What Principles do you live by?

How would you say your life is going?  Are you living the life you think you deserve?  Are you financially stable?  Are your children behaving the way you think they should?  Are you achieving your written goals in life, or do you even have any?  According to a survey conducted by the Barna Research Group

(BRG) a large percentage of Americans think their lives should be better, are facing financial challenges, have children out of control, and have no written directions for their life decisions, they just wake up every day drifting through the sea of life.  So what principles guide your life?  Our principles are the rudder that steers our ship and keep us on course.  So you may ask, how can I improve my quality of life?  And for some of us, how can we change our view of what a quality life looks like? 

Thousands of years ago a man lived who was acclaimed by the world to be the richest, wisest, and most powerful man.  He wrote down a collection of words, practical insights for every area of your life.  They are called Proverbs and can be found right in the middle of the bible.  Some people don’t understand the proverbs because they require some thoughtful interpretation.  These wise words, if followed, will give you the quality of life you desire. 

As Christians, we should be very familiar with the proverbs and they should be guiding us in our daily lives. What surprised me most is that in terms of life values, lifestyles, and attitudes, Christians and non-Christians were essentially the same in response to this survey.   Here are some of the results from the survey of how the American lifestyles coincide with the Seven Proverb Principles. 

Perceived and desired quality of life- the question “For as hard as you work you deserve a better quality of life”, 33% or one out of 3 feel they have been shortchanged when it comes to quality of life.

Financial Wisdom- the question  “Assuming your family received no income for the next six months, your family has enough money saved to maintain its current standard of living”, fewer than three out of ten families have enough money set aside to continue their current standard of living for the next six months.

Setting Clearly defined Goals- the questions “You have written down clearly defined goals for your life, and these goals guide your day-to-day decisions and activities”, only 31% of Americans have written goals they use to guide their day to day decisions and activities.

Sexual Purity- the question “You have had a sexual experience of any kind with someone other than the person you are married to”, one-third of respondents said admitted they had

Wisdom in Child-Rearing-the question “Your parents taught you the skills necessary to succeed in life”, nearly two-thirds of Americans contend that their parents equipped them with the skills necessary to succeed in life,

Taming the Tongue- the question “You often say things to people that you later regret”, according to self-report, a minority of Americans only 18% admit they often say things they later regret.

Controlling Anger- the question “There have been times when your anger has had a negative effect on a relationship, your job, or something else important to you” 30% of Americans have admitted their anger has had an adverse impact on something that they value such as a job or a relationship.

So whether you are a self-proclaimed Christian or not, you may need to return to the Wisdom of Solomon and etch these words of wisdom on your heart and in your mind.  I challenge you, for the next 6 months, read one chapter of proverbs every day.  I like to use the calendar date; for example, if it is the third of the month, I read chapter three.  I pray the more you read and study the proverbs, the more insight you will gain to direct and improve the quality of your life.

If you want to fast track some of the most important secrets to extraordinary success, I might suggest you read, The Solomon Secrets by Robert Jeffress.  He looks at some of the key principles to help get you started.

Do you know the signs of a stroke?

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Each year 700,000 people suffer a stroke. Five hundred thousand of these strokes are first occurrences, while the rest are repeat strokes.  Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.  A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.   You just need to remember the first three letter of the work stroke… S.T.R   Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S *Ask the individual to SMILE. T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today.) R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. New Sign of a Stroke --- Stick out Your Tongue If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

Exactly what is a stroke? What is a Stroke?  A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. Brain cells can die from decreased blood flow and the resulting lack of oxygen. There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blockage of blood flow and those caused by bleeding. While not usually fatal, a blockage of a blood vessel in the brain or neck, called an ischemic stroke, is the most frequent cause of stroke and is responsible for about 80 percent of strokes. These blockages stem from three conditions: the formation of a clot within a blood vessel of the brain or neck, called thrombosis; the movement of a clot from another part of the body such as the heart to the neck or brain, called embolism; or a severe narrowing of an artery in or leading to the brain, called stenosis. Bleeding into the brain or the spaces surrounding the brain causes the second type of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke.  

So what can cause a stroke?  The three top risk factors are high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes.  These top three risk factors are also treatable.  Talk to your physician about medications, diets, and appropriate exercise to reduce your chances of stroke.  Statistics show that lifestyle changes can cut your changes of death by stroke in half.

According to American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee

•The risk for stroke in blacks is almost twice that of whites.

•Over 43% of people over 85 have suffered a silent stroke.

•The estimated total cost of stroke for 2007 is $62.7 billion.

•Up to 40% of people in a recent study could not identify a single symptom of stroke.

If you think you are at risk, talk with your doctor.  Learn what you can do to reduce your chance of death or disability from stroke. 

