The Wal-Mart Employee Tragedy

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the commercialization of Thanksgiving and Christmas. This follows this post about ignoring Thanksgiving to get to Christmas. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

The Wal-Mart Employee Tragedy


A commentary by Melvin Rhodes




The trampled Wal-Mart employee incident says a great deal about the age in which we live! Clearly, money is still the nation's number one god. As long as it is, we will continue to experience mounting economic and social problems!



The trampled Wal-Mart employee incident says a great deal about the age in which we live!



The morning after Thanksgiving has been known for many years as "Black Friday"—the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores in the United States traditionally try to entice customers to their retail outlets on this day with bargains that are usually not repeated.



Every year the store openings get earlier. Shoppers line up well before dawn, ready to rush in as soon as the doors open to be among the first to get limited sales items.



Perhaps it was inevitable that in the midst of such frenzy a tragedy would occur. And it did—on November 28, 2008 at a Wal-Mart store in the state of New York.



When the doors opened, crowds surged in and trampled to death a 34-year-old store employee who was 6'5" tall and weighed 270 pounds.



In effect, the young man died so that those who arrived first could save a few dollars on the latest electronic gadget! To put it bluntly, a human life was worth less than things!



This has long been a materialistic age, especially in the western world and most especially in the United States, where many stores open 24 hours a day and seven days a week in intense competition to get business. Employees have had their family lives almost destroyed as they work long hours for minimal wages, neglecting spouses and children at home.



There is no thought for a day of rest, giving people an opportunity to worship the God who has given them everything. Ironically, the only time most stores think about religion is when they can make money on it during the annual holiday season which began the day after Thanksgiving!



It is perhaps appropriate that amidst all this greed, our economy seems to be collapsing. Every day the news gets worse. The stock market has been in turmoil for months, affecting the retirement funds of millions. House prices keep falling; unemployment is increasing; and business is down. These worrisome events are now worldwide problems, as nations economically implode.



Tens of millions of people who have neglected God for years in a mad pursuit for wealth are now losing everything.



Perhaps this is what Jesus Christ had in mind when He said: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21 [19] Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

[20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

[21] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.





See All...).



No society can prosper indefinitely if it is built on wrong values; and greed is most assuredly wrong. When a lawyer asked Jesus what was most important in life, His response was quite simple: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39 [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

[38] This is the first and great commandment.

[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.





See All...).



In other words, true and lasting happiness is built on a solid foundation of putting God first in our lives and through our relationships with people, beginning with family.



When people care more about people than they do about material goods, tragedies like the one at Wal-Mart will not happen. Even Black Friday would be a thing of the past!



Some stores this year tried to beat the rush by beginning sales a day earlier, on Thanksgiving Day itself. A day set aside by the Pilgrims almost four centuries ago as an annual day giving thanks to the Almighty for His blessings seems set to become yet another sales day as gratitude has been replaced by greed.



Clearly, money is still the nation's number one god. As long as it is, we will continue to experience mounting economic and social problems!



Long ago the apostle Paul warned: "You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5 [1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.





See All..., New Revised Standard Version).

.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

BLOGGERS NOTE: I WILL BE MOVING FROM FACEBOOK TO TWITTER AND BLOGSPOT SOON!


An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about ignoring Thanksgiving to get to Christmas. This follows this post about suicide prevention. This follows this post about the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. This follows this post about the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

  Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

by Dennis Luker

America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.



Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.

Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points.

Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:


1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.



When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39 [30] And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

[31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

[32] Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

[33] And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

[34] And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

[35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

[36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

[37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

[38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

[39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.





See All...; John 6:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

[10] And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.





See All...). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23 [14] And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

[15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[21] But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

[22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

[23] And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.





See All...).



The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival?)   2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.



Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but "Christ-mass," as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.



Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.



See All...).
Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of!  ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth)

3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.




Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.


However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25)

We want to thank you for being a reader of The Good News and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Keep reading and learning more!

