St. George, The White Horse and The Dragon

Happy Qedus George’s Day!

23^rd of Meyazia / ምያዝያ / May 1^st is Saint George’s Day in Ethiopia

The rest of the world celebrates it on April the 23rd. St George (the one who slay the dragon, and is almost always pictured on his white horse) is the Patron Saint of Ethiopia.

St. George and The Dragon

The equestrian saint became known in Ethiopia in the fifteenth century when his story was translated into Ethiopic, and he eventually developed into the patron saint of the nation.

St. George was a popular figure throughout the Christian East. He is almost always shown riding a white horse spearing a dragon found beneath him. Sometimes a young woman is shown in a tree symbolizing the princess that he rescues. Unlike other cultures in the East, Ethiopians called her by a name—Brutawit, literally the girl from Beirut.

The Ethiopian story, or life, of St. George is found in the text, Acts, Miracles, and Praises which is thought to have been inspired by a Greek source known through Christian Arabic language versions. Greek influence is also suggested by scholars who point to the legend of Perseus, who slew Medusa in order to save Andromeda, King Cepheus’ daughter. That story might have Ethiopian connections. Another opinion suggests that the equestrian saints, of which St. George is one, were a Coptic (Egyptian) development. Such figures were common in Coptic art during the early Christian centuries and could have influenced Ethiopians. A 5^th-century sculpted relief shows the Egyptian god Horus spearing an evil spirit shaped like a crocodile.

Another Serpent Story

St. George was not the only Ethiopian fighter of serpents. The beginning of the Queen of Sheba’s story tells how, in the early days, a snake-dragon named Wainaba /ዋይናባ ruled and devastated the land of Ethiopia. Angabo / አንጋቦ, from the land of the Sabeans [east of the Red Sea], crossed the sea and offered to rid the country of the serpent if the people would make him king. He did not fight or spear the serpent, however, but tricked it into eating a poisoned goat. Angabo was made king. Makeda was his daughter and ruled after he died.

Although no direct connection can be drawn based on what we know, it is interesting to note that early religious cults in Ethiopia featured some snake-like deities or spirits.

Even a Google Doodle marked a week ago Saint George’s Day with an image of Ethiopia’s Patron Saint slaying a dragon.

A poll published last week by the IPPR, a Left-leaning think tank, suggests that seven out of 10 people living in England want Saint George’s Day to be a public holiday. Well, on Ethiopia’s Saint George’s Day they surely have a public holiday, as it falls on the same day as Labor Day.

The fame of St. Georgeincreased throughout Europe in 1265 by publication of the Legenda Aurea (The Golden Legend) by James of Voragine, a collection of stories which included that of George and the Dragon. Actual origin of the legend of George and the Dragon is unknown. It may have been begun by the Crusaders when they returned home but was not recorded until the sixth century. St. George was a prominent figure in the secular miracle plays performed in the springs of medieval times. Some hold the story to be a christianized version of the Greek legend of Perseus said to have rescued a princess near the Lydda where St. George’s tomb is located.

Boy scouting has its origin in England in 1907 -08. General Robert Baden-Powell was one of few heroes to survive Britain’s Boer War. He wrote the book ‘Aids to Scouting’ and was startled to discover many boys used the book as an aid to outdoor activities. He sought to convert his concepts of army scouting for men to ‘peace concepts’ for boys.

In his ‘Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell referred to the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian Legend and to St. George who was the Knights’ patron saint. He wrote, “He is also the Patron Saint of Scouts everywhere. Therefore all Scouts should know his story. St. George was typical of what a Scout should be. When he was faced by a difficulty or danger, however great it appeared, even in the shape of a dragon – he did not avoid it or fear it but went at it with all the power he could … That is exactly the way a Scout should face a difficulty or danger no matter how great or how terrifying it may appear. He should go at it boldly and confidently, using every power that he can to try and overcome it and the probability is that he will succeed.” From Baden-Powell, Scouting for Boys (1908)

Baden-Powell also had a favorite rhyme about the Patron Saint:

My warmest good wishes I am sending to you
And hoping that the winter is through
You will start out afresh to follow the lead
Of our Patron Saint George and his spirited steed;
Not only to tackle what ever my befall,
But also successfully to win through it all
And then may you have an enjoyable spell
Of hiking, and jolly good camping as well.

Saint George is a Patron of:

• against herpes

• against leprosy

• against plague

• against skin diseases

• against skin rashes

• against syphilis

• patron saint of Amersfoort, Netherlands

• patron saint of Appignano del Tronto, Italy

• patron saint of Aragon, Spain

• patron saint of agricultural workers

• patron saint of archers

• patron saint of Arcole, Italy

• patron saint of Beirut, Lebanon

• patron saint of Boy Scouts

• patron saint of butchers

• patron saint of Canada

• patron saint of Cappadocia

• patron saint of Carpeneto, Italy

• patron saint of Catalonia

• patron saint of cavalry

• patron saint of Cerreto Grue, Alessandria, Italy

• patron saint of chivalry

• patron saint of Constantinople

• patron saint of Crusaders

• patron saint of England (by Pope Benedict XIV)

• patron saint of equestrians

• patron saint of Ethiopia

• patron saint of farmers

• patron saint of Ferrara, Italy

• patron saint of field hands

• patron saint of field workers

• patron saint of Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

• patron saint of Genoa, Italy

• patron saint of Georgia

• patron saint of Germany

• patron saint of Gozo, Malta

• patron saint of Greece

• patron saint of Haldern, Germany

• patron saint of Heide, Germany

• patron saint of Hone, Italy

• patron saint of horsemen

• patron saint of horses 

• patron saint of husbandmen

• patron saint of Istanbul, Turkey

• patron saint of knights

• patron saint of lepers

• patron saint of Limburg, Germany, diocese of

• patron saint of Lithuania

• patron saint of Malta

• patron saint of Modica, Sicily, Italy

• patron saint of Moscow, Russia

• patron saint of Nerola, Italy

• patron saint of Order of the Garter

• patron saint of Palestine

• patron saint of Palestinian Christians

• patron saint of Portugal

• patron saint of Ptuj, Slovenia

• patron saint of Qormi, Malta

• patron saint of Riano, Italy

• patron saint of riders

• patron saint of saddle makers

• patron saint of saddlers

• patron saint of Senj, Croatia

• patron saint of sheep

• patron saint of shepherds

• patron saint of soldiers

• patron saint of Teutonic Knights

• patron saint of Venice, Italy

• patron saint of Victoria, Gozo, Malta

 

What was Billy Ocean’s most adventurous travel experience?

