Spirit and Truth: What does it mean when God says you are a new creature?

• Author James Rondinone
  

13

You Are a New Creature

Have you ever caught up with someone you hadn’t seen for many years who committed a serious criminal offense and were shocked to see how their life had changed for the better? Here’s an article that exemplifies this. (below)

FREE TO SUCCEED: NAOMI BLOUNT

“Over the years, [I’ve] written my obituary numerous times,” says Naomi Blount. “I never thought [I’d] ever be coming home.” That’s because in 1982, she was sentenced to life in Pennsylvania state prison. She was [thirty-two] years old.

A drug addict and alcoholic, Naomi struggled every day of her adult life. One terrible day, a man stabbed her friend, Brenda Baker. The two women then found the man and wanted to hurt him, but it was Brenda who delivered the fatal injury, not Naomi. In Pennsylvania, you don’t have to be the one who committed homicide to get charged with the crime; you just have to have been there in a certain capacity.

Behind bars with no release in sight, Naomi’s tough situation was matched by grit and determination to improve herself. Her son, [ten] years old when she went inside, meant everything to Naomi, and for his sake, she vowed that even though she was supposed to die in prison, she would be leaving the world a better person than when she’d entered it. She earned several degrees, stayed clean, and helped others.

“I wanted my son to, at least when he picked up my body, I wanted him to know that his mother was more than an alcoholic and a drug addict.”

Naomi applied for and was denied commutation five times. About to give up, she hand-wrote a heartfelt plea to the Board of Pardons, begging them to reconsider. Then, in the equivalent of winning a lottery ticket, she was granted clemency – almost unheard of in Pennsylvania. She’d been in prison [thirty-seven] years.

Remarkably, now [seventy-two], Naomi is not bitter. In the three years since she’s been released, it seems as though there’s [nothing,] she hasn’t been able to accomplish. [She’s] a vocal advocate for reform, and she also works as a commutation specialist for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “My job allows me to encourage those that are on the inside,” she says.

She’s very close to her son, now [fifty], and his family. “I’m getting ready to be a great-grandmother for the second time,” Naomi says. “This will be the first baby that [I’m] home for.” And the passion for music that she has had her whole life has flourished. Recently, she released an album, called “Mello-D” by Simply Naomi.

She also works as a program consultant for a group that helped her when she was inside, Shining Light. They provide support to people in prison.

Naomi is herself a “shining light,” trying every day to express what she feels deeply: gratitude. “I’m always saying, ‘Lord, thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you, [God.’”]93

As Naomi was given clemency, a pardon after many years in prison, so have you been granted such by someone who knows everything about you. Even though the penalty for sin has been taken care of and the record of such forgiven by Jesus Christ’s atonement on the cross, this hasn’t changed the fallen nature that deprives everyone from having an intimate relationship with God.

Fortunately, God knows how to take each person out from their perpetual bondage by giving them an opportunity to respond to the message of a new life, i.e., of a new nature that can be theirs. And if and when they make this decision, a pronouncement will be made relating to them which is found in the book of 2 Corinthians. Let’s go there and find out what this announcement is all about.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

You’re described as being in Christ, which [speaks of your spiritual relationship to Him because you] believed the message of the gospel and was identified by faith with Him.94 Thus, if this is the case, and it is, then you’re a new creature, a new creation, a new person on the inside.95 Did you hear that? You’re a new being, a child of God!

As such, old things (selfish, carnal views of ourselves, of others, and of Christ;96those things that characterized the pre-Christian life97) have passed away (disappeared) and your whole sphere of being has become new, whom God the Father owns as [His] workmanship, and which he can look on and pronounce very good.98

God doesn’t see you as you see yourself at times as falling short, as never going to change, as being hopeless in this or that aspect of your life. This doesn’t mean that He’s unaware of your sinful tendencies. However, this doesn’t take away from His recognition of you as His son or daughter as was His perception of David when God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint him the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

So, find out what God’s declaration is of you in His Word regarding every area of your new life and begin to think of yourself as to the new person you’ve become. Remind yourself that you’ve been given a new nature even though the reality of such in your thinking, speaking, and acting hasn’t been worked out yet. And remember, [you’re] a new creation, a new man, a work of the divine power as decided and as glorious as when God created all things out of nothing,99 with new views, new motives, new principles, new [objectives] and plans of life.100

Before we take a look at another beautiful description of our new lives in Christ in the next section, I’d like to leave you with this quote from Barnes Notes that accentuates what we’ve just talked about.

