<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538</id><updated>2009-12-17T19:50:16.953-08:00</updated><title type='text'>simple quests</title><subtitle type='html'>"nothing in life is to be           feared; it is only to be understood."</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>21</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-5994786218718289839</id><published>2009-02-16T21:14:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2009-02-16T21:14:33.034-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Widget</title><content type='html'>&lt;script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/491308eafc8d94e3/499a47b83c76b506/49380719da76e85e/6df4a01e/widget.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-5994786218718289839?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/5994786218718289839/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=5994786218718289839' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5994786218718289839'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5994786218718289839'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2009/02/widget.html' title='Widget'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-7254377158997148346</id><published>2008-07-13T20:10:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:43.635-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Passing Through Deep Waters</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHrGGeiAlnI/AAAAAAAAAFw/vzDUuAi7gGI/s1600-h/Josh_Rzepka_Psalms+27+verse+21.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHrGGeiAlnI/AAAAAAAAAFw/vzDUuAi7gGI/s200/Josh_Rzepka_Psalms+27+verse+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222704532466734706" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. - Isaiah 43:2&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;A lot of folks--maybe you're included--can accept the fact that God is a God of concern, but they wonder how much of the time He's in control. They can accept, "If it's good, it must be of God!" but they also reason, "If times are tough, I must have missed God somewhere!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In chapter 43 Isaiah recorded words that still bring a great deal of comfort. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God says, "I will be with you," and those five words should make all the difference in the world. And if that's not enough, they're followed by two other statements. God says, "You are honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:4). Wow! That's good news! We could only face all the battles of life victoriously with the certainty that He is with us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;-From &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Just for Today&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://digg.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://digg.com/img/badges/100x20-digg-button.gif" width="100" height="20" alt="Digg!" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-7254377158997148346?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/7254377158997148346/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=7254377158997148346' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/7254377158997148346'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/7254377158997148346'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/passing-through-deep-waters.html' title='Passing Through Deep Waters'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHrGGeiAlnI/AAAAAAAAAFw/vzDUuAi7gGI/s72-c/Josh_Rzepka_Psalms+27+verse+21.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-5713329768404808010</id><published>2008-07-10T20:40:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:43.800-08:00</updated><title type='text'>My Strength is Perfected in Weakness</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHbY22yjCKI/AAAAAAAAAFA/spSMbFGJq-M/s1600-h/Water+lilies.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHbY22yjCKI/AAAAAAAAAFA/spSMbFGJq-M/s200/Water+lilies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221599254914730146" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;And then he told me, "My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Where is God in relation to your greatest flaws? Some folks thing that God just ignores our failings since He's busy running the world, but that isn't what the Bible says. He knows our flaws and our weaknesses. So how does He view them? While the Bible contends that we are responsible for our failures, the best news of all is that God says, "My strength is made perfect in weakness."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;The word &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" &gt;weakness&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt; can refer to a physical or moral weakness. You know what yours is; God does too.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;God never forces Himself on you. As you pray, "Lord, help me overcome my weakness," He goes to work. His effort begins and your weakness ends with your invitation to let Him meet your need.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;-from Just for Today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-5713329768404808010?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/5713329768404808010/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=5713329768404808010' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5713329768404808010'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5713329768404808010'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-strength-is-perfected-in-weakness.html' title='My Strength is Perfected in Weakness'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SHbY22yjCKI/AAAAAAAAAFA/spSMbFGJq-M/s72-c/Water+lilies.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-2698111087192330505</id><published>2008-07-08T05:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-08T05:39:31.074-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Getting to Know God</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator if the ends of the earth." - Isaiah 40:28&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Many individuals know something about God but do not know Him personally. They understand that there is some kind of a connection between creation and the Almighty Creator. But they wonder, "Can I really know God?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can, but you've got to look for the answers in the right place. You see, reading a book on cooking will never help you be a good chef. Reading a book on royalty isn't the same as a face-to-face audience with Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's why you need to go to the only real source which answers the question, "How can I know God?" It is the Bile. This book says you can know God personally through His Son &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;J&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;esus Christ. The Cross became a bridge for us to know God and to become His children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You are no accident. You are one of a kind among the billions of people who live on planet Earth, and it is God's desire to bring you into a relationship with Himself. Don't settle for anything less than knowing God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;- from&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt; Just for Today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-2698111087192330505?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/2698111087192330505/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=2698111087192330505' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/2698111087192330505'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/2698111087192330505'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/getting-to-know-god.html' title='Getting to Know God'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-5048253925972830028</id><published>2008-07-03T19:23:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-03T19:25:45.422-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Our Love for God</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class="post-body"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;"&gt;You know how Jesus said that we are to love God with all of our heart, and how this is of such importance? (Mark 12:30)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;Well, I believe that as we spend time with our Father, we are richly rewarded. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;I think that as we get to know Him and let Him into our lives more and more, that we grow to love Him more and more, for there is nothing about Him that we can not love. He is perfect and He bends over backwards to help us out and to show He cares when we ask and I think that as we get to know Him it would be impossible not to love Him with all of our hearts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;It's a shame that in our fallen states it is hard for us to love at times, and sometimes almost impossible, but with God all things are possible and I think the love for our Father will change everything! God Bless!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;p class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"&gt; &lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:78%;" &gt;&lt;span class="post-author"&gt; Inspirational by Lance Eh as posted in Jesus Devotionals.org&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-timestamp"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-comment-link"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-backlinks post-comment-link"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-icons"&gt;&lt;span class="item-action"&gt;&lt;a href="email-post.g?blogID=9178678221823995292&amp;amp;postID=3966440573387409425" title="Email Post"&gt;&lt;span class="email-post-icon"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="email-post.g?blogID=9178678221823995292&amp;amp;postID=3966440573387409425" title="Email Post"&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-5048253925972830028?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/5048253925972830028/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=5048253925972830028' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5048253925972830028'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5048253925972830028'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/our-love-for-god.html' title='Our Love for God'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4912900652661303110</id><published>2008-07-03T18:59:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.019-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='God'/><title type='text'>Is There God?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SG2Ek9fCwjI/AAAAAAAAAE4/8uiEJjdIUu4/s1600-h/first-taste-of-rain.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SG2Ek9fCwjI/AAAAAAAAAE4/8uiEJjdIUu4/s200/first-taste-of-rain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218973313707196978" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="post-body"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;Have you ever wondered, "Is there truly a God?". And then you look up at the sun, or the stars, or a beautiful light, and you realize that out there somewhere, something or someone had to create all this. It seems like there is too much beauty for it all to be chance.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt; And then there are those moments that make you think. Moments of true beauty. Moments that are so Divine that they take your breath away and leave you wondering. A little child, a warm hug, a gentle laugh. Something that happens throughout the busy day that makes you stop and think, there must be more.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;These are the moments that make us think. Sometimes they may be few and far between. Some may be closer than others. But these are the moments that define reality. That make us really think, God must be watching now, and He must want me to see this. He must be there, and He must care enough to go out of His way to do this for me. Maybe He has never stopped caring, even if I forgot about Him, He never forgot about me. Maybe He has been there all along, and in those split moments we see a little glimpse of what is really going on. A little glimpse of who He is, what He is truly like. These are the moments that make up life and eternity. God bless!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;p class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:78%;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="post-author" &gt; Inspirational by Lance Eh posted at Jesus Devotionals.org&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-timestamp"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-comment-link"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-backlinks post-comment-link"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="post-icons"&gt;&lt;span class="item-action"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;a face="trebuchet ms" href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=9178678221823995292&amp;amp;postID=3088733707958746264" title="Email Post"&gt;&lt;span class="email-post-icon"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=9178678221823995292&amp;amp;postID=3088733707958746264" title="Email Post"&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4912900652661303110?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4912900652661303110/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4912900652661303110' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4912900652661303110'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4912900652661303110'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/have-you-ever-wondered-is-there-truly.html' title='Is There God?'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SG2Ek9fCwjI/AAAAAAAAAE4/8uiEJjdIUu4/s72-c/first-taste-of-rain.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-5567893891163705697</id><published>2008-07-03T18:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-03T19:06:15.101-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='hard times'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='singing'/><title type='text'>Singing during Hard Times</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"&gt;T&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;he                 Lord is my strength and my song: He has become my salvation. He                 is my God and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will                 exalt him.”- &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting;color:#006600;"&gt;Exodus                 15:2 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.windmillministries.org/images/singing-1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.windmillministries.org/images/singing-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;Sometimes                       when my walk with Jesus is difficult and hard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;                       &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;I                       sing a song to get the sadness out of my heavy, burdened                       heart&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;Because                       the music lifts my sorrows to Him I worship most&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;He                       is my Father in heaven and the Host of host&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;He                       knows how heavy my cross at times can be&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;He                       carried once His own&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;And                       He did way more then that for me&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;Because                       He carried His alone&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;My                       burden is nothing compared with what He endured&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;And                       because of it, my life is in Him secured&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;That                       is why, in every situation and in every circumstance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;I                       will rejoice and I will dance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;Because                       when I sing&lt;i style=""&gt;                       ESPECIALLY&lt;/i&gt; in times of sadness and of grief&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Lucida Handwriting;font-size:100%;"  &gt;He                       takes away my sorrow and I find in Him relief&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;a poem posted from Windmill ministries&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-5567893891163705697?