November 9th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
One of the most popular young stars in Hollywood today is Miley Cyrus. As most people know she is the star of the wildly popular Disney Channel television series ‘Hannah Montana’, as well as the daughter of country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus. She burst on the scene in 2006 and her fame soared like a rocket along with the popularity of her TV show. Though she comes from a showbiz family of sorts, the amount of fame and popularity she has achieved in just her first couple of years in the public eye is astounding.
Her Name
Many people wonder where she got the name Miley from and some are surprised to find out that it wasn’t her birth name. She has legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus now, but she was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. Her parents called her Miley as a nickname because she was such a “smiley” baby.
Her Career
She has stated that she had wished to be an actress from the time she was about nine years old. She got her start in acting when she appeared in her Dad’s television show “Doc”, sometime later she made her film debut in the movie “Big Fish”. She auditioned for the role of Hannah Montana and also the role of her best friend and at first was turned down because she was so young. She eventually won the role with her personality and her stage presence. On the show she also sings many songs, some of which she has written herself. She went on to put out a couple of albums based mainly on her television persona, but has gone on to release material under her own name now. Her initial concert tour and movie made about the concert tour were huge hits as well.
Her Personal Life
She has an incredibly close relationship with her family and for that reason as well as her young age is with them a great deal. She has made many friends with co-stars of her show, stars of other Disney Channel shows, and also people associated with her live performances. Like any young star in Hollywood, she has had to deal with her share of scandals too, but none so bad that they have wrecked her squeaky clean image as Disney’s teen star of the moment.
With her incredible personality and huge popularity, there is nothing that can keep her from achieving all the career accomplishments she wishes for herself. She has shown the talent and drive that is guaranteed to serve her well long after she finishes her run as a teen pop culture icon.
Mark Allen writes about a number of subjects, some of which are even interesting. You can find out interesting stuff that you don’t know about a number of subjects by visiting 7Things! Including 7 things you don’t know about: Miley Cyrus
November 5th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
As the man slowly walked away, I faced my own future as well, and I entered the subdued and inviting cave; I had a lot of work to do. I was already adept at the Four Material Calms of – applied and sustained concentration, rapture, equanimity and bliss, and equanimity and mindfulness – but I had no idea how to approach the remaining Immaterial Calms. I was a weevil trying to burrow into solid granite. I knew that my logical, thinking mind could not penetrate these immaterial calms, and that every one of my thoughts, every attempt to understand with my mind would be useless. And I knew that my inner work was all that I could rely on.
For three years, I practiced with great determination, working tirelessly on the material and immaterial calms, eating very little. A few villagers occasionally gathered at the entrance to sit silently in my company after offering food, but they showed great respect and never caused me to break my silence.
The quiet and undisturbed atmosphere proved extremely effective. So much so that one day shortly after I first entered the cave, I was able to go deeper than I had ever gone before into the Fourth Material Calm of Equanimity and Mindfulness. While in this deep state, I saw, for one brief moment, the Infinite Space that was behind my concentration and surrounded it. This happened when my circle of light disappeared.
As soon as this happened, something dropped into my heart, opening my intuitive eye for just a moment as I incredibly slipped into the First Great Immaterial Calm of Infinite Space.
In that brief moment I could clearly see that the previous Material Calms of Applied and Sustained Concentration, Rapture, Equanimity and Bliss, and Equanimity and Mindfulness were dangerously close to the world and material existence; too close to the seeds of rebirth. I intuitively then replaced my object of concentration that served me for these many years; my circle of light, by the Infinite Space surrounding it. Then, when I fell into this Infinite Space, it felt as if a hole became unplugged! Yet, I was able to maintain a piercing awareness. In this state, my “wanting,” or my desire for anything in the material world was totally abandoned.
Now my inner work was becoming mature. My mind was becoming very deep and still, and the great Source of wisdom that rested within me, the Reality, was making itself known. I was truly that great “Source” of all things. Or rather, It was all of me. There was nothing that the old self, the old “king” could do except relax and begin falling into the arms of this “Source.” I had great confidence it would take me to my key.
The months flew by, and my inner work intensified in the uninterrupted, silent atmosphere of the cave. I trusted these peaceful surroundings. There were no surprises or disturbances, and interestingly enough, no feelings of emptiness or loneliness as I dropped into deeper and deeper states.
After concentrating intensely on ‘Infinite Space’ for a year, my awareness suddenly shifted to the ‘Consciousness that pervades this Infinite Space.’ These sudden attainments and shifts always came as great, unexpected surprises, and this particular change occurred with an immediate recognition – I understood that Infinite Space was too uncomfortably close to the Material Calms, and that this new ‘Consciousness Pervading Infinite Space’ was much safer. As my mind then concentrated on that Consciousness, I was able to attain the Second Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Boundless Consciousness.’
While this was all happening, the connections to the Source, the very same seven centers that caused my illness and near demise on the mountaintop, began to open naturally in my body. My focus on the ‘Consciousness that Pervades Infinite Space’ became very concentrated, and one afternoon while in this deep state, my mind caught a glimpse of Nothingness – or the Void. The ‘Consciousness that Pervaded Infinite Space’ had now disappeared and there was nothing. Everything was gone. Everything was entirely empty, and nothing was left as I fell into the Third Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Nothingness.’ My exceedingly lucid mind became exceptionally clear; so clear that it realized the previous ‘Great Immaterial calm of Consciousness’ was merely an observation, and actually there was only nothing; just emptiness.
