Joy: God’s Energy Drink

There are two things you are sure to get from grinding grain manually: flour and sweat. Even in winter. Grinding around and around makes you plain old tired. Many people today live very tight schedules with little time to sit and rest. Sleep problems are common; chronic fatigue is not rare. Enter the manufacturers of energy drinks! They sell get-up-and-go. But the older I get, I find that the work of living, with its ups and downs and rounds and rounds, also produces a different type of fatigue, one that can make moving forward more difficult with each passing year. While energy drinks boost one’s blood sugar and pour on the caffeine and/or vitamins, there is a tiredness born of the heart that they cannot energize.

Proverbs 17:22b
…a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

It is in the bones that new blood cells, new life, is made (Lev. 17:11: “For the life of a creature is in the blood…”). Were that to totally dry up, that body would die. Of course, this verse speaks of the psychosomatic connection between one’s mental attitude and physical health.

When my daughter was only 8 weeks old, doctors discovered a cyst in her abdomen. As I write this, I remember that moment with vivid clarity though it occurred 16 years ago. I remember the look on the face of the nurse giving the preliminary examination, and her unassuring smile as she asked me to wait while she went to get the doctor. I also remember the intense rush of emotion, the crushing sense of despair to the point that I nearly vomited. A moment before, life had a continuity and forward flow that I wasn’t consciously aware of, but when I heard that horrible news it came crashing to a halt. Often when people receive difficult news, their legs physically give out and they fall into the nearest chair for support. They do not have the energy to even stand, let alone move. It’s like one’s soul is drained. For me, this was one of life’s moments in which I experienced the above verse. It was only one of many, and I know that most everyone reading this has their own list of moments that we would quickly erase if we could. Before we get any more depressed, let’s look at the first half of Proverbs 17:22:

Proverbs 17:22a
A cheerful heart is good medicine…

Cheerful! I like that word. Let’s look at a few more verses:

Proverbs 14:30a
A heart at peace gives life to the body…

Proverbs 15:13a
A happy heart makes the face cheerful…

Proverbs 15:30a
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart…

While we are all well aware of the debilitating power of fear and despair, there is an equally motivating quality to joy that gives a human being the endurance and energy to go on. Joy is intricately connected with a sense of hope. Joy energizes and motivates. It swells the soul into action, and moves one forward. My daughter’s condition was correctable, and she is now a beautiful 16-year-old. My joy about her healing was even greater than my previous sense of despair for she is, after all, my daughter.

At the time of this writing, the Olympics have just ended. I was on my way to bed one evening when the women’s beach volleyball team was in the throes of striving for gold against the Chinese, who were proving to be formidable opponents. The competition was intense, and I found myself riveted, unable to go off to bed even after a long day. It was cool and rainy on the “beach,” the stands full with people in colorful rain gear and holding umbrellas, but the teammates were flushed and warm because of the heat of the competition. I watched with amazement as both sides literally hurled their bodies airborne in attempts to win each point, landing face-first in the sand, taking a beating. Victory lay ahead for one side as the score climbed in a waddle: Chinese ahead, Americans ahead, Chinese ahead, Americans ahead. At each break the women would go off to their respective sides and rest for just a moment, wiping their brows, taking a refreshing drink of water, encouraging one another, but no big smiles. Not yet. They pushed onward, pressing their minds and bodies into the competition for the hope of winning, the hope of the medal—for the joy that was set before them, if you will.

When the winning shot hit the sand, there was a momentary pause, a pause in which the brains of both players and observers made the connection, and then the burst of joy! Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh fell to their knees with shouts, hugging each other and laughing. They paraded around with American flags over their shoulders, kissed and greeted people on the sidelines and in the stands, and even announced, “This is for you, Mr. Bush!” The joy of victory that had been set before them and had motivated them was now exploding in the moment, and they spent time en-joy-ing (in joy) what they had worked so hard for in the competition. Like those athletes, Jesus pushed through difficult moments because of the joy before him. Hebrews 12 comes to mind:

Hebrews 12:1-3
(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
(2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(3) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I imagine it was incredibly difficult for Jesus to make the walk up the hill to Calvary. Bloody and severely beaten, his physical condition added enormous stress to the battle raging in his mind. He knew his death was coming—death, the horrible end to life that humans fear intensely. This was the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry, both physically and mentally. What gave him the boost to get through? JOY. Descriptive joy, vivid joy, which he was able to hold in his mind about the future. His was a practiced joy that he could call upon in trial.

