BONA VITA

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:41:00 +0000

grave: 29

· First Name: Gerhard

· Middle Name: n/k

· Last Name: Zinn

· Date of Birth: March, 1705

· Date of Death: March 4, 1765

· Historical Information: Born near Neustad, March, 1705; Married in 1725 and had nine children. In 1735 he came to America, lived 13 years and three years in the Cloister at Ephrata. From there he went to New River, VA; From there he was driven away by the Indians, and came to Wachovia. Diary Page 300.

· grave: 51

· First Name: Margaretha

· Middle Name: n/k

· Last Name: Zinn

· Date of Birth: December 18, 1702

· Date of Death: March 15, 1773

· Historical Information: Born at Neustadt on the Haard in the Palatinate; Married Gerhard Zinn in 1725 and had nine children. In 1735 she came to America and lived 13 years and three years in the cloister at Ephrata, PA. From there went to New River, VA, for 15 years. She suffered an injury and was brought to Bethabara where she heard the preaching of the Brethren. After that they went to South Carolina. Returned to Bethabara in 1762. Became a widow in 1765.

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:12:00 +0000

The Youngest Sons....truly blessings!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Celebrating St. Andrew

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:44:00 +0000

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that He readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give unto us, who are called by your Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Afghanistan Myths debunked

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I just read an interesting article in The Weekly Standard written by Tom Cotton, who was an Army infantry officer from 2005-2009. He returned from Afghanistan in July. He says there are myths believed by Congress and the media regarding Afghanistan which need to be debunked.

A counterterrorism campaign is an effective alternative to counterinsurgency. (answer)Without a simultaneous counterinsurgency, we cannot defeat al Qaeda with counterterrorism strikes alone.
The Afghan people don't want us there. (answer) The people would accept more troops in exchange for more security. He says we have the worst situation possible in Afghanistan. Enough troops to raise Afghans' expectations, but not enough to protect them.
America cannot win a war in Afghanistan, the "graveyard of empires." (answer) America has a counter-insurgency policy whereas the Soviet Union had a genocide policy. The Soviets, in particular, taught us how not to win in Afghanistan. They employed vicious massively destructive tactics that inflamed the Afghan people and still scar the country with depopulated valleys and adult amputees maimed as children by toy-shaped mines. Our present way of war couldn't be more different.
America needs a new political partner before committing more troops. (answer)A government battling insurgency is by definition weak, else the insurgency would never have gained strength. We must accept this and focus on helping improve President Karzai's government, not use it as an excuse to abandon his government.
We should not put troops in harm's way without thorough debate. (answer)True, but we already have 68,000 troops very much in harm's way and they need reinforcements.
The military will break if we send more troops to Afghanistan. (answer) To be sure our military needs to grow in both size and funding to reflect wartime priorities and alleviate the stress of repeated deployments, but the quickest way to break the military is to lose a war.

Here's a link to the Stratfor Global Intelligence video....Afghanistan to become Obama's War.

Happy Advent

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:08:00 +0000

The Manhattan Declaration

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:54:00 +0000

From Albert Mohler's blog: Why I signed the Manhattan Declaration

Last Friday, The Manhattan Declaration was released to the public at the National Press Club. It is a historic statement of conviction and courage that is both timely and urgent, dealing with issues of the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage, and religious liberty. As Dr. Mohler writes in his blog entry today, though Christians struggle to understand the extent to which our convictions should be incorporated in the law, we must now recognize that the very respect for these convictions -- and the freedom to follow these convictions in our own lives, families, and ministries is now at stake.

Read the details in Dr. Mohler’s blog,which is often updated several times a day.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009—Today a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars will release the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not - under any circumstance - abandon their Christian consciences. Drafted by Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George and Chuck Colson and signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, the Manhattan Declaration will be made public at a noon ET press conference held in the Lisagor Room at the National Press Club.

Among the signers of the Manhattan Declaration scheduled to appear at the press conference are:

Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
Donald William Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, Diocese of Washington, D.C.
Harry Jackson Jr., Bishop, Hope Christian Church
Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, Diocese of Philadelphia
Timothy George, Professor, Beeson Divinity School at Samford University
Chuck Colson, Founder, The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview
Ron Sider, Professor, Palmer Theological Seminary and Director of the Seminary’s Sider Center on Ministry & Public Policy
George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center and Founding President of the James Madison Foundation
Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
Jim Daly, President and CEO, Focus on the Family

Excerpts from the declaration include:

"We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right - and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation - to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence."
"We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral."
". . . We will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriage or the equivalent or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family."

http://manhattandeclaration.org/

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:26:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:02:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:38:00 +0000

James, Jr and Bryson

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Bryson Monroe Douglas, August 31, 2009, Blessings on the Covenant Children!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:36:00 +0000

Psalm 89: 1-4
I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

Grandparent's Prayer....from Psalm 71

O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs,O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.

