Students Of Success

One thing is for sure. The Bible is a book of stories that force those who see only a literal truth in them to suspend all critical thinking. When I was a kid, Sunday School seemed to be the place where the supernatural events of both the Old and New Testaments were poured into our heads and simply taken for granted that these things really could and did happen.

Snakes really did chat with Eve about God’s hiding truth from them. Boats held all animal life on the planet for a year while the whole world of humans drown. God spoke through flaming bushes that did not burn up. Axe heads floated. The right man could raise his hands and stop the sun and the moon dead in their tracks, which meant he could stop the rotation of the earth, without consequences. And of course, the dead were raised to life on a lot of occasions, depending on the need.

It was this raising of the dead that always both fascinated and creeped me out as a kid. Did these kids and adults become famous after this? Did the raisee start to go to heaven and get recalled and get really mad at the raiser for bringing him back to herd sheep again? And how about this:

“Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died … And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet” (2 Kings 13:14,20-21 KJV)

Here a dead man is lowered into the tomb of Elijah, touches his bones and revives! Well, even as a kid I did wonder if the man was dead to begin with and that hitting the bones might wake anyone up, or if he was dead and revived, what a creepy story! I imagined him standing up and yelling back up at the guys who threw him in the hole, “Hey, haul me back up, I ain’t dead anymore.” Of course they simply hauled him back up and said, “Oh sorry.” Kids have great immaginations when it comes to stories like this.

The dead were always getting raised back to life in the Bible. It was as common as getting stoned, which was the standard punishment for Bible offenses. I watched the stoning of a woman in Iran on the internet once. Big mistake. Makes you wonder if there really is a God, or why one would feel the one in the Old Testament is “Our Loving Heavenly Father.” Nuther topic I guess.

But, aside from Jesus resurrection, there is a story in the Book of Matthew, and only in the Book of Matthew that always made me wonder.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?… And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
(Matthew 27:45-53)

Now this was a story! Never mind that no one ever mentions this event again. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, writing during the second half of the first century AD, produced two major works: History of the Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews. He says nothing about this most extraordinary occurrence. This one missed his attention big time so he reports nothing of this, and does not interview any of the “many” who must have been around for years after just itching to be asked about how it felt to be back.

Peter never mentions it in all his attempts to convince the masses that Jesus did rise, in fact, from the dead. Paul never mentions this event as proof of Jesus resurrection either. The fact that these risen saints must still be alive and now members in good standing of the early Church never seems to come up. You’d think they at least would get to be deacons and elders! I would hope they did not rise then die again real fast when they were no longer needed as a type of the general resurrection of the saints! One death is scary enough and the few who were not part of the many resurrected might be the lucky ones after all.

Everything in the Bible is so dramatic! The sun goes out and the earth shakes, renting rocks. As I kid I remember thinking , “why does God have to ‘rent’ the curtain of the temple when Jesus died? Why not just ask them to “please take it down now. The Holy of Holys is now open to all. If you don’t, then I shall rent thee too.” And if the rocks rent, why did not most of Jerusalem, including the Temple fall down? I mean, high roof, pillars, big basinsall good candidates for renting and falling over. But, of this, no one records a thing, save for this one observation by Matthew. But back to the account.

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
(Matthew 27:45-53)

So here we have Jesus on the cross, still alive and distressed that God has forsaken him. At this time it appears, or perhaps by implication, at the moment of his death, the graves of many of the “saints” open and they rise from the dead. Well not quite yet because it appears someone spotted a problem with this verse and added just a bit to make it doctrinally acceptable for future reads.

But first, what’s with these people being “saints?” Aren’t saints members in good standing of the Church and converted Christians? Jesus is not even dead yet, or just died! There is no church and certainly no saints unless just following Jesus around as a curious follower the past one or three years depending on which Gospel you read qualified one as a “saint.” Hmmm, seems like something you would ad to the story when the church was up and running decades later.

Secondly, it says that it was a resurrection of “many bodies of the saints.” Many? What happened to “all.” There could not have been too many to leave some behind! Can you imagine the conversations that must have followed in the weeks following this event?

“Hey, Shlomo is back! So, where is your Benjamin? Oh, really? Not one of the many huh? Sorry.” Or…

“Hey Mary, my Sol, who you remember, died last year, says hi. So wasn’t your husband one of the blind that Jesus healed, and died about the same time. What’s he up to today?”

