Stuff Michael Meeks is doing

This is a joyful occasion, but we would remember those who are covered in great big scabs at this time. We bring before you all crushed persons, and we pray that they may indeed rejoice in their mangled state. Grant peace to gangrene sufferers everywhere, and those who, even now, are about to touch live wires and be burned to a crisp.

We hold up before you all roofers whose walkways are not secure; we pray for their limbs, old and new: and we especially recall as we begin this delicious meal, those frozen folk who are grovelling around in the dark, living on slugs. May they acquire a taste for those slugs, and crunch them with joy, even as we shall crunch our prawn starter in a few moments time.

May we be aware, as we consume this food, that others are being consumed, by giant anacondas and hunger-crazed members of the big cat family who are either too old or too feble to hunt and catch more appropriate prey.

As these festivities uplift out spirits, let us be one with those who, having been uplifted by sundry aeroplanes, are now forced to vacate them before they land. We thank thee for those who are equipped with parachutes, and we reach out in spirit to those who are not. May they discover that beneath them are the everlasting arms - or a pond.

And so now we pray for this evening, and we ask that food poisoning and sudden illness will be endured quietly so that the joy of these two young people will be undiminished, both now and at such tiume as death shall separate them - leaving one an inconsolable widow or widower, and the other a lifeless corpse in the cold ground. Amen.

• Ian de Massini conducting, and premiering several pieces and arrangements. A most amusing rendition of Gardner's Tomorrow shall be my dan-cing day with the syncopation stressed by basoon, featuring an impressive tamborine solo.
• Very touching rendition of John Tavener's setting of The Lamb (by William Blake) - a typically excellent mix of plainsong and harmony.
• Interesting introduction to Carl Rutti, seemingly a rather good (living) Swiss composer, his Alma Redemptoris Mater rather overshadowed by the comprehensibility of I wonder as I wander.
• Ian's LOGOS based on John 1:1-14 - good text, a clever and thoughtful setting.
• Mince pies and wine whilst comparing the merits of Monet's poplars (saved from being cut down while he was painting them apparently), juxtaposed with a Renoir and Picasso. ( Picasso does so challenge my pre-conceptions about quality ).
• Finished off with the highly polished choir singing a (de)rangemenent of Ding, dong, merrily on high in 5/4, highlighting common amateur choral mistakes - most amusing.

• The 'Gordon scriptures' would say God will provide a way out, so you don't have to be tempted, or a way to avoid the test altogether - but in fact, crucially God promises a way out - so that you can stand up to the temptation.
• The fad of 'Dumbing Down' has pretty pernicious effects on our intellects - but when you're encouraging a kid to play baseball, you don't start by throwing the fastest ball possible that he has no chance of hitting. Instead you underarm lob at the bat - so that the nervous 5yr old has almost no chance of missing. That way you get a baseball addict [hmm.].
• Similarly, God doesn't give tests that are beyond what we can bear; but dumbs down the test so we can stand up to it, and overcome. We need to see that many labour under trials that would be too heavy for us.
• The other way God provides is not by dumbing down the test, but by giving us strength.
• A little girl traumatised by a relations death, tearfully asking Daddy not to die, since she couldn't bear it - lovingly asked about going on the train, Daddy would buy the ticket but would only give it to her just before boarding. So God will provide strength at the time of need for his children.
• Several useful, practical tips on overcoming various temptations - the main thrust being recognising they are conquerable, and aggressive action to prune them back.

