iCampingAdventure.com

Ever notice when you start a new hobby or fall in love with a new shrub or flower you start to see it everywhere? This isn’t necessarily because everyone else has the same new hobby it?s because you have the flower or shrub or hobby at the top of your mind.

You are focused on it, thinking about how much you enjoy it and you end up noticing it when you never did before. It’s not merely a coincidence it’s your Reticular Activating System located at the junction of the base of the brain and the spinal cord that is responsible for stimulating this top of the mind response.

Every minute our body receives thousands of stimuli; sounds, smells, sensations, tastes, and changes in environment. All these stimuli are filtered through the Reticular Activating System and the most important ones are passed onto the largest portion of our brain, the cerebrum; the central portion, which is responsible for cognition and then, translated into thoughts and emotions.

Understanding how this system functions allows us to better filter the distractions in our world. You can focus on the work or play at hand and only process the things that are most important to you at the moment. It’s a great way to filter out all the distracting thoughts while you are fishing or gardening. Or to come up with the best ideas for the new brochure you’ve been working on.

Use the Reticular Activating System to help you reach your goals or solve a problem. Keep it on the top of your mind by thinking about it, writing about it, even doing affirmations. Talking about the things you want to achieve as if you already have achieved them.

Another good tool is to create and image book. Clip pictures that reflect the idea or desired outcome and keep adding to the book. Look it over every day and keep your goals foremost in your mind. You can use the same system to keep you from being overwhelmed. Don’t look at everything that needs to be done. Pick out three of the most important things and break each one down into two or three steps and work in a methodical fashion to complete each step. Then list the next three things that need to be taken care of and continue to focus on the most important things first.

Do some spring-cleaning of the clutter in your brain and make your year more productive. Write down the five most important goals you would like to achieve in the next 6- 9 months. Then list three or four steps under each that will let you reach each goal.

Put the paper some place clearly visible so you will look at it several times a day. By keeping it on top of your mind your Reticular Activating System will help increase your focus, creativity, and resolve to reach your goals this year.

About The Author

?BZ Riger-Hull. Author of The Soul of Success http://www.in-spiros.com For valuable free articles, mailto:A1@smartautoresponder.com Certified as a Success Coach, ?Four Agreements? Facilitator, & Tele-Course leader We help you communicate powerfully, reduce stress, Strategically Attract success, & increase your financial well-being. Our coaching programs and Tele-Courses give you the Tools you need to Succeed.

bz@in-spiros.com

In Colossians 2:16 it reads ?Let no man therefore judge you in meat (offering), or in drink (offering), or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:?. Many people who have read this verse out of context have concluded that this means that the fourth Commandment, which says ?Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy?.?. was abolished at the cross. Is this really what the Bib le is teaching? What do the preceding verses say? Can they shed any light on the validity of this conclusion?

Colossians 2:14 states, ?blotting out the handwriting (the only laws written by hand were the ceremonial laws, written by Moses -) of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.?

The ceremonial and sacrificial law was a rigorous system of rites and ceremonies and feasts that were put in place as a shadow of things to come. They pointed to the coming of the Messiah. Whenever an animal was sacrificed and it?s blood was shed, it served as a reminder to the onlookers that someday a Saviour would come and die for their sins. The ceremonial law was symbolically placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant, to show that it was temporary, and ?against? the people. The Ten Commandment law on the other hand, was written in stone by the finger of God, and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, symbolising its eternal nature.

Luke further clarifies that there is a distinction between the Ten Commandment and Ceremonial laws. Luke 1:6 ?And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.?

James described the Ten Commandment law as a ?law of liberty?. Jesus showed that they were a law of love. John 15:10 ?If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love?.

As well as being about love, the first four showing us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man, the Ten Commandments also depict aspects of the character of God. In many places the same words are used to describe the nature of God and the nature of the law. For example:

Romans 16:26: God is Eternal Psalm 111:7-8: The law is Eternal

John 4:24: God is Spiritual Romans 7:14: The law is Spiritual

Psalm 145:17: God is Righteous Psalm 119:172: The law is Righteous

Matthew 5:48: God is Perfect Psalm 19:7: The law is Perfect

Luke 18:19: God is Good Romans 7:12: The law is Good

Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Just Romans 7:12: The law is Just

1 John 3:3: God is Pure Psalms 19:8: The law is Pure

I John 4:8: God is Love Romans 13:10: The law is Love

I John 1:5: God is Light Proverbs 6:23: The law is Light

Psalms 48:1: God is Great Hosea 8:12: The law is Great

Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Truth Psalm 119:142: The law is Truth

Isaiah 5:16: God is Holy Romans 7:12: The law is Holy

It seems obvious from the very nature of both the Ten Commandment law and the ordinances, that it was only the Ordinances that were made obsolete at the cross, through the death and resurrection of our Lord.

