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I'm really going to share my heart with you and just not worry about where we start or where we finish each night. And work our way through what I believe to be the foundational things necessary for spiritual growth. Now we are assuming that: you know the Lord Jesus Christ; that you know the gospel; you understand what the church is all about. And given that as a fact, although we will at least touch base with the reality of salvation in moment, let's assume, for at least our introduction, that you know Christ. That you have been born into His family, that you're now a believer. And many of you are new believers. Now you've come to know the Lord Jesus Christ recently and you're in the process of spiritual growth. Like a baby we all want to grow, spiritually. A baby that does not grow physically is a tragedy. And a Christian that does not grow spiritually is equally a tragedy. So we are called to spiritual progress.
Let me just share with you a few passages of Scripture that might of help to you. In 1 Peter 2, Peter writes this, in verses 1 and 2, "Therefore putting aside all evil and all guile," that's deceit, that's the word for a fishhook, which is a very deceitful instrument if you're a fish, "hypocrisy and envy and all slander." In other words put aside all this wickedness. "Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word. That by it, you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Having tasted the kindness of the Lord and received His salvation, you desire to grow. And if you are to grow, you must lay aside evil and drink milk like a baby."
The idea that he has here is that in the same way that a baby desires milk you should desire the Word and God. And as we know, babies desire milk more than anything else. In fact, they really don't desire anything other than milk. They are totally unconcerned with all the trappings around them. They want to be fed and that's all that really matters. And so it should be with the new believer in Christ, with the Christian who's been a believer for a long time. There should be that consuming desire for the Word of God that is like a baby's desire for milk.
In 2 Peter, also, Peter speaks to the same matter of spiritual growth in chapter 3 and verse 18. He says, "But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Same idea. Grow in grace. Grow in knowledge. In 1 John, I would draw your attention to one very important passage while you're moving through that section in your Bible. Look at 1 John chapter 2 and verse 12. He says, "I'm writing to you little children," spiritual children. And here he uses a word that means children, in general, not infants. And therefore he's talking to all believers. I'm writing unto you all as children of God, very general term. "Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake." You're saved and you're in the family and writing to you as His children. Then he separates spiritual children into three groups. "I am writing to you, fathers because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men because you have overcome the evil one." I have written to you children because you know the Father. I have written to you fathers because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one.
Now he takes the idea of children, all of us are children, and divides us into three categories: infants, young men, and fathers. And the word for children used in verse 13 and 14 is a different word than the one used in 12. The one used in 12 is just children in general of any age, any offspring. The word children in verse 13 and 14 means infants or babies. So he says I write unto you generally, recognizing that some of you are spiritual babies, some of you are spiritual young men, you're a bit more mature, and some of you are spiritual fathers, you have come to the point of maturity.
Now we can learn about these different levels of spiritual growth from the passage by looking a little more closely. He says I have written to you children, verse 13, because you know the Father. Spiritually infancy is basically characterized by recognition of God. It's sort of like spiritual Da-Da. You know who God is. You know He's your loving Father. You know who Christ is. Like a child comes into the world saying, first of all, "Ma-Ma" and "Da-da", so it is in the spiritual dimension. And that's exactly what he wants us to understand. There are those who are spiritually babies. They only have a sort of parent/parental recognition. They know God their Father and Christ their Savior and they know not much else.
Then he says I also have written to you, young men. And in verse 13 he says you have overcome, past tense, the evil one, meaning Satan. He tells how in verse 14, because you are strong. And how did you get strong? The Word of God abides in you and thus you have overcome the evil one. What is a spiritual young man? A spiritual young man is one who's gone beyond parental recognition, knows who God is, knows who Christ is, knows he belongs to Christ, to the point where he has overcome the evil one. You say you mean there's a point in our life when we actually overcome Satan? That's correct. What you have to understand is that does not mean you overcome sin. But Satan and sin are not necessarily inseparable. You can sin plenty without Satan being around. It's in your flesh; it's in the world. Temptation can come from your flesh, from the world, from demons, or from Satan occasionally. But it is possible to overcome the evil one in this sense: according to Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he says that Satan appears as an angel of ... what? Of light. 2 Corinthians chapters 11 and 12 discuss this matter. He says Satan appears as an angel of light. That is to say he disguises himself in false religion. He is a liar and a deceiver. 99.9 percent of his time is occupied in the development of and propagation of false teaching. And so when you have a become a spiritual young man, and you are strong in the Word of God, you have overcome the evil one insofar as his ability, as an angel of light, to deceive you.
I can give you personal testimony along that line. I don't believe at this point in my life, and I'm not saying this boastly, I'm saying this because I believe in this truth in Scripture, I do not believe at this point in my life that I could be deceived by false doctrine. I don't believe that. I believe that I have at least the level of a spiritual young man because I know what the Word of God teaches. And I would say many of you are in the same category. You are not a child, Ephesians 4, "Tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine." It's why Paul says be no more children who are in that situation. Why? You have learned the Word of God. And false religion does not deceive you at all. What it does is make you ... what? Make you angry. And what happens to the typical spiritual young man who's reached that level of maturity. Well it's been my experience that when someone grows the maturity of a spiritual young man, as soon as they arrive at they age; they begin to want to battle false religion. They want to take on the cults. They want to argue with the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Why? Because they have their theology, they are armed and they want to fight. What good is it to be armed and not have an enemy? They want to attack. That's a sign they've reached the second level of spiritual development.
So you want to pursue that. And how do you get from being a spiritual infant, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine undiscerning and undiscriminating, just like a child crawling along the floor sticking everything in its mouth without any discrimination whatsoever? A child does not know what is best for it. A child does not know what to put in its mouth and what not to puts in its mouth. But a spiritual young man does. Why? Because having fed on the Word of God, he is doctrinally strong and, in that sense, is not victimized by the wiles and the craftiness of the deceitful liar who is appearing as the angel of light, namely Satan.
But spiritual growth doesn't stop there. It goes to another level. He says I am writing to you, fathers. And then he describes a spiritual with a most interesting phrase: you have known Him who has been from the beginning. This is the epitome of spiritual growth. And what it means is that you have now ascended in your spiritual development to the point where you not only know doctrine but you intimately know the God who is the author of it. You commune with the living God. It's a tremendous truth. Every one of us should pursue that, to go behind the page to walk with God, to talk with God, to know God. This usually shows up in an enhanced and enriched devotion to God and an enhanced and enriched life of praise and adoration toward God. It shows up in a deep and consistent and faithful walk in righteousness. There is an intimacy with the Author. That is the epitome of spiritual growth. That's what we want in our lives. We want to go beyond being victims as little children of every wind of doctrine that pushes us from pillar to post. We want to be spiritual young men who know the Word of God and are strong 'cause we have longed for the Word as a baby longs for milk. It's more than the milk of the Word. And because we longed for it and nourished our souls on it, we're strong. But we want to go beyond that. I understand what's in the Scripture. Oh, I'm sure I don't every little detail of all of it. But I understand it, generally. In fact, I don't really read the Scripture anymore in my life, to find out what it teaches. Can you understand that? I don't read the Bible or study the Bible to find out what it teaches. I read it and study it that I may better know the One who wrote it. And that's the desire of my heart that I would someday come to be a spiritual father who has a deep and lasting and continuous intimate walk in the presence of God. Just knowing someone like that is a tremendous experience. So we want to grow.
Let me give you another passage that will help you grasp this. 2 Corinthians 3, and this is just some general introduction tonight, 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18. When I sign my name sometimes in autographing a book, I'll put this verse down because I love this verse. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says, "But we all," all of us believers, "with unveiled face," and when there's no veil over our face we can see clearly, "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord." We're looking at the glory of the Lord and I believe that glory is revealed in His Word by His Spirit. "And as we gaze at the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same," what? "Image. From one level of glory to another level of glory [implied] to another level of glory, to another level of glory, just as from the Lord the Spirit." In other words, as you gaze at God. As you gaze at the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. As you focus your life on that, the Holy Spirit will move you from one level of glory to the next. That is another way to look at spiritual growth. You focus on the Word. And as you focus on the Word, you focus on the glory of the Lord revealed in the Word. And as you focus on the glory of the Lord revealed in the Word, the Spirit will move you from one level of spiritual glory to another. Spiritual growth then is a dynamic that should be operative in all of our lives. It's what the Word of God produces and it's what the Spirit of God produces. And those things we've seen. But it also demands our best commitment, for we must desire the Word like babies desire milk. Now having introduced the thought to you that way, let me just give some misconceptions about spiritual growth. First of all, and I'll give you just a handful. First of all, spiritual growth has nothing to do with our position in Christ. Spiritual growth has nothing to do with our position in Christ. Look with me at Colossians 2:10 for a moment ... Colossians 2:10. And this is a marvelous statement. It's talking here about Christ. You could actually go back to verse 9. And it says in Christ, "In Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form." Okay. There is all of God that can exist, exists in Christ. All the fullness of deity dwells in Him in bodily form. Now look at verse 10, "and in Him you have been made," what? Complete. You are complete in Him, it says, in the Author's eyes. You are complete in Him. When Christ came into your life, you were made complete.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away behold new things have come." You're a new creation. You are complete in Christ. Please notice 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, and this is what it says, "Seeing that His divine power," speaking of Jesus our Lord, "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and Godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." We have all things, everything pertaining to life and Godliness.
