Archive for February, 2008

do you love me more than these ?

by Zigfred Diaz

Words such as those could be said by sweethearts in this month of hearts. But these words were not spoken by lovers, but were asked by our Lord Jesus Christ as as stated in John chapter 21 verses 15 to 17.

The story is quite a familiar one among Christians, but I believe we cannot fully grasp the full meaning of the chapter if we do not closely investigate the meanings of the words that Jesus used.

The story begins with Jesus and Peter having dinner. During that time, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him to which Peter replied in the affirmative. Jesus told then told Peter to “feed my lambs.”

Afterwards Jesus again asked Peter the same question to which he replied in the affirmative and then Jesus told him again to “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus again asked Peter the same question the third time. But instead of replying in the affirmative, the verse says that “Peter was grieved” He then told the Lord “thou knowest.” Jesus then replies “Feed my sheep.”

Most people believe that Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him three times if he loved him. But I doubt if that is the case.

In order to fully understand the passagewe have to take close look at the word “Love” as used here.

At the first instance, when Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, the word used by him is the koine greek word “agapao.” In other words the intensity or weight of the love that Jesus was talking about is a pure or ideal kind of love, such love that would be willing to die for another person. In other words Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him so much to the extent that Peter would die for him.

Peter answered him “Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.” The word used here by Simon Peter is the greek word “Phileo” which only refers to a love with a lesser degree than agapao. Phileo is the word used for “brotherly love.” Christ asked Peter if he loved him to the extent that he is willing to die for him, but Peter replied in the negative by offering only “brotherly love.”

The second time around, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him using the same word “Agapao” to which Peter answered with the same word “Phileo.”

However the third time Jesus Christ asked Peter if he loves him, instead of using the word “Agapao” Jesus used the word “Phileo.” In other words Jesus Christ even questioned the brotherly love that Peter has for him. Jesus Christ was asking “Peter, are you sure that you even love me as a brother.”

So now we now why Peter was grieved. It is quite obvious that Peter was not grieved because he was asked three times by our Lord if he loved him. The cause of his grief is because even the “brotherly” love that he offered was questioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter then humbly replied that Jesus knows everything so there is no need to ask.

In all of the three instances after asking Peter his commitment of love, Christ always ends the conversation with Feed my lambs once and feed my sheep twice. He was telling Peter that it is not enough that you say you love. You must demonstrate your love by action. That is to feed His lambs and the sheep. The lambs and sheep here being referred to are the followers of Christ.

The message for us is, do you we truly love Christ, that we are willing to give up our lives for him? We live in a free country and we are free to worship God. But what if we are tortured for our faith? Are we willing to die for the name of Jesus Christ?

Thanks be to God that we do not have to be tortured for our faith to prove our love for him. All He ask of us is that we be good examples to other Christians, to disciple them and help them grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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online poker growing in the us thanks to poker promotion codes

by Robert Eagle

Online poker is still soaring at great heights. Online poker is striving because of many key factors including television advertising, celebrity participation, staggering tournament prizes, and the privilege of high speed internet. 25% of Americans 21 and over visited a land based casino back in the year 2005 alone. It’s not surprising that US citizens account for almost 75% of the entire online gaming market.

It is predicted that by 2011, US poker players will only make up half of the market because of the countless broadband internet access growing around the world. The US poker player market will still grow as well, just not as fast as the rest of the world. There are currently ten large online poker rooms that gladly accept US player deposits.

Poker promotion codes come from affiliate programs and fuel over half of the revenue of online poker. Many online poker rooms offer poker promotion codes that give US players a deposit bonus. Many sites offer deposit bonuses to new player signups. In many cases, if you deposit $50 you can get credited $100 to play with.

Many poker rooms offer affiliate programs which in turn produces a bonus code or an affiliate link that gives the affiliate a bounty for bringing the new player to the site. This goes for online poker, sportsbooks, and casinos.