The Ten Commandments remain as an eternal law of love. Jesus Himself said about the commandment law. Mat 5:18 ?For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled?.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.colossians2-16.com

Price : $79.99

Features

• Three Large Compartments: Main:19"x12"x5"
• Front Top: 7"x10"x2.5" / Bottom: 12"x12"x3"
• Heavy Weight Webbing through out the entire pack
• Grommets on all compartment for drainage
• Overall Dimension: 19"x12"x10" / 2.5 Litre Bladder Included

Product Description

HYDRATION Back Pack w/Bladder.External side compression straps. Heavy-Duty carry and drag handle. Double zipper pulls on all compartment for easy access. Heavy weight webbing for modular attachments. Compression molded back panel. 1200D Rip Stop Shell. Great for Mtn. Biking, Hiking, or any extreme outdoor Sport

Price : $79.99

Features

• Three Large Compartments: Main:19"x12"x5"
• Front Top: 7"x10"x2.5" / Bottom: 12"x12"x3"
• Heavy Weight Webbing through out the entire pack
• Grommets on all compartment for drainage
• Overall Dimension: 19"x12"x10" / 2.5 Litre Bladder Included

Product Description

HYDRATION Back Pack w/Bladder.External side compression straps. Heavy-Duty carry and drag handle. Double zipper pulls on all compartment for easy access. Heavy weight webbing for modular attachments. Compression molded back panel. 1200D Rip Stop Shell. Great for Mtn. Biking, Hiking, or any extreme outdoor Sport

Before Paul presented his qualifications for leaders, he encouraged Christians to desire leadership: ?This is a true saying, If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.?(1 Timothy 3:1). Providing a climate where people feel free and motivated to cultivate and implement constructive ideas is the challenge of talented leaders. Those who succeed in selling good ideas to others win financially, gain power, and assume a leadership role themselves. Paul is stating that if a man desires the pastoral office (a role of leadership in the Christian Community) and from love of Christ was ready to deny himself and undergo hardships by devoting himself to that service he sought a good work. ?To optimize an organization?s ability to achieve sustained excellence, it must recognize the need for proactive talent management and have a systematic way of accomplishing the activity.?1

Paul applies talent management later in the letter when he urges Timothy to accept his call to leadership. ?Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.? (1 Timothy 4:14). As someone once said, ?A company without money can always borrow it, but a company without leadership is bankrupt.? This sense of urgency is Paul?s talent management tool ? he had to get Timothy engaged. ?Explaining, asking, and involving are at the heart of engaging people in your business, but the causes of, and contributors to, engagement go deeper than that. Ultimately you engage to get performance?? 2

After Paul engages Timothy in the aspiration of leadership, he outlines the requirements for leaders in the Christian community. Eight of Paul?s qualifications for a Bishop3 deal with the character and behavior of leaders. All of them deal with the leader?s ability maintain control. Similarly, he outlined the qualifications for Deacons4.

Qualifications for Leaders (Elders/Bishops and Deacons)

Vigilant- Elder3:2

Hospitable-Elder3:2

Able to teach-Elder3:25:17

Gentle (not violent)-Elder3:3

Not quarrelsome- Elder3:3

Not a recent convert-Elder3:6

Respectable-Elder 3:2, 3:7/Deacon3:8

Sober- Elder3:23:3/Deacon3:8

Husband of one wife-Elder3:2/Deacon3:12

Manages own family- Elder3:4/Deacon3:12

Temperate- Elder3:2/Deacon3:8

Trustworthy (Honest)-Elder 3:3/Deacon3:8 3:9

Irreproachable-Elder3:2/Deacon3:8

Sincere- Deacon3:9

Tested- Deacon3:10

1. Lance A. Berger and Dorothy R. Berger, The Talent Management Handbook, (New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004), In the 1990s, LBA Consulting Group undertook a major study that focused on identifying the factors that most contributed to the creation and sustenance of organizational excellence. The study examined organizations that had survived and prospered, and those that had failed, over a 25-year period. The successful organizations focused on proactively and systematically managing their human resources along these lines. Those that failed took a more casual, traditional approach. 3.

