text:
A Sermon Delivered On Sunday Evening, At Exeter Hall, Strand, By Pastor C. H. Spurgeon.
With him is plenteous redemption. (Ps 130:7)
1. Redemption is a word which has gladdened many ears, when there was no heavenly sound in its blessed chime. Apart from any theological use of it, the word is a very sweet one, and has been melodious to many hearts. In those days when piracy was carried on continually along the coast of Africa, when our fellow Christian subjects were caught by corsairs,1 and carried away captive, you can well understand how the burdened soul of the manacled slave, chained to the oar of his galley, was gladdened by the hope that possibly there would be redemption. His cruel master, who had forced him into his possession, would not willingly emancipate him; but a rumour came, that in some distant nation they had raised a sum of money to purchase the freedom of slaves—that some wealthy merchant had dedicated from his substance to buy back his fellow countrymen; that the king himself upon his throne had promised to give a liberal redemption so that the captives among the Moors might return to their homes. Truly I can suppose the hours quickly fly by, and the dreariness of their toil would be assuaged, when once that word "redemption" had sounded in their ears. So with our fellow subjects and our fellowmen, who once were slaves in our West Indian settlements. We can well conceive that to their lips the word redemption must have been a very pleasing song. It must have been almost as sweet to them as the marriage peals to a youthful bridegroom, when they knew that the noble British nation would raise the twenty million pounds of their redemption money; that on a certain morning their fetters should be snapped asunder, so that they should no more go out to the plantations to sweat in the sun, driven by the whip but they should call themselves their own, and no one should be their masters to own their flesh, and have property in their souls. You can conceive when the sun of that happy morning arose, when emancipation was proclaimed from sea to sea, and the whole land was at liberty, how joyful must their new found freedom have appeared. Oh there are many sonnets in that one word "redemption."
2. Now, you who have sold for nothing your glorious heritage; you who have been carried bondslaves into Satan's dominion; you who have worn the fetters of guilt and groaned under them; you who have smarted beneath the lash of the law; what the news of redemption has been to slaves and captives, that will it be to you tonight. It will cheer your souls and gladden your spirits, and more especially so when that rich adjective is coupled with it—"plenteous redemption"
3. This evening I shall consider the subject of redemption, and then notice the adjective appended to the word: "plenteous redemption."
4. I. First, then, we shall consider the subject of REDEMPTION.
5. I shall commence in this way, by asking, "What has Christ redeemed?" And in order to let you know what my views are upon this subject, I would announce at once what I conceive to be an authoritative doctrine, consistent with common sense, and declared to us by Scripture, namely, that whatever Christ has redeemed, Christ will most assuredly have. I start with that as an axiom, that whatever Christ has redeemed, Christ must have. I hold it to be repugnant to reason, and much more to revelation, that Christ should die to purchase what he never shall obtain; and I hold it to be little less than blasphemy to assert that the intention of our Saviour's death can ever be frustrated. Whatever was Christ's intention when he died—we lay it down as a very groundwork truth, which ought to be granted to us by every reasonable man—that Christ will most certainly gain. I cannot see how it can be that the intention of God in anything can be frustrated. We have always thought God to be so superior to creatures, that when he has once intended a thing, it must most assuredly be accomplished; and if I have that granted to me, I cannot for a moment allow you to imagine that Christ should shed his blood in vain; that he should die with an intention of doing something, and yet should not perform it; that he should die with a full intention in his heart, and with a promise on the part of God, that a certain thing should be given to him as a reward for his sufferings, and yet should fail to obtain it. I start with that; and I think that everyone who will weigh the matter, and truly consider it, must see it to be so, that Christ's intention in his death must be fulfilled, and that the design of God, whatever that may be, must certainly be carried out. Well then, I believe that the efficacy of Christ's blood knows no other limit than the purpose of God. I believe that the efficacy of Christ's atonement is just as great as God meant it to be, and that what Christ redeemed is precisely what he meant to redeem, and exactly what the Father had decreed he should redeem. Therefore I cannot for one moment give any credence whatever to that doctrine which tells us that all men are redeemed. Some may hold it, as I know they do, and hold it very strongly, and even urge it as being a fundamental part of the doctrine of revelation. They are welcome to it; this is a land of liberty. Let them hold their views, but I must tell them solemnly my persuasion, that they cannot hold such doctrine if they only would consider the matter well; for if they once believe in universal redemption, they are driven to the blasphemous inference that God's intention is frustrated, and that Christ has not received what he died to procure. If, therefore, they can believe that, I will give them credit for being able to believe anything; and I shall not despair of seeing them living in Salt Lake City with the Mormons, or in any other region where enthusiasm and credulity can flourish without the checks of ridicule or reason.
6. Starting, then, with this assumption, I now shall tell you what I believe, according to sound doctrine and Scripture, Christ has really redeemed. His redemption is a very compendious redemption. He has redeemed many things; he has redeemed the souls of his people; he has redeemed the bodies of his people; he has redeemed the original inheritance which man lost in Adam; he has redeemed, in the last place, the world, considered in a certain sense—in the sense in which he will have the world at last.
7. 1. Christ has redeemed the souls of all his people who shall ultimately be saved. To state it after the Calvinistic form, Christ has redeemed his elect; but since you do not know his elect until they are revealed, we will alter that, and say, Christ has redeemed all penitent souls; Christ has redeemed all believing souls; and Christ has redeemed the souls of all those who die in infancy, since it is to be received, that all those who die in infancy are written in the Lamb's book of life, and are graciously privileged by God to go at once to heaven, instead of toiling through this weary world. The souls of all those who were written before all worlds in the Lamb's book of life, who in process of time are humbled before God, who in due course are led to lay hold of Christ Jesus as the only refuge for their souls, who hold on their way, and ultimately attain heaven; these, I believe, were redeemed, and I most firmly and solemnly believe the souls of no other men were in that sense subjects of redemption. I do not hold the doctrine that Judas was redeemed; I could not conceive my Saviour bearing the punishment for Judas, or if so how could Judas be punished again? I could not conceive it possible that God should exact first at Christ's hands the penalty of his sin, and then at the sinner's hands again. I cannot conceive for a moment that Christ should have shed his blood in vain; and though I have read in the books of certain divines, that Christ's blood is fuel for the flames of hell, I have shuddered at the thought, and have cast it from me as being a dreadful assertion, perhaps worthy of those who made it, but utterly unsupported by the Word of God. The souls of God's people, whoever they may be, and they are a multitude that no man can number—and I could fondly hope they are all of you—are redeemed effectually. Briefly, they are redeemed in three ways. They are redeemed from the guilt of sin, from the punishment of sin, and from the power of sin. The souls of Christ's people have guilt on account of sin, until they are redeemed; but when once redemption is applied to my soul, everyone of my sins are from that moment blotted out for ever.
The moment a sinner believes,
And trusts in his crucified Lord,
His pardon at once he receives,
Salvation in full through his blood.
The guilt of our sin is taken away by the redemption of Christ. Whatever sin you may have committed, the moment you believe in Christ, not only will you never be punished for that sin, but the very guilt of that sin is taken from you. You cease to be any longer a guilty person in God's sight; you are considered by God as a justified believer to have the righteousness of Christ around you; and therefore, you can say—to recall a verse which we often repeat—
Now freed from sin I walk at large
My Saviour's blood's my full discharge;
At his dear feet my soul I lay,
A sinner saved, and homage pay.
Every sin, every particle of guilt, every atom of transgression, is by the redemption of Christ, effectually taken away from all the Lord's believing family.
8. And note next: not only the guilt, but the punishment of sin is taken away. In fact, when we cease to be guilty, we cease to be the objects of punishment altogether. Take away the guilt; the punishment is gone; but to make it more effectual, it is as it were written over again, that condemnation is taken away, as well as the sin for which we might be condemned. "Therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." None of those who were redeemed by Christ can ever be damned; they can never be punished on account of sin, for Christ has suffered their punishment in their place, and therefore, they cannot, unless God is unjust, be sued a second time for debts already paid. If Christ their ransom died, they cannot die; if he, their surety, paid their debt, then they owe nothing any longer to God's justice, for Christ has paid it all. If he has shed his blood, if he has yielded up the ghost, if he has "died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God," how, then, would God be just, and yet the punisher of those whom he has already punished once in the person of Jesus Christ their Saviour? No beloved, through the plenteous redemption of Christ we are delivered from all punishment on account of sin, and from all guilt which we had incurred by it.
9. Moreover the believing family of Christ—or rather, all for whom he died—are most effectually delivered from the power of sin. Oh! there are some who suck in the two truths I have been mentioning, as if they were honey; but they cannot endure this other point—Christ delivers us from the power of sin. Note this then—we affirm it very strongly—no man can ever be redeemed from the guilt of sin, or from the punishment of sin, unless he is at the same time delivered from the power of sin. Unless he is made by God to hate his own sin, unless he is enabled to cast it to the ground, unless he is made to abhor every evil way, and to cleave to God with full purpose of heart, walking before him in the land of the living, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, such a man has no right to believe himself to be redeemed. If you are still under the dominion of your lusts, oh wicked sinner, you have no right to think yourself a purchased heir of heaven. If you can be drunk, if you can swear, if you can curse God, if you can lie, if you can profane the Sabbath, if you can hate his people, if you can despise his Word, then you have no right whatever, any more than Satan in hell, to boast that you are redeemed; for all the Lord's redeemed are in due time brought out of the house of bondage, out of the land of Egypt, and they are taught the evil of sin, the horrible penalty of it and the desperate character of it in the sight of God. Are you delivered from the power of sin, my hearer? Have you mortified it? Are you dead to it? Is it dead to you? Is it crucified to you, and you to it? Do you hate it as you would a viper? Do you stamp on it as you would stamp upon a serpent? If you do, albeit there are sins of frailty and infirmity, yet if you hate the sin of your heart, if you have an unutterable enmity to it, take courage and comfort. The Lord has redeemed you from the guilt and penalty, and also from the power of sin. That is the first point of redemption. And hear me distinctly again, lest any should misunderstand me. I always like to preach so that there can be no mistake about it. I do not want so to preach that you will say in the judgment of charity, he could not have meant what he said. Now, I mean solemnly again to say what I have said—that I do believe that no others were redeemed than those who are or shall be redeemed from the guilt, the punishment, and the power of sin, because I say again, it is abhorrent to my reason, much less to my views of Scripture, to conceive that the damned ever were redeemed, and that the lost in perdition were ever washed in the Saviour's blood, or that his blood was ever shed with an intention of saving them.
10. 2. Now let us think of the second thing Christ has redeemed. Christ has redeemed the bodies of all his children. In that day when Christ redeemed our souls, he redeemed the tabernacles in which our souls dwell. At the same moment when the spirit was redeemed by blood, Christ who gave his human soul and his human body to death, purchased the body as well as the soul of every believer. You ask, then, in what way redemption operates upon the body of the believer. I answer, first, it ensures it a resurrection. Those for whom Christ died, are ensured by his death of a glorious resurrection. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ, shall all be made alive." All men are by virtue of the death of Christ quickened to a resurrection, but even here there is a special property of the elect, seeing that they are quickened to a blessed resurrection, while others are quickened only to a cursed resurrection; a resurrection of woe, a resurrection of unutterable anguish. Oh Christian, your body is redeemed.
What though your inbred sins require
Your flesh to see the dust,
Yet, as the Lord your Saviour rose,
So all his followers must.
