Connecting
man to man to God
For week of November 16, 2008
Issue
231
"Since
the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you
and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through
all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9
CONSIDER
“Death
is not a threat to genuine life. It is but a paper tiger that is
no longer free to terrorize us once we know the truth about the
outcome of the cross. Death is but a temporary inconvenience that
separates our smaller living from our greater being.” Calvin
Miller
TAKE A SURVEY
Zondervan,
the recent purchaser of BibleGateway.com, is conducting a
satisfaction survey to help improve the service the website
provides. Zondervan says “the mission of this site will not
change and will continue to be a publisher-neutral resource in
spreading the Bible around the world.” To offer your
viewpoint, go to the survey
at
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=U2AVREK8ASWZ
IBS-STL GLOBAL APPOINTS DOUG LOCKHART PRESIDENT/CEO, NORTH
AMERICA; SCOTT BOLINDER AS PRESIDENT, GLOBAL PUBLISHING
IBS-STL
Global has announced that Doug Lockhart has been appointed
President/CEO of its North American operations. Lockhart will
replace David Passman, who will retire early in 2009. Lockhart
joins IBS-STL on January 1, 2009 following one year as Vice
President of Communications and External Affairs for the Hope
Network, a Grand Rapids-based Christian human services
organization. Lockhart previously served on the leadership team at
Zondervan for five years, most recently as President and
CEO.
Scott Bolinder has been appointed President of IBS-STL
Global Publishing. Bolinder joins IBS-STL following more than 20
years with Christian publisher Zondervan as its Executive Vice
President and Publisher. Prior to his time with Zondervan,
Bolinder served with Christianity Today, Inc., a leading
international Christian magazine and media company.... Read this
in full at
http://www.ibs.org/press_release/news.php?news_id=74
SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV LINKED TO TEEN PREGNANCY
Teenagers
who have a high level of exposure to sexual content on television
are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy compared to
those teens who have limited exposure to such content, according
to a study published in the November issue of the journal
Pediatrics.
"We know that if a child is watching more
than an hour of TV a day, we know there's a sexual scene in [the]
content every 10 minutes, then they're getting a fair amount of
sexual content," Anita Chandra, the study's lead author and a
behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, which conducted the
study, said.
Previous studies have linked sex on TV to
earlier initiation of sex, but the RAND study is the first to
demonstrate an association between sex on TV and teenage
pregnancy. Researchers evaluated 23 sitcoms, dramas, animated
shows and reality shows on broadcast and cable for sexual content
and then asked teenagers how frequently they watched the shows,
which included "Sex and the City," "That '70s
Show," and "Friends."
Chandra told CNN.com
that even when accounting for other factors such as demographics
and risk-taking behaviors, the connection between televised sexual
content and teen pregnancy remained.... Read this in full
at
http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=29299
CONGO IN CRISIS: HUMAN CATASTROPHE UNFOLDS
The
situation in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is
critical. Thousands were fleeing as rebel forces advanced on the
city of Goma in eastern DRC. Rebel soldiers were on the edge of
the city as a fragile ceasefire held.
The crisis is rapidly
unfolding into a humanitarian disaster on a huge scale. Reports of
random killings, rape, and other atrocities are widespread. Right
now, the situation in Goma is incredibly tense, with many
Congolese upset at the inability of the United Nations
peacekeeping force to protect them. The 17,000-strong force has
been unable to halt the violence in a region that has been
devastated by two civil wars.
The conflict in the Congo is
one of the world’s most under-reported catastrophes. In the
past 12 years, an estimated 5 million people have died from
malnutrition and disease spurred on by the conflict. “I
don’t know what is going to happen,” said one aid
worker, “but I think that Goma is going to fall.”
World Relief has posted a video appeal from Lynn Hybels, advocate
for global engagement at Willow Creek Community Church, South
Barrington, Illinois.... Read more and see the video
at
http://community.wr.org/Page.aspx?pid=1274
INTERACTIVE WEBSITE ENABLES PEOPLE TO DIRECTLY FUND POOR
ENTREPRENEURS
Opportunity
International, the world's largest Christian microfinance
organization, today announced the launch of OptINnow(tm), a new
initiative in the fight against global poverty. OptINnow connects
people who want to make a difference with the working poor around
the world who need small business loans to lift themselves out of
poverty.