While focusing on this new area of ‘Nothingness,’ I again detected a sensitivity in parts of my body; the centers near the crown of my head, my forehead, my throat, heart, solar plexus, the area just below my naval and the base of my spine.
As I concentrated on each of these centers, each for a few months at a time, I learned more about them. The top of the head was seen as the most stunning with its light orchid splendor surrounded by radiant white and gold compliments, all flowing, and vibrating at intense levels of activity. I knew that this area was the key to unification with the Source of all there is, with Reality.
The purple forehead center appeared to be the most important but not easy to explain. It seemed to reflect my inner being in some way. It caused attachments to disappear and I could recognize the origins and outcomes of situations. There was a blurring of the opposites of power/weakness, love/hate, and so forth, as their differences became non-existent. Nothing bothered me any longer and I experienced bits and pieces of vague scenes, seemingly from past lives or existences, some of which appeared to be from the perspective of a plant or mineral; all very difficult to explain. I also envisioned beautiful colors of all kinds, vast landscapes of flowing, brilliant hues, sometimes in the form of flowers or designs. I also heard voices in my mind – similar to the voice that that told me, “You are completely healed” – and they came up regularly while concentrating on this center.
Many of the things I heard were not immediately understandable and definitely not from my mind, but after some experience the insightful nature of their meanings at times became clear. The ringing in my ears that had been audible since my illness on the mountain became louder and constant, with two distinct tones ever-present, a high pitch and a low hum. This forehead center also made me feel that I was ready to flow with the wind, experiencing some kind of difficult to explain loving aloofness. It caused me to surrender to complete conviction, ready to engage myself fully in life at a new, wonderfully expansive level.
When working on the bluish silver throat, I had boundless hopefulness, experiencing steady serenity and seemingly impervious to ailments. There were no longer any worldly aspirations and I could clearly differentiate between truth and falsity.
The golden heart brought up extreme compassion toward all beings as I experienced other’s happiness and grief as if it were my own. Sleep was now required in only small increments, as my interest in the world completely dissolved.
Attention to the green solar plexus resulted in passages to strange places, descriptions of which would be difficult to comment on. There were also visions and dreams depicting incredible freedom, soaring through the air like a bird. I always would think, during the visions, that since it is so easy to fly, why haven’t I always done this? There was a definite feeling that I would only go forward now with no chance of backsliding, and that any problems in the future would never again be my individual difficulties. They would merely be tribulations of the human existence.
Odd intuitions were produced by focusing on the orange area below my naval. I couldn’t quite put my finger on them but they seemed to be both threatening and liberating at the same time, as if I was caught between them. Sexual attraction was also mysteriously replaced by empathy, patience, and mercy.
During my focus on the base of the spine, which was red in color, and which I felt intuitively between my legs, I surprisingly found myself relieved of my previous flaws of self, clinging, gluttony, lust and rage.
But this time I followed Sahmad’s instructions to the letter regarding the correct way to open, and above all, close the energy centers. It was essential to close them every time after the inner work, so without fail at the conclusion of each session I visualized each center closing similar to blowing out a candle, starting with the base of my spine and ending with the forehead, leaving the crown open.
During my second and third year I was often visited by immaterial beings in the form of silent points of light. They would simply land near me in the cave or hover silently. I had always hoped that Ariya would drop in again but she never did. However, during one very extraordinary full moon night, a being did visit by appearing to me in a vision during my inner work.
He was tall, young, and very handsome with a shaved head and wearing an orange robe. His demeanor was that of a great sage as he floated in from the entrance and stopped directly in front of me, hovering above the ground to my right.
The sage was sitting cross-legged with his right foot over his left thigh, and as he closed his eyes he began to speak in a strong, compelling voice, “There is the Truth of Discontent, which affects beings in the material and immaterial worlds. There is the Truth of the Cause of this Discontent. There is the Truth that a Cure for this Discontent exists. There is the Truth of a Way to Cure this Discontent.”
The presence of this powerful teacher and these simple, commanding words reinforced everything I felt over the years as I sought after the key.
“The cause of this constant discontent is wanting and craving,” continued the sage. “There is a cure for this constant wanting and craving. The way to realize this cure is to follow a life conducive to opening oneself to the Source of all there is. In this new life, you must first acknowledge your own discontent, realize the cause of this discontent, believe that there is a solution, and embark on a quest to achieve this solution.
To this end, you must cultivate energy, joy, tranquility, equanimity, concentration, investigation, and mindfulness. You must think in terms of renunciation, absence of ill will and absence of cruelty. You must abstain from false, slanderous, harsh, or frivolous speech. You must abstain from killing, from taking things that are not offered, and sexual misconduct. The quest for the key must be your only concern and you must arouse energy to this end, striving for the non-arising of evil and the abandoning of evil that has arisen.
“You must strive for wholesome states that have not arisen and the development and perfection of wholesome states that have arisen. You must cultivate the Great Calms. You must contemplate your body and mind and maintain constant, unbroken mindfulness. You must always be your own teacher, relying on yourself and not relying on others to help in the actual work. Only Truth must be your guiding light.”
