REF: Security Situation As Of Jan 25, 2010

See 02/06/10

I received the following request to have the “Security Situation As Of Jan 25, 2010 removed.

Dear Philip

Is it possible for you to remove the blog on your website? I would be very grateful if my statement about security for Christians in Kenya could be removed. We are NOT ALARMED and there are no threats that we know about at the moment. If there is serious cause for concern for our safety, we will be told. this message of mine, originally sent to my personal prayer supporters was intended to be spread around the world, like it has. therefore, would be very glad if this could be removed from your website.

Thanks so much. God bless.

Joy Butler
NAIROBI - KENYA

The sentence that stands out reads as follows; “We are NOT ALARMED and there are no threats that we know about at the moment.”

If there was no threat or there is no need to be alarmed then why was the letter written and distributed? Was this letter for the purpose of falsely engaging sympathy and ultimately money for something that was a hoax?

First and foremost, the “alarming” letter will not be removed since there was no indication that it was for private eyes only. Secondly and suspiciously speaking, such an urgent request to have it removed only highlights the impression that what was said is nothing more than a wanna be tear jerker since there is no threat against Adventist Christians in Kenya … how freaking sad when you play on peoples emotions when it’s really not a serious issue at all.

The lesson here might just be as it always has been. Be careful whom and what you believe in. And don’t give money to any denomination or organization without verifying the validity of their mission, which in this case was nothing to be “alarmed” about.

What really makes me upset is that I bothered God about something that I didn’t need to bother Him about. Talk about a waist of time!

Ragbag Headliners

When You’re In Love

Poets, novelists and songwriters have described it in countless turns of phrase, but at the level of biology, love is all about chemicals.

Although the physiology of romantic love has not been extensively studied, scientists can trace the symptoms of deep attraction to their logical sources.

"Part of the whole attraction process is strongly linked to physiological arousal as a whole," said Timothy Loving (his real name), assistant professor of human ecology at the University of Texas, Austin. "Typically, that's going to start with things like increased heart rate, sweatiness and so on,"

When you catch sight of your beloved and your heart starts racing, that's because of an adrenaline rush, said Dr. Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Here's how it works: The brain sends signals to the adrenal gland, which secretes hormones such as adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. They flow through the blood and cause the heart to beat faster and stronger, Ho said.

The response is somewhat similar to a fast heartbeat while running on a treadmill, although exercise has other benefits, he said.

For people with serious heart problems, love could actually be dangerous, Ho said. That's because when the heart rate goes up, the heart uses more oxygen, which can be risky for an older person with blood vessel blockages or who has had a prior heart attack. But good medicines such as beta blockers help curb the adrenaline response, Ho said.

It is also likely that norepinephrine, a stress hormone that governs attention and responding actions, makes you feel weak in the knees, said Helen Fisher, professor at Rutgers University and author of the book "Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love by Understanding Your Personality Type."

Fisher's research team did brain imaging of people who said they were "madly in love" and found activity in the area of the brain that produces the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine and norepinephrine are closely related.

"What dopamine does is it gives you that focused attention, the craving, the euphoria, the energy and the motivation, in this case the motivation to win life's greatest prize," she said.

This norepinephrine response has never been precisely studied in relation to romantic love, but the system seems to be more activated in people in love, she said.

Also likely involved is the serotonin system, she said. Some data from an Italian study indicate that a drop in serotonin levels is associated with obsessive thinking.

The stress hormone cortisol has also been shown to have implications for love, Loving said. His lab showed study participants who had recently fallen in love a picture of a romantic partner or friend, and had them describe or "relive" the moment of falling in love or wanting to be friends, respectively. Those who recalled falling in love showed an increase in stress hormones such as cortisol even 30 minutes after they were asked to think about it.

Generally, there are three brain systems involved in romantic love: sex drive, love and attachment, Fisher said. The sex drive evolved to get you to look for a lot of partners, the "love" portion is for focusing mating energy on one specific person at a time, and attachment is for allowing you to tolerate the partner -- at least, long enough to have children with him or her.

These systems are often connected, but can operate separately, she said. That means you can start out with one of them -- casual sex, or an intense feeling of love, or an emotional connection -- and move on to the others. For example, what may start out as a one-night stand may feel like more because the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, released during orgasm, make you feel deeply attached to someone. You may feel in love after that, or instead feel somehow responsible for the person, because of these hormones.