2. Edward L. Gubman, Talent Solution, (Blacklick: McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, 1998), 205.

3. Karen Dockery, Johnnie Godwin, and Phyllis Godwin, The Student Bible Dictionary, (Uhrichville: Barbour Books, 2000), Spiritual ?Supervisor? (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:2). Used interchangeably with elder and presbyter. 54.

4. Karen Dockery, The Student Bible Dictionary, 2000, Servant, minister, helper. A church leader who ministers to others. 72.

Lieutenant Ken Rice is an Active Duty Naval Officer stationed in Norfolk VA. He is currently assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Force’s Warfare Requirments Directorate as the FORCEnet Requirements Officer. Lieutenant Rice is responsible for the program analasys and budget oversight for Information Technology Transformation for the Surface Fleet. He is currently enrolled at Regent University working towards a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership.

Price :

Features

• Spacious square, dome-style tent sleeps up to six (11 by 11 floor; 121 square foot area)
• Heavy duty bathtub floor made of 4-ounce 210D oxford polyester
• Multicoated StormShield polyester fly won’t stretch when wet and resists UV breakdown
• Includes corner organizer, wall organizer with mirror, two water bottle pockets
• Center height of 84 inches; weighs 23 pounds, 15 ounces

Product Description

TENT, SUNRISE 11, FAMILY SERIES

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-08-13
Just came back from Grand Canyon.Tent was simply perfect.Easy set up ,best ventilation lots of space.LOVE IT!!!

Review date : 2008-07-18
I spent endless hours online looking for a good tent. This was my first time camping and I was not sure at all what type of tent to buy. There is simply too much to chose from. I was basically looking for a reasonably price 3 season tent with good rain protection. Eureka SUnrise had the best reviews and I decided to go with this one.

We went for 2 nights camping at Acadia National Park in Maine. I tried to put it together myself alone but it was too hard to do it. I had to ask a friend to help me out. WIth 2 persons it is very easy to put up. The feature i liked the best was the 4 windows. It was a bit hot during the day and the cross ventilation kept the tent inside cool. At night it got a bit cold so we zipped the windows and after that it was nice and cozy inside. It did not rain so can’t comment on that aspect. It was easy to fold it and took a lot less time. The poles are a little heavy so if you have the $$$ then I would suggest to go with light weight aluminum pole tent.

I gave this tent 4 stars because the tent description said that even a single person can put it up but I found it very hard to do it especially there is no way a single person can put the rainfly by himself. The tent is 7 foot hight at the center and the rainfly has to go over it. You have to put the rainfly on the ground flat first, put the poles in it and then lift it and put it on top of tent. It is a huge rainfly and if its windy it is almost impossible for a single person to do it.

Overall I am glad that I purchased this tent. However at I paid $210 for this tent and not it is selling for $174 :(. I would say it is a good deal.

Review date : 2008-05-29
We went through four different tents and this one was by far the best to set up and the space available for everyone is great! My daughter’s favorite part are the cup holders and shelves just her size.

Review date : 2007-12-29
We looked around at a number of family tents. We purchased one and found that it was extremely difficult to set up in even the most minimal amount of wind. My wife and I are both experienced campers and hikers so we were surprised when we couldn’t get the tent up properly. We even borrowed a friend’s family tent and proceeded to rip the base the first time we tried to stretch the tent out to stake it.

This tent is different. It is logical to put up. Once up it is spacious. The first time we put it up only took ten or fifteen minutes (include the time to yell at our 1 year old and 3 year old to get off it or we can’t put it up). Internally it has some nice storage features (lots of little pockets and places to store items). I never thought any of that kind of stuff was usefull or necessary until trying to find where the diaper cream went amongst all of the sleeping bags. The tent has nice features without appearing loaded with gimmicks.

And here is the real clincher - the sack that the tent comes in actually fits the tent. Not like you have to bring a hydraulic press to squeeze it in - it actually fits. What a relief after a long weekend of camping. I have never written a review before but was moved enough by the quality of this product.

The only downside I can think of - the stakes included are the cheezy plastic variety that don’t always work in all soil types. And there is not a waterproof assembly instruction printed on the bag (always a nice touch but not needed here since assembly is so logical). Also the way the rain fly goes on is a bit odd (attaching the cross poles to the fly and THEN sliding it over the top).

But the downsides so pale in comparison to the pluses. We are 100% satisfied so far!

Review date : 2007-09-29
We bought this tent to replace a similar Eureka tent that lasted more than 10 years. We love our new Eureka tent! We didn’t even use seam sealer, but it still stayed dry inside during rain on our recent camping trip.