Scams BEWARE

Seems like the scammers are really busy these days, I have been hearing about all types deals too good to be true.  One person I know heard from a company saying they had won $150 in groceries and $100 in gas.  The coupons were good at any store; all they had  to do was pay $5 shipping of to get the winner packet mailed to them.  This person did fall for it, and they did get a packet (without the coupons).  The complicated book required forms to be completed (with lots of personal information), mail back and forth; the process would have taken months.  I’m not sure if they would have gotten anything, they decided to lose the $5.  The elderly are even more susceptible to scams.  One couple was told they had a buyer for their timeshare condo who had already given $5,000 earnest money.  All they had to do was pay $2,000 for title search.  Had they fallen for this, they would not have gotten their money back since they would have authorized the expense of the bogus title search.  I was also told about a couple who were called by the Federal Trade Commission; they were trying to award outstanding winnings, it only required they pay the tax of $3,500 to get their check for $350,000.  They even gave a phone number from Washington DC.  Of course, when the real FTC was contacted they said this is a common scam.  If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS!  Thoroughly investigate before you give any information or money.  Verify thoroughly with sources other than the phone numbers they give you. 

I visited a service called scambusters.org and here is the top 10 scams for 2010 which is based on the feedback we get from many thousands of subscribers and readers, plus our own in-depth research and monitoring of crime reports.

10. Travel and vacations (Predicted as #9). As forecast, the Soccer World Cup in South Africa drew in thousands of ticket scam victims, while an increasing flow of travelers to China found themselves at the center of numerous tourist con tricks. However, the economic recovery we expected to see wasn't as strong as everyone hoped and many Americans decided to vacation more safely at home.

9. Investment scams (Predicted as #10). In the wake of the Madoff scandal, more incredible Ponzi schemes were exposed and crashed, while art investment frauds targeted celebrities. Rock bottom interest rates lured more people into phony real estate and "green" investment projects (including the BP Gulf disaster clean-up) and foreign exchange funds promising unrealistically high returns.

8. Work from home schemes (Predicted as #7). Still a major source of crime, bogus home-working schemes received a lot of publicity throughout the year, so, although there were just as many crooks pushing these scams, slightly fewer victims may have fallen for them than we expected. One bit of good news!

7. Auctions and classified ad scams (Predicted as #8) move up one more place in our Top 10 scams list, as they did in the prior year. As much as anything, this reflects the growing use of the Internet for buying stuff, so we included bogus retail websites in our research this year, which, as you'll see below, is likely to push the crime even higher up the charts in 2011.

6. Doorstep scams (Predicted as #6). We forecast that the 2010 Census back in April would attract scammers, mainly "phishing" (see #1 below) for information they could use for identity theft. And we were right. The annual crop of disasters, including floods and, this year, the San Francisco gas explosion, also brought out the bogus contractors in force.

5. Lottery scams (Predicted as #5). Sadly, as we reported a year ago, this crime targets the elderly. There's apparently still no shortage of victims willing to pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus fees to collect non-existent winnings.

4. Nigerian scams (Predicted as #4). The continuing efforts by the Nigerian government to clamp down on this scam seem to be having little effect. A TV documentary broadcast a few months ago showed how whole towns in that country have become dependent on the proceeds of scams.

3. Economy-related scams (Predicted as #3). Foreclosure and loan modification scams, together with bogus job offers -- usually a prelude to identify theft or simply a means for charging an upfront fee -- were the most common crimes in this category. The BP Gulf disaster added significantly to the number of phony job schemes.

2. Malware (Predicted as #2). This is the broad term for harmful software that installs on home and business computers to steal information, wreck hard drives, disrupt business activities and recruit computers into "zombie botnets" for sending out spam. Internet security specialists McAfee say they've identified 14 million unique malware programs, up by 1 million over the year as a whole.

1. Phishing and identify theft (Predicted as #1). The invasion by scammers of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, together with malware downloads (see above) kept this crime firmly in the top slot.

Again, I caution…. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IS!  Thieves make their living on our greed and desire to get something for little or nothing.  Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived told us….

A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live. . Proverbs 15:27

Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Proverbs 1:19

The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

Proverbs 10:16

Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Proverbs 13:11

Visit http://www.scambusters.org to learn more about scams, how to avoid them and how to report potential scams.

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org

How to Report a Fraud or Scam

If you have observed a scam or been the victim of a scam, spam or fraud and want to report it for enforcement, here is a list of where to report different types of scams in the US, UK, Canada and many other countries. In some cases there is more than one agency to contact.  Some scams fit into more than one category, also.

Of course, in all cases, you can start by reporting it to us, using this form. We will use the information to warn other consumers and help you to direct it to law enforcement agencies.

A catch-all for bringing internet scams to the attention of the FBI and FTC is the U.S. government's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at Internet Fraud Complaints Center. 

