Feb

8

Another Miracle

By infowriter

After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever, so they promptly told Jesus about her. He went up to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began serving them. When evening came, after the sun had set, people started bringing to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons. In fact, the whole city gathered at the door. He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. However, he wouldn’t allow the demons to speak because they knew who he was. In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place and prayed there. Simon and his companions searched diligently for him. When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you.” He said to them, “Let’s go to the neighboring towns so that I can preach there, too. For that is why I came out here.” So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Looking through the Gospel text this week I was reminded of the story of the priest who gets pulled over by a policeman after running a red light, and when the window is wound down, the officer is immediately confronted with the smell of alcohol emanating from the car!

“Have you been drinking, Father?” the policeman asks. “Not a drop”, the priest replies.

“Well … would you mind telling me what you’ve got in that flask”, the policeman asks. “Ah … that would be water”, says the priest.

The policeman picks up the flask, opens it and sniffs it. “I believe this is whiskey, Father”, says the policeman.

“Mother of God!” says the priest, “Another miracle!”

And as I read through the Gospel reading today I find myself making the same response: ‘Another miracle!’

We’re actually only in the first chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark, and yet already we have been confronted with a whole series of miracles!

No sooner had Jesus entered the synagogue to teach than he was confronted by a wild, crazy man, screaming out at him, and Jesus healed the man.

And within a day of that event, or so it seems, everybody who is sick or possessed is crowding around Jesus, and Jesus is healing them of their illnesses and driving out demons, and the activity becomes all-consuming, though the irony is that Jesus seems to be engaging in the whole process a little reluctantly!

We sense a degree of frustration, I think, with Jesus early on, as He tries to quieten the testimonies of the possessed – “You are the Holy One of God!” – lest the whole thing get out of hand. And yet it does get out of hand, and Jesus seems frustrated by the hordes that press on him. It appears that He wants people to listen to what He has to say, and not just to get carried away with His miracles or His mysterious identity.

This is made quite explicit at the end of our reading today, where we see Jesus, having escaped from the crowds that were pursuing him to a ‘lonely place’ (vs.35), telling His disciples that it’s time to move on.

“Let’s go to the neighbouring towns so that I can preach there, too. For that is why I came out here.” (vs.38)

And it seems that Jesus, after having taken some time to think things through, realises that His priority has to be spreading His word of hope about the new world coming. The great well of human need that He sees round about him is, it seems, a distraction that threatens to divert Him from His real work.

Surely there were any number of others who could take up the task of healing the sick. Jesus must focus on spreading the word, “for that is why I came out”!

As I say, there is a fair degree of irony in this because despite Jesus’ words, He never actually acts in accordance with His own pronouncement!

Perhaps indeed the ordinary needs of ordinary human beings are a distraction from the greater work of spreading the Gospel, but if so, Jesus seemed to consistently allow Himself to be distracted!

So many people come to him, we are told, that there isn’t room at the door, and yet we don’t see Jesus standing up and saying, “Look! I want everybody to put their physical issues on hold for a moment. I have some things I’d like to say.”

No! There is a well of human misery surrounding Jesus as He begins His ministry, and Jesus wades right into it!

Jesus does not detach Himself. He allows Himself to be distracted. He reaches out. He heals. He liberates both the infirmed and the possessed, and He does so knowing full well that this is detracting from the work that He was sent to do, but He does it anyway!

Yes, at the end of the day he creates some distance for Himself and He decides that it’s time to focus on preaching, and yet the immediate follow-on from this pronouncement is that a person afflicted with leprosy finds Jesus and asks for help.

And Jesus doesn’t say, “Not now, buddy! I’ve got other things I need to be doing. At least wait until the end of the sermon!” On the contrary, St Mark records that Jesus was ‘moved with compassion’ for the man (vs.41), and so He healed him. And so the pattern of preaching AND healing (where there always seems to be a lot more healing than preaching) continues!

Now that story of the man with leprosy is in next week’s reading, I think, and I don’t want to snatch the thunder from next week’s sermon, so perhaps I should focus on the main healing that is dealt with in this week’s story – namely, the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law – a healing that I must say has to be one of the least spectacular healing stories ever recorded in any of the four Gospels!

It is preceded by the healing of the crazy demoniac and proceeded by the story of the man with leprosy, and it seems like a rather innocuous example to focus on relative to those two!

We are told that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever, but there is no suggestion there that it was life-threatening. It may have been, of course, or she may have just had a slight touch of the flu!

It does make you wonder why the Gospel writer chose to include this particular incident when it does seem to detract from the action-packed nature of the adventure that’s unfolding.

Was it just that the Gospel writer and his first readers all knew Peter’s mother-in-law personally? If so, it’s a bit of a surprise that she doesn’t receive a name in the story!