He says:

Going to Ethiopia. I’ve been twice – the first time was nearly 30 years ago – and I’m due for another visit. I like the calmness of the place and the people. I remember vast plains with just trees and animals. I’d be walking in the street and someone might say, “There’s a hyena round the corner.” We also ate with our hands out of a communal bowl, which is totally different, but I love joining in people’s culture. One thing I noticed about Addis Ababa, though, is the cold. It was absolutely freezing, but a different sort of cold to here. If you could wish yourself into something, I would live in Ethiopia.

Continue reading…

P.S: Billy Ocean will be at Saint George’s Concert hall in Bradford, England, next week, Wed 8^th of Mai

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In the War Over Christianity, Orthodoxy is Winning

ፃድቁ አቡነ ጎርጎሪዮስ ገዳም

በቅዱስ ሚካኤል ዕለት ጠዋት ላይ ወደ ቦሌ ሚካኤል ሄጄ የዕለት እንጀራዬን በጸሎት ሥነሥርዓት ላይ በመሳተፍ ካገኘሁ በኋላ ትንሽ ዘወር ዘወር ልብል ብዬ ከበስተጀርባ ወዳለው ግቢ ወረድ አልኩ። ከዚያ ጎርጎድ ያለ ቦታ ላይ፡ ልክ “በራሪ ሰሀኖች / UFO” ተብለው ፊልሞች ላይ የሚታዩትን የመሰለ ድንቅ ሕንጻ ላይ ዓይኖቼ አረፉ፡ (ምስሉ ላይ እንዳለው)። የሚገርመው አብዛኞቹ የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ዓብያተ ክርስቲያናት ሕንፃ አሠራር ይህን መሰል ቅርጽ የያዘ ነው፤ ምናልባት አባቶቻችን ቀደም ሲል የታያቸውና የሚያውቁት ነገር ሊኖር ይችላል ያስብላል። ከዚያም ወደ ሕንፃው ጠጋ ስል “የፃድቁ አቡነ ጎርጎሪዮስ ቤ/ክርስቲያንና ገዳም” የሚል ጽሑፍ መግቢያው ላይ ተመለከትኩ። ቀደም ሲል ሰምቼው አላውቅም ነበር። ወረድ እንዳልኩ፡ ቬዲዮው ላይ የሚታየው የቤተክርስቲያኗ / የገዳሙ ዋና ሕንጻ ጎርጎድ ያለ ቦታ ላይ ቁጭ ብሎና ድንቅ በሆኑ ዛፎችና ዕጽዋት የተከበብ መሆኑን አየሁ። በእውነት ከሌላ ዓለም የሆነና ገነታዊ አቀማመጥ ያለው መስሎ ታየኝ። ቤተክርስቲያኗን እንዲሠሩ ወደዚህ የመራቸው ኃይል መንፈስ ቅዱስ ብቻ ሊሆን እንደሚችልም ለመገንዘብ በቃሁ፤ በርግጥ መታየት ያለበትና በጣም የሚስብ መንፈሣዊ ቦታ ነው።

In the War Over Christianity, Orthodoxy is Winning

Small wonder, given the harrowing times recently, that news about a long-running property fight over a picturesque church in Northern Virginia escaped most people’s notice. But the story of the struggle over historic Falls Church is nonetheless worth a closer look. It’s one more telling example of a little-acknowledged truth: though religious traditionalism may be losing today’s political and legal battles, it remains poised to win the wider war over what Christianity will look like tomorrow

Continue reading…

U.S. Army Declares War on Christians

Is it just a coincidence that the Southern Baptist website was blocked at many military installations around the nation a few weeks after a military representative labeled Roman Catholics and Evangelical Christians as extremists, according to recent articles in the Christian Post and on Fox News?

Representatives of several Christian organizations said they were insulted by being lumped in with terrorist groups such as Hamas and Al-Qaeda on the military’s list of dangerous cults.

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Obama’s Orwellian World Persecutes Christians

Since the Obama Regime took power in 2009, it has been blatantly hostile towards not only conservatives, but in particular those who are conservative Christians. Now the Obama Regime is putting one of the top anti-Christian bigots on the payroll as a consultant to help the Pentagon formulate policies on religious tolerance.

Mikey Weinstein is the founder of the Orwellian named “Military Religious Freedom Foundation.” As with many far left groups, his mission is just the opposite of the title. He does not want religious freedom for the military. In fact, he wants just the opposite. He wants the military to be a religion free zone. Specifically he wants it to be a Christian free zone.

In a column he recently wrote for the far left The Huffington Post, Weinstein said:

“Today, we face incredibly well funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces. Oh my, my, my, how ‘Papa’s got a brand new bag.’

What’s Papa’s new tactic? You’re gonna just love this! These days, when ANYone attempts to bravely stand up against virulent religious oppression, these monstrosities cry out alligator tears in overflowing torrents and scream that it is, in fact, THEY who are the dispossessed, bereft and oppressed. C’mon, really, you pitiable unconstitutional carpetbaggers? It would be like the utter folly of 1960’s-era southern bigots howling like stuck pigs in protest that Rosa Parks’ civil rights activism is “abusing” them by destroying and disenfranchising their rights to sit in the front seat of buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Please, I beseech you! Let us call these ignoble actions what they are: the senseless and cowardly squallings of human monsters.

Queasy with the bright and promising lights of the cultural realities of the present day, those evil, fundamentalist Christian creatures and their spiritual heirs have taken refuge behind flimsy, well-worn, gauze-like euphemistic facades such as ‘family values’ and ‘religious liberty.’ These bandits coagulate their stenchful substances in organizations such as the American Family Association (AFA), the ultra-fundamentalist Family Research Council (FRC), and the Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty (CARL). The basis of their ruinous unity is the bane of human existence and progress: horrific hatred and blinding bigotry. However, when the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and others correctly characterize them as “hate groups,” they all too predictably raise a deafening hue and disingenuously bellow mournfully like the world class cowards they are.”

This is unbelievable to my Ethiopian ear…

Continue reading…

Visceral hatred for conservative Christians

Radical Christianity vs. Radical Islam

Finally, Bill Maher got something right. Following the Boston bombings, Maher responded to Brian Levy, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino (a great example of needed reforms in public higher education), “[T]here’s only one faith, for example, that kills you or wants to kill you if you draw a bad cartoon of the prophet. There’s only one faith that kills you or wants to kill you if you renounce the faith.”

There you have it. Even a flaming atheist can recognize the difference between a religion of peace and one full of bloodlust. The Tsarnaevs are just the most recent example of the tragic bitter fruit produced by radical Islamists. To further Maher’s point, consider and contrast the efforts of radical Islamists with those of radical Christians.