• So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (NIV).
• The struggles of life - wear us down; some endure some of the most horrific temptations and trials. It's all common or garden temptation, and God is faithful, nothing beyond your strength.
• Same word in Gk for test and temptation, depends on the perspective. The pre-supposition is that You will be tempted - Temptation is unavoidable, don't fool yourself.
• You would think this would be painfully obvious to anyone with an ounce of self reflection, that this would not be news to them. But no - in Corinth they had deluded themselves into thinking they had an immunity from hard-testing and difficult times.
• Paul's reality therapy - If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. There are indeed wonderful benefits from the resurrection, many Corinthians had been powerfully delivered when they became Christians, set free from their sexual promiscuity and drugs - but the initial dramatic victories as a gift are no garentee that there will be no future struggles.
• Israel's easiest battle was the first - Jerico: just walk around the town, are all the battles like that ? - no, the next they're routed by a small force. The battle was given to make the point that the battle is the Lord's, there is lots of fighting ahead, lots of effort.
• If God's so faithful, why does he let us be tempted ? From heaven's perspective they are tests, Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart The trials are to strengthen us and our confidence in him. The testing produces perseverance.
• Chapter starts with events at least a millenium before the Corinthians. Israel had an amazing baptism, incredible experiences, God repeatedly provided for them by mighty miracles, and lead them himself. Yet - that conferred no immunity from temptation: the Golden calf, sexual immorality at the Baal of Peor, grumbling etc. - we will be tested.
• Christ may have picked us up from the gutter, but we're in a war-zone. We have to take to heart the message:
• The power of negative thinking - under no illusions that this will make him a fortune, doesn't have the ring of Norman Vincent Peale - this is going to go nowhere. No-one wants to hear it, we dislike negativity. Hence the proliferation of positive lunacy.
• The bible doesn't hesitate to point to the power of negative thinking; to fortify us for the battle ahead. CS Lewis: If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you'll find it quite intolerable; think of it instead it as a place of training and correction, and it's not that bad. Imagine a set of people living in the same building: half think it's a hotel, half a prison. One half might regard it as intolerable, whereas the other decide it is really suprisingly comfortable. ... people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world become pessimists, the people who hold a pretty stern view become optimistic.
• The bad news is that we're going to be tempted, but we have the power of negative thinking. To be forewarned, is to be forearmed.
• We like to think our suffering is unparalleled, unique - but no, it's all garden variety, common to man. We don't want to hear that, since it robs us of self pity and the special excuses we're preparing for ourselves to give in. Of course, the packaging is often unique, but the temptation is always garden variety.
• Don't cut yourself off from Christian biography, talking to others, from the comfort of scripture - your situation is not different. We know a man who was tempted, in every way just as you are, but was without Sin.
• Don't be mislead by superficial differences in packaging, it's all the same, ultimately an infraction of Love God with your whole heart and mind and soul and strength, and your neighbour as yourself.
• At park-street we bank on the intimacy of small groups, every condition known to man faced by people in the church. Dead marriages revived, dead children with murderers never found, sexual temptation of all kinds; seek encouragement from people.
• Humans have the proclivity to wishful thinking; thinking that we're better than we are. William Burstein: There are two kinds of investors, those who don't know where the market is heading, and those who don't know that they don't know. Of course the latter make you the money.
• Great danger in self pity; Dr Henry Beecher - Pain management; served as medic in WW II, was astonished on the beaches to go from badly wounded soldier to soldier, people in acute pain, offering morphine to be told "save it for someone who is in greater pain". The stark contrast being that after the war, civilians with comperable injuries - were in excruciating pain. He came up with three thoughts:
  • Conditioning - soldiers prepared to endure pain, practicing for war, the power of negative thinking: Be self controlled and alert - your enemy the Devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
  • Confidence - soldiers had that civilians did not have; their pain was gain; in some way it contributed to the eventual liberation of Europe. As christians we have that too, sufferings are not meaningless if we die with him we'll also live with him. No suffering is meaningless.
  • Congruence - that the soldiers that endured unspeakable injuries, realised that their buddies were also loosing limbs, they wern't in this alone. No temptation has siezed you except what is common to man.. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throught the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5
• Armed with this fortitude, be encouraged that whatever battle we're facing, we're not facing it alone, God is our strength and refuge.

400 New Countries to Join EU by 2007

- Over 400 countries are soon to become members of the European Union it was announced ... the lucky winners of the Eurovision Country Contest ... Signor Romano Freebie, ... hailed this as "a new dawn for Europe, when all the countries of this great continent are finally united by their dream of being subsidised by each other".

• Amazed that they didn't see through the old Which would you rather have, scripture translated by scholars, or >hand gesticulation here< a prophet of God!. That it is Americans that come up with this sort of disingenuous, ethnocentric twaddle is amusing.
• The fact that there are precisely no coins from the culture of Moroni, is apparently to test our faith.
• Apparently Joesph Smith was a sinful prophet just like Moses - shame God didn't work mighty miracles through him to let people know.
• Most interestingly, Cox was coloured, and (shifty eyes) seemed to have no problem with the paradoxical banning / un-banning of coloured priests - another matter of faith, that there must have been a good reason.
• Strangely Cox also looked away while professing 'the burning feeling', poor chap, pacemaker needs cranking perhaps.
• Anyway, gave them some water, and somewhere to sit for a while, and perhaps something to think about. When I've finished the Koran, I need to read the book of Mormon; if only I had a decent plain textual version (Arberry?) instead of Yusuf Ali's polemical commentry. Indeed, Yusuf gets more of a say than the text.