The idea evidently is, not that he ought to be a new creature, but that he is in fact; not that he ought to live as becomes a new creature - which is true enough - but that [he’ll] in fact live in that way, and manifest the characteristics of the new creation.101

Prior to your conversion to Christ, was there ever anything that you longed for that you believed would provide you with happiness but always seemed to be outside of your grasp? There was one lifelong endeavor of mine that I only found in Christ. What was it?

Endnotes

93“Free to Succeed: Naomi Blount,” FAMM 3 November 2022

.

94Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament.

95IVP Bible Background Commentary.

96Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.

97UBS New Testament.

98Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

99Barnes’ Notes.

100Barnes’ Notes.

101Barnes’ Notes.

My name is James Rondinone. I am a husband, father, and spiritual leader.

I grew up in Massachusetts and began my own spiritual journey early on in life.

I attended Bible college, having completed a two-year Christian Leadership Course of Study and graduated as valedictorian (Summa Cum Laude).

Studying and teaching the Word of God has been a passion of mine for over 20 years.

Flashpoint on US Sports: Who Is Running the Country!? (9/26/23)

 

5 Key Practices for Immigration Compliance

• Author Tj Ser

5 Key Practices for immigration compliance

1. Know the rules and procedures.

Start by knowing the rules that apply to recruiting and employing temporary foreign workers - or at least know where to find them.

Principal sources of law and regulatory bodies. The main sources of laws and rules governing the hiring and employment of temporary foreign workers in Australia are:

The Department of Home Affairs

The Federal Register of Legislation

Australian Border Force

Key rules and procedures: Many rules apply when an Australian employer wishes to employ one or more temporary foreign workers. Three of the most important are:

2. Work permits:

A work visa (also known as a "work permit" in some countries) is the basic immigration tool that allows "foreign nationals" (people who are not Australian citizens or "permanent residents") in Australia to work as a temporary foreign worker. Home affairs prohibits a foreign national from entering Australia to "work" without prior authorization. When it comes to determining whether a foreign national enters Australia for the purpose of "working" - and therefore requiring a work permit – Home Affairs focuses on the activities of the individual rather than on how he (or anyone else, including potential employers) categorizes the arrangement. Home Affairs defines "work" as an activity: for which wages are paid or commissions are earned; or compete directly with the activities of an Australian citizen or permanent resident in the Australian labour market. So, for example, a foreign national that an Australian organization might call "volunteer" simply because they are not paid is most likely (and probably is) "working" in the sense of Home Affairs if “the work is normally paid, and therefore requires a work permit”.

Consistently review the work permit:

An important part of the due diligence process is the review of the foreign worker's temporary work permit, focusing on the following key fields to confirm that they are complete and correct:

Employee's name (currently last name and first name(s).

Employee “Personal Data” (currently date of birth, gender, country of birth and nationality, and travel document number, such as passport).

Date of expiry of the work permit.

Name and location of employer.

Worker's profession.

Any other note, comment, or condition (for example, prohibition to work in the medical field, obligation to maintain health insurance while in Australia etc).

3. Conduct a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) or an online job posting assessment.

Due diligence also involves reviewing the LMIA or online job posting, as appropriate and when necessary, both for accuracy and consistency between it and the temporary foreign worker's work permit Time:

Labour contract.

Actual working conditions (such as wages, benefits, working hours, job description and duties, work location, etc.).

4. Review the employment contract.

It is good practice for all employers to use a properly drafted and executed written employment contract. The same goes for temporary foreign workers. Due diligence includes reviewing the employment contract to ensure its terms comply with the LMIA or online job posting, if applicable, including the following key terms:

Cash salary .