Just what is a “radical Christian”? Some might call them (with apologies to DC Talk) “Jesus Freaks.” Examples are all around us, and most are virtually unknown outside their home towns (mainly because they don’t make the news by killing people). They plant churches, feed the poor, heal the sick; they open orphanages and pregnancy resource centers; they visit prisoners and deliver the oppressed; in other words, they have sold themselves out to be the hands and feet of the One they worship.

Some popular examples would include men like the late Jim Elliot, who served and evangelized the Quechua Indians, even though it cost him his life. Countless Christians have forsaken the comforts of Western civilization to go and fulfill the call of Christ. In other words, Christianity exports its radicals to bring life and hope, while much of Islam does so to bring death and despair.

Radical Christian and Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller and his wife Linda started an organization “that has helped build or repair more than 600,000 houses and served more than 3 million people around the world.” The organization began in 1968, and the Fullers moved to Mbandaka, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1973 to spread their mission of affordable housing to developing countries.

Meanwhile, Muslims in Pakistan recently burned nearly 200 Christian homes over the alleged blasphemy against Muhammad by a Christian sanitation worker. Coptic Christians continue to suffer under the “reforms” taking place in Egypt. The Coptic minority have been murdered and seen their homes, businesses, and churches looted and burned.

Radical Christians build hospitals. Radical Muslims seek to fill them up. Christians have led the world in caring for the sick and dying among us. As Virginia Health Information notes, “[s]ome of the earliest hospitals existed in ancient Rome in 100 BC as important centers for the emergency care of sick and wounded soldiers. With the spread of Christianity, hospitals grew as part of the church’s mission and became part of the community as they tended to health care not only for soldiers but also for all who needed it.”

The first hospital in North America, the Hospital de Jesus Nazareno, was founded by Cortés. The first hospital in the U.S, Pennsylvania Hospital, was founded by a Quaker, Dr. Thomas Bond (with the aid of Benjamin Franklin). The Catholic Church alone operates over 1,100 hospitals and long-term health care facilities in the U.S. What’s more, a 2010 study revealed that Christian hospitals in the U.S. outperform all others.

Radical Christians build schools. The world’s first university, birthed in 1088, was The University of Bologna in Italy. It was founded to teach canon (church) law. The second-oldest university, The University of Paris, grew out of the cathedral schools of Notre-Dame and soon became a great center for Christian orthodox studies. Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt, in his book Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, points out that every college established in colonial America, except the University of Pennsylvania, was founded by some denomination of Christianity. He adds that, preceding the Civil War, 92 percent of the 182 colleges and universities in the U.S. were established by some branch of the church.

Radical Muslims attack young girls who merely want an education. In 2012, Taliban forces in Afghanistan were responsible for what was described as “an intentional act to poison schoolgirls.” More than 150 girls in northeastern Afghanistan suffered in the attack. “Every day [in fact, just the other day], you hear that somebody’s thrown acid at a girl’s face … or they poison their water,” moaned the founder of a girls school outside Kabul.

According to the U.N., there were nearly 200 attacks on schools and hospitals in Afghanistan in 2011. In addition, radical Islamists also attack administrators who don’t conform to their ideas of what constitutes a proper education. According to Reuters, “[r]adical Muslims burst into a Tunisian school … and assaulted [nearly killing] its chief after he barred entry to a teenage girl wearing a niqab.”

Car bombs detonated by Muslim radicals have killed dozens in Somalia and Nigeria this year alone. Just last month, Muslim suicide bombers in Pakistan and Syria killed well over 100 people. Whether it’s bombing, burning, beheading, hacking, poisoning, or shooting, the list of Muslim violence is long and obscene.

Of course, the proper Christian response to such violence is never revenge. (However, justice is another matter.) As we look to be salt and light to those outside Christianity — whether they be violent, mocking, or merely apathetic — we must never forget that Christ came not to destroy lives, but to save them. This is why, when it comes to comparing radical Christians to radical Islamists, there is no comparison.

Source

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ሆሣዕና / Hosanna

 

በኢየሩሳሌም ሀገር ውስጥ በምትገኝ በአንድ ትንሽ መንደር ውስጥ ነው የምኖረው፡፡ ከተወለድኩ ዛሬ 5 ዓመት ሞልቶኛል፡፡ ቀኑ ሰንበት ነው እቤት ውስጥ እየተጫወትኩ እናቴም በጓዳ ሥራ እየሠራች ድንገት የብዙ ሰዎች የእልልታ ድምጽ ሰፈሩ ውስጥ ተሰማ፡፡ እናቴም በፍጥነት ከጓዳ ሮጣ ወጥታ “ልጄ ልጄ ነይ እንሂድ ብላ በጀርባዋ ላይ አዝላኝ ሮጣ ከቤት ወጣች፡፡ እኔም በሁኔታው ተገርሜያለሁ፡፡

በሰፈር ውስጥ ያሉ ጓደኞቼ ሁሉ በእናታቸው ጀርባና በአባታቸው ትከሻ ላይ ሆነው ደስ ብሏቸው እንደ ወላጆቻቸው እልል ይላሉ፡፡ ወላጆቻችን ሁሉ ተሰብስበው ከሰፈራችን መውጫ ጋር ወዳለ ትልቅ የዘንባባ ዛፍ ተያይዘው አመሩ፡፡ ከዚያም የዘንባባ ዝንጣፊውን እየቆረጡ ሁሉም ያዙ ለእኛም ሰጡን፡፡ ከዚያ እልል እያልን በደስታ ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ እሮጥን፡፡

በመንገድ ላይ በጣም ብዙ ሕዝብ አየሁኝ ሁሉም ደስ ብሏቸው እነርሱም እንደኛ ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ ይሮጣሉ፡፡ የሕፃናቶቹን ብዛት ሳይ ውስጤ በጣም ደስ አለው፡፡ የገረመኝ ደግሞ የሚያለቅስ ልጅ አንድ እንኳን የለም፡፡ “ዛሬ የኛ የደስታና የዝማሬ ቀን ነው” ማለት ነው ብሎ ልቤ በደስታ ፈነደቀ፡፡

ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ ለመድረስ ጥቂት መንገድ ሲቀረን በርቀት ወደ ቤተ መቅደሱ የሚጓዙ በጣም በጣም ብዙ ሕዝብ ተመለከትኩኝ፡፡ እንደኛ እነርሱም ዘንባባ ይዘዋል፡፡ በመካከላቸው አንድ ትልቅ አህያ አየሁኝ፣ ከአህያይቱም ጋር ልጇ ውርንጫዋ አለች፡፡ የሚያማምር ልብስ በአህያዎቹ ጀርባ ላይ ተነጥፏል፡፡ በውርንጫዋም ላይ የሁላችን ፈጣሪ፣ ንጉሣችንና አምላካችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ተቀምጦ ስመለከት በደስታ ዘለልኩኝ፡፡ ከኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ጋር መሆን በጣም ያስደስታል፡፡