What! though in a little while I shall slumber in the tomb, though worms devour this body, I know that my Redeemer lives, and because he lives I know that in my flesh I shall see God. These eyes which soon shall be glazed in death, shall not be always closed in darkness; Death shall be made to give back his prey; he shall restore all that he has taken. Lo, I see him there! He has the bodies of the just locked up in his dungeons; they are wrapped up in their grave clothes, and he thinks they are secure: he has sealed their tombs and marked them for his own. Oh Death! foolish Death! your caskets shall be rifled; your storehouses shall be broken open. Lo, the morning is come! Christ has descended from on high. I hear the trumpet, "Awake! Awake!" and lo! from their tombs, the righteous rise; while Death sits in confusion howling in vain, to find his empire all bereft of its subjects, to find all his dungeons rifled of their prey. "Precious shall their blood be in his sight;" precious shall be their bones! their very dust is blessed, and Christ shall raise them with himself. Think of that, you who have lost friends—you weeping children of sorrow! your redeemed friends shall live again. The very hands that grasped yours with a death clutch, shall grasp them in paradise; those very eyes that wept themselves away in tears, shall, with eye strings that never shall be broken, wake up in the noonday of felicity. That very body which you sorrowfully conveyed, with sombre funeral attire, to bury in its tomb—yes, that very same body, made like the image of Jesus Christ, spiritualized and changed, but nevertheless the very same body, shall rise again; and you, if you are redeemed, shall see it, for Christ has purchased it, and Christ shall not die in vain. Death will not have one bone of the righteous—indeed, not a particle of their dust—indeed, not a hair of their heads. It shall all come back. Christ has purchased all our body, and the whole body shall be completed, and united for ever in heaven with the glorified soul. The bodies of the righteous are redeemed, and redeemed for eternal happiness.
11. 3. In the next place, all the possessions of the righteous which were lost in Adam are redeemed. Adam! where are you? I have a controversy with you, man, for I have lost much by you. Come here. Adam! you see what you are now, tell me what you once were; then I shall know what I have lost by you, and then I shall be able to thank my Master that all you lost he has freely bought back for all believers. What did you lose? "Alas!" cries Adam, "I had a crown once; I was king of all the world; the beasts crouched at my feet and reverenced me; God made me, so that I might have supreme command over the cattle upon the hills, and over all fowls of the air; but I lost my crown. I had a mitre once," Adam said, "for I was a priest to God, and often in the morning I climbed the hills, and sang sweet orations of praise to him who made me. My censer of praise has often smoked with incense, and my voice has been sweet with praise,
These are your glorious works,
Parent of good,
Almighty, yours this universal frame,
Thus wondrous fair;
Yourself how wondrous then;
Oft I have bidden misty exhalations, sun, and moon, and stars, sing to his praise; daily I have bidden the herds upon the hills low out his glories, and the lions roar his honours; nightly I have told the stars to shine it out, and the little flowers to blossom it forth: but ah! I lost my mitre, and I, who was once a priest to God, ceased any longer to be his holy servant." Ah! Adam, you have lost me so much; but up there I see my Saviour; he takes his crown off his head, so that he may put a crown on my head; and he puts a mitre on his head, to be a priest, so that he may put a mitre on my head too, and on the head of all his people; for, as we have just been singing,
You have redeemed our souls with blood,
Have set the prisoners free;
Have made us kings and priests to God,
And we shall reign with thee.
Just what Adam lost: the kingship and the priesthood of Christ, is won for all his believing people. And what else did you lose, Adam? "Why, I lost paradise." Hush, man! say nothing about that; for Christ has bought me a paradise worth ten thousand such Edens as yours. So we can well forgive you for that. And what else did you lose? "Why, I lost the image of my Maker." Ah! hush, Adam! In Jesus Christ we have something more than that; for we have the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, and surely that is even better than the image of the Maker, for it is the very dress and robe that the Maker wore. So, Adam, all that you have lost I have regained. Christ has redeemed all that we sold for nothing. I, who have sold for nothing a divine heritage, shall have it back unbought,—the gift of love, says Christ, even mine. Oh! hear it, then! The trumpet of Jubilee is blown; Christ has redeemed the lost possessions of his people.
12. 4. And now I come to the last thing that Christ has redeemed, though not the last point of the discourse. Christ has redeemed this world. "Well, now," one says, "that is strange, sir; you are going to contradict yourself flatly." Stop for a moment. Understand what I mean by the world, if you please. We do not mean every man, in it; we never pretended such a thing. But I will tell you how Christ has redeemed the world. When Adam fell God cursed the world with barrenness. "Thorns also and briars shall it bring forth to you, and in the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread." God cursed the earth. When Christ came into the world they twisted a crown made of the cursed thorn, and they put that on his head, and made him king of the curse; and in that day he purchased the redemption of the world from its curse; and it is my very belief, and I think it is warranted by Scripture, that when Christ shall come a second time, everywhere this world will become as fertile as the garden of Paradise used to be. I believe that Sahara, the literal desert, shall one day blossom like Sharon, and rejoice like the garden of the Lord. I do not conceive that this poor world is to be a forlorn planetary wanderer for ever; I believe that she is yet to be clothed with verdure, such as she once wore. We have evidences in the beds of coal underneath the earth, that this world was once much more fertile than it is now. Gigantic trees once spread their mighty arms, and I had almost said one arm of a tree in that day would have equalled half a forest for us now. Then mighty creatures, far different from ours, stalked through the earth; and I believe firmly that a luxuriant vegetation, such as this world once knew shall be restored to us, and that we shall see again a garden such as we have not known. No more cursed with blight and mildew, with no more blast and withering, we shall see a land like heaven itself—
Where everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flowers.
When Christ comes he shall do even this.
13. In the day of the fall, too, it is currently believed that animals for the first time received their ferocious temperament, and began to prey on each other; this may be so and if I read Scripture correctly, I find that the lion shall lie down with the kid, and that the leopard shall eat straw like the ox, and that the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. I do believe that in millennial years that are coming, and coming soon, there shall be known no more devouring lions, no blood thirsty tigers, no creatures that shall devour their kind. God shall restore to us again, and even to the beasts of the field, the blessing which Adam lost.
14. And, my friends, there is a worse curse than that which has fallen on this world. It is the curse of ignorance and sin: that, too, is to be removed. See that planet? It is whirling along through space—bright, bright and glorious. Do you hear the morning stars sing together, because this new sister theirs is made? That is the earth; she is bright now. Stop! Did you see that shadow sweep across her? What caused it? The planet is dimmed, and on her trace there lies a sorrowful shadow. I am speaking, of course, metaphorically. See the planet there; she glides along in tenfold night; scarcely does a speck of light illuminate her. See again, the day is not come, when that planet shall renew her glory, but it is quickly coming. As the snake slips off its skin, and leaves it behind in the valley, so that planet has slipped its clouds, and shone forth bright as it was before. Do you ask who has done it? Who has cleared away the mist? Who has taken away the darkness? Who has removed the clouds? "I have done it," says Christ, the Sun of Righteousness; "I have scattered darkness, and made that world bright again." Lo, I see a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. To explain myself, lest I should be misunderstood, I mean this. This world is now covered with sin, ignorance, mistakes, idolatry, and crime; the day is coming when the last drop of blood shall be drunk by the sword; it shall be no more intoxicated with blood; God shall make wars to cease to the ends of the earth. The day is coming—oh that it were now!—when the feet of Christ shall tread this earth. Then idols shall be dethroned; superstitions cast down from their pinnacles; then slavery shall cease; then crime shall end; then peace shall spread its halcyon wings over all the world; and then you shall know that Christ has died for the world, and that Christ has won it. "The whole creation," said Paul, "groans and travails in pain together until now;" waiting for what? "waiting for the redemption;" and by the redemption, I understand what I have just explained to you, that this world shall be washed from all her sin; her curse shall be removed, her stains taken away and this world shall be as fair as when God first struck her from his mind; as when, like a glowing spark, struck from the anvil by the eternal hammer she first flashed into her orbit. This Christ has redeemed; Christ shall, and most assuredly must have this.
15. II. And, now, a word or two concerning the last thought—"PLENTEOUS REDEMPTION."
16. It is plenteous enough, if you consider what I have already told you Christ has bought. Surely I should have made it no more plenteous, if I had lied against my conscience, and told you that he had bought every man; for of what avail is it that I am bought with blood, if I am lost? Of what use is it to me that Christ has died for me, if I still sink in the flames of hell? How will that glorify Christ, that he has redeemed me, and yet failed in his intentions? Surely it is more to his honour to believe, that according to his immutable, sovereign, and all wise will, he laid the foundation as wide as he intended the structure to be, and then made it just according to his will. Nevertheless, it is "plenteous redemption." Very briefly, lend me your ears just for a moment.
17. It is "plenteous," when we consider the millions who have been redeemed. Think if you can, how great that host who have already "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb;" and then think how many now with weary feet are plodding their way to Paradise, all of them redeemed. They all shall sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Is it not "plenteous redemption," when you reflect that it is a "multitude that no man can number" that will be gathered in? Let us close that by saying, "And why not you?" If so many are redeemed, why should you not be? Why should you not seek for mercy on the strength of that, knowing that all who seek will most assuredly receive, for they would not have sought unless it had been prepared for them?
18. It is "plenteous," again, if are consider the sins of all who are redeemed. However great the sins are of any redeemed soul, this redemption is enough to cover it all and to wash it all away—
What though your numerous sins exceed
The stars that spread the skies,
And aiming at th' eternal throne,
Like pointed mountains rise;
Yet this plenteous redemption can take all your sins away. They are no greater than Christ foresaw, and vowed to remove. Therefore, I beseech you, flee to Jesus, believing that however great your guilt, his atonement is great enough for all who come to him, and therefore you may safely come.
19. Remember, again, that this "plenteous redemption" is plenteous, because it is enough for all the distresses of all the saints. Your needs are almost infinite; but this atonement is infinite. Your troubles are almost unutterable; but this atonement is unutterable. You can scarcely count what your needs are; but this redemption I know you cannot count. Believe, then, that it is "plenteous redemption." Oh believing sinner, what a sweet comfort it is for you, that there is "plenteous redemption," and that you have a portion in it. You will most certainly be brought safely home, by Jesus' grace. Are you seeking Christ? Or rather, do you know yourselves to be sinners? If you do, I have authority from God to say to everyone who will confess his sins, that Christ has redeemed him. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Are you a sinner? I do not mean a sham sinner; there are lots of them around, but I have no gospel to preach to them just now. I do not mean one of those hypocritical sinners, who cry, "Yes, I am a sinner,"—who are sinners out of compliment, and do not mean it. I will preach another thing to you: I will preach against your self-righteousness another day; but I shall not preach anything to you just now about Christ, for he "do not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." But are you a sinner, in the bona fide sense of the word? Do you know yourself to be a lost, ruined, undone sinner? Then in God's name I urge you to believe this—that Christ has died to save you; for as sure as ever he has revealed to you your guilt by the Holy Spirit, he will not leave you until he has revealed to you your pardon by his only Son. If you know your lost estate, you shall soon know your glorious estate. Believe on Jesus now; then you are saved, and you may go away happy,—blest beyond what kings could dream of. Believe that since you are a sinner, Christ has redeemed you—that just because you know yourself to be undone, guilty, lost and ruined, you have tonight a right, a privilege, and a title, to bathe in the fountain filled with blood, "shed for many for the remission of sins." Believe that, and then you shall know the meaning of this text—"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom also we have received the atonement." God dismiss you with a blessing, for Jesus' sake!


