Grateful Memory

If I were an elephant, I would praise the Lord with my trunk ... The old song I learned in Sunday school punctuated the grateful memory of a worldview.

What is a worldview? What is behind your thoughts about almost everything? For more than thirty years, James W. Sire has dealt with this question. In the book, Naming the Elephant, he offers readers a more mature thought on the concept of a world view, addressing issues such as

• What is the history of the concept itself?
• What is the first question you should ask when formulating a worldview?
• How are worldviews formed both existentially and intellectually?
• Is the world view primarily an intellectual system, a way of life or a history?
• What are the public and private dimensions of a world view?
• What role can the world view have in assessing one's own world view and that of others, especially in the light of pluralism in today's world?

James W. Sire (PhD, University of Missouri), former editor of InterVarsity Press, is an active speaker and writer. He taught English, philosophy, theology and short courses at many universities and seminaries. He continues to be a frequent guest speaker in the United States and Europe.

In his widely used book, The Universe Next Door, first published in 1976, Sire offered a succinct definition of worldview and cataloged, in a nutshell, some basic alternatives to worldview. Students, critics, new literatures and continued reflection led him to reexamine and refine his definition of worldview. Giving Names to the Elephant keeps company for The Universe Next door as the fruit of this effort. Here is an excellent resource for exploring more deeply how and why worldview thinking can help you navigate your pluralistic universe.

Do you remember Elephant's Memory? Also known as Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band New York? (dub-o-do) Elephant's Memory was an American rock band formed in New York in the late 1960s, known primarily for supporting John Lennon and Yoko Ono from the end of 1971 to 1973. For live performances with Lennon and Ono, the band was known as Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band. In 1968, they added Carly Simon as lead singer. In 1969 the lineup expanded to include John Ward (bass), Chester Ayers (guitar), Myron Yules (bass and trombone), R. Sussmann (keyboards), Michal Shapiro (vocals), Guy Peritore ) and David Cohen (guitar, keyboards and vocals). Known throughout the Greenwich Village area as a politically active street band , Elephant's Memory supported Lennon and Ono on the double album Some Time in New York City during recording sessions in March 1972. The album was released in June 1972 in the United States and September 1972 in the United Kingdom. Later in 1972, they were announced as Elephant Memories of Plastic Ono's band and played with Lennon and Ono on various TV shows, albums and shows. On August 30, 1972, with the addition of John Ward on bass and Jim Keltner on drums, the band played with Lennon and Ono in the famous One to One Concert organized by Geraldo Rivera to benefit Willowbrook State School for mentally handicapped children. The concert was filmed and recorded, later released in February 1986 as the album Live In New York City. On September 4, they played live again with Lennon and Ono on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, playing "Imagine," "Now or Never," and "Give Peace a Chance."

What is this information worth? I think someone would have to have the memory of an elephant to be able to talk about the band and really remember all the trivial things about their existence. For playful purposes of memory challenge, I pulled the data above Wikipedia. To tell you the truth, of all that has been quoted above, my weak (and still very sharp) memory only recognizes, under lenses of condensed milk, Carly Simon. (oh boy!)

People often say that elephants are the animals with the best memory resources, so, after a few trivia reviews of the song, here is some interesting information about the largest mammal in the world:

• Elephants eat between 72 and 158 pounds of food per day.
• Baby elephants weigh about 90 kg at birth.
• Elephant tusks are made of dentin, calcium and salt.
• The average life span of an elephant is 80 years. Elephants use more than 70 vocalizations and 160 visual and tactile signs for daily communication. (Thanks Wikipedia, -He! He! Mole!)

Scientists failed to measure elephant intelligence accurately. However, for decades, experts have observed the behavior of pachyderms and have concluded that they rank among the most intelligent in the animal kingdom.

Growing up in the Presbyterian shepherd family, my memory served me well, when I learned "of color" (heart), the number 64 hymn of our denominational hymnal, Thank you! Later, already an adult, listening again and again to the soil of the suffering voice of his friend Valter Jr., who suffered enough in his efforts and still sang of his Grateful memory!

Grateful Memory

My lips shall never cease, O Christ,
To bless thee, to sing thy glory;
For I hold in your soul your immense love:
Grateful Memory

When lost I wandered sorrowful
And in dense darkness my walk followed,
You searched for me, two heaven sent
Light that guides me!

When oppressed by mundane choice,
In bad ways I was distraught,
Your tender voice gave me rest.
Who called me!

To the strong arms I ran confidently,
Sweet and kind, you did not refuse me
And in your immense, gentle love, so pure,
You scared me!

Oh! Never, never will my lips cease
To bless thee, to sing thy glory;
For in my soul you are always, O Christ,
Thank you!

Renaming the elephant - "A toast to our good qualities, and also to the qualities of our good" I learned from my father, who learned from his father. I never understood right (until I grew up) what's in that toast! Today I understand that it aims to highlight what is good in everything - a search for gratitude. The search for gratitude has shown me that when life is going well, a grateful memory allows us to celebrate and magnify goodness and good things. But when does life go wrong? In the midst of the economic turmoil that took over our country. In crises in our churches, our families and our most intimate lives; I have often asked if people can - or should - have this grateful memory under such terrible circumstances. For these situations to be seen as a blessing from God and so that we can see life with a remembrance of gratitude, it is necessary to rename the elephant. That is, to look at life with new eyes or, better yet, with new lenses.

My answer is that a grateful memory not only helps - but it is essential. In fact, it is precisely under conditions of crisis, when we have more to gain from a perspective of gratitude about life. Faced with demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, a grateful memory has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us deal with difficult times.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that a grateful memory comes easily or naturally in a crisis. It's easy to feel grateful for good things. No one is grateful to have lost a job, a home or good health or to have had a devastating impact on their retirement portfolio.

But it is vital to make a distinction between having a grateful memory, or feeling grateful and grateful. We do not have full control over our emotions. We can not easily feel grateful, less depressed, or happy. Feelings follow the way we look at the world, the thoughts we have about the way things are, the way things should be and the distance between these two points.

Elephants are incredible creatures. Earth's largest terrestrial mammals show a wide range of behavioral and emotional patterns in their 80 years of life. They grieve with the dead bodies, members of the flock and may even recognize their own reflections in a mirror. And, of course, there's that old saying: "Elephants never forget." While it may be an exaggeration, there is more truth in the saying than you realize.

In nature, the memory of an elephant is critical to its survival - and its herd. Each flock has a matriarchal structure, with an older female in command. When younger males in the group reach sexual maturity - usually around the age of 14 - they leave the herd to walk alone or occasionally form groups with other males. Proof of the long memories of elephants is in their behavior: when confronted with an unknown elephant, matriarchs will pile up in defensive positions because they realize that these elephants can pose a threat to the safety of the herd.

In our seemingly innocent but selfishly defensive wisdom, we often try to excuse our carelessness by reformulating our own history of events and facts that make up our lives. Much like an accompaniment band, just like Elephant's memory, our pachyderm memory often gathers a handful of random data that might justify the anger we feel. So, like the band that no one has ever heard of (and does not even want to know), so do we form our ungrateful and imbecile elephant memory.

But we are not animals. We were created from scratch. Creation of God in the image of his perfect "being." We are fallen and totally depraved of what we were originally. And in order for each one to be able to function well first when faced with unfamiliar events that a fallen life of grace will bring, there is a need for gratitude and a grateful memory, so that we can, secondly, wait confidently for a time and a place where we can recognize ourselves and our kind in the safety of God's flock, both here and now, though perhaps not yet, and in the certainty of the Glory to come.

Grateful memory is a choice - a predominant attitude that endures and is relatively immune to the gains and losses that enter and leave our lives. When a disaster occurs, grateful memory provides a perspective from which we can see life in its entirety and not be oppressed by temporary circumstances. Yes, that perspective is hard to come by - but the word of God says it's worth the effort.


Those who trust in the LORD will be like Mount Zion, who does not tremble, but abides forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is about his people from this time forth and for ever. For the scepter of wickedness shall not stand upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous shall stretch out his hand to iniquity. Do good, O Lord, to the good and the upright in heart. As for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, the LORD will bring them with them that do wickedness; Peace will be upon Israel. (Psalm 125)

Elephants not only remember companions with whom they have spent long periods of time. A pair of captive elephants showed that these animals can recognize other friendly elephants, even when they spend only a short time together. In 1999, an aliya (for those who did not know, the female of the elephant is called aliya) called Jenny was very excited when it was put together with another aliya called Shirley. After observing the animals' background, the zoo workers in Tennessee discovered that the two had performed in the same circus for only a few months - 22 years earlier.

Their magnificent memories help elephants stay alive in ways that go beyond recognizing threats. One of the best examples of elephant cognition comes from desert-adapted elephants where matriarchs remember where reliable water can be found and are able to guide their flocks to water over long distances over many years. This is a fairly clear indication that elephants have a great ability to remember details about their spatial environment for a very long time. Studies have also shown that matriarchs who have experienced periods of drought before will lead their herds to more fertile land, while younger matriarchs who have not had a drought are more likely to remain.

