Student Dental Insurance

A college or university student would often receive offers of a student dental insurance from the school through an insurance company. It offers and may cover several dental services. There are also several insurance types of the student insurance for dental care offered.

Students enrolled in private, some public and boarding schools are also given a chance to get the coverage. Dental insurance for students are more affordable compared with individual insurance. They would also allow the student to choose a dental care provider or a health practitioner. They also do not usually assess the student's condition before being awarded with the insurance coverage.

There are several types of dental insurance offered in school. It is important to understand different insurance types offered to understand what is covered.

1. Dental capitation plan. A specific dentist or dental care professional is recommended to the students. Monthly or annual fees have to be paid which can be added to the student's tuition fee. The capitation plan is usually about the preventive aspects of dental care such as cleanings, checkups, fillings and repairing chipped teeth. Schools would usually offer this one since it is very rare that students would require extensive dental work.

2. Dental plan scheme. With an agreement with the school, a private insurance company would be offering insurance to the students. The company could provide students discount when purchasing the insurance.

3. Discount dental plans. They do not require premiums, only a small amount that will give you access to dentists and get dental services for discounted prices. Aside from basic dental work, these discount plans could also cover major dental procedures in times of emergency.

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Overview of Trademark Law

Trademark law gives companies the exclusive right to use a given name or design, called a "mark," for the purpose of identifying the source the of that company's goods or services. Trademark law is an incentive-based system. Because it gives companies the exclusive right to use a mark in connection with certain goods or services, the company can create a brand that is recognizable by the consuming public. That trademark would be associated with and incorporated into every advertisement the company runs for its goods or services. Repetition of those advertisements containing the trademark causes consumers to associate the mark with the goods and, with enough repetition, consumers buy the goods.

A brief, but related, digression. We all know that if you see a product advertised frequently enough, the product will sell. You might even be one of the people who buys the product. The thinking process by which you reached the decision to buy the product is not an intellectual, logical process. It's a function of the way the human mind works. Continually hearing a repeated message makes the message more familiar, more real, and, eventually, more true. As the adage says, "even the boldest lie becomes the truth if you scream it loud enough and long enough." I call this the "Lie = Truth" Adage. Sadly, I frequently encounter the "Lie = Truth" Adage in litigation. I also know of some politicians and terrorist masterminds who are experts at exploiting this fact of human nature.

Back to trademarks. The advertising departments at most companies know the "Lie = Truth" Adage can be very successful in advertising. The cynic would pump his fist in the air yell "Down with the corporations, and power to the people! All the corporations care about is taking our money at all costs!" While we can point to some recent examples that might make it challenging to argue against this viewpoint, as to the overwhelming, vast majority of companies, that view simply cannot be supported.

Trademark law creates very strong incentives for companies to make the highest quality product possible and to advertise their merits and attributes accurately. Aside from the fact that companies invest anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars into their trademark(s), all it takes is one bad product line to tarnish a companies image in the mind of the consumers who buy their products. Both of these factors hit companies where it hurts them most: in the pocketbook. So, while companies clearly have to perform a balancing act of creating a high quality product, keeping costs down, and pulling in as many purchasers as possible, they have very strong incentives to create a quality product that they will associate with their trademark.

To be eligible for any level of trademark protection, a mark must be "distinctive" and not merely "descriptive" of the goods or services. Whether a mark is distinctive and "how" distinctive or strong the mark is can be determined by a sliding scale. Marks can be (1) fanciful; (2) arbitrary; (3) suggestive; (4) descriptive; or (5) generic. Whether a particular mark is protected by trademark law depends on the strength category into which it falls.

A fanciful mark is one that is invented for the sole purpose of being a trademark. For example, EXXON is a fanciful mark. It is a word that does not exist in the English language and was created only for the purpose of identifying the oil and gas company.

An arbitrary mark is typically an existing word that is arbitrarily applied to a product or service that has nothing to do with the word. For example, the mark APPLE as applied to sales of computers.

A suggestive mark is a mark that suggests a quality or characteristic of the goods or services. Suggestive marks require some level of imagination to bridge the connection between the mark and the product. For example, the mark PENGUIN as applied to refrigerators.

A descriptive mark is a word that merely describes a quality or characteristic of a product. Descriptive marks are not entitled to trademark protection unless they have obtained "secondary meaning" under the trademark law. An example of a descriptive mark would be LIGHT to identify a lightweight notebook computer.

A generic mark simply identifies by name a particular product. Generic marks are never entitled to trademark protection. An example of a descriptive mark would be MODEM in connection with modem sales. If trademark protection were allowed in this instance, the company could essentially remove the word "modem" from the English language.

Trademark - Do I Need One For My Business Name and Logo?   Trademark - Do I Need One For My Business Name and Logo?   

Trademark - Do I Need One For My Business Name and Logo?

Wondering if a trademark is important to you as a business owner? Let's start with the basics. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or logo that distinguishes and identifies the source of goods of one company or person from another. For example, the name Kraft is trademarked, as is Nike's "swoosh" logo.

The list of what constitutes a trademark is long. A trademark can also be granted to unique packaging such as the shape of Coca-cola's bottle, building designs, color, sound, and even fragrance. Service marks receive the same legal protection, but are used to distinguish services instead of products.

