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Dance with Your Heart! Inspiration from Child Prodigy Shirley Cheng, Author, Poet, Speaker, Advocate
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Happy 2012 from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Whose slave are you?
Before you protest and say you're nobody's slave, understand that we're all slaves to one thing or another. Do you know that "you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?" (Romans 6:16, NLT)
In other words, we are slaves to whatever controls us (2 Peter 2:19).
Thus, when we cannot stop working to smell the roses, we are the slaves to our jobs. When we are glued in front of our TV set, the TV sets have become our masters. When we cannot break free from
alcoholism, it has us firmly in its grasp. And when we are unable to stop telling lies, shoplifting, cheating on our spouses, or living ...
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Who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? And how about the Holy Spirit? The entire Bible clearly supplies all the information we need in order to know about them, so here, I will briefly answer these basic
and fundamental questions using the Bible, God's final written authority for us.
Why is knowing about God important? Accurate knowledge about Him is vital to our salvation. Read on...
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit comprise what we call the "Holy Trinity." The Holy Trinity is a spiritual unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are "one" in a spiritual sense. To understand this oneness, we need to understand what the Bible says about marriage. It says that when a man and woman
marry, ...
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Happy holidays from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
On a wintry morning, shoppers scuffled through the streets of New York, wining in and out of crowds. Amid the crowd was a young woman walking along the shops with a slight frown. She looked at the
toys displayed in the windows, but quickly turned away with a sigh. She just did not have the money to buy them for her two kids, not even for this Christmas season. After her ex-husband had walked
out on her, she could only provide food on the table; and at days, even that had been hard to do. Then something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She moved toward the brown object
lying by an Italian restaurant. A wallet. She opened it, and blinked. A ...
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A November hello from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Here's a riddle for you: what death brings life?
Answer: the death of Jesus Christ in our place.
But how could Jesus' death bring anyone life? Why did particularly Jesus have to die in our place? Why die in our place at all? Finally, how should we personally respond to his death? Our eternal
destiny entirely lies in knowing the answers, so let's discover them together.
First Man, First Law, First Sin, First Penalty
God, whose personal name is "Yahweh" in the Hebrew language, created two people—Adam and Eve—who were perfect and sinless. Back then, God established that death will be the penalty for sin. (Sin
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October greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Do you feel fulfilled? If you have spent time trying to find fulfillment in material possessions, in traveling and sightseeing, in good food and fine clothing, in fame and power, have you been able
to find what you're looking for? If not, do you know why not?
Delicious food leaves us patting our bellies, while partying with our friends helps us forget our troubles. Our great possessions make us proud, and we enjoy showing them off. But when our stomachs
are full, does that fill the void in our hearts? When our friends leave us after a long day of conversation, don't our problems and pressures come back to haunt us? And if fire burned all that we
possess, what ...
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Happy September from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Have you ever wanted to be a doctor or a nurse? Wanted to wipe away a tear and make the pain go away with a kiss? Well, now you can, without even going to medical school! How? By being a spiritual
doctor and taking up the Great Commission of the Doctor in Chief, Jesus Christ.
Jesus' specific order to us is: "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, WEB)
First, let us study ...
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August greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
On June 24, New York became the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. Gays and non-gays alike erupted into cheers. After the initial celebration died down, some questions about this important topic
affecting millions of Americans still remain, and they are: How should we view gay marriage? If it's about two people who love each other, then there's nothing wrong with it, right? And since God is
the Creator of the universe who doesn't make any mistakes and since homosexual relationships have been in existence since ancient times, then it must mean that God approves homosexuality and gay
marriage, doesn't it?
To answer these questions, we must turn to the ultimate authority of humanity: Yahweh God Almighty. Let's know His ...
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Happy July from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
"Help! Please don't leave me here." Joseph's muffled cries rang out from in the pit. He couldn't believe that his elder brothers could actually cast him into this hole. They wouldn't leave him here,
would they? They just couldn't. "Help!"
"C'mon, don't mind him," said one brother. "Let's eat; I'm starved." It had been a long, hot day, grazing their flock, so it was a relief when they finally sat down to have some bread. While they
ate, talked, and laughed, with their 17-year-old brother's cries in the background, the ever-increasing sound of a caravan interrupted their meal. They looked up, and saw The traveling caravan with
camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh. The caravan belonged to traveling merchants. ...
