Hillsong Church Featuring: Scott Samways and Prayer: Our Lifeline to Keep Us from Drowning

Join us for live worship and an inspiring message from Scott Samways in our evening service from the Hills Campus, Sydney, Australia.
 SONG LIST
Here's To The One:
As You Find Me:
Peace Like a River
Whole Heart (Hold Me Now): 

Prayer: Our Lifeline to Keep Us from Drowning

by Creflo Dollar 

During even the smoothest of times, the potential for trouble is always lurking just around the corner. It can have a nasty way of showing up unexpectedly and taking us by surprise. If we’re not prepared for it, trouble can make us panic and feel overwhelmed. When we feel like we’re drowning in a situation that seems beyond our control, prayer is our lifeline.
David was a powerful example of someone who regularly prayed, both in good times and bad. As a boy, David trusted God, even when he went up against Goliath. Instead of shying away from trouble in the form of a Philistine soldier many times his size, David declared his faith, moved forward, and won the battle.

David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands (1 Samuel 17:37, 45-47).

When David was fleeing for his life from King Saul, he relied on God to deliver him. During all the time David was on the move, he could have reflected on the situation and become discouraged. Instead, he prayed, trusting that God would ensure his safety. “LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:1, 2, NKJV).
After God made David into a powerful king, David still prayed for wisdom and guidance. He wasn’t perfect and he made mistakes, but he still maintained a strong prayer life. No matter how successful David became as a military commander, he always acknowledged who was ultimately responsible for his victories in battle. “Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 60:12, NKJV).
Like David, we have a choice of whether to face life’s battles on our own, or ask for God’s help. God loves us and doesn’t want us to struggle with problems; prayer connects us to Him and allows Him to get involved. When we’re deep in a bad situation and have no idea how to get out of it, our prayers allow God to show His willingness to deliver us. “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters…he rescued me because he delights in me” (Psalm 18:16, 19, NLT). It’s up to us whether we try to handle the situation ourselves, or turn to Him.
To learn more about prayer and how to effectively pray to see results, click on the link below for the DVD, Law-Based Prayer vs. Grace-Based Prayer. http://bit.ly/LawBasedPrayervsGraceBasedPrayer

Howard’s Clyburn, Saalih Earn MEAC Track Honors

Howard’s Clyburn, Saalih Earn MEAC Track Honors
Pair of Bison recognized for tremendous efforts

(Photo Credit – Howard Athletics)

NORFOLK, Va. (January 8, 2020) – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference unveiled its indoor track and field weekly honors where Howard University sophomore hurdler Darian Clyburn (Louisville, Ky.) and junior sprinter Ameenah Saalih (Willingboro, N.J.) earned recognition for their tremendous performances at the George Mason Father Diamond Invitational. The announcement came Wednesday morning.

Clyburn won MEAC Male Track Athlete of the Week while Saalih took home the conference’s female track athlete of the week.

The Louisville native won the 60-meter hurdles, turning in a MEAC-best 8.03 mark, which currently ranks tied for 24^th in the nation.

Saalih set a new school record in the women’s 60-meter dash, winning gold with a 7.54 time. For her efforts, the New Jersey product has the fastest MEAC time this season, which also ranks tied for 24^th in the country.

Other notable Bison performances included junior Nathaniel Are (Chicago) winning the triple jump, leaping 13.72 meters, and freshman De’ja Dade (Dallas) placing second in the high jump with a MEAC qualifying mark of 1.60 meters.

Norfolk State’s freshman Anthony Giacchetta earned MEAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors while teammate sophomore Arieana Parker was named MEAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week.

To view this week’s MEAC weekly honors, please click here.

Friday (Jan. 10), Howard travels to the Big Apple, New York City, for the HBCU Battle at the Track.

RR Luke Johnston Hockey - Class of 2021 Presented on Us Sports Net by Game Planner Pro

Attention Coaches and Recruiters! This student-athlete's contact info is on the video. Thanks.
RR Luke Johnston Hockey - Class of 2021

 

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Now this from CoachTube Ice Hockey:

Winning Hockey Defense featuring Coach Red Gendron

by Sportvideos

Description

Building a dominating defense is essential to the success of a hockey team at any level of competition. In this comprehensive video, Coach Red Gendron presents a detailed overview of the principles, fundamentals and techniques involved in developing defensemen for modern hockey. The primary focus is on the tactical application of skills and being able to execute the skills in game-type situations. Among the topics covered are: agility skating, puck control, passing, tactical application, shooting for defensemen, attack defenses and much more! These drills and concepts will help give players and teams the edge needed to develop a successful hockey program. Book this course....

