Individuals have diverse views on abortion, depending on who you ask. But most people today would check with the Bible verses. Everyone understands the Bible is against abortion. The Church even opposes it. But let me tell you a little something the majority do not know. Are you aware abortion isn’t mentioned in the Holy Bible?

Shocked? Well, at least, not directly. Abortion was heavily practiced in the course of human history. It was practiced before, during and after the events of the Bible. But God chose to never address the topic directly in His Bible verses. A number of Bible verses, however, can’t be denied their intentions to show God’s stance on the actual matter of abortion. Analyze the following Bible verses about abortion.

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (NAS, Jeremiah 1:4-5)

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

I will say to God: … “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? (NIV, Job 10:2, 8-9)

“Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13 (KJV)

Evidently the Bible verses have something to say about abortion. As soon as the fetus was conceived in the womb, the woman becomes a mother, and the fetus becomes a human being, consecrated by God, even before birth, as “a prophet to the nations”. God calls all of us to speak up for individuals who are unable to speak. The Bible verses are certainly trying to say something – that Lord God will never favor abortion. “Thou shalt not kill,” He tells us.

Today activists like to throw arguments among themselves in relation to the issue of abortion. There are pro-life activists and there are pro-choice activists. Some search for answers within their own conscience, while others look to the Bible verses for instruction. Though in any case, the Lord God’s stance is apparent. Christian believers should not tolerate abortion under any circumstance. The Bible verses suggest that much.

Bible verses about abortion are widely accessible on the net today. Looking for more verses? Visit the site Top Bible Verses for more information on Bible verses about abortion.

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For centuries, the benefits of meditation have been known in Eastern societies. As meditation has come to the West along with Eastern traditions like Yoga, there has been increasing attention from the scientific community on the potential health and lifestyle benefits of meditation. 

The physiological effects of meditation

A wide range of physiological benefits have been reported in scientific studies on the benefits of meditation:

• lower pulse rate
• lower blood pressure
• increase in alpha rhythms
• theta activity
• hemispheric synchronization
• decreased cortisol and andrenal hormones
• decrease in serum cholesterol levels
• reduced muscular tension
• reduced oxygen and energy consumption

The psychological and behavioral effects of meditation

Scientific studies on meditation benefits also show a host of psychological and behavioral effects of meditation :

• improved visual perception
• improved memory and recall
• improvements in learning ability and intelligence
• reduction in acute and chronic anxiety
• relief from addictions, neurosis, obesity, claustrophobia, headache, and other forms of distress

Other effects of meditation

Scientific studies are begininng to show proof of a spectrum of effects that go beyond the physiological and psychological benefits of meditation cataloged above.   These include:

• equanimity
• ineffability
• detachment
• bliss
• higher levels of energy and excitement
• altered body image and ego boundaries
• dreams
• extrasensory experiences etc.

Kinds of meditation studied

The benefits of meditation reported by scientific studies span a number of different meditation techniques, indicating that meditation as a practice, no matter which method or technique is used, seems to have a range of benefits.

Transcendental meditation or TM is one of the widely researched meditation techniques.  One of the most widely researched meditation techniques in Transcendental Meditation, or TM, as it is widely known.  Over 200 scientific published studies show that this technique reduces stress, boosts learning ability and creativity, and improves brain functioning.

Zen meditation has also be the subject of various scientific studies. Beyond cataloging the benefits of mindfulness that comes from meditation, some of these studies explore questions such as whether the brain is hardwired for mystical experiences that are often reported from meditation practices.

Vipassana meditation, a technique that emerged in India 2500 years ago, has also been studied closely.  Some of these studies from reputed research institutions like Harvard, Yale and MIT have reported on how meditation can actually alter the structure of our brains.

Tibetan meditation is now increasingly studied by scientists through the ongoing work of the Dalai Lama with the scientific community.  The Mind and Life Institute catalogs these studies and their results.