text:
Kananjah warns of cultural invasion
Monday, February 11, 2019
Kananjah is warning Jamaicans of a cultural invasion that is threatening the country's traditional value system.
"We are losing our culture to a foreign invasion. You can see it in how the youths talk and relate to each other, the foreign sports they choose to play, the decline of West Indies cricket, and even on the nation's airwaves and TV stations with all the foreign content. The invasion is real," the UK-based singer told Jamaica Observer.
He addresses the issue in Invasion, released July 2018 on his Abba-Taqel label.
"The invasion is subtle. You don't realise that it is happening until it is too late and the double standards are unmistakeable. Look how it easy for foreigners from almost every land to come here and own property and settle but it is so difficult for us to leave and do the same. Before you realise, we will lose our culture and what makes us uniquely Jamaican," he said.
The singer said he would be shooting an accompanying video in Jamaica this month.
"This month is Reggae Month and I think it is quite timely to shoot the video in this period," he said.
Born in Spanish Town, Kananjah fell in love with music at an early age. His passion grew and after graduation, he met Mikey Baskin, the son of Tony Brevett, the singer from the legendary Melodians. Baskin encouraged him to pursue music.
In 1996, he migrated to England and continued to hone his craft, recording his first official single Natural And Simple in 2006.
Other songs include Selassie Bio, Purify, and Defiance.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Set of four write and wipe mirrors to encourage emotional and body awareness and self expression. 5" mirrors feature the outline of a face on one side and a mirror on the other. Use these in group sessions, to teach feelings, and much more.
Use only dry-erase markers, sold separately.
|Recommended Ages:
|Not specified. See product description.
|Country of manufacture:


text:
O Charleston, May God Comfort You.
There's nothing theologically profound to say here, just a prayer for the families of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
"Lord Jesus, I pray that the hurting families in this Church would know the peace and comfort of their Father in heaven in this time of troble.
I ask that you would draw near and comfort wives who have lost husbands, husbands who have lost wives, children who have lost a parent, families who have lost loved ones, friends who never had the chance to say their last goodbyes, and a congregation that has lost its shepherd.
I pray that in the coming days, as these hurting families wrestle with the question, "why?", you would grant them peace of mind to rest, even in the uncertainty. I pray that you would remind them that nothing can ever separate us from your love in Christ Jesus, and that even in death, we still have the great hope of a reunion with our beloved ones who have gone ahead of us.
I ask that you would grant the Charleston community courage, strength, and wisdom to discern how to comfort one another in their mourning.
May your peace rest over this city. In Jesus name I pray.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."


text:
Loading in 2 Seconds...
Loading in 2 Seconds...
Point of View in Writing and the Active/Passive Voice A dopted from College Writing Skills by John Langan, Purdue OWL , and The Bedford Handbook for Writers by Diana Hacker. Point of View
Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server.
Point of View in Writing and the Active/Passive VoiceAdopted from College Writing Skills by John Langan, Purdue OWL, and The Bedford Handbook for Writers by Diana Hacker Point of View When you write, you can take any of three approaches, or points of view: first-person, second-person, or third person.
First-Person Approach • This is a strongly individualized point of view—you draw on your own experience and speak to your audience in your own voice, using pronouns like I, me, mine, we, our, and us. • This approach emphasizes you, the writer and is a good choice for informal letters and writing based primarily on personal experience.
Example: First –Person Point of View Paragraph on Camping First of all, I like comfort when I'm camping. My GMC motor home, with its completely equipped kitchen, shower stall, toilet, double bed, and color television, resembles a mobile motel room. I can sleep on a real mattress, clean sheets, and fluffy pillows. Next to my bed are devices that make me feel at home: a radio, an alarm clock, and a TV remote-control unit. Unlike the poor campers huddled in tents, I don't have to worry about cold, rain, heat, or annoying insects. After a hot shower, I can slide into my pajamas, sit comfortably on my down-filled quilt, and read the latest best-seller while a thunderstorm booms outside.
Second-Person Approach • In this approach, the writer speaks directly to the reader, using the pronoun you. • This approach emphasizes the reader and • works well for giving advice, instructions, or explaining how to do something. • Otherwise, as a general rule, never use the word you in writing.
Third-Person Approach • This approach is the most common point of view in academic writing. • In the third-person, the writer includes no direct references to the reader (you) or the self (I, me). It derives its name from its stance—that of an outsider or third-person observing and reporting on matters of public rather than private importance. • This approach emphasizes the subject and draws on information that the writer has acquired through observation, thinking, or reading. It is appropriate in formal academic and professional writing.
Example: Third-Person Point of View Paragraph on Camping First of all, modern campers bring complete bedrooms with them. Winnebagoes, GMC motor homes, and Airstream trailers lumber into America's campgrounds every summer like mobile motel rooms. All the comforts of home are provided inside. Campers sleep on real mattresses with clean sheets and fluffy pillows. Next to their beds are the same gadgets that litter their night tables at home—radios, alarm clocks, and TV remote –control units. It's not necessary for them to worry about annoyances like cold, heat, rain, or buzzing insects. They can sit comfortably in bed and read the latest best-sellers while a thunderstorm booms outside.
Coherence suffers whenever a draft shifts confusingly from one point of view to another. The solution is to choose a suitable perspective and then stay with it.
Example 1: One week our class met in a junkyard to practice rescuing a victim trapped in a wrecked car. We learned to dismantle the car with the essential tools. You (We) were graded on your (our) skill in extricating the victim.
Example 2: One of the fringe benefits of my job is that you (I) can use a company credit card for gasoline.
Shifting Point of View Activity • 1. Ron refuses to eat pepperoni pizza because he says it gives you (him) indigestion. • 2. When I buy lipstick or nail polish, you (I) never know how the color will actually look. • 3. All you (I) could hear was the maddening rattle of the heating registers, even though I buried my face in the pillow. • 4. Hank searched the roadside mailboxes for the right name, but you (he) couldn't see much in the pouring rain. • 5. As we pulled on the heavy door, you (we) could tell it wasn't going to budge.
Active Verbs (Active Voice) Versus Passive Verbs (Passive Voice) • Active verbs express meaning more emphatically and vigorously than their weaker counterparts—forms of the verb be or verbs in the passive voice. • Forms of the verb be (be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been) lack vigor because they convey no action. • Verbs in the passive voice lack strength because their subjects receive the action instead of doing it.
Example: Passive: The coolant pumps were destroyed by a surge of power. Active: A surge of power destroyed the coolant pumps.
Furthermore, carefully selected verbs can energize a piece of writing.
Example: Original: The goalie crouched low, reached out his stick, and sent the rebound away from the mouth of the net. Revised: The goalie crouched low, swept out his stick, and hooked the rebound away from the mouth of the net.
Ifusinga be verb makes a sentence needlessly wordy, consider replacing it.
Example: Original: Burying nuclear waste in Antarctica would be in violation of an international treaty. Revised: Burying nuclear waste in Antarctica would violate an international treaty.
Prefer Active Voice • In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. • In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. • Although both voices are grammatically correct, the active voice is usually more effective because it is simpler, more direct, and less wordy. • Example 1: Active: The committee reached a decision. • Example 2: Passive: A decision was reached by the committee.
To change a sentence from the passive to the active voice, determine carefully who or what is performing the action. Example: Passive: The book is being read by most of the class. Active: Most of the class is reading the book.
Sometimes the performer of the action does not appear in a passive-voice sentence. Example: Passive: Results will be published in the next issue of the journal. Active: The researchers will publish their results in the next issue of the journal.
Choosing Passive Voice • In scientific writing, passive voice is more readily accepted since using it allows one to write without using personal pronouns or the names of particular researchers. • This practice helps to create the appearance of an objective, fact-based paper.
Recognizing Passive Voice Passive voice has three basic characteristics: • A form of the verb to be (is, am, are, was, were, be, been, or being). • A past participle (a verb ending in "ed" or "en" except irregular verbs like kept). • A prepositional phrase beginning with "by."
Examples: The first sentence uses all three characteristics: The meeting is being held by the human resources department. It's a great honor to be applying to a prestigious company.
Unnecessary Shifts • Avoid starting a sentence in active voice and then shifting to passive.
Example: Original: Many customers in the restaurant found the coffee too bitter to drink, but it was still ordered frequently. Revised: Many customers in the restaurant found the coffee too bitter, but they still ordered it frequently.


text:
Tomas Berdych stars in Singapore Slammers' first win at Indoor Stadium
He is the men's world No. 7, but Tomas Berdych is not as big a draw as his DBS Singapore Slammers teammate Serena Williams, the women's world No. 1.
Long-retired Andre Agassi, another of his teammates, is also a much bigger fan favourite.
Last night, though, Berdych ensured he was the centre of attention by playing the hero for the Slammers, who clinched their first victory of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after posting an exciting 24-23 win over the previously unbeaten Micromax Indian Aces.
With the Slammers trailing 11-16 after the third match, Berdych, 29, pulled the home side back into contention in the fourth with a 6-2 win over Gael Monfils, narrowing the overall score to 17-18.
The tie went into the tournament's first super shoot-out after the last match - a men's doubles tie between Lleyton Hewitt and Nick Kyrgios of the Slammers and the Aces' Rohan Bopanna and Monfils - ended 6-5 in the Singapore team's favour, tying the overall score at 23 apiece.
Up stepped Berdych to face Monfils again in the super shoot-out, where the player who scores the most points in the allotted seven minutes will win the match.
Despite trailing early, the intense Czech clawed his way back and eventually won the shoot-out 10-6 to spark wild celebrations on the Slammers bench.
Said Hewitt: "It was massive for the team, mainly because we have been laying it all on the line for the past four nights, but we've been unlucky and things haven't gone our way, so tonight it certainly changed.
"For the past week we've certainly had a great team atmosphere, we've had really great team bonding and that really helped us over the line tonight.
"We were really fighting for each other."
Kyrgios added: "I thought today there was a bit more pressure; we all wanted to get a win out there and that happened. It was good."
The tie started positively for the Slammers, after Williams put the Singapore team ahead by beating Ana Ivanovic 6-4 in the first match.
The Aces took an overall 10-9 lead after the Indians' mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna beat the Williams/Bruno Soares combination 6-3 in the second match.
Playing in only his third match, eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi had an outing to forget, again, after the 44-year-old Slammers star fell 2-6 to Fabrice Santoro, to the dismay of many among the 9,500 fans at the stadium.
After Berdych's heroics in the fourth game, Hewitt and Kyrgios had the chance to close out the tie at 5-4, but were forced into a shoot-out against the Aces.
They won the shoot-out 8-4 to level the overall scores and take the tie into a super shoot-out, where Berdych stood tall for the Slammers.
On his own shoot-out victory, Hewitt said: "We knew it was a must-win, we didn't want to go down too much early, we knew the power plays were going to be crucial as well.
"We caught them out in the shoot-out."
Despite the result the Slammers are still rooted at the bottom of the four-team table with 10 points, while the Indian Aces are still on top with 18 points.
But the win will spur the Slammers on for the rest of their matches, said Kyrgios.
The 19-year-old said: "We could have been in a different position, we were just unlucky.
"I think we definitely sent a message today - if we can beat the Aces, we can beat anyone. We just need a bit more luck."
Earlier yesterday, the Musafir.com UAE Royals beat the Manila Mavericks 26-21.
The Singapore leg of the tournament heads into its final day today, with the Mavericks facing the Aces at 4pm, while the Slammers take on the Royals at 7.30pm.
For the past week we've certainly had a great team atmosphere, we've had really great team bonding and that really helped us over the line tonight.
— Singapore Slammers' Lleyton Hewitt
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now


