Forum

I am just reading a book about the necessity of changes in life. A good friend of mine lent it me three days ago. Well, it is really an astonishing book and helps me understanding better my actual phase . I clearly have felt for a while that a change has to come, although I do not know exactly the concrete development it will take. But one point has become already very clear. I will not go on with chess in that intensity it had been the last three years. It had been a good time, all in all, but now I am looking for new ways and ideas...

Do Not Worry 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6 ( New International version) This may be strange verses . Shouldn`t we work for our needs? And do not starve every day people in the world?- Yes, if you have a job, that`s good. ( not always!). Work for your own needs and , if possible,- help others.- But better ( must be no contrary to the previous sentence) put heavenly things at the first place. The rest will follow. This advises us the text http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn6w255CGkk http://www.thelilygarden.com/

" When you are in hurry, walk slowly!" ( wisdom from Asia) Sometimes we feel us under pressure and we act quickly. Well, sometimes there may be a real necessity for it and we cannot do different.- But often inner "forces" like fear or strong desires bring us under stress. And in those cases that asiatic advice may help to change our inner attitude and let the outcome be more effective and joyful.

A Time for Everything 1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Yes, it s not always the same time. There are different times in life. And something we have to do exactly the contrary than in the life phase before. An example? Perhaps you have loved eating of cakes and other sweet things. But then the doctors have to told you to stop with these things. Otherwise you will get seriously sick. Well, this is the time, when you should start "hating" those sweeties. *** Three years ago my father died. In the phase of his desease I understood well with his second wife and her brother. A time of embracing (hugging). - But then started differences cause of legacy. There came a time of harsh words and refraining *** Well, you know your own times and their conditions! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uewY9e3C1TQ ( I hope it is the song, I presume. I have in the moment no soundcard)

“[Doing Good to All] Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”- Galatians 6:1 Sometimes we see someone doing something wrong and we think, that we should correct him or her. This can be a good thought. Perhaps it will help the other to do better! But we should do it in a humbled manner , not in proud or self-righteous way! We know, how easy we ourselves could go wrong. And this knowledge should let us be merciful with others and careful with ourselves

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”- Psalm 119:18 Sometimes we are "blind" and it is necessary, that the Lord opens our eyes, so that we can "see" and understand

Five years ago I got the present of an old PC . I was not pleased, because I did not like and use that electrnic medium and could not imagine, that it could help to improve my daily life. Now I have to admit, that it has changed my life more deeply than I have ever thought. And that I think, that it is an improvement! What is your experience with it?

Last year on sylvester day I was with two friends ( Christian and Doris) in a Chinese restaurant. After dinner each of us got a "sweety" with a word in it. My word was: "Take responsibility and you will gain so power and influence!" To be honest, this word looked a little bit strange to me. Gaining power and influence is not my first aim. I love my calm life ... * This year on Sylvester we met in a Mexican restaurant. To my surprise Doris said, that she had been in the Chinese restaurant from the year before and had got three of the "lucky sweeties". When I this time opened the "sweety and got my verse , I , -and also Christian and Doris,- were surprised. There was written: "Take responsibility and you will gain so power and influence!" The same as in the year before. * I have thought about this "message", but it is still a little bit strange to me. So the best is to wait and see, what opportunities life will bring up in the new year + What are your thoughts according to the new year or the new century?

Luke 2 (New International Version) The Birth of Jesus 1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register. 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Paul in Athens! "16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." ( the International Bible version) Paul had become a "burning" witness for Jesus in Greece. So when he came to Athens, he came into the Greek center of religion and philosophy. You can say, than Athens had been the cradle of European philosophy. Sokrates, Platon, Aristoteles and others are also today prominent and honoured in Western world.- So here you can read, that Paul became distressed by seeing all the Greek idols as Zeus, Athene etc. . May be he had visited the Akropolis, the temple place above the town. * When he started preaching in the synagoge and on the market-place, ... St. Paul preaching in Athens members of two philososophic schools - Stoa and Epicur - tried to understand him better. They were interested in new ideas in general to discuss about it.- This is really a good attitude. They had no fear to listen to new ideas. They were educated to be open-minded without fearing to loose their own position. Paul was not there enemy, only because he talked about something unknown. *** Paul used the chance of preaching the gospel of Jesus by relating on an altar of "the unknown god"! St. Paul in Athens, in front of the altar of the unknown God In other words, he told them, that he knew his name: Jesus! Very clever! He used something of their culture to explain his message!

" 25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." 29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!" Acts 5,29 *** It was in the time after the resurrection of Jesus from death and his ascension into heaven. He had given his disciples to preach the gospel till the end of the earth: "and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." And they had started to do so and had come in serious conflict with the jewish priest. They had forbidden them to teach in Jerusalem. But the Apostles orders were from a higher one and so they went on teaching and preaching . They obeyed god more than the jewish priests and accepted the consequences, that they perhaps would be put into jail or die

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3, 5+6 *** First of all: This is an advice, not an order! But what would be, if this would become a deep desire in our hearts? Presumely it would change our lives and the life of others more than we can imagine now! Okay, the execution would be a long-term process. We should never forget this. Otherwise we shall quickly feel stressed or forced, frustrated or will condemn yourself. It is not easy to trust really! And perhaps it may also not be easy to discover His will for our lives. And at last to do it! But it could be the start of a new, big adventure: "...and he will show you which path to take."

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”- Psalm 119:105 No one knows the way in front of him or her. The future is always unknown The bible can give generally orientation in life. But sometimes it is a special word, that can be "lamp and light" on a special path in your life *** For example this one helped me in special phase of my life: "The Lord has opened a door in front of you, that no one can close!" At that time it helped me to go forward with courage