A burning question regarding: Toilet Seats

OK. Here's the question we have been wanting to ask or rather been sitting on it. Recently the WTO has been highlighted on the Straits Times. WTO is not World Trade Organisation but our own little known local organisation, World Toilet Organisation. It boast members from various countries. Perhaps they would like to address this issue...

Question : Do toilet seat covers provide any real protection for our bums? Want to know the answer? Read on...

Nope, but your seat doesn't really need protecting. All those paper covers do is mentally separate your backside from the countless bums that have occupied the same space. Before anyone gets their panties in a twist, let's listen to a few medical resources:

"To my knowledge, no one has ever acquired an STD on the toilet seat -- unless they were having sex on the toilet seat!" according to Dr. Abigail Salyers, president of the American Society for Microbiology, quoted on WebMD.

"It's OK to sit down. Most organisms that cause STDs will not survive for long on a toilet seat," notes Dr. Sherry Marts, scientific director of the Society for Women's Health Research, on the Swedish Medical Center's site.

As Columbia University's Health Promotion Program sums up: "Because toilet seats are not major culprits in spreading disease, paper or plastic seat covers offer little more than peace of mind." In fact, you have more to fear from bathroom door handles and faucets than from commodes.

And while we're on the topic, you might consider something to cover that phone receiver. A University of Arizona microbiology team tested a dozen office surfaces including the bathroom. The scientists found that phone receivers had 25,000 bacteria per square inch, while toilet seats had only 49 bacteria per square inch. Talk about calling in sick!

Interview excerpt with Brian Tracy on Time Management

AudioMotivation: Brian, can you tell me about the idea of eating the biggest frog first, what are you referring to and how does a person do this.

Brian Tracy: Well, when I started off as a young man, I didn't graduate from high school. I was laboring at jobs for many years, and then I finally got into sales and into business. And I began asking myself the question, why are some people more successful than others?

And the bottom line of it is that successful people do more important things and they do them more often and they get better and better at them.

So a couple of years ago, I was asked by a publisher to write about time management, and they wanted me to build it around a theme that was in my work, called Eat That Frog, and it says that the first thing that you do when you get up in the morning is eat a live frog and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that it is the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long, and you're still alive.

Frog is a metaphor for your biggest task. And what we have found is that the primary difference between success and failure comes down to very different things: successful people have the discipline to get out and get started on their most important task and stay with it until it is done.

An unsuccessful person doesn't have the discipline to do that. So therefore, they always have to be supervised and managed by the people who make them do it. And of course get paid that much less, because supervision costs money, whereas only about 2% of people in society who can plan their day pick their most important task, and works solely on that until it is finished.

And those people are the highest earners, the most successful, fastest promoted highest-paid. They are the ones that achieved everything they can possibly achieve. And there is where that comes from eating the biggest frog first.

If you can pick your biggest and most important task and do that until it is finished. So if you practice that over time you'll get better and better at it eventually, I would think.

Wolfgang Von Goethe once said everything is hard before it is easy. Good habits are very hard to develop but easy to live with and that bad habits are easy to develop but hard to live with and so developing the habit of doing your most important task is hard to do initially because the law of least resistance is one of the greatest enemies of success.

Success can also be a help, because you have a natural tendency to do what is fun and easy first rather than what is hard and difficult. And if you take your 80/20 rule. For example, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of what you do accounts for 20% of your results.

Peter Drucker says it is often the 90/10 rule. That 90% of your results come from 10% of what you do, and so if you have a list of 10 things to do one of those items may be worth five or 10 times as much in terms of its value and significance to your life and career as all the others put together.

And if you think about it, it takes the same amount of time sometimes to do each of the different items on your list but it is worth five to 10 times as much as the others.

And that is how people really succeed is they say what are the things I can do that are the most significant, that have the greatest positive impact without the greatest consequences. And they work on those items, and they do only those items until those are done, before they turn to something else.
__________
Excerpted from the AudioMotivation interview with Brian Tracy -- visit Josh Hinds' membership site at http://www.AudioMotivation.com where you'll find loads of insightful interviews like the one you just read.

Sense of Urgency??

The following story illustrates dramatically the consequences of failing to develop a sense of urgency.

One day a man was sitting in his small boat on the Niagara River. The waters were calm, the breeze was gentle, and the sun shone brightly from a cloudless sky. Only moments before, the man had pushed his from the riverbank, and even now the shore was only a few feet away. Clearly, there was no cause for concern. As he baited his hook and cast his line into the water, his mind began to drift.

