Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!


'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbours' possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'


Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

RECIPE: Brioche Dough

Brioche Dough

Ingredients

For starter

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm milk or water (105°F)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)

For dough

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot milk or water
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch slices and well softened

• Special equipment: a standing electric mixer with whisk and dough-hook attachments

Preparation

Make starter:
Stir together sugar and milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into yeast mixture, forming a soft dough, and cut a deep X across top.

Let starter rise, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature, 1 hour.

Make dough:
Combine salt, sugar, and hot milk in a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.

Fit mixer with whisk attachment, then beat 2 eggs at medium-low speed until fluffy. Add sugar mixture and beat until combined well. With motor running, add in order, beating after each addition: 1/2 cup flour, remaining egg, 1/2 cup flour, about one fourth of butter, and remaining 1/2 cup flour. Beat mixture 1 minute.

Remove bowl from mixer and fit mixer with dough-hook attachment. Spread starter onto dough with a rubber spatula and return bowl to mixer. Beat dough at medium-high speed 6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Add remaining butter and beat 1 minute, or until butter is incorporated.

Lightly butter a large bowl and scrape dough into bowl with rubber spatula. Lightly dust dough with flour to prevent a crust from forming.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until more than doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.

Punch down dough and lightly dust with flour.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough, punching down after first hour, at least 12 hours.

Cooks' note: • Dough may be chilled up to 3 days. Punch down dough each day.

Vacation Destinations

Acropolis of Athens - Athens, Greece (Man-made)
Alhambra - Granada, Spain (Man-made)
Angkor Wat - Angkor, Cambodia (Man-made)
Aurora - North America (Nature)
Bagan Temples & Pagodas - Bagan, Myanmar (Man-made)
Brooklyn Bridge - New York, United States (Man-made)
Cappadocia - Turkey (Nature)
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa - Alexandria, Egypt (Man-made)
Channel Tunnel - England (Man-made)
Chichen Itza - Yucatán, Mexico (Man-made)
Christ the Redeemer - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Man-made)
CN Tower - Toronto, Canada (Man-made)
Colosseum - Rome, Italy (Man-made)
Colossus of Rhodes - Rhodes, Greece (Man-made)
Eiffel Tower - Paris, France (Man-made)
Ely Cathedral - Cambridgeshire, England (Man-made)
Empire State Building - New York, United States (Man-made)
Forbidden City - Beijing, China (Man-made)
Galápagos Islands - Ecuador (Nature)
Golden Gate Bridge - California, USA (Man-made)
Grand Canyon - Arizona, USA (Nature)
Great Barrier Reef - Australia (Nature)
Great Pyramid of Giza - Giza, Egypt (Man-made)
Great Wall of China - Beijing, China (Man-made)
Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey (Man-made)
Hoover Dam - Nevada, USA (Man-made)
Karnak Temple - Luxor, Egypt (Man-made)
Kiyomizu-dera - Kyoto, Japan (Man-made)
Leaning Tower of Pisa - Pisa, Italy (Man-made)
Lighthouse of Alexandria - Alexandria, Egypt (Man-made)
Machu Picchu - Cuzco, Peru (Man-made)
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus - Bodrum, Turkey (Man-made)
Moai - Easter Island, Chile (Man-made)
Mount Everest - Tibet (Nature)
Neuschwanstein - Füssen, Germany (Man-made)
Old City of Jerusalem - Jerusalem, Israel (Man-made)
Panama Canal - Isthmus of Panama (Man-made)
Petra - Jordan (Man-made)
Potala Palace - Lhasa, Tibet (Man-made)
Red Square - Moscow, Russia (Man-made)
Saladin Citadel - Cairo, Egypt (Man-made)
Serengeti Migration / Ngorongoro Crater - Tanzania (Nature)
Statue of Liberty - New York, United States (Man-made)
Statue of Zeus at Olympia - Olympia, Greece (Man-made)
Stonehenge - England (Man-made)
Sydney Opera House - Sydney, Australia (Man-made)
Taj Mahal - Agra, India (Man-made)
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - Istanbul, Turkey (Man-made)
Teotihuacán - Basin of Mexico (Man-made)
Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe (Nature)

Stocks/Funds to track

American Century Equity Income Inv (TWEIX)
Columbia Dividend Income Z (GSFTX)
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index (VBMFX)

Expense 1.5 and less.

Municipal bonds/funds (5%-6%) tax free
Market Neutral Strategies - Up/Down/Side market
Global Macro - Morning Stars Futures short/long,
Hedged Equity - put options, selling cover calls - sold as mutual funds (side market)

If only I had...

Take my Son

This is great, take a moment to read it, it will make your day!

The ending will surprise you

Take my Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandt's. Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

'$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

Do whatever you like, but remember that maybe 'one' of the people you might have taken the time to send this to, may be just the person who needs to hear this message. You have a choice to make.'

God Bless.

Mutton Curry

Mutton curry: quick, simple and tasty.

Ingredients:

300g mutton - shin, ribs or even meaty bones
5cm ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 onion - sliced lengthwise
2 sprigs curry leaves
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 stick of cinnamon
3 cardamoms
2 star anise
3 cloves
3 tablespoons meat curry powder
1 tablespoon kurma powder
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 potatoes €“ cut into desired sizes
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 red chillies €“ halved
Salt to taste
A few sprigs coriander leaves cut into 2cm lengths
A slice of lime

Method:

Cut the meat into bite pieces. Pound the ginger and garlic together until fine.

In a pot, heat up the cooking oil, then put in the onions, curry leaves and the pounded ginger and garlic along with the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and cardamoms.

When aromatic, add the curry powder, kurma powder and white pepper powder.

Add a little water and fry the concoction until oil surfaces.

Add the meat and mix it with the paste thoroughly.

When oil surfaces again, add the coconut milk and water and let the curry come to a boil. Lower the flame and let the curry simmer until the meat is tender.

Stir the curry to ensure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. When the meat is tender, add the potatoes, cover the pot and let it simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Let the curry thicken a little before adding the tomatoes, chillies and coriander leaves. Turn off the fire and sprinkle the lime juice over the curry and mix well.

Let the curry stand for at least an hour for the flavour to develop before serving.

Conscious living tips

·Develop tolerance, patience, tact and consideration for others.

·Read spiritual and uplifting books and apply the valuable information found in the texts in your life.

·Meditate at sunrise and sunset for 10 to 20 minutes daily because the exercise can connect an individual to higher consciousness and freedom.

·Observe silence by quietening your mind as this helps to give your body, mind and spirit some rest.

·Recognise the fact that you are a strength within a physical body and not a physical body with a strength because this idea will change your attitude towards many things in your life.

·Visit holy places as a tourists because touring such sites unknowingly leads you to self-realisation.

·Think positive and be in control of what enters your mind and open the door for the positive and close it for the negative.

·Develop the happiness habit, by always looking at the bright side of life and striving to be happy because happiness comes from within.

·Disallow the outer influence decide your happiness for you.

·Practice often your will power and decision making ability because this strengthens you and gives you control over your mind.

·Always remember to thank the universe for everything that you get.

[Excerpted from The Star Online]