Articles

Marriage and the Priesthood

"But at the same time the [Second Vatican] Council did not hesitate to confirm solemnly the ancient, sacred and providential present law of priestly celibacy." (Vatican Council II Vol. 2, p. 290)
Are priests to marry?
Why is there sexual immorality in a Church? Most often it is because someone who burns with passion needs to married. Paul answers this in 1 Cor. 7:2-3  "Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.  Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband."
Look at what has happened when they are frustrated in something God commands is good.  Because they have forbidden the priests to marry they have a high percentage of improper sexual conduct. This can include children as well. This is not to impugn specifically the Roman Catholic Church. There are other Churches as well that forbid people to marry and make men or woman remain single when they are unable to do so.
The qualifications of a priest/bishop do not forbid being married. The Greek word for bishop is episkopos, is translated in different Bibles using the same word elder, presbyter, bishop, priest.  Titus 1:5-6   "As I instructed you, a bishop (priest) must be irreproachable, married only once, the father of children who are believers."
The only thing that would disqualify them to be a priest is to be married to more than one wife. 1 Tim. 3:2-4:  "A bishop (priest) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, ... having his children in submission with all reverence."
Requiring celibacy is forbidden by Scripture. Paul writes in 1 Tim. 4 to deny a priest to marry is not a teaching from God but a teaching from a demonic source. 1 Tim. 4:1-5:  "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,  speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,  forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.  For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;   for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."  If you can eat any kind of food on any day, you also can marry. (remember they could not eat meat on Friday). Priest or not being a priest excludes personal choice in one being married. But Roman Catholicism has it by law not choice, and they connect it to their tradition which is suppose to be alongside the Scripture. History shows us that the enforcement of celibacy for priests began in 1123. So it is their church law, not a biblical law.
"If anyone says the married state is to be place above the state of virginity or of celibacy and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity and celibacy than to be united in matrimony, let him be anathema."[accursed!] (Council of Trent Nov.11, 1563) The Bible states it is not good that man should be alone. The idea of one being single is a spiritual gift it is not the norm. 
Heb.13:4 says, "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled." The Catholic Church recognizes marriage as a Sacrament and encourages people to be married. But not with the priesthood.
Look at the fruit of their prohibition today, frustration which often can end up in child molestation or homosexuality.  This is not my point of view but the News that continues to report their findings. Jesus said his commands were not burdensome but freeing.
Arguments such as Mt.19: "For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  Notice it is someone who has no pro creative abilities or those who have later dedicated themselves. But this has nothing to do with leadership in the Church.
Paul also speaks of those who can remain single as a spiritual gift. Paul writes in 1 Tim 3:2:" A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife." Being married was not a requirement because Paul was a single elder, but neither was celibacy required. But the natural order is marriage- not forbidding to marry, for anyone (except in the case of divorce).
Catholics consider Peter to be the first Pope and the Scriptures tell us Peter was married (Matthew 8:14), but the Popes cannot marry. 1 Tim.3 says bishops can be married, Catholic tradition challenges this and says no. The apostle Peter who they consider their first Pope brought his wife with him.  The Apostle Paul writes that all the apostles except himself were married.1 Cor. 9:5 "Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Peter and the other apostles were living with their wives! The overall view of Catholicism toward sexuality is thoroughly unbiblical and prudish. Just look at the sexual improprieties among the priesthood which are now becoming known. Then we can understand the seriousness of the problem of practicing this unbiblical teaching. When men pervert biblical teaching, it always results in serious consequences in real life. Practices of asceticism, such as monasticism and celibacy of the clergy neither promote spiritual growth nor helpful in avoiding sin (Col. 2:20-23).
What about the priesthood today
The priesthood has the ability to forgive ones sins which he imposes someone being free from guilt as the words of the minister say I absolve you from your sins. (Council of Trent session14 chpt.3).
This is not declaring in agreement with Jesus that ones sins are forgiven (which only God can do) but is a judicial act of the priest.  It is the priest who determines whether the sinner is truly sorry and has the intention of not repeating the sin.
"If anyone denies that sacramental confession was instituted by divine law or is necessary to salvation; or says that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Catholic Church has always observed from the beginning and still observes, is at variance with the institution and command of Christ and is a human contrivance, let him be anathema." (Vatican Council II pp. 102 , 103 14th Session, Chapter 3, Canon 6)
Scripture teaches that our focus is to be on God who we sin against and whom we need to petition for forgiveness. Ps.32:5
The believer has forgiveness of sins as explained in Acts 10:43-48, . . . "through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins."Acts 13:38.
Eph. 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Col. 1:14 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Its all through Christ, he alone is the sacrifice, the priest, the mediator and the advocate.
Who is a Priest today?
The priesthood of the Old Testament was done away with and replaced by an eternal high priest and those under him.
1 Pet 2:5:  "You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. All Christians are part of the priesthood we all offer up sacrifices to God  which is our service to him, (Heb.13:15). As the priests in the Old Testament offered incense and offerings each morning and evening to God on the altar of incense as believers we offer the incense of praise, prayer and thanksgiving to God. We become a living sacrifice in service to our God.
1 Pet. 2:9-10 Peter finishes by explaining the result of God’s making all believers priests. " But ye are a chosen generation, a Royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; Who in time past were not a people but are now the people of God; who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
In Romans 12:1, Paul instructs the Roman believers to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." This is in reference to the burnt offering in Leviticus 1, where the whole animal was burnt as an offering to the Lord.  All aspect of a believer’s life is to be set apart to Gods service as we die to self and allow Christ's life to live through us.
All believers are Holy to God, set apart for his service.  As Israel is God’s chosen people according to His covenant made to Abraham in the Old Testament. so New Covenant believers are chosen in Jesus Christ.
In James 5:14-16 we find the believer who confessed his sins because he was sick, it was to the one he offended. It was the elders that anointed with oil and prayed for him to be healed.
There is no mention of a priesthood in the New Testament that functions like the roman catholic priests changing the bread  and wine to his body or blood or give absolution to ones sins. The only priest we are to confess to and acknowledge today as our priest is Christ. Heb 6:20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