Some scholars suggest that there is a movement in the story of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law that is archetypal for the process of discipleship.

As you read the narrative, you do feel that movement:

• Jesus goes to her

• He takes her by the hand

• He lifts her up

• She is healed!

And it’s almost like a dance that Jesus and the woman are sharing in together, where Jesus leads the dance but where, you will notice, the woman makes the final move, for we are told that no sooner has she been healed than she begins to ‘serve’ Jesus – literally, to ‘wait on Him’ but the implication being that she has now become a disciple, and so the dance of love and healing and service will continue!

I’m sure this story has deliberately been framed to encapsulate this movement, as a sort of template for discipleship. Even so, there’s no reason the Gospel writer could not have overlaid that template on any number of other more spectacular healing stories too

My guess is that Mark deliberately included this story of the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, in all its ordinariness, simply because it is so ordinary, and hence so familiar!

We see healings like this all the time, don’t we? We are often involved in healings like this, are we not?

It may be that you, like me, have seen a handful of spectacular healings and/or exorcisms in your time, but for the most part it is these little miracles that we are familiar with, and perhaps part of the point of this passage is that little miracles are still miracles, and the fact that they are small and familiar does not mean that they are unimportant!

I think of all the little miracles I’ve been privileged to be the beneficiary of over the years – not normally directly from the hand of Jesus, but more often through the healing touch of one of Jesus’ people.

I think back to the time when I was struggling with depression, trying to survive my own family breakdown many years ago. And I remember all the little acts of healing that took place back then – the little miracle of a friend who would sit up with me and share a beer with me and let me talk until I was able to go to sleep.

We’ve been remembering the lives of dear old Margaret and Thelma today, and I remember well the small miracles that they would dispense – nothing spectacular, but a gentle word, a loving embrace – coming to me, taking me by the hand, lifting me up and giving me healing and strength. Life’s little miracles!

“Let’s go to the neighbouring towns so that I can preach there, too. For that is why I came out here.” (vs.38)

As I say, there is a subtle irony in this pronouncement, in part because Jesus seems to be incapable of following His own advice!

If Jesus really was psyching up the team for a more focused ministry where words came first and acts of healing second, it was a program He never carried through with. His compassion got the better of Him.

And yet there is another irony here too, and it’s found in the text of the Gospel itself!

Jesus’ priority, we are told, is preaching and teaching, and yet if you read through this extensive first chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark, there’s not a single word of Jesus’ teaching recorded! It actually not until we get to the latter part of Mark chapter 2 that we get any of the actual teachings of Jesus recorded!

I’m not suggesting that this makes the teachings of Jesus any less important – not at all – but I am suggesting that (at least so far as the Gospel-writer Mark was concerned) these were not the things Jesus was best remembered for!

And this is true to life!

As we are remembering today the lives of dear Thelma and Margaret, I must say that I remember them very well, but it’s not their wise words I remember, though I’m sure Thelma (in particular) had plenty for me. It was her compassionate touch, her loving looks, the affectionate kiss, the healing embrace …

St Francis of Assisi is said to have said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words”. I don’t know if he really said it, but it makes sense.

Of course we don’t do anybody any favours by holding back the words of the Gospel, for indeed these words can be the source of life and hope. And yet words by themselves can be very hollow.

When we die it will most likely not be our words that we are best remembered for. Most likely it will be the little miracles that we were a part of. And it may seem sometimes that our contribution is not that great (‘ah … another miracle’) and yet every miracle – great and small – is a part of that great dance that Christ is leading us in.

For Jesus is more than just a teacher, just as His teaching is more than mere words. He is “the visible image of our invisible God”, says St Paul (Colossians 1:15).

Or in the words of Charles Wesley:

Jesu, Thou art all compassion.
Pure, unbounded love Thou art.
Visit us with Thy salvation.
Enter every trembling hear!

‘Fighting Father’ Dave – Parish Priest, Community Worker, Professional boxer, Martial Arts master, Father of three. Dave’s goal is to offer an alternative culture for young people, based on values of courage, integrity, self-discipline and teamwork. He is available to help work your corner as you fight the good fight. Visit http://www.fatherdave.org for more information.

Feb

7

Conveyancing Quotes And Its Uses

By infowriter

When you are searching for a good conveyancing solicitor, you might be tempted by the numerous offers of cheap conveyancing offered on the web. They seem to offer much lower prices than your typical conveyancing firm and so these very low conveyancing quote offers can seem like the best solution to your difficulty. Not many people realise the costs concerned with finishing the conveyancing procedure and so they are simply won over by these low quotes. But, once you understand exactly what is going on and why this process costs as much as it does, you may clearly be ready to work out that are the simplest offers available.