The Coach

Sportvideos

In his 34-year coaching career, Dennis "Red" Gendron has worked with championship teams at all levels. Red won two NCAA Hockey National Championships and an NHL Stanley Cup as an assistant coach, and was named University of Maine head men’s ice hockey coach on May 28, 2013.  He has previously served as head coach for the Albany River Rats and Indiana Ice and has held multiple positions for the New Jersey Devils, Albany River Rats, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, Yale University, and Team USA. Coach Gendron is also a published author. His work “Coaching Hockey Successfully” has served as a template to many coaches across the United States. Book this course...

BodyRockTV Lisa Marie Featuring: Clean & Front Lunge and How to Do a Push-Up: Everything You Need to Know

Try as you may, if you want to be considered fit, you have to learn how to do a push-up. Push-ups are one of the most effective, most powerful exercises you can do to improve your total body strength and condition. That's why our trainers sneak them into so many of our Sweatflix workouts. Push-ups work, and they workhard................(continued below)

Of course, they're also hard work, and many people have difficulty doing push-ups. The common reason for this difficulty is simple: these people didn't learn how to do a push-up correctly in the first place.
Just like you have to walk before you can run, you have to build the necessary core and upper body strength to do a push-up before you can actually do a push-up.
Keep reading. 
This guide is going to teach you everything you need to do about how to do a push-up. From beginner to advanced options, we're going to give you all the tips, intel, and tools you need to learn to crush this classic compound move.

How to Do a Push-Up: Everything You Need to Know

• Muscles Used to Do a Push-Up
• Why Do a Push-Up?
• Beginner Push-Ups
• Intermediate Push-Ups
• Advanced Push-Ups
• How to do a Push-Up with Different Hand Positions
• Push-Up Workout Playlist

Muscles Used to Do a Push-Up

It would be easier to ask what muscles a push-up doesn’t work. Push-ups are a compound exercise, which means that they recruit multiple muscle groups. 

Triceps: Triceps are the three-headed muscle that runs up the back of your arms. 
Biceps: The two-headed muscle that runs the upper front of your arms. 
Back: Lats, rhomboids, traps--push-ups work all these muscles of your upper back. 
Chest & area: Pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, as well as the serratus anterior--the muscle located on the side of the chest, under the upper arm.
Core: Abs, transverse abdominals, lower back, obliques, glutes, hamstrings.
Legs: Quads, hamstrings and calf and shin muscles can be utilized in many of the intermediate and advanced push-up variations.  

Why Do a Push-Up?

If it wasn’t obvious from the number of muscle groups worked, doing a push-up is one of the easiest, most effective ways to create a stronger, leaner body. 

Increase Metabolism All Day
Doing push-ups burn just over 8 calories per minute--more than walking at a brisk pace. And, unlike walking, because push-ups are building muscle across many muscle groups, you’re burning more calories for hours after you’re done working out. 
Build Your Six-Pack
Adding push-ups to your workout is a great way to burn fat and build muscle all over your body--especially your core. In fact, if you want to rock a six-pack, push-ups are even more effective than crunches. 
Multi-Level Move
Push-ups never get easy, and they never get old. You can keep things interesting and keep the good, lean gains coming by increasing the challenge of your push-up variations.
From beginner knee push-ups to advanced decline spider push-ups, this move can evolve with your fitness level. (More on push-up variations for different fitness levels further down!)

Beginner Push-Ups

Don’t expect yourself to be able to do a full plank push-up straight away. Instead, ease yourself into this exercise and stay motivated with these beginner push-up modifications. Learning how to do a push-up starts with the more basic incarnations of this classic exercise. 
Note: Being able to sustain a plank is key to being able to do a full push-up, so while you develop your upper body strength with the variations below, also work on doing plank pose. 
Plank Pose

Starting on your hands and knees, place your hands under your shoulders and step your feet back so your legs are straight behind you. 