A poker room makes its money by what is called the “rake”. It doesn’t matter if the player wins or loses money. The poker room profits by simply taking a small percentage of money out of every pot. Another way online poker rooms is by taking a percentage of the entry fee for tournaments.

Rake is usually calculated at about 5% of the gross pot and closer to ten percent of all tournament entry fees. This may doesn’t sound like a lot, but it creates billions of dollars of profits for all of the online poker and gaming monopolies combined. US Poker bonus codes coupled with marketing affiliates help bring in almost half of online poker revenue.

If the U.S. government decides to regulate online poker, it is estimated that they will raise almost $3 billion dollars a year. This would be a hit for the profit of us poker rooms, but would probably let them sleep better at night if they were in accordance with the law.

The US poker rooms that offer bonus codes for us players, and poker promotion codes, are involved in one of the largest industries the internet has ever seen. Several of the sites owners are now documented billionaires. One thing is for sure, online poker isn’t going away, it is only getting bigger.

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Links Of Interest

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what to look for in tire dealers

by Will Treps

Looking for reputable tire dealers is as crucial as getting the right tire for your car. The wrong tire dealer can let you end up with the wrong tire and the worst driving experience. You should therefore aim to find only the best dealers. Here are some things that you should look for in dealers.

Comprehensive Website

Modern, reputable businesses are now finding out the benefits and necessity of having an online presence. Having a business website doesn’t just increase a business’ client base. It also offers greater convenience for clients themselves. The tire dealer of your choice should therefore have its own active website.

The best tire dealer is one that has a comprehensive information on various tire products. Since tires aren’t the only part of your car, it would also help if your tire dealer also sells other car parts and is also an expert at it. A good dealer website should offer good information about cars in general and driving under specific conditions.

Good tire dealer sites should also provide their customers with access to tire reviews. This can help other would-be clients to determine the best tires for their particular use.

Quality Products and Services

Good tire dealers should not just sell you any tire from any random tire manufacturer. You need a tire dealer who will take great lengths to look for tire manufacturers who only offer quality tire products. This is an extra service that will ensure consumers that they get the best kind of tires no matter which brand they choose. A good dealer should also go out of the way to offer other options to consumers such as installation and installer options.

Expert People

Employees and staffs must know much about the tires their dealing with. They are after all, the heart and soul of the dealership. Knowledgeable employees need to be able to pick the right tires for clients based on relevant factors. This increases not just consumer satisfaction but safety as well. Reputable dealers ensure that they have capable employees by offering employee training opportunities.

Wide Selection

Nothing can be as frustrating as approaching a tire dealer and not finding what you want or being restricted in your choice. A tire dealer should ideally have a wide array of selections for customers to choose from. This will allow clients to choose tires according to the appropriate size, kind of vehicle, driving style and driving conditions. Dealers should have full stocks to offer clients.

Customer Service

A good customer service is important in a tire dealership, just like in any other business. Although the customer may not always be right, they do have the right to be offered and given everything that they will ever need. This includes on hand assistance, comprehensive product information and warranty details.

It may take some time to find the right tire dealer for your needs. In the long run though, this will definitely work to your advantage. The right dealer can help ensure your satisfaction and driving safety.

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a scientific explanation of the law of attraction

by Dick Ingersoll

Since the very successful movie The Secret came out, people across the world have taken a fascination with the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states that we actualize reality through our thoughts and intentions. But does this “law” have any scientific verification?

Currently, the most misunderstood branch of science is quantum physics. Quantum physics examines the fabric of our reality and endeavors to explain how the micro affects the macro. Quantum physics is still largely immature, as we do not have the tools yet to see deep enough (small enough) into matter to know everything. However, what has been discovered so far is more than enough from which to grasp a functional understanding of the Law of Attraction.