Fisher's team has found that romantic love doesn't have to die -- they found the same activity in the brains of people who said they were in love after 20 years of marriage as in people who had just fallen in love. This brain area makes dopamine and sends it to other areas.

In the days of early humans, in hunting-and-gathering societies, these qualities were especially advantageous for finding a person to bear and raise children with, she said.

Why, then, do small children fall in love if they are not trying to reproduce? Fisher hypothesizes that kids -- even 4-year-olds -- practice at love and learning more about themselves before it begins to become important to them.

Love also has health benefits for people who have aged beyond their reproductive years, she said. Being in love makes people feel optimistic, energetic, focused and motivated, which were all positive for health and societal contribution in the early days of humans, she said. So, it makes sense evolutionarily that people can still fall in love after their childbearing period.

Romance also is good for you. Studies have shown that people who have frequent sex are generally healthier, with a longer life, fewer coronary events and lower blood pressure. A 1995 study in the journal Demography found that marriage adds seven years to a man's life and two years to a woman's.

Loving's team is studying how people who have recently fallen in love respond to stressful situations. They hypothesize that people for whom the love is still new will respond to the stress and recover from it quicker than those who have recently been in a breakup or have been in a relationship for a long time.

"The guess is that when individuals are falling in love, they are walking around with rose-colored glasses," he said. –CNN Health

Dash Of Hope

My poem, The Dash, is based on that little line on a tombstone, between the dates of birth and death. Ultimately, that dash is a symbol which represents every day we've spent alive on earth. Therefore, how you spend your "dash" is all that really matters. Following is an amazing story about someone whose dash truly made a difference.

Recently I heard about a little girl named Hope Stout. After learning more about her life, I couldn't help but feel it was not by coincidence, nor happenstance, that she had been named "Hope." It had to be attributed to fate. The compassion and generosity housed in her young heart made a lasting impression on me and countless others, and her legacy of love continues to bless lives every day. Though I never had the opportunity to meet her, I wish I had. It seems as though she was wise beyond her tender years and very, very special. When I tell people her story, I always say, "if this doesn't inspire you, I don't think there's much that could..."

Hope was a twelve-year old girl who was offered a "wish" in early December 2003 by the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation after being informed that she had a rare type of bone cancer. However, when she found out that more than 150 children in her area were waiting for their wishes to be granted, she unselfishly used her wish to ask that those children have their wishes granted. She also asked that it be done by January 16, 2004. Unfortunately, however, the organization informed her that her noble request could not be granted as the funds were simply unavailable. They calculated that they would need to raise more than one million dollars in thirty days in order to grant her wish. Disappointed, but not discouraged, she turned her dismay into an enthusiasm that inspired caring individuals to spearhead fundraising to help grant the wishes of the other children, and eventually hers as well. Newspaper columnists and reporters for radio and TV stations shared the story of this caring young girl who had touched the hearts of so many and as word spread, the community was challenged. Committees were formed and schools, corporations and various organizations assisted in raising money to help bring Hope's dream to fruition.

Though she lost her battle in 2004, knowing that her wish was going to come true, Hope lives on. Her heartfelt efforts were not in vain as they continue to help others, not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well. At the initial fundraiser and gathering to celebrate her life, "A Celebration of Hope" on January 16, 2004, the announcement was made that they had indeed received donations totaling more than one million dollars on behalf of Hope Stout. Her wish had been granted!

Excerpt from: Simple Truths of Life,
by Linda Ellis

Bambi & Thumper
These Photo’s were taken in a back yard
located in Alberta , Canada.

<><><>*<><><>

May you always have Love to Share,
Health to Spare,
And Friends that Care.

Photographer Unknown

Better than a Flu Shot!

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was
admired for her sweetness and kindness to all.

One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room.

She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.

As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water gloated, of all things, a condom!

When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat.

The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist.

'Miss Beatrice', he said, 'I wonder if you would tell me about this?' Pointing to the bowl.

'Oh, yes,' she replied, 'Isn't it wonderful?

I was walking through the Park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter.

Author Unknown

Sand Art - "Emotions" - SandFantasy

Can Muslims Be Good Americans?

(This is certainly 'food-for-thought'. What do you think?)

This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish and send it on to everyone. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities.

Can a good Muslim be A good American?

This question was forwarded to a man who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:

Theologically - no ... Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia.

Religiously - no ... Because no other religion is accepted by His Alla Except Islam (Quran, 2:256) (Koran)

Scripturally - no ... Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.

