisdom which God gives to those who read his word.

As you begin to incorporate these couple of steps, you will be suprised at how quickly you are beginning to understand the flow and meaning of the Bible. Try it for thirty days and just wait and see what happens.

About the Author:
Matt Tague is a minister who loves to help regular people learn to read and enjoy the Bible. Visit his site to pick up his book on that subject. He has also published a series of free articles on The top 5 mistakes people make when Reading the Bible.
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