The Music Of Achievement

The United Kingdom of Israel split in two during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was composed of 10 tribes, headed by the tribe of Joseph, in their new capital called Samaria. The Southern Kingdom of Judah continued to rule from Jerusalem, with the Royal House of David presiding over them. Both sinned against the God of Israel and were patiently warned by the prophets, but Northern Israel fell first and was deported by the Assyrians approximately 130 years before Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and the Temple destroyed (2 Kgs. 17).

After 70 years, a small number of Jews returned and restored Jerusalem and built the Temple. The Jews had been deported to Babylon and were from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Northern Israelites had been taken captive earlier to other areas (2 Kgs. 17:6) and have never returned. If you check the records of those who returned from the Babylonian exile it becomes clear that only those from the Southern tribes of Benjamin, Levi and Judah returned. Some carelessly assume that just because they’re sometimes referred to as sons or children of Israel that it means they were from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. However, Jacob-Israel had twelve sons who were the patriarchs of the twelve tribes. Every Jew is an Israelite, an ethnic descendant of Jacob-Israel, but not every Israelite is a Jew!

It is historically and biblically important to make this distinction between Jews and Israelites and to be careful not to blur their identities (Ezek. 44:23). After all, God has devoted four books of the Bible to do just that!

But did God intend for Northern Israel to remain lost? Since we acted like pagan Gentiles God let us lose our spiritual minds and think we’re Gentiles, but was the punishment for our religious sins supposed to last forever? Didn’t God promise that He would preserve Israel’s unique identity even though they were scattered throughout and among many nations? Clearly God has never lost sight of who the “Lost Tribes” really are and where they’re located today: “For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the House of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth” (Amos 9:9).

If God’s aware of a sparrow’s condition, certainly He’s more concerned with collective Israel’s affairs, especially since we’re beloved for the fathers’ (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) sakes. Yet we see grief-stricken Israel feeling helpless and hopeless, dead to history, cut off from their roots, having given up any hope of being restored to national life, being reassured by God Almighty that He will restore their physical identity!

Once God begins the healing process, the life-giving spirit of reconciliation between Judah and Israel will result in our restoration as a United Kingdom, One Nation under God! God will restore us to our ancient homeland and revive the Davidic monarchy to rule with but under Messiah. God’s Sanctuary will again be found in Jerusalem, and shine as a sign to the whole world, since He’ll return home with the exiles (Ezek. 36).

Israel was only to remain lost until just before Messiah comes. That’s when we would begin to fulfill our tribal destinies as prophesied by Jacob and Moses (Gen. 49; Deut. 33). The sons of Joseph, the Anglo-Saxons, have fulfilled the prophecies like no other “claimants” to Israel’s inheritance can: Manasseh has become the single great nation of the United States, and his brother Ephraim has become the British Commonwealth of Nations (Gen. 48:19), as clearly brought out in The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.

After our prophesied 2520 years of exile, Israel began to grow and multiply and be blessed around 1800-1803. A Jewish Homeland reveals how our Jewish brethren also came into their own after the time of their punishment came to a close, and boldly declared their statehood in 1948, holding the Promised Land in trust for all Twelve Tribes (Rom. 3:2).

Joseph and Judah are the top two leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was around the ordained time that God began to bestow Joseph’s Birthright that He began to restore Israel’s identity among both the Anglo-Saxons and Jews (I Chron. 5:2). Some have embraced this wonderful truth and consequently have drawn closer to each other as brethren, but others have foolishly allowed Satan to create enmity and alienate us. Soon such “sibling rivalry” will be a thing of the past (Isa. 11:13).

Some rabbis/ministers have stubbornly refused to search for the “Lost Ten Tribes” and have left them to wander in their pagan Gentile ways and days! GOD HOLDS MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT HELPING TO RESTORE ISRAEL’S ROOTS AND RESPONSIBILITY! (Ezek. 34:4). He’ll personally cut them off from the pulpit and strip them of their duties! They’ve proven themselves unworthy of shepherding God’s people Israel and have forfeited their future as leaders.(Ezek. 34:10; Matt. 12:30). Nevertheless, God has raised up others to accomplish this urgent “search and rescue” mission (Ezek. 34:16).

