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By Maria Moratto All of us are in need of healing. Perhaps we are mourning the loss of a relationship, or a loss of a loved one (animal or human). Or the loss of our health. Or the loss of a job, or status. Or the loss of a belief, or trust, or faith. Or peace of mind. Any loss will put us in a state of uneasiness or dis-ease. Dis-ease as the name says is the lack of ease or the absence of well-being, to be more accurate. When we lose our well-being, in any which form it comes, physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually, we grieve. There is loss and we grieve this loss. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes that sabotage our healing from whatever dis-ease we may be having in life. 1. We dont acknowledge you are in need of healing Except for when things are really bad, as with a physical disease that may or may not be fatal, many times, we are not even aware that we need healing. We become the notorious walking-wounded hurting everyone else we meet. 2. We dont take time for ourselves We pretend that nothing has happened or we suppress our hurt and live life as if nothing happened. We dont acknowledge that we need time out to recoup and make a plan of action. 3. We dont make a plan When we are aware that we need healing, we seek and follow the advice of others and many times we dont even know exactly what we need to do to feel better. We dont write our objectives and we plan a strategy to reconnect with our perfection. 4. We dont live in the present We regret what we did in the past and become anxious about the future, creating greater stress for our mind and body. We forget to live in the present, not knowing that a good present will determine an outstanding future. 5. We dont forgive We hold eternal grudges about people, events, and circumstances, including ourselves, thus preventing peace of mind and freedom. 6. We think in the negative Our mind chatters negativism, as usual, thus deepening our struggles. We dont realize the importance of positive thinking to better our life. 7. We dont shut the nay-sayers Especially when we have critical or chronic illnesses, we keep hearing from other that we will never get well, and worse, that we will die. We keep listening to and trusting them implicitly, not understanding that no one knows us better than we do. 8. We dont do spiritual work Just when we need to go deep into our spirituality, we forgo our evolutionary process and delve into the physicality of life. We pray for the wrong outcomes. 9. We dont wish for perfection We wish for everything but not for the perfection of the solution to our problems, thus creating even worse case scenarios for ourselves. 10. We dont expect miracles We forget that miracles happen every day and many times we give in just when it is our turn to manifest them. We give up hope. So what are you ready to do to correct them? Maria Moratto 2006 Want to have more abundance, health, time, love, fun, and blessings? Visit Prescription For Bliss at www.rx4bliss.com, sign up for the newsletter and receive a fr*ee ebook called “Happy People Are More Abundant!” Dr. Maria Moratto is the author of “The Inspired Healing For Your Body, Mind, and Soul,” “The Inspired Healing Journal: Mending Your Broken Heart,” and “Attract Money Journal.” Visit her site to get fr*ee affirmation cards. You may reprint this article in its entirety as long as you add this resource box. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Moratto http://EzineArticles.com/?The-10-Biggest-Mistakes-That-Sabotage-Your-Healing&id=148810 get a home loan with bad credit and no money can i hold an employees paycheck until they return company property advance til payday can i do a balance transfer for a personal loan

By Sandra Martini Are you thinking that you need to send some type of ezine or newsletter to your customers and clients, but are afraid that you dont have the time or the content to publish one on an ongoing basis? If thats the case, you may want to consider one of the below alternatives. They will help you stay in touch with your clients, capture email addresses on your website and establish your credibility without requiring you to come up with new content each week. The first two alternatives require an autoresponder service. I love KickStartCart which includes unlimited autoresponders and a F*REE 30-day trial. AWeber is another autoresponder service with an excellent reputation. What is an autoresponder? Wikipedia defines “autoresponder” as “a computer program that automatically answers e- mail sent to it. They can be very simple or quite complex.” An autoresponder automatically sends an email out when someone requests it or signs up for your list. For example, my e-course How To Write a Dynamic Marketing Plan is an autoresponder. Once you request the course (by sending a blank email to a specific email address — smartini187175@autocontactor.com in this case), the first lesson is emailed to you immediately and each subsequent lesson will be sent out based on a schedule that I established. EZINE ALTERNATIVE 1: E-course or Special Report E-courses and Special Reports are very popular and a great F*REE gift to offer on your website when someone gives you his email address. Your prospect enters his email address, confirms his email address (assuming you have double opt-in) and then receives