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Finally there is a great filter to block Internet pornography and other objectionable content! Kristi
and I have used this filter for 5 years now and want to recommend the Bsafe Online filter to you.
We absolutely love it. To find out more and get your own FREE 10-Day Trial, just visit:
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/filter
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Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter,"
is finally here! ($13.95) Visit the link below to preview the book! Personalized autographed copies
are available at no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is also
available for just $3.25!
http://www.hearttouchers.com/books
Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow about two weeks for
us to sign it and send it on its way to you.Credit card, PayPal, Checks, and Money orders
accepted! The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com,
and Booklocker.com
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Sleepless in America
And That's No (Red) Bull
by Mark Early
From Starbucks, to Red Bull, to No-Doz, Americans are showing signs of addiction
to caffeine. Sixty percent of us drink a cup of coffee a day. On average we will drink
52 gallons of soda this year. And Starbucks—they get a whopping $5.3 billion of
our collective dough.
Whether we are chemically stimulating because we do not get enough sleep, or
whether the caffeine itself is depriving us of precious rest, we are also sleeping less
than ever before. Americans get an average of six and a half hours of sleep a night,
a 25 percent drop since the early 1900s. No wonder we are stressed. And as if we
needed any more help depriving ourselves of rest, scientists may have found a
drug that will eliminate sleepiness.
According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, "A nasal spray containing a
naturally occurring brain hormone called ‘orexin A' reversed the effects of sleep
deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on
cognitive tests."
Personally, I would rather not take a chemical that helps me perform like a
well-rested monkey. But the prospect of a chemical that could reduce sleepiness
without the side effects other stimulants are known for could have far-reaching repercussions.
While the drug is still many years away from reaching pharmacies, it reminds me
how important it is to examine the trends facing society from a biblical rather than
a purely cultural perspective. We live in a culture today that spurns rest.
Whether it is working later hours to have more spending power or commuting longer
distances to live "the good life," or just staying up too late to watch more TV, the truth
is people are ready to skip rest to do it all. For most people, the only thing that
makes this choice a dangerous one would be the potential health risks and the
side effects we feel the next day. Eliminate the health risks and side effects,
and ta-da!, no problem.
But what about for Christians? God built rest into the very rhythm of creation. Keeping
a day of rest made His top-10 list. And believe it or not, rest serves a purpose--a divine
purpose. It reminds us that God is in control. What happens when you cannot finish
everything that you think you need to get done and your body is telling you, "you
have to go to sleep"? You are thrown into a situation in which you must depend on God.
Rest reminds us that there is Someone we can rest in. And our need for rest is a
daily reminder that we are finite creatures and must trust in an infinite God.
We cannot do it alone. And in this way rest is also a picture of the great work of
salvation we are offered. We can work all we want, and we will never earn salvation.
Jesus did the work for us. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: "There remains,
then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also
rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every
effort to enter that rest . . ." (4:9-11a).
So here's a question for you: How are you doing at resting? It may say more
than you realize about how you are doing in trusting God.
Mark Earley
Mark Earley, 50, former State Senator (1987-1997) and Attorney General of Virginia
(1998-2001), became president of Prison Fellowship on February 1, 2002.
As President and CEO of Prison Fellowship USA, Earley oversees the national
ministry founded by Charles Colson in 1976, which has since spread to 108 countries
in addition to the United States. Prison Fellowship's core commitments are
Fellowshipping with Jesus, Visiting Prisoners, and Welcoming Their Children.
In line with these commitments, PF works with thousands of churches and volunteers
across the U.S. to disciple prisoners and prepare them to re-enter the community;
to minister year-round to prisoners' children through Christmas, camping, and
mentoring programs; and to help redeem the culture by embracing, defending,
and applying a clear biblical worldview.
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Creation Q & A
Q: What zoo displayed humans as a part of its exhibits?
A: A zoo in Denmark did this some time ago. Imagine walking up to an exhibit in the apes and
monkeys section, and in between the lemurs and baboons, you read a sign labeled Homo
sapiens. The information on the sign gives details of our diet, habitat and other information.
And then, as you peer into the exhibit--you see two live human beings!
Why did they do this? A zoo official said that he hoped the exhibit would encourage people to face
up to their origins. He stated, "We're all primates. Lehmann and Botoft (the two people on exhibit)
are monkeys in a way, but some people find it hard to accept. This is a way to maybe help people
realize that."
While children crowded around the display, many adults apparently seemed somewhat
uncomfortable by the sight. Why?
We think it's because man is made in the image of God, and in his heart he really knows that
Genesis is true and he is not some rearranged ape. Sadly, human beings often accept evolution,
even though something inside them tells them it's a lie!
Source: AnswersinGenesis.org
Creation News
Click on the Bible above or visit the web site listed below!
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Creation_News
This new addition to our web site will give you an article on the leading news in the
Creation/Evolution controversy each day.
This section also includes a rotating Question and Answer feature and a weekly Creation Comic
strip from the people at AnswersInGenesis.org.
Be sure to come back and visit each day for an informative article that will help you keep up to
date on the latest news in this controversial area!
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Thought For The Day
"Death is not a period, but a comma in the story of life."--Amos J. Farver
Verse for the Day
"Jesus said unto her (Martha), I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth
in me, though her were dead, yet shall he live: And whosover liveth and believeth
in me shall never die." --John 11:25, 26a
Kid's Thought For The Day
A little girl who was late coming home for
supper. Her mother made the expected irate
parent's demand to know where she had been.
The little girl replied that she had stopped to help
Janie, whose bicycle was broken in a fall.
"But you don't know anything about fixing bicycles,"
her mother responded.
"I know that," the girl said. "I just stopped to help
her cry."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -- Henry Ward Beecher
Coach's Thought For The Day
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear --not absence of fear." --Mark Twain
Writer's Thought For The Day
"To be a writer is to throw away a great deal, not to be satisfied, to type again,
and then again and once more, and over and over." --John Hersey
Deep Thought For The Day
"Everyone seems normal until you get to know them."
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Inspired Audio -- Inspirational Audio Message of the Week!
Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of HeartTouchers.com. Every week we will offer
a different audio message that you can listen to right on your comput as you are surfing
the net or just getting things done around the house. Be sure to come back and visit each week!
This Week: "The Guiding Light" by Jeff Williams
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Inspired_Audio
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Reader Feedback!
Every single story I read is a Heart Toucher! Thanks so much for a wonderful site to bring us
so close to understanding and reality of LIFE itself! You have a wonderful site to visit EVERYDAY.
Sonja
Heart Touchers stories sometimes make me smile, even chuckle or make me shed a tear
or two. They are like raindrops on a warm day here in the Philippines, very refreshing. God bless
you and your beautiful family.
Ruth
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Over 125,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers' free
inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them just visit:
http://www.HeartTouchers.com and click on the link to listen to the free streaming audio message.
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Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business
http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery
Dear Michael,
"I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so
special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures
before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the
part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?"
I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate
your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create
such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your
video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments
to be treasured forever!"
Love,
Trisha
Silverhill, AL
Let me make you a video from your photos!
Check out my video production business by visiting:
http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery
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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Life_Purpose
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