Jesus, the Alpha & the Omega
Beware of Personal Favouritism James 2:1 James taught the strongest possible connection between faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and impartiality. God does not play favorites, yet we do (cf. 2:9), sinners that we are. The world’s love shows its true nature in its lack of love for the many
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The Cure For Brain Diseases Is In Your Gut This interesting article reflects an ongoing research endeavour to establish the effect of our extensive bacterial biome especially in our digestive system, and whether it contributes to various maladies that affects us as humans. Read Article Here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/28/the-cure-for-brain-diseases-is-in-your-gut.html
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Contrary to what we may think and believe, the Bible addresses quite a number of issues that go against the logic of human belief on what it means to follow Jesus and obey God. Often, these principles are not articulated with academic clarity, but couched in stories and parables in
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Photography April 2015 Winners and a few shortlisted entries for the 2015 National Geographic Traveller’s Photography Competition in their respective categories are illustrated here. Credit: National Geographic
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No Excess in Charity Genesis 3:6; Revelation 12:7–8 The desire of power in excess caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess caused man to fall. But in charity there is no excess; neither can angel nor man come in danger by it. Francis Bacon (1561 –
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Why North Europeans Are The Happiest People A few snippets from the article: Success is more than economic growth and other such statistics. Social support and generosity are relatively independent of economic development or the political system. People are happier when they’re socially fulfilled, perhaps as members of a group.
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Ephesians 4: 28 In this segment of the Ephesian letter (4:17-32), Paul ranges wide in what constitutes a Christian walk. However, we will focus on the issue of work and money. A majority of our worlds spin around the necessity of work, and how it contributes to our self-esteem and
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Turkish and Armenian Christians Reconcile on Genocide Anniversary “We came to share your pain,” Turkish Christians declared in early April, standing before TV cameras at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan. “We have come here to apologize for what our ancestors did, to ask for your forgiveness,” two spokesmen for the
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The word ruby comes from the Latin rubens which means red. Rubies are found in shades of red, from rich darkish red to pigeon blood red and pinkish red. The red hue comes from traces of the mineral chromium. They are extremely strong, registering 9 on the Mohs scale of
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In April 1915 the Ottoman government embarked upon the systematic decimation of its civilian Armenian population. The persecutions continued with varying intensity until 1923, when the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist, and was replaced by the Republic of Turkey. The Armenian population of the Ottoman state was reported at about
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NASA is gearing up to return humans to the moon, but first they’re using their Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) satellite to make incredibly detailed 3-D maps of the lunar surface. The latest map of the moon was released April 13 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The equator runs through the center.
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Matthew 6: 19 – 20 Completely different are “the treasures in heaven” (cf. 19:21), that is, those blessings that are reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4), that are heavenly in character, but of which we experience a foretaste even now. Beginning, as is proper, with the enumeration of
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I have started a new Facebook page called ICHTHUS, specifically for those who are burdened to pray for the persecution of Christian minorities worldwide. These atrocities toward believers have been increasing through the years, and if, like me, you are just as saddened and deeply grieved by them, then please
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The prestigious annual Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show to be held in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital, will commence on 19 to 23 May 2015. The big announcement so far is that Prince Harry’s charity, Sentebale, will be exhibiting a garden for the second time. The charity is
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Simple Rules for Healthy Eating Literally, a few simple rules for healthy eating from a pediatrician. With a proliferation of ready-made meals and artificially preserved food, common sense goes a long way contributing towards a healthy lifestyle. Read Article Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/upshot/simple-rules-for-healthy-eating.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0
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1 John 3: 9 – 10 As was pointed out in connection with verse 6, adding such phrases as “continue to” and “go on” to John’s statements about sinning is not justified on the basis of the Greek text. As before, the statements are absolute. One who is born of
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The Social Skills You Weren’t Taught in School Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. As the term implies, can emotional ‘intelligence’ be a
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An aurora is a natural light display in the sky (from the Latin word aurora, “sunrise” or the Roman goddess of dawn), predominantly seen in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. Auroras are caused by charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, entering the atmosphere from above causing ionisation and
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2 Peter 1: 3 – 12 The second letter of Peter was the final book to be admitted into the New Testament canon, and it was written to believers who were simultaneously being persecuted from without, and coping with heresy within the church. In those contexts, it is an exacting
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Our brain learns quickly to adjust to differing levels of stress, despite the body’s limited capacities to cope with increasing degrees of it. Different individuals possess varying levels of stress thresholds under diverse circumstances. We all need some stress to effectively do a job well, but what is harmful is
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Lengthening Patience Shortens Troubles Numbers 21:4–6; Proverbs 14:29; 19:11; Isaiah 8:17; Galatians 5:22 To lengthen my patience is the best way to shorten my troubles; and to lessen my patience is the speediest way to lengthen my pain. George Swinnock (1627 -1673)
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Do Not Build A Community Tim Gaydos flipped the coin over to show us the blind spot of much of our existing church emphases. Building and maintaining large congregations seemed to be the unspoken desire of many church leaders, and it is not unusual that they also possess a certain