A plethora of meditation techniques exist such as Osho Active Meditation, Sahaja Meditation, and various kinds of Buddhist Meditation.  All of these are also subject of various research studies, each showing something promising about the role and value of meditation in our lives.

Summary of Meditation Benefits

Science is only at the very early stage of examining meditation, but these early research studies are incredibly promising already. 

If just the relaxation and stress relief benefits of meditation weren’t enough, these research programs have already found that meditation can result in improved physiological functioning, development of mental potential, improved academic performance, better health and prevention of disease, reversal of the aging process, reduced anxiety, reduced drug and alcohol use, enhanced job performance and job satisfaction, decreased urban crime, and even help creating world peace.

Given the growing scientific proof of the spectrum of benefits of meditation, It may be time that meditation is more widely taught and embraced in various settings.

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The human body is equipped to deal with short term stress; in fact it thrives on it. It may sound weird to talk about ‘positive stresses but think about the thrill you get when you experience the sensation of butterflies in your stomach. Extreme sports fanatics understand the thrill and buzz of positive stress very well. Depending on your mindset, positive stress can result in heightened awareness, excitement or anxiety. There is, however, the type of stress we are more familiar with – long term or sustained stress.

Sustained stress is associated with things such as, pressure at work, pressure at home or pressure at school. Sustained stress zaps your energy, leaving you ill prepared to deal with its primary cause. Sustained stress sucks the life out of us, and can make us depressed, anxious and overwhelmed. As does its positive relative, negative stress manifests itself in a very real, very physical fashion.

When faced with a situation that makes you stressed, your body releases chemicals, including cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These invoke the ‘fight or flight’ feelings that help us to deal with the situation. However, when you’re in a situation that prevents you from fighting or escaping, such as being on an overcrowded train, these chemicals are not used.

If the chemicals released during stressful situations accumulate from not being used, the body feels their effects. A build-up of adrenaline and noradrenaline increases blood pressure, heart rate, and the amount that you sweat. Cortisol prevents your immune system from functioning properly, as well as releasing fat and sugar into your blood stream.

So, not only does having sustained stress feel awful, but it can also have a long term impact on your overall health. Learning how to manage stress is, therefore, critical for performing well and having a happy life. The body has several warning signals that warn you when you are under too much pressure. If you manage to spot these signs at an early stage, you will benefit your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Being under too much pressure may induce symptoms such as irregular sleeping patterns, feeling anxious, feeling depressed, comfort eating, difficulty concentrating, in addition, feeling under sustained pressure can lead to physical symptoms such as stomach cramps and headaches.

Something to remember about stress is that many of associated symptoms are secondary in nature; many of the symptoms are actually stress about feeling stressed! Stress can create a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety. By taking preventative action, it is possible to alleviate its symptoms. One of the best forms of preventative action is changing the attitude you have to stress in the first place.

We discussed earlier about the positive nature of certain forms of stress. When we are doing a bungee jump, we don’t question the fact that we are feeling fear, apprehension, and excitement. Rather, we embrace all of these sensations and roll with it. We accept that what we are feeling is ‘normal’. When it comes to negative, sustained stress, this is the same attitude you need to take. We are far better equipped dealing with something unpleasant when we understand it. So, the next time you are feeling stressed, don’t feel concerned with the physical sensations you experience.

However, changing an attitude may only have a limited impact if you are suffering from severely stressful situations. You may, therefore, need to change the underlying situation in some way.  Be honest with yourself when it comes to making this sort of decision. Is your job causing more harm than good? Could your partner help out around the house more? Could you do with living in a different area? Ask yourself questions like these to get to the root of your stress.

Sometimes managing stress can be more about making adjustments than wholesale changes. No matter how you are feeling, never lose perspective on what is happening in your life. Try to manage your time well and be as organised as possible. Work should stay at work and separate from your home life. If your workload exceeds the time expected to achieve completing it, then is the time to have an honest discussion with your boss. All too often very competent people end up with a sense of under achieving because they do not have the right support and direction from others.