text:
Today was my first day as a reporter for ColumbiaMissourian.com. Tom Warhover, executive editor, told our J4450 News Reporting class to jump in with both feet at orientation Sunday. I think I did.
I attended the first of many budget meetings this morning. I'm thankful that professor Warhover kept introducing the editors. I'm learning. I had the first of many beat meetings, as well. I'm going to focus on half of downtown for the Neighborhoods beat, roughly from 10th Street to Boone Hospital/Elm Street to Rogers Street including Stephens College. I'm starting to build up my contact list for this beat. I have a few people/businesses in mind that I worked with last year for J2100. Now, it's just a matter of calling them up and introducing myselft again!
My fellow beat reporter was assigned a story about The Today Show coming to Stephens College's Searcy Hall, which reopened in May and allows residents to bring pet dogs. I was able to get the phone number of the hall coordinator, but we're having trouble getting a hold of her or anyone really. Welcome to reporting, I guess.


text:
This program takes place in La Ceiba and is geared towards the volunteer who has an interest and innate ability to connect with children with special needs. In particular, these children confront a variety of challenges which include impairments in hearing and speech, as well as learning problems in general.
Choosing to participate with this project allows you to play a crucial role in helping to improve and shape the lives of children who need it the most.
Your tasks may include helping to improve or develop the communication level of the children.
Proficiency in sign language is essential as all volunteers will be using it as their primary means of communication. Your ability to communicate will contribute greatly to helping the students feel more confident about themselves, which ultimately will help them to succeed.
Additionally, you will be involved in other extra-curricular activities such as games, painting and dancing.


text:
Dundee Model Railway Club
Established - 7th April 1950
Craigport is a fictitious location on the south bank of the River Tay, roughly in the area where the real town of Balmerino is situated. Due to the arrival of the railway, it developed from a small fishing village to a modest sized town. The subsequent increase in freight traffic included: raw jute in and finished products out, stone from a nearby quarry, dredged river sand and a small seasonal traffic from commercial salmon fishing.
Information for Exhibition Managers
Click on the thumbnail pictures for full page images
OO Gauge
Home Page
Contact Info
About Us
On the Road
OO Gauge Layouts
N Gauge Layouts


text:
If you've got a special someone you'd like to treat to a romantic dinner but can't seem to find a classy yet affordable place, look no further. We've found you a hole-in-the-wall spot that invites you to a dazzling dinner for two and a bottle of wine for a mere $26.
Every Monday and Wednesday, Hector's Place Ristorante, located on Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, Va., offers a special dinner for two for only $26. The dinner for two includes any two entrees, plus two house salads with Italian dressing, freshly baked bread, and a bottle of red or white wine, depending on your taste.
The selection of entrees includes traditional Italian dishes served with chicken, seafood or veal and homemade pasta. Among their specialties is a delectable vitello parmigiana made of fried veal, red sauce with an interesting addition of carrots, and thin angel-hair spaghetti. If you're a sodium lover, however, you may want to ask for a saltshaker as the spaghetti and red sauce is a tad bland.
Although Hector's large windows, framed by deep red curtains, expose a disappointingly boring view, the inside décor of the restaurant makes up for it. Arches painted green and red inside and lined with bottles of wine make up one wall, while classic Italian portraits of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Venetians manning gondolas populate the other walls. The simple array of creams and greens and browns surrounding the white tablecloth-laden tables make for a simple, yet classy atmosphere.
In addition to the excellent dinner-for-two deal, the friendly service is phenomenal and could be reason alone to visit this hidden treasure in Calvert Center.
Hector's Place Ristorante 3110 Mount Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22305


text:
At Patchwork Times this month, the UFO to work on is number 9, which for me was this one above. This was a race to finish up since I had promised that it would be my brothers when it was finally finished and his birthday is Monday! He lives in Oregon and I'm in Michigan so that means it had to be finished yesterday so that I could mail it today on my way to work....talk about pressure! But that's what I need sometimes to finish up stuff....so It's on it's way.
Check off #9.
So today after work I did a little stitching on my Scrappy Trip Around the World. I now have 26 of the 42 blocks I need....I may up that to 48 ...they're 10" blocks so 60"x70" or 60"x 80"....haven't decided.
And this will get a little attention tonight and tomorrow. It's an old quilt my daughter found but some of the Dresden fan pieces are just falling apart.


text:
One thing I realized that people who travel and live abroad have in common, is that most of them love to read. It might be because everyone with a wanderlust knows that the world consist of more than one's own reality. Just like travelling, books open a new and unknown world, whether fiction or non-fiction. In The Netherlands we have one whole week dedicated to promoting Dutch books. This is called 'Boekenweek' (translation: books week).
This year the 80th Boekenweek will take place from the 7th of March till the 15th of March. There is a theme with each Boekenweek, and this year's theme is frenzy. This accompanied with the motto: totally nuts. This motto comes from the fact that books consists of characters that are simply insane or characters that undergo insane moments.
During this week readers can buy either a special essay at bookstores or get a 'Boekenweek present' when buying more than €12,50 on Dutch books. The present for this year is a book called 'De zomer hou je ook niet tegen' (translation: the summer doesn't hold you back either) from writer Dimitri Verhulst. On 15th of March everyone who has a 'Boekenweek present' can travel for free (nationally) with the train (NS and NS International trains).
Even though as exchange student you won't be buying Dutch books, it is still important to take time and read a book or two during your Erasmus. Though the Boekenweek is focused on Dutch books, it mainly wants to promote reading in general.
If you're ever in Amsterdam you should visit the New English Bookstore. It's this small little bookstore near Muntplein that sells really cheap English Books. At the ESN office there is also a bookshelf where you can swap books. There are books in different languages and from different genres.
Out of inspiration? Goodreads.com has tons of book recommendations. Plus you can see the review from others who already read the book. One book I can personally recommend is: Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman. It's not an easy book to read, but it's highly interesting.
By Omaily


text:
Davis Family Funeral Home & Cremation - Dewey Chapel
Call (918) 534-3030Directions
Get directions to thisWebsite
location on Google Maps.
location on Google Maps.
Open websiteShare
in new tab.
in new tab.
Share this business
on social media.
on social media.
We are a full-service funeral home offering "Exceptional Services to Remarkable People" in Bartlesville, Dewey and surrounding areas in northeast Oklahoma and SE Kansas.
Business Hours
Monday 9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sunday Closed


text:
is to ensure that each paper is written to a high level of standard. Graduate Admission Essays for Engineering, Education, Environmental Policy, Social Sciences, Physical/Life Sciences, Social Services, Humanities, Health, Public Affairs and more. To achieve that, we invest in training our writing and editorial staff. Once the writer completes your order, our editorial team checks it for plagiarism using Copyscape. Term paper help from field experts. What if Im not satisfied with my custom essay writing assistance? Content originality Our MBA, MA and. All of them are native English speakers with advanced degrees (BA, MA,.
Secondly, we will never share your email and order details with third parties. Writers write all papers from scratch and always follow customers instructions to the dot. All writers are hand-picked, we believe that only a essay writing service discount professional writer can craft academic content thats nothing short of perfect and brings the best results. A list of credible sources. Our loyal customers get bonus money for each order which can be spent on any type of paper. Then, you get to select a writer who will work on your assignment. With this in mind, our editorial staff checks all papers for consistency before delivery. We want you to feel absolutely safe and secure about essay writing online. There is no reason to worry if you order essays using our service. Given that students can engage in graduate study in everything from Musicology to Physics, there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all essay. How safe and secure am I using your site?