ምክንያቱም እኛ ሕፃናትን ሲያይ ደስ ይለዋል፡፡ እቅፍ አድርጎ ስሞን በጉልበቱ ላይ ቁጭ አድርጎን ያስተምረናል፣ ይመክረናል፡፡ በዙሪያውም ላሉት ሰዎች እንደነዚህ ሕፃናት ንጹሃን ሁኑ፣ ኀጢአት አትሥሩ፣ እነርሱ አይዋሹም፣ እያለ ይመክራቸዋል፡፡

ከዚያ ምን ሆነ መሰላችሁ፤ እልል እያለ የሚያመሰግነው ሕዝብና በእናትና በአባቶቻችን እቅፍ ውስጥ ያለነው ሕፃናት በአንድነት ሆነን ጮክ ብለን የዘንባባውን ቅጠል ወደ ቀኝ ወደ ግራ፣ ወደ ቀኝ ወደ ግራ እያውለበለብን መዝሙር መዘመር ጀመርን፡፡ መዝሙሩም እንዲህ የሚል ነው፡፡ “ሆሣዕና በአርያም ለዳዊት ልጅ፤ በጌታ ስም የሚመጣ የተባረከ ነው፤ ሆሣዕና በአርያም፣ ሆሣዕና በአርያም፣ ሆሣዕና በአርያም” የመዝሙሩ ድምጽ በኢየሩሳሌም ከተማ ከጫፍ እስከ ጫፍ ተሰማ፡፡ በጣም ደስ ያለኝ ደግሞ የእኛ የሕፃናቱ ድምጽ ከትልልቆቹ በልጦ መስማቱ ነው፡፡ ጌታችንን በአህያዋ ላይ ተቀምጦ ባየሁት ጊዜ ትዝ ያለኝ አባዬ መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ እያነበበ ያስተማረኝን ታሪክ ልንገራችሁ “አንቺ የጽዮን ልጅ ሆይ እጅግ ደስ ይበልሽ አንቺ የኢየሩሳሌም ልጅ ሆይ እልል በይ እነሆ ንጉሥሽ ጻድቅና አዳኝ ነው ትሑትም ሆኖ በአህያም፣ በአህያይቱ ግልገል በውርንጫይቱ ላይ ተቀምጦ ወደ አንቺ ይመጣል” ት.ዘካ.9፥9፡፡

የዝማሬውን ድምጽ ሲሰሙ አባታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስን የማይወዱት እና የሚያሳድዱት በከተማው ውስጥ ያሉ ጨካኝ ሰዎች እኛ ተሰብስበን እየዘመርን ወደአለንበት መጡ፡፡ ሲመለከቱ ሕዝቡ ሁሉ ደስ ብሏቸው እየዘመሩ እልል እያሉ የዘንባባውን ቅጠል እያውለበለቡ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስን በአህያዋ ውርንጫ ላይ አስቀምጠው እያመሰገኑት ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ ሲሄዱ ተመልክተው ጨካኞቹ ሰዎች በጣም ተናደው ሕዝቡን “ዝም በሉ” ብለው ተቆጧቸው፡፡ ትልልቆቹ ሁሉ ፈርትው ዝም አሉ፡፡

እኔና ጓደኞቼ ግን በእናታችን ጀርባ ላይ ካሉት ሕፃናት ጋር አብረን ሆነን ጮክ ብለን “ሆሣዕና በአርያም” የሚለውን መዝሙር መዘመር አላቆምንም ነበር፡፡ የገረመኝ ደግሞ ከእኔ የሚያንሱት ገና የተወለዱትም ሕፃናት መዝሙሩን ጮክ ብለው ሲዘምሩት በመስማቴ ነው፡፡ “እግዚአብሔር ሆይ መናገር የማንችለውን እኛን እንድንዘምርልህ ስለፈቀድክልን ተመስገን፡፡” ብዬ አመስግኜ መዝሙሩን መዘመር ቀጠልኩኝ “ሆሣዕና፣ ሆሣዕና፣ ሆሣዕና በአርያም….”

እነዚህ ጨካኞቹ ሰዎች ግን እናትና አባቶቻችንን ዝም አስብሏቸው ብለው ሲያስፈራሩዋቸው ወላጆቻችን ፈርተው የሁላችንንም አፋችንን ይዘው ዝም አስባሉን፡፡ አምላካችን መድኀኒታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በአህያዋ ውርንጫ (በትንሿ አህያ) ላይ ቁጭ ብሎ ለጨካኞቹ ሰዎች እንዲህ አላቸው “ከሕፃናት ከሚጠቡት አፍ ምስጋናን ለራሴ አዘጋጅቻለሁ፡፡ የእነርሱንም አፍ ይዛችሁ ዝም ብታስብሏቸው በዙሪያዬ ያሉት ድንጋዮች ያመሰግኑኛል፡፡ የፈጠርኳችሁ ድንጋዮች ሆይ ሕፃናት እንደዘመሩ እናንተም በመዝሙር አመስግኑኝ፡፡” በማለት በታላቅ ድምጽ ሲናገር፤ ትልልቁም ድንጋይ፣ ትንንሹም ድንጋይ ከመሬት ወደ ላይ እየተነሡ “ሆሣዕና በአርያም ለዳዊት ልጅ ለኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ እናቀርባለን ምስጋና…” እያሉ በጣም ደስ በሚል ድምጽ መዘመር ጀመሩ፡፡ በዚህን ጊዜ ጨካኞቹ ሰዎች አፍረውና ፈርትው ሄዱ፡፡

እኛም ወላጆቻችንም በዙሪያችንም ያሉትም ድንጋዮች አምላካችንን ከበን በእልልታ እየዘመርን ለአህያዎቹ መርገጫ ልብሳችንንና የዘንባባውን ዝንጣፊ እያነጠፍን ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ ገባን፡፡ በዚያም ፈጣሪያችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ደስ የሚል ትምህርት አስተማረን፡፡

በመጨረሻም ሆሣዕና ብለን ምስጋና ላቀረብነውና በቤተ መቅደስ ተገኝተን ቃሉን ለምንሰማው ሕፃናት እንዲህ ብሎ መከረን “ልጆቼ በመዝሙራችሁ ተደስቻለሁ፣ ሁል ጊዜ ወደ ቤቴ ወደ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ኑና ዘምሩልኝ፡፡ አፋችሁ በመዝሙር ይዘምር እንጂ ዘፈን እንዳይዘፍን አደራችሁን፡፡ ዘፈን መዝፈን ኀጢአት ነው፡፡”