Keep your hips parallel with the floor and pull your belly-button into your spine. 
Don’t let your shoulders hunch up! Pull your shoulders blades back and down. 
Maintain a flat spine. 
Drop to your knees if need, but try to sustain plank for 10 seconds, then 20, 30, 40, 50 and finally a minute. This procession can take months, so be patient. Attempt plank pose at least 3 days a week for the best results.
Wall Push-Up

Stand facing the wall, about two feet back. Place your hands on the wall, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows tucked in and lower yourself toward the wall, keeping your eyes on the wall and head up--don’t look down. 
Push-up just before your chest hits the wall 
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Counter-Top Push-Up

Stand facing a countertop, about two feet back. Place your hands on the edge of the counter, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows tucked in and lower yourself toward the counter, keeping your head up--don’t tuck your chin down. 
Stop and push-up just before your chest hits the counter. Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Knee Push-Up
Start on your hands and knees, then move your knees back about a foot so that your core engages (belly-button tucked into your spine) and your hips move closer to the ground. Don’t NOT allow your lower back to sag and keep your spine flat and long. 
Don’t round out your shoulders. 
Make sure your hands are placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows tucked in and slowly lower yourself toward the floor, stopping and pushing up just before your chest hits the ground. 
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 

Intermediate Push-Ups

The Classic Push-Up
Begin in plank pose. Keep your core engaged (belly-button tucked into your spine), your spine flat and long, and your hips parallel with the floor. 
Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your elbows tucked in, slowly lower yourself toward the ground, stopping just before your chest hits the floor. Push back up to starting position. Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Burpee Push-Up
Begin by performing one classic push-up, as explained above. Once you’ve pushed back up into plank pose, jump (or step, for a less challenging option) both feet forward so they land just beneath your chest. 
From here, jump up into the air, raising your hands above your head. (You can omit the jump if it is too challenging at first or if you have joint issues.)
Land softly on the floor. Place your hands on the ground, jump (or step) your feet back into plank pose and repeat the push-up. 
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 

Advanced Push-Ups

Spider Push-Up

Begin in plank pose. Keep your core engaged (belly-button tucked into your spine), your spine flat and long, and your hips parallel with the floor. 
Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your elbows tucked in, slowly lower yourself toward the ground. As you lower your body, take your left foot off the floor and move it out to the side, bending the knee so that it touches the left elbow.
Stop before your chest hits the floor, push back up, and bring your foot back to starting position. Repeat on the other side. 
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Decline Push-Up

Place your hands on the floor in front of you, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Then, place your feet directly behind you on a raised surface. (A chair, Balance Trainer,Step Riser, Challenger Bar or Mini Challenger are all good options.)
You can get all this gear for up to 80% when you shop our New Year Blowout Sale. Check it out in-store. 
Make sure your spine is straight and long: your hips should not sag toward the floor but should be lifted parallel to the ground.
Lower yourself, stopping just before your chest hits the floor.
Push up.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Read more about why you should do decline push-ups here. 
Tricep Triangle Push-Up

Begin in plank position, then move your hands together, bringing the index finger of each hand together and the thumb together so that they lightly touch, and your fingers form a triangle.
Keeping your elbows tucked in, slowly lower yourself toward the ground, stopping just before your chest hits the floor. Push back up to starting position. Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Modification: Drop to your knees if you find this push-up variation to difficult at first. Even people at advanced fitness levels can find triangle push-ups challenging at first. This is because they take the bulk of the work out of bigger muscle groups, like the chest, and put it in your triceps.
The result is an exercise that’s amazing for creating stronger, more toned arms, but definitely challenging.
Balance Trainer Push-Up

Grab your Balance Trainer and flip it upside down so the ball is on the ground. 
Now, place your hands on each side of the platform and grip the handles. 
Step back to plank pose. Keep your core engaged (belly-button tucked into your spine), your spine flat and long, and your hips parallel with the floor. This will be challenging and require a ton of core strength since you will need to stabilize yourself on the rocking ball. 
Keeping your elbows tucked in, slowly lower yourself toward the ground, stopping just before your chest hits the floor. Push back up to starting position. 
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 2-3 sets. 
Modification: Drop to your knees if staying in plank is too challenging. The Balance Trainer push-up requires (and develops) even more core strength and conditioning than standard push-ups, so just because you can knock-out dozens of regular push-ups may not mean you can do this (at first!). 
Single Arm Push-Up

Start in plank pose and master a one-arm plank, first. Your supporting hand should be directly under the shoulder. 
Make sure your shoulders are rolled down and back--no hunching. Place your feet a little wider than hip-width apart to give you solid support. (You can move your feet closer together as you become more adept at this move.)
Lower yourself to the floor. Stop before your chest hits the floor, then push back up.
Notes on how to do a push-up with one arm:
You will likely need to be able to do all the advanced variations before you can do this move. 
You can do a single-arm push-up against the wall, then counter-top, the Challenger Bars, then a Challenger Mini, then a low step and then the floor, if you're finding performing a one-arm push-up impossible off-the-hop--which many, many people will!
Also, focus on lowering yourself down, first. You may need to drop to the floor and then push yourself back up on your knees. The point is to expect a sizeable challenge from this move, but to keep trying!

