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<DIV><FONT size=4>Madame C. J. Walker, who was born Sarah Breedlove, in Delta,
Louisiana, became America's first black millionaire. She defied the odds of her
state of existence. She was illiterate but eventually developed a business that
influenced the world's hair products. Madame Walker's husband was killed
when she was 20. As a single parent she raised her two-year old daughter. She
could not read or write during this period of her life. At a point in her life
she found herself going bald. She prayed to the Lord to save her hair.
Ingredients to make a formula appeared to her in a dream. She understood her
dream to be evidence that the Lord was alive in her experience and guiding her.
Through her belief in the Lord's presence, she became successful.</FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT size=4>Now, you may think that a silly thing to do: Pray for God to
save your hair. But the Lord honored that simple belief. From that simple
belief, Madame Walker experienced the reality of the Lord's aliveness in her
life. Because of this experience, she went ahead to produce hair products and
methods that contributed to the development of the whole hair product
industry.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/633-experiencing_jesus_aliveness_through_believing">http://day1.org/633-experiencing_jesus_aliveness_through_believing</A></FONT></P>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Isaiah Jones Jr., 2001</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I believe that inside us all there is a spark of hope which,
like a keyhole, allows us to peek out from behind our locked doors of doubt and
fear and confusion to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Risen Lord. We find
ourselves most able to identify with Thomas because doubt is the simplest door
to lock and hide behind.</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/853-behind_closed_doors">http://day1.org/853-behind_closed_doors</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Duane Steele, 1997 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">To forgive is not a right to be jealously guarded, but an
obligation to be exercised generously. We do not earn our own forgiveness by
forgiving others. Rather we manifest the generosity and implacability of
God’s forgiveness of us.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.agreeley.com/hom10/apr11.htm">http://www.agreeley.com/hom10/apr11.htm</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Andrew M. Greeley, 1999</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>To symbolize the giving of the Holy Spirit/Breath, Jesus
"breathes on" (<I>emphusao</I> -- only occurrence in NT) the disciples (without
Thomas!). The same word is used in Gn 2:7 (LXX) where God breathes the breath of
life into the nostrils of the man and he becomes a living being. It is used in
Ez 37:9 where the breath breathes on the slain [the dry bones], so that they may
live. It is also used in Wisdom 15:11c where God "breathed a living spirit into
them."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>"User Friendly Evaluation," by C. Jeff Woods... has a chapter
called "Evaluation and Church Renewal." He defines church renewal as:</FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P dir=ltr align=justify><FONT size=4>Church renewal occurs when a distinct
group of people expect the Spirit of God to challenge, direct, and empower
them to reach their potential of being the church in today's
world.</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P dir=ltr align=justify><FONT size=4>One of his four assumptions about church
renewal is:</FONT></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P dir=ltr align=justify><FONT size=4>the church does not renew itself. The
Holy Spirit challenges, directs, and empowers the work of renewal. . . . The
Spirit renews the church. Many church renewal resources coerce the pastoral
leadership into feeling responsible for the church's state of renewal. That's
simply not biblical. Pastoral leadership has a great deal to do with the
activities in the congregation, but renewal results are the sole property of
God's handiwork. Even Paul, who liked to tell churches that he had more to
boast about than anyone else if he chose to do so, reminded the church, 'I
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth' (1 Cor. 3:6). God is the
one who provides growth and renewal for churches. Numerical growth.
Common-bond growth. Growth in maturity. All kinds of growth. God is the
source." [p. 49]</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john20x19p.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john20x19p.htm</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Brian Stoffregen<BR>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>For the fourth Gospel, the day of Pentecost is no tongues of
fire or a bewildering, amazing, perplexing cacophony of voices, but the peace of
<I>one</I> voice, the shepherd's voice, who bestows on his disciples the abiding
presence of "I am."</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=5/11/2008&tab=4">http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=5/11/2008&tab=4</A></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Karoline Lewis, 2008</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>God is breathing the Spirit into us & the whole creation
all the time. It is a collective gift rather than a private one. Here in the
upper room Jesus breathes it upon those who have desperate need of Comfort &
Assurance, of Courage.</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/marginallymark/MMKJN201931E2.html">http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/marginallymark/MMKJN201931E2.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Brian McGowan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>