But neither elephant, nor bear, nor goldfish, I am ... One of the key factors in glorifying God and enjoying it forever (the chief end of man) is when we are able to look at the now and examine the history and the events of a past, through a grateful memory, that is, praising God for the greatest gift. As Paul simply put it: Praise God for the greatest of gifts. (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Thank God for your indescribable gift! What is your indescribable gift? (If God made me so, so I will praise ...)
Some think it is the gift of salvation; others think that it is the gift of Jesus Christ. Why not both? Salvation is given to us in Jesus Christ. Paul wants to leave the discussion of giving, reminding us again that God is the greatest giver. He gives the gift beyond description: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) This means that Jesus is a gift. Salvation is a gift. We do not know that. We receive Jesus freely, we receive salvation exactly as we would receive a gift. Just as the children of Israel, when they murmured, received the gift of being saved from the death caused by serpent bites by simply looking at the serpent raised by Moses. (Numbers 21: 9)

If we can conquer something, it is not a gift. And if it is not a gift, why and how can we have a grateful memory of what with so much cost and pain we conquered? But if we perceive the gift of grace, and remember how we were evil, we can now be grateful for what we receive freely. This is a great memory!

This means that Jesus is an indescribable gift. Salvation is an indescribable gift. The glory of the gift of Jesus and the greatness of the gift of salvation can not be adequately described. Paul is not saying that we should not describe the gift of Jesus or the gift of salvation. He is simply saying that it is impossible to adequately describe the present. It is beyond the full description! "JESUS CHRIST, the gift of God's love for mankind, is an indescribable blessing, no one can conceive, let alone declare, how great this gift is, for these things the angels wish to look upon.Therefore it may be called unspeakable "gift, as he is the greatest that God has given or can give to man".

In fact, when Paul writes his indescribable gift, the word he uses for indescribable (anekdiegetos) is not found in any ancient Greek writing before this time. Apparently Paul invented the word to describe the unspeakable!

Grateful memory means giving thanks to God: This means that the indescribable gift of God should fill us with a grateful memory. If we truly understand and appreciate the indescribable gift God has given us, our lives will be filled with gratitude. In affliction we never forget pain and evil; the mercies we barely remember! Our hearts, vivid to complain, and dead to gratitude. We had ten thousand mercies for one every single tribulation, and yet grievances to our thanksgiving were from ten thousand to one! How does God tolerate this and still love us?

How fitting for Paul to conclude these two chapters on giving focus to his indescribable gift! The best motivation to give is always gratitude for the indescribable gift of God to us. The indescribable gift of God is what inspires every true gift. The apostle concludes all this discourse on contributing to the relief of these poor members of Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of all grace ... who without the influence of his grace they would have, they could do nothing.

Remember the evil - trials and suffering can, in fact, refine and deepen gratitude, if we allow them to show us that we should not consider things guaranteed. In the United States, a national holiday of gratitude, Thanksgiving, was born and raised in difficult times. The first Thanksgiving happened after almost half of the pilgrims died of a violent winter and year. It became a national holiday in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War and was transferred to its present date in the 1930s after the Great Depression.

Because? Well, when times are good, people value prosperity and begin to believe they are invulnerable. In times of uncertainty, however, people realize how powerless they are to control their own destiny. If you start to see that everything you have, everything with what you have counted, can be taken away, it becomes much more difficult to take for granted.

So the crisis can make us more grateful - gratitude also helps us deal with the crisis. Cultivating consciously a grateful memory builds a kind of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resistant to stress, whether small daily difficulties or major personal disorders. The contrast between suffering and redemption serves as the basis for one of my tips for practicing grateful memory: remember evil.

Elephants are able to use their impressive 4.7-kilogram brains to encode identification and survival details by printing the key data in their memory to be remembered later. But the incredible memory of an elephant comes only with age and experience - and older and larger elephants are often hunted. The tragedy is that when one of these [elephants] is lost to poaching, memory and information die with it, leaving the rest of the herd at a disadvantage - and having severe consequences for the species as a whole. In our fallen nature, we may try to use our smaller but still sharper memory to try to understand a whole world that seeks to steal our own souls. In redemption, to be part of a flock, to have Christ as a grateful memory will make our search for joy in survival a new and transformed reality, where we are now parents, brothers and children in our grateful memory of creation, fall, redemption and glory .

It works like this: Think about the worst times in your life, your sadness, your losses, your sadness - and then remember that here you are, able to remember them, that you did it in the worst moments of your life, through of the trauma, you have passed the test, endured the temptation, survived the bad relationship, you are coming out of the dark. Remember the bad things, so look to see where you are now - and know where you will be!

This process of remembering how difficult life used to be and how far we have come, and where we should go, establishes an explicit contrast that is fertile ground for gratitude. Our minds think in factual terms - mental comparisons we make between the way things are and how things might have been different. Contrasting the present with negative moments in the past can make us feel happier (or at least less unhappy) and improve our overall sense of well-being. This opens the door to deal with gratitude.

Try this little exercise: First, think of one of the most unfortunate events you've ever experienced. How often do you see yourself thinking about this event today? The contrast with the present that makes you feel grateful and satisfied? Do you realize that your current life situation is not as bad as it could be? Try to realize and appreciate how much better your life is now. The point is not to ignore or forget the past, but to develop a fruitful frame of reference in the present, from which we can see experiences and events.

There is another way to promote a grateful memory: face your own mortality. In a recent study, researchers asked half of the participants to imagine a scenario in which they, trapped in a burning building, overcome by smoke, die. The other half laughed and thanked the teacher for not having killed them ... This resulted in a substantial increase in the levels of gratitude, as the teacher discovered when he compared this group to two conditions of control that were not compelled to imagine their own deaths.

In these ways, remembering evil can help us to appreciate good. As the German theologian and Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "Gratitude changes the pains of memory to a quiet joy." We know that gratitude increases happiness, but why? Grateful memory maximizes happiness in many ways, and one reason is that it helps us reshape memories of unpleasant events in ways that lessen their unpleasant emotional impact. This implies that grateful confrontation involves the pursuit of positive consequences from negative events. For example, a coping of gratitude may involve seeing how a stressful event shaped who we are today and led us to re-evaluate what is really important in life.

Reformulating the sinister Debby said that David looked back on our family history as someone who uses condensed milk lenses ... To say that a thankful memory is a useful strategy for dealing with offensive feelings does not mean that we should try to ignore or deny suffering and pain. You see, what my brother does, is to put all your memories into a frame of thought that resembles the Bible's description of a perfect creation-a terrible and total fall-a factual redemption through grace and the right hopes of future consummation in Christ.

Grateful memory is not positive psychology. Many of today's trends in coaching and positive pseudo-psychologies are failing to recognize the value of negative emotions. Positivist psychologies have been too negative about negativity and too positive about positivity. To deny that life has its share of disappointments, frustrations, losses, hurts, setbacks and sadness would be unreal and unsustainable. Life hurts. No amount of positive thinking exercises will change that truth. But when we have a grateful memory, we can rightly put all the events of life, good or seemingly bad, into their own categories of God's work in our world and in our intimate lives.

So, telling people simply to commit themselves, to count their blessings, and to remember how much they still have to be thankful for, can certainly do so much harm. Processing a life experience through the love and grace of God does not mean using a sweet lens of condensed milk and definitely does not mean denying negativity. It is not a form of superficial merrymaking.

Instead, it means realizing the power you have in Christ to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. It means reframing a loss into a potential gain, reshaping negativity into positive channels of gratitude to God - (Just what interests me ...). And this can only be done when we freely receive Jesus Christ as prophet, priest and king of our lives.

Ih, I forgot! How does a nice memory work? In a study conducted at a local seminar, participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups of writers who would recall and report an unpleasant memory-a loss, betrayal, victimization, or some other personally disturbing experience. The first group wrote for 20 minutes on issues irrelevant to open memory. The second wrote about his experience concerning his open memory.

The teacher asked the third group to focus on the positive aspects of a difficult experience - and find out what could make them feel grateful. The results showed that they had more closure and less unpleasant emotional impact than the participants who had just written about the experience without being asked to see how it could be redeemed with a grateful memory. Participants were never told not to think about the negative aspects of the experience or to deny or ignore the pain. In addition, participants who discovered reasons for being grateful showed less intrusive memories, such as wondering why this happened, whether it could have been avoided, or whether they believed it had happened for a greater reason. Thinking gratefully, this study has shown, can help heal disturbing memories and, in a sense, redeem them - a result echoed in many other counseling studies.

In another research, people with debilitating physical ailments were invited to compose a narrative about a time when they felt a deep sense of gratitude for someone or something. They were instructed to recreate this experience in their minds so they could feel the emotions as if they had transposed back in time to the event itself. It also made them reflect on what they felt in that situation and how they expressed those feelings. Faced with progressive illnesses, people often find life extremely challenging, painful and frustrating. As I read the research, I wondered if it was possible that they would find something to thank. For many of them, life revolved around visits to the clinic and pharmacy (or corner toe). I would not have been surprised if resentment obscured gratitude.

As it turned out, most interviewees had difficulty in establishing themselves in a specific case - they simply had so much in their lives that they were grateful for it. I was struck by the depth of feeling they conveyed in their essays and by the apparent power of gratitude that transforms life.

