http://articles.gospelgoodsdirect.com/rss.xml A blog about gospelgoodsdirect.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.gospelgoodsdirect.com/?a=35392 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The trouble in the Middle East is in the news again and with it all the fresh speculation and rhetoric about why it is happening. Some say it is over the land, others say it is the oil, others say it is religion. The fact of the matter is that the entire situation in the Middle East and the differences between Israel and the Muslim nations goes back thousands of years to two brothers, one names Isaac and one named Ishmael.<br /><br />The story goes like this, Abraham and his wife Sarah wanted a child all their lives and as they were getting very old with he being 86 and Sarah at 76 and felt God wasn't going to keep the promise to them, Abraham slept with Sarah's servant Hagar by arrangement from Sarah and a child by the name of Ishmael was born from this. God promised Abraham that he would establish a covenant with Isaac's descendants.<br /><br />According to the Old Testament, in Genesis God told Hagar that Ishmael would be a wild man with his hand against every man and every man's hand against him. At a feast to celebrate the weaning of Isaac from his mother Sarah, some fourteen years later, Ishmael began to show the nature God said he would by mocking and making fun of his little half brother. By this time, Sarah had already been disgusted with them for some time and she demanded that Abraham throw them out of the household saying that the son of a slave would not be an heir with her son, Isaac. Abraham was against this because he loved Ishmael even though he was an incredible pain to say the least. <br /><br />God settled the argument by telling Abraham that he was to do as Sarah said and that he would also make a nation from the seed of Ishmael as well, but it would be through Isaac that his descendants, the Jews would be named.<br /><br />So, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away just as God commanded but He kept His word regarding them as well. It is stated in Genesis 21 that God was with him and that as he grew in the wilderness he became an expert with a bow and that his mother brought him a wife from Egypt.<br /><br />So why all the fighting? The Arab nations, descendants of Ishmael have way more land than does Israel, but for them it all goes back to the birthright. They still feel that Ishmael was the first born child of Abraham and that as such they are entitled to everything.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about the bible and get Religious Gifts and Goods at <a href="http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com/">http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-08-08T23:26-04:00 http://articles.gospelgoodsdirect.com/?a=35391 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Are you the type of person who believes that God can't use you? Do you feel like you have been through so much or done so much that you have become unwanted by God? Let me assure you this is not the case and I will prove it to you with some examples.<br /><br />There are so many people in our society today who have been broken and battered and been through things like divorce, drug addiction, and alcohol that feel like they could never be used by God. Maybe it is their own conscience making them think this, maybe it is from being raised in a household that focused on the judgment of God. Whatever the reason, I am here to tell you that there is almost nothing you can do to get yourself thrown out of the arms of God. If it is His purpose to use you for something He wills, it doesn't matter where you have been or what you have done, as a matter of fact in many cases that is exactly why He chooses such people. What makes a better example of the power of God, the incredible transformation of a drug dealer into an evangelist or missionary or someone who was raised in the church being a pastor?<br /><br />There are numerous examples of this in the bible, and to keep it simple I am only going to use examples that you will readily recognize so that you don't have to go look them up. If you think that God won't use you because you are vain and self indulgent you are wrong. Samson was dedicated to God at birth, he squandered his gift and told Delilah the secret of his strength and had it stripped of him. But, what happened in the end, God gave it back to him and used him to kill his enemies.<br /><br />If you are in prison and you think God can't use you because you are a murderer, again you are wrong. If you repent and take God into your heart believing in Jesus as your Lord and savior you will be forgiven and you can be used. Want an example of a murderer? How about Moses? Moses murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew when he was with the Egyptians being raised as royalty. Afterwards he fled into the wilderness, it was there that God began shaping him and he eventually was used to deliver the people of Israel from the bondage of the very people who had raised him.<br /><br />You think you can't be used because you've lusted after your neighbor; you have been an adulterer, you've lied over and over, stolen things? David did all of these things and more and yet he was considered the highest of all the kings of Israel, and called &quot;A man after God's own heart&quot;. <br /><br />Have you always talked bad about God and Christianity, possibly even done a little persecution of your own on a small scale? Paul was one of the biggest persecutors of the early church and even ordered and watched people being stoned to death. He became perhaps the most outspoken evangelist in the history of Christianity and wrote over two thirds of the bible. Still think you can't be used? I say you're wrong.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about the bible and get Religious Goods and Gifts at <a href="http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com/">http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-08-08T23:22-04:00 http://articles.gospelgoodsdirect.com/?a=35246 <p>by Gregg Hall </p><p>The long awaited screen adaptation of the C.S. Lewis masterpiece doesn't disappoint. The work of Lewis has long been admired, especially by the more intellectual of Christians. Lewis, a former atheist, used symbolism a great deal in his books and this movie is a perfect example of that.<br /><br />In the movie as in the book, a group of four children find the world of Narnia through the back of a large piece of furniture known as a &quot;wardrobe&quot;. In this mystical world the children find animals that can speak as well as giants, dwarfs, centaurs, and other beasts too fantastic for description. In true good versus evil fashion, the movie shows the constant battle between the White Witch and her evil army and the good lion Aslan with his valiant army.<br /><br />This movie has done a superb job of bringing the fantasy world of Narnia to the big screen. The technology and special effects are so incredible that you find yourself becoming entranced by the characters on the screen, especially Aslan, the lion. He dominates every scene he is in and becomes more and more human like as the story unfolds.<br /><br />The children of the story are just like normal everyday kids and display this with their constant bickering and teasing of each other. However, when the situation demands it they all pull together and show great courage and sacrifice which is an inspiration to both children and adults. <br /><br />Whether you are familiar with the book or not you will enjoy The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe immensely. After seeing what has been done in bringing this story to film I cannot wait to see some of the other C.S. Lewis books from the Chronicles of Narnia produced into movies as well.<br /><br />I urge you to go see the movie.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. See all the christian media available at <a href="http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com/">http://www.gospelgoodsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T22:54-04:00