Anyway, it seems that only the many but not the all got raised.
Next we have the problem of the graves being opened, but no one being allowed to come out of them until after Jesus personal resurrection. This is where being doctrinally correct comes in.

Matthew, or the editor who spotted this problem, could not have Jesus being preceded in resurrection, by any, much less, many of the “saints.” This would be putting the cart before the horse. Jesus could not be the “first born of many brethren,” if many of the brethren had already been up and running from the dead while Jesus was either on the cross wondering why God had forsaken him, or newly dead and not yet resurrected himself. So the phrase, “after his resurrection” was inserted to make this a doctrinally correct event. Had that phrase, “after his resurrection,” not been added, the story would be an unending source of doctrinal problems, as if it isn’t now.

So here we have these graves opened, but the bodies just lying there, open to view, ewwwwwwwww… bones mostly, not bodies anymore, even though it said bodies. Then, after Jesus rose, the bodies stood up and went home to see the family and friends. You’d think someone would have mentioned this later, but it didn’t make much of an impression on anyone but Matthew it seems.

One other way this might have been was that the saints were brought back to life right when the graves opened, (how do they open I wonder?), but had to just lie there for three days and three nights until Jesus was back. Talk about boring and scary if you didn’t know what was going on! You’d think, in either event, that the disciples, Joseph of Arimethea– who buried Jesus, the women who brought spices to the tomb and everyone would have noticed all the opened graves and not of Jews or Romans, but of Saints!

If the graves were opened for three days, would not word get out and the town get about the business of filling them in again? If they were fresh bodies, what a stink and if they were alive fresh bodies laying low for now, what a scare! I can imagine, as a kid of course, a small crowd around each open grave chatting with the saint, and the saint saying, “Help me, I can’t move. Not knowing he had to lay there until Jesus was resurrected first. I can also imagine a small crowd hearing this plea, dispersing rather speedily.

Well, it’s a great story that no one but Matthew seems to be aware of or use to further the Gospel. Knowing the writer of Matthew, it never happened. Matthew was great at over reaching and searching the scriptures to make a point about Jesus. Matthew could make an Old Testament story mean what it was never meant to mean. All of Matthew’s “and thus it was fulfilled” accounts in the birth narratives of Jesus, where he goes back into the Old Testament to prove everything from Jesus virgin birth to it being predicted that he would be from Nazareth or return out of Egypt after Herod dies, are examples of this over reaching. No one else quite had this way of proving Jesus down pat as well as Matthew, whoever Matthew really was and may not be who you think. It would be a bit like me using portions of Lord of the Rings to show how Tolkien prophecied the war in Iraq.

So off to visit friends in Jerusalem these saints went. But we have no names and no further accounts. We have no stories of happy reunions of the dead with the living. No one seems to write about this in any public records and no one ever after uses this event to further the proof of Jesus resurrection or the power of God. Actually, it never happened, and only the most uncritical thinker and die hard (pun intended literalist would dig it as a real event in space and time (pun intended again:)

Preparing for baby is an exciting process that can be as unique as childbirth for first time grandmothers. Once you recover from the initial shock that your baby is no longer your baby, it’s time to get mentally and physically prepared to offer proactive support to both mommy and daddy from the beginning of the pre-birth process until the end of the new mom’s recuperation phase. It is truly more than preparing for baby showers, opening gifts, and recording cards.

It all begins with the announcement. From the moment you’re told you are about to be a grandparent, nothing is the same. My husband and I received our announcement on Christmas Day. Our daughter and son-in-law came to the living room of their home to say “the test was positive, congratulations grand mom”. A new life had formed, a child was in the wings. The excitement is indescribable. It is one of many times you realize that it is only through the power of God that such a miracle would be possible. The months of preplanning begins by encouraging the mom to eat and sleep properly, initiate planning the baby shower with save the date cards, helping to monitor gift registries and coordinating materials that would be useful after the baby is born. Even selection of what the mom and baby would wear on their first trip home is reminiscent of the bridal planning process.