Your business can acquire trade or service marks through the consistent use of a mark. The symbols TM and SM demonstrate the owner treats the mark as a trademark or service mark. There is no requirement to federally register at the trademark office. You are still protected under intellectual property laws. However, if another party uses your mark it can be more difficult to prove your ownership.

To register online with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), go to www.uspto.gov There is a registration fee for each name, logo, and slogan. Federal registration ensures another party is not already using your mark. A registered trademark gives you exclusive rights to use a mark with your particular goods or services. The USPTO can only register trademarks for marks that are used across state lines. A website customers can access in other areas can satisfy this requirement. Otherwise, you will only be able to apply for a state trademark.

Only a mark registered and approved by the USPTO can use the ® symbol. Since the application process can take many months to complete, use the TM or SM symbol in the meantime to establish your intention to use the mark as a trademark. Make sure you keep records as to when your mark was first used in commerce and regulate the use of your mark in the marketplace.

Trademark - Do I Need One For My Business Name and Logo?   Trademark - Do I Need One For My Business Name and Logo?   

Emergency Medicine Physician Billing Compliance - Medicare, PPACA, RACs, HITECHs

Since Medicare Audits began they have primarily been used as information gathering. However with the passing of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which made recovery audit contractors extension into all 50 states mandatory by 2010, and adding the passage of PPACA and the effects of HITECH, audits are coming from all directions. More importantly they are being used to recover over-payments and possibly with penalties. What do we do as ED physicians?

Look for physicians with outlying data. Check your standard deviations for over performing E&M levels, critical care and procedures. If you find outliers, then prepare a document that substantiates why they are outliers and/or identifies what the physician(s) is doing wrong, document education and follow up that they have corrected the issues. Not only can you do this with over performers but also under performers to improve charge capture. In my experience, for every over performer, there are three under performers. In effect, a compliance program that also focuses on charge capture will, in the final analysis, have a positive impact on revenue.

Determine why they are outliers. There are a number of legitimate reasons that a particular physician may higher significantly higher level 5s, critical care time etc... Some of the causes to look at are: 1. Triage acuity pick ups 2. Shifts worked 3. Admission percentage 4. How long out of residency 5. Percent of charts with a well thought out differential 6. number of hours worked with mid level coverage versus the group average

Perform periodic education for all physicians and mid-level providers. At least annually present to your group some form of documentation training. Document this training and have everyone sign off on completion of the training. For example, have an annual dinner/company retreat and include a ~3 hour presentation on documentation training/reminders, group and individual performance measures and annual updates. Just about everyone looks forward to this as sort of a group retreat and open forum on these issues.

Provide a documentation guide. Whether your ED physicians use EMR, dictation, templates or another form of documentation, a readily available reference is vital to compliantly capturing all of your services in the ED. We perform so many different procedures and services in the ER (everything from cerumenectomy to observation) that many physicians not only find themselves not knowing exactly how to document them, but sometime physicians do not know what they don't know so that either they fail to document services rendered or do so in a non compliant manner. We have found that having a comprehensive guide to documenting specific to the practice and that is group specific and done in consultation with your coders is vital to charge capture and compliance. Every coding department or system will have slight variations on exactly what they want to see to capture a service (for example, for a splint procedure, do that want to see documented that the physician was present when the splint was applied or just examined afterwards and what are the best words to communicate etc...)

Here is an example from a section of one of our documentation guides:

Observation Care:

Increases RVUs by ~one RVU on each case, this is significant. Usually 2-6% of ED patients are eligible.When is it used? Three requirements: 1. Meet the Time requirement 2. Admission is a possibility 3. An Order for Observation is on the chart

Time is being used as diagnostic tool Either 8 hours of medically necessary observation or any amount of time that spans one calendar day (11pm on one day to 1am meets the requirement)*

Admission is a possibility

Order for Observation is on chart

What is required?

A timed order for observation on the ER face sheet

A dictated note in a separate paragraph which contains:

The time and date that the observation started and stopped

The medical necessity of the observation (i.e. an intoxicated patient who had a fall in order to rule out serious injury or an asthmatic patient in order to decide to admit or not)

The results, reassessment and disposition of the observation.

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How Under-Coding Affects the Financial Well-Being of Your Medical Practice

Most physicians are concerned with using the proper coding parameters when submitting claims to insurance providers, and with good reason. It is not uncommon, however, for a physician to be unfamiliar with the proper coding techniques and guidelines for office visits. Due to this lack of understanding, these physicians can only guess which code should be used, rather than using the code that is actually meant for the treatment provided.

In some cases, the above approach does work. In most instances, however, improper coding creates serious issues with a practice's records and documentation. By taking a "hit or miss" approach to coding and billing procedures, these physicians are losing money that they are rightfully entitled to.

When it comes to billing, your practice has three options. You can either up-code, down-code or under-code to varying degrees. The term "under-coding" refers to a reduction of coding for a variety of reasons. For purposes of this article, we will address office visit codes known as Evaluation and Management codes and how you can ensure that you are using them properly.

Throwing Money Away

Some doctors bill all of their office visits at a lower level code, such as 99212. These doctors hope that by doing this, they will be able to alleviate billing complications. Unfortunately, this approach to billing does more harm than good to the financial well-being of your practice. First and foremost, when you generalize your coding like this you are losing out on a lot of revenue - usually to the tune of about $100,000 each year. However, this is not the only problem that this billing technique presents. If you use a single, lower-level code for all of your office billing, you are going to run into problems if you face an audit. In fact, under-coding can actually lead to an audit due to the overuse of the code you are using for your office visits.