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Dear Readers:
I've begun a new blog at http://drshirleycheng.blogspot.com. All posts here will remain on this old blog, but all future posts will appear on the new blog, so you may like to bookmark it. Thank you for being a royal reader!
If you'd like to get in touch with me, you may e-mail me via my site at http://www.shirleycheng.com
Best to you!
Dr. Shirley Cheng |
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A jolly June greeting from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
What is true wealth? Is it gold that glitters under the sun? Or is it wealth that no one and nothing, not even death, can take away from you?
Let's consider material wealth for a moment. We can have absolutely everything we want in life: huge mansions, fancy cars, ever-expanding wardrobes, and a sailboat or two to boot—but should our
lives be measured by monetary values? Is the worth of our lives so calculable that we can consider ourselves wealthy simply by adding up our material possessions? Even if we feel wealthy by owning
great possessions, what good would such wealth do us when natural calamities take them away from us? And when we die, could we take our ...
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A warm May greeting from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
When you pray, do you feel that God is ignoring your prayer? After all, prayer is communication with Yahweh God Almighty; it is a two-way conversation. So when it seems as though your prayers are
not being answered, there are good reasons for it.
There are hindrances to prayers—things and behaviors that will prevent an answered prayer. Here, let us briefly go over some of these hindrances, so we can learn to eliminate them in our lives in
order for our prayers to be answered next time.
Disbelief
"But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven ...
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Happy April Fools Day from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
In a small town lived a young Christian woman named Erin who whole-heartedly followed the Bible's commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18, WEB) Whenever her
neighbors were in trouble, they could always count on her for support, be it emotional, spiritual, or material. One day, her next-door neighbor and long-time friend Bob asked to borrow some money
from her for an emergency. Remembering Jesus' words, "Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you," she un hesitantly wrote out a check for the needed amount.
(Matthew 5:42)
Some months later, Bob knocked on her door and requested to borrow more money even though he still had ...
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March greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
If you could be any flavor you want, which flavor would you choose? Sweet, sour, salty, or bitter? At first thought, I would want to be sweet as honey. But after careful consideration, I realize it
may not be a very wise idea. While candy can bring a smile or two to someone's face, too much of it yields only empty calories, and we all know where those excess calories will end up! All
honeybonnie and lovydovy is all fluff and no substance, offering no lasting value. I want to be something that affects others in a big way and I want my flavor to last. So I choose to be
salty.
Why salty? Well, what does salt offer? ...
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| "With all the controversy in the early first millennium about the nature of the personage known as Jesus Christ, such as the Council of Nicea of 325 A.D., the myriad of versions of the Bible,
including the many 'mistake' Bibles that have deliberate or otherwise mistakes, and the many editings of the Bible over the centuries (which is true of just about any holy book), the fact (or rumor
or history) that King James was into bestiality and suppressed the last edition of the Bible which was translated from the original Greek and Hebrew before putting out the King James Version, most of
which the vast majority of people have never heard about, not practicing Christians, not most of the general public, wouldn't you say that it's very hard to know or even believe a lot of what
Christianity is supposed to be about except as ...
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| Happy February from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
What do the sun, a lighthouse, a police officer, and a Christian have in common?
They are all lights of the world, providing warmth, guidance, warning, and exposing darkness. The sun brings warmth and delight, a lighthouse aids and guides, a police officer maintains order by
warning and disciplining offenders; and like these lights, a Christian should shine forth as the ultimate light of the world by providing joy, assistance, correction and rebuke. Now, let us look at
the three light aspects of Christian living.
Bringing Warmth and Delight as the Sun
A huge ball of fire in the sky, the sun is able to warm all who comes under its light; there's "nothing hidden from its heat." (Psalm 19:6, WEB.) It cannot bring ...
