Tous mes voeux pour 2009

Season's greetings!!!
Je te souhaite de passer de très belles fêtes en compagnie de tes proches et une belle et heureuse année 2009.

Transportation - The High Speed Train (TGV)

TGV (inside)

Visit this website for more information: www.sncf.com
Watch the video:

La famille - La gloire de mon pere

Visit the website below for more information on the film.

http://www.coeur-de-provence.org/-La-Gloire-de-mon-pere-.html

Baba turns 90!

Dear Baba,

We give God all the glory and praise for making you 90. We love and appreciate you.
Happy Birthday Baba.

From your children.

A Daily Dose of Architecture

See this!

Hurray! Pastor David Oyedepo (jnr) Wedding.

Dear David and Kemi

Félicitation !!!

Que le bonheur qui vous unit aujourd'hui dure toute la vie !

I am excited and proud of you both. May your marriage be blessed forever with God’s favour, goodness, health, success, mercies, victories, joy and peace all round in Jesus Name, Amen.

Remain FOCUSED and Rapturable!

Grace Obaigbona. French dept. C.U.

LIVING FAITH CHURCH TURNS 27 YEARS!!!

Dear Papa and Mama, we rejoice with you. Congratulations! We wish you many more beautiful and blessed years in Jesus Name, Amen.

How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow.

Dr Ray Pritchard' sermon.

Recently I was asked to speak to a group of youth leaders on becoming a credible, authentic leader. In preparing my first message, I decided to focus on two key words.

According to the dictionary, the word credible comes from the Latin credo, meaning "I believe." If something is credible, it is believable. A credible witness is one whose testimony is trustworthy. His life and his words line up together.

The word authentic goes from English back to French back to Latin and ultimately to the Greek authentikos. It means "conforming to the original" or "reproducing the essential features" of something, as in "authentic French cuisine." If something is authentic, it is not a fake or an imitation. Collectors will pay a lot of money for an authentic Abraham Lincoln signature. Another definition says that authentic means "being actually and exactly what is claimed," and the example given is "genuine maple syrup." Not watered-down, but maple syrup through and through.

During our recent trip to Bolivia, we were given two $100 bills to cover the cost of the visas we purchased at the airport in Santa Cruz. One of the bills was the newer version, with the larger figure of Benjamin Franklin and the various watermarks and embedded security strips. The other bill was old and wrinkled. When we got to Miami on our way back home, Marlene was refused when she tried to use the older bill at one of the airport shops. They said it was counterfeit. When we got back to Tupelo, the people at the bank looked at the bill and said it was good but that the clerk who rejected it probably did so because it looked old. Marlene took the bill and spent it as fast as she could so we wouldn't have to worry about it any more.

To be credible means that you are believable.

To be authentic means that you are genuine and real, not a fake or phony.

Put the words together and a credible, authentic leader is someone who can be trusted because he is what he professes to be. He is the real deal, what you see is what you get.

Which comes first? Authentic must come first. If you are not authentic, you will not be credible.

In preparing this message, I happened to find an article on credibility in the workplace in the Nova Scotia Business Journal. Here is part of what the article says:

The greatest temptation managers face today is a desire to appear a “Superman” to their followers; perceived as perfect, flawless, impenetrable, and invincible. Perhaps managers even wonder, “Why would anyone trust and follow me if I’m flawed and vulnerable?”

Consequently managers and supervisors get caught up in a game of being right, and if not right, act as if they’re right anyway. This is reminiscent of parents who might not know why they’ve just given a command or punishment to their children, but feel comfortable with, “Because I said so” as the ultimate answer to save face. The irony is that followers at work – just like children at home – know that their leaders aren’t seven-foot-tall and bullet proof. The attempts to create the illusion of perfection, just distracts and takes away from whatever credibility was there in the first place.

Credibility is the key ingredient in leadership: The Latin root word is “credo,” which means “I believe” or “I trust.” Credibility, like credit from a bank, is given to those who are trusted. Therefore credibility is given to leaders whom the followers find believable. If you’re not believable, nor trusted to represent yourself honestly, you will have little credibility with your followers. It may be the biggest paradox in leadership; knowledge is honored, while pretending to have knowledge is disdained.

How to build credibility without being bullet proof: The answer to the paradox is found in being real, or authentic.

