Niche Expert? Brand Yourself That Way!

Developing name recognition (branding) is almost as important as having a dynamite marketing strategy; regardless of the niche that you have chosen to participate in. Sometimes branding in your niche can be as simple creating a tagline or slogan that when others see it, they will automatically think of you, your company, your products, or your website. Chose your branding wisely as you will want your brand name to become synonymous with your company. A terrific example of this is GoDaddy.com which has done a wonderful job of tagging their company name into all of their branding and marketing efforts.

One should take a close look (for web based activities) at what keywords drive traffic to your website. By focusing on a few of these words, one can work to mold a slogan that people will begin to associate with your business. Do people find your site when searching for "dog training" or "dog grooming?"

As Words

If you do not have access to keyword analytics, conducting a survey with existing customers on what words they would use to describe your business is a great idea. Use these to create your slogan for future branding.

Niche Expert? Brand Yourself That Way!

For instance, if you run a parenting website that covers frugal living; you could brand yourself as the "frugal mom shopper." Once you've come up with a tagline that you like to describe yourself or your business, start sharing it with everyone.

Use this slogan in all of your communications such as headers for letterheads, sign blog posts with it, and use it in your landing page, anywhere that you possibly can. Instead of having an about page, try having a page on your website 'about the frugal mother.' Remember to be consistent with the use of your slogan; this is not a place for the creative process to take over producing multiple variations of your slogan or tagline.

Add your slogan to your email and forum signatures. While you may have heard that no one likes a braggart, in the case of online marketing, it's not only acceptable to brag about yourself, but it's a way to rise to the top of your niche.

Businesses use this marketing technique offline as well as online. Who hasn't heard the phrase "Finger lickin' good" and immediately associated it with Kentucky Fried Chicken? Do you think that this slogan would have been as effective if it was "reasonably good chicken?"

Part of the plan is to get others to promote your brand on their own. Word of mouth is a very powerful resource once branding has been established. Treat every prospect well.

Be sure to mention your slogan on your website and in any effort to offer article marketing including adding the slogan to your short biography. Again, consistency is the rule so make sure that biography information is consistent from article to article. Always remember that you are attempting to develop strong brand recognition so that people will associate the slogan with your business and not someone else's.

Brand yourself by guest authoring to an already established audience. Find a blog that's similar to yours and offer to write a guest post. You can use one of your articles as a forum topic as well. Forums often rank high in Google because like blogs, they are continually updated. If you brand yourself as an expert, people will begin to think of you as one.

Niche Expert? Brand Yourself That Way!

The Power of Words as Manifesting Commands

Words are a manifesting power that is one level closer to manifesting in form than is the power of thought. A next level that is even closer to form is the manifesting power of deed or action. A 'closer level' does not mean it has more power, but rather, it is another step of the process of making manifest our intentions. Intention is expressed first in emotion, and then in thought, followed by word, and lastly in deed, which is the step that completes or 'receives' the manifestation.

Intention à Emotion à Thought à Word à Deed à Manifestation in Form

As Words

Our emotions arise on our intentions(1) in a manner akin to dreaming. Our thoughts, when not consciously directed arise out of an inner necessity bound to our personal past and the past of the collective mind. Word and deed are the completing steps that bring to manifestation our evolution or 'devolution' according to our intention (love or fear) and level of conscious awareness. When we are not evolving, we are devolving; there is no standstill in life. While word and deed are the most 'conscious', when we are not consciously choosing our experience, all steps are carried out at various levels of unconsciousness. You may picture a cycle--from intention to emotion, through to thought, then to word and deed-- that can spiral downward into degeneration or upward into evolution according to whether we are conscious or unconscious at each step of the way.

The Power of Words as Manifesting Commands

At every step along the evolutionary spiral of conscious awareness (a step being either intention, emotion, thought, word or deed), we are required to exert power of intention that is consciously willed. And so at every step, there is an element of choice that can either lend greater power to the process (with conscious intention), or weaken or cancel existing momentum (when we fall into unconsciousness). So at each step, we either cause the acceleration or deceleration of our manifestations. It's not enough to set intention consciously; you have to follow through and monitor emotion, thought, word and deed and bring clear intention at each level. When powerful intention is behind every level of manifestation, everything you do moves you toward the goal, and the manifestation process is greatly accelerated. Our power of manifestation comes from all of these components, and at each step of the way we have an opportunity to correct or renew the momentum we have created. All these steps support the time lag of physical manifestation, and so long as we are semi-conscious creators, this drawn out process is a blessing.

Conscious intention drives the will, which sets the process of manifestation into motion as an upward trend of conscious evolution. In the upward spiral, love is the ingredient that ensures expansion and alignment to a Higher Will--imbued with love, thoughts become wisdom, emotions merge with the Creative Principle, and words and deeds become powerful manifesting commands.(2) Unconscious will or intention, on the other hand, causes a devolutionary process into the ego mind. In this downward spiral, emotions serve the addictions of the emotional body and to a degree the ego mind, thoughts foster limitation and are ego serving, and words and deeds, though lacking in power, are often destructive and supportive of force rather than power in creation (e.g. via manipulation, domination, etc).

Words are manifesting commands to the subconscious mind, which responds by finding what is a vibrational match to those words. The subconscious mind learns by repetition and so word habits are a powerful way to reprogram it to ally with you in manifesting your desires. Although the subconscious mind has far greater power than the conscious mind, it does not have control; it is the conscious mind that must initiate change. This may be likened to a CEO presiding over a large cooperation. The work force has greater power but relies on the wise direction from the CEO. It is thus advisable to target for elimination all negative or limiting word habits. You must learn to say what you intend, or rather, learn to intend consciously and speak words aligned to that, in order to have this level of manifestation work in your favour, because the subconscious mind will take you literally. Several word habits to be reprogrammed are discussed below.