One of the most compelling discoveries of quantum physics is that matter can behave like a particle or a wave. Permit me to explain A particle is solid matter - it is limited to being in one place at a time, and you can always identify its location. A wave, however, is not a finite point. The definition of a wave, as it relates to physics, is as follows: a progressive disturbance propagated from point to point in a medium or space without progress or advance by the points themselves, as in the transmission of sound or light. Sound confusing? Don’t worry, you don’t have to understand that, just realize that waves are not finite. Light and sound are examples of waves.

Now what quantum physics found is that when firing very small particles called electrons through two slits, if the electrons were observed while going through the slits, then they acted as particles. Each electron picked one slit, went through it, and hit the screen on the back. The result after firing hundreds or thousands of these was a two-slit pattern. However, if the electrons were NOT observed while going through the slits, they created a large interference pattern on the screen behind, which is the pattern caused by a wave. In addition, the pattern showed interference from the slits, which further proves that the electrons passed through the slits as a wave, and not as solid particles.

So what does that mean for us? When you consider the fact that electrons and other small particles are what our entire world is built out of, the implications are enormous. An observer actually alters objective events on a subatomic level. Our act of observation, thought, and emotion affect the world. When scientists attempted to watch an electron and decide where it would go, they found that wherever the observer anticipated it would show up is where it would show up. The implications of this are equally huge - our expectations, thoughts and beliefs literally form the world around us on a subatomic scale!

Obviously, the ability of our thoughts and beliefs to alter and create reality is precisely what the Law of Attraction is teaching us. Now that you have a little scientific background, maybe you can put your current beliefs aside and try it out. If someone told you that you could have all that you wanted, would that at least be worth a try to you? Suspend your disbelief, and be astonished!

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make money selling brand name products online

by John E Evans

Today many online home businesses want to buy brand name products at wholesale prices. To make money you must understand how to buy brand name goods at real wholesale prices, not at prices that wholesalers tell you is their lowest wholesale price.

Did you know that many brand name wholesalers have several price structures for their customers. In order to get the lowest possible price for the wholesale products you procure you must do your homework. It is important that you shop around and compare different suppliers cost and shipping cost to make sure you are getting the best possible deal.

No matter what type of business you run be it selling products on eBay or selling goods at your own online store you have one goal and that is to make money. What ever kind of home based business you run you need to procure brand name products at a cheap enough price that you can turn a profit.

You make your money in business when you buy your inventory. If you are able to buy your inventory at a low enough price you are guaranteed to make money.

There are several places that you can buy wholesale products from including manufactures, wholesalers, liquidators, importers and distributors. Determining who you buy from depends on many factors like price, reliability, service and distributor supply fulfillment.

To get the lowest price on inventory for your business you have to do allot of research to insure that your choosing the right supplier. With the power of the internet we are not able to take allot of the tedious hours in finding the right supplier for your home based business.

When choosing a supplier make sure you consider every cost involved in procuring products this will include shipping cost, order size, tax, and deliver date. It is wise to do a online check for any problems that people may have had in the past.

Every home based business should have a business plan before they even think about buying products. You must understand any market that you are thinking about entering into. When procuring products for the first time it is important that you start out ordering in small product lots, it is vital to the success of any small business that you have good cash flow.

When you are just starting out in business it is vital that you have a marketing and sales plan before you fill up your bedroom with a lot of products. To be successful in any small home based business you must do your home work and understand the market.

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choosing the right massage therapy products

by Kerris Samson

There are a number of massage therapy products in the marketplace which makes choosing the right ones a little difficult, especially if you have just set up a business as a massage therapist. There are alll different brands to select from so it may take you some time to sort through them all. Below we offer some information that you should help you to find the right products for you.

Massage Tables - The first thing that you need to do before you actually buy your table is decide what kind of business it is you are going to be running. Are you just going to be based in one location where your clients visit you or will you be offering them a service where you go to them (mobile).

You may even be someone that actually offers both facilities to clients. Then you need to get a massage table that is not only durable (strong) but is comfortable. Plus if you are going to be mobile then you need one that can be easily transported.