How to do a Push-Up with Different Hand Positions

While you should always keep your elbows from bowing out during a push-up and you should always keep your spine flat and core engaged, your hand position is not a fixed fundamental of the move.

Yes, in classic push-ups your hand placement is always slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, but--as exemplified by spider push-ups--a seemingly small change in the position of your hands can be game-changing.
Use these different push-up hand positions to keep busting through fitness plateaus by keeping your body (and brain) challenged with variety.
Here are the two best push-up hand placement variations that anyone of any fitness level can try.
Narrow Push-Up Position: Move your hands together, right under the centre of your chest, so that they touch.
Great for training your triceps!
Wide Push-Up Position: Perform a push-up with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width apart. A palm-width wider is often enough of a challenge at first.

Great for training the spectrum of chest muscles!

Push-Up Workout Playlist

Now that you know how to do a push-up, put that knowledge in action. Here are our favourite Sweatflix workouts that include push-ups. 
Start today or save for your next workout! Not a Sweatflix member? Sign up for a 30 day free (no risk!) trial today. You’ve got nothing to lose and only gains to gain. 

Dr. Eric Berg Featuring: What is Chronic Pain? MUST WATCH!

Chronic pain is something that I’ve had a lot of experience with in my 20s. So being in practice for 29 years I have come up with some great data for you. Here’s what I’ve learned. Find Out More at  http://bit.ly/2FvrR6A

In this video, we’re going to talk about chronic pain. I want to share with you some unique and powerful things you can do for chronic pain. Common chronic pain causes: 
• Post-surgery 
• Post-injury 
• Referral 
• Diabetic 
• Autoimmune 
• Arthritis 

There is not a lot of exact knowledge about why people develop chronic pain. But, I want to give you my opinion on the subject. What to do: 

You will want to work on the opposite side from where you’re feeling pain. You do not want to work on the area where you’re feeling pain because you’ll re-traumatize it. 
• Rate the pain 
• Use massage/acupressure to work on the opposite area for 1-2 minutes 
• Rate the pain again 
• Use massage/acupressure to work on the opposite area a little higher up for 1-2 minutes 

 If this technique doesn’t work, it may be because of referred pain. 

For a whiplash injury, there is a more complex technique you should try. Some neck pain and abdomen pain may be coming from a digestive issue. In this case, you need to fix your diet. Get on healthy keto and do intermittent fasting. 

Natural remedies for chronic pain: 
1. Fasting 
2. Stinging nettle root 
3. Vitamin D (40,000 IUs) 
4. Benfotiamine 

Dr. Eric Berg DC 

Bio:  Chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of The New Body Type Guide and other books published by KB Publishing. He has taught students nutrition as an adjunct professor at Howard University. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media. 

DR. BERG'S SHOP ON AMAZON: http://bit.ly/2uv1UBJ

Active Self Protection Presented on US Sports Net By Tactical P.E. Featuring: 93 Year Old Grandpa Loses His Mind and Emotional Maturity

Please thank KMS Squared for bringing us today’s video of 93-Year-Old Grandpa Loses His Mind! KMS Squared makes the ultimate lighting for your reloading press. Check them out at http://kmssquared.com. In the never-ending pursuit of perfection, they design products to make your life brighter. We are grateful for their sponsorship of Active Self Protection.

 
Revolutionary Tactical Strength And Conditioning Program Provides A Simple Training Blueprint To Help Cops, Soldiers, And Prepared Citizens Gain Tactical Muscle

LAS VEGAS (KABC) -- WARNING: The above video contains graphic footage that some viewers may find disturbing.

A 93-year-old man was caught on camera repeatedly shooting an apartment maintenance manager at point-blank range before being taken into custody in Las Vegas, authorities say.

Las Vegas police raced to reports of shots fired at a local apartment complex on Jan. 2. Surveillance video inside the management office captured how the incident started.

The suspect, a resident of the complex, was allegedly angry about water damage in his apartment. The maintenance manager is seen talking to the man as a woman who is sitting behind the desk secretly speaks to a police dispatcher on the phone.