The sage stopped speaking and opened his eyes. He smiled, then handed me a small, white flower, communicating an unspoken bond between us, after which he floated back toward the entrance to the cave, facing me until he disappeared.
Everything he mentioned reinforced my efforts and gave me great confidence to go on, so I therefore tried to remember every word. This vision was another turning point in my mission, instilling within me self-assurance that I would somehow be successful in the end.
I put the flower down and returned to my inner work. I put the flower down! . . . My heart soared as I grasped the enormity of what had just happened. The flower was real! What I experienced was not merely a vision! This cave was truly remarkable, and the fact that masters guided me to it only reinforced my undying pledge to live up to their expectations. The key would be mine.
Before long, three years had almost gone by. Soon I would be leaving this cave. My mind, now sharpened to a razor’s edge, was able to go very deep, deep enough to discern that the seven Calms that had so far been achieved were merely perceptions of the mind, and subject to change, and therefore not peaceful. The instant the mind saw this danger, it thought “Peace,” and realized that only in the complete cessation of Perception, and in the complete cessation of Non-Perception could this danger of “the influence of things,” whether they were seen, perceived or felt, be finally resolved. With this incredible, deep understanding, I was able to attain the last of the Great Immaterial Calms by absolutely exhausting everything that could be seen or perceived in any way. Then I attained the last Great Immaterial Calm of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception.
Sahmad’s prediction proved true about the cave; I achieved the Immaterial Calms and the Seven Centers, acquiring my razor sharp Sword of Concentration. Having accomplished these rare attainments, then, my attention now focused on the strange drawing given to me by the holy man on the mountain.
I studied it again: A sketch of a man and then next to the man was a picture of the man’s head with four more pictures above it; a hand in a fire, a hand which apparently had been burned and was in pain, a man looking at his burned hand, and a man using fire to cook with. This strange sketch must have something to do with what was ahead.
Three years had passed far too quickly and the day arrived when it was time reluctantly to leave the cave. I emerged triumphant and walked directly to the stables where Conqueror was waiting. The old, crippled horse tried to run in his excitement but stumbled and fell, and as I helped him struggle to his feet, tears of gratitude streamed down my face as I put my arms around the neck of my gallant, undying companion and best friend for all these unbelievable years.
The villagers were saddened to see us go, but I insisted that there was some unfinished business to be taken care of; business that would make me a better teacher. The elder said I was good enough right now, but I just smiled, thanking him and his villagers for their generosity.
We left the village with everybody bowing and as we made our way past the cave, I caught a glimpse of something hiding in the trees. It was watching us intently, and when we were almost out of sight, I turned around and waived a final goodbye to a beautiful white tiger.
E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com
November 4th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics are relatively new to the cosmetics scene, though not unknown. Yves Saint Laurent actually worked with Christian Dior for a good while, giving the brand the quality and marketability that it needs to really make it’s presence known. Christian Dior may have never intended for Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics to be a competitor of his, but great work ethic, creativity, and smart business sense has made YLS a stand out cosmetics provider for several years now. Many refer to Yves Saint Laurent as the apprentice of Christian Dior, but this really is not the case. Yves Saint Laurent simply worked alongside Christian Dior and put all of his talents as well as what he learned working with Christian Dior to good use. The cosmetics line has been a huge success thus far, and has a lot of promise for the future.
Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics is known for its full line of cosmetics including moisturizers, foundations, blush, eye shadow, eye liner, lipstick, and more. Although the makeup side of the cosmetics line is becoming very popular, its offerings do not stop there. In fact, the Yves Saint Laurent offers a whole host of product such as fashion products, accessories, jewelry, fragrance, and ready to wear items. Such a wide line of products attracts many women because it means that they can deal with one designer for all of their beauty needs, which is becoming more and more common. Women like to deal with one designer such as Yves Saint Laurent because they know what type of quality they can count on, which is important to most women that really want to look good. It seems that this cosmetics line will just continue grow as more and more women find the one stop shopping style of buying cosmetics highly appealing.
The Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics line is actually becoming quite well known for their fragrances. The Opium Parfum retailing for $100 has become very popular and is known as a rich, fragrant scent that is neither to heavy or too light. The popular Cinema fragrance is also a beautiful scent and more affordable for many women, retailing at just $45. The Baby Doll Limited line is also building steam, proving that the Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics line is a real contender in the fragrances arena.
While the cosmetic line is gaining momentum and attracting more and more women, it can’t be found just anywhere. You will find that the Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics are typically sold in higher end cosmetics retailers such as department stores or stand alone cosmetics retailers such as Sephora. If you cannot find a YSL dealer in your area, you can always check online. When you log on the Internet you can usually find some great prices on your favorite Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics as well as access to the newest and most exciting new products offered. Because the cosmetics line is high end, you won’t be able to walk into a discount store and find the things that you are looking for, but you can generally find most of the products at discount prices on the Internet, which can save you a lot of money.
The Yves Saint Laurent is a great cosmetics line for everyone because it offers a little bit of everything for everyone. Prices on all of the cosmetics really do vary, but generally consumers find that all of the products are well worth the retail prices. Great make-up, fragrances, and accessories make the YSL cosmetics line one to watch now and in the future.