ትምህርቱን ጨርሰን ከእናቴ ጋር ደስ እያለን ወደ ቤት ተመለስን፡፡ ታዲያ ሁል ጊዜ ይህችን የሆሣዕናን በዓል በውስጤ አስባታለሁ፣ መዝሙሩን መዘመር በጣም ያስደስተኛል፡፡ አምላኬ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በመጨረሻ የመከረኝንም ምክር ጠብቄ ዘፈን የሚባል በአፌ ሳልዘፍን መዝሙር እየዘመርኩኝ እግዚአብሔርን እያመሰገንኩኝ አደኩኝ፡፡

ልጆችዬ ዛሬ የምታነቡት የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ክፍል የሚሆነው ማቴዎስ ወንጌል ምዕራፍ 21 እስከ ቁጥር 16 እና ማርቆስ ወንጌል ምዕራፍ 11 ከቁጥር 1 እስከ 17 ያለውን ይሆናል፡፡

 

ሆሣዕና በአርያም ብለን እንድናመሰግነው ኀይሉን የሰጠን እግዚአብሔር የተመሰገነ ይሁን አሜን።

 

ምንጭ

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Organic Teff / ጤፍ drink / መጠጥ

The Spanish company from Valencia, Spain, Amandín, has just started marketing and selling good-old ‘Teff/ጤፍ as a health drink. We Ethiopians eat + run, Europeans drink and …?

The Teff: a gluten-free cereal

Teff is a cereal first grown in Ethiopia 5.000 years ago. It is rich in fiber, carbohydrates and minerals (calcium, iron and magnesium). It is highly appreciated by sports practitioners for its properties in helping to restore energy levels. This drink has no added sugars. It only contains naturally occurring sugars. But its main virtue is that it is a gluten-free cereal making it perfect for all people with gluten intolerance.

The Amandín organic Teff drink, like the rest of Amandín vegetable drinks, is lactose free and does not contain milk proteins. And is low in fat. Amandín Organic Teff drink is certified a by Comité de Agricultura Ecológica de la Comunitat Valenciana, CAECV, and for the Comité de Agricultura Ecológica de la Unión Europea

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Ethiopia: Marathon, Horses & The Ark

What do Horses and Ethiopians Have in Common?

They both can run, run and run. A horse can’t run a marathon, but a horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can race like a horse, of course, unless, of course, the horse, of course, is the famous Ms. Ethiopia!

Marathon = Pain = Endurance

Can a marathon race tell us something about the nature of a particular individual or group of people? Could strong showings, simultaneous victories in marathon from a particular country like Ethiopia raise the vibrational energy of The Ark of the Covenant, by recharging / reactivating It? Or, withershins, The Ark reactivating the enduring spiritual power of individuals and peoples? The Ark helps the righteous and destroys the wicked. We learn that when Prophet Moses and Israelites were able to cross The Red Sea with the help of the Ark, uprooting the arrogant claims of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

Anyways, the marathon is a true test of endurance that requires physical and mental strength for success. The endurance needed to accomplish these tasks is supernatural in origin–it happens only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

John Piper beautifully expressed it in “The Roots of Endurance”:

“Our fight and our race and endurance is a radically God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent, promise-supported life. It is not a ‘just do it’ ethic. It is not a moral self-improvement program…. It is a deeply cross-embracing life that knows the Christ of the Bible as the Son of God who was crucified first as our substitute and then as our model of endurance.”

Now, let me get back to the horses…

In 2007, a young Bosnian Muslim named Sulejman Talovic–within six minutes–shot nine people in the Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City, killing five people and seriously injuring four others, before being shot dead by officers. Before he came to America, on the night of Feb. 11, Talovic told his girlfriend, Monika, a story about an important revelation he had in Bosnia:

One evening, “as the sun was falling,” Talovic heard a horse outside of his family’s home in Bare, where they lived after they left Talovici. He walked out and, standing before him was a white horse “with two beautiful eyes,” he told Monika

According to the teachings of Father Alexander , “the four horsemen of the Apocalypse depict in the simplest way the history of mankind. The vision of the seven seals acts as an introduction to the subsequent revelations of the Apocalypse. The removal of the first four seals presents the four horsemen, who symbolize four factors characterizing the complete history of mankind. The first two appear as a reason, and the second two, as a consequence. The crowned rider on the white horse “emerged in order to be victorious.” He personifies those good beginnings, innate and blessed, with which the Creator endowed mankind: the image of God, moral purity and innocence, aspiration toward goodness and perfection, the ability to believe and to love, and individual “talents” with which man is born, as well as the blessed gifts of the Holy Spirit which man receives in the Church. In the Creator’s plan, these good beginnings should have been victorious; they should have been able to define a happy future for humanity. However, already in Eden, man had fallen prey to the Tempter. His nature, corrupted by sin, was passed on to his descendants; that is why already from a very young age people are inclined to sin. Through repeated sinfulness, bad tendencies are reinforced. Thus, man, instead of growing spiritually and perfecting himself, falls under the ruinous influence of his own passions, succumbs to various sinful desires, and begins to envy and to show enmity. All of the crimes in the world arise from the internal strife within man (violence, war, and every sort of misfortune)”.

Though using frightening religious symbolism in the current world affairs might sound odd, yet, if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse indeed are about to descend on Planet Earth, it seems one might be riding in from South Korea on an invisible steed to the tune of “Gangnam Style”, or jumping up and down for joy like the guy in the above video, right after , “Ethiopia” the horse, won the Australian Derby – or, one should would continue chasing the proverbial dragon – a terrorist’s horse.

Back in September 11, 2001, on Ethiopia’s New Year’s Day, messengers of Lucifer brought terror to America by attacking the twin towers of New York. Symbolically speaking, may be this attack was intended against the first skyscraper of the world – the 1800-year-old obelisks of Axum which looks more like Manhattan skyscrapers than the usual obelisks. May be there was a hidden message out there when an Ethiopian won The New York Marathon running under the motto,“United We Run” — right after this tragedy. Is there something important to read in the “victories” of Ethiopian athletes at the 2013 Boston and London Marathons which were organized under similar horrific/fearful circumstances?

Does “Marathon” hold symbolic and historic significance?