either the first lesson in your e-course series or the special report. See the beauty in this? You do the work once and are then automatically able to touch every prospect that visits your website and signs up for information. I currently offer a F*REE Special Report for website visitors who sign up for this ezine. If you choose to do an e-course, select a topic that relates to your field. For example, if you are a virtual assistant, you could do a F*REE e-course called How to Work With a Virtual Assistant. This would allow prospects who are unsure about virtual assistance to learn a bit about you and the field before feeling the need to commit. Your last lesson could be an invitation for the prospect to call or email you if he is interested in your services. EZINE ALTERNATIVE 2: Evergreen Newsletter An evergreen newsletter contains information which doesnt change. Its the same today as it is next week and next year. You can write one set of newsletters, set them up on an autoresponder and let them go! One thing to note about this not all of your ezine subscribers will get the same ezine on the same day. For example: If you published an evergreen ezine every week and I signed up for your ezine on January 1st, I would get Evergreen Ezine #1. On January 8th, I would receive Evergreen Ezine #2. If Harry signed up for your ezine on January 3rd, he would receive Evergreen Ezine #1 on January 3rd and #2 on January 10th. Make sense? All your subscribers would be in different places with respect to which day they receive your ezine and what information they receive on that day. EZINE ALTERNATIVE 3: Promotions Promotion-only emails work very well for some product-type industries where an ezine may not be necessary. I receive coupons via email from Borders Books and sale notices for Vera Bradley bags these are email promotions which dont include an ezine, but are very effective in prompting their target audiences to act. If you choose to send out promotional emails, you will want to have a good offer for your customers X% off or F*REE gift with purchase, etc.. Remember not to send too many of these type of emails as they will become overwhelming and less special to your customers. Your prospects, clients and customers want good content. Give them that and they will stick with you! Online Business Manager & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini teaches small business owners how to create more success in their business while maintaining their sanity and having fun. Sandra’s coaching programs are available via teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls. For more information and to receive the FREE special report, 7 Wealth-Building Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs, go to http://www.OfficialHowToGuide.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Martini http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Reach-Your-Clients-Without-Publishing-An-Ezine&id=342851 lafayette bad credit used car loan smart choice payday cash advance payday lenders with actual phone numbers magnumz advance payday loan

By Rick Sheldon We are bombarded with more messages than we can even comprehend in the period of a single day. Consider television commercials, magazine and newspaper ads, radio broadcasting, billboards, mail, email, spam, faxes, telephone calls, telemarketers, and door to door salespeople. We have grown accustomed to the overwhelming amount of information presented to us, and often we are able to easily tune out the majority of messages we are exposed to. If you are a business owner, and are in the process of developing an effective ad, how can you expect to be noticed? Catching the attention of your future customers requires some thoughtful planning and creativity on your part. Are you delivering your messages in a unique way? E-blasts are a way to impress the public via the Internet. When you work with a savvy visual artist who is talented in design, the digital graphics can really wow recipients. Send out e-blasts to an on-line mailing list regularly. Differentiate your ads with specials, important news, or upcoming events. Always, of course, keep your logo and/ or letterhead consistently the same so that your customers are familiarized with your company and look forward to your regular e-blasts. Include pictures and images that captivate your audience. Media releases do grab people’s attention. These work especially well when faxed or mailed. The more professional you create a media release, the more seriously others will take it. Remember that the use of type fonts can change the flavor of any document for better or worse. Use font settings to your advantage. Consider sending out event invitations for special functions. For open houses, banquets, holiday gatherings, awards presentations, benefits, and other events, give your invitees a memorable notice. Hire a calligrapher to add a personal touch. Send a promotional item of a thematic nature along with the invitation. Take advantage of networking opportunities. Use the charm and personality that attract others to you to also introduce your work and products or services. In introductions, meetings, appointments, errands, and conferences, mention what it is that you actually do and have business cards on hand to give out. Bring creativity into your communication with other businesses. Let uniqueness and energy emanate from your