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T.J.I.F.A.

THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!
PASS IT ON ...& ON...& ON...& ON
OCTOBER 31, 2003

SUBJECT: FREEDOM.  

EVERYONE LONGS FOR FREEDOM EXCEPT THE FEW  SELECT PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUND IT.  YOU WON'T FIND THEM ALL HUDDLED IN ONE PLACE OR RUNNING IN HERDS, LIKE WILD ANIMALS.  THESE PEOPLE HAVE A GENUINE LOVE FOR OTHERS AND DESIRE TO TEACH THE BOUND HOW TO BE FREE.  READ FOR YOURSELF...FREEDOM.

NOTEWORTHY: SHARES SOUND VIEW FOR THE CHRISTIAN , AND ANOTHER TIDBIT ON ALZHEIMER DISEASE

FRIDAY'S WORD: IMPUDENT

IN THE MIRROR: A HEALTHY  PERSPECTIVE ON  PERSEVERANCE

O TASTE AND SEE!  VERA'S BROCCOLI, RICE AND CHEESE CASSEROLE.  PLEASE DON'T LEAVE THIS DISH OFF  THE THANKSGIVING TABLE!  IN FACT, YOU'D  BETTER MAKE TWO, SO THAT WHEN YOU SERVE LEFT OVERS THE NEXT DAY, YOUR FAMILY WON'T GET RILED UP  BECAUSE THIS DISH IS GUARANTEED  NOT TO HAVE LEFTOVERS FROM THE PRIMARY DINNER GATHERING.   
THANKS  VERA...ENJOY!
 

LOOKING FORWARD

SEE YA NEXT TIME!

TER Freedom

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

There was a herd of  elephants in a small pond.  They were drinking from  the muddy water, and spraying it on their backs.  With that many elephants you'd hate to be a lonely turtle out for a summer's walk and just, happen upon this exclusive  drinking spot in the jungle.  The only imaginable thing is that the turtle would be smashed in this environment   of massive disregard.  But, a strange thing was captured on film.  As the slow turtle made its way into the drinking hole amongst the herd of elephants, the elephants never seemed  to look down, but just gently moved the turtle away from their immediate under footing.

The turtle continued on its way and the elephants continued in the water.  This film footage was seen on Public Broadcasting Service about two years ago.  

In training, an elephant when he  is very young,  is chained to a stake in the ground.  He pulls and pulls but can't get free.  As he grows older the remembrance of the inability to free  himself is firmly ingrained in his thoughts, therefore he relinquishes any  attempts to free himself.   Freedom is no longer an option.  Being chained to a very inadequate stabilizing source is his impudent, impending forecast.  

When freedom is no longer an option, whatever has bound you can hold you captive with very little force.  The memory of the force used in the beginning of the captivity is enough to keep you tied to a stake.  And we all know that IF the elephant knew that he could pull  up that puny little stake, we'd have elephants from the local Zoo walking up and down our city streets.  

Now, let's talk about people.   
What does the word,  ‘Freedom', mean to you?  
We live in the United States of America, the freest nation in the world... or so we say.

We are FREE to worship as we like; FREE to work where we like; FREE to live almost wherever we like; FREE to marry whomever we like; FREE to vote IF we want to; FREE to agree or disagree; FREE to choose, or NOT too.  We have a constitution that enables us to be this FREE Nation Under GOD.  And if others want  to come into our country and NOT be ‘under GOD', then they are FREE to do so.    And this may be where  the, ‘Not under GOD crowd,' decided to nail the wooden  stake that now seems to keep us chained and immobile.   

In the guise of Freedom, our children are being taught things in school that we wouldn't mention under six layers of covers, behind three doors, with soundproof   padding on the walls.  In school, our children are role playing godless religions, even witch craft; they are as lambs listening and watching as their innocence and morality is sucked out of them like milk shake  through a straw from a glass.   They are being taught to ignore authority without consequence,  and to seek self pleasures with no regard to the probable infringement on another's personal body or  space.  (If it feels good, do it.)

The Freedom that we had in the past is no longer present.  The little foxes of hatred and envy are constantly nibbling at the edges of freedom.   These little bites have left room for the bugs to crawl in and invade the ‘Constitution' of the people.  This invasion isn't readily recognized, because it has learned to imitate and falsify its real purpose.  The Invasion screams loudly about ‘Freedom.'  The Invasion quotes Amendments and parts of our own Declaration of Independence.  It portrays ‘Freedom' to be under its own authority, rather than the authority of GOD.  In order that the Invasion would be as successful as it has been, it had to change the mind-set of every household.  It did so with the children, because as long as the households of America looked like ‘Ozzie and Harriet' there wouldn't be any significant change.  