"The female caller stated that an elderly male, later identified as Robert Thomas, was armed with a firearm inside the management office and was making verbal threats," a Las Vegas police spokesperson said at a press conference.......More.....

Emotional Maturity

By: James Robinson If we continue to live on this planet, we have to get older. There are various physiological changes that we experience as we go through the process of aging. Ignoring the legends of immortal beings that walk the planet, we all grow older physically. Genetics, supplements, a positive attitude, plenty of water, exercise and healthy diets can help us look young as long as possible, but the best we can expect is a cause of death that reads: "died of advanced age." I remember the slogans, "live fast, die young." Now that I am almost 60, I look forward to life after 100 years of age.

Even though physical maturity is inevitable, emotional maturity is not. I observe that the vast majority of people are stuck in their emotional growth process somewhere in their adolescent years. Greed, immaturity, fear, blame, shame, resentments, anger, confusion and suffering are all signs of arrested emotional growth. When we get stuck in our emotional development, we cease to learn how to take responsibility for our actions and our lives. We get stuck at the point of some trauma that happens in our life that we don’t know how to let go of or to process. Abuse, death of loved ones, an unkind word or a fearsome event can all cause arrested emotional development. When we stop growing emotionally, life becomes overwhelming.

Psychologists believe that we go through stages of development in our physical life. These stages are youth, adolescence, young adults, adults, and elders. You will notice that even though there are ages assigned to these stages, everyone is different and some people can appear to stay younger longer than others. However, we have to go through these stages eventually.

Emotion development also go through stages, and if we are healthy the emotional development matches physical development. I believe that we go through the emotional stages of helplessness and need, formation of personality, fear and suffering, responsibility and acceptance, and finally, peace. Again, although we all start at the state of helplessness and need, these stages are not age specific. We all have probably met people who are stuck in one of these stages or another.

Trauma and training have a lot to do with where we are in these stages. If we suffer trauma of abuse (sexual, physical, emotional) we will get stuck in the fear and suffering stages. Life is unfair, hard and dangerous. We all know people who are stuck in this stage. With help and guidance we can all grow through the fear and suffering stage into the acceptance and responsibility phase.

When we experience fear, anger, shame, blame, guilt, and other negative emotions, it is because we are stuck in some aspect of our emotional development. Let me give you an example I recently experienced. I was counseling a person whose former spouse died. The couple had divorced because of the years of abuse one heaped upon the other. Someone had told my client that the former spouse may have been schizophrenic which may have caused them to act out all those years.

My client had latched onto that backseat diagnosis and started blaming him or herself that if they had been more observant they could have gotten the abusive spouse help and saved the marriage. I was dumbfounded by the acrobatic logic this person had used to feel guilty and take total blame for the divorce. I asked some more questions and discovered that the person was actually blaming himself or herself for the abuse they had suffered, sort of a "battered spouse" syndrome. It was quite enlightening to see how this person insisted that they were to blame for their former spouse’s abuse because they should have seen the mental illness and gotten the former spouse help.

I started asking myself "how would an emotionally mature person handle this situation?" My opinion of that was that an emotionally mature person may have grieved the passing of someone they loved for a long time, but would not have taken responsibility for the abuse in the marriage. It appeared that the client’s taking on the guilt of not being "all knowing and all seeing" was a bit like playing God.

True emotional maturity involves taking responsibility for your actions, not the actions of others. If we have to protect ourselves, emotional maturity means we do not feel guilty about that. If we find out something later that might have changed our earlier decisions, we do not beat up ourselves about that. We simply accept the lesson and go on about our lives as happily as possible.

I contend that to be truly emotionally mature is to be happy. Certainly life has its experiences and we do not need to be "Pollyannaish", but when we learn a lesson in life we can be grateful for the insight and change our behaviors. Life is always about course corrections. We keep going on our journeys until we learn new ways of thinking and acting and we change our course and behavior accordingly. We do not need to know everything that will happen in the future, we just need to know what we are going to do for the next few minutes.

When we want to drive from Florida to Washington State, we do not need headlamps that will light up the whole way. All we need is headlamps that will light up the next one hundred feet. Emotional maturity means that when we come upon a bend in the road or an intersection, we make the necessary course correction that will get us to where we want to go. That can be all the way to Seattle or the next one hundred feet, whichever brings comfort.

