1. Simplicity: Five Things Little Kids Can Teach You

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    Lesson 1: Let Things Go

    “ Multitasking may be popular, but the Bible tells us to give our mind to what we are doing. ”
    One thing about children is they are extremely forgiving. One minute they can be fighting over a toy and the next minute they’re hugging.

    I can tell you that hating people is complicated and it’s hard work. You can carry a grudge and be bitter, resentful, mad and offended. And every time you see “that person” you can cringe inside and you can talk about them behind their back—or you can spare yourself the trouble.

    Listen, don’t waste the rest of your life sulking about some unfair thing that happened to you. Get yourself off your mind…and simplify.

    Lesson 2: Be a Dreamer

    Another thing children do that makes their lives simple is that they so easily believe. They believe in magic and fairytales. They have no problem coming up with imaginary playmates or imagining life to be amazing and fantastic.

    There’s a book by John Ortberg called God Is Closer Than You Think. And in it, he writes about a little girl who said she knew Jesus was living in her heart because when she put her hand to her chest, she could feel Him walking around.

    Now, we adults know she was just feeling her heartbeat. But that little childlike spirit felt God inside her! And when you think about it, she was right because a beating heart is a sign that life is in you.

    As adults, we need to move into the supernatural realm and start dreaming again. We need to create joy in our own lives. It’s a right and privilege we have as children of God, but it’s a decision we must choose to make.
    Lesson 3: Pick Up Your Toys

    Some of us can simplify our lives very easily, even without using our imaginations.

    For one thing, we can go home and clean up our rooms. Keep the stuff you use and keep the stuff you love. But give away what you’re holding on to for someday because odds are when you need it, you won’t remember where you put it.

    Lesson 4: Focus Your Attention

    Another way you can simplify your life is to practice doing one thing at a time. Multitasking may be popular, but the Bible tells us to give our mind to what we are doing (see Ecclesiastes 5:1).

    Lesson 5: Ask Your Father

    Finally, you can simplify your life just by trusting that God loves you and hears your prayers. Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (NIV).

    If you want something, ask Him for it. If it’s right, He’ll give it to you. If it’s not, just know He has something better for you in mind.

    It really is that simple! I encourage you to stop questioning God with your mind, and start trusting Him with your heart.

    Be a little more childlike in your approach to life. Who knows…you may just feel Jesus walking around in your heart.

    “ Multitasking may be popular, but the Bible tells us to give our mind to what we are doing. ”

    Source: Joyce Meyer
    This article is taken from Joyce’s four-part audio series Happy to Be Me. 

  2. Remain true to the faith

    Comment

    Remain true to the faith
    this is your might,
    your shelter from the storm
    light will shine way past
    these dark clouds
    before you even know it!

    Source: smstxts

  3. Just focus on the present moment

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    Do not think too much. 
    Just focus on the present moment.
    One breath at a time is enough.
    If you do well today, you will do well tomorrow.
    Today is the Mother of tomorrow…
    As long as you master your words, your thoughts
    and never allow your body to harm anyone,
    you are walking on the right path.
    Never mind who says what! 
    ~Jendhamuni

    http://leelavadeeflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/right-here-waiting-for-you-richard-marx.html

  4. This Is the Pregnant Woman Sudan Wants to Hang for Marrying a Christian

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    By Lama Hasan, ABC News
    May 16, 2014

    Lawyers for a pregnant Sudanese woman plan to appeal an Islamic judge’s decision that she be flogged with 100 lashes and then be hanged for marrying a Christian man and converting.

    Amnesty International and Western embassies are expressing alarm over the harsh sentence meted out to Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag, who is eight months pregnant.

    So far the only concession granted by the Islamic court is to wait until Ishag gives birth before carrying out the sentence.

    Amnesty International called the court’s ruling “truly abhorrent.” The organization’s Sudan researcher Manar Idriss said that “adultery and apostasy are acts which should not be considered crimes at all. It is flagrant breach of international human rights law.”

