As a deadly tornado ripped through Will County, Illinois, a young father sat cradling his infant child, born just 3 weeks before. When the fierce, howling winds finally subsided and calm had returned, the man's house was gone—and so was his baby. But according to the news report, the father found his child in a field near his house—alive and well! And so was the rest of his family.
When asked by a reporter if he was angry that he had lost everything he owned, he replied, "No, I just thank God I have my baby and my family. Some people don't have that. Nothing else is important."
Often it takes times of tragedy to remind us what really matters in life. When things are going well, we can easily get preoccupied with what we own. We become tied to so many nonessential, unimportant things. We tend to grow overly concerned about cars, houses, furniture, appliances, clothes, and countless other trappings of modern life. But when life is reduced to the essentials, as it was in the Illinois tornado, we recall again that life itself is enough reason to praise God.
Have you spent time today praising God for your life and for the people He has given you to share it with?

That's what really matters.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You also for family and friends. And thank You for the gift of life itself. Help me live each day for You.

When you think of all that's good, give thanks to God

Love is not premeditated— it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, "Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe." No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.
The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it "has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . ."
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.

How do you handle being rebuffed when you make your best attempts at reconciling a broken relationship?
If we've lived and loved long enough, we all know the pain of a broken relationship. We also know the joy of reconciliation when that relationship is mended. Unfortunately, loving someone well and trying to reconcile with them provides no guarantee they will welcome restoration. When someone refuses to reconcile a broken relationship, frustration, pain, and self-doubts can grow. The desire to find a way to restore the broken relationship that works intensifies.
Sadly, there is no guaranteed procedure that we can follow to assure restoration of a broken relationship. Sometimes, all we can do is grieve the loss of that relationship. And that is what Jesus modeled for us. He is the perfect example of one who unselfishly poured out His love to His creatures and offered them the opportunity for reconciliation with their Creator. However, they would have nothing to do with Him.
In one of the saddest verses in the Bible, John records in a single sentence the fact that Jesus "came to His own, and His own did not receive him"
Jesus' response to the rejection of His offer of reconciliation was a deep grief and sadness that moved Him to tears and prayer for His people. We see the Son of God's broken heart when He sits outside the walls of Jerusalem and laments: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

One of the most frightening truths that we all must face is the fact that we cannot force someone to love us, no matter what we do. Even if we take appropriate responsibility for harm we've done to them, confess our sin against them, and ask for forgiveness, there is no assurance they will respond in kind. They can choose to remain distant.
While an unresolved relationship is deeply disturbing, one of the most freeing truths is that no one has the power to stop us from loving them. And that's all that God calls us to do, to love others the way He has loved us

We all wish there was a "next step" that would make reconciliation work out every time. Sadly, there is no such step. However, at those times when our best efforts at loving are rebuffed, we do have the opportunity to share in our Lord's sufferings, to experience His pain and His relentless longing for reconciliation

We need to guard against a false guilt that assumes we should be able to do something to "fix" every relationship -- as if it all depends on us alone. While we must take responsibility for our part in a relationship, we must not assume that we are solely responsible for the breach in the relationship. Instead of holding another person responsible for their choices, we can tend to let people off the hook and blame ourselves for "not doing enough" or "missing something" that would be the key to unlocking the relationship.
That kind of thinking is not only demoralizing but controlling and unbiblical. God never asks us to assume responsibility for others, only ourselves. That needs to be our focus.