The 7 Negative Words or Word Habits to Eliminate and How to Reprogram Them

1. Trying

I heard somewhere that "trying is lying". Saying "I'll try" is a very weak commitment that has an escape clause that "I may not succeed". So when we say we'll try, the subtext is that we may well fail, or "don't count on it".(3) "I'll try to lose weight" really means, "losing weight is very difficult for me and I might not be able to"; "I'll try to do this program" really means, "the work is too demanding and I probably won't persevere".

Whenever you catch yourself saying, "I'll try", stop and decide what your real intention is. Then either commit one way or another: "I will because it means a lot to me", or "I won't because my desire for that is not strong enough to overcome the inertia that exists around the issue". Be honest with yourself and you won't have nearly so much pulling you down in terms of failure. When you commit to others, either say no or "I'll do my best" and mean it. It's much better to say you won't, because then your energy is clearly disconnected from that thing, and may be directed into something you are willing to commit to. When you 'try' your energy is connected, but it's not creating a clear forward motion, which ends up acting as an energy drain and becomes fodder for the ego's guilt.

2. Can't

Saying "I can't do" sends the subconscious mind searching for supporting evidence. And it will supply you with all the reasons you can't, deepening your sense of being incapable. The subconscious mind never fails you. The more you use "I can't", the more you will perceive and experience limitation. When you say, "I can't", pause and tune into what's going on. You may be afraid to and feeling incompetent to the task, or thinking of past attempts where you did not succeed, or thinking of current circumstances that are preventing you...whatever the case. Ask yourself if you would like to be able to. If so, do some exercises to open up to new potential. Write a list of all the ways in which it might be possible for you to do. Write all the feelings that 'being able to' would engender in you. Write down all the traits or energies you feel you would need to be able to give it your best shot, or would need to allow yourself to 'can do'.

Example: "I can't afford it."

Would you like to be able to afford it? If so, do the following:

· Write a list of all the ways in which it might be possible to obtain it. This gets your subconscious mind looking for ways in which you can afford it. E.g. It is gifted to me, unexpected streams of money flow into my life, my dead stocks come to life, I land an incredible contract... anything that may be, depending on the item or situation. Even if your list is trivial or far out, the act of doing it breaks the inertia and gets the subconscious mind working on it.

· Next, write down all the feelings you would experience by having that...(blessed, supported by unseen forces, elated, amazed, content, etc.). Immerse in those feelings every so often. If you have the Affirmation Enhancer Tool (see below for information on this tool), make up suitable affirmations so that you easily embody those feelings.

· And lastly, and very importantly, write down the traits or energies you might need to make it happen. E.g. Feeling deserving, positivity, courage and freedom to forge into unknown territory, sense of feeling supported, faith, feeling capable, belief in self, and so forth. For all you have uncovered, formulate a complete set of affirmations that will anchor all those traits in you now. Integrating the energies will be accelerated with the Affirmation Enhancer Tool. Do the affirmations for a suitable length of time, until you notice a shift in your thinking and behaviors.

If you don't have time to do the exercise, at the very least change your words. Make the "I can't" into the past ("I couldn't") and ensure that you leave yourself open in the now for new potential.

"I couldn't afford it, but my wealth consciousness is improving every day!" or "I couldn't afford it, but I am now open to ways in which I can afford it."

If your children are asking for something you'd really love to get for them, don't teach them "we can't afford it". That is an edict to the subconscious that it shall be so! But rather say, "I'm finding ways to make it happen". This leaves you open and does not thwart desire in your children. Your new statement commands your subconscious mind to find ways. Remember, your subconscious mind has incredible power--you don't have to figure out how, you just have to open to what.

3. Should or Have to

Whenever we state, "I should" or "I have to", we speak as though there is an outside authority acting over us. This creates an inner resistance or at the very least, a sense of having to 'measure up'. In both cases, we set up an unconscious rebellion within. Furthermore, it is a denial one's inner authority and conscience, as though we need to be told what to do. This is disempowering, as we don't get to exercise the power of choice from our own volition. When you find yourself saying "I should", or "I have to", stop and take notice. Then ask yourself, "Do I want to do this or don't I? And, "What does that say of me?" If you do, then restate it as an "I want to". If you don't, then also state that choice clearly in your mind. Change all shoulds into conscious wanting to (wanting to do it or wanting to not do it, i.e. wanting another choice).

E.g. you are at a party and "should" leave because it's late and you have a lot of things to do the next day. Stop and ask, "Do I want to leave or don't I?" You may find, "Yes, I really do want to leave in order to ensure that tomorrow is productive because that's most important to me." At another time, you may feel, "No, tomorrow is not nearly as important as the connections to others I'm making and the enjoyment I'm having at this party. I choose to stay."

While there is no right or wrong choice (e.g. to stay or leave), there is a right way to do things that expands one's self-awareness and sense of inner authority, and a wrong way that creates inner tension and resistance.

4. Needing to Change a Negative

When you feel you need to change something, rather than needing to move away from a perceived negative, change it into wanting to move towards MORE of a positive.

For example, "I need to earn money", or even "I need to earn more money" is moving away from the negative 'not earning enough money'. The following statements rewords it in two ways, "How can I earn EVEN MORE money". You are now augmenting from already 'earning money'.

This applies to anything. "I need to get my act together" becomes "How can I do things in an EVEN MORE organized and effective manner?"

