Of course I'm not referring to actual quicksand but partially in context. Of all the cliche's and unspoken truths regardless of scientific law, one seems to hold true over all; if something can get worse it most likely will. For some odd reason this always tends to happen, one bad thing after another continues to beat you down more and more. The Quicksand theory is one in which a person struggles or is struggling and yet everything they do to try and improve there situation just keeps going wrong and they end out deeper than they were previously. Understandably bad things occur to us all but when it's a downward spiral things can get out of hand fast and it's hard to recuperate.

What's interesting though is humanities natural negativity, or what appears to be negativity in our current age. I often wonder if people from previous generations thought as negatively as we do. Look at statistics, most obese generation, most divorced generation, most imprisoned generation, and yet no one seems to have any rhyme or reason to explain this. Is it that we have lost all positivity and we cannot seem to co exist with each other? Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?

Whether we are too negative a generation now or not I suppose is not the main concern right now. The main concern is Quicksand and how to deal with it. In order to give perspective the best way is to explain a situation I've been in myself and let you see Quicksand work.

It was middle of the evening and I had my 4,000 US Dollar stereo/entertainment system to hook up. I had saved up over the years to buy each component and was proud of it, not only because of what it could do, but because of the effort I put forth to achieve it or own it. The drawback of this fancy system is that it's so complicated to hook all together. There are wires all over the place behind it and my first sketch of instructions on how to hook it up I wrote in shorthand years ago and could not reread it when it came time to move into a new home.

So I'm sitting there theorizing how to hook up my own equipment. I finally came up with an idea and proceeded to try it. I hooked the speakers up overhead on the walls and proceeded to the stereo's to start connecting all the components together. In doing so, the Quicksand Pit had begun. As I'm standing behind the stereo system I stepped on a speaker cord causing it's holder plastic piece at a corner of the wall to fall down. This stalled me from continuing connection as I had to reach up and stand on a small ladder to put the holder back in it's place. Upon doing so I turned around and a piece of the entertainment system fell down and one of the receivers fell off it's shelf. It's fine, I checked it, and set it back in it's place. Then for some reason not 15 minutes later the other receiver falls off it's shelf and the tape mechanism in the front falls off. I try for the next 30 minutes to replace the tape cover, at one point having both of the double tape plastic doors fall off, and I finally reassemble it back to normal, but the second door or right door isn't opening properly. An hour into this and I've opened my second receiver to look around and see if I can fix the problem. I thought I had, was wrong after reconnecting the pieces and screws. Then I sat there realizing...this was never going to end.

I just had this gut feeling that the Devil was in the room with me. Now granted, that is probably off the mark, but I found it so odd that every single thing I tried to do was continually making matters worse. I now had nothing connected, hours wasted, and a receiver in worse shape then before I started. I sat there in frustration and anger. I threw my shirt off hours before and was just spent. I felt like I couldn't accomplish something that I thought I had mastered and understood, and not only that, it still wasn't working properly.

There is a famous saying and I think it needs to be mentioned, "Just let go, and let God". So when I sat down covered in dust and debris from the walls and equipment, I just breathed in and out and said, I'm done. I said, I'm not going to fight this anymore and nothing I'm doing is working so I'll do it another day. At that point I did feel a moment of confidence because it was as if I had regained control. Whether Devil or not, I was in charge of what could and could not go wrong, and I just let it be since what I was doing did not work at that time.

The main message when you are stuck in a quicksand situation is don't let your anger and temper guide you. Know when to walk away and realize that giving up isn't defeat, it's allowing you the opportunity to fight for something another day.

"Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart."
- Proverbs 3:3.

There was a saying by Walter Winchell that said "a real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out." My question to you today is are you a real friend? How often have you passed by people making fun of God or the bible and have either slinked by to avoid confrontation from those people or joined in the bashing because it was the thing to do? Or how often have you come upon someone in need, whether they needed change to make a phone call or needed a couple of bucks for some food or something warm to fight off the cold? So many different scenarios displayed and in so many ways, we find ourselves walking out on what we know is right and true according to His word.

