CharsBeads4u

Jewelry Supplies Sold in Bulk Saves You Money

2011-11-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have been making jewelry for about 7 years now and I have finally found the key to making jewelry more affordable. My secret is buying my jewelry supplies sold in bulk! When you buy your jewelry supplies sold in bulk you are cutting your cost for your jewelry supplies almost in half, and sometimes more, so you can afford to sell your jewelry at a lower cost and that makes a lot of folks really happy in an economy like ours.

The more you search for jewelry supplies sold in bulk the more you will find that you were paying way to much for your jewelry supplies that you normally just buy a few of. The larger the quantity of jewelry supplies you buy, the more you will save. Now a lot of people cannot afford to buy huge quantities to obtain the largest price break when buying their jewelry supplies, but the average person can afford to buy in quantities of 100 pieces or so and you will notice a big difference in what you'll pay compared to the small quantities such as 5 or 10 of the same pieces.

So when searching for jewelry supplies, remember to always search for jewelry supplies sold in bulk and it will save you a ton of money in the long run! Check out CharsBeads4U for larger quantities and remember that you can always ask for larger quantities of jewelry supplies, most suppliers are open to that kind of a request. Have a wonderful time creating!

Aanraku Bails vs Off Brand Bails

2011-11-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of searching for bails and I have found that Aanraku Bails are a very popular bail in the jewelry industry. The Aanraku Bails can be used for such a variety of things, such as using them for Scrabble tile necklaces, glass marbles to create a pendant which make lovely necklaces, you can also attach them to dominos and add a picture to the front for a really cute pendant!
The Aanraku bails are very popular, but I have found in doing my research that Aanraku bails are also very expensive compared to the competition. For example, I found a place selling the Anraku bails for $25.00 for only 50 bails, and CharsBeads4U sells a very similar, but heart shaped bail for only $15.00 for 100 pieces, that is one fourth the price you'd pay for Aanraku bails!

The heart shaped bails that you see pictured above are really cute and they are way less expensive and in this economy who wants to spend a bundle on anything, let alone a simple bail for a pendant!
I found out that the company who holds the Trademark for Aanraku bails has such a hard time telling the difference that they actually have to order them from different supply stores to actually hold them in their hands to tell the difference. If they have trouble telling the difference, then why would anyone pay more?

Angels Around Us

2011-10-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder if there are angels around us? I am constantly thinking about his subject, wondering how many angels I might have guiding me and guarding me. If you have read in the Bible about angels you have probably wondered the same thing. The Bible says that God appoints angels to watch over us. I know that there are angels around us, but we cannot see them with our human eyes.

I have seen first hand how these angels around us protect us at times when we are in critical danger! One day I was driving on the freeway, it was only 2 lanes Southbound on the I-10 just South of Phoenix, when all of the sudden the truck that was in front of me carrying 55 gallon drums lost one of it's drums right in front of the company truck I was driving! I was so fully loaded down with huge electric motors, welders, and generators that I couldn't dare swear to miss this huge barrel that was bouncing right toward my truck, but I called out the name, "Jesus!" and all of the sudden that barrel looked as though a huge angel must have swept it sideways to the left of me, allowing me to pass by unharmed! The barrel then bounced behind me and a huge semi-truck caught it right under it's front grill and had to slowly come to a stop. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that very day that there are truly angels around us.

The angels around us are very powerful beings! I make angels out of beads and I have an angel charm that I attach to my purse to remind me that the angels around us are constantly watching over us and protecting us as we go through this life!

Guitar Jewelry Rocks

2011-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I love music and I love to display my love for music through wearing jewelry. My favorite instrument is a guitar because it's so portable.
I decided that it would be really cool to create some guitar jewelry, so I picked up on of my guitar charms and strung it on a 2mm black leather cord. I love it!
I'm sure some of you music lovers out there will love it too so I decided to make one and add it to guitar jewelry that I have on my website. If you'd like to take a peek at my guitar jewelry just copy and paste this website into your browser- www.GuitarPicks4U.com
Look forward to hearing what you think about my newest guitar jewelry!

My Husband is the Biggest Fan of my Guitar Pick Bracelet

2010-12-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

Have you every loved something so much and wanted to share it with someone and they could care less about what it is that has your world rockin'? Well I have and it's no fun, but that's not the case with my husband! He's probably one of the most supportive husband's in the world when it comes to anything I have my heart set on, including my creations of my guitar pick bracelet.
My husband will come home at the end of a hard day at work, sit down at his normal comfy spot on the couch, open his laptop and pull up my websites to see if anything sold that day. It's adorable, really, I can hardly keep from smiling. I just love when his eyes light up and he says, "Hey, did you see that you sold your black cross hologram guitar pick necklace today?" Lately it's been his passion to see my black cross guitar pick bracelet sell. He couldn't be more proud! It's because I made him my model, I put a black guitar pick bracelet on his wrist and took a picture and used the picture to post on my website. He is so very proud of his gorgeous wrist being in one of my pictures! In fact, he's so proud that he breaks out his Blackberry phone at Church in our Coffee shop, where we hang out with our friends, and he shows them the picture of him wearing my guitar pick bracelet. He quickly adds, "That's *My* wrist there in that picture!" It's everything I can do to keep from busting out in laughter!
My husband cracks me up because he knows everything about my guitar pick bracelets! He could make one from start to finish and I had no idea he could do that until he proudly informed me that he had taken apart the knot in his guitar pick bracelet because he decided that he thought it should be a little tighter than it was. "O.k. smarty pants!", I told him. I guess he's been paying closer attention that I even noticed as I sit and create a guitar pick bracelet. I guess he has the perfect view of what I'm doing, because he sits right across from me at an angle. He sits there and throws out his ideas saying, "Hey, I think you should make an emerald green guitar pick bracelet with a Celtic cross on it!" So I do, and sure enough it sells! Actually I didn't sell it, but my husband did, by showing his guitar pick bracelet to a guy at our Church who's a close friend....too cute!
I don't know who gets more excited when I sell a guitar pick bracelet or guitar pick necklace off of my site! Sometimes in the middle of the day I'll get a phone call from my husband, and all he wants to tell me is that I just sold a guitar pick bracelet one hour ago! I chuckle to myself and think, "How blessed I am to have a husband who loves me enough to take such an interest in what I'm doing!"

My Passion for Creating Guitar Pick Jewelry

2010-12-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

I've been creating jewelry for over 6 years now. I must say there have been many changes in the way I create my jewelry, every so slight sometimes, but never the less it's all a learning process.
I've recently become focused on guitar pick jewelry because I enjoy music and I love spreading that joy onto others through my guitar pick jewelry creations! I hope that each piece of guitar pick jewelry that I make will touch that person's life in some way.
I recently acquired some really gorgeous colors of picks that I've been using to create my guitar pick jewelry with. One of my favorite colors is the turquoise, but the purple, hot pink, emerald green and gunmetal black are all beautiful to use in my guitar pick jewelry creations!
I love making all kinds of guitar pick jewelry, such as guitar pick earrings, guitar pick necklaces, guitar pick bookmarks, guitar pick key chains, and last but certainly not least, my newest creation, adjustable guitar pick bracelets! They've become quite a hit! My husband says it's because he modeled the guitar pick bracelet for a picture I use in my GuitarPicks4U shop online! I have to laugh because every time I sell one of those guitar pick bracelets my husband's face lights up and he chuckles, it's really quite amusing!
I hope that my passion for creating guitar pick jewelry will supply a way for me to bless others as well as bless my husband through the extra income that it will bring into our home. My husband works so hard and sometimes I feel like I don't contribute very much, but through the creations of my guitar pick jewelry I hope to be able to take some of that burden off of my husband.
I hope you will all come and visit my two shops: GuitarPicksJewelry4U as well as ChristiainJewelry4U, they both have a lot of different choices for gifts and I've tried to keep my prices reasonable enough for anyone to afford. I hope you come visit me sometime!

Abby Sunderland is One Brave Girl

2010-06-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine letting your child drive to the next state at the age of 16 years old? There is no way that most parents would allow that, but this brave girl ventured out to sail around the world! I have to give her props for having the guts to set out on such an incredible journey. I can't imagine what her parents must have felt the day they saw her sailing away out into the vastness of the ocean.

Most teenagers have a sense of adventure, but Abby Sunderland is one brave girl. Imagine having the courage to leave your family behind as your turn your attention to the great unknown adventure that awaits you. I have to say that it does sound tempting, but just the fear of the things that could possible happen I would think would deter most teens that age, and if we're being totally honest, I believe it would deter almost anyone, but this brave girls decided to take the chance of a life time.

I can't imagine the fear in the parents hearts when they heard that their little girl was stranded in the middle of the ocean! I have a feeling that their faith in God must have kicked into high gear at that point, I know that I stopped and prayed the moment I heard that this young brave girl was lost in the huge ominous ocean.

I thank God that this young lady was able to be rescued and was not lost in what could have been a terrible tragedy; I hate to think how this situation could have ended.

My New Guitar Pick Necklace Shop Is Open for Business

2010-05-27T13:45:00.001-07:00

I've finally made the plunge! I had been contemplating opening a new shop for many years now, I decided that it would be a good business move because it seems that the guitar pick necklace seems to be the most popular item in my jewelry store online. I decided that most people who would prefer a guitar pick necklace would rather have an all guitar pick necklace shop as opposed to having to shuffle through all the other jewelry I have listed in my CharsBeads4U shop. That's when the idea of opening my new shop, which I named GuitarPicks4U. I figured that guys would be more likely to purchase a guitar pick necklace from a site that only sells guitar pick necklaces and not women's jewelry. The thing is...a guitar pick necklace can be worn by either females or males.
My customers range from teenagers to seasoned musicians. Some people like to purchase a guitar pick necklace because they want to take it with them to a Concert. It makes a great gift to throw on stage. I've been to many concerts where the musician will throw out a guitar pick or a drum stick at end of the night...and I think that a guitar pick necklace would be a great it item to toss out into the crowd at the end of the night...much more useful that a drum stick or just a guitar pick!
I love music and I put my heart into making the guitar pick necklaces that I display in my GuitarPicks4U store. I hope you'll come by and visit me some time!