The first requirement to be a priest is that you had to be from the Tribe of Levi, "And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood."( Heb.7:5). but in Hebrews 7:11 it states that "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron." The Levitical priests in Israel as well as those of Rome die daily. They had a beginning and they have an end.
Heb 7:16:  "who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life."
Heb 7:24: " But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood." Christ is separate as an eternal priest. He is "unchangeable", in the Greek it means "untransferable". The office of a priest to absolve sins is by him alone.
Heb 10:11-12  "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, Vs.21-22  and having a High Priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,."
Because Christ sat down his sacrificial work as a priest is done. He now mediates for us as our defense attorney 1 Jn.2:1,2: "If anyone sins we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Only someone perfect and righteous can absolve our sins.  As 'born anew" believers we have Direct Access to God.  Because of Christ’s sacrifice of Himself and His perfect high priestly mediation on our behalf. It gives all of us a special position with privileges before God. All believers are on equal access to approach God. We can come immediately into the very presence of God by our high priest who is God (Heb. 4:16).
Paul writes of his ministry to the believers in Rome, Rom. 15:15-16: " That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit ."
Here Paul describes himself as a priest (a minister) who serves through the preaching of the gospel.  This is the calling of all believers to affect those around them with the gospel .
The Roman Church by not allowing the people to participate in the priesthood deny them their right to function as a priest in the kingdom. This is why their is no gospel presentation for one to be saved by faith. They must continually take the sacraments given by the priesthood. They have copied the Old Testament format of the priesthood that has passed away. Christ is now is our one high priest and we minister unto him and for him.
Here is our example of being a priest for Christ in the New Covenant 2 Cor.5:20 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 6:1-2: "We then, as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says" "in the acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you." The people will recognize us as priests, not by our collars but by our priestly works of reconciliation.
Despite our failings, weaknesses or sin God invites each of us into His presence by his grace through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.   There is no longer the need to go through any other human priest/mediator to come to God. 

http://www.letusreason.org/rcdir.htm

                 “Make your life a daring adventure”
 Thomas Jefferson cites the following ten rules for a good life:
Ø  Never out off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Ø  Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
Ø  Never spend your money before you have it.
Ø  Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
Ø  Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
Ø  Never repent of having eating too little.
Ø  Nothing is troublesome what we do willingly.
Ø  Don’t let the evil which have never happened cost you pain.
Ø  Always take things by their smooth handle
Ø  When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.

