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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Bible Verse for Today
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle (384 - 322 BC).
Quechua people may refer to any or all speakers of the Quechua languages, which originated among the indigenous peoples of South America. Most Quechua speakers live in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. The most common Quechua dialect is Southern Quechua. The Kichwa people of Ecuador speak the Kichwa dialect; in Colombia, the Inga people speak Inga Kichwa. Traditionally, Quechua identity is locally oriented and inseparably linked in each case with the established economic system. It is based on agriculture in the lower altitude regions, and on pastoral farming in the higher regions of the Puna. The typical Andean community extends over several altitude ranges and thus includes the cultivation of a variety of arable crops and livestock. The land is usually owned by the local community and is either cultivated jointly or redistributed annually.
CDC Travellers’ Health Notices 
There are two sides to the human brain. Each side of the brain interacts with the opposite side of the body. The left side of the brain interacts with the right side of the body, and vice versa. The reason behind this way of interaction is still not understood.
Relief Web 
The Tarantula Nebula.
Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory). The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star-forming region within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180 thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star-forming region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic image across this view, composed with narrowband filter data centred on emission from ionized hydrogen atoms. Within the Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation, stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of massive stars, catalogued as R136, energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are other star-forming regions with young star clusters, filaments, and blown-out bubble-shaped clouds. In fact, the frame includes the site of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, left of centre. The rich field of view spans about 1 degree or 2 full moons, in the southern constellation Dorado.
NASA Mars Exploration Programme
Conservation International 
The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The tricolour flag is almost identical to that of Luxembourg, except that it is shorter and its red and blue stripes are a darker shade. It originates as a variant of the older orange-white-blue Prinsenvlag (Prince's Flag), introduced in the 17th century as the Statenvlag (States Flag), the naval flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic. Its official status as the national flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formalized in 1937.
The U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings
The UK Foreign Service Travel Advice 
The Last Judgment is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo, covering the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. There are over 300 figures, with nearly all the males and angels originally shown as nudes; many were later partly covered up by painted draperies. The work took over four years, between 1536 and 1541. Michelangelo began working on it twenty-five years after he finished the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and was nearly 67 at its completion. It was commissioned by Pope Clement VII but was completed under Pope Paul III.
Idiom of the Day