Novel H1N1, Swine Flu and Prevention!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Novel H1N1, Swine Flu and Prevention!

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James D.N. Douglas, Jr, born August 6, 2009....His blessings are from generation to generation. Praise the Lord!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Psalm 145
Great Is the Lord
.
I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

The Lord upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

A Family Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:24:00 +0000

We enjoyed being with my sister and all the Glover family for their first daughter's wedding this past weekend. We are definitely looking forward to their next 9 weddings....this one set the bar pretty high on the "souther style" hospitality bench-mark. Esther married Greg Norman. The wedding was held in The Stanley House in downtown Marietta, a restored antebellum home, the perfect setting to welcome all Greg's family and friends who came down from Chicago. We really enjoyed being with all the Glover and Nettles family and meeting Greg's family. My sister made the wedding cake! It tasted almost like a pound cake with peach filling...yumm yumm.

Communion on the Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:13:00 +0000

http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2009/07/20/communion-on-the-moon/

Monday, July 20, 2009, 1:08 AM
Joe Carter
Forty years ago today astronaut Buzz Aldrin made history by being the first man to take communion on the surface of the moon. Eric Metaxas relates the remarkable tale:
The background to the story is that Aldrin was an elder at his Presbyterian Church in Texas during this period in his life, and knowing that he would soon be doing something unprecedented in human history, he felt he should mark the occasion somehow, and he asked his pastor to help him. And so the pastor consecrated a communion wafer and a small vial of communion wine. And Buzz Aldrin took them with him out of the Earth’s orbit and on to the surface of the moon.
He and Armstrong had only been on the lunar surface for a few minutes when Aldrin made the following public statement: “This is the LM pilot. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.” He then ended radio communication and there, on the silent surface of the moon, 250,000 miles from home, he read a verse from the Gospel of John, and he took communion.
Read the rest to hear how famed atheist Madelyn Murray O’Hare prevented Aldrin from reading the communion passage back to the people on earth.

Fetuses found to have memories - Washington Times

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Fetuses found to have memories - Washington Times

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Church Unity....

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Here's a link to our Sunday sermon on the topic of Church unity.

July 12, 2009 Unity (Psalm 133; John 17:20-26; Phil. 2:1-4). For sermon follow-up, click here.

Pray without ceasing.

God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Stacy'sShower071109

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Click here to view these pictures larger

Social Butterflies Age More Gracefully

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Want to live longer and stay healthier as you age? Get out of the house and mingle. Researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago report that seniors who are more socially active are more likely to retain mobility as they age. The study of 906 healthy adults, average age 66.5, awarded points for such social activities as attending church or sporting events, eating out at restaurants, visiting relatives, volunteering, playing bingo and traveling. Every point below the average score at the study's start was associated with a 33% greater decline in overall motor function-the equivalent of five years of additional aging. That translated into a 40% increased risk of death and a 65% greater risk of disability. Even something as simple as walking speed was related to social activity: The most socially active seniors ranked in the top 10% of gait speed, while the least socially active ranked in the slowest 10%.-Archives of Internal Medicine

Gospel...Sermon Notes from June 28.2009

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:05:00 +0000

The gospel defines the church. "A Christian without knowledge of the gospel is like a soldier without a gun!"

In Romans 1 Paul introduces himself to Christians he has never met. Before he introduces himself he introduces the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul reminds them of the gospel. At one level, all Christians agree on one aspect of the gospel. We all know Jesus is the savior, the church is the saved. Sometimes groups emphasize only one aspect of the gospel. The gospel is very big. We should never "shrink-wrap" its story to fit only one particular view.

Here are 10 aspects of the gospel which, if embraced, will build our identity as a gospel-driven church. The gospel is:

1. Christological: The gospel is about the incarnation of God. God does for us what we cannot do fo rourselves. Christ means annointed one. The gospel in the ancient world was proclaimed whenever a caesar won a victory. The Christian gospel is a royal announcement from the father that he has become flesh to dwell among us. Jesus re-defines Lordship. He is the Lord who comes to serve and save. The gospel can never be reduced to a private way of living or a private experience.

2. Theological: The gospel is of God. Its roots are in God. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The gospel is deeply trinitarian; it is the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the love of the Father that sent the son Jesus went to the cross because it was the Father's will. Jesus bears the full weight of the wrath of God by taking our sin. Jesus came to rescue us from the wrath of God.

3. Historical: The gospel was planned in eternity; executed in history. It is an historical event. The historicity debate is crucial. These extraordinary claims really happened. The reign of death has been broken. The historicity of the gospel is embedded in our creeds...Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate." The gospel took place in space and time.

