Blessings

From: Brother in Christ
Date: Dec 16, 2007 7:00 PM
Subject: Blessings
To: Gil

Sorry for the long gap between emails. I’ve been very crazy with work and travel, with little time to slow down. BUT, I’ve remembered every day to keep you in my prayers before the Father.

God has been so good to us, in spite of everything that happens and the many situations, He’s faithful, He protects, provides, heals, redeems, sanctifies, His grace and mercy are never ending, and His love endures forever. I pray that His presence is real in your life. I am thankful for your prayers. So many times when the load seems too heavy, and He intercedes, I’m grateful for the Christian brothers are praying for me.

At this time of year I pray that you are refreshed, and that Christ uses you to bless others, and that as we get close to celebrating the Redeemer’s birth, that His light will shine in us and cause others to stop and ponder, just as the light of the star did so many years ago.

May your burdens be lightened as He cares for you, may your fears fade away by His perfect Love, may your weakness be replaced with His strength, may His Spirit fill the voids, and may His peace and joy overflow in your life.

Sincerely,

Brother in Christ

Thinking of you

From: Brother in Christ
Date: Oct 28, 2007 10:03 AM
Subject: Thinking of you.
To: Gil

Hi,

I'm (as you know) away again. It's so great that as far as we go and as long as we seem to be 'away' that He is always there with us, His faithfulness knows no end.

I hope that your days have been blessed and that your burdens are lifted, may the hardest thing you face be, trying to think of all the things to praise Him for in your life.

The world's vision is blurred and so their hope is lost, their teaching is flawed and so their purpose is hopeless, but the One we serve has opened our eyes and corrected our flaws, so we have a purpose and hope in Him that brings eternal joy and life, guard your vision and protect what you have been taught by Him, and don't let the influences around us cause you to question. This life is short and a therefore has a limited value, but the life eternal promised is most valuable, so we aught to be focused on the thing of value and help others to do so, and not be distracted by the short term benefits and miss the long term goal.

Anyway be strengthened by His Holy Spirit, and let His love surround you, His word sustain you, and may our prayers for our brothers in Christ, be a sweet fragrance to Him.

Got to go now. You are presented to Him in prayer daily.

Bro,

Brother in Christ

Hi brother

From: Brother in Christ
Date: Sep 30, 2007 8:11 AM
Subject: Hi brother
To: Brothers in Christ

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I wrote. As usual travel and hectic schedules have got in the way. Anyway I praise God for you my brother(s) in Christ, and for His Holy Spirit that is with us.

I pray daily for you that He blesses, encourages, strenghtens and provides for you. That He makes you a blessing to others and that His presence is real in your life.

Sometimes the pressure seems overwhelming, but He always works things out in His way and in His time. When we look at what we face can we think of anything that He can't handle? So many times when I look at life closely I realize all the things He has been doing that I'd not even seen.

Remember me in your meetings and talks with our Father.

I pray that Jesus is so real in your life this coming week, that you'll feel His touch, hear His whisper and even sense His shadow in the room with you.
You were chosen by Him, it's no accident, He loves you as a son, there is nothing He won't do to show His love for you. On the other hand remember not to let things get between Him and us.

May God use you mighlty by the power of His spirit.

Prayerfully,

Brother in Christ

Me and Lucas...

A ride on the Pinellas Trail

The ladies of my life

Galatians 5:16

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

(New International Version)

Ephesians 5

5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(New International Version)

Lee, Lizzy, and Gil

Shoes

A little about me as told by my wife...

We are not certain precisely when my husband became a believer. We know that it occurred sometime during our first year of marriage. We also know that it was very hard for him to surrender himself into God's loving care, because of anxieties that my husband had acquired while a child.

During most of his childhood, my husband was poor. He told me that they liked to believe that they were lower middle class, but now he knows that they were just plain poor. He never was sure when he'd have enough clothes, or shoes that fit, or food on the table. As a result of this past, my husband didn't want to live his adult life in want.