The matter with many of the very cheap conveyancing quote deals is that they contain a hidden cost, called ‘disbursements’. These are normal costs which are usual for any company, however with a team that is not completely sincere, these charges may spiral out of control. In order to know what you are being charged for, you have to know exactly what disbursements are, and the way such charges could escalate to change the ‘cheap’ conveyancing quote into anything which is pretty expensive.

The basic plan of Disbursements is the costs that the conveyancing solicitor must pay once they are dealing along with your case. Although they should be fundamentally the same, after all the conveyancing procedure is the same for all solicitors, many corporations hide £100s of charges under the heading of ‘disbursements’. Several of them would also utilise the prices which other companies perform freely or add in as part of their first conveyancing quote, such as postage and telephone calls. A higher price which ought to even be included in the first quote is the professional indemnity price. Sensible solicitors will always include this in the cost.

If you are attempting to make a decision that conveyancing company to select, then a useful conveyancing quote comparison to do is to assess how several of the disbursement charges are included in the first quote. If you can’t see several and are instead only being shown the solicitor’s Basic Fee (between £500 and over £1000), then you ought to be suspicious. The majority of cheap quotes will even not include performing searches for the property or against your name, perform the Land Registration Fee and detail other prices for all the work the solicitor needs to do. In order to get a quotation that is actually sensible and can cover the amount of time which the solicitor could spend on your case, then you must expect all the disbursements to be listed within the quote that you are given.

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Feb

2

Industries In Mexico Is Attracting More Foreign Investment

By infowriter

The recent downturns in the world economy have caused many businesses to feel reluctant to invest in local businesses. Instead, they’re keen to make investments overseas, hoping to find a more affordable, more accommodating nation in which to produce their products. For many years, China was the focus of their attention, but it is becoming very crowded there, and the majority of small investors wont be able to place their factories lots of miles away.

Instead, they are turning to a much closer location, trying to place their finances on industry in Mexico. While this could have seemed extraordinary a few years ago, foreign investment in Mexican industries makes a great deal of sense and not just to those who cannot afford to transport their products hundreds of miles.

Probably the main reasons why industry in Mexico is becoming so popular is that the measures that the Mexican government has taken to make sure that overseas businesses get a good trade from the economy. It’s considerably cut import tariffs, aiming to be charging just 5 % by 2013 (nearly a third of the cost in 2008), and can be changing the tariff laws to let products that would not have charges to increase. Industry in Mexico is also aiming to persuade investors by low manufacturing prices and a large number of exports, more than the rest of Latin America in combination.

In addition to encouraging more exports and boosting trade, Mexico can be a popular destination due to the quantity of people living within the nation. There are currently more than 100 million Mexicans, all of whom are as eager for new goods as the rest of the globe. Due to the demands of the country, and foreign investment, trade in Mexico has turn into a significant supply of funds for the Mexican state and it produces more aerospace parts and products than any other country in the world.

The Mexican government realizes that it has a huge country just over the border, namely the US, and that this country is constantly demanding new goods, and at a low cost. This is often where business in Mexico excels, because there are way more skilled professionals working for factories within the state than anywhere else. The majority of those working in the professional capacity in Mexican factories have qualifications and expertise in the business, making them totally capable of handling the demands of overseas investors. This means that any company investing in Mexico has an intellectual, highly-educated workforce that is ready to construct innovative goods for the worldwide market.

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Jan

31

Significantly Building A Brand Identity Is A Must

By infowriter

By making and managing your own online business, you may generate huge money and many website owners these days have a good plan of the fundamentals, such as creating relevant content which consists of SEO, and insuring that the online company has as good a fame as a real-time business. However, what many new website owners overlook is the importance of building brand identity for the website, and ensuring that the brand is as much a part of the website strategy as any marketing campaigns, advertising, or promotions. Many corporations simply do not notice that branding identity onto a website is essential to bring in new customers and ensure that present guests are inspired to return. Without an efficient brand identity, your website company is losing out on clients, and potentially losing you money.

Building a brand for your website is as necessary as buying your domain and ensuring that your site name is registered to you. Building brand identity is essential to market your brand effectively, and without it you can become just a vague remembrance to your customers. Think of the major company businesses and you may realize that they all have a very strong brand. Coffee makers, book stores, fast food restaurants and clothes designers all have a clear logo, image and usually color scheme which is utilized by them to persuade customers to return. Lacking the brand, their clients would not be very eager to get the things they are selling, and these big corporations could go out of business.

Probably the best important brand and identity strategies requires creating a powerful visual image, and promoting this consistently throughout your brand. If you have got a logo, a appropriate image or photograph, or maybe a specific style of writing the corporate name, then you should have this produced on all your advertising, promotions and website pages, and it all desires to be the same. Build your brand identity into every part of your website and its promotional pages, providing an even image to your clients. Building brand identity successfully needs that your logo or image is simple, striking and easy to reproduce and keep in mind. Don’t choose a complicated logo that doesn’t actually have much to do with your corporation. Stick with fundamental concepts of your company identity, and you may have a logo that represents you successfully. Your customers could have to connect that image to your brand identity, therefore it is important that the two has a number of factors in common.