Now, let's just suppose:  
Suppose those elephants that were previously mentioned represented the United States of America.  And just suppose that little harmless, helpless turtle was the enemy.  Here we go!  

As America sat in its flood of goods and running over supply of water, having a good time...FREE.  The enemy decided that they would TAKE the land and the lavish watering hole from these massive and powerful entities.  FIRST, let's make them feel sorry for us.  Let's invade their territory and temporarily allow them to push us aside and ignore us.  We'll make these trips to their land one by one.  Then we'll multiply and while they're sleeping one day we'll ALL get into the pond, by then there'll be thousands upon thousands of us, and we'll quote their own history to them about why they can't rebuke us or throw us out of the  pond.  We'll tell  them that..."IT'S THE LAW!", and they'll have to obey it, because, "we have our rights too."  

We'll take their children and tie them up with weak philosophies, and never give them the opportunity to think in clear unbiased reasoning.  In less than twenty five years we'll own this exclusive drinking pond, and the children of these brute beasts will supply us with the protection  that we'll  need to keep out other invaders.  

This is laughable; that a bunch of turtles could take over a watering hole.  Or is it?  Look around you.  Who's in charge?  Who's setting the pace for you to follow?   Who's telling  you  not to pray; not to spank your child; not to recognize the fetus as a human being; not to stifle your son's female side, or your daughter's masculine traits.  Who's telling  you this?  

Who's telling you that there is no GOD; Who told you that man evolved from a monkey; and that the dog is still evolving from a wolf; and  the cloned pig was good to eat; and who's  telling you that marriage should be outlawed; who's telling you that the Bible is out dated and that Jesus was just a good prophet, but not the Son of GOD ( because there is no GOD).  

Readers of TJIFA: Elijah  of the Bible, became laden in despair as he told GOD that he was the only GOD fearing man left. GOD comforted Elijah by assuring him that there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal. [1 King 19:18] And we must know that even though our numbers  seem few, like Elijah, we must continue contending  for the Faith, because there are many who have not yielded to the over running of our physical power; but, have maintained their stalwart look and stance toward GOD.  Their belief is as strong today as it was in the past, and more likely stronger.  

"FREEDOM" is a concept.  Prisoners may long to be free; but only because they have been free in the past.  If a child is born  in prison, (there are countries that don't take babies from pregnant inmates) they have never tasted real freedom and therefore the child's life is engraved with the reality of prison being home.  

If a person has never tasted the goodness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he has no idea what a life of true FREEDOM is about, because there is no FREEDOM outside of Christ  Jesus.  There are herds of souls looking for Peace and Freedom; they look in alcohol, drugs, relationships, departures and separations, gatherings  and joining,  (book clubs,  socials, Churches and gangs). Freedom is sought in marriages and divorce; births, abortions, calamities, casualties and death.  But, TRUE FREEDOM will NEVER be attained until the seeker starts his ‘Born Again Life' in Jesus Christ.   In Christ, there is FREEDOM; and it won't matter if you're displaced from your favorite puddle; tied to a flimsy stake, behind prison bars, in bad relationships, married or divorced; live in a castle, or a cardboard box under Main Street.  IT JUST WON'T MATTER!  BECAUSE YOU ARE  FREE.  FREE.  FREE!!!  

Looking Forward.

See Ya Next Time.

TER


NOTEWORTHY:
If you want to stop gossip; before you are told a juicy tale from a person known to gossip; tell them that "Everything that you tell me about So-and-so, I am going to tell him/her as soon as you finish telling me, and I will tell So-and-so who gave me that information.  This will STOP the conversation in its tracks.   

Gossip is words that you wouldn't say in front of a person, but would easily say behind their backs.
 
Flattery is words or speech that you would say in the presence of a person, but would not say behind their backs.
 
Pastor David Jeremiah Sunday October 26, 2003 - TBN.  
Submitted by  TER


A strong, possitive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.  
Patricia Neal:  Woman's World;  A woman's  weekly    October 21, 2003


Fish slashes your Alzheimer's Risk.   
How about treating you Mom or Dad to a tuna fish sandwich?  Reachers at Rush-Presbyterian- St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago have discovered that eating fish at least once a week may slash the risk of Alzheimer's by sixty percent among seniors.  
Medical Update,  from Woman's World.  