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/5567893891163705697/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=5567893891163705697' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5567893891163705697'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/5567893891163705697'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/singing-during-hard-times.html' title='Singing during Hard Times'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4038432638675867075</id><published>2008-07-01T21:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-13T20:26:13.668-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='forgiveness'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='compassionate'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='repentance'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='sin'/><title type='text'>Sin's Pressure Cooker</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;By Glenn Ansley&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;DeeperDevotion.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lamentations 5:15-16&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Sin will crush your spirit like few others will. The burden of guilt is an unyielding force pressing you from every direction. The accuser’s lies fall upon your head like shards of broken glass. The Father’s voice seems no more than a distant memory.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;The joy in your heart has ceased. Gone away with your innocence is the ability to rejoice in the Lord, to worship in truth, or to sing songs of praise. Your dancing has turned into mourning… a constant distraction from the realities of the cross. Your crown  all of honor, your splendor, anything that you could have held as dignity  has past away. It has fallen from your head and you search desperately for the place where it rests. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;As the Lamentation says, “Woe unto you! For you have sinned.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;Take joy in knowing that you serve a compassionate God. You’re Father has paid the price for your disgusting habits. His Son has died for your sin. But have fear. Remember that His Son DID die for this sin. The Father has willingly allowed Him to do so, is overjoyed by the results, and beacons you to come to Him in repentance. Nonetheless, His forgiveness has come to you along with His strength. You are no longer enslaved to sin, therefore deeming each instance as a choice of your own.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;center  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;The Father will always forgive a repentant spirit, but He takes much more joy in one that’s contrite, steering away from the sin in the first place.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/center&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4038432638675867075?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4038432638675867075/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4038432638675867075' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4038432638675867075'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4038432638675867075'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/sins-pressure-cooker.html' title='Sin&apos;s Pressure Cooker'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-1932885533927458893</id><published>2008-07-01T21:21:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.202-08:00</updated><title type='text'>The Importance of Prayer</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsDLPfWdWI/AAAAAAAAAEo/qE1SjgOIxPk/s1600-h/handsandlight.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsDLPfWdWI/AAAAAAAAAEo/qE1SjgOIxPk/s320/handsandlight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218268084910323042" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;Prayer is of such great importance &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;in our lives and our walk with our Father. Prayer needs to be our connection to Him, our inviting of the Holy Spirit into our lives, our daily resource. Since God is the source of all of our strength, I believe it is of utmost importance that we stay connected to Him through prayer.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="post-body"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"&gt;The more and more I live, I see the vast importance of prayer in our lives. Almost like a soldier receiving orders, an athlete discussing matters with a coach, a son spending time with a Father, prayer is so important to us. Without it, without that open communication to Him, I believe that we can easily become lost in this tough world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"&gt;Thankfully we have prayer to keep us on track. Not a list of rules or regulations or things we must do or say, but talking to God from the heart and listening. Let it not be a chore but something to be loved. Time with the Father can be great and can relieve our burdens and answer our needs. If you have questions, let Him know. He is here to answer. He wants to help. Invite Him into your life and allow Him to teach you and show you the true way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Let us stand fast in prayer and our connection to Him, for it will lift us higher and higher while we walk through this life&lt;/u&gt;! God Bless!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;   &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span class="post-author"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; Inspirational by Lance Eh.(Jesus Devotional.org)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-1932885533927458893?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/1932885533927458893/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=1932885533927458893' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1932885533927458893'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1932885533927458893'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/importance-of-prayer.html' title='The Importance of Prayer'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsDLPfWdWI/AAAAAAAAAEo/qE1SjgOIxPk/s72-c/handsandlight.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4031147998004742242</id><published>2008-07-01T21:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.333-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='patience'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='hope'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='faith'/><title type='text'>Is There Hope?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsBkkBqJHI/AAAAAAAAAEg/-nWQWxcNmmk/s1600-h/proverbs156-reduced.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsBkkBqJHI/AAAAAAAAAEg/-nWQWxcNmmk/s320/proverbs156-reduced.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218266320896402546" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;"  &gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;It can sometimes seem to                                  us&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;As though we fall behind&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Other things                                  seem to emerge&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;That crowds our troubled                                  minds&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;There are days we feel as though&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;We                                  can’t take it anymore&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;What’s the use of                                  carrying on&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;When we struggle in the                                  Lord?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Why all this needless grief?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And                                  why do we carry on?