Another step in building brand identity once you have the basic image, color scheme and design for your company, is through building a good rapport with the people who will be utilizing you. You want to bond with your clients, as an emotional connection is prone to be the strongest link that you could have with the people who pay you cash for goods or services. You may think that you have established a relationship with your clients through business transactions, but this is often a comparatively impersonal step, and can usually result in the customer thinking not much about your company, and moving on to your rivals.

Instead of leaving the connection as a financial transaction, building brand identity along with your customers includes ensuring that they really feel a connection. One new approach of doing this can be through social media sites. It is probably that a massive range of your customers will be using Facebook, as an example, so you could establish a relationship with them through providing your Facebook address on bills, leaflets or emails. Creating a internet page on social media sites like this could be a necessary measure to establishing long-term relationships with repeat customers, and keeping hold of them even in difficult times. In the majority of cases, a business thrives or fails relying on the number of accomplishment it has in getting repeat custom from clients. These form the idea of most sales, if they’re merchandise or services. This is why huge online businesses want your name and email address, and send you normal updates, since even they have to pursue repeat customers in this manner.

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Jan

25

Look Better With Medi Spa Treatments

By infowriter

Whether you get yourself preparing to work for the day, getting ready for a date or enjoying the calm of retirement, your image is often an important element for any individual. How someone appears plays a significant role in everyday life. “You seem as good as you feel” can be reversed in many cases to truly mean “you are feeling as good as you look”. That being said, much of one’s happiness relies on the image and the way they are perceived by others in society. Struggling with the signs of aging has not only possible however moreover it’s currently simplified by undergoing a non-surgical “Ultimate Quick Lift”. The procedure consists of Laser Skin Resurfacing, Botox, Xeomin or Dysport and the correct Facial Fillers administered by very skilled and caring experts. There’s minimal to no down time and the results are absolutely breathtaking.

As a person gets older the various signs that are connected to aging could be a very worrying. Whether you are male or female, nobody needs to let go of their young appearance. To assist counter these signs many have invested thousands over the years on a variety of creams or serums promising to continue a youthful appearance. The problem is most of such solutions produce very limited results and often cannot match the promises they have done through advertising.

If you find you’re an individual who has done these investments only to be left unsatisfied, then the opportunities of Botox treatments could give you with better pleasure. When many individuals consider the likelihood of spa treatments, they immediately relate it to a high cost process.

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Jan

24

There is something fishy about Jonah!

By infowriter

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” 10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

When I decided that this week I’d preach on the book of Jonah I immediately started to think of fish stories that I could introduce my reflection with, and the only one I could think of is one I fear I’ve already mentioned.

It concerns a guy going fishing at his favourite spot by the river, but when he gets there he realises that he’s forgotten his bait, but he notices a lovely fat looking tree frog sunning himself on a lily pad, so he decides to stalk the frog and capture it and use it for bait. And he’s just about to grab the frog when he realises that there’s a brown snake alongside him who also has his eyes on the frog, and before he can do anything else, the snake has leapt forward and swallowed the frog whole!

Not thinking about what he was doing, but angry as hell at the snake, the guy leaps forward and grabs the snake around the throat and yanks the frog out of its mouth and drops the frog in his bait box. It’s then that it really strikes him that he has an angry, snapping venomous snake in his hand that he can’t simply pat on the head and let go.

Thinking quickly, he grabs his hip-flask with his free hand (which is full of whiskey), opens it, and pours a goodly amount into the open mouth of the snake. The snake goes limp and the fisherman places it on the ground and walks away to get on with his day’s fishing.

About twenty minutes later he feels a tapping at his shoe. He looks down and sees it’s the snake, with two more frogs!

It’s not really a brilliant joke, but what was less brilliant really was my knee-jerk reaction to the mention of Jonah – thinking that I needed to come up with a fish story. I hear the word ‘Jonah’ I think ‘fish’, which really only reflects my historic failure to really grasp what the book is about!

For the fish in the book of Jonah is only mentioned in three of the forty-seven verses of the book, which is in itself a solid indication of the fact that the fish is a minor character in the drama, and hardly the central theme of the book!

I’m not going to beat myself up about this, as Jonah’s under-water antics are indeed the only part of the prophet’s career that are generally remembered in our culture.

I still remember being introduced to the story of the prophet as a child by means of a picture book that had an image of Jonah and his fishy friend on the front cover – a book that I seem to remember was entitled, “Jonah and the Great Big Fish!”

