Inspiration and Encouragement - April Lorier Inspirational Christian author April Lorier on international womens issues, spiritual growth, abuse, divorce, parenting, depression, relationships, emotional healing and encouragement for women worldwide. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 18 945

Articles from Inspiration and Encouragement - April Lorier

Older Women, Younger Men - Ain't No New Thing! 2008-01-27 16:00:00 These days we hear about older women, especially celebrities or women of means, pairing up with younger men. The attitude is that it’s chic, modern, and a new thing. I just smile when I hear that attitude being either articulated or implied. That’s because my head is full of stories by my godmother, Liliane, who was born in the Continent of West Africa, the Country of Guinea, and the Province of Kankan. [Images from Wikipedia.org ©Wikipedia] Liliane’s parents were missionaries, living in West Africa. Her mother died when Liliane was young, of “black water fever” or malaria. So it was Liliane and her father who traveled from West Africa to France, and back to West Africa. She learned to speak French at a young age, which was good because both France and West Africa were French-speaking countries. Guinea was created as a colony by France in 1890 with Noël Balley as the first governor. The capital Conakry was founded on Tombo Island in the same year. In 1895 the coun ...

Remember The Good Old Days? 2008-01-27 12:14:00 www.postpalace.com Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog." ...

Journaling - Healing from the Inside Out 2008-01-26 14:09:00 I studied handwriting analysis, or graphology, as its known, for several years. Handwriting is a science, and is as unique as the science of fingerprint analysis. It is commonly used by businesses to weed out unwanted individuals during the hiring process. Investigators of crime will often bring in graphologists to determine forgery, or even character traits in a suspect (like the likelihood of dishonesty). Handwriting has always fascinated me, especially when I learned that even alcoholics are trained to write differently in order to change brain patterns. So, when I was in therapy and my counselor asked me to keep a journal, and to make sure it was handwritten, I had an understanding of why she did not want me to type it on a computer. Handwriting changes the brain! She gave me a leading sentence to start with, like all the men in my life have been… Of course, I thought the subject was too broad, and I objected. But I did it because I wanted to break old patterns and become emot ...

The Most Dangerous Place in the World for Christians 2008-01-25 19:13:00 Canon Andrew White, known as the "Vicar of Baghdad," says Baghdad is the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. He says while conditions in Iraq's capital may be better, overall, he says they're still terrible. "The two largest Christian neighborhoods of Dora and Karada are now void of all Christians," White said. "They had bullets put through their doors, they had letters warning them to leave, and they were given a choice - either you pay the Jizya tax or you convert to Islam, or we kill you. Of my church in Iraq, I have 1300 members in my church in Baghdad and we have only six men left. All the rest have been kidnapped or killed." He says they serve Jesus in the midst of dismal circumstances. Many Christians have had to leave their homes. They're now sleeping in churches, including the major Assyrian churches in Karada. They do not have food, they do not have water. They do not have rent money, and so being part of church and the work of church is not just provi ...

Who Are The Happy People? Married People! 2008-01-24 19:59:00 I’ve been reading studies lately that show married people of faith who are regular church attendees are, by far, happier than single, faithless, non-church goers. According to a recent Gallup poll, the level of very satisfied Americans in 2007 is the highest since 2001. Out of the Americans satisfied with their lives, 59 percent expressed they are very satisfied, while 25 percent say they are somewhat satisfied. Those who attend church weekly, married adults, those in higher income households, whites, and Republicans are most likely to say they are currently satisfied and happy with their lives, according to the Gallup Poll. A full 84 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their personal lives, with 14 percent saying they are dissatisfied. This level of satisfaction is consistent with past results measured by Gallup, which averaged about 82 percent. Two-thirds of Americans who are married or attend church regularly report being very happy or very satisfied w ...

Television - Take Action For Your Children! 2008-01-23 18:00:00 When my kids were growing up, they were severely limited in what they could and couldn't watch! Of course, they thought I was unreasonable, but I was also implacable. Now I'm not saying they didn't go to a friend's house and watch "Three's Company", but they did not watch it in my house! That was some years ago, and television programming has become sluttier and more offensive by the season since then. Even cartoons have been infected with the Sodom and Gomorrah filth. It's not enough to say, "You don't like it, flip the channel." Even the commercials have become offensive, and those come without warning, even during "safe" programs.Did you know you, as a consumer, have the right to complain to the FCC? And if you did know this, but thought it wouldn't do any good, think again! You also have the power to write to television programs telling them you are boycotting all the products of their advertisers. It worked with Target and K-Mart when they forbad their associates to say ... Children

Indiana - Traditional Marriage On The Line 2008-01-22 18:45:00 This just in from Focus on the Family: Indiana Marriage Amendment is Stuck in Legislature!Speaker of the House needs to hear from those who support traditional marriage. Marriage advocates are optimistic the proposed Indiana marriage-protection amendment will pass the state Senate this week. However, it is likely to face harsh opposition when it reaches House Speaker Pat Bauer's desk. “He has personally assured its death,” said Sue Swayze, program coordinator for the Indiana Family Institute. “He actually won an award from the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) a few years ago for killing it.” Supporters of same-sex "marriage" say Hoosiers don’t care about marriage and are focused on property tax reform. Swayze said both property tax reform and a marriage amendment can be accomplished. TAKE ACTION!If you live in Indiana, urge House Speaker Pat Bauer to support the marriage amendment. You can find contact information through their Action Center.Submitted 2008 April Lorier ...