First is the sheer joy of making things. As the child delights in his mud pie, so the adult enjoys building things, especially things of his own design. I think this delight must be an image of God's delight in making things, a delight shown in the distinctness and newness of each leaf and each snowflake.

$PATH .= $ps.$USR.$ds."sbin".
         $ps.$ETC.
         $ps.$USR.$BIN.$ds."X11".
         $ps.$USR.$ds."X11".$BIN.
         $ps.$OPT.$ds."langtools".$BIN.
         $ps.$USR_OPENWIN.$BIN.
         $ps.$USR_DT.$BIN.
         $ps.$USR.$LIB.
         $ps.$USR_LOCAL.$BIN;

• NatWest, seemingly not content with their banking business have started sending me junk mail en-mass including a Magazine service only last week.
• The magazines are of a generally base nature, further tarnishing the image of what was once a respectable and conservative proffesion.
• The Bank that can't send my credit card statement to the right place promises to get 'all' my magazines to me wherever I am with a single phone call.
• Given the mounting blood pressure and sense of loathing I get each time I hear their name - they should offer health services too).
• Amazed this morning to recieve the 'Home Insurance' pack, call Nat West direct today. Carefully sorted through the guff to find either a statement or a bill - nothing. Incredible. Phoned to register my acute disapprobation.

Until Mr Mugabe took it away.

echo "#!$PERL/perl -w" > set_soenv
cat set_soenv.1 >> set_soenv
chmod +x set_soenv

• The vital, concept of mutuality, hammered home in verses 2,3,4 - each man should enjoy his own wife, each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to the wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
• Not another sentance in all ancient literature that is equally compelling on the mutuality of marriage, and it's commensurate emphasis on marital fidelity.
• In Paul's day in secular contexts - during the wedding ceremony - family members would tell the bride: When the husband commits adultery she should not take it as a sign that he doesn't love her, but that he is just trying to gratify his passions.
• Or perhaps Demosthenes - We have mistresses for pleasure, prostitutes for daily physical use, wifes to produce legitimate children, and serve as trustworthy guardians of our homes. Not complaining - just stating a fact.
• Paul instead stressing the mutuality and sexual fidelity of marriage - a refreshing breath of air - and an emphasis on the conjugal aspect of marital intimacy.
• A most amusing section on how badly the Church has got it wrong at various times.
• Not the husband's perogative to go on a business trip / holiday by himself - it's a denial of the one flesh bond. The apostles took their wifes with them wherever they went despite the obvious dangers of their life. [ not just hotels where they charge extra for a 2nd occupancy ].
• The need to un-learn the dangerous missionary ideals; eg. E.Stanley books - missionary to India, in his autobiography, 2 inches thick, in the middle there are 2 lines that mention his wife I thank God that he gave me a wife that would stay behind (in New Jersey) - he should not have been thanking God but repenting of putting his marriage in jeopardy - prize your marriage.
• The risks of Christians being coy about sex, indeed we should be modest, but it has two risks. We're seen as up-tight, repressed, guilt-ridden, but worse - in the absence of sound teaching the vacuum is filled by the unremitting blair of Hollywood, that imply if you want real excitement it has to be an illicit relationship: promiscuous, better still adulterous - then you'll really get your heart throbbing.
• Don't blame Hollywood, the script-writers just live sheltered lives - they've never (apparently) seen a good marriage. Writing out of their own experience - not known the amazing joy and excitement of a good marriage after 10 years or 20 years, when you're more and more in love with each other, since they never accurately portray that. Assume it's not a nefarious plot, but simple ignorance.
• We have to remind the world there is an alternative - intimacy in marriage is not everything, but it is a deep expression of the bondedness given by Christ.
• Believers have a 1 year honeymoon Deut 24:5 a newly wed must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him, he should stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married. Put another way - the enemy can be landing on the beaches tommorow, and the military calling everyone between 18 & 35 up, and you look at the calendar and say sorry - it's only been 11 months. For one year, nothing is more urgent than learning how to give pleasure to your bride. Make it the best year of your life, and if you do - every year after will be better.
• Proverbs - takes your breath away, be drunk on your wife, captivated by her; fall head over heels in love with your wife.
• What is the key to that satisfaction - the world is pre-occupied with sex, but in the end finds very little satisfaction. It measures love in terms of self gratification rather than self giving. The reason Christian marriages are so romance filled are because they have learned this lesson: that it is better to give than recieve.
• We should be consumed with how to please each other rather than ourselves. The key to satisfaction that makes marriage a gift comes from God, who can allow us to be that kind of wife or husband.