Wordless Bible Bookmark

2010-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

My husband came up with the wonderful idea of a wordless Bible bookmark. I decided to buy some crystal beads and make a wordless Bible bookmark and ask some people what they thought of it. Everyone I've shown them to love them. Most people know the story of the wordless Bible: Gold represents heaven, where we long to be some day with Jesus...Black represents our sins that keep us separated from God...Red represents the Blood that Jesus shed for us upon the cross where he died for our sins...White represents how we are white as snow before God because of what Jesus did for us, he paid our debt in full....Green represents the new Life or growth in Jesus Christ.
The wordless Bible bookmark is an excellent way to remember the story of the Good News. I think the wordless Bible bookmark would make an excellent gift for a new believer or a fellow Christian! It would be a wonderful way to share the Gospel too, and you could give it to the person you share the Gospel with, as a momento of them coming to the Lord.
I love the wordless Bible bookmark because of what it stands for, because it holds the story of the Gospel!
You could find this wordless bible bookmark at http://www.charsbeads4u.com/ along with many other amazing creations.

Easy Come Easy Go....guitar pick necklaces...front page Google

2009-08-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what happened....I really was on the top of the front page of the Google search for guitar pick necklaces. I just looked again and I'm not on top...in fact I searched guitar pick necklaces and I was bumped way back....how'd in the world did that happen?

I hadn't blogged on my blogspot site in a long time, so I was shocked when I did the guitar pick necklace search and saw my name at the top of the front page. So I thought to myself...I'll blog a little and see if that keeps me on the front page, then I went back and did a guitar pick necklace search and lo and behold....I was not there!

Who knows!!! Oh well....I had my few seconds of Glory! =) It was good while it lasted....by now it's gone....

Easy Come....Easy Go.......

Jewelry Video

2009-08-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a 30 second video I made: http://animoto.com/play/qKDyENNs4HeozoRxVDBDMQ?utm_source=project_complete_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=project_complete_email&utm_content=challenger
Check it out! =)

I'm Front Page on Google Search for Guitar Pick Necklaces

2009-08-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Wow! I could hardly believe my eyes. I did a Google search for Guitar Pick Necklaces and lo and behold I was at the top of the list on the first page! How in the world did that happen? I have no idea....but all I can say is I'm really excited that it did happen!

Guitar pick necklaces are the jewelry that I've sold the most of over the last couple of years on Etsy. I've sold over 200 items and have enjoyed making the guitar pick necklaces more than anything else I've made!

The reason I love making guitar pick necklaces so much is because I love music! I love what music does for the human spirit. It really does touch the soul.

If you love music too or know someone who does, perhaps you'd like to pay my shop a visit: CharsBeads4u.com is the address. Hope to see ya there!

Give your earrings an antiqued look

2009-03-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

The most common chemical for making silver earrings have that antiqued look is Liver of Sulfur. This is a common and safe chemical for jewelers who desire to give their silver earrings a nice patina. You can take a little lump of Liver of Sulfur and put into a small container of hot water. It will dissolve making a dark yellowish brown liquid that smells like rotten eggs! The silver earrings should be cleaned thoroughly to remove any oils, etc., and then this smelly solution is placed on the silver earrings with a small brush or cotton swab. After a while, the silver earrings will darken. The silver earrings are then rinsed and a buffing machine or good polishing cloth is gently used to remove the dark effect from highlights, which leaves the recesses with a nice antiqued look.

Some jewelers will obtain the same effect using chlorine bleach. This will darken the silver earrings but less effectively. A word of caution, chlorine can quickly damage white gold jewelry andThe most common chemical for making silver earrings have that antiqued look is Liver of Sulfur. This is a common and safe chemical for jewelers who desire to give their silver earrings a nice patina. You can take a little lump of Liver of Sulfur and put into a small container of hot water. It will dissolve making a dark yellowish brown liquid that smells like rotten eggs! The silver earrings should be cleaned thoroughly to remove any oils, etc., and then this smelly solution is placed on the silver earrings with a small brush or cotton swab. After a while, the silver earrings will darken. The silver earrings are then rinsed and a buffing machine or good polishing cloth is gently used to remove the dark effect from highlights, which leaves the recesses with a nice antiqued look.

Learn why it's so important to stay hydrated

2009-02-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

People don't realize how sick they can become if they don't stay hydrated! The whole body's wellness depends on keeping every cell in your hydrated. You can avoid many illnesses by staying hydrated with living water.

I wanted to learn more about this, so I began to search the YouTube videos and I came across this amazing doctor who teaches people why it's so important to keep hydrated. He actually explains being hydrated, and he gets right down to the nuts and bolts of our whole body's system and how it works!

I haven't really thought much about being hydrated until recently and now that I've learned how important it is to stay hydrated, it's all I want to read and learn about!

I hope you enjoy the following video, and I hope you learn a lot about staying hydrated and how the body functions! If you go on YouTube, you will find the full 7 videos in regards to good health! For some reason video #2 had been removed from YouTube.

Hidden toxins in our food

2009-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

There are so many hidden toxins in our food; some which we can wash off with either a natural veggie wash you can buy at the health food store and some people swear by using a 12.5 ph water that is produce by a water ionizer machine. Either way, it's important for us to limit the toxins we know about, because there are so many toxins that are bombarding our immune systems!

I recently learned about the toxin known as MSG and how it can affect children with Autism. I had no idea this food additive was so bad! Many toxins sneak their way into our food chain through unsuspecting sources. Fast food places are notorious for using MSG to make you love their food and they know you'll be back for more because it tastes so good! They really don't care how the toxins they use in their food is affecting you or your children!

So, before you buy your next burger or chicken nuggets meal, think twice about what your putting in your body or your child's body. You have the power to make the choice! Make sure you make the right choice, for your and your child's health sake!

Can a Water Ionizer Help You Drink More Water?

2009-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

My sister and brother in-law recently purchased a water ionizer and they called me to come over and fill up my five gallon container of water. Well, I thought to myself, "What could the water ionizer possibly do for me?" I went over to their home and they let me use the water ionizer to fill up my own five gallon jug. I took it home and began to drink the water.

I'm not one for drinking just water; I generally have to sweeten whatever I'm drinking; be it tea or lemon water. I always add Stevia sweetener, but there was something different about this water. It went down really smooth, tasted great and I was able to polish off a glass of it in just a few minutes and then wanted more! What had this water ionizer had done to the water? Well, they invited me to go to their website: http://bewell247.com/and read up on water ionizer machines. I found out they make alkaline water, which is very important because we as Americans eat very acidic foods and usually drink soda at every meal!

I have been going over to my sister's house once a week to re-fill the jug with the water from their water ionizer and I have to admit, I absolutely love the water and I haven't had a soda in five weeks, nor do I desire to drink one! I tried on a pair of pants that gaped about 4 inches one month ago and now I can fasten them with no problem!

So I'm thinking that maybe I need to purchase one of these water ionizer machines for myself! I have seen first hand what it's done for me and I've heard many testimonies that have convinced me that their is something to this alkaline water that this water ionizer machine has to offer. If it can help my body to heal itself, then I'm all for it!

What was Christian Bale thinking?

2009-02-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

What has happened to Christian Bale? I just heard on the news that Christian Bale spoke to one of his crew members in a disgusting manner and I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the video! Christian Bale...what gives you the right to speak to anyone like that? We are all created equal and really, if someone does something wrong, correct them and move on, don't rip them up one side and down the other; that's sickening...really!!!

I think that movie stars or anyone that treat others in that manner have serious problems and could use some kind of counseling. Something had to be going on with Christian Bale for him to blow his cool like that! I mean really....correct the guy then move on, don't just stand there and rip on him over and over again, trying to start a fight! What else is eating Christian Bale that would cause him to flip over something so simple as that?

All I can say is Christian Bale has lost my respect and I personally will not be seeing anymore movies that this guy is in! No one human being deserves to be treated like that and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that guy files a law suit against Christian Bale!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My brother's near death experience

2009-01-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

My brother was talking to me one day and we got around to the subject of life after death. He commented that he wasn't afraid to die anymore, due to a near death experience he had one day! I was facinated and wanted to hear more, so he began to tell me of how this transpired.
He had taken some penicillin and began to feel really bad, so he told his wife to drive him to the hospital, they just got to the emergency room window and my brother spoke to the woman sitting there trying to understand why he was there. He began to speak, "I think I'm having an allergic......" That was all he got out of his mouth when he collapsed to the floor, then he said he remembered flying through what he described as a dark tube, much like when you go to the water parks and you spiral through those tube, but this was like hyper-speed....he saw a light in the far off distance, but he was approaching it really quickly...he say a figure there and the closer he got, he could see it was Jesus, when he at last reached Jesus he saw and felt more love than could he thought he could contain, he said that Jesus spoke to him without moving his lips, it was like a mental connection, Jesus told him to return it was not his time. My brother said it was in an instant he felt himself be sucked back at an excelerated pace and he awakened....then the doctor said to him, "Boy, that was a close one!" I don't think the doctor realized just how close!
My brother told me that he has a perfect peace about leaving this earth now....he's not afraid anymore! I have to say...based on what my brother experienced, I would have to say that I am no longer afraid to pass from this life on into whatever God has planned for me!
I saw Jesus once in a dream I had and when I came upon him he was standing with 3 other woman with his back toward me. I knew instinctively that it was my Lord and Savior, then he turned and looked at me and I fell to the ground, I was overwhelmed by the pure love and peace I felt. For the first second when I first saw him, I felt such shame for all the wrong I had done in my life, but when he turned to look at me it all just melted into peace! I have no words to describe how pure this love was that I felt, the feeling was that of total forgiveness, peace and love all rolled into one amazing feeling! All I know is from that day on I wanted to feel that same feeling again.....and I await the day when I shall see him face to face!

Do you believe in life after death?