Clark Hunter Yves Saint Laurent Cosmetics
June 15th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Anna Nicole Smith was famous for being herself. She led a self-created extravagant, loving-every-minute lifestyle. She was constantly in the tabloids pertaining to her mood swings, slurring speech, choices of male companions, and greater-than-life persona. Her sudden death, on February 8, 2007 (Anna Nicole Smith 2007), made the public wonder who this voluptuous woman truly was.
Anna Nicole Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan, never seemed to be happy in her environment as a child. She would continuously change her name (Anna Nicole Smith, 2007), trying to be someone else. She used this defense mechanism to flee the emotional inhibitors present in her childhood home. Anna’s half sister has reported that their father had sexually and physically abused Anna and her sisters (msnbc.com, 2007). Anna’s mother removed her from that environment and ended up poor in a trailer park. Anna seemed always to want better, and would do what she needed to achieve her goals.
As described in the Cognitive/ Social Theory (Kowalski & Westen, 2005), Anna felt that by creating a different persona, she would escape her reality and achieve these goals of her ultimate dream of stardom. She believed that by reflecting certain over-exuberant behaviors, she could achieve her pie-in-the-sky dreams. Most anyone who watches television would say that she strived to be the next Marilyn Monroe. This is called a behavioral-outcome expectancy (Kowalski & Westen, 2005). Self-efficacy expectancy explains that Anna knew that she was in control and capable of achieving these goals. She set high personal goals in order to change her life into a dream she had always hoped would come true.
The Humanistic Theory explains that personality is created by one’s environment and societal experiences. Rousseau clearly states (Kowalski & Westen, 2005), “man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” (pages 447-448). Anna was a compassionate, life-loving person, but felt held back by society and economics. She found employment in all work environments, from a chicken fry, to Wal-mart, to a strip club, in order to achieve her goals.
While working at the chicken fry, she wed a boy one year younger than she; he was sixteen at the time. They divorced shortly after; she also had a son by this man. Anna Nicole began stripping at a club, while mailing in body shots to Playboy Magazine (Anna Nicole Smith, 2007), trying to get into the Hollywood scene. She was aware of her true self, but was willing to delve into a false self in order to escape her binds (Kowalski & Westen, 2005). She wanted to be accepted and loved by all, literally. Anna met an oil tycoon while stripping, and married him years later. This marriage and relationship was extremely controversial because the gentleman was eighty-nine at the time, she was only twenty-seven. Many, including the man’s son, thought of Anna as a gold digger, but Anna stated that she was self- sufficient and truly loved this man (Goldman, 2001). Again, Anna was making a name for herself and placing herself into the tabloids. She was continuously creating an ideal self. The presence of an ideal self is the complete absorption of the false self, and the complete suppression of one’s true needs and personality (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).
Anna became a widow only one year later. Her husband’s son took Anna to court, preventing her from getting any money. She demanded that she loved him, and he loved her. He wanted her to be taken care of (Goldman, 2001). The case was still dancing in and out of the court system at the time of Anna’s death.
Anna’s death was sudden to everyone. However, she did suffer from depression continuously. She did not hide from the public the fact that she took antidepressants. She had been shown on television obviously mixing alcohol with antidepressants, slurring her speech and flailing her arms in the air (msnbc.com, 2007). Anna especially suffered from depression close to her demise. She had lost her first-born child, twenty years old, and given birth to a daughter, just months before. Anna had not stated who her daughter’s father was; this was discovered after Anna’s death (Anna Nicole’s Afterlife, 2007). Even though she wanted to paint the tabloids with her life, Anna seemed to want this part of her life kept secret. It seemed that she wanted different for her new family.
The Humanistic theory best supports Anna Nicole Smith’s personality. Her childhood was filled with unavoidable situations of her environment. Her adulthood was built on self-created drama and stardom. Anna buried her true self as a young child, renaming herself several times until finally settling on Anna Nicole Smith. She was willing to share her ups and downs with the nation through the ever-honest tabloids, and never flinched when exploited. The one trait Anna never did hide was her big, loving southern heart. She wanted the world to love and remember her for who she was and for what she came from.
References
Anna Nicole’s afterlife. (2007, June 4). Maclean’s, Retrieved October 18, 2007, from Academic
Search Premier database.
Anna Nicole’s half-sister’s tell-all book. (2007, April 12). Msnbc.com, Retrieved October 19,
2007, from www.msnbc.com.
Anna Nicole Smith. (2007, February 17). Economist, Retrieved October 18, 2007, from
Academic Search Premier database.
Goldman, D. (2001, March). The millioraire and the playmate. Biography, 5(3), 28. Retrieved
October 18, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.
Kowalski, R. M., and Westen, D. (2005). Psychology; The Study of Mental Processes and
Behavior, (4th Edition). USA: John Wily & Sons, Inc.
Summer Willis writes about various psychological topics.
December 2nd, 2007 -- Posted in Story |
Introduction
Many people have assumed leadership positions in the Church based on the claims that they had a “call”. This ‘call’ has been generally understood to come from God, which made it quite easy for them to be accepted as leaders. But Oswald Sanders said, in his book ‘Spiritual Leadership’, that, “in many cultures today where Christian leadership carries prestige and privileges, people aspire to leadership for reasons quite unworthy and self-seeking.”1 Such people hide their true motive under the guise of ‘call’.
