Would you give away your wedding ring if it would save a person’s life? A wonderful website about sacrificial giving and one creative way of addressing extreme poverty in the world around us. See this very inspiring website at:
Website for Lynne Hybels, wife of Willowcreek pastor Bill Hybels. This is a website set up in response to her book Nice Girls Don’t Change the World. Here is the site:
This is an amazing testimony by an impaired 24 year old young man that is beyond incredible. I hope you get a chance to watch it as you’ll be greatly blessed.
http://www.wretch.cc/video/ritahsia&func=single&vid=2282608&rpage=2&p=0
Some good earthy advice for teens.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=03ba6ee8051cc36691bd
A telling look at our perception of beauty.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5a2ccb30e7bbafc011b0
A cool video blog that touches on a lot of important and relevent issues facing Christians today.
Here are some inspiring videos about Muslims who chose to follow Jesus.
This article on abortion was passed on to me by Vicki and gives us all something to think about. It may be (should be) disturbing. The article is accompanied by additional resources you may want to follow up with
A website that discusses life and abortion.
This is an enlightening article on how the two democratic candidates for the presidency view abortion. Thought you’d want to know.
YOUR DAILY SPIRITUAL VITAMIN
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
John Harper was an evangelist during the early 1900’s. His success in spreading the gospel in London became so widely known that Moody Church in Chicago brought him to the states to preach at a revival in the winter of 1911. The meeting went so well that he was invited back the following spring. So on April 11, 1912, thirty-nine-year-old Harper boarded a ship to America. His six-year-old daughter was with him. The ship they boarded had already made news around the globe as the most seaworthy vessel of all time. It was the maiden voyage of the SS Titanic.
When the ship’s fate became evident, Harper wrapped his daughter in a blanket and made sure she got onto one of the lifeboats. Then he went back to help other women and children do the same. Somewhere along the way, Harper took off his life jacket and gave it to another man. That man was later saved by the SS Carpathia and was able to give even greater detail about the faith of John Harper.
He said he passed by Harper several times in the water as the two struggled to stay afloat. The minister called out to him in the dark, “Are you saved?” The man admitted that he didn’t know the Lord, so Harper began quoting Scripture to him. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” he said, quoting Acts 16:31. Before the man had a chance to respond, the two were separated by the waves. Soon afterward the currents brought them together again, and Harper continued his questioning. “Are you saved?” he yelled over the noise. “No, I can’t say that I am,” the man told him. Once more Harper quoted from the book of Acts before being carried away by a large wave. The man watched from a distance as Harper eventually sank to his death.
As the man later retold the story of his encounter with Harper, he said with reverence, “There, alone in the night, with two miles of water beneath me, I believed.” John Harper’s unwavering faith, even in the face of death, had brought the man face-to-face with his own mortality. And he called out to God for salvation. “I am John Harper’s last convert,” the man said.
To his dying breath John Harper preached the salvation of Jesus. He gave himself fully to the work of the Lord, even to the disregard of his own life. And today countless people believe because of his tenacious faith. We can only hope that our legacy emulates his.
~A Rite of Passage~
In a recent Open Doors narrative, it described the persecution, suffering, and torture of Uyghur Christian leaders in northwest China
http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/441/139/
The article goes on to say that, “For years, the underground church in China has viewed such arrests and imprisonments as something of a “rite of passage” for its leadership. A “Rite of Passage.” An innocent enough sounding phrase to describe the transition from one phase of life to another, usually from youth to a mature member of society. In America, we think of a “Rite of Passage” as a bar mitzvah, a “sweet 16” party, graduation from high school or college, the hazing in advance of acceptance into a fraternity or a sorority, or simply turning 21 (with all its cultural trappings). In Uyghur China, and in other places around the world, suffering is the “Rite of passage” Christian leaders have to look forward to if they are to be leaders of the church. This is why Jesus warned that, “In this world you will have suffering. “ (John 16:33) and Paul reiterated this by saying talking about the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10). So, in the US we participate in “Rites of Passage” that are more party than ordeal, while in Uyghur China the rite of passage for a Christian leader usually involves persecution, torture, and possible death. Sobering!
Read more about Christians suffering for their faith at:
View more stories in “Latest News” just below the main picture on this website.