Surely God wouldn’t leave His Church in the dark about Israel’s identity, especially since the Gospel should go first to Israelites and then to Gentiles. And the Gospel is ONE BIG PROPHECY! .

Thankfully, there are a growing number of groups and organizations, books and articles, both Christian and Jewish, that are assisting this GREAT WORK OF ISRAELITE IDENTIFICATION. They are helping to proclaim: “I am Joseph your brother” (Gen. 45:4). The Jerusalem-based Brit-Am Israel organization is a pioneer among our Jewish brethren.

God reveals our Israelite identity and expects us to help restore our brethren to their biblical senses (Isa. 42:22; 51:1-2). Those ministers who fail to respond to God’s call to search and rescue Israel have robbed them of a right relationship with God and our forefathers, substituting pagan hollow days for God’s holy days (Isa. 63:16; Hos. 5:7; Malachi 4:4-6). They’ve stubbornly put their idolatrous traditions above God’s commands, preferring doctrinal darkness and captivity over Messiah’s spiritual light and freedom.

Nevertheless, a number have been called from the womb to help restore Israel’s identity and religion (Isa. 49:5-6), blasting Babylon and clearing away the stumbling blocks of religious confusion (Isa. 57:14; 58:1, 12). Even if our people as a whole reject the plain truth for popular error (2 Chron. 30:5-11), a precious few will always respond to God’s call to forsake Babylon (traditional Christianity/Jewish myths) and return to our biblical roots and responsibility (I Kgs. 18:21, 36-37; Rev. 18:4).

It’s vital to know who Israel is so they can return to the biblical faith once delivered. Why? To enable them to be spared from “the Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” the “Great Tribulation” that is prophesied to fall especially hard upon our heads. God expects us to work together to remember our Hebrew roots and responsibility, and to lead and direct our Israelite nations in the right direction (Jer. 31:21).

In order to warn Israel about the many prophecies that preview our coming captivity (due to our idolatry and immorality), it was first necessary for God to restore our identity. God has now restored our identity, He’s again warning our nations, and it’s up to us what will happen next.

May we take God’s Word to heart, return to the God of our fathers, and have hope: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

About The Author

David Ben-Ariel, an American author who has travelled widely and who has lived throughout Israel, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out www.benariel.com.

davidbenariel@famvid.com

When someone walks through your door, it is quite likely that a
sales person is available and able to assist them with any
questions. At that moment in time, specially in a leather
oriented business, many aspects of the human sensory spectrum
are in full swing. They can smell the unique scent of genuine
leather, they can see and touch the smooth buttery leather and
most importantly they can hear and understand what you have to
say about your leather product offerings. Put all these things
together and there is a very good chance you are going to make a
sale! … Now try to accomplish this on the Internet.

It goes without saying that the Internet can enhance the bottom
lines of many, if not all, leather oriented businesses, however,
did you know that there are obstacles associated with selling
online that can literally sink your leather business if you are
not prepared?

For the purpose of this article, let us define the term “online
commerce” as “the electronic selling of leather and leather
products through an online shopping cart environment”. There are
certain issues that a business should take into account before
even contemplating opening up an online shop.

First let me start off by asking you a simple question. When was
the last time you fired up your computer and said “I am going
onto the internet to do some shopping?” I am willing to bet,
that’s not too many times, if any. Most people hop on the
internet to do research, or if anything, to do a little window
shopping! That’s right … to look around and see what’s
available. Very few people hop on the internet looking to buy
something, but this does not mean you can’t sell to them! All
this means is that you need to treat them a little differently
to ensure they buy from you.

Here are some strategies to help you get started.

1. Develop your online catalogue with the first time shopper in
mind all the time.

I can’t begin to count how many leather industry sites out there
that are falling short in this department. Your company website
has to take on the roll of your top sales person. It needs to
provide as much information as possible to your potential
customers. What we are talking about here is not only
information on how to reach you, but detailed product specific
information, product uses, methods for payment, shipping
options, refunds etc.