Through the new online donation model, consumers
"opt in" - for as little as $25 - to become part of a
global movement to help transform the lives of entrepreneurs
throughout the developing world. Millions of poor people, many of
whom live on less than $2 a day, struggle to fund businesses and
make enough money for their families to survive. A single loan
from OptINnow starts the cycle of poverty alleviation, helping
poor entrepreneurs to start or expand a business, and enabling
them to provide better nutrition and schooling for their families
and job creation in their communities.
"Donating on
OptINnow.org is simple and the impact is powerful," said Mark
Smalls, senior vice president of marketing, Opportunity
International. "As our clients repay the loans, the money is
loaned again and again to help many more entrepreneurs. It's
giving that keeps going." Read this in full
at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/667248639.html
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF EVANGELICALS IN POLITICS
by
John Ortberg
I am a political junkie. During a presidential
campaign, I will often buy a couple of newspapers a day just to
keep up. But it strikes me that presidential campaigns can often
bring out the worst as well as the best in us.So I want to propose
the “Seven Deadly Sins of Evangelicals and Politics.”
You may have a few of your own to add. But the spirit of such
lists in the past was not to add to our store of information but
to contrition. So feel free to confess while you
read.
Messianism: The sin of believing that a merely human
person or system can usher in the eschaton. This is often tipped
off by phrases like: “The most important election of our
lifetime” (which one wasn’t?); or “God’s
man for the hour.”
Selective Scripturization: The
sin of using Scripture to reinforce whatever attitude toward the
president you feel like holding, while shellacking it with a thin
spiritual veneer. If the candidate you like holds office, you
consistently point people toward Romans 13: “Everyone must
submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no
authority except that which God has established.” If your
candidate lost, you consistently point people to Acts 4:10 where
Peter and John say to the Sanhedrin: “Judge for yourselves
whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than
God.” It’s just lucky for us the Bible is such a big
book.... Read this in full
at
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2008/11/john_ortbergs_l.html
ANGER
In
his book The 7 Sins of Highly Defective People, Rick Ezell writes:
"When my wife and I were in London one spring, we discovered
that some of the bombs dropped on England are still killing
people. Sometimes they are discovered; sometimes blow up at
construction sites, in fishing nets or on beaches more than 50
years after the war. Undetected bombs become more dangerous with
time because corrosion can expose the detonator.
"What
is true of bombs that are not dealt with is also true of people
who have unresolved anger. Buried anger explodes when we least
expect it. When anger explodes, it does all sorts of damage. It
severs relationships. It causes ulcers. It leads to murder. When
anger is turned inward, it leads to depression. When it is
turned outward, it leads to aggression. So, I have to deal
with my anger, not bury it.
"Anger is like a splinter
in your finger. If you leave it there, it gets infected and hurts
every time you use your finger. If you remove it, the sore heals
and you feel better."
(from One Minute Uplift newsletter;
www.rickezell.net)
VERSE TO PONDER
“The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite
heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
CONSIDER
“Repentance
is in every view so desirable, so necessary, so suited to honor
God, that I seek that above all. The tender heart, the broken and
contrite spirit, are to me far above all the joys that I could
ever hope for in this vale of tears. I long to be in my proper
place, my hand on my mouth, and my mouth in the dust... I feel
this to be safe ground. Here I cannot err... I am sure that
whatever God may despise... He will not despise the broken and
contrite heart.” Charles Simeon (1759-1836)
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL BIBLE BEE
The
first annual National Bible Bee, a motivating Bible memory
competition for children and youth from 7 to 18 years of age is
sponsored by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation. The goal of the Bible
Bee is to build godly character in young people by calling them
back to the lost discipline of Scripture memorization. Most people
are familiar with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where youth
compete annually in the nation's longest-running educational
contest. While it is certainly beneficial for our children to
commit the spelling of words to memory, imagine how much more
life-changing it would be for them to memorize the Word of
God!
Local Bible Bee Contests will be conducted throughout
the United States on Saturday, September 12, 2009. One hundred
finalists from each of three age categories will then advance to
the National Bible Bee for a two-day, world-class competition held
in Washington D.C. on November 5-6, 2009. Read more about this
at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/257988651.html
SECURING WATER FOR ALL: A JOB FOR HEROES WITH A LICENCE TO
PRAY?