Documenting Medical Necessity

Properly documenting your patients' office visits is paramount to proper billing. The criteria for being paid for an office visit is Medical Necessity. If you have documented the Medical Necessity of the services you provide, you should have no problem being paid for the visit. If you are meeting the proper criterion for higher billing codes and you did the work, you have every right to be paid for it. For example, if you treated a problem and have the criterion present to bill for 99214, why would you bill for 99212?

Avoiding What You Don't Understand

Many doctors avoid coding properly due to a lack of understanding. If you want to ensure that you generate as much revenue as possible for your practice, you need to code correctly. For example, if you are treating a diabetic that is controlled, you should use 250.00. However, if you are treating an uncontrolled diabetic, you should use code 250.xx or one of the other codes with a fifth digit. The more accurate you are in your coding, the more revenue you will be able to generate for your practice.

While under-coding may seem simpler in the short-term, in the long term it will result in being paid less for what you do. As more practices face cutbacks and reimbursement reductions, it is crucial to maximize your revenue whenever possible. You owe it to yourself and your practice to capture as much revenue as possible. This means taking the time to learn the proper coding techniques that will put as much money into your practice as possible.

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Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer

If you are considering on doing a car wash fundraiser to help raise money for a small non-profit organization, may I suggest that you use a Pressure Washer to wash all the cars? Why? Well because you can wash the cars faster, save water and do a better job.

You see pressure washers put out between 1,000 and 3,000 pounds per square inch and that results in a significant amount of cleaning power. In fact, much of the dirt will be blown right off the cars. As long as you keep the tip away from the car by 12 to 18 inches you will do fine and you can get closer in if you are doing the rims.

Most small pressure washers put out about 1.2 to 4.5 gallons per minute. A garden hose might put out 6.5 to 10 gallons per minute and that is a significant difference. This means less water is used and the pressure washers have a spring loaded shut off nozzle on the trigger gun too. It is everyone's responsibility to save water these days and we must all pitch in.

Wasting water at a car wash fundraiser doing it the "Wrong Way" does not teach the kids the responsibility of the value of water. Of course we must not forget the importance of quality, because the customers are paying you good money to have their cars washed and using a pressure washer blows the grit off prior to soaping and this will prevent scratches.

There is really no reason not to use a pressure washer at a car wash fundraiser and some parent in your group has a pressure washer for home use or that they use in their small business. So please consider this. Here is a complete free online book to help you: http://www.carwashguys.com/fundraisers/LAschools.html

Easy Fundraisers   Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer   Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer   

Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer

If you are considering on doing a car wash fundraiser to help raise money for a small non-profit organization, may I suggest that you use a Pressure Washer to wash all the cars? Why? Well because you can wash the cars faster, save water and do a better job.

You see pressure washers put out between 1,000 and 3,000 pounds per square inch and that results in a significant amount of cleaning power. In fact, much of the dirt will be blown right off the cars. As long as you keep the tip away from the car by 12 to 18 inches you will do fine and you can get closer in if you are doing the rims.

Most small pressure washers put out about 1.2 to 4.5 gallons per minute. A garden hose might put out 6.5 to 10 gallons per minute and that is a significant difference. This means less water is used and the pressure washers have a spring loaded shut off nozzle on the trigger gun too. It is everyone's responsibility to save water these days and we must all pitch in.

Wasting water at a car wash fundraiser doing it the "Wrong Way" does not teach the kids the responsibility of the value of water. Of course we must not forget the importance of quality, because the customers are paying you good money to have their cars washed and using a pressure washer blows the grit off prior to soaping and this will prevent scratches.

There is really no reason not to use a pressure washer at a car wash fundraiser and some parent in your group has a pressure washer for home use or that they use in their small business. So please consider this. Here is a complete free online book to help you: http://www.carwashguys.com/fundraisers/LAschools.html

Easy Fundraisers   Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer   Running a Car Wash Fundraiser Using a Pressure Washer   

Castes and Caste System

Today we all follow different faiths but have the same motive of doing so! Indeed, every religion has its own culture. Religion is the highway through which one traverses unto his final terminus! This destination is the same for all, though the paths may 'seem' very different. It is just because we have created that gradient. A highway remains a highway in India so does it in Europe, the difference just being that it is named differently here than there! Each one of us is somewhere or the other interconnected in this multifarious relation of being a 'Human'.

Religion is a way to concentrate on our faith or deity. It helps us reducing the evilness in the society. Religion keeps us near to the lord. Religion in its true sense is much more than what the mortal words could ever blabber! The human nature is but quite dynamic, as though the gurgling stream flowing from the 'top of a mountain', being chaste from the origin, flowing o'er crests and troughs, mingling with mud, pouring down the steep edge of the boulder and vanishing into the 'cosmic reservoirs'! All becomes calm again and flows in the harmony of nature!