We have a problem with credibility in the evangelical world. Pollsters tell us that confidence in religious leaders has declined in the last few years. With all the scandals involving ministers, it's not surprising that people look at spiritual leaders with jaundiced eyes. While it's always easy to point fingers at others, perhaps we need to do our own housecleaning first. This week a friend emailed me with some disturbing words:

I have a good friend who has access to the major media star lights in ministry (radio, TV, etc.). He is deeply saddened at the carnality that exists when they walk away from the microphone. He told me last year that very, very, very few of them exercise humility, as he sees it, and many people would turn the dial if they knew how these men talked and conducted themselves in private.

Let me frankly say that I don't know who my friend's friend is or which "major media stars" he is talking about. I am sure there are some who fit this description. I know there are some who don't.

Here are few observations about credibility.

1) Credibility is earned over a long period of time.

2) Credibility is not about what you do or what you say. It's about who you are on the inside.

3) You cannot demand credibility.

4) You cannot fool the people closest to you forever.

5) Your ministry will have lasting impact in direct proportion to the integrity of your own life.

6) The great enemies of credibility are pride, arrogance, isolation, and excessive self-confidence.

7) Ironically the more gifted you are and the more successful you are, the easier it becomes to fake your way through life.

8) Credibility once lost is very difficult to regain.

What qualities mark a person as a credible, authentic leader?

1) Honesty.

2) Willing to admit your faults.

3) Consistency.

4) Kindness under pressure.

5) Accountability in the small areas of life.

6) Willing to answer hard questions.

7) Quick to take blame, quick to praise others.

8) Not taking yourself too seriously (lack of pomposity).

9) Knowing your own limitations.

10) Not blaming others for your own problems.

11) Confrontable.

12) Approachable.

13) Handling anger appropriately.

14) Not offended when others get the credit you deserve (no need to brag).

15) Keeping your word.

There's another word for living like this. We call it integrity.

Forks of Cypress

Several years ago my older brother took me to visit a cemetery outside Florence, Alabama, near the remains of an ante-bellum mansion called Forks of Cypress. The mansion was built in the 1820s by James Jackson, an early settler of northwest Alabama. My brother and I walked among the ruins of the mansion and then crossed the country road into the dense forest on the other side. After a quarter-mile we found the Jackson family cemetery. There is no sign marking the spot, only a five-foot high stone wall surrounding about 50 graves. Inside we found a tall marker over James Jackson’s grave with a long inscription extolling his virtues, which were many.

As I walked along, my eyes fastened on the marker for one of his sons. There was a name, a date of birth and a date of death, and this simple five-word epitaph: “A man of unquestioned integrity.”

Five words to sum up an entire life. Sixty-plus years distilled into five words. But, oh, what truth they tell.

“A man of unquestioned integrity.” I cannot think of a better tribute.

The Ultimate Man of Integrity

There are many men and women of integrity in the Bible. Any list would have to include the following:

Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, Nathan, Jehoshaphat, Elijah, Hezekiah, Esther, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Malachi, Mary, James, Peter, Paul, John, Titus and Timothy.

These men and women stood tall above their contemporaries because they could not be bought or sold. They stand out in the biblical landscape like towering mountains rising above the flatland of unbelief, compromise, and idolatry.

But in all the Bible one man rises above all the others as the preeminent example of integrity--Jesus Christ.

He was the only truly blameless person who ever walked this earth.

A Tribute From the Other Side

No one could pin an accusation on him and make it stick. Not even his enemies.

In this regard Matthew 22:16 is a very important verse because it tells us how his opponents sized up his character in the last few days of his life. The statement comes from the Pharisees who “laid plans to trap him in his words” (v. 15). They sent some of their well-trained disciples to trick him with his own words. Ponder carefully their opening remarks to him:

‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘We know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.’

This isn’t just a compliment. It’s an honest evaluation of Jesus by men who intended to murder him. Even his enemies had to admit his integrity.

What does integrity involve?

1. Your reputation: “We know”

2. Your commitment to truth:

a. In words: “ You teach the way of God”

b. In relationships: “You aren’t swayed by men”

3. Your consistent lifestyle: “You pay no attention to who they are.”

Even as they attempt to trip him up, his enemies must confess that his reputation, his commitment to truth and his consistent lifestyle made Him a man of integrity.

Why is this important? Because if his enemies had “anything on him,” now would be the time to bring it out. If Jesus has any skeletons in his closet, this is the place to display them publicly.

But they didn’t because they couldn’t because Jesus was exactly what he seemed to be. His life matched his lips, his deeds matched his words, his character backed up his claims.