We're focusing on use of language here, but to continue with the process, you could write down all the ways in which you could 'earn even more money', 'do things in an even more organized and effective manner', etc. You would list all and any ideas that come to mind, no matter how obscure or unlikely. You can keep this list with you, and read it daily and add to it if new ideas come to mind. This gets the subconscious mind working even more diligently on finding solutions to your quest. The subconscious mind always elaborates on what you repeatedly direct your attention to. So you've effectively stated the what, and kick started the subconscious mind to start working on the how. From you long list, you've also increased your belief in the possibility of these things happening. And the desired changes will now begin to manifest in your reality at an accelerated pace.

If you have the Affirmation Enhancer Tool (see below for more details), you can also formulate a few affirmations to support these desired changes and say them daily for some time to accelerate things.

5. Needing a Negative to Change in Someone Else

The above process also holds in the case of needing someone to change for you. Rather than thinking, "He's so pessimistic and negative, I can't stand it and he needs to change!", or "She's so sloppy and I can't pick up after her anymore" with the implication "she needs to change", reframe your wording so you are moving towards something positive with the person.

"How can I support him in becoming happy?" is a good reframe. Now you may resist this reframe, thinking he's the problem, but this is not helpful to you. When you see and verbalize things as problems, they will remain problems for you. When you understand that your role is to consciously choose what you wish to experience in life, you can drop your habit of seeing what's in outer reality as fixed and start to see it as fluid and 'becoming' whatever you desire it to become. (This is discussed it the article, Seeing the Wonderful Becoming in Things, in the second series of Empowerment articles).

Again, making a list of all the ways in which you may support him in becoming happy will change your energy around the person and invite new ways of being for both of you. In the second example, "How can I support her towards becoming neater and more organized?" might be appropriate. Doing the list may be a challenge, and the process may reveal to you the ways in which you have traits that you are seeking to change in others. But I don't want to digress here.

Reframing moving away from a negative into something that moves toward a positive will awaken in you a connection to the power of your words as manifesting commands. "How can I support him in becoming happy" will completely change your energy in the instant--it can diffuse your pent up old anger energy and make you realize that there are no observers in life, only participants. And this major shift is initiated by the power of your words. Try it on some loaded issue with someone and experience the power for yourself!

Note: If you don't experience the profound shift, it's because you are locked in with your intention, to experiencing the negative in the other person. In other words, your subconscious intention is to have that person be negative for you. This too is revealing as to the power we wield in our reality, as your intention is also a level of creative energy. (Changing intention is a topic of another article. See Clarity and Purpose and the Three Little Known Secrets of Manifestation, in the first series of Empowerment articles.)

6- Verbal Implications

A verbal implication is a statement of an outcome occurring from a specific circumstance.

E.g.

"I get cranky when I haven't had a good night's sleep."

"My back always hurts when I go on long drives."

"I'm fried--I've been with clients all day."

"I get tired every day in mid afternoon."

"I can't think; I've only had 3 hours of sleep."

"Whenever I'm around that person, I feel agitated."

"My ankle hurts when I walk on concrete, because my break has never healed properly."

As expressed by Excelex, "the verbalization of false associations and justification pre-programs the manifestation."(4) And thus, when one verbalizes an association or justification, it is inevitable that it manifests when the conditions are present. If you consider that all form in matter exists as probability in waveform in every moment before it is manifest in particle form, there is a moment of creation that is continually happening as if in a suspended time or 'no time'. Our habitual associations, implications, expectations, prognostications and justifications are what keeps us recreating the same things--patterns of dysfunctions, apparent symptoms, limitations, etc.--over and over again.

In the above examples, you program yourself to be a certain way whenever certain conditions exist. It is known by many that the diagnostic and prognostic conflicts are a large contributor to negative outcomes in illness. Those who 'beat' the odds are typically people who have taken matters in their own hands and have emancipated from reliance on authority, and forged their path of healing with very strong intention. Everything in form is continually recreated according to thought that directs it. Anything can be healed and all trends can be altered.

Make new verbal implications that are positive, and undo the negative programming. E.g. "I love going on long drives and I get to relax my back." "My back feels great at all times and especially on long drives." "In mid afternoon I enjoy a new surge of energy."

When you catch yourself making a negative verbal implications, say or think "Cancel", and then rephrase it with a positive implication. (And if you have it, run the Affirmation Enhancer Tool while you state the positive verbal implication).

7- I AM - Negatives

The words "I AM" are the most powerful, commanding words we can speak. Each time they are used, our affirmed reality is infused with universal creative energies to support the manifestation. When you say I AM with a negative, that negative reality is immediately reinforced.

Another consideration when you speak "I am [negative]" is what is your intention? "I am really tired today", "Oh, I'm so stupid", "I'm really angry", ... all these statements are declarations to whoever is present, to expect or not expect something from us. There is always a verbal implication when we voice negative "I AM" statements.

For example, "I am really tired today" is a declaration to others to not expect us to perform at our usual level, or maybe it's a warning that we plan to be irritable or impatient. The verbal implication may be, "I am tired therefore I won't perform well", or "I am tired, therefore I will be impatient and irritable". So we are planning to be a certain way and are 'warning' others about it. Not only are we hooked into this negative reality, but now we have others hooked into it as well.

"Oh, I'm so stupid", is a plea for others to not judge our stupidity because we've taken care of the judgment already. It may also hold a declaration to others not to expect us to do things well. But it invites others to look at our stupidity and the reality is strengthened by everyone's attention to it.

Have you ever had someone say to you, "Man, you look awful today", or "You must be tired, you have dark circles under your eyes", etc. What did that do to your energy? Likely, you experienced an energy drop or deflation of your energy field. That's because you bought into their reality about you, thereby making it stronger. But if you are consciously cancelling all negatives, you would not even consider their negative reality and would remain unaffected. Negative realities gain in strength by the number of people partaking in them.