How often is it that we prove ourselves unworthy to be friends of God and of His word? Would you trade the friendship that Jesus offers for acceptance among your peers? There are so many questions we can ask ourselves referring to this but there's only one place you can pledge your loyalty at a time. I know it is also often said among many sermons I have attended: You're either serving God or you're serving the devil; if you're not serving God, then who are you serving? When I first heard that question, I remember thinking how quaint and boring the quote was. It was like,"We're not kids. Why are you telling us this is we already know it by heart?"

Jeremiah 9 says "friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth... you live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me." The real question of today's message is what kind of friend are you? Do you know where your true loyalty lies? Again, it's said best that a "real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out." From my own experience, I know that God is always there when I need Him. It has taken a while for me to discover where my own loyalty is and an even longer while to really be true to the path I had chose for myself. I want to be that "real friend" who continues walking in when trouble is abound and everyone else has had enough or is too scared to press forth. Loyalty isn't something for the faint of heart. It takes true courage to follow in what you believe is right.

In my country, April 25th is a very important day, and respected by almost every single citizen. It marks the day in 1915 in which my country was truly born as a nation amidst blood and fire, and earned respect on a global scale. Anzac Day is Australia's memorial day for all of our soldiers from every war.

I'm sure every country has a day like this, of course with different dates and names, none of which I know. But this shows that while the vast majority of mankind hate warfare, we become patriotic and cheer on those who stand up for us, those who protect us, those who are willing to die for us.

It's important that we recognise and respect the sacrifices made by our families, friends, strangers, on our behalf. And important that we too are willing to make these sacrifices for others as well. That doesn't just mean to go throw your life away whenever, but be willing to take a stand to protect others, and stand for what is right.

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"

-John 15:13.

When a person makes that ultimate sacrifice for us, it alters our perception. We want to be worthy of that sacrifice, we don't want to let the person down.

The greatest sacrifice was that of Jesus; through him we are saved. We don't need to be worthy of that sacrifice, it has already been freely given, if only you choose to accept that sacrifice. All that we need do is accept that we are saved through Jesus, and choose to follow him, and we will never let him down.

" Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

-Romans 5:1-5

I don't think I met anyone who hasn't felt lonely at one time or another. I think it is normal for people to feel this way sometimes. Even if we are surrounded by people. One thing I take joy in, is to know even if we do feel alone, we are not. If we are lacking in friends or family, we always have someone by our side. He guides us through life, no matter if we realize this or not. He can touch your life in such a way where you know it's Him or He can just gradually push us in where when need to be. He is God.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
(Isaiah 41:10 New International Version)

We give God many titles as He well deserves them, but one title that I know that is very special to me is, Father. He can be like a Father like we have here on earth, but I think He is much more that that. He is prefect and loves us unconditional unlike earthly fathers.

"I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and
daughters, Says the Lord Almighty."
(2 Corinthians 6:18 New International Version)

So I think that we need to remember when we do feel that loneliness setting in. We do have someone by our side, who is waiting for you to bring your needs to Him. Like a son to his father.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
(John 14:18 New International Version)

This week my topic is the origins and dealings with stress. Basically, what causes stress and how to deal with it. Mostly all of the humans in the world has been under some type of stress in their life. They may have been different types and causes but it is still stress. There are many factors that contribute to having stress. Leading a stressful life is not healthy and above all not fun and enjoyable!

The causes of stress are very wide because there are different types of stress. The types of stress on your body could be physical, mental, anatomical, or psychological. The originate from many places also. From such places like the work environment, school environment, home environment, and even simple things such as the highway environment. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term stress is "a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation" or for an alternate definition "one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium". One can conclude that basically obsessing over something that they have a connection to or a drastic change in ones life leads to stress. The origins of stress however varies from person to person.

Scientists are studying the correlation between psychological stress and the human body's immune response to come with a better management for certain diseases. The body responds to stress in the "fight or flight" syndrome. When such a time that the body can not adapt anymore to the numerous stressful events, diseases set in. Symptoms affecting the immune system, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels occur, which often lead to certain diseases. Adverse effects include behavioral problems, weight gain, and weight loss among others. Researchers advocate that prolonged exposure to stress can lead to adverse physiological changes and that managing stress can help people lead longer, healthier lives.