A Man Without Guile

What you see you is what you get. Such a man is hard to find these days. To use an old phrase, a man like this is a man “without guile.”

For over thirty years Dr. John Walvoord served as president of Dallas Theological Seminary. He is remembered around the world for his many books on theology and Bible prophecy. He was a big man with a commanding presence, and when I was a student I was always a bit intimidated by him.

One day in Greek class I heard my professor make an offhanded comment that stuck in my mind: "Dr. Walvoord is a man without guile. When he speaks, you don't have to wonder what he really means. What you see is what you get."

"A man without guile . . . what you see is what you get." Those words flashed into my mind as I thought about being credible and authentic. It occurred to me later that I've never heard anyone else described as being "without guile."

Is that because so few of us really live that way?

1) A credible, authentic leader tells the truth even when it hurts.

A man going through a bitter divorce committed a moral sin, which if discovered, might affect the disposition of the community property. Fearing that his wife had somehow found out, he vowed that even if asked, he would lie on the stand. “Don’t do it,” a friend said, “You can always get your money back, but you can never get your integrity back.” Why compound one sin with another?

Truth is the heart and soul of integrity. Unfortunately we live in a culture that has come to view truth as a disposable item--we tell the truth when it helps us, we shade the truth when we need to, and we lie if we have to. No wonder confidence in American institutions is at an all-time low.

Jesus said, “I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Jesus is on the side of the truth. Whose side are you on?

2. A credible, authentic leader keeps his promises.

Psalm 15:4 says that God blesses the man who “keeps his oath even when it hurts.” Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 warns against making rash and hasty vows. “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it” (v. 5). This has some very practical implications, such as:

Keeping your appointments.

Arriving at work on time.

Paying your bills on time.

Not overpromising to get an order.

Telling the truth about your product.

Refusing to exaggerate.

Abiding by the terms of the contract.

Staying within your budget.

Remembering her birthday.

Attending your son’s ball game.

Getting out of bed when the alarm goes off.

Finishing the job.

Giving him the money you promised.

Giving back the money you didn’t spend.

Most of us intend to keep our promises. Our basic problem is overcommitment. We promise too many things to too many people with too little thought. You might want to highlight the next sentence. People of integrity make fewer promises but keep the ones they make.

Joseph Stowell offers a helpful word for those of us plagued with the problem of overcommitment:

I’m a classic overcommitter and have often contemplated starting Overcommitters Anonymous. I bet there would be a lot of us in the therapy sessions. We’d would sit around and say no. We’d say no in mad, happy, slow, and fast ways; in French, Russian, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Creole. We’d applaud and cheer when someone finally got up the courage to say no for the first time in his life, and we’d hold each other accountable. Want to join? (Shepherding the Church into the 21st Century, p. 267).

3. A credible, authentic leader confronts problems when it would be easier to walk away.

When someone asked General Norman Schwarzkopf the secret of his success, he replied very simply, “I never walk past a problem.” Another friend put it this way: “Just remember, when it comes to solving problems, the first price you pay is always the cheapest.” We ignore problems, hoping they will go away, but that rarely happens. And the price of solving them goes up, not down.

Proverbs 27:6 says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted." Or as the King James Version puts it, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Better to have a friend tell you the hard truth than have somebody try to butter you up and cover up the hard things you need to hear.

Whenever I think of this principle my friend Randy Miller comes to mind. One year he served as the Chairman of the Elders in the church I pastored in Texas. I soon learned Randy had a certain method of doing things. He was very orderly, not given to flamboyance, very much an administrator, always committed to doing things the right way.

We met almost every week to discuss the work of the church. He always carried a little pocket-sized spiral notebook with him. Over the course of a half-hour we would review the affairs of the church, checking off the items on his list one after the other. He'd go over all of his points with me, and then he would turn the page. The second page would always be about me. He would say, "This is hard for me to say, but when you said that last week in the sermon, you didn't mean it this way, but this is how some people took it." Or, "When you didn't take time to talk to those folks, they were really hurt." Or, "I know you think we ought to do this, but I'm not sure it's the right idea." Or sometimes, "You said this and you shouldn't have and you need to do something about it." Over time I discovered this: he was always right. He was a friend who loved me enough to tell me when I was making a mistake. Would you like to know how I feel about Randy Miller today? Although I haven't seen Him in many years, I consider him a dear friend. He's welcome in my home any time.