2009-01-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

I was watching a GodTube video and came across this interesting video:

This is the information that was attached to the video:

The Day I Died - A Closer Look At Near Death Experiences 1/6
A Closer Look At Near Death Experiences (NDEs) II Corinthians 12:2-4 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of body I do ... more >>
A Closer Look At Near Death Experiences (NDEs)II Corinthians 12:2-4I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of body I do not know, God knows-such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-How he was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. What is a typical Near Death Experience (NDE) in the Western Judeo-Christian world? The following is a description of a typical NDE from the Judeo-Christian world that was published in 1975 by Dr. Raymond Moody in his book 'Life After Life"A man is dying, and, as he reaches the point of greatest physical distress, he hears himself pronounced dead by his doctor. He begins to hear an uncomfortable noise, a loud ringing or buzzing, and at the same time feels himself moving very rapidly through a long dark tunnel. After this, he suddenly finds himself outside his own physical body but still in the immediate physical environment, and he sees his own body from a distance, as though he is a spectator. He watches the resuscitation attempt from this unusual vantage point and is in a state of emotional upheaval. After a while, he collects himself and becomes more accustomed to his odd condition. He notices that he still has a 'body' but one of a very different nature and with very different powers from the physical body he has left behind. Soon other things begin to happen. Others come to meet and to help him. He glimpses the spirits of relatives and friends who have already died, and a loving, warm spirit of a kind he has never encountered before 'a Being of Light' appears before him. This Being asks him a question non-verbally, to make him evaluate his life and helps him along by showing him a panoramic, instantaneous playback of the major events of his life. At some point he finds himself approaching some sort of barrier or border, apparently representing the limit between earthly life and the next life. Yet, he finds that he must go back to the earth, that the time for his death has not yet come. At this point he resists, for by now he is taken up with his experiences in the after-life and does not want to return. He is overwhelmed by intense feelings of joy, love, and peace. Despite his attitude, though, he somehow reunites with his physical body and lives. Later he tries to tell others, but he has trouble doing so. In the first place, he can find no human words adequate to describe these unearthly episodes. He also finds that others scoff, so he stops telling other people. Still, the experience affects his life profoundly, especially his views about death and its relationship to life.What are the current statistics on Near Death Experiences (NDEs)? A study (Gallup poll) estimates that 5% of all Americans or 15 million people have experienced an NDE. Almost 800 NDEs occur every day in the United States (Long, 2005). A German study (Knoblauch, 1999) indicates that 4.3% of all Germans have undergone an NDE, corresponding to 3.3 million. For France, the number of two million NDErs has been advanced. It is commonly accepted that about 20% of adults (18% van Lommel, Lancet 2001), who experience a full cardiac arrest (temporarily die) have had a NDE.
\r\nIn contrast to adults, our best research, so far, indicates that over 90% of children between the ages of 3 and 17, who experience cardiac arrest, report having a NDE (Morse 1994; Seattle Study) but their experiences differ from adults. Children have more vivid recollections and see the 'Being of Light' twice as often as adults. Children have shown a tendency to temporarily forego their childhood identities and become 'ageless and wise' beyond their years. In addition, the panoramic life review is absent in a child\'s NDE. Very young children, as soon as they are able to speak, have reported NDEs they had as infants or in the process of being born. Even infants who were delivered by caesarean section have reported having NDE's as soon as they were old enough to speak.The question that is begging an answer is, of course; 'Why the 90% to 20% difference in NDE rates for children and adults?' In my opinion, the answer seems to be fairly straight forward and direct. Children simply have not been corrupted into believing that it is impossible to live past the death of our bodies. As we grow into mature adults, we are literally bombarded with many false beliefs and outright lies; telling us that this world is all there is. We live; we die; end of story. We are told this lie over and over again. Indeed, it is against the law to teach a child in public school the truth that God created either him or her. We are assured, under the guise of scientific integrity, that evolution is the reason we are here. I have never found a hypothesis in science, such as evolution is, that has been so easily refuted by the scientific evidence that is readily available. The hypothesis of evolution is the biggest deception I know of in society. Besides being force-fed this deception of evolution as we grow up, all the little para-normal and miraculous occurrences that happen in our lives as we grow up, that are from the hand of God, are usually rationalized away as being mere coincidences or ridiculed as manifestations of superstition from an overactive imagination. Usually it is the adults in the child's life, or the members of his or her own family, that tell the child there is no deeper purpose to these coincidences in their lives. Yet contrary to popular belief, in God's world there are no meaningless coincidences in our lives. As we become adults we lose the magic and wonder inherent to being a child. As a child, we are able to believe anything is possible. I contend that our over-zealous skepticism we gain as adults is muting this magical ability and spiritually killing us as far as the preponderance of NDE's for adults is concerned. Surely, skepticism is necessary in discerning truth from deception. Yet, too much 'materialistic' skepticism can blind us to the super-natural world of God when we rationalize everything away as being mere coincidences that have no deeper meanings for us in a spiritual sense. A child has the magical ability to unquestionably believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and even monsters under the bed. Yet, as we become adults, this magical ability to believe anything is possible is severely hampered as we find many things we believed as children are not true. We, with good reason, being blatantly deceived by our gullible imagination as we grew up, became more skeptical as we became adults. Yet, it seems our over-zealous skepticism threw the baby out with the bath water. God is far from the mythical figures of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, though He is often treated as such. Contrary to popular materialistic' belief, God is indeed real; It was, indeed, God who did create us. God does, indeed, love us very much and God does, indeed, speak to everyone. Yet, our vigilant skepticism, that is naturally brought about to protect us from deception as we grow up, blinds us to the many different little ways the Spirit of God speaks to us. Though many people, who profess to be religious, will be offended if told that they are not listening to the Spirit of God speak in their lives. The truth is that probably all mortal adults suffer from varying degrees of this spiritual blindness and deafness as far as seeing and hearing the Spirit of God in their life is concerned. What we once could easily attribute to the hand of God, when we were children, is now automatically dismissed because of our over-zealous skepticism as adults.John 14:18-19 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say unto you the hour is coming, and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.Though skepticism surely has its place in discernment, we must be careful that we are not 'shutting God out' with too much skepticism. Some may argue that the adults dramatic drop in percentage of NDEs from the percentage of children's NDEs are for some other reasons, such as just not remembering them. Indeed, some of those other reasons may have a certain plausibility. Yet, these experiences are so profoundly life changing and real to the NDErs that do recall them that not remembering them is hardly an option that seems plausible (Rommer, 2000, pg.25). Especially since all deep NDEers say the experience was more real and dramatic than anything else they have ever experienced or witnessed in their lives. It is my firm belief that the losing of this magical ability we had as children, to believe anything is possible, is the main and primary reason for the significant drop in the percentage of Near Death Experiences from children to adults. It is the only option that makes sense in light of the evidence. The loss of this magical ability, to believe anything is possible, is the reason for our spiritual blindness and deafness to what God is saying and doing in our lives in the first place.Matthew 18:2-3 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.The following is a NDE, of a young boy, in which the Boy questions God about many things. I found it very, very interesting and think it has an important lesson for all of us.Cecil's NDE (age eleven) My brother and I went swimming. He had a problem. I tried to get him out of the water; but in his panic, he pulled me under several times. We both drowned. He died and I came back. I can remember it all like yesterday. Just as I could no longer stay afloat, a strange sound, like ringing in my ears, started. A peaceful feeling came over me. I felt my spirit come out of my body and I went into a black void. That was a little frightening. A long way off, there was a pinprick of light. I moved toward it, slowly at first, then faster and faster, as if I were on top of a train accelerating. Then, I stopped and stepped fully into the light. I noticed everything; sky, buildings, glass emitting their own light and everything was much more colorful than what we see here. A river meandered around. On the other side was a city, and a road running through it to another city, and another city and another and another. Right in front of me but across the river were three men. They projected themselves to me. They didn't walk or fly; they projected over. I didn't recognize them; yet I knew one was Lynn Bibb. (I was named after him. He died a matter of weeks before I was born.) I knew these three men were looking out for me, like a welcoming committee, to escort me over the river to the first city. I had the feeling that if I went with them, there would be no coming back; so I hesitated. The first city was like first grade. People stayed there until they were ready to go to the next city - your eternal progression, from city to city. Behind me, and to the left was a strong light source, very brilliant and filled with love. I knew it was a person. I called it God for lack of a better term. I could not see it; I felt what seemed like a male presence. He communicated to me, not so much in words but telepathically, and he asked, "Why did you hesitate? I replied, Well, I'm kind of young to die." He chuckled. ;We have babies die.' I said, 'Well, there's some things I want to know first." He replied, 'What do you want to know?' What is death?' I asked. He said, 'Turn and look to one side.' As I did, I saw a bad car wreck. Several people had been killed. Out of some of the bodies a spirit came up to progress on. Some who did not believe it was possible stayed in their bodies and would not emerge. I asked if they could be reached and he said, 'Yes, some more quickly than others and some maybe never.' Death, then, is not believing in anything. I asked, 'What is hell?' He said, 'Turn and look again.' I saw an old woman in a rocking chair determined to sit and rock and worry about children and grandchildren and everything else. Hell is therefore a lack of wisdom and not moving on, choosing not to go any further, sitting there and doing nothing. 'How do I know right from wrong?' He replied, 'Right is helping and being kind. Wrong is not only hurting someone but not helping when you can.' We walked as I asked about the universe and reasons for everything. All of these things were shown to me. Then he wondered if I still wanted to return to the physical world. 'I do want to return." He asked, 'Why?' I said I would help my mother, whom my father had left with four children and one on the way. God kind of chuckled and asked me for the real reason. I said I would leave the earth a little better than I found it. Then you may return with some of the knowledge of the things you have learned, but the rest will be veiled for a time. Live in such a way that you will not be going back when you return here again. I woke up face down in the mud of the river bottom and was 'lifted' to the top. I threw up great amounts of water, then pulled myself out of the river only to discover my brother had died.Of course, single NDEs can hardly be accepted as conclusive scientific proof from which we can draw definite conclusions, because of the problem that the imagination of the individual may present in the interpretation of the NDE. None-the-less, there is a vast body of evidence (thousands of documented NDEs) in which we can draw overriding conclusions from in making solid scientific observations. To those who remain skeptical about the validity of these experiences, I point out that there is a vast body of PhD level evidence readily available on the internet, for anyone who has access to a computer, establishing the validity of NDEs as authentic. Recently two fascinating scientific studies into Near Death Experiences have been completed. One was completed in the Netherlands and the other in the United Kingdom. The conclusions of both these purely scientific studies confirm that human consciousness can, indeed, survive physical death, and that the mind and brain are, in fact, two different things. These two groundbreaking studies could very well force science to re-evaluate the current scientific 'materialistic' model of the mind-brain relationship. The best study of the two is the following: During 13 years, the Dutch cardiologist Pim van Lommel undertook a prospective study, including 344 consecutive cardiac patients who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest, in ten Dutch hospitals. The result of this research study (published in The Lancet in 2001) indicates that 62 adult patients (18%) reported a NDE. Of these, 41 (12%) described a deep core experience. Occurrence of the experience was not associated with medication given or fear of death before cardiac arrest. In other studies, cases in which blood was extracted at the time of the NDE did not support the anoxia or hypercarbia theories. It has also been established that the drugs administered to the patients, such as pain-killers, appeared to inhibit and confuse rather than cause the NDE. The combination of all data from recent and retrospective research provides a large amount of evidence which can no longer be ignored or explained away. The fact that clear lucid experiences were reported during a time when the brain was proven to be devoid of activity (Aminoff et al., 1988, Clute and Levy 1990, de Vries et al., 1998) does not sit easily with the current materialistic belief system in science. Materialism holds that consciousness arises from the brain, so Materialism holds that we die when the brain dies. Current materialistic arguments are simply not plausible when this phenomenon is examined in the clinical area. Many different lines of evidence, other than the NDE studies themselves, establish that consciousness is indeed an independent phenomena that is capable of living past the death of our brains (The John Hopkins Study; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Studies). In other words, consciousness is proven with many concrete scientific evidences to be an independent and separable entity from the brain. In my view, the scientist who chooses not to believe this compelling evidence, once he has examined this compelling evidence, is not truly an unbiased scientist but merely a man stating a personal opinion.It has also now been established that the vast majority of NDEs (+95%), that occur in Judeo-Christian cultures, are positive or heaven-like in nature, but there is a significant minority of 4-5 percent that are described as being negative, distressing or hellish in nature (15% adults, 3% children; PMH Atwater) (15% adults, 1% children; Bonefant, 2001). The typical heaven-like positive 'deep core' NDE of Judeo-Christian culture is extremely interesting. The NDE never deviates from the basic Judeo/Christian belief system of a heavenly paradise with a Supreme and Omniscient Creator, Who appears in the NDEs as the 'Being of Light'. The positive deep core Judeo-Christian NDEs all talk of the 'All-Knowing Light', Jesus, Supreme Being. All references in Judeo-Christian NDEs to God/Jesus/Supreme Being are always referenced to the indescribably bright light coming from God. Overwhelming feelings of being loved by this Most High Omniscient Being of Bright Brilliant Pure Light are also mentioned in all deep Judeo-Christian NDEs. I also find it extremely interesting that this 'Bright Brilliant Pure Light' is always associated with God, however 'God' may appear to the person (whether purely as Brilliant Light or as the person of Jesus who gives off Brilliant Light. The Judeo-Christian NDErs always refer to this 'Being of Brilliant Light as alive (AS LIFE), as all knowing, as all powerful, as the source of all life, as the source of all love; in other words, as the Lord God Almighty. Every deep Judeo-Christian NDEr says the most real and dramatic event to have ever occurred at anytime in their lives was to be in the presence of 'The Being of Light'. The reports of the positive transformations in these people lives are profound and well documented. They are literally changed for life no matter how many years past the NDE they are surveyed. These people who experience The Being of Brilliant Light become much more concerned with their fellow man. They come back to this world emphasizing the need for love of all people. Many adult NDErs who have experienced The Light find it difficult to cope in this dog eat dog world until they find a job that is more oriented to Human service.1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. John 12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.' These things Jesus spoke, and, departed , and was hidden from them.Contrary to what was popularly believed for many years following Raymond Moody's best selling book 'Life after Life' in 1975, not