The Four Horsemen, 4Ms: Matrix, Marathon, Mystery and Madness – 2013 Timeline

• Thursday, 3^rd of January, 2013

Ethiopian Woman Raped and Murdered in Kuwait

• Sunday, 13^th of January, 2013

Ethiopian women on Saudi Arabia’s death row

• Monday, 14^th of January, 2013

Two Ethiopian maids were found hanged in Saudi Arabia

• Monday, 22^nd of January, 2013

An Ethiopian woman was found hanged in Saudi Arabia

• Wednesday, 24^th of January, 2013

Ethiopian Maid allegedly hanged herself to death in Kuwait

• Wednesday, 6^th of February, 2013

Ethiopian maid charged with self abortion in Kuwait city

• Thursday, 7^th of February, 2013

Ethiopian woman allegedly committed suicide in Kuwait

• Wednesday, 27^th of February, 2013

Ethiopian woman in Dubai fined, allegedly, for attempted suicide

• Sunday, 7^th of April, 2013

Ethiopian woman allegedly killed herself in Kuwait

• Monday, 8^th of April, 2013

Ethiopian woman stripped naked, molested by three in Kuwait

• Wednesday, 10^th of April, 2013

Ethiopian woman in Saudi Arabia allegedly committed suicide

• Thursday, 11^th of April, 2013

Employer poured hot cooking oil on an Ethiopian woman in UAE

• Friday, 25^th January, 2013

Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa and Tirfi Tsegaye win Dubai marathon

• Saturday, 6^th of April, 2013

5 killed when Muslims attacked Christians in Egypt

• Sunday, 07^th April, 2013

Muslim mobs committed an act of war against Christianity by attacking the 2000-year-old Egyptian St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo ( The seat of the Coptic Pope) Watch videos

• Sunday, 07^th April, 2013

2013 Paris Marathon: Boru Tadese wins women’s race in record time

• Tuesday, 09^th April, 2013

A powerful 6.3 magnitude quake struck close to Iran’s only nuclear power station

• Saturday, 12^th April, 2013

The Korean horseman, Psy, released his follow-up single, Gentleman

• Saturday, 13^th April, 2013

Ethiopian Korean War veterans enact departure for conflict

Participants in the reenactment ceremony visited Holy Trinity Church in the capital to pay tribute to Korean War veterans whose remains are enshrined there.

• Saturday, 13^th of April, 2013

‘Human Rights Watch’ praises Yemen

• Sunday, 14^th April, 2013

Ethiopia’s Ketema Bekele wins Pyongyang Marathon (N. Korea)

• Sunday, 14^th April, 2013

Ethiopian distance star Haile Gebrselassie won his third consecutive Vienna half marathon on Sunday, timing one hour one minute and 14 seconds. Check this out

• Sunday, 14^th April, 2013

Ethiopia finishes 1-2 at Rotterdam Marathon

• Sunday, 14^th of April, 2013

EVERYONE Should Be Thrilled By The Historical Gold Crash (Ethiopian tricolors in the Illuminati ‘joggers’ image)

• Monday, 15^th April, 2013

Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa wins Boston Marathon

• Monday, 15^th April, 2013

Tragedy in Boston: 3 killed, more than 140 hurt by bombs at Marathon

• Monday, 15^th April, 2013

Saudi student detained for ‘acting suspiciously’ at the Boston marathon

• Tuesday, 16^th April, 2013

Magnitude 7.8 mega earthquake hits Iran-Pakistan Border. Felt in Dubai

• Wednesday, 17^th of April, 2013

Unscheduled meeting between President Obama and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the White House

• Thursday, 18^th April, 2013

Up to 15 people are feared dead after a massive explosion tore through a fertilizer plant in Texas.

• Thursday, 18^th of April, 2013

The Saudi student, “person of interest”, suspected of being involved in the Boston Marathon bombings is being deported from the United States next week on “national security grounds”

• Thursday, 18^th of April, 2013

The US Defense Department is expected to finalize a $10 billion arms deal with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

• Thursday, 18^th of April, 2013

Legendary “Pura Raza Española” – Pure Spanish Breed — horses to be slaughtered in Spain

• Thursday, 18^th of April, 2013

US Secretary of State Kerry to visit Ethiopia

• Thursday, 18^th of April, 2013

First Lady, Michelle Obama Visited Saudi National in Hospital

• Friday, 19^th of April, 2013

Copts Call President Obama to Speak Out on Christian Persecution

• Friday, 19^th of April, 2013Timeline

Police Name Suspects in Boston Shootout as Mike Mulugeta (Ethiopian name), Sunil Tripathi

• Friday, 19^th of April, 2013Timeline

Hubble Space Telescope Sees The Iconic Horsehead Nebula of a Different Color

• Friday, 19^th of April, 2013Timeline

Ethiopian Migrants in Yemen Face Harrowing Conditions

• Friday, 19^th of April, 2013

Boston Marathon bomber became US citizen on September 11, 2012 – 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

• Saturday, 20^th of April, 2013

China’s worst earthquake in three years on Saturday killed at least 157 people and injured more than 5,700

• Sunday, 21^st of April, 2013

Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia crossed the line first in front of Buckingham Palace, to win the Virgin London Marathon – on the 87^th birthday of The British Queen, who is reputedly considered as descended from an Ethiopian grandmother.

The persecuted, the abused and innocent victims don’t have an advocate in this world, but they do have one in Heaven. That is the only place they need to look for help.

Lord, Have Mercy on Us, Bring an End to Tragedy and Suffering

“When the sinners spring up as the grass, and all the workers of iniquity have watched; it is that they may be utterly destroyed for ever.” [Psalms 92:7]

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Dr Kermit Gosnell – The Silence of The Mainstream Media

Human beings seem to have a fascination with what might be called ‘the edges of humanity’.

Observed behaviours in the animal kingdom generate theories of how we came to be as we are: we are intrigued by stories or theories about Neanderthals or Bigfoot, and we are often invited to consider that animals are ‘just like us’. Many in the animal rights movement want to blur the distinction between the human and non-human, even to the extent of conferring legal rights upon other creatures of varying degrees of sentience.

There is a similar darker fascination at the other end of the spectrum.

We devour stories about inhuman ‘monsters’ like the Moors Murderers, Jeffrey Dahmer and Dr Joseph Mengele. And when there is insufficient news of the known, we are attracted to speculative accounts of Jack the Ripper, or fictionalise human depravity, thrilling ourselves with characters like Hannibal Lecter.

With such widespread appetite and market for the cruel, the bestial, the chilling and the macabre, it is all the more remarkable that the mainstream media in both the USA and the United Kingdom have passed up on one of the most horrifying criminal cases in recent history. It is the Philadelphia trial of Dr Kermit Gosnell.

It is a story more gruesome than that of Dr Harold Shipman or Mick Philpott, and has so many aspects of shock and horror that it seems almost inconceivable that it has not attracted the attention of the tabloid press which normally falls into a feeding-frenzy when offered such widespread evidence of greed, professional malpractice, illegality, exploitation, ghoulishness and moral vacuity.

According to the Grand Jury Report in The Atlantic the doctor earned over $1.5 million a year running a clinic whose hygienic standards would shame that of a third world slum doctor.

When the FBI entered the premises in 2010, they were shocked to find it had cat faeces on the floor, blood stains on the operating couches and unsterile instruments. He routinely infected patients during operations, some with venereal disease, because he used the same instruments on multiple patients without sterilising them between operations.