It was evident from reading these narrative accounts that (1) gratitude can be a deeply intense feeling, (2) gratitude for gifts that others overlook most easily can be the most powerful and frequent form of gratitude, and (3) gratitude can be chosen in spite of the situation or circumstances. I was also struck by the redemptive turnaround that occurred in almost half of these narratives: from something bad (suffering, adversity, grief) there came something good (new life or new opportunities) for which the person felt deeply grateful.

If you are disturbed by an open memory or an unpleasant experience of the past, consider trying to rephrase how you think about it using the language of grateful memory. Unpleasant experiences in our lives need not be of the traumatic variety so that we can benefit from them with gratitude. Whether it is a big or a small event, for the perfection of our worldview, on the same key as Sire, naming the elephant, here are some additional questions for you to ask yourself, at one time or another, to rename the elephant:

• What lessons has experience taught me?
• Can I find ways to be grateful for what happened to me now, even though I was not at the time it happened?
• What skill did experience take from me that surprised me?
• How am I now more the person I want to be because of this? Have my negative feelings about experience limited or impeded my ability to have a grateful memory since it occurred?
• Has the experience removed a personal obstacle that once prevented me from feeling gratitude?
• How can I categorize Creation, Fall, Redemption and Glory with Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King?
• How can I think of my painful memories of the whole body of which Christ is grateful memory?

Remember, your goal is not to relive the experience, but rather to have a new perspective on it. Simply rehearsing a disturbing event makes us feel worse about it. That is why catharsis has rarely been effective. Emotional ventilation without accompanying vision does not produce change.

There is a poem, which turned into song made my heart seek a grateful memory even if I did not have it for remembrance. Gióia Júnior wrote, and I in the darkest moments of my life, I sang:


I know that my Redeemer lives

Where am I? I do not know - and I do not even know where I've been
and where I will be - but I know that He lives!
And as I know that my Lord and King lives,
I know that with Him I have been and with Him I will be!
If there is reason to stir up peace, this is his law:
my Redeemer lives and I too shall live!

No amount of articles about memories or elephants will help, unless you are able to take a fresh and redemptive perspective on the events of your life. This is an advantage that people with grateful memory have - and it is an ability to name the past, not with the memory of an elephant, but with the grateful memory of who loved you the most.

I am (want to be) your true friend

"People claim that we live in a world of irreconcilable differences, that lasting peace can not be achieved because there is no way to change the human heart." - Steve Saint

Recognition - How can we find true friendship in this often false and temporary world? Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another person's personality. Friends generally share likes and dislikes, interests, activities and passion.

How can we recognize a potential friendship? Signs include a mutual desire for fellowship and perhaps a common bond of some kind. In addition, genuine friendship involves a common sense of caring and concern, a desire and hope to see each other grow, develop, and succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action: doing something for another person without expecting anything in return; share thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.

The story of the pilot in the jungle was retold in the End of the Spear, a film that begins with an intimate and guttural narration about an idyllic aerial scene of an Amazon rainforest. "People claim that we live in a world of irreconcilable differences, that lasting peace can not be achieved because there is no way to change the human heart." But the story of this movie, a trip down a remote river, "Challenges what many people they say. "This introduces Steve Saint, our guide, through the surreal and sincere world of missionary imagination. We traveled with Steve to the Ecuadorian rainforest of 1943.

A hollow "Waodani" hut is attacked and its villagers murdered by ruthless enemy warriors at night. One of which kills a baby. We followed two child protagonists, a boy named Mincayani and a little girl, Dayumae, as they fled.

The next narrator, Steve Saint, takes us back to his own childhood in 1956, strangely staged to resemble the overly quiet domestic images of a 1950s sitcom full of Roy Rogers cowboy hats, airplane models, a mother wearing an apron and a Lassie as a dog. We met his enthusiastic and bright-eyed father, Nate Saint (Chad Allen) and four American companions (the bizarre energy of his unimaginative portraits was one of the few things that seemed true in this missionary coherent missionary). It is twenty minutes before they tell us that they are missionaries, "closer than the family of blood," and who plan to contact the Waodani for vague and partially articulated reasons (are they hoping to save them from intertribal extinction?) "They are concerned about the government troops, or with their own violent nature? Or are they trying to free them from a Satanic "prison"?)

The score, ranging from drum beats and "tribal" chants, where the Waodani seem like angelic choral arrangements and pastoral chord progressions to the missionaries, leave no doubt as to when we should feel when and what. At first, the blatant emotion of music is appreciated as a much-needed aid to follow the inflexibly dramatic mechanical script that assumes its power. It's a friendship story. When Nate Saint says, "Son, the Waodani are not ready for heaven. We are, "we know we should simply believe. That's when the brilliant idea of an effect phrase enters the boy's mind. He then seeks his aunt's help and translates into Wao, the best catch phrase  in the world: "I am your true friend."

True Friendship - Relationship, Trust, Accountability
True friendship involves relationship. These mutual attributes that we have mentioned above become the basis on which recognition appears in the relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," but they never spend time with this "good friend." Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, to build shared memories, to invest in each other's growth.

A friend of mine, half Barnabas and half Timothy, came to seek his own interests and broke the bonds that seemed to bind us together. After some time another very dear and dear friend did the same. This has happened again and again; time after time, during my entire lifetime. What's wrong? As I look into the recent and distant past as well, I have become attached to the hard tears that roll because of the friends that come and go. Do I value my friends more than the Lord of friends?

One of these days I received a "friend request" through a social network. I confirmed the request and noticed the following message that said: "You are friends now". This caught my attention and intrigued me, wondering if friendship would be something so quick and immediately ready to be achieved. After all, I have learned that a friend is a treasure (Ecclesiastes 6.14) and that precisely because it is so, it is a rare thing, which takes time to know and to conquer.

This idea that friendship takes time to be born already appears among the ancient philosophers, both the Greeks and the Romans. For example, Aristotle states in his Nicomachean Ethics that "we can not know the people until they have 'consumed the proverbial salt.'" This same principle is also present in the work of Friendship, by the Roman philosopher and philosopher Marco Túlio Cicero: "It is necessary to eat much salt manners with someone so that the friendship is fully consolidated."

"Captain" Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, better known as Lampião (more archaic spelling 'Lampeão'), was the most famous bandit leader of the Cangaço. The Cangaço was a form of banditry endemic to the Brazilian Northeast. was particularly prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s). Lampião led a group of up to 100 cangaçeiros, who occasionally took small towns and waged a series of successful actions against the paramilitary police, when at a great disadvantage.

Lampião's exploits and reputation made him a 'popular hero'. Then the story goes that once when Captain Lampião met a so called Colonel (farm owners/homesteaders) with the intention of invading his farm, the farmer said, scared of the cangaceiros and without realizing that he was speaking with the captain himself, he said that he was a friend of the king of cangaço.

Virgulino Ferreira was influenced by the honor he brought to be known as someone's friend and yet he was annoyed by the fibbing of the colonel. Then he made the following judgment and uttered the sentence: "O xente (hick expression typical of the Northeast of Brazil), I am flattered with so much friendship with you, though I have never seen it. And to be friends with someone, it is said that it is necessary to eat a pot of salt with your friend. And since I've just met you, my sentence will be that you eat your half of the salt right now. "To make the short tale even shorter, he forced the man to eat the entire pot of salt until he passed away, tragically leaving quite pleasant the narrative of a short story with its strange moral applications to be told for many decades to come.

Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failure to be trusted with these intimate secrets can destroy a friendship. Faithfulness and loyalty are fundamental to true friendship. Without them, we often feel betrayed, left out, and lonely. In true friendship there is no slander, no negative thoughts, no withdrawal.

True friendship requires certain accountability factors. True friends encourage and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports in times of struggle. Friends are trustworthy. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and always want the best for them.

True friendship - examples of real friendship - true stories of friendship are found throughout the Bible. In Genesis 18. 17-33, we read about God sharing his intentions with Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings about the situation. God and Abraham are able to do this because they trust and respect each other.

First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. These two men really cared for each other and had great confidence in each other. David was running after Jonathan's father, Saul, who pursued him. Jonathan recognized that David was innocent. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and became one of Israel's greatest kings.

True and Biblical friendship involves freedom of choice, responsibility, truth, and forgiveness. Peter and Jesus give us this example: Peter, fearful of his life after Jesus is taken away from the Garden of Gethsemane, denies knowing him (John 18). When taken by his accusers, Jesus takes a look at Peter who says, "I knew that you would deny me, and I forgive you" (John 21).

True friendship looks to the heart of the Lord, not just to the "packing of the friend." Genuine friendship loves for love, not just for what it can receive in return. True friendship is challenging and exciting. He risks, ignores failures and loves unconditionally, but it also involves being sincere, even if it hurts. Genuine friendship, also called "agape" love, comes from the Lord. The Lord Jesus calls us to his friends and gave his life for us (John 15).

Real-life relationships involve different levels of friendship and that's fine. But humans are designed by God for enduring relationships. Often our isolationist society offers only vague and empty relationships. God wants us to have friends here on earth. Above all, he wants us to be his friends!

