Endtime Indications -12/18/07

Endtime Indications -12/18/07

One million face drought in southwest China*


17 Dec 2007 01:42:58 GMT
Source: Reuters


BEIJING, Dec 17 (Reuters) - More than a million people in the
southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have been hit by drinking
water
shortages in the worst drought since 1951, the official People's
Daily
said on Monday.


In the last three months, Guangxi, the country's main sugar-growing
region, had had less than half the normal amount of rain, the report
said, while other parts of the region had seen almost no rain at all.


The government has earmarked 2.29 billion yuan ($310.8 million) to
bring
water to thirsty villages, the newspaper added.


Large areas of south China are also suffering from serious drought,
with
water levels on two major rivers -- the Gan and the Xiang -- in
rice-growing provinces dropping to historic lows.


China suffers water shortages of nearly 40 billion cubic metres a
year
which its water minister has blamed largely on global warming, state
media have reported, though severe pollution and rising consumption
by
both farmers and booming cities have compounded shortages. ($1=7.369
Yuan) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard)




II. Stress-An Invitation to Self-Appraisal

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Dr. Hans Selye, the World's greatest authority on stress, stated that
one kind of stress that can be very damaging to people is the stress,
that comes from trying to be something you're not. People who try to
be something they're always afraid of having their bluff called, or
their inadequacy revealed. Whether these fears are realized or not,
the stress is there day after day, year after year, and in the end it
takes its toll.


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Introduction
It may or may not be true, as Abraham Lincoln is supposed to have
said, that "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds
to be." But here is a sense in which it is not the stresses and
strains of life as such that trouble us,, but our opinions and
attitudes about such circumstances, how we identify them and respond
to them.

In the exercises that follow, you are invited to work through several
self-appraisal exercises, and to give yourself enough additional time
to reflect on what they di, and do not, reveal about your present
situation in living.

The following exercises and resulting scores are not important in
themselves; they will be helpful only in so far as they lead you to
evaluate the nature and sources of pressures on your functioning as a
human, and in so far as they lead you to re-evaluate your style and
priorities in living. The exercises are of necessity individualistic,
but you may like to consider discussing the results, and your
reflections on them, with a cell group or your trainer whom you can
trust to be honest and supportive. Other exercises and scales are
available for similar purposes; we have chosen those which follow on
the basis that they address the issues with which we are most
concerned here and experience indicates that they can be completed
satisfactorily in private.

As a general guide, it is best to work through one exercise, then give
yourself at least thirty minutes or more to reflect on the results,
and to note down your thoughts and ideas, and what you have discovered
in the process.

Conclude by reading the associated meditation.

Unless you are able to set aside a substantial block of say six hours,
it is better to complete the five exercises on separate occasions:
don't rush them, especially the crucial reflection and meditation
times; and what you will learn by filling-in of the exercises.

The five exercises that follow include:

An anxiety scale, which gives you an opportunity to consider the
frequency with which you experience various aspects of personal
satisfaction and self-confidence.
A life changes scale which help you recognize the wide range of
factors that have a "cost" for you in emotional energy and stress
levels.
A strain response scale which invites you to identify the outcome of
pressures in your personal and interpersonal behavior.
A distress (negative stress) scale, that allow you to indicate the
relative degree of distress you are experiencing in a number of broad
areas of life.
Finally there is a "light at the end of the tunnel" opportunity for
you to write down those experiences, challenges, and "successes" that
give you some sense of satisfaction, competence, or fulfillment in
life. If you prefer a more personal approach telephone or write to
your trainer and tell him or her what's going well for you at the
moment! Rejoice in the ways in which your gifts are being utilized,
and your growth, affirmed, even while admitting that this is only part
of your story. Find a way to celebrate with others what for you at
this time in your journey is the "one thing needful."
1. Understanding your anxiety

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Years ago, I went to visit a friend, and I left my two teenagers home
alone. I worried. I returned home eight days later at three in the
morning. The boys had left the house in perfect order. Nothing had
happened. My boys had even missed me.