It can be proved from scripture that God has been calling people to be leaders, but the way the Church understood and acknowledge the call has given rise to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Merrill F. Unger, in the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, classified the biblical concept of call under the following three headings: a) To call for help, b) Divine call, C) Call to salvation. With respect to the subject matter of this article, the ‘Divine call’ should be the area of concern. Unger further divided the divine call under three sub-headings: a) In the sense of ‘to name’ or to designate (Gen: 16:11) and in the sense of ‘to be’ (Isa. 9:6);b) In the designation of individuals to some special office or work, as the call of Bezalel (Exod. 31 : 2)), of Judges, prophets, apostles etc. and c) A condition of life (1 Cor. 7 1 Cor. 7:20)2
N.R.W, Farrer, in his article in the New Bible Dictionary, further commented on the divine call. He pointed out that when God called an individual to serve in some capacity and for some particular purpose, that call both described and indicated a relationship between God and that individual or group, e.g. as in the case of the nation of Israel.3
With this background idea of the concept of divine call, in both the contemporary Church and the Bible, the call to leadership, is divided into three main sections: a) The call of leaders in Bible times, b) The call of leaders in the contemporary African Church, c) Conclusion.
The Call of Leaders in the Bible Times
The Bible gives account of how most leaders came into leadership positions. Key leaders in the Bible are selected and grouped under four categories for this examination. The grouping is based on differences seen in the way they were called.
A. Group One
The first group comprises Leaders who had direct personal call from God. They include Abraham, Moses and Paul.
Abraham
Alan P. Ross, in his commentary on Genesis, cites Gen. 12:1-9 as the call of Abraham. He states that the passage recorded how God called Abraham out of a pagan world and made astounding promises to him, promises that later became part of the formal Abrahamic covenant.4 In addition to the text cited by Ross, Harrison and co-author, cites Acts 7:2-3 and Heb. 11:8 as additional passages from which Abraham’s call can be understood. The Acts passage reveals that God had a personal encounter with Abraham and told him to leave his country and people and go to a place he would show him. The Hebrew text reveals that Abraham obeyed. But as Harrison further pointed out, the call of Abraham was renewed in the Gen. 12 account.5 It was quite clear that obedience on the side of Abraham up to that point was partial. Ross pointed out two imperatives in the Gen. 12:1-3 account. The first was that Abraham was asked to leave his country and go to the land of Canaan, and the second was that he would be a blessing to others.6
Biblical records show how Abraham had been a leader particularly with respect to his faith and how the Jewish nations and later other nation of the world were blessed by imitating that same faith of Abraham.
Moses
K.A. Kitchen, in his article on Moses, introduced him as, “the great leader and law-giver through whom God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, constituted them a nation for his service, and brought them within reach of the land promised to their forefathers.7 One can never dispute the fact that Moses had been a great leader. An important phrase of the quote above, ‘whom God used’, focuses on the relationship between Moses and God. The starting point of this working relationship was that it was God who called Moses whilst he was tending his father-in-Law’s flock at mount Horeb.8 Howard F. Vos, in describing this divine encounter of Moses said the angel of the lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire in a bush which would naturally have burned in a moment, but remained unconsumed. He continued by pointing to a two-fold revelation made to Moses. The first was the eternal self-existence of God, and the second was God’s mission to deliver his people.9 All that Moses did in his life as a leader had a direct bearing on this encounter.
Paul
The third and final person to be discussed in this group is the apostle Paul. In Act 9:1-9, the Bible describes a remarkable encounter that he had with God. F. Foulkes agreed with the biblical writer of Acts that Paul’s encounter was an experience of a healthy mind and can be adequately interpreted only as a miraculous act, which transforms Christ’s enemy into his apostle.10 It must be noted that commentators, like Stanley D. Toussaint, discussed the text above under Paul’s conversion. But Toussaint went further than just discussing conversion experience. He also mentioned Paul’s acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ and the instructions the Lord gave him as to what he expected him to do.11 It was clear, from the point of Paul’s miraculous encounter onwards, that his role and mission as a leader was directly related to this experience.
Summary
The three leaders mentioned in the section above – Abraham, Moses and Paul, had personal divine encounter with God. In addition they were given specific instructions as to what they were supposed to do. It was upon the basis of these experiences that these men accepted God’s call. Finally, it must be noted that God has a specific mission in mind for each of these men when he called them.
B. Group Two
The second group comprises leaders God called through human mediators. In this group David and Joshua would be discussed.
David
In 1 Sam. 16:1-3, God instructed the prophet Samuel to go and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king because he had rejected Saul. Later in that same chapter David was identified as the son and anointed. In his commentary on the text mentioned above, Eugene H. Merrill said that, “Samuel was commissioned to seek out the one who would succeed Saul on the throne of Israel. This one had already been identified as a man after God’s own heart”. David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Israel.12 One could rightly say that David did not have a direct encounter with God but his call to fulfill a particular function in life came from God through Samuel.
