LOVE DOES NOT GIVE UP

I don't know how you feel to see that single parenthood life is becoming more admirable and an alternative to marriage, and the church seems to be getting more and more comfortable with it. Financial independence seems to be the only required ingredient to a family unit. Is God as comfortable as we seem to be?

A friend's marriage was falling apart for many genuine painful reasons but one day she made a decision to involve God to help. She prayed to God to save her husband and make him a pastor.

She spent six continuous months in serious prayers until God answered her desire and today her husband is a good pastor, a wonderful husband and father.

But before God changed the husband, God dealt with this friend first. She quit complaining and determined that she was to do her part as unto God.

God is not blind, brethren. God transformed her attitude to one of not fault finding or revenging. She saw her husband as one in need of God, not one full of faults.

May God help us realize that much as we would like to own our marriages, marriage is as sacred as life since it is not a man's idea, but God's.

If we honor God seriously and care for His institution, we will be concerned and view our marriages not as our own, but God's property.

Before we give up on our marriages, have we taken time to involve the Initiator of it all on a serious note?

May God help us individually to make a decision to work on our marriages with God as the interested party.

In marriage, we sign up to succeed, and the beauty of it all is that one can refer to the Initiator for help.

And God is very much wiling to help and is able to sustain a victorious marriage, helping us to understand that love does not give up!

by Mumbi Vickie Ngangu

HIDDEN GREATNESS

There is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society. Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.

Still, real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility. Some of the greatest works of art and the most important works of peace were created by people who had no need for the limelight. They knew that what they were doing was their call, and they did it with great patience, perseverance, and love.

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Henri Nouwen Society

Another Second Chance

I have another second chance to to stop being self-centered, and treat every human being with love.
To stop expecting to receive and start giving.
To stop hiding my sins from God and start living fully in Him.
To listen more and talk less.
To enjoy the world more in Thanksgiving to God, the creator of it all
To take my eyes off my watch and listen to God's timing and leading.
To stop criticizing and show more love in acts and in prayer.
To be less forgetful and be more committed.
To be less angry and swallow my pride.
To share with the world what I have inside.
To stop hating and be more loving.
To give a little more of my precious time to the needy around me.
To give more encouragement and a lot more compliments.
To do a lot less judging for the log in my eye is bigger than my neighbor's speck.
To get my priorities in order and straight.
To stop hopelessly chasing after the wind.

From this point on, I begin to seek God more.
To find my way back to the God's humble grace.
Never again to lose my place.
Oh God, I thank you for giving me another second chance.

--author unknown
AllWorship

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

A good counselor doesn't tell people what they should or shouldn't do. He helps them see for themselves what they need to do.

What I want from a friend when I am feeling in the pits, is someone to listen to me with their heart, to give me their presence, and accept me as I am, and let me know that they care—not try to fix me—or someone who will weep with me when I weep. Such friends may be rare but they are worth their weight in gold.

Quote from Dick Innes - Acts International

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

Recently, an NFL coach when being interviewed, was asked what he thought he would do if his team got to the Super Bowl.

His response was that he was not concerned about the Super Bowl, but about the next game at hand. He said it is the journey to the Super Bowl that one needs to enjoy instead of worrying about the major event before it was time.

In Genesis 1, God could have easily created the whole universe at once but He instead chose to go through a seven-day process, each day stopping to compliment and celebrate what he had created..saying it was good!

He is God who determines the end from the beginning; yet even with such knowledge, He chose to go through the process.

Many times in life, we tend to worry about the future and live our lives, missing the "now" moments.

Yet God has secured our future in Him and let's us go through a process to refine us and make us more like Him.

Maybe it's time for us to sit back and enjoy the "now" moments God has given us.

The breath you just took; your friend, family, or spouse; the job you have right now; the day you are living in right now; and many more.

Life is better lived when you live it giving thanks for your "now" moments because those moments are already here.

The past is gone, the future is not certain, but "now" is here!