Similarly, emotional maturity brings happiness and fulfillment no matter what we are doing. We do not need to know our life purpose, the reason we are here. All we need to know is what we are going to do for the next few minutes, hour or day. Everything else is a great deal of speculation. We can be happy and fulfilled being a doctor, lawyer, or shaman. We can be happy being a baker, banker, barber or masseur. When we reach emotional maturity, we understand that what we do has nothing to do with how we feel. If we are emotionally mature, we have the discipline to do the things that keep us healthy and feeling happy and to not do the things that cause us suffering. This is the blueprint that everyone is looking for.

I have a spiritual teacher that is forever telling me to "get over it." I have learned that is a code that really means, "Grow up." When I grow up, I want to be happy..

James has been a student of helping other beings heal for decades. As an award winning attorney, counselor, writer and healer he has dedicated his life to raising the consciousness of the planet and individuals where ever they may be. With his gentle humor, kindness and incredible insight James has touched and healed lives all over the world.

Beckett Media How to Subscribe to the Beckett Online Price Guide and What is Card Grading?

Receive 1-month Beckett digital magazines FREE when you purchase a Beckett Price Guide.
Get 1-year of Non-Sport Update Magazine Subscription and Non-Sports Card Price Guide #2 for only $44.95

What is Card Grading?

While the trading card industry is a big business today with sophistications like card grading, online pricing, auction houses and even digital trading cards, it hasn’t always been this way.
In fact, it took many years for technology to catch up with the hobby of trading cards turning into the big money business it is today.
The early days of card collecting was mostly comprised of like-minded collectors that collected cigarette and gum cards. These early pioneers of card collecting would trade with each other though the mail. Mail auctions began, giving collectors from across the United States the opportunity to acquire cards for their collection. The supply and demand of scarce cards gave birth to card values. While common player 1909 T206 cigarette baseball cards were commanding a price of 10-cents each, the famed Honus Wagner card, the most expensive baseball card today, was commanding the hefty sum of $50!
As trading card values exploded in the 1980s, greed and lack of knowledge began causing real problems for collectors and anyone wanting to buy into the extremely popular hobby. As the values continued to rise, terms like “investment” started to enter into the hobby.
Unscrupulous individuals were altering the condition of cards in an attempt to make them appear to be in better condition then they were and raising their value. Trimming off portions of a card, rebuilding worn down corners and removing creases are just a few of the types of doctoring being preformed on cards in order to deceive buyers.
Another very big problem in the hobby during this time was counterfeiting. Just like currency and fine art, trading card values had reached the point where it became profitable to counterfeit valuable trading cards.
And yet another problem that arose during this time of growth in the industry was sight-unseen commerce. As previously stated, mail auctions had been going on in the hobby since the 1930s, but as we entered into the 1990s, sight unseen buying and selling was moving from mail order and mail auctions to internet trading.
A dealer selling cards in his/her mail order business may have a particular card listed as being in “Mint” condition. The problem arises when your definition of “Mint” may differ from that of the seller, or vice-versa. Even with a trusted independent standard defining the scale of condition for trading cards, it was the application and interpretation of these condition definitions that caused the discrepancy.
That difference can be costly. In today’s hobby, with cards from the 1950s realizing auction prices into six-figures, being off by just a single condition grade could potentially cost you thousands of dollars when buying and could potentially keep you from realizing thousands of dollars when you go to sell your cards.
What was needed was a trusted, unbiased third party grading service. A company made up of hobby industry experts that had no stake in the market or in the cards being graded.
It was for this very reason that Dr. James Beckett, founder of Beckett Publications in 1984, created Beckett Grading Services in 1999. Integrity and honesty in the hobby he loves were the building blocks of BGS. Learn more..................

The Rock Almighty Devotional, Praise, and Worship with 20LB Sledge

January 8 from CDM

 

“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

The enemy’s strategy against us is not to get us to sin, but to get us to follow the law. He knows our attempts to do so will eventually cause us to sin. 

See your favorite Christ-Centered artists live!

The Rock Almighty! Shaker Of Heaven and Earth. Coming soon to US Sports Radio!

Jesse Duplantis Ministries Featuring: How To Supercharge Your Life, Part 4 and How Mary Magdalene Became An Evangelist to the Apostles

In this Glorious Conference with Cathy Duplantis, you'll learn to supercharge your life with God! Information: www.jdm.org or www.totaljdm.org Donate: http://ow.ly/Gnga50xBfhY or http://ow.ly/VzLd50xBfpx

How Mary Magdalene Became An Evangelist to the Apostles

By: Patricia Wagner For most of her days and nights, Mary Magdalene's life had been a mess!