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My name is Patrick Newberry. I live in Tampa, Florida. I’m just a normal guy, parent of three, I run a small company and from time to time I create music in my personal time.

Late one Wednesday evening back in 2004, after serving my children supper, and while my wife was away at church for a few minutes , I sat down at the piano for a couple minutes of “quality” creative time. The children were in their bedrooms, each somewhere between playing with toys and getting ready for bed .

As I was really geting into my private moments on the piano, my youngest daughter Holly came out and asked me, with the most memorable little hug, “hello daddy, umm could you please come and say my prayers with me?”

Trust me, I died right then and there and… piano time, was completely over .

So we headed to her bedroom and knelt down by the bed and whispered our nightly prayers.

I tucked little Holly in and was about to get back to my “quality” piano time when that all to sweet voice said softly…daddy please don’t go anywhere…couldn’t you please stay daddy, for just a little bit longer?

I remember laying on the floor, holding their small hands or sometimes they would just want to hang on to one of my fingers. I think the point was we had to be connected in some way. Never the less, finally after enough banter or story telling they would soon drift off to the world of dreams and I could make my elusive exit .

As I recall it took a few minutes to get Holly to fall a sleep that evening but eventually she did and I knew that if I was going to have any more “quality” piano time, it would be with a very soft melody.

So here I am about to get back to the piano…I had many thoughts running through my mind at the minute. My older daughter (who was 12 at the time) was slowly loosing that need to have dad tuck her into bed and was asking me in less and less to say her bed time prayers.

I couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be long and my little Holly would soon stop asking this of me as well. Then before I know it, they will all 3 be headed out the front door, walking into their own world as adults. My oldest daughter turned 18 this week, my son is 17 this year, so it’s all moving into sharp view, even today more than ever.

So I sat down at the piano and about 30 minutes later–I was of course wiping away the tears as I was writing down the verses and I finished writing this song. Today I share   it with you and I hope you will remember listening to what I titled, Hello Daddy.

I send it out it to all the parents out there who have at some point knelt down next to their child’s bed, to say that little bed time prayer that helps then fall to sleep.

Please let me me know if you like it. You can find it on YouTube by clicking any of the links in this article. Once you are on my YouTube channel you will find it labeled as a Songs for Dads. It only takes   one click to share on facebook with all of the other parents that you know, who may also like this song. Thanks for your help in passing it along and also if you stop by YouTube be sure to leave a comment or two… I would love to read your family bedtime story as well.

Sincerely,

Patrick Newberry (Proud dad to 3 beautiful children, Kara, Michael & Holly)
Tampa, FL

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There is no hesitation that young adults and younger adults usually possess issues knowledge and fixing their religion compared to what they observe in the society. They’re the types which are most bombarded with all the items that are occurring outside which at times they find it problematic to basically stand their ground.

Use Student Bibles to Reduce Complications

Getting a Bible that can help them relate as well as use the verses to their every day troubles can become a large support. It can certainly help them in developing with the Master and also help them obtain a improved comprehension of the Christian way of life.

These study bibles commonly consists of plenty of great tales, alongside with instructions and bible references to assist your adolescent or a young grownup relate to it. These types of bibles can deal with modern day issues that a good number of teenagers are going through.

This makes young individuals able to relate to it and also apply the instructions to their particular lives. In many cases, we hear younger men and women say that they think that the Bible is too stressful to translate, on the other hand, with the help of these great study bibles, that ideology ought to change.

Getting a personal perception into the why and also the how, and only accepting and comprehending everything will be one of the best advantages a study bible can provide.

Student bibles can easily function as a fantastic gift for your Christian teen or younger adult. This is a good method for them to achieve a far better being familiar with regarding their own belief.