World
cinema's most famous spy is back and this time he fights a villain
trying to control strategic water resources in a developing
country. Is the script of the latest James Bond movie too
far-fetched a fictional plot? "Control over water translates
more and more into profit and power," says Maike Gorsboth,
the coordinator of the Ecumenical Water Network, an initiative of
churches, Christian organizations and movements working on
people's access to water and on community-based solutions to the
water crisis. In the following interview, Gorsboth speaks to
Annegret Kapp about water as a human right -- and about how cinema
and reality may have more in common than we think.
Q: In
the latest James Bond movie, which hit the screens in Europe last
week, the villain is seeking to control the "earth's most
precious resource" in a developing country. How realistic is
the idea of a mafia gaining control over a country's water
supply?
A: Already today we are witnessing struggles over
the control of water supply and resources. With water scarcity
increasing and demand for water rising steadily in many countries
around the world, control over water translates more and more into
profit and power. Companies are buying water rights and land in
order to secure their access to water resources. Often they do not
care much about the rights of communities or environmental
consequences and deplete and pollute this precious resource.
So,
in a way the idea of the movie is not as far-fetched as one might
wish. However, one of the problems is exactly that, while
corruption does play a major role in the water sector, what is
happening is often not illegal. Legal provisions ensuring public
control and regulating private ownership and use of water
resources are in too many cases lacking or insufficient.... Read
this interview in full
at
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/activities/ewn-home/ewn-news-and-events-containers/english-news-container/single-news/article/1722/securing-water-for-all-a.html
CHAPLAINS IMPART SUPPORT & STRENGTH TO SOLDIERS IN COMBAT
Lt.
Col. David Rogers understands the importance of having chaplains
in a war zone. He says the three best chaplains he's ever known
served with him in combat. While military chaplains do not carry
weapons or drive vehicles used as weaponry, they nevertheless
serve alongside the soldiers, witnessing all the horrors of war.
"You really don't think much about the chaplain until the
lead is flying," Rogers said, "but if he's known and
understood by the men, all the better." Since 9/11, military
chaplains have risen to the occasion, providing soldiers counsel
and support, Rogers said.... Read this in full
at
http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=29307
LEAD FROM BULLETS COULD POSE RISK FOR GAME EATERS
North
Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and
young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead
bullets. The recommendation is based on a study released Wednesday
that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state
residents. Those who ate wild game killed with lead bullets
appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or
no wild game.
The elevated lead levels were not considered
dangerous, but North Dakota says pregnant women and children
younger than 6 should avoid eating venison harvested using lead
bullets. Those groups are considered most at risk from lead
poisoning, which can cause learning problems and convulsions, and
in severe cases can lead to brain damage and death…. Read
this in full
at
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/11/05/venison.lead.ap/index.html
ESSAYS IN ORNI-THEOLOGY
A
review of the book The Birds Our Teachers: Biblical Lessons from a
Lifelong Bird Watcher by John Stott
Outside my window is
the last sparkle of ruby-throated hummingbirds darting in and out
of my flame-colored honeysuckles. They are fueling up for fall
migration, when they will travel from my house in Illinois to the
Gulf of Mexico and on into Central America. There, they'll siesta
until spring, when they'll sail back on winds to make the long
trip north, once again appearing to sip nectar from my flowers and
feeders.
For me, the hummers are just another part of my
backyard's colorful kaleidoscope. For renowned theologian, pastor,
and avid birdwatcher John R. W. Stott, however, hummingbirds —
indeed, all birds — reveal something more. In the newly
issued collector's edition of The Birds Our Teachers: Lessons from
a Lifelong Birdwatcher (Baker), Stott finds myriad metaphors for
our relationship with God and our faith in the wide world of
birds. Call it orni-theology, if you will. Stott does.... Read
this review in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/novemberweb-only/146-41.0.html
Read
an excerpt
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/novemberweb-only/146-42.0.html
'WHY BELIEVE IN A GOD?' ADS TO HIT US BUSES
A
group of humanists plans to plaster over 200 buses in Washington
DC with ads bearing its "godless holiday" message. Ads
proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for
goodness' sake," will appear on the outside and inside of DC
Metro buses starting Nov. 18 and will run throughout December.