Joshua
Four other people carried this name in scripture. The Joshua to be discussed was the one called Hoshea in Num. 13:16. He was the assistant and successor of Moses. From Deut. 31:14,23, God revealed to Moses that he would soon die and that he should appear with Joshua before him in the tabernacle. It was in the presence of God that Moses gave his faithful minister his commission. Joshua was told that he would lead Israel to the promise land, which he later did.13
God’s call to Joshua was mediated through Moses, and it also carried with it instructions for Joshua to take up a new position within Israel and a charge with the responsibility to take Israel to the promise land.
C. group Three
The third group comprises leaders who were called to leadership in response to a need. In this group James and Mathias would be discussed.
James
According to Gal. 1:9, James, the Lord’s brother was an apostle. When or how he got his apostleship was not recorded in scripture. However, he featured as a prominent leader in the early Church. Merrill F. Unger, in his article in the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, acknowledge that James was indeed a prominent person in the Jerusalem Church (Gal. 2:2), was president of the council (Acts 15:13) and with the elders received Paul upon his return from his third missionary journey (Acts 21:8).14 Two things can be said about James: first, that his leadership role was recognized by the other elders and those he led; second, that he surface as a leader during a time of need or crisis.
Mathias
In Acts 1:15-26, Mathias was chosen as an apostle to replace Judas. As it is rightly pointed out Peter laid down the essential qualifications of the apostolic office. He continued by saying two men were qualified for the post, but the ultimate decision was referred to God himself by the casting of ‘lot’ and prayers. Unger further commented that nothing reliable was recorded of his (Mathias) life, nor was he mentioned again in the New Testament.15 No one can deny that Mathias held a leadership position, but again no one can truly account for what he did, nor point to his following.
D. Group Four
The fourth group of leaders God called through visions or dreams. Joseph, son of Jacob, and Samuel would be discussed in this group.
Joseph
R.K. Harrison rightly stated that Joseph was appointed ruler over Pharaoh’s house and over all the land and in actual fact was next to Pharaoh.16
According to Gen. 37:3-11, Joseph had two separate dreams, which his brothers and parents understood to mean that he would rule over them. It happened that indeed he became ruler. It should be observed that Joseph’s brothers and parents understood the interpretation of the dream and noted that God had that personal unique encounter with Joseph. So Joseph maintained a good spiritual relationship with God throughout his lifetime.
Samuel
In I Sam. 3:1-9, the Bible recorded a strange experience that Samuel had whilst serving Eli. He was asleep and he heard a voice calling him by name. He thought it was Eli. Later, after Samuel had gone to Eli twice, Eli realized that God was the one calling Samuel, so he instructed Samuel as to how he should respond. Merrill F. Unger, in his article on Samuel in the New Bible Dictionary, commented on this strange experience that Samuel had. He said, that at the time when Samuel served the lord before Eli, both as a boy and as a young man, word from the lord was rare and visions were infrequent.17 It seemed that the medium God used to speak to Samuel was very appropriate and necessary for that time.
The call of Leaders in the Contemporary African Church
Having looked at ‘call’ from the biblical perspective, it would now be appropriate to examine this same concept from the contemporary African Church’s perspective. In doing so one must take into consideration that the Church is also an institution. As an institution there are laid down procedures for recognizing and accepting leaders. With the exception of some of the independent Churches, all Churches seemed to have been structured like western Churches because they were actually established by western missionaries. Therefore, in recognizing leaders three major things had to be given consideration. These are:
The kind of leadership position
The kind of Church government that exists
The constitution and bye-law of that Church. The three factors listed above
would now be examined individually.
A. The Leaders
Since the Church is also an institution, leaders are considered in terms of offices or positions. Wilbur O’ Donovan, in his book, Biblical Christianity in African Perspective, observed that there are two types of leadership positions in the Church, with qualification given for each position. These are the positions of elders and deacons. But he also said that some Christians feel that there are four positions of leadership mentioned in the New Testament. The additional two are that of bishops (overseers) and pastors.18 In the contemporary African Church the list of leadership positions would be much longer, e.g.,. Sunday school superintendent, women’s leader, men’s leader etc. The approach of the Church with respect to these leadership positions have always been two fold:
a) To select or appoint the person qualified to fill a post;
b) To select or appoint the person highly favored to fill post.
At the point of deliberation to fill a particular post, an aspiring candidate may indicate that he or she had been called by God to fill that post.
B. The Church Government
The Church government is another thing that needs to be taken into account in recognizing leaders in the African Church. Again Wilbur O’ Donovan, cited three main types of Church governments. These are:
a) The Episcopal – This type of government is hierarchical in structure with an individual leader at the top. This leader may be referred to as Pope, bishop or archbishop. Sometimes distinction is made between clergy and laity. Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist Churches have this system;
b) The Congregational government – this form of Church government as O’ Donovan stated, has a strong association with the political idea of democracy. In this type of government, Church administrative business is carried out in congregational meeting in which everyone has an equal vote. The Baptist and most independent Churches have this system.
c) The Presbyterian government – This form of Church government relies on the
leadership of a group of elders in each local Church.
These elders are either elected or appointed and they represent the interest of the rest of the congregation in Church business meeting.19
No one can assume leadership position in the contemporary African Church by simply declaring that God has called him. Every aspiring candidate for leadership positions has to go through the filter of the Church government.