Moms, Are You Too Busy? 2008-01-22 18:02:00 Today I'm thinking about how busy women have become. As women, we tend to take on too many tasks that either don't need to be done, or that could be done by someone else. Sometimes, we are reluctant to delegate because we want the job done right! And other times, we feel guilty asking for help. After all, aren't we supposed to be super women?Several years ago, at a Writers' Conference, I met the most beautiful woman named Elisabeth Eliot. She oozed inner beauty. She has a memorable life story of her life in Ecuador, before and after her husband, Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were speared to death by The Aucas while ministering to the Quichua Indians. Last year a highly successful movie End of the Spear was released about Jim Eliot's life and his fellow missionaries who were speared to death in Aucan territory.After Jim's death, Elisabeth returned with her daughter to minister to the same cannibalistic area for several years. I was intrigued beyond belief by this extreme ...

Mental Illness: A Mother's Worst Nightmare 2008-01-20 22:23:00 We hear much about bipolar disorder in the news these days. It is just one mental disease among many, but it seems the time we hear most about it is when some terrible crime has taken place. I know there are millions of families broken apart by mental illness. When one member of the family is ill, it has a profound effect on the rest of the family. In other words, mental illness is a family disease. (Most of these brain disorders have been around for a long time, but now they have new names. For example, Bipolar Disorder used to be called “Manic Depression”.) When I was growing up, my best friend’s mother was mentally ill. She did very strange things before she was committed to a mental institution. For example, she would stay up all night washing the walls, ceilings, floors, dishes and clothes in pure bleach. (I learned never to drink out of any of those glasses!) My friend and her siblings all suffered, but learned to think of it as normal. Now, many years later, my friend a ...

Financial Woes, Biblical Answers! 2008-01-19 13:39:00 Women, especially divorced or widowed women, are still near the bottom of the income level in our society, as well as many other societies. It is common knowledge that in most divorces it is the woman who suffers economically, not the man. There are, of course, exceptions, but they are just that: exceptions. This week, with Wall Street free-falling, I have been more conscious than ever of how fear creeps in and destroys my confidence in God’s provision. As a divorced female, I have been meditating on how I can stay blessable by God. As a Christian, I know all of my blessings come from my Creator, even if they are passed through the hands of mortal people. I’ve been in 2 Kings 4 reading about the Widow’s Oil, and certain passages have been highlighted by God’s highlighter in my spirit. Here’s the story and what I gleaned from it. 1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the L ...

Genital Cutting: The Beliefs That Fuel It 2008-01-18 16:28:00 As more people immigrate to America, they bring their customs and belief systems with them. One custom, in particular, is not talked about much, and as a result we, as Americans do not know what is going on with females. It is the custom of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sometimes called Female Genital Cutting (FGC), or Female Circumcision (FC). Once we do hear rumors about it, most of us wonder why it’s both required and desired. What are the beliefs that compel both males and females to make sure girls are cut? 1. In most FGM societies one important belief is that this procedure will reduce a women's desire for sex and in doing so will reduce the chance of sex outside the marriage. This is vital to this society as her honor (for the family) is dependent on her to not be opened up prior to marriage. 2. Some view the clitoris and the labia as male parts on a female body! Therefore, removal of these parts enhances the femininity of the girl. 3. It is also believed that unl ...

Pro-Lifers Celebrate New Report on Abortion! 2008-01-17 19:11:00 The abortion rate in the U.S. fell to a 30-year low in 2005, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood. In 1995, 1.2 million preborn babies were killed, compared to a... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog." ...

Gifts and Love: Greatest Valentine Ever! 2008-01-17 00:15:00 Gifts can be dangerous. Kindness can make a receiver indebted to the giver. Such is the nervousness we may feel about accepting the offer of God. We're sure that the gift isn't offered without... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog." ...

Child Sex Slaves To The Gods? Do You Care? 2008-01-15 15:51:00 Did you know that little African girls are taken from their parents to be "wives of the gods" in the southern Volta Region of Ghana, and in southern Togo and Benin? Thousands of young girls of the... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog." ...

How To Find "Mr Right" Using a Fairy Tale 2008-01-14 23:24:00 So you are a Christian woman looking for a nice Christian man with whom you could spend the rest of your life. OK, so let's start by reading a fairy tale. If a woman reads Lyman Frank Baum's... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog." ...