Power For Today Magazine, a monthly magazine for understanding our times, is published monthly and is a publication of Apostolic Fellowship International Ministries. June 2011: "Wisdom Cries Out," teaching about the power of wisdom in the life of believers today.
00108 0611 06 US $9.00 CAN $9.75 Does not wisdom call out? Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? Does not understanding raise her voice? ...For wisdom is more precious than rubies, ...For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare and nothing you desire can compare with her. with her. -Proverbs 8:1,11 -Proverbs 8:1,11 Apostle’s Corner: Either Trust God To Walk On Water...Or Apostle’s Corner: Either Trust God To Walk On Water...Or Learn How To Swim! Learn How To Swim! By Apostle Dr. lee Ann B. Marino.................................Page 3 By Apostle Dr. lee Ann B. Marino.................................Page 3 Wisdom Cries Out Wisdom Cries Out By Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino................................Page 5 By Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino................................Page 5 What Does A Covering Do?..........................................Page 7 What Does A Covering Do?..........................................Page 7 The Language Of Colors The Language Of Colors By Hina Saleem...............................................................Page 12 By Hina Saleem...............................................................Page 12 Interview With Elana Watson, Part 1 Interview With Elana Watson, Part 1 By Apostle Dr. Rebecca Michael...............................Page 14 By Apostle Dr. Rebecca Michael...............................Page 14 Smooth As Glass Smooth As Glass By Nina B. Marino...........................................................Page 15 By Nina B. Marino...........................................................Page 15 History Makers: Celebrating Extraordinary Women In History Makers: Celebrating Extraordinary Women In History................................................................................Page 17 History................................................................................Page 17 Radio And Internet Television Log...........................Page 20 Radio And Internet Television Log...........................Page 20 A magazine of understanding for our times Power For Today June 2011 June 2011
Transcript
00108 0611
06US $9.00 CAN $9.75
Does not wisdom call out? Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?Does not understanding raise her voice?
...For wisdom is more precious than rubies, ...For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare and nothing you desire can compare
with her. with her. -Proverbs 8:1,11-Proverbs 8:1,11
Apostle’s Corner: Either Trust God To Walk On Water...Or Apostle’s Corner: Either Trust God To Walk On Water...Or Learn How To Swim!Learn How To Swim!
By Apostle Dr. lee Ann B. Marino.................................Page 3By Apostle Dr. lee Ann B. Marino.................................Page 3
Wisdom Cries OutWisdom Cries Out
By Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino................................Page 5By Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino................................Page 5
What Does A Covering Do?..........................................Page 7What Does A Covering Do?..........................................Page 7
The Language Of ColorsThe Language Of Colors
By Hina Saleem...............................................................Page 12By Hina Saleem...............................................................Page 12
Interview With Elana Watson, Part 1Interview With Elana Watson, Part 1
By Apostle Dr. Rebecca Michael...............................Page 14By Apostle Dr. Rebecca Michael...............................Page 14
Smooth As GlassSmooth As Glass
By Nina B. Marino...........................................................Page 15By Nina B. Marino...........................................................Page 15
History Makers: Celebrating Extraordinary Women In History Makers: Celebrating Extraordinary Women In History................................................................................Page 17History................................................................................Page 17
Radio And Internet Television Log...........................Page 20Radio And Internet Television Log...........................Page 20
A magazine of understanding for our times
Power For Today
June 2011June 2011
Power For TodayA magazine of understanding for our times
June 2011 Vol. 10, No. 6
ON THE COVER
Apostle’s Corner: Either Trust God To Walk On Water...Or Learn How To Swim! --Page 3
Wisdom Cries Out —Page 5
Ask The Apostle
—Page 7
The Language Of Colors —Page 12
Interview With Elana Watson, Part 1 —Page 14
Smooth As Glass —Page 15
Radio and Internet Television Log
—Page 20
SCRIPTURE STUDY
Thy Word Is A Lamp: Studies In The Book Of Psalms —Page 9
Scripture Trivia —Page 9
MINISTRIES SPOTLIGHT
History Makers —Page 17
Encouragement For The Journey —Page 19
CURRENT EVENTS
Wellness And The Word —Page 8
Watch On The World —Page 9
DEPARTMENTS
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann’s Schedule —Page 13
Catalog Spotlight —Page 16
Contact Information —Page 19
JUST FOR FUN
It Happened Here Challenge —Page 8
Light For The Path You’re On —Page 20
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscriptions to Power For Today Magazine are free by digital (email or download) subscription. Editions are sent to partners, friends, covered churches and min-istries, Apostolic University students, and by request. Our magazine is covered through paid advertisers and contributors to this min-istry. We thank our faithful friends, contribu-tors, and partners for their support!
BIBLE TRANSLATION KEY:
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quota-tions are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible, Public Domain. Passages marked NIV are from the New International Version of the Holy Bible; passages marked TLB are from The Living Bible; passages marked ASV are from the American Standard Version; passages marked AMP are from the Amplifi ed Bible, pas-sages marked MOD are from the Holy Bible in Modern English, passages marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version, passages marked TEV are from Today’s English Version, passages marked ESV are from the English Standard Ver-sion of the Holy Bible, passages marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, passages marked CJB are from The Complete Jewish Bible, passages marked NLT are from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible; pas-sages marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version of the Holy Bible, and passages marked TOB (Apocrypha) are from The Other Bible.
Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or Lo, there! For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you! —Luke 17:21
SUBMISSIONS: Visit http://righteous-pen-pub-lications.webs.com to submit articles, letters, comments, questions, or for submission guidelines. We are open to your submissions and encourage your feedback!
STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS:
Editor-In-Chief: Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino
Editing Staff :
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino
Prophetess Nina B. Marino
Writers and Contributors:
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino
Prophetess Nina B. Marino
Apostle Dr. Rebecca Michael
Hina Saleem
Programming And Technical Support:
Robert W. Westaway, Virtual Artility Photography
Audio Productions And Distributions:
Aaron Joy, Roman Midnight Music
Apostle’s CornerEither trust God to walk on water...or learn how to swim!We are all familiar with the story of the Apostle Peter step-ping out of the boat to walk toward Jesus on the water. We all remember the point in the story when he realized he was walking on water and then started to sink, to which Jesus rescued him and spoke to him about faith. We’ve all heard teaching about watching our thoughts and guarding our minds. This story has inspired countless sermons about do-ing the impossible with God and having faith for the impos-sible, but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard about the connec-tion between trust and faith present in this passage. If we have faith in God, we will trust Him, even for the impossible, and will know He will bring it to pass.
In the natural, walking on wa-ter cannot be done. What the Apostle Peter experienced was beyond supernatural: it was miraculous. In order for the Apostle Peter to walk on water, something divine had to take place. When he stepped out of the boat, in response to our Lord’s call to come, the Apostle Peter displayed his faith and his trust in our Lord. When he realized what he was doing was beyond his comfort, he
stopped trusting and stopped having faith. In the process, he started to rely on what he knew.