There are several issues, however, that are often overlooked during the preparation phase. The future Grandmother needs to be proactive about getting ready for the level of hands on input and support that will be needed from her before, during, and after the birth. Essential elements of grandmother preparation should include one of several things:

Watching your diet, taking vitamins, starting an exercise program - you could be “actively” involved in the birthing process. I was part of the designated support team and, as such, participated in the breathing exercises, hand holding and offering the gentle conversations my daughter needed while experiencing labor pains. In addition to singing songs, stroking her head with a wet cloth throughout the process, I reminded her of scripture verses that she could use as a source of her strength including “I look beyond the hills from which cometh my strength. My help comes from the Lord who made both heaven and earth”. (Psalm 121:1-2 KJV)

Being prepared with a CD player or recorder for playing favorite her favorite music and other inspirational messages can be very helpful in providing comfort at the most strenuous moments. The Grandmother’s role is pivotal for both the new mom and dad and she must be physically up to the challenge even in early hours of the day. The best time to get ready physically is before you are needed. A nine month low impact aerobic or regular walking routine will make a world of difference during a 10-20 hour labor.

Taking time to refresh your knowledge about pregnancy and birth - Especially if you are going to be part of the child birthing process, a brief refresher of what to expect would be helpful. Your daughter will look to you at various points of the process for your reassurance. It would be helpful if you are able to use terminology she learned during the birthing preparation classes to let her know you are aware of what she is experiencing and can relate with up to date information.

Setting aside at least two to three weeks time - Being available to spend or be on call to help the new mom during the recuperation and adjustment period is an invaluable gift your daughter will never forget. Sleep schedules, adjusting to feeding, doctor’s appointments, stabilizing meal schedules, addressing unexpected emergencies, doctor’s visits, and helping with general lifestyle changes all make a difference between smooth and traumatic transition. The significance of your presence during this time cannot be measured.

Scheduling “readiness” packing–Do not wait until your daughter is heading to the hospital to pack items as you may be asked to stay with mom and dad at the hospital overnight. Be sure to include dried fruit, juice, peppermints, and other light refreshments you can use during break times. Our team took turns sleeping and eating during the 17 hours my daughter was in labor. We prepared a food kit that included toothbrush, wash cloth, music for her comfort, and fresh fruit. Unfortunately, hospital machines offer carbonated soda and potato chips that are uninviting during the early morning hours.

Another preplanning strategy you should consider is talking to the new mom and dad about what they may need from you after birth of the child. Often new parents don’t consider the need for help until the issue arises. By initiating this conversation, new parents have the option to consider whether there is a need for help for one or two weeks to support a variety of issues including monitoring phone calls and visitors, helping with home chores, washing clothes, and preparing meals. These are a few of their favorite things.

Participating in the birth of your first grandbaby will mark a moment in your life that can only be matched by your daughter’s birth. Your role is different this time, but it is pivotal to the joy of your daughter’s birthing experience. Congratulations Grandma!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Theresa V. Wilson, M.Ed. is a Freelance Writer, with over eighty bylines in several business, family and women on and offline publications including Guide to Retirement Living, Godly Business Woman Magazine, The Greater Omaha Parents Journal and a “healthy eating” contribution Lifetime Magazine. She is owner of a home based business dedicated to families and caregivers facing health recovery and crisis related issues. Visit her site at www.meetingtheneeds.org

There are many important factors when choosing web hosting company. Let’s have a look at some of them.

First, you must answer the question: Which type of web hosting am I looking for. If you want to run a single web site shared hosting will be the right for your needs. For those who own multiple domains it will be better to buy reseller account or look around the web hosting industry and find some hosting plan which allows more domains under single account. Most web hosting companies allows only one domain hosted but because web hosting is very competitive market so if you will search carefully you will probably find some providers which offer more. If you want to drive an advanced business and need more system resources then acceptable on shared server you will need your own, dedicated or virtual private server.

As soon as you decide which type of web hosting is the best solution for your project you should make oneself clear about features you will to use. Consists your web site from static *.html files only or contains PHP or CGI scripts? Webmasters using PHP probably will need MySQL database. Most of web hosting providers offer these features in their basic hosting plans but some extremely cheap hosts (with prices about $1 or $2/month) limit you to use static pages only. If you decide to use some of these very cheap hosting plans make sure of the possibility and price to upgrade to higher plan with more features. Don’t forget you don’t need to be programmer to run dynamic web site. There is plenty of free PHP or CGI scripts on Internet.