You need to position your leather company as a mentor or teacher
and educate your potential customers about your product
offerings and their applicable uses. When writing your website
content, pretend that every potential visitor will know very
little about your offerings. Ensure that your content is as
informative as possible. You will win over more leather
consumers this way, trust me. Use this strategy whether you are
selling a jacket, a pair of boots, a can of adhesive or a
sheepskin. Once you convert that casual visitor into a customer,
and you deliver on your orders, you’ll have gained a lifetime
customer.

Now, if you’re thinking about selling say upholstery hides (or
other finished hides) online, let me give you a piece of advice.
Do so only with customers that have bought from you before or
who have received one of your sample swatches. Why? Remember
online customers are going by what is on your website; they
don’t actually get to touch your upholstery leather or hide. As
we all know, every hide is different and each carries its unique
imperfections. So forget about trying to display the true
representation of the colors or textures of hides on their
monitors. With the many different monitors and graphic cards
available it is an impossible task. A simple comment like - “If
ordering our XYZ upholstery hide for the first time, please
request a sample cutting or swatch to confirm specifications
before ordering.” If you make this offer; ensure you get the
samples out! Potential first-time customers will appreciate the
heads up and second-timers will be unfazed as they have bought
the product from you before. The alternative is an unhappy
customer, restocking fees, shipping fees and the loss of a
potential lifetime customer.

In the next three articles, Frank will address three additional
strategies that will not only help you keep your customers, but
increase them as well. Learn how a $300 order can generate in
excess of $120,000 of business.

Picture this: you’re in a rowboat anchored in the middle of a river. You watch as objects floating down the river passing you by. When it rains, you put up a tarp. When the current changes, you keep your paddle in the water so you don’t tip over. When a log comes your way, you swing the boat around. Pulling up anchor and heading around the next bend in the river or going ashore requires more energy than you think you have. All your energy goes into “managing stuck?”

The Truth is, change IS going to happen. Change is a part of life. Staying stuck is NOT going to make change from happening. Here are nine attitudes that may be keeping you stuck.

1. You do not believe you deserve, or are entitled to something different or better than you have.

2. You have negative thoughts about yourself and in your ability to change. Making a change may be too embarrassing, too hard, or it’s always the wrong time.

3. Life is chaotic. In the past problem solving creates chaos. Making plans to change become elaborate raising your level of anxiety. When you feel overwhelmed with anxiety, you shut down.

4. You feel alone. You lack a support system to help you clarify a plan and to feel connected with others as change happens in your life.

5. You are a perfectionist. If you are unable to come up with the “perfect” plan, than no plan will work.

6. You make the same choices over and over without seeing results so you stop.

7. You lack a sense of identity within yourself. Your identity of yourself is in your relationships, the roles you have, your education and external conditions.

8. You feel guilty about how making a change in your life will affect others.

9. You are so proficient at managing stuck that any change takes you too far outside your comfort zone.

Do any of these nine attitudes sound familiar? The good news is that when you recognize you’re stuck, you have already begun to get unstuck.

Sharon Marquart is a gifted Certified Personal Coach, inspirational speaker and author. For more than 13 years she has share with audiences large and small. http://www.Livingatyes.com She is the author of “Working For God,” “Living With Soulful Purpose,” and “Creating A Wedding Ministry.” Her coaching practice is Living at YES!(You Embracing Spirit) where she passionately supports clients in identifying mistaken beliefs and self-limiting thoughts. She coaches them in getting unstuck, setting intentions and living possibilities! Sharon teaches via tele-classes and facilitates tele-groups and e-courses. Her coaching clients are nationwide. Sharon is committed to bringing Metaphysical and Spiritual Truths into everyday language and applying them to everyday life experiences. Sharon is the Director of Spiritual Coaching at the Coaching Academy of North America http://www.spiritualcoachingtraining.com