'Unity is Strength'. As did the 'Pangaea' bifurcate, so did the human race. Humanity is not regional or national, it is a global perspective, but today we prove to be what we shouldn't have ever imagined in our wildest of the wild dreams! Today there are 7 continents, 196 countries and over 2 lakh cities with Thousand-billion people dwelling in there! With the passage of time people started to develop all the ideas about religion. Innumerable religions were devised, all filled with interesting stories and concepts, all derived from the 'ubiquitous nature' of the mankind! Each of which kept on expanding as did the case of 'every atom's origin'! Everyday thousands of new cobwebs get weaved around, adding to its intricacy!

The love and humanity, transformed into hatred and selfishness! The religion which taught righteousness, love, unity, humanity and the staunch willingness of performing the duties got de-thrown by the so-called wits or to be more specific, the 'priests'! The center of life altered from 'duty to deity'! The downfall of humanity was given the ignition which later has leaped across the globe burning down all the goodness of the society to ashes!

When our thirst wasn't quenched even after getting divided into so many different religions we still broke it down into the castes! It cannot have but devastating effects! How ironic it seems to divide a single wide path into a numerous narrower paths which eventually obstruct the passage of the vehicles itself! Indeed when the immortal Gods take a hand in this matter they cannot do but weep or rescind this 'illusive world of illusions'!

Caste system is a major barrier of our society today. We feel awfully proud of having secured a high rank in technological innovations and the industrial development across the globe, but indeed all that that's there is merely a complement to the real life of the people! The chief principles of the 'golden era' prove to be vital and eternal as long as the men would survive.

India earlier was divided into 4 main castes, i.e. Brahmin, Kshatriya, Viashya and Kshudra. The four Vedas are the foundation of the Hindu religion. The 'Vedas' stated that, "It is the Brahmins who were born from the mouth of the GOD, Kshatriyas evolving from the hands, Vaishias from the thighs and lastly the Kshudras from his toes." Brahmin in turn has 84 bifurcations! The roots of this system have penetrated deep into the society! And it was no one other than people like you and me who formulated and penned down the Vedas! Well the Vedas are nothing but the reflection of the thoughts and beliefs of the people of that age! It is an inevitable truth that "Nothing in this world is permanent but Change". Just giving it all a bit of thought may lead us to conclude that with the passage of time and the advent of ideas, the traditional concepts must be revived and subjected to change! We must reflect to find out, why we do adhere to our religious scriptures so much that we tend to forget the day we are living in!

The caste system is present even today! Diffusion and osmosis are the naturally occurring processes, which 'nullify the gradient between the high and the low'. Thus the 'Law of Nature' teaches us to be in harmony and quash all the differences between each other, but our adamant nature doesn't allow us to do that! The higher caste people seem to have a problem with the lower caste people and vice-versa! It becomes almost impossible to thrive in an environment which has nothing to do but abuse each other!

'Love' a four-letter word, is more powerful than the even the most destructive Hydrogen bomb on this Earth. When the angels talk in the heaven they won't have any other word sweeter and more effective than this! Love has the invincible power to curb the most violent of the wars or rage one of 'em! The world would have been overwhelming with happiness and prosperity today, only and only if we even tried to listen to the mellifluous beats of our heart!

The framers of the Indian constitution had the ambition to see its citizens touch the highest of peaks in the world in all spheres of life. One of the very initial laws made was 'Abolition of Un-touchability and the introduction to Aarakshan for the initial ten years'. Both of these laws were made to unite the people of India and work for the 'Betterment of India as a whole and not themselves individually'. The hearts and minds of the people of India had been filled with so much of filth that they couldn't accept the new ideology. And it is quite natural to deny to something that opposes an age old custom! But the ultimate truth is that 'Nothing is permanent but Change'. We need to be constantly pondering over the current affairs, our customs and the way of life, rationally! Then and then can we assure the well-being of the society, as there is always something or the other to resuscitate!

Many people are of the opinion that today the lower caste people are discriminated but as many think the right opposite! In India people do believe that "It has been 65 years after the independence but still the lower caste people have not been able to cope-up with the dignified citizens even after the Aarakshan and lot many other policies offered by the government to them. So it is whose fault?" The citizens of India are also of the opinion that Aarakshan which was given to them was only for the initial 10 years after the independence (So that the lower caste people can align themselves with the upper caste people) but today the corrupt ministers just for their own 'position' allocate Aarakshan as if distributing cakes! It is a fact that Aarakshan also sometimes becomes a hindrance to the progress of the society as a whole, as not all lower caste people are so talented. Thus if they get a job which they aren't worthy of than it creates a havoc which is a condition in many of the government offices! So many people today feel that low caste people have actually overpowered them!

But on the other hand no one can deny to the fact that no less than millions of low caste people suffer due to all these inhuman practices! The behavior of an individual and that of towards others accounts for 90% of the reciprocating-reactions. It has the potential to shape the attitude of his and others! The same can be applied here! When even a small lot of lower caste people are harassed by the upper caste people, or the unworthy lower caste people spoil the lives of the upper caste people, neither of them can resist it. Hatred embarks from here! It is truly said that 'an eye for an eye makes the world blind'.

Today our society faces a major conflict among the lower caste people and the upper caste people. Thousands of upper caste people may be suffering due to Aarakshan or other such practices. Many lower caste people might be expressing hatred against every upper caste person whether he is good or bad. And equally the lower caste people do suffer! The issues related to caste and caste system not only creates gradients and discomfort in the society but also hamper the fraternity and peace of the world! For example the India-Pakistan wars, Un-touchablity and even more cruel customs are all somehow or the other related to caste and religions!