Your local FBI office:

Your local field office is:

Dallas

FBI Dallas

One Justice Way

Dallas, Texas 75220

(972) 559-5000

dallas.fbi.gov

But to protect your finances, identity and in some cases, identity, you will generally also want to report the scam directly to another specific agency - see further down this page for specific directions.

Be sure to contact your bank or credit card company if you have given out credit card numbers, bank account information, etc.

There are so many agencies who manage specific scams, they are too numerous to list in this story.  Visit http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org and click on the link to report the following types of scams to the appropriate agencies:

Reporting Advance Fee Frauds (also called Lottery scams, Money Transfer Frauds, Lawyers with deceased clients, widows and orphans with money to transfer, AFF Scams, Nigerian scams, etc.

Reporting abusive use of email accounts (to send scams or spams or receive responses)

Filing complaints against a business

Reporting crimes

Reporting identity theft

Reporting medical frauds

Reporting fake websites (called Phishing and Spoofing)

Reporting Postal / Mail scams

Reporting scams on the internet

Reporting Securities and stock frauds

Reporting Spam (unsolicited business emails)

Reporting stolen checks

To report miscellaneous scams contact:

Texas Regional Offices

Austin Regional Office

PO Box 12548

Austin, TX 78711-2548

512-463-2100

Toll free: 1-800-621-0508

Fax: 512-473-8301

E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us

www.oag.state.tx.us

 

Dallas Regional Office

Office of the Attorney General

1412 Main Street, Suite 810

Dallas, TX 75202

214-969-5310

Fax: 214-969-7615

E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us

www.oag.state.tx.us

 

E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us

www.oag.state.tx.us

 

City Offices

Department of Environmental and Health Services

City Hall - Room 7A-North

1500 Marilla

Dallas, TX 75201

214-670-3696

Fax: 214-670-3863

E-mail: kbradford@ci.dallas.tx.us

www.dallascityhall.com

 

Pro LIFE

This is the complete version of the story submitted to me for Talk About Town written by Lissa Gobel.  Following her story, I wrote some additional thoughts, I pray your read this entire story.  God Bless.

Did you also know that there is something you can do to change this statistic?!... Lets not just be disgusted by this, lets DO something about it!  There are many ways to get involved: There are clinics called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers." These are Pro Life centers that are completely "non-profit." They are not to be mistaken for Planned Parenthood centers!! Planned Parenthood centers are government funded and these are Pro CHOICE and they promote abortions!!  You can volunteer your time and your money to a Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area. They always need money and volunteers. They also need donations such as diapers, formula, baby clothes, etc.

I have been a volunteer at a center in Ft. Worth, Tx, for the past several years. I used to do limited ultrasounds on abortion-minded young girls and show them the little life growing inside them and let them hear the baby’s heartbeat. It was amazing to see their faces and the change in them. Currently, I am on the Board of Directors at this center. My background is: I am an RN working in Labor and Delivery and I am going back to school for my PhD in nursing so I can be a Midwife. The center that I am talking about is the Women's Choice Resource Center in Ft. Worth, Tx. These Crisis Pregnancy centers are sooooo important to fight against abortion. When these young girls are shopping around for an abortion, they come into one of these centers and they get loving Christian counseling on adoption and keeping her baby. They also educate these young girls on the physical and mental risks of abortions. When these girls get a sonogram and see their babies growing inside of them, 80% of them change their mind and choose LIFE!! These centers can't stay open though, without financial support from Christian pro-life believers!!

So,.... here's my challenge to all of you on this site... find out where there's a Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area. Make sure they are pro-life (non-profit), Christian organizations that do not refer for abortions!!!  Find out how you can help them. Get your church involved. Have a fund-raiser for them, volunteer your time. What ever you can do.  Let's not just say that we're disgusted by the thought of 50 million abortions, let's DO something to prevent them.

GET INVOLVED.   ALL for Him, Lissa Goble

Comments from Cindy

You hear about the subject of abortion frequently, but do what do you really know about it?  Have you researched this topic yourself or do you just go along with what you hear from your friends and peers?  I did some research for those of you who don’t want to take the time.  First I asked the question, what is abortion?  About.com gave me the answer:  Answer: Abortion is the intentional termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows women to put an end to their pregnancies, but involves killing the undeveloped embryo or fetus. For this reason, it is a very controversial subject in American politics.

So who does abortion affect?  I found these abortion statistics in the United States as reported by the Guttmacher Institute in May 2006:

1. Unintended pregnancies account for almost half of all pregnancies.

2. Four out of ten unintended pregnancies end in abortion.

3. Out of the total number of pregnancies, 24% end in abortion.

4. For women ages 15-44, two out of every hundred have an abortion.

Of these, 48% have had one or more abortions previously.