“Life is a game of cards. The cards are shuffled and the hands are dealt. You must play your cards well”             - Eugene Hare
“Life is a play. It’s not its length, but its performance that counts.”         - Seneca
“Life is a B-picture scrip.”      - Kirk Douglas
“Life is something like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything in, you won’t get anything out.”            - W.C. Handy
“A life is a simple letter in the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning.”         - Jewish Seminary
“Life is a daring adventure, or nothing.”      - Helen Keller
“Life is an action. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”
                                                                                - Carl Sandburg
Each day I learn more……
“Each day I learn more than I teach;
I learn that half knowledge of another’s life leads to false judgment;
I learn that there is surprising kinship in human nature;
I learn that it’s a wise father who knows his own son;
I learn that what we expect we get;
I learn there’s more good than evil in this world;
That age is a question of spirit;
That youth is the best of life
No matter how numerous the years;
I learn how much there is to learn.”
                                                                                           -Virginia Church
Decide to be happy today, to live with what is yours – your family, your business, your job, your luck. If you can’t have what you like, may be you can like what you have.
Just for today, be kind, cheerful, agreeable, responsive, caring and understanding. Be your best, dress your best, talk softly, and look for the bright side of things. Praise people for what they do and do not criticize them for what they cannot do. If someone does stupid, forgive and forget. After all, it’s just for one day.
Who knows, it might turn to be a nice day.
Decide to be happy today. It really is your decision to make. No one else has the power to make you unhappy unless you let them and no one in life is given any more opportunity than anyone else. The people that are happy and enjoying their lives have only come to make that decision.
They decided that they were going to live their truth and be themselves no matter what. They didn’t worry about what other people were or were not doing, they took responsibility for themselves and their lives and decided to be happy.
So today, be loving, creative, genuine, alive, encouraging, passionate and hopeful. Allow yourself to come alive! Take responsibility for your thoughts and choose to do more of what you love and live the life that you want to live. Make the decision to be happy and be grateful for this beautiful day, another day to shine your light to those around you and be somebody’s reason to smile. Because when you really look at it, life is pretty darn beautiful!
“This moment is mine.
I live for that moment.
I will make the most of this moment.
I choose to be happy.
I am not going to worry about the future.
I am not going to regret the past.
I am leaving behind all the hurts
that I’ve carried with me.
I forgive everyone I felt has hurt me.
I forgive myself for hurting someone else.
I choose to be happy because
this moment is mine.
I will share my happiness with everyone who shares this moment with me,
for when i share my happiness,
I feel good about myself,
and my happiness will grow.
I can share this happiness
without expecting anything in return.
If it’s returned I’ll feel happy.
But if it isn’t,
I’ll still feel happiness,
Because I shared my happiness,
And my happiness comes from within me.
I choose to be happy,
For this moment is mine.”
                                                                                          -  Robert Alan.
                           
     Ref; “Live Inspired Always” by John Pichappilly (p.g; 296-299).




           


                    “Be aware of the 4 wives in your life”
            There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
            He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He was very proud of her and always to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant was always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
            He loved his 2nd wife, too. A very considerable person, she was always patient and in fact the merchant’s confidante.  Whenever the merchant faced the problem, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
            Now, the merchant’s 1st wife was a very loyal partner and made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
            One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have four wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!”
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
            The answer cut like a sharp knight right into the merchant’s heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you so much all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I’m going to remarry when you die!” the merchant’s heart sank and turned cold.
            He then asked the 2nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and you’ve always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!” replied the 2nd wife. “At the very most I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
            Then a voice called out: “I’ll live with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant then looked up and there was his 1st wife. She was so thin, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said,  “I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!”
            Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives.
  1. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it’ll leave us when we die.
  2. Our 3rd wife? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they will go to others.
  3. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they have been there for us when we’re alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
  4. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual pleasure.
Our soul is actually the only thing that follows is wherever we go. Perhaps it’s a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we’re on our deathbed to lament.
           