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Frustration is our only                                  friend&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And the hope we had is gone&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Each                                  new day that we face&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Is the dawning of the                                  same&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;We feel a sense of hopelessness&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;When                                  we see that nothing's changed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Joylessness                                  and uselessness&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;It seems it’s all we                                  have&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Even though we proclaim Christ&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;We’ve                                  lost the spark we had&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;The anguish of the                                  Christian soul&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;So twisted in our grief&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;It                                  seems as though it will never end&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Our hearts                                  continually bleed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Is there hope in                                  carrying on?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Is there hope in God?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Who is                                  He that will carry us&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;When we’re in spiritual                                  fog?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Though at times we feel these                                  things&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;God stays faithful and true&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;He                                  fully understands our pain&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And He sheds a                                  tear or two&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Jesus too has felt real                                  anguish&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;In Gethsemane that night&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Torn                                  between living His life&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And what He knew was                                  right&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And even on the cross He felt&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;The                                  heaviness of our sin&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;He saw the pain deep in                                  our hearts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And the prison we are in&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;He                                  won the victory over death&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;In His hand He                                  holds the keys&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;That unlocks our prison                                  doors&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And sets our spirits free&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;So yes                                  there’s hope in carrying on&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And reason to                                  believe&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Jesus Christ is our hope in                                  life&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;And for Eternity.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"  &gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;big&gt;©&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt; By                                  M.S.Lowndes&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"  &gt;&lt;b&gt;Devotionals &lt;big&gt;©&lt;/big&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.heavensinspirations.com/"&gt;Heavens Inspirations&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4031147998004742242?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4031147998004742242/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4031147998004742242' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4031147998004742242'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4031147998004742242'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-there-hope.html' title='Is There Hope?'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGsBkkBqJHI/AAAAAAAAAEg/-nWQWxcNmmk/s72-c/proverbs156-reduced.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-817420957233453278</id><published>2008-07-01T20:26:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-01T20:33:19.346-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='patience'/><title type='text'>Waiting on His Miracles</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(148, 15, 4);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:14;"  &gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Patience is something that our God would have us all to learn. Patience is also a fruit of knowing Him (see Galatians 5:22-23).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Imagine the Israelites having to wait before the Red Sea for God to act.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="readmore"  style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; Meanwhile, one of the most powerful armies of all the world is nipping at their heals and closing fast open though. But they dare not move, not without their God that is. So as the Egyptian army is steadfastly closing in on them, Moses waits in patience, only holding up the staff which God had given him, for he knew that God would act, he knew that God would show himself strong. This faith gave him such great patience and perseverance, waiting upon the Lord our God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And God did act, He came through and showed himself strong, as He always does for those who wait upon Him and trust His might hand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Psalm 46:10 "&lt;strong&gt;Be still&lt;/strong&gt;, and know that I am God"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;-from Jesus Devotionals.org&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-817420957233453278?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/817420957233453278/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=817420957233453278' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/817420957233453278'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/817420957233453278'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/waiting-on-his-miracles.html' title='Waiting on His Miracles'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-1780486613413155015</id><published>2008-07-01T19:58:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.520-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='world'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='news'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='bible'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='humanity'/><title type='text'>A  Bad News World</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGrxCrq0u7I/AAAAAAAAAD0/IzdHsBVedQA/s1600-h/normal_godlinesswithcontenment_0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGrxCrq0u7I/AAAAAAAAAD0/IzdHsBVedQA/s200/normal_godlinesswithcontenment_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218248146646514610" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:georgia;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. - Proverbs 25:25&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Have you noticed how little "good news" there is anymore in a bad news world? It is not without reason that we refer to the Gospel as "The Good News!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Firstly, it tells you that God is concerned with you. This is in contrast to how life today leaves you with the impression that there are few who care about what happens to  you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Secondly, it promised an end to the problems confronting the world. The Bible says that God is in control. Reading the book of Revelation reveals the eventual return of the Prince of Peace to rule and reign. It says there is a limit to how far God will allow humanity to go; He'll eventually step in and say, " That's enough."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, it tells you that y our life can be different. That is the bad news of all. With God, there is forgiveness and help. You need not be a victim of your failure and sin or live in bondage to the hostilities that imprison. You can be a new person with a hope and a future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read the Bible. There you'll find the best news you will ever get.