You Can't Fool God!

There is one final fact I need to add. You can't fool God! He knows the truth about who you are on the inside. Nothing is hidden from his penetrating gaze. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable" (Hebrews 4:13 NLT).

He knows the truth!

If that thought doesn't frighten you a little bit, you are fooling yourself. He knows every word before you say it, every thought before you think it, every deed before you do it. You've never surprised God, and you never will.

And that brings me to the closing words Psalm 139.

Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm139:23-24).

Writing about this passage in a recent sermon, Brian Bill points out that God wants us to invite him to search us. That's a stunning thought. The God of the universe, the One who already knows me through and through, wants me to invite him to do a thorough search of my life from the inside out. Here's another way to say it. “Lord, show me the truth about myself.” That’s a dangerous prayer because if you mean it, God will definitely answer it. Go someplace quiet and ask the Lord to reveal to you the truth about yourself. When we pray that way, the answer will begin to come from heaven. We sit and wait and pray for the Holy Spirit to show us our weaknesses, our faults, our mistakes, our bad attitudes, our foolish words, our pride, our arrogance, our need to be in control, our need to run the world, our need to tell others what to do, our desire to have our own way, our anger, our bitterness, our lack of mercy, our lack of love, our lack of compassion. Let me tell you something from personal experience, if you wait long enough, the Lord will always show it to you.

In asking God to evaluate ourselves, we are really asking these 4 things from verses 23-24:

* Search me. Come in, Lord, and check out every hidden place in my life.

* Test me. To see if I am pure and true.

* Tell me. Let me know what you find.

* Help me. Show me how to correct my ways – lead me the right way.

Don’t be afraid to ask God to point out offensive stuff in your life. That's not an easy thing to do, but it can lead to personal liberation. So many of us struggle precisely at this point because we waste so much time trying to have a better past. But you can't do that. It is what it is. The sooner you face the truth about yourself, the better off you will be. As someone has said, “A good person desires to know the worst of himself.

The Whole Truth About Ray Pritchard

J.I. Packer writes these encouraging words:

I am never out of God’s mind. There is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me, no moment when His care falters…There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself.
I underlined one portion of that quote because I find it very encouraging that God's love for me is "utterly realistic." He knows the whole truth about Ray Pritchard and loves me anyway. I can sleep well at night knowing that the Lord isn't fooled by anything I do or say.

He knows all there is to know about me.

The good, the bad, the ugly, and all the "in between" stuff.

And he loves me with an everlasting and "utterly realistic" love.

I'm glad about that.

Here is where we will end in our quest to become credible, authentic leaders. To be authentic means "conforming to the original." For the Christian, that means conforming to the image of Jesus Christ. Becoming a little more like him as time goes on.

Walking in his steps.

Talking as he talked.

Loving as he loved.

Forgiving as he forgave.

Enduring as he endured.

Praying as he prayed.

Leading as he led.

Serving as he served.

Loving as he loved.

Dying as he died.

True Christians have always prayed, "Make me like Jesus." If you want to be a credible, authentic leader, take a good look at the Son of God.

Become like him.

Make him your model.

Study his life.

Follow in his steps.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reproduce in you the essential features of Jesus.

If you don't know where to begin, I urge you to use this prayer in your devotions this week:

Heavenly Father, I invite you to shine the light of your truth into every part of my life. Thank you for knowing me completely and loving me anyway. Search me, try me, test me, and show me what you find. Where I am not honest and true, do whatever it takes to make me credible and authentic so that my life will bring glory to you.

Make me like Jesus so that people who follow me become more like him. Amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS NOT MERRY XMAS

Human beings and human doings!

BY JOHN MORRISON, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BUSINESS BUZZ
The Nova Scotia Business Journal

The value of an employee is measured in how much they produce. All employees are hired to produce a product or service that has more value than they are being paid in wages or salaries. In the private sector, this is measured in profit. In the public sector, it is measured in service delivered, calls answered or clients engaged.

In the work environment, these outputs are a result of a series of activities – the things people do. Often when we are measuring the performance of our human resource, we forget that this is only one component of each and every one of our employees.

People are not born as human “doings.” In the infant stages, they are incapable of “doing” anything for themselves. Before people become a human resource in employment they are human “beings.” To be a human being is simply to exist....

Gossip

Never Repeat What Someone Said Someone Said by Pastor Ray Pritchard.

