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Love One Another (A Sermon on John 13: 31-35)
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We are in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St John's this week, and I'm going to unpack our reading verse by verse as it is a difficult passage.

"When he had gone out, Jesus said," Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. " (John 13:31)

The person who had 'gone out' was Judas, and the sentence seems to suggest that Judas' leaving somewhat brought glory to Jesus, which sounds really odd.

"If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once." (John 13:32)

I really have no idea where to begin with that statement!

"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'" (John 13:33 )

That statement makes sense to us as Jesus speaking about his own impending suffering and death, though at the time it made no sense at all to His disciples.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

That concluding pronouncement, I suspect, is the most difficult to understand of all!

"All you need is love!" – so said the Beatles.

When I read statements like these from the lips of Jesus, I can almost hear the soundtrack of that well-known Beatles song playing in the background.

"Love is all you need. Love is all you need …"

It's not true, of course. Love isn't all we need – not in relationships, not in families, not in governments.

We had an election yesterday. Did you vote for the most loving candidate? Should you have?

I tried to give some thought after reading this passage as to who the most loving candidate for electoral office was. It wasn't obvious.

It didn't take me long to come up with the names of politicians who were definitely NOT full of love and sweetness, but it seemed less obvious to me which candidates actually were.

Did the candidate who loves us the most win? Do we care?

In truth, in as much as we might say, "all we need is love" , I don't think we really care whether our political leaders love us, any more than we really care whether our boss at work truly loves us. Love is not all we need. A good capacity for management is probably far more important in cases like this than is love!

Love is not all we need in government or in families, and it's not even all we need in a system of morality! This might sound counterintuitive. Is not all of morality – all our statements about what is right and what is wrong – really an extension of that basic ideal of love?

Certainly, over the generations, scores of philosophers and other great thinkers have suggested that all of our moral intuitions can be reduced to one simple exhortation – if not 'to love' exactly, to something very akin to that.

The British philosopher, John Stuart Mill, saw all of morality as a system of increasing pleasure for people and reducing harm. He is probably best remembered for his 'harm principle' :

"That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

I have a feeling that if you'd asked Mill what the essence of morality was, he might not have said 'love one another' , but might well have said 'don't' harm one another ' , which is pretty similar.

Likewise, the great 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, believed that morality could be reduced to a single maxim – the 'categorical imperative' :

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."

That's always sounded to me like a really complex way of saying 'love your neighbor as you would love yourself " , which, of course, was Jesus' 'golden rule' that many people see as being His one-line summary of the moral law , along with the first and great commandment, of course, that you have to love God:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " (Matthew 22: 37-40)

We are familiar with these commandments. We hear them every week in church, and they do seem to suggest that everything in the law of God comes down to love, and that the rest is just commentary.

Is that really what Jesus was saying? St Augustine thought so, and in my previous sermons on these passages, I have suggested exactly that – that there is really only one law of God – that we love – and that the rest is just application. My more recent reading though has suggested that it's actually a lot more complicated than that, at least if Jesus really was being true to His Hebraic tradition.

The Hebraic law centers around the Ten Commandments – the ten words of God to the people of Israel – and while it seems straightforward to see commandments like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" as being extensions of the commandment to love , other commandments like "honor thy father and thy mother" do not seem to be so easily reducible. Honoring your father and your mother seems to be more about respecting authority than it is about love .

I've been reading a very interesting book lately by moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, called "the Righteous Mind" , in which he outlines what he calls 'moral foundation theory' .

I'm not suggesting that everyone should rush out to get a copy of this book. It is not an easy read and could prove difficult if you don't have an academic background in the study of philosophical ethics (which, thankfully, I do).

The author's key point, at any rate, is that our moral intuitions can't be reduced to any one simple maxim such as 'love one another' as morality is invariably more complex than that.