The Truth for Jesus' Sake!
Luke 7:36-39
I’m a little tired of hearing angry Christians running around the world saying “We’ve got it right, and everyone else is wrong!” Granted, the clear teachings of God’s Word are indeed right and anything that contradicts them is wrong. But what bothers me is the extent to which we give equal standing to God’s Word and to our sometimes-twisted attitudes and opinions. I hear us talking all the time about “those people” who are causing moral decline and the politicians who are legislating God out and “do-whatever-you-want” in. We sound so long on mad and so short on mercy.
Sure, gay issues and abortion are serious problems. But behind those problems are real people who need the same Jesus that all of us needed when we came to the cross. It’s important to note that in the course of Jesus’ ministry He had more harsh words of reproof for the self-righteous religious folk than He did for the outright sinners whom He came to save. And it should be remembered that He took a big hit from the “good” people for spending time with the religious and social outcasts.
On a nightly cable news show not long ago, a TV preacher made some Bible-thumping statement about AIDS being judgment from God on the gay rights movement and that anyone who is gay doesn’t deserve to live. I was embarrassed, upset, and heartsick all at the same time. Sadly, too many people believe that’s what real Christianity is all about. But nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, that kind of angry rhetoric does not reflect the heart and teachings of Jesus. Jesus said, “I am . . . the truth” (John 14:6), so in order for me to confidently speak like I have the truth, I need to be sure that I am in sync with Him.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem for the first time after beginning His ministry, He wept over the city’s brokenness. He spent time with sinners and told stories about God’s compassion for prodigals and prostitutes. The heart of Jesus is marked not only with clarity about sin, but is also filled with compassion—not hatred—for those who do not yet believe and understand the truth. As His followers, our hearts should be broken for those who are broken and bent by sin. That means spending a whole lot less time acting like we are the truth and getting busy about pointing people to Jesus who is the Truth. And the best way to point people to Jesus is to start living like He lived.
The apostle James wrote to believers undergoing some tough opposition, instructing them not just to hear the truth but also to do the truth (James 1:22). In other words, we need to let Truth transform us before we try to articulate it to others.
Let’s face it: Sometimes we have to show up for Jesus before we can speak up for Him. We need to show we care by reaching out and meeting the more difficult and not-so-easy-to-deal-with needs of people around us. To tutor an underprivileged kid, to care for a man dying from AIDS, to sit in silence with someone at a nursing home, to visit a widow and help her with her laundry. Maybe, just maybe, after that, we can tell them the truth about what we know to be true in Jesus.
Believe me, a heart that knows you really care might just be ready to care for the Jesus who made you care for them in the first place.
YOUR JOURNEY…
Do an attitude check. Would you rather hate those who are “big-time sinners,” or love them as Jesus did?
How can you be more sensitive to those who aren’t quite ready to receive the truth? In what ways can you begin to show the real Jesus to them?
Make a list of people you know who upset you because of their lifestyle or publicly proclaimed philosophy. Make it a point to pray for them regularly. Ask God to help you show them the love of Jesus without condoning their lifestyle.
Read through James 1. Prayerfully write down some things you could begin doing differently in your life.

Chapter 5:

"Then i shall quicken my pace to the lady to inform her about this right away!" Paul suggested. "Every day hastens to Epion's defeat. If what i predicted was right, a huge demonic invasion is about to happen. A few days ago, my party of ashyrmirs discovered an orc camp. Our scouts reported about a few dosen of orc camps in the nearby premises of Sabaria. I suspect that they are headed for Epion. If that is true, they will reach the city in two days. We have to get every men and women out of here!" Dakota exclaimed. "I will inform the people about this and Dakota, i hope you will inform the other Ashyrmirs to be prepaired and Paul, hasten to Estelle!" Sheena suggests. "Right away!" Paul rode and his horse and headed to Tebaria.

It was a three-day ride to the holy place. When he almost reached his destination, the team of corrupted-frost bladers surrounded him. "Get out of my way! Else none of you shall be alive!" Paul threatened. "It would be a pleasure to shed the blood of a noble man like you! Your blood shall rust my blade!" Night Stalker, the captain laughed. "Then forgive me for being aggressive!" Paul answered. Immediately, he casted force field. The frost-bladers felt electrocuted for a second. Paul took the chance to strike at Night Stalker. "REPEL!" Night stalker casted. Paul's lunge was blocked by a magical shield Stalker has created. Unfortunately as he landed, the frost-blader, Xin blink striked at Paul and Paul had no time to react. As a result, he was fatally wounded...Night Stalker took the chance to cast the orb or corruption into Paul's heart. When Paul woke up, only to serve his new master eternally... He have forgotten his name nor any memmory. Be it sadess or happiness. Since then, Paul have turned into one of the five present Corrupted Frost Bladers of Agornodan. The frost bladers know no fear. They serve only the dark God in his quest to destroy the world...Sheena on the other hand was getting worried.