text:
Carrying on general public knowledge with regard to CPAs and also other finance experts is usually really fundamental inside current business community. On a daily basis there are actually innovative trends inside sales sector, together with there are actually innovative plans together with innovative solutions to accommodate these.
That sales sector may be licensed by way of the federal since a lot of people rely on a lot of these finance experts to help traverse that sophisticated environment with taxation, payroll and also other finance is important. Most people essential info that they rely on their own accountant to make the most effective help probable. Some sort of CPA carrying on knowledge is usually a possibility to do this.
Just by it's really dynamics, that sales sector is usually controlled by immediate accelerates with applicable know-how together with standard the nature. Technological know-how is usually moving on, companies are intending universal, together with innovative restrictions are generally constantly going up. CPAs get maintain with the increasing sector and they are going to departed very far in back of.
A superb CPA carrying on knowledge path ought to give specialized consistency together with covers probably the most up-to-date together with successful process that a lot of accountants use. From time to time, the training techniques may very well be several, people ought to hope ones path to help undoubtedly identify ones session plans; help you in the entire studying approach; and supply proof positive finalization.
Don't assume all CPA require the identical instructional classes for a carrying on knowledge, nevertheless. Examine precisely what instructional classes can be found by way of the several software programs and discover the brains behind is usually the majority tightly related to your requirements. It's possible you'll involve some terrific sales together with auditing instructional classes, nevertheless things that consentrate on honesty and laptop computer software programs definitely isn't things you require.
There are plenty of CPA carrying on knowledge software programs which were internet lately to make sure that a great accountant could easily comprehensive their own prerequisites independently time period together with with their own personal pace. That will allow them to have a way to play studying pursuits without the need of disrupting the typical move health of their company.
Should you use a great internet path, nevertheless, factors to consider that will online site uncovers that serious attributes of their own process primary. People must ensure the idea insures that programs you would like, and they might send ones supplies regularly. They must be skilled together with constantly description that requirements and many other sophisticated products which were important to play their own process.
Some sort of CPA carrying on knowledge process it isn't just a great idea, that it is some sort of condition. As soon as there are actually many restrictions neighboring a business that's at risk of immediate matches with trend, you should do anything you may well to remain on the idea.


text:
Oakland A's
A's avoid being no-hit, then walk off 1-0 winners over Red Sox
Kendall Graveman saved the A's in two ways Sunday, with his right arm and with his head.
Facing a Boston Red Sox lineup that has pummeled A's pitching this season, Graveman threw 6 1/3 shutout innings, keeping the A's in a game in which they were no-hit until the eighth. Marcus Semien broke up Eduardo Rodriguez's bid for history with an infield single, and the A's walked off with an improbable 1-0 win in the ninth when Khris Davis doubled off of Boston closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring Danny Valencia from first base.
"You almost didn't have time to be happy," A's manager Bob Melvin said of the sudden turn of events.
Indirectly, Graveman had a hand in the game-winning play, too. Davis had taken a called third strike in his first at-bat of the game and was voicing his frustration at home plate umpire Brian Knight when Graveman came up and calmed him down.
"He was just like, 'Hey, I need you out there,' " Davis said. "And he was right. He called it."
The A's avoided a three-game sweep by shutting out a Red Sox lineup that had scored in double digits in all of their previous meetings. They also avoided the dubious distinction of becoming the first Oakland team to be no-hit in 25 years, though they came close.
Rodriguez, the Boston left-hander who entered the game with a 5.35 ERA, had a no-hitter intact with two outs in the eighth when Semien hit a ground ball back up the middle. Rodriguez knocked it down with his leg but paused to locate it before throwing to first.
Semien was called out at first. But the A's challenged the call, and rulings came quickly from both the replay crew, which overturned the call after 19 seconds, and the official scorer, who immediately awarded Semien a hit.
"I had a good feeling about it," said Semien, who motioned safe immediately on crossing the bag. "It's great with replay now … It's good to get it right."
It extended the A's streak of games without being no-hit to 4,033 – the longest active streak in the majors. The last no-hitter against the A's came on July 13, 1991, when four Orioles pitchers combined for a 2-0 win at the Coliseum.
Their second hit Sunday ended the game. In a scoreless tie, the Red Sox brought in their closer for the ninth, but Kimbrel walked Danny Valencia to open the inning. Davis lined the first pitch he saw, a 97-mph fastball, to left for a double.
Brock Holt bobbled his attempt to pick up the ricochet, and Valencia rounded third and sped home with the game-winning run. He was the first A's runner to advance past first base in the game.
"He'd walked Danny and I know he was just trying to get ahead," Davis said of Kimbrel, who blew just his third save this season. "I didn't want to miss the first one."
The A's used their bullpen heavily in blowout losses the past two nights, but dealt the Red Sox a shutout behind Graveman, Ryan Dull and Ryan Madson. Dull entered with two on and one out in the seventh and got Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts to hit fly-ball outs, and Madson pitched a scoreless ninth.
"It was all our plus guys, but you have to get there," Melvin said. "Now you have to deal with a potential no-hitter on top of it, where you're trying to just get a hit, let alone a run. Next thing you know it's a walk and a double, then it's a win. So if you can do the little things right and hold the other team down, you always have a chance to win."
Melvin said he thought the key to the game was Graveman getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth, the result of a throwing error by Valencia that pulled Semien off second base on a potential force play. Holt scorched a line drive but right at Semien, and Graveman retired Yoan Moncada on a grounder to Valencia at first to end the inning.
Graveman finished with seven strikeouts against a Boston lineup that had totaled 27 runs over the previous two nights and 67 in five games against the A's this season. He said he spent the previous week studying the Red Sox hitters and forming a game plan.
"Plan of attack was just to mix pitches," Graveman said. "We threw the breaking ball more, we threw the changeup more, and we threw the sinker to both sides of the plate. I think that's what you have to do with a team that's hitting .280 as a group."
Compared to last season, when he struggled in the second half and ended the year on the disabled list, Graveman has improved. He is 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA over his last 18 starts. He also tied his career high of 112 pitches Sunday and is the only member of the A's starting rotation this year not to spend time on the disabled list.
"Kendall's our ace right now," Semien said. "Kendall gives us a chance every time."
While he did not pitch in the A's series at Boston in May, Graveman said he had not ignored the results there and of the previous two nights in Oakland.
"You see what they've done to us in the past five games and you kind of take it personal as a team," Graveman said. "Because they are a good team, and we want to compete against the best in this league and prove that we can win some of these close ballgames against teams that are going to be playoff teams."
Matt Kawahara: 916-321-1015, @matthewkawahara