Haidt suggests that there are five reasonably independent dimensions to our moral awareness, and 'caring' for others is just one of those dimensions. The others are:
- Fairness (which is all about justice, rewards and punishments)
- Loyalty (which is associated with values such as faithfulness and patriotism )
- Authority (where you honor your father and your mother, king and country)
- Sanctity (which involves respecting your body and potentially embracing things like chastity, temperance and cleanliness)
Forgive me if I'm now sounding more dry and esoteric than the book I mentioned. My point is actually a simple one – that 'all you need is love' is both simplistic and inadequate. We don't only need love – not if we are going to be successful in our relationships or in all of life. We actually need a lot of things – courage, self-discipline, wisdom, nurture and support and a good education, and more!

Of course, Jesus didn't say "love is all you need". That was ' The Beatles' . What Jesus did say was "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" . In other words, Jesus didn't say that love is all we need to live a full and productive life. What He said was that it was all we needed in order to show the world that we are His disciples. That might sound like much the same thing but it's actually quite distinct.

The life of love is not a strategy for success, despite what any number of tele-evangelists might have told you. Indeed, if it's right to consider it a strategy at all, the life of love could only be a strategy for getting yourself killed. That's certainly how it worked for Jesus.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that friend who said to me "I'm sick of hearing people tell me about all the problems they had before they met Jesus and how He solved them all for them. till I met Jesus! "

That's difficult to hear, I think. We don't want to think of Jesus as the one who leads us down a path of suffering and misery. We want to think of Jesus as one who elevates us to heavenly places.

Isn't that what religion is for after all? Isn't good religion supposed to benefit our lives and help us live more fully and peacefully with a great sense of purpose and fulfillment? Surely, it's not just about suffering in this world so that we can enjoy a better life in the next? Surely there's more to it than that?

I don't think Jesus is saying that discipleship is all about suffering any more than it is all about success. Discipleship, Jesus says, is all about love, and everything else depends on what Jesus means by love .

Jesus says His command to love is a new commandment, and that's a surprise. Certainly, the commandment to love is as old as the Scriptures themselves, so it must be the latter part of the commandment – to love one another ' as I have loved you' – that makes it new.

When we hear those words, I suspect most of us immediately think of the cross and Jesus laying down his life for us. That makes sense, and indeed the same Gospel writer, John, writes in his first letter "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). Even so, without wanting to press the issue of the timeline too heavily, the exhortation we have in today's Gospel reading -to love one another "as I have loved you" happens before the cross, suggesting that the model on view here may not be the death of Jesus but the life of Jesus!

Further, as noted, today's reading begins with a reference to Judas – "when he had gone out" – and Jesus' exhortation to love each other as He has loved us comes immediately before the two terrible betrayals from disciples whom Jesus had just broken bread with and whose feet Jesus had just washed – the one betrayal being from Judas, of course, and the other one being from dear Peter!

Jesus loved Peter, was betrayed by Peter, and would eventually be reconciled with Peter. Jesus loved Judas but would never be reconciled with him. Even perfect love does not guarantee a perfect ending to the story. Even so, love anyway – that's the new commandment .

Yes, "greater love has no one than this – to lay down one's life for their friends" (John 15: 3). That is true, and bodily self-sacrifice is indeed the ultimate example of love, but most of the time love is not so grandiose and (thankfully) not quite so painful. The far more common (and in some ways more difficult) labor of love is the ongoing work of having to forgive those who fail us, and sometimes fail us very badly.

This, I believe, is the love by which everyone will now that we are His disciples – it's the love that breaks bread with those who betray us and that washes the feet of those who turn their backs on us. It's the love that finds its ultimate inspiration in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, but which likewise finds daily encouragement in the simple acts of grace shown by Jesus towards those whom He knew would radically fail Him.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

It's not a strategy for success. It's not a means to a better life or more successful relationships. It's just the way that we demonstrate to the world that we are followers of Jesus. We break bread, we wash feet, we empathise, we forgive. We love one another just as He loved us.