                                                                                                Ref: “Live Inspired Always” by John Pichappilly (pg; 233-235)






"Shake it off and step up"
A donkey fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the donkey’s ‘braying’ – or whatever the donkeys do when they fall into the wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the donkey, but decided that neither the donkey nor the well was worth the trouble saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old donkey in the well and put him out of the misery.
Initially, the old donkey was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow after blow. “Shake it off and step it up…shake it off and step it up…shake it off and step it up!” he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows or distressing the situation seemed the old donkey fought “panic” and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!
You’re right! It wasn’t long before the old donkey battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well. What seemed as though prospective burial actually proved a blessing for him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That is life! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us.
It has been said that more millionaires are made in hard economic times than in good times. They develop the ability to turn a disastrous situation around into a wonderful freeing opportunity and it only takes them less than a minute to start thinking that way. How can you step up the millionaire membership? Maybe change a few habits to start with.
Walt Disney dropped out of school, joined the army, came to draw cartoons, started into business with a partner and failed and sold everything to purchase a one-way ticket to California. To his forty dollars, an imitation leather suitcase, on ill-matching suit and some drawing materials he added a dream. He started a new company, suffered setbacks, endured two nervous breakdowns, sold his car, mortgaged his house and borrowed more until he opened Disneyland, which became the biggest attraction in America and made him a multi-millionaire.
A million dollars must be deposited in your head before it will ever arrive in your bank account. Don’t wait for someone else to hand you a check. Write your won dream pay packet today.
Muhammad Ali, once referred to ‘the great superman’, says: “You see, I learned a long time ago that being good was simply not enough. You’ve got to have the imagination and you’ve got to have a dream.”
So go! Get a dream, set a goal and go, go, go!
Start declaring this today: “I am millionaire quality. I deserve to be a millionaire. I have a great mind. I have ability. I have ideas. I will find a way and the means to make millions. I will develop the millionaire habits. I will find a mentor who is a millionaire and I will learn from them. Right now I am a millionaire in my thoughts and from this day forward I will be a millionaire in my speech and in mu actions.. I can, I do and I will. No dirt is going to stop me because I will just simply shape it off and step up.”
“Live more, complain less,
More smile, less stress,
Less hate, more blessed.”
-Peter G. James Sinclair
Remember fear only becomes a problem when you let it control it your life. Find something positive every day.
Remember it is not what happens to us but what is in us that settles the matter. So press on through the pressure and do not let circumstances dictate the status of your peace and joy.
Movement is the key to success.
Moving forward will bring a breakthrough.
How, we may not always know.
But move – and will open up true.
“Any dirt coming to your way? Stick it under your feet and you’ll stand taller and see further than you’ve ever seen before,” assures Peter G. James Sinclair!

                                                                Ref: “Live Inspired Always” by John Pichappilly (pg.; 56-58).








Words of Common Sense
One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.

PERSIAN

Common sense is not common.

SIR JOHN TEMPLETON



Words of Common Sense for Mind, Body and Soul

Bellyful make potato have skin.