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| Happy January 2011 from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com
There was a foolish man who lived a lavish lifestyle and squandered all he had. When he died, the only inheritance he left his five children was heavy debt. Unable to pay off the debt their father
had accumulated, the children were forced to live and work on the streets. One day, a wealthy business man happened to pass by. Seeing them shivering in the cold, his heart moved in him. He took them
to his home, served them hearty meals, and sold one of his companies to pay off all of their debt. Then he offered all five children jobs in his remaining business, instructing them to follow all his
rules. Even though they had made many mistakes, three of the children worked diligently, learned from ...
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| "Can you settle the 'Eternal Security' question for me?" asked Ronald S. Brown, who is a retired hotel night auditor, part-time small business owner, author, founding director and secretary-treasurer
of a Hispanic Pentecostal church, former Baptist, algae grower, and radio talkshow guest - www.WeBeatDiabetes.com
Dr. Shirley's answer: I'll try! "Eternal security" is a hot topic, and for good reason, too. After having carefully studied the Bible, this is the conclusion I have arrived at:
Repentant sinners who truly believe in and love God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and who will remain faithful to them to the end will be eternally saved; they will receive eternal life. On the other
hand, unrepentant sinners, even when they truly believe in God and Jesus, will not have eternal life. God will not be mocked; we reap what we sow: "For he who sows to his own ...
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| "Christians consider the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to be part of their sacred scriptures. However, in the New Testament, Jesus seems to rebel against some of the traditional Jewish laws laid out
in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Jesus seems to disregard dietary laws (Mat. 15:10-11, Mark 7:14-23; see also 1 Timothy 4:3-5, Colossians 2:8-16). How do you think a Christian should decide which
laws of the Hebrew Bible should still be followed and which are unnecessary for Christians?" asked Tucker Lieberman, editor of Moral Relativism Magazine - www.moralrelativism.com
Dr. Shirley's answer: First, we must understand that the laws and statutes of the Mosaic Covenant given to the nation of Israel were for Israel only, not for Christians or any other people group
or nation. Since the human creation, Jehovah (Yahweh) God has established several covenants with people during various time periods, ...
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| "In the Lord's Prayer, why does Jesus say, 'Lead us not into temptation' when it plainly says in another place that we are not tempted of the Lord?" asked Bill Dotson, who is a Christian, husband,
father, retired public educator, adjunct college instructor, gardener, inspirational writer, political conservative, deacon/prayer coordinator, and technology geek. ( www.roadrevelations.org - www.kingdomcoins.org - www.agreetogether.org )
Dr. Shirley's answer: It is true that God does not tempt us to do evil, for the Bible says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God,' for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he
himself tempts no one." (James 1:13, WEB.)
However, God does permit us to be tempted by our environment—the devil, other people, and our own sinful desires—even though He Himself does not cause or initiate the temptation.
Why ...
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| December seasons greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Why do you believe what you believe? Are your beliefs established on sound basis? How do you decide what to believe?
Let's do a fun exercise together. Answer "true" or "false" for each statement below, and then explain why you believe it is true or false. Go ahead:
1) The sun will rise tomorrow.
2) The Earth is round.
3) I will experience a safe flight the next time I travel by plane.
4) Only one true God exists, and He created everything.
Done? Great; me, too. Now let's go over our answers. Here's how mine look:
1) True, because the sun has been rising every day ever since we know.
2) True, because before I ...
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| In his beautiful prayer to his Father before his death, Jesus said: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3, WEB.) This
important verse tells us three things:
1) Our eternal life (salvation) is dependent on an accurate knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. Think about it: if we believe in the wrong God, we might as well believe in Santa Claus or the tooth
fairy; it won't make much of a difference what we believe if we don't have an accurate knowledge of God. Salvation is given to those who accept and believe in the death and sacrifice and resurrection
of Jesus Christ and who initiated the salvation plan (God initiated the salvation for all humans).
However, simply knowing that Jehovah God and Jesus Christ exist does no ...
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| Jesus said, "the Father is in me, and I in the Father." (John 10:38, WEB.) What did he mean by that? Does that mean that God and Jesus are one and the same?
We can understand what Jesus meant by reading what Jesus said to his disciples next: "In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." (John 14:20)
So in John 10:38, Jesus didn't mean that God (the Father) and himself are one and the same, because we see that Jesus used the same description to describe himself and his disciples. We know for
certain that Jesus didn't mean that he himself and his disciples were literally one and the same being; instead, they were separate individuals.
