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A Small Miracle & A Lot Of Love
According to the Gemarah in Shabbos 21:a (Rashi) the celebration of Chanukah was decreed because the oil, which was supposed to last one day, lasted for eight days. But at the same time the Jews were saved from the total destruction of their spiritual values and the loss of their Torah in a very miraculous manner. Wasn't this a greater miracle?Let's ask another question: Our Rabbis tell us that Josef also experienced a miracle as he was being brought down to Egypt by the Yishmalim. They were carrying spices instead of carrying tar, so the that Josef would have a sweet smell as he travelled. Josef was being brought as a slave to an inescapable place of impurity and decadence, did the spices really help him? Could they change his frame of mind at such a time of desperation?The answer to the second question is yes! From these spices Josef saw that G-d was still with him and he wasn't forgotten. These spices were a ray of light in the darkness and a revelation to Josef that it was G-d himself who was taking him to Egypt.To answer the first question we need to understand that the purpose of a miracle is to reveal G-d's involvement ("the light of his face")in a given situation. It does not matter what the size of the miracle is, the main thing is that we see that G-d is with us. We know that a father loves his child not so much because he provides for his simple and basic needs but rather by the extra and special things which he gives his children. Surely the smaller miracle of Chanukah was that we were able to continue the mitzvah of lighting the menorah, but because it was smaller it revealed Hashem's love for us in a greater way. It was this small light of the menorah which announced to the world Hashem's burning love for his chosen people.Based on Sichot Mussar

ee. Lev. 25:35

One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. Num. 15:15

One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. Num. 15:16

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Deut. 10:18

Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deut. 10:19

And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. Deut. 14:29

And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Deut. 16:14

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. Deut. 23:7

Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge. Deut. 24:17

When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. Deut. 24:19

When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. Deut. 24:20

When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard

Create Products that Sell
This is where it all startsWhether the advice is to be taken or not, businessmen agree that no business has survived successfully without passion. Passion is an emotional issue. Businesses likewise and the creation of products that will sustain the business has to start with what one knows best.Business styles and approaches are as varied as the number of businessmen. Each according to techniques dictated by the circumstances and responses allowing each to make decisions and deviations. There are however proven methods common to all businesses and its corresponding creation of products.Brick by brick.Like all things created the actual work starts with very careful planning.Get down and write. Do a blueprint of the product you have in mind. Getting down to it brings you face to face with your ideas. What was formerly abstract comes to you alive. Now you can do additions to it, deductions from it, enhancements, study it from all possible angles do revisions and alterations or sometimes do a total rewrite until what previously was an idea has now taken form.Take your time and enjoy your plan. Rushing will only create an undesired result.Be Specific – Make precision your keyword. Do not forget to include the following in your list of questions. What is its purpose? What do you plan to achieve.Product creation addresses a particular need that may not be in the market. If a similar product already does, your version still has to offer something new that will spark interest and address a particular viable alternative to the existing one. The more popular the product is already available, the better it will do for your products introduction into the market and its eventual acceptance.Product creation should target a particular segment of the market. While shotgun approaches can work, it is often best to identify a product with a smaller segment i.e. what age bracket do you want to attract, Male or female, what are the class/status of your targeted customers

I've heard it said that, "As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual." Applying that statement to the displaced American victims of Hurricane Katrina, as its winds blew and the waters flooded, I cannot help but feel that the wind of the Spirit was ALSO blowing as the flood of Christians and potential world-changing survivors has now been scattered all over the nation.

What Satan intended for evil, God will use it for good. How can I be so sure? Because, throughout Church history - and even in my own life - we can see that the devil ALWAYS shoots himself in the foot.

Examples? When the Jerusalem Church was scattered through persecution, I'm sure many believers wondered how it could have happened. Things were so good, after all. The Church was flourishing and multiplying. Later, along comes this trouble-maker named Saul from a place called Tarsus. Where the Church was concerned, this guy was public enemy #1. Then he has a personal encounter with Jesus while en route to rounding up a bunch of Christians and taking them to trial, and winds up ultimately writing 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament. But right after Saul (who was also called Paul) had his encounter with Jesus - an encounter that left him blind - a believer named Ananias was instructed by the Lord to go to and lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. It's very likely that Ananias was one of those displaced Jerusalem Christians who had to flee the persecution of Rome. He had been strategically placed near Saul's spiritual "Ground Zero" by God for this incredible purpose.

Despite his initial fears, Ananias ministered to Saul as a new convert. He healed Saul's eyes. He instructed Saul, confirming that the Jesus seen by Saul on the road was indeed the Lord. He comforted Saul, addressing him as a Christian brother. He baptized Saul, formally incorporating him into the body of Christ. Finally, Saul became fully restored as he gobbled up some groceries. In all, Ananias's ministry models for us the supportive, restorative role the Church is to play in the lives of strangers, regardless of their past reputations, or our fear of them.

DISPLACED PEOPLE ARE NOTHING NEW

Reaching out to displaced people is nothing less than to connect with other human beings for a Divine purpose. Did you know there are currently 50 million or so such people in the world, displaced because of natural disasters, drought, war, famine or persecution? It is in reaching out to these people that we allow ourselves to experience transformation.