Newspaper versions of the ads have already run in The New York
Times and The Washington Post. The advertising campaign is part of
an effort by the American Humanist Association to reach out to
like-minded individuals around the nation's capitol and elsewhere
who might be interested in humanism. The atheistic group espouses
the belief that one can live a moral life apart from a belief in a
god or the afterlife.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20081113/-why-believe-in-a-god-ads-to-hit-u-s-buses.htm
SUPREME COURT HEARS RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS CASE
A
small Utah religious sect told the US Supreme Court on Nov. 12
that it should be allowed to erect a monument to its core beliefs
alongside an existing Ten Commandments monument in a city park.
Pamela Harris, a lawyer for Summum, a 33-year-old spiritual group
known for its unique practice of mummification, said the exclusion
of its tenets by officials in Pleasant Grove City, Utah, is
unfair. “That's a violation of the core free speech
principle that the government may not favor one message over
another in a public forum,” she said. But Jay Sekulow, the
lawyer representing the city, said a lower court erred when it
decided that Summum had the right to place its “Seven
Aphorisms” in a city park because a Ten Commandments
monument had been placed there by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
“When the government is speaking, it is free from the
traditional free speech constraints of the First Amendment,”
argued Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and
Justice, a law firm founded by religious broadcaster Pat
Robertson. Though the case is technically about free speech,
another First Amendment question -- governmental establishment of
a particular religion -- was raised almost immediately.... Read
this in full
at
http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=16921
TOP 10 WAYS TO AMUSE A GEEK
1.
Make a list of the top 10 ways to amuse a geek.
10. Use binary.
CONSIDER
“You
don't do the right thing because of the consequences. If you're
wise, you do it regardless of the consequences.” Jeannette
Rankin
VERSE TO PONDER
"It
is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the
ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use
your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”
1 Peter 2:15-16
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: GOD OF GRACE AND GOD OF GLORY
Words:
Harry E. Fosdick, 1930
Music: John Hughes, 1907
God of
grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown
Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious
flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of
this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of
evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From
the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and
praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of
these days,
For the living of these days.
Cure Thy
children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy
control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things
and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we
miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s
goal.
Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that
they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the
fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That
we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.
Save
us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the
search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us
wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving
Thee Whom we adore.
>from CyberHymnal
at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/godgrace.htm
ON PRAYER
“Prayer
is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the Spirit of God.”
Edwin Keith
“The
trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says "Amen"
and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God
is far more important than giving Him your ideas.” Frank
Laubach (1884-1970)
PRAY
FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY
http://christiansincrisis.net/
DAILY BLESSING PACT
Use
the following list as your daily prayer guide. Think of a brother
or situation that applies and lift them up in prayer.
I am
agreeing in prayer with you for God’s blessings to overtake
you!
PERSONAL
Marital harmony
Family unity
Children
saved
Faithful pastor
Spirit-filled church
Real
friendships
Relatives redeemed
Educational
benefits
Recreational time
Fulfilling career
Favor with
God and man
Be in God’s will
FINANCIAL
Better
Jobs
Raises or bonuses
Benefits
Sales &
commissions
Business Growth
Settlements
Estates &
inheritances
Investment increase
Rebates &
returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Money to
be found
Bills decrease while blessings increase
"And
all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God" (Deut.
28:2).
[As you travel on business or vacation, let me know
if you'd like the church guys to pray for your safety and
spiritual effectiveness. I'll add your name to the list for the
time you'll be away.]
CLASSIFIEDS
Are
you looking for something or do you have something to sell? Let me
know and I'll put it in this newsletter.
Book your next
vacation with us!
ChristianConnectionTravel.com
Books,
Music & More!
ChristianConnectionBooks.com
Get
your domain name here!
GoGlobalDomains.com
Let
me show you how to earn money as you
travel!
http://FrankColeman.WorldVentures.biz/
It's
as easy as 1-2-3!
SHARE
YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why.
Humorous
Amnesty International
ad
http://www.veryshortlist.com/web/daily.cfm/review/781/Web_video/amnesty-international-crazy-leaders/?vp
Watch
17 dominos being balanced on
one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9tKb80hg7o
All
links to websites are provided as a service, and do not imply
endorsement by our church.
(BTW: whenever the URLs in this
newsletter are too long to turn into links on your e-mail program,
just copy the entire URL (two lines or more) and paste it into a
temporary email message. Then delete the return in the middle of
it and copy it again. Then paste it into your web browser and hit
enter.)
Yesterday
is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That’s
why it’s called the present.
Min.
Frank Coleman, Editor
[email protected]
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