The old tent had four main poles that connected to a center piece, and it was very easy to put up, even by one person. This new tent is just a little harder to put up because there are two very long main poles that arch across the top from corner to corner. We decided that the best process for putting it up was to first stake two corners on the same side of the tent. Then, with the tent flat, we put the two poles through the sleeves and attached them at the two staked corners. Next, the two of us each stood an an unstaked corner so we could simultaneously arch the two poles and fasten the other ends in place. Finally we staked down the third and fourth corner and the sides. Putting up the fly was a breeze.

The tent has a large window on each side, and the zippers worked smoothly! The cupholders and pockets are great, and there are little loops on the inside of seams so you can hang other stuff.

Can you count how many self-help or motivational articles you’ve read, or how many books you’ve purchased or borrowed on the subject? Have you tried self-help seminars, maybe even ordered videos or the complete CD set sold by the latest and greatest motivational guru?

Yet, even with all that storehouse of knowledge, and all the effort you can manage, nothing has changed. You haven’t found your dream job, taken that exotic vacation, become rich beyond your wildest dreams and your family isn’t as bonded and beautiful as the smiling families at the end of one of those reality nanny shows.

It can be frustrating and leave you feeling even worse about yourself than you did before, because now you have the added guilt of having failed at one more sure-fire method to becoming your elusive ideal.

But maybe it isn’t you - at least, not from your current perspective.

Have you ever noticed in restaurants, how the dishes are all the same size, no matter who orders the meals? A waif-like woman will receive a plate of food filled with exactly the same proportions as the tall, muscular construction worker at the next table. When the wait staff comes to clear their plates, they may find she’s only eaten half of her meal. Is there anything wrong? the waiter might ask. Oh, no, she’ll reply and pat her stomach delicately. I’m just full. At the next table, the construction worker has not only cleaned his plate, but he’s eaten all the breadsticks, the appetizer, and he’s asking for a dessert menu as he’s eyeing his date’s dinner with obvious menu-envy.

Does this mean that the waif should feel like a failure because she wasn’t able to eat all the food? Should the construction worker feel like a failure because he’s still hungry? Of course not, and you know that, but the concept is too often forgotten when it comes to measuring personal success.

One size does not fit all. It isn’t true of pantyhose, restaurant meals, diets, prescriptions, hobbies, or any host of things. And the one size fits all approach is definitely not true for sure-fire success programs either.

The next time you decide to try a new motivational program or self-help seminar, or even revisit one that you have an inkling could work for you, keep one thing in mind: One size does NOT fit all.

By all means, listen to what the coaches or instructors have to say, and learn as much as you can, but don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself if some of those great ideas don’t fit you or your lifestyle.

Modify. Take what works for you from this program, and something that worked from that program, keeping track in a journal or in a computer file. Implement those things that are workable, that make you feel better about yourself, or that give you enough incentive to take on a little more. Develop your own methods from the lessons you’ve learned. Over time - weeks, months, years (only you can know the pace that’s right for you) - you’ll see that you’ve developed a program that truly works for you. And who knows? You may be the next great motivational guru and we’ll all be racing out to buy your books, CDs, and videos.

Or best case scenario, you’ll come to know yourself a little better and when that happens, you begin to accept yourself as you are and when you find yourself saying I’m doing the best I can, it’ll be evident.

Instead of that little phrase feeling like a cry of failure, it’ll be a statement of your success.

The suggestions here refer to motivational and success types of programs. Diet, exercise, mental wellness, or any programs requiring an expert’s care should be followed according to the advice given by those professionals. This is not to be construed as medical advice.

Kim-Marie Ward is a freelance editor of both non-fiction books and fiction novels, a ghostwriter, and has written several articles for various ezines and newsletters (online and in print). Kim is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Fiction Writing. Stop by and visit her portfolio at: Kim-Marie on Writing.Com.

Price : $49.97

Features

• Seven-feet by seven-feet, one-room tent sleeps three
• 52 inches of vertical space at center
• Rainfly covers door and windows, mesh vent provides increased ventilation
• Access gear or adjust ventilation with CoolAir port
• Easy-to-follow set-up instructions are sewn into the carry bag

Alchemy - the art of transmutation. It is popularly assumed that alchemy is the name given to the process of turning base metals into Gold. This is not totally correct. Alchemy has a history stretching back over a couple of thousand millennia and during that time the name has indeed been applied to many practices which fall under the umbrella of ‘chemical practices’. When tracing the history of the art, however, it might more accurately be said that alchemy was e originally the process of Man working upon himself (his raw or base nature) in a quest to perfect, or transmute, his own nature and locate the ‘gold’ within. That is not to say that alchemy did not also involve the process of attempting to turn a first substance (Prima materia) into the Elixir that was itself the transmuting agent, but it seems indivisible from the spiritual process, known as the Great Work.