"You make the darkest day shine as if there were thousands of glimmering candles burning in your heart."  
Stephen Reufer. Woman's World.
These notes from Woman's World were submitted by BC.

FRIDAY'S WORD: impudent; im*pu*dent-(adj) insolent; presumptuously confident and self assured; exhibiting lack of shame


IN THE MIRROR:  

PERSEVERANCE

Written by Charles R. Swindoll, taken from "The Answer Bible" Selected  Writings.
-------------
Frankl was right.  Life is a task.  A tough one.  Sometimes it's absolutely unbearable.

Some days we do well just to survive...to say nothing of  excelling. Therefore, persevering  becomes essential to living - the only key that unlocks the door of hope.  Through perseverance character is built, strong and solid character that brings about hope.  

Frankl didn't say that, but another Jew from another era did.  His name was Paul: "We also have joy with our troubles, [WHY?] because we know that these troubles produce patience.  And patience produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3,4NCV).  

Why keep persevering?  Why continue standing against the strong currents   of temptation, fear, anger, loss, stress, impossibilities, misunderstanding, and mistakes?  Why fight defection?  Why overcome inferiority? Why keep on waiting?    Why?  I'll tell you why.   Because it is  in the realistic  arena that true character is forged out, shaped, tempered, and polished.  Because it is there that the life of Jesus Christ is given th maximum opportunity to be reproduced in us, replacing a thin, fragile internal theology with a tough, reliable set of convictions that enable us to handle life rather than escape from it.  

Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to run from it.  When the foundation shakes, when Christian friends--even the leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out  and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverence offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and insight to see the Lord's hand in it all.

Without it, we stumble and fall.  And GOD is grieved.
With it, we survive and conquer.   And GOD is GLORIFIED.  

Related Bible Text: Philippians 3:12-14; Thessalonians 5:21-24; 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Hebrews 10:36-38

We discover this   inherent trait in various forms in not only our personal lives, but we see its outstanding results behind every success story.

Charles Swindoll says something here of particular interest to the Christian. He states that through perseverance, we have been given the privilege from God for the life of Jesus Christ, " to be reproduced in us." (That's the SHOUT right there!)

Jesus didn't say we would, "try" to be Salt, or Light; He did say we "are" these very elements. They are components given unto every ‘Born Again' believer to produce change, not only in our own lives, but a vehicle, an instrument of change in the lives of others.

Christianity is supposed to be different, (supernatural); The consistent way in which demonstrate our faith is what gives the rest of the world an opportunity to see the Christ in us.

Victor Frankl was right; "life is tough." But while ‘Perseverance' earmarks the Christian life, EVERY trial we experience, we travel it with a knowing embedded deep within our hearts, that in its culmination, there's Jesus Christ, the RESURRECTED, waiting for us at the end of a very tedious, but oh so worthwhile journey. S.L.C.




O TASTE AND SEE!

VERA'S BROCCOLI RICE -CHEESE CASSEROLE


10 OZ. BAG FROZEN BROCCOLI  OR 1 LB. FROZEN  CHOPPED BROCCOLI.  
1 ½ CUPS COOKED RICE.  
1 JAR CHEESE WHIZ .
1 CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP.
1   CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP.  


DIRECTIONS:  

HEAT OVEN TO 350 F.  SPRAY CASSEROLE PAN WITH PAM.  

COOK AND DRAIN BROCCOLI.  (IN BOILING WATER)  
ADD TO COOKED RICE THE CREAM OF CHICKEN AND CREAM OF MUSHROOM   SOUPS  AND CHEEZE WHIZ.
STIR ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER.
POUR INTO PAM  SPRAYED PAN.  
BAKE AT 350 F FOR 30 MINUTES.  

VERA NEVER TAKES ‘LEFT OVERS' HOME FROM THIS TASTY DISH.  THE MOST ASKED QUESTION AT GATHERINGS IS, "VERA, IS THAT YOUR BROCCOLI RICE CASSEROLE?"  ONCE THE QUESTION IS CONFIRMED, THE CONTENTS OF THE CASSEROLE VANISH.    

YOU'LL LOVE THE COMPLIMENTS ...ENJOY!