In my first message we talked about having a relationship with God and taking care of His temple, our bodies. The next three things to discuss in our Extreme Makeover God Edition are discussed below.

3 - Relationship with your family - You need to be a steward with your family, your spouse first, then your children, if no family than your peers. Husbands flirt with your wife! Don’t stop pursuing her. Wives do the same. Spend quality and quantity times with your children. Too many times I here people say that at least they spend quality time with there children. That is not enough! We need to spend quantity time with them. I remember the story I once heard when a little boy asked his dad how much money he made an hour. His dad was tired and said “why do you want to know?” The little boy just said he needed to know. The dad thought that the boy might need it for school so he answered gruffly $50 an hour. The boy looked at him and asked “Can I borrow $25?” The dad got mad that the boy tricked him just to get money and sent him to his room. Later he was feeling a little remorse and thought that the boy might need it for a project or something so he went in and said “Here is $25 but I will take it out of your allowance until it is paid back.” The boy took the money the went under his pillow and pulled out a wad of dollar bills he had been saving and started counting. The boy’s father started to grow a little angry especially when the boy reached $100 dollars. The boy handed the father the money and said “Can I buy two hours of your time for just me? No cell phones or blackberry, just me? Don’t let this happen with your children or your spouse. Pray and read the Bible together.

4 - Relationship with your career/work - God expects us to work hard for our employers or for ourselves if we own our own business. Have you ever been reading personal email and the boss walks in? Do you sit up and change? Do you quick switch to a different computer screen? Do you gossip or take longer than you should for lunch or breaks? Have you called out sick because you didn’t feel like working that day? We need to work like you would want people to work for you, because one day you might just have employees like you and you may not be too happy. What is your Gift? Are you using it to produce multiple streams of income? If not why? With the Internet we can all make and extra income.

5 - Relationship with your money. First it is not your money. We are stewards of everything. God will give you some and see what you do with it. If you increase it He will give you more. Read the story about the master and the three slaves who were given different amounts of money as a test. Do you tithe? Although I do not believe we are required to tithe any more but I do believe that tithing works. The tithe is the tangible proof if God is actually first in your life. I am not saying to give it all to a church or ministry but what are you doing with your money to help God’s children?

I hope you will all start enacting these five principles and get your Extreme Makeover, God style!

Pastor Bob

I am sure that most of you have played the game of monopoly, (Although some of you might have played electronic versions or with local places instead of the tradition places such as Boardwalk, the railroads and of course the one piece of property that was the lowest of rent Baltic Ave.

If you have never played, the object of the game is to land on many properties, buy them and build houses and hotels and wait for people to land on them. Depending on how many houses or hotels you had the more the rent would be. (And yes, I even cheated when I was the banker!) But after the game was over, we would just pack up the board and put the game away up in the closet. The game was a description of American capitalism!

Well this game and what we do when the game is finished describes exactly what happens to all of us here on earth. Now I am not against anyone working hard and earning a lot of money, but the our life on earth is the same as the game. You can have numerous houses, drive a BMW or a Mercedes, have lots of toys and collect all kinds of money in rent. You see just like the game, at the end of our lives, we just close up the box but in life the box is a coffin and it doesn’t go up into the closet, it goes into the ground. All of the toys and money you accumulated mean absolutely nothing. It really doesn’t matter if we make a lot or just enough to get by. It makes no difference if we buy a lot or we hoard all our money. The wealth we acquire here on earth means nothing to guarantee happiness here or guarantee us a place in heaven or heavenly treasures.

To achieve this Extreme Makeover God style we have to believe that all things are possible with God’s help. And it only involves five steps and here they are.
1) Our relationship with God. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. Now let me ask you a question. When you have a relationship with your spouse, children, friends or colleagues do you have one way conversations or do you communicate back and forth? Any relationship that grows has to have a two way conversation. If you want your relationship with God to grow you need to do the same. In order to do this we need to pray which is us talking and reading His word which is God communicating to us. Then we add in mediation and we are starting to have a really cool relationship with our might God.