This verse speaks not only of Jesus’ struggle during a difficult time in life, but also of our own continuance through the trials we face. Our greatest energy will come from a deep understanding of where Jesus is now—at the finish line, encouraging us to look at him and where he is, a place of joy and re-joy-cing. How about you? Certainly you face times of debilitating despair. The very real, very practical side of using joy as God’s energy drink is to see in your mind in vivid detail your future destiny. And it begins with the following:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
(13) Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
(14) We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
(15) According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
(16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
(17) After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
(18) Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Feelings of joy, or happiness, are not always attainable in this life, such as in those moments when you receive horrible news, suffer pain, etc. Like May-Treanor and Walsh, we are now in the competition, and must keep our minds on the goal of winning gold. The only way out of a dark tunnel is to keep moving, and the best motivation to keep moving is to see the proverbial “light” at the end. For us, that light is Jesus, and the future glory he gained for us. Knowing that the joy of hope energized Jesus to walk the full length of the valley of human need and conquer death can help us attain the mind set of the Apostle Paul, as evidenced in the following verses:

Philippians 3:12-14
(12) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
(13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
(14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Practice joy. Study the Word of God to know what lies in store. God did not leave us with a nebulous idea of our floating around in “heaven.” Rather, we will partake of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, with food, animals, and people, including those we have lost, who we will hold and laugh with again! On a personal note, I’ve often thought how strange it will be to see my grandmother, not as the old woman I knew, but as a young woman who in her youth looked much like me. I think that’s cool. Drink deeply of God’s Hope, seeing the joy before you, and you will find the motivation to persevere through whatever circumstances you face.

Psalm 16:11 (KJV)
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

THANK FI POST THE LINK EYN

Met d boy is PINKS RAVAS. D gal name tweety she a gogo. Met she juss cum frm small island. Met she go all ova d Caribbean go sell (Edited). She dance a taboo wen she deh a jamaica

SANA, Yemen — Turmoil in the Arab world linked to an American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters attacked the American Embassy, two days after assailants killed four Americans in Libya, including the ambassador, and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo.

News reports also spoke of a protest in Tehran, where around 500 Iranians chanting “Death to America” tried to converge on the Swiss Embassy, which handles United States interests in the absence of formal diplomatic relations with Washington. Hundreds of police officers held the crowds back from the diplomatic compound, witnesses said.

For a third consecutive day at the American Embassy in Cairo, protesters scuffled with police officers firing tear gas, witnesses said, and the state news agency reported that 13 people were injured. In Iraq, a militant Shiite group, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, once known for its violent attacks on Americans and other Westerners, reportedly said the video “will put all American interests in danger.” Protests were also reported at American missions in Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia, where the police also fired tear gas to disperse crowds. There were also news reports that the authorities in Afghanistan had suppressed Internet access to prevent users from viewing the offending video online in order to forestall protests there.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the violent anti-American protests but she also denounced the video in forceful terms. “This video is disgusting and reprehensible,” Mrs. Clinton said in remarks at the State Department, broadcast live on CNN. She also said, “The U.S. government had absolutely nothing to do with this video.”

The new violence came as news reports from Libya said the authorities there had made an unspecified number of arrests in connection with the killings of the four Americans in the mayhem that engulfed the United States Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday.

In addition, the third of those four victims was positively identified by his family as Glen Doherty, 42, of Winchester, Mass., a former Navy SEAL working as a security officer. Mr. Doherty died along with the American ambassador to Libya. J. Christopher Stevens, and another diplomat, Sean Smith. The fourth American has not yet been identified.

In Sana, the capital of Yemen, witnesses said government security forces tried to disperse a crowd at the fortified American Embassy compound in the eastern part of the city. But protesters succeeded in breaking through an outer perimeter protecting the embassy, clambering over a high wall and setting fire to a building.

They were forced to retreat after trying to plunder furniture and computers, the witnesses said.

Security forces guarding the embassy fired into the air as protesters set two vehicles alight and burned tires. Protesters tore down and burned an American flag, replacing it with their own banner proclaiming the Islamic faith, witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of American casualties, nor was there any indication that the protesters had managed to breach the main diplomatic buildings within the compound. Yemeni officials said a number of protesters were wounded and some were arrested, but did not provide figures. Hours after the attack started, smoke was still seen rising from the area.