And so did his small boat. The movement was slow and imperceptible in the beginning, with the boat doing what any boat will do when left to drift along with the gentle current. But all drifts are leading toward an eventual destination, and left uncorrected will move toward that destination as though by some strange and unseen force.In his preoccupations of the moment, the man did not notice the increased movement of his boat. His thoughts were still on fishing as they had been all week in anticipation of this outing. There would be plenty of time for seriousness. For a little while at least, he would continue to relax and enjoy himself. He would ignore the challenges of life and use this hour to allow himself to drift.

Without warning, his thoughts were shaken from wherever they had wandered, back to the present. The sound seemed to come from nowhere, distant at first, but in the twinkling of an eye, it had intensified and was now almost deafening. His attention was seized not only by the sound, but by the movement, for his small boat was being propelled through waters that were no longer gentle and calming.

He looked around him and for the first time he noticed the river banks on either side had retreated as though on a journey of their own. He had no motor on his small boat and had journeyed forth with only a single paddle. There had been no apparent need for a motor or oars.

He struggled to comprehend what was happening, for it was as though he had moved from the calmness, the serenity, and the safety of one environment into the frenzied turbulence of circumstances beyond his ability to grasp or control.In an instant the reality of his circumstances registered clearly.

The thundering sound, the rising foam, the swirling mist, and the uncontrolled momentum of his boat created an instant picture of his horrid circumstances. He had cast himself and his small boat onto the Niagara River, and his drift had brought him to the threshold of the falls.His mind flashed a collage of thoughts and emotions. If only he had thought about the consequences of his drift. If only he had been better prepared and had thought to equip his boat with a motor, just in case. If only he had noticed sooner, or if only...

Only now did the man notice the crowd that had gathered along the far banks on either side, as the word quickly spread about the boat cascading down the river toward irreversible disaster. It was as though those who knew what was about to happen were wanting to help, but to make any attempt to rescue this hopeless creature would serve only to jeopardize their own safety. Some made futile efforts to toss ropes or to hold out tree branches, but most stood in stunned silence, witnesses to a tragedy that need not have happened.

In a fleeting moment he felt the impending doom of his own personal neglect. He was a victim of his own preoccupation -- of his careless inattention to detail in an environment that had the capacity to swallow up his existence, his opportunities and his abilities, and to put all of his dreams to an end in one brief moment.His one final thought was what he would do differently if only he had a second chance. His thoughts rushed through his mind with the same rapidity as the water passing over the edge of falls, tumbling to their final destination hundreds of feet below.

Had he been given the gift of a second chance he would have allowed himself to see the possible future disaster well in advance. He would have seen it clearly in his mind before the event took place in reality. He would have anticipated the certain consequences of neglect. In his mind’s eye, he would have seen the rising foam, heard the roar of the falls and sensed his accelerated drift so that he might have acted without delay to move quickly to the safety of the shore.

If he could have been plucked from the waters instead of being consumed by them, he would have placed new value upon his talent, his opportunities and his time. He would not have allowed frivolity to capture his attention nor would he have permitted his desire for rest and relaxation to take his focus off the greater need for intense labor and measurable progress.But unfortunately, he simply ran out of time.Examining Our Current DriftAnd so it is with our lives. We are all drifting in some direction even at this very moment. The only thing we can determine with any degree of accuracy is where our current drift may be taking us.

The big unknown is whether there are still enough ticks left on our personal clocks to changeFor some people, their past deeds have charted a course which threatens to imprison their future, and yet they do not take corrective and immediate action. They allow the drift of neglect to continue unabated. They permit their desire for entertainment to subdue their appetite for education.

Rather than searching, they become lost. They are inclined to think that their small mistakes or neglects or errors in judgment don’t really matter all that much. They have not yet learned that everything affects everything else, and that their actions of today are forming their consequences of tomorrow. Their careless acts and their wandering thoughts are swallowing up their most precious resource – time.

It is because they seemed to have so much time that they allowed the individual moments of opportunity to slip unnoticed into an accumulation of empty years.Our philosophy is moving us toward a specific future condition.

So is our current attitude, level of activity, and results. Our current lifestyle is either encouraging us to experience new depths of emotional experience or whispering to us to wait until we have it all.What we are and how we are must be examined not only in the light of our objectives, but also with a keen awareness of the ticking clock.

Maybe we only have a few years left. Maybe we only have a few months left. But wouldn’t it make more sense to be doing something constructive with the time that remains than to be passively waiting for time to take its inevitable toll?