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;-from "Just for Today" by Harold J. Sala&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-1780486613413155015?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/1780486613413155015/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=1780486613413155015' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1780486613413155015'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1780486613413155015'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/bad-news-world.html' title='A  Bad News World'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/SGrxCrq0u7I/AAAAAAAAAD0/IzdHsBVedQA/s72-c/normal_godlinesswithcontenment_0.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-6705778155245339444</id><published>2008-07-01T19:46:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-01T19:53:50.570-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='blogs'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='christian'/><title type='text'>blogs for christians</title><content type='html'>&lt;embed src="http://static.ning.com/networkcreators/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=4916" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="networkUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.christianblogdirectory.com%2F&amp;amp;panel=network_large&amp;amp;configXmlUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ning.com%2Fchristianblogs%2Finstances%2Fmain%2Fembeddable%2Fbadge-config.xml%3Ft%3D1214907794" height="242" width="206"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;small style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://www.christianblogdirectory.com/"&gt;Visit &lt;em&gt;Christian Blogs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-6705778155245339444?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/6705778155245339444/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=6705778155245339444' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/6705778155245339444'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/6705778155245339444'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/07/sufferings.html' title='blogs for christians'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-9033552825409332311</id><published>2008-06-25T20:54:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-25T21:02:32.614-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='sufferings'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='trusting God'/><title type='text'>When Suffering, Trust God</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him&lt;br /&gt;                                               Job 13:15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;When we cannot trace God's hand," wrote Charles Haddon Spurgeon, "we can always trust God's heart." We all have times that confront us when we can see neither rhyme nor reason in what is happening. Why God allows the circumstances is not always clear.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When we have unanswered questions, we can curse God and blame Him--or turn to Him and let the trial drive us closer to him. G. Campbell Morgan once said that any suffering would be bearable if we could only understand the reason for it. Yet faith is trusting Him--without doubt or bitterness--even when we cannot understand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;taken from " Just for Today"  by Harold J. Sala&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-9033552825409332311?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/9033552825409332311/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=9033552825409332311' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/9033552825409332311'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/9033552825409332311'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/06/when-suffering-trust-god_25.html' title='When Suffering, Trust God'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4336375449703702824</id><published>2008-06-14T16:48:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-14T17:07:16.784-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='scriptures'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='courage'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='God'/><title type='text'>Scriptures Telling Us To Be Courageous</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;"Be of good courage." &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;(Numbers 13:20)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The failure of 10 of the spies to obey this commandment cost them their lives and cost the Israelites 40 long years in the wilderness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Deut 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are not permitted to fear our spiritual or natural enemies because Almighty God is the One who goes with us. He will not leave us or forsake us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Deut 31:7 The Moses called&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Joshua&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt; and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyone called to bring God's people into their inheritance must be strong and of good courage. And God is expecting us to win!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Deut 31:23 Then He inaugarated &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Joshua the son of Nun, and said, "Be strong and of good courage; for your shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you."&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Again the idea that we must be couageous because God is with us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Jos 1:6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Jos 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Jos 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;God repeated this a lot to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Joshua. He needed to hear it often and so do we!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Jos 1:18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Now the people of Israel are also telling &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Joshua they expect him to be courageous. The people of God have a right to expect this from their leaders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Jos 10:25 Then &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;The people of God are commanded to be strong and of good courage also. God will destroy our enemies against whom we fight, so why not be courageous?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4336375449703702824?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4336375449703702824/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4336375449703702824' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4336375449703702824'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4336375449703702824'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/06/scriptures-telling-us-to-be-courageous.html' title='Scriptures Telling Us To Be Courageous'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-554655170107844797</id><published>2008-04-23T21:25:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T21:49:37.025-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Using Time</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/52/154299550_93a4575f2f.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/52/154299550_93a4575f2f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;You can spend your time, invest your time or even waste your time. It's your choice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;We all have exactly 24 hours a day. No more; no less. No one else is forcing you to do anything. You only commit to things because you choose to; so, your schedule reveals your priorities. Examine your schedule, and you might be surprised when you discover what your priorities turn out to be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Instead of scheduling your priorities around your life, you ought to schedule your life around your priorities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What should those priorities be?   In &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.blogger.com/bible.php?q=Matthew+6%3A33"&gt;Matthew 6:33&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;, Jesus says, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;"Seek  first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to  you as well."