Our final outcome is already determined but our reward depends on how we go through the process.

Enjoy the journey!

--by Philip Mafunga

DON'T QUIT

From the Apostle Paul: "But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going."1

I suppose there are times when all of us feel overcome by problems and feel like quitting. I've been there, but couldn't find anything better than my Christian faith to quit to. Today I thank God for the courage to keep going, not knowing that God was allowing trials to strengthen my faith and to help me grow.

If you feel like giving up and quitting, perhaps the following poem will encourage you to hang in, hang on, but never hang up when the going gets tough.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow!
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit–
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.2

I also like a quote that Robert Schuller has used: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Or as the title of one of his books says, Tough Times Never Last. Tough People Do.

God never forsook the Apostle Paul who faced incredible trials and opposition. And he will never forsake you or me as long as we place our trust in him.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you will never forsake or abandon me. Please help me always to put my trust in you and your faithfulness regardless of my circumstances, knowing that in the end my faith and trust in you will be justified. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT).
2. Anonymous

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NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click HERE.

Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click HERE to note this.

Daily Encounter - Acts International

We Are Priceless

THE $20 BILL

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

"Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes.

"To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless."

Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us, "as the apple of His eye."

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE we are!

--Author Unknown

AllWorship.com

WHY WE SHOULD ALL BE FOOLS FOR CHRIST!

I believe that all Christians should be fools for Christ. That's right. It says so in the Bible. And the way I look at it, if the Good Book says it, then it has to be true.

"Where does it say that?" you may ask. In the first letter to the Corinthians that Paul wrote. Verses 18 through 27 uses the word "foolish" several times. To be more specific, in verse 21 it says that, "...it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Then in verse 25 it becomes even more specific when it says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men..." Finally, in verse 27 it says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise..."

Alright, so I don't have a Doctorate of Divinity hanging on my office wall. But, "we are fools for Christ's sake," Paul says as he writes to the Corinthians. How would you interpret what Paul says? As far as I can tell, Paul is saying that God is foolish to choose for his workers the kind of lamebrains, misfits, nit-pickers, odd ducks, stuffed shirts, pompadoured overdressed egomaniacs and closet sensualists that he has.

It also seems to me that God is foolish to send us out to speak hope to a world that plods along with the conviction that things can only get worse. He is also foolish to have us speak of loving our enemies when we have a hard enough time loving our friends and even our own kin. It seems that he is also foolish to have us talking about life to a world that seems to be so in love with violence and death. Just turn on the TV at any given time. And what about the largest majority of video games being produced? You would think that violence and death was meant to be entertaining! And finally, doesn't it seem rather foolish that God is foolish to send us out in this journey called "life" without any road maps?

Such is the foolishness of God. But then Paul says that "the foolishness of God is wiser than man." To show you how true Paul's statement was, let me take just one year, the year I was born, and show you how foolish man was that year.

Even prior to 1942, Hitler, and those following his doctrine of hatred, had methodically and relentlessly established a climate of hatred against the Jews. The years of this systematic dehumanizing process paved the way for what was known as Kristallnacht -- "Night of Broken Glass" -- the confiscation of property and the suppression of individual liberty, leading eventually to the extermination camps.

In 1942, with the entire world looking on, the Ordinance Regarding Identification of Jewish Apartments (marking them with the Star of David) began on April 17. That same day Jews were also banned from using public transportation. Now, here's where man's foolishness actually turns stupid. A month later, on May 15, Jews were banned from keeping pets. No dogs, no cats, not even a goldfish. It gets even more foolish/stupid. Before the month is up, Jews were banned from using non-Jewish hairdressers.

Before the year was over, on June 19, laws allowing for the confiscation of electric appliances, typewriters and bicycles owned by Jews were enacted, as well as laws forbidding them to purchase books (October 9). Not only were those in Hitler's camp foolish, but they were downright ignorant. Just look at any of these laws mentioned and tell me how any of the things confiscated or denied access to could have possibly been used to overthrow the Nazi party.
On July 1 of 1943, all Jews were denied protection by the courts. But by then, as far as the Jews were concerned, laws were no longer an issue.