Bible Reading Plan for the whole year

Here is a Bible reading plan I intent to use. I found this on http://gtysg.org/website/html/devreadplan.html

January
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 John 1:1–18
o 2 Gen. 1–4
o 3 Gen. 5–8
o 4 Gen. 9–12
o 5 Gen. 13–16
o 6 Psalms 1–3
o 7 Gen. 17–19
o 8 Gen. 20–22
o 9 Job 1–4
o 10 Job 5–8
o 11 Job 9–12
o 12 Job 13–16
o 13 Psalms 4–7
o 14 Job 17–20
o 15 Job 21–24
o 16 Job 25–28
o 17 Job 29–32
o 18 Job 33–36
o 19 Job 37–39
o 20 Psalms 8–11
o 21 Job 40–42
o 22 Gen. 23–26
o 23 Gen. 27–30
o 24 Gen. 31–34
o 25 Gen. 35–38
o 26 Gen. 39–42
o 27 Psalms 12–14
o 28 Gen. 43–46
o 29 Gen. 47–50
o 30 Ex. 1–3
o 31 Ex. 4–6
February
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Ex. 7–9
o 2 Ex. 10–12
o 3 Psalms 15–17
o 4 Ex. 13–15
o 5 Ex. 16–18
o 6 Ex. 19–21
o 7 Ex. 22–24
o 8 Ex. 25–27
o 9 Ex. 28–30
o 10 Psalms 18–20
o 11 Ex. 31–33
o 12 Ex. 34–37
o 13 Ex. 38–40
o 14 Lev. 1–3
o 15 Lev. 4–6
o 16 Lev. 7–9
o 17 Psalms 21–23
o 18 Lev. 10–12
o 19 Lev. 13–15
o 20 Lev. 16–18
o 21 Lev. 19–21
o 22 Lev. 22–24
o 23 Lev. 25–27
o 24 Psalms 24–26
o 25 Num. 1–3
o 26 Num. 4–6
o 27 Num. 7–10
o 28 Num. 11–12
March
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Num. 13–15
o 2 Num. 16–18
o 3 Psalms 27–29
o 4 Num. 19–21
o 5 Num. 22–24
o 6 Num. 25–27
o 7 Num. 28–30
o 8 Num. 31–33
o 9 Num. 34–36
o 10 Psalms 30–32
o 11 Deut. 1–3
o 12 Deut. 4–6
o 13 Deut. 7–9
o 14 Deut. 10–12
o 15 Deut. 13–15
o 16 Deut. 16–18
o 17 Psalms 33–35
o 18 Deut. 19–21
o 19 Deut. 22–24
o 20 Deut. 25–27
o 21 Deut. 28–30
o 22 Deut. 31–34
o 23 Joshua 1–3
o 24 Psalms 36–38
o 25 Joshua 4–6
o 26 Joshua 7–9
o 27 Joshua 10–12
o 28 Joshua 13–15
o 29 Joshua 16–18
o 30 Joshua 19–21
o 31 Psalms 39–41
April
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Joshua 22–24
o 2 Judges 1–3
o 3 Judges 4–6
o 4 Judges 7–9
o 5 Judges 10–12
o 6 Judges 13–15
o 7 Psalms 42–44
o 8 Judges 16–18
o 9 Judges 19–21
o 10 Ruth 1–4
o 11 1 Sam. 1–3
o 12 1 Sam. 4–6
o 13 1 Sam. 7–9
o 14 Psalms 45–47
o 15 1 Sam. 10–13
o 16 1 Sam. 14–16
o 17 1 Sam. 17–19
o 18 1 Sam. 20–22
o 19 1 Sam. 23–25
o 20 1 Sam. 26–28
o 21 Psalms 48–50
o 22 1 Sam. 29–31
o 23 2 Sam. 1–3
o 24 2 Sam. 4–6
o 25 2 Sam. 7–9
o 26 2 Sam. 10–12
o 27 2 Sam. 13–15
o 28 Psalms 51–53
o 29 2 Sam. 16–18
o 30 2 Sam. 19–21
May
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 2 Sam. 22–24
o 2 1 Kings 1–4
