I once saw a photograph of the 1950′s that showed bears in a national park leaning on a car and looking in the window as the sight seers were taking pictures of them with their windows down. The caption under the picture read, “Even bears were nicer back then.”

We often hear people longing for the good ole’ days. But were the good ole’ days really that good? Is the present really all that rotten?

Better Interest Rates Now
In the early 80′s interest rates were about 15% or more. The payment for a $100,000 house on a thirty year mortgage would have been $1,680.61 per month. You would have paid $345,449.85 in interest after 30 years. The total amount you would have paid after 30 years would have been $492,699,85.

Today at 4% on a $100,000 dollar house you would pay $581.58 per month. You will pay $67,119.51 in interest after 30 years. The total amount you will pay after 30 years is $209,361.51. Are these really the bad ole’ days.

Better Unemployment Rates Now
In 1981 unemployment was above 10% for more than 10 months. Unemployment rose above 10% for only one month recently. The story goes on and on.

Better Cancer Therapy Now
Just a few decades certain cancers were an automatic death sentence, but now they are usually cured through modern medical advancements. If you needed an organ transplant a few years ago you were out of luck. Now there are many lives saved through organ transplants that have become routine procedure.

Better Heart Surgery Now
In many cases certain heart surgeries are outpatient, whereas a few short years ago any heart surgery put you in the hospital for days and sometimes weeks.

Better Cars Now
My dad’s 1968 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 died at 125,000 mile mark. We thought that was amazing. Most cars were dead by the 60,000 to 75, 000 mile mark. Now, it is no big deal if a car gets 150,000 to 250,000 miles. Were those really the good ole’ days.

The Bible warns us about looking at the past and wishing we were there.

1.The Israelis looked back to Egypt where they had been slaves and wished they were there again. They didn’t like the responsibility of freedom.

2.; Lot’s wife looked back to the burning cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and longed to go back to a city that had become lawless and violent. A city where her daughters were raped and abused. She became a pillar of salt. Her death led to her husband committing incest with his other daughters in order to produce a family. The Moabties and the Ammonites were the result.

Jesus Warned Us About Glorifying the Past

In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, “No man after putting his hand to the plow, if he keeps looking back, is fit or prepared for ruling in the Kingdom of God”. Let’s quit looking back and look forward with new vision and rule and reign in Christ.

I’ll guarantee you that bears in the 1950′s were as deadly as bears today!

Byron has been a motivational speaker for over 25 years speaking nearly 200 times per year. He is putting his years of research and experience into writing and on audio.

Over the years you come across sayings that you jot down on a piece of paper, or even worse, forget to note, and later wish you had as you cannot remember or recall them accurately.

When it comes to spiritual sayings and spirituality this is very true.

In many places there has been such a dramatic change in the Church of Jesus Christ that these words take on a new and apposite application. Instead of preaching the good news that sinners can be made righteous in Christ, and escape the wrath to come, the gospel has degenerated into the pretext that we can be happy in Christ and escape the hassles of life. In some places where there is ‘preaching’ that can be the impressions given and it is not only misleading but spiritually highly dangerous.

Keep looking up, with your face down. How relevant a word that can be. No matter how hard your walk in life is, if we keep looking up and looking to the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ, we will discover the help and strength just whenever we need it. Thousands have discovered that to be so true over the centuries.

I recall hearing, or did I read it somewhere, that one day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord.Moody’s reply was “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The lady replied, “I don’t do it.” Moody responded “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

Do we not always find that there are those who are so willing to criticise but so reluctant to speak and witness to Christ and testify as to how they were ‘born again’. Of course, they may never have experienced that essential spiritual necessity of being ‘born again’. Jesus spoke about it three times within a few sentences.

Joy is the by-product of obedience, and yes that is true, but only partially true. There are many thousands of disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being persecuted for their faith in these present days, and I know not what type of joy they have as they endure such hardship and pain and separation from family and fellowship. How would I react in such a scenario? The thought of how poorly I might respond can cause me to tremble.

My greatest thought is my accountability to God, and again that is true and yet it is not fully and wholly true. Yes, one day I will be accountable to God for every word I have preached, taught and written, but there are moments when I tend to forget that spiritual responsibility and that can cause another wave of trembling. We have to be honest!

Then I recall coming across these words and again they are partially true but not the whole truth. The Christian life is an impossible one and it isn’t for everyone. You must enter through the narrow where you must leave everything behind and be stripped naked of yourself. You must get rid of your pride. Many so-called Christians are on the wide road leading to destruction. They may have all the outward signs of being a Christian as they go to church, serve, read the Bible, pray, but there is no inward change of repentance. Ah but God may be preparing these very people for something great in His glorious kingdom.