Now remember, Paul did say that, "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." I have not as yet been able to figure out why God allowed Hitler and his goons to do what they did back then, so perhaps I'm with so many others who are among the "confounded wise."

On the lighter side of foolishness, which is the side I prefer, let me say that this "confounded wise" man likes to ponder such foolish things as:

* We can learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all exist in the same box. (Yes, we all have our differences.)
* You may have heard this before, but when I look in the mirror, I am so thankful that wrinkles don't hurt.

Allen Stark

Special to ASSIST News Service

LAUGH IT UP

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."1

"Laughter may not be the best medicine, but it is surprisingly effective. While the idea has been around for a while, more studies are confirming the anecdotal evidence. In a study published in Diabetes Care, researchers reported that people with type II diabetes had a smaller rise in blood glucose when they watched a comedy program versus a boring lecture on television. A team at the University of Maryland found that people who laughed often and were able to see the humor in situations were less likely to develop heart disease.

"Researchers say people who laugh tend to be healthier people. In study after study, hostility and anger are associated with disease, and humor with health. This is especially true when you're laughing it up with friends. Research on support groups has shown that the effects of laughter are magnified when it takes place in a social setting."2

Amazing isn't it? It's taken modern science to discover, or at least, to confirm, what God's Word taught 3,000 years ago—that laughter/cheerfulness is a good medicine.

Interesting, too, until the time of Christopher Columbus almost everyone believed the world was flat, and yet Isaiah, one of the Old Testament prophets wrote over 2,000 years ago: "He [God] sits enthroned above the circle of the earth."3

And over 3,000 years ago God gave the ancient Israelites strict laws by which to live, many of which had to do with good health and hygiene. God promised that if they obeyed these laws, they would be protected from diseases that afflicted the Egyptians.4

If we also live according to the principles found in God's Word, the Bible, we too can have a much happier, healthier life. Naturally, we need to know what God's Word teaches if we are to live by it.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a deep love for and a great appreciation of your Word and, like David, write it on my heart, so that it will help me to live in harmony with your will, knowing that my life will be all the richer for it. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen.

1. Proverbs 17:22 (NIV).
2. Paul Perry, "Seven Resolutions to Keep This Year, Part 6," AH About Health, Winter 2004. Page 9. Published by McMurry publishers and South Coast Medical Center, Laguna Beach, CA. © by www.mcmurry.com.
3. Isaiah 40:22 (NIV).
4. See Exodus 15:26.

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Acts International

THREE THINGS

When I was crossing the Irish Channel one dark, starless night, I stood on the deck by the captain and asked him, “How do you know Holyhead Harbor on so dark a night as this?” He said, “You see those three lights? Those three must line up behind each other as one, and when we see them so united we know the exact position of the harbor’s mouth.”
When we want to know God’s will there are three things which always concur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances!
God in the heart, impelling you forward;
God in His book corroborating whatever He says in the heart;
and God in circumstances, which are always indicative of His will.
Never start until these three things agree.

F. B. Meyer

EXCITING RESCUE

We all remember how the the 33 miners in Chile were entombed over 2,000 feet in the "bowels" of the earth for 69 days—17 of which were in total darkness—millions worldwide anxiously waited to see if they would be rescued. Can you imagine the terror that these men (and their loved ones) must have experienced—not knowing if they would live or die ... and how they all felt after they were rescued? Prayers around the world were offered on their behalf.


When the miners finally were in contact with the surface, Luis Urzúa, the miner who helped hold the miners together, said to the Chilean president: "Mr. President, we need you to be strong and to rescue us as soon as possible. Don't abandon us."

President Piñera said "the whole world can learn from the rescue operation. The Chilean government was committed to finding the men alive and rescuing them 'from the very first day.' He thanked the US government, the Canadian government, the Australian government, and many other governments around the world [for their help]."