all NDEs from around the world fall into the same definitive categories. Though it was, and still is, somewhat difficult to find differentiating factors of how a specific denomination of religion affects NDEs within the Judeo-Christian culture, it is now commonly known that profoundly different cultures have profoundly different NDEs. Though NDEs may be similar in their basic structure across cultures, they are vastly different in their level of pleasure to the NDEr. This is because of the differences between the cultures in prevalence of encounters with 'The Being of Light' in a heavenly paradise. The only plausible explanation that makes sense is that the underlying philosophical basis, belief system or religious underpinnings, under which the society operates, has a major impact on the types of NDEs that occur within that specific culture. Several scientific studies (Pasricha, 1986, Schorer, 1985-86; Kellehear, 1993; Murphy 1999,2001) have indicated the phenomenologies of NDEs are indeed culture bound. It should be stressed that the NDEs of foreign cultures do not compare favorably with the Judeo/Christian NDEs of the western world.In the NDE cases studied in India by researchers Satwant Pasricha and Ian Stevenson, it is common that the subject does not spiritually view his or her mortal body, as do many subjects of Judeo-Christian NDEs. The Hindu subject is 'taken' in hand by 'messengers' and brought before a 'foreboding official' who is often described as having a book or papers that he or she consults. The official discovers a mistake in the paperwork. The wrong person has been 'sent for'. The person is then brought back by the messengers to his or her terrestrial life, or the subject is "pushed down" and revives. The error supposedly made is often a slight one, as a person of the same given name, but a different caste, or someone living in a different, but nearby village, should have died and been brought instead of the subject of the near-death experience. Whereas in Judeo-Christian accounts it is never a clerical mistake by a 'foreboding official' that brought about the person's death.What is consistent in Hindu accounts with Judeo-Christian accounts is that some Hindu accounts do include a life review. However, in Judeo-Christian accounts the life review consists of seeing a panoramic view of a person's entire life while in the presence of 'The Being of Light' who fills the person with overwhelming love and forgiveness while reviewing their life. The Hindu accounts consist of having a 'foreboding official' read bits and pieces of the person's life (called the 'akashic record') and also consists of the person having deep remorse for not living a better life. No mention is ever made of the 'Being of Light' or of overwhelming love and forgiveness that comes from the 'Being of Light' in any of these Hindu 'life-review' accounts (Murphy 99). In his study of Thailand, Murphy points out that many times the 'foreboding official' reading the life review is anything but a 'Loving Being of Light'. He states many times the 'official' reading the life review, in non-western accounts, is notorious for his power to condemn people to hell. In Hindu circles, it is a traditional belief that the reading of a person's akashic record occurs immediately after death. This concept is widely believed by Hindus all over India. Though, there are a minority of somewhat pleasant NDEs for adults in the India cases, it should be noted that these 'pleasant' adult Hindu NDEs lack the stunning depth of beauty and overwhelming feelings of love and forgiveness from 'The Being of Light' that are commonly reported in the majority of Judeo-Christian NDEs. There are a few exceptions to this preponderance of negative NDES in India. I found a few very pleasant children's NDEs from India which compare favorably to Judeo-Christian NDEs. These include a reference to 'The Being of Light'. The fact that young Hindu children see 'The Light' while the Hindu adults do not see 'The Light', clearly indicates the false beliefs we gather as we become adults drastically influences adults having a negative NDE or no NDE at all. I have a feeling, as our knowledge grows, that a few of the NDEs from other cultures will have a few 'special' adults who experience 'The Light', but it seems certain this will prove to be a rare exception, instead of the norm, for any adult in a non-Judeo-Christian culture. The NDE reports from Tibet (a Buddhist country) are even more disturbing than the ones I've read from India (a Hindu country). Though there are some references to seeing light in these accounts, the Buddhist NDEr never encounters 'The Living Being of Light'. The typical Tibetan NDEr emphasizes remorse, pain, fear, disappointment and disillusionment as does the Indian experiencer. Yet, the typical Judeo-Christian NDEr emphasizes overwhelming feelings of peace, forgiveness, comfort, painlessness and love. Here are the major episodes of the Tibetan NDE as given by Lawrence Epstein in his thesis from the University of Washington.Episode 1: Generally, the NDEr (das-log's) is afflicted by an illness, and unlike the Western cases, has some time to contemplate its possible results. Although the onset of the NDE may be peaceful, it is most often characterized as painful and confusing.Episode 2: Whether or not the NDEr (das-log's) recognizes the signs of elemental dissolution as given in the 'chi-kha 'i bar-do texts, the excruciating psychic and physical pain of the experience is emphasized. The NDEr usually does not recognize he has 'died' for some time, perhaps until he has reached bar-do.Episode 3: The NDEr (das-log's) encounters the primary light, secondary lights colors and sometimes the 'dark tunnel' structure. Depending on the state of his knowledge he might recognize these signs for what they are, as he recollects the bar-do teachings. More often, he is confused and frightened by them. A partial life review may appear at this stage, emphasizing the 'das-log's remorse at not having led a better life.Episode 4: The NDEr (das-log's) hears the noises associated with the chos-nyid bar-do, such as the roaring of dragons, the shouts of yamas, or the disembodied voices of supernaturals.Episode 5: The NDEr (das-log's) systematically stresses the discomfiture, pain, disappointment, anger and disillusionment with others and with the moral worth of the world at large. The acquisition of a yid-lus and the ability to travel instantaneously are also found here.Episode 6: The NDEr, (das-log's) usually accompanied by a supernatural guide, tours bar-do, where he witnesses painful scenes and meets others known to him. They give him messages to take back to the living.Episode 7: The NDEr (das-log's) witnesses trials in and tours hell (it should be noted that the Buddhist concept of hell is of a transitional, temporary, nature, much like purgatory is in Catholic traditions) . The crimes and punishments of others are explained to him. Tortured souls also ask him to take back messages to the living asking for help in obtaining 'merit'.Episode 8: The Dharmaraja explains matters to the NDEr (das-log's), exhorting him to lead a moral life and spread the word among the quick. The NDEr is sent back by the Dharmaraja.Episode 9: The NDEr (das-log's) returns to his own body, with the same fear and revulsion with which he left it.Needless to say, this is absolutely horrifying. Thank God for the grace we have in God/Christ/Supreme Being if these accounts of Tibetan NDEs turn out to be truly as horrific as these first studies are indicating. The majority of non-Judeo-Christian NDE's that I have read about in PhD level papers and science magazines are, for the most part, deeply distressing no matter which foreign culture I have read about (Japanese, Tibetan, Indian, Chinese, African, Saudi Arabian and Melanesian). Of the few somewhat pleasant adult NDEs I have read about from profoundly different cultures they lack the stunning depth of beauty, awe inspiring descriptions of paradise and overwhelming feelings of love and forgiveness from 'The Being of Light', so commonly reported in Judeo-Christian NDEs. Except, of course, for the few children's NDEs in those foreign cultures I have read about. As a Judeo-Christian society, we should seek to conduct a major study on NDE phenomena throughout the world. It is our sacred duty as decent human beings to do our best to firmly establish the truth, so that we may warn the poor souls of any false religion how to avoid the horror. It is also apparent we should have a rigorous study sanctioned weeding out any false beliefs we may have in our own Judeo-Christian societies contributing to the minority of horrid NDEs we find in our studies, not to mention the fact that 80% of adults in Judeo Christian cultures currently have no NDEs at all. Though some complacent individuals may argue that such a study is not that important, I strongly disagree!! I find the fact that we, as a whole, are thoroughly ignorant of such an important matter as our after-life to be very, very problematic to say the least. I also find it very interesting that the deep Judeo-Christian NDErs who come back are absolutely adamant about the importance of loving others and are also adamant about having a deep, loving and 'spiritual' relationship with GOD (as opposed to just having the religious relationship with God). Every NDEr who has been in the presence of 'The Being of Light' will agree that these two following rules are the most important rules you can follow in your life. These two rules also happen to be the basis for Judeo-Christian ethics.Matthew 22:37-39Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind. This is the First and Great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'Sometimes positive NDErs from a Judeo-Christian culture are also adamant about emphasizing we should be loving and tolerant of all religions from all other cultures. A small percentage even change religions from Christianity to what they view is a more 'spiritual' eastern religion. But then why do the hard facts of the NDE studies themselves betray this open tolerance of all religions? Do not be deceived by their ignorance for they are only searching for a deeper spiritual connection to the true God. They do not know that the true God is only found in Judeo-Christian NDE's. They are right to seek a deeper spiritual connection with God, yet they are very wrong to search through false pagan religions to find it. According to all afterlife studies I've seen it does indeed matter in what and in Whom you believe when you die! The NDEs themselves testify to this fact! It is my assertion, from the evidence that I've seen so far, that the Judeo/Christian belief system is by far the most desirable belief system one could have when facing imminent death and that a purely Eastern philosophy is one of the most dangerous philosophies one could have. Until I see conclusive and rigorous evidence that indicates otherwise, I will not apologize for saying the Eastern religions are false pagan religions that are extremely dangerous to whomever holds their beliefs while facing impending death. This may seem harsh but it is honest. John 5:24-25 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.I also find it extremely interesting, the examination of the Shroud of Turin indicates that it was indeed some type of 'Super-natural Light' that scientists are not familiar with, which imprinted the image of the Man on the Shroud of Turin. Not only is the Light that made the image found to be supernatural, the image of the Man on the Shroud was imprinted on the Shroud by 'Super-natural Light' that came directly from the body itself! Yes, you read that last sentence right. The 'Supernatural Light', that had to be used to make the image of the man on the Shroud, came directly from the body itself!!!This 'Being of Bright Brilliant Pure Light' that is always referred to as God and is such a prominent feature of the Judeo-Christian NDE's and of the Judeo-Christian Bible is, by all reasonable indications and overwhelming logic, the same omniscient 'Being of Bright Brilliant Pure Light' that was responsible for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, as evidenced by detailed scientific examination of the image of the Man on the Shroud of Turin.John 10:17-18 While he was speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.Sources:Life after Life by Raymond MoodyA Comparative view of Tibetan and Western Near-Death Experiences by Lawrence Epstein University of WashingtonIndia Cross-cultural study by Dr. Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia Medical School and Dr. Satwant Pasricha of the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, IndiaDr. Satwant Pasricha of the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India, reports findings of another survey of NDEs conducted in a region of southern India. A population of 17,192 persons was surveyed and 2,207 respondents were interviewed for identification of NDE cases. Twenty-six persons were reported to have died and revived; 16 (62%) of these having had NDEs. Thus the prevalence rate of NDEs is found to be less than 1% for the general population of India. Whereas the rate in America is commonly given to be 5% for the general population.Near-Death Experiences in Thailand: Discussion of case histories By Todd Murphy, 1999: the following is an excepted passage from his paper. "NDEs manifested within certain, special, groups have been studied that reveal typical variations. Pediatric NDEs (Morse, 1985), and those of pre-literate cultures, as well as those of India (Pasricha, 1986), Africa (Morse, 1992) have all been looked at, and patterns have been discerned in each group. However, the most common approach to discussing their typical features has been to compare them to the typical Western NDE; to the pattern shown in the Ring Scale. We would suggest that the near-constant comparisons with the most frequently reported types of NDEs tends to blind researchers to the features of NDEs which are absent in these NDEs. Tunnels are rare, if not absent. The panoramic Life Review appears to be absent. Instead, our collection shows people reviewing just a few karmically-significant incidents. Perhaps they symbolize behavioral tendencies, the results of which are then experienced as determinative of their rebirths. These incidents are read out to them from a book. There is no Being of Light in these Thai NDEs, although The Buddha does appear in a symbolic form, in case #6. Yama is present during this truncated Life Review, as is the Being of Light during Western life reviews, but Yama is anything but a being of light. In popular Thai depictions, he is shown as a wrathful being, and is most often remembered in Thai culture for his power to condemn one to hell. Some of the functions of Angels and guides are also filled by Yamatoots. They guide, lead tours of hell, and are even seen to grant requests made by the experient.'The Gallup poll in 1992 was of U.S. adults, and found 5% had NDE: .05 = (number of those surveyed with a prior history of NDE)/(total number surveyed). That equates to 15 million of a population of 300 millionThe Seattle Study; Pediatrics by Dr. Melvin Morse and Kimberly Clark SharpNear-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in a Melanesian Society by Dorothy E. CountsThere seem to be great cultural differences in beliefs about NDEs. In an Australian study, 58 percent of participants interpreted an NDE vignette as possible evidence of life after death and 15 percent thought they were dreams or hallucinations. (Kellehear & Heaven, 1989). This is in stark contrast to a Chinese study in which 58 percent believed they were dreams or hallucinations and 9 percent believed they were evidence of life after death (Kellehear, Heaven, & Gao, 1990)Several studies (Pasricha, 1986, Schorer, 1985-86) & Kellehear, 1993) Murphy 1999,2001) have indicated that the phenomenologies of NDEs is culture-bound.Researching Muslim NDEs, on the web at the NDERF home page, I find that there are only a handful of Muslim NDE experiences out of the thousands of NDE\'s they have listed on their web site. There is only one really deep Muslim NDE in which there is a reference to 'the Light'. Not surprisingly, this NDE occurred to a teenage boy. In the handful of somewhat deep adult Muslim NDEs that I have read about, the Muslim NDES never mentioned, the Light, Supreme Being, or a, Being of Light. If this holds steady for all adult Muslim NDEs, then this will fall into stark contrast to the majority of deep Judeo/Christian NDE testimonies of adults for the western world.The Light seems to be absent in Thai NDEs. So is the profound positive affect found in so many Western NDEs. The most common affect in our collection is negative. Unlike the negative affect in so many Western NDEs (cf. Greyson & Bush, 1992), that found in Thai NDEs (in all but case #11) has two recognizable causes. The first is fear of `going\'. The second is horror and fear of hell. It is worth noting that although half of our collection include seeing hell (cases 2,6,7,9,10) and being forced to witness horrific tortures, not one includes the NDEer having been subjected to these torments themselves. (Murphy 99) The Holy Bible by various Authors under the inspiration of GodGreyson and Bush (1996) classified 50 Western reports of distressing NDEs into three types:* The most common type included the same features as the pleasurable type such as an out-of-body experience and rapid movement through a tunnel or void toward a light but the NDEr, usually because of feeling out of control of what was happening, experienced the features as frightening.* The second, less common type included an acute awareness of nonexistence or of being completely alone forever in an absolute void. Sometimes the person received a totally convincing message that the real world including themselves never really existed. (note* according to one preliminary study , a similar type of this NDE may be common among the Buddhist culture in Chinese NDEs)* The third and rarest type included hellish imagery such as an ugly or foreboding landscape; demonic beings; loud, annoying noises; frightening animals; and other beings in extreme distress. Only rarely have such NDErs themselves felt personally tormented. The estimated incidence of distressing NDEs (dNDEs) for western cultures has ranged from 1% to 15% of all NDEs (Bonenfant, 2001). The results of prospective studies in which the researchers interviewed everyone who experienced cardiac arrest in one or more hospitals during a period of at least several months are noteworthy. In the four prospective studies conducted between 1984 and 2001 1, 2, 3, 4 involving a total of 130 NDErs, none reported distressing experiences. This finding seems to confirm that the experience is relatively rare in western cultures. note: Dr. Maurice Rawlings disputes this "low" number and attributes it to "suppression" in his book "To Hell and Back".