Now when you became a Christian, spiritually speaking, you were placed in Christ. In fact, Paul says your life is hid with Christ in God. You became a new creation. God put a new heart in you. Took out the stony heart, Ezekiel says, gave you a heart of flesh. God gave you His spirit. God sees you covered with the righteousness of Christ. When God looks at you He doesn't see you as wretched and vile and sinful. He sees you as covered with the righteousness of Christ. It's as if your sinfulness is cloaked with Christ's own perfect holiness.
Now the point that I want you to note is that you cannot improve on your position. Spiritual growth has nothing to do with your position. If you grow very, very slowly you're still perfect in Christ in your position, just not in your practice. You will still enter into glory into Heaven; your sins will still be forgiven. Your spiritual growth is not a matter of your position. That is eternally settled. You are in Christ. And I believe if you are a genuine Christian you will grow and fruit will be produced. But the injunction of Scripture is to grow as rapidly and as faithfully as you can. So spiritual growth has nothing to do with our position in Christ, it's not as if we have to grow into being accepted by Christ. We're accepted in Christ by faith in Him. Secondly, spiritual growth has nothing to do with God's love for us. Nothing. In Ephesians, familiar verse, verse 3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." He loves us so much that He would die for us when we were sinners. He commended His love toward us, Paul says in Romans 5, and that we were at sinners Christ dies for us. He loved perfectly as sinners; He loves us now perfectly as His children. And there's nothing you can or I can do to make Him love me more. In fact, in John 13:1, it says that He looked at His disciples and He loved them to perfection. And the amazing thing about it is they were arguing about which of them would be the greatest. One of them was about to betray Him. Another of them was about to deny Him. The rest of them were about to forsake Him. And all of them were, at best, immature. And He loved them to perfection, it says in John 13:1. Don't ever say to someone, "Well if you be good, Jesus will love you more." He couldn't love you any more than He does because He loves you perfectly ... perfectly. So spiritual growth has nothing to do with our position in Christ as made righteous, made new, and bound for Heaven. Spiritual growth has nothing to do with God's love for us. He loves us perfectly no matter how we grow. Thirdly, spiritual growth has no relationship directly to time. It has no relationship to time. We might be under the assumption that if you just wait around long enough, you're bound to grow by virtue of passing time. May I remind you that spiritual is not measured by the calendar? All of us know about people who have named the name of Christ for years and years and years and have grown barely at all. And if there is growth, it is well nigh imperceptible. I always think about Hebrews 5:12 where the writer of Hebrews says for the time that has passed you ought to be teachers. But instead of being teachers, I have to teach you again, the basics. And in their case, the gospel because they hadn't even embraced that. But they'd been around the truth and around the assembly of the redeemed. Long enough to be teachers and they weren't even able yet to still learn the first lessons. It's not measured by the calendar. It's not measured by the clock. Have you seen someone who comes to faith in Jesus Christ and just grows at tremendous speed, rapidly? Sure. And you also have known people who have followed Christ for a long years and they seem to make very little, if any, perceivable progress.
Fourthly, spiritual growth is not simply a matter of knowledge. It is not simply a matter of knowledge. Paul in writing to the Corinthians reminded them that knowledge puffed up, made boastful. But love built up. It's not a matter of knowledge; it's not just knowing the information about the Scripture. Again, you can go back to Hebrews 5. A long time had passed and they had been under much teaching and he says you could be teaching now based upon what you know, but I have to teach you the basics again, because you haven't even begun to grow.
I think there are some folks who are under the assumption that spiritual maturity is directly related to information. That's not true. Some of the most dangerous people in the world are immature Christians armed with a lot of information. Very dangerous and very, very difficult to bear for the individual who has the immaturity along with the information because they tend to be proud and not humble. You can know an awful and be very immature.
Let me give you another thought. Fifth: spiritual growth is not simply a result of activity ... of activity. Or to better put it, spiritual growth is not necessarily a result of ministry. It's not necessarily a result of ministry. You can be busily engaged in the work of the church. In fact, you can just about wear yourself out, and be little different than the Pharisees who busied themselves with their traditions and knew nothing about the truth of God and grew not at all. You can be like Israel. Paul writes about them in Romans chapter 10. He says my heart's desire, prayer to God for them, is their salvation. I bear them witness. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. This just absolutely floors me: for not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they didn't subject themselves to the righteousness of God. Can you imagine Paul's commentary on the people of Israel? They didn't understand the righteousness of God. What a statement. They had been around spiritual activity, ceremonial activity. They had tried to carry out every facet of the law. They were functionaries in terms of their religion. They had no spiritual maturity whatsoever.
Now those are the things that I want you to just keep in the back of your mind, all right? Spiritual growth has nothing to do with your position in Christ, that's settled forever, will never change. That is an absolute. Spiritual growth has nothing to do with God's love for you. That too, will never change. That is an absolute. He can never love you more or less because He loves you perfectly. Spiritual growth has no direct relation to time. It is not measured by the calendar. You can be a Christian for years and grow very slowly. And be a Christian for weeks and grow very rapidly. Spiritual growth is not simply a matter of knowledge. You can know a lot and be immature. And spiritual growth is not simply a result of busyness or ministry. Lots of people spend lots of time hearing about the Bible and engaging themselves in ministry and are very immature.
Now having said all of that, naturally we're going to ask the question well what is spiritual growth related to? What is it related to? How can I apply in my life the factors that cause spiritual growth? Well, there are several. In fact, I'll probably give you ten before we're done. We'll go through them rather rapidly. But tonight I want to give you the master key before I give you the rest. Okay? There is one thing that is the overriding in spiritual growth. And this is something we all have to understand. And let me have you look into it with me for just a moment. Turn in your Bible to Psalm 16 ... Psalm 16. And David gives to us here, a hint--well more than a hint really--an insight into this matter. In Psalm 16, I want to draw your attention to verse 8 and then to verse 9. And notice what David says in verse 8: I have set the Lord continually before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices." Now I just want to grab one thought of there. The statement of David, "I have set the Lord continually before me." The key, the real master key, in unlocking this progress of spiritual growth is to do just that: to set the Lord always before you, to concentrate on Him, to focus on Him. Very much like we read this morning in Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Perfecter of our faith." It's that God-consciousness. It's that God-ward focus. It's that preoccupation with the Divine One. That is the key to spiritual growth. You see, God made everything for His glory. He made absolutely everything for His glory. Psalm 19:1 says the Heavens declare what? The glory of God. The firmament shows His handiwork. Isaiah 43:20 says that the beasts of the field will give Me glory. Everything God made, He made to give Him glory. When Jesus Christ was born, you remember in Luke, it tells us that the angels said, "Glory to God in the Highest." Paul, writing to Timothy in those familiar words, 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever, amen."
God made everything for His glory. It says of Christ, all things were made by Him and ... what? For Him, for His glory. For His honor, for the exaltation of His name. The magnificent, glorious benediction, doxology at the end of Romans 11, "for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things to Him, be the glory forever, amen." That's the issue that really unlocks spiritual growth. We have to understand that we live to give God glory. I was thinking of Matthew 25 verse 23 and it says, you remember the parable here about the talents. The master said to the servant, who had been faithful, just as he said in verse 21, well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your lord or your master. Down in verse 30, and cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now listen, this pictures the fact that there are only two kinds of people: those people who honor the Lord and those people who dishonor the Lord.
Those people who honor the Lord, or if you will, glorify the Lord are rewarded. Those people who dishonor the Lord and refuse to glorify Him are punished ... are punished. There are only those kinds of people in the world. The ultimate condemnation of man is related to this issue. Look at Romans 1 ... Romans chapter 1. And I think this is so very, very important. In Romans 1:21 here is the condemnation of the race of men. It says, "For even though they knew God they," what? "They glorified Him not as God." And then it says as a result they became futile in their speculation, their foolish heart was darkened, professing to be wise they became fools, they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. In other words, they made idols. Then what happened? God gave them over the lusts of their hearts. Verse 26, "God gave them over to degrading passions." Verse 28, "God gave them over to a depraved mind." And verse 32 says they are worthy of death. Why? They refused to glorify God. That's the basic issue, beloved, in condemnation. The human race is condemned because it refused to glorify God.
This is serious with the Lord because He will judge those who refuse His glory. Look back with me at Jeremiah chapter 13, as we build our case a little stronger. In Jeremiah 13 verse 11 we read this. Jeremiah, of course, here vivid way giving an illustration, "For as the waistband clings to the waist of the man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household Judah cling to Me, declares the Lord, that they might be for Me a people for renown for praise and for," what? "For glory." In other words the people of Israel were to be a people to give God glory. So He says Jeremiah speak this word to them. "Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, every jug is to be filled with wine." And when they say to you do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine. Then say to them, "thus says the Lord, behold I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land, the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness." Imagine God doing that. "I'll dash them against each other, both the father and the sons together." What incredible language, I'll crush a father and a son together. Smash their heads. "I'll not show pity or be sorry or have compassion that I should not destroy them."