"The rescue cost between $10m and $20m," Piñera said. Obviously, no cost was spared in this rescue operation!

What an exciting outpouring of love, concern, and commitment by thousands of people worldwide praying, giving, and so many working tirelessly around the clock until every miner was brought to safety and his life saved.

Thank God that they were not abandoned!

I couldn't help but compare the total commitment to the saving of these 33 miners to the lack of commitment by so many churches and Christians about the millions of people who are trapped in a far deeper canyon of sin—and doomed to a lost eternity in Hell without any hope of rescue unless there is a much greater outpouring of loving commitment, sacrifice and tireless work by churches and Christians who care enough to bring them to Jesus—their only hope of being rescued and saved—for all eternity!

Tragically, not all by any means, but so many of our churches spend $-millions on building fancy buildings that are used only for a few hours a week—a practice that no secular business could justify—and spend most of their income on programs that minister to themselves while, in comparison, such a small percentage is spent on home and overseas missions, and even less on local evangelism.

In one church where I used to be a member, our annual budget was just under a million dollars while our budget for evangelism was a paltry $1800. In another church where I was teaching on outreach, I was told that they didn't even have a budget for evangelism. In the past nine years, in my own church, I can't remember when I saw the last adult being baptized as a result of his/her coming to Christ.

In my early days of ministry I was the pastor of a small church in Michigan and had a conviction that it was part of our calling to share the gospel with every family in our area of responsibility. Come winter, summer, spring, fall, rain, snow, or freezing cold we never missed one weekly outreach visitation night. I believe the same principle applies to every local evangelical church today. With modern means of communication this task has never been simpler. If we, the Church, don't reach our communities for Christ, who will?


Will we leave it to the Muslims?

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ACTS INTERNATIONAL

HEART OF GRATITUDE

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it.

-- Author Unknown

WeekEnd Encounter

TEACH YOU HOW TO TEACH ?

WORDS THAT FEED US

When we talk to one another, we often talk about what happened, what we are doing, or what we plan to do. Often we say, "What's up?" and we encourage one another to share the details of our daily lives. But often we want to hear something else. We want to hear, "I've been thinking of you today," or "I missed you," or "I wish you were here," or "I really love you." It is not always easy to say these words, but such words can deepen our bonds with one another.

Telling someone "I love you" in whatever way is always delivering good news. Nobody will respond by saying, "Well, I knew that already, you don't have to say it again"! Words of love and affirmation are like bread. We need them each day, over and over. They keep us alive inside.

LEFT BEHIND !

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."1

Recently I went into a small local museum and asked if I could go into the back yard to take some photos of the San Clemente pier. The people at the front desk gave me the OK but told me to make sure I was back at the entry by their closing time at 5 pm. I made sure I was back several minutes before closing time and to my horror, all the staff had gone home and locked up shop for the night, and I was locked inside. I sure got a fright. Fortunately I was able to find a back exit and set the door to lock behind me when I exited the building. Big relief!

Mike Benson tells about a woman in Brooklyn who was locked overnight in a dental clinic. She was given an anesthetic prior to getting her wisdom teeth extracted, but when she came to, she still had her wisdom teeth and discovered that all the staff had left the clinic and she was locked inside. She panicked. When she calmed down somewhat, she called 911 and was rescued.2

But can you imagine the absolute terror of being locked in down on Earth, with no way of escape when Jesus Christ takes all of his true followers to be with him in heaven forever? Tragically, this will be a reality for the millions who have never received God's gift of forgiveness for all their sins by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

If you have trouble believing this, take note that Jesus Christ's first coming to earth to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins is an indisputable fact of history. Note, too, that every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first coming was fulfilled in detail, so we can be just as certain that every prophecy in the Bible regarding Christ's second coming will also be fulfilled in detail. Furthermore, Jesus Christ himself promised that he would return for his followers.3