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Source by David B. Smith

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July 25, 2022
Teen Relationships
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Before I start to talk about teen relationships I feel I have to make a clarification. Many people when they think of the word relationship, automatically equate it to love or sexual relationship. According to the general definition of relationship this is any connection between two or more elements and these elements can be anything from chemical substances to human beings. So from this definition it is simple to deduct the meaning of this word applied to human beings. A teen relationship can be any kind of relationship
1. between teens of the same gender
2. between teens of the opposite gender, like boyfriend girlfriend relationships
3. between teens and other persons of the same or different gender and different age.
The quality of these relationships can also vary, but there are two kinds of teenager relationships I’m going to talk about here;
- teen friendships and
- teen love relationships
Teen Friendships

This kind of teenager relationship will fit into all three categories above. It can exist between a teenager and other persons of same or different gender and age. A good friend – no matter age or gender – is one of the best things you can have on this earth. A really good friend that is special to you and means much to you. A person that is always there for you.

Many successful love relationships has started with friendship and this is probably the reason for it’s success. The better you know the other person, the better you’ll go along with him or her and in a long lasting love relationship – as man and woman – your appreciation of your partner as a friend will mean much more than anything else. If we look at it from the other end, it seems much more difficult to build a friendship from a love or sexual relationship. In fact, I have not heard about it, maybe you have but the point is that a good friendship is always good to have both as a basis of a future love relationship and as a friendship by itself.

A teenage friendship can exist between anyone no matter what gender, age, race, background or whatever. A 13 year old girl and a 50 year old man can have a great and even lifelong friendship together as well as two teenagers of the same gender.

Teen love relationships

While you can talk quite frankly and straight forward in a friendship most of us are more aware of not hurting the partner in a love relationship. This can evolve to a degree of lies and even no communication at all just to protect your partner.

There are also more mutual expectations in a love relationship and more intimate emotions are involved than in a good friendship. A teen love relationship can be great and long lasting but if there is no basis of friendship in it the probability of sustaining it is significantly lower. There are some legally defined limitations with regards to who can go into a teen love or sexual relationship. It is illegal for people of 18 years and above to have a sexual relation to a minor but It is definitely not illegal to have older friends.

A good friendship is one of the best gifts God has provided our lives with and even if you marry the sweetest boy or girl in the world, neither of you will be happy if you aren’t good friends.

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Source by Terje Ellingsen

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July 24, 2022
Pompeii by Marry Beard

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Marry Beard’s Pompeii succeeds in several quite different and sometimes surprising ways. This is a guidebook, a history, a survey of social relations, a description of culture and religion, a catalogue and analysis of art, and an archaeological record. It is also an excellent read, highly informative, enlighteningly descriptive and scrupulously accurate.

Pompeii is a complicated site. At first glance, it may appear to be very simple. One day in 79 AD a coastal town in modern-day Campania, near Naples, which was then at the heart of a Greco-Roman culture, was buried under volcanic ash that spread from the eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius. The town was completely destroyed, smothered under metres of ash. The disaster progressed quickly giving the town’s inhabitants little chance of escape, let alone a chance to gather their possessions. This naive description might thus suggest that all archaeologists need to do is uncover what the ash buried, and first century life in a Roman town will be revealed.

The reality, however, is somewhat different. The volcano did erupt and did bring about the end of Pompeii. But the town had previously in AD 62 suffered an earthquake, which had damaged many buildings, some of which was still not repaired in AD79. And Pompeii has been excavated many times. Some digs a couple of centuries ago extracted treasures for the titillation of monarchs, before volcanic ash, original construction materials and much of the historical and other material was randomly piled back to fill the holes. On the other hand, some areas have never been excavated and others still wait to be uncovered, but possibly not for the first time. Much work in previous centuries was undocumented, so who would know? Only the finds, and only some of those, were lodged in museums, and the provenance of many of those remains unclear.

Such a complicated history presents tremendous difficulties for modern archaeologists. There are many layers of possible interpretation, many potential complications. A great strength of Mary Beard’s book is that she always acknowledges these difficulties and, where simplistic, convenient or fashionable positions might create more attractive copy, consistently she is cautious with her assertions and considered in her conclusions. Refreshingly, where evidence is lacking, contradictory or merely open to interpretation, she usually leaves the matter open, thus allowing the reader to appreciate how hard it is to be definitive about the unknown.