There was no tested oxygen machine, the key to the emergency exit had been lost, and the resuscitation equipment did not function.

The unqualified staff he employed have given first-hand evidence of how he set them work with inadequate training to anaesthetise his patients while he wasn’t present. His drugs were often out-of-date and his staff, some as young as 15, had to manage with poor or no supervision. One of his staff described the way in which she delivered drugs and anaesthetic on a trial-and-error basis.

One of his patients died and over the years emergency treatment was needed as a result of errors that should not be made by any competent doctor. He had perforated bowels, bladders and wombs with his dirty instruments, leading to serious infection and complications. Despite a steady stream of grossly damaged women to the local hospitals, there appears to have been a conspiracy of silence among medical professionals, public health officials and, now, journalists in print and broadcast media alike.

His clinic had not been visited by health regulators for 17 years. Had they done so, his ‘house of horror’ would have been discovered earlier.

He segregated his waiting rooms, so that the white patients were marginally better managed. That, in today’s world, would normally guarantee front-page news.

He photographed his women patients’ genitals on his camera phone, ostensibly for ‘research purposes’ which he never published, and for which he had not received authorisation. He had a particular interest in third-world women who had suffered female genital mutilation: his staff heard him admiring the skill of those whose who had stitched the women’s labia together. That kind of thing normally excites the sub-editors, but even that did not have sufficient news-value to bring Dr Gosnell into the mainstream press.

Not even his cavalier management of medical waste shocked the mainstream media. Human tissue was found sealed in plastic bags, refrigerators and jars for no medical or scientific reason.

His staff were corrupted by his standards and callousness. Employee abuse would ordinarily excite some media interest, comment, and inquiry as to how ordinary citizens can be drawn into the kind of blind compliance and moral degeneracy that was once seen in places like Auschwitz and Dachau.

Yet, knowing the facts which were coming in a steady stream of matter-of-fact evidence – much of it admitted by the defendant – the news rooms of America and Britain looked the other way. All of them, including our own national broadcaster, have consistently failed to do their job of reporting the facts and exploring the issues surrounding this case.

Journalists are charged with reporting such stories and then considering what questions of importance arise from them. Sadly, the victims were not celebrities, but mainly poor people of ethnic minority; people of no importance; voiceless because the media refuses to give them a voice.

The greatest victims were babies: 47 human foetuses were found in his clinic stored in refrigerators and household containers in vary stages of decomposition, together with a bizarre collection of babies’ feet.

Dr Gosnell’s specialism explains completely the reason for the media silence: he is an abortionist, and this fact alone accounts for why he enjoyed immunity on both sides of the Atlantic from press attention for much of his trial.

In the news rooms of the western world, the staff have become as indifferent to killing babies as Dr Gosnell’s de-sensitised workers and the Kapos of Belsen. They have been recruited into a culture shaped by the ‘woman’s right to choose’, so that now they never see an abortion they don’t like.

As US commentator Ann Coulter has pointed out, abortion is the one constitutional right that ‘can never’ be shown on national television. We have seen actual executions, and sexual intercourse graphically depicted. Postmortems have been shown, and become the central event of programmes like Silent Witness. Often the malefactors will be deranged Christians.

The pro-abortion lobby has so closed the minds of the shapers of our culture to the facts of abortion that they are utterly incurious when cases like this occur. The BBC is less competent at its job than Dr Gosnell was at his – and he has a collection of babies’ feet to prove it.

Fortunately, largely thanks to Twitter, the matter came to the attention of US Congress men and the matter has begun to emerge.

Brother Ivo has read the distressing material so you don’t have to, but if you wish to study it, the Grand Jury Report should be found HERE. (Unaccountably this link does not always work). The first British newspaper report came out last Friday in the Daily Telegraph.

Five weeks into the trial the BBC has yet to broadcast on the subject, although on 15 April 2013 an anodyne report appeared on its website.

This low-key response is almost certainly because Dr Gosnell’s case takes us to the question of what it means to be human and humane, and this is why it is so important. What he was doing crossed a fundamental line in law and morality between abortion and infanticide.

WARNING: THE FULL REPORT CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES

Continue reading…

Why the Media is Afraid of Dr. Gosnell

The Media After Gosnell

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Addis Abeba Airport: The 7th Best Airport in Africa

1. Cape Town International Airport

 

2. Durban King Shaka International Airport

 

3. Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport

 

4. Cairo International Airport

5. Mauritius International Airport

6. East London Airport

7. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport

8. Port Elizabeth Airport

9. Marrakech Menara International Airport

10. Seychelles International Airport

Singapore Changi Airport is voted the World’s Best Airport

1. Singapore Changi Airport has been voted the World’s Best Airport at the 2013 World Airport Awards held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Geneva. This is the fourth time Changi airport has achieved the top prize – last claiming victory back in 2010. 2. Incheon International Airport, Seoul (South Korea) – last year’s winner, achieved a second place finish in the global rankings, and achieved major success in taking the awards for Best Airport Staff Service – Asia and Best International Transfer Airport. 3. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Netherlands) accomplishes an excellent third place for the first time in 6 years. 4. Hong Kong International Airport (China) 5. Beijing Capital International Airport (China) 6. Munich Airport (Germany) 7. Zurich Airport (Switzerland) 8. Vancouver International Airport (Canada) 9. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda – Japan) 10. London Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom)

The full list:  The World’s Top 100 Airports

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9 Lessons I’m Glad Life Taught Me

1. Time

Time passes quickly, and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll live long enough to marvel at the memories.

Picture yourself in twenty years walking past a park where you used to play with your friends when you were in kindergarten. While you’re passing by you notice that the park in now jam-packed with a new set of little faces. As you watch these kids swinging from the swing set and climbing trees together, you reminisce about simpler times and think about how these kids are going to grow up someday and do many of the same things that you’ve done. They will fall in love, and make mistakes, and fight adversities, and change their minds a dozen times about what they want to do with their lives.

But not yet, not now. At this moment swinging and climbing are sufficient feats for them. And although it would be nice if swinging and climbing were endlessly sufficient, you know they aren’t. You know life is infinitely more elaborate and beautiful – even in ways you have yet to experience – and that with each passing moment we all become a greater part of this elaborate beauty in every imaginable way. Read 1,000 Little Things.

2. Love

When someone loves you, you know it. When they look your way, the world looks better. When they say your name, the world sounds better. When they kiss your skin, the world feels better. You know your soul is safe in their care.

But even more so than any physical interaction, there’s a silent connection between you that you can feel in your veins. You can sit in front of them for hours, without saying a word or moving a muscle, and yet still feel them with your heart. It’s almost like they’ve always been a part of you – like a long lost fragment of your essence has found its way home.

