Read,Think,Pray,Live: February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Who Am I?

"This generation of Preachers is responsible for this generation of Sinners."

Bird Flu...Your Q & A

The possibility of a worldwide pandemic of deadly avian flu has generated an alarming array of rumors, inflated fears, and false claims. Here are answers to some of the most pressing questions about the true nature of the threat and what you can do to protect yourself and your family.1. Why is bird flu potentially so dangerous?The virus, called influenza A (H5N1), is unusually virulent and so new that people around the world have had no chance to develop immunity. It has killed more than half of the small number of people known to be affected so far, and the virus is running rampant among domestic flocks of chickens and other birds across an expanding range of the world, putting more and more people at risk of infection. Concerned about the tenacity of the virus, the World Health Organization expects it will take several years to stop outbreaks in domestic poultry. read it all here

Who You Really Want To Hear From...on ChrisTV

Labels: christv

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Get Free Opinion Polls

Monday, February 26, 2007

ScrewTape Letters

By
Kevin Jackson

Christian Post Reporter

Walden Media, the company that brought The Chronicles of Narnia to the silver screen, has recently announced its intention of adapting yet another C.S. Lewis work.
The Screwtape Letters, one of Lewis’ more adult-themed pieces of fiction, is now set for a release in May 2008, with Ralph Winter Productions set to produce it.

The movie attempts to tap into the crossover popularity of the author whose first adaptation, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, pulled in $744 million worldwide, according to Variety. The sequel to this, Prince Caspian, is expected to release next year.

The Screwtape Letters is a book that takes on the form of a series of letters written from a senior devil, Screwtape, to a subordinate, Wormwood. In the letters, the elder gives advice on how to secure the damnation of an earthly man who the letters refer to as “the Patient.”
The comprehensive advice that Screwtape offers his nephew on undermining faith and encouraging sin is filled with examinations of human nature and Christian doctrine.
Much like Narnia, the film will be shot as a live-action movie.

Many critics have noted their worry over the themes in the books which may be difficult to adapt into a movie. They have noted the importance of the reader's own images and perspective shifts to make the story work, which cannot be translated visually.

Ralph Winter, who has also been producer for X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and the newest release from FoxFaith Thr3e, has much experience with live-action flicks.

The Screwtape Letters will be produced using Walden's Bristol Bay Productions.
Bristol Bay also produced Amazing Grace, a film depicting William Wilberforce, the man who championed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, and is due in theaters nationwide Feb. 23. The film is appropriately timed as part of “Black History Month.”

The Biggest List of IHOP Bloggers/Wordcasters

My goal is to be the google of the IHOP Blogosphere. Okay its a small goal to day but when 500 to 5,000 hits you wont think so. I've added several IHOP bloggers to my blogroll. I want to include everyone who is an IHOP blogger or even those from other Houses Of Prayer. I need your help. Please check out the list to the right if you or someone you know who has an IHOP blog is not listed drop me the url in the comments I'll check em out and post em. Won't even do the usual disclaimer...they are accountable to Jesus for every word not me. It would be great if your blog is listed for you to do in kind and post www.prayershake.blogspot.com on your blog.

What you say could change someone's life for eternity.

I love my commentors

Those who give feedback and comments are some of the fuel that keeps a Blogger blogging. Hit counts and traffic stats don't tell you what people feel or think.

So to Honor those that comment and because she asked...please visit Ruth's Blog.

Also visit our family friend Kari's blog.

Hey Check out Todd

Leave them some encouraging, edifying comments. Volunteer to do something kind and generous for them.

Comments always appreciated.

Labels: Blogs I read

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Christian Bloggers List

I completed a survey for Corey Miller who works for Rick Warren in exchange for adding my blog to their site I agreed to post the list on my blog. No I have not checked very many of these blogs.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Who Am I?

"It is my opinion that the Christian conception of God in these middle years of the twentieth century is so decandent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God and actually to constitute for professed believers something amounting to a moral calamity.

"The loss of the concept of majesty has come just when the forces of religion are making dramatic gains and the churches are more prosperous that at any time within the past several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and our losses wholly internal; and since it is the quality of our religion that is affected by internal conditons, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider field. "

Labels: who am I

He's Reading His Bible

AUSTIN — Herbert Washington, whom co-workers at Significant Plastics Inc. say was unduly concerned with the rapture and the second coming of Christ, suffered a serious heart attack when co-workers pretended they'd been caught away without him.
Last Tuesday, they lay work outfits on their chairs and hid in a supply room, and when Herbert came back from the restroom, he thought the rapture had occurred. The janitor, an outspoken Muslim, pretended to have witnessed everyone disappear and ran around the office feigning panic. Herbert fell to the ground clutching his heart and screaming, "I knew you'd forget me, Jesus! What did I do wrong?" He was taken to a local hospital. The employees emerged, sobered, from the supply room and gathered up their extra clothes.
"We didn't mean to scare him to death," said one woman. "He's just always talking about it, so today we decided to turn the tables on him."
Washington underwent bypass surgery and is recovering well and "digging into the Bible like never before," says his wife. •

Monday, February 19, 2007

Its All About You...No ME!