Avoid all negative "I AM" statements; there is absolutely no need of them. If you really feel you need to share with people, then word it differently, and sub-vocalize a positive reframe for the situation. "My energy is low..." and you can sub-vocalize "but it's getting stronger with every breath I take. My body is being restored to a state of great vitality and I have great focus".

* * * * *

1. Glenda Green. Love Without End, Jesus Speaks. Spiritis Publishing. 2002. p. 172

2. Excelex. Karma Release Technique: Activation of the Template of Light. The Living Wordtm 2001. p. 51-52

3. Weissman, D. The Power of Infinite Gratitude Love & Gratitude. Hay House Inc. 2005. P. 51

4. Excelex. Karma Release Technique: Activation of the Template of Light. The Living Wordtm 2001. p.53

* * * * *

The Spirituality of Wealth

This report was excerpted from The Spirituality of Wealth, a program to develop the consciousness of abundance that contains activations of the Inner Mastery Tools and the Affirmation Enhancer Tool. The Spirituality of Wealth Program (SOWP) was developed to expand on the principles presented in the book, The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles, which was inspirational to the movie, The Secret. Wattles' book covers the major components of manifestation and requires careful study in order that the principles may be put into practice with assured success. The SOWP program offers in depth background and rationale for the principles presented in the SOGR, as well as practical exercises and sets of trigger affirmations and vibrationally encoded images to assist in integrating the principles deeply and implementing them in daily life.

The Affirmation Enhancer Tool

The Affirmation Enhancer Tool may be regarded as 'etheric software' that clears all that stands in the way of integrating an affirmation energetically. The Tool enables a person to embody the energy of the affirmation instantaneously, at deep levels of being. It does this by dissolving the back-wash of opposing thoughts, hidden agendas and unmet needs that often underlie affirmations, cleansing the subconscious mind of all memories, programs and patterns that do not support the affirmation, releasing emotional and mental body patterns and programs that support the denial of the affirmation, and infusing the body, heart, mind and soul with divine ideal traits that will support deep integration of the truth of the affirmation. Accelerated manifestation is further enhanced by the creation of an imagination in the auric field that acts as future potential drawing a person to that affirmed reality. The tool provides on-going energetic support for 21 days, activating clearing and strengthening the imagination automatically whenever thoughts run counter to the affirmed reality.

The Power of Words as Manifesting Commands

ESL Game - Word Webs - How to Make Them and How to Use Them As ESL Games

This ESL game is called "WORD WEBS."

I believe that most people are taught how to make Word Webs sometime before high school... but if you never learned how, I will teach you right now.

As Words

First you would pick a Subject. For this example we will pick the word "Winter."

ESL Game - Word Webs - How to Make Them and How to Use Them As ESL Games

We would write "Winter" in the middle of the page/board. We would then draw a circle around the word.

Next we would need to think of words that are associated with Winter. So, we could also write "Snow," and then draw a circle around the word and use a line to attach it to the "Winter," circle.

From "Snow" we could attach "Snowballs," "Skiing," "Cold," "Snowman," and any other word which is related to the circled word. From the word "Cold," we could link other circled words such as, "Ice," "Freezies," "Ice Cream," and any other word which is related to the circled Keyword.

The way that I use this game in the ESL classroom is:

1. I do one or two examples on the board. I ask the students for help to think of the keywords and if they are nervous to answer... I will do the first one by myself so that they get an understanding of how to make a word web.

2. I put the ESL students into groups. For my classes... I usually put them into groups of no bigger than four ESL students.

3. We pick a word to use as our main keyword/subject...

4. I give the students ten minutes to try to make the best word web.

5. Once time has expired... I will invite all of the students to come up to the boards and work as one group and make the best Word Web on the board.

6. Collect the papers and check the papers.

ESL students love to do these word webs because they can write about anything if they are CREATIVE enough.

ESL Game - Word Webs - How to Make Them and How to Use Them As ESL Games

The Pastor And The D-Word

Can a pastor be divorced? Yes, a pastor can be divorced. Many pastors are currently in the process or have been. Before we decide on whether or not that makes it "right," let's take a look at a deeper issue: The word "Pastor" itself.

Yes, the word does appear in the Bible in Ephesians 4:11: "And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as PASTORS and teachers."

As Words

This is the only place in Scripture where the word is actually used. Imagine! A single verse has come to define one incredibly significant, manmade office in every institutional church for 1700 years. Notice that the word used is the plural "Pastors" - NOT the singular "Pastor." Whoever these "Pastors" were, there were apparently more than one in The Church (I'm not referring to a building here). About this, author Richard Hanson says, "For the people who first used them, the titles of these offices can have meant little more than inspectors, older men and helpers ...it was when unsuitable theological significance began to be attached to them that the distortion of the concept of Christian ministry began."

The Pastor And The D-Word

The Greek word for"Pastors" is "poimen," meaning "shepherds" ("Pastor" is Latin for shepherd). "Pastor" actually describes the FUNCTION of an individual in The Church (again, I'm not referring to a building), NOT an office or a professional title. As the word implies, Shepherds provide nurture and care for God's sheep, loving them into maturity. Nowhere do we find their role defined in any way similar to that which describes the Catholic priests at the time of the Reformation: preaching, administering sacraments, praying for the flock, living a godly life, handling church discipline, church rites, caring for the poor, and visiting the sick. Protestant ministers can add to that list the praying over civic and community events like luncheons and 10K runs.

I've excerpted the following from Frank Viola's book "Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices." Viola writes:

"The modern Pastorate rivals the functional Headship of Christ in His church. It illegitimately holds the unique place of centrality and headship among God's people. A place that is only reserved for one Person--the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only Head over a church and the final word to it. By his office, the Pastor displaces and supplants Christ's Headship by setting himself up as the church's human head.