Benefits.

Working hours.

Job Description.

Tasks and places of work.

5. Make and maintain complete and accurate records (and keep them handy).

Requiring employers to keep records on temporary foreign workers for seven years - and Home Affairs' right to conduct random audits on those records - means employers must prepare; and although temporary foreign employers under an open work permit are not subject to this record keeping requirement and audit power, it is still a good practice:

Record. Create and maintain an up-to-date, well-organized and easily accessible file for each worker containing a copy of their respective immigration work visa, LMIA or online letter of offer (if applicable), employment contract, timesheet, passport and employment file. Review all business records, including all payroll records and timesheets.

Alternatively, organisations can purchase a product that makes meeting the compliance requirements simple. Complize is a Saas platform designed to enable organisations to manage immigration compliance, increase organisational knowledge and reduce risk. Content is developed and designed by immigration law firm, Hammond Taylor, and the IT systems are managed by Complize, an Australian IT firm.

Contact us now to arrange a free demonstration.

To learn more, please visit https://complize.com.au.

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US Sports Tennis: How to neutralize a lefty in Tennis

 

• By Aiden Lefebvre

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Why does it always seem like left-handed tennis players are tripping up the righty tennis players? The truth is, left-handed players inherently have an advantage over right-handed players. Generally speaking, athletes don’t train as much on their lefty game because there are just fewer of them. It doesn’t really feel worth devoting so much time and effort for such a rare opponent. Meanwhile, lefties practice against their counterparts all day, meaning they quickly gain an advantage over their more common opponent. But beating a lefty is totally possible and, despite common belief, doesn’t require some crazy training regimen. With the helpful tips of ATP coach Gonzalo Lopez, I’ll show you various ways that you can take back control of the court and dominate against lefties and righties alike. 

Controlling the height of the rally

Gonzalo has some excellent points on the tactical structure of lefty’s that can help you navigate the challenges of playing a tough lefty. First, Gonzalo talks about the importance of controlling the height of the rally. He describes the height of the rally as the place that you are standing on the court while you are running laterally. Your height can change depending on if you are near the service line or near the net. Gonzalo says that the goal is to change the height of your opponent’s height of the rally while maintaining your own height. The purpose of this is to take an offensive position and control of the rally. If you need to constantly adjust your position on the court, it will be harder to control the rally. So making them adjust will put you at an advantage. 

While this can totally be used for both left-handed and right-handed athletes, it is especially important to remember against your lefty opponents since many tennis players have less experience defending against a lefty. Therefore, keeping an offensive position will ensure you the advantage. 

Dominating the diagonals

Next, Gonzalo mentions that oftentimes, the diagonal will be your best shot and your opponent’s worst shot, though not always the case. When you hit the ball at the diagonal that is on your stronger side, you have more control over dictating your opponent’s height of rally. When you can dictate your opponent’s height of rally, you can make them move more and tire them out over the course of the match. This is especially important if you notice that your opponent is a slow runner or is slowing down in the middle of the match. Because moving their height of rally will ensure that they need to keep chasing the ball and minimizes the chances of them standing still. 

On the flip side, if your opponent is faster than you, it will be easier for them to take control over your height of rally and therefore make you run more. That is why it is important to dominate the diagonals so that you can optimize your stronger side and have better placement of your shots.

Hitting at the diagonals is also an effective way to open spaces on the court, which is similar to moving the height of the rally, but along the other axis of the court. By opening up the other axis it provides you with opportunities to put the ball away, especially if your opponent has been running and is too tired to chase the ball. The sooner you can dominate one of the diagonals against a tough lefty, the less likely you are to be pinned into a corner, while the lefty pounds heavy forehands like Nadal did to Federer for the early part of their careers.

Hitting against left-handed tennis players can be a major challenge, especially if you’ve never faced such an opponent before. But fortunately, you can incorporate lefty-conscious strategies into your training regimen that is applicable to both left-handed and right-handed players. By manipulating the height of the rally and aiming for the diagonals, you will take control over the point and dominate your lefty opponents with ease.