Linens - As well as a table you will also need to get table pads, sheets, blankets and face cradle covers. Choose these products very carefully because they will need to endure a lot of wear and tear. If you can choose linens that feel very comfortable against a person’s skin. Remember that for many of your clients they may find it difficult to become relaxed because the linens you are using are either scratchy or uncomfortable.

You can get disposable face cradle covers but if you can spend a little extra on buying ones which you will need to launder. Although more expensive they are less likely to cause your clients irritation. If you cannot actually purchase large quantities of these in the beginning then buy one or two as and when you can. When washing them use laundry soaps which are non-biological and unscented.

Lotions, Oils and Creams - These are products which are essential to your massage therapy business and will need to be replaced on a regular basis. To save yourself money buy all the base products (unscented) in bulk and then over time build up a selection of essential oils to use with them.

The more essential oils you have this provides you with the chance of giving your clients a more personalized service as they will be able to select the oils that they prefer. Plus over time as you learn more about your clients and what they like you can start to suggest some alternative scents that they should try.

Just by selecting the right kinds of good quality massage therapy products, this can help you towards having a much more successful massage therapy business. So take your time and do your homework before you make any purchases.

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honda type s keychains

by Kathy Austin

In terms of the most outstanding sports car in the market today, that could be none other than Honda Type S. With its sportier look and its body made of the finest material, one could always enjoy its magnificent view! The good thing about Honda Type S is that it gives an awesome stylistic view to one and at the same time one would be riding like a king in this vehicle. Perhaps, one would think if this is durable, that would be not in question as Honda Type S is made out of the most durable material in the cars today. If that is not enough, a lifetime warranty would assure one of the quality. Perhaps, this would be the ultimate ride of excellence and workmanship in it.

Honda Type S is designed with the latest technological advancement in terms of its body kit for a smoother drive. In addition to its chic design, one can also experience its superb performance that would make eye attraction to people on the road. Perhaps, its superiority is being credited to the aerodynamic design of the car that would be a utility for acceleration. This would make Honda S car a stand out among its class and would surely make one’s ride luxurious and comfortable.

This Honda Type S car have given a perfect josh in the market, as they offer the perfect comfort and compact drive to the Honda riders. It has a blackish window panes and a captivating rich look and grabs the attraction of everyone’s heart. This entire outstanding outlook of Honda Type S holds a complete sense of driving by fitting with excellent and best matching accessories. Ultimately, Honda Type S car gives you a complete fashion and style.

If one would take a check on the Honda Type S model, he would discover these features: heavier back wing, latest aero front and back end aprons, new wheels, side skirts, and fresh colour- tagged leather interior. There can be no other car that gives much satisfaction as the Honda Type S model.

The quality Honda Type S cars are designed with the extreme quality and they are incredibly flexible! Along with purchasing the Honda Type S car, you can also buy the branded Honda Keychains, to make your drive even more enthralled.

The Honda Keychains are made out of stainless steel and they hold the complete license from the Official Honda Type S Automotive Brand, as they are designed in USA bestowing the supreme quality. Either you purchase a metal, or chrome or leather material keychain, they will be given out of maximum quality with guarantee to its material damage. This beautiful designed fashionable Keychains will ultimately create a chic look to your car and your drive.

Are you looking ahead to drive with real style? Want to have rich and sophisticated outlook to your drive? Want to sizzle with the trendy chic drive? The only one that matches and meets all your desires will be made by Honda Type S cars. They will give you the ultimate style and fashion mode to your ride.

The good thing about Honda Type S that it is very much affordable that would surely be a hot seller. One could get the thriving and comfort drive while walking ahead to buy this trendy Honda Type S car. The excellence of one ride will be initiated with a little rev up of its engine and having a Honda Type S keychains at hand.