October 11th, 2007

I first heard this piece of advice about five years ago from a gifted Christian leader. He was speaking at a Bible conference and in the course of his message advised us to “never repeat what someone said someone said.” It only gets you in trouble.

This is especially important advice when you are angry and in the midst of some sort of relational conflict. It could be at work or at church or with a friend or in some professional context or it could be within your extended family. The speaker recounted an occasion when he had been part of a bitter church controversy, the exact details of which he did not share because they didn’t matter. It was evidently about personalities and programs and decisions and power and which way are we going and who will lead us and how will we get there? The usual things Christians fight about. In the midst of the controversy, the speaker said he broke this rule one time and one time only. He repeated something that someone said someone said. Only he didn’t quite get the story right. Perhaps it wasn’t relayed properly or in context. But he passed the quote along as the truth because that’s what he thought it was. And it blew up in his face in a big way. Someone called him on it and he had to go back and apologize and try to make things right. It was a difficult and embarrassing time for him.

Never repeat what someone said someone said. Why is this such good advice?

–Because you may not have the full story.

–You probably don’t have the context of whatever was said.

–You weren’t there to observe the body language of what was said.

–If you are angry, you will be tempted to put the worst possible construction on what was said.

–The person relaying the information may have an axe to grind.

–You may be guilty of passing along a bad report to those who don’t need to hear it.

–You may gain a reputation as a talebearer or a gossip.

–If the information is not correct, you may face serious consequences.

And mostly we shouldn’t do this sort of thing, especially when we are angry or hurt, because it corrodes our own soul.

Guard your heart.

Set your mind on things above.

Think on those things that are pure and lovely and of good report.

The heart is a fragile thing. Once filled with anger, it is hard to fill it again with love. We can abide in Christ or we can abide in gossip, but we can’t do both at the time.

I suppose we have all occasionally repeated what someone said someone said. But let this be the last word. If you are angry or hurt or in the middle of a conflict, don’t do it. Let those who actually heard what was said repeat it–and let them be held responsible for whatever they say.

When you are angry, hold your tongue and guard your heart. And don’t repeat what someone said someone said.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Devotional, Quotes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Never Repeat What Someone Said Someone Said”

1. Jamesr Says:

October 12th, 2007 at 7:28 am

Thank you, Pastor Ray, for the timely reminder. For me, it was indeed words aptly “spoken”.

I got a similar message from my loving wife last night and this morning regarding emails. “If an email message annoys or angers you, don’t respond to it right away. Let it sit a day and then respond, or else just dump it and get on with your life.”
A hasty reply may cost you more than you bargained for, just the same as you mentioned in your article today.

2. Derek Says:

October 12th, 2007 at 11:47 am

This is a memorable and sobering line:

We can abide in Christ or we can abide in gossip, but we can’t do both at the time.

It’s hard to say it better than that.

3. Ray Pritchard Says:

October 12th, 2007 at 2:28 pm

James, you have a wise wife. Better to let those emails sit for a while . We’ve all answered when we were angry only to regret it later.

Lord, when we are angry, make us people of few words so that we will have less to apologize for later.

That’s my prayer for the day.

4. Ray Pritchard Says:

October 12th, 2007 at 2:30 pm

Derek, thanks. There really are great issues involved in how we respond when we are irritated. That line you referenced just came to me out of the blue, so to speak, but it seems to sum it up very well. Ray

5. Helen Says:

October 14th, 2007 at 5:53 am

Great advice, Pastor Ray.

I think the problems happen when we start thinking of someone as an ‘enemy’ - because they hurt us or people we care about. We think they hurt me; how can I get back at them? and we rationalize what we’re doing because we believe they deserve it because of what they’ve done.

But giving people what they deserve is not Jesus’ way; it’s not gracious and there’s no forgiveness in it. I’m reading between the lines a bit but it seems to me that perhaps more than one opportunity to be like Jesus was missed in the situation you described. You wrote ‘it blew up in his face in a big way. Someone called him on it and he had to go back and apologize and try to make things right. It was a difficult and embarrassing time for him.

I wonder if the people who called the person on what someone said someone said were as forgiving and gracious to him as they could have been?

Unfortunately it seems that one unChristlike act often sets off a chain of others from other people and so a situation escalates instead of being resolved as discreetly as possible.