Descriptions of everyday life in the first century AD are in many ways reassuringly familiar, with one significant exception. The modern reader may be rather shocked by how much daily life seems seemed to revolve around sex. But Mary beard does point out several times that this may be an overstatement. One is tempted to imagine how a modern town might be seen, if, once buried and uncovered, all that could be identified were advertising hoardings along a street where the only shop not to be obliterated sold sex toys. Our contemporary lack of knowledge about Pompeii’s inhabitants is illustrated by our inability to decide what might have been stored in the terracotta jars that were built into many of the town’s shop fronts. Mary Beard points out that theories they might have contained wine or oil are undermined by the simple fact that terracotta is porous, so it is more likely they contained dry goods. In one shop, a jar may have been a till, because it was found to contain a stash of small coins. But who knows whether the shop’s owner, frightened by a sudden eruption, merely tipped a box of small coins into the jar in a vain attempt to fill the box with more valuable possessions that might be carried?

The area of life that was clearly different in first century AD was that of religion and beliefs. There seemed to be a market in gods, as well as one in goods, and most buildings seem to have paintings or altars dedicated to a panoply of deities, drawn from several different traditions. Whether people did pick and choose, or whether people’s origins or ethnicity dictated allegiance, we simply do not know.

Pompeii clearly did have its own version of mass entertainment, both in theatre and amphitheatre. There was even a famous riot after a disputed contest, where supporters from a nearby town fought with locals. It made regional news. There was also a local language that was not Latin, but we have precious little of its literature.

A concept such a slavery, which in the modern mind is inextricably linked with the trade of recent colonial powers, is yet another aspect of ancient Roman life that is more complicated than contemporary assumptions allow. Mary Beard regularly refers to the complexity of these relationships throughout the text and long before then end we feel we really have learned something about a culture that quite suddenly feels much more distant than a mere couple of millennia.

Mary Beard’s Pompeii is a brilliant book that is worth reading in itself. But anyone who has visited or plans to visit the site will find it brings the experience or memory completely to life. It is a comprehensive description of the site and its culture, but makes clear that there are still stones to be turned. Unusually, however, readers who previously might have thought they were well-informed on the history, culture and archaeology of Pompei might just find, after reading this book, that they knew rather less than they thought.

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Source by Philip Spires

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
What Will Romance and Marriage Look Like in 100 Years?
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Now, I’m not a paranormal writer (at least, not yet) but you do have to wonder…

Look back 100 years – 1917
- Some marriages were still arranged
- Dating was done in groups or with a chaperone
- Receiving gifts was very much a part of the romance
- Virginity was more common until the wedding night
- Many women married in their teens, not finishing high school
- Women over 25 years old were considered spinsters
- It was romantic to cook a lovely meal with a candle lit table setting
- Kink was considered something very private, as well as the act of sex
- Sex was often times considered only for procreation
- Marriages lasted many years – divorce not being considered, even in the worse circumstances due to its stigma.
Looking at today – 2017
- Many couples meet via social media or internet dating sites
- Dating is rarely chaperoned
- Gifts are typically only given for special occasions
- Virginity is a rarity – many couples have sex by the third date, if not sooner
- Many women opt for high school and college graduation prior to considering marriage
- Many women wait until their 30’s and 40’s to marry the first time – waiting until their careers are established or hoping to find the right one later on when they’re more mature – avoiding divorce
- A romantic dinner out is preferred to avoid cleanup
- Kink is freely talked about in order to find a more suitable mate
- Sex is considered a must not an option – even without the need to procreate, thanks to advances in birth control
- It’s typical to find a mate who has been married multiple times due to divorce being a ready option for difficult relationships
Flash Forward 100 years – 2117
- Couple paring will be arranged for more equality in intellect
- Dating will be obsolete
- Gifts will be unnecessary
- Virginity will be in demand as to keep couple paring limited
- Advanced education for both parties will be the norm
- All will be pared by age 30
- Kink will again be private and underground
- Sex will be demanded for only procreation, all other options for sex will be private and underground
- Divorce will be obsolete
Of course, all this is my own personal option. What do you think romance and marriage will be like in 100 years? I’d love to hear your ideas.