Copyright 2006 Robert Gould

So many people suffer from chronic low back pain. Its the number
one reason Americans miss work. Back pain can either come on
slow and get worse, or all at once you wake to find you cant get
out of bed like a lighting strike out of the blue. Either way
its a terrible thing to cope with. When after a few days or a
couple of weeks at tops, most people end up going to the doctor.
Upon going to the doctor, a lot of the people hurting with low
back pain are told by physicians that surgery is needed. This
news alone can be devastating in itself. Back surgery required
recovery time that most people cant afford to take from work.
Back surgery also is very expensive. Not only does it take a to
recover and expensive, its also sometimes not even necessary.

So many people have low back surgery when other alternatives
could have been used. Other methods of dealing with back pain
can be physical therapy, biofeedback, traction, exercise,
steroid injections, and electric stimulation therapy of muscles
and nerves just to name a few. People that rush into back
surgery have found that their back actually hurts worse than it
did before the surgery. Some people also need follow up surgery
either to correct mistakes made in the initial surgery, or
problems in the back that crops up later. Either way this is
also devastating. By this time, the patient has been out of work
so long, that a financial hardship has occurred, medical bills
have piled up, or some people have lost their employment, and
find their back pain is no better or even worse.

People needlessly put themselves in this situation. I blame this
on a couple of things. Physicians are quick to suggest surgery
for the simple reason they do not believe in treating people
with pain medicine. Some physicians are more worried about
writing prescriptions for pain medication, than the pain your
suffering from. This is due to people abusing the system when it
comes to prescription drugs, or the lack of knowledge the
physician sometimes has towards chronic pain sufferers. Either
way the true chronic pain patient suffers tremendously.

When it comes to your back, going under the knife should always
be the last resort. Everything under the sun should be tried,
and tried again before anyone should have surgery. There are a
few exceptions when having back surgery right away is necessary,
but for the most part, other measures and therapy are out their
and should be used. As a low back pain sufferer myself, though
Im not a medical doctor, I would suggest something like this.
First find a doctor who believes treating pain with pain
medication. Combing physical therapy with pain medication can
relieve pain tremendously. Do physical activities such as
stretching, walking, sit-ups if possible, this strengthens the
muscles around the disc taking the pressure off the nerves that
cause such pain. A good program of pain medicine combined with
other pain management tactics can do wonders over a period of
time. A lot of people have found that the pain has actually went
away with this type of therapy.

Worse case scenario, its better to have your back still in tact
with pain, compared to the many complications, the severe pain,
permanent nerve damage, loss of physical mobility, being unable
to work, and even becoming disable due to having low back
surgery. Remember no matter what anyone tells you, its your
back, not theirs. Its easy for someone to tell you what you
should do, but they don’t have to walk in your shoes after a
failed back surgery.

Ok, let’s face it, everybody hates high credit card rates, and they drain hard earned money out of your wallet. As a valued consumer, it is apparent that you learn how to negotiate to get the absolute best rate that you possibly can. The good news however is that it doesn’t have to be a difficult or time-consuming process. In fact, it can be very easy indeed if you know what you’re doing. In this article we will discuss the ins and outs of credit card negotiating to ensure that you get the best possible rate with the least amount of effort.

1. First and foremost, you should figure out if you even want to continue using your current credit card company ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/best-credit-cards.html ). Are you pleased with the overall service that you are receiving? Do you like their benefits? If the answer is yes then you can proceed. If not, you should stop reading this article and start looking for a better company.

2. Second, you should evaluate your paying history and make sure that it is positive before you call to negotiate. If it is positive then you have power and if it isn’t then you’ll be negotiating from a position of weakness and that might not be good. Instead, you should wait until it is more positive before you call them to negotiate rates.

3. Third, if you have a good history then remember this when you call. In essence, you’ll have extremely high negotiating power. The company needs your business in order to be successful and with clients they lose big time. Therefore, you should always display this “take them or leave them attitude” while conducting your negotiations.