C. Constitution and Bye-Laws
These are Church drawn documents necessary for both administrative and legal purposes. These documents have been a major tool to enthrone or dispose of leaders. Church constitutions and bye-laws have been used in such a way that the Bible is left with little authority over who should govern the Church.
In summary a question can be asked, How does the Church understand the concept of Call, with respect to her leaders? It seems to be understood this way: there must be a vacant position in the Church and there must be people aspiring for that position. Depending upon the kind of Church government and constitution, someone will either be appointed or elected into that position. In the end it would be concluded that God has called that person to that particular leadership position. On the contrary, most independent Churches in Africa started when an individual said he had a personal call from God to start the Church. Most times they start, as a small ministry, which ends up, being a comparatively big Church.
CONCLUSION
It has been seen that in Bible times God used divers ways, such as personal miraculous encounter, vision, dreams and human mediators to call people into leadership. When he called an individual, he always gave clear instructions as to what he wants that particular individual to do. He does not look for qualified men but rather men who will be obedient to his will.
God still calls people to leadership today. But the administrative structure of the Church and polices make it very difficult to determine those who have been called. In fact documents like the constitution and bye-laws make it difficult for the Church to give considerations to individual’s personal call. The documents seem to have a higher authority than the Bible in choosing Church leaders. This may be one of the main reasons why the Church still suffers from lack of God called leaders today.
END NOTES
1 Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), P 14.
2 Merrill F. Unger, Abraham: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), P 119.
3 M.R.W. Ferrer, Abraham: New Bible Dictionary, second 00. (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982), p 199.
4 Alan P. Ross, Genesis: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publisher’s 1984), P 46.
5 R.K. Harrison, Abraham: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Michigan: Moody Press, 1988), P 12.
6 Alan P. Ross, Genesis: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publisher’s 1988), P 47.
7 K.A. Kitchen, Moses: The New Bible Dictionary. Second, ed. (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982), P 794.
8 John D. Hannah, Exodus: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publisher’s 1984), P 111.
9 Howard F. Vos, Moses: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publisher’s 1984), p 887
10 F. Foulkes, Paul: The New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982), P 890.
11 Stanley D,Toussaint, Acts: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publisher’s 1984), PP 375/7.
12 Eugene H. Merrill, I Samuel: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1984), p 447.
13 Merrill F. Unger, Joshua: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982), P 714.
14 Merrill F. Unger, James: The New Unger’ Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982, p.
15 Merrill F. Unger, Matthias: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-varsity Press, 1982), P 827.
16 R.K. Harrison, Joseph: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1982), p 711.
17 Merrill F. Unger, Samuel: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter.Varsity Press, 1982), P 1121.
18 Wilbur O’ Donovan, Biblical Christianity in African Perspective (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1996), P 17o/1.
19 Ibid. P 168/70.
Dr. Leopold A. Foullah is currently Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown. He is also the General Superintendent of the Missionary Church of Africa, Sierra Leone Conference. He holds the following academic qualifications: Dip.Th., B.Th., M.Div., M.Th. and Ph.D (Leeds University, England). He is interested in Biblical Theology and Social Issues. He is External Examiner for both The Evangelical College of Theology (TECT), Jui and the Sierra Leone Theological College & Church Training Center in Freetown. He is married with three children.
October 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Story |
It can be argued that there are two separate ways of using terror as a weapon; one is to maintain the status quo and the other is to change something, usually in terms of a political and/or economic regime.
The question is, does the use of terror achieve these ends in either case?
The answer, surprisingly, seems to be ‘yes’ in the case of one and ‘no’ in the case of the other, while the two are nevertheless conjoined. Let’s look at each case separately.
Status Quo
The use of terror as a weapon is by no means exclusive to the underground movements associated with it in modern times. It has been used throughout history by governments and occupying powers to keep populations in check and maintain the rule of law, regardless of how harsh those laws may have been.
The extraordinary brutality of many of these attempts at control have been well documented since Roman times, although it’s interesting to note that few, if any, authorities have ever applied the epithet ‘terrorism’ to these activities. It is reserved almost exclusively for those who have opposed the status quo through violence and who continue to do so. However the purpose here is to examine whether violent measures actually achieved anything other than a temporary respite from the will of the people prevailing. History suggests the answer is ‘no’.
For example, when, in 1819, magistrates in Manchester, England, ordered cavalry to charge a peaceful gathering of 60,000 men, women and children at Peterloo Fields, resulting in 11 deaths and over 400 injured, did this prevent the repeal of the Corn Laws? History gives us the answer.
Similarly, did the largest standing army the world had ever seen, deployed concurrently with summary executions and concentration camps, prevent the dissolution of the British Empire and the establishment of independent and self-governing states? Again, clearly it did not.
Nor did the use of napalm and agent orange bring about a result in Asia that satisfied American interests, and the hanging of men and women in 18th century Ireland for wearing the color green also failed to achieve the desired result for the occupying power.
There is nothing benign about empires. They are, by their very nature, dictatorships whose will must be first imposed and later enforced as those who seek to break free from them hit back. The sheer cost of maintaining a military presence, coupled with a reluctance on the part of the occupying country’s own population to continue its support for the government involved, is usually sufficient to eventually bring about the regime’s downfall.