Moreover, the association of Jonah with his scaly friend has so penetrated Western history that the pair long ago became a part of a distinctively maritime lingua-franca! I have read, at least, that the term used by sailors of the under-water grave, “Davey Jones’ Locker” does in fact go back to the book of Jonah!

Apparently there never was any famous underwater character named ‘Davey Jones’ (the lead singer of The Monkeys included). The name is rather a bastardisation of the Western Indian words, ‘Duffy Jonah’ (meaning ‘prophet Jonah’), which means that ‘Davey Jones’ Locker’ is in fact another reference to the fish!

Even so, as I say, the Book of Jonah is not really a book about fish (nor about whales for that matter [for those who feel a need to point out that if Jonah had been swallowed by a whale, a whale is not actually a fish, technically speaking]).

Let’s just clear the deck (so to speak) of fish and whales – neither of which are really significant themes in the book of Jonah. But if the maritime adventure of Jonah is not the key theme of the book, what is it all about? That is the question!

Personally, I stopped seeing Jonah as a fish story once I gave my life to Christ as a teenager and joined a youth group, for it was there that I learned that the book of Jonah was not really a book about fish but was rather a book about priorities and about obedience, and about the importance of submitting ourselves to the will of God, even when God’s plans for our lives conflict with our own personal agendas.

God had a plan for Jonah’s life. Jonah had other plans. Jonah had to learn that in the end it is God’s will that has to be done rather than your own. The book of Jonah, when seen from this perspective, is a challenge to each of us to submit ourselves to the will of God, lest we find ourselves thrown off a boat, drowning in the water, swallowed by a great fish, and spat out in the direction that submission to the will of God would have originally taken us anyway.

We might refer to this interpretation of the Book of Jonah as the pious interpretation, and there’s obviously a lot of value in this ‘Thy will be done’ application of this book, but in my view now, as an adult now, the pious interpretation of Jonah is as far removed from the central message of the book as is the maritime adventure theme!

In truth, I think it is very hard for us Sydney-siders of the 21st Century to grasp the central message of the Book of Jonah for one very simple reason: we just don’t harbor any real hatred towards the Assyrians!

The Book of Jonah was written a long time ago in a culture far removed from our own, and the issue that upsets Jonah in the book and the issue that would have upset most of the original readers of the book was not simply that God had a plan for Jonah’s life (in some a general sort of way) but that God called Jonah to prophesy in Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria, and both Jonah and the Book of Jonah’s original readers hated Assyrians!

And the Jews didn’t just hate the Assyrians because they looked different either. They hated the Assyrians because the Assyrians had a history of killing them!

Assyria was once the world’s most fearsome superpower! From the middle of the tenth century B.C. right through to the end of the seventh, the Neo-Assyrian Empire dominated the Middle East, and, during the 8th century reign of Tiglath-Pileaser III most especially, their empire was vast – covering all of what is modern-day Iraq and Syria, and covering enormous chunks of what is today Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and, of course, it covered all of Israel and Palestine!

And it was an Empire built on violence! That in itself is in no way unique, of course, as indeed all the world’s empires have been built on violence, and yet the stories of the savagery of the Assyrian armies do seem particularly horrible.

Nineveh’s military machine was renowned for being sadistic. If enemies resisted surrender during the siege of their city, once defeated, the whole population would be horribly mutilated and slaughtered. Their houses and towns would be torn down and burned, and the flayed skins of their corpses prominently displayed on stakes as a warning to others who might have been considering resistance.

After their battles, public amusement would be provided for the people of Nineveh via a victory procession wherein enemy survivors were led down the city streets by leashes attached to rings inserted through their lips, with the vanquished nobles wearing the decapitated heads of their princes hanging around their necks. And all of this fun was accompanied by music from bands of minstrels playing merry tunes! Oh, the people of Nineveh knew how to enjoy themselves!

And they enjoyed themselves like this for more than 300 years! It must have seemed as if the arrogant might of Nineveh would never fade and that their power-hungry god, Assur, was unbeatable. The Assyrian war-machine enjoyed so many bloody victories over their enemies in those 300 plus years between the 934 and 609 B.C., but none was remembered in the Bible more clearly and more bitterly than the sacking of Samaria and the destruction of Northern Israel in 721.

The Jews did not hate the Assyrians because they looked funny or ate strange foods or just didn’t make an effort to mix in with the locals. They hated the Assyrians for far more obvious (and surely far more valid) reasons.

They hated them because the Assyrians had destroyed more than half of their country. They hated them because of the countless number of their kinsfolk who had been slaughtered, imprisoned, enslaved and/or humiliated by the Assyrians. And they hated the Assyrians because in 721 B.C. it seemed that their god, Assur, had been victorious over the God of Israel.

That day in 721 B.C. would forever be remembered by the people of Israel, not just as a day of mourning, but as a day of national humiliation. Their people had been butchered, half their country destroyed, and their temples desecrated.