AFRICAN AMMERICAN
The one who is not hungry calls the coconut shell hard.
ETIOPIA
When the bridge is gone, the narrowest plank becomes precious.
HUNGARIAN

What is Common Sense
Never depend too much on the blackberry blossoms.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Don’t be on a tater hill before the grabblin’ time.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Not every dark cloud brings rain.
HAYA, EAST AFRICA
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
ENGLISH
The bullfrog knows more about rain than the almanac.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Some smart folks can’t tell a rotten rail without sitting on it.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.
PERSIAN
A mole may instruct a philosopher in the art of digging.
CHINESE
One hand washes the other.
ANCIENT ROMEN
One finger can’t catch fleas.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
One hand can’t tie a bundle.
BASA



  
  
 
 
Proverbs and Common Sense
If fool goes to market, bad something never sell.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
One Eye is enough for the merchant, but the buyers need a hundred.
BASQUE
There are more foolish buyers than sellers.
BELGIAN
Poor people entertain with the heart.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
It is the heart that gives; the fingers only let go.
HAYA, EAST AFRICAN
A good heart always does a little extra.
CHINESE
A kind word warms for three winters.
CHINESE
Black cows give also white milk.
ENGLISH
It doesn’t make much difference where the rain comes from, just so it hits the ground in the right place.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Dirty water also will wash dirt.
EWE
Slowly, slowly will catch the monkey.
JABO
Drop by drop fills the pot.
DUALA
The hindermost ox also reaches the kraal.
DUTCH
The one who runs and the one who limps meet again at the ferry.
EGYPTIAN

  
The Common Sense and Sayings of Jesus
Mountains don’t need mountains, but humans need human.
BASQUE
Frost destroys only the solitary blades of grass.
CHINESE
The third strand makes the cable.
DUTCH
A single stick smokes but doesn’t burn.
GALLIA
Sticks in a bundle cannot be broken.
BONDEI
Who gives to me teaches me to give.
DUTCH
To give to the needy is not to give but to sow.
BASQUE
A gift goes out on a donkey and comes back on a camel.
EGYPTIAN
The horse must graze where it is tethered.
BELGIAN
Bloom where you are planted.
ENGLISH
The paddle you find in the canoe is the one which will take you across.
LIBERIA
Water never loses its way.
-BANTU
Water makes its own channel.-
CHINESE
Every river runs to its mamma.
AFRICAN AMERICAN


Common Sense as Ultimate Authority
It’s when you cross the ford that your leg problems show up.
EGYPTIAN
The dust speck always heads for the single eye.
CHUANA
All the lies will alight on the sick goat.
AUSTRIA
It’s the toe that gets stubbed.
KENYA
The neighbor will call on the day you do your hair.
CATALONIAN
When the bait is worth more than the fish, it’s time to stop fishing.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
It’s poor economy to go to bed early to save candles if the result will be twins.
CHINESE
The gazelle jumps, and should her fawn crawl?
FULFULDE
Flies’ eggs hatch flies.
CHINESE
A crab doesn’t hatch bird.
GA, GOLD COAST
What can you expect from a pig but a grunt?
IRISH
You can do without friends but not without neighbors.
EGYPTIAN
No one is so rich as to need no neighbor.
HUNGARIAN
We are mice of the same hole: if we don’t meet going in, we meet coming out.
HAUSA, EAST


The Good News of Common Sense
The heaviest ear of corn bows its head the lowest.
IRISH
Gold sinks deeper than dross.
CHINESE
Low-lying land drinks water from all around.
EGYPYIAN
A calf is not afraid of its mother’s horns.
GALLA
The lion growls at its cub but won’t eat it.
ILA
One who rides in a litter doesn’t realize how far it is to town.
HAUSA
Those who wear pearls do not know how often the shark bites the driver.
ETHIOPIA
Mr. Fullbelly doesn’t know Mr. Hollowbelly.
GERMAN
One eats the roast; the other licks the spit.
HUNGARIAN
One who hasn’t carried your burden knows not its weight.
HAYA, EAST AFRICA
When I Rome, do as the Romans do.
LATE ROMAN
When you visit a frog, don’t ask for a chair: squat.
HO, EAST AFRICA
When you go to a donkey house, don’t talk about ears.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
There is no elbow that bends outwards.
CHINESE
You cannot coax the morning glory to climb the wrong way round the corn stalk.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
You can lead the horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.
ENGLISH
If you are going to eat your porridge, stop stirring it.
HAUSA
If you ferry at all, ferry right over.
CHINESE
Nobody’s family can hang up the sign, “Nothing the matter here.”
CHINESE
There are no cattle without a dung heap.
CHUANA
Every family has a skeleton in the closet.
AMERICAN
Every cabin has its mosquito.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Chicken says: “If you scratch too hard, you come upon the bones of your mother.”
AFRICAN JABO
Need breaks laws.
DUTCH
Law makes law-breakers.
BANTU
The law is a spider’s web: Big flies break through, but the little ones get caught.
HUNGARIAN
‘Tis a good word that can better a good silence.
DUTCH
Words are silver, silence is gold.
GERMAN
The stars make no noise.
IRISH
Telling the truth is not a sin, but it causes inconvenience.
MEXICAN
A child, a drunkard, and a fool tell the truth.
HUNGARIAN