I’m a big advocate of educa-tion. I take issue with ministers who insist education is unnec-essary and undesirable. God desires us to know about the world around us as that helps to enhance our life of faith. What we know can easily point to the Lord and reveal Him to us throughout our everyday lives and choices. At the same time, what we know can be-come a hindrance to us if we allow it to block our trust and faith.
What the Apostle Peter knew blocked his faith. In the realm of his experiences with water - which were most relevant because he was a fi sherman - he knew it was impossible for him to walk on water without sinking by natu-ral means. The more he relied on what he knew, the further he sank. In his unwilligness to trust God, he was faced with only one option: start swimming!
Sometimes I think the realities
of our modern times call us to have radical faith and trust not unlike the Apostle Peter was asked to have. We must trust God to provide for our every need, for our fi nances, for our well-being, and provide for our ministries. If we are willing to trust Him in full, He will do the impossible through us and for us. If not, we will fi nd our-selves struggling just to keep afl oat.
God is still working miracles. He is still performing signs and wonders, even when we aren’t paying attention enough to see them. If we want to walk on water, we have to trust Him and express our faith through our trust. If we aren’t willing to do that...we better learn how to swim!
Many blessings,
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann
What is wisdom?When most of us were young, we heard of our elders as “wise and old” men and women who had acquired much wisdom from their life experi-ences. Wisdom was something taught to be acquired from living a long time, passed down through stories which started out with “When I was young...” We didn’t give much attention to the nature of wisdom, what it was, or how it was acquired, save that it was something we couldn’t have because we weren’t very old.
As we got older, we’ve all seen our learnings of wisdom fall short. Older people don’t always seem so wise anymore - and in truth, many younger people don’t seem very wise, either. There are many experiences that don’t seem to make us wise, only frustrated. Sometimes our experiences cause us more questions instead of less, and we don’t always understand what our situations are about. It would be nice if wisdom came in a nice, neat, identifi -able package....so why doesn’t it?
It is true that God does not teach wisdom to fall on our heads or arrive
one day on our doorstep. God also does not promise that experience gains wisdom. Even though many people may go through experiences and come out wiser, that is their choice. Many go through trying or diffi cult situations and do not come out with any wisdom. We also learn, as we come to study the Word, that wisdom is not an acquisition based on age or years of living. If everything we’ve ever thought or learned about wisdom is false, then what of wisdom is true?
Wisdom is an understanding gained from living deeply in the Lord and recog-nizing His ways in our experiences. It is when we fi nally come to the place where we recognize it isn’t all about our under-standing or human knowledge applied to situations, and that God’s ways are truly diff erent and deeper than our own. When we come to live life from this per-spective, it gives us a certain richness to have enough good sense and judgment to know when results will be benefi cial or harmful. Where does it lie? Where do we fi nd it?
Job’s forty-year experience of suff ering and diffi culty caused him to ponder
many deep questions about life and ex-perience. If we examine the book of Job in detail, we can note that much of his search examined the issue of wisdom: what it was, where it lies, and how it is acquired. Job 28:1-28 gives a powerful and passionate examination of wisdom: “There is a mine for silver and a place
where gold is refi ned. Iron is taken from
the earth, and copper is smelted from
ore. Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses for
ore in the blackest darkness. Far from
where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in
places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.
The earth, from which food comes, is
transformed below as by fi re; sapphires
come from its rocks, and its dust con-
tains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey
knows that hidden path, no falcon’s
eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not
set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
Man’s hand assaults the fl inty rock and
lays bare the roots of the mountains.
He tunnels through the rock; his eyes
see all its treasures. He searches the
sources of the rivers and brings hidden
things to light. ‘But where can wisdom
be found? Where does understanding
dwell? Man does not comprehend its
worth; it cannot be found in the land
of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in
me’; the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It
cannot be bought with the fi nest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
It cannot be bought with the gold of
Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare
with it, nor can it be had for jewels of
gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy
of mention; the price of wisdom is be-
yond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot
compare with it; it cannot be bought
with pure gold. “Where then does wis-
dom come from? Where does under-
standing dwell? It is hidden from the
eyes of every living thing, concealed
even from the birds of the air. Destruc-
tion and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it
has reached our ears.’ God understands
the way to it and He alone knows
where it dwells, for He views the ends
of the earth and sees everything under
the heavens. When He established the
force of the wind and measured out the
waters, when He made a decree for the
rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
(Continued on page 6)
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.D.
Wisdom Cries Out
Cover Article
Wisdom Cries Out(Continued from page 5)
then He looked at wisdom and ap-
praised it; He confi rmed it and tested
it. And He said to man, ‘The fear of the
Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil
is understanding.’ “ (NIV)
Obviously the search for wisdom is not just important, it is essential! In looking at Job 28, we see not just Job’s struggle, but the answer to what he seeks. Wisdom lies in God and having rever-ential awe of our Creator. The more we come to know God and the deeper we develop relationship with Him, the more wisdom we will acquire. If we remain in God, God remains in us, and we develop divine insight into the situations which we face and experience.
One relevant thing we learn about wisdom is that, as with all things in God, we do not just have to fi nd wisdom on our own. God reaches out to us with wisdom and it is ours as we diligently seek Him. Proverbs 8:1-11 tells us how intently wisdom seeks us as we seek it: “Does not wisdom call out? Does
not understanding raise her voice? On
the heights along the way, where the
paths meet, she takes her stand; beside
the gates leading into the city, at the
entrances, she cries aloud: ‘To you, O
men, I call out; I raise my voice to all
mankind. You who are simple, gain
prudence; you who are foolish, gain un-
derstanding. Listen, for I have worthy
things to say; I open my lips to speak
what is right. My mouth speaks what is
true, for my lips detest wickedness. All
the words of my mouth are just; none of
them is crooked or perverse. To the dis-
cerning all of them are right; they are
faultless to those who have knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold, for
wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare
with her.’” (NIV) It’s apparent that if we can only seek one thing from God, we need to seek greater wisdom because discovering wisdom leads us to a more
choices leads us to a better way and quality of life. Tired of all that old junk you keep carrying around? Try wisdom!
A fourth reason for the importance of wisdom is because wisdom displays maturity. Immature believers demand a great amount of time and attention to their needs. In the beginning, this is un-derstandable, as new believers require teaching, support, and understanding from those around them as they begin to grow in the faith. This should begin to change, however, as believers grow and develop wisdom and insight in their faith. Individuals who are excessively immature after years in the faith are a drain to other believers and become a negative witness. Wisdom provides us the stability to be consistent in our belief and grow in our faith despite our circumstances.
An unwise ageFoolishness and folly are often spo-ken to be the enemies of wisdom. It’s no surprise to look around today and note that most people do not employ wisdom as they should, thus rendering an age of foolishness and folly. Improper decisions, poor judgment, and indecent behavior all demonstrate a total lack of wisdom among most of our society.