A Force For Change
The corollary of this argument, if acceptable, must therefore be that terrorism by elements of the local population does, in many cases, bring about change largely because it can turn the tide of popular opinion against the status quo, thereby bringing about its downfall at the ballot box. For as long as there is democracy in the home country of the occupying force, this is always likely to be the case.
To visit Ireland once again, an examination of the history of that land reveals atrocities on both sides, and for a long time successive British governments were able to maintain control using both regular forces and mercenaries in the form of the “Black and Tans”. They also enjoyed popular support at home and the political machinations that resulted in partition in 1922 were seen by the majority of the British people as an economic and political triumph.
It was not until the Provisional IRA brought the struggle for home rule to the British mainland that the electorate began to sit up and take serious note of what had been, up until then, something that was happening in another country. As the body count rose, so too did the clamour for change, a cry taken up by the media who, up until that point, had remained faithful to the government’s position of being in the ‘right’, while the rebelling forces were in the ‘wrong’.
It is arguable that the Conservative government’s hard line on Northern Ireland played a considerable part in their downfall, ushering in the more liberal regime of Tony Blair who sought and gained a settlement with the Irish interests involved in the struggle. The bombers stopped bombing, the political prisons opened their doors and the troops went home, back to the arms of their loved ones who had fought long and hard for their return.
Was this a triumph of democracy or terrorism? Surely, if anything, it indicates that change is brought about by the will of the people, but that the people’s will can in itself be changed by events that threaten the wellbeing and safety of the population. If terrorism changes anything, it changes attitudes and popular opinion. That change, regardless of political or economic interests, is ultimately the force that will determine the maintenance or otherwise of the status quo.
Michael Sheridan – The Cool Cook – is a former head chef and an acknowledged authority and published writer on cooking matters. His website at All About Cooking, contains a wealth of information, hints, tips and recipes for busy home cooks, including video based how-to guides.
September 5th, 2007 -- Posted in Story |
You have seen it on your favorite CSI TV program when the police scientist uses gaseous fumes to expose fingerprints found at a crime scene. Have you ever wondered what those fumes are? Have you ever heard of terms like “Super Glue” mentioned by the characters on CSI?
In this article, I will discuss the various kinds of laboratory chemicals that are used to reveal invisible fingerprints.
In many crime labs, there are four kinds of chemical reagents used to expose invisible, or latent, fingerprints. They are cyanoacrylate, silver nitrate, iodine, and ninhydrin.
What is cyanoacrylate? Perhaps you know this item by its trade name, Super Glue. It is this same Super Glue that you can purchase at any Home Depot or Walmart. Cyanoacrylate is the active ingredient that makes up 98% of Super Glue. This item has become a very practical and innovative forensic tool. When cyanoacrylate is heated or mixed with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), it releases fumes that interact with the amino acids that are found in the fingerprint residues found on an object, thus making a white print.
After exposure to cyanoacrylate, the fingerprints can then be captured on film as is or treated with a fluorescent pigment that sticks to the fingerprint. The fingerprint then fluoresces, or glows, under a laser or ultraviolet light source.
An object that is suspected to have latent fingerprints in this method many times is exposed to the fumes inside a gadget called a fuming chamber. The end result is that the fumed fingerprints are now hard and stable as one would expect from Super Glue. In place of setting up a fuming chamber at the scene of a crime, CSI technicians often times use a hand held wand-shaped tool that heats up a small cartridge of cyanoacrylate mixed together with fluorescent pigment. This tool then releases gases in close proximity of the latent prints, allowing the technician to fix and dye the fingerprint simultaneously.
Silver nitrate is a chemical ingredient found in black-and-white photographic film. When CSI technicians apply silver nitrate to a latent fingerprint, the chloride found in fingerprint residue interacts with the silver nitrate and forms another compound called silver chloride. This new compound reveals a black or reddish-brown fingerprint in the presence of ultraviolet light.
The third chemical used to reveal latent fingerprints is called iodine. When heated up, crystalline iodine releases iodine fumes into a fuming chamber, where the iodine interacts with the oils found in the latent print thus producing a brownish colored fingerprint. Unfortunately, this kind of print has a tendency to fade rather quickly. Therefore, it must be captured on film right away or fixed by spraying it with a “fixing solution” made of water and starch. This fixing solution allows the print to last for weeks or even months in lieu of a few minutes.
The fourth kind of chemical reagent used to reveal latent fingerprints is ninhydrin. Ninhydrin, also known as triketohydrindene hydrate, has been used for many years by CSI technicians to reveal latent fingerprints. An object suspected of containing latent fingerprints is sprayed with a solution of ninhydrin. It may take several hours for the fingerprints to show up due to the fact that ninhydrin reacts very slowly with the oils found in the fingerprint. However, heating up the object to a temperature of 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit can reduce the reaction time. The resulting fingerprint will be a purple/blue print.
Hopefully, you have been educated on the kinds of chemicals used on your favorite CSI show. The next time you hear any of these chemical tools used on TV, you will know exactly what they are talking about.
Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS SuperStore. This virtual store specializes in personal defense products where you can buy the best pepper spray, kubatons keychains, hidden video spy surveillance cameras, nunchaku training videos, civilian Tasers, expandable steel batons, and many other home security products.