The Father and the Son are "one" in a spiritual sense. To understand this oneness, ...
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| November greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Do you desire to know the truth? How valuable do you believe the truth is?
Nowadays, people believe there is no absolute truths—it's just a matter of personal choices. When we believe that everything can be true, then it means that we should agree that stealing and
murder are okay because that may be true to some people.
When one+one no longer equals two every time, then there is no set standard of doing anything, do you agree? Therefore, absolute truth is vital in living a proper life. For example, when everyone
believes that murder is absolutely wrong every time, then we all can know how to react whenever murder occurs. We would set laws to prevent it from happening and follow a set of ...
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| Shirley Cheng, blind and physically disabled 27-year-old author and motivational speaker, has won her twenty-seventh book award: Gold placement for
"Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness" in Mom's Choice Awards for Religion/Spirituality, making it
this book's seventh award.
Previously, "Do You Love Jehovah?" placed as a finalist in the 2010 International Book Awards in Religion-Christianity and Religion-Christian Inspirational; 2010 Indie Excellence Book Awards in
Religion; and the National Best Books 2009 Awards in Christianity. It was also a Second Place winner in the 2010 Written Art Awards in Spirituality/Religion, in addition to being an Honorable Mention
in 2009 Reader Views Annual Literary Awards in Religion.
"It's Jehovah who bestows upon me the strength to scale my mountains; He is why I am ...
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| Happy October from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Imagine someone you do not particularly like coming up to you, and in front of all your friends, begins to passionately accuse you of things you have never thought of, let alone have done. How
would you react in such circumstances?
In such cases, maintaining temperance is the key; otherwise, you could worsen an already unpleasant situation. But what is temperance?
Temperance is self-control. It is the ability to control yourself at difficult circumstances. Such an ability is precious when you run into a seemingly overwhelming situation. This is why the wise
King Solomon once said, "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32, WEB.)
Let us go back ...
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| A September greetings to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Do you give to everyone what you owe? Do you give respect to whom respect is due and honor to whom honor? (Romans 13:7, World English Bible) When we rise from our seats to greet a newcomer, help an elderly person
across the street, care for our parents when they are in need, and abide by the laws of our government, we show our humility, giving to others what are rightfully due: love, honor, and respect.
True humility comes from the heart. Only when we have a humble heart will we able to reflect humility through our actions. How can we learn to be more humble? We can learn to be humble by
following in the footsteps of a humble person. If you wish ...
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| Do we have an immortal soul in each of us? Do we live on as spirits or ghosts after death?
Before I learned what the Bible really taught, I incorrectly believed that we all have souls that lived on after our physical death, and that these souls are conscious of everything. I believed
more so in this soul notion when I heard and read of near-death experiences, of how people died for a little while and when they were revived, they told about where they had gone to and whom they
met. The story we often hear is people walking down a very long hallway after death; some entered a blissful place where they saw their friends and family, and some entered a terrible place.
While I cannot explain these phenomenon, in situations and cases like this, we must ask ourselves one crucial question: ...
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| Is homosexuality wrong? If you ask one hundred people, you would get some "Yeses," some "Nos," and some "Maybes." We can never get down to one ultimate answer among ourselves. Therefore, we must turn
to the source that will pinpoint the absolute truths and standards that govern us: the Bible, which was written by our very Creator and Life-Giver, Jehovah God Almighty.
It is not for us to say whether homosexuality is wrong. Let us see what God's ultimate Word has to say about this crucial subject.
Homosexuality is forbidden in several Bible passages such as in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13, but I would like to just focus on one passage that mentions both male and female
homosexuality.
Apostle Paul wrote:
"For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that ...
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| All unrepentant wicked people will be cast into hell, where the fire will burn for eternity. But what does "eternal" fire of hell mean? What does the Bible say?
Let us study what the Bible says below about the condition we know as "hell:"
1) Jesus said, "…fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28, American Standard Version)
Here, we see two things:
a) *Both* body and soul will go to hell, contrary to the popular belief that only the soul will go to hell
b) That the soul will be *destroyed* in hell, not being burned for eternity.