As spoken of earlier, many people simply do not want to take the time to develop wisdom and accept responsibility for making wise choices. The truth is that whether or not the foolish become wise, they remain accountable for their choic-es; the results for such choices, however, are quite diff erent when the foolish refuse wisdom. Proverbs 8:35-36 makes the following truth come alive: “For
whoever fi nds me fi nds life and receives
favor from the LORD. But whoever
fails to fi nd me harms himself; all who
hate me love death.” (NIV) Destruction awaits those who live by foolishness and deny wisdom!
It can be diffi cult for those who work in developing wisdom to watch others ex-ercise such poor choices. It is especially hard when the consequences of others’ poor choices can aff ect the wise nega-tively. It is also diffi cult to watch indi-viduals reap the consequences of living foolishly who we care about. The truth, however, is that even amidst this
(Continued on page 16)
profound level of faith and living.
Why is wisdom so impor-tant?One may inquire as to why the obtain-ing of wisdom is so essential. As wisdom is described as being better than rubies in Proverbs 8, we can see it has an immeasurable strength, purpose, and value. But why is wisdom so relevant? Isn’t it better to not know things than to look with observation and have to make decisions and choices about things?
Many people today adopt the mental-ity that wisdom is simply not worth the hassle. Wisdom leads to knowing which leads to responsibility and too many do not want to deal with the hassle of having to make wise decisions and be responsible for actions. Such an end reaps destruction and negative life. As believers, we know wisdom is a part of God’s design for an abundant life in Him. What are the reasons why wisdom is so important in the life of a believer?
The fi rst reason is because wisdom helps us to know God and understand the ways of God better. While we will never come to a point were we fully under-stand God and His ways, wisdom sets us on a path where our choices refl ect our desire to know God deeply.
As part of the fi rst reason, the second ties in: wisdom is relevant because we are representatives of the goodness, love, mercy, and truth of God. If God acts in wisdom, surely part of our repre-sentation to the world must be a wise-style of living and spiritual presentation.
A third reason why wisdom is so impor-tant is because wisdom leads to a better life. So often people’s negative choices result from a lack of applied wisdom. When we don’t learn from God, we don’t learn from our circumstances. If we want to draw on the strength of God and stop repeating choices, behaviors, family patterns, old decisions, and nega-tive ways of thinking and living, we need to learn about the precepts of wisdom to make better choices. Making better
If we can only seek one thing from God, we If we can only seek one thing from God, we need to seek greater wisdom because discovering need to seek greater wisdom because discovering wisdom leads us to a more profound level of faith wisdom leads us to a more profound level of faith
and living.and living.
Ask The ApostleWhat does a covering do? Th e word “covering” is most oft en used to describe someone’s leader within the mod-ern church. It is usually used within the con-text of a church pastor, a person to whom one is spiritually accountable, a leader for a leader (such as an apostle), or someone who instructs someone and trains them for their purpose in the faith. Simply put, a covering is someone’s primary leader to whom they consider themselves accountable.
Th ere are many diff erent concepts of cov-ering. Some people think a covering is a spiritual parent to them. Some go beyond the realm of the Spirit and exert a lot of natural control and advice over them as well. Some people see it as a ceremonial role, more about credentials and obligation than anything else. Th ere are still some who don’t believe covering is necessary. A lot of people trip up over the word because the word itself is not found in the Bible as to refer to a human being. Some people call a covering their leader, some people call it their pastor or apostle, others just call the individual by their fi rst name. For the sake of the question, I am not going to debate the term “covering” and its accuracy be-cause no matter what one calls their leader, we need to understand what that individual is supposed to do.
Th ere are diff erent types of covering. A pastor’s covering is very diff erent from an apostle’s covering, for obvious reasons: an apostle is specifi cally working to train up leaders in the church, whereas a pastor is working with new believers and helping to maintain faith of church members not in leadership. A pastor’s work with a con-gregation seeks to meet a diff erent need than an apostle, who is either preparing or overseeing individuals for ministry. Th ese diff erences have a lot to do with specifi c functions of covering and the intent and purposing of the covering within your life.
Generally speaking, a covering is a leader. It is someone who seeks to help you get where you need to be in God. A covering is typi-cally experienced in their area of ministry, and has a certain sense and understanding to see where you are and where you need to get to be where God can release all you are to do for Him in your life. Coverings teach, off er spiritual guidance and some-times even practical guidance, and seek to form relationships with those they cover. In a certain sense, a covering is a friend who
is still an authority in your life. Th ey support and listen, they are someone who you can trust, and who seeks your good.
Coverings also act in the role of spiritual dis-ciplinarians. Th is doesn’t manifest in a spirit of power and control, but through the guid-ance and limits placed on the relationship. For example, if someone is called to a preach-ing ministry, a covering guides the individual through that process. If for some reason the person is not ready to preach publicly, the covering addresses that issue in the individu-al’s life. In many cases, a person’s covering is their primary trainer (at least for a time) and instructor in where they need to go or be in their walk or ministry.
A good covering understands their primary role to instill accountability and order within an individual. Th is is not about control, but about helping a person understand they are accountable before God, the assembly, and others for their words, teachings, actions, writings, and decisions within a ministry or preaching setting. Accountability is essen-tial because it teaches a minister, especially a minister coming up in training, about re-sponsibility. Being in ministry is not just about doing a job right, it is about bringing in souls for the Kingdom and training them for eternity. Accountability is a powerful thing because we must be prepared to answer if we have done wrong, and how to handle people who think we are wrong even when we have done right.
Instilling order is also essential to covering because we live in a very disordered world.
A proper minister of the Lord knows it is not always their turn to be in the spot-light, to speak, or to be the main leader. Order teaches a minister about authority, the proper use of it, and how to be a good leader by understanding what it means to be a follower. Order reminds us we are not alone in what we do; we function in our ministries by participating in the fi ve-fold ministry, not trying to go at ministry off all alone. Order reminds us of God’s system; that God does things by process; and every one of us in God’s system of order needs to step up and fi nd our place within that or-der so as to remain connected to the Body of Christ in all decency and holiness.
Being a covering is a monumental task. It is especially diffi cult in today’s church cli-mate that allows permissiveness and disor-der. As hard as it is to submit to a leader, so too it is hard to cover as a leader. A good covering cares about those they cover and genuinely seeks the best for them. It is hard to see those we’ve cared about and prayed for turn from God or turn onto a path that will take them far away from God. It’s not easy to create structured in-struction, plans, teaching, education, and invest so much time in individuals. It can also be very frustrating, especially today, to get people to cooperate.
Selecting a covering occurs by God’s draw-ing. We are led to those who are to be our leaders as God brings us together with them. Some coverings work with us for a long time, and some walk for a short time. All coverings leave their mark, both good and bad, as helping us to become better leaders in our own calling and walk with God.