2) We have to take care of the one thing that God has given us 100% authority over. As a matter of fact it is the only thing that God has given us complete control over. I am talking about our temple, our mobile church, our body. God has blessed us with our bodies but what do we do with it? Are we eating the right foods? Are we drinking plenty of water? Do we exercise it regularly? Many Americans take better care of their cars which were built by men then we do with our one blessing that God has given all of us. I know before I entered into the ministry, I took better care of my horses than I did God’s temple. How can we expect God to bless us with more if we cannot take care of this one thing?

Stay tuned for the next message when I discuss the next three things in our Extreme Makeover God Style

Pastor Bob

As you read this account of the traveler who falls prey to thieves, its reasonable to assume that a priest, being of Jewish descent and a Levite; also of Jewish descent would be the most likely candidates to offer help to the victimized man. Instead the parable records neither of these individuals displayed compassion towards the traveler. Instead the compassion of the least likely Samaritan was stirred to meet both the present and future anticipated needs of the traveler. Jesus stated this parable in answer to the simple question ’who is my neighbor?’

This question and its ensuing answer is one that the body of Christ has to continue to consider and abide by. When we show mercy or act benevolent towards our neighbors we are satisfying the expectations of our Christian responsibilities and obeying the commandment of the Word of God. The Word of God is rich with directives for Christians to obey so that we will have healthy relationships with our neighbors.

My own personal experience with my neighbor brought to light the ’living word’ as it is written in the latter portion of Proverbs 27:10; which states ‘for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.’

In April of 2007 my youngest son required extensive surgery on his leg due to the onset of a particular disease. Because the surgery took place 100 miles away, it was necessary for him to be transported back home by ambulance. The surgical procedure left him with rods securing his bones, so extreme care had to be taken to ensure that his leg would be kept in a fully extended position. The ambulance arrived just minutes after I pulled into my driveway and the gurney carrying my son was carefully brought into our home by the Mobile Medical Technicians.

Once inside and alone with him I had to come to terms with a wide range of emotions now that we no longer had the care of an attentive and knowledgeable medical staff. I am blessed to have a very strong support system in place in time of an emergency, I have an older teenage son and my sister’s family lives across the street from our home. But as providence would have it, this particular weekend my eldest son was away at a competition in another city and my sister and her husband (he being my pastor as well) were on an extensive Missions trip to Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan..

My son and I were by all accounts alone. As I considered what to do first there was a knock on my door. I recognized the person as my neighbor who up to that time I knew only casually on a first-name basis because my family was new to the neighborhood having lived there for only 10 months. She re-introduced herself and indicated she was about to leave a note she had just written. The note stated her name, and the fact that she was my neighbor. It went on to express her concern at seeing my son come home by ambulance. Even though she was not aware of the severity of the incidence she stated that she was willing to do anything to help in his care. There was such compassion in her note and I have kept it to this day. The note went on to explain her experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant with homecare experience.

She had never been in my home prior to this day and knew my son by sight only. Yet it was at that time I realized I needed a true neighbor, one that would exhibit many of the characteristics found in Romans 15:2 (Amplified) ‘Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [strengthen him and build him up spiritually]. Shortly following this incident a good friend of my coined this expression “You don’t know you need a neighbor, until you need a neighbor.”

So on this particular day my neighbor came into my home and remained with my son while I left to pick up his prescriptions. I felt completely at ease with her in my home tending to my son in my absence. I returned, administered his medication and he was able to get some well needed rest before we were presented with a new challenge.

His bedroom was equipped with a hospital bed that had been delivered after his arrival home, and our struggle now became how to move him from the sofa to his wheelchair to inside his bedroom, considering that he was unable to put any weight on his leg. This episode moved us both to tears as we realized his degree of physical limitations and the resulting pain that our attempts caused him.

After being unsuccessful and worn-out I, called our neighbor and she helped to devise a strategy to transfer him safely to his hospital bed. Her kindness will never be forgotten and she displayed the type of neighborliness that we all can learn from. She could have stayed comfortably in her own home and watched the scene of my son being carried on a gurney into our home without us ever being aware of her observations. Instead she turned out to be a ‘neighbor.’

As Christians we are required to maintain good, civil relationships with our neighbors. This not only lends itself to the increased viability of our communities, but it also allows us to appreciate the value that these neighborly relationships lend to our every day lives. Today is a good day to apply the Word of God as stated in Galatians 5:14 ‘For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

It’s time to get busy.