There are various benefits to obtaining a student bible to your kid or loved one. Or also perhaps recommend having it for the people of the youth group because it helps to make researching the bible so much more fun as well as easier.

Youthful folks usually avoid anything that is praised as “old-fashion” and oftentimes, for this identical reason, they steer clear of reading the bible mainly because they imagine the words are too complicated to understand. Furthermore, that it is demanding to understand it to their daily lives.

A student bible can assist individuals understand the wording as well as verses very much better due to the fact it typically comes with them into daily use. They are typically equipped with testimonies and lessons that young individuals regularly experience in their everyday living.

The attributes are diligently investigated and written to make certain clarity as well as far better knowledge. As pointed out, it’s frequently stuffed with instructions varying from individual issues, overcoming everyday hurdles in existence and being a Christian living in the world.

Most students will not have a challenging time being familiar with and also implementing the passages in their daily actions.

As you can observe, student bibles are a excellent support to a lot of young individuals who are longing to deepen their being familiar with of the Lord. They may be capable to greater recognize how they can cope and deal with their day-to-day problems and raise them up to the Lord.

You might also be interested in Study Bibles and Bible Covers.

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For instance if you lead off by making simple changes to your diet in an effort to eat healthier, more nutritious and muscle building foods, this change will also effect: the way you feel (i.e. your emotional state), your daily energy levels (i.e. your vitality), your interaction with others (i.e. your relationships), your ability to work, focus, and get things done (i.e. your career) and so on.

Beyond that, people will take notice and see the improvement that this effect is having on your life, which could lead them to make more conscious dietary decisions themselves. In other words, you’ve become a positive example to others merely by making the decision to transform your body, and this decision is having an impact not only on your own life but in the lives of others.

When you choose the commitment to change  your body, you are, in effect, making the decision to radically transform every facet of your life.

The WHY is MORE Important than the HOW

Now I recognize that the reason most people want to transform their body is not for such a noble cause, but instead to appear better naked and to pull in the opposite gender… or as the case may be, the same sex (I’ll leave that choice up to you.)

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to appear better nude, I mean when you ponder it who doesn’t want to appear better nude? Furthermore, who doesn’t prefer to pull in the attention of the women or men we find appealing? Most of us do.

But is “appearing good nude” or “attracting hotties” a strong enough, and compelling enough reason to drag your butt to the gym and put yourself through intense, punishing training daily?

Is it a strong enough reason to totally shift your dietary habits and consume tons of food dispersed across 5-7 meals a day, every 3-4 hours?

Is it a compelling enough reason to make sacrifices, go to bed early, discontinue bad habits, and do all the things that are needed to make a transformation of this magnitude?

Is it a strong enough reason to dust yourself off after you’ve failed or hurt yourself once, twice, or more times, to reevaluate your plan and give it another go?

Maybe it will be and perhaps it won’t be. To some it can be very inspiring. To be realistic, that’s one of the reasons I began working out and it’s still one of the reasons I train. It’s a perfectly valid reason and it does have some motivational measure to it, but it is not by any means my only reason. And if you’re to win at this, it shouldn’t be your only reason either. You need a reason so big and powerful that it will motivate you towards success.

The number one secret to alter your body and thus your life is to have a burning wish to do so and in order to fuel this burning desire you have to have a strong enough reason, or list of reasons, as to why you are putting forth the effort to make this body transformation. So ya best to start writing!

Confronting the Reality of Your Mission

As a hardgainer you have your work cut out for you. The last thing I’m going to tell you is that transforming  your body or your life is as easy as 1-2-3, because it’s not. It takes commitment, dedication, persistence, discipline, purpose, passion, and confidence.

Now don’t worry if you are deficient any of these character measures, because that’s one of the awesome benefits of working out. As you: (1.) AcquireBuild up/spin your power through stable training, (2.) Make the necessary dietary changes required to nourish your body and build mass , (3.) Abandon bad habits and delay gratification to acquire the body and life you TRULY want… you are constructing and forging these values and furthermore, this whole transformation process acts as the catalyst for the emergence of such values naturally.