"For this reason, nothing so hinders the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose as does the modern pastoral role. Why? Because that purpose is centered on making Christ's Headship visibly manifested in the church through the free, open, every-member functioning of the Body. As long as the pastoral office is present, you will never witness such a thing.

"It is "lonely at the top" because God never intended for anyone to be at the top--except His Son! In effect, the modern Pastor tries to shoulder the 58 NT "one another" exhortations all by himself. It is no wonder that most of them get crushed under the weight...The modern Pastor is the most unquestioned element in modern Christianity. Yet he does not have a strand of Scripture to support his existence nor a fig leaf to cover it!

"Rather, the modern Pastor was born out of the single-bishop-rule first spawned by Ignatius and Cyprian. The bishop evolved into the local presbyter. In the Middle Ages, the presbyter grew into the Catholic priest. During the Reformation, he was transformed into the "Preacher," "the Minister," and finally "the Pastor"--the man upon whom all of Protestantism hangs. To juice it all down to one sentence: The Protestant Pastor is nothing more than a slightly reformed Catholic priest..."

Viola adds, "At best, this text [Eph 4:11] is oblique. It offers absolutely no definition or description of who Pastors are. It simply mentions them. Regrettably, we have filled this word with our own Western concept of what a Pastor is. We have read the modern idea of the modern Pastor back into the New Testament. Never in the imagination of a hallucinating man would any first-century Christian conceive of the modern pastoral office! Catholics have made the same error with the word "priest." You can find the word "priest" used in the New Testament to refer to a Christian three times..."

EXPECTATIONS OF A MODERN PASTOR

Because the paid, full-time, vocational position of "pastor" in an organized institution cannot be found in Scripture, how can we apply Scripture to it...er...uh...I mean, him? Those gutsy individuals who willingly submit to the strain of the office are forced to undergo unfair scrutiny and an inappropriate standard of someone else's definition of righteousness. Their marriages and families, too, suffer terribly. The statistical evidence of the lives of Pastors and their families is dismal across denominational lines.

Sexual sin, marital breakdown, spousal neglect, spousal abuse, alcoholism, pornography, marital infidelity, misappropriation of funds, a lack of integrity, unbalanced ambitions, poor allocation of time and attention to responsibilities...Satan directs his relentless attacks at these Church leaders because, for those bent on destroying the greatest number of lives, like Samson of old, knock down the pillars first.

That is to say, those whom we have MADE into pillars.

Many in the Institutional Church ask if a divorced person should be permitted to serve as a pastor. The details of every situation are always critically important. In looking for a blanket answer, the danger exists of further mishandling Scripture and, subsequently, mistreating individuals. Frankly, how do we apply Scripture to an individual holding an unscriptural position in an unscriptural religious organization, something The Church was never intended to be?

That's ludicrous!

We DO have biblical grounds for divorce: adultery (Matt 19:9) and abandonment (1 Cor. 7:15) and they apply to ALL of us. This does not settle the question for many about pastors and divorce, but it does reveal that ANY Christian can be the innocent victim of a spouse's covenant-breaking sin. The biblical standards for the office of elder - which includes pastors (shepherds, overseers) - contain guidance about marriage. 1 Timothy 3:2-7 says "an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife." Titus 1:6 cites this same qualification.

Does this mean an overseer must never have been divorced? What if he was divorced before he became a Christian? What if he and his wife are emotionally divorced but physically living in the same home? Is the mere appearance of good in a bad situation any more weighty than the reality of perceived evil? Is that all we REALLY care about in the first place?

Did Paul's earlier persecution of The Church disqualify him from planting churches? The Bible does not say that an elder can never have been divorced, but that, if married, he must be faithful to that one wife. A long-past divorce should not bar a faithful, fruitful person from serving The Church in any context.

RELATIONSHIP BEFORE FUNCTION

Should a person be "above reproach"? If a man committed adultery and abandoned his family, will any amount of time make him above reproach in the ministry? Is any man beyond redemption from God? Aren't we ALL worthy of restoration? Cannot every human be transformed by the renewing of their minds?

This is why "Relationship before Function" is so important. Too often, a man is asked to serve in a traditional church office as deacon or elder, simply because he looks good, smells good, has a pretty wife and writes big checks. I sat in a congregation for over a year before I would even accept a position of Associate Minister. I CHOSE to do that, knowing that the immaturity of current, recognized leadership WANTED me to serve as an elder. When they did, I gave them references they never asked for and informed them of my own divorce many years earlier. I wanted to make sure it was GOD leading both parties to that decision, not merely their perception of my spirituality. I had served as a "layman" for over a year and assisted them in every way but NOT as an Associate Minister. When I did accept the position, we had a very productive, very fruitful, life-changing ministry. If a man was the innocent party of a long-ago divorce, as was my case, and has gained the respect of Christians and non-believers by his subsequent conduct, his divorce should not render him less than "above reproach."

In addition, 1 Timothy 3:4-5 says, "He must manage his own household well... for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" It takes time and relationship to demonstrate marital and family management. How can we interview a man of God and get to know him based upon a resume?

Where does it say in God's Word that divorce disqualifies anyone from God's service? We're not talking about infidelity or adultery. We are talking about two people whose marital difficulties have reached the point where, for one of them at least, staying married is no longer seen as an option.

Paul's directions to Timothy are clear that an overseer must be the husband of one wife. But when my wife divorced me, how had I violated Paul's directives?

In Malachi, God said, "I hate divorce." Me, too! Marriage is like two pieces of paper glued together and pressed. Divorce is like trying to neatly peel those two pages apart. It's a mess. It rips and tears people asunder, even innocent bystanders.