3. Meaning

The single most important thing in life is what it all means to you. Life doesn’t come prepackaged with this meaning either; you create it. Doing so is rarely easy, but it’s always within your power and well worth the effort. You’ll be far happier for troubling yourself, rather than letting everyone else design your life for you.

Ultimately, the secret is to follow your intuition and make the most of the resources you have access to. Whatever comes your way, seemingly good and bad fortunes alike, you can always give these events meaning by transforming them into positive lessons and reflections, and then using them as stepping stones.

4. Judgment

It’s impossible to know exactly how another person is feeling or what kind of emotional battles they’re fighting. Sometimes the widest smiles hide the thinnest strands of self-confidence and hope. Sometimes the ‘rich’ have everything but happiness. Realize this as you interact with others, long before you pass judgment. Every smile or sign of strength hides an inner struggle every bit as complex and extraordinary as your own.

It’s a sage fact of life, really, that every one of us encompasses a profound and unique set of secrets and mysteries that are absolutely undetectable to everyone else. Read Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

5. Confusion

Sometimes you will have thoughts about yourself that even you can’t fully comprehend. Thoughts that aren’t true – that aren’t really how you feel – that don’t represent who you are today. But they’re running through your mind anyway and confusing your focus. Where do these thoughts come from? Perhaps they’re fragments of who you used to be or of who you thought you once were – an old ghost that still haunts your subconscious mind from time to time.

The good news is you’re not alone. If you could read the minds of other people, including those whom you love and admire, you’d overhear thoughts and nostalgic whispers that are constructive and true as well as some that are outdated and confused. The key is to realize that the latter thoughts are normal to have. We all deal with them. Maybe they’re a part of who we were. Maybe they’re part of an old mindset that we need to let go of. Regardless, they’re not part of who we ARE today – which is why we will eventually work through them, rise above them, and be perfectly OK in the long run.

6. Wealth

Making money is pretty easy. Attaining true wealth is not. Most people have jobs and bring in an income. What’s difficult is to earn it by doing something that makes a positive difference.

Being a genuinely good person, helping others, and leaving the world better than you found it is what a truly rich life is. Its warm memories endure even when money and prominence fade, and it’s filled with the only kind of wealth you can take out of this world with you.

Knowing deep down that you counted – that someone else’s life would not have been as rich without you in it – that’s priceless. That’s something worth working for.

7. Regret

Lost opportunities, chances you didn’t take, feelings you can never get back. That’s part of what it means to be alive. It’s frustrating when you realize you’ve missed a good opportunity. Although you can’t go back and change the past, there’s still something positive you can do. You can choose to learn from your mistake and transform your regret for this missed opportunity into enthusiasm and commitment for seizing the next good opportunity that comes your way.

You can decide to look ahead, acknowledging the importance of what you missed, but also realizing that it’s not the end of the world. There are many roads leading to everyplace worth going. Look at every exit from one opportunity as a possible entrance to another. You just have to keep your eyes wide open, looking forward in the direction of the next chance to get it right.

8. Resentment

Holding a resentful grudge is like drinking toxic venom and waiting for the other person to grow ill. It’s an exercise in futility. And just as toxic venom is to the human body, so is resentment to the human spirit – even one tiny bit is bad for you.

Don’t magnify life’s difficulties by filling your mind with resentment. Instead, ease your burdens by choosing to let them go. If you feel resentful feelings starting to take hold, stop and consider the fact that there’s nothing to be gained by bringing yourself down over what has already happened.

Let today be the day you stop letting the ghosts of yesterday haunt you. Let today be the day you stop poisoning yourself with needless hatred. Forget about getting even with someone who hurt you, and instead get even with those who have helped you. Read The Soulmate Experience.

9. Adversity

You have an immeasurable power within yourself to make positive changes in your life. When something is troubling you, don’t ignore it; make a commitment to change it. Don’t sit around in awe of how unhappy you are and at how unfairly life is treating you. Instead, be amazed at how swiftly and effectively you can do something about it. A positive reaction is yours to make.

Your past is unchangeable. The future depends on your decisions and actions in this moment. Right now you have power. When the world feels like it’s crumbling down around you, that’s a valuable signal. It’s your heart’s way of telling you to get going and make an overdue change. You have plenty of suitable choices if you’ll simply make an effort to discover them. Pick the best one, put it into action, and take control of your life.

Source

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Psalm Book Could Fetch Record Price

 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. [Psalm 22 (23)]

Now, Boston’s Old South Church is planning to sell a rare copy of the psalms—the first book printed in America—for $15 million to $30 million at Sotheby’s in New York this fall. If the church gets its asking price, the Bay Psalm Book will be the most expensive book ever sold at auction, surpassing an $11.5 million copy of James Audubon’s “Birds of America” that Sotheby’s sold three years ago.

Continue reading…

History of Illustrated Manuscripts (600-1200)

Christianity As State Religion Supported By One-Third Of Americans, Poll Finds

Following up on a failed effort by eleven North Carolina lawmakers to declare that their state can ignore the Constitution’s ban on government establishments of religion, a Huffington Post/YouGov poll finds that just over one in three American adults would actually support making Christianity their state’s official faith. The same poll shows that only 11 percent of the country incorrectly believes that the Constitution would permit such an outcome.

Source

 

Ethiopian Berbere: On Suspicious Minds

Sea Pines suspicious package identified (The Beaufort County Berbere Party)

A package delivered Monday afternoon to a Sea Pines home turned out to be a cooking spice from Ethiopia, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The substance was identified at 2 a.m. Tuesday. The investigation began Monday afternoon when deputies were called to a home on Calibogue Cay at 4:30 p.m. They met with a complainant who said she had received a package containing an unknown, white powdery substance after Sea Pines Security initially responded to the unit.

She told deputies she had been expecting a package from overseas. But when she opened it and saw what was inside, she noticed the return address was unfamiliar and got concerned, according to the BCSO.

BCSO’s Bomb Squad responded to secure and assess the package for any explosive threat. The Hilton Head/Bluffton HAZMAT Team also responded.

The woman and the first-responding security officer were decontaminated by HAMAT personnel for any possible exposure, and were transported to the hospital for evaluation.

The delivering postal carrier, the local US Postal Inspector and the Bow Circle post office from which the package had been processed and delivered were notified. The office was already closed for the day. Deputies quarantined the building and the rest of the people inside until the package had been identified as not harmful, according to the BCSO.

It is not believed that the package was sent with any malicious intent, according to the BCSO.

A local FBI agent with the Joint Terrorism Task Force responded and members of the US National Guard 43rd Civil Support Team were requested out of Fort Jackson to analyze the contents of the package.

Source

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