Endtime Indications - 12/30/07

Endtime Indications - 12/30/07
PAKISTANI OUTBREAK
aVIAN INFLUENZA EXPERTS FROM THE wORLD hEALTH oRGANIZATION CONDUCTED
INVESTIGATIONS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION MAY
HAVE OCCURRED IN pAKISTAN'S FIRST CASES OF BIRD FLU INVOLVINNG
PEOPLE. pAKINSTAN CONFIRMED EIGHT INFECTIONS,, INCLUDING TWO THAT
CAUSED DEATH. fOUR BROTHERS AND TWO COUSins fell ill last month with
birdd flu symptoms in Abbotabad, north of Islamabad. One of the
brothers who survived ssaid he fell ill after slaughtering chickins
ssuspected of carrying avian influenza without wearing protective
clothing. He said is brothers who died had visited him in a
hospital. Sporadic family clusters of infections have been reported
since the vvirus emerged four years ago, prompting suspicionss of
human transmission. WHO warns that ssshould the virus gain the
ability to sssustain human-to-human transmission, a global pandemic
could kill millions, similar to the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that
spread to virtually every c orner of the world.

XIII-Life Planning Questions
We are now moving out of the realm of interpretation and into the
realm of application, and that is personal business. No longer is our
primary question "What does God say?" We must now concentrate on the
question, "What does God say to me?" As you know, we have been
working on this second question all along, but it now becomes the
center of our attention.
We will be dealing with the difficulty of being in the world without
being of it.
We must stress the quality of life above the quantity of life. We
must not define life in terms of having rather than being.
We must learn the wonderful truth that to increase the quality of life
means to decrease material desire; not vice versa. Listen instead to
the life-giving words of St. John of the Cross, "Let your soul turn
always not to desire the more, but the less." Richard E. Byrd
recorded in his journal after months alone in the barren Artic: "I am
learning...that a man can live profoundly without masses of things."
turn your back on all high pressure competitive situations that make
climbing the ladder the central focus. The fruit of the Spirit is not
push, drive, climb, grasp, and trample. Don't let the rat-racing
world keep you on its treadmill. There is a legitimate place for
blood, sweat, and tears; but it should have its roots in doing your
best where God placed you. Life should be directed toward reaching
your graduation.
Never put happiness as your focus of life. It is the by-product of
being a Child of God, not the chief end.
"To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is
power" (George MacDonald).
Clement of Alexandria counseled that the servant of God should never
attempt to work out his salvation alone, but rather should seek advice
of a spiritual director (trainer).
Choose someone with whom you can share intimately, someone wise in the
things of the Spirit - a person able to speak the word of Truth with
tenderness. Seek his or her counsel and advice. Share your spiritual
goals. Be open, listening, teachable. If he or she detects in you a
spiritual problem and share with you, do not become defensive. Listen
eagerly to these words of life. You desperately need this help.
Find new creative ways to get in touch with God. Enjoy in the
infinite colors around you. Listen to the birds. Walk whenever you
can. Enjoy the texture of grass and leaves.
Learn to enjoy things without owning them. If we own it we feel that
we can control it, it becomes very important.
At this point you should start to establish some action points that
you want to do. Following are some action questions that others have
found helpful. But REMEMBER, God will only respond if it is in God's
and your program and plan.
1. God I won't give up on (name)
who need's my support and encouragement right now.
2. Lord, if it is part of your plan, help me to release my dreams of:

to You and entrust all of my life to Your care.
3. Lord, help trim from me these qualities that are causing me
unhappiness:

4. God I choose to believe in the limitless possibilities of faith.
I will use my imagination to picture Your intervention in these
concerns I hold:

5. Lord, help me to change this one habit that annoys my partner (or
friend):

6. Open my eyes, Gather, to unseen chances to practice kindness. Let
me move beyond grand displays of generosity to the quiet business of
being more like You. One way I can do this is:
7. Father, (name) needs a little extra love. Guide me to help cheer
them up.
8. Lord, let me begin with this heading: Thanks." Than you God, for:

9. Father, thank You for unexpected nudges that urge me toward my
dreams. Give me courage to kick out of my rut. Today is a good day
to BEGIN:
10. Lord, I offer these impossibilities to You. Help my unbelief:
11. Father, I choose to be charitable instead of challenging. And
I'm going to begin by asking Your help in forgiving and forgetting -
this hurt:
12. Walk with me, Lord. Here is one step I will take to continue
on:
13. Dear Lord, right now I give this worry to You:
14. This month, God, i will be creative! And here's how: I will
creatively approach a problem by:
I will creatively worship You by:
I will do this never-before-tried-just-for-fun-thing:
15. Lord, help me to give of myself and to share something of You
with (name):
16: Dear God, Help me to find the beauty and value in this imperfect
situation:
17. Lord, let me listen for Your Leading. (Pause and listen for a
few moments. Then continue.) I will do this special act for You:
18. I praise you, O Lord, for the powerful option of joy. I choose
to be joyful. And here's one way I can show it.
19. Lord, You are with me each day. Help me reach this one goal:
20. dear Jesus thank You for all the experiences that have something
to teach me, especially for these things that count:
Task Ability gained



21. Dear Lord, I pray for enough humility to know when to ask for
help. And today, I humbly ask for help with this situation:
22. Great God, how much I have to learn! Refresh my sense of
wonder. This month, I'll work to regain the newness and joy of
childhood curiosity. And I'm going to begin by wondering/learning
about this very everyday thing:
23. Lord, You know so much about finding that which is lost. Help
me regain my wonder in the continuing miracle of life. Allow me to
see (name) afresh today.
24. Forgive me, Father, for taking undue comfort in the familiar.
Stir me from my self-sufficiency so I can explore, dare, grow. And
I'm going to plan my first "adventure" right now! With Your help I
will:
25. God, take my anxieties away, today, that I might take a first
step in my dream of:
26. Loving Father, I now let go of (situation): Knowing that I'll
fall - right into Your arms.
27. Dear God, let my heart be ever thankful for:
28. Now that we have got you started, here is room for your own or
help from your trainer:
2. A personal growth plan
This exercise hopefully grows out of the previous review of your
'Spiritual program' but it requires more specific thought and analysis
than 'Just participating in the program.' Allow forty to sixty
minutes. Again, you may return to it several times as promptings of
the Spirit encourage you to reach for a new and still-unfolding vision
of Christian life.
You may already have a personal 'dream' or 'vision' for your place in
life, your vocation, or your family or community. or you may be
moving towards much more personal changes in your own priorities,
values or life-style. While others may be involved with you, in what
follows, give major attention only to yo8urself, your own individual
hopes, aspirations and definite intentions for change in your own
life.
A 'personal Growth Plan' is a way of defining your forward thinking
and hopes for the program on which you have already embarked. It is
an opportunity to review the directions you might take, the tasks,
opportunities and experiences you might pursue, the guides and
companions you might seek out. Most important of all, it involves a
radical openness to your Lord's companionship on the journey, and a
resolve to seek and receive the Spirit's counsel, comfort, and
direction. It is to be sought in prayerful humility, and celebrated
with joy and confidence.
The chart below contains a minimal framework for you to start on; it
may be expanded as much as you need to cover other areas or more
specific aspects of your life which you are bringing under review.
You may start on any area of life, but be both as realistic and as
comprehensive as you can. Completing part or all of the chart is a
useless exercise unless you approach it prayerfully, honestly, and
intentionally - that is, you intend to pursue it to the best of your
ability.
The underlying questions are:
'Lord, what do you want of me, to what are you calling me as a result
of this time of reflection and re-evaluation?'
'Where do you want me to be in these different areas of my life, in
three months, six months or a year's time?'
Where would you have me look for insight, resources, companions, for
this next stage of my training program from you?
You may like to reflect prayerfully on Ephesians 4:7, 11-13, as a lead-
in to completing the chart. Note down here your preliminary thoughts:
Areas of Life - Goals, Objectives - Changes - Means, Resources -
Companions - When
1. Physical
2. Emotional
3. Mental/Intellectual
4. Spiritual/Prayer
5. Family/Friends
6. Vocation/Employment
7. Financial/Material
Date:Signature:
Friend/s with whom I will share this statement:
3. The Prayer diary or spiritual journal
You may call to mind spiritual journals such as St. Augustine's
Confessions and others. Such journals, and our own more meager
experiences, make it clear that God's guidance in our lives is seen
mainly in retrospect. How important it is then, to maintain some kind
of record of our more significant questions, prayers, changes of
directions, joys and hurts, as we reflect on this God-given life.
Both the actual writing of diary entries, and the scanning back over
entries for past months or years, have the effect of clarifying
feelings and the meaning of experiences. More important, they foster
a meditative perspective on such every-day questions as:
Is this what God would have me do at this time?
How clear am I about my motives in wanting something?
What has been the outcome of my encouragement to individuals?
Where is God in all this conflict in my life?
Are my 'experiments' with spiritual actions bearing fruit? What does
God seem to be saying to us in the responses to these times?
What are the pressures that have distracted my good intentions?
What was that idea that popped into my mind as I came home today?
Even brief journal entries permit a longer perspective and a
thoughtful and prayerful consideration of the twists and turns of
life's path. They help to make it clear where God's guidance or
promptings have, or have not, been present. They should not drive us
to quilt and 'trying harder' (salvation by works), but rather to a
greater honesty with ourselves, and a greater openness to alternative
paths the Spirit might have for us. They help us keep track of our
outer and inner life and their inter-connections.
Some suggestions
Buy a strong exercise book, memo book or one of the slimmer bound
journals - large enough for ease of writing or sketching, but not too
bulky to take on your holidays or to retreats. Some people prefer
blank pages, others prefer lined pages.
Consider how you want to sub-divide the use of the journal. One
method is to use the front of the book for your thought life -
recording events and thoughts, and your prayerful reflections on these
and turning the book upside down and using the back of the book for
your unconscious life - recording and commenting on dreams, visions,
the disturbing thoughts that bubble up now and them, and the substance
of and answers to prayers.
Confidentiality: because a journal contains highly personal thoughts
of the writer, and sometimes prayers for or thoughts about others, it
is best not to leave it lying around where others may be tempted to
pick it up and browse through it. As a matter of principle, your
journal is 'for your eyes only'; it is even worth using a private
shorthand or code for names and particular events to retain
confidentiality. Anything that will encourage you to write down and
subsequently reflect upon your innermost thoughts.
Number the pages and date all entries in the journal, fore ease of
cross-reference and the better understanding of changes over time. if
away from home, also indicate your location, so that it is possible to
relate your outer journeys to your inner ones.
Frequency of entries; some 'religiously' make daily entries, others
weekly, and others only when particular events or experiences (a
dream, illness, conflict, decisions, etc.) seem to require a special
focus on movements in your relationships with God. It should be used
as frequently as seems necessary to stimulate and encourage growth in
your inner life - and most of us need that very frequently rather than
occasionally. Discipline is necessary, as in all areas of
significance in our lives.
Opening entry: when first starting a journal, it is helpful to write
down why you are doing this, what prompted you to start, what you hope
for in the exercise, your hesitations about the exercise, and some
kind of commitment such as 'daily entries for one month' or 'at least
weekly entries for six months''. Hopefully such trial periods will
demonstrate the ongoing value of journal keeping.
Decide on or experiment with the best time of the day or night for
writing and reflection. Early morning, a midday break, or late
evening before going to bed, all have their advantages, depending on
the rhythms of our lives. Find a time and place that suits you best.
Commence by becoming still and quiet in a comfortable but not to
relaxing position. Be still, and listen to outer sounds for several
minutes; then seek to still your inner thoughts and the busyness of
your mind. Praying the Lord's Prayer, or other prayers, help focus
attention on the Lord to whom we wish to attend in journal writing.
Breathing steadily but quietly, consciously letting go of muscular
tensions, or changing posture to lessen pressures on the body - these
are all conducive to the stillness and inner attentiveness that are
necessary.
Pray quite specifically along lines such as the following: 'Lord, I
want this time to be profitable in my relationship with you. Help me
to put aside my fears and hesitations; help me to deal with
distracting thoughts as they bubble up; help me to attend to the
movements of my spiritual program, and to your plan, signposts,
redirections and warning along the way. I come to find out more about
your love for me and for those I love and seerve in your name'.
Consider including in your journal:
significant joys and hurts of the day
quotations from people, or readings that have struck you - stimulating
thoughts, challenging ideas, sayings that demand further reflections
a list of those people or situations you pray for and the answers you
seek with the eye of faith
experiences or thoughts that disturb you, as you grapple with their
meaning
a list of people you need to reach out to, keep in touch with, or have
some special responsibility for
your own 'poetry of the spirit', the ways you seek to verbalize the
peaks and valleys, of your journey with God.
What about starting a journal now?
4. Prayer
"When you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in
private, will reward you" (Matthew 26:40-41).
"Come to me, all you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I
will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Prayer is the most neglected resource of Christians, and yet we so
often blame our very busyness 'about the Lord's work' for not having
the time to be still in his presence. We live and talk about
justification by grace, and live as though we were justified by
work(s). We run our lives under the supposed imperatives of the 'work
ethic', and fail to realize that even moon rockets require refueling
if they are to avoid burnout. We can be thankful that we are
witnessing, in recent years, a recovery of Christian prayer and
meditation alongside, but clearly distinguishable from,. the increased
interest in Easter meditation. There are some similarities in
approaches to or preparation for Christian and 'Eastern' prayer, but
Christian prayer is fundamentally Christ-mediated and Trinitarian in
expression, however helpful we may find preparatory physical
relaxation, the quieting of our minds, the centering of our attention,
and techniques for blocking out distractions from the external
environment. (Christianity was, of course 'Eastern' in cultural
setting, and hence in many of its religious forms and practices; and
was only later 'domesticated' by 'Western' civilization.)
The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is, of course, the model prayer for
modern as well as first century Christians. But it is a prayer to be
breathed slowly and reflectively, its nuances and depths meditated
upon and allowed to 'simmer' at the back of the mind, rather than
'rattled off' like a formula. Especially as a mode of corporate
prayer in the community of faith, we need to recapture something of
its 'simple profundity' by surrounding its congregational recitation
by times of silence. As a personal approach to God, it is a rich
resource for meditation and contemplation, a means for praying rather
than an end in itself.
5. Shared paths out of darkness
There are many ways in which the challenges and pressures of Christian
living should be shared, and opportunities made for mutual support
encouragement, reconciliation and healing in community. There is much
scope for re-discovering a collegial or team approach to shared
ministry within the priesthood of all believers. The healing power of
community and shared living is a resource sorely needed by many in
today's world, the busy or spiritually fatigued individual not least
of all. Life in community, the presence of conflict and the need for
peace, are, of course, the source of many of the stresses of living,
but they can also be the key to their displacement and
transformation. The whole body is called to be upbuilt in love
(Ephesians 4:12, 16).
In what follows, you are invited first of all to review the sources
and relative effectiveness of the support available to you in living.
To what extent are you finding mutual support and encouragement at
present? What needs to happen next to enhance your experience of
support, and of the pushing back of the walls of isolation, or
conversely, of inappropriate interference in your work?
Understanding sources of support in living
Instructions: men and women in Christianity have found sources of
support and encouragement form many different avenues. In the list
below, circle the number opposite each item to indicate the relative
level of support you currently receive from that source.
After completing all items add up the total for the numbers circled.
Source of Support Very Helpful
No help Does not apply
Lay leaders of church 4 3 2
1 0
Friends within your church 4 3 2 1
0
Friends outside church 4 3 2
1 0
Your spouse/fiance(e) 4 3 2
1 0
Other 'helping professions (doctors) 4 3 2 1 0
Family members other than spouse 4 3 2 1 0
Small groups 4 3
2 1 0
Prayer group 4 3
2 1 0
Spiritual director/guide/counselor 4 3 2 1 0
Personal devotions (e.g. Bible reading) 4 3 2 1 0
Prayer partner 4 3
2 1 0
Church and its Ministers 4 3 2
1 0
Special Groups (Encounter/Marriage) 4 3 2 1 0
Retreats/Rallies/Revivals 4 3 2 1
0
Date: Your total score (items 1-14):
If another source of support is especially important for you, write in
in at (15) and indicate the level of help:
15. 4 3 2 1 0
* Which of the above 14 or 15 sources of support is currently most
important for you? #
Interpretation of scores:
0 - 30 Relatively low support experienced
31 - 46 Moderate level of support
47 - 66 Relatively high support experienced
Additional Comments:
Individual Reflection:
Having completed the above exercise, look back over the list,
especially your top three sources of support and encouragement.
Give each of the top three a 'mark out of 10', according to how you
would rate their effectiveness for you at present. For example, a
small group may in fact be your Number One source of support, but you
would rate the group as falling far short of what you need from the
group as a source of support in your leadership, and personal
encouragement (perhaps a 'mark' of 5 out of 10).
a.
b.
c.
Reflect on what would have to happen for your top three sources of
support to become more effective in this role they have for you.
a.
b.
c.
Reflect on what your dependence on these major sources of support does
to them; does their support of you have a significant impact on their
time, their emotional energy, their availability to help others?

Do you support the people you've listed? Is it one-way or two-way?

In what ways can you grasp new opportunities to support others; in
what ways do you need to improve your capacity to care for others -
whether they are your 'friends and supporters' or not?
List some individuals whom you can commit yourself to start
encouraging in some practical ways; pray for them and yourself in this
coming new relationship.
Do you need to seek a greater range, or deeper level of support for
yourself? Why? In what areas of your life do you feel this need
most? How open are you, really, to receiving 'feedback' on your
'strengths' and your 'work areas'? Jot down your thoughts on these
issues.

One way of discussing the type of support evaluated in the section
above is to speak of the roles that other people have for us as
comforter, clarifier, and confronter. Marian Coger cites these in
'Women in Parish Ministry: Stress and Support', following the work of
Carol Pierce. A comforter holds us, affirms us, and lets us know that
our being is loved and accepted, even if our doing is unacceptable; a
clarifier puts information together, helps us sort out what is
relevant and what is not, and brings new light to situations we find
ourselves in - they help us sort out how we are 'coming over' and what
we seem to be 'on about' in our public roles of leadership; a
confronter gives us constructive criticism in a way which we are able
to hear and work on. Because they care about the outcome of your
life, confronters can challenge us, without forcing us to become
defensive. We need all three, sometimes separately, sometimes in
relation to the same complex issue in leadership. And we have the
potential of fulfilling at least on of the three roles for others
around us - they also need all three.
The three concepts also help us understand why someone who wants to be
supportive is not always perceived as giving that support. One person
returned home upset about an incident, and wanting comfort from her
husband. The husband, wanting to be helpful, began trying to clarify
just what had happened; not until the three dimensions of support were
clarified could they understand why the 'clarification' task of the
well-intentioned husband was not received as supportive.
You may like to reconsider the results of the previous exercise in
relation to the three concepts of comforter, clarifier, and
challenger. Call to mind specific people who give you support in
living; note down their names; seek to identify which of the three
roles they have for you at this time. Then consider which roles you
fulfill for specific other individuals:
A. Names of specific people who support me:

COMFORTER
CLARIFIER CHALLENGER

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B. Names of specific people for whom i have one or more roles:
COMFORTER CLARIFIER CHALLENGER
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
* Further thoughts on the implications of support in living:

Christian Model
A School in Canada
On 1993, Richard became president of a small seminary in Canada. At
that time, the xhool was in critical condition. There were few
students. Resources were scarce. Facilities were limited. Some of
the school's constituents and donors were becoming hesitant in their
support, wondering whether the school would have a legitimate role to
play. Richard sensed that God did want to use the school to impact
Canada and the world for Christ. Nevertheless, he realized that if
people were going to support the work of the seminary, they needed to
see that God was actively at work in that place. Richard began to
collect a repertoire of stories that demonstrated God's continuing
involvement in the school.
During Richard's second year as president, events began to unfold that
gave him a compelling story to tell of God's activity in the past
year. While Richard was praying for God to show him what he should do
as the school president, he received a call from Wilton, a man in
Texas, who indicated that his organization felt led by God to
construct a new academic building for the seminary. Richard met with
Wilton and told him that the building, with volunteer help, would cost
$1.4 million. He informed Wilton that the seminary did not have a
dime to put into such a project. Wilton smiled and said, "I still
believe God is in this." He then told Richard about a godly woman
who, if she were willing, could give some significant funds to get the
project started. "But," Wilton exclaimed, "I have been trying to talk
with her for over three years to see if she would help our
organization, but I have never been able to meet with her." The two
men prayed and then opened the door to leave the conference room. As
the door swung open, it almost knocked over a woman walking down the
hall. It was the woman Wilton had just mentioned. She did give
generous support, which enabled the project to be completed. During
the construction project, Richard would often relate this story to the
trustees and seminary staff to reaffirm with them that God had been
the author of the project from the beginning.
+During the construction of the facility, several events arose that
could have discouraged the many volunteers working at the seminary.
These men and women were mostly retirees who could have been enjoying
a restful summer. When difficulties arose, it was crucial that
everyone connected with the project be reminded that God had not only
initiated the project but that he was also sustaining it. One
incident that demonstrated this truth occurred while the volunteers
were attempting to hang trusses. On the day the trusses were to be
hung, a violent wind was blowing. Even for the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains, it was unusually strong. It's force was so powerful that
the men had to hold on to their hats to keep them from blowing off and
disappearing across the field. As the volunteers gathered to pray
that morning, they knew their situation was serious. An expensive
crane had been rented that was quickly consuming what little building
funds there were. To delay hanging the trusses would throw the entire
schedule of volunteers into disarray. Everyone knew it would be too
dangerous to hang the trusses with the wind blowing as violently as it
was. At the close of the prayer time, the men stepped outside. There
was an eerie calm. Not a trace of wind. For the next three days,
while the trusses were hammered into place, not even a breeze was
felt. As the last two trusses were hung, the wind returned and, as
the last nail was hammered, the wind was back to full strength.
Richard told that story over and over again. It was more than just a
story; it was a dramatic symbol, confirming that the work of the
seminary was not something people were doing, but something God was
authoring and sustaining. That made all the difference.
As the seminary was completing the academic building, God gave Richard
a promise for the future. This promise came in the form of a vivid
picture. In the future, as people walked down the hallway of the
academic building, they would pass by one classroom where students
were studying at the college level, another classroom where students
were studying Religious Education at a Master's level, another
classroom filled with students in the Master of Divinity program, and
still another room where students were doing doctoral work. Richard
could have simply concluded, "The seminary needs to expand and
diversify its academic programs," but what God gave him was an image
that symbolized a promise. Richard repeated this image of the future
many times, and it became apparent that others, too, were convinced of
God's promise. Richard often heard his professors and staff sharing
this vision with visitors to the seminary. In November 1999, this
image became a reality.
Student Prayer
Help me, Father, to accept what I do not understand, to believe that
which I cannot see, and to trust that which is beyond my
comprehension. Amen.
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