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

BLOGGERS NOTE: I WILL BE MOVING FROM FACEBOOK TO TWITTER AND BLOGSPOT SOON!


An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about ignoring Thanksgiving to get to Christmas. This follows this post about personal baggage. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas


by Dennis Luker

America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.



Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.



Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points!



Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:

1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.



When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39 [30] And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

[31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

[32] Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

[33] And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

[34] And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

[35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

[36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

[37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

[38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

[39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.





See All...; John 6:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

[10] And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.





See All...). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23 [14] And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

[15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[21] But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

[22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

[23] And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.





See All...).



The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival? )



2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.



Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but "Christ-mass," as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.



Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.



See All...). Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of! ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth )



3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.



Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.



However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25 )



We want to thank you for being a reader of The Good News and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Keep reading and learning more!







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A True Thanksgiving

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Thanksgiving. This follows this post about the winter solstace.  This follows this post about "shop till you drop."   For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

A True Thanksgiving






Source: stock.xchng (www.sxc.hu ), Craig Goodwin (http://www.sxc.hu/profile/goody2230 )Almost 400 years ago the Mayflower sailed into the harbor near what is today Cape Cod. It was a difficult voyage for the crew and passengers. On board were the group known as Pilgrims—English citizens seeking refuge from religious persecution, looking for a new start in a new land where they could freely worship God according to their faith and conscience.



Dissension and bickering threatened to disrupt the venture. The ship landed north of its intended destination. Some on board said, "None had power to command them." Mutiny and revolt were spreading. Before setting foot on shore the group determined to bind themselves together by mutual agreement. The idea of a "compact," later to be called the Mayflower Compact, took shape.



This is a little known document of American history. The Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution came later and are enshrined in memory. The earlier compact between men and women was voluntarily agreed. They determined to submit themselves to work together for the common good, with nothing but their shared allegiance to a higher authority, in this case Kings James I and God. On Nov. 11 they agreed to cooperate "for the general good of the Colony unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."



It was an effort at self-government based on common consent, the basis for any form of government. In America this Compact, at least the will and intent behind it, led to the democracy that has endured for more than two hundred years. On this small ship off the coast of North America the idea of self-government first took root. Anchored in free will and choice it sets the baseline for true liberty.



Pilgrims and the Mayflower are associated with Thanksgiving. The first Pilgrim celebration came later, after a hard first year on the land. This first American Thanksgiving is special because of this compact made among free men and women submitting to one another in the name of God. They were exercising personal freedom, a fundamental right given by God to each of us. True gratitude begins when we acknowledge God as not only the giver of every good and perfect gift but also the right to choose our response to His grace.



May we always choose for life and never forget to thank God for this precious gift.

Sorceress, Adulterer and Harlot (Isaiah 56-57)

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the winter solstace. This follows this post about a bible reference about Gaza that could have prophetic implications.  This follows this post about "shop till you drop."   For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Sorceress, Adulterer and Harlot (Isaiah 56-57)


According to its note on Isaiah 56:9-12, The New Bible Commentary: Revised states: "Dumb dogs, sleeping dogs, greedy dogs… characterize the spiritual leaders (watchmen; cf. Ezk. 3:17), while shepherds is an OT term for rulers [although it could signify spiritual leaders as well]. The sequence is instructive: spiritually, to have no vision (v. 10a; cf. 1 Sa. 3:1) is to have no message (v. 10b) and to drift into escapism (v. 10c) and self-pleasing (v. 11a); meanwhile the civil leadership (vv. 11b, 12) will improve on this example with stronger excess and blither optimism."



Isaiah 57:1-2 shows that the death of God's true followers is often misinterpreted. Probably some see it as evidence that they were misled. Yet it is not always the wicked who die prematurely. The righteous may also die early—because of God's mercy, in order to spare them from hardship that they might otherwise have to experience. This is not to say that they could not endure the evil—it is just that they don't need to for their personal character development, and so God chooses to shelter them in the grave, where they unconsciously await the resurrection.