It’s important we surround ourselves with people who seek our best and who also seek the Kingdom of God. Our covering is the meeting between the two: the individual who wants us to be better not just for our own personal edifi cation, but so that we can be of benefi t to God and God’s people. All the puffi ng up in the world doesn’t pre-pare someone for true Kingdom service. It is my prayer we will all grow to appreciate the good coverings out there who help us along as Kingdom participants.
(Do you have a question you want to ask Apostle Dr. Lee Ann? Send it to us at let-
Think you know the location of diff erent Bible events? Take the challenge and fi nd out!
1. The Armenians migrated from this place to Syria ______________________________
2. A city of Macedonia named after Philip the Great _____________________________
3. An Israelite encampment in the desert east of Jebel Harien _____________________
4. A lowland town assigned to the tribe of Judah, then to Simeon __________________
5. A place on the border of Edom where the wandering Israelites encamped _____________________________
6. A town of Lycia where Paul changed ships on his way to Rome __________________
7. The capital city of Assyria located east of the Tigris River ________________________
8. An ancient ruin on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea where several ancient scrolls were discovered in 1947 _____________________________________________
9. A town in the extreme southern portion of Judah, captured by Joshua ____________
10. A city near Baal-Hazor, probably the same as a city with the same title near the wil-derness _____________________________________
11. A city in the mountainous district of Judah, probably modern el-Bireh (SHAMIR)
12. A town in upper Egypt where an amazing fi nd of ancient Coptic scriptures were found in 1945 _____________________________________
Thy Word Is A Lamp
Psalm 22: The Dark Night Of The Soul, Part 3 (Verses 11-15)Within the dark night of the soul comes a deep awareness of sin and sinful-ness. During this time, sin is obvious. A person deep in the dark night of the soul expresses regret for what they have done, aware of the wrongs they have committed to others because of the sins committed toward them. The world may seem a dark and daunting place because the true evidence of sin is everywhere, encompassing, seemingly impossible to overcome. As negative as this may sound, it’s not really a negative place: it is an awareness, an awakening, that points the individual toward God. The individual within the dark night of the soul recognizes the true saving power of God to save. We can’t save ourselves and we cannot overcome without Him.
Sometimes in this world we get very de-pendent in thinking we need other peo-ple. It is true that no man is an island, and that God has created us for relation-ship with one another. It is also true that sin has created discord, dissonance, and disunity among people. Whether we like to deal with it or not, we have to make choices about people who are in our lives. The awareness of sinfulness that surrounds us sometimes stands as a powerful and intense reminder that it’s a good idea to take inventory of who is around us, who is in our lives, and what infl uence those people may be having on us. If we step back and can honestly say there is none to help us, why are we surrounding ourselves with such peo-ple? Sometimes what we go through is so deeply personal we can’t be helped, but what does it mean to truly step back and say there are none to sup-port what we are going through? It means it’s time to unite with God and allow Him to draw people into our lives who will be supportive, even if they don’t understand. Even during the dark night, they may not get what we go through, but they will still lift us up in prayer, recogniz-ing God is the One Who can truly be
of help. (verse 11)
The use of simile literary comparison gives us a powerful image of the experi-ence of the dark night of the soul. This is especially important for people who have yet to experience this intense period of time. If something can go wrong, it goes wrong. If someone can turn their back, they turn their back. Attacks come from people you would never suspect. It seems as if the whole world is against you. The dark night of the soul can have physical complica-tions as well as emotional and spiritual complications. The dark night of the soul is, overall, a diffi cult time for the person who goes through it. This clarifi es for us the connection between spiritual and natural events: what goes on in the spiritual realm manifests in the natural realm. All the things happening during the dark night of the soul repre-sent spiritual forces and things going on in the spiritual realm.
This is most eff ectively portrayed in Christ’s death on the cross. It was a time of overwhelming awareness of sin, death, and the consequences for sin. The enemies of Christ and their casual way of rallying for His death represents the forces of death and hell as the enemies of God, working against God and His people. Yet even in Christ, we see the dark night of the soul is not the end. While our enemies may laugh on Friday, we know Sunday is coming, as is a time of overcoming. The dark night of the soul is not permanent, or is it the end. There is victory in going through and reaching the other side. The catch is that we must persevere through the battle to get there. (verses 12-15)
Scripture TriviaStudies in the book of Psalms
DID YOU KNOW...Th e residents of Jerusalem tore • down their houses to reinforce the walls of Jerusalem against the Assyrians
Th e dry bones in Ezekiel’s vi-• sion represented the house of Israel
Hosea’s third child was named • “Loammi” to signify that many in Israel were no longer God’s people
Ezekiel learned of Jerusalem’s • capture by a messenger
Jacob dreamed of a ladder that • reached to heaven
Elijah lived by the brook Cher-• ith
Samson gave a riddle during his • wedding feast
Th e sick and dying Hezekiah • placed fi gs on his boils, which led to his recovery
Peter and John were headed to • the temple when they met the crippled man at the gate called Beautiful
Zion is another name used for • Jerusalem in the Bible
Paul strived to preach the • Gospel where Christ was not known
Instead of obeying God, Jonah • fl ed to Tarshish
When the Jebusites lived in Je-• rusalem, it was known as Jebus
Wellness And The Word
Cool CuminCumin is a fl owering plant native fr om the east Mediterranean to east India. In its ground form, it is used in the cuisines of many diff erent cultures. It is the dried seed of the herb cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. Th e seed resembles caraway seeds, oblong in shape, ridged, and yellow-brown in color. Cumin has been used since ancient times. Seeds have been found and dated back to 2 millennium B.C. It is mentioned in both the New and Old Testaments. It was also known in ancient Greece and Rome. Th e Greeks kept it on the dining table in its own container. Its seeds are used as a spice for its distinct aroma. It comes ground or in seed form and we fi nd it used in soups, stews, cur-ries, and chili. Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world, second to black pepper. It was introduced to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese colonists.Cumin is believed to have health ben-efi ts. It is rich in iron, has antioxidant properties, helps to improve memory loss, improves digestive function, helps with colds and respiratory infections, and when combined with caraway seeds and black salt, is eff ective for kidney health. It is also helpful to facilitate healthy metabolism. Cumin is used where food abundant in spices is preferred. We see it in India,
Middle Eastern, Mexican, Portuguese, and Spanish cooking. It is an ingredient of most curry powders. It gives a tang to plain rice, beans, and cakes. It is quite varied in its uses. It is used to spice cheeses, as a pickling ingredient for cabbage and sauerkraut, and cumin together with caraway fl avors the famous German liquor, Kummel and the Indian drink, zerratani (made fr om cumin and tamarind). Talk about variety! I’m sure with a little research you can fi nd a dish to try with this incredibly versatile spice. Open up your world to fl avors and benefi ts of cumin! (Contributed by Nina B. Marino, RN, LNC)
Cumin recipesBroken Thermostat Curry
(Recipe courtesy allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped•
5 medium carrots, peeled and • chopped
2 teaspoons butter•
2 teaspoons olive oil•
2 cloves garlic, minced•
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes•
2 cups water•
Contributed this month by Nina B. Marino, RN, LNC and Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.D.