And then Jeremiah cries out, "From the heart of God, listen and give heed. Do not be haughty or proud. For the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord, your God before He bring darkness and before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains, and while you're hoping for light, He made it into deep darkness and turned it into gloom. And if you will not listen to it, my soul will sob in secret for such pride and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears. Because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive." He says God's going to crush you unless you turn, and verse 16, "give glory to the Lord your God." And, of course, you know the story. They didn't. They refused to give glory to God. And so came the Babylonian captivity and the devastation that followed that. Giving glory to God is the issue. The race is characterized in Romans 1 as a race of people who refuse to give God glory. Even Israel refused. The race is damned for such refusal. Israel was severely and fatally punished for such a refusal. Let me give you a couple of personal illustrations. Look at Daniel 4. Vivid. Daniel chapter 4 says about Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Verse 29 says that he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. That was quite a place; the hanging gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They tell us that this would have been one of the earliest air-conditioned buildings in human history. What they did in that hot part of the world was put all kinds of tiers going up toward the top of this great edifice. And then they draped plants, the hanging gardens, over the side. Filled them with water. And as the water ran down the plants and dripped, the breeze blowing through the waters, in effect, air-conditioned the building. Here's Nebuchadnezzar walking on the roof and admiring, of course, the greatness of his world empire. He is, after all, the head of gold. The king reflected and said, "Is this not Babylon the great, which myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty." Aren't I something? Look what I've done for the glory of my majesty. Of course, the Old Testament says that God said my glory will I not to ... what? To another. While the word, verse 31, was in the king's mouth. While he was still extolling his greatness, a voice came from Heaven saying, "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared sovereignty has been removed from you." You have overstepped the boundary. "And you will be driven away from mankind. And your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle. And seven periods of time," seven years no doubt, "will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes." You didn't build this, God gave it to you and you're going to pay for stepping into the boundaries, over the boundaries, God had said.
So immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He turned into a raving maniac. From the crown of gold, from the head of the greatest nation in the world's history, he was driven from mankind, began eating grass like cattle, outside the city gate, crawling around in a field, chewing on the grass. He body was drenched with the dew of Heaven, just like all the other animals who stayed outside. His hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. He was absolutely, in a legal terminology, insane.
Seven seasons passed while he grazed like a cow. And verse 34 says, "At the end that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward Heaven. And my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion. And His Kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. But He does according to His will and the hosts of Heaven. And among the inhabitants of earth, and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What hast thou done?' And at that time, my reason returned to me and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. And my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out so I was re-established in my sovereignty and surpassing greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of Heaven for all His works are true and His ways just." And I love this, "and He is able to humble those who walk in," what? "Pride." It's very serious not to glorify God. It can cost you your life; it can cost you your sanity. Acts chapter 12. In Acts chapter 12, very similar situation. Verse 20 talks about Herod being angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. And he wants to strengthen his position in the eyes of all the population. He wants them to know that he's a strong and formidable force. And so in order to strengthen his position and set himself up in a place where he will maybe not be threatened, to establish his greatness, verse 21 says, he appointed a day. And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took a seat of the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. He gets on his royal robes, this Herod Day ... Herod Day ... National Herod Day ... honor me day. Puts on his royal robes, sits up on the podium, and begins to speak. Must have been a gift orator. Verse 22, and the people kept crying out, "The voice of a god and not a man!" He is supernatural! Listen to him! Wow! He's god, not a man! And he was loving it, just loving it. And immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God ... what? The glory. And he was ... what? Eaten by worms and died. I don't think that was the planned ending to Herod Day. That's how it ended. You better be careful when you start of glorify yourself instead of God. All the glory belongs to Him.
Revelation 14. This brings it into such clear focus that it is absolutely unmistakable. In Revelation 14, John has one of his many visions. And in the sixth verse, please. He says, "I saw another angel flying in mid-Heaven," or in the midst of Heaven, "and this angel had an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people." Now stop at that point. What's the eternal gospel? What is it? Find out, read verse 7. What did the angel say? He said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him," what? Glory. That's always been the Good News. Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come. And worship Him who made the Heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters. The eternal gospel: that is to say the message that God has always given, whether in the Old Testament or the New, is to fear God and give Him glory. And the truth of Christ is that which makes it possible.
So the master key to this whole thing of spiritual growth is to give God glory, to live my life for the glory of God. To focus my life on giving Him glory. That was the problem with Adam and Even in the Garden. They refused to give God glory and He kicked them out of there. They wouldn't the chicana presence of God with pure hearts. They wanted their sin. And God said then you can't have My fellowship. And then, when in Exodus 33, Moses went up onto the mountain, God put His glory all over his face. And he went back to face his people, in a sense, to call them to see again the glory of God. And when he came down to reveal to them, as God's instrument, God's glory he was furious because he found them worshipping a golden calf. And he shattered the law of God. And then the Lord gave them instruction to build a tabernacle and they built the tabernacle and the chicana glory of God came into the tabernacle and dwelt there. And they refused to recognize His glory and they all died in the wilderness.
And then He told them to build a temple. And they built a temple. And in the temple, God put His glory in the holy of holies. And yet, when you come to 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 10 and 11, you see that the temple is desecrated. And by the time Ezekiel writes, in chapter 8 of Ezekiel's prophecy, there are pictures of idols all over the walls of the temple. And people in the temple are worshipping the sun god. And God says Ichabod, which means the glory hath department and the glory of God leaves and goes up over the door and out over the mountain and disappears. And He says if you're going to refuse My glory, then you're going to have relationship with Me and you're going to be judged.
The bottom line in Christian living, the bottom line for the human race is to give God glory. And if we are to grow spiritually, the soil in which spiritual growth occurs is giving God glory. You say that's fine, how do I do that? That's what I want to answer. All that was introduction. How do I do that? I'm going to give you one of several ways. This is the first one. The first way you glorify God is by confessing Jesus as Lord. And that's the only one we're going to mention tonight. The first way you give God glory is by confessing Jesus as Lord. That's salvation. You can't glorify God and reject His Son. God said if any man love not the Lord, let him be a curse. He said it through the apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 16:22. If you don't love Christ, you are cursed. You cannot glorify God at all, apart from confessing Jesus as Lord. Listen to Philippians 2. It says God has highly exalted Him, verse 9, and bestowed Him or given Him a name above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in Heaven and on earth and under the earth. Now listen to this: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Here comes the reason: to the glory of God the Father.
You are to be saved and confess Jesus as Lord to the glory of God. Somebody says well aren't we saved in order to get out of hell? Yeah, but that's not the main reason. Aren't we saved in order to be delivered from the guilt of sin? Yes, but that's not the main reason. Aren't we saved so that we can share with somebody? Yes, but that's not the main reason. Aren't we saved so that we can enjoy the blessing of God? Yes, but that's not the main reason. Aren't we saved so that we can enjoy the eternal Heaven? Yes, but that's not the main reason. The main reason you are saved is because your salvation does what? Glorifies God.
That's why Romans 1:5 says we have received grace, Paul says, and apostleship in order to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles. Listen to this: for His name's sake. Not theirs. His. His namesake. That's why that wonderful little statement in 3 John 7, "For they went out for the sake of the name." I love that. They went out for the sake of the name. You say I don't quite understand that. How? When we confess Jesus as Lord, how does that glorify God? Well, first of all God said of Christ, "This is My beloved Son." And when you acknowledge that, you're acknowledging the truthfulness of the Word of God. When God said this Son of Mine is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And you embrace Him in faith and receive that salvation; you give glory to the God who provided the sacrifice. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you acknowledge Him to be who He is. And thus, you affirm the truth of God. When you acknowledge His sovereignty, when you acknowledge His deity, when you acknowledge His saving power, He is glorified.
That's the motive for missions: that He may be glorified. Henry Martin, when he went to India, was involved in reaching people deep, deep in Hinduism. He wrote in his diary upon his arrival and first visit to a pagan Hindu temple, "I cannot endure existence if Jesus is to be so continually dishonored." And he ran weeping, from the place. Salvation is first and foremost so that you might give glory to God. You understand beloved, that for a man or a woman to live in unbelief and reject Jesus Christ is to dishonor the God of grace and love who gave His Son? It's to mock Him. It's to show indifference to Him. We glorify Him when we confess Jesus as Lord. To deny that He's Lord is to deny that God's Word is true, is to refuse to give God glory, is to be condemned eternally and lost. So to grow spiritually, one's whole life must be involved in glorifying God. And it starts by confessing Jesus as Lord to the glory of God the Father who said He is Lord and who desires that we praise Him as Lord. We'll stop at that point, much more to come. Let's pray together.
Father, so refreshing to our hearts, as Peter said, to be reminded of things, to capture back the basics. We are here to live and fulfill one purpose: to be to the praise of Your glory. You saved us for that. Ephesians 1 says it three times: we were saved to the praise of the glory of Your grace. And that's where we begin our growth. When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord to the glory of God the Father, we receive the new life principle and begin to grow. Help us Lord, help us to be faithful, not losing focus. Like David the Psalmist, set the Lord always before us, content, more than that, compelled to live to Your glory. To do all we do for Your honor and Your praise. And know that therein lies the key to real spiritual growth that we might become spiritual young men and then spiritual fathers who commune deeply with the living God. That we might be taken by the Holy Spirit from one level of glory to the next level of glory to the next level of glory because we are so totally focused on the glory of the Lord. Accomplish all Your good pleasure in us. In Christ's name, amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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Reviewed by Lauren S. (age 7) and Liza K. (age 7)
We think the book was fabulous! We loved the illustrations because they looked realistic. We also think the illustration of the star is cool because it looks like a real star. It looks like it is made of tin foil. We thought the illustrations were very colorful. In the middle of the book we felt bad for Laura because she could not find a friend, but then we also felt good for Laura because after awhile she found a friend!
We recommend this book to boys and girls who are sometimes lonely and who need a friend. This book might interest you because the illustrations are interesting. We think that people who look at stars at night might want to see the illustrations of the star in this book.