The Word of God tells us that a friend is closer than a brother and that to be a friend, one should befriend (Proverbs 18.24). The question is, what kind of friend do you want to be?

Proverbs 18.19 says, "It is more difficult to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a locked gate with iron bars." When we offend a true friend - be it by breaking a trust or speaking the truth with love - we risk losing that friendship. We must be careful not to break trust. But when we do not speak the truth will do more harm in the lives of our friends, we must be willing to sacrifice our needs for those of our friend. This is true friendship.

If we sometimes offend a friend unintentionally, the Word of God offers a solution. This is called forgiveness. There is no greater example than God's love for us. He is so great that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that our friendship with God might be restored. He did this despite the fact that he had been deeply offended, cosmically. We disobey his commandments, turn our backs to him, and go our own way. So the question remains: what kind of friend do you want to be? True Christian friendship forgives.

In The End of the Spear, friendship was found in forgiveness, but before that, friendship was found by those who gave their lives so the other could live. In the statement "they are not ready for heaven" Nate Saint drew the line we must follow to be a true friend, in whatever language one can speak. A sad news for me is to realize that, like the Colonel in the salt-pot tale, I can sometimes seem more like a friend than I was.

You see, in my reverse state of mind, without Jesus and against God, I could only claim to be a good friend of the King of Kings. However, in redemption, when my friendship is neither based nor valued in me or in my feelings or in my heart that is very misleading but has its own weight in Jesus, I will look even for those who can try me kill or harm me in any way, and only see the image of Jesus who died for them. So I will not use weapons against those who are not ready to experience the joy that is yet to come.

Do you need a friend? God wants to be your true friend. Are you yearning for company? God is always with you (Hebrews 13. 5). Who do you know who needs a true friend today? God wants you to be friends with others. He calls us to be his hands and feet in a world hungry for true friendship.

Convinced only, not converted

Tuesday is dead - If you grew up in the sixties, seventies and even eighties, you'll remember the name, Cat Stevens. An English folk rocker whose work was immensely popular on all sides of the Atlantic, Stevens had a string of hits, toured the world and became filthy rich. He had the Rolls Royce and the trophy girlfriend and the best drugs the money could buy.

One day, at the height of his career, Stevens simply disappeared. He just stopped making records and disappeared from view for about twenty years. There were rumors that he was dead or fallen with some horrible and debilitating disease. The truth is that in those years when he was producing his successes and earning millions, he was quietly and sporadically going through a spiritual crisis. He began to ask the big questions: why am I here? Is there a God? Where am I going to spend eternity?

Stevens was born into a Christian family. Then, when his unwanted search for truth began, he naturally turned first to Christianity for answers. And here the story goes terribly wrong: no one took him seriously. His parents were absent churchgoers: they had nothing for him. They thought their famous son was suffering from a bit of post-teen angst. His relatives, many of whom were also nominally Christian, had no answers. The local Anglican community had no answers. Even Stevens's local pastor had nothing significant to offer. Wherever he turned, all he had was some variation on- "" Well, you know, we all worry about these things from time to time. Just be quiet and know that God loves you. Imagine: here is this young man - there is a window of opportunity in his life - who wants to have a serious talk about God and eternity. He is genuinely distressed; He is wounded in spirit and his Church gives him clichés. He needed the Gospel; he gets "I'm ok, you're ok".

His music reflected a yearning and a search for piety. Author of one of the most beautiful hymns ever written, Morning Has Broken and other songs like The Peace train, and oh, The Wind ...

I listen the wind, in the wind of my soul
Where I’ll end up, well, I think only God really knows
I sat upon the setting sun
But never, never, never, never
I never wanted water once
Never never never
I listen my words, but they fall far below
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go
I swam upon the devil's lake.
But never, never, never, never
I'll never make the same mistake
Never never never

And then someone gave Stevens a copy of the Qur'an. And he read and was instantly filled with questions. Being a resourceful young man, he got on a plane, flew to Jerusalem, went to a mosque and asked for help. He was well received and treated with kindness. The Imams helped him. They had answers. And just as on a Monday morning he was convinced, on the afternoon of his Tuesday, his faith was already dead. Tuesday is Dead 

By our lights in the gospel, these answers were and remain lies and heresies - that is what Islam is: a defective and corrupt creed of a false and perverse prophet. But to the mind of a vulnerable young man, the answers seemed to make sense. He wanted to know how to live in this sometimes terrible and confusing world - they told him. Later he said, "I was shown how to live." He was convinced, and not converted.

Feel so different - On the outskirts of Philadelphia, a younger version of me was delighted with such a beautiful voice. A face that brought feelings and tears from the toughest bullies in school. At Esther's sweet sixteen party, I remember dancing with... (well, never mind). But the music ... The voice ... The story of Sinead O'Connor sung in Nothing Compares 2 U. Irish singer and activist converted to Islam. The 51-year-old artist responsible for hits Nothing Compares to You and The Emperor's New Clothes announced her embrace of the Muslim faith in her social media channels, as well as changing her name to Shuhaida. A video of her saying that the Shahabad - the Islamic faith statement - was also posted on twitter by Irish imam Ir Umar al-Qadri.

Her new name, Shuhaida, derives from the Arabic word of the Qur'an "Shahid", which in false sacred scripture is used generically to mean "witness" and in certain passages to describe a "martyr".

As for her conversion to Islam, O'Connor - who was politely ordained a priest in the late 1990s by the Catholic and Orthodox Church of Ireland (an independent Catholic group that is not in communion with the Vatican) - said that this marked a " natural conclusion of the journey of any intelligent theologian. "

Sadaqat "Shuhada" @ MagdaDavitt77

This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey. Every study of the scriptures leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada

14.3K2h42 - 20th October 2018

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Songs of Faith - Faith and spirituality abounded in O'Connor's three-decade work, with the singer drawing on various spiritual texts, including the Bible. I was so impressed when my brother showed me her new stuff.

Her lyrics were often written from a seeker's point of view, either out of love, salvation, and acceptance.

O'Connor was more direct on her 2007 acoustic album Theology, a collection of songs inspired by the Old Testament Psalms. If You Had a Vineyard is based on passages from Isaiah and Jeremiah, while Whomsoever Dwells contains the letters of her then favorite, Psalm 91.

She said in an interview with Cross Rhythms.

“Whatever I say about religion I really love religion, "" I'm very inspired by love in different religions and so if I criticize it, it's not to the point of not liking it - you know what I mean? But I think sometimes the nature of God's character can be portrayed inaccurately in a way that can be difficult for many people.”

O'Connor's quest for inner peace, which she spoke about in her work and escaped most of her troubled life, began to bear fruit on her latest album, I'm Not Bossy.

Another embrace and abandonment of the love of God. Sinead was convinced but not converted. Her pseudo liberation was not the conviction of sin and justice and judgment, but a form of material and psychological atonement for the many atrocities and abuses that took place against her. She felt different only, but not succumbing to the true repentance of sin, she was not converted to the kingdom of the son of God's love. Feel so Different 

This is a sad tale. For Stevens, a Christian community failed when a young man came in search of truth. So did O'Connor. Really?

First Peter tells us, "Be ever ready to give an answer to every man who asks a reason for the hope that is in you." That did not happen in those cases. There was a failure at the neighborhood and family level in that Christian community, forty years ago in East London, when a young man came in search of salvation. There was a flaw in the worldwide Christian community that paid no attention to the depressed singer's cry and begging for help between various attempts against her own life. Well, they'll just snap out of it! We can argue. And there is the fact that no one seems to be able to articulate the truth to them. That would be bad enough in itself - losing some souls to Islam is a terrible thing - but we have to wonder what the domino effect of this failure is.

How many young men and women of that generation followed Stevens and O'connor in the darkness of Islam? How many followed in later years? It would be surprising if the answer were "none". Stevens is called Yusuf Islam these days. He is the most famous convert of Islam. He is the poster boy for Islam as a religion of peace. No IEDs, no AK-47s, just an acoustic guitar and peace and love. He is tremendously popular and influential in the Muslim community and beyond, particularly in Britain, but also across Europe. The FBI puts you on an air exclusion list. I suppose it is not without reason. Shuhaida is still reclusive and unavailable, so it does not make that much difference.

But Islam is not the only lie people will believe. It is a much more subtle and profound resentment toward God called sin. Who says, "I know him," but does not do what he says is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. (1 John 2.4) One can be persuaded of anything he hears, but if he does not convert, confess, and repent, the truth is not in that person. I am convinced, however, that the methodology of confronting sin and loving people is the conversion necessary for each to exercise and medicate oneself.

If we are not ready to answer for our faith, we fail not only to the questioner (that is, the unbeliever who might have believed) but also, potentially, fail to all whose life is subsequently touched by them. The consequences of this are incalculable; many variables, lots of math.

Only God knows the whole story of who our friends will become. There could be students sitting in today's classes that people will one day follow. Strange things happened. The answers we give to friends - or not - here in our time together will become a small part of some future reality. And remember, some of us who actively preach the gospel of Christ - the answers we give believers in our care may be the ones that make them survive. We should always be here praying and leaning intensely on the Holy Spirit, experience and personal witness for when these Great Questions come our way.

