Chat with Grace Note's Founder

Warren Doud will be featured during a live chat session at Faithnet.
Learn more about Grace Notes' ministry of email Bible study lessons.
Share your feedback and prayer concerns.
Monday, November 27 at 8pm Eastern
at the Faithnet Chat Foyer

Grace Notes, provides free systematic Bible study lessons to anyone with an email address who wants it. Lessons are prepared by scholarly Christians and delivered on a weekly basis in English and Spanish. Contact Grace Notes at http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/

No Cost Pastoral Counseling

At the heart of Faithnet's mission is personal ministry. Trevor and I provide online pastoral counseling to individuals each month at no cost to them. Quite frankly, as a licensed therapist, I was initially skeptical of using the internet for counseling. But, my experiences quickly showed me that I can truly have a significant and meaningful conversation with persons online.

The internet provides a powerful means of communication. The form is different from face-to-face meetings, obviously--but not necessarily less effective. I've encountered numerous persons in chat rooms that shared their souls with me and received pastoral care from me. Many of the persons I've encountered had logged on to the internet as a search for some kind of resource for their burdens. One lady was particularly distraught about a family situation and chatted with me at length. She acknowledged how meaningful it was to have me pray with her. A teenager I met this week was angry over issues involving his blended family. I could sense his stress lessening as we conversed. He was quite candid about his part in the problems and seemed to get some new perspectives on his relationships.

More than face-to-face meetings, internet communication provides the ultimate in confidentiality as persons in chat rooms use nick names and divulge only a minimum of facts by which they could be identified. Yet, the continuity of contact with people in scheduled chats provides the means for community building.

We provide pastoral counseling at no cost. Users can simply contact Trevor or I through email, by filling out a request form at our web site, or by joining us in one of our scheduled online chat sessions.

Email: Trevor@Faithnet.Org or Mark@Faithnet.Org
Request online: http://www.faithnet.org/carecenter.htm
Chat schedule: http://www.faithnet.org/eventscalendar.htm

Miracles and Magic

Cool Scripture Cite

"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'When Pharaoh says to you, "Perform a miracle," then say to Aaron, "Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh," and it will become a snake.'" (Exodus 7:8-9 NIV)

Hot Internet Site

Zeek's REAL Magic Trick!! It's pretty astounding, I must admit. You know how magic tricks give you that weird feeling in your gut? This one definitely does the trick! If you haven't figured it out by the time I post our next newsletter, I'll explain how it works. Better yet, if you are the first person to email me with the solution, I'll include YOUR explanation in the next newsletter!

http://www.timwike.dircon.co.uk/card.html

A Sense of Gratitude
Mark Sibley Jones

With Thanksgiving approaching, it may sound passé to speak of gratitude. Yet, there is nothing ordinary about the virtue of thankfulness. Some persons may find that it comes quite naturally to be thankful. I, however, find that it is a cultivated trait. I've had to intentionally develop a grateful heart.

It's not that I don't have much to be thankful for. I do. I am incredibly blessed in a myriad of ways. Rather, it seems to be a matter of focus. Being the somewhat moody and compulsive type, I can easily get distracted by what is not right about something, and become critical. Gratefulness comes to me as a special blessing in an of itself. I am truly thankful for the capacity to be thankful.

Gratitude inspirits life. The New Testament word is quite interesting in this regard. It is a combination of thoughts (eucharisteo): returning grace to another. We receive grace (charis); and in return, we offer grace up (eucharis). This meaning reminds me of the Scripture in 1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us."

Gratitude puts things in perspective. Now, I'm not talking about the annoying response we sometimes get from others, "It could be worse." Of course it could be worse. What consolation is that?! When someone says to me, "It could be worse," what I actually hear them saying between the lines is, "Shut up, and quit complaining." Gratitude, on the other hand, never seals our lips from complaining; gratitude fills our mouths with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a response to God's blessings--and at the same time, a capacity given to us by God. The ability itself to have gratefulness, is to me the greater blessing.