    This Is the Pregnant Woman Sudan Wants to Hang for Marrying a Christian (ABC News)

    Western embassies in Sudan including the U.S., Canada, the United
    Kingdom and the Netherlands also echoing that sentiment issued a joint
    statement expressing “deep concern” about the case and urged Sudan to
    respect the right to freedom of religion.
    Amal Habany, a
    political activist in support of women’s rights, said “The court has no
    appearance of justice or respect for freedom of choice in ones beliefs,
    personally and individually.”

    Despite the outrcy, the Islamic court has been unmoved.

    The judge told Ishaq, “We gave you three days to recant, but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death.” Officially her crime is apostasy.

    Ishaq replied, “I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy.”

    The judge also ruled that her marriage to a Christian man was invalid and not recognized under Islamic law, which means that she had committed adultery. He ordered her to be flogged for that alleged offense.

    After the sentence was decreed, the prosecutor’s spokesman Ahmad Hassan told the Associated Press that “they were given ample time to prove their innocence, but I for one believe in upholding our traditions and customs as Sudanese.”

    Link to this story

  5. The Aero-X Hovercraft Will Land in 2017

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    Boldride By Zach Doell
    May 17, 2014

    Don’t be surprised if your city streets start looking like an episode of The Jetsons in 2017. Aerofex, a tech company based in California, has confirmed it will launch the Aero-X personal hovercraft in three years time, barring no hiccups with testing.

    Personal flight has been attempted unsuccessfully many times before, but this hoverbike might actually catch on. The Aero-X rides like a motorcycle and features seating for an extra passenger with a combined carrying weight of 310lbs, so you’d better lay off the snacks if you’ve got a friend.

    Power comes courtesy of a small naturally aspirated rotary engine, which drives the dual front and rear carbon fiber fan blades to produce lift. The engine runs on regular unleaded gasoline, and provides a maximum of 1.25 hours of flight per tank, which comes as one of the vehicle’s downsides.

    On the plus side, riders can cruise around at heights of up to 12 feet off the ground and at speeds of up to 45mph. That might sound a bit adventurous; especially in the event that something goes wrong, which could happen. Luckily, the Aero-X features redundant control systems to land safely and reduce speed in the odd chance that the engine fails or you run out of gas.

    The blades are housed in ducts to allow for focused airflow, but also to reduce accidental contact with hands, feet, faces, or really anything that might find its way into a quick-spinning blade.

    The Aero-X reportedly won’t require a pilot’s license to operate, though individual states could require occupants to receive similar certification, in the same way that boaters need a boating license.

    The price for all this Jetsonian wizardry – $85,000, but if you’re real antsy to get your hands on one, you can reserve an Aero-X for just $5,000 down.

    Link to this story

  6. THAILAND ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR

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    The royalist conservatives' attempt to usurp power is a recipe for political crisis and large-scale violence
    Thailand’s Senate, the country’s only functioning legislative chamber, convened an informal meeting last week to deliberate on ways to end that country’s six-month-old political stalemate. On May 7, the Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and a number of her Cabinet ministers from office. This judicial coup was followed by a decision from the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which indicted Yingluck for dereliction of duty in handling a controversial rice-subsidy program. Despite their judicial semblance, both rulings were carried out without any due process of law. They call into question the credibility and impartiality of Thailand’s judicial system in the eyes of the majority of the Thai public.Full story
    http://kimedia.blogspot.com/2014/05/thailand-on-brink-of-civil-war.html

    Photo source: mirroruk

  7. What Happens to Shipping Containers Lost at Sea?

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    A shipping container after seven years on the seafloor.
    Soon after it left the Port of Oakland, California, in February 2004, the shipping vessel Med Taipei hit a strong winter storm with violent 30-foot-high (9 meters) swells. Amid rolling waves, 15 shipping containers came loose and toppled overboard, sinking to the icy seafloor inside the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

    Just four months later, scientists surveying the seafloor with an underwater robot found one of those lost containers nearly 4,200 feet (1,300 m) below the surface. They turned their chance discovery into an opportunity to study how aquatic life reacts to deep-sea pollution. Read full story
    http://leelavadeeflower.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-happens-to-shipping-containers.html

Live & Die for Buddhism

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Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...