Of verses 1-13 the same commentary just quoted states: "The watchmen have relaxed (56:9-12), and evil has duly flooded in. The times could well be those of Manasseh, Hezekiah's apostate son, whose persecution of the innocent (2 Ki. 21:16) would accord with v. 1, and whose burning of his own son (2 Ki. 21:6) matches the revival of Molech-worship here (vv. 5b, 9)." Of course, these aspects of Manasseh's reign transpired after the death of Hezekiah himself, which puts it beyond the date of Isaiah's actual preaching (Isaiah 1:1)—thus still requiring divine foresight.



It is sad, in light of all that we've read concerning Israel's wonderful future, to again read of the awful apostasy of God's people—viewed by Him as an adulterous wife. Even today, the descendants of these same Israelites are rife with paganism and idolatry. While children are not literally sacrificed as they once were (verse 5), the unborn are murdered, aborted in a terrible holocaust at the altar of convenience and personal freedom. And living children are still offered over to the evil ways of our society from a young age—setting them on the path of death instead of God's right path of life.



Then notice verse 8: "Behind the doors and their posts you have set up your remembrance." The verse goes on to show this to be pagan. In Deuteronomy 6, God said of His instructions, "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (verse 9). Many took this literally. The Bible Reader's Companion explains: "The religious Jew attached small tubes containing bits of Scripture to his doorpost. Isaiah complains that while these symbols of piety are present, behind your doors there are pagan symbols. It's what's inside our homes, and our hearts, that counts" (note on Isaiah 57:8). Even today, many claim to follow the Bible—yet they set up pagan symbols such as Christmas trees right in their living rooms. Indeed, this is the norm in modern Christendom.



Verses 7-9 portray an adulterous wife seductively seeking lovers. The "king" of verse 9 could refer to the pagan god Molech (meaning "king"). Equated with the Roman god Saturn, his birthday was observed at the winter solstice with child sacrifice and evergreen trees (such as in verse 5). Indeed, in many respects, while the great false Christianity of this world claims to worship Jesus Christ, they are actually worshiping the wrong king, the false savior of the Babylonian mysteries—the sun god Baal or Molech. (It should perhaps be mentioned that some commentaries suggest that "king" in this verse could also indicate a foreign ruler the Israelites appeal to for aid rather than God. This happened in ancient times, and it appears from prophecy that it will happen again in the end time—this last time with the ruler of the European "Beast" power foretold elsewhere in Scripture, who will himself be directly tied to the false worship system already mentioned.)



The remainder of the chapter contrasts the fear and punishment of the wicked with the peace and reward of the righteous. Yes, even despite Israel's idolatrous rebellion, God in His unbounded mercy looks to the future redemption He has planned. Verse 15 is a comforting passage. God is "high and lofty," yet He dwells with us as we pursue our mundane affairs here below. God will be as intimately involved in our lives as we allow Him to be. This contrasts with the way pagan gods were depicted in some ancient cultures—as distant from the people: "Epicurean philosophy [in Greece] depicted the gods on Mount Olympus…in detached unconcern for the world" (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, note on verse 15).



Paul cites verse 19 about preaching peace as applying to Jesus (Ephesians 2:17). And the chapter ends with the same words that ended chapter 48: There is no peace for the wicked.

I Dropped the "Shop-Till-You-Drop" Addiction

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about "shop till you drop." This follows this post about America's debt crisis.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

I Dropped the "Shop-Till-You-Drop" Addiction

by Anonymous Female





As a retired person without a job and without hobbies, and living in one of the affluent nations of the western world, I had gradually developed a psychological addiction—an obsession for shopping.



After my retirement, I began to work out regularly at a gym. But that gym happened to be within a shopping mall. This was an environment which gradually developed into a tempting “set up” for me to combine my trips to the gym with slipping in a little shopping.



Motivated by the retail marketing strategies to lure me through discounts, sales and coupons, I started to become obsessed with looking for “bargains.” Whether I needed the item became unimportant to me—it was the excitement of getting those bargains! What a bargain! What a deal! What a “sale”! If I liked one in a particular color, my reasoning went that surely I’d love even more of them in several colors!



I began recognizing my problem



Then one day when entering a back room of my house, I recognized that I had a problem. I recognized the problem for what it was when I saw that room loaded with a well-organized supply of ladies’ clothing. It looked like a miniature ladies’ clothing store! I realized that I couldn’t wear all of the clothes there in several lifetimes!! This stirred me to soul-searching and action. Even though I consider myself to be a logical person, I realized that this behavior was totally illogical.



I quickly realized that I had a spiritual problem—I was violating the Tenth Commandment against coveting. I was lusting for things I didn’t need, couldn’t afford, and didn't have room for. I began fervently asking God to forgive me and help me.



I thought about seeking professional “shopping addiction therapy.” That would not have been bad, but as it turned out, I didn’t require it.



It was so embarrassing for me to tell friends and family. One family member tried to help by just telling me to “stop it.” But that didn’t help because my addiction had become too strong to solve that simply.



I analyzed my family background as a possible contributing factor. Though we owned a house while I was growing up, we didn’t have much money for personal enjoyment. My dad kept tight control of the budget, allocating money to my mom only for family essentials, and not for personal items. Even though that background was no excuse for my behavior, could it be that I was overcompensating for my mother's restricted situation? Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD,” and this was part of my self-examination.



My road to recovery



I recognized that I didn’t need another thing. I had everything I could possibly need, physically speaking. I needed to “get a life.” So a struggle against this compulsion began within me.



For a short time I became ill, and that distracted me from shopping.



Then I took the many credit cards out of my purse, and left them at home in a desk drawer. But that wasn’t a sure solution because those retail stores told me that for my convenience, all I needed was to give them my Social Security number to make a purchase. They sure make it easy for anyone to spend money!



Those retail stores still send me “sale” coupons in the mail, but I ignore them and let them expire. Every day I look into that back room and just say to myself, “I don’t need another thing.”



I’ve made huge progress. I strongly believe that God has answered my prayers by removing this obsession to “shop till I drop”. Since early 2011 I’ve not had a compulsive desire to go shopping. But I take it one day at a time. [Editor’s note: Be aware that God does not promise to remove temptations every time someone prays for help. However, God does promise to help us if we are praying earnestly in faith while putting forth major effort to overcome.]



Since I became determined to break free from this addiction, I’ve been studying the Bible more and my mind has been opened to greater biblical understanding. This leads me to believe that my shopping obsession had been hindering my spiritual growth. What Jesus described in Mark 4:19 had come to fit me perfectly: “And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” My desires (lusts) for “things” had become raw materialism.



My overcoming of this shopping addiction has led me to a greater understanding of and appreciation for Christ’s words: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).



[Although the author chose to be anonymous, she is very willing to talk to anyone who is struggling with a shopping addiction. If you are struggling, you can notify the BF managing editor and he will put you in contact with the author.]

http://breakingfree.ucg.org/content/i-dropped-shop-till-you-drop-addiction





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Christmas: a celebration banned by the Puritans!!!!!

An interesting article from www.ucg.org about the Puritan's approach to Christmas. This follows this post about the U.S. Thanksgiving. This follows this post about the Super Committee's failure. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Christmas: a banned celebration




In England "the Protestants found their own quieter ways of celebrating, in calm and meditation," while "the strict Puritans refused to celebrate at all ...The Pilgrims in Massachusetts made a point of working on Christmas as on any other day. On June 3, 1647, Parliament established punishments for observing Christmas and certain other holidays. This policy was reaffirmed in 1652" (Del Re, p. 20).



Even colonial America considered Christmas more of a raucous revelry than a religious occasion: "So tarnished, in fact, was its reputation in colonial America that celebrating Christmas was banned in Puritan New England, where the noted minister Cotton Mather described yuletide merrymaking as ‘an affront unto the grace of God'" (Jeffery Sheler, "In Search of Christmas," U.S. News and World Report, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 56).