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Source by Linda Bolton

Views: 0
July 23, 2022
5 Changes You Can Make Now to Improve Penis Health and Function

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A healthy member means a healthy sex life, and that means taking the right steps to improve penis health. Fortunately, the most effective steps are (quite literally) in your hands, and making these five changes can benefit not only your manhood, but your overall physical and mental health.

1) Exercise. Everything is connected to heart, lung and blood vessel health, so keeping these in order is one of the most important things you can do for your health and your penis. Whether you are up for a round of golf, a little light gardening, or a triathlon, any increase in exercise will definitely pay off. Remember to consult your doctor before beginning a regular exercise program, but hurry and make that appointment, because many men find that they have better, long-lasting erections when they exercise regularly.

2) Eat clean. When looking to improve penis health, start at the kitchen. As you begin to exercise more, your body will demand nutrient-packed food. Eat lots of dark, leafy green vegetables and fruits to keep trim and in shape. Fatty, processed foods can cause damage to blood vessels, which in turn reduces the flow of blood into the penis. Keep those vessels clean and clear by reducing fatty food, salt and sugar intake. Aside from the physical benefits of weight loss, men may feel more confident, more energetic and less depressed.

3) Treat mind as well as body.Men suffering from depression, anxiety and stress can experience erectile dysfunction issues. Problems in the bedroom can make for a rocky relationships, as well as affecting self-esteem, which in turn can increase your levels of stress and have long-lasting effects on your life. If you’re feeling blue, low, or are experiencing any of the following symptoms: anxiety, apathy, loss of appetite, excessive hunger, irritability, social isolation or unusual weight gain or loss, reach out to a medical professional for treatment options..

4) Put out the butts. If you don’t smoke, fantastic. If you do smoke, quit now. Men who smoke are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction and other penile problems than men who don’t light up. Men who have smoked heavily and for a long time may have issues with the blood flow traveling to the penis. Smoking leads to narrowing of the arteries, which means it can obstruct the flow of blood to the penis, creating erectile issues. Put down the cigarette, if only for your penis.

5) See the doctor.In addition to making changes to your diet and exercise routine, make sure to get to the doctor for your annual check-up and do a testicular cancer check on yourself once a month to keep your boys healthy. Quick guide: Take a warm bath or shower and gently examine each reproductive organ with your fingers by placing your index and middle fingers underneath and your thumb directly on top of one of your testicles. Gently roll the testicles around in your fingers, feeling for any irregular sized bumps or lumps within the sack.If you feel anything irregular, seek medical treatment.

For every day care of the penis, after correctly washing the genital area, dry and moisturize your skin with a product made specifically for male tissue, like a penis health crème(health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which has been clinically proven safe and mild for skin). This particular health crème is a super weapon, containing vitamins and nutrients essential to the wellbeing of private area skin, like vitamin C, for collagen production, and Shea butter, which hydrates the skin leaving the area soft and smooth. Keep the penis skin clean, dry, and hydrated for optimal health.

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Source by John Dugan

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Building a Multi Level Marketing Business

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A multi level marketing business is only successful if the business owner can strike a balance between selling the product or service and building a sales group or downline. Be particular about how you present yourself and your business. A professional image will bring you success faster than a sloppy appearance.

Sales

To make money with a multi level market business you need to sell products or services. Some multi level marketing businesses use a home party model. Others use seminars and internet sales. The best way to be successful is to find a business model that suits your personality.

