VATICAN CITY, - Benedict XVI is urging people to spend more time in prayer, which he called an expression of man's profound need for meaning and understanding.

"Dear brothers and sisters," the Pope appealed at the end of today's general audience, "let us learn to spend more time before God. Let us learn to recognize in silence the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, to recognize in the depth of ourselves his voice that calls us and leads us back to the profundity of our existence, to the fount of life, to the source of salvation, to make us go beyond the limits of our life and to open ourselves to the measure of God, to the relationship with Him who is Infinite Love."

Benedict explained to those gathered in St. Peter's Square that "man is religious by nature: he is as 'homo religiosus' as he is 'homo sapiens' and 'homo faber.'"

He noted that man has an innate need to "find a light to give an answer to the questions that have to do with the profound meaning of reality; an answer that he cannot find in himself, in progress, in empirical science."

Benedict XVI explained that "homo religiosus" is not confined to the earlier eras of history, but that man in every age -- from cavemen to the Digital age -- seeks "in religious experience the ways to overcome his finitude and to ensure his precarious earthly adventure."

Thirst for the infinite

"Man bears within himself a thirst for the infinite," he continued, "a nostalgia for eternity, a search for beauty, a desire for love, a need for light and truth, which drive him toward the Absolute; man bears within himself the desire for God. And man knows, in some way, that he can address himself to God, that he can pray to him."

The Pontiff said that the attraction toward God "is the soul of prayer, which is cloaked in many forms and modalities according to the history, time, moment, grace and finally the sin of each one of those who pray."

He added that prayer is a mindset, and not a "series of practices and formulas." Prayer, he said, is "a way of being before God, rather than carrying out acts of worship or pronouncing words."

"Prayer has its center and founds its roots in the most profound being of the person," the Holy Father continued. "That is why it is not easily decipherable and for the same reason, it can be subject to misunderstandings and mystifications.

"Also in this sense we can understand the expression: it is difficult to pray. In fact, prayer is the place par excellence of gratuitousness, of the tension toward the Invisible, the Unexpected, the Ineffable. "Because of this, the experience of prayer is a challenge for everyone, a 'grace' to be invoked, a gift of the One whom we address."

On one's knees

Benedict XVI also commented on the dynamic of prayer, which is the result of man being "a creature in need of help, incapable of achieving by himself the fulfillment of his existence and his hope." Given this creature-Creator relationship, the Pope said that consequently, prayer "has one of its typical expressions in the gesture of kneeling."

"It is a gesture that bears in itself a radical ambivalence: in fact, I can be obliged to kneel -- condition of indigence and slavery -- or I can kneel spontaneously, confessing my limit and, hence, my need for the Other," the Pontiff explained. "To Him I confess that I am weak, needy, a 'sinner.'"

"In the experience of prayer," the Holy Father said, "the human creature expresses all his awareness of himself, all that he is able to understand of his existence and, at the same time, he addresses himself wholly to the Being before whom he is, he orients his soul to that Mystery from which he awaits the fulfillment of his most profound desires and help to surmount the indigence of his life. "In this looking at the Other, in this addressing 'the beyond' is the essence of prayer, as experience of a reality that surpasses the sentient and the contingent.

"However, the full realization of man's search is found only in the God who reveals himself. Prayer, which is the opening and raising of the heart to God, becomes a personal relationship with Him. And even if man forgets his Creator, the living and true God does not fail to call man to the mysterious encounter of prayer."

Do you ever find it difficult to control your emotions? Anger can quickly show itself before a person has time to maintain control. Many times, anger is destructive - creating hurt and broken relationships.

There are typically 5 WAYS TO DEAL WTH ANGER. They are:

1. Suppression of Anger
2. Open Aggression
3. Passive Aggression
4. Assertive Anger. (The Biblical Example of self-controlled confrontation)
5. Drop Anger All Together

There are countless stories of relationships that have soured by anger. Whether it's a misunderstanding or an intentional act, time has a way of making these situations far less important when there's a little distance down life's highway. What was a huge item in the moment, can fade into history and is hardly recognizable as an event.

Pride often creeps in to the personal argument of who needs to apologize to whom. It becomes comical that both sides can be 100% convinced they are absolutely and unequivocally innocent of all wrong.

But the Bible doesn’t offer a lot of wiggle room in this area of how to handle anger. The fix is not such a simple recipe to execute. But here are some ideas of how to resolve anger that has brought about damaged relationships.