4. Draft up a script and memorize it. It can be as simple as “Hello, my name is Bill and I have been a cardholder for X years and I consistently pay my bills on a time. Well recently I have been receiving all types of credit card offers from XYZ bank indicating that I qualify for an extremely low interest rate of X and am considering leaving you and going there if you can’t offer me a lower rate. Is this something that you can help me with?

5. Practice, practice and practice some more with your script until you are completely and totally used to it. Once you are, contact the company. Read your script and see what happens.

6. If you get a hard nose customer service representative then don’t threaten her. Be agreeable and ask to speak to his/her supervisor. If that is not possible, be nice to her and try again she may have some leeway. If you like your present company, you can even try negotiating interest rates, annual and even those yucky late fees.

7. However, if you’re fed up, have an alternative company in the wings, and your current company won’t budge with their rates then be willing to take your business elsewhere. After all, you hold the power so don’t be afraid to use it! They key however is to not bluff but to follow through with your threat. Close the account, ask for them to send you notification in the mail, cancel the credit card and use another card.

In conclusion, you can be successful with the negotiating process if you follow the above mentioned tips. If your current company is unwilling to cooperate then you should simply take your business elsewhere. You’re better off with another credit card company that values your savvy negotiating skills!

About The Author

Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of The Credit Card Centre ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk ) where you will find further advice and tips on the best credit card deals ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/best-credit-cards.html )and 0% credit cards ( http://www.the-credit-card-centre.co.uk/0%-credit-cards.html ).

Most people have limited knowledge when it comes to search engine ranking and the various
types of services on offer. We all know that having top 10 positions on some of the leading
engines can bring all the traffic we can handle, and then some. But how do we get those top
10 listings and what should we expect to pay to get them?

A simple way to approach this is to look at your competition. Do a quick search on one of the
leading engines like Google or AltaVista, using a search phrase that people might use when
looking for your products or services, and see what comes back.

As a basic ‘rule of thumb’ guide -

Between 100 and 5000 puts you in a ‘low competition’ category.
Between 5001 and 25000 puts you in a ‘medium competition’ category.
Between 25001 and 250,000 puts you in a ‘high competition’ category.
Over 250,000 puts you in a ‘Extremely high competition’ category.

Here are some examples we found on AltaVista:-

“detroit real estate” - 2.7M
“curtain fixtures” - 817,000
“auto parts” - 130,000
“mortgage loans” - 84,000
“coin collecting” - 14,000
“wedding accessories” - 9,000
“florida vacations” - 5,000
“model railways” - 5,000

Based on the above, determine the competitiveness of your category, then research the level
of service necessary for your site.

Once you have determined the level of competition for top positions in your business category,
use the following as a basic guide:

1 - Low to medium competition with no previous ’search engine optimization’ - Locate a good
submission service who will give your home page a ‘tune-up’ then submit your site ‘manually’ to
all the leading engines and directories. Expect to pay around $25 to $65 per month.
2 - Medium to High competition on restricted budget - try to locate a service that will go
beyond basic Meta Tag revisions. Not all search engines pay much attention to what is in your
Meta tags, so look for someone who will make changes to the HTML on your key content
pages to give them a boost. Expect to pay around $55 to $95 per month.
3 - Sites with high or extremely high competition - you will encounter various approaches at
higher service levels. Most common is to use ‘Doorway’ pages and a separate ‘Hallway’
domain. Think about Doorway/Hallway pages as pages that focus on a specific search phrase,
each targeting a specific search engine. It is common to have sites with over 100 custom
designed Doorway pages targeting multiple search phrases and multiple search engines.
Pricing varies greatly at these levels, and almost always include a setup fee then ongoing
monthly service fees.

Developing a better understanding of how it all works will help you decide the best approach for
your web site, and will help you make an informed decision based on realistic expectations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carl Hruza operates a successful web promotion and search ranking business, and offers
advice on all aspects of Internet Marketing and Promotion. Email Carl at carlh@netnet.net or
visit his site at http://topwebpromotion.com