Rhonda Alexia Webb is the founder and Executive Director of Cross the Street, an organization that promotes the building up of communities. The website is www.crossthestreet.org. She is an ordained minister at Faith Harvest Church in Saginaw Michigan where Rev. Ronald E, Chipp is the Senior Pastor.

To grow spiritually is to look inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in our Christian teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity sees that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

What can I do to help you grow spiritually?

Have you ever asked yourself the question , “Is God real?” I know there is not a single person living that has not asked themselves at some juncture in life , why they are here and what is the meaning of life. Deep down inside, every human knows that something or someone greater than themselves has brought about creation. The world wasn’t created by the “Big Bang Theory”, there is to much fallacy in this reasoning. Two rocks colliding in space and presto- we have primordial ooze. It is out of this that you and I are said to have “evolved,” Even Darwin recanted or repented, whichever the case may be , before he died. The word tells us in Romans 12:3 God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

God did not say “A” measure, but rather “THE” measure of faith. So you ask what am I talking about. God himself has provided faith to you and me, not just any faith ; but His faith!! I think sometimes we as people get lost in religion or social gatherings as unfortunately seems to be the case in many instances. Even those who claim that God is not real will tell you they believe in higher spiritual authority–Generally themselves!

As I examine the world today and the social engines that drive our youth and steal spiritual gifts from them in incredible numbers, I see greater and greater need to get the message out to people that Jesus Christ (Yeshua) is real. There have been countless libraries written on dogma’s and doctrine, yet most lack the Holy Spirit. The “Bible” itself is just a very accurate history book until the Holy Spirit gets involved in your life; then it becomes the “living–breathing–word of God”. There are so many who claim Christianity and yet are appathetic. They embrace humanism and worldly wisdom and they do not have love or compassion. There is an old hymn that says “they will know we are Christians by our love. We live in a society that has embraced sin as commonplace and condemns anyone who would oppose them. When churches decide that the Bible is not the final authority but would rather vote on biblical issues to decide if they want to accept or acknowledge those truths, then they have successfully removed God from the equation. This nullifies any claim to Christ.

Jesus said I have not come to abolish the law but rather to fufill it. Heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle shall be removed. Matt. 5:18, Luke 16:17 If Christ himself found it unnecessary to pick and choose which laws to obey and which ones to ignore; then who are we to undertake such tom foolery! Our national view on “Tolerance” is beyond any shadow of a doubt ungodly. The children of Israel were guilty of integrating the religions and pagan practices into their daily lives. They married with the tribes of people from countries they conquered. God had strictly forbidden this and they did it anyway. You might say that as a Christian I’m not under law but rather grace. Let me state this plainly: The law was given to show men that they were incapable of abiding by it; we were to fall upon our face and declare unto God that we’re not able to perform the task. Thereby allowing God in His grace and mercy to step in and abide with us. (Emanuel)–Means God with us, His plan from the beginning. We as a nation and as a people need to understand the grip that the “Shining Cherub” (Satan) has on our people. When we realize that the enemy comes as an ” Angel of Light” we will begin to understand that we desperately need Jesus and the Holy spirit!! It is from this well we are able to draw strength, to abide under the law.

If we were to examine the dispensations of “time” then it can be understood that we truly are living in the “end times”. With this being the situation that we find ourselves, then we must seek out our Creator, to find the solutions to the problems we have created. In Proverbs 3:5 “trust in the Lord with all thy heart: and lean not to thy own understanding.” Proverbs 1:7 ” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The world around us needs to hear the gospel, so they might stand a chance of obtaining salvation. The word teaches us that we will be held accountable for those we did not proclaim truth unto. I don’t know about you, but as for me and my house; we have enough in our own lives to contend with, without having to take responsibility for someone else’s lack of salvation. So we had better be sure and point those around us toward Jesus!! This world is headed toward Gods plans of and end and a cleansing. You can call it “destiny” or “carma” or any other name you so choose: however, it doesn’t change the outcome of truth. God’s will, will be performed. So shall be the word that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper unto the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11. Therefore I can rest assured that it shall come to pass.