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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a set of wispy, goblin-green objects that are the ephemeral ghosts of quasars that flickered to life and then faded. The glowing structures have looping, helical, and braided shapes. “They don’t fit a single pattern,” said Bill Keel of the University of Alabama in
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The Blue Zones Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people live measurably longer better. In these “Blue Zones” they found that people reach age 100 at rates
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Romans 8: 23 – 25 We Christians share creation’s groaning and hope (23), for we possess the Spirit as the firstfruits, the downpayment and pledge of our final redemption, and this causes us all the more to long for the finishing of God’s work in us. What is often called
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It seems inevitable that a book that handles such a topic will prove controversial and have some difficulties in recommending a way forward. But Wittmer tries his best to parse out the ‘logic’ of his proposal. The dichotomy is obvious, and the tensions attempting to balance it in this life
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Terrariums are usually sealable glass containers that can be opened for maintenance and to access the plants inside. However, this is not essential, and some are open to the atmosphere rather than being sealed. Terrariums are often kept as decorative or ornamental items. Closed terrariums create a unique environment for
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Genesis 3: 8 A general term for the various snakelike creatures found in the ancient Near East (Heb. nāḥāš, kārāp̱; Gk. óphis). Representations of serpents in literature and other media (chiefly clay and bronze) occur throughout the ancient Near East. Serpents functioned largely as objects of worship or charms against evil,
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A huge effort to map dark matter across the cosmos has released its first data. Dark matter is the invisible “web” that holds galaxies together; by watching how clumps of it shift over time, scientists hope eventually to quantify dark energy – the even more mysterious force that is pushing
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A good nap is like taking a little time out of your day and just rebooting your brain. Aside from that, napping has far-reaching effects on your health. Shorter naps give you the best bang for your buck, according to experts, but longer naps are good for you too. Taking
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Most Visited Palaces and Castles in 2014 Travel & Leisure’s top ten of the most visited palaces and castles are: 1. The Forbidden City, Beijing 2. The Louvre, Paris 3. The Grand Palace, Bangkok 4. Palace of Versailles, France 5. Topkapi Palace, Istanbul 6. The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg 7.
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John 20: 11 – 21: 25; Luke 24: 13 – 53; Acts 1: 1 – 11. This exclusive respite with His disciples on the shores of Galilee or Tiberias, about a day and a half’s journey north of Jerusalem, was deliberate (Matt 28:10). Forty days was no mean stretch of
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The Deeper the Affliction and Sorrow the Greater the Wisdom Affliction and sorrow do strange things to individuals. They either entrap us in a spiral of despondency, which inevitably drags us into self-indulgence or depression, or we bounce back and rise above its swirling emotions. Differing personalities view these events
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Tim Jeffs Artwork Tim Jeffs is an illustrator who studied at Parsons School of Design, and have spent the last 25 years of his life working in New York City as a Creative Director in publishing: designing websites, books, logos, and all kinds of electronic and printed material. His artwork
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Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, is one of the most easily identified targets for astronomers, largely due to its large and distinct ring system. However, Saturn is not the only planet in the solar system to have rings — Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also contain faint ring systems.
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When one refers to meditation, a vast majority of believers visualize a non-Christian system, with accompanying chanting and repetitive vocalizations. This misrepresentation casts an indelible poverty over our self-awareness, or mindfulness of oneself and his surroundings, and far removes us from our spirituality in thinking deeply on the Word of
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Bible Verse for Today
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared.
Credit: R. Kennicutt (Steward Obs.) et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA. This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is part of the Sombrero Galaxy, one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The dark band of dust that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy in optical light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The digitally sharpened image shows the infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-colour on an existing image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in optical light. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light-years across and lies 28 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Virgo.
NASA Mars Exploration Programme 
The number of brains cells is close to 100 billion, according to some estimate.
American Psychological Association
Conservation International 
The Pataxó are an indigenous people with a population of about 11,800 individuals. They once spoke the Pataxó language, but now speak Portuguese. The Pataxó people live in several villages in the southern part of the state of Bahia and northern of the state of Minas Gerais. There is evidence that the village of Barra Velha has existed for nearly two and a half centuries since 1767. Tracing a history of contact with non-indigenous people that goes back to the sixteenth century and often forced to hide their customs, nowadays the Pataxó strive to enliven their language - the Patxohã - and rituals "of the ancient"
Global Disaster Alert & Coordination System CDC Travellers’ Health Notices 
The national flag of Mali is a tricolour with three equal vertical stripes. From the hoist, the colours are green, gold, and red, the pan-African colours. The green stands for the fertility of the land, gold stands for purity and mineral wealth, and the red symbolizes the blood shed for independence from the French. The current flag was adopted on March 1, 1961.
The U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings
The UK Foreign Service Travel Advice 
This flared Paris porcelain vase mounted on a gilt bronze stand (museum number 463-1844) is painted with a profusion of brightly-coloured flowers dramatically set off against a completely gilded background. It is most probably bought from the Escalier de Cristal retailer Lahoche, Boin & Cie at the 1844 French Industrial Exhibition. The acquisition of this vase actually pre-dated the building of the South Kensington Museum, which is where it is presently.
Idiom of the Day 
BJP RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST HATE SPEECH. Click on image for more information.