Some words of advice offered:
Breathe...
Know what "triggers" your stress
Reflect and meditate often
Know your limits and what you can accomplish in a given time
Do not procrastinate, do your harder tasks first
Be organized by using a schedule for each day
Remember 'quality not quantity'
Don't dwell on what was done wrong or just was not done
Eat healthy and get some sleep!
Recognize the humor in a situation, but make sure the laugh is on you, not on the other person.
Practice relaxation techniques and mediate or focus your thoughts on something pleasant.
Try to chew gum or nibble on other things but not to the point of a habit

If you remember these things then you will do great. Just remember some of the things above and you can avoid some of the stressful moments of your life. Good luck!

Sin is like the glitch in a video game, it happens. When people sin you think bad of them, but you too don't actually think about what you've done. Everybody sins, whether it was just a lie or a robbery you've committed a sin. There is no way out but praying to God asking forgiveness on you soul.

Genesis 4:7: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

When it comes to friends who sin, it doesn't mean just too be with the group that you have to sin as well. Most people judge others or say stuff like "come on you chicken" or something like that to get you angry or mad, too the point where you just want them to stop. They've pushed you into the hot seat, and there's no way of getting out. Sin is like hell on earth. No matter how bad it gets it's just going to get worst.

In most cases people will say there is no way of avoiding sin, and I personally find there isn't. I think that if there was it wouldn't change the world, I mean we'd still have murderers, and adulterers, even if everyone told the truth, and the world still wouldn't be perfect, and hell would still be the place for those who sin to go. There is no escape aside from making the choice to abandon sin behind.

The United States Economy is suffering right now due to bad decisions on many levels. Gas prices are out of control, the housing market has crippled both homeowners who will be losing there homes as well as the real estate market which is massive and has hundreds of thousands of employees nation wide.

It's no surprise that many of us in our lives make wrong decisions, or bad decisions. In fact, the best advice is to tell you, don't fret. Because all of us have made at least one bad decision here or there in our time, and the ramifications of that decision are simply something we have to live with.

Even if the worst happens to a family and you lose your home, your job, and have to move to a different part of the country, it's all life. That's how things go unfortunately, and you need to work towards rebuilding your life and doing what you have to do to get back on track.

I think there is a large feeling of fear going across the nation and perhaps even the world in regards to how economies are headed and with the increased spending of a required product such as gasoline it does no help towards frivolous, careless, spending that amazingly does help our economy.

Without being an expert at global economic activity and whether we are in a recession or not, I would remind America and many other nations that sitting on money, or saving, while however good for you the individual, is not good for the economy. Which in turn when the economy gets worse prices will tighten and you won't be earning as much money on interest for example, as you'll be spending it for stiffer prices elsewhere.

It's too hard to give a broad generalization of advice or suggestions on all types of products as different products and services have different details. In fact, it's probably impossible. However to many people out there we would highly suggest that you trust your economy and continue to buy as you normally do. Don't go on a shopping spree if you have 10 dollars in the bank of course, but don't hoard money for the sake of just having it. The majority of each nation is ran by the middle class as they fill the largest socio-economical demographic of people out there. If the cost is squeezed on them, they will buy less which will affect both the upper class' profit and the lower class' ability to survive.

So some suggestions here:

* Continue to buy to help bolster the economy

* Don't always choose the lowest price, lowest price has a funny way of associating itself with lowest quality

* Get multiple options, don't settle for just the one thing you want, see what options you have before purchasing

* Consider customer service, many people don't even think of it these days but when you buy a product and it doesn't meet your needs or there is no support for things you need fixed, you'll wish you spent that extra 20 dollars to get that kind of support

* Don't trust neighbors when it comes to money or where to buy. While you might love them and be best friends with them, keeping up with the Jones, doesn't mean buying the exact same thing. You might get a better deal elsewhere and just because something worked well for the Jones, doesn't mean it's going to work well or even good at all for you

Finally, if you want to invest money to make more money, don't use a bank's Savings Account, try IRA's, 401 K's, and the Stock Market. Put that money into other businesses and let them work for you and the country you live in, in order to help the economy and business thrive.

We are given chances. Chances to try again when we fail; God gives us these chances. He is mercy, and He is love, and so, even though we fall, if we ask for it, He will forgive us and give us another chance.