Let us examine the question–Why God? Inside each and every one of us is a place of emptiness. A place that causes us to seek fulfillment in our lives. There is nothing wrong about having a need to quench this yearning inside of us. However that “Noisy Lion,” the one who seeks to kill and destroy us has found a playground in our lives. It it through this longing to have meaning and purpose that we are quickly led astray; by our own desires. Truth is that we don’t understand the feelings inside of us or how to fulfill this desire in us. So we try everything under the sun to find meaning and purpose to our wretched lives. We seek out pleasure in all it’s deluded forms. We’ve even given it such names as vice or fun. These area’s in our lives are consumed by anything other than the fulfillment of our Creator. We try alcohol or drugs, pornography or gambling, fishing and hunting: all forms of recreation and exictement. Anything that possibly could make us feel better about ourselves. Truth is Satan lures us by showing us fulfillment in things of this world. If sin weren’t fun we would not participate! However the word tells us the pleasure of sin is fun for a season. Hebrews 11:25 Meaning it will cease to be fun and become a burden weighing heavy upon us. Reality is we need God to fill the void that is missing in our lives. Adam was a complete person, a “living soul.” Genesis 2:7, until he sinned. When that event occurred, a tear appeared inside of us. The consciousness of God’s presence in our lives, was removed from us. We need God to restore us to fellowship with Him in order to be complete again. This is the only way to find peace and fulfillment in our lives. Any other means only leaves us empty. Have you ever been really thirsty on a hot day and drank a cold soda? Man that thing is good to you in the beginning, however; as you soon find your more thirsty afterwards than when you started. Why is that? It is because what you thought was quenching your thirst was actually de-hydrating your body. The latter result is that no fulfillment was found, only a greater thirst. This is typical human behavior; we choose all the wrong things first. When we seek out the pleasures of this world, we find momentary fulfillment. Problem is like the cold soda on a hot day ; our spirit is dehydrated, drained of vitality. We become weak and vunerable, succeptible to more attacks in our mind. If these attacks were frontal assaults then we probably would not surrender so easily. However, they are crafty and present themselves as our own ideas. The Holy Spirit is the true ally whom can guide us through the gauntlet of desires, we call sin. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth us unto life, and few be there that find it. Matt.7:14

Why now? The organized church (Christianity) has existed since the early days following the Crucifixion. There have been devout people of God throughout the ages, yet in contrast we have had many atrocities committed in the name of Christ or the “Church”. People have heard the Gospel message yet they have also witnessed men operating in the flesh. These conflicting issues have created more confusion about the “truth” over the centuries. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. I Cor.14:33 I have heard in my lifetime, more than once:” If that is what Christianity is about, then I want no part of it! “ We have never, throughout history been so close to the completion of revelation. People in this age need to have God revealed to them in a positive light. I believe that “hell-fire and damnation” preaching has a place among Christians to help with the maturing process; however I don’t believe you can take someone who is already overwhelmed by the despairs of this world and beat them over the head with the Gospel. Too many times I have witnessed people being battered with scriptural truths, that are dished out by an unloving, unfeeling, person with a legalistic spirit. I once was sharing with a lady this truth: Nobody comes to the Lord until they are desperate; each person having a different place or level of desperation. If we think we have a leg to stand on then we stand on it, all by ourselves. Her response to me was that she had never smoked, drank, or cussed; therefore she was alright with God!! I still pray for her whenever I’m reminded of that day. So many people sitting on pews have had the teachings and traditions of men for so long that they don’t know who God truly is. We need to show that God’s love is unconditional in the respect that no action on our part brought about this love. Yet it is conditional in that Jesus said” if you love Me keep My commandments” John14:15 We face rising conflicts within the world; false religions growing in leaps and bounds, why? Because people are seeking a means to quench the deep yearning inside them. Now they desperately need to see Jesus. They need to see Him in us. The world doesn’t need religion, it has plenty of that. As a kid we used to joke about being like Yule Gibbons—Eat tree ,I.E.. (tree-hugger). Basically you can create a religion out of anything. We wont talk about the football-gods and their faithful following. Point I’m trying to make is this: Jesus said “ they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick”.Matt.9:12 Those that are feeling trapped by society and it’s promulgations, must be shown love and compassion. Sometimes compassion can seem a cruel partner. It generally requires some form of sacrifice on our part. True compassion loves the unlovable!! We don’t always want to show compassion because it requires action. My wife use to give a relative, our copy of Voice of the Martyrs magazine , after we had read it. One day this relative asks me to “refrain from gifting her with this publication,” as she put it . She wanted to go to church on Sunday and feel good about herself, however; this magazine showed her that people really endured suffering for Christ. This was not a reality she had chosen for herself and she would have no more of it. While I found her response to be in direct conflict to what she professed to believe, I found it to be refreshing honesty!! God can work with that kind of truthfulness. Without going into the different Greek words for love, lets mention “agape.” It is this unconditional love for people and their souls that sets true Christians apart. I’m not interested in being everyone’s friend, I am however committed to showing the people that Jesus can deliver you from yourself. Man left alone to himself, will destroy himself. Therefore the urgency to introduce Christ to as many as will receive Him!!!