1 medium yam, peeled and diced•
7 small red potatoes, cubed•
2 cups caulifl ower fl orets•
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder•
2 teaspoons curry powder•
1 teaspoon ground cumin•
1/4 teaspoon garam masala•
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper•
1 teaspoon red pepper fl akes•
Puree the onion and carrots in a food processor or blender until fi nely ground. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic until fragrant and lightly browned. Pour in the carrot puree, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour in diced tomatoes, water, yam, red potatoes, and caulifl ower. Season with turmeric, curry powder, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and red pep-per fl akes. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
Cumin-Coriander Pork Rub
(Recipe courtesy allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons kosher salt•
2 tablespoons ground coriander•
6 tablespoons ground cumin•
4 tablespoons hot chili powder•
1 tablespoon paprika•
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice•
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black • pepper
Combine the kosher salt, coriander, cumin, chili powder, paprika, allspice, and black pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.
To use, rub 1 tablespoon per serv-ing onto the meat of your choice before grilling or cooking as desired.
Watch On The WorldExamining current social, political, and religious events
US autoworker convicted over nazi death
camps
Retired U.S. autoworker John Demjanjuk was convicted of thousands of counts of acting as an accessory to murder at a Nazi death camp and sentenced on Thursday to fi ve years in prison, a groundbreaking ver-dict that closed one chapter in a decades-long legal battle.
Judges ordered him released pending ap-peal, on the ground that he did not pose a fl ight risk.
Demjanjuk was found guilty of 28,060 counts of being an accessory to murder, one for each person who died during the time he was ruled to have been a guard at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Presiding Judge Ralph Alt said the 91-year-old was a piece of the Nazis’ “machinery of destruction.”
“The court is convinced that the defendant ... served as a guard at Sobibor from 27 March 1943 to mid-September 1943,” Alt said, closing a trial that lasted nearly 18 months.
Demjanjuk sat in a wheelchair in front of the judges as they announced their verdict, but showed no reaction. He has denied the charges, but declined the op-portunity to make a fi nal statement to the court.
Demjanjuk’s son, John Demjanjuk Jr., asserted that “the Germans have built a house of cards and it will not stand for long.”
Alt later ordered that Demjanjuk be freed during his appeal — a process that is likely to take six months or more — though it wasn’t clear when exactly he would leave the prison.
Such a release is not unusual in Germany, and Alt said Demjanjuk did not pose a fl ight risk because of his advanced age, poor health and the fact that the defen-dant, deported from the U.S. two years ago, is stateless. The costs of Demjanjuk’s two lawyers are being shouldered by Ger-man authorities, who routinely pay the legal costs of low-income defendants.
Alt told The Associated Press that meant there were “no grounds” to hold him. “It’s the law, and so it’s justice,” he added. “I say he’s guilty, but it’s not a fi nal verdict.”
Demjanjuk is not allowed to leave Ger-many. Alt said that the issue of whether or not Demjanjuk died in a German jail had “nothing to do” with the decision.
Defense attorney Guenther Maull said it wasn’t yet clear where Demjanjuk would go once he is freed, but he was likely to live with members of the Ukrainian com-munity in Munich. The court noted that Demjanjuk, who suff ers from a variety of ailments, needs daily medical attention.
Charges of accessory to murder carry a maximum term of 15 years in Germany, which does not allow consecutive sen-tences for multiple counts of the same crime.
There was no evidence that Demjanjuk committed a specifi c crime. The pros-ecution was based on the theory that if Demjanjuk was at the camp, he was a participant in the killing — the fi rst time
such a legal argument has been made in German courts.
Thomas Walther, who led the investiga-tion that prompted Germany to prosecute Demjanjuk, said before the verdict that other low-ranking Nazi helpers could now face prosecution.
“It could be very soon that more are brought to the table,” he said. “This case is a door-opener.”
Integral to the prosecution’s case was an SS identity card that allegedly shows a picture of a young Demjanjuk, and indicates he trained at the SS Trawniki camp and was posted to Sobibor.
Though court experts said the card ap-pears genuine, the defense maintains it is a fake produced by the Soviet KGB.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Offi ce of Special Investigations also has said the card is genuine, but documents unearthed by The Associated Press indicate that the FBI at one time had doubts similar to those aired by Demjanjuk’s defense about the evidence — though the material was never turned over to them.
Rudolf Salomon Cortissos, whose mother was gassed at Sobibor along with thou-sands of other Dutch Jews, cried softly in a back row of the courtroom, wiping his tears with a white handkerchief.
Miss Nancy’s words had always been magical. She was the one whom Josh considered his best teacher. Her friendly smile was the best feature on her face, and the amiable part of her personality was from being an active member of the church.
Josh’s father was his only parent, as his mother died in an accident when he was two years old. Despite all the hardships, Josh’s father tried his best to bring him up in a spiritual environment. Luckily, he succeeded. Josh was not only growing physically, but also spiritually.
“God has decorated this universe with diff erent colors. Each color speaks to us. It wants us to understand the purpose of its presence there.” She amazed the ten-year old children.
“Miss Nancy, none of the col-ors spoke to me!” Jess replied with innocence and everyone started laughing.
“God has given you eyes to see, ears to listen, and a heart to understand. It’s YOU who has to use this power,” She answered Jess.
“Listen kids, lets fi nd out the “language of colors.”
“Miss Nancy! Are you telling us to fi nd what each color represents?” she was interrupted by Sam.
With an enchanting smile on her face she said,“ Sam! You will be the one to fi nd what they say to you.”
“Its crazy, Miss Nancy!” Ruth screamed. “Well. I’d llike you to be crazy to learn this,” Miss Nancy said to calm her. “Now kids, this is your project and you have to submit it after four days.”
Suddenly bell rang and everyone rushed towards the cafeteria.
That evening, Josh waited for his
The Language Of ColorsBy Hina Saleem father to discuss the project as he
wanted it to be the best. When his father came, he was eager to take his guidance, but unfortunately his father informed him that he would be leaving for four days. He was disap-pointed and while leaving, Dad said to him one thing: “Josh I know that I’m leaving and you need me but I guess you remember that there is one Father Who always remains with you, who never leaves you not even for a moment and from Whom your perfect
help comes… Ask HIM and He will grant you Nations. I want you to seek your assistance from Him.”
Josh’s little eyes were trying to see depth of his father’s eyes, his little ears were listening, and his little heart was trying to understand.
His father left, and he came to his room. On the wall, along with his mom’s picture, hung the image of Jesus’ crucifi xion. He knelt down and his lips uttered, “Father Lord! Dad says, You are my strength Who will guide me. I am the blessed child for whom you always choose best, so I need your help in my project. I ask everything in Jesus’ name. Amen”
The next two days, Josh was very restless. He was trying to listen every word from colors, but colors were not speaking to him. He increased his prayer time, but nothing happened. His small mind couldn’t fi gured out if
his Heavenly father had also gone on some meeting.