o 3 Prov. 1–3
o 4 Prov. 4–6
o 5 Psalms 54–56
o 6 Prov. 7–9
o 7 Prov. 10–12
o 8 Prov. 13–15
o 9 Prov. 16–18
o 10 Prov. 19–21
o 11 Prov. 22–24
o 12 Psalms 57–59
o 13 Prov. 25–27
o 14 Prov. 28–31
o 15 S. of Sol. 1–4
o 16 S. of Sol. 5–8
o 17 1 Kings 5–7
o 18 1 Kings 8–11
o 19 Psalms 60–62
o 20 Eccl. 1–4
o 21 Eccl. 5–8
o 22 Eccl. 9–12
o 23 1 Kings 12–14
o 24 1 Kings 15–17
o 25 1 Kings 18–20
o 26 Psalms 63–65
o 27 1 Kings 21–22; 2 Kings 1
o 28 2 Kings 2–4
o 29 2 Kings 5–7
o 30 2 Kings 8–10
o 31 2 Kings 11:1–14:25
June
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Jonah
o 2 Psalms 66–68
o 3 2 Kings 14:26–29; Amos 1–3
o 4 Amos 4–6
o 5 Amos 7–9
o 6 2 Kings 15–17
o 7 2 Kings 18–21
o 8 2 Kings 22–25
o 9 Psalms 69–71
o 10 1 Chron. 1–3
o 11 1 Chron. 4–6
o 12 1 Chron. 7–9
o 13 1 Chron. 10–12
o 14 1 Chron. 13–16
o 15 1 Chron. 17–19
o 16 Psalms 72–74
o 17 1 Chron. 20–22
o 18 1 Chron. 23–25
o 19 1 Chron. 26–29
o 20 2 Chron. 1–3
o 21 2 Chron. 4–6
o 22 2 Chron. 7–9
o 23 Psalms 75–77
o 24 2 Chron. 10–12
o 25 2 Chron. 13–15
o 26 2 Chron. 16–18
o 27 2 Chron. 19–22
o 28 Joel 1–3; Obadiah
o 29 2 Chron. 23:1–26:8
o 30 Psalms 78–80
July
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Isaiah 1–3
o 2 Isaiah 4–6; 2 Chron. 26:9–23
o 3 2 Chron. 27–29
o 4 2 Chron. 30–32
o 5 Isaiah 7–9
o 6 Isaiah 10–12
o 7 Psalms 81–83
o 8 Isaiah 13–15
o 9 Isaiah 16–18
o 10 Isaiah 19–21
o 11 Isaiah 22–24
o 12 Isaiah 25–27
o 13 Isaiah 28–30
o 14 Psalms 84–86
o 15 Isaiah 31–33
o 16 Isaiah 34–36
o 17 Isaiah 37–39
o 18 Isaiah 40–42
o 19 Isaiah 43–45
o 20 Isaiah 46–48
o 21 Psalms 87–90
o 22 Isaiah 49–51
o 23 Isaiah 52–54
o 24 Isaiah 55–57
o 25 Isaiah 58–60
o 26 Isaiah 61–63
o 27 Isaiah 64–66
o 28 Psalms 91–93
o 29 Hosea 1–3
o 30 Hosea 4–6
o 31 Hosea 7–9
August
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Hosea 10–12
o 2 Hosea 13, 14; Micah 1
o 3 Micah 2–4
o 4 Psalms 94–96
o 5 Micah 5–7
o 6 Nahum 1–3
o 7 2 Chron. 33–34; Zeph. 1
o 8 Zeph. 2–3; 2 Chron. 35
o 9 Hab. 1–3
o 10 Jer. 1–3
o 11 Psalms 97–99
o 12 Jer. 4–6
o 13 Jer. 11, 12, 26
o 14 Jer. 7–9
o 15 Jer. 10, 14, 15
o 16 Jer. 16–18
o 17 Jer. 19, 20, 35
o 18 Psalms 100–102
o 19 Jer. 25, 36, 45
o 20 Jer. 46–49
o 21 Jer. 13, 22, 23
o 22 Jer. 24, 27, 28
o 23 Jer. 29, 50–51
o 24 Jer. 30–33
o 25 Psalms 103–105
o 26 Jer. 21, 34, 37
o 27 Jer. 38, 39, 52
o 28 Jer. 40–42
o 29 Jer. 43–44; Lam. 1
o 30 Lam. 2–5