SOLUTIONS TO ANGER

1. Don't hang out with angry people. Try to distance yourself from angry people and the company you keep. Proverbs 22:24-25.

2. Deal with it. Don't store it up. Deal with it right away. Ephesians 4:26.

3. Check Your Volume. Speak in a kind manner. Soft answers good. Harsh words build anger & wrath. Take a walk. Proverbs 15:1.

4. Make the First Move. Keep a short reconcile list. WHOEVER REALIZES THE BREAK IN THE RELATIONSHIP … Go make it right . Matthew 5:23-24. Matthew 18:15

5. Come with the solution and not an opinion. Don't blame. It's not about telling your point of view. Seek to help. Avoid Pride.

6. Don't go to motive until you've gone face to face. Avoid guessing the motive of someone’s action. You could misread it.

7. Eyeball to Eyeball meeting. "A Come to Jesus Meeting."

8. Pray for those that persecute you. Let Christ rule your life. Matthew 5:44.

9. Be Slow To Anger. Proverbs 16:32. Be sure to make it a habit to be slow to anger.

Many times, you will find the Fruit of the Spirit to be a great guide when dealing with anger issues. These are found in Galatians 5:22; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law.”

It has been said, that God may not rewire you and your anger issues will disappear. However, you might find that He will provide you a longer fuse.

By Pastor Steve Easterwood, First Baptist Church Dexter

In the early days of Christianity the church soon became known for outrageous acts of love. Two great plagues swept the Roman Empire within a hundred years of Christ’s death, killing millions. As you can imagine, fear gripped the hearts of the people.

Not knowing the cause of the sickness, families often pushed their own members out into the streets, leaving them to die alone. In an age with no hospitals, hospice, or nursing homes, the Christians took over the care of the dying, even at the risk of their lives. No wonder people wanted to know their Jesus.

Although we are not faced with a plague of these devastating proportions our area is currently experiencing a crisis. Families are struggling with flooded homes and businesses. Communities have been evacuated. Schools are closed.

What a great time for Christian people to stand up and be counted. Those of us who have escaped the flood need to help those who have been decimated.

Churches “on the hill” need to assist churches “in the valley” that are struggling to minister to their communities.

If you are reading this column and you are a Christian, I challenge you to galvanize your church. Find some people who need help and provide them manpower, resources, or whatever they need. This is a time to show the flood victims what the church of Jesus Christ is all about. Let us be known for our outrageous acts of love.

By Brad Aycock, First United Methodist Church of Sikeston

Today is Good Friday - the day upon which Christ was crucified.

From 9am until 3pm, Jesus hung on the cross.

At 3pm, he died.

The Romans routinely left the bodies of the victims of crucifixion hanging on the cross for several days. At times they would not permit a proper burial of the victims.

But Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and influential Jewish leader, asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus properly and permission was granted. Joseph had been a secret follower of Jesus up to this point, afraid of what would happen if the other Jewish leaders discovered his interest in following Jesus.

Now, Joseph risked everything to publicly identify himself as a follower of Jesus.

By Steve Easterwood

All of us have watched the events unfolding in the Middle East with great interest.

Think about the massive political upheaval that has taken place in the last 50 years. The Berlin Wall came tumbling down and Germany was united for the first time since World War II. The Soviet Union broke up and a host of countries were born. China became a major world economic power, second only to the United States.

Now these dictators who held their countries hostage for years are falling like dominoes. What does it all mean?

At this point it’s hard to predict how the details will shake out. Will Egypt succeed in transitioning to a democracy? Will the Muslim Brotherhood eventually assume political power? Time will tell.

The one thing we can say for sure is that the second coming of Jesus Christ is nearer than ever before.

After His resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven before multiple witnesses. Their testimony was that two angels immediately appeared and said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

If you knew there was going to be a flash flood you would do your best to prepare your home and your family. If the weatherman was predicting an ice storm you’d stock up on food and make sure your generator was working properly.

Unfortunately, as world events come to pass that scripture says will immediately precede the coming of Christ, most people are woefully unprepared spiritually. If you believe that the Bible is true when it says Jesus is coming again you should do two things.

First, you should make sure you are right with God. Turn from your selfish, sinful lifestyle and become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you eternal life and He will!

Second, live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to meet the Lord tomorrow. Jesus’ own warning was this, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)

Dr. Steve Easterwood is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dexter.