I like the passage in Genesis 9 about Noah and his sons because it seems to me that sets the gold standard for dealing with all sin within a family [that is not of a type that requires reporting]. Noah’s two sons not only covered him up but they walked in backwards so as to know as little as possible.

Imagine if church were like this…if it was (were) a place where, if you messed up you could trust that the response from others would be grace and forgiveness. I expect it is, sometimes, for some people - but what if it could be even more that way?

6. Obaigbona Grace Says:

November 6th, 2007 at 3:09 pm

God bless you Pastor.

I am so blessed by this article. What more can I add, so many beautiful things have been said; however, I will like to add my views on the article. I think the trouble with “somebody said…” is that people do not realize the IMPACT or DIFFERENCE that one WRONG word can make in a repeated sentence. Right from the origin - Garden of Eden – in Genesis 3:4, the devil told Eve: “Ye shall not surely die.” Note that in Genesis 2:17, God had told them: “Thou shall surely die.” So, the one word the devil added was ‘NOT’ and it was enough to send and is still sending millions of souls to hell. We really need to watch our words, so many marriages have been destroyed, walls of confidence broken down with wrong words… indeed, we need to mind our language otherwise our language will maim us. Just one word can close doors against you. I pray that our words will promote us from today and draw rivers of helpers across our pathway in Jesus Name, Amen.

In addition to Helen’s comment…

The word FORGIVENESS is forbidden in so many churches today, dare you go to the church and testify that you were once lost but now found, once a prostitute/thief but now saved hmn…, God save the brother that will ask for your hand in marriage because somebody said somebody said that she was a prostitute will flood his ears and God save the old/former thief should he ever go near the church offering box! Forgiveness is indeed forbidden in our world today, I know of a pastor that speaks against his wife everytime he is asked to comment on their marriage; one wonders if he has ever read 1st Timothy 3:1-7and Proverbs 10:12.

The pulpit has become a serious weapon of mass destruction that should be looked into. Some Christians have become worst than Jack the Ripper as they use their words to rip people off their blessings. I think both the pulpit and the pew need to review the issue of forgiveness. God help us!

Thanks
What is gossip?

The word "gossip" is not found in most translations of the Bible. Gossip is defined as, "Idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others". The closest thing to a biblical definition of gossip would be the following: "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not" (I Tim. 5: 13). Words are used for good or evil (Prov. 15: 2-4). David prayed, "Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord…" (Ps. 19: 14).

Two Horses

Author - unknown
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell.
It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends,
you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse,
and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk
to where the other horse is,
trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns
to the shelter of the barn each evening,
it stops occasionally and looks back,
making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell...
Like the owners of these two horses,
God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect
or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives
to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse
being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....
Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours...
And remember...
be kinder than necessary-
everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly....
Leave the rest to God

April 1st "Poisson d'Avril", or "April Fish."

April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

Observances Around the World
April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Way to go, Judge!
In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays and decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate. The case was brought before a wise judge who after listening to the long, passionate presentation of his lawyer, promptly banged his gaveland declared, "Case dismissed!"The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews--why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah...and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!" The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said "Obviously your client is too confused to know about or to celebrate the atheists' holiday!"The lawyer pompously said "We are aware of no such holiday for atheists, just when might that be, your honor?" The judge said "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date---April 1st!"
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" - Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!!

What does Easter mean to you?

For some, it means Tears ------ Ref: women crying by the tomb John 20:11

For others it simply means disappointment. ------Ref: Two friends were disappointed because they had trusted that Jesus will help them Luke 24:21

Hope is said to be the oxygen of life, when you run out of hope you run out of life!

Lack of Hope can make you forget the promises of God Luke 24:6-9, John 20:13

Jesus brings Hope. Easter simply means HOPE, what you gave up on, thinking that it has died, will suddenly resurrect. Do not give up; your miracle is around you.

A story was told of an old woman who told her Pastor how her burial/funeral should be. One of the things she requested for was an eating fork; she demanded that this eating fork be placed in her hand!

Her confused Pastor asked why? She answered that when ever she went out for big diners, the servants clearing the tables always say "Madame, keep the fork" while they clear the plates used for the main meal - keep the fork because some delicious sweet and giant desserts are coming. They will soon be on your table.

This old lady told her Pastor to explain to every one that "what ever your present situation is, the best is yet to come, it is not over"

Beloved, I encourage you today, do not give up, your miracle is on the way, God is working things out for you, He is resurrecting all your buried virtues and blessings. I pray that the Lord will help us to persevere in what ever situation He has allowed to come our way and that He will open our understanding Luke 24:45 so we can behold and possess our blessings in Jesus Name, Amen. It is well with you.