By early afternoon, one witness, Yahya Yousef, who lives opposite the embassy, said: “Now almost everyone is out, and firing has ceased. We saw protesters getting out with some stuff from inside.”

The protests came hours after a Muslim cleric, Abdul Majid al- Zindani, urged followers to emulate the protests in Libya and Egypt, Sana residents said. Mr. Zindani, a onetime mentor to Osama bin Laden, was named a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States Treasury Department in 2004.

The crowd gathered a day after the embassy warned Americans in a posting on its Web site, “In the wake of recent events in Libya and Egypt, there is the possibility of protests in Yemen, and specifically in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy, in the coming days.”

“The U.S. Embassy continues to recommend that U.S. citizens avoid large gatherings. Even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. U.S. citizens in Yemen are urged to monitor local news reports and to plan their activities accordingly,” the Web posting said.

President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi of Yemen said in a statement that he “extends his sincere apologies to President Obama and to the people of the United States of America” for the attack. Mr. Hadi took office in February after his strongman predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, stepped down last November following months of violent protests.

In his statement, Mr. Hadi said he had ordered an “expeditious and thorough investigation” and promised that “the perpetrators of these acts will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” The statement also alluded to “divisions among Yemen’s security and military forces” between supporters of the new government and of Mr. Saleh that had exacerbated tensions.

Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for Yemen’s Embassy in Washington, said the government strongly condemned the attack.

“Given recent regional events, earlier this morning angry protesters have unfortunately flooded the security perimeter of the U.S. Embassy,” he said in a statement. “The government of Yemen will honor international obligations to ensure the safety of diplomats and will step up security presence around all foreign missions.”

With American Marines and naval vessels heading for Libya, the ferment in Yemen added to the already volatile mix of passions that have commingled with the initial exuberance of the so-called Arab Spring.

President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt was quoted on Thursday as saying the attacks on American personnel were unacceptable, in an apparent effort to defuse the tension in Egypt. Speaking in a television address while visiting Brussels, Mr. Morsi said he supported peaceful demonstrations but rejected attacks on personnel and diplomatic missions.

“What happened is unacceptable, rejected, Bloomberg News quoted Mr. Morsi as saying. “The Prophet Muhammad taught us to respect human life.” But he also warned against maligning Islam’s founding prophet. “The Prophet Muhammad and Islamic sanctities are red lines for all of us.”

Little is known about the origin of the video that provoked the protests, which is called “Innocence of Muslims.” It was made in obscurity somewhere in Southern California and promoted by a network of right-wing Christians with a history of animosity toward Muslims. When a 14-minute trailer of it was posted on YouTube in June, it was barely noticed.

But when the amateurish video was translated into Arabic and reposted twice on YouTube in the days before Sept. 11, and promoted by leaders of the Coptic diaspora in the United States, it drew nearly one million views and set off bloody demonstrations.

Many Muslims object strongly to any representation of Muhammad, and, as in the case of cartoons lampooning Islam’s founder published in a Danish newspaper in 2005, are particularly enraged by negative depictions. The contentious video shows the prophet as a villainous homosexual and child-molesting buffoon.

The initial eruption of protests in Egypt and Libya came on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

Referring to the killings in Benghazi, Libya, American and European officials said on Wednesday that while many details about the attack remained unclear, the assailants seemed organized, well trained and heavily armed and appeared to have at least some level of advance planning. But the officials cautioned that it was too soon to tell whether the attack was related to the Sept. 11 commemoration.

On Tuesday, a car bomb exploded in Yemen alongside a convoy of vehicles used by Yemen’s defense minister, killing seven bodyguards and five civilians in the heart of the capital, while the minister escaped unharmed, government and hospital officials said. The attack came one day after a top operative of Al Qaeda in Yemen was killed in what Yemeni officials called an American drone strike.

Those episodes and the violence on Thursday spoke to the continued volatility in poverty-stricken Yemen, where the United States is seeking to eradicate militant cells held responsible for a number of conspiracies, including an attempt by an operative of Al Qaeda to detonate a bomb hidden in his clothes on a flight bound for Detroit in December 2009.