I'll NEVER counsel for divorce. I believe God is well able and quite willing to restore those who are struggling in that most holy of relationships. But it takes faith. It takes two. It takes obedience and unconditional love. I WILL counsel for separation IF the purpose is for reconciliation with an agreed-upon schedule of counseling, with homework, church attendance, etc. Quite often, when a woman separates from her husband, it gets his attention, especially when kids are involved. Sadly, too many who are separating tend to start dating again. That's nothing but a lack of faith in action.

JESUS ON DIVORCE

Jesus was confronted one day by the Pharisees about the question of divorce and remarriage. The context of the passage, Matthew 19:3-9, the reason they continued to question Him, was NOT to learn whether or not a married couple could divorce. They already knew from God's declaration in Deuteronomy 24, the passage to which Jesus appealed, that they could. What the Pharisees were after was to trap Jesus on the question of whether or not divorced couples could, according to Scripture, remarry.

Jesus essentially said, "God's original plan never included divorce, but because your hearts are hard, he permitted it on the grounds of adultery. If the marriage is dissolved because of adultery, the innocent party may remarry without jeopardy."

God initially said a husband and wife should not get a divorce. But who initially allowed a husband and wife to get a divorce?

God.

Is there a contradiction there? Yes, but the contradiction is within us, NOT with God.

Is divorce wrong?

Of course, unless Jesus lied.

Does it disqualify an individual from God's blessings or service to the Kingdom?

No, because Jesus said, "Whoever comes to me in faith, I will never cast out.

Scripture does not say that a divorced person is disqualified from ministry. If there's any disqualification at all for pastoral ministry, it seems to come from remarriage which appears to contradict the Bible's directives. But even if that's true...for how long? What if the remarriage takes place after twenty years? Five years? Five months? I was remarried after 10 years. My wife had been divorced for ten, too. Long enough? It seems to have been, at least where God is concerned.

Anna Stanley, wife of Charles Stanley, Pastor of the 13,000 member First Baptist Church in Atlanta and In-Touch Ministries, divorced him after 3 years of living apart. They tried to reconcile but their efforts failed. He had initially stated that he would resign from being Pastor, based on his own understanding of Scripture. In time, he prayerfully reconsidered. He now believes that, only if he remarried, would he disqualify himself from pastoring. I hope he's hearing from God on that and not basing such a decision upon the traditions of men.

Imagine if Stanley DID step down. Would he stop speaking about Christ? Would others stop LISTENING and INVITING him to speak? Would people cease to seek him out for counsel? Would he stop writing books? Would he start a blog? Though he would not be overseeing an assembly of 13,000 Christians, whose to say his influence would not far exceed that, as has my own? Though he would not be able to put "Pastor" on his business card, who cares? His gifts would make room for him (Prov 18:16).

Yes, God hates divorce, but He LOVES those who GET divorced. He's looking for anyone who is willing to side with Him, serve the cause of Christ and advance the Kingdom. If it's an army of wounded healers, so be it. man may look only at the outside, but God, thankfully, is looking at the heart (1 Sam 16:7).

The Father forgives us. He knows we don't know what we're doing. But He knows we love Him, just a like any child who misbehaves and takes their parents for granted on occasion.

The Pastor And The D-Word

Jesus' Last Words Reveal a Bible Secret

The purpose of this article is to answer two questions.

1. What were Jesus' last words on the cross?

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2. Who actually spoke those words?

Jesus' Last Words Reveal a Bible Secret

To answer both of those questions and shed some light upon what Jesus really said and what he meant, let's look at the Aramaic text and consult two expert translators of Ancient Aramaic, Dr. George Lamsa and Dr. Rocco Errico. "Why should we concern ourselves with Aramaic when we have the King James Bible, written in English?" you may ask.

The answer is that Jesus spoke Aramaic. Aramaic is an Eastern Language full of idioms and figures of speech. Many passages in the King James Bible that seem confusing and contradictory are just poor translations of Aramaic. For instance, in Luke 14:26 Jesus says, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

Is this the same Jesus who taught love and tolerance? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44 (KJV) "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray or them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

The problem is that when the King James Bible was written the translator missed the intended meaning of one word in that verse and that changed the whole meaning of the verse. It is the Aramaic word, "sna". It is a word with 5 meanings. Just as there are words in English with multiple meanings, there are words in Aramaic with multiple meanings.

While one of the meanings of the word, "sna" is "hate" or "detest", it also means, "to stand straight," to "Put out a candle or light, " a "threshing floor," and "to set to one's side." (according to Dr. Errico in his book, "Let There be Light, the Seven Keys")

Considering Jesus' other quotes regarding love and forgiveness it is easy to see that he was using the last meaning of the word, "to put to one's side." In other words, in order to follow Jesus, one had to be ready to leave his or her family behind. Jesus was a radical religious leader who was at odds with the powerful Pharisees, during dangerous times. He knew some mothers and fathers would try to discourage their sons and daughters from following him so he made it clear that as much as his followers might love their parents, there might come a time when they would have to choose between their loved ones and Jesus.

Seeing how one word with multiple meanings can cause so much confusion, is it any wonder that Jesus' last words on the cross, a time of great fear, confusion, and anguish for his followers, would present such an opportunity for misquoting and misunderstanding?

We must also remember that Jesus was a good Jew who kept the law of Moses. At that time, when a pious Jew was dying, he or she would often recite the 22nd Psalm, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" Therefore, many people believe that is what Jesus said as he was dying on the cross.

According to the gospel of Mathew, including all the Greek gospels, Jesus cried out in his own native Aramaic tongue, "Eli, Eli, l'mana Sabachtani?" Notice that it is phrased as a question and the gospels kept it in the original Aramaic.