This is what I mean when I say that improving your body will change your life. It has a spill over effect into all other aspects of your being. As you are disciplining your body and your mind through intense physical workouts, you are forging a stronger character like a blacksmith uses fire to forge the resilient Katana sword of the Samurai.

Thus, like a Samurai, you must be willing to face the brutal truth of your mission and your goals in life. You must be willing to face the truth about what your journey will demand of you and you must ask yourself these tough questions:

-”Why do I want to transform my body and my life?”

-”What is it going to take for me to improve my body?”

-”What are the steps I must take to realize this goal?”

-”Am I willing to fully commit myself to obtaining this goal?”

-”Am I willing to read, study, and learn what it takes and then to apply what I learn?”

-”How should I be training for my body type?”

-”Where can I make improvements in my diet?”

-”What must I give up in order to get what I want? What must I sacrifice?”

-”Do I truly believe that I can make this transformation my reality?”

-”How can I ensure the success of this journey?”

Remember, you’ve got to have forceful, convincing, and undeniable reasons, and a purpose for realizing this mission. You must put in the time to acquire this and document it to paper. You must read it every day or even twice a day to remind yourself why you are doing all of this. This  comes by asking your self these tough questions, by coming up with the answerssolutions, and doing other introspective soul searching to create and develop a burning desire and commitment to changing your body.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is easy and that you’ll add 50 pounds of muscle in a month or two or even six months without even trying. Thousands of people sign up for new gym memberships every day (people with better muscle-building genetics than you), and within less than four weeks they’ve already thrown in the towel, never to step foot in that gym again. Don’t be like them, set your self up to be successful.

I’m not trying to discourage you, I want you to succeed and to believe in yourself and to realize that you can and will transform your life, and you’ll do it by first transforming your body, one step at a time. My brother and I, as well as, Vince Delmonte, Sean Nalewanyj, and Jason Ferruggia are all here to help you and make certain you have the tools you need to complete your mission, but it is YOU who will inevitably bring about the change you seek by taking focused, disciplined action.

We just want you to realize that this requires a conscious pursuit of both physical, mental, and even spiritual growth. You will be pushed and challenged every day. You will want to give in, give up, and run out on this goal before you have achieved it, but only the true warriors will be able to find the strength and courage within themselves to persevere and follow this path to where it leads… to the strong, confident, muscular being that lies dormant within each and every one of us.

*Cultivating the Enlightened Warrior Mentality*

I want you to become a true warrior, not a person who is out fighting wars and killing people, but an Enlightened Warrior; a person who stands up for what they believe in and gives their life for the greater cause. I want you to become a man or a woman who has a higher purpose and a mission for their life and never settles for mediocrity or complacency. You may not know what your purpose is right now, but have the confidence and courage and the heart to believe that you have one. Know that at any moment your mission will be revealed to you.

Yet keep in mind that our purpose is not something we discover in life, but rather it is something we create for ourselves.

The Enlightened Warrior accepts full responsibility for the success or failure of his or her life and makes personal growth and development a conscious part of their everyday experience.

Weight training, cardio, nutrition, meditation, etc. are all a part your growth experience and development into a highly conscious being. And that’s what it means to be human: to be fully conscious, to continually develop in our consciousness, to seek the truth and purpose behind our existence, and to strive for what we believe is true. And when I say fight, I mean to be the example of.

The Enlightened Warrior does NOT need, nor want the blessing of other men or women. The only approval she needs is her own self approval. The Enlightened Warrior is strong, wise, grateful, purposeful, radiant, confident, powerful, compassionate, and a leader to the men and women in his or her life. He leads by his example and by how he carries himself in this world. He lets his actions speak for themselves.

