Several key ministry leaders
in America offered some
Biblical wisdom as 2006 arrived. Dr. D. James
Kennedy encouraged believers
not to let the past drag them down, but to look
to the New Year with faith
and hope. Dr. Kennedy said, "Many people are
kept from planning anything
for the future because they are so bound up with
the failures of the past."
He suggested making plans to get rid of past
worries in 2006.
At the same time, Evangelist
Billy Graham suggested
people not make resolutions centered on
themselves, but instead to set
goals around what God desires for them this
year. Dr. Graham said, "First,
God wants you to know Him more fully. And if you
do know Him, resolve to
spend more time with Him this year in prayer,
Bible study, and fellowship."
Tobin Perry, the managing
editor of the Slice newsletter
at Saddleback Church in California said, people
should meet with God for
an extended, "State of Your Life" breakfast.
Perry said, "In reality, this
is a time to hear God's report on what's going
on in your life and what
He thinks about it."
—http://christianpost.com,
Ministry Leaders Propagate
Biblical Wisdom for 2006, January 1, 2006.
Illustration by Jim L. Wilson
and Jim Sandell.
Proverbs
15:22 (NLT)
"Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many
advisers bring success."
COUNSEL
Falls account for over 8
million hospital emergency
room visits, representing the leading cause of
visits (21.3%).
http://www.nfsi.org/the_costs.php
Everybody falls, but some
fall less often than others,
because they prepare their steps. Spiritually we
can avoid falls by preparing
our steps, and one way is with wise counsel.
—Jim L. Wilson and Randy Langham
Proverbs 11:14 (CEV) A city
without wise leaders will
end up in ruin; a city with many wise leaders
will be kept safe.
COUNSELING
A new study published in Finland suggests hanging
around the same people
all the time can limit a person’s knowledge.
The study’s author Lauri
Kovanen says they found that when a person hears
new information, they
call other friends to share it. When you stay
within the same group of
people, you hear the same ideas from everyone
else, and stop learning new
things. The study agrees with earlier research
that found staying within
contained social circles can prevent people from
discovering and adapting
new healthy habits and trends. Both studies
found that new relationships
expose people to different ways of thinking, and
can increase knowledge.
People with large social networks have been found
to develop the part of
the brain associated with memory and emotion.
Researchers suggest talking
with a wider audience may be more beneficial that
limiting the number of
people you regularly interact with.—Jim L. Wilson
and Jim Sandell
Sure, they're your buddies, but they could be
holding you back, by Rachael
Schultz ,
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/sure-theyre-your-buddies-they-could-be-holding-you-back-8C11554434,
Accessed
November 7, 2013.
Proverbs 15:22 (NKJV) Without counsel, plans go
awry, But in the multitude
of counselors they are established.
COUNSELING
A COVID Response Tracking
study conducted by NORC at the
University of Chicago found adults under the age
of 35 were especially likely
to report negative feelings or to experience
physical and emotional symptoms
associated with stress and anxiety connected
with the coronavirus pandemic. The
study found a 56 percent of Americans aged 18 to
34 said they felt isolated in
the past month compared with about 40 percent of
older Americans.Nearly a quarter of young adults rated
their
mental health as fair or poor as a result, as
compared to less than 15 percent
of older adults. Researchers said many younger
adults are navigating many life
transitions without being able to experience
other normal social activities.
Tom Smith, who directed NORC’s General Social
Survey said one explanation could
be young adults have less experience dealing
with a public health crisis, and
thus have no historical context to compare these
events to. He also suggested
constant exposure to social media could make the
negative feelings about the
virus worse by providing daily reminders of
COVID19. Smith said, “This
experience facing a pandemic is completely new
for most younger adults.”—Jim L.
Wilson and Jim Sandell.
