"My Feet Are Off The Ground"

From Tyler Perry:
writer and actor

This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I'm dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth and start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me about a year ago.?

I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I'm ashamed to say this but I thought, "I don't feel like being hustled today." Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen. As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, "Here goes the sales pitch". She said "Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?" My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second.

I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, "My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ground!" Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was crying. But I never forgot those words. "My feet are off the ground!" I thought, "Wow! All she wanted was some shoes." She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighborhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, "He just did." Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet. I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her.

This past summer I was shooting "Daddy's Little Girls" and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn't recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life. She was in a house now and doing very well.

I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, "My feet are off the ground!"

I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when I say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it. We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you everyday. Thank you for being in my life.


~Tyler Perry

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was laid to rest in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who rose quickly in show business; but his later life was filled with turnovers.

He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, and three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes...

We heard a sermon today on oneness in Christ. The Early Church of Acts 2 was amazing. Their devotion to God and to one another was the paradigm we need to study and emulate. It was a diverse church. No one culture dominated. It was unified before Rome took over. Hmmm...

What is our problem today? Are we power-hungry? Are we pressed for prestige? We have a long way to go. "Father, make us one with one another, as we are one in You. In Jesus' name,"

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur49756.cfm

Matt Lepsis was making millions in the NFL when he locked himself in a closet and screamed for help: Please, God, help me kick this drug habit.

According to an article by Pat Graham (Associated Press) the Denver Broncos left tackle, who called it quits after last season and enrolled in seminary, admitted he was high on drugs for the first six games of his final season.

"There are times my mind was completely in a different place than concentrating on the next play," Lepsis told The Associated Press. "I was in another world."

There, in that closet in his house, struggling to kick a habit that intensified after knee surgery following the 2006 season, Lepsis begged for help. He believes he was heard - and rescued.

The drug habit is now gone and Lepsis - who declined to identify which recreational drugs he abused - is taking classes at Dallas Theological Seminary, learning Greek and taking an introduction to theology course.

The offensive lineman had nearly $9 million left on his contract over two years. But he walked away, retiring after last season.

"People hear this story and think, 'He was at rock bottom and had nowhere to go and was trying to find answers to all these problems. So naturally he looked to God,'" said Lepsis, who first told his story to the Colorado Springs Gazette. "That's not what happened. I can't stress this enough: I was loving life."

The drugs transformed Lepsis from a "wallflower" into a "social butterfly," he said. After struggling with social anxiety issues, he was suddenly more outgoing and personable.

"I felt like it was making me a better person," he said. "I felt like I could communicate with people better. It was helping me."

Not in football, though.

"It was to a point I was willing to sacrifice that," said Lepsis, who didn't want to address how he dodged the league's drug tests. "Just because I felt like it was helping me with every other way in my life." (Source: www.sports.aol.com/AP)

http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=2303



Multi-million Dollar Fire Trashes Upper Columbia Office
No injuries, but bookstore, other offices are destroyed

major, multiple-alarm fire destroyed nearly two-thirds of the Upper Columbia Conference office, Sunday, December 28. The remaining portion of the building suffered significant smoke and water damage, and it's expected total damages will run into the millions of dollars.

According to media reports, an investigation into the fire's cause was to begin December 29.


ENGULFED: Fire engulfs sections of the Upper Columbia Conference
headquarters near Spokane, Washington, on Sunday, December 28, 2008.
Two-thirds of the building, including an Adventist Book Center, sustained
damage, and the regional headquarters will have to relocate during
rebuilding. [Photo: Brian Kleven/UCC].

The blaze began sometime shortly before 5 a.m. in the Adventist Book Center portion of the conference office building. It triggered the building's fire and intrusion detection system, which in turn notified office manager Bill Skidmore. He arrived at the office around 5:30 a.m. only to find the Spokane Adventist Book Center (ABC) engulfed in flames; fire crews were already at work.

Ironically, Skidmore wasn't the only conference employee to receive early word of the fire. Herman Schreven, ABC manager, learned of the blaze at 5:15 a.m. when his wife, Sandy, a fire district lieutenant, was paged to respond to the conflagration.

Firefighters faced several challenges. Recent heavy snowfall made working in and around the building challenging. Also, getting sufficient water to fight the fire was an issue, since the building is 3,000 feet from a fire hydrant. In all, help was received from eight fire districts with 55 firefighters and 20 or more fire trucks and emergency vehicles responding to the alarm. This was the most serious blaze in that section of the Spokane Fire District in "quite a long while," according to Cheney, Washington, Fire Chief Mike Winters, who spoke to the Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper.