If these words are considered as a question, then it appears Jesus is doubting why he is suffering and questioning the Father. According to Dr. Errico, this phrase could also be considered a declaration by Jesus. He believes it was a cry of victory by Jesus who realized that God's plan was being carried out exactly as intended.

Jesus may actually have said "El', el', l'mana shwaqthani," meaning "O God, O God To what a purpose you have kept me!"

According to Dr. Lamsa, in the Lamsa Bible Translation, the verse is "At about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with aloud voice and said, "Eli, Eli, l'mana Shabakthani," meaning, "My God, My God, for this I was spared!" Dr. Lamsa actually footnoted the last part of this to indicate it means, "For this was my destiny!"

Once again, most of the confusion is over one word with multiple meanings, the Aramaic word 'shawaqthani." This word, found in Psalm 22, means, "Let me live," or "spare me," not forsake me. Dr. Lamsa was a native to Assyria and spoke Aramaic fluently as well as understanding the customs of Easterners. The phrase "l'mana shawaqthani" is used by people of that region to confirm one's own destiny. The root word, "shawaq," that is found Romans 11:4 may mean "to keep" or, as in Matt: 6:12, "to forgive."

Taken in the context of the rest of Jesus' teachings, it is my belief that he was indeed saying, in so many words, "This is what I have lived for and this is my destiny."

Which brings us to our second question, "Who actually spoke those words?" I know it was Jesus of Nazareth hanging on the cross, but Jesus himself told us that the things he did were actually done by the "Father" through Jesus.

In my book, "Your Loved Ones, Your Self; Finding and Raising the Family Within," I present the evidence , both scientific and religious, of the three parts of human consciousness, the subconscious, or lower self, the conscious mind, or middle self, and the Higher Self, or Loved Ones. I call them Loved Ones because our own Higher Self has two parts or natures, on paternal and the other maternal. We are a projection of their love and they are our connection to the inscrutable God.

The Essenes were a nature loving sect that lived in Jesus' time. They called themselves, "The children of light." The many references to light and the Father by Jesus and his disciples indicates that they were influenced by the teachings of the Essenes. The Essenes in turn were influenced by Huna, an ancient religion that spread from Africa throughout the East and finally as far as the islands of the Pacific where it is practiced to this day. In Huna we find a model for the 3 parts of consciousness I mentioned above.

Evidence of this belief in a paternal Higher Self that is above us and creates using light can be found in James 1;27, "Every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

It seems that Jesus and his disciples recognized the Higher Consciousness in each of us and spoke of God and the Father In James 1:27 there is a clear reference to God and the Father. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this..." This is a clear distinction between God and a Higher Being referred to as, "the Father."

Jesus himself drew the distinction when he is quoted in John 20:17, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and to your Father: and to my God, and to your God." (The King James Bible and the Aramaic translation are in agreement on this critical verse).

A more complete and thorough explanation of this can be found in, "Your Loved Ones, Your Self; Finding and Raising the Family Within," Infinity Publishing 2007.

Our Loved Ones, our Higher Self, project themselves into this world as human beings. Each of us has a Father in heaven, in other words, a Higher Self within. We have a purpose in life chosen by our Higher Self. As the physical body of the man Jesus was dying, the exultant cry of his Higher Self, his Father who had worked through him throughout his life, cried out in exultation, letting the world know that it had accomplished its mission, through its son, Jesus. That is the answer to who spoke Jesus' last words on the cross. It was the Father, his own Higher Consciousness. It is the same Higher Consciousness that each of us share and that is a part of an inscrutable creator. We can communicate with that Higher Self and it is our link to God. On that level we have some understanding of God.

But just as Jesus taught us the lesson of vicarious atonement, he also taught us, as in the Lord's Prayer, to pray and talk to our Father, the one in heaven, the one who is with God and a part of that realm, but not God. Through that Higher Self we may each approach and connect with an inscrutable creator and that is what Jesus last words demonstrated. His Higher Consciousness, his Father, was speaking not only to this world, but also to God.

Jesus' Last Words Reveal a Bible Secret

Microsoft Word Templates Will Save You Time In Your Small Business!

One of the issues that most small business owners overlook when starting out in business is the use of technology. Whilst computer technology may require a significant investment when starting out; Overtime, if your systems are built correctly they will in fact save you very large sums of money, in particular in the area of staff wages.

When I first started my business, One-on-One Personal Computer Training, I started out with a ,000 Credit Card, which when you talk to any business adviser or business-coach is absolutely the worst thing you could do. One of the issues I have been most conscious of is the cost of having a large number of staff. The way I achieved a high level of efficiency in such a competitive market was to automate as many of the day-to-day tasks as I could. The best tasks for business automation are those that are repetitive.

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As soon as I mention the word Business Automation, most technophobes will put up a barrier and go into a minor or major fit. Business automation can be as simple as creating just a few Microsoft Word templates. Business automation doesn't necessarily mean hiring a huge plethora of software developers and toiling day and night to build some monsterous and complex system. It can and should be simple so that you as a business owner can in fact do it yourself. Let me explain!

Microsoft Word Templates Will Save You Time In Your Small Business!

Microsoft for all its good and bad issues, has provided business one of the most awesome tools - Microsoft Word allows you to build templates that you can reuse as many times as you wish.

What Is A Microsoft Word Template?

Essentially, a Microsoft Word Template is like any traditional word document, the difference is that it is designed to be reused as many times as you require. Why not create a normal word document then. Well, the difference is that when you use a Microsoft Word Template, you can store the template under the New dialogue box, so that each time you want to use the document you go to that one point and it will be available.

Did you know that you can even create your own folders in the New dialog box? If you didn't know this, all you have to do is to simply create a new folder where all your templates are stored. On each of our company's computers we have a special folder called one-on-one where we store each of our templates for use by our staff

What Sort Of Templates Might You Need?

This is one of the key questions I get asked the most. The most common templates I see small businesses require are items like Sick Leave Forms, Leave Applications, Order Forms, Sales Letters, Purchase Order Forms and so forth.

One of the reasons why I chose to build Microsoft Word Templates in my business was to ensure a level of continuity of contact with our customers. By building a series of Templates such as:

- A Company Letter Head

- A Company Fax Sheet

- A Company Leave Application

- A Company Thank You Letter

- A Company Weekly Timesheet

- A Company Sales Letter

- A Company Visitor Sign-in Sheet

- A Company Purchase Order Form

- A Company Order Form

By having these forms in a central place I have ensured that my staff don't need to be recreating these styles of documents each time they have to send a letter or fax. Further to this, I know that certain sales letters used by my staff will achieve the sales outcomes that I am looking for. By using a Microsoft Word Template, they know that when they get and enquiry that they can simply fill-in the customer details and the letter is done.

In our sales letter templates we use Microsoft Word's Fill-in field to prompt our staff for key information like the Customers Name, Address and Company Name ensuring that the information does get put into the letter. Once they have completed that they simply press the Print button and its ready to go to the customer. As a business owner, knowing that that's all my staff have to do to achieve the sales makes me feel far more comfortable than them having to write their own customised letters each time a customer enquires about our training.

Microsoft Word templates are an incredibly useful tool in automating common documents that your staff maybe creating and I believe that this is the first process that all business owners should be using in automating their business.

Microsoft Word Templates Will Save You Time In Your Small Business!

Sight Words - Kindergarten

Kindergarten teachers are often looking for effective ways to teach their kindergarten students sight words. Many kindergarten teachers use different methods for teaching their student sight words such as teaching through the use of sight word games, sight word lists, and sight word activities. The appropriate method for teaching kindergartener students these important words should be determined by the teacher through assessment of age appropriateness, learning disabilities and other kindergarten student/classroom related factors.

Sight words are the most common words used in the English language. A kindergarten student should be taught these important words so they can recognize the words on "sight." These important words are the core foundation for reading and are taught in every elementary school across the United States. Kindergarten sight words lists are important for enhancing student reading. The word list is made up of words that frequently appear in preschool and kindergarten level reading material.

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While there are several kindergarten sight words lists one of the most common lists is the Dolch Kindergarten Sight Word List. The Dolch Kindergarten Word List is made up of primer level words and was created by Dr. E.W. Dolch in the 1930's.

Sight Words - Kindergarten

Dolch Primer or kindergarten level sight words are as follows: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, has, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, son, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes

© 2008 FishForWords.com

Sight Words - Kindergarten

Tattoo Words and Sayings

Many people opt for words or sayings to accompany their tattoo image. But sometimes the tattoo words or sayings are the actual image themselves. Here are three examples of popular tattoo words and sayings:

1. "In memory of"

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Obviously this is used to commemorate a lost one, whether it be a relative, a friend, or even a pet. In memory of ink is excellent to get to forever remember someone and pay tribute to them.

Tattoo Words and Sayings

Many times the words "in memory of" are accompanied with another design. Common designs include a heart or hearts. Though something more specific and personal that is relevant to the lost individual may be added as well.

2. "Love/Hate"

This is a tattoo saying or wording you don't see too often anymore, though every now and then you will see some fresh ink with the love/hate lettering. This is most commonly placed on the knuckles, and is usually a stand alone design.

The love/hate tattoo can also be accompanied by an image, usually with a banner below the image reading "love hate". I've seen all kinds of different designs accompanied with this popular tattoo saying.

3. Chinese lettering

This is generally a stand alone tattoo as the lettering itself is usually the actual art and design. Though some wearers will choose to have small lettering accompany a tattoo design.

You can choose whatever saying or symbol you like with the Chinese lettering tattoo, simply by researching the meaning your after, then looking at the lettering representation to find out if it's to your liking.

Tattoo Words and Sayings

Microsoft Word 2003 - Create a Colorful Venn Diagram Easily

I love Venn Diagrams because nothing comes to close to expressing the logical relationships between different sets of elements that well.

With Microsoft Word 2003 you can create fantastic looking and colorful Venn Diagrams on the fly, with as many elements and colors as you need.

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It helps to launch your DRAW toolbar first before you do anything else.

Microsoft Word 2003 - Create a Colorful Venn Diagram Easily

Then follow these steps:

1) Click the 3-balls icon (the tool tip text should read "Insert Diagram or Organization Chart") to display the Diagram Gallery dialog box.

2) Click and select the Venn Diagram icon on the lower-center to insert a default Venn diagram and also to display the Diagram mini tool-bar.

3) To add a new set of elements (represented by each CIRCLE in the diagram), click the Insert Shape button on the mini tool-bar.

4) To move the circle shapes around, click the clockwise or counterclockwise buttons until you get the desired positioning.

5) Click the "Click to Add text" text to enter any text you want to identify the individual elements.

6) Click the Text Wrap button to apply text wrapping, if there is any need.

7) Click Autoformatting button on the mini tool-bar to select a pre-saved format template for the whole diagram.

8) You can change the formatting of any individual slice by selecting it and then clicking the appropriate formatting buttons on the DRAW toolbar.

There are quite a few professional graphic creation software out there, like Adobe Illustrator. But why spend the extra money when you have at your disposal great free graphic tools already built into your MS Word?

Microsoft Word 2003 - Create a Colorful Venn Diagram Easily