Also, now as an adult, my husband was hearing Christians say: Trust in God...He wants to save you from your sins and have a relationship with you. My husband kept on holding back from God for months because he wasn't sure if he could trust this Jesus to truly take care of him....all his needs,.., spiritual as well as physical. Finally, the scripture Matthew 6:25-34 broke through the wall of his fears and my husband surrendered himself completely into the Lord's care. And he was excited; excited about living the Christian life. He wanted to follow Jesus' leading in life. He had sold out to Jesus completely.

During our first year of marriage, my husband was learning his profession. And as "the new kid" he was assigned to run the work and deliver it when it was done. Quite often these deliveries took place in the late night hours. And he usually had many stops each night. In order for me to even have time to talk with him, I often chose to ride in the car with him while he made his deliveries. It was during one of these evening delivery trips that an interesting event occurred.

We were downtown and finishing up to go home. It was cold that night and the sky looked like some snow flurries could be expected. Since we hadn't had snow yet that winter, the sidewalks were clear, but everything was so cold and gray. Our car had just turned the corner when my husband saw a man walking on the sidewalk toward a wide doorway and my husband pointed this man out to me. The man was dressed poorly; very inadequately for the weather. And his shoes, if you could call them that, were split in so many places that they could not possibly keep out the elements.

Almost as quickly as we drove past this man, my husband pulled over to the curb, put on his flashing lights, and announced that he was giving that man his shoes! I really had no time to protest because my husband was already out of the car. I watched as they talked and after some discussion, the man accepted the shoes. My husband came back to the car in his socks and we talked as we drove toward home.

I was concerned because my husband had only two pairs of shoes that were decent enough for work and here he'd just given one pair away! But my husband said that the scriptures said that if you have more than enough and someone was in need, then the Lord wants us to share. He also explained that he could only wear one pair of shoes at a time anyway, so now this simplified things. We closed the conversation with the thought that when my husband needed another pair of shoes, the Lord would provide them.

Time passed, and we could have used that extra pair of shoes, but we got along. Occasionally we talked about the incident and wondered if the Lord had ever intended to give my husband that second pair of shoes.

Approximately 18 months after my husband gave away his shoes, we were visiting at a friend's apartment. Midway through the evening, our host got up and told my husband that he had something for him. He brought back a pair of brown loafers. They fit perfectly. He went on to explain that for more than a year the Lord had been prompting him to give these shoes to my husband, be he just hadn't gotten around to it. We mentioned that my husband had wanted another pair of shoes, but didn't go into any details. We looked at each other and we couldn't wait to talk about it on the way home.

We decided that the most important issue in the "shoe incident" was the way in which the Lord used people to convey his blessings. But the people were always "allowed" to function within their own free-will. My husband was a vehicle for blessing for the man with no shoes because my husband was so willing to obey without question. Our friend withheld a blessing that the Lord intended for us because he was unwilling to obey without question. And the Lord never made our friend obey, he only prompted and let our friend choose to obey. This was an exciting revelation to us because we were able to see both sides of a blessing and how a man can choose to be a part of it.

Ephesians 5:15-17

15 Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (NIV)

Passages on prayer...

John 14:14
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)

John 15:6-7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (NIV)

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (NIV)

James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (NIV)

James 5:16
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (NIV)

1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (NIV)

Marriage: What is submission?

Biblical "submission" is the voluntary action of any individual to accept another person's authority and responsibility over them and for them.

In the general sense, all believers are to submit to each other (Ephesians 5:21), but in certain specific contexts, "submission" is restricted to identifiable groups: slaves to their masters, children to parents, citizens to the government, wives to their husbands, soldiers to their officers, and Christians to church leaders.

Submission means letting the other person take the lead and responsibility for the outcome.

Within the marriage, this means that the husband is the leader and the wife is his helper. Without her voluntary submission, no husband can be the leader God wants him to be. God calls for her submission to her husband as an act of trust in Him and His wisdom for the way He designed men and women. This is a must if she is to live in a way that is "fitting to the Lord" (Colossians 3:18).

God calls the man to lead and to love and to learn to live in an understanding way with his wife. This is a must if his spiritual life is to flourish (1 Peter 3:7).

http://www.familybiblefellowship.org/family/submit1.htm

We are all called to submit. Ephesians 5:21 -- Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

What does submission mean? Submission -- means to yield -- to yield to certain other precepts and principles that have been placed in our lives.