dealings with others. You can give away promotional gifts to surprise others. In addition, mere words can really strike others as well. For example, an educational tutoring center in one city mailed a special package to all who signed up on their web site or in their office to learn more about this company’s services. Enclosed with the packet of standard informational reading materials was a small sealed box of tea imprinted with a note that read, “Success is Brewing.” Make your sales pitch stand out. Use UPS or Federal Express when mailing promotional materials. Also stamp your packaging with a message about the time sensitivity of the contents. Choose a size or shape that is different than the standard envelopes. Consider tubes, odd shaped boxes, and bright colors. Distinguish your sales letter from others’ sales letters. Avoid your message being tossed out with the junk mail or shoved in a drawer by making a distinct approach. Mail a special promotional gift item with your direct mail pieces. This has been proven in studies to seriously increase response rates. When clients receive a special treat enclosed with your offer, they will most likely want to learn more about your business. Send follow up letters frequently and include something special along with them. Experts say that it takes several attempts on your part to really reach a would-be client. Remember, that circumstances change for people, and they often forget about your offer the first time or two. Speed up this process by spicing up your follow up letters. Offer promotional items, discounts, and other memorabilia to increase the probability of your materials being noticed. The Republican Party makes an effort of mailing commemorative snapshots of President George W. Bush along with the First Lady when requesting donations. It is truly amazing how this tactic inspires followers of this party to continue to donate money and to watch carefully for packages from the Republic Party to arrive. Political parties are wise to the follow up process and use their letters and snapshots for the benefit of their organizations. With the amount of advertising messages we receive in a given day calling for our attention, marketing must get creative in order to really make us notice. Strategize by making your messages as unique and visually appealing as possible. Promotions professionals can assist you in taking your advertising up a notch. Author: Rick Sheldon has 18 years experience in the Promotional Products Industry and is currently CEO of Save on Promotional Products Inc. a Discount Online Promotional Products Company He can be contacted at 1-800-826-8706; email: rick@justpay10.com or go to our site: Promotional Items Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Sheldon http://EzineArticles.com/?Marketing-Today—Make-Your-Messages-Stand-Out&id=529202 sba 504 loan program pay day loans internet canada i want to broker personal loans personal college loans

By Marge Pickering Picone The time has come to have that unconditional relationship with your grown child. The day has truly arrived that you are no longer mommy and daddy and you become mom and dad. The distance you felt as a young adult trying to communicate with your parents is returning as you search for the best way to talk to your adult children. Everything that you thought they would, should or could be is no longer relevant. Just as times changed between us and our parents, the same is happening to you. We are quickly becoming the older generation. Our adult offspring are quick on the up take to tell us exactly how things should be done to meet their expectations not ours. The best thing I have found over the years is to go back to what the definition of unconditional love means. I loved my child no matter what. I never put conditions on his receiving my love and acknowledgement. I always let him know his boundaries and my reactions to behaviors were based on the incidence and not on whether I would love him or not. Right or wrong you do the best you can and watch for the results. When they know they are loved they learn to give out that same kind of feeling in return. When you learn to respect their boundaries and choices and stop trying to make them do it your way, youve earned the respect of your adult children. They really let you into their lives. Sometimes, more then you want or need to be. To keep your sanity, keep in mind that what the over 21 adult child does, is none of your business. You are no longer responsible for their actions. They now handle the consequences of their own choices themselves. I know you think it is easier to butt in and try to fix everything they get themselves into only to resent it in the long run. You get them obligated to you and then guilt becomes a tool. That is not helping your relationship. If they call needing help, listen and then tell them you will call back to answer their request. Think about whether you are willing, wont resent or regret whatever decision you make. If you dont want to help, say this is not something I can do for you right now but I am willing to do .(fill in the blank) Otherwise, stay out of it! Always take time to think it over and call back. Much easier to get over guilt then resentment. They are grown adults. Did you expect your parents to help you? Not something our generation typically experienced yet, we have created ourselves to be indispensable in our childrens lives. Learn to listen and close your mouth. Sometimes like us, they just need to say what the problem is out loud in order to figure out how to fix it themselves. The smart children we produced will definitely let you take it on if you offer. Dont talk, just listen and offer moral, verbal support and absolutely promote that they know how to handle it themselves. You have loads of confidence in their abilities and youve seen them in action many times. They may experience rough patches but havent we all! They will learn and grow by their experiences, just as we have. Give them that opportunity and you will be proud. Pay attention to your own life and learn what mid life is about. Start revising and upgrading your existence and re-learn the meaning of JOY and FUN! Keep your relationship open with your adult children and learn to treat and enjoy them as equals. Some day you may need them to handle things for you! Shoot for independence not dependence. They are not babies anymore! Marge Pickering-Picone is a Nutrition Consultant for Professional Nutrition Services of Rochester, Inc. and the Founder of http://www.aging-baby-boomer-guide.com which is a website for the Baby Boomer to find reliable information for facing the changes that are fast approaching. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marge_Pickering_Picone http://EzineArticles.com/?Communicating-with-Adult-Children&id=389453 cash advance in georgia small business startup unsecured loans advance payday loans palm coast fl living expenses loan with bad credit no cosigner

By Sonia Colon An important part of planning your business is to know who will use your products/services. The vast majority of small businesses will rely on their communities for sales. It is in your best interest to get to know everything you can about your community, or the people who will use yor business. Please don’t spend advertising dollars on people who don’t want or need your products/services. First, find out who are your potential consumers. Find out by answering the following questions: * Are most of them female? * Are most of them male? * Are they an even mix of male & female? * What is their average income bracket? * Where would these consumers generally congregate? * What are their interests? * What is the average size? * What is their average age? * What type of work do they do? * Do they live in apartments, houses or rural areas? * What is the average family size? * Which radio stations would they most likely listen to? Answering these questions will enable you to define the physical limitations of your business and build a profile of your average consumer. Some of the most successful businesses know exactly who they are catering to. With the answers to the above questions, you can formulate marketing strategies aimed specifically at those consumers. Break it down into the types of people who live there, you will be able to make informed marketing decisions. Finding out the income levels of your average consumer is vital. Don’t waste your time trying to sell expensive items to low-income consumers. Study, study, study your consumers habits. Once you have a better idea of who you are targetting, you can then research the best way to advertise and promote your business. Sonia Colon is owner of a successfulonline specialty giftstore “Jimson Products”. Visit: http://www.jimsonproducts.com for awonderful display. Get Your Own FREE Mall:http://www.telebay.com/shopping1/mall.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonia_Colon http://EzineArticles.com/?Who-Is-Your-Market-and-Where-Are-They?&id=21240 personal unsecured loans no credit check stores free download paycheck stubs credit card cash advance check to self

By Sean Morganse Weight loss on the internet can be a very confusing subject. You have thousands of diet pills, excercise sites, diets, and just all other types of material. How does one sort through it to figure out what YOU need? They all promise to lose you weight, but how do you know which one is catered for you? First you need to decide HOW you want to lose weight.Do you want to have intense exercises and not change your diet too much?Do you not have a lot of time for exercise but want to focus on reducing your calories? Do you want to have the food prepared for you?What are your goals? These are all questions you must ask yourself before you just buy into a program or website. I recommend that you sit down and really figure out your weight loss goals. If your body just needs to maintained and your ready to build some definition and muscle then you are definitely not going to be signing up at the website that a person 60 pounds overweight would be. If you are overweight fifty pounds or more I suggest a combination of three things to consider.You NEED a diet, a fitness program, and a safe diet pill. As always, you should consult your doctor before you begin in any fitness program. I recommend that you look at all the user reviews, expert opinions, and clinical data in ANYTHING you choose. This is especially important when putting a pill into your body. Be safe and good luck. Remember that weight loss starts with YOU! Sean Morganse is a weight loss expert that has been experimenting with different weight loss pills for over ten years.You can visit his website at http://www.weight-solutions.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Morganse http://EzineArticles.com/?Weight-Loss-Programs,-Diet-Pills,-And-Exercise-Sites—Where-Should-I-Look?&id=496794 payday loan scam quick cash loan insurance will loan you cash to have to attend to college educationminnesota short term loans

By Ron Maier Jr. To add a touch of heritage to a childs room, why not display some of their own baby clothing. These little memories of made of cloth look great on a display hanging rack made for a tabletop or dresser. As the child grows older they will love to use their own clothes for their dolls to play dress up. To make your own display rack, these are the things you will need: 2 porch spindles scrap wood hanging rod (for a closet; a wooden dowel will also serve) screws drill with screw bit scrap fabric spray adhesive 2 rosettes (used for closet bars) wood glue 2 decorative knobs paint (color is your choice; you can also use a wood stain if the wood is nude) Take the porch spindles that you might have purchased at Home Depot or somewhere similar and paint them whatever color you wish, keeping in mind the colors of your childs room or furniture. Then, cut two pieces of wood for the base of the rack and the top. The size depends on the size of rack you wish to build. To hold three or for garments, the base should probably be about 18×8 inches. Set aside the top piece for now. Fasten the spindles to the base using screws through the bottom of the base. To make sure that the base will not scratch your furniture, attach a piece of fabric to the bottom with adhesive. Sit the rack upright and screw on the rosettes. Now place the bar on the rosettes as you wood in a normal closet. Take the top piece of wood and fasten it to the spindles with screws. Lastly, you can glue the knobs on top of the rack as decoration. Of course you can be creative and pick any decorative items you wish. Now you have made a fun new display rack for your childrens clothes. Place your kids clothes on the rod using baby clothes hangers, and the project is complete (wooden hangers may be the most decorative). Perhaps you will keep it in their room or perhaps you want it for your own. It quite possibly will become a family relic that will go on for generations. About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens clothing hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlykidshangers.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Maier_Jr. http://EzineArticles.com/?Baby-Clothes-Home-Display&id=350618 loans for online college same day cash advance virginia payday loan law no credit check personal loan flexible

By Stephanie Constantina Joining an online personals site is one thing, having enough people reply to your profile and make contact is quite another. If you’ve recently joined an online dating service and you’re finding that few people are making contact, then here are some ideas that might help. You can also use these ideas to improve your rate of being contacted if you are just starting with online personals and you are writing your first profile. So let’s begin at the beginning, with the service you have joined. The type of service you are planning to use to attract a dating partner may in itself be a big factor in how successful your efforts are. Specifically, how many members the service has. Clearly a smaller organization with fewer members will provide you with fewer chances of being contacted than a larger service with many more members. If you are seeking someone for dating locally, always try to find out how many members the service you are considering has in your area. You can do this by using the search facility most dating services provide and do a search for your state or province (or even country if you live in a smaller country with fewer Internet users). If the results page turns up only a handful of members then clearly that service is not going to be much use to you. What you should be looking for is a dating service that has millions of members overall, and at least a few thousand in your home area. You should also be looking for a quality service that offers guarantees of your money back, and wider facilities than just the personal profiles database itself. Try to find out if there are lots of satisfied users. You can do this by navigating the site but also by searching for reviews and user experiences on the major search engines. When you have subscribed to a good dating service there is still a lot more you need to do to ensure you get contacted by other singles. If we are talking about something as important as finding a future partner then everyone should find it worthwhile to do a bit of work to be successful! Take a good look at the profile you have written and plan to use. Don’t just post the first rough version that comes into your head. Spend some time looking at other people’s profiles to see which ones you are attracted to. Try to work out why. Then take what you have learned and apply it to creating your own profile. The photo you use is usually the first thing that gets noticed by people browsing the profiles. Of course it is very important that you use a photo of yourself! This may shock you, but some people don’t. This may be because they are shy and so make the mistake of using a friend’s photo, or they may have joined the personals with a view to scamming other members — in which case they may use a photo of a model stolen from another site, for example. Such people are out there, be warned! They can often be discovered through inconsistencies in what they say, an avoidance of answering your questions and ultimately heart-wrenching requests for funding for travel, as an example. The photo you use should be a good one of you that is of high enough quality to give other members a fair idea of what you look like, usually a head and shoulders view. So no smudgy images of you standing in a dark place! It’s also best not to post a photo that has other people in it aside from yourself, as this can put off those who might otherwise be interested. When it comes to writing the words in your profile, one useful technique is to put yourself in the shoes of other members of the site. Try to distance yourself from your own work and see it as other singles might see it. Does it make you sound like an interesting person to check out? Does it make you seem serious about meeting someone? If you are looking for a life partner a good approach is to present yourself as someone looking for friendship as a first stage, with the suggestion of possible romance further down the line. The header of your dating profile is important. What kind of headers have you found yourself attracted to in the other members profiles you looked at? You may want to note down some good examples and use them to inspire your own — don’t copy other people’s work though. Nothing worthwhile in life is achieved without at least a bit of work, so it is well worth taking the time to get your profile right in something so important as seeking a life partner or dating partner. As a large proportion of those who use the online personals don’t make such efforts your profile should stand out among the rest, greatly increasing your chances of success. You can find out more at Internet Personals Sites. For more on using photos: Online Photo Personals Sites. Stephanie Constantina writes for Single Dating .com. 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By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Steve_C_Clark]Steve C Clark Bad credit homeowner loans should only be considered if the homeowner has much equity in their home or if the original mortgage loan carries an unbelievably high rate. Credit scores directly determine the interest rate that will be offered on bad credit homeowner loans. Refinancing a house is not a good idea if the borrower’s credit has fallen since the origination of the mortgage loan. If the borrower is adamant about refinancing, choosing a mortgage brokerage or lending institution with low closing costs and no points is the wisest course of action. Sometimes it is not always beneficial to refinance. Good mortgage brokerages may not always be easy to find. A good brokerage will let the borrower honestly know if bad credit homeowner loans are even worth their time. If calculations are done, and the time and money spent are added up, the end result should be either a decrease in monthly payments, or a decrease in the total amount of interest paid throughout the life of the loan. If these benefits do not exist for the borrower in bad credit homeowner loans, and the mortgage company does not point that out, the consumer should not accept the deal. In recent years, there has been a record number of mortgage fraud cases that have left the consumer with more debt and much worse problems than they originally had. In cases where something does not seem to be right, it is important to drop negotiations on bad credit homeowner loans to keep from losing a great deal of money. With some help, home refinancing with poor credit can be changed by the end of the month. The fastest way to lower a credit score up to 30 points in 30 days is to pay down the balances on all cards and accounts until they reach under 20% of the total spending limit. This proves to lenders that the applicant is a responsible consumer. Lenders make bad credit homeowner loans difficult for some, but if credit is improved, the process is a breeze and can be completed in as little as 2 weeks. This situation may begin poor, but it doesn’t have to end that way. As the borrower makes regular monthly payments to the refinance mortgage, their credit will begin to improve even more. Taking advantage of homeowner loans with bad credit enables those that have made mistakes in the past to come clean and embark on a new path, free from the consequences of bad or no credit. In today’s real estate financing market, there are many creative avenues for financing homes, refinancing homes, or financing businesses and commercial properties. Thorough research should be done prior to application with any mortgage brokerage or lending institution for bad credit homeowner loans. Steve Clark can tell you how to look better, live better and breathe better by giving you tips to improve your finances.He writes on loans. His ideas can help you rejuvenate your money.To find Secured homeowner loans,bad credit homeowner loans,online homeowner loans visit [http://www.easyhomeownerloans.co.uk]http://www.easyhomeownerloans.co.uk. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_C_Clark http://EzineArticles.com/?Homeowners-Need-Not-Fear-Bad-Credit—Bad-Credit-Homeowner-Loans&id=360101 business loan bad credit bad credit auto loan refinancing organizations that provide small personal loans for people who have bad credit san antonio bad credit new car loan

By Mike Wendland How’s your social capital? Huh?, you ask. That’s the term the academics use for friends. Or how connected you are to other people. the sad fact of the matter is that most of us have very few people who we can count on to lend a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on when we need them. You were not made to go it alone. God created us for relationships with others. Have you ever realized that four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the remaining six deal with our relationship to each other. All 10 are about relationships. The most important relationship is a personal relationship with our heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ . But we are also supposed to be connected to others. “Bowling Alone “is the title of a popular book from a few years ago that talked about how we in the United States have become a nation of loners. This is not good. Doctors tell us that loneliness is a major health problem. A Boston Globe story on the issue reported recently that people who are socially isolated like this but otherwise healthy are twice as likely to die as those who have friends. A similar study fund that isolated men are up to 25% more likely to die of all causes at any age versus non -isolated men. The odds for women are 33%. George Callup’s organization says Americans are among the loneliest people on earth, with more than a third saying they fell isolated and alone. But George Gallup tells us something else, something he personally discovered that he says is “profoundly good news.” Let me quote him: “I want to report to you now on a trend that may be contributing to a transformation of America. You will not read about this trend in our daily newspapers or on television, yet it is a powerful undercurrent in our society that, I believe, gives us cause for encouragement about the future! This trend could be described as a sociological and spiritual phenomenon: Americans on a massive scale are rediscovering each other, and coming together regularly in small nourishing support groups, many with a spiritual dimension.” The news Gallup discovered is so profound that he has now basically retired from his survey company’s day-to-day leadership and has devoted the remaining part of his life to the development and encouragement of small groups. George Gallup, in case you didn’t know, is a devout Christian. Small groups are all about relationships. And that’s something that Jesus teaches in the Bible that we are to develop and nurture.Jesus said our love for each other is to be our witness to the world. There is nothing intimidating about a Christian small group. They’re a lot like families. Think of them as a group of friends who meet regularly to support and encourage one another and to grow in knowledge of the Lord through Bible study, prayer and application. For most, application means reaching out and helping others, beyond their immediate circule of friends. Many groups have regular outreach projects during the year. There is no shortage of needs. Working at a food pantry, babysitting for single Moms, mentoring school kids and visiting the sick in hospitals are just a few ideas. Interpersonal relationships bring balance to life. And the best such relationships are when we make connect with others in a basic Christian community. That’s the small group. If you were to count them all up, the New Testament has over 50 references to how Christians are to be connected in friendship and fellowship. Bible scholars call them the “one another” passages. For example, we’re commanded to “love one another”, to “pray for one another” and to “build up one another”. It’s clear from the Bible that God wants us to be in regular, close fellowship with each other. But such relationships are often the first to be sacrificed to our busy schedules. This doesn’t make sense. For relationships, not wealth or prestige or the accumulation of material things, are what matters most in life. Now listen. That is just plain wrong. That is sinful. And I say this on the authority of the Bible. In Matthew 22:36-40. “Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart…soul…and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ ” That’s called the Great Commandment. In Matthew 28:19-20. “Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ ” That’s called the Great Commission. Both of those commandments emphasize relationships. Here’s the bottom line: You cannot be the mature believer God intend unless you get involved with people. You will stagnate. It is unbiblical not to be connected with others. Pastor Rick Warren in big Purpose Driven Life Book said it this way: “If you are too busy to be connected you are too busy.” Clearly, we must make friends a priority if we are going to be obedient to God. it’s a matter of friendship. We all need to have friends and we need to be a friend to others. It’s a Biblical imperative. Are you connected in a small group? If not, join one. Just contact your church office to find out how. And if they don;t have a small group ministry, why not volunteer to start one? The author is the publisher of the Online Christian Shopper (www.onlinechristianshopper.com), a shopping site specializing in Christian T-Shirts and Christian jewelry. He also writes the Share Your Testimony evangelism Website (www.sharetestimony.com). 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