While giving your sales presentation, drop hints that you are looking for people to do exactly what you are doing. The key is to be friendly and look successful. What you say is just as important as how you say it. For example; a very successful person who sold educational books through a home party plan would tell people that “I am looking for people who want to help promote literacy in children.” Compare the phrase “selling books” to “promoting literacy in children.” Which phrase sounds more appealing to you? Are you selling vitamins or helping people live healthier lives?

Attend seminars, watch videos and read books to become familiar with multi level marketing techniques. Books by Zig Ziglar and John Q. Maxwell contain very helpful information. Both authors have extensive knowledge about sales and building successful business relationships. Find out what others in your business are reading.

Investment

To be successful in a multi level marketing business, you will need an upfront investment of time and money. The startup cost is much greater than the initial purchase of products. If you are serious about making career income from a multi level marketing business you will need to invest in a business phone, a computer with internet access, a color printer and scanner, business letterhead, and business cards. A website is very helpful and adds legitimacy to your business.

Business clothes are another expense. You will not be successful selling in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Even when you are starting out, you need to look like you are making money. Dress according to the product you are selling. Know your target customers. If you are selling to working class individuals dress business casual. For upper-level business clients, a suit is required.

Building Contacts

Building contacts is the key to successful multi level marketing. Initially make a list of everyone you know. These are your initial sales calls. When you contact these individuals, ask them for names of people they know who might be interested in this opportunity. Networking is the key to being successful.

Successfully combining sales, image, and networking will bring you success in your multilevel marketing business adventure. The initial investment of time and money will repay you many times over once your business is up and running. Network to meet as many new people as you can as this is the fastest way to grow your business.

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Source by Ron Malezis

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Affirmations to Help You Break a Bad Habit

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Have you tried and tried to break a bad habit, and just failed time and time again? Have you tried using Affirmations to help break a habit? Positive statements have been proved to work!

What Defines A bad Habit?

If we were to send out a survey now to ask people what they thought the words bad habit means, the majority will say that a bad habit is a negative action that people do over and over again, like smoking, drinking, or eating too much.

Did you know that habits are incredibly powerful tools for personal growth and success? Good habits that is!

What habits do you have now and how do they affect your life? Your weight and health are determined by your eating habits. Your relationships are determined by your social habits. Your success at work is determined by your work habits and so on!

So How Do We Change Them?

When it comes to breaking yourself free from bad habits, many self-help books and coaches will tell you to become consciously aware the moment you begin to think about or crave the habit, and to make conscious decisions to just not do it! This may work for some people, but for most of us this is way to hard and doomed to fail. Why? Because it is human nature to want to do something that we are not supposed to do!

Psychology!

First we have to get the psychology right in our head! We must want to change this habit and we need to address why we want to free ourselves from it, that may sound stupid and obvious, but it is true, we must understand and do some self talk.

Write down all the benefits that you are going to get by getting rid of this habit, we need to tell our self that we are not depriving ourselves but improving.

Affirmations.

When I talk to people about affirmations, they often ask “what if I don’t believe the words to be true”? Good question, the subconscious mind does not know what is true or not true, it hears words and accepts them to be! So the more we say the words, the more the subconscious takes them on board, we “affirm” them as our truth!

Choose your words carefully, if you struggle to say them you need to change them, try to keep them short! Here are some ideas to help you create effective and life changing affirmations:

1. Make the statements short but strong, “I am now free from this habit of…”

2. Always make your affirmation in the present time ( I am now, Not I am going to)

3. Always state them in the positive ” I am Happy that I no longer…..”

4. Write them down and read them often, read out loud.

5. Do them every day, no matter how you feel, stick with it!

6. “I am so grateful that I am now free of this habit“

Affirmations need to be practised daily for at least thirty days to embed them in your mind, do them morning and night, stick with it, it works! Learn how to boost your affirmations, and be free in record time!

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Source by Cheryl Fauvel

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Tips to Help You Put Together an Effective B2B Sales Strategy

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If you are a B2B business owner, make sure you reevaluate your sales strategy from time to time. Since this is the age of the Internet, product / service related information is easily available to B2B buyers. Given below are a few tips and tricks that can help you put together a solid sales strategy.