To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, money, and influence is a Herculean task. Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through television, magazines, and the web have predisposed us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?

To grow spiritually is to look inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. This is what we call meditation. Jesus meditated all the time and for long periods. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement. Read your Bible on a regular basis. If you can get several versions such as King James, New American Standard, etc. and a good concordance,

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology views that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning and understanding of God. Have your read the entire Bible from cover to cover?

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to—a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible. Praying, meditating and reading your Bible everyday is the best and fastest way to grow in your spirituality.

This reminds me of one of my biggest pet peeves with Christians across this country. I have heard people tell church congregations about letter writing campaigns they are doing to make abortions illegal or how they are putting together walks for this and that. If we would take our energy and really put it to a cause, we might actually make a difference in someone’s lives. Just imagine if all the people who picket abortion clinics, spent all that time counseling young women. If every Christian in this country would just tithe 10% of their TV time to helping young girls, abortion would be a thing of the past.

So the next time you think that you want to “Sue God,” or get into a letter writing campaign, just say to yourself, “When our Savior was on the earth, what did He do?”

By they way, just how are they going to subpoena God?

In His Name

Pastor Bob

Then God through the Holy Spirit woke me up 2 years ago. At the age of 45 I realized just how asleep in the faith I had been. I was one weak Christian and a pew warmer. I rededicated my life to Jesus and began studying the scriptures and began a stronger prayer life, I met a young lady that was very strong in her faith and Christian walk. I was on a new strong path and then a test came along.

My friend’s son and wife to be were expecting a child. All things looked good, but during delivery her heart stopped from a 1 in 80,000 chance. It was named an amniotic fluid embolism. They did an emergency C-section and got both mother and babies heart started. Now for the real test in faith, the doctors said that both mother and baby had brain injury from the lack of oxygen and that they were in a coma. Test after test were to show that very little brain activity in either one of them and that they would not ever return to us as normal. Doctors did the speech of “you should think about stopping life support” I was not a member of family and could only be in the waiting room to hear the family update, But I got on the phone and started calling for prayers and to pray for God’s will be done.

I was trying to work and get updates from the family and on the 2nd week God’s miracle happened. The mother woke up from the coma. She has a long path of rehab ahead of her, but now 8 weeks later the baby is at home with the dad and grandmother, still praying for a miracle that she can have her brain rewire and function as normal as possible, The mother is in a rehab center, relearning how to walk, and regain her balance, how to talk, and eat with no gag reflex working correctly, and basic memory exercise to help in short term memory.

HOWEVER GOD has shown us a miracle. I was on the day this happened saying to myself ‘Why did God allow this to happen” How weak did I become in a flash after something bad happened, but I didn’t give completely in and started prayer chains, Now 8 weeks later I see glory in why this happened. Across the state people who had no idea who these 2 were, began praying. The prayers went up and reports from churches around the area have said that more people have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior after hearing about the miracle of the mother and baby waking up from the coma and doing more than Doctors ever thought possible.