What’s more it is thought possible that the ancient alchemist had happened across the principles that we know today as quantum physics. It is believed that they had discovered how to alter atomic structure and used nuclear principles in their work i.e. They knew there was a way of manipulating matter to produce a ‘field of force’ - on a physical and spiritual level. Hence the reasons for all the secrecy lest it fall into the wrong hands, and the insistence on endless repetition of the distillation process to prevent accidents.

It was only really in the 16th century that many of the ideas, principles and symbols were brought out into the open. Until then it had been passed on by word of mouth from Master to Initiate in the secret fraternities and kept ambiguous to outsiders through thuse of allegory and symbolism. Even then, no two processes were revealed as being the same and it does seem as if only the exclusive few had access to the ultimate alchemical formulae, the Magnus Opus.

Whether they knew of nuclear principles remains a subject of conjecture but certainly ancient alchemists probably discovered a force which today we might take for granted, for it appears likely that early alchemist discovered what we now know to be by products of deep meditation — clairvoyance and telepathy. In fact it is possible that certain combinations of certain elements produced potions which helped induce physical changes and visions and these were found to be ‘purer’ under certain conditions, namely certain planetary alignments.

The reason that alchemy is of such interest to an astrologer is because the knowledge of the connection of the terrestrial with the celestial was obviously an intrinsic part of the transmutation process. Cherry Gilchrist in her book The Element of Alchemy, informs us that John of Rupescisia (14th C) wrote that alchemy is:

‘ the secret of the mastery of fixing the sun in our own sky, so that light shines therein and sheds light and the principles of light upon our bodies’

Certainly, the introduction of light, and the absence of light, at certain crucial times was seen as being critical to the success of the process. So too was the knowledge of the correspondences of metals to different planets. Alchemists were skilled astrologers and perpetuated the view that the planet is whole and alive. Each planet when ’strong in influence’ was said to accelerate the growth of the metal within the earth. Indeed, often in alchemical texts the metals are called by the planets name themselves e.g Venus = Copper. The alchemist worked closely with celestial influences to bring about transformation.

To my mind it seems plain that Hermeticism and Freemasonry (and I include astrology) are fundamentally the vehicles which carry the secrets of alchemy (self mastery) from initiate to initiate. Through becoming a Mason or Hermeticist one is honoured with keys to the alchemical process; each secret, or key, being passed on in stages (degrees) via the mediums of allegory and symbolism. The ultimate goal to become self- realised, a spirit incarnate.

A nature is delighted by another nature, a nature conquers another nature, a nature dominates another nature’. - An allegorical key to alchemy.

In astrology there were 7 planets visible to the ancients and 12 divisions of the sky (the zodiac). In alchemy there were processes of transmutation of 7 and 12 stages in length. George Ripley, a 15th century alchemist described the alchemy process as The Twelve Gates and likened it to a circular castle with 12 entrances. In astrological thought one is believed to pass daily and yearly through these 12 ‘gates’. Manly P. Hall explains the 12 step process in alchemy (and freemasonry) further if you visit this link

In conclusion then, it seems alchemy was so revered because its aim was to give Man the greatest power of all - self mastery. This was achieved by utilising knowledge of the astrological elements, along with an understanding of planetary influence and correspondences. Through the marriage of physical and spiritual the result was a connection to the All - transmutation to transcendence. Hermeticism and Freemasonry helps to facilitate that journey but its lessons are necessarily ‘occulted’ (hidden) so that only those reaching for truth, tolerance and peace may know its secrets.

Kathryn Cassidy is an astrologer who writes extensively on metaphysical subjects. She hosts three blogs which can be accessed from collaboratingwithfate.blogspot.com

Price : $2.75

Features

• hand towels, easy to carry, packs into a pocket, glove compartment or suitcase
• superabsorbent, absorbs 9 times it’s weight in water
• biodegradable two ways, energy efficient, eco friendly
• multipurpose, thousands of uses
• machine washable,hand washable

Product Description

The only towel that is survival gear. Use as a firestarter, wind scarf, strainer, first aid supplement, insulator. It absorbs nine times it’s weight in water