1 Peter 3:1-7 The Behavior of Wives
In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. And let not your adornment be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Ephesians 4:1-2

4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
(NIV)

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Ephesians 2:1-3

2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. (NIV)

Ephesians 1:4-8

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (NIV)

God at work: Business embracing faith

God at work: Business embracing faith

More companies nationwide find benefits in promoting a religious context in the workplace.

ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published August 1, 2004

---

Digital Lightbridge started with a few scribbles on a Denny's restaurant napkin. Richard Hayes and Jeffrey Damm had been friends for 13 years. They worked in marketing. They went to the same church. About three years ago, they sat down at the diner to sketch out a business plan that would merge their careers with their Christian faith.

Today, the company has about 50 clients, including J.P. Morgan Chase, the University of South Florida and Simdag Investments. It's a private, for-profit company with five employees who work out of an office building at 102 W Whiting St. in downtown Tampa. Hayes is vocal about the role of faith in the business.

"Ultimately, everything we do has some kind of Christian base," Hayes said.

Although the owners are quick to emphasize their employees don't have to be Christian, their faith is a vital part of their business practices. Digital Lightbridge volunteers its services to ministries that cannot afford pricy marketing firms, including the Tampa Port Ministries, a nonprofit group that ministers to seafarers. It also shells out several hundred dollars each month so Hayes can attend sessions with other Christian company presidents through a national group called the Christian 12 Group, or C12.

Digital Lightbridge is not an anomaly. The joining of companies and faith is a growing trend throughout the Tampa Bay area and the country. Prework prayer meetings, corporate retreats to discuss faith-based business strategies, chaplains hired to minister to employees and other faith-based programs are sprouting up in businesses that range from mobile home park management to high-tech companies.

"Hopefully, it's a trend that's positive both here and around the world," said Jerry Key, a senior chaplain with Corporate Chaplains of America and executive director of Tampa Port Ministries. "Employers are beginning to realize their employees have lives outside the office door."

Just 12 years ago, there were about 25 faith-based organizations in the workplace in the United States, said Os Hillman, president of the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries, an Atlanta Christian nonprofit group that tracks faith in the workplace. In 2004, International Coalition identified more than 1,200 such organizations.

The organizations vary widely in size and product. Coca-Cola has a group called the Christian Employee Fellowship. The owner of Sign-Age of Tampa Bay in Clearwater, a company that manufactures promotional signs, belongs to C12 and holds a weekly prayer meeting. ChurchForce Inc. in Tampa links Christian companies and job seekers online.

"People are looking for more in their jobs," Hillman said. "Everyone has a God-shaped vacuum in their life."

Groups such as C12 are determined to fill that void. Founded in Apollo Beach in 1992 by Buck Jacobs, C12 has swelled to 206 members in 29 groups throughout the country, including seven groups in Florida. Membership costs depend on the corporate revenue, ranging from $450 to $850 a month.

Jacobs, who moved his headquarters to Atlanta last year, said he fields calls and requests from businesses around the world, including, most recently, Nepal and Zimbabwe, that are interested in developing faith-based programs.

"The separation of our work life and our faith life is becoming more unusual," he said.

He attributes the interweaving of the corporate and religious worlds in part to the Internet. Technology links people around the world, bypassing traditional church hierarchies, he said.

"Business is all about relationships," Jacobs said. When employees are treated as if "they all have something to offer," productivity increases. If a business doesn't see increases in profits, they don't have to stick with C12, he said.

The trend does have potential pitfalls, though, Hillman warned. "The danger can be when any CEO goes beyond the limits of what the government allows us to do in terms of religion in the workplace."

The introduction of religious practices and beliefs in the workplace is meant to improve business ethics and help employees, he said. When employers cross the line and begin to hire based on religious beliefs or exclude people whose beliefs differ from their own, their practices negate the intent of the movement, he said.

"America is a place of freedom," he said. "But there are limits of certain expressions in certain areas."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. The group also cautioned about the influx of religious beliefs into the business world.