text:
Thu 25 Aug 2011
What I am most grateful for today…
Posted by Administrator under Found
No Comments
Starting today, I will be the guest blogger on my good friend Lynda's wonderful blog, Grateful Evermore, while she and her husband are on a trip to Washington State.
Don't worry LostCowboy fans, I will be continuing to post here as well, but I encourage you to check out what I am doing on Grateful Evermore, and while you are there look into the archives to see what the blog is all about. I am confident you will love it as much as I do.
I am not only the guest blogger on the site, but I am also house- and dog-sit for Lynda at her lovely pond-side home on Boston's glorious South Shore. I am taking a break from my home base in Carroll County, NH for a few days – so a visit to suburban Boston also means I also have an opportunity to enjoy all that this area has to offer
While Lynda is away, I will be resting in the lovely home and grounds she and her husband have created. The house is amazing, with soaring windows overlooking the nature of the pond and beautiful gardens and hidden nooks perfect for relaxation. I am most looking forward to lounging on the hammock in the front garden overlooking the pond; taking the canoe out for a spin; and taking Lynda's three adorable Yorkies for walks and playing with them.
I will be co-posting most of what I write on Grateful Evermore here as well, so you won't miss a thing.
Meanwhile, I have been told by many of you that the ability to comment on this site is not working. We are trying to figure out what is going on there and hope to remedy it soon. In the meantime, please email me directly with any questions and comments: firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Jan 22, 2018
Hello and welcome to the podcast. My name is Alex Branning and I am your marketing coach. The topic on the podcast today is putting yourself in a position to win. What I'm going to be discussing with you right now over the next 15 minutes is really going deep into analyzing whether or not your marketing is effective and where it's leaking.
A lot of entrepreneurs come to me and they say that their marketing is not effective and 99 times out of a 100, the problem is not in the messaging necessarily and it's not even in the offer, it's that they're not putting themselves in a position to win by making it easy for the customer to understand how they can help them and also how to take the next step.
Right now, if your marketing has no concrete plan, if you have not written out your marketing plan for the next 30, 90 and 360 days, what you're doing is what I call random acts of marketing. What that looks like is this, if you answer yes to any of the following questions, you are doing random acts of marketing.
Number one, when you see somebody who has put together a really good ad, do you immediately try to copy that for your business? If so, you are stuck in random acts of marketing. If somebody comes to you with a new idea or a new platform or a new format for an ad and you consider it and then take action on it in less than three days from first hearing about it, you are performing random acts of marketing.
If right now, if I was to ask you what you'll be promoting in 30 days from now and you don't know, you are stuck in random acts of marketing. Now, a lot of entrepreneurs when I talk about this to them, they'll tell me, "Alex, I don't have time to plan out my marketing efforts." What they mean by that when they say that is I'm overwhelmed and I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing.
I want to walk through that with you right now. When I say I want to put you in a position to win, my definition of that is I want to help you so that you have a very clear marketing message. Your customers who follow you know exactly what benefits you provide to them and putting yourself in a position where they can do business with you immediately after they see your messaging.
For some of you, doing business with you may mean setting an appointment. For some of you, it may mean that they are able to pull out their credit card right there on the spot and close the deal. I was talking to a lady in Idaho, she has these fun meetings that people go to. Her entire business is bringing people to an event.
Now, I sat down with her and I was going over what her numbers were and she said, "You know, when I talk to people about these meetings, they absolutely love the idea of it, but I just cannot get them there." When I was talking to her, I said, "Are you making it easy for them to buy it from you?"
She said, "Absolutely. When they walk in the door, I make it very easy for them to buy." Now, here's the problem and she didn't know that this was a problem and so I suggested, but I said, "The next time that you're talking to somebody, what I want you to do is I want you to be in a position where you can pull out your mobile phone and then from there, you can either text them the URL so that they can buy the ticket or pull out your mobile phone, go to a website and then actually input their credit card for them so that they're reserving a seat at the next meeting."
What just happened when we made that shift in her business was we changed the marketing message from you should come and now we have to depend on them, remembering the meeting, feeling good about it when the night comes, making sure that nothing comes in the way to actually putting money on the table and saying, "Okay, I'll be there."
Now, she no longer has a lead, she has a buyer. Even if that person is given a huge discount for that first ticket, the odds of them actually coming are very high. I want you to ask yourself this question, is there a way for me to put myself in a position to win? Now, one of the ways that I do that is that I have a very easy link for people to follow when they want to jump on the phone with me and do a free consultation.
I'll be talking with somebody and I'll say, "You know what? Why don't you pull out your phone right now, go to alexbranning.com/call and grab a time on my calendar that works for you, that way, you and I can talk about it." Now, walk them through the process while we're sitting there. That puts them in my calendar and then when they fill out that form to reserve the spot, I have their best email address and phone number.
Now, I am no longer depending on them trying to remember my name or my email address. Hopefully they didn't throw my business card. I don't have to worry about any of that. I have put myself in a position to win because now I have them on my calendar. They have or committed to that next meeting.
Now, the other thing that I want to talk about. My first main point was stop doing random acts of marketing, my second main point is I want you to build in automation and upsells into your digital marketing. You know that someone left because they never heard back. This is a huge problem. Now, especially if you are an appointment-based business, in other words if you sell insurance, real estate, you have a gym, et cetera, they have to actually meet with you for you to close the deal.
Automation is going to be your best friend. I want to take you behind the scenes of what happens within the Branning Group Marketing System. Now, we use ads, our favorite is Facebook, we're also moving into Instagram, Twitter and others then when people click on our ad, we give them a valuable piece of content that they have requested and then our next ask is either purchasing one of our programs in which case they can buy it right on the spot or they can set up a consultation call with me.
When they do that, I'll know exactly where they came from so I'll know what they're interested in and I'll give them an idea of what we're going to be talking about on that call. Now, after they set the appointment over the next 72 hours, they get an email from me confirming the appointment. They get a text message from me telling them I'm excited and I'll talk to them at this time.
I send them at least two separate emails about the topic with added value and client testimonials and I didn't do any of that manually. It was all set up through our automated system. What happens? Well, they sign up for that call, they get the confirmation, they get the text, they get those two additional pieces of value with success stories.
By the time I get on the phone with them, they have a very good idea of what I provide, what my prices are and the success stories of other clients. I am making it easier on myself to close the sale. I am putting myself in a position to win. Here's another example of the Branning Group Marketing System and how we have helped other entrepreneurs.
I was talking with another coach. His entire business depends on him, getting people on the phone so that he can share how he can help their business. He was having a hard time with that because really unless somebody knows exactly what you are going to talk about with them, they do not want to commit to even a 15-minute free call, especially if it's free.
If it's free, there's no value in it for them, however, if you're going to tell them exactly what they'll get out of the call, now there's a little bit more value. What we did was we set it up so that they could set aside a 15 minute free strategy session and we were very specific about the benefits that they'd get out of the call which comes down to messaging and I'm not focusing on that today, but we put him in a position where we were very clear about the outcome.
Then, if they went on the page and they did not set the appointment, we put in retargeting so that we were able to follow that person around Facebook reminding them of the ways that we can help and encouraging them to set an appointment. Again, this was done automatically. When people go to the page, when they go to the website and they have not yet set an appointment to talk with my client, if they have not ever set an appointment to talk with my client, but they have been to the website, we follow them around, encouraging them to set up an appointment, giving them a very easy way to do it straight from Facebook.
The number of appointments that my client has gotten has gone up 10 times what he had before. Why is that? We put a relatively simple marketing structure in place with the retargeting and the ability to set an appointment online and we made it easy for them to do it and we made it inviting and we use good messaging so that they didn't feel threatened, but what happened was based on his massive amounts of success that we're seeing now, it's not hard for me to deduce that the number of appointments left on the table in the six months or so from before he started working with me because now he's getting roughly 10 appointments every two weeks. About an appointment a day.
Now, if that holds true, then all we did differently was given them an easy way to set that appointment and then we re-targeted them so that they were reminded to finish setting the appointment. Now, if he was getting an appointment a day with those two simple changes, how many was he missing out on? Well, if it's one a day, then that means in the past six months he missed out on about 150 sales appointments and you can do the Math on what that means for his revenue.
Now, we're not here to focus on the past and focus on the loss, but I want to share with you that now he is getting about an appointment a day because of those two marketing systems that are in place and he is absolutely thrilled. Why? We put him in the position to win.
Now, the third main point that I want to share with you is to never stop marketing. Put links to your value offers everywhere. For example, I'm going to look at myself in the mirror here. I am presented with opportunities to increase my business, I'm presented with opportunities to read really good content on a regular basis and I've trained myself so that I don't jump at all the shiny objects, however, there are a lot of things that I see that I would want to go back and look at if they were put back in front of my face.
A great example of that is the podcast that I listen to by Eric Lofholm every morning. I love listening to it. However, sometimes things happen and I'm not reminded about it until I see him post on Facebook and he's all over social media and my world. I'm constantly reminded of his presence. The same way, I have put myself in a position to win with my people because I want to make sure that number one, they see me on a regular basis with high value content either in the Facebook groups that I run, the emails that they get from me on a weekly basis, the ads that I'm running to my people, etc.
I never stopped marketing and I'm always doing little things to switch up the message. That way, if my first message stays on how to use Facebook to generate leads, if that one doesn't get them to click, maybe my video marketing seminar or my list building workshops will so I continue to put things out there so that I can put myself in a position to win some additional business by providing additional value to my audience.
I never stop marketing and there's a lot of ways to do that without it really costing you money. One of them is your email signature. If you've got an email from me, you'll notice that there's a couple of different offers in the email signature and I change it up on a monthly basis. That way it's always a little bit fresh and new. We do some fun things with that.
I use Facebook ads to post and follow my people around. Again, I don't want to annoy them, but I want to make sure that they see my stuff on a regular basis. I also have email marketing. I do text message marketing. I have Facebook messenger marketing. I'm going to be using a lot more direct mail. What is the point?
The point is I'm putting myself in a position to win more business by providing more value and putting offers in front of my audience on a regular basis. Now, I learned all this from a book that I want to recommend to you and Russell Brunson does a great job of breaking it down, the book is called DotCom Secrets and he really talks a lot about how to put together a marketing plan online, what to do to set up automation. It's absolutely phenomenal.
I would love to make you an offer and help you set up these automated marketing systems, set up these funnels, put in these retargeting ads and really help you so that you pay me to build this out and you have this lead generating system that's going to work for you for as long as you have it on.
If you are interested in this and want to work with me on this, please reach out, you can reach out to me at alexbranning.com. You can go to my Facebook page at Alex Branning. You can even set up an appointment with me at alexbranning.com/call. We can set up a time to talk about it.
A free offer that I want to make to you, please look up and join my funnel Fridays Facebook group and I would love to have you join. We talk a lot about creating funnels in there and every single Friday, I do some free training, I'm answering questions, I'm doing live support. We have a lot of fun.
Here's the takeaway that I want to plant. I want to plant this seed in your mind. What am I doing right now that is getting people interested and how can I leverage that with an automated system to close more business? What am I doing that's working and how can I improve it to get more business? Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. If you would please do me a favor and subscribe the podcast so I can see it and drop a review, I would love that. Thank you so much for your time. Have a great day everyone and I will see you soon.