Geographically - no ... Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he Turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no ... Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make Friends with Christians or Jews.

Politically - no ... Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual Leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, The great Satan.

Domestically - no ... Because he is instructed to marry four Women and Beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34 )

Intellectually - no ... Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no ... Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does Not allow freedom of religion and expression.

Democracy and Islam cannot Co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no ... Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' The Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to As Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99.

After much study and deliberation perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.

Author Unknown

Ash Wednesday

A Season of Contemplation
In Anticipation of the Resurrection

Locally Speaking

Prayer Stopped At Georgetown School

For more than a decade, Georgetown resident Violet Infinger had been praying with students in Georgetown High School's auditorium, but school district officials have ended that.

Infinger, whose daughter graduated from the school and whose grandchild currently is a student there, said she was shocked when school officials told her last week that neither she nor the students could continue the prayer time or hand out Bible Scriptures on school grounds.

Celeste Pringle, assistant superintendent of curriculum, said the district acted after the issue came to the attention of officials last week.

"There's nothing I can do right now," said Infinger, who said Pringle told her she could stand outside the school's gate to hand out the Scriptures, but she could not pass out Scriptures on school grounds.

"No way could you have time to pray with kids outside the gate. It's not possible, and it's not safe,'' Infinger said. "This has been a total shock. I enjoy going and being with the kids and talking to the kids."

The students had been meeting each morning from 7 to 7:40 a.m. before school started, but district officials said they were not aware of the gatherings or of Infinger handing out Bible Scriptures to students on their arrival to school until last week.

Pringle said her office received a call from an attorney with the Americans United for Separation of Church and State after that agency received a report that a woman was on the Georgetown High campus handing out religious literature to students.

She said the district investigated and put an end to the prayer time because Infinger and the students were not following appropriate procedures, which include not handing out religious literature on the school campus.

"Prayer time was open to anyone," said Infinger, who said as many as 25 students have met at one time for prayer. "Anyone that wanted a verse got a verse. It was not mandatory. If you don't want it, you can walk on by."

Infinger, who said she got permission from former Superintendent Charles Gadsden to meet with the students for prayer before school, said it is something students wanted, and that they also decided they wanted to pass out Bible Scriptures.

The group of students would have to be a sanctioned school club supervised by a district employee in order to hold the prayer time, district officials said.

"The district does have a policy... which allows students, with parental permission, an opportunity to participate in religious instruction offered by recognized religious groups off school grounds," said superintendent Randy Dozier in a news release. "In addition, any student who wishes to form a club with a religious basis or emphasis, for example, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, may access the district's procedures to form such a club.

"In such cases, the club would locate a district employee to serve as a club sponsor, and the club would be permitted to meet on school grounds like other clubs."

Pringle said she and another district official plan to work with one of the schoolteachers, who's going to volunteer, to form such a club.

Meanwhile, Infinger said she doesn't know what her next step would be.

"I'm not doing anything else right now," she said. –Sun News

Celebrating Love

“My Valentine” by Martina Mcbride

The Baptist White Lie Cake

Several weeks earlier, Alice Grayson had volunteered to bake a cake for the bake sale of the Ladies' Group of the Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Somehow, she forgot all about it until the last minute. She remembered it the morning of the bake sale. After rummaging through her pantry, she found an angel food cake mix and quickly made it while drying her hair, getting dressed for work, and helping her son pack up for boys' scout camp.

When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat, and the cake was horribly disfigured. She exclaimed, "Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!"

The cake was very important to Alice because she so much wanted to fit in at her new church, and with her new community of friends. She looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. At last, she found it! In the bathroom --- a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in, and then covered it with icing.

Not only did the finished product look beautiful, but it also looked "perfect"! She felt a surge of pride on her quickness of mind, imaginativeness, inventiveness, resourcefulness.

Before she left the house to drop the cake at the church and head for work, Alice awakened her daughter and gave her some money along with very specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30, buy the cake, and bring it back home.

When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found that the attractive, "perfect" cake had already been sold. Amanda immediately grabbed her cell phone and called her mom.

Alice was horrified! What if everyone were to learn of it, what would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, ridiculed! All night, Alice laid awake in bed thinking about how people would be pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.

The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake. She would attend the fancy bridal shower luncheon at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time.

But she did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob who had looked down her nose more than once at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa. But having already RSVP'd, Alice couldn't think of a truly air-tight and genuinely believable alibi as to why she could not come.