Labels: humor

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Reverend Bob During His Nazarite Vow

Thans Kari & Eric for Uncovering this lost footage.

Free Newsletter Publisher For Support Raising

Want to add pizzazz to support raising newsletters or family updates? You don't have to be a desktop publishing expert to wow family and friends. Even better, you can do without software. All you need is your Web browser and a few photos to share. You are a prayer missionary living the fasted life; yet there is no excuse for sending out boring poorly made newsletters.

LetterPop is a new site that lets you create graphic newsletters in a short time. Just choose from several templates. There's a mix of themes for personal or professional newsletters.
Next, add your text. You can work with different fonts and add formatting, like headings and bulleted lists. Most templates provide space for photos. Just drag and drop them into place.
You can test drive LetterPop on its Web site. The demonstration includes a few templates and stock photos. A free membership is required to add your own photos and to access all the templates.

A membership also allows you to save, print or e-mail your finished newsletters. You can e-mail a newsletter to 100 people at a time. You can also set up a page on the LetterPop site to feature your best designs.

Link

Let Him Rule

Have you ever had a bad day, where you just wanted to hit the “do over” button and start over? All of us have had one of those days before. Our default response is usually to surrender to the pressure and react in an ungodly way or to get depressed, or better yet hit the fridge for that “comfort food.” However, there is another way; we have an option that does not require us to “white knuckle” our emotions.

Everything in life begins and ends with a choice. Why not make a choice to let the Word of God rule you? What do I mean by “rule”? Allowing God’s divine peace to rule and reign every emotion of your heart, and to dictate how you respond in every situation. Emotions such as worry, fear, terror, panic, and anger raging out of control throw our lives into much turmoil.

Our only healthy option is to allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts. Paul spoke about this to the Colossians. He said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Look at the word rule in this verse. It is from the Greek word brabeuetoo which in Ancient Greece was related to the referee who judged the Olympic style games.

Paul is telling us that the peace of God can work like a referee in our hearts, minds, and emotions. When negative emotions try to control us, we can stop their attempts by choosing to God’s peace rise up on the inside like a referee to moderate our emotions. As we do, we will be kept under the control of that divine peace as it rules in our hearts. When this divine referee called “peace” steps into the game, it suddenly begins to call the shots and make all the decisions instead of worry, fear, and anxiousness.

If he were writing today Paul might have said it like this: “Let the peace of God call the shots in your life…” Let the peace of God be the umpire in your life and actions…” Let the peace of God act as a referee in your emotions and your decisions…”

Next time the waves of emotions attempt to crash upon you like a Tsunami, stop! Intentionally set your heart and mind on the INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORD OF GOD. Soon the Holy Umpire will rise up as you yield and the wonderful peace of God will begin to RULE in you.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Dreams & Visions of Jesus

For decades, a phenomenon has been recurring in the Muslim world. Men and women – without any knowledge of the Gospel and without any contact with Christians – have been forever transformed after experiencing dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. Reports of these supernatural occurrences often come from “closed countries” where preaching the Gospel is forbidden and where converting to Christianity can invoke the death

sentence. A common denominator appears to be that the dreams come to those wh

o are seeking to know and please God. We decided to capture some of these stories and use them as a witnessing tool to Muslims all over the world. Visit

Praise The Lord Challenge

Teens Stand for Christ Against Blasphemers
Christian teens on YouTube are standing for Christ against an ongoing campaign that encourages teens to deny the Holy Spirit.

Teens and young adults are sharing their faith on the popular video Web site YouTube in an effort to counter an ongoing campaign that urges people to blaspheme God. The Praise the Lord Challenge was launched roughly a month after a group of atheists began the Blasphemy Challenge in mid-December. The $25,000 blasphemy campaign encourages people to post videos of themselves on YouTube committing the unpardonable sin by denying the existence of the Holy Spirit. Participants receive a copy of the documentary “The God Who Wasn’t There.” Since mid-January, Christian youth have been countering the blasphemy campaign by posting videos of themselves praising God on YouTube. “What happens when we take a stand for the Lord?” asked Praise the Lord Challenge founder Michael Mickey on a YouTube video. “The Word of God will bring people to faith in Jesus Christ.” Some Praise the Lord Challenge participants have posted videos of themselves reading Scripture; others share their testimonies. One man posted a video of his young son, who he said died three times as an infant and was brought back to life and healed because of Christ. Another responder affirmed his faith in Christ, saying: “My purpose is to spread the Word and Him with every part of me. I’ve given Him my life, my heart, my soul. I will never deny my Lord, my Father, my very reason to live.” According to One News Now, Mickey hopes youth leaders and pastors will encourage Christian teens and young adults to participate in the campaign. “When we fail to stand, no good thing comes,” he said. “Christians, it’s time to take a stand for the Word of God.” -Felicia Mann Charisma Magazine

Okay video bloggers get busy!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

T.Rex Fossil Has "Soft Tissues"