Your sister,

Grace Obaigbona.

May heaven smile upon you and may God bless your day light as never before.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Philippians 1:3

I thank my God every time I remember you.

"J'exprime à Dieu ma reconnaissance chaque foi que je pense à toi ; je prie pour toi en toute occasion,et c'est toujours avec joie que je le fais." Philippiens 1 : 3-4.

Psalm 128:5 May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; Amen.

What's your reflection about the way you see things? Is God glorified by our thoughts and actions. The following challenged me. Hope we ask and seek for wisdom like Solomon did. Remain forever blessed saints!!!

THE ILLUSION OF REFLECTION.

Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess,
with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people
in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird
may have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a
reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area.
This river was completely polluted and filthy and smelly. As he was
walking the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw
the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could
get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and
grabbed at the necklace, but some how missed it and didn't catch it. He took
his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried
again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy
river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still
missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.
Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was
determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river,
although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his
whole body would become filthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the
necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out
feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50000.
Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what
the matter was. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with the saint,
thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell
the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and
being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and
promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered some
courage and decided to put some faith in the saint.
He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to
catch it, but kept failing. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try
looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy
river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the
branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real
necklace all this time.

Moral of the story:
Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because
it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world. We
don't achieve the happiness we are looking for, no matter how hard we
endeavor in the material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who
is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of
this happiness in the material world. This spiritual happiness is the
only thing that can satisfy us completely. May the Lord help us LOOK UP TO HIM.
Good day.

LA RUMEUR!!! GOSSIP IN THE SOCIETY !!!

LA RUMEUR!!! GOSSIP IN THE SOCIETY !!!

Introduction:

1. Définition de la rumeur

* Socialement => parler contre une personne qui ne peut pas se défendre ; répandre la calomnie, médisance.
* Point de vue Chrétienne => comparable aux péchés de meurtre, adultère, mensonge... ; jugement des autres, de leurs actions (Lev.19/16, Prov.11/13, Rom.1/29, 1Tim.5/13, Matt.7/1, Prov.18/8).
o C’est grave dans toutes les sociétés.
o Rumeur peut être vraie ou fausse ou un peu des deux.

* Façon de propager => personne à personne non concernées directement.
* Coupable – celui qui propage ce qui est intime.
* Rumeur est condamnable quelque soit le point de vue.

2. Ce que la rumeur est

* · Raconter des histoires
* · Parler dans le dos de quelqu’un
* · S’occuper des affaires des autres
* · Dénigrer quelqu’un => calomnier
* · Commérer, bavarder
* · Elle n’est pas officielle
* · Elle n’a pas de source sûre et elle ne sert pas à l’édification.

3. Ce que la Rumeur n’est pas

* · Corriger les péchés et erreurs des autres
* · Dire la vérité aux personnes concernées
* · Vérifier l’enseignement d’un prédicateur (lui en parler)

4. qu’est-ce qui est à l’origine d’une rumeur (but => pourquoi les gens propagent les rumeurs)

* · Se rendre intéressant « je sais quelque chose que vous ne savez pas »
* · Orgueil / vanité (montrer son pouvoir de connaissance)
* · Amertume, colère, ressentiment, hostilité => pour faire payer quelqu’un même innocent
* · Mauvaise estime de soi => descendre les autres pour les mettre à son niveau
* · Jalousie => détruire
* · Influence des pairs => se joindre à la foule pour être accepté dans la société (le regard des autres)
* · La sensation
* · Fouineur

5. Excuses pour justifier le commérage

* · Commérage déguisé en ‘recherche de conseils’
* · Requête de prière
* · Veiller les uns sur les autres

C’est la manière et le fruit qui importent

6. Conséquences

* · La personne concernée par la rumeur est:
* a) blessée et souffre
* b) gêne, embarras, confusion
* c) destruction de sa personnalité ou son intégrité
* d) division
* · Révélation de la vraie nature du cœur de la personne qui répand la rumeur
* La personne qui entend la rumeur :

a) confusion et mauvaise influence

b) répétition d’un erreur et piégée dedans

7. Quand peut-on répéter une rumeur ? et avec qui ?

· Lorsque c’est nécessaire ! Seulement !