Whatever you do be absolutely certain that you are ready for when Jesus comes again so, as today's Scripture announces, you will be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air. . ." and not be left behind. To make absolute sure you are ready for Christ's return be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you not only for Jesus Christ's first coming to earth to die in my place on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, but also that Jesus promised he would return for all who have accepted him as their Savior and have received your forgiveness. Please help me to be absolutely certain that I am ready for when Jesus comes again. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NIV).
2. Mike Benson in KneEmail, http://www.forthright.net/kneemail
3. See John 14:1-3. Read also, "Will Jesus Christ Return to Earth?" at: http://tinyurl.com/jesus-return

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ACTS INTERNATIONAL - Daily Encounter

OVERCOMING ADDICTIONS

"How do we overcome addictive behaviors that are the fruit of a deeper root?"

First, face reality. Addicts are very adept at avoiding reality, are steeped in denial, and have all sorts of devious ways of denying their addiction. Like the man who says, "Sure I drink a lot but I'm not an alcoholic," even though he has a dozen or so beers a day and often comes home either drunk or half-drunk. Or like the wife who is a closet drinker. She will do everything in her sneaky-power to avoid being caught and is in deep denial about her addiction.

Thus, the first step in overcoming any addiction is to face reality and admit, "I have a problem. I need help." Even God limits himself from helping us until we admit we have a problem, acknowledge that our life is out of control, and that we need help.

Second, accept responsibility. The addict needs to get into an effective recovery program—such as a Twelve-Step or similar program—that will help him to stop acting out through his addiction, and to confront his inner reality and pain head on. This can be extremely difficult and very painful because for much of his life he has avoided facing his reality and feeling his pain. However until he stops medicating his pain and feels and faces it, chances are that he will never do anything about overcoming his problem.

Some time ago a friend who had tried without success for twenty years to stop smoking asked me for help. He admitted he had a problem but didn't really want to confront the cause behind it. I asked him a simple question: "Why do you need to smoke?" He mumbled a few incoherent sentences and walked away. Sadly, he died a few years later from cancer. The reality is that if we don't get the cause behind our symptoms, the symptoms will get us.

Acts International - Daily Inspiration

The Heart of Jesus

Jesus is the vulnerable child, the humble preacher, the despised, rejected, and crucified Christ. But Jesus also is "the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, ... [who] exists before all things and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15,17). Jesus is the King, ridiculed on the cross and reigning from his throne in the heavenly Jerusalem. He is the Lord riding into the city on a donkey, and the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is cursed by the world but blessed by God.

Let's always look at Jesus, because in his crucified and glorified heart we will see ourselves called to share in his suffering as well as in his glory.

Henri Nouwen - Daily Meditation

God So Loved

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."¹

In a tribe of Indians, or so the story goes, someone was stealing chickens. The Chief declared that, if caught, the offender would receive 10 lashes.

When the stealing continued, he raised it to 20 lashes. Still the chickens methodically disappeared. In anger the Chief raised the sentence to 100 lashes.

The thief was finally caught, but the Chief faced a terrible dilemma. The thief was his mother! When the day of penalty came, the whole tribe gathered. Would the Chief's love override his justice? The crowd gasped when he ordered his mother to be tied to the whipping post.

The Chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerful stature, and took the whip in hand. But instead of raising it to strike the first blow, he handed it to a strong, young brave standing at his side. Slowly the Chief walked over to his mother and wrapped his massive arms around her in an engulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That's what JESUS did for you and me when he came to earth clothed in an external garment of human flesh some 2000 years ago, which is commemorated as "Christmas." In love he became our substitute and died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. He overcame our inability to save ourselves by paying the price for our sins. His death bridged the gulf between God and man and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to fellowship with him through faith in Christ and in his atoning death for us.²

1. John 3:16 (NASB).
2. Contributed by Alexandra Perros from Holland.

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Acts International - Daily Encounter

Kindness

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." -- Mother Teresa

Beginner

You can learn new things at any time in your life if you're willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you. -- Barbara Sher