Well our constitution has made it a legal offence many years ago! But it is still prevalent! Today if the government officials come for the census report, they have a special column in their list for caste and religion! Why the hell do you need to specify all such details! How is a 'Stupid Common Man' expected to step out of this shallow attitude when the mass administrating body itself is not able to perceive the fresh ideas and think out of the box!

Today the issue is not to bring the lower caste people up or to pull the legs of the upper caste people; the issue is to stop the discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed and religion! Discrepancies and difference of opinion always lead to the worse of the effects! As the opposite of Masculine power cannot be Feminine power, similarly the opposite of Upper caste people can never be Lower caste people, even though the Lower and Upper are antonyms of each other! As long as the caste system prevails the issues among the people would never cease because ultimately the caste system has seeped into our blood!

Winners have a solution to each and every problem and in contrast losers have a strong sense to find staunch problems even in the best of the solutions that could ever exist! If we believe that we are really successful than we are under the greatest influence of the artifices! One can never progress until and unless all the inhumanity is bashed!

The solution itself cannot be to bring up the lower caste people or create some laws that will bring them up! Because by creating such laws there are always chances that either the upper caste or the lower caste people would suffer! If suffering of the lower caste people is not good so would be that of the upper caste people! I repeat that today the problem is not to bring up any of the castes or to pin point someone. We need to identify our real enemy which is 'behind the screen' destroying us!

The real issue is all due to the Religious beliefs of people which is carried forward from ages. Today we are taught from childhood that you have to pray to GOD otherwise you cannot become a good person! You must know how to perform particular rites if you're a Brahmin! Come one, what the hell is that, all bullshit! What difference does it make if you manage to become a 'human'! Even Bhagwat Gita stresses on the importance of duty, Ramayana stress on the principle of being righteous and following the duty! And of course each one of us has our own way of thinking and way to behave and react! The religion has actually stained our society indeed! It is much similar to the water left stagnant from months! Change and innovation is the key to success! The caste system needs to be ceased in order to bring up our society! There are many problems that arise just because of castes and even if you create a law or amend the constitution, the same caste system's exists in the blood of our society! Until and unless the caste system is abolished one cannot think of all humans being considered as humans and equal! Caste divides people! The spirit of nationalism can only prevail where there are no division! But look at the scenario we all talk merrily about caste and we feel proud to be of a particular caste or religion!

It is really absurd to think that the castes would be dissolved over night! It is not just the job of the government and the upcoming generations to abolish the caste system, but it is the great responsibility levied on each one of us. Government is a body elected by the people and it is meant to work for the people and moreover it is a body made from the citizens of India! It is the sole responsibility of each and every citizen of India to rise against any injustice done or against any unhealthy ideology! We all need to change and mold ourselves according to the time and situations, we cannot be the stubborn mules and staunch followers of the craziest and devastating thoughts of the world, like the way we did before. We are too fussy and possessive about them! Let's eliminate them to become better humans! Let's break through the barriers of castes and religions and contemplate the divinity within ourselves!

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Did Jesus Really Walk on Water?

Matthew 14: 22-33

22 Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds. 23 And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.24 But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.25 And in the fourth watch [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright.27 But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I Am! Stop being afraid!28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God!

The Sea of Galileee

The Sea of Galilee is fed by the Jordan River, rainfall and springs on the northern side. More properly designated a lake, the Kinneret (the OT and modern name) is 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. At its deepest point the lake is only 150 feet deep. The rabbis said of it, "Although God has created seven seas, yet He has chosen this one as His special delight."

This lake is so big it is called a sea. Throughout the bible we see it as a center of fishing and in fact the disciples who were fishermen were recruited from the banks of this sea (including Peter).

I am

It intrigued me that this version used "I am" for Jesus' response. If we look at the original text, which is Greek, we see that the same words are used here as they are elsewhere (John 8:58 for instance) where Jesus says "I am" to state that He is God: ego eimi εγω ειμι

Walked on Water

This part of the passage has been a troublesome spot in my mind for some time. I have heard that the original text does not specify that Jesus walked on the water, as it is a preposition used to mean at, around, by, etc. I have heard both sides: that it is a generalization open for interpretation and that it is very specific. Quite honestly, when I looked this up, I hoped and expected it to be very specific. However, it is not specific at all. I have even found quite a lot of commentary challenging the Christian faith by this very passage, claiming that Christians (bible translators included) choose to believe that Jesus walked on the water instead of near the banks or at the edge of the sea. Without further ado, let's look at the original text.

The Greek word used for "on" in our English translation is "epi". It translates literally into: 1) upon, on, at, by, before 2) of position, on, at, by, over, against 3) to, over, on, at, across, against. That certainly leaves it open in regards to what Jesus was doing in relation to the water, doesn't it? Furthermore, I looked up the next two occurrences of "on the water" in verses 28 and 29; the same Greek words are used. Doubting that this is more "general" than it should be I even looked up the word for "walking" which is "peripateo" which defined means, 1) to walk 1a) to make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities. At least this didn't open the door for Jesus swimming or treading water, did it? One of the reasons the New Testament was written in Greek was not only because it was the common trade language (much like English is today), but also because it is a very specific language, which would leave little question to the meaning the writers were trying to portray. So what do we do with this? Is it possible that Jesus was walking on the shore and Peter merely walked through shallow water to Him? Do we as Christians take this story and twist it to mean what we want it to mean because it supports our faith? Are we acting just like others who we claim pick out scripture and twist it to mean what they want it to mean to support their own ideals?