4. Biblical: The gospel was promised by the prophets in the scriptures. The bible interprets and explains the gospel. Law, Psalms and Prophets all point to the gospel. The Old Covenant is a shadow of things to come. The New Covenant is the fulfillment of the promise.

5. Apostolic: Paul passed along what he received. The apostles are those who heard and saw. They witnessed the gospel. No one is to be tamper with the gospel witness of the apostles. The church is apostolic.

6. Ecclesial: The gospel creates a new community centered around Jesus. Paul describes Jesus as the head of a new race. The church actually mirrors the Holy Trinity. The church is integral to the gospel. Fellowship, Sacrament, Discipline, preaching... we are to live inter-dependent lives around these activities of the church. God has a wonderful plan for His church and He bids us come, be a part of it!

7. Personal: Realities of Gospel are true whether we believe them or not. But if we want to enjoy the gospel there must be a response of faith. We must "bank" everything on Jesus, stand-fast and continue in faith. The gospel commands faith, we obey by believing. Faith produces obedience--where there is faith there is obedience. There is a love and loyalty to Jesus when there is faith. We can finally be honest about who we are. We don't have to hide our faults, we can see how great the love of Jesus is on our behalf. The gospel gives us motivation to be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. Jesus' willingness to die produced life; so it is with us. Take up your cross and follow Him.

8. Public/Political: The gospel is for nations. All nations are to be discipled with this gospel. The gospel is about the comprehensive lordship of Jesus. The gospel is inescapably political. Sin and evil have corrupted every part of life; the gospel restores.

9. To be Preached: The gospel is to be uncompromisingly proclaimed as authoritative truth. Everybody lives by a story--this is our identity. The story of Jesus and the church is the gospel.

10. Gracious---it is all about what God has done for us. Grace means that God acepts us as we are. Bring the broken pieces of your life to church...God will put your life back together. The grace of God humbles us--it shatters our pride and makes us right with God. Nothing cuts us down to size like the gospel. Grace transforms us and makes us new. Grace is the action, obedience is the re-action. Thank God for his grace.

Reading the Bible (Again) for the First Time by James. B. Jordan

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:09:00 +0000

I highly recommend this! You can buy it here from American Vision. It's a great lecture series on understanding the story of Scripture...titles in the series are:

Hearing the Voice of God
From Children to Adults
The Bible is a Story
Patient Faith
From Glory to Glory
The Three Falls of Mankind

self control...the trick is to lose sight of the marshmallows of life

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things

Psychology: Don't think about it, and you probably won't do it

In a New Yorker article titled admirably simply, "Don’t!" The secret of self-control,
Jonah Lehrer reflects on what investigators have learned about how children develop self-control:

At the time, psychologists assumed that children's ability to wait depended on how badly they wanted the marshmallow. But it soon became obvious that every child craved the extra treat. What, then, determined self-control? Mischel's conclusion, based on hundreds of hours of observation, was that the crucial skill was the "strategic allocation of attention."

In other words, focus of attention.

Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow - the "hot stimulus" - the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from "Sesame Street." Their desire wasn't defeated - it was merely forgotten. "If you're thinking about the marshmallow and how delicious it is, then you’re going to eat it," Mischel says. "The key is to avoid thinking about it in the first place."

In adults, this skill is often referred to as metacognition, or thinking about thinking, and it’s what allows people to outsmart their shortcomings. ... Mischel’s large data set from various studies allowed him to see that children with a more accurate understanding of the workings of self-control were better able to delay gratification. "What's interesting about four-year-olds is that they're just figuring out the rules of thinking," Mischel says. "The kids who couldn’t delay would often have the rules backwards. They would think that the best way to resist the marshmallow is to stare right at it, to keep a close eye on the goal. But that's a terrible idea. If you do that, you’re going to ring the bell before I leave the room."

In the adult world, this need for focus of attention is one key reason for the millennia-old practice of religious retreats.

People often say they are going to make more time from their work day to think about the meaning of life. But do they? No, because they can't. They can't stop looking at the In Tray, the way many kids looked at the marshmallow.

Now just put that same person in a room with a chair, a desk, and a work by a serious spiritual writer - and NO phone, e-mail, or visitors - and many people begin to see key patterns in their lives that they had never noticed before. The trick is, as the kids discovered, to lose sight of the marshmallows of life.

DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:15:00 +0000

From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the doors the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration: “DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE.”

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Thrust them with Jesus, doe the nexte thynge.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all results, doe the nexte thynge

Looking for Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then, as He beckons thee, doe the nexte thynge.

--Anonymous

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3251 Greendale Road, Cahaba Heights

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Douglas) — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:21:00 +0000