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why shifting calories diet works so well for dieters

by Kevin Prott

A new concept in dieting called “calorie shifting” is causing quite a stir in among the health conscious. And although more and more of us have heard of us, few are quite aware of why this principle works. To understand why, we need to understand something about traditional dieting - and why it so often fails.

The principle behind traditional dieting is simply to “starve” the body. That is, if you eat less, you should lose weight. Sounds simple enough, but the truth is that traditional dieting usually does not take off pounds, and in fact, it can cause weight gain.

As you lower your daily intake of food, your body undergoes a series of hormonal and metabolic changes associated with starvation. It tries to store as much food as possible in a quick and easy way, resulting in more fat buildup. At the same time, it begins to break down muscle tissues for energy.

The end result is a sudden loss of water to flush poisonous byproducts out of your system; this appears on the outside as sudden weight loss. But this weight loss isn’t permanent; if you start eating normally again, you will regain that water weight as well as adding more in the form of fat while losing overall muscle mass.

On the other hand, the shifting calories diet works quite differently than the traditional ’starvation’ diet. It caters to the principle of having the type and amount of caloric intake modified from time to time, without sacrificing proper nutritional requirements to prevent the harmful effect of muscle breakdown.

What this means on a practical level is that instead of eating three meals a day, you eat four or five smaller ones daily. Each meal varies greatly with the types of food it offers and the amounts. In this way, you allow your body to burn fat and yet maintain a healthy food intake each day. During these mini-meals, you eat all you want, yet never allow yourself to feel “full.” This is important in making calorie shifting work.

As with most healthy diets, the shifting calories diet approach will benefit from having an overall healthy lifestyle, with moderate amounts of exercise. There is no reason to go overboard with it, especially at first. Even a short walk every day can work wonders combined with the shifting calories diet approach.

Traditional starvation dieting just doesn’t work. Worse, it can cause more harm than good, and is most definitely NOT good for your body. By using the shifting calories diet, you can burn off that excess fat (not muscle) and keep eating the things you normally would in plentiful amounts.

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what you should know about ‘burn calories diet’

by Kevin Prott

With so many diet plans on the market today, trying to find the one that works for you can be a trying experience. Worse, some forms of dieting can do more harm than good. So what should you look for in a diet plan? The first thing it should offer is a way to increase your metabolism. This is absolutely the golden key for long-term weight loss success.

Let’s talk about what happens when most people try to lose weight. They’ll start on the program, and they’ll lose some pounds. But eventually the novelty wears off, and they go back to their old eating patterns. As they do, the old pounds and sometimes more return. But why does this happen?

To answer this, let’s talk about why traditional dieting doesn’t work. Its method is to starve the body, thus causing it to tap into its fat reserves. The problem is that the body would just eat muscle as it would fat and in fact, this is often what happens. So yes, your body will lost some weight temporarily, but much of this is just water loss.

Consequently, in short order, the weight returns, and usually brings a few more pounds with it, as the person goes back to eating again. Many dieters feel a tremendous sense of failure at this point. Don’t! It’s not your fault! It’s the diet: It’s simply cannot keep pounds off because of what it does to the body.

The key to avoiding this is to look for a diet plan that helps you burn calories and increase your metabolism. With increased metabolism and a healthy amount of calories eaten each day, the body will now prefer to burn fat over muscle; this leads to the desired weight loss effect without damaging the dieter’s body. I am sure that you can see why a diet that burns calories is far preferable to one that slows your metabolism and causes damage to your muscles.

The best way to approach weight loss is to take a holistic approach to losing weight. Exercising to burn calories, diet plans to guide your eating habits, and making sure that you don’t slip back into old habits are all important parts of the weight loss process.

Patience is also key in effective weight loss. Yes, it’s true that noticeable loss can occur often faster than you might think, don’t expect too much too quickly. We’re talking major changes to your body and your life, and it will take time.