It have been 28 hours since she last seen her brother. Dakota have informed the Ashyrmirs and all of them have arrived in Epion. "We have 6 elite Ashyrmirs and 10 Ashyrmir recruits with 200 Aldanian guards and 100 Archers. This wont be enough to defeat the armies of Agornodan!" Qingyun questioned. "Yes... We cannot... But we will meet them in battle nonetheless..." Jin answers. The team nods and is eager to win the war. Positions have been made and innocent men and women have been kept safe in the underground store rooms.

(2.) Pray everyday. Daily ask God for His guidance and wisdom and the power to lead the overcoming Christian life. Confess your sins to Him quickly, and never fail to give Him thanks for all of His blessings to me.

First, the Bible says that mankind has a problem, and that problem is called sin. Sin is any action or attitude that falls short of God's perfect standard. Every one of us has the problem of sin (Romans 3:23). And the Bible teaches us that there is a consequence to sin - sin separates us from a holy God (Habakkuk 1:13). In fact, the Bible tells us that end result of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and that there is nothing that we ourselves can do to solve the problem of sin.
Second, the Bible says that there is a solution to the problem of sin, and that solution is the person of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). The Bible tells us that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus, His only Son, to die in our place (John 3:16). Jesus paid the penalty of your sin so that you would not have to be forever separated from God (I John 4:10). The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the only solution for our sin problem (John 14:6).
Third, the Bible demands a decision. It is not enough to just know about Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for you. You must choose to put your trust in Christ, to receive this free gift of salvation that God offers (John 1:12).
All of us have the problem of sin. There is only one solution to the problem - the person of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for us. Every one of us must decide...
What will you do with Jesus Christ?

Quoted

http://www.gospelcommunications.org/christmas2006/ <=== LOL

Friends, you are the only batch ever that is allowed to read this... though its not really that great. Oh well nevermind. Let me repost the whole thing. I trust nobody will spread it around? ^^

Anyways, without further a do, I present to you, a short anecdote of, The legend of Aldania.

Chapter one:The creation of AldaniaAs we humans live on earth, Aldania is just another world. Another creation of god.In fact, Aldania and earth (in the stone ages) is very much similar. There is technology, emotions, brotherhood, war, peace and religions. Billions of years ago.Where nothing ever existed except the wonderful god of aldania: Asdin.With magical powers one would never imagine, he created the first human, a goddess named Estelle. And with his remaining powers, he created the land of Aldania... Well it was hard work. Though one might think a person like God would be able to create without much sweat, but Asdin spent an aldanian year just to create the wonderful world of Aldania. The tired Asdin finally set himself on a deep sleep...Before he left, he instructed that Estelle would take care of Aldania while he was away. He never revealed when he would awake...Rumors spread around the whole of Aldania. That with Asdin in deep sleep, crimes could be committed with ease. Within a short period of two weeks, three thousand cases of crimes, this includes robbery, snatch-stealing, raping and smuggling of drugs. Estelle could not tolerate such betrayal. She set up the Aldanian Law and Order Unit. Its' purpose, was to arrest criminals and keep the land of Aldania a safe and secure place. How long will peace last? There was a sense of anarchy amongst the people... Would Estelle be able to abate the oncoming storm?Custom weapons like wooden bats and the very first pistols were used as weapons of the Aldanian police. These special units are paid to do the job. Only "qualified" people above the age of 18 was allowed to join this honorable force. The cases of crimes slowly decreased...Then, she build the castle, Epion. It is not very different from the castle we know of. She adorn the castle with cannons, fortifications and guns. Then, the castle guards were introduced. They were equipped with nightsteel helmets, armor and footgear.(nightsteel - strongest metal in Aldania) Long swords and throwing daggers as weapons, and a large nightsteel shield in the shape of a kite. This was to prepare for a huge demonic invasion she had foreseen.Scouts and spies were hired to constantly give reports on any strange happenings in Aldania. After 3 years of hard work, she finally managed to completely upgrade the castle's defenses. She then moved on to build the land of Iade...End of chapter one.