The meal was elegant. The company was definitely upper crust Old South. But to Alice's horror, for the dessert came her cake gloriously on a very elegant, pedestaled silver cake platter! Alice felt as though every drop of blood had drained from her body when she saw the cake.

She tried to get out of her chair in order to tell the hostess all about the cake, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "What a beautiful cake!"

Alice, still stunned, sank back into her chair when she heard the hostess, a very prominent church member, say: "Thank you, I baked it myself!"

Alice smiled, relaxed, and thought to herself: "God is good!"

Author Unknown

Obama Admits He Is A Muslim

Ragbag Headliners

Haiti charges American missionaries with kidnapping children and criminal association, a government official says. –CNN

The Amazing Cucumber

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. (WOW)

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!! (DOUBLE WOW)

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber sliced rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

National Geographic's Best Photo's For 2009

Kenya , SDA

Security Situation As Of Jan 25, 2010

This morning, Jerome, the Associate Secretary of the ECD explained the situation as it now is for Adventists in Kenya .

The Somali Muslims have issued a threat to all Christian churches in Kenya . They are concerned that many Muslims are becoming Christians. They mentioned the Seventh-day Adventist church in particular. It is known that at least 100 Somali Muslims have become Adventists and there are many more in hiding.

The AMC (Adventist Media Centre and Radio) and media have done lots of work for many years in getting the word out there and through to Somali. These threats were issued in December and again renewed in January.

The US State Department contacted the Adventist church in Kenya and has warned them of these dangers. This meant that the Institute of World Mission which was meeting at LMS in Nairobi, were instructed, by the GC, to bring their programme to an end and for all the trainees (new missionaries) to return to their homes/posts. This was done last Friday.

Security at LMS in Nairobi (where the Union headquarters, Literature Ministry Seminary, primary school, medical, dental clinic and church are situated) is now tightened and we are asked to cooperate when visiting LMS. Security here at our ECD compound has also increased and we are asked to cooperate with the guards when entering and when any visitors arrive. If we have expected visitors we are asked to tell the gate personnel in advance.

The police are alerted to these issues and will be assisting us should anything suspicious occur.

We are encouraged to pray for the safety of all, and I would add certainly for the Somali Adventists who are under serious threat and in great danger of their lives.

Joy Butler,
Nairobi, Kenya

Dog and God (Bit Cheesy, But Sweet)

God's Gift

If I could sit on the porch with God,
the first thing I would do
is thank him for you.

Author Unknown

Eat Fruits Before Meals

We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruit?

DON’T EAT FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil. So please eat your fruit on an empty stomach or before your meals!

You've heard people complaining: "every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian (a fruit from southeast Asia) my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc," actually none of this will arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. It's the fruit mixing with the putrefying other food that produces gas and makes you bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outbursts, and dark circles under the eyes are all less likely if you take fruit on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruit -- like orange and lemon -- being acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from cans. Don't ever drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruit because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get the taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruit and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Now, to WATER...

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can you believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cold drink after a meal... however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and can lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup, warm water or warm beer after a meal.

Source Unknown

A Deck Of Cards

It was quiet that particular day --- the holy day of the week, the "day of rest" for most Christians. The guns, mortars, and land mines for some reason had not been heard.

As the soldier sat down wondering what to do, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then his platoon sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?'

The soldier replied, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.'

The sergeant said, 'Looks to me like you're just about to play cards.'

The soldier said, 'No, sergeant. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.'

The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How do you propose to do that with a deck of cards?'

'Sergeant, you see the Ace? It reminds me that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, the Old and the New Testaments.

The Three represents the Trinity --- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Five is for the five wise virgins --- there were ten but only five of them were saved because they made the proper preparation before the bridegroom arrived.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the heaven and the earth.

The Seven is for the Sabbath day when God rested at the end of the creation week.

The Eight is for Noah's family --- he, his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the Great Flood that destroyed the Earth.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed. He cleansed ten of their leprosy, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represents the Ten Commandments which God handed down to Moses on tablets of stone.

The Jack is represents Satan, one of God's first angels, but who got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the "joker of hell".

The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

The King stands for Jesus, for the King of all kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck which represent the 52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards --- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.'

The sergeant stood there quietly for a long while. Then, with tears in his eyes and an inexplicable longing and pain in his heart, he muttered, 'Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?'

Please take time to pray for all of our soldiers who are being sent away, putting their lives on the line fighting.

Author Unknown