"These types of programs can be a healthy aspect and a nice benefit for employees," said Ahmed Bedier, Tampa-based spokesman for CAIR. "However, it's like a double-edged sword. You have to be careful not to alienate your workforce by not giving a diversity of religious beliefs."

Bedier worried that many nondenominational programs tend to espouse Protestant Christian value systems. Vulnerable employees in search of help may not critically evaluate the advice they're given, he said.

"At the end of the day, they're still a Christian perspective," he said. "How are they going to help a Muslim or Jewish person?"

Mark Cress, president of Corporate Chaplains of America, oversees a staff of about 70 full-time chaplains. Companies pay a flat fee based on the number of employees in exchange for the chaplains' services.

Cress is optimistic about the increasing number of programs such as his. He bemoaned the lack of scientific research into the trend but said it's clear that faith in the workplace is gaining momentum, increasing interest in his business. "As they say, "The trend is your friend,' " he said.

He cited President Bush's openness about his Christian beliefs, marketplace downsizing that has left employees wanting someplace to turn for support, and the increasing stress level for baby boomers who now are caring for aging parents as a few explanations for the trend.

Some say it's a trend that has been forming for decades.

Each Thursday morning, about 10 men make their way through the lobby of the Sheriton Suites Hotel near Tampa's Jefferson High School. They sit at the bar, but God is on their minds. They are Tampa's Christian Business Men's Committee, a group whose mission is to minister to other business people about Christianity. The origin of the committee's Tampa chapter dates to the 1930s.

When Bill Martin joined the group 20 years ago, he owned a cable television company in Bradenton and was looking for a way out of $2.5-million in debt, he said. He met a member of the committee, who introduced him to "the manufacturer's handbook," more commonly known as the Bible.

"When you're not familiar with what to do as a businessman, you get a handbook," he said. He figured it worked that way with religion, too.

He thought employees at his cable television company could use it, too. He said the other committee members helped him find solutions to cut down his debt and pay back what he could. Now, he tries to help others.

"We try to touch people in such a way that their primary focus is not business," said Martin, now a financial adviser and no longer in debt. "What is it worth if a person gets ahead but misses out on the most important thing - going to heaven?"

Mercury poisoning symptons

Excerpts from What You Don’t Know Ma be Killing You! by Don Colbert, M.D.

Copyright 2000 ISBN: 0-88419-627-5

Chapter 1: The Menace of Mercury

If you fillings have turned black you may be in trouble. (page 10)

Mercury, a well-known toxic heavy metal, has been scientifically proven unstable and has been shown to slowly bleed out of the amalgam filling. It finds a home inside the human body, mainly concentrating in the liver, kidneys, brain and endocrine glands. A recent study at the University of Tennessee showed mercury to be second only to radioactive plutonium on the toxic scale of inorganic heavy metals. (page 10)

Heavy metal toxicity (as occurs in the slow release of mercury from amalgam fillings) is very slow. Usually the victims simply feel bad. They may say, “I don’t know what is wrong with me – I just don’t feel good, and I am very tired.” (page 11)

Whether or not mercury silver fillings cause specific diseases is an important issue facing medical researchers today. Mercury exposure from any source and in any amount will usually cause mercury poisoning to some extent. (page 12)

The Effects of Mercury Poisoning (page 12)

· It inhibits DNA repair.

· It alters the cell’s ability to control the exchange of materials coming into and going out of the cell.

· It can alter the specific arrangements of atoms within a molecule (the tertiary structure of molecules), thus producing a nonfunctional chemical.

· It can hinder the function of enzymes.

· It interferes with nerve impulses.

· It produces autoimmune responses.

· It interferes with endocrine function.

· It displaces other good minerals in the body.

· It can kill or alter digestive bacteria.

· It can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

What are the Symptoms of Mercury Exposure? (pages 12 - 14)

Some of the symptoms that may be associated with mercury exposure include:

· Tremors in fine voluntary muscle movements, such as handwriting.

· Depression, fatigue, increased irritability, moodiness and nervous excitability.

· Inability to concentrate and loss of memory.

· Insomnia or drowsiness.

· Nausea and diarrhea.

· Loss of appetite.

· Birth defects and miscarriages.