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If the story ended here, surely it would cause a great chasm in the Christian faith and disrupt what we rely upon as the Word of God and its reliability. If we continue reading the story, particularly verse 30, we see that Peter begins to drown/ sink. How can someone drown when they are walking on or close to the shore? Furthermore, how would Peter, a fisherman (one who is probably comfortable with being in the water on the shore) suddenly drown in ankle or even knee-deep water? The original text of verse 30 gives us "katapontizo" which we translate into "sink or drown." This literally translates into, "to plunge or sink into the sea," a very distinct word.

Moreso, we can compare this instance with the moment Jesus "recruited" Peter, as he was standing on the shore with his fishing boat. You know, when Jesus tells him that he will become a fisher of men? This is in Mathew 4:18, "18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." It is interesting here that clearly, Jesus has to be near the sea (the same sea, actually) and the same author uses a different word to describe Jesus being "near" the sea (as opposed to being on the sea). The word here used is "para" meaning "from, of, at, by, besides, near." Why does the author use different words? He is trying to convey two different meanings. If it didn't matter, then why didn't he use the same word in both instances? We also have an opportunity in this verse to see the word Mathew chooses to explain something that is literally in the water (the nets), which is "eis" meaning "into, unto, to, towards, for, among."

You of Little Faith

One last portion that I think defines the situation was how Jesus "saved" Peter from drowning. In verse 31 we see that He "caught and held him," but how did He do this? Did Jesus pick Peter up, did He reach out His hand, or did He scoop Peter up as we are taught in Marine Corps water survival class in order to side stroke them back to land? I find it interesting that the Greek word used to describe Jesus reaching out to Peter is distinct in that it implies the power of God being involved, cheir, meaning "1) by the help or agency of any one, by means of any one 2) fig. applied to God symbolising his might, activity, power." Certainly, it could be questioned if this secondary meaning is a result of the passage or vice versa. The point here that I want to focus on (since my next installment will involve the implications of this story), is that if Jesus was indeed helping Peter, that he truly needed help. This is to contrast when someone merely stumbles and we offer a hand to help them back up. We continue reading through the sentence and see the word that we translate into "caught" as epilambanomai meaning "to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake, attain, attain to." A metaphorical use of this word also appears in the definition which means " metaph. to rescue one from peril, to help, succor". The original text indicates that not only was Peter literally drowning and sinking in the sea, but that Jesus' actions literally saved his life.

What does this mean?

Simply looking at this story as being partially true or partially false is not possible, given the original language and context with which it was written. Either Mathew correctly wrote an account of what happened or he made it all up. Whether or not you believe in the story's credence, to me it doesn't seem as though the story itself is incongruent.

The language of Jesus walking on the water is unique to when He was walking near the water. Peter was at risk of dying, Jesus saved him. There is a difference between Jesus and Peter swimming in the water and walking on the water. It should also be noted that there is a difference between the language that is used here is different than if Jesus was swimming in the water or if Peter said, "let me swim out to you" since the Greek word for swimming is "kolumbao," literally meaning "1) to dive, to swim" instead of the text we read which is clearly used to describe walking towards someone.

The story of Jesus and subsequently Peter walking on the water must be accepted as either entirely false or entirely true, a small example of how we must look at the bible; either it is all true or all false.

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Universalism, 4 - Jesus and Universalism? (2)

Of Gnashing of Teeth, Outer Darkness, and the Valley of Hinnom.

In all four Gospels, in at least twenty distinct passages, Jesus makes it clear that He believes in judgment, and in a class of people that will bear that judgment. The whole idea of hell and torment surfaces as a major theme of the Son of God. Obviously He wants us to know about this, and follow His example in warning others. Never did He try to soften the blow or ignore the subject.

Many of the punishment passages are in multiple Gospels. I will be following the Matthew account when there is a duplication, then add those few teachings that are unique to Mark, Luke, and John.

Are you ready? Let's continue our walk-through of the New Testament. We'll cover the first three passages this time around.

Matthew 8:11-12. Jesus has just healed the centurion's servant. He compares the faith of a Roman soldier to that of His people in the flesh, Israel. Israel comes up short in the comparison.

He then announces the tragic results of unbelief. Gentiles will actually enter the Kingdom of God while those for whom it was originally prepared will be thrown into an unspecified location in "outer darkness" where will be not only weeping, but the gnashing of teeth that can only happen when torment is horribly intense. Some have therefore surmised that the eternal destiny of the lost is on another planet. In this way a lake of fire is no contradiction to outer darkness. Regardless of where this takes place, the fact that it takes place at all should give pause to Universalist talk.

Matthew 10:28. Jesus, unimaginably to some, teaches the fear of God. And here He makes a clear distinction between purely physical punishment and punishment of the soul. No annihilation will take place. Death will come to all men because of sin, even the Christians, but physical death is not the final judgment of Christ-deniers. Soul and body, the resurrected body promised even to the damned, is envisioned here.