Research your Customers

First off, you may want to call your prospective leads right away. Actually, you should give them some time to do their homework before you ask your sales reps to contact them. You can take a look at their sites and then follow them on major social media websites, which will give you a pretty good idea of which leads you should target.

Train your Sales Reps

Also, make sure your sales representatives have good knowledge of your products and services. In other words, they should have solid know-how of the features and functions of your products. With this knowledge, your sales reps can find it easier to convince your customers.

Ask Questions

Once you have done your research, you can give a call to the qualified leads. The idea is to find out more information about them and the problems they have been facing. For the resolution of their problems, you can recommend your products or services.

Listen More

Make sure you can communicate well with your target customers. Learn to listen to them and then present your services as a solution to their problems.

Here, it's important to keep in mind that an effective sales strategy should revolve around the customers instead of your products alone.

Have a Consultative Approach

If you want to grow your B2B sales, make sure you have something to give to your customers. For instance, you can provide good advice and general tips that can help your customers grow their business using what you offer. You can even recommend good online courses, blogs, and books.

Develop Relationships

If you have some customers who show some interest in your offers, don't push them to sign a deal. Instead, give them enough time to think about the deal. Offering a free of charge demo is also a great idea.

Remember: developing a strong business relationship is a lot more important than the deal. What you need to do is work on building a strong reputation as an honest business advisor.

Have a Customer-Oriented Approach

As far as a B2B sales strategy is concerned, it's important to show empathy towards your customers. The more you do it, the better. Also, make sure your teams communicate with each other to find out more about what your customers want. This will help your teams get equipped with more knowledge.

In the same way, make sure your sales team knows everything about what they want to sell. Ideally, they should have the industry knowledge as well. So, you may want to train them to keep your customers delighted.

Long story short, if you use these strategies, you can attract a lot of B2B customers, which will grow your business at the end of the day.

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Source by Shalini M

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Penis Protection and Oral Sex

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Conduct a poll among men of their favorite kinds of sex, and oral sex would be right up there near the top. Indeed, for some men, oral sex is their number one choice. Its pleasures and appeal are obvious, but for those in non-monogamous relationships, the penis protection issue always arises when discussing forms of sex. There is debate over how much concern there should be about penis health when oral sex comes into play. So, should a guy take any steps in terms of penis protection where oral sex is concerned?

Risks

As with penetrative sex, oral sex does carry some risk of passing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from one partner to the next. For example, if a man’s penis is orally pleased by someone who has an STI like chlamydia or gonorrhea in the throat, there is a significant risk that the STI will be passed on to that man’s penis. Similarly, if a man is orally servicing the penis of a man with an STI like chlamydia or gonorrhea on the penis, that STI can be passed onto the man’s throat. In the latter case, the chances of a man contracting the STI are increased further if he has issues such as bleeding gums or gum disease.

What about HIV? The risk of transmission is much, much lower through oral sex than through anal or vaginal sex; there are few reported cases, and some researchers suspect that some cases attributed to oral sex may actually have originated through anal sex. However, the official consensus is that while the risk of HIV transmission through oral sex is very low, it is still possible. It is further thought that the risk is even lower if there is no swallowing of ejaculate. As with other STIs, the risk of transmission is thought to increase if the person servicing the penis has poor dental hygiene, such as bleeding gums or gum disease.

Penis protection

Doctors recommend that condoms be used to decrease further the risk of transmission of STIs and HIV. However, in practice, it is thought that few men follow this recommendation. If such is the case, and if a man is sexually active outside of a mutually monogamous relationship, there are several things he can do to provide better penis protection. These include:

– Limiting the number of sexual partners with whom he is active. The greater the number of partners, the higher the risk of transmission.

– Partnering with others who limit their number of partners. Similarly, if the individuals a man partners with also limit their number of partners, the penis is better protected.