$ gconftool --set --type=bool /desktop/gnome/interface/accessibility 1

op_start --vmlinux=/boot/vmlinuz --map-file=/boot/System.map --ctr0-event=RETIRED_INSNS --ctr0-count=5000 --ctr0-kernel=0 --ctr0-user=1 --separate-samples
op_dump ; op_stop
oprofpp -k -l /usr/bin/nautilus

• It's always been that way - look out for this argument in the Women's emancipation debate.
• We havn't had any problems yet - ergo the Gtk+ team are somehow infallible in a way the Gnome hackers are not. Consider whence the delay of Gnome 2.0 stems.
• Gtk+ just has a different, but equally good release process - which seems to involve by admission, cramming misc. fixes in before release, and a single day of testing.
• Just because gtk+ doesn't hard freeze, it doesn't mean it's pointless Gnome doing it - well true, we can hopefully be confidant that the bugs will be in gtk+ not say eog, but that helps precicely not at all to the end user whose eog crashed.

Many chicken flocks have birds that contain Campylobacter within their intestines but which produce no symptoms of any illness. Estimates vary, but more than half of the raw chicken on sale within the U.IK. is thought to have Campylobacter on it. The germ is also present in giblets, especially on the liver

Unpasteurised milk can become contaminated if the cow has a Campylobacter infection or if the milk is contaminated with manure. Because so few germs are needed to cause illness, it is very difficult to prevent contamination, even with the best dairy hygiene standards.

There is no vaccine against campylobacter nor do you become immune to it, so it's important to prevent it spreading and to avoid infection as far as possible.

We often have quite a mistake impression of what it was like to live in times past. This impression frequently comes from films, which often portray people who, although dressed in dirty clothes, are beautiful and live in harmony with nature. Unfortunately reality in the eighteenth century was quite different, as the reputable Princeton historian Lawrence Stone explains:

The almost total ignroance of both personal and public hygiene meant that contaminated food and water was a constant hazard ...

The result of these primitive sanitary conditions was constant outbursts of bacterial stomach infections, the most fearful of all being dysentery, which swept away many victims of both sexes and of all ages within a few hours or days. Stomach disorders of one kind or another where chronic, due to poorly balanced diet amont the rich, and the consumption of rotton and insufficient food among the poor. The prevalence of intestinal worms ... were a slow, disgusting and debilitating disease that caused a vast amount of human misery and ill health ... In the many poorly drained marshy areas, recurrent malarial fevers were common and debilitating diseases ... [and] perhaps even more heartbreaking was the slow, inexorable, destructive power of tuberculosis ...

For women, childbirth was a very dangerous experience ... [and finally] there was the constant thread of accidental death from neglect or carlessness or association with animals like horses - which seem to have been at least as dangerous as automobiles - or elements like water ...

Another fact of Early Modern life which is easy to forget is that only a relatively small proportion of the adult population at any given time was both healthy and attractive, quite apart from the normal features of smell and dirt. . .. Both sexes must very often have had bad breath from the rotting teeth, and constant stomach disorders which can be documented from many sources, while suppurating ulcers, eczema, scabs, running sores and other nauseating skin diseases were extremely common and often lasted for years. [Quotes from Stone 1979:62-4, 306]

• Up at 8.00, breakfast, waited for the hair-dressing appointment, 10.30, hair dressing, hair into curlers - off to Church in them to inspect the floral pew ends.
• Home to the makeup woman, bridesmaids arrived. Buffet lunch - only eat a bit of French bread ( with a knife and fork to save the make-up ).
• Dress on, fantasticaly valuable diamond earrings on.
• Photos in the garden with the bridesmaids who then went in the car. Then left with Daddy in the (rather fine) car.
• Arrived at the church, re-assured by seeing Peter [ the real Vicar imported from Hove ], excited to see the bridesmaids waiting outside.