Seeing is believing, but feeling is God’s own truth.
IRISH
Truth has all the benefits of sham without the disadvantages.
DUTCH

















Obstacles of the Common Sense
Children talk with God.
CHUANA
A child who asks questions isn’t stupid.
EWE
A lovely child has many names.
HUNGARIAN
Honor a child and it will honor you.
ILA
Children are the wisdom of the nation.
JABO
No goat can butt alone.
SWISS
A single bracelet doesn’t rattle.
FULFULDE
One someone can’t quarrel.
AFRICAN MAERICAN
Marriage is a covered dish.
SWISS
Before you marry, keep your two eyes open; after you marry, shut one.
AFRIAN AMERICAN
If you wish to be blamed, marry; if you want to be praised, die.
GALLA
One without a friend is like the right hand without the left.
BOSNIAN
When friends are together, even water is sweet.
CHINESE
Hold a true friend with both hands.
NIGERIAN


Cultivating Common Sense
A single general’s fame is made of ten thousand corpses.
CHINESE
No one becomes a good doctor before filling a churchyard.
SWEDISH
Don’t lose the falcon until you see the hare.
CHIINESE
Don’t throw the old bucket away until you know that the new one holds water.
SWEDISH
See the candle light before you blow out the match.
AFRICAN AMERICAN





JESUS' NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION TO HOS PEOPLE

       Non-verbal communication is the conveyance of information foe one entity to another without the use of verbal expression. it results in understanding being exchanged by those entities without the exactitude of human speech in any form.
        Non-verbal communication differs from verbal in that it concerns itself with the entire range and scope of communication over and above the use of words. In our view, whatever the message, whatever the channel, whatever the nature of the intensity, of intentionally--where words are not involved, the communication is non-verbal.
        In the Gospel we see so many times about the non-verbal used by Jesus while communicating with people. E.g., the ordinance of baptism, Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. John the Baptist's dress and manner were non-verbal and austere reinforcements of his message of repentance. The first Baptist was a non-verbalist!  Similarly the bread and cup of the Lord's Supper are non-verbal statements about the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
        We must not miss Jesus' denunciation of humanity's foolish tendency to depend on the verbals. Many of those who profess to have prophesied in His name are going to be rejected. Notice that Jesus does not warn against false prophecies but against false prophets. Against the prophets, yes, but against the prophecies, no. The reason may be that the Jesus was especially concerned to instruct the Church to pay attention to the non-verbals rather than verbals, to the spirit involved, rather than to the vocabulary expressed.


                           