We never know what lies ahead of us but it is always best to seize the spiritual opportunity whenever we can. As soon as you see the light of God in Christ, seize it.

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland. He has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, 12 visits to Israel, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya.

The new Samsung Galaxy S3 has finally been unveiled and as expected the model boasts very high specification together with some superb new features. The handset looks set to follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S2 which was launched in 2011. This model went on to become the biggest selling phone of last year and Samsung are keen for the new model to replicate the success of its predecessor. We take a look at some of the key features present on this new phone.

Smart Stay is an interesting new feature on the Samsung Galaxy S3 which makes uses of the front facing camera on the device to optimise the user experience. The secondary camera is used to detect the movement of your eyes so that the handset knows if you are looking at what is displayed on screen or not. Users are notified that this function is working by a small icon that appears at the top of the display. By using this technology the phone will automatically dim the screen if you are not currently viewing any material and therefore improving the battery performance that you can expect from the model. The service can also detect the task that you are currently performing on the phone and make small adjustments to improve your experience.

Another area where the Samsung Galaxy S3 offers some excellent options is when it comes to sharing material. The new Allshare feature enables the handset to be wirelessly connected to a compatible television so that multi media content such as photographs can be easily displayed on the large screen. A second superb sharing feature is incorporated on this model in the form of Buddy Share. This clever technology uses facial recognition to identify people who are featured in photographs that you capture with the handset. The phone can then automatically text or email these photos to the person involved. The sharing features on the S3 are very impressive and it helps to make using your phone a much more social experience.

In a bid to compete with the popular iPhone 4S the new Samsung Galaxy S3 includes the new S Voice service. This voice recognition software enables users to control the phone with their own voice. S Voice currently supports 8 different languages including English, German, Korean and Spanish. A multitude of different tasks can be performed with this facility including initiating calls, sending e mails, requesting a song and waking the handset. Each of these tasks is performed with simple commands such as “snooze” which will silent the alarm on the phone and set it to activate again after a designated amount of time.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 not only impresses with its excellent specification but also with some of the excellent features that are included. S Voice is a great rival to the Siri service on the iPhone and the new Smart Stay technology helps preserve battery life by fully utilising the front facing camera on the phone.

If you are an individual that has an amazing assortment of valuable collectibles it might be time to search for display cases as a way to permanently show off your collection. Many cases are offered in large variety of types, materials, sizes, colors, styles and shapes. They are designed to meet any of your display needs, offering you a way to present your valuable items in a secured environment.

An Ideal Solution

Whether you collect sports memorabilia, figurines, China dolls, stamps, guns, porcelains, plates, jewelry or any type of valuable, display cases can be an ideal solution to put them on display while keeping them protected. You can purchase a case that comes with a formidable lock and heavy duty glass or acrylic that make it nearly impossible to penetrate. There are large types of cases with adjustable shelves accommodate big items including guns, golf clubs and sports equipment. There are small cases that are designed specifically to house a single item such as a golf ball, baseball, glove or hat.

Fixed or Portable

You might be interested in purchasing a fixed case that is designed to fit comfortably on the floor, a countertop or one that hangs on the wall. These types of display cases work best as a permanent solution. In direct contrast you can get a portable display case that is used to take on the road. These are suited for travelers on the go who want to take their memorabilia with them, or to display at exhibitions and trade shows. These cases key your item securely in place though they are easy to transport. Many types of small items including jewelry and baseball cards are ideally suited for a smaller display case.

Protection from the Environment

If your valuable collection is full of delicate or fragile items you want to keep them in a display case to protect them from the harmful effects of the environment. You can purchase a case that is crafted with glass or acrylic and rated to protect against UV rays. Most cases for display can be secured tight enough to keep away from harmful wind, dust and particulates.

Style and Design

You will want to purchase a display case that matches the style and design of the room where it will be displayed. If the decor of your home or office has a contemporary feel to it, seek out display cases that are crafted from sleek style metals. However, should the decorations in your home be more of a traditional look, look for a case fabricated from hardwood and glass to match the decor of the room.

As a proud collector of your valuable memorabilia you will find many available display cases in a variety of sizes, shapes and functionalities. You will be able to easily accentuate and highlight your collectible items for constant display while keeping them protected from harm. Search online for the largest variety of cases. Numerous online retail outlet websites offer drastic deep discounts on a large variety of contemporary and traditional cases.