Quels sont les critères de nécessite :

a) besoin de corriger un péché

b) éclaircissement d’un enseignement reçu douteux

c) risque de division d’une communauté (Eglise/entreprise…)

Avec qui en parler :

· Avec Dieu ! en premier.

· Normalement la personne concernée si intime

· Avec un ancien ou le pasteur ou un proche ET C’EST TOUT !

Avec qui ne pas en parler :

· un inconnu

· une personne non concernée directement

· un nouveau chrétien de l’église (ayant juste donné son cœur ou arrivant juste d’une autre église)

Comment en parler :

· Après avoir prié

· Avec amour, dans le but de faire du bien

· Sans condamnation, chacun est responsable devant Dieu.

· Avec la vision de Dieu pour l’Eglise : unité de l’esprit par l’Esprit

Comment régler une rumeur :

· Ne pas la propager

· Quand c’est possible, dire de s’arrêter => remettre à sa place selon la vérité biblique

· Si c’est un vrai problème, chercher à le régler selon la Bible et dans la mesure de nos pouvoirs sinon, prier.

Précautions :

· Ne pas s’associer à quelqu’un (fouineur ou « les parlent partout ») qui répand des rumeurs 1Tim 5 :13

· Garde le problème pour toi-même à l’intérieur – intercède pour le gossiper et pour l’objet (une personne)

· Ne laisse pas les paroles (non saines) indignes sortir de ta bouche => nos paroles devraient toujours servir à guérir et apporter la grâce pour construire et édifier ceux qui écoutent

Que faire si vous participer à une rumeur :

· Se repentir authentiquement

· S’engager à sceller les lèvres => penser avant de parler.

· Mémoriser les versets suivants : Ps 19/14, Eph 4/29, Matt 7/12

Conclusion

* Il ne faut pas être à l’origine d’une RUMEUR
* Il ne faut pas propager une rumeur
* Vérifier si on peut répéter
* Régler les problèmes dont on prend connaissance
* Veiller sur nos paroles.

Cher tous, permettez-moi de vous exprimer, avec ma très sincère reconnaissance, mon émotion pour la réception que vous m’avez accordé dans ce forum, émotion redoublée par vos paroles/contributions généreuses. Ma reconnaissance va aussi aux leaders [Pasteur Gérald, Hélène, Frère David...] et tout particulièrement à Philippe Monnereau qui m’a beaucoup aidé surtout avec la traduction. Thank you.

Merci à tous.

Cordialement,

Grâce Obaigbona

16 janvier 2008.


Foyer Évangélique Universitaire, Poitiers, France.

Integrity.

We live in a world where honesty is not celebrated!

An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top. There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, "I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne." Then he said, "This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you. Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent. “The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king. In one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive. Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. "After all," they said, "how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?" But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. "If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty. Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be but don't be found to have deceived the king," they told him. The d-day came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them, "Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?" And each boy responded, "Yes, your majesty." And the king would nod and move down the line. The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed. "What did you do with the seed I gave you?" the king asked. "I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout." the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him. But the king raised his hands and signalled for silence. Then he said, "My people behold your next king." The people were confused. "Why that one?" many asked.

"How can he be the right choice?" The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, "I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test. If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout." Never!!

We live in a society that has become obsessed with success and many show success at any cost. We say the end justifies the means. It is the tragedy of life. You see, failure often is an invitation to God to show that he is all powerful and does not need help to make us great or to bless us. You know, sometimes God looks for people who will trust him completely no matter what so he could show the world that it is not by might or by power but by his spirit. God sometimes ordains failure. But many seek to circumvent divinely ordained failure by resorting to dubious means. When a minister of state is able to sustain a lavish mistress and at the same time put up houses from his income as minister, is that not a case of a boiled seed coming to life? That is a case of boiled seed yielding hundred folds! We should stop cheering rogues in WORLD! I believe that we have all been given lives to lead according to God's plan and if we are living faithfully, we should all have different results. The Bible says the race is not for the swift and the battle is not for the strong. So how come, that in the WORLD the swift wins the race and the strong the battle? It is because we are refusing to remain faithful to God and refusing to allow God to be God in all things and in our affairs.

Boiled seed does not sprout. Never!!! Next time you see a successful person, find out what kind of seed he was given and ask him, "how come your boiled seed has sprouted.

Source: Dear all, a friend of mine emailed this write up to me. I hope you enjoyed it.

Best regards,

Grace.