The blast on Tuesday in downtown Sana tore through a thoroughfare between the cabinet office and the state radio building, shattering buildings and wrecking a vehicle carrying the seven bodyguards, seconds after the minister himself, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, had passed by in another vehicle after a weekly cabinet meeting.

Nasser Arrabyee reported from Sana, Yemen, and Alan Cowell from London. Reporting was contributed by Ramtin Rastin from Tehran; David D. Kirkpatrick from Cairo; Kareem Fahim from Beirut, Lebanon; Jess Bidgood from Boston; and Rick Gladstone from New York.

Ariane Daniele Forster was born in Munich, Germany,[1][2] the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor. Her mother, Nora, was known in the music industry, as she was a friend of Jimi Hendrix and dated Chris Spedding for three years. Ari noted that Jon Anderson, the singer of the group Yes, was her godfather.[3]
Nora would later date and marry the Sex Pistols’ lead singer, John Lydon. Their home was known to be something of a punk domain, where Nora would take in poor musicians. The constant presence of punk music led to Ari Up experimenting in it herself, learning guitar skills from The Clash’s Joe Strummer.[4]
Ari Up was fourteen years old when she formed The Slits with drummer Palmolive in 1976. Within a short time, guitarist Viv Albertine joined the group and found herself deeply impressed by the young singer. “English was her second language,” Albertine noted in an interview. “It was not easy for her and she had to fight to be taken seriously.”[5] She succeeded: “Ari was the most dynamic woman I have ever known,” said Albertine. “The way she carried herself was a revolution.”[5]
By the late 1970s, the Slits were touring as the opening act for the Clash.[3] Ari Up’s love of reggae led the Slits into a “jungly”, dub style. She was the most flamboyant member of the group. Her wild hair and crazy stage outfits became her trademarks. She can be seen briefly in the Clash movie, Rude Boy, with the band backstage. Her 1977 performances with the Slits are featured in The Punk Rock Movie, a 1992 release of various punk group club performances, principally at The Roxy.
After the Slits split in 1981, she moved with her husband and twin children to jungle regions of Indonesia and Belize, living among indigenous people in those areas. Later, they moved to Jamaica, eventually settling in Kingston.[6]
She continued to make music, first with the New Age Steppers, then solo as Baby Ari, Madussa, and Ari Up. Despite growing up in England, Ari Up possessed an unusual accent, a cross between German, English and Jamaican.[7] Her first full-length solo album, Dread More Dan Dead, was released in 2005.
[edit]Later life and death

In 2006 Ari Up reformed the Slits with original bass player Tessa Pollitt. They released an EP and later toured in Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan. She occasionally played solo concerts in New York, and toured the UK with her backing band ‘The True Warriors’. She also recorded with the Jammyland All Stars, Brave New Girl, Dubistry, and the German techno-dancehall outfit, Terranova.[citation needed]
Ari Up appeared on Lee “Scratch” Perry’s 2008 album, Repentance,[8] and performed a duet on a cover version of The Yardbirds’ song “Mister You’re a Better Man Than I” on Mark Stewart’s 2008 album, Edit.
In July 2009, she performed with Perry and Austrian dub band Dubblestandart in Brooklyn, New York, just prior to the Central Park SummerStage festival.[9] One of Ari’s last recordings done in May 2010 in New York was on a track with Lee Scratch Perry recorded by Subatomic Sound System and released in August 2010 on 7″ vinyl called “Hello, Hell is Very Low” b/w “Bed Athletes”. The Slits’ final work, the video for the song “Lazy Slam” from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously in accordance with Ari Up’s wishes.[10]
Ari Up died aged 48 from cancer in Los Angeles on 20 October 2010.[1] Her death that morning was initially announced on her stepfather John Lydon’s homepage.

Mek wi dus clear up everybaddie one time whey neva run at the time dis time …doe? Now dis a Simone whey tek Luton from har fren Shanoyia and seh Luton love har so she not letting guh none talllllllllll she neva care who a kahlek or nah kahlek…Ah she did seh love him wid every bret till she ketch tuh much bret…ketch it……………..Simone tink she was second in line to Bobbette so when she find out seh nuff more ooman deh deh dan she….a bay tings she did gwaan wid…Find har way a Quad and duck Luton and Rebecca wid wine and war from start till it lef unfinished because when she hear seh Rebecca ketch di belly , she go sawt out one a Luton married man fren whey name Verbs,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ketch fi har belly and tek ova di man from him wife..