US Sports Lacrosse: Playing Attack

 

by Matt Danowski

Description

Attack! Attack! Attack! That is the motto of Major League Lacrosse star Matt Danowski's instructional video course. He gives you the insights on protecting your stick, over the shoulder catches, shooting and much more with this 12-step lesson plan. You will be the player defenses have to plan for when you step on the field if you follow Coach Danowski's techniques. Did we mention it's free? An MLL star with a proven track record is here offering you his secrets for free. Don't waste any more time and become the attacker you always wanted to be today.  Book this course......

The Coach

Matt Danowski

MLL Attack for the New Jersey Pride

Every time you turn, Matt Danowski is filling the nets with his offensive skills. The Major League Lacrosse attack is now playing for the Long Island Lizards after joining the league in 2008 as the No. 2 selection overall by the New Jersey Pride. He totaled 19 goals and 36 points, and played in the MLL All-Star Game as a rookie.

He returned to the All-Star Game in 2009, playing for the Young Guns squad. He also totaled 12 goals and 11 assists for the Lizards.

At Duke University, Danowski became the NCAA’s all-time Division I points leader – 353 points in 80 games – was a four-time USILA first-team All-American and helped the Blue Devils to the national final in 2005 and 2007. In 2007, he was awarded the Tewaaraton Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate lacrosse player in the United States; the Lt. Raymond Enners Award by the USILA as national player of the year; and his second Jack Turnbull Award as attackman of the year. Book this course today!

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US Sports Football: Win Downfield - Attacking Different Areas Deep with 3rd Level RPO

 

• By Coach Grabowski

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For teams that are RPO-heavy in their attack, the defense will start to take away conflict by bringing a safety down into the box either pre-snap by alignment or by rotation in buzzing a safety down into the box.

With this move, they effectively equate numbers in the run, and the underneath passing windows are typically left open by a 2nd level player whose run-fits are now taken away.

This creates the necessity of having vertical answers.  An offense can drop back and use seam reads or choice routes, but the objective of any RPO is to run the ball while having a protection answer.

Of course, the RPO can remain the call by simply shifting to a 3rd Level RPO. Most of these are designed with some sort of underneath throws still available with quick routes or key screens.  When the offense is successful with these, then the defense needs to decide if it really wants to bring that extra defender down.

Today, we will take a look at three 3rd Level RPO with the Glance, Bender, and Slot Fade and how each attacks a void in the defense.

Glance

If the backside safety comes down, then Glance is a favorite for many programs.  These typically are run as a 5-step break. 

Glance can be run to the field as well. At Alabama, they call it “pop.” The idea is to attack space as Alabama WR Coach Holmon Wiggins points out in this video:

Glance is fine to the field as well, but you have to be wary of the backside safety.  Noel Mazzone has his receivers flatten it out to what he calls a grass glance.  The purpose is to not bring the Glance into the safety. He explains it in this video:

Bender

Another option is to use a Bender route allowing the receiver to bend into the void rather than giving a distinct break.  This type of route comes into play versus different rotations but it allows the offense to attack a void in the middle of the defense with an easy throw.  Former Averett OC Kirkland Brown explains it off of a gap scheme in this video:

Slot Fade

Glance and Bender bring the receivers into the middle of the field, so safeties are always a danger, but the slot fade attacks a different void of the defense and can be protected with back shoulder throws as well.

Former SDSU OC Jeff Hecklinski explains the Slot Fade RPO here:

Defenses are getting better and better in how they defend RPO.  Having a mechanism to attack their aggressiveness can provide answers and explosive plays.

Planning for some 3rd Level RPO answers can be an effective way to get the chalk back for the offense.

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The U.K. Parliament wrote to TikTok & Rumble asking to cut off Russell Brand’s ability to monetize, Emma Roberts is anti-trans?, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has a plan: City-run grocery stores, Also Biden just let half a million illegal immigrants into the country. Tune in.

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