o 31 2 Chron. 36:1–8; Daniel 1–3
September
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Psalms 106–108
o 2 Daniel 4–6
o 3 Daniel 7–9
o 4 Daniel 10–12
o 5 2 Chron. 36:9–21; Ezekiel 1–3
o 6 Ezekiel 4–6
o 7 Ezekiel 7–9
o 8 Psalms 109–111
o 9 Ezekiel 10–12
o 10 Ezekiel 13–16
o 11 Ezekiel 17–20
o 12 Ezekiel 21–24
o 13 Ezekiel 25–28
o 14 Ezekiel 29–32
o 15 Psalms 112–114
o 16 Ezekiel 33–36
o 17 Ezekiel 37–40
o 18 Ezekiel 41–44
o 19 Ezekiel 45–48
o 20 2 Chron. 36:22–23; Ezra 1–3
o 21 Ezra 4; Haggai 1–2
o 22 Psalms 115–117
o 23 Zech. 1–3
o 24 Zech. 4–6
o 25 Zech. 7–9
o 26 Zech. 10–12
o 27 Zech. 13, 14
o 28 Ezra 5–7
o 29 Psalms 118:1–119:16
o 30 Ezra 8–10
October
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Esther 1–3
o 2 Esther 4–6
o 3 Esther 7–10
o 4 Neh. 1–3
o 5 Neh. 4–6
o 6 Psalms 119:17–72
o 7 Neh. 7–9
o 8 Neh. 10–13
o 9 Malachi
o 10 Matthew 1–3
o 11 Matthew 4–7
o 12 Matthew 8–10
o 13 Psalms 119:73–120
o 14 Matthew 11–13
o 15 Matthew 14–16
o 16 Matthew 17–19
o 17 Matthew 20–22
o 18 Matthew 23–25
o 19 Matthew 26–28
o 20 Psalms 119:121–176
o 21 Mark 1–4
o 22 Mark 5–8
o 23 Mark 9–12
o 24 Mark 13–16
o 25 Luke 1–4
o 26 Luke 5–8
o 27 Psalms 120–122
o 28 Luke 9–12
o 29 Luke 13–16
o 30 Luke 17–20
o 31 Luke 21–24
November
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 John 1–3
o 2 John 4–6
o 3 Psalms 123–125
o 4 John 7–9
o 5 John 10–12
o 6 John 13–15
o 7 John 16–18
o 8 John 19–21
o 9 Acts 1–4
o 10 Psalms 126–128
o 11 Acts 5:1–8:3
o 12 Acts 8:4–11:18
o 13 Acts 11:19–14:28
o 14 James
o 15 Galatians
o 16 Acts 15–17:10
o 17 Psalms 129–131
o 18 Philippians
o 19 1 Thess.
o 20 2 Thess.; Acts 17:11; 18:11
o 21 1 Cor. 1–3
o 22 1 Cor. 4–7
o 23 1 Cor. 8:1–11:1
o 24 Psalms 131–134
o 25 1 Cor. 11:2–14:40
o 26 1 Cor. 15–16
o 27 2 Cor. 1–5
o 28 2 Cor. 6–9
o 29 2 Cor. 10–13
o 30 Acts 18:12–19:41; Eph. 1, 2
December
Day Book and Chapter
o 1 Psalms 135–137
o 2 Eph. 3–6
o 3 Romans 1–3
o 4 Romans 4–6
o 5 Romans 7–9
o 6 Romans 10–12
o 7 Romans 13–16
o 8 Psalms 138–140
o 9 Acts 20–22
o 10 Acts 23–25
o 11 Acts 26–28
o 12 Colossians
o 13 Heb. 1–4
o 14 Heb. 5–8
o 15 Psalms 141–144
o 16 Heb. 9–11
o 17 Heb. 12–13; Titus
o 18 Philemon
o 19 1 Tim.; 2 Tim.
o 20 1 Peter
o 21 1 John
o 22 Psalms 145–147
o 23 2 Peter; 2, 3 John; Jude
o 24 Rev. 1–3
o 25 Rev. 4–7
o 26 Rev. 8–10
o 27 Rev. 11–13
o 28 Rev. 14–17
o 29 Psalms 148–150
o 30 Rev. 18–20
o 31 Rev. 21–22