The Kite Runner - The # 1 New York Times best-selling novel debut that introduced Khaled Hosseini to millions of readers worldwide.

The unforgettable and painful story of the unlikely friendship between a rich boy and his father's servant son, trapped in the tragedy of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial time of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of parents over their children-their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

Spoiler alert! - There is a part in the story, in which the servant's son is raped by a bunch of older city bullies. And the master's son, the narrator, is cowardly convinced that he could not have done anything about it. He pretends not to know. And internally, he begins to develop a bitter resentment toward his best friend. Resentment turned to hatred, and he lied to the boy, accusing him of stealing his father's watch, being dismissed by the alleged robbery of his son. The story goes on to show the effects of a childhood, a childish attitude of resentment and questioning, a sinful act and its consequences for life, to the end, when the main character decides to correct the mistakes again by trying to heroically endorse and neutralize his sin.

Since its publication in 2003, Kite Runner has become a beloved and unique classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers and launching the career of one of America's most valuable writers.

That's the way things are. People can be convinced of something. And though they are convinced and not yet converted, they will make promises, and in search of peace of mind, freedom, or atonement, they may face their sinful nature and truly surrender to the grace and love of God, or they will go from branch to branch , ideas for ideals, friends for friends. They will embrace friends and ideas and as easily as they were convinced, if there is no conversion, they will turn their backs on friends and church and faithfulness to God. In the end, broken promises and a consolation bravado of "But I still have not found what I'm looking for ..." ( another song that shook my world). He goes on to say evil things and make up lies about those who have helped him most. People who, for the love of God were blessings to those who abandoned him today. Sad for who it is, Terrible for those who go! The end; spiritual death.

In Proverbs 26 we find it disgusting and disconcerting to read verse 11 when it says, "When a dog returns to its vomit, fools repeat their folly"

What abomination is sin, and how it is sometimes odious to make it appear, even to the sinner himself. When his conscience is convinced, or he feels good about his sin, he is tired of it and vomits; he seems then to dislike it and to be willing to discard it. It is in itself, and in the first or last place, it will be to the sinner, more disgusting than the vomit of a dog. Sl 36.2.

How ready sinners are in a relapse. Like the dog, after it has gained relief by vomiting what has burdened its stomach, it still licks again, so the sinners, who were convinced only and not converted, return to sin again, forgetting how sick it has made them. The apostle (2 Pet 2:22) applies this proverb to those who have known the way of righteousness, but have turned away from it; but God shall drive them out of his mouth, Revelation 3:16.

So a fool goes back to his madness. Although he knows that this is madness and ruin for him: but vice has become second nature, and he cannot escape it even if he wants to. This is especially true for those who gave way to drunkenness or the impurity of life. The fool never frees himself from the bonds of his foolishness; his deeds and words always carry the same character to the end. The same truth holds true for the sinner, especially the drunkard and the sensualist. But still true for those who give themselves to idolatry for hours in falsehood of legalistic prayers, and pretense of much love and relationships based on themselves. If they feel temporary remorse and reject their sin by partial repentance, they are not totally shaken; it has become second nature, and they soon return to it.

If you can overcome the intolerance of "people nowadays" to which we are all prone, this new generation has some real possibilities. They seem totally determined to keep things positive. Good for them. They are not traumatized by change - they actually like it. They are not afraid of technology. They are materialists, but no more than we are, and their materialism tends to center mainly around the acquisition of new technologies. There are, of course, dangers in technology - it can be a little fascinating and some of its doors lead to obscure places, but let's be honest, those doors have always been there; they just needed more effort to open in the past.

These children do not like confrontation. They avoid it - sometimes even when it is inevitable in good conscience for a young man or woman of faith. They may be a little too open to commit. We have to help them with this. We have to teach them; you cannot make deals with the Scriptures. You cannot give prerogatives to God - they are not ours to give. And in the end, they will do to you, as Peter did with Jesus.

These people are also a bit narcissistic. They like to take pictures of themselves shopping and eating sandwiches. Such eccentricities aside, we can reasonably have high hopes for them. We have to fear for them too. They lack wisdom, especially the younger ones. They need guidance. We should provide this when and where we can. We should look for opportunities to guide them. We should make opportunities to guide them. But the maximum that anyone on earth can do is convince ... Face it ... Maintain relationships - "in the real" ... However, only the holy spirit will convert the hearts of the lost.

They live in a world that is more wicked in several orders of magnitude than what we knew as young people - and it will get worse before it gets better. The least we could do is be ready to answer their questions about how we got here and where we're going. These big perennial questions: Why am I here? Is there a God? Where am I going to spend eternity?

Stevens and O'Connor were already convinced of something. Like them, many people who came and went out of my life were convinced and convincing. I had such close friends and they were not faithful. I'm looking for the friends I left. The years have passed, and when we will finally leave our defenses, we will be friends in Christ again.

Of Fibs and truths in friends and friendship

... For Demas, having loved the present world, forsook me and went to Thessalonica; Crescent went to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia - 2 Timothy 4.10

Years ago, Nenāo had just gotten married and came to visit. While we went out for to run some errands, as he was driving his little red Fiesta from the countryside to the city, he put on a song that really caught my attention. The blues in the form of a sacred advice, tells the listener to make a list of great friends. Who did you most see ten years ago? How many do you still see every day? How many could you still find? Make a list of the dreams you had: how many of them did you give up? How many friends have you vowed? How many have you managed to preserve? Where do you still recognize yourself: In the last photo or now in the mirror? Is it as you thought it would be today? How many friends did you throw away? How many mysteries were you looking into? How many could you understand? How many secrets have you kept: today they are silly, nobody wants to know. How many lies did you condemn? How many did you have to tell? How many defects healed over time: They were the best in you. How many songs did not you sing? Today you whistle to survive. How many people did you love? Now, they think they love you.

I felt it. What was my cousin trying to tell me? Almost 15 years later, when I hear the same old song, I feel regret for the people who came into my life and left me alone.

Today, leaving people is like a game where everyone participates to some extent. We do this constantly, even the most gentle among us - we leave people. We leave our partners. We leave the comrades inside out as we head to court with a mixture of guilt, shame, pride, trouble and expectation. We left our neighbors as we moved into another area, with weak promises to keep up. We lost our friends in late spring when we went on to other summers. We leave some companions, since we can not take any more and say goodbye to different friends, because you can not be attentive to everyone. People are leaving. They will leave us and expose us (even if only to ourselves). The promises of love and faithfulness will mean nothing; if we become so self-absolved and great that there is no room for the "other" in our life.

Too much "ego" will leave you alone. Leaving people behind because of your ego will kill your talent. Attacks on the ego are faced with defense mechanisms, often with anger. People react with anger, withdrawal, anxiety, sadness, etc. The wounds of the ego can lead to a loss of self-esteem. Someone will probably regret or strongly mourn the blow of the ego as it is painful. It's a strange disease. It makes everyone sick, except the person who has it.
It's not always about us. Sometimes it's about them when they leave, and what they need to get more out of life and more for their personal happiness and well-being. We are not the center of the universe for anyone's life, not even ours!

We all want different things in our lives, no matter how compatible we may be, or how well we give ourselves. When someone recognizes a strong need or desire that grows, or does not fade, and they feel they can not fulfill that passion or desire they have while they are with you, then they must finally leave or live resentful with you.

Is this what you really want for yourself or for them? Do you see now why you need to leave people who have chosen to leave your life?

Do not abandon your friend or friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; the neighbor is closest to a distant brother. Proverbs 27.10

We must maintain the bonds of friendship as dear and obligate, even beyond the generations. Friends should not be abandoned. A well-experienced and old friend is invaluable. We should never forget or neglect a person who has been your friend or family. Solomon exemplified his own domain by cultivating friendly ties with Hiram, the friend of his father (1 Kings 5.1-10). The contempt devoid of this rule cost the foolish son of Solomon his kingdom (1 Kings 12: 6-19). We should not assume that our brother by birth is the best to help on the day of calamity, especially if the brother is away. Better is a smaller feature that is close by than a better feature that is far away.

A friend had a quotation written on the wall of his room: "A stranger is just a friend you have not yet met." And I always loved that quote and my friend too, for writing that on his wall. You see, the problem is the basis of making a friend that leaves us confused. We mistakenly commit our friendship to what is good for us at the time. The problem is that sometimes strangers are the Boogey Man, the embodiment of evil, and they are, in fact, our enemies! And we try and try to make new friends. Sometimes it can be a new career, something in common with a person we know, a place they have always wanted to live, something they want to do, but to do it themselves and not have to commit to a period of time or be with a person. This really is about them and not about you; so let them go so they can fulfill their desire. Go find something that incites you and inspires you in the same way. Be a friend because God wants you to have fellowship with people.

Self-Obsession: These people take advantage of you and then leave you in the middle of nowhere. Self-obsessed people are very strange. They only think for themselves. They will do anything to defend their self-image. They are great liars. They fight with empathy and they do not care. They are not the most thoughtful people. When they're done with you, they'll leave you.

Some relationships are toxic. Can I put it more simply than that? It will be harmful to a person (you), even if you are prepared to stay there, continue to wait for things to change, or it will be harmful to the other person. They realize this and leave.

