Hope

Hope is the encouragement that gets you out of bed when all you really want to do is burrow under the blanket instead

Hope sees positive Change when the situation looks despairingly bleak; When needed most it provides strength when you are weak.

Hope is seen in a child's eyes, it's 'wonder of the possible' --- that takes the naysayers by surprise.

Hope is leaders who pursue progressive responsible change, not defending an ineffective status quo; Going beyond complacency towards new frontiers of opportunity where many dared not go.

Hope is common sense solutions to challenges facing the nation: Deficit; Energy; and Education.

For we are not a people that do wail as victims of circumstances nor do we quit; We live our destiny; rising up and putting on our strength which is responsibility.

When a crippling financial crisis ravished the land, Hope's cry resonated from businesses and individuals saying , "Yes, We Can!"

For out of many, we are one. We are Democrats and Republicans; Conservatives and Liberals; Christians, Moslems, and Atheists too. We are the United States of America.

Hope is You.

Connecting-the-Dots

“Connecting-the-Dots” is more than a political catch phrase. “Connecting-the-Dots” is more than a child’s activity. “Connecting-the-Dots” involves the ability to see relationships between two ideas or concepts.

 “Connecting-the-Dots” is the basic foundation of learning and is dynamic process. For example a child learns to connect the concept of ‘dog’ with the features ‘four legs and a tail’. As the child matures and is introduced to new information s/he learns to connect additional features to the concept ‘dog’ and differentiate it from other animals. Learning how to read using phonics utilizes this skill. Learning the rules of grammar utilizes this skill. 

“Connecting-the-Dots” forms schemas i.e. provide order to and understanding of environment.

“Connecting-the-Dots” reflects the functioning of the human brain. “The corpus callosum is the main transverse tract of fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres…The primary function of the corpus callosum is to integrate motor, sensory, and cognitive activity between the left and right hemispheres.” The corpus callosum facilitates complete understanding of environment

“Connecting-the-Dots” promotes logic and pragmatism. “Connecting-the-Dots” promotes respect for diversity and civil discourse by encouraging specificity not generalities. “Connecting-the-Dots” reduces rigidity or myopic thinking and bigotry. Gandhi and King showed practical understanding of the skill when they pursued not only freedom but social justice in their respective countries.



“Connecting-the-Dots” is mental discipline. “Connecting-the-Dots” is the process to achieve mental discipline. The residue effects of the achieving mental discipline is the ‘American Dream’.   

“Connecting-the-Dots” promotes innovation and progress. Wilbur and Orville Wright utilized the skill when they developed the idea, ‘airplane’ by considering the relationship between birds and machine.   


“Connecting-the-Dots” is useful in providing solutions to complex challenges. Individuals, Businesses, Nonprofits, and Governments  are successful when they are willing and able to adapt to new realities through effective use of this skill.


Further Consideration


A Strategy for American Innovation



Look at the chart and say the COLOuR not the word

           
YELLOW       BLUE              ORANGE             BLACK           RED                GREEN

PURPLE         YELLOW       RED             ORANGE       GREEN           BLACK

BLUE              RED                PURPLE             GREEN           BLUE              ORANGE


Left-Right Conflict --- Your right brain tries to say the colour but your left brain insists on reading the word.


What is the missing number in this series?

37, 10, 82           29, 11, 47          96, 15, 87          42, ?, 15

Answer:  6 --- The middle number is the sum of the first two and the last two numbers.


Turn the word "THINK" into "BRAIN" by changing one letter at a time - each new word must be a real word.

Answer:

THINK
THICK
TRICK
TRACK
TRACT
TRAIT
TRAIN
BRAIN  

Connect all the dots by drawing a line without raising your pencil or crossing any lines.

.   .   .                 

.   .   .              

.   .   .              

Hint: The solution requires going beyond the ‘box’ paradigm

The Productivity Principle

---“Be Fruitful and Multiply” ---

Man must remember the perennial conflict between God and Lucifer. The conflict deals with the recognition of the sovereignty of God. It involves two fundamental issues: Life and Freewill. God presents the Principle of Productivity whereby man may use his freewill to enjoy life in terms of body, soul, and spirit.













Productivity is not just in terms of dollar and cents, but in accomplishment, morale, and sense of fulfillment. It is related to the Law of Reciprocity; the Law of Sowing and Reaping.


God said “Be fruitful, and multiply”. Simply, ‘Be productive and get results that meet the approval of God’; Legally stated: Pro se – ‘act on ones behalf’; Scripturally stated: A person must believe that God is, and that He is a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him. The Principle of Productivity acknowledges the sovereignty of God.

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Many people are passive and do not exercise their freewill to act upon their environment to do good. They are more reactive instead of proactive. By being satisfied with just consistently only reacting to their environment, individuals become more like an object with no freewill. This reinforces Lucifer’s charge against God Almighty and His Sovereignty.