2) Another passage confirms that God will completely destroy—not torment—evildoers, both their bodies and souls, by throwing them into hell, the lake of fire: "'For, behold, the day comes, it
burns as a ...
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| In the Old Testament, why did Jehovah order Israel to kill all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan?
Jehovah repeatedly made known in the Old Testament why He ordered all Canaanites annihilated: it was because of how extremely evil they were. The annihilation of the Canaanites was like the great
flood in Noah's days; it was purposed for the same reason—to remove evil people from Earth—but it was on a much smaller scale, as it concerned only one land as opposed to the entire world with the
great flood.
How evil were the Canaanites? Their evil acts included but were not limited to burning their children alive to sacrifice to their false gods, incest, bestiality, female and male prostitution,
orgies, homosexuality, witchcraft, consulting mediums and fortune-tellers, adultery, murder, and rape.
To those who criticize Jehovah of being unfair and unjust ...
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| Happy August to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
With love shining from his eyes, the handsome groom vows, "I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."
Smiling tenderly at her husband-to-be, the bride repeats the same vow. A kiss then sealed their promises to be together till death parts them. Then a few years later, they sadly parted—and not by
death. Like many other married couples, their wedding vows are forgotten, replaced by bitterness and regret as they sign their divorce paper.
Chances are, you know someone who has gone through such a painful divorce, ...
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| Beware of false teachers! Since nearly two thousand years ago, we have been warned of false teachers by Jesus Christ and His earliest apostles. False teachers had crept into the early church,
misleading many Christians with untruths. Today, many false teachers are in our world, teaching others what should not be taught. As a result, many of those who heed their words are being led astray,
believing in absolute falsehood.
Knowing the truths and nothing but the truths about Jehovah God, Jesus Christ, and God's Word, the Bible, is crucial to our salvation; our chance of receiving an everlasting life in the Kingdom of
God is dependent on knowing God and the Christ accurately, for note what Jesus said in his prayer to God: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent,
Jesus Christ." ...
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| "We are God," or "the Messiah is us" is the belief many of us hold today. But is this belief correct? Can we, mere mortal beings who can die, be God, who alone is immortal and cannot die?
God, whose personal name is Jehovah, is absolutely holy and perfect and sinless. Jesus our Messiah, the one appointed and anointed by God to be our only Savior, is also absolutely sinless and
perfect, because he is the exact image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
On the other hand, the Bible specifically said that every human being is a sinner:
- "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23, World English Bible)
- There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned ...
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| Is sex dirty? Some people view sexual love as dirty, but it, in fact, is a blessing from Jehovah God Almighty, our Creator.
However, while sex in itself is not dirty, it becomes polluted when it is not valued and when it is not shared in settings other than what it is intended for. Do you not agree that something good
(like medicine) can be harmful if not used for which it is intended?
The Value of Sexual Relation and Its Intended Setting
Sexual relation, like any other gift from God, should be valued and esteemed. When we value something, we would do our best to care for it and share it with our loved ones. Thus, if we value
sexual relations, we are to perform them with those we most care about.
As the Originator of sexual relations, Jehovah has reserved ...
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| Happy July to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
When you wake up each morning to the sweet melodies of birds, how do you feel? When you admire the spectacular spectrum of sunsets, are you awed? When sunlight warms your skin and gentle summer
breezes softly kiss you, are you not delighted? Do you not enjoy the fragrance of wildflowers, the sound of ocean waves splashing, the chirps of crickets at night, and the claps of thunders during a
heavy storm?
How do all the elements of life reflect the Creator of life? Think about it carefully: "there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit.
For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, ...
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| A jolly June to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
How do you feel when you picture your loved ones in your mind? Does thinking about your good friends and family bring a smile upon your face? Now, picture in your mind those you really don't like.
How do you feel when you think about your "enemies"? Do you feel angry, sad, hurt, frustrated, annoyed, or confused?
While many of us don't have real enemies, we do have people who we dislike greatly for whatever reason. Regardless of why we don't like them, we ought to love them.
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies." Love our enemies? How in the world can we like ...