How to study the Bible

Here I discovered a remarkable tip to study the Bible. I discovered this site while listening to FM 102.3. This is a Christian Station. This article is very long but worth it...

Here are tips on how to get the most out of the study of this "divine handbook." These pointers will help answer the most crucial question of all, "How can a young man cleanse his way?" The psalmist responds, "By taking heed according to Your Word" (Ps. 119:9).

Why is it Important to Study the Bible?

Why is God’s Word so important? Because is contains God’s mind and will for your life (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). It is the only source of absolute divine authority for you as a servant of Jesus Christ.

It is infallible in its totality: "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Ps. 19:7).

It is inerrant in its parts: "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar" (Prov. 30:5,6).

It is complete: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Rev. 22:18,19).

It is authoritative and final: "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).

It is totally sufficient for your needs: ". . . that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

It will accomplish what it promises: "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Is. 55:11).

It provides the assurance of your salvation: "He who is of God hears God’s words ... " (John 8:47; 20:31).

How Will I Benefit from Studying the Bible?

Millions of pages of material are printed every week. Thousands of new books are published each month. This would not be surprising to Solomon who said, ". . . be admonished ... Of making many books there is no end" (Eccl. 12:12).

Even with today’s wealth of books and computer helps, the Bible remains the only source of divine revelation and power that can sustain Christians in their "daily walk with God." Note these significant promises in the Scripture.

The Bible is the source of truth: "Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

The Bible is the source of God’s blessing when obeyed: "But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it’" (Luke 11:28).

The Bible is the source of victory: ". . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17).

The Bible is the source of growth: "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2).

The Bible is the source of power: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

The Bible is the source of guidance: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105).

What Should Be My Response to the Bible?

Because the Bible is so important and because it provides unparalleled eternal benefits, then these should be your responses:

* Believe it (John 6:68,69)
* Honor it (Job 23:12)
* Love it (Ps. 119:97)
* Obey it (1 John 2:5)
* Guard it (1 Tim. 6:20)
* Fight for it (Jude 3)
* Preach it (2 Tim. 4:2)
* Study it (Ezra 7:10)

Who Can Study the Bible?

Not everyone can be a Bible student. Check yourself on these necessary qualifications for studying the Word with blessing:

* Are you saved by faith in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 2:14-16)?
* Are you hungering for God’s Word (1 Pet. 2:2)?
* Are you searching God’s Word with diligence (Acts 17:11)?
* Are you seeking holiness (1 Pet. 1:14-16)?
* Are you Spirit-filled (Col. 3:16)?

The most important question is the first. If you have never invited Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior and the Lord of your life, then your mind is blinded by Satan to God’s truth (2 Cor. 4:4).

If Christ is your need, stop reading right now and, in your own words with prayer, turn away from sin and turn toward God: " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9).

What Are the Basics of Bible Study?

Personal Bible study, in precept, is simple. I want to share with you 5 steps to Bible study which will give you a pattern to follow.

STEP 1-Reading.
Read a passage of Scripture repeatedly until you understand its theme, meaning the main truth of the passage. Isaiah said, " Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little" (Is. 28:9,10).

Develop a plan on how you will approach reading through the Bible. Unlike most books, you will probably not read it straight through from cover to cover. There are many good Bible reading plans available, but here is one that I have found helpful.

Read through the Old Testament at least once a year. As you read, note in the margins any truths you particularly want to remember, and write down separately anything you do not immediately understand. Often as you read you will find that many questions are answered by the text itself. The questions to which you cannot find answers become the starting points for more in-depth study using commentaries or other reference tools.

Follow a different plan for reading the New Testament. Read one book at a time repetitiously for a month or more. This will help you to retain what is in the New Testament and not always have to depend on a concordance to find things.

If you want to try this, begin with a short book, such as 1 John, and read it through in one sitting every day for 30 days. At the end of that time, you will know what is in the book. Write on index cards the major theme of each chapter. By referring to the cards as you do your daily reading, you will begin to remember the content of each chapter. In fact, you will develop a visual perception of the book in your mind.

Divide longer books into short sections and read each section daily for 30 days. For example, the gospel of John contains 21 chapters. Divide it into 3 sections of 7 chapters. At the end of 90 days, you will finish John. For variety, alternate short and long books, and in less than 3 years you will have finished the entire New Testament as you will really know it!

STEP 2-Interpreting.
In Acts 8:30, Philip asked the Ethiopian eunuch, " Do you understand what you are reading?" Or put another way, " What does the Bible mean by what it says?" It is not enough to read the text and jump directly to the application; we must first determine what it means, otherwise the application may be incorrect.

As you read Scripture, always keep in mind one simple question: " What does this mean?" To answer that question requires the use of the most basic principle of interpretation, called the analogy of faith, which tells the reader to " interpret the Bible with the Bible." Letting the Holy Spirit be your teacher (1 John 2:27), search the Scripture He has authored, using cross references, comparative passages, concordances, indexes, and other helps. For those passages that yet remain unclear, consult your pastor or godly men who have written in that particular area.

Errors to Avoid
As you interpret Scripture, several common errors should be avoided.

1. Do not draw any conclusions at the price of proper interpretation. That is, do not make the Bible say what you want it to say, but rather let it say what God intended when He wrote it.
2. Avoid superficial interpretation. You have heard people say, " To me, this passage means," or " I feel it is saying. . . ." The first step in interpreting the Bible is to recognize the four gaps we have to bridge: language, culture, geography, and history (see below).
3. Do not spiritualize the passage. Interpret and understand the passage in its normal, literal, historical, grammatical sense, just like you would understand any other piece of literature you were reading today.