· Nephritis or symptoms of kidney disease.

· Pneumonitis.

· Swollen glands an tongue.

· Ulceration of oral mucosa.

· Sores and ulcers in the mouth.

· Dark pigmentation of gums and loosening of teeth.

The lunula, which are the “half moons” at the base of the nail, amy have disappeared. Your fingernails are the windows of your body. (page 13)

When I was mercury-toxic,only my thumbs had lunula. Since I’ve detoxified, all of my half moons have returned on my fingers except on my little fingers (you’re not supposed to have one on your little finger). This alone is not always a sign of mercury poisoning, yet it is common. (page 14)

There is also concern that mercury leads to memory problems – often termed “mercury fog”. It can impede the nerve cell’s expiratory system – the nerve cells can’t get the nutrients in or expel the waste out. The resulting “fog” can trigger loss of memory. (page 14)

When I discovered that I had mercury poisoning, my attack on my problem was twofold. First, I went through a special mercury detoxification regime to begin binding the mercury and to strengthen my immune system by using vitamins, minerals, amino acids, chlorella (a form of algae), garlic and other supplements. Next I had the eight large amalgam fillings in my mouth taken out and replaced with porcelain. It was both the detoxification program and the removal of the fillings that made a significant difference. My renewed energy level was astounding. (page 15)

Dietary Considerations (pages 18 -19)

The largest dietary source of mercury comes from fish and fish products.

Most tuna have a fairly high content of mercury.

During your detoxification program, limit your consumption of tuna, shrimp and lobster. To be safe, you may want to eliminate all fish from your diet while you are detoxifying.

Pork and fatty cuts of red meat should also be eliminated from the diet during detoxification.

To enhance excretion of mercury and other toxic metals, increase fiber intake to 30-40 grams per day.

Eat unsweetened yogurt to assist in the maintenance of your intestinal flora, or take Lactobacillis acidophilus and bifidus.

Drink a minimum of two quarts of filtered water daily. A gallon of water daily si the preferred intake.

Chewing gum causes the release of mercury vapor from amalgams.

Normally, safe seafood includes:

Pacific (not Atlantic salmon)

Red snapper

Flounder

Grouper

Mahi-mahi

Pompano

Sea bass

Avoid:

Shark

Swordfish

Farm-raised catfish

Stripped bass

Lake trout

Bluefish

02/01/2004 Sunday

I shared with Pastor Jeff my plan to remove my silver amalgams. I told him how on the previous week I had difficulty in putting on my tie. I was able to conceptually figure it out and was able to put on my tie on subsequent days.

I feel that I have a physical and spiritual obligation to take care of my body – that is a major reason why I want to remove the silver amalgams.

1 Cor 6:19-20

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (NIV)

1 Cor 3:16-17

16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (NIV)

02/03/2004 Tuesday 1:30pm – 3:45pm

Five silver amalgams removed. I had requested prayer from family members and friends for the procedure. Keith Easter even said that he was praying during the dental procedure.

I was told that my skin may itch as the anesthesia was wearing off, and that I would need to take Advil for up to 72 hours. I experienced no discomfort during or after the procedure. I did not take Advil.

“The evil has been removed”.

I was told to eat soft foods like chicken noodle soup. I choose to have homemade plain yogurt and one gallon of water that evening – to start the mercury detox process.

02/04/2004 Wednesday

I had cereal for breakfast. I noticed that three of my five fillings had some tenderness when chewing. I was told that I may experience tenderness with my fillings for three months to a year.

02/05/2004 Friday

My fillings feel just fine – no tenderness when chewing. I went to lunch with my brother at a Mexican restaurant on Davis Island. I had crispy tacos and had no discomfort chewing my food.

04/10/2004 Saturday

I still experience ringing in my ears. The lunula is returning to the middle right finger. I have not had any feelings of depressive malaise since the amalgam removal.

06/30/2004 Wednesday

I still experience ringing in my ears. The lunula is returning to the left thumb, right thumb, and middle right finger. The lunula is a faint milky color and is irregular in shape. I continue to not have any feelings of depressive malaise since the amalgam removal.

Chinese Proverb