Many today believe she was a prostitute, but we don't know that for sure. However, if she was alive today, she might be a resident of a mental institution. The reason I think that is because the Gospels record she was inhabited by seven demons.

Mary Magdalene could also have been deeply depressed. And people in her condition today would probably be alcoholics or addicted to drugs. She may have been suicidal as well. Mary had no hope for a bright future and was probably deeply ashamed of the way she was living. Trapped in a sinister lifestyle, she couldn't rise above what she had become -- a deeply troubled woman rejected by most people.

But then everything changed instantly! She met Jesus one day and He did not reject her like almost everyone else did! In fact, He welcomed her and gave her the best gift of all -- the gift of a brand-new life. She found -- to her great joy -- that she had peace of mind instead of tormenting thoughts! The degrading passions that drove her unmercifully were replaced by a deep self-sacrificing love for other people and especially for Jesus! What a transformation!

When Jesus gave her a brand-new life, He probably gave her a number of true friends as well -- including some other loving women. They along with Mary Magdalene ministered to Jesus and His friends out of their own funds.

Soon personal tragedy overwhelmed her! Jesus -- her Savior and Leader -- was arrested, convicted and nailed to a Roman cross beside two criminals.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two wealthy and highly respected Jewish leaders, exposed themselves to public ridicule by giving Jesus an honorable burial in Joseph's own new tomb. Crucified criminals were often thrown into a common burial pit. These two men tenderly took Jesus down from the cross and carried His body to the cave tomb. They wrapped His corpse around and around with yards of expensive linen material saturated with ointments and sweet-smelling spices. The ointment acted as a kind of glue which transformed the long cloth into a cocoon. Then they laid Him in the tomb and rolled a large stone over the entrance.

Mary Magdalene and at least one of her friends watched while Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus entombed Jesus in the cave that afternoon after His crucifixion.

Mary and her friends went home and rested when the sun went down that day in order to kept the Sabbath that began at sundown, so they didn't have time to anoint Jesus's body themselves.

However, early the next morning while the sun was just rising, Mary Magdalene and her friends brought sweet spices to add their spices to Jesus's burial wrappings. While they journeyed to the cave, they questioned among themselves who would roll the stone away since it was too heavy for them.

Imagine how astonished they were when they arrived at the cave to discover the huge stone had already been moved! You see, there had been a great earthquake accompanied by the coming of an angel who rolled the stone away and then sat on it. When the guards saw this glistening being shining like lightning, they collapsed on the ground in a dead faint!

 Mary did not realize that an angel had come because she didn't see him when she arrived at the cave and only knew that the stone had been rolled away. Deeply disturbed, she discovered the body of her Lord was gone.

Mary Magdalene quickly found Simon Peter, who had betrayed the Lord, and John. She broken-heartedly announced, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher and we don't know where they have taken Him!”

Immediately Peter and John rushed to the tomb to see what had happened while Mary followed at a distance.

Since John was younger, he outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. John didn't go into the tomb, but Peter did. A wondrous sight awaited their gaze! The linen wrappings wound so tightly around Jesus's body were still on the shelf where His body had been, but the long burial cloth had collapsed without being unwound. And the napkin covering Jesus's face was in a separate place by itself where his head had been. Most amazing of all, Jesus's body was no longer in the mummy cocoon. No one had unwrapped the glued together layers of cloth! The resurrected body of Jesus had simply passed right on through the burial shroud!

When John observed the collapsed mummy cocoon, he believed Jesus had risen from the dead from the evidence right before his eyes!

Peter and John left the cave, but Mary Magdalene stayed behind. She was deeply grieved since she still thought Jesus's body had been taken away.

However, her grief soon turn to ecstatic joy when not long afterwards she was visited by Jesus Himself!

This is how she met the risen Lord face to face.

First -- as she turned to go home, she noticed a man standing in the garden near the empty tomb who she assumed was the gardener.

Try to put yourself in her place and imagine the glorious thrill that came to her heart when Jesus gently called her by her own name -- "Mary!"

It was then that she recognized her risen Lord!

Jesus gave to Mary the awesome commission of telling His disciples this earth-shaking news -- He is alive forever!

And that is how Mary Magdalene became an evangelist to the apostles.