subset: commoncrawl


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Avella cited the work that he and Graziano did together on creating new zoning regulations and downzoning various Queens neighborhoods - most notably neighborhoods in northeast Queens - to curb overdevelopment.
"You can't put a price tag on the quality of life that has been preserved from these two things," said Avella.
The state senator also noted Graziano's positive relationships with civic groups across Queens, and said if voters elect Graziano they could expect a council member similar to the one they had in Avella from 2001 to 2009.
"He will be a great council member, and given what the last council member," said Avella, referring to Councilman Dan Halloran, who is stepping down amid an investigation by the federal government on bribery charges, "has done to undermine the work we did, I know Paul will continue what I worked on."
Graziano, whose civic activism goes back 20 years, called himself a Democrat with a small "d." After predicting Avella would be the next Queens borough president, he said that constituent services and not politics would be the focus of his office if elected.
"Overdevelopment, education, and quality of life, those are the three things I'm going to focus on," said Graziano. "I think the state senator and I have very similar goals, and our focus is on constituent needs and services."


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Features & Highlights
Why you should buy this product
LG V20 Case, ION Single Layered Shockproof Protection TPU & PC Hybrid Cover w/ Tempered Glass [Hot Pink/ Clear]Fully Protect your phone with a unique style through this slim case. Providing ultimate protection from scratches and its perfect mold keeps the phone trim and trendy. Equipped with perforated grip to allow you have a unique customer experience. Reinforced curves to ensure the durability of the case. Precise openings to allow the full functionality of the phone and its features. It is a TPU and PC HYBRID Cover. Packed in high quality retail packaging. The ION Cover is honestly alluring, protective, and sleek. Enhanced to fully protective the phone without adding unnecessary bulk to the phone, it is truly a SHOCKING Experience.
- 9H Hardness 0.33mm Tempered Glass Screen Protector INCLUDED
- Minimalistically engineered to provide the best user experience
- Aesthetically engineered to achieve a cutting edge design
- Implements impact dispersion technology so your phone doesn't take a beating
- Each aspect is carefully designed, checked, and tested to ensure quality and consistency of the product
- Show off your LG V20 while protecting it!
- Please allow an additional 1-2 days to ship this awesome case
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Customer Reviews
Audrey Smith
Jun 21, 2018 11:35:59 PM
keep my screen protected
I love the way this fits on my LG V20 phone. All buttons functional and curves around the edges in front just enough to help keep my screen protector down firm.


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Illinois Reading Recovery® Center for Literacy - A History of School Partner Networks
Reading Recovery has one clear goal:
"...to dramatically reduce the number of learners who have extreme difficulty with literacy learning and the cost of these learners to educational systems."
Marie Clay, Implementation Visit
North Carolina, 1994 In 1989, in collaboration with Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE), National Louis University received approval from the Reading Recovery Council of North America (RRCNA) to establish a state university training center (UTC) for preparing school based Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders. Over time the Illinois Reading Recovery Center at NLU has developed a network of teacher leaders and school administrators in over 350 school buildings across the state of Illinois. Approximately 6,000 Illinois first grade children receive Reading Recovery services each year.
For three years (2007, 2008, 2009) Dr. Linda Dorn, a popular presenter at the Reading Recovery & Early Literacy Annual Pre-Conference session attracted Illinois school teams interested in the Arkansas comprehensive literacy model. This model is directly linked to current national and state requirements for implementing Response to Intervention (RTI) methods for tailoring instruction for all learners through core curriculum, explicit instruction, systematic progress monitoring, and continuous professional development. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004) advocates for intervention prior to identification. Under IDEA, a response to intervention (RTI) method is designed to provide struggling learners with appropriate interventions in order to decrease the number of children referred for special education services. Intervening early in order to reduce early learning failure has been a priority goal for Reading Recovery professionals for more than twenty years.
Reading Recovery is an early intervention program for first graders who are experiencing extreme difficulty learning to read and write. Reading Recovery includes layered professional development design in which experienced educators engage in a year-long post-graduate course series at National Louis University (NLU) which prepares them to train Reading Recovery Teachers in their home district/region. Reading Recovery incorporates a proven instructional intervention for children, progress monitoring system, continuing education for Reading Recovery teachers and teacher leaders, annual research and evaluation that drive continuous improvement.
A Reading Recovery teacher leader is employed by a school district or a consortium of school districts. After the initial preparation year, a teacher leader can be expected to train 8-12 new Reading Recovery teachers per year. A teacher leader can eventually provide professional support for up to 45 trained Reading Recovery teachers. In addition to supporting teachers with school visits, technical assistance, and problem solving the most challenging cases, Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders also teach Reading Recovery children.


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Announcements from the Rep
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Advanced College
Welcome to Advanced College
Advanced College, is located in the heart of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, one of the fastest growing areas in the nation.
Advanced College has emerged as a high-tech educational college, offering an array of certificates and Associate of Science in Accounting, Business Administration, Healthcare Management and Medical Assistant. For those who choose to remain in their native home, we offer programs COMPLETELY ONLINE in Business Administration, Accounting, and Healthcare Management.
Since Advanced College first opened its door in 1999, the faculty and administration have combined efforts to develop high quality academic programs so that the needs of both the students and the local and international community would be met.
We love our diverse student population! Advanced College is authorized by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) to issue I-20 (F-1 or M-1) to Non-Immigrant for English as Secondary Language (ESL), Certificate Programs or Associate Degrees.
The founders of Advanced College have more than 40 years of experience in teaching at the college and university levels and working with international students. The instructors are highly qualified, holding Bachelors, Masters, and/or Doctorate degrees, & Multilingual (Arabic, Farsi, Spanish and Tagalog) and minimum of 5-10 years teaching experience.
Advanced College is located in the heart of beautiful Southern California, a short drive from downtown Los Angeles, Disneyland, Beverly Hills and Magic Mountain.
School Information13180 Paramount Blvd
South Gate, CA, California 90280
Locale: Suburb: Large
Open Admissions: Yes
Sector: Private for-profit, 2-year
Carnegie Basic: Associate's--Private For-profit
Religious Affiliation: Not applicable
Accrediting Agency: Council on Occupational Education
Students & Faculty
Degrees & Programs
|Accounting and Finance
|Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other
|Bilingual and Multilingual Education
|Business Administration and Management, General
|Computer Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
|Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
|English Language and Literature, General
|Health/Health Care Administration/Management
|Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
|Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
|Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
|Medical/Clinical Assistant
|Physical Therapy/Therapist


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Average Price in Leggett: $250,000County Average: $310,000
Average Price per/ft2 in Leggett: $333County Average: $158
Average Walkscore in Leggett: 5County Average: 12
Average Days on Website in Leggett: 3001County Average: 160
Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice
© Copyright 2019 Houston Realtors Information Service, Inc. - Certain information contained herein is derived from information which is the property of, and copyrighted by, Houston Realtors Information Service, Inc.
By registering, you agree to our terms of use and that real estate professionals and lenders may call/text you about your inquiry, which may involve use of automated means and prerecorded/artificial voices. You don't need to consent as a condition of buying any property, goods or services. Messages/data rates may apply.