Or was their relationship harmful to both parties? Where any part of a relationship is toxic, it is not a good place for anyone. Being with a manipulative, controlling, jealous or abusive partner are examples of a toxic relationship. Do not wait for them to change and stop giving excuses. That does not change anything. Let them go.

On the other hand, if you have been accused of being the toxic component of your relationship, then let them go and use that time wisely to reflect on why you may need help solving any problem you are experiencing.

The problem of society: People leave others because they do not find the other person attractive. Nowadays people want to be with those who are popular. What others will think about is the root cause. Leaving people because what others will think will or will not have a good impact on your life shows how selfish the other person is. But nowadays people do not really care about the feelings of others.

Some people will do whatever they want whenever they want. They will not give you a second thought. Call them whatever name you want, but I doubt they matter. Yes, some people will never change. They may have promised to change or may have no interest in changing. After all, they think they are perfect, so why suffer from someone who will never see you as someone of any significance?

Their ego and degree of self-importance blinded them to their pain and suffering. Did you ever expect them to come home, they ignored or despised you, forgot your birthday, to get you out of there? Your relationship was very one-sided and all about them and they decided to leave you to someone else without thinking a little of your way? If so, let go, breathe a sigh of relief, you've had a breakout of luck. Count your blessings. Not a loss!

Lack of Sense: Open-minded people always believe that there are multiple perspectives in any situation. That said, there is a recurring scenario where common sense is lacking and needs to be addressed. These people do not use their sense and hurt the feelings of other people without any cause.

They are totally insane. Maybe you sent them away. You changed? Did something happen? Have you missed the signs or alarms? Were they trying to tell you something? Did they act differently? Only you can respond to this, or if you find it very difficult, trust someone whose opinion you respect, but you may not always like it! You deserve an honest answer before you can make amends and get some closure.

Lack of Education: Education is a dynamic process involving individuals, groups and the society in which they live. It is a process that is shaped by the past and at the same time must be continually refined to face challenges that can not be avoided in the future. But people who have no education are not well civilized. There is a misunderstanding and they leave people forever.

Sometimes you just have to admit it was just you trying to make things work. Maybe they found what they were looking for somewhere else and you no longer met their expectations. You were over your requirements; they lost interest. I know this can be devastating and difficult to face, but is it possible that this has happened? Sometimes we strive so hard to meet everyone's expectations, but it is unsustainable and exhausting.

You tried to look perfect, smart, cool, try to fit into the lives, interests and hobbies of other people, but there is no guarantee that they would stay. Perhaps they are so fickle that they continue to float among people, not sure what they really need or what they are looking for. Do you really want to be with someone like that?

Jealousy: Jealousy itself is a killer. People may have different reasons in different cultures for being jealous. Jealousy is a universal emotion. It damages the mind of yours or another. It is one of those demons that seem to take everything when it is felt and yet we leave others behind. Instead of getting jealous, you should focus first on yourself.

Sometimes giving up someone is kinder than holding them down. Yes, sometimes letting someone else go is the nicest thing to do. You are now free to do the things you always wanted to do. Are you no longer prevented from doing something you are putting off or feeling unable to do before that?

Alternatively, maybe that's why someone left. Because he felt trapped and stagnant in one aspect of his life, that made them very unhappy, so unhappy that they had to do something. That something was coming out of you, no matter how difficult it was for one or both.

Tired and Exhausted: People really do not understand the impact they leave on the lives of others. People get frustrated and leave others in the middle of nowhere. Other people think all their lives and what they have done wrong. They continue to mourn all their lives. It becomes frustrating and people feel guilty.

You have become very dependent. You got lost along the way and became very dependent and longed to be with them and have them around you and they recognized it and felt trapped, suffocated and desired! If you were less independent since you were together, did you have higher expectations of the other person? Did they see you as needy, sticky, vulnerable and maybe a little picky?

Not Finding More Interest: Sometimes people get tired of each other. They become depressed and therefore insult others. They lack confidence and self-acceptance. Instead of feeling bad about yourself, asking yourself what you can do to get things right and start acting accordingly, people misbehave and abandon you.

Together you no longer work. You constantly argued and built resentment and hostility built. You did not want to acknowledge this or continue to think it would look better, but the other person decided to leave first, but it's still hard to let go.

Trust simply disappeared. It is very difficult to go back in time and if a significant trust has been broken by either party. Being in a relationship will become unsustainable when a person has had enough and will no longer work in the relationship. Where someone chooses to leave your life, let it go, learn and rebuild. Take what's best in the relationship so you do not become cynical, but also learn from what went wrong.

Self-centered: Leaving people behind is the most frequent street in life. Sometimes we leave people because of our ego. We floated away from them, not calling. This luck erases our guilt and makes us look kind. From time to time there is a conscious choice to take someone out of our lives.

Why is it so much easier to leave the people we choose to leave, but we find it much harder to leave the people who chose to leave our lives? It could be something to do with the fact that when we make that decision, we are in control, but that control is taken from us by another when they go, and there is little we can do about it?

Let's split things up a bit and look at the reasons why we need to leave people, and secondly, why people chose to leave our lives in the first place.

Their relationship meant control. Let's face it; this was not a healthy relationship to be in. Looking back, is it possible that the other person was controlling you or you were trying to control them? Either way, there are no real winners and regardless of whom left, it was not a recipe for success. Going forward, none of the people would be happy.


All of the factors mentioned above can be like spokes of a wheel. Part of a relationship mechanism that exists can be effectively harmful or not. They are just there. In a relationship without Christ as the axis, these spokes become axis and make the SNAFU’ s of each and every relationship. (SITUATION NORMAL, ALL FOWLED UP)

However, for the mind of Christ to work in us and to be able to change all situations, we have to understand the reality, and the events and people who traveled through our door (HELLO THERE Willie Nelson) as if they were part of God's plan for make us look to God as our only true friend. And he has promised us by his name, by his person and by his spirit that he will never leave us, he will never abandon any of his children, even when it seems that each one left you.

To break away from this mechanism of making friends, I unexpectedly discovered these lonely years, a thank you for the lonely road I was given to travel. For with this came a greater understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to know him not only as my Savior but my comfort, sustenance, hope and strength. I believe that until our worldly comforts are divested, we can begin to experience the true depth, duration, and height of their love for us.

Although I am grateful for what God is doing to me through trial, the enemy has worked hard to take advantage of my solitude whenever he can. However, despite his attacks and lies, Christ has used what the enemy intends to do harm and is showing me how this path of solitude is not out of his perfect will and plan for me.

Let's take some of the lies we are tempted to believe in times of loneliness.

I'm alone…
The lie: "Loneliness means that I am alone."

The truth: "Solitude draws the external comfort from those around me, leading me to find solace in Christ alone."


Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all consolation, who comforts us in our affliction ... (2Corinthians 1: 3)

Yes, there are times when God allows us to feel alone in terms of the world around us. However, despite our extreme aversion to loneliness, God's grace allows us, for a period, to take us deeper into his Word and prayer, in search of a full and hopeful and living unity with him. Christ knows that we can not find true and lasting consolation in anyone but himself, since he is the only one who is the God of all comfort.

Removing the earthly comfort of those around us, the Lord moves us in one of two directions: toward a deeper intimacy with our Savior, or towards the unveiling of an unrepentant heart, which ultimately desires more comfort than Christ.

Brother or sister in Christ, if you feel alone in your suffering, thank God for loving him enough to allow that time in your life to bring him closer to him. He does not do this out of harshness, but out of a desire to increase his faith and provide for you that which only he can give. The secret is: look at the cross and now look around. You will see that when he was alone, Jesus made those around him his companions, because he was focused on true friendships. Look at your wife, your church, your children. They are there because of a covenant based on fellowship with the Cross.

Nobody understands…
The lie: "I am the only one who suffered thus, and no one will ever be able to understand my pain."

The truth: "Christ will not ask me to suffer anything that he himself has not yet suffered, and many who were before me endured similar or more difficult ways than I to bring me the comfort they received in Christ."

One of the reasons why the temptation arises is because we often do not know much about people or people, if there are, in our immediate circle of friends, relatives or even acquaintances who have been called upon to bear the specific burden that has been ours given load.

Even if we do indeed know someone else who can relate to our pain, different temperaments and levels of maturity in our faith provide unique experiences and responses within the same general judgment. So, although the reality is that others may have experienced a similar form of suffering, in our eyes, no one can fully understand our pain.

If the enemy can make us believe that there really is no one who can understand, it will tempt us to exclude others, even those whom God has provided for us as support and encouragement. The danger of this isolation is that it will drive us away from the people around us with the truth when we need it most, sending us to bitterness, depression, harshness, repentance and, ultimately, uselessness in the kingdom of God.

Therefore, we must remember this truth:

As we abundantly share in the sufferings of Christ, we also share abundantly in comfort through Christ. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience when you endure patiently the same sufferings that we suffer. (2 Corinthians 1: 5-6)

Jesus Christ is the only one who can enter into our pain completely and completely. Only he knows our hearts, temperaments, insecurities, fears, emotions and desires, and even more: our sins.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we do not sin, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1: 8-10

Therefore, we struggle against the temptation to withdraw, first realizing that only Christ can fill the deep holes left by the regrets of life. When we realize that only Christ can bring us true and eternal comfort, we free people from having to meet our expectations. And when we free people to meet our expectations, our eyes open to the gift of the body of Christ and their provision of comfort given through their people.