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| Shirley Cheng, blind and physically disabled 27-year-old author and motivational speaker, has collected two more book awards for "Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness," which has just been honored as a finalist in the 2010 International
Book Awards in two categories: Religion - Christianity and Religion - Christian Inspirational, making it this book's fifth and sixth awards and Cheng's 25th and 26th book awards overall. Earlier
this week, the book was placed as a finalist in the National Indie Excellence 2010 Awards in the Religion category.
Previously, "Do You Love Jehovah?" placed as a finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards in Christianity. It was also a Second Place winner in the 2010 Written Art Awards in
Spirituality/Religion sponsored ...
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| Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness by blind and physically disabled author and motivational speaker
Shirley Cheng, has just placed as a finalist in the National Indie Excellence 2010 Awards in the Religion category, making it this book's fourth award and Cheng's 24th book award thus far.
Richard R. Blake, D.Min, former instructor at Bay Cities Bible College, commented regarding Cheng's book, "In poetic prose Shirley describes the nature of God and the character of Christ with
clarity, emotion, and passion. She boldly addresses traditional church doctrine giving her own personal insight and interpretation logically, using a common sense analysis. She includes foundational
doctrines for living the spiritual life courageously with determined intention. In a concise, yet complete, Bible summary, Cheng covers important events and a review of the ...
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| Happy May from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
When life gets tough, how do you react? Do you throw your hands up in the air in resignation? Or do you patiently endure your difficult circumstances?
Tough times are unavoidable and inevitable; but you don't have to let them make you miserable! How can you defeat harsh days? With longsuffering.
What is longsuffering? Longsuffering is the ability to patiently and cheerfully endure an unbearable situation. Longsuffering is a quality of Jehovah God Almighty: "The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9, ASV)
Like our Creator, we are told to be "longsuffering, forbearing one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2, KJV) ...
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| Happy April Fools Day from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Are you able to feel at peace even when life bombards you with hardship? If not, how can you achieve peace when life gets tough?
In January, Tammy Brackett, a music publicist/writer, experienced the financial pain that many Americans are going through now. "My income was reduced by 2/3 because of a job layoff," says Tammy.
Yet, she was able to feel at peace.
When Donna Ratner, a certified holistic health counselor, was 14, her 22-year-old brother died suddenly in a swimming pool accident. When she was 23, living in New York City, she got held up at
gunpoint. Donna recalls, "He followed me up to my apartment, stole my most precious belongings, made me strip naked and lie facedown in the hallway ...
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Posted by Shirley Cheng at
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| Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness by blind and physically disabled author and motivational speaker
Shirley Cheng, has just garnered Honorable Mention in 2009 Reader Views Annual Literary Awards in the Religion category, making it her 23rd book award thus far.
One of the judges, Dr. Richard R. Blake, D.Min, former instructor at Bay Cities Bible College, commented regarding Cheng's book, "In poetic prose Shirley describes the nature of God and the
character of Christ with clarity, emotion, and passion. She boldly addresses traditional church doctrine giving her own personal insight and interpretation logically, using a common sense analysis.
She includes foundational doctrines for living the spiritual life courageously with determined intention. In a concise, yet complete, Bible summary, Cheng covers important events and a review of the
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| A joyous March greeting to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
If I grant you one wish, asking you, "Do you want money or joy?" which one would you choose? Yes, you can only pick one. Now, carefully think it over.
I know what's going through your mind; you're thinking, "If I pick money, I'll be able to have joy, too."
Certainly, money can buy you almost everything, but can it bring you true joy? Many years ago, a wealthy king named Solomon experimented on his riches and shared with others his findings in the
most popular book—the Bible; let us see what this king discovered in order to help us answer this question.
The king, whose annual income reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars by today's standards, used ...
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Posted by Shirley Cheng at
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| Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness, by blind and physically disabled prodigy Shirley Cheng, has just
been honored as a Second-Place winner in the Spring 2010 Written Art Awards sponsored by RebeccasReads.com in the spirituality/religion category, making it her 22nd book award thus far.
"I'm absolutely honored and thrilled to have such great honor bestowed upon me," says Cheng. "I've made it my life's mission to touch as many people as I possibly can to bring the Word of God. I'm
truly grateful to Jehovah for allowing me to receive the award for my book to assist me in my efforts. To God be all the glory and honor!"