Initially, firefighters hoped to confine the fire to the ABC wing of the office. They were unable to do so and the fire spread to the entire central section of the building. Finally, around 4:30 Sunday afternoon, the fire was stopped at the second firewall.

In spite of efforts to save the building, the Adventist Book Center, the boardroom, central administrative offices, restrooms, assembly room and kitchen, the human resources, ministerial, treasury, and youth departments are complete losses. Still standing are the trust services, communications, information technology, health, and education departments, Bibleinfo.com, KEEH Positive Life Radio and He's Alive television.


CONFERRING: Spokane County Fire District 10
deputy chief Rod Heimbinger (back to camera)
briefs UCC president Max C. Torkelsen II, left, and
associate edutcation director James Mason on
the blaze. [Photo: Brent Hardinge/UCC].

Also, conference officials were able to preserve important records, said Jay Wintermeyer, UCC communication director: "All the servers were removed from the building before the fire could damage them. In addition, all information was backed up routinely to a site outside of the building. So, all financial records and office files are safe."

Wintermeyer added that the condition of contents in the three vaults in the building won't be known until fire officials give permission to reenter the building.

The church's local Positive Life Radio station, 104.9 FM, and He's Alive TV, UHF Ch. 39, are both off the air due to the fire. Staffers are determining the extent of the damage and hoped to get the stations back on the air within the next few days.

In addition to the media disruptions, the fire temporarily disrupted the office's phone and Internet services. By Sunday evening the main office phone and fax numbers were rerouted to an offsite location. The conference technical staff has restored normal email service.

The conference office will be closed until further notice. Options are being investigated for possible temporary locations. Ultimately major rebuilding will have to take place, which will undoubtedly take a minimum of 12 to 18 months.

Conference office administration is expected to meet December 29 to put in place short-term contingency plans. The entire conference office staff is due to gather at the Spokane Valley Church the next day to be fully informed and organized to care for on-going continuation of all conference functions.

Max C. Torkelsen, president for Upper Columbia Conference said, "We are extremely grateful that there was no loss of life or even a serious injury in this tragic fire that destroyed most of the office building. Please pray for us as we seek adequate [workspace] housing for the office staff and as we meet the challenges of continuing essential conference services under very difficult circumstances."

The Upper Columbia Conference is the regional church headquarters for the 25,000 Seventh-day Adventists in the inland Northwestern United States and provides leadership for 30 schools and 117 churches throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Northeastern Oregon.

— Reported by the Upper Columbia Conference with Adventist Review staff.

...live within my means, wean myself off credit, and read the fine print of my mortgage papers.
-The American consumer (and his government)

...park the private jets.
-Big Three auto executives

...knock off the Herbert Hoover imitation.
-President Bush

...find a magic elixir that wins wars, ends recession and cures Washington's toxic partisanship--all at the same time.
-President-elect Barack Obama

...take a vow of poverty.
-The New York Times

...return every penny I can to the people and charities who invested with me.
-Bernard Madoff

...observe a moment of silence.
-Vice President-elect Joe Biden

...get stronger binoculars so I can keep an eye on them Russians.
-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

...support the 'Palin in 2012' movement.
-Actress Tina Fey

...get a license and pay my taxes.
-Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher

...avoid referring to the United States economy as 'this sucker'.
-Bush, who publicly worried that the sucker was "going down"

...sing Lee Greenwood's God Bless The USA (aka "Proud to be an American") at the Inaugural Balls.
-Michelle Obama

...get a grip on reality. Then resign.
-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who appointed a U.S. senator Tuesday to replace Obama despite allegations that he had tried to sell the seat

...bleep bleep that bleeping bleep.
-Illinois first lady Patricia Blagojevich

...bleep bark bleep bark.
-The Blagojevich family dog

...stop bragging about not being as bad as Blagojevich.
-former New York governor Eliot Spitzer

...think with my brain.
-John Edwards

...serenade John with Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats".
-Elizabeth Edwards

...offer my services to Elizabeth Edwards and Silda Wall Spitzer.
-Jesse Jackson, caught on an open microphone saying he wanted to castrate Obama