Our Savior does not comfort us by clapping at a distance. Instead, it comforts us with the assurance of our salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ, giving us strength, courage and daring.

God must not be loving...
The Lie: "A loving God would not make me take such a painful path. If you really love me, it will always provide support, encouragement, and understanding to those around me. "

The truth: "A loving God sent his own Son on the loneliest road that man knew, so that I would never have to go any way alone."

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners so that you would not tire or despair. (Hebrews 12: 3)

Besides the grace of Jesus Christ, none of our sufferings in this life would have any purpose, value or hope. But because of the gospel, yes! So, instead of seeing these seasons of loneliness as our enemy and something to be avoided at all costs, we can see it as a privilege and a call to walk the lonely road of Calvary with our Savior. It allows us to experience glimpses of the path he has traveled so that we may also experience the great comfort and reward that will be ours for eternity in him.

I do not have enough faith...
The lie: "If I feel alone, I must not have enough faith."

The truth: "Holding firm to Jesus, despite his solitude, proclaim to those around me that it is worth the lonely road I run. It is a beautiful and glorifying image of faith in Christ in my Savior, who traveled the lonely and painful path to Calvary for my salvation, hope and comfort. It is an honor and a privilege to be called to walk in his footsteps because he assures me that I am a child of God. "


Behold, the hour cometh, and cometh near, wherein ye shall be scattered every one to his part, and leave me alone; but I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this, that in me ye may have peace; in the world ye shall have afflictions, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16.32,33

The loving hand of God orders even the loneliness we experience in these painful ways. Although we feel alone, we are never truly abandoned. He allows these stations to produce in their children endurance, strength, unwavering faith, and uniqueness to the gospel. Solitude reminds us that this world is not our home, that we have been commissioned to spread the gospel in the place and time set for us.

Loneliness is not hopelessness and does not defeat us, but it enables us to know more of Christ and make him known to those around us.

My suggestion, my answer to the challenge of making a list of all my friends and all my thoughts, is to make a list of all the people God put into your life, and how and why, in reality, you can actually say why they are apparently gone. Sing on your list, in the hopes of Zion and the New Jerusalem, when we will meet with all our friends in Jesus, those who have offended us, and those we offend. Make a list of the truths you have forgotten, and the lies you have begun to believe and disclose. Seek shelter and fellowship with those around you. Find company in the now, find joy in hope brought by the future.

Believer, I am well aware that there are some extremely painful roads. I have recently felt the absence and the distance of many who have been part of my journey. I keep remembering when on the road next to Nenão, and in the list that I do today, he is far away, is closer today because we have the centrality of Jesus as the axis of our relationship. And so with many others! Yesterday, a friend of more than 30 years without seeing, called me, and I thanked God for it! I want to cultivate this axis. and thus, any adverse situations in the friendships, may be trusted in the power of the knowledge of God.

FARMVILLE PASTORING

I've never liked video games so much. When I was little I had a videogame of ten sets of stick and square figures on the TV set. It was a beep beep,  and soon it became uninteresting. Or was I too small to like it? Oh how many mornings I preferred the company of Lewis' Edward, Lucy Susan and Edmund. I lived their adventures many times. I also enjoyed learning about strong character traits in Di Amici's while reading Heart - A student diary. Later, A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle made me laugh, while Harper Lee made me cry in To kill a mockingbird. I enjoyed reading about character. I enjoyed grooming and watching my own character traits being shaped. Growing barefoot on the grass, I spent my time learning from books, keeping pets, drawing, doing my chores, and actually being blessed to learn from the company of my family. The weather in Jaú, where the earth is purple, or in the farm in Bocaina, where the people talk funny, or even in the young Brasilia, which has the widest skyline in the world, and widened my horizon as I grew from small to a less small. So, the adolescence in the States - ah, how I loved the Bend Terrace, at 301 Bent Road, often called the Greenwood Estate. Always playing, always happy. Always accompanied by animals and pets.

As a pastor, many years later, fully grown, and yet not fully mature, I learned to play a social media game - which had a version of me living on a fictional farm. He had to click on the screen to plant seeds, harvest the crops and build houses and sheds. Ah! I had gifts to send to friends. And cows to milk, and goats to brush, and pigs to look for truffles ... And I had so many friends in that vile farm ... I can even bet there's someone reading this article that was my farm friend ... It was fun, but it took a lot of time. I already lived in the Refúgio, which is rural property and at that time I even began to neglect my work on the farm.

One morning, on the real farm, Marcia woke me with terrible news that in the night our dogs attacked the sheep, wounded a few, and killed the most. What happened was that our neighbor's dog (the children called him Crú- Portuguese for RAW) broke free and chased our sheep and taught our German shepherds to "hunt and mutilate the flock." Some of the wounded sheep were so torn that they did not survive all day. The few who remained unharmed were so frightened that they could not even stay close to our place. So what do video games, books, and pets have in common? They are all great activities that can take our time and even teach a little wisdom. Go there...

In the last years of my ministry, being sent to the mission field in Japan, I have learned some very real lessons.  How to care for my flock and to prepare their hearts, there are two verses that are central to the shepherd's heart in order to relieve the pain inflicted on all of us by the neighbor's dog as he breaks our fences and even teaches our own shepherds to hurt the sheep.

These verses are from Jesus, and from the great and first shepherd, Peter. Every shepherd carries these words in his heart.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But the mercenary, and that which is not a shepherd, of whom the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the sheep. Now the mercenary fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and of them I am known. "John 10: 11-14

Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking care of him, not by force, but willingly; nor out of greedy greed, but out of spirit; Not as having dominion over the inheritance of God, but as an example to the flock. And when the High Shepherd appears, you will attain to the incorruptible crown of glory. 1 Peter 5.2-4.

SHEPHERDS HAVE
PASSION FOR THEIR FLOCK - "I am the good shepherd ..." Like the heroes in my books, who love what they do, being a shepherd means loving the sheep. The simple fact is: to serve faithfully and to love the church.

Pastors care about you! You are in your mind and in your heart day and night. A true shepherd understands what Paul said: "In addition to outward things, the care of all churches oppresses me every day." 2 Corinthians 11.28.

You are important not only because of what you do in ministry, but because of who you are. You value them because they see you through the eyes of Jesus. True shepherds are not the servants of whom Jesus spoke, "When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and flees ... The man flees because he is an employee and does not care for the sheep." John 10: 12-13. They love it a lot to do this.

SHEPHERDS WANT SO
MUCH MORE FOR YOU - A pastor waits, prays and works because he believes he is the best for you. They get hurt when those they love make the wrong decisions and face the consequences that can accompany them for years. They hurt because many have an informational understanding, but not an understanding of the heart of the scriptures. People know the contents of the Bible, the stories and the main teachings, and they can quote the scriptures. But they are often like the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan. They were the most highly trained religious people in their day, but they left the man dead. They have lost the purpose of living.

A good shepherd wants you to experience a life transformation, not just to become religious. They yearn for the Word of God to transform their lives. They want Romans 12: 1-2 to become alive in you. They want that: "... present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your understanding, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. "

SHEPHERDS LIKE
BEING THEMSELVES - A shepherd's life is almost like an aquarium. As the old song says, "We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl. Year after year. Running over the same old ground" Unfortunately, there are well-meaning people in the same aquarium who think they know what's best for them. They have an attitude that betrays the thought that it is a mission to break, mold or tame the spirit of shepherds. There were people in the churches where I pastored, claiming to have the ministry of breaking the pastor. To this day, it seems that some sheep think so.

Instead, give them the gift of freedom to be themselves, to talk in a funny way, to have a bald head or not, a big fat old belly or a ripped body, and whether he is tall or short, he is the shepherd whom God gave him. Each pastor has a unique personality and a set of talents. If it is biblical and God-fearing, it may be a little less like what you have in mind for a pastor.

Never forget that your pastor is not what you want him to be. He will never be the shepherd of the internet. He will not be the shepherd on the other side of the fence. He is the one that God created, and if you allow him, he will feed you, bring you water, protect you and take care of your wounds. This is a great gift that will bring great dividends. This is material from very productive ministries.

SHEPHERDS WANT
PROTECTION FOR THEMSELVES 
AND THEIR FAMILIES - Pastors may say that there is a huge difference between the feeling of the person firing the weapon and the one being shot. They can because most of them have already been shot. Imagine telling a person all that bad you see in her being while in front of his wife and children. Yes, until today this has been happening in several places. It happened to me last week. Be careful that you are not the critic on duty.

When I started my first chicken coop about twenty-five years ago, I learned a little about chickens. If one of them has a wound, the others will peck at the wound until the chicken turns to chick-a-fillet  (the expression of the field indicating the death of the chicken) and the chicken is ready for the pot. You could say that the one who killed her was the last to peck at the wound. The reality is that all who pecked had a share in their death. The sad fact is that pastors leave churches and ministries because they were pecked to death.