God is in control, and we are to praise his name and to pray for his will be done. To see this miracle happen is a experience no words can describe, and I pray that we can as Christians really get to our knees and pray for more miracles to happen. That a cure for cancer, aids, and other health problems, or for peace to come to the areas of war. IF we can call upon God and truly ask for things and also for all things to be to his Glory, then prayers ARE answered. We know that not all things we pray will have the answer that ‘we’ want, but as we pray for it to be God’s will, then the blessing will come and multiply, even if we don’t see the result personally.

Pastor Bob, I am a general contractor and my lead man is …..a Mormon.  He has experienced a rash of untimely and extremely costly (and unfortunate) events the last 6 months. He is a Mexican national and has worked for me for over 2 and 1/2 years. He is a wonderful, honest and forthright young man.

Each time life has dealt him some small catastrophe he has come to me for help. He has sent more than $50,000 back to his home and mother in Mexico city during his stay here. This money was to build a print shop as he is a trained graphic artist. Last week he found that there is no money left and there never was a print shop being built.

This was the final straw in a series of financially ruinous episodes which included accidents with uninsured motorists (2), mechanical breakdowns, tow costs impounds, citations and the court system which charged my friend for citations which they said had been issued to his wife, he has never married. Today he told me that he was on medication for depression and he could not sleep due to the pressure of all that has happened these last 6 months. I asked him if he was seeking consolation from his church and he told me that his feelings toward God were not what they had once been and that he had asked God for assistance many times throughout these terrible times, to no avail.

I asked him if he had been to any services or if he had even spoken with God at all recently and he said “No, not really.” So I asked him if he really wanted any help and he looked at me like I was crazy and he said “Of course I do!” Well, I said you need to ask God for forgiveness. He said, “For what?” and I said, for not having the faith needed or even believing in His word. I said, if you were a farmer and you planted a couple seeds then ran off to town for a couple of months to do whatever and came back to the farm to reap the plenty what would you really expect? He looked down at his shoes.

I told him that he needs to plant his seeds and tend his garden with care and with expectations of plenty because he will get from it what he puts into it. If the crop fails he needs to plant again and work the soil, weed and water and expect (have faith) his toils to pay off. Most of us are spiritual wimps. At the first signs of failure we give up. We are all too short-sighted and we expect constant gratification without sacrifice.

I’m not sure if this talk will have any effect on him in the final analysis but I did mention that my church has a Hispanic congregation and that he would find our members all caring and supportive.

The most important thing to consider in water gardening is probably the spot chosen.  Since plants and fish both need plenty of sunlight, places in direct light away from trees and bushes is the best place.  This will also help prevent leaves and debris from collecting in the water.

When planning for a water garden first decide the size you want.  This will depend on how much money you are willing to spend because water gardening can get expensive if you opt for a large garden full of plants, rocks, fish, and lights.  Also consider the size of our property, and the amount of time you want to spend with maintaining your water garden.

When you choose what type of aquatic plants you wish to have, remember that the plants should only cover about half of the water.  Plants can be free floating, submerged, or marginal.  Which you choose is all a matter of personal preference.  Some plants are good for their scent, some provide more oxygen than others and will keep the pool health, and some are just beautiful. Fish are not only nice to look at but they are also very beneficial.  Fish help keep debris at a minimum and help in controlling larva and other insects.

One of the main difficulties in water gardening is keeping water clear of algae.  Algae problems are usually caused from too many nutrients in the water from feeding fish too often or from over fertilizing plants.  If ponds are made correctly and are maintained properly algae problems and control will be kept at a minimum.

All garden pools regardless of size will need maintenance throughout the year. With proper planning you can ensure a healthy balance between living and decorative features of a water garden that can almost care for itself with simple maintenance inputs from you.
You can get rid of algae by reducing on the nutrients that cause the algae by cutting back on feeding and fertilizing, planting more plants, installing a filter system, or replacing existing water with fresh water.  There are some chemicals that can be used, like copper compounds, but overuse can kill plant life and fish.

Water gardening doesn’t take anymore time than regular gardening, but obviously isn’t near the same thing.  You may be the type person who couldn’t grow a flower if you tried but would be excellent at water gardening.  If you are looking for a way to occupy some time or to beautify your yard, water gardening is an excellent way.