text:
There's a ghost in my room
My son has (for the last couple of months) started talking about the ghost in his room. He points to where the ghost is. Talks about playing with the ghost and for the most part...
Started by Amanda on 01/14/2010 in April 2007 Babies
Last update on 08/15/2014 by Ethan Alexander


text:
Emma de Leon
From University Innovation
Emma de Leon is a current University Innovation Fellow Candidate for the Fall 2017 Cohort. She is an energetic, caring, and determined student. She's from Fuquay-Varina a small town outside of Raleigh, North Carolina where she
Related Links
James Madison University Student Priorities
James Madison University Innovation Spaces
Skylar Wollen
Claire Fulk


text:
Troubleshooting Electrical Repair Needs
Every year homeowners are injured and even killed because they decided to try to DIY their troubleshooting for their Bethlehem electrical system. Keep in mind, in order to be able to professionally work on anything electrical, it takes expert level training, experience and certification; there is no reason to think that you are prepared to tackle this type of work on the heels of watching a YouTube video. There is nothing wrong with admitting when you are not qualified for certain tasks and handing them over to true pros – it can actually be the difference between life or death.
The thing to do is take note when you notice something may be off with your electrical wiring and disconnect power. From there, it is about calling in the right team of pros to address your possible service needs. Here at APlus Electricians, we know what it takes to get the job done, safely and securely. We care as much about taking care of your troubleshooting needs as you do, and helping ensure the safety and comfort of you and your family.
Troubleshooting Specialists
Of course, if you notice that you simply have no power connecting to part of your home or an individual outlet, you should check the breakers. However, keep in mind too that if you have something that trips the breaker more than once or twice, it should be considered a possible problem. Don't simply keep resetting the breaker without letting a pro have a look.
If you notice sparks, smoke or notice black singe marks on and outlet, or any electrical application for that matter, it is a good idea to go ahead and disconnect the power from the breaker box and contact a professional to address the problem. Too many homeowners simply don't use outlets that have stopped working when that is a major red flag for having an outlet inspected to see what is going on behind the walls. Another common issue that people tend to ignore is flickering lights; anything electrical acting out of the ordinary should be addressed.
Bethlehem Troubleshooting
Don't ever take chances when it comes to your home, especially your electrical system. There are simply too many things that can go wrong and lead to major problems. Why put off addressing a problem that could lead to issues like electrocution, fires or fatalities.
For all of your possible Bethlehem troubleshooting service needs, you can count on us to get the job done. Our APlus Electricians team will be there when you need us most, in order to prevent the possibility of worse problems developing. Give us a call now to get started.


text:
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,777 at the 2010 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate 35 with many restaurants, hotels and truck stops.
ThingsTodoPost © 2018 All rights reserved.


text:
Have you heard of EFT? Here is a video explaining what it is.
Today's Inspired Action: Try EFT for yourself. Learn how to do it with this video produced by Gary Craig from Tapping.com.
There are many different teachers of EFT. However, tapping points are shared in Gary Craig's video above. You can choose to become aware of an energy center in your body as Gary teaches while tapping the EFT points with your other hand, or you can use your awareness to emotional qualities which you are choosing to embrace or release. Focus while tapping is most important. You are communicating with your subconscious through this tapping exercise. Repetition simply creates a stronger link and connection for amazing results.


text:
CHOPPED SOUTHWESTERN SALAD shredded green cabbage, black beans, corn, green onion, tomatoes, cilantro, taco strips {if desired} and the best cilantro lime dressing. Full of flavor and easy to prepare in less than 20 minutes; get ready to devour my favorite summer salad.
I love those chopped salads, you know the ones I am talking about in the produce section at the grocery store? They are typically cabbage based, some with kale and come with dressings and garnishes. They are a quick easy meal when the kids and I head to the pool. The only downside is that they usually are only enough for Jake and I. Nothing for the kiddos, so we pack them up sandwiches or something else. When our boys were into baseball, these salads were also a huge hit for the night time games, making an easy & delicious picnic.
The only other thing about these bagged salads are the dressings. Not all of them are good? So there is really only one salad that we use the dressing and that's the Chopped Asian Salad, the rest of the salads, we usually will make our own dressing or just not have any dressing at all, which is obviously a desperate move.
This summer I decided to make my own homemade versions of these salads and they have been a huge hit. My Chopped Asian Salad has been one of my most popular summer recipes. But this CHOPPED SOUTHWESTERN SALAD is my favorite and it is all because of the dressing. It is simply divine.
I love adding tortilla strips to this salad, along with some diced avocado. But if I am taking this somewhere, I leave those two ingredients out as the chips get soggy and well the avocado turns brown.
My one tip when making this salad, is to not add the dressing until you are going to eat it. If you want to have leftovers only add the dressing the your serving, not the whole salad otherwise the next day, you will have a soggy salad and no one wants that, right?
I would love to know what your summer to-go-to meals are, share them below in the comments. But looking for some other summer salad inspirations check these out: Easy Almond Apple Quinoa Salad, Simple Salami Salad, Simple Cucumber Salad and Traditional Greek Salad. Enjoy! XOXO San
How do you make Southwestern Salad?
Don't forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
CHOPPED SOUTHWESTERN SALAD shredded green cabbage, black beans, corn, green onion, tomatoes, cilantro, taco strips {if desired} and the best cilantro lime dressing. Full of flavor and easy to prepare in less than 20 minutes; get ready to devour my favorite summer salad.
- 8 cups coleslaw
- 4 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups sweet corn cooked
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
Cut up chicken, into cubes. I grilled mine, but a store bought rotisserie chicken works well too.
Cut up all the vegetables.
In a large mixing bowl add coleslaw mix, chicken, black beans, corn, green onions, tomatoes and cilantro.
Make the dressing.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Finely chopped 1/2 jalapeno pepper, garlic clove, cilantro and ginger, add to a small mason jar. Add in the lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Twist on lid to mason jar and vigorously shake until well combined. And shake up again right before serving.
Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add tortillas strips and toss again. Serve immediately.
If you're not serving immediately - you can add everything in a large bowl except the tortilla strips and dressing and then add those right before you are to serve. This is a great salad to make ahead.
Dressing recipe from AllRecipes