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Instructions: Click on the box associate with the number opposite the
statement which best represents how you generally feel. Do not spend
long on each item There are no "right" or "wrong" answers. When you
have completed the eight items, checking the one number for each, add
up the eight checked numbers to obtain your Anxiety Score.

Note the average scores (50% of people) for this scales are 15 for
makes and 16 for females; only one in four males scored 18 or more,
and only one in four females scored more than 20; fewer than one in
four males or females scored less than 13.


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Anxiety Trait Almost Never Sometimes
Often Almost Always


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1 . I feel nervous and restless 1.
2. 3. 4.
2. I feel satisfied with myself 4. 3.
2. 1.
3. I feel difficulties are piling up so that I cannot overcome 1.
2. 3. 4.
4. I feel like a failure 1.
2. 3. 4.
5. I have disturbing thoughts 1. 2.
3. 4.
6. I lack self-confidence 1.
2. 3. 4.
7. I feel secure 4.
3. 2. 1.
8. I worry too much over something that does not matter 1. 2.
3. 4.


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Date: Your total score


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Individual Reflection
1. Who or what causes you most anxiety?

2. How do you perceive the cause?

3. Do you have any physical reaction, as a result of this anxiety
within? Any illness, or physical symptoms?

4. What emotions do you feel, as you recognize this anxiety?


5. How do you act, react, behave, because of the presence of this
anxiety in your life?

6. How do you relate your meditative life, your search for guidance
and strength, to this experience of anxiety? What do you find
helpful, and what has proved unhelpful?


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2. Understanding the changes of life
Instructions: As each individual's tolerance for stress varies, the
total life changes' score should only be taken as a rough guide. The
average "cost in stress" is indicated below for events. For each of
the events that you consider you have experienced during the past 12
months, transfer the average value to the column headed "Your score."
Ignore events that have not occurred to you in the past 12 months.
Counting only those scores transferred to your column, add up your
total change score.


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Life Events
Average Value-Your Score


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1. Death of
spouse 100
2.
Divorce
73
3. Marital
separation 65
4. Death of close family member 63
5. Personal injury or
illness 53
6.
Marriage
50
7. Serious decline in financial resources 49
8. Geographical relocation
48
9. Spouse
Infidelity 47
10. Heavy drinking begun by close family member 46
11. Marital
reconciliation 45
12.
Retirement
44
13. Change in health of family member 43
14. Problems with children
42
15.
Pregnancy
41
16. Sex
difficulties 40
17. Alienation from Spouse
39
18. Gain new family member 38
19. A new job in new line of work 37
20. Change in financial state
36
21. Death of a close friend
35
22. Increased arguing with spouse 34
23. Mergers of two or more families 33
24. A serious employer financial difficulty 32
25. New Home Mortgage
31
26. Difficulty with fellow worker
31
27. Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
28. Destruction of home by fire
30
29. A new job in same line of work 30
30. Son or daughter leaving home 29
31. Trouble with in-law
29
32. Anger of friend or relative over your actions 29
33. Slow, steady decline in employer business 29
34. Outstanding personal achievement 28
35. Introduction of new major debt 28
36. Lack of ability to pay a big bill
27
37. Remodeling or building program 27
38. Start or stop of spouses' employment 26
39. Holiday
away 26
40. Start or finish of
school 26
41. Death of colleague or fellow worker 26
42. Transfer within employment 26
43. Change in living conditions
25
44. Revision of personal habits
24
45. Negative activity by spouse
23
46. Difficulty with teaching a class
22
47. Change in residence
21
48. Change in
schools 20
49. Change in recreation
19
50. Change in social activities
18
51. Death/moving away of good friend 18
52. Large installment
loan 17
53. Change in sleeping habits
16
54. Development of new friendship 16
55. Change in eating
habits 15
56. Stressful continuing education experience 15
57. Change in job
process 14
58. Vacation at
home 13
59.
Christmas
12
60. Trouble paying
bills 12
61. Misc. Problems/challenges
12
62. Minor violation of the law
11


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Date: Your Total Score:


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Interpretation of score
351 - To be taken very seriously indeed
301 - 350 to be taken seriously
251 - 300 very serious concern to be exercised
201 - 250 serious concerns to be exercised

Individual reflection
1. Can you think of causes of stress not accounted for in the above
list, which were of significance for you personally in the past 12
months?


2. How would you rate their relative "cost?" How realistic is the
exercise? What are your thoughts now, on the way life events have
influenced the pressures on you?

Devastation: a meditation
(Bronwyn Pryor)
All the flowers of my life seem cut off,
Only bare stumps remain.
Memories linger, vivid still,
Of those joys I can't hope to regain
Through tears have long dried,
My nerves are numb,
My emotions are empty, drained.
The shock of the change seemed to strive in full flower.
The pain of the knife still remains

I stare at the desolation
Where once my happiness bloomed
the barren, lifeless garden
Where my heart feels now entombed.
'What's left?' I ask of the Gardener.
'I feel so disoriented, dry.
Is there anything I can salvage?
What's left of my life?' I cry.

'Look deep within, and deeper,
'Below the surface of things.
Turn with the eye of your spirit,'
The Voice Eternal rings.

'Your roots are there, undamaged,
'Though shaken, they have held fast.
Forged over the years of plenty
Strong bonds to the love of my heart.
Look to these roots and deeper,
look to your source,' he said.
'Trust the Spirit within you
to bring re-growth from the dead.

'Nurture those roots within you,
Feed them with your faith.
Withdraw to your center where God is,
and watch new growth take place.
Relax in the warmth of my presence.
Trust by refreshing springs.
Anger and blame belong not,
Give way to the deep peace within.'

Trust him? I will, I decide now.
Though he slay me, I'll yet trust his love.
With him I will leave the reasons,
The wherefores, the whys,
Till above
My earthly vessel, I gaze out,
On the whole array of the scene,
And see for myself the beauty
That new shoots and buds have been.

3. Understanding the signs of strain
Source: R.M. Oswald, Clergy stress, 1982 (based on the work of John D.
Adams)

Instructions: Opposite each item below write a score which best
represents how frequently you experience each response. Use the
following code: 0 = Never, 1 = Occasionally, 2 = Fairly often, 3 =
Frequently.


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Score Strain Response


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1. Eat too much
2. Drink too much alcohol
3. Smoke more than usual
4. Feel tense, uptight, fidgety
5. Feel depressed or remorseful
6. Like myself less
7. Have difficulty going to sleep or saying asleep
8. Feel restless and unable to concentrate
9. Have decreased interest in sex
10. Have increased interest in sex
11. Have loss of appetite
12. Feel tired/low energy
13. Feel irritable
14. Think about suicide
15. Become less communicative
16. Feel disoriented or overwhelmed
17. Have difficulty getting up in the morning
18. Have headaches
19. Have upset stomach
20. Have sweaty and/or trembling hands
21. Have shortness of breath and sighing
22. Let things slide
23. Misdirect anger
24. Feel 'unhealthy'
25. Feel time-bound, anxious - too much to do, to little time
26. Use prescription drugs to relax
27. Use medication for high blood pressure
28. Depend on other drugs to relax
29. Have anxiety about the future
30. Have back problems
31. Unable to clear up a cold, infection, a sore throat


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Your total score Date:


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Interpretation of score:
41 - Unless you do something soon to alleviate your stress, more
serious illness will result
31 - 40 Above average strain. Stress is having a very destructive
effect on your life. You are living a good portion of your life
beyond your stress threshold.
21 - 30 Stress starting to show its effects. You are living near your
stress threshold, at times crossing it.
0 - 20 Below average strain in your life.

Individual reflection
1. Check all responses on the scale to which you gave a '3'.
do they relate in any way? What is the pattern of your strain
responses?



2. What changes do you think need to take place in your life, your
habits, your use of time, your relationships, your spiritual life, in
order to lower your score?



4. Understanding recent experiences of distress
Instructions: Listed below are some areas of life that may exhibit
distress in living. Based on your own recent experience, opposite
each item below write a score that best represents the intensity of
distress or conflict for you. Choose your own score for each item, on
the range from 1-6. Be sure to write in one score between 1 (no
distress) and 6 (high distress), for each item in the list.


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Your Score Broad Areas of Life


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1. Interpersonal relationships
2. Marriage
3. Sexuality
4. Workload
5. Delegating work
6. Faith and belief
7. Finances
8. Privacy, space and time for yourself
9. Expectations of my spouse, by others
10. Structures and procedures of my employer
11. Expectations of me, by friends
12. Expectation of me, by family members
13. My feeling of being cared for, by others
14. Management of conflict
15. Self image, self esteem
16. Physical health
17. God's training program for yourself
18. Other continuing education
19. Pressure of life in general, rapid changes to society
* You may also wish to add other broad areas not already covered, but
which are of current importance to you. Give each a score between 1
and 6, as for above.
20.
21.
22.


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Date:
Calculation and interpretation of scores
1. Add up the total of all scores:
2. Divide the total by 19 (or more, if you filled in other items):
Avg:
3. If you average score is (below 3-little or no distress) (between 3
and 4-significant distress) (5 and above-major distress)


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Individual Reflection
Of the 19 or more items listed, which single area is the most
important source of distress for you? What specifically contributes
to this area being distressing at present, or in the recent past?

What other factors or causes contribute to your feeling of high
distress at this time? If there are none at present, reflect on your
past experience, and how you have coped or risen above the distress.

What are the sign or effects of distress in your life? How have the
main areas of distress changed your behavior, attitudes, interpersonal
relationships?
Who or what is helping (or has helped) you overcome this stressful
time? Be as specific as you can.

Where did you learn most about coping with stress? Consider what you
learned from your parents (family or origin), your spouse or present
family, your period's of education, more experienced colleagues,
particular friends, etc.

As you look back over this exercise, what strikes you as most
significant about your experience of distress or conflict? And about
your ability to move beyond it?

5. Light at the end of the tunnel
The preceding exercises focus to a fair extent on the negative
experiences of your life, those experiences or situations that you
perceive as causing you anxiety or distress, those that have had a
significant negative impact on your emotions or lifestyle. By
contrast, here is an opportunity for you to consider what is going
well for you at the moment, the things, experiences and relationships
that you are enjoying and that give you satisfaction or confidence.
Relax, and reflect relationships that you are enjoying and that give
you satisfaction or confidence. Relax. and reflect on the positives
in your life at this time. Jot them down under the heading provided
here, or others that are more part of your life and in which there is
at least something good to report. Despite the pressures under which
you live and work, there really is light at the end of the tunnel for
those with eyes to see.

Rather than repeating the same responses under different headings
below take your time and try to identify different experiences.

areas of life in which you feel competent or confident


areas of life which have changed for the better for you


areas of life which in which you feel you are making some worthwhile
contribution, or about which you feel excited or at least positively
motivated

people or relationships that you are finding encouragement


individuals or groups with whom you find rapport and empathy


Problems or challenges that you have tackled with some success:


Sources of personal satisfaction or enjoyment:


topics of newfound clarity or insight:


the best thing that's happened to you in recent weeks, or the best
thing you've done in recent weeks:

Blessings and burdens: a meditation
(Bronwyn Pryor)
In the light at the end of the tunnel,
With full knowledge, I'll be able to see,
Looking back on my life from the safety of God
What were true burdens and blessings for me.

Is a lot of my pain just self-induced
Because I run away?
Does the Shepherd hurt too, and long to see
His sheep more joyful and gay?

'All things work together for good.'
Not, no, you cannot mean...
Here, there, and...not everywhere
For those with eyes to see?
You want me to see with the eyes of faith
That there's good in the hardest hurt?
That the greatest blessings will be those which come
From my struggle with inner dirt?
That final blow that brought me so low
I'll never be able to see,
That you were there behind the hurt,
That you allowed that for me.

Ah! This job is easy for me,
Jotting my blessings down.
There won't be many things to write,
Then I can head out of town.

I've counted my blessings, Lord
There's good food, the sun, the sea
This land we call Australia
Is still wide and wealthy and free.
My friends are good, my family fine,
Competence, fulfillment and satisfaction mine.
In all these, your hand I can see.

But something is niggling below my thoughts.
Is there something more?
I have a deep suspicion that
I''ve seen this list before
I study the list of my blessings,
And then I begin to see
Aren't these the same, labeled burdens,
When I wrote that list before tea?

Good food has become a burden
Which around my waist I wear.
The problem of how to stop gluttony, Lord,
is making me lose my hair

And family, so glad I have them, now,
But they all take their toll,
Of my time and my patience, my energy too,
Not to mention my missing bank roll.

Do I cross them off, or keep them on?
There must be some mistake
Why is my family on both lists?

Then look at my strengths, the days I've felt
Happy about my work.
At times I feel competent at the same task
That sometimes I just want to shirk.
They're so mixed up! Which is which?
Inextricably intertwined.
I separate out a thread of good
and leave some more behind.
And what is this that I've picked up?
It's not all pure and white.
I can see a burden there,
As well as a blessing light.

In that you I see in the turning twine
Or is it the other fellow?
The light and the dark keep changing their shape
Like a chameleon yellow.

I have a deep suspicion, Lord,
I'm beginning to suspect,
that if I keep going long enough,
My assumptions I'll have to reject.
My burdens, with time, turn out to bless,
and my blessings become a tie
Which brings responsibilities
Yet bless even as I sigh.
With effort comes satisfaction
And, digging deep enough,
I suspect there are blessings in the hardest task,
Then the real gold is in the rough.

Leadership Models
Samuel
The willingness of God's people to barter their spiritual birthright
for the benefit of contemporary secular thinking is not unique to this
generation. During Samuel's time, the Israelites were a small,
insignificant nation in the midst of international superpowers. They
were content to have Samuel as their spiritual guide and God as their
king. But as Samuel grew old, his ungodly sons abused their
leadership positions. The Israelites compared themselves to
neighboring nations and envied their powerful armies, their
magnificent cities and the glory of their monarchies. Rather than
trusting in God to win their battles, to direct their economy and to
establish laws for their land, the Israelites wanted to be just like
all the other nations with a king who would do this for them. They
took their request to Samuel. In response, Samuel gave them God's
appraisal of where this pursuit for a king (a material world) would
lead them.

Read 1 Sam. 8:10-22 NIV).
The glittering trappings of such a material world dazzled the
Israelites. Sustaining such a material world required oppressive
taxes from its citizens. The Israelites clamored for such a world.
God gave them one, and the results were disastrous. What went wrong?
The problem was the Israelite's assumption that spiritual concerns,
such as righteous living and obedience to God, belonged in the
religious realm while the practical issues of strengthening the
economy, and unifying the country were secular matters. When the
Israelites separated spiritual concerns from political and economic
issues their nation was brought to its knees.

Student Prayer
O Lord, help me to know fear in a positive way, and set my feet on the
path to wisdom. Amen.

Well now that we have looked at some basics, how we have run our lives
and the results that we have obtained. Let us look in the next lesson
at another answer toward improving the Quality of our Life.


For more information go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeramiahs_back_again/
.