Most Christians want to go to church to worship and serve, not hear political dogma. Often, however, their attempts to worship are frustrated by religious leaders and/or members who feel that it is important to use the church as a political platform.We are accustomed to hearing news about the Separation of Church and State which is established by the first amendment of our constitution, but we seldom hear anything about ‘Separation of Church and Politics,’ which is unregulated. This is about the freedom to attend worship without being bombarded with single-minded political persuasion. Worshipers should not have to commit to a political party as a requirement of participation in a Christian organization.The first amendment of the US Constitutional mandates that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… ” What that means has been debated in courts and Congress for over two centuries. More recently it has come to mean that freedom to pray or express religious ideas is restricted in public places out of respect for those who ascribe to different beliefs. At the same time as freedom of expression of faith is increasingly being restricted, the Conservative led government has increasingly worked to legislate morality as it is interpreted by a limited group of religious leaders.Some people who believe that they know the political mind of God tend to talk in Christian gatherings as if their opinion is the only one. Those that do not agree tend to feel alienated by the more vocal religious leaders, and as a result many are moving away from the church altogether. According to PEW Foundation the number of people who report hearing politics in their place of worship is decreasing, however there are still many people displaced by the rhetoric.Currently more and more people are saying that they are spiritual but not religious. According to the Pew Foundation, “the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.” http://www.pewforum.org/Topics/Religious-Affiliation/Unaffiliated/If you find yourself avoiding your church because of the political rhetoric, I recommend that you continue attending some place of worship. You may want to call potential churches before visiting and just ask, “Does your church support a particular political agenda?” And, “Do your pastor or Bible teachers discuss politics from the pulpit or in Bible study?” There are many grace-centered churches, grounded in the Bible, who respect every member’s right to think for themselves.
How Do Home Loan Brokers Get Paid?
If you are looking to purchase a new home, you should be ready to experience a time full of home tours, short lists and memories. However, if you are new in this field, you may find it hard to get a mortgage.
You may not have the time to get in touch with different lenders, check details and apply for a mortgage. In this case, it’s better that you contact a mortgage broker for assistance. You should know a few basic things before you work with a good professional. The first question is, how do home loan brokers get paid? We are going to answer this question in detail.
What do Mortgage Brokers do?
To finance your purchase, you may contact a bank or a loan provider. Since a bank is just an institution, it can offer a lot of loan options. Therefore, it may not be able to meet your needs.
On the other hand, if you contact a mortgage broker, they can offer a lot of loan options from a lot of lenders. The role of these professionals is to look for the best mortgage rate based on your needs.
For instance, if you need to buy a house but you can’t pay more than 5% of the house price as down payment, the remaining amount will be covered by your mortgage loan. Your mortgage specialist can find a lender that can agree to these terms.
With this type of specialist, you can easily look for a lender who is ready to provide you with the money you need to buy your desired house.
How do Loan Brokers get paid?
First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that these brokers are not bank employees. They are independent workers with proper licensing. Therefore, they get paid in the form of service fees. The payer of this fee can be you, the lender or the borrower.
Typically, this fee is a percentage of the total loan amount, which can be around 2%. The dollar amount is paid upfront or made part of the loan.
Although the commission is only 1% to 2% of the amount, it can be a lot of money for the broker. Based on the number or size of the loan, the fees may vary. However, the good thing is that there are no hidden fees.
The good news is that loan brokers are required to reveal all the fees before they sign a contract. Therefore, you will have to pay only the amount disclosed by them. Aside from this, each fee must be listed on the document. You can ask the broker about all the fees and the purpose they are given on the list.
Before you apply for a mortgage, we suggest that you figure out all the fees that you will have to pay. After all, you don’t want to face surprises at the end.
The Health Care Evolution – Ten Trends That Can Revitalize Nursing
Nurses are at the forefront of an evolutionary wave in health care. Whether we take leadership or not will determine nursing’s future.These ten trends can revitalize nursing if nurses break free from the confines of the medical model and use their education and skills to become wave riders.1. Aging Boomers
Boomers are living longer. Quantity of life is driving a desire for better quality of life. This generation wants to learn how to stay vital, mobile, healthy and productive. They are looking for guidance in health promotion and wellness, not only disease prevention and treatment.2. A 2nd Boom
Boomers Grandchildren are driving a huge demand for family health information and support for new and working moms. From birthing to family health education and sick child care, family systems need and want professional advice and innovative strategies to raise a brighter, stronger next generation.3. Information explosion
Internet access provides health consumers with tons of information, but not the knowledge or wisdom to know how to use it without getting confused. They need knowledgeable health professionals as gatekeepers, trusted advisors, or health system navigators.4. Holism
People are increasingly spending out of pocket dollars for alternative and complementary health care. Nursing education focuses on systems, whole person, life cycle perspectives that can guide in selecting appropriate options along a continuum of care.5. Consumer driven health care
As consumers rely less on employer health coverage and more on personal health spending, they are seeking innovative and home based solutions for care including advanced home monitoring, telephone consultation, personalized care, and individualized treatment.6. High Tech – High Touch
The need for personal connection, listening, and caring has never been higher. Nurses consistently rank first in every consumer poll for most trusted professional.7. Shortages and Cost Containment
Professional shortages and a drive to contain costs, creates a push to use mid-level and low-level providers for technical care. Nurses will continue to be driven away from the institutional bed side. With decreasing numbers of people in institutional care, face to face professional health care will be delivered in the home and community.8. Accessibility
Health information and care will be delivered on a global, mobile, remote, phone and internet basis. Nursing phone advice lines are increasingly popular with consumers.9. Back to Basics
With increased interest in information and coaching on proper food and nutrition, supplements, stretching, meditation, simplicity, life balance, joy in work, and relationships wellness and health coaching is a growing field.10. Self-Care/Self-Responsibility
People are realizing that doctors, medication and illness care are not going to keep them well. Employers, third party payers and common sense are driving consumers to take health care into their own hands. This trend will continue to drive an increase in self care information and reduction in in-patient and long term care.Tomorrow’s nurses are not working under a doctor’s direction, or in an institution. To remain viable, nursing will have to think beyond the institutional medical care box.Consumers are desperate for professional nurses to fill the need for proactive community
and home based health care.Tomorrow’s nurses will be innovative community health leaders, who develop and deliver services directly meeting the changing needs of health consumers.Progressive, professional nurses will form cooperatives, and creative health delivery systems that support families throughout the life span. They will provide continuity of health information and care while supporting people to navigate an ever more specialized and complex techno-medical system.Grab A Board – Surfs Up!© Aila Accad, RN