I've found my niche

2008-11-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have been trying so hard to find what will sell on Etsy...I make earrings, bracelets, key chains, phone charms, necklaces and guitar pick jewelry, and I've come to the conclusion that Guitar pick necklaces are the fastest sellers I've made! I have one guitar pick necklace that sells more than all the rest and that's the cross guitar pick necklace! The most popular one is the one in the picture above. I sold four guitar pick necklaces yesterday, two of which were the exact same one as the picture above, so I guess I will try to keep at least one of those guitar pick necklaces in my shop all the time! Sounds like a winner! =)

Cloisonne Butterfly Bookmark

2008-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a listing I have on Etsy at www.CharsBeads4U.com , it's for a beautiful blue Cloisonne beaded butterfly bookmark. I decided to let the bookmark speak for itself!
I am a beautiful silver metal butterfly and my creator made me with gorgeous blue and white flowered cloisonne beads to make me special! I would really look sharp adorning on of your favorite books that you love to read! I'd just love to help you keep your place and save you from having to bend your precious book pages!
The bookmark that I hang from is a beautiful curvy 6 inches long and I just know you'd love me if you decided to adopt me!
Who could resist bringing that sweet butterfly bookmark into their home?

Butterfly Bookmarks Make Great Gifts

2008-11-12T08:22:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about gift giving and I thought to myself, "What would make a great gift and still have a reasonable price tag attached?" I came up with a great idea...Butterfly Bookmarks! I've just listed 2 new butterfly bookmarks in my Etsy shop called www.CharsBeads4U.com , and I really think that they would make a perfect gift for a teacher, just to let them know you appreciate them...or a friend!
My favorite butterfly bookmark is my black beaded wire mesh butterfly bookmark! It's so different than anything I've ever seen before!
Everyone loves to have a nice bookmark to keep there spot in there favorite book! Nobody likes to read a book that someone has bent the pages down trying to keep their place, it looks really shabby. Keep your books looking like new, try one of my butterfly bookmarks! And like I said before, butterfly bookmarks make great gifts for Christmas presents Birthday gifts or just letting someone know you care about them!

Who will love me for me?

2008-11-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

That's a line from a song that I love so dearly; it's called "Love Me" and it's written and sang by JJHeller. She a Christian artist that I've been following for the last few years. I think she's become one of my favorite female Christian artist and I just wish she could catch a break and have the radio stations play some of her music, especially K-LOVE!
JJHeller has such a unique voice and her words form a very real message to the listener, one that is very heart felt! I find myself in tears so often as I listen to some of her songs! I'd have to say that my favorite one is the song "Love Me"...mostly because it shows how most of us want to be loved, no matter what we've done wrong or how unlovable we may seem. There is "One" who will love us no matter what we look like or what we've done in our past and that is God! The following is a YouTube video taken of JJHeller singing that song. Just listen to it and you will see why I love her singing so much! She is soooo sincere!
She's got some other songs that are really wonderful too; you can check her out on YouTube, but here are a few examples of her music.

Found the Deal of the Century Today

2008-11-11T14:16:00.001-08:00

I found the deal of the Century today!!! I went to lunch with the hubby and I decided to drop my my favorite thrift store to see if there were any treasures there...sure enough...after skimming through some dresses that would never fit me...I waltzed of to the furniture section to see if there was anything there there that would float my boat...and sure enough there it was...a real wood maple full sized student desk!!! You'll never guess in a million years how much I paid for it.....so I'll tell ya...it was only, get this.....99 Cents!!!! That's right, less than $1.00!!!! Can you believe it? Even the knobs on the desk are worth more than 99 Cents!!!
So that tops my all time record of best deals, which was $24.99 for a working Kitchen Aide mixer! Before that my best deal was a full business sized Oak desk for $5.00!
I sometimes wonder if God is directing me to these specific thrift stores, just to bless me! God knows how much I looooove to shop!!! =)
Well....I am sooo happy about my new maple desk, yes...it has a few scratches on it, but i could be refinished and be worth a bunch more than I paid for it! I'm really happy with it just the way it is! =)
So if you feeling bored...check out your local thrift store, because you just never know what kind of treasure you may stumble upon! =)

Support Our New President

2008-11-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

I have chosen to remove all of my post about Obama vs. McCain from my blogpost, due to the fact that I want to be a good American Citizen and support our new President, just as John McCain said we should do!
We are all Americans and we need to pray for our President. We must lay aside our differences and throw our support behind our new President and at least give him a chance to prove himself!
I appreciate all of those who posted comments on my previous blogs about the elections, and I hope you are o.k. with the fact that I want to stay on a positive note, in hopes that it will help all of us become one Nation, not a Divided Nation!
So whenever you think about it, pray for the President! It will help our Nation become stronger and live up to our name...'The United States of America!"

My Newest Guitar Pick Bracelet

2008-11-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

I was recently contacted by a very nice person on Etsy and she requested that I design a guitar pick bracelet that she could purchase. She asked me to make a guitar pick bracelet, much like the guitar pick necklace that I make, with the sparkle cross on the guitar pick.
I went right to work and created this guitar pick bracelet! I took 5 pictures of it and then went to my Etsy site, Charsbeads4u.com, and I posted it reserved for this woman; well she bought it right away! I guess she liked the guitar pick bracelet I created! I liked it so well, I think I'll create more guitar pick bracelets to sell in my shop!
I know a lot of teen girls and guys that would love to wear a guitar pick bracelet along with their guitar pick necklace. I would like to make myself a set that matches!
Even though I make jewelry, you'd be surprised, I really don't make myself a ton of things! It seems that every time I create something new, I think to myself..."Oooh...that will sell!"
There are so many things in my Charsbeads4u.com shop that I'd love to own myself...well...maybe some day!

Well...we have a new President!

2008-11-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

I woke up to the news that Barack Obama has become our new President!
I know there are many people who are thrilled....but I'm not quite sure what to think. In a way I'm happy because he will be great with talking to the foreign power leaders that may be causing us issues in the future. He has a better handle on his temper than McCain would have. I didn't really like the idea of searching out my own insurance, which was McCain's plan....but I did love McCain's stance on the life of the unborn child! Each man had his strengths, but each one also had his problems. There really was no perfect choice this time.
I just pray that it all works out alright...I know ultimately God is in control!

Is the End Near?

2008-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! So many things happening in all areas of the World, so much turmoil and confusion! Is the end near? What is going on? Our economy isn't the only one who's suffering, what about the whole rest of the World? What's going on?
Well...maybe the the question "Is the end near?" is a good question to be asking yourself these days! Maybe it's time to research what the Word of God says about what is suppose to happen in the end times!
I accidentally came across a broadcast on t.v. yesterday called "The Jewish Voice" and it was talking a lot about that very subject, "Is the End Near?" There were some men on a panel talking about the end times and how Islam will play into the end time role....how they will be deceived into thinking that the Anti-Christ is their Messiah, thought called by a different name than Christian's Messiah. They are going to follow this man because there Koran tells them that there will come a man who will usher in a 7 year peace agreement with the Middle East. This same man will enter into the Holy place and proclaim himself to be God...and then anyone who doesn't believe will be beheaded. Sounds incredible, but that's exactly what the Anti-Christ is suppose to do! So they are deceived by thinking that is their Coming Promised One!
If you'd like to hear the same video that I listened to, you can check out: http://thejewishvoice.org and listen to the video on the top center of their page....Islam panel #3. Just click on that and watch the video. You may be surprised at all the amazing information they are talking about on there!
After you've watched it, you may be asking yourself, "Is the End Near?"
Is cash going to be eliminated from our system? Will there be a one World currency and a one World religion? These are just some of the things that Christians have been talking about for over 40 years that I know of from my own experience...and I've seen it become quite possible for all of those things to come to pass in just my last few years. I remember seeing movies about not being able to buy sell or trade without the "Mark of the Beast", but now it could very easily become a reality with all of the high tech things that have been created...it's all ready and just waiting to be set into motion! You've heard of the Veri-chip, I'm sure...well it's alive and well...in fact a lot of the Mexican people have been getting them surgically implanted in themselves, due to that fact that a lot of them are being kidnapped and held for Ransom...they think this will protect them, because once they push a button they authorities will be notified that they are in trouble and will be able to locate them because of the Veri-Chip they have in their bodies!
If in fact the end is near, then where are you going to end up, Heaven or Hell? The choice is up to you, but don't take too long to make up your mind because you have no idea how much time you really have!

The Choice of Life

2008-10-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through the YouTube videos and I came across a video that brought tears to my eyes; it's a video of Mark Schultz singing as song called "Everything to Me" and I just sat here and cried my eyes out....it was so heart wrenching! It's a video that shows how very grateful this young man is that his mother chose to give him life!

There are so many young woman that have to make tough decisions when they become pregnant. Will they keep the child? Will they have the child aborted or will they make the choice of life?

I can speak only from my own experience and I can tell you that if you choose to abort your child, the memories of that tragic day will haunt you the rest of your life! Oh, how I wish I would have thought about the other options available to me and not just taken the easy way out!

Yes...I was young, at the age of 17, but that was no excuse for the choice that I made, I could have chosen to give that child life. I know that God has forgiven me, but I don't think I'll ever be able to really and truly forgive myself for the choice that I made!

I am so sad that I went to Planned Parenthood, because they really don't tell you about other options. They just explain the the medical terminology of an abortion, telling you it's just a piece of tissue...but there was a woman sitting next to me crying her eyes out, she knew it was more than just a piece of tissue...oh how I wish I would have talked to her more, maybe we could have talked each other out of staying there an ultimately ending the lives of our children. That was so long ago, but it still remains a vivid memory for me and I regret the day it happened.

I can only say this to those who are contemplating abortion, 'Please look into other choices; I know it seems like abortion is the easy way out, but trust me it is not! That is a child within you and you are the one who decides if this child will have life or not, so please make the right choice, choose life!"

Watch this video and see how something you might think is a tragedy can be turned into a miracle! The choice of Life is up to you!

Guitar Pick Necklaces for Christmas or Birthdays

2008-09-25T09:22:00.001-07:00

How would you like to give someone you know who loves music a gift that they'll love? I think that a guitar pick necklace is a great gift for any guy or girl who loves music! I have seen people of all ages enjoy wearing a guitar pick necklace! Teens especially love the corded guitar pick necklaces...they are very popular these days!

Guitar pick necklaces are very light weight so it doesn't hurt your neck to wear one, which is a plus for those who have issues with neck pain.

I think that guitar pick necklaces would make an awesome gift for Christmas; it's perfect for a stocking stuffer! Or maybe you know someone who's going to be having a birthday...a guitar pick necklace is a very nice gift and the prices are very affordable!

Do Something Nice for Someone Today!

2008-09-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you just decided that you would do something nice for someone, and not expect anything in return? Most people wake up in the morning only thinking about what they need to do today in order to get ahead. What if we woke up in the morning and said to ourselves, "What can I do today to make someone else happy?" What a different World it would be if everyone woke up with that thought on their minds!
It doesn't have to be cost you anything to be nice to someone, maybe it's even just spending time with someone who needs your company! Maybe it's just deciding that today will be the day you give away free smiles! Sometimes just a smile can change some one's life...just knowing that someone actually cares enough to smile at them. Maybe it's saying something nice to someone at work, who you would normally ignore. Maybe it's lending a helping hand when you see someone struggling to lift something...the possibilities are endless!
So when you wake up tomorrow morning, instead of concentrating on what you can do for yourself, think about what you can to do change other's lives! We can make a difference in this World, one life at a time!

Are you ready?

2008-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stopped to think about eternity? What will happen when you leave this earth?
I think about this a lot more now that I'm older! When I was younger, I really didn't think about it too much. I took for granted the days ahead of me....thinking I was somehow invincible.

I think a lot of people think that same way these days...never thinking about what could happen in the wink of an eye! I see it on the news all the time; young people's lives cut short. Do you think that they woke up that morning thinking about eternity...most people don't really think about it. These young people really thought that they had many years before they'd have to even worry about that kind of thing....but they were wrong! They thought they could just live there lives care free and doing whatever they wanted, even if it hurt other people, possibly doing things such as fighting, cheating, lying, stealing, damaging other people's property, driving drunk, maybe even killing.

People need to stop and think for a moment...where do I stand with God? Think about it right now...at this very moment, because you never know when your life might come to an end! You are certainly not guaranteed tomorrow!

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes unto God but through me"
The Bible says that "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" and it also says, "Whoever calls on me shall be saved", speaking of Jesus. How simple it is...just a simple prayer...just admitting that you have done wrong and you realize that you need Jesus to help you change...and you are willing to turn from doing wrong and try every day to live like you know God would want you to! God knows your where you are weak, so ask Him for strength in that area. Remember that the Devil also knows where you are weak and he will try to tempt and trick you where you are the weakest, so be on the lookout for him. The Bible says that the Devil comes to Kill, Steal and Destroy! The only hope you have is to ask for God's help! God wants to help you over come the enemy because God loves you! God only wants what is best for you!

Our time on Earth is not guaranteed so please...think about where you stand with God...before it's too late!

My First Main Treasury

2008-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it! I finally snagged my first main treasury page! I just sat and waited patiently and then *Bam* there it was... available and I got it!

I was so thrilled to finally be able to display some of the most beautiful blends of Black...White...Pink....that I could find! These colors just scream girly! I had been saving up these beautiful items in my favorites on my Etsty site, http://www.charsbeads4u.etsy.com/ and I finally was able to combine them to make a treasury that I am really pleased with!

I chose to include one of my Best Freinds, Anastasia @ http://www.mattscraftywife.etsy.com/ because she has been such a blessing to me. She just happened to have the perfect shade of pink to blend into my treasury. I was thrilled to see her sell her crocheted pink baby hat really quickly! That just confirms what I keep saying about her shop, she's so talented and has wonderful prices, how could anyone resist the temptation to buy her things!

I know that I just bought the cutest little Pink and Brown Poncho the other day and when it arrived I had tears in my eyes! It was so beautiful! She did an amazing job on it! She even scalloped the edges with pink! It's adorable! Then to top it off, she included 2 cross magnets, a pink one for my daughter that is going through a high risk pregnancy, and a blue one for me...she wanted my daughter to know that she was praying for her! Talk about a kind heart! =)

I hope the more treasuries I do, the more friends I'll make, because we all know that friends are more valuable than money! =)

Consignment sales of guitar pick necklaces

2008-07-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

I never dreamed that I would have my guitar pick necklaces on consignment somewhere, but thanks to a dear friend of mine from Church a while back it is happened!
I started out with just some phone charms on consignment and then they allowed me to add in some key chains. I was so blessed by their kindness! Then one night one of the people in the bookstore said, "I love that necklace!" My husband said, "Oh, she makes those!", so that guys says, "Why aren't we selling them in the bookstore?" The rest is history! =)
I told him I could make the guitar pick necklaces with crosses on them or with WWJD or even a dove, and he loved the idea and said, "We even have 'Pick Jesus' guitar picks that would look nice on a necklace!" I whole heartedly agreed!
I then began to make up a bunch of guitar pick necklaces and I brought them in for him to see...he loved them and put them on display for sale! I was thrilled to say the least!
I went in last week and found that 19 of the 23 necklaces had sold! So I made up 23 more guitar pick necklaces and they put them on consignment! I was soooo happy!!! I am so excited to see what God will do with my little...I know how He has always taken care of me and He's always been my guide!
I thank God that He guided my friend that day to help me be accepted into our Church bookstore; my friend had faith in me and he prayed that God would bless my jewelry business! I'm so thankful he did!!! =)

MattsCraftyWife a wonderful Etsy shop!

2008-07-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

I've been chatting on a buy and stay thread on Etsy for some time and I also belong to a thread called the Christian Artisit Street Team, CAST for short and I've met the neatest lady! Her name is Anastasia and her shop's name is http://MattsCraftyWife.etsy.com and she's got some of the cutest crocheted items I've ever seen and at such reasonable prices! She has been such a blessing in my life, because her items are of such great quality, but at the same time her prices are set where I can afford to buy more than just one thing! I've bought several things from her and I intend to keep on buying from her because she has become one of my dearest friends on Etsy! She's such a hoot to talk with and she's so bubbly, and the joy of the Lord shines through her words. Though we have never met, I feel like I've known her for years! =) One day I hope we can connect in San Diego, because she has an Aunt that lives there...and I my husband's family lives in San Diego! =)
If you want some wonderful Crocheted items and you would love to get items at reasonable prices, then may I suggest you pop into Http://MattsCraftyWife.etsy.com shop and see what kind of treasures you can find! =)

Treasuries are such a blessing

2008-07-28T14:47:00.001-07:00

I have so many wonderful friends at Etsy who help me to get more sales that I would ever get on my own. They are so very sweet to help me by putting my creations in their treasuries that they create! It's a way for others to see a group of someones favorite picks!
Speaking of picks....I just got picked for a really nice treasury by a good friend on Etsy. Her name is Kelli and her shop's name is http://kellirene.etsy.com/ and she's a really sweet person I talk to almost every day. It's such a blessing to be picked for a treasury...and I appreciate each and every one I have been in!
Listed above is another treasury I was listed in...mine is the pink guitar pick necklace. http://vintageembellishment.com is the one responsible for creating this lovely treasure listed with my pink guitar pick necklace in it!
I love making guitar pick necklaces, they are the most fun to create! The guitar picks are fun to drill and fun to string! I think I love guitar pick necklaces most because I love playing guitar and singing so much!

My First Treasury!

2008-05-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

I finally did my very first Etsy Treasury! I didn't think that I could figure out just how to make up a treasury, but I read the instructions and I did it!
I was so glad I took the step of faith and gave it a shot!
It only lasted 2 days, but I really loved putting it together! It makes you feel good to honor other Etsians with there wonderful talents!
If you page down on my blog you'll see the purple one that says, "My First Treasury" and that's the one I did! =)
I hope it made a lot of people happy! I know it always makes me happy when someone lists me in their treasuries! =)

How do you lead a loved one to the Lord?

2008-04-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am just wondering, what is the best way to lead a loved one to the Lord? Do you set them down and tell them that God loves them and that they need to be saved? Or do you threaten them with Hellfire and Brimstone?
I know that I have tried all of the above in my past, but I have also found that none of the above has worked for me! You can't lead someone to the Lord if the person doesn't feel the Holy Spirit tugging at their heart. It just won't happen!
I have found that just living your life in the strength of the Lord, along with loving and caring for your loved one, is the best way to reflect the love of God, and as the end result, your loved one will be drawn to the Lord.
Have you every heard the saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?" I have found that to be so true when trying to lead the ones I love to the Lord. It just can't happen when I am pushing and shoving them to the cross. I believe that we just need to pray for our loved one to respond to the calling of the Holy Spirit in their lives! Pray for God's protection over them and ask the Lord to gently lead them to the one who loves them enough to die for their sins.
So, the next time you feel like cramming God down someone's throat, think twice! Don't try to force your beliefs on them, just live the life that Jesus asks you to live and soon those you love will see the beautiful love that radiates through your life and want to be a part of it themselves!

Our Church Bookstore Will Now Carry My Guitar Pick Necklaces

2008-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting so long for the chance for a store to allow me to place my guitar pick necklaces for sale on consignment! Finally I got and invite from our bookstore last week to bring in some of my Christian guitar pick necklaces. I made some up and brought them in to the bookstore and they loved them and they took the whole display of the guitar pick necklaces and other Christian symbols that I had made.
I used magnets on all of the black satin guitar pick necklaces. I also made some of the guitar pick necklaces with the waxed cotton cord. I figure I will try to appeal to both tastes in people! I also made some of my Christian guitar pick keychains and they loved those as well. So far my most popular item has been the guitar pick necklaces.

Our church bookstore has already placed my beaded cell phone charms in their bookstore, which is an amazing blessing in and of itself, but
I also feel so blessed to be able to have my Christian guitar pick necklaces and other Christian necklaces that have been accepted at our church bookstore. It's truely an honor! They will never know how much it means to me that they believed in me enough to take my things in on consignment! They have truly changed the direction of my life!

How does your life touch others?

2008-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

I often sit and ponder the question, "How does my life touch others?" I think about how I act and interact with other people in every day tasks. I also think about how I might treat a waitress or waiter.
Just stop and think for a moment, how does your life touch others....do you treat others with respect? Are you kind? Would they be able to tell by your actions if you are a Christian or not?
I spend a lot of my time chatting on http://etsy.com/ I belong to the C.AS.T. (Christian Artist Street Team). When I speak to others on there, I pray that God will use me to lift them up and comfort them when they are feeling pain or loss...or maybe just having an off day. I hope that my few words will make a difference in their lives! I know that these people have made a difference in my life! They have faithfully prayed for my families, friends, and myself. I have seen many answers to prayers!
Think about how you treat people when you're driving down the road...are you courteous? I know it's easy to just drive by someone as they are trying to get into the flow of traffic from maybe a gas station or convenient store. If we just leave a car length when we see someone sitting there trying to get out of the parking lot, give them a smile and a nod, they most likely will pull out in front of you. Such a simple task can be such a blessing to others!
What if you're driving down the road and someone puts their blinker on and wants to get over in front of you? Do you kindly slow up a bit and motion them into your lane?
I have one lady that I have dealt with on Etsy that has blessed me beyond compare. Her name is Laurie! I have lots of people that I consider dear friends on Etsy...more than I can list here, but Laurie has blessed me more than she'll ever know! She has become a very dear friend! She writes me covos all the time and shares so many cute stories with me! She makes me laugh!
She has also been an amazing customer, she keeps ordering things from me and when she sends her check for the items, it usually comes at just the right time, when things are tight financially! I know for a fact that God has used Laurie Ryan to bless me! I truly feel that God sent her into my life to give me the encouragement I need to keep doing what I do, making jewelry! Just when I'm feeling that I'm just being overlooked on Etsy, Laurie comes a long and buys something from me....of all the people on Etsy, and it makes my confidence soar again!
Laurie does beautiful photography! I have two of her tiger photos mounted in oak frames and hanging on my wall in my living room. They are so bright and clear! If you'd like to check out her site, here is her website: http://LaurieRyan.etsy.com/ Feel free to bless her by either getting something from her shop or dropping her an encouraging convo! She's a wonderful person to work with!
So you see how you can bless others, by praying for others, being kind, saying a kind or lifting someones spirit! Be encouraging to others, because you'll never know what a difference you could make in their lives! Lord bless you all!!!

Are we getting close to the coming of the Lord?

2008-03-19T10:54:00.001-07:00

My pastor just got back from Israel and has personally seen and spoken to the Jewish people there; he has told us that the plans for building the temple are in place. They even have some of the items on display! The also have the red heifer that was spoken of in the Bible, Numbers chapter 19, and it is without spot or blemish is ready for the first sacrifice.
The temple is where the anti-christ will stand and proclaim himself to be God. I believe that the Muslims and the Jewish people will make a pact to allow the temple to be built on the temple mount, perhaps splitting the temple mount into half for each of them.
Christ return is eminent, it's all just a matter of time and I believe the time is growing closer every day!

Fight the good fight!

2008-03-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

My precious friend, Cindy is going through the fight of her life, breast cancer. Everytime I see her or hear from her on the phone, she makes me laugh. She has such a wonderful sense of humor and she has touched more lives than she knows!
She is a single mother trying to raise her precious little girl and then she got hit with this horrible disease, cancer! I know how much she loves her little girl and how much she loves life! I just pray that God will give her strength as she goes through this really tough time in her life.
She had to have a double mastectomy and she also had 12 lymphnodes removed and 8 of them were cancerous. The doctor said they had gotten all the cancerous lymphnodes and a fat globul that was in the lymph area, it was also cancerous.
Cindy's strength is more than amazing, and I know if she can beat this cancer on shear will alone, she can do it! I'm pulling for her and I pray for her every day! She's so precious to me!
As you read this blog, please say a prayer for my friend Cindy, she so loves life and she could really use your prayers! Thanks so much!

I also wanted to update the fundraiser for cancer research that my friend Kelli is doing. If you buy from one of the following shops, they are donatiing a specified portion to help in the battle against breast cancer!
This is her chat thread on our Etsy forum: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5524998&page=2

This is a copy of that forum...please keep in mind...this is Kelli who is going to be walking in this fundraiser:

Together we can help to fight Breast Cancer. These wonderful sellers are contributing to my fundraising effort for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.On July 12th and 13th of this year I will be walking 39 miles in an effort to support those who have battled Breast Cancer and for those who have lost a loved one in their battle with Breast Cancer.If you would like to contribute to this promotion please let me know. Our theme is "LOVE CURES ALL."http://blsoaps.etsy.com/ - donating 20% of selected items:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8666092 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9346791 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9397899 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8555829 http://loridelisle.etsy.com/ $5 profit from her pretty Flower Ring:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10250327 http://knitblitz.etsy.com/ - donating 50% of the profit from Selected Baked Goods & Knits:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9622543 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8732515 http://charsbeads4u.etsy.com/ - donating a pink guitar pick necklace-Here's a link to it:Http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8551267 http://guidinglightcandles.etsy.com/ is donating 100% of the proceeds (except shipping) from this item:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8912709 http://sugarfoots.etsy.com/ 50% of the profits from:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7539917 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7516861 http://flamingolady.etsy.com/ 100% profits from:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8253044 http://blueridgetreasures.etsy.com/http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9998794 http://zudagay.etsy.com/ 100% of profit (less shipping)http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10196849 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10197094 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10196554 http://lusciousnaturals.etsy.com/ 20% of profit from:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9461511 http://darktemptations.etsy.com/ 20% profit from:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10306633 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10295887 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10295708Kelli is donating 50% of every sale within each of her stores:http://kellirene.etsy.com/http://kellibelli.etsy.com/http://vintagekelli.etsy.com/*All money raised should be deposited directly to the Avon Walk fund on the Avon site at:http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk2008/SanFrancisco?px=3965329&pg=personal&fr_id=1480It shows how much has been raised and who made the donations. I will keep it updated.Thank you!!!!

When the light meets the darkness

2008-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

What can you do if you are light and the path you take intersects you with someone who is in darkness? Do you confront it, or are you just close your eyes and sit quite and let is pass by? How about speaking what's on your heart? What if it offends someone?

All of these questions are very simple, but the answers are much harder to find! God asks us to not be ashamed of Him. He also asks us to be kind to one another. He asks that we would treat others like we wish to be treated. Are we wrong to get angry when we cross the path of one who is in darkness and they throw God in your face or mock you?

I'm curious....what do you do when you are confronted with darkness?

How can we end homelessness?

2008-02-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about homeless people lately and wondering if there is a way to help them get back into the stream of the working society and help them take back their independance.
I think that there should be some kind of government program that helps them get back on track, but I wonder how many people would actually do it. Some of the homeless don't really want to work, they would rather depend on others to give them what they need to survive.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a heartless person, and I know that their are people who have fallen on hard times, I'm not speaking of those type of people; I'm talking about the people who refuse to do anything to get back into society and be productive.
Another thing to consider is the fact that a lot of people who are wanted by the law are hiding behind a full beard, dark glasses and a cap, and they are able to escape the authorities because they have no way to track them down. When you work, you have to show your Social Security Card, that way the government can track you're income and know where you are.
If somehow it were illegal to be homeless and you would be taken into custody and taken to a facility that could help you get back on track, not put in jail or fine a person, but some kind of a holding facility until you did comply.
There is a panhandling law, but the officers don't enforce it! It's very uncomfortable for me to pull up to a light and have someone trying beg money for whatever, you just never know what they're going to use the money for. I'm not going to judge them, but I know for a fact a lot of them are not using it for a good use. I've seen plenty of them scamming and then go to the nearest liquor store or worse. Don't get me wrong....I have given money to people before if I felt there was a honest need, but it's been few and far between, because most of the time I feel they are lying to me.
I've given money before and I've bought food for homeless people who have asked for help, but I've also had people get angry and refuse to accept the offer. They actually got very angry and cussed me out for implying that they weren't able to handle the money that I should give them and felt as though I was making them seem incapable of making their own choices. All I did was offer to go to Jack-in-the-Box and buy them food! Ugh!
Lets do something to get these people back into the working force of our society! Make them get a job, if they are able, or go to facility until they decide to comply! If they are not physically able to get a job, get them disablility or if they aren't mentally capable, get them the help they need and get them off the streets!
I don't know what can be done, but I know that the each state could find some kind of jobs to help these people get back into the flow of society, it would benefit everyone!
Tell me what you think! What do you think could be done to help these people and at the same time, keep those who are criminals from having a place to hide out and blend in with those who truly do need help?

Reach Out to "The Lost Boys"

2008-01-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

I was asked to attend a special presentation of "The Lost Boys" and I accepted. Little did I know what I would hear that evening as I sat in amazement at what this young man had gone through in his life! We as Americans are so blessed and we don't even realize how other people in this world live or what they have to go through to survive.
As this young man spoke of the terror that his young eyes has seen I was genuinely touch and knew at that very moment that I must do what I could to help this young man's cause.

So, I have chosen to give 10% of each sale I make on my handmade jewelry at http://www.charsbeads4u.com/ in support of a very worthy charity called "The Lost Boys." These young men were caught in the middle of the fighting in Sudan, Africa, parents were killed and these brave young boys had to run to escape certain death; eventually some of them were able to be placed in America as refugees. If you'd like to learn more about "The Lost Boys", check out their website: http://azlostboyscenter.org/video.php

Guitar Pick Necklaces for Teens

2008-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that a lot of teens wearing guitar pick necklaces. I'm so glad that this trend of wearing guitar pick necklaces has finally caught on! I've loved guitar pick necklaces for years and even though I'm older, I still love my guitar pick necklaces.

If you have a teenager, just ask them if they know anyone who wears guitar pick necklaces and you'll see that they have become more popular than ever!

I believe guitar pick necklaces will forever be a sign that you love music and you can show it proudly by wearing your favorite guitar pick necklace! =)

So, maybe you feel you're too old to wear one...then buy a guitar pick necklace for a child or grandchild for that matter. You'll be helping promote the love of music!

Guitar Pick Necklace or Bracelet for Music Lovers

2008-01-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

I just happen to play guitar and I think that a cool way to show the world I love music is to wear a cool beaded guitar pick necklace, and it just so happens that I love to make my own guitar pick necklace to wear, so I decided that it would be cool to go on the website for crafters and sell them to the public! If you think that you would like to wear a guitar pick necklace too, then check out my hand beaded guitar pick necklace website at: http://GuitarPicks4u.com and you can show the world that you love music too! I hope you enjoy looking an my other hand beaded jewelry and other creations! I will always love my guitar pick necklace style most of all!

How to Live Music

2008-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Music is a big part of my life. It all started back when I was a baby. My mother used to sing to me all the time. I still remember the beautiful songs she used to sing to me at night time and I would gently fall into a deep peaceful sleep with music in my mind and heart. Those are wonderful memories and I cherish them today!
I believe that if you teach a child music when they are young they will grow up to love it! It will help them to grasp the concept a lot more easily than those who have had no music training in their lives! One way you can teach your child about music the fun way you can check out this cool website: http://www.makingmusicfun.net/
It is a fun way to make learning music more fun! =)
I love music sooo much that I wear a guitar pick necklace for my jewelry, and I also make guitar pick key chains, guitar pick bracelets, and guitar pick earrings. That's just one of the ways I show the world I love my music and it's a great part of my life! You can view some of my guitar pick jewelry at my website: http://www.charsbeads4u.com/
Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you think about it! =)

Hand beaded jewelry makes a great gift

2008-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

When trying to find that perfect gift for someone who has everything, think jewelry! I think that just about everyone can use some kind of jewelry! Anything from Key chains to cell phone charms from earrings to Lanyards!
Most companies use lanyards for holding their company I.D.'s on. There are plenty of cheap shoes string lanyard/badge holders out there for sell, but how about something that shows a little more class. Most guys are stuck with the dull plain shoe string designs, but now there is a choice! Check out the unisex lanyards that are available on http://www.charsbeads4u.com/
There are also elegant hand beaded lanyards for the woman who wants to show her she's got good taste!
I know that I was inspired to create these hand beaded lanyards to help people of all kinds to feel good about having to wear a badge card to work! Hopefully you will go to the above website and check out the great lanyards. They would be great for giving as a gift for the person who has everything!

Guitar Pick Necklaces

2008-01-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Guitar pick necklaces are the coolest necklaces for music lovers of all ages! If you love to sing, listen to music, or you play a guitar, then a guitar pick necklace will reflect that to the world. I happen to think it's neat to have a different colored guitar pick necklace to match the outfit that you are wearing that day! They look great on guys or girls!
I think that guitar pick necklaces are great for people who are in bands, because they would be a great gift to throw out to the crowd at the end of a night!
There are a lot of guitar pick necklaces out there on the internet for sale, but I believe that http://www.charsbeads4u.com/has some of the coolest on the net! More than guitar pick necklaces, this site also has guitar pick key chains and most of them are made with the marble effect Fender guitar picks which are really nice looking guitar picks!
Celebrate Music and wear a guitar pick necklace! It can also cause people to approach you and ask you why you're wearing it, or they might say something like, "Hey, do you play guitar?", so it could open up an opportunity for promoting your band, or if you're not in a band, it would be nice for opening up dialog or even making a new friend!

Jewelry, how to express yourself!

2007-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have thought a lot about jewelry and how it really is an expression of what a person is feeling on the inside! Some days are sparkling bright, while other days might be a little more reserved.
Jewelry can also add a lot to a plain outfit. It is the means in which we communicate who we are and what we like!
Some women like their jewelry to be nice and dainty, while others would prefer the big chunky type of beads. Some women like pearls and others would rather have a plain black satin cord with a simple silver cross adorning them.
Men fall into this category too! There are some men who would prefer not to wear jewelry at all, maybe afraid to look to effeminate, but some men wear it boldly, as to make a statement of some kind. Some like jewelry that is plain and simple, while others love the bling! There are guys that love guitar pick necklaces, and you can tell that they love music.
So you see, whatever your taste is, jewelry is the way you can express it!

Created by:
Char
www.charsbeads4u.com