To Your Success in Training and in Life,

Brandon Cook

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About the Author:

Brandon Cook is creator of The Enlightened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to teach the hardgainer the secrets and scientific principles for building a classic, muscular physique.

HargainerMuscleBuilding features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.

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The Christian (Gregorian) calendar starts at the time of the birth of Jesus, 2010 years ago. The Buddhist calendar starts at the time of the birth of Buddha, 2553 years ago. The dates in Thailand generally use the Buddhist year which often can be quite confusing for anyone not familiar with this system. Buddha was born 543 years before Jesus, so if you add this number to the year 2010 you will arrive at 2553 of the Buddhist calendar.

The Buddhist New Year is celebrated in mid-April which is the hottest time of the year. This New Year’s celebration is mostly a water throwing event where everyone comes out and soaks whoever is in range with plenty of water. The length of the event differs regionally from one day to the extreme of seven days in Chiang Mai.

Although the Thais celebrate their New Year in April, they start counting it as of January 1. When you see a date written in Thailand, it is generally a combination of two calendars: the day and the month are based on the Christian calendar and the year is from the Buddhist calendar.

The original Buddhist calendar is very complicated and is not so much used for time keeping as for determining dates of festivals, religious events and favorable or unfavorable days for weddings, business ventures or ceremonies. All the calendar days have special meanings and establish if a specific day is favorable for certain occasions like marriages, burials or other significant ceremonies and decisions. So this calendar is more than a way to keep track of time. The younger Thais nowadays don’t understand how to calculate and use the Buddhist calendar anymore. It is mostly the older people and scholarly monks who are still familiar with it.

Thailand actually has a third New Year which is based on the Chinese tradition and is celebrated by six million Thai-Chinese. They have their own calendar again and their own colorful and noisy New Year’s celebration in late January or early February. The tell tale sign of a Chinese party is the machine gun like sound of small firecrackers. These are small firecrackers strung up one after another, and they explode in rapid-fire fashion. Another typical and unique Chinese event is the lion dance, a sometimes highly acrobatic dance performance by two men in a lion’s costume.

The Thais certainly understand that most international business is based on the Gregorian Christian calendar. They use both calendars, and the western New Year is a public holiday in Thailand also with fireworks and celebrations just like in the West.

In Thailand any excuse is good enough for a party, and the Thais have an impressive collection of them: Flower festivals, food festivals, New Year (all three of them), Buddha days, temple festivals, the king’s birthday and quite a few more. In Thailand a holiday does not mean a day off work with quiet time – just the opposite – some festivals last several days and people come out by the tens of thousands to participate in spectacular parades, colorful performances, singing and dancing competitions, crowning of beauty queens and lots of great food. Their dates vary since they are mostly based on the Buddhist calendar.

Now it is 2010 in Thailand and it is also 2553. So we celebrate New Year three times a year, and we are sometimes confused about what the date is, but we don’t worry about it and just join the party! The Thais have a saying that expresses the Thai view of life: “maipenrai” – meaning “don’t worry”, “it doesn’t matter”,  “no big deal”, “it’s okay”, “forget about it”, “let it go”. When you visit Thailand, that’s a great word to know, since it can deflect many problems and it expresses the Thai way of thinking perfectly.

I give you some examples how to use it: “January 1 New Year is not really part of our tradition, but maipenrai, it’s a great opportunity to have a fantastic party, so let’s celebrate it”. Or: “Christmas has nothing to do with Buddhism, but maipenrai, it’s another reason to have a party, so let’s celebrate it anyway”.

It would never occur to the Thais to argue that Christmas is not a Buddhist affair and therefore has no place here, or that there might be a conflict with the Buddhist religion. Now can you imagine the USA or any western country putting on a national festival for a Buddhist holiday just for the fun of it? No chance! But the Thais are highly tolerant, fun loving and non judgmental when it comes to other religions. In Thailand you never have to wait for long until another festival takes place in your neighborhood. This is one of the great pleasures of living here.