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Goats are curious, intelligent and more than a little mischievous, qualities that can quickly get them into trouble if they feel bored. Fortunately, there are many creative and easy ways of entertaining goats to help them exercise their natural inventiveness and ingenuity without pesky problems.
Why Entertainment Is Essential
A bored goat without any means of entertainment will seek to entertain itself, possibly in damaging or dangerous ways. Because these animals are agile climbers, have powerful muscles and a propensity to chew on just about anything, they could…
- Butt or push on fences, knocking them down and leading to escapes
- Chew on posts, debris or other items and cause damage or suffer mouth injuries
- Climb onto unsafe surfaces that may lead to slips and falls
- Resort to bullying or aggressive, territorial behavior that impacts other animals
Furthermore, a bored goat will have increased levels of stress and anxiety, which can lead to health problems as well as lowered productivity with less milk production or poor nursing care. When goats are entertained, however, they are happier and more engaged, get better exercise and live more fulfilling lives.
Fun Ways to Entertain Goats
There are many different ways to keep goats occupied and entertained. Just like any entertainment, however, not all goats will enjoy the same activities, and it is best to offer several options to give each animal something fun to explore.
- Change of Scenery
Entertaining goats can be as simple as letting them explore someplace new. If you have different corrals or pastures the goats can use, move them between locations periodically so they don't get bored always staying in the same place.
- Scratching Station
Goats love to scratch, and a scratching station can help them sooth any itches with ease. A column of rough-edged bricks or cinderblocks is an easy option, or cover a post with rough material or bristle brushes so the goats can rub their itches away.
- Climbing Mountain
These sure-footed animals love to climb and explore. A climbing structure could be a wooden jungle gym with steps, ramps and bridges, or might be as simple as a tumbled pile of stovewood. Hay bales, old tires and other materials can also create great climbing arenas for goats.
- Ball Games
Different sizes and colors of balls make great toys for goats, and they will kick, butt and push them around. Choose balls with different levels of firmness as well, and goats may even try to climb or balance on larger balls.
- Tunnels
Tunnels, nooks and hideaways are fun for goats to explore. A simple tunnel of half-buried tires can provide hours of entertainment, or a large section of pipe, a series of A-frames or trellises, an open tent or hay bales stacked with secret spaces will keep goats happily occupied.
- Recycled Toys
Toys your human kids have outgrown can be perfect for your four-legged kids. Plastic slides or playhouses, kiddie pools or see-saws are great options, and goats will also love "big kid" toys as well such as a camper shell or small boat that has seen better days.
- Roof Access
Because goats love to climb, allowing them on to the roof of a shed, garage or barn is a great way to give them more space. Stacked hay bales, bricks, rocks or wood can give them access to the roof, or you can build a ramp. Just be sure the roof's pitch is safe for them to explore.
- Treat Balls
Give goats an extra special treat with a snack-filled toy they can kick and butt. A plastic container such as an old jug is ideal, and you can poke a few holes in the sides. Add a handful of pelleted feed or grain to the jug and toss the toy into the goats' pen for hours of fun.
- Branches
Goats will nibble and taste just about anything, and offering them occasional branches or brush to sample will keep them entertained and supplement their feed. Be sure to avoid any potentially toxic plants or prunings when you add them to the goat pen.
- Companions
These are social creatures that crave companionship, and a herd of goats can be even more fun than just one. But if you can't have multiple goats, they also get along well with sheep, cows, donkeys, cats and dogs, so let other animals visit for a play date to keep your goat entertained.
Change the activities you offer your goat often to keep them enjoying new and different things, and you'll never have to worry about the trouble a bored goat may get into.


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The following was written by Shari Randall for the "Writers Who Kill" blog.
By Shari Randall
The Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) program was created in 1991 by UMass-Dartmouth professor Robert Waxler and his friend, Bob Kane, a judge. Kane was fed up with a "turnstile" justice system that saw the same people commit the same crimes as soon as they walked out the jail door. Waxler was determined to test his belief in the power of literature to reach places inside the minds and hearts of offenders where real change could take place. New studies support Waxler's hypothesis, showing that among other things, reading helps develop empathy, and that increased empathy can lead to changes in behavior.


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Futuretech, a series of 18 executive briefings a year, is your opportunity to learn about new and emerging technologies before they become common knowledge. Each briefing introduces you to a new technology that is poised to take off and, therefore, ripe for investment and business opportunities.
About this service
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For more information and general enquiries, contact Frost & Sullivan near you.
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tel: +1.877.463.7678
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Ballhawking: Stadium Leaders
This post deals with the realm of ballhawking. Using the database on mygameballs.com, I decided to make a list of 'stadium owners,' or the person that has snagged the most amount of baseballs at each ballpark. There's obviously probably some regulars that don't document their baseballs – for example, I'm sure that someone has to have snagged more than 32 balls at Target Field – they just haven't become mygameballs.com official yet.
Here's the list:
Stadium Owners (mygameballs ID)
Angel Stadium of Anaheim – Rob McCoy 992 (bbshagger)
AT&T Park – Scott Mystery 40 (mysteryCA)
Busch Stadium – Wayne Peck 48 (waynepeck)
Chase Field – Zack Hample 73 (zackhample)
Citi Field – Zack Hample 363
Citizens Bank Park – Zack Hample 250
Comerica Park – Zack Hample 37
Coors Field – Rockpile Ranter 126 (ranter)
Dodger Stadium – Jose Mannywood 348 (mannywood)
Fenway Park – Zack Hample 43
Great American Ballpark – Rocco Sinisi 356 (roccosinisi)
Kauffman Stadium – Garrett Meyer 326 (garrett37)
Miller Park – Shawn Bosman 997 (shawn77)
Minute Maid Park – Donny Haltom 162 (dhaltom)
Nationals Park – Aaron King 386 (aaronk)
New Yankee Stadium – alexk 178
Oakland Coliseum – Rick Gold 721 (jqfc)
Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Zack Hample 495
PETCO Park – Leigh Barratt 569 (padreleigh)
PNC Park – Erik Jabs 1,155 (erikj)
Progressive Field – Erik Jabs 255
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – Dirk Elliot 237 (ballguy)
Rogers Centre – Zack Hample 82
Safeco Field – Max Van Hollenbeke 140 (mvanholl)
Target Field – Zack Hample 32
Tropicana Field – Mike Calabro 106 (mike357)
Turner Field – Zack Hample 143
US Cellular Field – Rick Crowe 251 (onabounce)
Wrigley Field – Zack Hample 38
Current Stadium Owners Top 3:
1) Erik Jabs 1,155 PNC Park
2) Shawn Bosman 997 Miller Park
3) Rob McCoy 992 Angel Stadium
Rather cool to see that I have the most balls snagged at any one current park. Of course this doesn't include old stadiums such as Shea or Yankee stadium.
Who owns your stadium? Is there someone that's legendary that you know that doesn't put their stats on mygameballs? You should tell them to get on that.
There's only 43 days until opening day, and 10 days the first broadcasted game on MLB TV (Yankees vs Phillies), and 5 more days to win a Phillies shirt.


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Westlake Porter Library sits on eleven acres in the very heart of Westlake. Many of the trees and landscaping plant life on the grounds have been donated by members of the community.
Please contact Andrew Mangels at 440-871-2600 if you are interested in making a donation that helps beautify the grounds of Porter Library.
You can download and print our Library Gift and Donations Guide. The guide is in PDF format and requires Adobe Reader, which is a free download.