After class, Miss Nancy called him. “Josh, is there anything that is disturbing you?” Josh burst into tears and hugged Miss Nancy as if he was waiting for such aff ec-tion. “Miss Nancy, Dad left for meeting. There is no one who can help me in my project and Father God must also be in meeting; that’s why He is not answer-ing me. I asked Him to let me hear the language of colors. The purpose of their presence there but.....”
Miss Nancy wiped out his tears, “ Father God never leaves you, Josh. He wants you to learn. Sometimes answers are in
front of us, but we overlook them. Jesus is with you and He will help you and for my part, take this paper with you. I have written some as-sociations of colors for you.”
Josh was consoled by her words. He went to his room and again stared at Jesus’ image. “Sometimes answers are in front of us but we overlook them” these words echoed in his mind.
“Jesus is with me,” his small heart assured him. He stared at the image for a long time and read the page given by Miss Nancy.
It read:
Red is the color of energy, war, danger,
strength, power, and determination as well as passion, desire, and love. The red color of blood in the image of Jesus spoke to him, “I am your energy, your constant victory over the war with Satan, if you go away from me you are in great danger. Your strength only comes if you hide yourselves in me. I give you deter-
mination and passion to serve the Lord. I abolish your worldly desires and love you more than anything”.
He moved to the next line on the paper.
Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. The wound around Jesus’ chest gave off an orange shade, and at once the color talked to him: “I appeared to give you happiness. The happiness of eternal life.
Josh hurried to see the next color.
(Continued on Page 17)
Apostle Dr. Lee Ann’s ScheduleApostle Dr. Lee Ann’s ScheduleJune 2011 June 2011 2nd and 4th Sundays, 10 AM2nd and 4th Sundays, 10 AM - Apostolic Fellowship Service @ our North - Apostolic Fellowship Service @ our North Carolina headquarters Carolina headquarters Mandatory study for all available spiritual sons and daughters via tele Mandatory study for all available spiritual sons and daughters via tele conference, optional lecture credit for Apostolic University students: conference, optional lecture credit for Apostolic University students: 1 (218) 548-0975, passcode: 955321# 1 (218) 548-0975, passcode: 955321# Wednesdays, 11:00 AM EST - Wednesdays, 11:00 AM EST - Power For Today on The Winds of Change Radio, Power For Today on The Winds of Change Radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday (30 minutes) www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday (30 minutes)Fridays, 11:00 AM ESTFridays, 11:00 AM EST - Power For Today on Apostolic University Radio, www. - Power For Today on Apostolic University Radio, www. blogtalkradio.com/apostolicuniversity (30 minutes) blogtalkradio.com/apostolicuniversity (30 minutes)Last Sunday of the Month, 11 PM EST Last Sunday of the Month, 11 PM EST - The Winds of Change Live program on - The Winds of Change Live program on The Winds of Change Radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday The Winds of Change Radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday (30 minutes) (30 minutes)June 1June 1- Power For Today Magazine available online (www.powerforto - Power For Today Magazine available online (www.powerforto day.org, powerfortoday.magcloud.com, issuu.com/powerfortoday) and day.org, powerfortoday.magcloud.com, issuu.com/powerfortoday) and by email distribution. by email distribution. June 4 June 4 - Prophetic Conference 2011: Sons of the Prophets- Prophetic Conference 2011: Sons of the Prophets House of David Worship Center House of David Worship Center Corridor Business Park, 714 Montana Drive, Suite J Corridor Business Park, 714 Montana Drive, Suite J Charlotte, North Carolina, 7:30 PM Charlotte, North Carolina, 7:30 PM For more information, contact Apostle Fairey at 1 (704) 615-4534 For more information, contact Apostle Fairey at 1 (704) 615-4534June 11 - School of Knowledge, Spiritual Life Empowerment Worship CenterJune 11 - School of Knowledge, Spiritual Life Empowerment Worship Center 1500 East Palmetto Street, Florence, South Carolina, 4 PM - 6 PM 1500 East Palmetto Street, Florence, South Carolina, 4 PM - 6 PM For more information, contact Apostle Dr. Brown at 1 (843) 409-8773 For more information, contact Apostle Dr. Brown at 1 (843) 409-8773June 18 - Soaking in the Latter Rain, Spiritual Life Empowerment Worship June 18 - Soaking in the Latter Rain, Spiritual Life Empowerment Worship Center, 1500 East Palmetto Street, Florence, South Carolina, 6:30 PM Center, 1500 East Palmetto Street, Florence, South Carolina, 6:30 PM For more information, contact Apostle Marino at 1 (919) 397-9122 For more information, contact Apostle Marino at 1 (919) 397-9122
Interview with Elana Watson, Part 2
By Apostle Dr. Rebecca MichaelRebecca Michael says- What is your own musical background and training?
Elana Watson says- I studied fl ute, singing, violin, drumming and many forms of dance. My teachers were generally people living in Jerusa-lem from various places around the world...probably my Russian Ballet teacher made a big impact on me as she was hard on me but it was good. My mother taught me a lot as well. She is a very accomplished singer, violinist and composer of 100’s of songs...Jehovah Jireh is her most well known one...I Like He that Keepeth Israel a lot...could be one of the songs I will record soon...
Rebecca Michael says- Do you also teach and train students in music? If so like what and where could someone contact you for lessons?
Elana Watson says- I have taught many ages in many places and yes I love to teach. I concentrate fi rst on making a good student...seeing how to reach them and fi nding out where their heart lies.. So many people are out of touch with their hearts...mu-sic is again, a powerful tool to heal, teach and reveal...also you could call this “therapy.”
Rebecca Michael says- Can you tell me about the CDs and perfor-mances that led up to now?
Elana Watson says- Well my perfor-mance career highlight was singing with the Toronto Philharmonic Or-chestra and few years ago...sold out 3 nights and sang George Gershwin songs. I have sung here for a while with the Bruce James Orchestra...but the truth be told...I like to do
original events and in the freedom of my expression.
Rebecca Michael says- You have a new album out soon. Can you tell me something about this- how you came up with it- the process of making it- where we can obtain a copy of it etc?
Elana Watson says- You can send me a friend request and I will be posting sound bites up on my face-book page and on youtube. Please visit my music videos there...some are funny!...my website is down at the moment...could be another metamorphosis happening.
Rebecca Michael says- Is there anything you would like to men-tion or discuss that is not men-tioned here yet?
Elana Watson says- What the heck has happened to America??? You are in a deep pitiful slumber...ripe for the pickin’ I’d say...
Rebecca Michael says- Oh Yeah- that‘s for sure- lots of folks are awakening to the globalist agenda all around the globe and not just in Americas-- Wake up folks! Elana- Will you be per-forming locally? Do you have a fan page, website and contact info so we can keep up with what you are up to regularly?