Gaps to Bridge
The books of the Bible were written many centuries ago. For us to understand today what God was communicating then, there are several gaps that need to be bridged: the language gap, the cultural gap, the geographical gap, and the historical gap. Proper interpretation, therefore, takes time and disciplined effort.

1. Language. The Bible was originally written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Often, understanding the meaning of a word or phrase in the original language can be the key to correctly interpreting a passage of Scripture.
2. Culture. The culture gap can be tricky. Some people try to use cultural differences to explain away the more difficult biblical commands. Realize that Scripture must first be viewed in the context of the culture in which it was written. Without an understanding of first-century Jewish culture, it is difficult to understand the gospel. Acts and the epistles must be read in light of the Greek and Roman cultures.
3. Geography. A third gap that needs to be closed is the geography gap. Biblical geography make the Bible come alive. A good Bible atlas is an invaluable reference tool that can help you comprehend the geography of the Holy Land.
4. History. We must also bridge the history gap. Unlike the scriptures of most other world religions, the Bible contains the records of actual historical persons and events. An understanding of Bible history will help us place the people and events in it in their proper historical perspective. A good Bible dictionary or Bible encyclopedia is useful here, as are basic historical studies.

Principles to Understand
# Four principles should guide us as we interpret the Bible: literal, historical, grammatical, and synthesis. The Literal Principle. Scripture should be understood in its literal, normal, and natural sense. While the Bible does contain figures of speech and symbols, they were intended to convey literal truth. In general, however, the Bible speaks in literal terms, and we must allow it to speak for itself.
# The Historical Principle. This means that we interpret in its historical context. We must ask what the text meant to the people to whom it was first written. In this way we can develop a proper contextual understanding of the original intent of Scripture.
# The Grammatical Principle. This requires that we understand the basic grammatical structure of each sentence in the original language. To whom do the pronouns refer? What is the tense of the main verb? You will find that when you ask some simple questions like those, the meaning of the text immediately becomes clearer.
# The Synthesis Principle. This is what the Reformers called the analogia scriptura. It means that the Bible does not contradict itself. If we arrive at an interpretation of a passage that contradicts a truth taught elsewhere in the Scriptures, our interpretation cannot be correct. Scripture must be compared with Scripture to discover its full meaning.

STEP 3-Evaluating.
You have been reading and asking the question, " What does the Bible say?" Then you have interpreted, asking the question, " What does the Bible mean?" Now it is time to consult others to insure that you have the proper interpretation. Remember, the Bible will never contradict itself.

Read Bible introductions, commentaries, and background books which will enrich your thinking through that illumination which God has given to other men and to you through their books. In your evaluation, be a true seeker. Be one who accepts the truth of God’s Word even though it may cause you to change what you always have believed, or cause you to alter your life pattern.

STEP 4-Applying.
The next question is: " How does God’s truth penetrate and change my own life?" Studying Scripture without allowing it to penetrate to the depths of your soul would be like preparing a banquet without eating it. The bottom-line question to ask is, " How do the divine truths and principles contained in any passage apply to me in terms of my attitude and actions?"

Jesus made this promise to those who would carry their personal Bible study through to this point: " If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17).

Having read and interpreted the Bible, you should have a basic understanding of what the Bible says, and what it means by what it says. But studying the Bible does not stop there. The ultimate goal should be to let it speak to you and enable you to grow spiritually. That requires personal application.

Bible study is not complete until we ask ourselves, " What does this mean for my life and how can I practically apply it?" We must take the knowledge we have gained from our reading and interpretation and draw out the practical principles that apply to our personal lives.

If there is a command to be obeyed, we obey it. If there is a promise to be embraced, we claim it. If there is a warning to be followed, we heed it. This is the ultimate step: we submit to Scripture and let it transform our lives. If you skip this step, you will never enjoy your Bible study and the Bible will never change your life.

STEP 5-Correlating.
This last stage connects the doctrine you have learned in a particular passage or book with divine truths and principles taught elsewhere in the Bible to form the big picture. Always keep in mind that the Bible is one book in 66 parts, and it contains a number of truths and principles, taught over and over again in a variety of ways and circumstances. By correlating and cross-referencing, you will begin to build a sound doctrinal foundation by which to live.

What Now?

The psalmist said, " Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:1,2).