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As the Vermont Legislature and the Douglas administration work to achieve a balanced budget in light of a significant downturn in revenues, an emphasis on increasing revenues needs to be matched with proposed cuts. That has not happened to date.
Vermont has a few weeks to get its wish list in order before the federal government hands out parts of a $400 billion stimulus plan to stem the national recession and prime the economic pump. Faced with thousands of layoffs in recent months throughout the state, Vermonters, no doubt, want to know what Gov.
Hey, it's two weeks 'til Christmas and from the constant bleating of news reports 24/7, we all know that the world's economy is on life support. So, what do we do … dig a hole and hide, or look around us and see what life has to offer? Well, as Annie said, "the sun will come out tomorrow" — in fact, it's out there now.
Clippings Article
It seems appropriate, in this coming year of change, to talk about establishing new traditions. That doesn't mean tossing out the old, but rather making way for the changes that are ahead and learning how to embrace them with all the richness of family rituals.
I speak for many, as an adult with three grown daughters, to recognize that the holiday traditions we celebrated 20 years ago when they were young, giddy and true-believers, are much different today. Not yet the granddad and with daughters in the Rockies and further West, the four of us gather when we can and celebrate togetherness simply because we miss each other and rejoice in the bonding of just being together.
We ski. We run. We hike, bike, kayak, swim, water-ski, rock-climb or just hang on the porch and gab away the hours. This past January we had cause to go to Hawaii to see an uncle of mine married and be part of the wedding party. We all took time off from work and school (not an easy thing in itself) and spent the better part of a week playing on the shores of Oahu and being with family. We played in the surf, toured the island, paid $10 each to open a clam and see what type of pearl would be inside; two of us took surfing lessons after the other two had to get back to their respective responsibilities, and we all had a memorable time together.
Three months later, two daughters and I met in Big Sur, California to run in their first marathon along that spectacular coast to Carmel. We started the race together, ran stride for stride for those 26 miles and crossed the finish hand-in-hand triumphant over our heads. That night I treated them to cocktails at Carmel's Highlands Lodge and saw a glorious, blazing orange sunset over the Pacific in country made famous by photographer Ansel Adams. It was an occasion not to forget.
Clippings article published Oct. 23, 2008
Let's talk about editorials and this newspaper's perspective over the past eight years.
Since 2000, this editor has been roundly criticized — and applauded — by readers reacting to editorials on the national or international scene. Many of those editorials have been about the elections with George W., about the invasion of Iraq, the economy, and what I have considered to be the misguided policies of the Bush administration.
Contrary to some publications, editorials are written with the premise of the piece clearly stated and one side of the issue boldly supported. Very few editorials are middle-of-the-road essays that point out both sides of the issue and let the reader decide which group of facts has the most validity. Picking one side of the issue and defending that point of view is precisely what editorials should do. And, yes, that means the editorials are biased. Of course they are. They reflect my research and my point of view. That doesn't mean, however, they are not supported by facts or credible evidence that counters an opposing agenda.
But why write about those issues when that's the purview of national publications, some critics ask, then suggest we write solely about local and state issues.
It's a good point, and frankly, I would do my job better if I made it a priority to always include a local editorial to accompany any editorial on the world or national scene. Two shorter editorials would almost always be preferable.
But when the issues get mixed up with people's emotional framework, rational discussion often falls by the wayside and partisan politics enters the fray. The strategic reasons for invading Iraq or not, for example, get lost within the emotional context of patriotism, God and country, and supporting the troops.
"Never in living memory has an election been more critical than (this) — that's the quadrennial cliché, as expected as the balloons and the bombast. And yet when has it ever felt so urgently true? When have so many Americans had so clear a sense that a presidency has — at levels of competence, vision and integrity — undermined the country and its ideals?"
That was the opening paragraph of The New Yorker's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president on Oct. 13. It continued: "The Presidency of George W. Bush is the worst since Reconstruction, so there is no mystery about why the Republican Party — which has held dominion over the executive branch of the federal government for the past eight years and the legislative branch for most that time — has little desire to defend its record, domestic or foreign … Meanwhile, the nominee, Sen. John McCain, (has) played the part of a vaudeville illusionist, asking to be regarded as an apostle of change after years of embracing the essentials of the Bush agenda with ever-increasing ardor."
That this presidential election is the most critical of our times is a debate for historians decades hence, but certainly a record 93 percent of the American populace, according to recent polls, say we are going in the wrong direction. And certainly these two major party candidates offer stark differences in style and in the policies they would pursue.
It is no surprise to readers of this paper that we enthusiastically endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president. We are impressed with his coolness under fire; his thoughtful and deliberate approach when addressing difficult issues; his skills as a campaigner, organizer and director of a massive undertaking these past 18 months that delivered a consistent message of hope that has inspired tens of millions of supporters. And he has done it with honor, integrity and clarity of purpose.
Democrat Tom Costello, a veteran legislator serving Rutland and Brattleboro, has an uphill battle in challenging incumbent Brian Dubie as the state's lieutenant governor. But Costello's pragmatic approach to the issues, experience in bipartisanship as a former legislator, and his 'can-do attitude' when it comes to reaching resolution on problems facing the state earn him this paper's endorsement in an effort to unseat Dubie and bring new energy to the state's second-highest post.
Costello is a likeable "Joe-Six-Pack" kind of guy who, even though he has a law degree, feels more comfortable talking in half sentences, tossing in a few choice words that come from his days as a Marine, and talking about practical measures to solve problems rather than whining about obstacles or politics. After six years of dodging the issues, his frankness is refreshing.
"Our present administration is not dealing specifically and effectively with these problems which are solvable," Costello told the Independent last week in reference to re-licensing Vermont Yankee, financial hardships for Vermont's seniors, and attracting new jobs to Vermont. "My experience is to work together in an aggressive way, but to work together and find a solution ... There is no reason why we can't make these things happen. That's been my experience."
Welcome to the Brave New World where author Aldous Huxley imagined in his 1932 satire that society would prefer to be kept uninformed and live lock-step in a soma-induced blissful oblivion. Well, close enough. The world is the political orbit of the Republican Party in which no one is allowed to speak critically of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and the media, in particular, is not to pursue questions that seek to flesh out her positions or leadership style were she to be catapulted into the nation's highest office.
Facts in this Republican dystopia (a negative utopia) don't matter; what matters is that supporters swallow the party script. So, if Gov. Palin wants to keep repeating the lie that she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere and rejects federal earmarks to states, then the party faithful should excuse the falsehood and just drink the soma-laced Kool-Aid.
John Feehery, a Republican strategist, captured the mood perfectly in a Washington Post story on Tuesday when he told a Post reporter that the campaign was entering a period in which the dominant themes established in the campaign were more important than skirmishes over the facts.
"The more The New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there's a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she's new, she's popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent," Feehery said. "As long as those are out there, these little facts don't really matter."
Wow. Let's think about that.
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drop all but the indicated top-level hypotheses
Major Section: PROOF-CHECKER-COMMANDS
Example: (RETAIN 2 3) -- keep the second and third hypotheses, and drop the restDrop all top-level hypotheses except those with the indicated indices.
General Form: (retain &rest args)
There must be at least one argument, and all must be in range (i.e.
integers between one and the number of top-level hypotheses,


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ALIAS RUBY BLADE: A STORY OF LOVE AND REVOLUTION (Alex Meillier, 2012)
Friday, April 19, AMC Loews Village 7, 8:30
Saturday, April 20, AMC Loews Village 7, 4:00
Tuesday, April 23, Clearview Cinemas Chelsea, 3:30
Saturday, April 27, AMC Loews Village 7, 3:00
Alias Ruby Blade: A Story of Love and Revolution is an intimate, involving documentary that goes behind the scenes of East Timor's battle for independence, structured like a gripping thriller with a decidedly personal edge. In 1991, Australian Kirsty Sword went to East Timor as part of a team posing as tourists while actually making a secret film about the embattled Indonesian island. Almost immediately, the Australian teacher and activist found herself right in the middle of the violent struggle as bullets flew all around her and her team, but they kept the cameras rolling, compiling amazing footage that helped alert the world as to what was happening there. Sword soon became a courier for the revolution, adopting the spy name Ruby Blade and smuggling in notes and, eventually, electronic equipment to jailed resistance leader Kay Rala "Xanana" Gusmão, who was serving a life sentence in Jakarta's Cipinang Prison. Armed with a camera, Sword took remarkable footage during those years, most of which has never before been shown to the public; she opened up her archives for husband-and-wife documentarians Tanya Ager Meillier and Alex Meillier and speaks extensively with them in the film, relating her involvement with the independence movement — which included falling in love with the charismatic Xanana. The Meilliers also talk with such key resistance fighters as Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta and diplomat Constancio Pinto as well as historian and human rights activist Geoffrey Robinson and Inside Indonesia editor Pat Walsh, who share their stories about the Indonesian occupation that lasted from 1975 to 1999, followed by a UN-sponsored referendum for independence that led to yet more horrors. But Sword, who narrates much of the film, and Xanana, who appears primarily in archival footage and photographs, never gave up their dream of a free, democratic East Timor while also considering a life together. As much as Alias Ruby Blade delves into the political situation in East Timor, it's really about how a young, strong woman followed her heart and made a difference in a faraway part of the globe. Alias Ruby Blade will have its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it's part of the Documentary Competition. (By the way, the less you know about how things turned out in East Timor, the more exciting the film is, so don't read up on it before going to one of the four screenings.)