                  Conquer your problem
 

A young woman complained to her mother about the hardships and difficulties she faced in life. She didn’t know how she was going to continue and wanted to give up. The young woman said, “I’m tired of fighting and struggling. It seems that as soon as one problem is solved, a new one appears.” In response, her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots of water, placing each on the stove over a high flame.
Soon the water came to a boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil off without saying a word. In about 2o minutes, she turned off the burners. The mother then finished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She removed the eggs and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, “Tell me what you see.” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did  and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After peeling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich flavor.
The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, Mother?”  The mother explained that
each of these objects had faced the same adversity, boiling water, and each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became tender. The egg had been fragile, its thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior, but after the boiling water treatment, its inside became hardened. But the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they’d changed the water itself.
            Stay in Spirit and change adversity into a component of a new, great and wonderful world, just as the coffee did.
            According to Simon Jacobson, there were four different approaches in dealing with adversity: escapism, conformism, fighting and believing. What is your approach? Or rather, which type are you?
            In the 1986 New York City Marathon, almost 20,000 runners entered the race. What is memorable is not who won, but who finished last. His name was Bob Wieland. He finished 19,413th – dead last. Bob completed the New York marathon in 4 days, 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds. It was unquestionably the slowest marathon in history ever. So, what is it that made Bob Wieland’s marathon so special? Bob ran with his arms. 17 years earlier while in Vietnam, Bob’s legs were blown off in battle. She sits on a 15 pound saddle and covers his fists with pads. He uses his arms to catapult himself forward one arm-length at a time. He can run a mile in an hour. That is real endurance in the face of adversity.
            Creativity put to work can change a problem and turn it into a gold mine.
            In 1879, Procter and Gamble’s best-seller was candles. But the company was in trouble. Thomas Edison had invented the light bulb, and it looked as if candles would become obsolete. Their fears became reality when the market for candles plummeted since they were now sold only for special occasions.
            The outlook appeared to be bleak for Procter and Gamble. However, at this time, it seemed that destiny played a dramatic part in pulling the struggling company from the clutches of bankruptcy. A forgetful employee at a small factory in Cincinnati forgot to turn off his machine when he went out to lunch. The result? A frothing mass of lather filled with air bubbles. He almost threw the stuff away but instead to make it into soap. The soap floated. Thus, Ivory soap was born and became the mainstay of the Procter and Gamble Company.
            Why was soap that floats such a hot item at that time? In Cincinnati, during that period, some people bathed in the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink and consequently never got lost. So, Ivory soap became a best-seller in Ohio and eventually across the country also. Like Procter and Gamble, refrain from ever giving up when things go wrong or when seemingly insurmountable problems arise.

“If you can’t fly, then run,
If you can’t run, then walk,
If you can’t walk, then crawl,
But whatever you do,
You have to move forward.”
                                                                                                            -Martin Luther King Jr

Ref: “Live Inspired Always” by John Pichappilly (Pg.,49-51).





Promise yourself….

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind;
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet;
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them;
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true;
To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only for the best;
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own;
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future;
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and gives every living creature you meet a smile;
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others;
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear; and too happy to permit the presence of trouble;
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds;
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you;
Don’t let negative thinking get you down.
Just turn your negative thoughts around and you’ll be on your way to being more positive and in control of your life.

Ref; Live inspired always by John Pichappilly (pg.33)




Challenges are what keep us fresh!
Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, reorganize the challenge, team up, be resourceful and do not give up. Failing make you tired. If you have met the goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your community.
Here’s what the eminent think:
Theodore Roosevelt: “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing you can do. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
L.G. Elliott: “Vacillating people seldom succeed. Successful men and women are very cheerful in reaching their decisions, and very persistent and determined in action thereafter.”
Margret Thatcher: “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked  down by the traffic from both sides.”
Booker T. Washington: “The world care very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts.”
Confucius: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
Albert Einstein: “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”
Aesop: “Please all and you will please none.”
Helen Keller: “We can do anything as long as we stick to it long enough.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt: “One thing is sure. We have to do something. We have to do the best we know how at the moment. If it doesn’t turn out right, we can modify it as we go along.
Life is to strive for the best.

Ref; Live inspired always by John Pichappilly (pg. 43)





"Be a winner"

“The Winner is always a part of the answer;
The Loser is always a part of the problem.

The Winner always has a programme;
The Loser always has as excuse.

The Winner says, “Let me do it for you;”
The Loser says, “That’s not my job.”

The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem in every answer.

The Winner says, “It may be difficult but it’s possible;”
The Loser says, It may be possible but it’s too difficult.”

So don’t build mountain in your mind.
Don’t try to conquer it all at once.

Take a few small steps towards your goal today.
Take everything in stride, one step at a time.


   Ref: Live inspired always by John Pichappilly (p.g., 27)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)