Elana Watson says - Email: [email protected] and on my facebook page.
Rebecca Michael says- Can you tell me how being a Christian since your youth has shaped your life as an artist and as a musician?
(Continued on Page 19)
Smooth As GlassBy Prophetess Nina B. Marino, RN, LNC
for me again. I called him on Sunday afternoon and he agreed to help me fi x the sink. On Monday, he called me at work, came to my offi ce, took my house key, drove to my home, fi xed the sink, and put the key under the plant on the porch. The sink was fi xed. Once again, smooth as glass, with its total ef-fortlessness on my part. He discovered that the last person had reconnected the entire fi xture backward. He is not only a good, honest man, he knows what he is doing and he is trustworthy.
So now you have the two stories for the purpose of comparison. So how are things going in your life? Are you able to wait on God before plunging ahead with the situations that pop up in your life? Are you connected to the Master so you can hear His voice or see the signs He is sending you? And don’t give me that, “I’ll do this and God will provide for it.” Seek Him fi rst, and then go ahead. Don’t go forward without His direction and word. Stop strug-gling. If you are connected, you will know when things are right. Please, don’t waste His time by waiting to fi nd out what color car you should get. How about - can you really aff ord the car without going into debt? Maybe you won’t have to stop to fi x a blowout times one, times two, or times three. Things will go as smooth as glass. Ask me, I know!
I recently watched a TV show about a family who literally fl ed from their home in the middle of the night. It was a large group of people and required the use of several vehicles. They were actually fl eeing their home in fear of some pending legal issues. The caravan barely made it one mile when one of the four vehicles blew a tire. They were able to fi nd a tire shop and replace the fl at tire and were, once again, on their way. They had barely driven another few miles when anoth-er one of their vehicles (a diff erent one) blew a tire. It was at this time I had a very uncomfortable feeling. Could it be God was sending them a message? Could it be that the decisions they had chosen were not in accordance with His will? The journey from its inception had been increasingly diffi cult. Now, really - two fl at tires in a row? They managed to fi x the second tire, and were on their way again. They had been on the road several hours and had only gotten a few miles away from home. Then, the most unbelievably incredible incident occurred: a third tire on another vehicle had a blowout. Three fl at tires in about fi fteen miles! Surely, there was a message there somewhere. This time, all the stores were closed. They would have to wait until morning for the third fl at tire to be fi xed. By now, darkness had over-
taken the daylight. Both children and adults were stressed beyond normal limits. Could it possibly be the deci-sion to leave their home was man’s decision and not God ordained? Had God been consulted as to the solution to their problem? Had someone been listening for an answer?
For weeks I struggled with a leaky sink. The joint had come apart and, no matter what I did, I could not repair it. I did not know what to do, so I waited and dealt with bailing water for sev-eral weeks. I have struggled with this problem before. Numerous plumbers had tackled the problem, obviously, none of them solving the problem. This time, I waited. I was not sure how the answer would come, but I knew it would. It did come. I was mowing the lawn when suddenly I heard the name of the man who had helped me about seven months previously when my septic system broke down. I could not understand why I did not think of this man to help me with this problem, for he had certainly been sent by God before, and had made an incredibly diffi cult situation go as smooth as pos-sible. This man literally took over the task of preparation and execution of having my entire septic system redone. He was there for me and helped me ev-ery step of the way. Now once again, with God’s help, he would be there
Prophetess Nina B.
Marino, RN, LNC is a
Prophet of God and
the Overseer of the
Apostolic Fellow-
ship International
Ministries branch of-
fi ce in Oneonta, New
York. She is also a
Registered Nurse, and Legal Nurse Con-
sultant. To contact Prophetess Marino,
send an email to nmarinolnc@hotmail.
com.
History MakersCelebrating extraordinary women in history
The Language Of Colors (Continued fr om page 15)
Green symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. On the image, Jesus’ eyes were swollen and around one eye, there was a green color which addressed Josh: “I became visible here so that you can have growth in Lord . I gave you forever freshness. Others may die and produce a rotten smell, but my appearance here assures you of time-less freshness and fertility. Be happy because the King of Kings has given you ceaseless safety.”
Blue is the color of trust, wisdom, faith and truth. The blue color of Jesus’ wound conversed to Josh, “With me you got heavenly wisdom. I emerged so that your faith become stronger even to shake mountains. I made you acquainted with TRUTH.”
At once Josh had a glimpse of white, pure tear.
White is associated with goodness, in-
nocence, purity .It is considered to be the color of perfection. The white color whispered to him, “I become visible for your goodness. I made you pure and my innocence proved you innocent before God.. I made you PERFECT!”
A small twinkling tear fell from Josh’s eye as well. He was surrounded by a strange peace and he indeed knew he was a blessed child of God as he learned the perfect language of colors, or rightly to be called...
THE PERFECT LANGUAGE OF LIFE.
MaudeTh e 1972-1978 ground-breaking television show which fi nally gave voice to the power of a strong woman, Maude was the brainchild of Norman Lear. Th e role of Maude was roughly based on Norman Lear’s then wife, Frances. A spin-off of All In Th e Family, Maude (played by Bea Arthur) represented a new generation of women who broke out of stereotypical roles and moved forward toward independence and self-awareness. Th e controversial show addressed issues such as abortion, alcoholism, prescription drug use, spousal abuse, single-parenting, divorce, women’s liberation, self-awareness, and more, challenging the Ameri-can people to think diff erently about the stereotypical housewife and mother forever.
Despite its controversy, Maude addresses seri-ous problems which remain an issue for to-day’s audiences just as much as in the 1970s. With modern pushes against women’s libera-tion and women seeking identity outside of
the home, Maude shows forth the diffi culty in self-discovery, the importance of indepen-dence, in establishing strong relationships, learning to respect adult children and par-ents as adult human beings, and the hits and misses we have as we seek to discover who we are as individuals and what we believe. Not always neat and tidy, such self-discovery was portrayed accurately and with great humor.
We don’t just learn from Maude that self-discovery is important; we learn why it is important. We see the importance of being a whole person, and that we are never too old to become comfortable being who we are. Maude made it all right for strong women to be strong, for us to learn from our mistakes, and to put who we are out there in the hopes that we can fi nd ourselves in the process.
Quotable quote: “Th at’s a lovely speech, Wal-ter. Remind me when we have time to record it on tape so I can accidentally erase it.”
Hina Saleem is 24
years old and lives in
Lahore, Pakistan. She
currently works as an
English teacher in a
private school. She is
also an advisor of THE
GLORIOUS CHURCH OF
PAKISTAN. To contact
Hina, send an email to hinasaleem60@
gmail.com
Wisdom Cries Out(Continued from page 6)
foolish age, God has a plan for the wise to develop even more wisdom. In Eccle-siastes 7:24-25, we get a new insight into the discovery of wisdom: “Whatever
wisdom may be, it is far off and most
profound—who can discover it? So
I turned my mind to understand, to
investigate and to search out wisdom
and the scheme of things and to under-
stand the stupidity of wickedness and
the madness of folly.” (NIV) The philoso-pher of Ecclesiastes believed wisdom was too diffi cult to fi nd on its own, so he learned about it through observing wickedness and folly! By watching what not to do, he learned what to do. The same is true for us. Our purpose is not to be spirited out of the current age, but to continue to grow and gain wisdom by seeing examples all around us of folly and wickedness.