&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; Of the Ten Commandments, the very first commandment God gave  was: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;"You shall have no other gods before me."&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; The Bible is clear: God  should be our number one -- most important -- priority.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;In &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.blogger.com/bible.php?q=John+15%3A1-4"&gt;John 15:1-4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;, Jesus talks about  pruning off things that produce no fruit. That is, he tells us to cut off  anything that does not have meaningful, eternal value, which means that we are  to get rid of anything that doesn't further our relationship with God. Clearly,  God doesn't want to be number ten on a list of top ten priorities. In fact, God  really doesn't even want to be number one on a list of ten; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;God wants to be  number one on a list of one!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Y&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;ou could spend or waste your time doing meaningless things; or you could  invest your time in order to achieve maximum eternal impact.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="explanation"&gt; &lt;p&gt;When you seek God as the only thing you need, he will take care of everything  else (see &lt;a href="http://www.blogger.com/bible.php?q=Matthew+6%3A33"&gt;Matthew 6:33&lt;/a&gt;). In &lt;a href="http://www.blogger.com/bible.php?q=Luke+10%3A38-42"&gt;Luke 10:38-42&lt;/a&gt;, we learn the story of Mary  and Martha. &lt;i&gt;As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a  village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister  called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha  was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and  asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by  myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are  worried and upset about many things, but &lt;b&gt;only one thing is needed. Mary has  chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt; That's  what it means to seek the only meaningful, eternal thing -- God.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Therefore, prune your life. List practical ways that you can cut out the junk  in your life in order to focus on knowing God better, seeking him and knowing  his word and his truth. That's the only thing needed -- that's how you invest  your time wisely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;-from Christ notes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-554655170107844797?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/554655170107844797/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=554655170107844797' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/554655170107844797'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/554655170107844797'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/04/using-time.html' title='Using Time'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-1078614797386322</id><published>2008-04-23T17:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T20:20:29.670-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='behavior'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='human factor'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='laziness'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='greed'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='peace'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reactions'/><title type='text'>Should You Be Nice To People You Can't Stand?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;published from Cebu Daily News, April 24, 2008&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"  &gt;There are literally dozens of ways that people get under each other's skin. Greed, laziness, or just plaid rudeness are all character traits that cause people lots of problems in their personal and professional relationships. It may seem like a struggle to put on your best face when confronted by those who bring us grief. But there are some really significant reasons why it's preferable to treat even the most aggravating people with kindness and respect. In fact, you just may be surprised how the age-old adage about "catching more flies with honey than vinegar" holds a lot of validity. The next time someone you know or (don't know personally) displays his/her worst side, you might want to rethink how you react.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What goes around comes around......&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"  &gt;You needn't be an overly religious person to understand that in life, very often the behaviours you exhibit in the world, you ultimately experience yourself at one time or another. Since this goes for both the good and the bad, it would behoove anyone to take the "higher ground" as often as possible. The bottom line is that as much as we'd like to seek revenge upon those who cause us harm, we frequently end up harming ourselves more by doing so. One reason is because it usually requires more effort to do something negative than positive. In addition to that, negative responses typically beget negative results -- even if the other person happens to have been in the wrong first. Consequently, it's fairly difficult to "retaliate" against someone whose intentions are pleasant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"  &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;Chain reaction&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;Being kind to those who profoundly bother us has some other benefits. Studies have shown that human behavior itself has "contagious" effects. Think of the rubbernecking that usually goes on after a terrible highway accident. Most of the time, the wreckage has already been cast to the side; but even after the roads become passable, onlookers will continue to clog the area. It's understandable for a hideous spectacle to attract lots of attention. But in most cases, the wreckage isn't terribly extraordinary. In many cases, people choose to slow down and gawk because they see other drivers doing so. Believe it or not, the same principles apply to their behaviors. For example, let's say that a person on your job consistently brings you grief. By treating him/her with kindness, he/she may have the epiphany that his/her actions were ultimately uncalled for. Furthermore, others who see  you deflecting the negative behavior may catch on, thus reducing the amount of negativity around. You may also be pleasantly surprised by the way your actions set an example for others. Remember, positive energy is often just as contagious as negative energy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;Personal peace&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself in the face of adversaries is maintain your own sense of peace. On many occasions, people are simply pleased by watching your feathers get ruffled. It brings malicious people a feeling of empowerment to believe that they are capable of altering someone's good nature. By refusing to allow someone to disturb your "inner sanctum" you have just won a major battle. Responding in kind to someone's flip remarks give you the silent upper hand. And it just may prevent that person from attempting to thwart your good mood (or that of others) in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;&lt;br /&gt;The human factor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"  &gt;It's incredibly difficult sometimes to adjust your mode of thinking where it regards ill-mannered people. But perhaps the most crucial thing to remember about those individuals that cause us distress is that they are still human beings. Believe it or not, there are reasons why people seemingly go out their way to make other's miserable. You need to put someone under a psychological microscope to conclude that certain aspects of their life circumstance figure into their poor attitudes. Nonetheless, everyone has something positive about them than can be acknowledged by others. By seeking out and highlighting their strengths or achievements (instead of stooping to their level) you just may find your "enemies" more tolerable. Sometimes people need to be reminded of the good parts of themselves in order for them to be relieved of their own negative feelings. Mind you, this doesn't mean that you need to go out of your way to analyze and "cure" others. But the mere act of deflecting poor behavior with kindness has, quite an undeniable and irresistible power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='http://www.mylot.com/yang_peralta/5395'&gt;myLot User Profile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-1078614797386322?