Does Jesus' usage of "destroy" in reference to the soul imply that eventually the soul ceases to exist? Not necessarily. The destruction of the body, death, does not mean that the body is gone forever. And Mark's clear description of an undying life form (see Mark 9 below) lets us know that soul-destruction can simply mean a rendering powerless of all soulish functions.

"Hell" in this passage is gehenna, named after the valley of Hinnom, an awful place in Jesus' day where refuse was always being burned. It was the perfect picture of the punishment Jesus had in mind, a picture perfected later by the apostle John in his book of Revelation.

Another important point to make here: Not every verse tells the whole story. Proof-texting won't work with this or any major doctrine of the Bible. It is the whole counsel of God we seek. Put it all together, step back, look at it all. This is how Universalism falls on its face. To use my humble yard again, an individual weed might look a lot like a blade of grass. A collection of weeds in a grass yard stands out

Matthew 10:33-39. Here is a collection of verses that emphasize the distinctiveness of the two classes of people in the world, the saved and the unsaved. They are called the confessors and the non-confessors, the lovers and the non-lovers, the cross-bearers and the non-cross-bearers, the life-grabbers and the life-losers. But it is all the same.

In every case, there is no hint of a time when the ones who did not confess, will one day confess. No time when those who did not love Jesus enough will suddenly love Jesus. No day will arrive when those who were not willing to bear Jesus' cross will have a different frame of mind. No time after death when self-centered people will be turned around. These divisions are final. This life is the time when all these decisions are made.

Numbers four and following next time.

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Church Security in Light of Latest Shooting

The shooting at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin will once again present the question of whether churches need their own security. It is a good debate to have as crimes against churches including shooting have increased tenfold in recent years. The issue is not if your church will be the victim of some sort of crime, but when.

Crimes against our nation's churches are grossly under reported for several reasons. We want to feel secure while we worship God, and that should be the case. However, there should be a quiet element at play during your services. One that goes unnoticed by the majority of church members.

Having a security ministry at your church need not be complex or financially expensive. Most churches have police officers or sheriff's deputies in their congregation. Whether retired or active, this is your security team. Most will volunteer their services to become a stabling influence in the safety of their church.

These church members are the only professionally trained to handle dire life threatening situations. Carry permit holders are just that permit holders. While some may consider them their unofficial security; it is improper and unfair to expect someone with 8 hours of training to respond properly to any type of criminal intruder. They are wonderful for self defense, but to require any more from them only opens your church and those members to criminal and civil liability.

In most cases your security program can be run with volunteers that commit themselves to a number of hours of monthly training. The team could and should incorporate your ushers and others that serve during services. These members will provide critical reinforcement in the event of an intruder or natural disaster.

The startup costs of this ministry should be minimal. Radio's, insurance, and licensing should amount to less than $1000.00. You could well exceed that depending on how complex you want to make your system, but the things I mentioned are necessary for any program. A formal policy should be drafted by potential members of your team and the pastoral staff. This policy should draw out the protocol for responding to every imaginable situation. If constructed properly, this policy should protect the church and security program from liability.

You can choose to ignore the situation, but when your church is made out to be a victim, you will face possible litigation from a lack of adequate protection. Churches like any other business are responsible for the safety and security of its' staff and members. So is a security program needed? Yes. Is it warranted? Absolutely.

This is a simplistic look at church security. If you undertake a security program consult professionals such as myself in gathering the proper information to make an informed decision. This article was not written to make you rush into a security program, but to make you aware of the need.

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Profitable Audio Streaming - Great New Ways to Advance in Audio Streaming

The way that business is conducted has certainly evolved so much to how we know it today. Thanks to advancement in technology, people now have the power to create better solutions and introduce radical new systems for doing things. This means if you want to stay afloat in the business world, you need to learn how to innovate. Sure, sticking to tried and tested methods may seem stable and easy at first, but after some time you will find yourself stagnating and losing customers as a result.

Right now, there are so many businesses on the World Wide Web that they probably number in millions - so you need to find new ways to ether beat them or keep the competition steady and healthy. So for your business to succeed now is the time for you to employ state of the art technology and exert extra effort in creative thinking when it comes to planning for your website. There are a lot of new features that may be included in websites nowadays, and one of them is audio streaming. Applying audio streaming features to your site will certainly improve your business and attract more customers for better profits.

You need to first identify which aspects of your business will need audio streaming - will you talk about the product description or its integration to the every day lives of your customers? Your next consideration will be the talents that you will employ to make your audio streaming sound very professional - who's voice are you going to use and will you hire someone to arrange the music and background sounds? And of course, you should also determine the number of audio streaming content that you would place on your website per month. Too little will not attract much attention and too much (say, every other day) is too costly and time-consuming. Also make it a point to check out the latest audio streaming software out on the market - if you have the budget for it, try to buy some in order to produce better outputs.

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Fast Audio Streaming - 4 Keys to Get Started With Audio Streaming

Did you know that audio streaming is now considered as one of the effective ways to attract more visitors for your website? Because audio streaming generates traffic, it also means that it brings in additional business and profits for you. If you're considering getting started with audio streaming, this article is just the one for you! Here are four keys that can help you get the ball rolling:

1. Make sure that your website is conducive to audio streaming. If you designed your website yourself, then you need to alter the page where you want the audio streaming feature to be. On the other hand, you may want to hire a professional web designer who can tweak your site and place the audio streaming code and features in.