Besides Saul, there are some other Biblical examples of people who were forced to leave their homes. Their experiences were probably much worse than those of the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. For example, because of drought, Naomi, a Moabite, goes to another land. Because of a famine, Joseph's family eventually evacuated to Egypt. Because of systematic extermination of all 2-year-old children by Herod, Mary and Joseph fled to Africa. Yes, Jesus Himself was an undocumented refugee! Stories of God's people taking flight are central to our Christian tradition.

Today, the response to these poor, displaced Americans who are being unceremoniously shuttled off to strange communities has been a compilation of extreme hospitality and compassion, and outright rejection. An emotional roller-coaster for sure. Clearly, the Biblical mandate to The Church is to welcome the stranger, to treat the foreigner as one of our own, to extend kindness to the sojourner. That's it. No finger pointing. Nothing but hospitality.

Will it be easy? Surely not. But God's grace will prove sufficient as always. Getting involved with other people's lives and struggles can be tough. For those who step out of their comfort zones in order to "reach out and touch someone," though not all your experiences will prove joyful, they WILL be transforming.

For YOU as well as for those you assist.

THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN REFUGEES

Have you listened to the televised interviews with these evacuees on the news? Time and again, overwhelmingly, they are giving praise to God and expressing their unwaivering faith and trust in the Name of Jesus. Tonight, I watched in awe as, on two separate occasions, young teen girls, attending new schools after being displaced, wisely declared that they will be stronger people for having experienced what they've gone through. How could this NOT be true? Folks, they saw the glory of God. They were witnesses to His mighty hand snatching them from the jaws of Death. Their lives are forever changed.

They can give public testimony - a witness - that they know God EXPERIENTIALLY. They can be world-changers as a result. Ten, fifteen years from now, I'd like to see where the Kids of Katrina will be. I'll bet they'll be changing lives.

My contention? Though we may be reaching out and helping these people, just as Ananias reached out to Saul, it was Ananias - no, it was you and me - who actually needed what God had to offer us through HIM! As the Lord said to Ananias when he protested, "reminding" Him of the reports of the harm Saul was doing to the Believers in Jerusalem, "this man is MY CHOSEN INSTRUMENT...."

If God can use Saul...Paul...to literally change planet Earth, He can surely use these displaced Americans who have been tossed about, tattered and torn by Katrina. If that's the case, and God is surely able, Hurricane Katrina may well turn out to be the perfect storm.

As Christ Himself did when He revealed Himself on the road to Emmaus, let's reveal Christ to these strangers as they arrive in our towns, schools and church bodies.

READ 'EM & REAP!

Following are just a FEW verses having to do with strangers, foreigners, sojourners, homelessness, fatherless, widows and the like. There are quite a few more. Do a Word study. I wound up with 4 pages!

And she (Moses' wife Zipporah) bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. Exodus 2:22

One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Exodus 12:49

Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 22:21

Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:9

And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:10

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. Lev. 19:33

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:34

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God. Lev. 23:22

Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God. Lev. 24:22

And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Lev. 25:35

One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. Num. 15:16

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Deut. 10:18

Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deut. 10:19

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. Deut. 23:7

Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge. Deut. 24:17

When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. Deut. 24:20

When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard,

Cheap Loans - How You Can Get One
Cheap loans can be hard to come by. Many people do not even realize just how much their loan is costing them. The interest rates and any other fees add up over time.What may seem like a necessary expense is actually costing the borrower big time. Getting cheap loans is not always easy. Lenders dont want to give out cheap loans because that is taking away from their profit.Essentially a cheap loan is a loan with low interest rates and minimal fees. Just about the only way to get low interest rates is to have exceptional credit. It is almost impossible for a person with less than excellent credit to get a cheap loan.This is because lenders tend to use interest rates as a safeguard for risk. In lending, a person with a high credit score is low risk, where a person with a low credit score is a high risk. That means the person with the less risk gets the lower interest rates.There are some ways to make a loan cheaper without having to haggle over interest. One way is to pay back fast. If a person pays a loan back early then they will have less interest that they have paid. Keeping loans to shorter payback periods can accomplish this.Another way is to avoid loans that come with fees. Avoiding all fees may be impossible, but it is best to try to get a loan with the fewest and lowest fees possible.Many times fees are tacked on for things that the borrower is not eve aware of, such as quick delivery of the money or early payoff penalties. That is why reading all paperwork carefully is important.It is also important to be wary of some cheap loans. Many lenders advertise cheap loans but when a borrower applies they learn those cheap rates are really for those with excellent credit ratings.There are also many scams out there that contain hidden fees or clauses that can make for problems down the road. By being smart and really paying attention, though a borrower should be able to decipher a scam when they see one.Cheap loans are still loans. No matter how much

him into the body of Christ. Finally, Saul became fully restored as he gobbled up some groceries. In all, Ananias's ministry models for us the supportive, restorative role the Church is to play in the lives of strangers, regardless of their past reputations, or our fear of them.