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/1078614797386322/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=1078614797386322' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1078614797386322'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/1078614797386322'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/04/should-you-be-nice-to-people-you-cant.html' title='Should You Be Nice To People You Can&apos;t Stand?'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4008954021725676665</id><published>2008-04-22T21:38:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-22T21:42:08.473-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='choices'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='christ notes'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='life'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='change'/><title type='text'>Changing your life</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;"You'll never change your life until you change choices." &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" &gt;If you want something in your life to change, then you'll have to change your choices and actions. That is because doing the same thing will never get you different results.  In other words, what you do - the choices you make, the way you treat people, the attitudes you have - all impact your life. If, by your actions, you're sowing bad seeds, then you'll reap a harvest of those things." (weekly wisdom from christ notes)&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;I have always been praying and pleading to God to change my life - the current situation I have in now. I thought God does not listen to my prayers that's why answers never came. Almost everyday as I wake up, I hope that He could magically change everything. Until I stumble upon this article which enlightened me that I could never change my life if I still have the same attitude, the same actions, the same choices.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If I want to change my life completely and free me out of this situation, then I should make the right decision, the right choices so I can never be out of the path I want to take. What we are now is because the choices we make. We can never put the blame to anybody else but to ourselves. We reap what we sow.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4008954021725676665?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4008954021725676665/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4008954021725676665' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4008954021725676665'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4008954021725676665'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/04/changing-your-life.html' title='Changing your life'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-6031290044584148909</id><published>2008-03-13T20:28:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.717-08:00</updated><title type='text'>LOVE GOD AND DO AS YOU PLEASE</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9nyY17LZGI/AAAAAAAAAC4/41y-4pNykS4/s1600-h/Matthe+5+verse+8.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9nyY17LZGI/AAAAAAAAAC4/41y-4pNykS4/s320/Matthe+5+verse+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177435755245167714" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;We can be joyful at all times not because we are spared affliction but because we are completely satisfied in Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Jesus promises that we will suffer. In &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Matthew 10:17-18&lt;/span&gt;, Jesus warns his followers, "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles." Although that quote may seem distant or irrelevant to Christians today, the point remains that, in the words of Christ, "if the head of the house [Jesus himself] has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Not only does Jesus promise that believers must suffer, the Apostle Paul assures us that the path to being an heir of God demands sharing in the sufferings of Christ &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;(Romans 8:17)&lt;/span&gt;. Similarly, Paul writes this to those in the church at Philippi: it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;(Philippians 1:29)&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Clearly, we, as Christians, will not be spared affliction. (&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;In addition to the Scriptures above, see Acts 9:15-16, Philippians 3:10-11, and 1 Timothy 1:8-9.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Despite being assured affliction and suffering, Christ-followers can be joyful nonetheless.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;We can be joyful not by creating a bubbly-faced facade of happiness to hide reality but rather by confidently knowing that, in the face of immense sin and suffering, we are secure in Christ. Why fear and be saddened by those who can only kill the body when you're protected by Him who can keep you from hell &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;(Luke 12:4-7)&lt;/span&gt;? Or, to put it positively, rejoice that you have received the Holy Spirit, who guarantees your eternal salvation—and thus, your eternal joy &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;(2 Corinthians 1:21-22).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;The faith that justifies is the very same faith that satisfies. Saving faith satisfies us by weaning us from the short-lived satisfaction of sin to ultimate satisfaction in Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Thus, despite the fact that suffering will come even—or, perhaps, especially—to us who profess faith in Christ, we can have great joy not because we are spared affliction but because we are completely satisfied in Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;Love God and do as you please.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Jesus, who is God, made this observation: "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (&lt;a href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=John+14%3A15"&gt;John 14:15&lt;/a&gt;). Similarly, the Apostle John wrote, "This is love for God: to obey his commands" (&lt;a href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=1+John+5%3A3"&gt;1 John 5:3&lt;/a&gt;). And finally, the Psalmist wrote, "I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly" (&lt;a href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Psalm+119%3A167"&gt;Psalm 119:167&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;When we love God, then we want to obey him; obeying him becomes a sign that we love him. Jesus linked love for God with obeying the commandments (i.e., with obeying God's law) in this way: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (&lt;a href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Matthew+22%3A37-40"&gt;Matthew 22:37-40&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you love God, then his Holy Spirit, who dwells in you, will conform you—all of you, including your desires—into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;a href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Romans+8%3A29"&gt;Romans 8:29&lt;/a&gt;). In this way, what pleases you and what pleases God become one and the same such that if you love God, you can do whatever pleases you and God will be pleased.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-6031290044584148909?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/6031290044584148909/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=6031290044584148909' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/6031290044584148909'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/6031290044584148909'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/03/love-god-and-do-as-you-please.html' title='LOVE GOD AND DO AS YOU PLEASE'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9nyY17LZGI/AAAAAAAAAC4/41y-4pNykS4/s72-c/Matthe+5+verse+8.