It is not enough just to study the Bible. We must meditate upon it. In a very real sense we are giving our brain a bath; we are washing it in the purifying solution of God’s Word.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Josh. 1:8

Here is the spring where waters flow,
To quench our heat of sin:
Here is the tree where truth doth grow,
To lead our lives therein:
Here is the judge that stints the strife,
When men’s devices fail:
Here is the bread that feeds the life
That death cannot assail.
The tidings of salvation dear,
Comes to our ears from hence:
The fortress of our faith is here,
And shield of our defense.
Then be not like the swine that hath
A pearl at his desire,
And takes more pleasure from the trough
And wallowing in the mire.
Read not this book in any case,
But with a single eye:
Read not but first desire God’s grace,
To understand thereby.
Pray still in faith with this respect,
To bear good fruit therein,
That knowledge may bring this effect,
To mortify thy sin.
Then happy you shall be in all your life,
What so to you befalls:
Yes, double happy you shall be,
When God by death you calls.
(From the first Bible printed in Scotland-1576)

Doing The Remarkable

When it comes to meeting and conquering the negativity in your life, here is a key question: what can you do, starting today, that will make a difference?

What can you do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything has gone wrong? What can you do when you've run out of money, when you don't feel well and it's all gone sour? What can you do?

Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most impossible or disastrous circumstances.

Here is why humans can do remarkable things: because they are remarkable. Humans are different than any other creation. When a dog starts with weeds, he winds up with weeds. And the reason is because he's a dog. But that's not true with human beings. Humans can turn weeds into gardens.

Humans can turn nothing into something, pennies into fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason they can do such remarkable things is because they are remarkable.Try reaching down inside of yourself; you'll come up with some more of those remarkable human gifts. They're there, waiting to be discovered and employed.

With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that because you can change. If you don't like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn't enough, change it. If something doesn't suit you; change it. If something doesn't please you, change it. You don't ever have to be the same after today. If you don't like your present address, change it -- you're not a tree!

If there is one thing to get excited about, it's your ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a desired result, to turn the negative into success. That's true excitement.

To Your Success,Jim Rohn

The Power of a Great Story: Why Movies and Music Move and Motivate Us

Now I know why we always like to go to the movies. read on...

I believe films and music have the power to motivate and move us in a very powerful way. A great script brought to life by wonderful actors can touch us in very profound ways.

We gladly hand over our money to be entertained but why do some films affect us in such a strong way?

I believe the impact of great film or piece of music happens because we get to engage all of our senses. We are mesmerized because we see it, hear it, feel it and involve our active imagination as well.

It can spark memories or "hit" us in a place that triggers real emotion. For film or theater none of this happens until we make an unspoken agreement. The agreement we, as the audience make is to suspend our beliefs for 2 hours.

The suspension of belief allows us to be completely immersed in a story even if what we're watching can't happen in "real life".

People loved the Indiana Jones, Star Wars or the "Back To The Future" films because we made the unspoken agreement to suspend our belief for 2 hours and let the stories move us.

Even though most of the "events" in the films did not reflect "real life" they provided important messages and entertained us at the same time.

This got me wondering. What if we suspended our beliefs in our daily lives? We agree to do it when we walk into the movie theater (and pay for it!) so why not when we step into our lives?

Here are 3 benefits of suspending your belief every day:

* Increase in "Present Time" Focus When focused "in the moment" we reduce our preconceived notions about people and situations and therefore are less "cluttered" in our minds.
Being "in the moment" is like being in the "zone" athletes refer to so much. When we are there we are more focused, relaxed and energized.

* Improved Listening Skills When we are focused in the present we are able to communicate more effectively. Without the distraction of negative or limiting thoughts we are able to listen with greater clarity and be more attentive to the person we are speaking to.

* Stronger Commitment Think back to one of your favorite films and you might find that you enjoyed it because you were fully engaged and committed to the story.

We love certain films because they spark something within us whether it's a sense of adventure, romance, uplifting the human spirit or any other human condition we relate to.

Next time you perform a task or just communicate with another person be fully engaged and notice if you feel more powerful and energized (and the impact on them as well).

Films can motivate and inspire us whether they are fiction or not and powerful messages never go out of style. They help us reconnect with a part of us that triggers us to think, feel and act differently even if for a short time.

John Lennon has been gone for 25 years and yet the moving messages in his music can affect you today the same it did 25 years ago. It doesn't matter how old it is because anything that "hits" us at our core will always have the ability to move and motivate us. Imagine...

Motivational Quote of the Day

"Everyone who has achieved financial independence will tell you that - at least in the early days -- you have to work smarter and harder. The price of success must be paid in full, and it must be paid in advance. There are no shortcuts."

- John Cummuta