The example of SolomonWe know from Bible stories that Solo-mon was considered the wisest man who ever lived. What we don’t often consider is that Solomon’s birth did not occur under the wisest of circumstances. Solomon was the product of David’s relationship with Bathsheba after David had her fi rst husband killed. Likewise, the Bible shows Solomon’s ascent to the throne was not without its controversy. Solomon had a lot ahead of him to con-front and face as king, and he knew it. What was Solomon to seek to be a great king? 1 Kings 3:4-15 describes what he knew it would take to be great: “The
king went to Gibeon to off er sacrifi ces,
for that was the most important high
place, and Solomon off ered a thousand
burnt off erings on that altar. At Gibeon
the LORD appeared to Solomon during
the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask
for whatever you want me to give You.’
Solomon answered, ‘You have shown
great kindness to Your servant, my
father David, because he was faithful
to You and righteous and upright in
heart. You have continued this great
kindness to him and have given him a
son to sit on his throne this very day.
Now, O LORD my God, You have made
Your servant king in place of my father
David. But I am only a little child and do
not know how to carry out my duties.
Your servant is here among the people
individual Kingdom life we come to eff ect.
Recognizing the impor-tance of daily wisdomEvery one of us is given the same 24-hour period of time in a day. In that period of time, we all are given the same ability to seek God and live by wisdom. Psalm 90:12 provides us words to live by: “Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
(NIV) If we will only put God fi rst and seek His Kingdom, we will fi nd wisdom will abound in our lives. Wisdom doesn’t live far off in Tibet, or require hours of painful physical disciplines. As we num-ber our days, spending our time focused on that which is important and spend-ing less time on that which is not impor-tant, we come to develop better spiritual insights about our daily living and the choices we make. God has not made wisdom impossible to fi nd, nor has He made wisdom ridiculously impossible to obtain. If we truly seek to make a King-dom impact, we will fi nd wisdom seated in the heart of God. Wisdom will thus reveal itself to us as we live in the center of God’s will. Obedience remains key, as does spiritual discernment, in every situation we face.
Want to become wise? Be a radically obedient child of God, trusting Him in all things!
You have chosen, a great people, too
numerous to count or number. So give
Your servant a discerning heart to
govern Your people and to distinguish
between right and wrong. For who
is able to govern this great people
of Yours?’ The Lord was pleased that
Solomon had asked for this. So God
said to him, “Since you have asked for
this and not for long life or wealth for
yourself, nor have asked for the death
of your enemies but for discernment
in administering justice, I will do what
you have asked. I will give you a wise
and discerning heart, so that there will
never have been anyone like you, nor
will there ever be. Moreover, I will give
you what you have not asked for—
both riches and honor—so that in your
lifetime you will have no equal among
kings. And if you walk in My ways and
obey My statutes and commands as
David your father did, I will give you a
long life.’ Then Solomon awoke—and
he realized it had been a dream.” (NIV) Solomon’s heart was right - he had it set that he needed to be a wise and discern-ing leader to bring good leadership unto God’s people. We can see here that God also gave Solomon riches and honor as a result of his request for wisdom. God knew Solomon could be trusted with great things because wisdom was destined to be the foundation of his leadership.
What are you seeking God for? Many of us are seeking God for money, riches, fame, many followers, big churches, new cars, houses, and other things which are just that - things. The Bible does not tell us to seek after things, but after the Kingdom: “But seek fi rst His Kingdom
and His righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.”
(Matthew 6:33, NIV) Seeking wisdom is an essential part of seeking the Kingdom of God! Instead of seeking things, we need to seek more of the face of God and understand Him better, thus walk-ing in the precepts and truth of God in a greater way!
Solomon shows us the secret of impact-ing other lives does not lie in having a lot of assorted stuff , but in walking, living, and leading in wisdom. His is an ex-ample to raise up and consider as we go through our times and truly seek greater wisdom to handle every circumstance, deep question or thought, and every
Interview With Elana Watson, Part 2(Continued fr om Page 12)
Elana Watson says- What I believe is evident in what you hear from me.
Rebecca Michael says- Th anks so much for doing this interview for our online Magazine Elana- Yes indeed you are an exotic beauty in many ways. You Rock my friend and are amongst the fi nest musi-cians and artists I have ever come across personally! God bless you!
Hava Java Coff ee House~ Live Music ~
Saturdays 2:30– 5 p.m.Elana Watson and guest
artistsCoff ee, exotic music and
artistic creations!32530 Lougheed Hwy.,
Mission, B.C.604– 820-9621
I cannot believe that the pur-• pose of life is to be “happy.” I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter and to count, to stand for something, to have made some diff erence that you lived at all. - Leo C. RostenJoy can be real only if people • look upon their life as a ser-vice, and have a defi nite ob-ject in life outside themselves and their personal happiness. - Leo TolstoyModeration. Small helpings. • Sample a little bit of every-thing. Th ese are the secrets of happiness and good health. - Julia Child
It doesn’t matter how long • we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn’t matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years -- we turn on the light and it is illumi-nated. Once we control our capacity for love and happi-ness, the light has been turned on. - Sharon Salzberg No one is in control of your • happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. - Barbara de Angelis
Th oughts to help you through!
Apostle Dr. Rebecca
Michael is Apostle for
Phoenix Alive Christian
Ministries, Inc. in Maple
Ridge, BC. She has over
two decades in educa-
tion, mental health, and
many years experience
in ministry. She is also
an independent songwriter/producer,
publishing blues, rock, and Gospel. To
contact Apostle Dr. Rebecca, visit her
website at http://PhoenixHorizons.
webs.com.
“OK, write this: ‘Fred dead.’”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am; I forgot to tell you there’s a fi ve-word minimum.”
“Hmmph,” came the reply, “You certain-ly did forget to tell me that.” A moment of silence. “Got your pencil and paper?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“OK, print this: ‘Fred dead, Cadillac for sale.’ “
Radio And Internet BroadcastsPOWER FOR TODAY
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Wednesdays, 11 AM (EST), 30 minutes
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30 minutes
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
The Winds of Change Radio (Internet)
www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday
The last Sunday of the month,
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AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
The Winds of Change Radio (Internet)
www.blogtalkradio.com/powerfortoday
Starting July 2011
30 minutes
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UNIVERSITY
PRESENTS
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30 minutes
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Light For The Path You’re OnThe local newspaper funeral notice telephone operator received a phone call. A woman on the other end asked, “How much do funeral notices cost?”