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4568555217750245049</id><published>2008-03-06T18:19:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-11T01:47:44.943-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='sufferings'/><title type='text'>Sufferings</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9CmvRGcvfI/AAAAAAAAABY/e0HWM2RvljE/s1600-h/001535354.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9CmvRGcvfI/AAAAAAAAABY/e0HWM2RvljE/s200/001535354.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174819302823214578" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;there is too much suffering in this world. suffering that brought chaos and confusion. suffering from diseases, suffering from financial difficulties, suffering from wrong decisions, suffering from climate changes- name it you got it. "suffering," said Buddha, "extends as far as the eye can see."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;with all these sufferings around us many are bound to retreat to end all of these. but what are the causes of these sufferings? aren't we responsible of all these sufferings? we tend to blame God to be the cause of all these things or even blame others. to quote," &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;it is human nature - the worst PART of human nature--to deny or downplay our own responsibility for effects we cause, and project the blame outside ourselves. But no matter how thoroughly JUSTIFIED  blame may seem, it only CREATES more problems. And worse, blame can make existing problems practically permanent!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;we have to take responsibility of all that we do. for instance, suffering from financial difficulties which is very common to us. why can't we live with what we earn? easy to say, but hard to do. why? because there is so much pressure in these system of things where material things are being mostly desired by everyone. and we let ourselves succumbed to that system. we are overpowered by the materialistic part of ourselves. so how can we blame others for this suffering? what shall we do now?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;what is important to be able to bear all these sufferings and to take responsibility with all of these is to be able to understand and accept the challenges of life. take time for prayer, meditation, and reflection. we should treat life's challenges as a form of exercise to build our spiritiual muscles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;as a conclusion, i would like to share what i have read in faithcrisis.com:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Clearly, many CAUSES in our lives are outside our control. Here are a few of them: large scale circumstances like international politics; the free will choice of other people; random forces of nature. But no matter what happens in the world around us, each of remains the PRIMARY "cause" or influence in our own lives.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;What WE do, what WE think, and especially, how WE feel most profoundly affects everything in our lives. What we MAKE of the events of our lives is more important, subjectively, than the events themselves. And our creative power is not limited to after-the-fact interpretation. Through the choices we make, we are principal creators&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; of even the actual events our our lives as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consequently, we are NEVER completely "at the effect" of circumstances --not even if we choose to feel that way. No matter what is happening in the world around us, we can ALWAYS make a positive difference in our lives. So the relevant questions is not, "Why is life victimizing me, but rather, "Why should I victimize MYSELF?&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4568555217750245049?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4568555217750245049/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4568555217750245049' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4568555217750245049'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4568555217750245049'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/03/sufferings.html' title='Sufferings'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kPnvSk4z4jE/R9CmvRGcvfI/AAAAAAAAABY/e0HWM2RvljE/s72-c/001535354.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676951447326993538.post-4910810761054428837</id><published>2008-03-06T13:50:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-03-06T17:55:07.711-08:00</updated><title type='text'>starting the day with God</title><content type='html'>&lt;a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.christnotes.org/" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: rgb(136, 0, 0); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; font-size: inherit ! important;"&gt;&lt;span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1204845491_0"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p style="border: medium none ; margin: 0.2em 0.5em 0em 1em; padding: 0em; text-align: right; font-size: 85%; line-height: 140%; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 0, 0); margin: 1em 2em; padding: 1em 2em 0.5em; background: rgb(255, 249, 240) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important;"&gt;  &lt;p style="margin: 0em; padding: 0em; text-align: right; font-size: 115%; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important;"&gt; it is nice to start the day with God. for we should put God first in everything we do. praying is the best tool to start with. as we pray, we should glorify him, thank him, ask forgiveness and your requests. oftentimes, we pray with repetitive prayers. but praying is like talking to God all your thoughts. we could also read verses in the bible and reflect it throughout the day.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;as a start here is the verse for the day:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h1 style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(102, 0, 0); border-width: medium medium 1px; margin: 0em; padding: 1px 3px 2px 5px; background: rgb(255, 221, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: rgb(255, 119, 0); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; font-size: 200%; font-weight: bold;"&gt;Daily Bible Verse&lt;/h1&gt; &lt;p style="border: medium none ; margin: 0.2em 0.5em 0em 1em; padding: 0em; text-align: right; font-size: 85%; line-height: 140%; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt; Thursday, March 06, 2008&lt;br /&gt;Provided by &lt;a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.christnotes.org/" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: rgb(136, 0, 0); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; font-size: inherit ! important;"&gt;&lt;span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1204845491_0"&gt;Christ Notes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 0, 0); margin: 1em 2em; padding: 1em 2em 0.5em; background: rgb(255, 249, 240) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important;"&gt; &lt;p style="margin: 0em; padding: 0em; text-align: left; font-size: 115%; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important;"&gt; Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="margin: 0em; padding: 0em; text-align: right; font-size: 115%; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important;"&gt; &lt;a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Mark+8" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: rgb(136, 0, 0); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif ! important; font-size: inherit ! important;"&gt;&lt;span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1204845491_1"&gt;Mark 8:34-35&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  (New International Version) &lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7676951447326993538-4910810761054428837?l=simplequests.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/feeds/4910810761054428837/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7676951447326993538&amp;postID=4910810761054428837' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4910810761054428837'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7676951447326993538/posts/default/4910810761054428837'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://simplequests.blogspot.com/2008/03/starting-day-with-god.html' title='starting the day with God'/><author><name>buyangyang</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04675578079171986443</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='10722005948897041889'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry></feed>