As Christians (Christ followers) we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122). We are also called to be a blessing to Israel (Genesis 12).

There are so many voices out there in the news media, radio programs, Facebook, Twitter, Government, and even churches that are giving mixed messages. How do we, as children of God, know who’s voice to follow? It’s simple…..we follow God’s voice. He makes his voice perfectly known in the Bible.

How Do You React To
People That are Just Plain Mean?….

Dear Friends,

Have you ever been in a situation where someone or a group of people have been mean to you? I’m talking about the kind of mean that is just down right cruel. Actions by other people, whose sole purpose is to do harm to your credibility, reputation, or relationships?

If you have experienced this, I want to encourage you. You are not alone. Recently, we have encountered trials like this in our own family. These dilemmas can take on many forms. Here are some examples:

• Cyber bullying- via texting, facebook, my space.
• In school or work place bullying via face to face run-ins.
• Gossip-via word of mouth.
• Computer hacking- via breaking-into personal, password protected accounts.
• Photo shopped pictures, then cutting and pasting to make them look real.

Wow, isn’t this exciting?… The President is having a big Super Bowl party. Among the 100 guests of lawmakers and cabinet members are Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. (In case you didn’t know, they are super important to bi-partisanship). Did you (the taxpayer) get invited to the party? Nah,… me either. SIGH… so what are we missing out on?

Bratwurst, kielbasa, cheeseburgers, deep-dish pizza and Buffalo wings. There’s also German potato salad, twice baked potatoes and assorted chips and dips. For dessert there is ice cream. Ya know, all the really good super foods the first lady has stricken from the American diet. (Lest we, the taxpayer’s, get fatter and then unable to work to pay off these shmoozer parties.)

But, seriously, what could be fatter than the spending, spending, and more frivolous spending of our own President? I am absolutely disgusted and outraged at his poor decision making. Didn’t anyone on his team speak up and suggest having a big Super Bowl party might not be such a great idea right now?

This is an e-mail that was forwarded to my in-box quite a while ago. The first part is the e-mail. The second part is my response to this person. I have taken out the name's

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Dear Liz Lemery Joy,

I’m not sure who you are, but you seem to know _(name)___and _(name)___ and that must be the connection. If you did know me, you would know that I support the President’s health care plan. There are too many people with inadequate health care in our nation and it is because we are the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave that we CAN do this.

By the way, its the (profanity) off right wing that is calling this Socialized Medicine. They need to be Brave! The rest of us call it the decent and Christian thing to do!

This is great. (If you are a progressive or uber liberal don't read this).

Letter from Grandpa - priceless

John G. is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.

John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants.

Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.

Obviously, there has been a lot going on in our country. People are angry everywhere. The so called left is mad at the right, and the so called right is mad at the left. Much of the media, in my opinion is out of control, and did a horrible job last week. I think that there was a lot of irresponsible lashing out all over the place.

Our country needed to be unified, and instead accusations spewed. But, I believe the majority of Americans in our country had it right, and instead kept the focus on where it needed to be, which was with the victims and their families in Tucson, Arizona. I hope everyone will continue to hold our fellow Americans up in prayer, or in some way that you are personally led. They need our continued support and we cannot let them down as they continue to grieve for their loved ones.

There has been a lot happening in our country in recent days. Like many Americans, our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims and their families involved in the Tucson, Arizona shootings. It is heart wrenching to see vibrant lives taken so swiftly by the violent actions of a 22 year old man.

The loss of life is tragic. There are hardly any words to describe it, and now the families and friends of the victims, are left to try and cope with the shock, and reality of what has happened. These precious people are going to need our prayers and support for a very long time.

As Christians, one of the most important things we can do is pray. I encourage you to draw near to the Father and seek his presence. Pray for healing and comfort to surround the victim’s families. Pray for their strength and courage to go on. Pray that they will look to God as a source of hope, as they try to cope and live without their loved one’s presence on the earth.