What this means is to be kind to your body. Don’t over-exert yourself in exercise, and don’t starve yourself. You might think you’re hurrying the process along, but in reality, you’re just making it less likely that the weight loss will be permanent.

So now the ball’s in your court. Will you lose weight and keep it off or will you return to life as usual? To make this work, you’ll need a comprehensive weight loss program and a good exercise program. Most of all, you will always need a program that burns calories while at the same time increasing your metabolism. It’s the only way to go.

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does your cat yearn to be outdoors, but you fear for his safety?

by Linda Cain

Cats have been our human companions for over 6000 years. Although some cats may disagree, they can be happily kept inside all the time, and an indoor cat is much healthier and safer than an unprotected outdoor cat. Be sure your indoor cats are at least able to see outside.

Some cats appear content staying inside, while others will want to go out side no matter how much you try to entertain them inside. But cats are not a natural part of our ecosystem in the US. Our cats are descendants of the wild cats of Africa and southwestern Asia. They were introduced here by the Europeans who brought them over in the nineteenth century to try to control the mouse problems. Don’t allow your cat to roam freely outside — it could get injured or killed by a car, and cats left roaming in our cities have a high incidence of FIV.

It’s true — outdoor cats have become a problem in the United States. They threaten to bird and other small animals, including endangered birds. They kill over 4 million birds in the United States each year, and they compete with some native predators. Many people assume that a cat can provide a benefit by killing certain animals such as mice, but mice are native mammals and important to maintaining a biological diverse ecosystem.

Also cats can multiply like rabbits. A female cat can have up to three litters of four to six kittens per litter per year. That’s up to 18 kittens every year for a single un-spayed cat. Cats want to play and do what cats are meant to do, but they need to be controlled. Cats make wonderful companions, but owners must prevent their cat from being a nuisance to their neighbors.

If you want your cat to be able to play outdoors, consider an outdoor cat enclosure. Outdoor cat enclosures provide your cat with a way to roam in the outdoors safely and securely. Outdoor cat enclosures give your cats safe access to outdoor sights, sounds, and smells, without the dangers. Today’s outdoor cat enclosures are much more than just cat houses or cages. They can be the “talk of the town” — colorful pathways and condos for kitty fun. Outdoor Cat Enclosures provide you with a way to allow your cat to roam in the outdoors safely and securely.

You’ll want to pick the right outdoor cat enclosure. Make sure that the material that it is made out of has a small mesh grade, and that it is entirely enclosed. It should be large enough to provide the cat with enough space to walk around and climb freely. One big difference between an outdoor cat enclosure and an outdoor dog run is that you must ensure the top is securely enclosed for cats and there are no escape routes between the ground and the enclosure.

The award winning classic Kittywalk outdoor cat enclosures stake quickly and easily into your lawn and allows your cat to relax in the fresh air, watch the birds, exercise and enjoy the sunshine without the risks of escape or injury. Kittywalk makes their high quality outdoor cat enclosures out of sturdy industrial strength fishnet, weaved to a steel hoop shaped wicket that easily stakes firmly into the ground. The basic Kittywalk unit can be attached to a cat door or left free-standing, and it is portable.

Kittywalk Outdoor Pet Enclosures will endure rain or shine — all year round. The material they use is weather resistant and will not rust, rot, or mildew. Kittywalk Outdoor Enclosure Systems are sturdy and help protect your pet friend from injury and attack from other animals. Kittywalk has received numerous industry awards for innovative design as well as being featured on radio, television, newspapers and magazines all across the US. Kittywalk’s outdoor cat enclosures are designed so that they can be connected together to form different configurations so your indoor cat can have plenty of room to roam outside and many different things to do. Kittywalk Curves consists of two or four 45 degree arcs that connect to Kittywalk Systems enclosures allowing you to navigate your cat enclosure design around obstacles like trees. Kittywalk outdoor cat enclosures are fun outdoor cat containment systems that let your indoor cat safely enjoy the great outdoors.

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