Previously, Do You Love Jehovah? placed as a finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards in Christianity.
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| A lovely February greeting to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Chocolate, flowers, a candlelit dinner for two. I feel love in the air. Yes, Valentine's Day in the US is just around the corner, so what better time to talk about love than now!
What is love? Is it a fluttering of the heart? A giddy feeling? A mind intoxicated by someone's charm? Many would answer yes to all three descriptions. We are all familiar with the story of
handsome guy meeting beautiful girl and falling in love in each other. But what if the girl grows old—and we all do—and loses her beauty? What if she gains weight, experiences mood swings, and
develops annoying little habits? Would the guy's love withstand the changes in her appearance, health, and behavior?
Too often, ...
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| Happy 2010 from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
I hope 2010 is starting out splendidly for you! Have you made your New Year's resolution? If not, why not make it your goal to start gardening?
Are you already a gardener? If you are, you know that growing colorful flowers and crunchy veggies require your love, care, time, and effort. You need to work the soil to make it just right for
the seeds, water them regularly, and patiently wait for nature to do its work.
When I was around eleven, I planted a couple of marigold seeds in a flower pot that was small enough to be placed in front of me on my table next to ...
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| Prayer is communication with Jehovah God Almighty; it is a two-way conversation. So when you pray to your Father in heaven, He will answer you according to His will.
However, there are hindrances to prayers—things and behaviors that will prevent an answered prayer. Here, let us briefly go over some of these hindrances, so we can learn to eliminate them in our
lives in order for our prayers to be answered next time.
Disbelief
"But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the
Lord." (James 1:6-7)
When we pray to Jehovah, we need to have the right heart attitude of belief. Jehovah is Almighty, and His very name means "He who chooses to ...
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| Do you believe in God?
If you answered "Yes," your answer would match about half of the human population, because Christians, Muslims, and Jews, all believe in the same God, Jehovah (though Muslims use the name Allah
for God).
While I do not doubt the depth or strength of their belief, I do have to wonder: if so many people believe in God, why do we experience so many manmade problems in life? If we believe in God, that
means that we should know His principles for living in a good way, so we ought to be able to live well, right? Apparently, believing in God is not enough; or perhaps, we are not grasping what belief
actually is.
What does believing in God mean? Many would say that it is accepting that God exists and that He is the Creator ...
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| What is sin? Throughout the Bible, sin is a main topic. As a matter of fact, from the first story in Genesis to the last in Revelation, and even to this day, sin plays a crucial role. Since the topic
of sin is so important, it is wise to understand what it really is.
In the town where you live, its laws most likely include such prohibitions as murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape. Breaking any of these laws means you have committed a crime. A crime is an
offense you commit against one another; it is an offense against your law. Those who commit crimes are called criminals.
Like your town, Jehovah God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, has also established laws to govern the people on Earth. Breaking any of His laws means you have committed a sin. So a sin is
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| How do we get saved? What are required for us to receive salvation? Since salvation is a gift from Jehovah God Almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ, accepting this gift is easy, not tricky at all.
We are saved the moment we 1) repent of anything bad we've ever done and 2) accept Jesus as Savior. Accepting Jesus as Savior means that we have accepted his teachings and diligently applied them
to our lives. Simply believing in Jesus does not give us salvation. If belief is all that's needed, then Satan can be saved, too!
To be saved, we must know 1) the one and only true God, Jehovah, and 2) Jesus Christ. Jesus said: "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst
send, even Jesus Christ." (John 17:3)
But note what Jesus ...
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| Who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? And how about the Holy Spirit? The entire Bible clearly supplies all the information we need in order to know about them, so here, I will briefly answer these basic
and fundamental questions using the Bible, God's final written authority for us.
Why is knowing about God important? Accurate knowledge about Him is vital to our salvation. Read on...
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit comprise what we call the "Holy Trinity." The Holy Trinity is a spiritual unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are "one" in a spiritual sense. To understand this oneness, we need to understand what the Bible says about marriage. It says that when a man and woman
marry, they become "one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) That doesn't literally mean that ...
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