It was all done by the Ninevites, and so Jonah hated the Ninevites as the readers of Jonah hated the Ninevites. And now God asks Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach to the people there, and call on them to repent! And Jonah did not want to go there. Why would he? The only Jews that went to Ninevah were dragged there in chains!

And yet it’s not only because he hates their city and might well fear for his life in such a place, but most of all because he feared that if he went to Ninevah, God might use him to do something good for the people of Ninevah, and in as much as Jonah might have feared that the people of Nineveh might do him some evil, his far greater fear was that he (Jonah) might be for the people of Nineveh the instrument of some good!

National hatred of an enemy race is a terrible thing, but something we are all familiar with.

I remember being told of a Jewish man and a Chinese man who, amongst others, are sitting at a bar, slowly drinking away the night. There were plenty of others perched between these two at the bar but the Jewish guy kept looking over at the Chinese guy with a surly expression on his face and was mumbling curses at him that got increasingly louder with each beer he consumed!

Eventually the Jewish guy gets up and walks over to the Chinese guy and pours his beer over the poor guy’s head! The Chinese guy says, “What’s that for?” The Jewish guy says, “That’s for Pearl Harbour! My uncle was killed at Pearl Harbour!” The Chinese guy says, “I’m Chinese. That was the Japanese, you fool!” The Jewish guy says, “Chinese, Japanese … what’s the difference?” and he returns to his stool.

Two minutes later the Chinese guy walks over to the Jewish guy and pours the contents of his beer over the Jewish guy’s head. “What’s that for?” asks the Jewish guy. The Chinese guy says, “That’s for the Titanic! My grandfather died on the Titanic!” The Jewish guy says, “What’s that got to do with me?” The Chinese guy says, “Steinberg, Goldberg, iceberg … what’s the difference?”

Humour can be an effective way of confronting racial prejudice. So can stories such as we find in the Book of Jonah.

The Book of Jonah is a book that is written with a purpose, and it’s purpose is not to encourage us to submit ourselves to the will of God (as important as that is) any more than it is to chronicle an ancient yarn concerning ‘the one that got away!’ It’s purpose is in fact summed up very succinctly in the final verse of the book of Jonah (chapter 4, verse 11) which I will read to you, but not just yet!

Before I do read it, I want to raise the question with you, very briefly, as to who might have been the original audience that the Book of Jonah was addressed to?

For the book is set in the 8th century B.C., but most Biblical scholars assume that the book wasn’t actually written till a great deal later – most probably in the post-exilic period, late in the 6th century.

If so, it is quite possible that it was published at around the same time that Ezra and Nehemiah were active in trying to rebuild the ancient city of Jerusalem – a city that had been lying in ruins since the Babylonians had destroyed it 50 years earlier.

And if you are familiar with the history of that time you will know that it was a time of great nationalistic fervour.

The Jews were returning to their homeland and they were rebuilding their ancient city and they were rebuilding their temple, and all of a sudden, for the first time in a great many years, it felt good to be a Jew again!

And leaders like Ezra and Nehemiah did a great deal to encourage the patriotic fervour of the returning Jews and to get them excited again about their city, about their religion and about their God.

And in the process of doing that the issue of racial purity became a sticking point for a lot of people, and indeed both those leaders – Ezra and Nehemiah – became very upset over the issue of inter-marriage between Jews and non-Jews.

Ezra indeed accused the men of mixing their ‘holy seed’ with the people of the lands (Ezra 9:2) and he encouraged large numbers of Jewish men to divorce their foreign wives and to send them away, along with the children of their mixed marriages!

And I’m not saying that the Book of Jonah was written specifically as a response to the nationalistic ‘reforms’ of Ezra (though a lot of scholars have suggested exactly that) but I am suggesting that at around the same time all that was happening, a little tract was certainly circulating that told a story of how God had called one of His prophets to minister in the land of the Assyrians, because the God of Israel loved and respected foreigners too – even the people of Nineveh!

In Jonah 4:11 – the final verse of the Book of Jonah – God says to Jonah “And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Jonah is a remarkable book. Indeed, perhaps the only thing more remarkable than the book itself is the fact that our Jewish fathers and mothers, when it came time to put together the collection of books that have become known as our ‘Old Testament’ recognised that this book – the Book of Jonah – deserved to be included too, as one of the inspired works of God!

It is a book that strikes at the heart of every manifestation of religious nationalism, as indeed it is a book that confronts religious arrogance in all its forms, for it a book that reminds us that the God of Israel, the God of the faithful and the God of the upright, is also the God of the Assyrian, of the unfaithful and of the not-so-upright too!

And that’s why the Book of Jonah is a book our world needs to hear right now.
As our political leaders and media beaver away at dehumanising Arabs and Iranians and Muslim people in general, to prepare us for further bloodshed.
When being Christian has somehow once again become associated with being white!
And when refugees of all kinds are being treated with suspicion and contempt because of their strange foreign habits and strange foreign gods.