• Up at 8.30am, talked to David in bed for a while, showered, went to Guesten Hall for breakfast.
• Bacon, eggs, toast, croissants, apple juice - rather good, spoke to various misc. relatives.
• Back to my room, some applied speech writing action, David assisted with various droll comments. Condensed to flashcards.
• Prayed in the Abbey ruins and practiced the speech.
• Robert and Marie Claire arrived, and we poked around the ruins, an extremely small spiral staircase was most interesting, with a diameter of perhaps 4 feet, very small.
• Parents rolled in, David took them to the right room, and I re-directed them to the wrong one, doh.
• Set out some tables on the patio and had a picnic with the family in the glorious sunshine. Went early to change, very calm.
• Driven to the Church by David, Sharon Gosling got my buttonhole in the right place, talked to lots of friends arriving in the car park. The Ryes arrived in their spare bus ( travel Rye transport in Newbury ! ). Great to see Martin Baulig and Dick Porter unfold from a full car with Tim Reid, Stuart Abercrombie driven by Andrew Mansergh.
• Into the Church, and after some faffing around sat at the front with David, amused each other a little. The brothers and Tim were ushering admirably.
• Sarah and Ali came to see us at the front of the church - the low church friendly people.

• Wilt thou have this woman to they wedded wife, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of Matrimony ? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health ? and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, as long as ye both shall live ?
• To which one answers I will! Similarly Julia promised the same, with an additonal 'obey' clause.
• Then the Vicar started getting the prompting badly wrong, but we had mercifully both learned our lines as it were:
• I Michael take you Julia to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy law; and this is my solemn vow.
• Likewise for Julia, but with even worse prompting blunders.
• Then exchanging the rings - David managed to procure them from one of his pockets, some relief.
• I give you this ring, as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of my Wife and I I would like to thank Anthony for his kind speech, and to you all for coming to celebrate with us.
"I am led to understand, that the dictionary definition of Wedding is "The inseparable fusing of two bits of metal by heat.";
"One of the things I love most about Julia is her attitude, confidence, intelligence, ability - that she is a worthy intellectual opponent when we discuss things - unafraid to tell me I'm wrong, amusing and relaxed.
"My Father when young, advised me to Marry a woman that looks like the back of a bus, this way you don't have to worry about them running off. I'm happy to say, as you can see that, as my Father before me, I've failed to take this advice.
"It has been said that A woman would rather be told she is beautiful than intelligent, because she knows men can see better than they can think - I've come to appreciate this reflection of male shallowness that they call female vanity as I got to know Julia more. Beautiful, a joy to behold and be with now - and also over the years - as we get baggier.
"You may be labouring under the illusion that my task is to propose a toast to the bridesmaids, and then shut-up. Before we get there, I'd like to propose another toast - to a very special lady, with a close association of the family, a dancing partner of my Father's, and benefactor of ours, who unfortunately cannot be present with us today. Ladies and gentlemen - can I ask you to be up-standing, and raise your glasses in the loyal toast to The Queen.
"Views differ on marriage: is it a biological trap, or the best thing they ever did ? Marriage is like the Army, everyone complains, but surprise surprise - they all re-enlist - as it were: Carpe Diem ("complain daily") - but there should be no need to re-enlist.
"By God's grace, and my wife's self-control, I'm really looking forward to opening God's wedding present tonight - a topic that obssesses our generation. I'm convinced that now, as in our old age - our technique will be amusing - but we want our love to be characterized by a life-long tenderness that will overcome this.
"I'd like to talk about God's Grace - that small word means His undeserved favour, He has been so good to us - not just

• Giving us both parents who loved us with care, kindness, self-sacrifice setting a great example, and being an inspiration to us.
• Giving us Jesus, who brought us to himself, and brought us together.
• God - who showed me what love is - what my heart is for.
• Giving us you guys - so many friends, and much loved family members, we treasure your support & friendship.
• Coming into the cess-pool of human existence to die for us, so that we could show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness - and into his wonderful light.

