Every Christmas the Yuletide card portrays a silver star in a navy blue sky and every year the same heavenly object sparkles from the top of the decorated evergreen. At season's end the three wise men and their fellow shepherds gather at a hastily set up manger for the familiar nativity scene. Though it shimmers on the greeting card and its brilliance lights up the tannebaum, it wasn't a star that erupted into a supernova on that dark Judean night. The star that shone so brightly two thousand years ago was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Shamans tend to be men {Women have more of these abilities in their natural state and require less altered consciousness.}, though women also can become shamans; some women shamans are extraordinarily powerful. In some cultures, shamans are involuntarily chosen by the spirits; they realize their calling in a transformational experience, often a serious illness that brings them close to death {For example Damion Brinkley of today.} and is self-cured. In other cultures, persons with natural shamanic gifts are selected at a young age, trained and initiated.

Is God too busy to handle all the small stuff in my life? Do I only go to Him with the really big problems?

Even as I started dating a Chinese girl, I knew I was embarking on a remarkable adventure. I just had no idea where and how far the adventure would take me. The more events unfolded, the more I realized that my view of the world and how I lived in it were being profoundly and permanently altered... If the problem with marrying a gentile was that my religion prohibited intermarriage, why should that bother me? Perhaps not everything in Judaism made sense, and as an intelligent and thinking individual I could take from my heritage what I felt was meaningful and disregard the rest...

And then we ask ourselves upon what principles are we allotted our looks. What is it that makes us ugly or attractive or “plain?” What is it that gives us a musical ear or an artistic eye; an affectionate disposition or an uncontrollable temper, a talent for mathematics or skills of language?

An article about anxiety that took another turn...

Do you realize you are creating your future by the very attitude you possess?

Why do bad things happen to good people? Surely this is a question all of us ask from time to time. Some of Jesus’ listeners asked Him the same question.

Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our part because it is not something we must put forth great effort to achieve. When God enters our heart, soul, and mind, love is spontaneously produced because He is love.

We diminish the integrity of our prayers when we foolishly attempt to use God as a means of straightening out the mess we, ourselves, have created. Getting yourself in debt and begging God to get you out from under is not praying. Mumbling words to Him when your back is against the wall is not praying.

This woman was tired. She was tired of being sick, tired of disappointment, tired of being a prisoner of disease, tired of hoping in lost causes, tired of taking one step forward and moving backwards two, sick and tired of being sick and tired.

If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that the reason we have difficulty forgiving others is because we sincerely believe we are justified in our withholding forgiveness.

The cost of freedom is not free! A reminder on this Memorial Day weekend of the cost.

Symbolism has always been important in man's development. All things are symbols. They are roadsigns or landmarks of where you are in your thinking at any particular time in the physical world. It is a simple thing to see how one is thinking just by looking at the things one gathers around oneself. But symbols can separate you from the source of your power. Danger lies in the symbol of Jesus, the cross, the Ferrari or anything that causes you to deny your power.

What you do If you find yourself in the room is ultimately your choice, it is up to you where to go next, you decide!

Do you stay away from church because you think the Bible is a fairy tale? Do you love to sleep in on Sunday morning? Not going to church has the advantage of having free time. There is something that you need to know before you make a habit of not going to church. The Bible is from God. It has some bad news. It also has some good news that you need to examine. You need to read this article...

All of my life I had heard, read and sang about angels, not really giving a lot of thought to or about them. Just before my mother passed away in August of 1984 she told me of her wonderful experience of a visit from an angel. After talking with Mom there was no doubt in either of our minds that this was a real experience, Mom passed away shortly after that.

Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like angels. Unfortunately, angels are adept at not being seen, yet many people believe in them. I saw an angel at work last year. No, I did not ...

Life is full of ups and downs. There is a time to sow and a time to reap. You cannot sow and reap at the same time. Everyone is born with the purpose.

Ever wondered how the spiritual world works? Take a look at this article and see if these insights don't offer some inspiration and food for thought.

Finding the causes of stress is the most efficient way to handle stress. By doing so, you will not only counter the ill effects of this but also divest these energies into something useful. Here are some tips for finding the causes of stress and controlling it.

Stress is a daily reality for most of us. We live with it and sometimes it is silently killing us without us realizing it. It is not a question of does stress affect a person, it is a question of how and how much does stress affect a person. Let's look at how it can affect you.

The martial arts world is filled with different opinions, different styles, and massive egos. What happens when the best parts of all of it are united under one system of combat?