It’s time to once again hear the message of the Book of Jonah.

“And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11)

‘Fighting Father’ Dave – Parish Priest, Community Worker, Professional boxer, Martial Arts master, Father of three. Dave’s goal is to offer an alternative culture for young people, based on values of courage, integrity, self-discipline and teamwork. Visit http://www.fatherdave.org for more information.

Jan

23

Why You Need A Stocks Trading Software Program?

By infowriter

More and more people are turning to stock trading as a source of earnings and they are doing it from their own steam. This has lead to rising demands for a predictable way to work out if stocks are going to rise or fall and probably the preferred choices for the modern day trader is to use few stocks trading software that can predict with few reliability if the stocks currently held are going to move up or down. Within the past, beginners often relied upon brokers to ensure that their money went to a secure stock, however many have lost money through this system and currently prefer to try out on their own using an automated trading program that can tell them how they are progressing.

If you are seeking for a safe and reliable means to manage a stock investment portfolio, then selecting to utilise stock trading software is definitely an alternative. Many beginners, even after years of classes, struggle to manage the real-world of the stock market, and having a reliable program that will do most of the work for you may be an actual life-saver. The quantity of time that you have to spend sorting out your stocks and shares may be significantly reduced.

Some individuals feel unwilling to commit to a stock system which they are not acquainted with and are fearful in case the advice given within the software is wrong. The actual facts are that with automated trading you can read the computer’s interpretation of the history of your stocks. You don’t have to get or sell if you don’t need to, although you can program the computer to buy or sell once stocks get to a some price, if you wish to make your life a lot easier.

The simple facts are that for the majority of users, having a stocks trading software program may actually assist them to make big money from the stock market, cash that they might have lost through employing a broker or simply going on their instincts. With the help of the automated trading software, you may follow the progress of almost any stocks, and make the selections that basically count when it comes to making the right purchases. With sensible software, you may put in any historical information regarding the stocks you should to trade, and allow the program to give you a rundown of when the prices have fallen or risen.

With a program such as Automated Trading offered by http://www.GeckoSoftware.com, you do not even have to log onto a website, however could work out all the information from the comfort of your home. With important innovations like that, traders of any expertise may seek the answer to their stock questions. Gecko Software’s flagship product line, Track ‘n Trade, has won Stocks & Commodities Annual Readers Choice Award six times. Gecko Software is also the creators of the line of products known as TradeMiner; tools designed to help traders identify historically accurate cycles and trends from any given market. Visit the website to know more about the software.

Jan

21

Learn How Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Assist Anybody

By infowriter

Both men and women suffer from a number of unusual hormonal imbalances. Females tend to suffer from either estrogen or progesterone imbalances; whereas men could suffer from an excess or lack of the hormone testosterone. They may suffer from an imbalance of testosterone caused by pituitary gland damage and women could even suffer from issues related to diseases of the womb.

For anybody suffering from such a hormonal imbalance, the issues could have a very detrimental result on your personal and work life and also cause a variety of difficulties with your health. For instance, women with too much amount of estrogen can be exposed to infertility, severe PMS symptoms, weight gain and increased potential for breast cancer. This is often where biodentical hormone replacement therapy comes into picture.

There are a number of causes for hormonal imbalances, including the beginning of menopause, the use of the Pill, pituitary issues, obesity and pregnancy, and also excessive use of non-organic chemicals such as cosmetics and anti-wrinkle products. The majority of products on the market for those suffering from imbalances are themselves made from synthetic chemicals, and in few cases this can amplify the pain of the user. Using bio-identical hormones can help someone if they need hormonal imbalance as an effect of non-organic chemical use.

Symptoms of hormone imbalance can be either universal (suffered by both sexes) or gender-specific. Universal symptoms of hormonal issues include extreme tiredness, acne or skin eruptions, weight gain, loss of libido, and memory problems. For individuals with extreme imbalances, these problems may increase to incorporate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, and arthritic problems. Different universal symptoms include repeated UTIs, palpations and arrhythmia, and dry eyes and mouth. All these symptoms, no matter how they happen, could be treated by the right use of a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. These therapies may assist to solve some of the more chronic symptoms suffered by those experiencing hormonal imbalance.

Some of the more specific symptoms suffered by women which will cause them to require bio-identical hormones comprise the early onset of the menstrual cycle, or diminished or missing periods. These are often related to a loss of progesterone, which are not changed in traditional HRT.