– Getting tested regularly. Sexually active men in non-monogamous relationships are encouraged to be tested for STIs and HIV on a regular basis; every three months is the general recommendation. This enables STIs to be caught early on so that treatment can begin. It is also advised that a man choose sex partners who are similarly tested on a regular basis. (Remember, in many instances, it is possible to have an STI and exhibit no symptoms; therefore, regular testing is the best bet for an early diagnosis.)

In general, oral sex is much safer than other forms of sex, and is especially so when a condom is employed. But it is not without risks by any means.

Penis protection goes beyond covering one’s bases where oral sex is concerned and includes daily steps to maintain overall penis health. One of the most important steps in that area is to regularly apply a superior penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). For the best results, find a cream that features a wide range of healthy vitamins, including A, B5, C, D, and E. Ideally, such a cream will also include L-carnitine, a neuroprotective ingredient that is helpful in maintaining penis sensitivity, especially when a penis regularly undergoes rough handling.

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Source by John Dugan

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
The Clearest Sign of Mental Health

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Am I mentally ill, could be the question? Every healthy person learns to ask such a question, as is the paradox that is health and ill-health.

Now, let’s be crystal clear about what this paradox is about. Let me use myself as an example. The times I have been most unhealthy mentally, emotionally, spiritually, I have lacked something very important – something critical for health. I lacked the capacity to see that I wasn’t healthy, and perhaps others knew it. I’m sure they did. I may have suspected something was wrong, but I would not at that time be able to pinpoint it. Eventually I might, and when I did, I would be on the cusp of recovery.

What is the clearest sign of mental health?

Insight.

It’s like being in mental health inpatient facility. The main indicator psychiatrists are looking for. Can the person perceive reality? Are they delusional? Is there grandeur? Of course, the purpose for admitting people to these hospitals is to give them time and treatment to come back to reality – to receive insight.

It’s a scary individual that does not have insight. Yet, the narcissist is one who seems fine – until you get close to them – but has a major lack of insight. They cannot see a single fault within themselves. And they may only ultimately agree they have something to change when they see there is some advantage coming to them for appearing humble.

Now, this is dangerous; to see yourself as unequivocally superior to others is bad for everyone. You cannot be corrected when you need to be, and others are not acknowledged for the goodness and attributes they have.

The person who has insight, however, sees the faults inside themselves, and they have copious humility to be able to see the wrong, the error, the mistakes they make; that we all make from time to time. They’re not fearful of exposure because they see what is wrong and they see that it is straightforward to attend to it and fix it.

There’s the paradox in all its glory: the one who thinks they’re perfect is unimaginably dangerously imperfect, because they cannot see their fault, yet the one who sees their imperfections might as well be perfect, for human intents and purposes.

If you want to know if you’re healthy, do you have the capacity for honesty?

Can you see what you need to be able to see? Not just for yourself, but for others, too.

Now, we can see that there are maladies of anxiety and depression that express themselves in many ways, but do not manifest in a lack of honesty. Comparatively, mental health is less of an issue, even if there is a lot of pain the person must wrestle with. This is not to say that their mental ill-health is any less important. Indeed, many times people can suffer mental ill-health because someone close to them has had narcissistic impact on them.

People who suffer depression and anxiety can often still have good relationships. Even with comparative mental ill-health they may often operate in such a way that others are benefactors relationally. They may often find ways of loving well despite what they suffer, which is an incredibly inspiring reality.

We see here that good mental health is not just about the struggles we have living our lives; it’s also how we treat other people. A mental health that impacts negatively on other people is of grave concern, because of how people can be damaged. Of course, there is, on the other hand, also the matter of how suicide damages those left behind. That can never be understated.

Or, perhaps we can see it this way: the person who may have no pain but has troubled relationships, and indeed may appear to be happy, even powerful, may be more mentally ill than the person who endures much pain but who serves and loves others to the end of good relationships.

The person who consistently puts others first has better mental health ultimately than the person who has no interest in or capacity for others.

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Source by Steve Wickham

Views: 0

July 22, 2022