Egypt. Place for God. About The Heart. The Real Person. 14 Steps to Bible Study. B.U.S.Y. Enron. Hydrogen Fuel-cell. Sanctity of Life.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

The Latest in Egypt

“Mohammed Morsi has given himself dictatorial powers. The big question is what the military will do in the largest Arab state.” 

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/news-and-prophecy/latest-egypt

_______

Always a Place for God

“In our everyday lives we often pass through a variety of experiences and emotions.

Some are stronger than others, and there are some days that seem bland in comparison to others. We can "turn on a dime" from happy to sad, joyful to depressed, content to painful as we all readily know. The Bible explains that there are times that may last moments, days, weeks or longer, but eventually there is a time for every emotion we can think of (Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
See All...).

An unknown author noted that in every moment, there is a place for God. They wrote: "In happy moments, praise God. In difficult moments, seek God. In quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. And in every moment, thank God." There is always a place for God in our lives.” From: http://www.ucg.org/this-is-the-way/always-place-god/

______

Life Lessons: Six Points to Consider About the Heart

“Proverbs 27:19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. See All... states:  "As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man."  Throughout the book of Proverbs, the heart is used as a symbol of a person's deepest emotions, desires and motivations.

The various proverbs concerning the heart show that, although a person may be able to temporarily hide his or her real character, eventually an individual's deepest thoughts and emotions are revealed in words and actions.

Points to build on

1. A wise person seeks to understand emotions and motivations while a foolish person trusts in his or her own feelings.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.See All...:   "A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart."

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.See All...:   "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered."

2. The natural way of human beings is to seek our own desires and suffer anxiety when considering God's ways.

Proverbs 19:3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD. See All...:  "The foolishness of man twists his ways, and his heart frets against the Lord."

3. A person's heart ultimately determines his or her words.

Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. See All...:  "The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little."

Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.See All...:  "The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so."

Proverbs 16:23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. See All...:  "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips."

4. A person's heart ultimately determines his or her actions (ways).

Proverbs 11:20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. See All...:    "Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, but the blameless in their ways are His delight."

5. A person's true heart will eventually be exhibited to others.

Proverbs 12:8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. See All...:  "A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised."

Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.
See All...:  "Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known."

6. A person who develops a mature heart is willing to learn, while a showoff will fail.

Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. See All...:  "The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall."

Application

Wisdom is concerned with the deepest emotions, desires and motivations because these are the foundation of character and behavior.”  From: http://www.ucg.org/blog/life-lessons-six-points-consider-about-heart/

______

The Most Important Part

“Our body is made up of various parts all playing a role in our wellbeing and existence.

When one part suffers, the whole body suffers, so we cannot degrade or simply forget about even the least part (1 Corinthians 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.See All...).   However it is true that it is the brain or mind that regards each part—the individual parts know nothing, they simply transmit messages to the brain or the mind.

We seem attracted by appearances. A wonderful hairstyle or terrific looks impact the way we think about people. The real person, however, is not in the hair or in the appearance. There may be a reflection of some of the real values the person has in the way they care for their appearance, but the real person is a complex grouping of all sorts of hidden things. We all need to realize that there is a brain under the hair and a heart underneath the good looks. The most important part is the character of the person that is made up by the quality of the mind. Look deeper for the real person.”  From: http://www.ucg.org/this-is-the-way/most-important-part/

______

How can I have a successful Bible study?

“Here are 14 steps to apply to your daily Bible study.”  Read here:

http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/how-can-i-have-successful-bible-study

 

_______

B.U.S.Y

"Oh sorry, I meant to get ahold of you, but I've been really busy!" "Hey, I wanted to do that, but I've just been so busy." Have you ever used this excuse? Why are we always so busy?

Source: Photos.com

“I live in America. It's the wealthiest nation on the planet (for the time being). Keeping in mind the old saying "Time is money," think about how rich Americans really are. Compared to many developing countries, America is rather poor in its "time" reserves. No one seems to have enough!

Why are so many of us so busy, and what can we do about it?

Despite the desire for time to relax and reflect, many are tangled in hectic schedules that suck up their time like an industrial-strength vacuum! Rushing to make appointments, meetings or sports practice, we should ponder how we can change our lives to have time to think.

Something works against our desire to find that kind of time. But there are positive steps we can take. Both the negative and the positive can be represented by using the word "busy" as an acronym, each letter standing for another word.