OK, we made clear about the features like PHP, MySQL and CGI support. Now let’s take a look at disk quote and bandwidth. Most hosts usually offer more disk space then you can ever need unless you run some web site like photo gallery or adult web site. 1 GB should be enough for 80 % of company presentations. A little harder decision-making can be by choosing ideal bandwidth quote. To discover how much bandwidth you need try bandwidth calculator at http://www.marblehost.com/bandwidth-calculator.php. But take the results with a grain of salt and by choosing the web hosting program make sure that your bandwidth limit is at least 2 - 3 x higher. Don’t forget that during the time your site will go up in search engines and get more visitors who can pretty increase your bandwidth.

Last but not least read some web hosting reviews to discover how satisfied the customers of particular web hosting company are. Try to find their experience with technical support and server uptime. Discover how they are satisfied with control panel. Learn about any features which web hosts offers like web site builder or pre-installed scripts.

In the last step there will be necessary to compare prices. Find out if there is some setup fee. Setup fees usually depend on the billing period (if you sign up for 2 years plan you may pay less then if you order hosting for 1 month). Don’t forget to discover how much you will pay for the domain name (some web hosting plans includes free domain name). Then take a look for some promotional coupon codes or special actions and choose the best offer.

Bedrich Omacka is the marketing manager of Marble Host, a reliable web hosting with many preinstalled scripts which can be run without any PHP knowledge.

Some speculators seem to think that the Florida Real Estate Bubble is all the sudden is going to pop and all of the investors are going to lose millions of dollars and investors are going to go running for the hills. This is just simply not true, while many other US investing options are going sour real estate is as safe as ever before and with sky rocketing prices it’s no wonder why many big name investors is heading to Florida.

While it’s true that Florida investment real estate will certainly cool down at some point it doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. While in some cities such as Los Angeles are feeling the backlash of buying homes off interest only loans, Florida investment properties are growing in value for more obvious reasons then it’s western counter parts. Florida is attracting visitors from all over the world for it’s five star vacation experience. If you visit places like Orlando or Miami you’ll see that the city is working as a whole to bring more visitors in and is doing everything in its power to promote world side exposure. When is the last time you heard a hardworking working person say “I’m taking the family to Los Angeles for Vacation?” or after a professional athlete having a great game and say “I’m going to Myrtle Beach!”

I remember the first 6 months after Florida real estate started rising hearing “It won’t last another year” and “I’d like to see the investor’s face this time next year when he can’t sell that property for what he bought it for” The truth is there are money negative people out there and many more people that feel the world is designed to keep them down and believe it will always punish them if they take a chance on anything. What I find funny is the investors almost always end up on top and when they do take a loss it’s usually small in comparison to how much they’ve gained.

So what’s the key not to get burned by any real estate bubble? Smart investing… As long as you make educated decisions you will be far less likely to suffer the fate of the remorseful investor. Think of it as a game of poker, if you know only one card will beat you and the chances are slim to none the other person has it - is it worth going all in? It’s the same in florida real estate, if you have a great developer that has a history of successful profitable developments and a management company that is second to none it’s usually a good idea to invest in that property.

There are pre construction and investment real estate developments opening up all over the US and the investors that are scared to invest will never move up the ladder. There is risk in every industry, the difference in this industry is that you’re the boss and you make the rules. As long as you stay current in the market there is always going to be investment opportunities for you. Remember in the eighties hearing everyone complains that the stock market was way down and everyone was selling all their shares? Smart investors BUY LOW and SELL HIGH, not the other way around. When the market is low the investors buy up as much as then can, when it goes up they sell.

Don’t worry about the Florida real estate bubble popping anytime soon. Big time developers and investors have researched the market and investment brokers that are in the know will keep an eye on them like a fox and keep an eye out for any irregular behavior. I remember a few years back a client of mine telling me the following bit of information “Burger King didn’t make it big by overly researching the market and location for their shops - They just waited for Mc Donalds to put up a shop and then opened a Burger King across the street”.

If anyone has a specific question about the Florida real estate bubble and my thoughts on it feel free to send me an email or give me a call. I’ve been heavily involved in the Florida investment real estate market for more then19 years and I’m very knowledgeable about it’s turns and twists.

Goldberg Executive Realty Group
Mark Goldberg
Phone: 1-866-247-2259
E-mail: GoldbergRealtyGroup@cfl.rr.com

http://www.InvestRealEstate101.com