If you have problems with your pastor (and this can happen), go personally to him, with kindness, humility and love. Do not take your problems to others. I often hear pastors say, "I wish they would know that I am human. I get hurt, I get discouraged and I do not have all the answers. " Above all, give them the benefit of the doubt. 1 Timothy 5:19 says, "Do not accept an accusation against the priest, but with two or three witnesses." Be a shelter for them and your family. Do not give space to the enemy!

SHEPHERDS ARE IN NEED
OF ENCOURAGEMENT - At Refugio, every time my dogs bark, I go out to check what is happening. As my watchdogs rush back and forth to warn me of any disturbance, I always stroke their necks, as if to say, "Thank you, friend, your warning means the world to me," even if seemingly useless barking becomes a nuisance . I'd rather be bothered by my shepherds twenty times in a single night, than having the thief, the invader, or even the neighbor's dog doing what and whom I love.

Encouragement is one of the greatest gifts you can give a pastor. Prayer, encouragement, and acts of kindness mean more than you will ever know. When criticism comes, do not be quiet, but speak in the name of the pastor. Defend your pastor! High doses of encouragement counteract the incessant flight that comes to those who shepherd. Today, on my mission in Japan, I feel very encouraged when I receive this from several people. Our church's administrative board usually says to me, just as I tell my dogs, "Thank you, pastor" (I'm crying when I write, so I'm going to put a joke here) If they scratch my neck, I think I might as well wag a tail a little bit! (Oh Boy!)

Pastoral ministry is a complicated and difficult profession. Pastors are expected to be well-informed about scripture, leadership, conflict management, psychology and sociology, accounting, project design and construction, counseling, current events, history, politics, ethics and technology, medicine (seriously, people ask for medical advice); can be overwhelming. Your words of encouragement will help your pastor feel that you are making a difference to the kingdom.

There is no real way of describing the ministry. It is demanding. It's 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many try to rest on Monday, but they simply can not! It involves things that can't be shared. Most pastors will not go around and say what they all did this week because it seems so selfish.

Let me share what a friend in the ministry faced during a normal ministry week. He said, "I made a funeral for a man I did not know, but I herd his family. I preached on Sunday. That takes everything from me. I had several meetings (one was not well, so I was tense all day). When I got to the office on Tuesday, someone was waiting to talk to me. They told me everything that was wrong in the church. I felt drained. Later that day, I had a counseling session with a woman whose marriage is not going well. Wednesday I discovered that a church leader had a moral failure. It's my daughter's birthday and I have to find a way to file it. "

Then he went on to share how he loved his people. Do you think this pastor could use some encouragement? Make sure your pastor takes a vacation, has time to recharge and has learning opportunities. These things not only encourage, they also benefit you.

There is a Brazilian saying that motherhood is like dying in paradise. This is also true in the sacred ministry. Pastoral ministry is a kind of sweet agony. We love and hate sometimes. However, for those who are called, there is no escape. It's not a video game; it is not a favorite pastime of a child mind. What we pastors do in the ministry is the orientation to life and death. There are friends to share our spiritual gifts and they are not virtual avatars. They are people with bodies and hearts. 

They are sheep that suffer at the hands of the enemy. Sheep that in a single night are broken and murdered to the crooked and the right. They are the treasures to be sought in heaven, not in man made of cybernetic clouds. For there is where we have to keep our minds. We are obliged to follow the call of the Good Shepherd. We feel like Jeremiah 20: 9: "... but it was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones; and I am weary of suffering, and I can not do it. "And to those who are guided in the Word of God, this same Word says in Hebrews 13.7,17" Remember your shepherds who spoke to you the word of God, of which he imitates, looking at his way of life. Obey your shepherds, and submit yourselves to them; because they watch over your souls, as those who will give account of them; that they may do it with joy and not with grief, because it would not be helpful to you. "

THE SHEPHERD PLAYING
FARMVILLE - "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but, wishing to tickle their ears, they will accumulate teachers according to their own desires, and turn their ears from the truth, and they will turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4: 3-4).

Scratching the ear is very profitable and popular. If you doubt it, wait outside a typical church on a Sunday morning and listen. "I like the way he preaches." "He makes me feel good." "I do not like what I hear." "I'm not sure what it is about that preacher, but I do not like him." carapuça. "" I felt that was sent to me! "I like it, I do not like it, I feel it, I do not feel it.

What I want in a church. What we're looking for. Why do we think about leaving?

And so on, ad infinitum. People want what they want. And with the availability of churches of all stripes and colors - varieties of sizes, architecture, programs, music, preaching, doctrine - no one needs to stay where they are unhappy. So they keep moving. With enough time and practice, such as a computer click, we want to see our own CHURCHVILLE thrive by following our recipes, relating well to friends. While I did this, my real sheep suffered and were mutilated.

In a classroom, the children wrote an essay about summer vacation. Johnny was giving a dorn hard time to do well on it. The final essay came out like this: "Although my holidays were so much fun - on the beach, going to the movies, playing ball and spending time with my family and my cousins on the farm - I could not wait to go back to the learning rooms. I missed my amazing school, my wonderful books and my excellent teacher. I'm very happy to be back. "He handed it to her, then stood there while the teacher read. She says, "A-PLUS!" To which Johnny responds, "Thank you, ma'am." When he leaves the room, he turns to his little friend and says, "As the years come and go, we learn to do what he sells." (Oh Boy)

And so pastors continue to study "what people want in a church." And lay leadership continues to ask the congregation, "What do you want in a pastor?" Click here for a pastor more like that on the internet!

Many pastors have discovered what they sell and have decided to offer a constant menu to their congregations. This is driven by many things: personal ambition, job security, attracting crowds, increasing budget, being noticed and admired.

The flesh longs for what it wants. The Gospel of Scratching Ears says that shepherds should speak beautiful words, never rock the boat, and choose only the doctrines with which the hearers agree. Or better yet, completely avoid doctrine and stick to topics that will surely draw a crowd. "How to be a winner in a losing world." "How to overcome your low self-esteem." "How to be popular and still please God." "How to romance your spouse." "How to have perfect children."

A SHEPHERD'S  MESSAGE
IS SOMETIMES SO NASTY - In his last warning to the church - specifically to the young pastor Timothy, but through him to us - Paul suggests that sound doctrine can be unpleasant to the ears. The truth of God preached by a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus does many things ...

"It rebukes our egocentrism.
"It holds us to a higher standard."
"It's like surgery or medicine, because in the short term it can be painful, but the result is health.

That is why only courageous leaders should be chosen by the churches. They understand these things and are willing to pay the price. Others are not. Do you know when you say something in confidence and the preacher goes and reveals to everyone what was said in secrecy? Horrible, right! There is a difference between what one should treated in the pulpit and what one should suffer in secrecy. Dr. Jorge M. Johnson, PhD in Homiletics, taught in the classroom:

Knowing firsthand failures in the financial, professional, and family hopes of your sheep. Knowing the pains and afflictions of those entrusted to you is the factors that will help you know how to preach. This will help you choose the right texts and the right emphases in explaining these texts. It is rather too,  make a public treatment of what you have been told in private. NEVER mentioning names and giving no indication of who it is, but treating from the altar of the pulpit that wound that seems to have no cure. This is what makes preaching a ministry, not simply an exercise.

No one likes to listen to their particularities spoken of in the pulpit ... It is not to tell the story of others, nor to give examples, but to apply the measure of the Bible to the specific wound ... TO TREAT does not mean to speak or expose, or to wash dirty laundry in public ... It's not reporting someone's actions. TO TREAT means to biblically diagnose a disease. It is to apply remedy and recommendations coming from diligent studies and honoring the Word of God. It is to be the innkeeper on the road to Jericho.

"Master," the disciples said, "are you aware that the Pharisees were offended by what you said?" (Matthew 15) "Leave them alone," said the Lord.

BOLD LEADERS
WANTED - Needless to say, pastors and other ministers must be men of courage. But in the same way, lay leaders, elders, deacons must be people of strength and steadfastness.

-These leaders will encourage the pastor to preach the truth, even if it hurts.

"These leaders will support the pastor when he preaches the truth without a veneer and is receiving criticism. They should remind God's people that "no correction for the present time seems pleasing ... but then produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12: 11).

-These leaders will tell members of the congregation that they are causing conflict over what the pastor is preaching. If the man of God is telling the truth and being faithful, the lay leadership must have the courage to be with him.

"These leaders will even allow some unhappy members of the church to leave when they can not get what they want." They will not blame the pastor for driving them away. Anyone who does a quick reading of the Gospels will see our Lord let people leave him because they could not accept his truth. And he did not blame himself or question the message he was preaching.

The Lord God has given me great honor in allowing me to speak to the lives of my congregation in Japan in the last four years. I am grateful for the privilege I have of serving Jesus Christ with them. I am praying that we may have great days ahead as we march in difficult times.

Accept these words, which I shared with my heart as I prepare the flock to meet the GOOD SHEPHERD, Jesus Christ the Lord. Pray for your leaders, my friend. And stand by them, especially when they are criticized. If they are faithful then be faithful too.