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6th Circuit: Diversity trumps religious freedom
Says employee personal statements must align with university policy
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that university diversity policies trump the First Amendment's protections of religion and religious expression, but the dispute will continue, as a legal team representing former University of Toledo worker Crystal Dixon has requested a rehearing.
At issue are Dixon's personal religious statements regarding homosexuality and the school's affirmative action program for homosexuals.
Dixon was dismissed from her university post after she wrote a personal letter to the editor of a local newspaper objecting to the characterization of homosexuality as being the same as race.
"I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifesetyle are 'civil rights victims.' Here's why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman," she wrote. "I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few."
The university fired her from her position in the University of Toledo's human resources division for writing the letter, citing her religious beliefs. She sued, and a lower court concluded that the school's diversity efforts trumped Dixon's First Amendment rights.
The appeals court now has agreed, according to the American Freedom Law Center, or AFLC, which represents Dixon.
AFLC asked for a rehearing because the appeals court panel assumed that the university had editorial control over any of Dixon's statements because of her position with the school.
"Dixson was fired from her employment as associate vice president for human resources with the University of Toledo because she expressed her personal, Christian views as a private citizen in an opinion piece published in the Toledo Free Press. Plaintiff did not occupy a political position nor did she publicly criticize any identified policy of her employer in her writing. Rather, plaintiff was fired for expressing her personal religious beliefs in a local newspaper on a very controversial issue: gay rights," the legal team said in its rehearing request.
"As the U.S. Supreme Court has long stated, 'If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.'"
The legal team argued: "Here, plaintiff was fired because her personal religious beliefs did not comport with the university's 'diversity' values. In fact, plaintiff's speech was in response to a published editorial – it was not in response to anything her employer did or did not do. As defendants acknowledged in their brief, the only part of plaintiff's speech that remotely touched upon university policies 'was arguable supportive of the university.'"
The rehearing petition explained that the appeals court panel gave Dixon's speech "no consideration" and instead ruled for the school "based on the presumption" the school controlled Dixon's personal speech.
But the attorneys pointed out that precedent is "well settled that 'a state cannot condition public employment on a basis that infringes the employee's constitutionally protected interest in freedom of expression.'"
"There is no dispute that plaintiff was speaking on a matter of public concern and was thus terminated as a result of her speech," the petition said. "And there is no reasonable dispute that when plaintiff was writing her opinion piece on her personal computer from her home on a Sunday, she was not speaking pursuant to her official duties with the university, but as a private citizen.
"This speech must be accorded the greatest weight … and not presumptively dismissed, as the panel did here, thus allowing a government employer to suppress speech based on a broad rendering of its 'diversity' values," the petition said.
"Additionally, the university president, Defendant [Lloyd] Jacobs, was permitted to express his personal and controversial opinions on the very same subject in the Toledo Free Press without being punished for doing so."
In fact, Jacobs announced a very public threat in his guest column over the issue, stating, "We will be taking certain internal actions in this instance to more fully align our utterances and actions with this value system."
Crystal Dixon's "comments do not accord with the values of the University of Toledo," he wrote.
"It is necessary … for me to repudiate much of her writing."
WND reported that as the appeals court decision approached, David Yerushalmi of AFLC said, "It should be concerning to all Americans that officials at a public institution such as the University of Toledo believe they can fire someone for violating the university's 'value system' even though such actions clearly violate the Constitution.
"This case only reinforces the fact that the liberal idea of 'diversity' is code for the tyranny of political correctness."
AFLC co-founder Robert Muise said at the time, "Anti-Christian bias and bigotry is a hallmark of the 'diversity' crusade that is promoted in our universities and other public institutions – and this case is an egregious example of this one-way diversity and its pernicious impact on our fundamental rights."
It was April 3, 2008, when Dixon read an opinion piece published in the Toledo Free Press that compared homosexuality to the civil rights struggles of African-Americans.
|Crystal Dixon
"Dixon, an African-American and practicing Christian, disagreed with this comparison and subsequently submitted her own opinion piece to express her personal viewpoint," AFLC reported.
"Dixon's opinion piece, published on April 18, 2008, in the newspaper's online edition, stated, in relevant part, 'I respectfully submit a different perspective for [the author of the original op-ed] and Toledo Free Press readers to consider . … I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are civil rights victims.'"
She signed only her name and made no mention of her position at the university.
One month later, Dixon got a letter from Jacobs terminating her employment over "the public position you have taken in the Toledo Free Press."
She sued over First and 14th Amendment violations.


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Dear Pharmacist, I have nerve pain that is chronic and related to my diabetes. I take medication for that, and want to add some supplements that might help. I promise to ask my doctor if they're alright for me. — P.T., Tulsa
Nerve pain is termed "neuropathy," and sometimes you see it as "peripheral neuropathy." It can be described as tingling, burning, radiating and sharp. Everyone's experience is different.
Diabetes medications can sometimes exacerbate neuropathy by causing a drug nutrient depletion. Some of the most popular medications prescribed (e.g. metformin, glipizide) are "drug muggers" of vitamin B12. You need B12 to produce myelin, a protective fatty coating around your nerve fibers. Your nerves get touchy and neuropathy can begin if you run out of myelin. Supplementing with methylcobalamin might help, but do test to see if you are low in that. It's a blood test. There is more about nerve-soothing remedies in my "Diabetes Without Drugs" book.
Herbs that are in the "nervine" category can be very nourishing and soothing to the nerve tissue. Among the best are Chinese skullcap, lemon balm, wood betony, St. John's wort, chamomile, prickly ash and milky oats. These are found in a variety of ways including commercial tea, dried herb so you can make your own tea or compress, tinctures, capsules and so forth. They each have a book full of side effects and precautions. Do not take it upon yourself to just self-treat without seeing a knowledgable practitioner who studies and prescribes herbs for a living.
For milder effects you could always take a bath in herbs; mix together the following to make two cupfuls: oatstraw, skullcap, wood betony and St. John's wort. Put it in a clean sock and drop into your bath. You can also add five to 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Soak for at least 20 minutes, keeping the water lukewarm. This must be discussed with your practitioner as there is transdermal absorption of these herbs. If you have a local (small) area, you can also try a commercial product called Neuragen sold at pharmacies nationwide.
For more, visit dearpharmacist.com.


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May 18, 2012
CFTC Approves Final Rule on Swap Data Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements for Pre-Dodd-Frank and Transition Swaps
Washington, DC—The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today approved a final rule on swap data recordkeeping and reporting requirements for counterparties to pre-enactment swaps, those swaps executed prior to passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, and transition swaps, those entered into between the law's enactment date and the applicable compliance date for swap data recordkeeping and reporting. The goal of the final rule for these swaps, collectively called historical swaps, is to specify what records must be kept and what data must be reported. The rule is also designed to ensure that historical swap data is available to regulators through swap data repositories (SDRs).
The Commission's final rule regarding swap data recordkeeping and reporting for historical swaps further implements the Dodd-Frank Act's new statutory framework regarding swap data recordkeeping and reporting. Section 723 of the Dodd-Frank Act amends Section 2 of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA or Act) by adding new Section 2(h)(5), which directs that rules adopted by the Commission pursuant to this section shall provide for the reporting of data relating to swaps entered into before the date of enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act (pre-enactment swaps) and data relating to swaps entered into on or after the date of enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act and prior to the compliance date specified in the Commission's final swap data reporting rules (transition swaps). The Commission's final rule establishes recordkeeping and reporting requirements for these swaps, collectively known as historical swaps.
Recordkeeping requirements for historical swaps:
The rule establishes limited recordkeeping requirements for counterparties to historical swaps. For swaps in existence on or after April 25, 2011, the date of publication of the Commission's proposed rule concerning historical swaps, counterparties are required to keep records of specified, minimum primary economic terms for a swap of the asset class in question. Swap dealers (SDs) and major swap participants (MSPs) must keep the required records in electronic form (unless they were originally created and are exclusively maintained in paper form), while non-SD/MSP counterparties are permitted to keep them in either electronic or paper form. In addition, a counterparty to an historical swap must keep a confirmation, master agreement or credit support agreement concerning the historical swap in its possession on or after April 25, 2011. For historical swaps that expired prior to April 25, 2011, counterparties are required to keep the records they have, in any form elected by the counterparty. The required records must be retained throughout the existence of a historical swap and for five years following its final termination or expiration.
Data Reporting Requirements for Historical Swaps:
For each historical swap in existence on or after April 25, 2011, the final rule calls for an electronic initial data report to a swap data repository (SDR) on the applicable compliance date for swap data recordkeeping and reporting. For historical swaps still in existence after the applicable compliance date, the rule addresses ongoing reporting of data from the continuation of the historical swap during its remaining existence. The determination of which counterparty must report the swap mirrors the provisions of the CFTC's rules governing swap data reporting for new swaps.
The initial data report for each historical swap in existence on or after April 25, 2011, must include all of the minimum primary economic terms specified for a historical swap of the asset class in question that are in the possession of the reporting counterparty on or after April 25, 2011. The reporting counterparty must also report its own legal entity identifier, the internal identifier it uses to identify the non-reporting counterparty, and the internal transaction identifier it uses to identify the swap. For historical swaps already reported to an existing repository prior to the applicable compliance date, duplicate reporting of information already reported is not required.
For each uncleared historical swap still in existence after the applicable compliance date, the final rule requires reporting of the swap continuation data required by the Commission's Part 45 rules on swap data reporting, including changes to the primary economic terms initially reported for the historical swap. The final rule does not require continuation data reporting for cleared historical swaps. Information reported by the reporting counterparty concerning each cleared historical swap will include the identity of the designated clearing organization clearing the swap. The Commission separately plans to further clarify how novated and cleared historical swaps should be reported under the Commission's swap data reporting rules.
For each historical swap which expired or was terminated prior to April 25, 2011, the reporting party must report such information relating to the terms of the transaction as was in the reporting counterparty's possession as of April 25, 2011. This information can be reported via any method selected by the reporting counterparty.
Third-party Facilitation of Data Reporting:
Counterparties required to report data concerning historical swaps may contract with third-party service providers to facilitate reporting. However, such counterparties remain responsible for reporting as required by the final rule.
Data Standards:
In reporting swap data to an SDR, each counterparty must use the facilities, methods, or data standards provided or required by the SDR to which the counterparty reports the data. SDRs may permit reporting entities and counterparties to use various facilities, methods, or data standards, provided that its requirements in this regard enable it to meet the CFTC's requirements with respect to data maintenance and transmission of data to the CFTC.
Compliance Dates
The final rule phases in the compliance dates for historical swap recordkeeping and reporting by both asset class and counterparty type, using the same compliance dates specified in the Commission's main swap data recordkeeping and reporting rules in Part 45. SDs and MSPs must commence full compliance with this final rule with respect to historical credit swaps and interest rate swaps on Compliance Date 1, which is the later of July 16, 2012, or 60 calendar days after publication in the Federal Register of the later of the Commission's final rule defining "swap" or the Commission's final rule defining "swap dealer" and "major swap participant." SDs and MSPs must commence full compliance with respect to historical equity swaps, foreign exchange swaps, and other commodity swaps on Compliance Date 2, 90 calendar days after Compliance Date 1. Non-SD/MSP counterparties must commence full compliance with respect to all historical swaps on Compliance Date 3, 90 calendar days after Compliance Date 2.
Last Updated: May 18, 2012