...write an autobiography that bookstores won't put in the fiction section.
-Vice President Cheney

...remove Blago from my Fave 5.
-Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Illinois

...give thanks that I live in "@^#*&! America".
-Reverend Jeremiah Wright

...wake up and smell the tourists.
-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who complained about the body odor of summertime visitors to the Capitol

...keep one eye on the world, the other on Bill--particularly at 3 a.m.
-Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton

...use my shoes for running, not throwing.
-Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi

...do for Afghanistan what I did for Iraq.
-General David Petraeus, architect of the successful "surge" strategy

...quit.
-Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe

...let college football teams decide the national championship on the playing field.
-Administrators of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS)

...show some remorse.
-Former Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld, who led the investment house into filing for bankruptcy reorganization

...get the choppers ready.
-Fed Chairman 'Helicopter Ben' Bernanke, who once said that a 'money drop' could stave off deflation

...not to go to the store for one thing and come back with another.
-Treasury Sectretary Henry Paulson

...work on that empathy thing.
-McCain adviser and former senator Phil Gramm, R-Texas, who has said that the USA is a "nation of whiners" suffering from a "mental recession"

...teach fish how to swim.
-Olympian Michael Phelps, winner of 8 gold medals

...run backward so the other sprinters have a chance.
-Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica

...remember that 'shooting from the hip' isn't supposed to be a literal thing.
-New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress

...put a trigger lock on the scissors.
-Britney Spears

1 Cup of Borlotti beans soaked and cooked for half an hour in boiling water
1 cup of brown rice
1 onion finely diced
1-2 garlic clove diced or crushed
1 finely diced stick of celery
1 capsicum finely diced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste mixed in 1 litre of vegetable stock
a sprinkle of basil

saute the onion & garlic then add celery and capsicum. Pour in vegetable stock and tom paste mixture and bring it to the boil. Then add uncooked brown rice and par-cooked borlotti beans. Pour mixture into stock pot or some ceramic pot or something that will keep the heat in (make sure water covers the mixture so rice has enough water to cook) and put it in the oven for roughly 30-40 mins on 200 deg C non fan forced. Then turn oven off and leave for another half an hour but better if left an hour

how could that be? i mean, how does he do that? how can we view the 10 commandmens as a "law of selfishness"?

A Study of Nature

Babylon is first mentioned in 14:8–a prelude to chapters 17 & 18. It is obvious that it refers to an entity with global power. When elaborated upon in chapters 17 & 18, Babylon is described as a woman–more specifically a "whore" (17:1). Here she sits on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns–apparently, the same beast that appears in chapters 12 and 13. Based on the fact that Babylon is depicted as a woman, there are some who believe that she is supposed to be the antagonist to the woman clothed with the celestial elements in 12:1. Given the fact that the woman of Revelation 12 appears to be a symbol of physical and spiritual Israel, they conclude that the woman of Revelation 17 and 18 must represent a false system of religion. However, in the context of chapter 12, it is the beast–representing the Devil–who is the real antagonist. Further, chapter 13 spells out that this beast has a religious agenda. The woman of chapter 17 and 18 sits "on" the beast.

When we look at the description of the Babylonian woman, we notice that she is ornately adorned (17:4). Apparently, the Revelator aims to show that she is dressed like a high priced prostitute. The task of a prostitute is to offer gratification to lustful impulses. Apparently, this prostitute is so successful that she has universal control over every earthly kingdom and much of the earth’s population.

Further insight into the identity of Babylon is provided in chapter 18, where she is depicted as the source of wealth for the merchants of the earth. Not only did she provide them with lavish material goods, but she also kept them supplied with slaves and entertainment. Given the vivid details in this chapter, it appears as if Babylon is more a political power than a religious one. More specifically, she seems to represent the hedonistic capitalism that has mesmerized humanity for millennia, and continues to widen the gulf between the rich and the poor.

Although there are a few texts that may suggest otherwise, the majority of biblical texts that deal with death agree that when a person "dies" he or she remains in an unconscious state until the time of resurrection. It is true that the passage of scripture in Matthew 17 describing meeting between Jesus, Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration appears to contradict this. If the dead remain unconscious, how could Moses and Elijah have appeared to Jesus? The presence of Moses poses a bigger problem, for Deuteronomy 34:1-8 is clear that he died and even speaks of his mysterious burial. If Moses was buried, how could he make an appearance on Transfiguration Mount?