A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say." "Why do you say that?" asked the client. The barber responded: "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things to happen."

The client stopped for a moment thinking, but he didn't want to respond so as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with very long hair and beard (it seemed that it had been a long time since he had his hair cut and he looked so untidy).

Then the client entered the barber shop again and said to the barber, "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the barber. "I'm here and I'm barber."

"No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they
did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street."

"Ah, barbers DO exist," said the barber. "What happens is that people do not come to me."

Just in case you might think of Iraq as "only" an oil rich nation, ruled by an evil dictator for 30 years, whether it has been supporting terrorists or may not be very important, here are a few important facts regarding the important history and roles that this nation has played down through history*

DID YOU KNOW??????

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

(doesn't look much like Paradise on earth today thanks to Saddam)

2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (that's good news to know that JESUS has been in Iraq too as the 4th person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq. (which hopefully Saddam will too!)

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq. (where are the "wise" men today?)

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon which was a city in Iraq!

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Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. Here's why.

* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14

* Adam & Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8

* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6

* Nimrod established Babylon & Tower of Babel was built in Iraq--

Genesis

10:8-97 & 11:1-4

* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq--Genesis

11:5-11

* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4

* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4 & 10

* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38

* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2 &2:36-38

* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3

* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther

* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq--Nahum

* The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the

old name for the nation of Iraq--Revelation 17 & 18

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq

The sole survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when things appear to be going badly, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little
hut is burning to the ground, it may just be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it.

You say, "It's impossible".
God says: "All things are possible". (Luke 18:27)

You say, "I'm too tired."
God says: "I will give you rest". (Matt 11:28-20)

You say, "Nobody really loves me".
God says: "I love you". (John
3:16 - John 13:34)

You say, "I can't go on."
God says: "My grace is sufficient." (II Cor. 12:9 - Psalm 91:15)

You say, "I can't figure things out."
God says: "I will direct your steps." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say, "I can't do it."
God says: "You can do all things in Me." (Phil 4:13)

You say, "It's not worth it."
God says: "It will be worth it." (Romans 8:28)

You say, "I can't forgive my self."
God says: "I forgive you." (I John 1:9 - Romans 8:1)

You say, "I can't manage."
God says: "I will supply all your needs." (Phil 4:19)

You say, "I'm afraid."
God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear." (II Tim. 1:7)

You say, "I'm always worried and frustrated".
God says: "Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say, "I don't have enough faith.." God says: "I've given everyone a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)

You say, "I'm not smart enough."
God says: "I give you wisdom." (I Cor. 1:30)

Hello God, I called tonight to talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen to my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me, so I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep my family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence for whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things I can't change in any way.

I thank you God for being home and listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice when I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one that answers every time.
I never get a busy signal, never have to pay a dime.

God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

God won't ask the square footage or your house, but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

God won't ask what your highest salary was, but He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won't ask what your job title was, but He'll ask if you performed your >job to the best of your ability.

God won't ask how many friends you had, but He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won't ask about the color of your skin, but He'll ask about the content of your character.

At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith.

One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian. The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?" He replied, "Yes sir He did!" The professor responded, "If God made everything, then He made EVIL." The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something, sir?"

"Yes, you may," responded the professor. The young man stood up and said "Sir, is there such a thing as COLD?" "Of course there is, what kind of question is that? Haven't you ever been COLD?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, COLD doesn't exist. What we consider to be cold, is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no HEAT, but COLD does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when HEAT is not there." The young man continued, "Sir, is there such a thing as DARK?"

Once again, the professor responded "Of course there is." And once again, the student replied "Actually, sir, DARKNESS does not exist. DARKNESS is really only the absence of
LIGHT. DARKNESS is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no LIGHT present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such a thing as EVIL?"

The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are EVIL."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, EVIL does not exist. EVIL is simply the absence of God. EVIL is a term man developed to describe the absence of GOD. God did not create
evil. It isn't like truth, or love, which exist as virtues like HEAT or LIGHT. EVIL is simply the state where GOD is not present, like COLD without HEAT or DARKNESS without
LIGHT." The professor had nothing to say.............