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Game of Thrones Longclaw Sword of Jon Snow
Lions and direwolves and bears - oh my!
- Prop replica of Jon Snow's sword, Longclaw
- Stainless steel blade, leather hilt
- Comes with a display plaque decorated with the Night's Watch Oath
Lions and direwolves and bears - oh my!
"Honor the steel with deeds, not words."
Jon nodded. Does it have a name, my lord?"
"It did, once. Longclaw, it was called."
"Claw," the raven cried. "Claw."
"Longclaw is an apt name." Jon tried a practice cut. He was clumsy and uncomfortable with his left hand, yet even so the steel seemed to flow through the air, as if it had a will of its own. "Wolves have claws, as much as bears."
- A Song of Ice and Fire
This version of Longclaw, House Mormont's sword which Ser Jeor gifted to Jon Snow, comes from HBO's Game of Thrones. It was modeled directly on the actual screen-used prop from the show. It is not full-tang, so don't go trying to kill a wight with it. However, it'll look lovely on your wall, hanging from its plaque with the Night's Watch Oath silkscreened upon it.
Product Specifications
- Prop replica of Jon Snow's sword, Longclaw, with display plaque
- Officially-licensed HBO's Game of Thrones product
- Comes with number, certificate of authenticity, and a wooden display plaque silkscreened with the original Night's Watch Oath
- Antiqued metal on the wolf's head pommel
- Materials: Stainless steel blade, leather hilt, wooden plaque
- Dimensions: 45" overall, 35" blade
- Weight: ~8 lbs.
PRODUCT DISCLAIMER: These products are not intended for any unlawful purpose as defined by applicable local, county, state, and federal laws. By agreeing herein, purchaser acknowledges that he/she is 18 years of age or older. Purchaser also acknowledges that he/she is permitted to purchase this product pursuant to his local, county, state, and federal laws.


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- This event has passed.
TCK Q3 2016 Earnings
October 27, 2016
Every quarter, DTC covers quarterly earnings results for all the major public coal companies. We analyze EPS, EBITDA, capex, revenue/ton and cost/ton on a regional and quality basis (if provided), as well as commentary following each company's conference call.


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Aurora in the News
Aurora to Sponsor Keynote Address at ICCFA Convention
Aurora to Sponsor Keynote Address at ICCFA Convention
Women are the engine of the global economy, and are increasingly the decision-makers for final arrangements and pre-arrangements. They hold the purse strings, and when they've got a tight grip on them as they do now, funeral professionals must be shrewder than ever to win them over.
In a lively presentation based on her acclaimed book, Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers, as well as ICCFA-commissioned research conducted with women who have recently made final arrangements for a loved one, Bridget Brennan educates audiences on the fundamentals of gender psychology. She provides a roadmap for businesses on how to evaluate the final arrangement experience from a female perspective.
Aurora is proud to sponsor this keynote presentation on Friday, April 12, from 10-11 a.m. Immediately following the presentation, Brennan will be signing books in Aurora's booth. Be sure to follow the ICCFA convention by following Aurora on Facebook (www.facebook.com/auroracasket) and Twitter (@AuroraCasket).
Bridget Brennan is one of the world's most sought-after experts on the subject of women consumers, and a contributor to Forbes on the subject of marketing and selling to women. Her book, Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers, was called "essential reading" by The Wall Street Journal and "required reading for anyone burdened with a Y chromosome" by Fortune Small Business. She has served as an instructor at Northwestern University's Graduate Program in marketing communications, has guest lectured at the Kellogg School of Management and is a member of the Forbes Executive Women's Advisory Board.
You may find a link to Brennan's new blog on Forbes.com, sign up to receive her monthly white papers and find out more about the buying habits of women at www.thefemalefactor.com.


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Call it a nod to niche: a couple of high-profile beverage brands recently launched limited edition line extensions.
Earlier this week, a BevNET reader sent us a photo of what appeared to be a new Red Bull product called "Bull" and labeled as "A Product from Red Bull." Packaged in Red Bull's famous slim, silver-colored 8.4 oz. can, the beverage featured the word Bull written vertically on the can with bull horns on the each side of the last "l," along with vapor coming out from both ends of the letter "B"; the resulting image vaguely resembles a bull's face.
The back of the can is labeled "BULL Energy Drink – Exclusively Produced for Red Bull New York" and features the crest of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. The package also includes a Nutrition Facts label. The reader noted that the product is full-calorie and has "a bitter, orange-flavored" taste.
BevNET reached out to Red Bull North America, which confirmed that the company has released Bull, but as a short-term product.
According to Red Bull, "Bull Energy Drink is a limited edition product from Red Bull" and "it combines the functionality of Red Bull Energy Drink with a sweet orange flavor and a whimsical packaging design." The company said that the new products is available in special venues including The New York Red Bulls arena, the Brazil Red Bull soccer club, the RB Leipzig arena and the arena of Red Bull Salzburg, Hangar 7, the Afro Cafe and the Carpe Diem Restaurant in Salzburg.
The release of Bull is noteworthy considering the veritable spate of innovation coming from Red Bull, which until last year's launch of Red Bull Total Zero and the U.S. debut of the "Red Bull Edition" line-up of new flavors, had not introduced a new product or line extension since its (now discontinued) energy shot in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola Co. has announced the first new flavor for its Sprite brand in eight years. Coke today unveiled Sprite Cranberry and Sprite Zero Cranberry, each of which will be "available for a limited time through the holidays," according to a statement from the company. The new products are the first line extensions for Sprite since Sprite Remix, which debuted in 2005.
"We're incorporating one of the most popular flavors of the season with the No. 1 lemon-lime brand to celebrate the holidays," Kim Paige, Associate Vice President, Sprite Brands, The Coca-Cola Company said in the statement. "Over the years, our fans have increasingly demanded Sprite with cranberry flavor, and we're excited to give it to them with the crisp, clear, caffeine-free, naturally flavored taste they already love about Sprite."
Sprite Cranberry and Sprite Zero Cranberry will be packaged in 2 L bottles, fridge packs of 12 oz. cans, and 20 oz. bottles (Sprite Cranberry only), and launch in mid-October. The drinks will be available through the New Year.


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- Remove any bands, twist ties, etc.
- Greens must be kept in an airtight container with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out.
- Hardier greens like kale, collards, and chard even do well with their stems in a cup of water on the counter or fridge.
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