I learned that we should never give up trying no matter how many times we fall. That the moment we decide to give up, we are letting Satan win; that by giving up, we stop trying to do what is right and allow ourselves to do wrong. I just want to say to all that we must never let Satan win and to continue fighting no matter what.

I know it's hard, but keep trying. Get up, try again. God is always willing to give you another chance, he wants you to succeed, with His power we can. But we have to be willing!

So if you are struggling with something and think that maybe this time, God has had enough and won't forgive you again, you're wrong. God will always want to help you get back up. Always keep Him in your heart and your life and soon, you can conquer your sins forever and finally be free.

Tonight I visited a friend and I heard an interesting and quite shocking story. He had been dating a pretty girl for about seven weeks now and while things were still very early they seemed to be getting along quite well. Upon arriving at his house he told me of a Myspace message he received out of the blue from someone he didn't know and it was the ex-boyfriend of the girl he was currently seeing. He advised my friend that the girl he was dating was considering coming back to him, breaking up with my friend, and she had sent several text messages alluding to the fact that this relationship was soon to be over.

I felt for my friend of course, but he's a straight shooter and someone that would rebound from something like this fairly fast. He's your typical man's man. Upon hearing this he phoned the stranger that left the message and then proceeded to receive all the text messages that the girl he had been dating had sent to her ex-boyfriend.

She was exposed, it was the truth, and she was guilty. Not only was she guilty but she did it with very little class at all. This weekend his father had his retirement party and all the family flew in from out of town. It was a great time at the party, the dinner was fantastic, and seeing everyone together was heartwarming as everyone lives across the country or far apart. It was at these events with the family that this girl was sending the text messages to the other guy. It's one thing to have wanted out of the relationship, but to be pursuing another relationship, while in one, while at your current boyfriend's family moments is cold and lacks class.

It's understandable in the world we live in that when a relationship isn't going to work out, that it be best if things ended peacefully and both parties went there separate ways. But there are certain lines of respect that need to be adhered to, and this girl apparently felt it necessary to pursue her own agenda without any concern or care for her boyfriend or the importance of the events she was at to even wait until things were over to start searching for the next candidate to date.

The dating life nowadays is sketchy at best. Most people are in it for simple things like a quick good time or they aren't looking for serious commitment and would rather enjoy the single life. I don't want to give a top 10 list of things of what you can do to be a better girlfriend or boyfriend, but if you don't even respect the person you are with, or can't give them respect; what are you doing with them then?

I think the worst thing about dating in the millennium is that people don't seem to care at all if your feelings get hurt, just as long as they are happy that's all that is required. If you could take any advice today, really think hard about at least treating your partner with civility and respect, because it's one thing to be a disliked person or just an ex, it's another to do something like this and look like trash.

Proverbs 21:9

It's better to live on the corner of a roof, than with a contentious woman.

"11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.

12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land."

-Song of Solomon 2:11-12


I just wanted to write something briefly about love in general. It is very hard to find true love between individuals, especially when most of what seemed to be love has done nothing but hurt. Whether that be being discarded for one's beliefs and practices on certain subjects, being left behind due to differing goals, or being abandoned because of not being "good enough"(which frankly I don't believe in). Why even try to venture towards this emotion called love when it's painful?

I am not a bible scholar nor do I claim to be. All I know is that the way I feel about God and Jesus has given me strength that would not have come on its own and without it, I would have definitely faltered for the last time. I recognize I am nothing without His love and guidance seeking me out in the crowd of millions, of billions of people. And it is this altruistic love that binds me to the Creator and pushes me to give more value to self that I could ever hope to muster. Rather than cower from the challenge of seeking another person's love for myself, I pray for the day that I am lucky enough to receive His blessing in finding that love. I don't believe that God ever intentionally hurts a person and that He does desire His children to be happy in His name. The God I know is a God of everlasting love and that is how it will remain until the end of time.

My message for the month of April is to be brave when searching for love. Do not let your fears cloud your vision and ask God to bless each step of the way. Ask Him for guidance in all that you do. There are no such things as Aphrodite, Venus, or the adorable Cupid that will hit others with an arrow to make that person fall for you. But you do have yourself. You have all the gifts that God blessed you with and the love He has given to all who would receive it. When arming yourself to find that love, what else do you need to ask for?