In order to ensure that both hormones are offered, it is a good idea to use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, that will comprise both estrogen and progesterone in treatments. This permits the body to synchronize these replacements with the standard hormonal cycle. For more details visit the website http://www.thehealthychoice.net now. The Healthy Choice specializes in compounding customized medications and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy to fit each patient’s individual requirements. It believes in treating the whole person and the integrative approach to health care gives doctors and patients cutting edge alternatives to mainstream treatments.

Jan

21

Forex Market Trading On Autopilot

By infowriter

Many traders are drawn to the uncertain world of the foreign exchange market, hoping to make a small investment and get back a larger profit without having to do any manual work at all. Since there are a lot of people curious about Forex, it’s become one of the largest markets in the world, with people of many countries becoming concerned within the trading of foreign currencies. Although several are tempted into the business, it is rare to simply walk into Forex; instead you have to study and learn, sometimes through bitter experience, and then have another try to master the foreign exchange trading market.

The struggle to make a easy profit from Forex has lead to several traders giving and moving into different areas of the stock market. But, others have persevered and rather than abandoning have progressed through the use of Forex trading software which is designed to take the pressure and strain out of working on the foreign exchange markets.

Perhaps the largest relief that the best Forex software programs offer is the chance to have the program interpret your information and Forex reports for you. The foreign exchange market usually needs a great deal of commitment from its players and they might have to examine cold chunks of computer data which can be terribly difficult for the non-IT minded. This is where Forex trading software comes in to its own, since it may supply you data and reports on your potential investments before you even put cash into the markets. The software could even continue with the rapid shifts in position which can occur in all stock markets.

Another huge profit to the best Forex software is that it could assist you to develop your investment strategy and outline a possible investment pattern designed to help you bring more profit out of your venture into the globe of Forex. One of the top sorts of Forex trading software utilizes Autopilot to allow you to arrange an automated system of trading on the market.

It may even help to highlight trends in the data which it is analyzing, and provide you with alerts on Forex currencies that you are interested in. All of this enables you to get a head start while you start investing in foreign currencies and exchanges.

In order to get a software package that fits you, and decide what features you wish to include in your program, visit the website http://www.trackntrade.com, and view the selection of Forex trading software that they have to give. By selecting a package from this innovative company, you may find out how to trade on the Forex market. Track ‘n Trade revolutionized the way people learned how to trade the futures market and now continues to revolutionize the way people trade the futures, forex and stock markets. Someone new to trading can practice until he or she feels confident enough to invest personal capital. Track ‘n Trade also introduced an interactive chart which gave the user the ability to place trades directly on the chart itself thus coining the phrase “The Ultimate Trading Machine for the Visual Investor”. Visit the website to know more.

Jan

21

All The Starters Get Guided From Futures News

By infowriter

Anyone starting out on a fresh profession needs assistance and guidance even before they start working, and it is no different within the cut and thrust world of the stock market. Beginners here may actually benefit from good advice and regular information updates, since this guidance may open up whole new avenues of exploration.

If you are simply working in the field of the stock market, without any particular specialty, then you may welcome a general trading magazine that can give you plenty of advice regarding the different ways in which you may handle the rise and fall of the stock that you just own.

However, if you have determined to concentrate on futures, then you may really need a news sheet that focuses upon this section of the stock business. A futures news magazine might be extremely helpful to you when you are struggling in making a profit, and it could even prove very useful and reassuring while you have committed your income to a specific futures market only to find that stock wobbling or failing to rise at all. In these cases, reading important guidance and tips on a way to handle your investments may often serve to reassure you, and offer you the confidence you need to continue on.

The most of futures news magazines could also give you assistance in the most tough area of these investments, which is the large amount of information that you have to process. Until you happen to have Deep Blue running in your spare room, you are unlikely to be ready to calculate all this data at once while not specialist training. If you have not been to college, then a futures trading magazine might be one way that you can get an insight into how to run all of the knowledge that you are obtaining, and the way that would affect the decisions that you make regarding your stock trading.

The most vital factor that can be done is to make sure that you find a good futures news trading magazine, one that provides you sound advice from experienced professionals. Without that advice, you could find yourself struggling in making a benefit from your investment in futures, and this would solely cause frustration and loss of money. Seeking a good futures magazine would guarantee that you keep up to date with the newest news on the futures market, and that is something which will guarantee you to continue to work on the futures trading market for several years to come.

A good futures magazine is http://www.PitNews.com, with plenty of informative articles and usual news updates, brought to you by specialists within the futures field, with lots of good advice and tips for those simply starting in the market. PitNews.com is a targeted market futures magazine website for traders. Their mission is to deliver valuable, timely information to traders of the Futures, Forex and Stock Market. Lan Turner is the Editor in Chief of PitNews Magazine, he has been working in the financial industry for over 19 years, and has taught his Stocks, Futures & Forex trading ideas and concepts to clients, professional traders, and brokers from around the world. You can find Mr. Turner online at PitNews. Visit the website and get your free eMagzine subscription today!