5. For women choosing abortion, 52% are under 25.

Teenagers account for 19%, and women 20-24 account for 33%.

6. Black women are almost four times as likely to have an abortion as white women.

For Latino women, the number is 2.5 times.

7. Women who have never been married account for 2/3rds of all abortions.

8. The majority of women who choose abortions have already given birth.

Mothers who have had one or more children comprise over 60% of all abortions.

9. Women who have never used any birth control method account for 8% of abortions.

10. For women having abortions, 43% are Protestant and 27% identify as Catholic.

What do these statistics say to me?  That abortion affects everyone!  The young, the old, families, people of all color, people of all religions.  I was born in 1959, during that time abortion was not legal, lucky for me.  Things changed dramatically during my teenage years when the landmark case of Roe v Wade legalized abortion January 22, 1973.  Since then, more than 50 million abortions have been performed.  Norma McCorvey, aka as the famous Jane Roe from this landmark case has changed her position on abortion.  An excerpt from her book she said:

I was sitting in O.R.’s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster.  The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet.  It hurt my heart, just looking at them.  I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me.  ’Norma’, I said to myself, ‘They’re right.  I had worked with pregnant women for years.  I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself.  I should have known.  Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath.  I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that’s a baby!  I felt crushed under the truth of this realization.  I had to face up to the awful reality.  Abortion wasn’t about ‘products of conception’.  It wasn’t about “missed periods”.  It was about children being killed in their mother’s wombs.  All those years I was wrong.  Signing that affidavit, I was wrong.  Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong.  No more f this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff.  Abortion- at any point is wrong.  It was so clear.  Painfully clear

I listen to a higher authority, so I asked, what does the Bible say about abortion.  While many pro-life supporters’ states that abortion is not mentioned in the Bible, I think the Lord makes his position very clear.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…

Jeremiah 1:5

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she give birth prematurely but there is no serious injury the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.  But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life.

Exodus 21:22-23

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he create him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

Genesis 9:16

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Psalm 51:5

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:41

God considers an unborn baby to be alive.  He also considers the loss of that life by another’s hands to be murder.  His word tells us that life begins at conception; He uses the term ‘baby’ for the born and unborn.  Read more about God’s view on abortion in His word.  The bible specifically condemns partial birth abortion as against God’s will (Exodus 1:15-20).  God also tells us to choose His ways, instead of our own ways; shameful acts done secretly do not please Him (Proverbs 1:29-31; Ephesians 5:10-12).  Only a society that hates God, loves death (Proverbs 8:35-36).

Lissa challenged us to learn more about our local Christian, non-profit Crisis Pregnancy centers.  Locally, we have Grace House Ministries.  They provide a number of services that support life.  Visit their website to learn about their ministry and services to the community at http://gracehouseministries.net/

Grace House Pregnancy Center 112 W Russell St, Weatherford

The Options Clinic- The Options Clinic for Women is a medical clinic with a medical director and nursing staff trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound to determine gestational age and viable intrauterine pregnancy. Studies have shown that when abortion-minded women see the baby in the womb – 90% will choose life, 9 out of every 10 women!

Pure Truth - Abstinence Education Program

The Pure Truth abstinence education program utilizes the “Worth The Wait” curriculum developed by Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas.

Through Scott and White Hospital’s education program, we seek to engage, educate, and empower students to make healthy sexual, life affirming choices.  Grace House Ministries began offering Worth the Wait in 2004. This free service to the community is conducted through public and private schools where we teach the ten-day program through school health classes.  Issues addressed to help teens in the class are:

•Emotional needs

•Communication skills

•Peer pressure

•Legal issues

•Sexual Transmitted Diseases/Infections

•Pregnancy issues

•High risk behaviors – alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc.

•Healthy futures – goal setting, dating and marriage relationships all encouraging kids that “sex is awesome but it is meant for marriage.”

This interactive, educational experience gives teens the opportunity to make healthier choices for a better future.  Grace House teaches the program in several schools:

•Aledo

•Brock

•Graford

•Peaster

•Perrin-Whitt

•Weatherford College

Grace House also helped to implement the program in both Weatherford and Mineral Wells Independent School Districts.  In addition a modified version of the program is currently being taught at Weatherford College.

Here is their contact information:

Grace House Ministries

P. O. Box 1416

Weatherford, TX 76086

817-599-9080

info@gracehouseministries.net

Grace House Pregnancy Care Center

112 W. Russell Street

Weatherford, TX 76086

817-599-4700

Janelle Miller - Director GHPCC

janellemiller@gracehouseministries.net

Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9 am – 4 pm

The Options Clinic

1712 Bethel Road

Weatherford, TX 76086

817-599-6700

info@theoptionsclinic.org

www.theoptionsclinic.org

Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9 am – 4 pm

My prayer for you is love life, save life, cherish life.