Chapter 2:
The evil god: Kachuak

Meanwhile, the evil god Kachuak began to plan to take over the land of Aldania.
He built his land, Agornodan. He summoned evil evil beasts and humans. Goblins and even bosses. One would wonder what "bosses" mean. It simly means, "warlord". One of these warlords were the deadly, Garal the Plague. This deadly commander was stronger than anyone would imagine. It will even kill his own soldiers if they would aggravate him. With a year hidden in the land of Agornodan, he readied all his troops and began his final preparation for the invasion which will cover the world in darkness. Is he decieved... or...

Spies and scouts have alreadly tracked down the land of Agornodan and Estelle was ready. Will the forces of good or evil win the battle?

Kachuak was a clever god with an aloof character. He knew Estelle would be ready. So, he planned his attack on Iade, the village with little defense.

13th Aerie (13th day of the fifth month), Kachuak launched a full invasion on Iade.
That night, thousands of innocents lost their lives and only a few survived... Estelle was furious. She could only blame herself for being careless. Kachuak was conceited over his easy victory. "Our homes destroyed, our kins killed, blood was scattered, meaningless sacrifices."

The remaining few that survived hurried for shelter at Epion castle. Though Estelle spent years upgrading the castle's defense to make sure it was truely powerful, she was not sure that she'd win the battle in Epion.

Meanwhile, Kachuak decides to send his assassin, Sasuke and his team to get information on the castles' defenses...


End of chapter 2.

Chapter 3: The Ashyrmir

What does "Ashyrmir" refer to? It simply refers to a group of the strongest elite fighters of the Alliance. They are trained by Estelle and Ray, the leader of the Ashyrmir clan. Those who join the force should not expect the training to be minor.One has to leave his own family and join the force. Reason, was to forget all kinship and focus on the training. Those who fail three tests would be disqualified from the force. Trainings last for 2 years and only people who pass all the forty tests without failing more than 2 or the final test, will be able to gain the title of "Ashyrmir soldier”. The final test, which most failed and even died trying...The final test, was to explore the wyvern caverns to find a special key to unlock a the chest that consisted of the Ashyrmir armour. Despite warnings, many tried and fell into the darkness. Many could not survive the poison of the wyverns. Only a few who gave up midway, returned blinded or crippled. Many badly wounded.Those who completed the mission had returned with deep cuts and bruises. Rocks falling upon them. The strong claws of the wyvern clawing upon their chests. It left a huge scar on each and everyone of the Ashyrmir. This explains why the flag of the Ashyrmir was painted red.Jin, Dakota, Qingyun, Corr and warchild were one of those few who survived the invasion of Iade. They took up the test of the Ashyrmir and all three of them became great Ashyrmir soldiers. They vowed to avenge the deaths of their town and bring justice upon the dark lord. Three years later, the Ashyrmir team consisted of 6 "Elite Ashyrmirs”, four apprentices and twenty recruits, out of the tens of thousands that died/failed trying. Estelle needed these true Ashyrmir soldiers to be the "Gods on the battlefield". They will go to war and even to death, for it is to protect their country, they will gladly die. Elite Ashyrmirs were given the Runic Ardic armour, which can only be made with the heart of a dragon. Every set comes with a huge price..Ashyrmir soldiers must abstain from removing their armour elsewhere, other than inside the Ashyrmir keep, which was well guarded by a powerful spell lock that can only be broken by anyone stronger than Estelle herself. Ashyrmirs are trained to be adroit of war, with their strong armor, teamwork, determination and speed; they would be able to overcome the strongest forces ever.The people of Aldania are often aghast when they see the Ashyrmir soldiers, especially the Elite soldiers. Their armor, thicker than anything ever and the Elite Armour had the heart of a dragon binded in the middle, along with a stream of fireball encircling around the soldier. Record says that the resistance of the Ashyrmir soldiers due to the trainings enabled them not to fall into an ailment. The Ashyrmirs proved to be the strongest fighters of Aldania...