2. Establish your purpose. Know why you want to do audio streaming in the first place. Is it to encourage people to come and try your services? Is it to sell something? Or is it just to welcome visitors to your site? You need to establish your purpose because it will define your next steps.

3. Plan. Before you start recording material for your audio streaming feature, you must plan beforehand. Figure out first who will do the voice over. Will it be you, a friend or a professional? Next, consider the script. Should the material sound professional or just laidback? If you want the former, then perhaps it's best if you hire a professional voice over artist and script writer to do the tasks.

4. Record high quality material. This is a very important aspect of audio streaming that you should never downplay. You must only record material of the highest quality. You wouldn't want the visitors of your website to get turned off with choppy audio streams, would you?

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Get Better And Better With Your Thank You Cards

If you print thank you cards on a regular basis for your business you should know by now that you cannot just use the same old designs time and time again. Even with cheap thank you cards, you will always want to design something better and fresher so that people will not get bored or would not ignore your special thank you cards.

In this guide, I will teach you how to get better and better in thank you card printing and design. Just follow the items below and you will see what aspects can you improve as well as the important data that you should gather to always be better with this kind of print.

1. Always innovate and explore new templates. There is more than one thank you card template out there. So do not just settle for the first template that you see for your cards. Always try to innovate with your designs.

Look for new templates or alter some of the templates that you are familiar with. By exploring new template options, believe me you will get a more different and improved look for your thank you cards. So keep your eyes on the lookout for these new templates.

2. Always get alternative inspiration from unlikely sources. Also, improvements in terms of thank you cards means looking beyond the typical thank you card examples. You have to look at more alternative inspiration from very unlikely sources to be able to get something very distinct for your postcards. Believe me it is sometimes best to get new ideas outside the regular sources so that you can be sure you are improving your thank you cards for the better.

3. Always get news about the newest and most popular printing additions. It will also help you a lot if you can get news about the newest and most popular printing additions or add-ons. Knowing the best new tricks should be able to give you some ideas on what exactly you can apply for a more improved looking thank you card.

You should especially watch out for those new types of materials and more interesting types of cutting. The more you know about this, the more immediately you can apply them to your own thank you card printing and of course help improve them.

4. Always review current popular trends in print design. Of course, you cannot make trendy and improved designs for thank you cards if you do not actually review the current popular trends in print design. Knowing and reviewing exactly what others are doing with their own cards should help you gauge how extravagant or how practical your thank you cards should be. As long as you review, match and even slightly surpass those trends though, it should be quite easy to improve your thank you cards immensely.

5. Make sure to always research about your readers. Finally, as a finishing touch, you should take note that you should always do research about your target readers with your thank you cards. Some demographic markets are easier to please than others. So you will need to get the most accurate information about them to make sure that you can match your chosen designs with the present readership market.

Now you know how to get better with your thank you cards. Try to remember and integrate all the tips above into one thank you card to get the best and most improved results from your postcard printing and design.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Thank You Cards.

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What Are QR Codes and How Do You Use Them?

You've probably seen QR codes around.

QR Codes are Quick Response codes or two-dimensional codes that feature black modules on a white background and arranged in a square pattern.

They are small bar codes that can be read by certain gadgets including smart phones with cameras or a bar code reading application installed.

Bar codes versus QR Codes - what's different?

While a QR code is similar to the bar codes used at retail stores to track the prices of products, it is different in terms of the amount of data contained in the code.

A bar code is linear and one-dimensional and can hold up to 20 numerical digits.

These new codes, meanwhile, are two-dimensional matrix bar codes that can store and share thousands of alphanumeric characters of information.

They can be read by certain phones such as the iPhone, Android and other Smartphones with built-in cameras. You can also download smartphone applications that are capable of reading a bar code and use this application on your phone to read the code.

When you scan the code, you can access the information contained in this popular code. The information is linked to content on the internet and can activate a number of phone functions such as email, IM and SMS. The content may also be a URL or a coupon which you can use at shops.

Try it on your smart phone now...

Open the Bar Code reading application on your smart phone, hold your phone up to the image below and wait for it to focus on the image and beep.

Origin

The use of QR codes began in Japan more than a decade ago. Toyota's subsidiary, Denso Wave, invented this in 1994 and has registered it, although it did not claim patent rights for it. Other than Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea are some of the countries that have been using it.

Benefits for your business

Business owners can benefit from using these codes.

As an example, you can auto generate a code to redirect the user to specific products on your website. You can include the product details as well as your contact number and your website URL.

Another way is to add a QR code to your business card containing your information. This way, it will be easier for your new connections to add you to their mobile/cell phone contact list.

Additionally, these codes can be used in your flyers, posters, postcards, newspaper advertisements and invites to your event. You can include as much information as you want from your contact details, product information, event details, a coupon and links to your social media sites.

Other places where you can use the code are on the sides of trucks or trailers, on product tags and packaging, tickets to events, restaurant menus as well as on point of sale receipts.

One client is adding QR codes to their in-house menus. Their customers can now scan the code right off the menu and are redirected to the client's website whilst they relax sipping a latte. Great marketing don't you think?

Remember that there's no limit to what you can share on the internet using the codes. Apart from text and pages, you can include a video and even an eBook.

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