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Man is a freewill agent. Man has the ability to freely
choose to acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Lucifer denies the freewill of man and his ability to freely choose to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.

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The significance of the Principle of Productivity is evident in every sector of society through the problem of learned helplessness and recidivism associated with the nation’s educational system, homelessness, crime, culture of poverty, culture of organizations, the ‘cycle of abuse, and community apathy.

The significance of the Principle of Productivity is evident when many organizations are successful in a materialistic manner but still lack Productivity. Usually, the condition of being nonproductive is evident through inefficiency and the management of human resources. Some examples may include the following:

1. Employees/volunteers: fulfills their responsibilities with low or lack of commitment to mission of organization;
2. Employees/volunteers: no sense of personal fulfillment (belief that individual actions make a difference); no personal development, burnout/apathy; sense of hopelessness, and high turnover.
3. Organizational Culture: Complacency, Stagnation; no vision (well-integrated and coordinated processes & goal); widespread disrespect; and every evil work.

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Ministry of Reconciliation

“Therfore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” ---II Corinthians 5:17-19

The significance of the Principle of Productivity is evident through the problem of recidivism. Many ex-offenders or survivors of abusive relationships believe in God and want to improve their lives but are hindered from productivity. When a person is released from imprisonment they may not be accustomed to acting on their own behalf and receiving positive results. Their past may reflect a pattern of being treated as mere objects with no freewill or a pattern where there is no encouragement to exercise freewill in positive manner and receive positive results. The Ministry of Reconciliation involves the process of restoration/revival of the earth as well as the body, soul, and spirit of man.


There is an understanding that personal efforts can make a positive difference i.e. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” ---Phillippians 4:13.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." --- Romans 8:35, 37

"Yes, We Can!"

"Sí, Se Puede!"

“Nam, Nehnu Nastatyeh!”

"Yo Mir Kenen!"

"KEN ANU YECHOLIM!"

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Faith-Based organizations may be important in the Reconciliation process. It involves more than the mere preaching and teaching about the existence of God. It understands how to acknowledge His sovereignty; worship God in spirit and truth, despite life circumstances.


Yes, the Ministry of Reconciliation involves the essence of Christianity i.e. the resurrection of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.


Faith-based organizations should embrace the message of the Resurrection: Hope.
1. Be humble.
2. Fulfill steward’s responsibility of taking care of the earth; God’s creation.
3. Believe in a person’s abilities and determination to use abilities in a positive manner to achieve wholeness in body, soul, and spirit.

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The Laws of Reciprocity/Sowing and Reaping states all actions have consequences. Our thoughts towards each other determine our behavior and attitudes. The way we see and think about our fellow man should reflect hope. Man should put trust in man to do good. God put trust in man to do the same, though man brought disappointment to God again and again. Is this not grace and mercy?


If a person doesn’t receive any positive results – just a simple praise or encouragement to “be not weary in well-doing for ye shall reap if ye faint not”; if a person comes to believe that no matter whether s/he tries to do the right thing there will be no positive results, then the person may eventually will not recognize the sovereignty of God i.e. doubt Him and His ability to bring forth life to body, soul, and spirit. A person may doubt the fact He is.

Acknowledging the sovereignty of God is a serious endeavor. It involves humility and respect towards all men w/o partiality as well as towards God Almighty. Failure to do so may result in the loss of souls --- others and own. In light of this understanding & pursuing man’s purpose of acknowledging the sovereignty of God, consider whether you’re a helper or a hindrance.

So in conclusion….

Making a Difference

“Like a Pebble in a Pond”

Everyone seeks to make a ‘big splash’ and be recognized for their actions. There are some individuals who make more of an impact on their environment not by making a ‘big splash’ but ripples. There are individuals who through their speech, actions, and sometimes their mere presence create ripples of change that causes the cessation of stagnation, apathy, and/or complacency. Like a pebble in a pond…plop!…people may not even know that the ripples of change were caused by the individual’s words, actions, or presence. Their name may never be found in the annals of history. However, the ripples of change produce movement towards enthusiasm, vitality, and hope.

“Like a Water Droplet”

Sometimes life circumstances may seem so overwhelming and may cause a person to think the circumstances may never go away or change. There are some individuals who make an impact on their environment by using the power of a water droplet. Through perseverance and faith they deal with the circumstances of life. As time passes by, the circumstances that were so overwhelming are reduced to something that can be used to facilitate enthusiasm, vitality, and hope.

People who are ‘like a pebble in a pond’ or/and ‘like a water droplet’ is a threat to the soul’s adversary only because the Principle of Productivity is evident through the strength of their character. There’s continual positive impact on the environment in spite of life circumstances. “Beloved, think it not strange”… It is expected that the soul’s adversary would try to hinder/minimize the expression or the significance of the Principle of Productivity. “Rejoice,…that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (I Peter 4:12, 13)