"My peers are intrigued - How can you be so sure as to get married ? thy ask; perhaps I can help someone here with my thinking:

• Love - I look at myself, how I act when Julia's around, that strange lightness of step, song in the mouth, happiness - seems convincing. But perhaps this effervescence will fade ?
• A decision - this is something that we've decided, freely and willingly entered into, with oaths made in front of God & man. I want to re-make this decision daily.
• And finally - I can't know the future; there is a leap of faith here, that is matched by an iron commitment to stick it through.

"Lastly, as I come to the end - can I point out to you that time flies, Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on Him while he is near - don't assume there will be a better time. "Which leaves me with the Downing College motto - "Seek the Truth", or as they say in Latin Caicillius in Horto Laborat. "This leaves me only to thank the bridesmaids:

• Stephanie - for her courage and deportment.
• Louise - our mutual friend who brought us together.
• Kat - whose encouragement of Julia as a child to play with riding horses, not chasing boys kept her safe.
• and Sue - her Sister, support, playground protector & best friend.

"Please be upstanding to toast - the bridesmaids".

• An exceeding great & precious promise vs. 21 All things are yours
• The context of the passage
• I Corinthians written in response to the church in Corinth's need for answers to many pastoral questions (about which they wrote) but he goes 7 chapters without starting on these, the most important issues they havn't asked about - the reports of divisiveness, quarrels and rivalries he heard about from some of Chloe's household One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." 1 Cor 1:11-12
• The divisions point to a lack of love, which should characterize the church. Countering this is the main thrust of his letter.
• Winston Churchill commented: When you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
• Paul sets about disowning his groupies following this strategy that - these divisions are offensive to him, and far worse offensive to Christ, demeaning to the Church and set the wisdom of men above that of God, etc. over and over from different angles.
• All things are yours
• A totally wrong model of Christian leadership, Paul expands Matthew 20:25-28 - no lording it over people.
• Teachers and leaders in the church are not there to have their ego's stroked, for their personal enrichment, affirmation etc. but only to serve.
• Christ is the head of everything, for the sake of the church Eph 1:17-23
• So - what are Apollos, Paul, Peter - only your servants, all things are yours they are yours, loving you like parents and giving themselves for the Church.
• So then no more boasting about men, and unpacking vs. 22 ... the world or life or death or the present or the future -- all are yours.
• The world is yours
• God gives everything, not just teachers and leaders, but 'the world' - at a minimum all people.
• Even the hostile pagan authorities belong to Christ, the King's heart is in the hand of the LORD, he directs it like a watercourse Prov 21 The authority that persecutes you is God's servant to do you good.
• The meek have inherited the earth through Christ.
• An anecdote about a youth pastor in a group with whom Gordon used to pray, very poor, with only 3 sets of clothes, and an old rust bucket for a car, but who never complained. One day Gordon asked him Why arn't you worried by your poverty - I mean, we are, and we seem to have more than you. And he said, Don't tell anyone hence no attribution My Father is the owner and president of one of the largest conglomerates in America, I don't let him do anything - but if I have a need, he's got it all.
• We have a Father that has it all, we own the world through him, from the snow capped crag to Fort Knox.
• So then why boast about men ?
• Life is yours
• In his book God Is Not Yet Dead,(Penguin) Vitezslav Gardavsky wrote:

  The terrible threat against life is not death, nor pain, nor any variation on the disasters that we so obsessively try to protect ourselves against with our social systems and personal stratagems. The terrible threat is that we might die earlier than we really do die, before death has become a natural necessity. The real horror lies in just such premature death, a death after which we go on living for many years.

• Are we going through the motions without emotions, or do we know Jesus who came that we might have life & have it abundantly John 10:9-11.
• Death is yours
• Death - the problem that makes a mockery of human philosophies.
• don't grieve like the rest of men that have no hope I Thes 4:14 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26
• As Paul said For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain Phil 1:21
• The present is yours
• If life seems out of control, if you made your bed and now you get to lie in it, if you're reaping what you sowed, Jesus can change the circumstances.
• If you're in great danger, just believe in him who can rebuke the storm and bring a complete calm
• The future is yours
• Jesus owns it - he knows, as was said to Jeremiah

  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

• Therefore as it is written "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord"