By K Janz

Fact # 1

The Protestant Bible in use today contains 66 Books. 39 of the books are in the Old Testament and 27 are found in the New Testament.

Fact # 2

Most of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew, the language spoken by the Israelites. Except for a few words and sentences, the New Testament was composed in Greek, the common language in the Hellenistic world.

Fact # 3

Although the Bible was written over a period of about 1400 years, its text has come to us in a remarkable state of preservation. This preservation was possible because of the large number of manuscripts found. The New Testament evidence for reliability is almost embarrassingly large. It includes about 4500 Greek manuscripts beginning about A.D. 125.

Fact # 4

The books of the Bible originally had no chapters or verses. Now that is a cool Bible fact.

Fact # 5

The Bible, in whole or in part, is now available in more than 1100 different languages and dialects.

Fact # 6

In the earliest days of English Christianity the only know Bible was the Latin Vulgate, made by Jerome between A.D. 383 and 405. This version of the Bible could only be read by the clergy.

Fact # 7

When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, the crown was passed on to James I, who had been king of Scotland for 37 years as James VI. Several months after he began the pursuit of a new Bible translation. It was completed in 1611 and is now know as the King James Version.

Fact # 8

The authors of the New Testament appealed to their audience because they all had first hand knowledge of the Person of Jesus Christ.

Fact # 9

The two Testaments form two volumes of one work. The first is incomplete without the second and second cannot be understood without the first. Together they are Gods revelation to man of the provision He had made for human salvation.

Fact # 10

The theme of the Bible is the same in both the Old and New Testaments. It is the redemption of man.

Pastor Kent Janz is the Senior Pastor of McDougal Chapel in Sundre, Alberta, Canada. For fun, he also likes to work on his website called [http://www.basic-bible-knowledge.com/index.html]Basic Bible Knowledge.

I hope you enjoyed the article.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Facts-About-the-Bible&id=1784375] 10 Facts About the Bible

Author: Roy Thomsitt

For most of us brought up in Western societies, Christmas long ago became a commercial extravaganza. Over recent decades the commercial impetus has intensified, with Christmas coming to the shops earlier and earlier, until now it arrives in full frontal mode, as soon as the kids go back to school after the summer holidays.

Each decade that has passed since the 1950’s has seen bigger, brighter and more extravagant Christmas decorations, both indoors and outdoors. For those who love Christmas lights and other decor, that’s great, but there’s another side to the story. Decorating the home has become an obligation, which for the very poor can be something of a problem, as neighbours and friends try to outdo each other.

Perhaps the greater problem, though, can be with Christmas gifts. Children have developed greater and greater expectations over the years, and this brings with it pressures on adults, and parents in particular, to pile as many gifts as possible under the Christmas tree, whether they can afford it or not. Often, poorer families cannot afford it, and the financial pressures, fed by the social pressures, mount as Christmas Day nears. All these pressures are fueled, of course, by intense advertising from September through to December 25. It is little wonder that the days after Christmas are a peak time for family break ups.

Due to the fact that most Western children expect some wonderful Christmas gifts, it is no surprise to many when they get them. Sadly, many will never learn to fully appreciate the acts of giving and receiving gifts. Once a gift becomes a routine obligation, it is no longer a gift, but a token. True generosity cannot be found in such tokens.

Hopefully, many poor and rich families will have a meaningful and enjoyable Christmas in the UK, where I come from, and in the US. Poor families in particular will find the financial pressures strongest, but it may well be that the poorer children will be the more appreciative.

Maybe some rich families will experience the fate of a birthday gift to a teenage friend of my son in England. On receiving a top of the range hi-fi system, probably worth about $3000, as a gift, he trashed it a week later, simply because he was bored. I suspect it is less likely that a teenager from a poor family would do the same.

Christmas in the Philippines

Read the rest of this entry »

By Lisa A Mason

How many times have you started reading an article only to find yourself looking up a word in every two or three sentences? Some writers enjoy using big words in the articles they write. After all, it’s a great way to show off how much knowledge you have, right? Using big words might be great for certain venues but the average reader searching for information on the Internet won’t benefit from this. In fact, they may not even be able to understand what you’ve written.

Your goal as a writer is to communicate with the reader, not prove how smart you are. You can’t accomplish your goal if the readers are having trouble understanding your content. Internet users want to find what they need and move on to something else. They may not have time to look up words to find their meaning while in the middle of another search. It can get annoying very quickly so instead the reader will often click away to new information that’s easier to understand.

Big words can also make reading the article more difficult. The words won’t flow properly, making it awkward to read the sentences. This will also discourage readers and send them in search of new information. Using big words incorrectly is also a problem many writers encounter. When this happens, it hurts your credibility. Readers may wonder how reliable the rest of your content is if you’re using words improperly.

There are times when using big words are appropriate and even necessary but they often do more harm than good in article writing. Use words that are simple and easy to read and your content will attract more readers.

About the Author:

Lisa Mason is a [http://www.writerlisamason.com/]freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in more than 10 years as a professional writer. See her website for a free article writing template guide as well as more [http://www.mywritingtips.com/]writing tips and info on the writing services she offers.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Should-You-Use-Big-Words-When-Writing-Articles?&id=6753531] Should You Use Big Words When Writing Articles?

By Flora M Brown, Ph.D.

The number of aspiring authors is growing as entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers and other professionals discover that writing a book increases their credibility and visibility. As their eagerness increases, however, their patience decreases and therefore many look for ways to get their books written fast.

On and off the Internet there are classes, retreats and webinars that promise to show you how to write a book in incredibly shorter and shorter amounts of time-28 days, 90 days, 5 days, a weekend and so on. How can this be? What does it take to write a book fast?

Here are 10 ways you can get your nonfiction books written fast.

1. Commit to getting your book completed in whatever time frame you’ve set.

Put your family and friends on notice that you won’t be available during this time or segments of time. Then treat this time like you would any job or school assignment. This means temporarily dropping any nonessentials from your schedule.

2. Choose a place to write that is comfortable and conducive to you.

For some, this is a dedicated room at home, without any distractions. For others the local library or coffee shop works best. Don’t wait until you afford a remote cabin in the woods or an escape to a deserted island.

3. Decide on the topic about which you’re passionate.

If you want to write a book on dieting, for example, you will have to narrow your topic considerably since there are infinite directions you can go with this topic. Your ideal diet may be one that allows you eat anything you want, but only in certain proportions. Perhaps you’ve come up with a way we can eat fast food only and still maintain our ideal weight. How about a cookie diet or ice cream diet?

Read the rest of this entry »

Author: Michael New Jr.

If you look at your bank account and wonder where all the money went, or swore you paid a bill and now you are told you are past due, you may have a budget problem or no budget at all.

This is not something that is taught in our traditional public education system. Young people are not usually armed with the knowledge of how to budget effectively unless their parents taught them.

There are numerous books, videos, and software out there for your reference on budgeting but it can be quite simple actually. Unless you are a chronic, habitual spender, then you might need to think about Spender’s Anonymous.

1. Write down all your incoming cash flow and all your bills.

2. Keep a check register. Today we all swipe our debit cards and think nothing of it. It isn’t as easy to have your register handy when you use plastic instead of a checkbook.

But if you keep track of your purchases from home once a day or a couple times a week, you will then know what you are spending your money on and you can make some changes if you need to.

3. Categorize. Have a category for food, fuel, bills, entertainment, etc. This will help you realize how much of each check is going towards what you need. If you have some leftover you can move it to another category that needs some more or you can save the extra cash.

4. Think twice when making purchases. When you think you just have to have something, take a deep breath and really ask yourself if you need this, want to spend money on it, or if there is something more important you can put your money towards.

Once you have effectively thought and answered these questions, you will be able to make a better purchase decision.

5. Don’t borrow money. Don’t apply for credit cards because of the rewards or you want to blow money you don’t have. Spend cash for everything and you’ll not end up in so much debt that you can’t see over it!

Perhaps having one credit card with a small balance would be smart for emergencies, but then don’t carry it in your wallet. Keep it at home.

Read the rest of this entry »

Author: M Bauer Pulis

Recently, much news was published about unsafe commercial pet foods. This news, of course, sounded an alarm among pet owners. But, unfortunately, this problem isn’t really ‘news’. It seems that incidents similar to this occur from time to time. Perhaps this is one reason more and more people are opting to ‘home cook’ for their pets. However, in order to properly home-cook for your pets, you should first have a basic knowledge of canine nutrition; and, even more importantly, a thorough knowledge of human foods that are harmful to dogs. Some foods which are safe for human consumption can be poisonous for our canine companions. E-dog-training.com has put together a list of 25 common human foods that are toxic to dogs. Of course, when in doubt, always check with your vet. Here is a list to get you started:

1. Onions (Both onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient Thiosulphate. But onions are more of a danger. Many dog biscuits contain *small* amounts of garlic – garlic contains less of this toxin so huge amounts would need to be consumed to be toxic. And, by the way, this poison builds up the system – it can be toxic in one large dose – or with repeated consumption of small amounts.)
2. Chocolate (Chocolate contains Theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. This can be fatal to dogs.)
3. Grapes (Grapes are dangerous because of an unknown substance which is toxic to dogs – affects canine’s kidneys)
4. Raisins (See above.)
5. Most Fruit Pits and Seeds (Contain Cyanogenic Glycosides resulting in cyanide poisoning – though the fruit itself is OK.)
6. Macadamia Nuts (Macadamia nuts contain an unknown substance that is toxic to dogs.)
7. Most Bones should *not* be given (especially chicken bones) because they can splinter and cause laceration of the digestive system and/or become lodged in your pet’s throat – so they also pose a choking hazard.

Read the rest of this entry »

Author: ScottLinds

There are so many products, so much information they don’t know where to start. Other questions I get are: Do I need to buy everything organic, food, cleaning products, clothes, personal care and skin care products? Are you vegan? Do I have to throw everything away and start from scratch? Where do I start? It gets expensive. What does it mean by going organic?

Lets start with my definition of going organic and living an organic lifestyle. To me going organic is more than the food I eat. It is about making healthy choices with the food I eat, the products I use in my home, on my skin and body, and in my garden. To me organic, green, non-toxic living is about eliminating toxins from our homes and life. It is about the environment and ensuring that it is clean and healthy because last time I checked we are all earthlings which means we are part of the environment. If the environment is unhealthy then so are the earthlings. Finally, going organic, non-toxic and green is treading lightly on the earth so that I leave it better than I found it for future generations.

Here are some simple steps to help you transform your home from conventional, toxic to organic, non-toxic, safe, green and healthy. First I would like to say that it isn’t about being perfect or having everything in your life organic and green. A few simple changes will make a huge difference in the way you feel and in moving forward to an organic, green, non-toxic, healthy lifestyle. Take one step at a time and have fun.

There are a couple of different ways you can incorporate organic living into your lifestyle. One is to use the products you have now, finish them and replace them with healthy, organic choices as needed. The other choice is to throw everything away and replace your old choices with healthy new organic products. Either choice is awesome. Note: If you are throwing away cleaning products that are made with chemicals be sure to do it properly. Contact your local waste management company and ask them how to safely dispose of chemical products.

Read the rest of this entry »