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4: The IntrusionThe Drizzling of the cold night rain had stopped, and in the calm silence of the after-rain, the deep croaking of the bullfrogs rose and ebbed, like a baby's quiet sobbing. Sheena shivered slightly on her thin rattan mat and opened her eyes.It was still dark, but in the wet moonlight outside the window she could see the shimmer of raindrops on smooth banana leaves. Propping herself up on her elbow,she looked around her. The sleeping shapes of her family, lying in mosquito nets, were still and peaceful. Nobody seemed to be awake, not even Paul, her brother. The whispery gossip of the leaves outside surrounded them all, snug inside the little thatched hut.Slowly, she closed her eyes again, and listened to the morning noises flow about her. The pulsing croaks of the bullfrogs had died down now, and given place to the fragile cries of small sparrows. The breezes of dawn, sifting through the countryside, brushed against the wooden shutters of the windows, making them creak gently. Sheena liked this part of the day best of all, when the waves of after-night twined so gently around the slow swirls of before-dawn.Somewhere in the distance, the crowing of a rooster drilled through the fluid stillness. Sheena smiled. It was now officially morning and her father would not reprimand her if she got up to wander outside.Moving quietly so that she would not disturb the others, she rolled up her own piece of thin matting. Just as she was crawling out of the mosquito net that she shared with her two sisters, she sensed movement outside. She decided to have a look.As she crept out of the old house discreetly, a poison dart flew in her direction. With her quick reaction trained in her adolescence, she caught the dart with two fingers. Without hesitation, she cast rupture on the assassin. The assassin's chest began to tear open and bleed perpetually. The assassin ran for his life, but it exacerbated the wound. He finally fell dead as he reached the bank of Epion.Sheena did not give chase. She immediately awakened her family members and instructed them to hide in the trapdoor until it was safe to come out. She ran out and discovered several dead alliance guards. Paul followed behind. "Ha ha ha. Abysmal performance. How could the priestess of the stars have cast such a weak spell on my minion. I am sure you got more!" Sasuke mocked."DISEMBER!" Sheena casted. "Death Note!" Paul casted. To their surprise, none of the spells worked on the assassin. "Haha do you think such weak spells could kill the lord of all assassins so easily? Dream on!" Sasuke laughed. "Who are you, who sent you here and what do you want." Paul asked. "I am the assassin of darkness, Lord of Ninjitsu, the deadliest servant of Lord kachuak! I am here... To kill you!" Sasuke said, proudly. "What? You sound like your applying like a job..." Sheena laughed. "You dare mock me?" Sasuke said angrily. Immediately, Sasuke went into stealth mode. "Paul, stay close and when he appears, cast exile on him! Got it?" Sheena said. Just as the assassin appeared and tried to cut Paul with his katar, the two of them cast exile in the nick of time and the Sasuke was teleported to the blood hills of the karnian wasteland. "That was close... We'd better inform the mayor before any of his minions take the lives of anymore innocents" Sheena suggested. Minutes later, Sheena and Paul had reached the hut where the mayor stayed in. In Aghast, the mayor Eric Finck and his family have been killed. Sheena screamed at the gruesome sight. Moments later, four assassins jumped in from the window. Just as they were about to finish off the defenseless Sheena, Dakota Reighner, one of the Elite Ashyrmirs managed to rush in and cut the four assassins with his blade of destruction, which was awarded to him as one of the Elite Ashyrmirs. The four assassins fell dead on the floor...Meanwhile, Sasuke retreated to the dark mountains of Agornodan, back to his master. "You FOOL! I asked you to embezzle Epion and at the same time, familiarize with the castle's defenses. I never asked you to go and FLIRT!!! Go back to your cell, reflect and i want to see you at the hallway tomorrow. You get it? Now get out of my sight you useless bum!" Kachuak shouted angrily. "How may i repay you... Warrior... I see you are one of the six Elite Ashyrmirs. What brings you to our humble city?" Sheena asked. "A week ago, i sensed the presence of a deadly assassin. I suspected that this castle would be in danger, but in spite of that, i came a little late..." Dakota sighed. "Damned assassins... Now Epion is no longer safe. We need Hunters!" Paul suggested.