A page for viewing short clips from a plethora of films, plus a tool that gives you the ability to find films related to any numer of themes (anger adultery, faith, pride, friendship, etc.). A good resource, especially for speakers wanting to find illustrative material.
This promises to be a very interesting fil. It’s a powerful documentary about academics who have been expelled from the field because they hold view on religion and creation that are divergent from what is now politically correct. It attempts to expose the suppression of real scientific method by science’s anti-theist elite, and unveils new scientific facts that may suggest evidence of intelligent design in the universe. This is a “must-see” for all Christians. The webpage also has links to comments by Lee Strobel and endorsements by other leaders.
http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?page=expelled&gclid=CODPwfmrypICFRqDIgoduW-4Xw
Not necessarily Christian, but a video with a message about our legacy, something we all need to think about.
http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_04-06-2008/1My_Last_Lecture
This is an important website for Christian women (and their spouses) to familiarize themselves with. The current material dealing with charges being brought against the group Planned Parenthood is important for every person, Christian or non-Christian, to read, think about, investigate, and decide on. The link is found at:
Some videos you might like about the Gospel in India. Both sites also lead to additional videos. here are the videos:
The difficulties of living for Christ with Gender Issues. A Rodgers Park woman talks about the challenge.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/35.52.html?start=3
Plus: an interview with Charlene Cothran, editor of a magazine for African-American gays and lesbians, on how she renounced homosexuality and came to Christ after 29 years as a Gay activist.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/marchweb-only/112-52.0.html
Hi all-
I wanted to pass on another blogsite to you that I think you’ll find interesting. This site is called Yom Yom (see below). Its a site that is offered by one of my Graduate School Professors who is one of the World’s leading Hittite Specialists, Dr. Harry Hoffner, and, more importantly, a follower of Jesus. The blog is an evangelistic - devotional enterprise and is currently looking at the Gospel of Luke. I think you’ll all enjoy gaining insights on the Bible from a scholar who specializes in the world that spawned both the Hittites and the Biblical heroes. His insights on the life of Christ should prove very valuable. In describing his site, Hoffner writes:
“The Hebrew phrase yom yom means “day by day” and nicely reflects the purpose of our daily reading of the Bible and prayer that God will guide our steps in the ways of purity, justice, love and wisdom, and thus enable us to be “salt and light” in this world. In case you wonder, the URL for this site, siwattili, means the same thing–in Hittite! The current series is a study of the Gospel of Luke.” You can access the site at:
http://siwattili.blogspot.com/
Hope you enjoy this and get a lot out of it.
Ron
Many of you remember Corey Camphor and his wife Tiana who wowed us with their music at the last Beverly Table held at World Music Company. Well, here is an article about Corey and Tiana talking about the essence of “Change.” In a period of political excitement when “change’ is a much talked about word, this article gets to the core of change. A lesson we can all take to heart. Hope you enjoy
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=97c12995023df9dd2e9ee08cebb4d509
Hi all-
This is a poem allegedly written by a young girl dying from Cancer. I have no way of knowing if its true or not, but I’m posting it here because the sentiments expressed in the poem are important ideas we all need to consider. Read the poem and do as you feel led. Here is the link:
We would all do well to do a little more slow dancing.
Ron
An nice article on the lost art of saying “Thank you.”
The Persecuted church around the World. When one part of the body suffers, the entire body suffers.
Also see The Gospel for Asia and pray for the suffering christians of Sri Lanka who are growing but caught in the midst of a civil war and experiencing terrible persecution from the Buddisht majority on the island. See these sites for more information:
http://www.gfa.org/violence-escalates-at-sri-lanka-bible-college
Kendra has a way of helping Young People make the Right Choices and of informing parents how to do that. This latest post has to do with the latest report on Sexually Transmitted Diseases in teenaged girls.
A Turkish theologian speaks on “When God is Silent.” As this comes from a pastor from a country where it seems God is silenet more often than when he speaks, this is an meaningful statement for the rest of the church body.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/29.41.html?start=4
This is a film company that one of my former students started. Its not a “Faith-Based” media organization, but some of the cuts may have neighborhood applications, especially the one on “Seed bombing!” She has a real environmental calling, as well as a senss of humor. I hope you enjoy.
mary was more revolutionary than we thought!
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