Brought—Under—Satan's—Yoke”        More at: http://www.ucg.org/youth/busy/

_______

The program on WGN this morning:   Sanctity of Life

“The tragedy of abortion continues unabated. Often regarded as a legal matter, it's really a spiritual one. Discover God's view.”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/christian-living/sanctity-life

_______

On This Day:

Enron files for bankruptcy, Dec 2, 2001:

“On this day in 2001, the Enron Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court, sparking one of the largest corporate scandals in U.S. history.

An energy-trading company based in Houston, Texas, Enron was formed in 1985 as the merger of two gas companies, Houston Natural Gas and Internorth. Under chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay, Enron rose as high as number seven on Fortune magazine's list of the top 500 U.S. companies. In 2000, the company employed 21,000 people and posted revenue of $111 billion. Over the next year, however, Enron's stock price began a dramatic slide, dropping from $90.75 in August 2000 to $0.26 by closing on November 30, 2001.

As prices fell, Lay sold large amounts of his Enron stock, while simultaneously encouraging Enron employees to buy more shares and assuring them that the company was on the rebound. Employees saw their retirement savings accounts wiped out as Enron's stock price continued to plummet. After another energy company, Dynegy, canceled a planned $8.4 billion buy-out in late November, Enron filed for bankruptcy. By the end of the year, Enron's collapse had cost investors billions of dollars, wiped out some 5,600 jobs and liquidated almost $2.1 billion in pension plans.

In July 2004, a Houston court indicted Skilling on 35 counts including fraud, conspiracy and insider trading. Lay was charged with 11 similar crimes. The trial began on January 30, 2006, in Houston. A number of former Enron employees appeared on the stand, including Andrew Fastow, Enron's ex-CFO, who early on pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and agreed to testify against his former bosses. Over the course of the trial, the defiant Skilling--who unloaded almost $60 million worth of Enron stock shortly after his resignation but refused to admit he knew of the company's impending collapse--emerged as the figure many identified most personally with the scandal. In May 2006, Skilling was convicted of 19 of 35 counts, while Lay was found guilty on 10 counts of fraud and conspiracy. When Lay died from heart disease just two months later, a Houston judge vacated the counts against him. That October, the 52-year-old Skilling was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.”

______

Toyota's first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles arrive in California, Dec 2, 2002:

“On this day in 2002, Toyota delivers its first two "market-ready" hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCHVs, in the company's shorthand) to researchers at the University of California at Irvine and the University of California at Davis. Since 1997, Toyota had been providing research money to UC scientists and engineers who studied the problems associated with "advanced transportation systems" like fuel-cell vehicles. With their new fleet of FCHVs, the researchers finally had a chance to test out their theories.

Unlike the Toyota Prius, which has a gas-electric hybrid engine, FCHVs use a hydrogen fuel-cell system that generates electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. That electricity powers the car's motor and charges its batteries. As a result, the vehicle creates no environmentally unfriendly byproducts: its only emission is water vapor.

The early FCHVs had a cruising range of 180 miles and a top speed of 96 miles per hour. Toyota later revamped the vehicle somewhat, improving its range and making it 25 percent more efficient. In September 2007, company engineers in Japan drove an FCHV 347 miles from the Osaka Prefectural Government Office to the Mega Web amusement center in Tokyo with the air-conditioner on and without refueling. Later that year, they took the FCHV on an even longer test drive, from Fairbanks, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia--a distance of 2,300 miles. They chose that route for two reasons: because it would demonstrate the FCHV's hardiness in the face of cold weather and rough roads and because mobile refueling of hydrogen-powered vehicles is allowed on Canadian highways but not on American ones.

In January 2009, Toyota announced that its fuel-cell car would go on the market in 2015. However, since it turns out that California's influential Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate gives more credits to fuel-cell vehicles than to plug-in hybrid vehicles, the company has since revised its timeline: In May 2009, a Toyota spokesman declared that people might be able to buy the cars in 2014 or even sooner. Toyota and other FCHV proponents then turned their energy to the next challenge: providing fuel for the cars by creating a hydrogen-refueling infrastructure in California and across the country.”

______

Yesterday:

Jay wanted to go to the morning service at the Conroe Church of God, so that’s what we did.  He doesn’t like getting there early so that we can go to Bible Study.   The sermon was by a visiting elder from OK, “Faith That Works”.   Jay didn’t want to stay for their monthly pot-luck either, so we were home early.

The weather is lovely this time of year, so no heat or AC is needed these days.