T. rex fossil has 'soft tissues'
Dinosaur experts have extracted samples of what appear to be soft tissues from a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil bone.
The US researchers tell Science magazine that the organic components resemble cells and fine blood vessels.
In the hotly contested field of dino research, the work will be greeted with acclaim and disbelief in equal measure.
What seems certain is that some fairly remarkable conditions must have existed at the Montana site where the T. rex died, 68 million years ago.
Normally when an animal dies, worms and bugs will quickly eat up anything that is soft. Read More here

ChrisTV Preempted for Merchant Band

Labels: christv

If You Are Tracking With Sliker's "the Beatitudes Posts"

Benedict's 12-step Guide to Humility

It's hard to be humble. St. Benedict (480-547), called the "Father of Western Monasticism", wrote a guide to humility that is still popular today. The guide is a chapter within Benedict's Rule, which set forth a blueprint for the life of the monks within his monasteries. The following excerpt summarizes this ladder to humility.

From "Steps to Humility":
Brethren, the Holy Scripture cries to us saying: "Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted."

"The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded… .

"The second degree of humility is, when a man loveth not his own will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carrieth out that word of the Lord which saith: 'I came not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent Me.'

"The third degree of humility is, that for the love of God a man subject himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle saith: 'He became obedient unto death.'
"The fourth degree of humility is, that, if hard and distasteful things are commanded, nay, even though injuries are inflicted, he accept them with patience and even temper, and not grow weary or give up… .

"The fifth degree of humility is, when one hideth from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts which rise in his heart or the evils committed by him in secret, but humbly confesseth them.

"The sixth degree of humility is, when a monk is content with the meanest and worst of everything, and in all that is enjoined him holdeth himself as a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet: 'I am brought to nothing and I knew it not; I am become as a beast before Thee, and I am always with Thee.'

"The seventh degree of humility is, when, not only with his tongue he declareth, but also in his inmost soul believeth, that he is the lowest and vilest of men, humbling himself and saying with the Prophet: 'But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people.'

"The eighth degree of humility is, when a monk doeth nothing but what is sanctioned by the common rule of the monastery and the example of his elders.

"The ninth degree of humility is, when a monk withholdeth his tongue from speaking, and keeping silence doth not speak until he is asked; for the Scripture showeth that 'in a multitude of words there shall not want sin.'

"The tenth degree of humility is, when a monk is not easily moved and quick for laughter, for it is written: 'The fool exalteth his voice in laughter.'

"The eleventh degree of humility is, that, when a monk speaketh, he speak gently and without laughter, humbly and with gravity, with few and sensible words, and that he be not loud of voice, as it is written: 'The wise man is known by the fewness of his words.'

"The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart, but always letteth it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; namely, at the Work of God, in the garden, on a journey, in the field, or wherever he may be, sitting, walking, or standing, let him always have his head bowed down, his eyes fixed on the ground, ever holding himself guilty of his sins, thinking that he is already standing before the dread judgment seat of God, and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: 'Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven'; and again with the Prophet: 'I am bowed down and humbled exceedingly.'

"Having, therefore, ascended all these degrees of humility, the monk will presently arrive at that love of God, which being perfect, casteth out fear. In virtue of this love all things which at first he observed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort, and as it were, naturally by force of habit, no longer from the fear of hell, but from the love of Christ, from the very habit of good and the pleasure in virtue. May the Lord be pleased to manifest all this by His Holy Spirit in His laborer now cleansed from vice and sin."

Read the complete chapter on humility online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Read more of St. Benedict's Rule online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Or order the book through Christianbook.com.

Christian History & Biography's upcoming winter issue on St. Benedict and Western Monasticism will be available on Feb. 20. This Article Originally Here

Labels: Sermon on the Mt.

Utah Mall Killer Was Muslim

HOMELAND INSECURITYUtah gunman, 18, was Muslim from Bosnia Killed 5 in crowded shopping mall before being gunned down
Posted: February 13, 20077:29 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The 18-year-old gunman who killed five people in a crowded Utah shopping mall was a Bosnian Muslim refugee who was prepared to kill many more, say investigators.
An off-duty police officer having an early Valentine's Day dinner with his wife was credited today with cornering Sulejmen Talovic, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived to shoot and kill the gunman.
The trench-coated teenager wanted to "to kill a large number of people" and probably would have killed many more if not for the off-duty officer, Police Chief Chris Burbank said. Read More

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Why We Pray

Luke 21:34-37
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 WATCH THEREFORE, AND PRAY ALWAYS that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Three things that will weigh down our hearts and keep us from watching.

1. Carousing (A party spirit: eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.)

2. Drunkenness (Out of touch with reality)

3. Cares of this Life (Matthew 13)

1 Peter 4:7-8
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

A New Song

Bird Song

One time, I witnessed this experiment where they took baby birds before they were exposed to their own species and played recordings of birdsongs from other species. The young birds grew up without a song. Then when they were then exposed to the song of their own kind and immediately learned it, and started excitedly singing.

The Bible says God has put a new song in our hearts (see Psalm 40:3). We really do not respond to any other song until it fits the song that has been lying dormant in our hearts. It’s almost like certain melodies, chords, and words, when we hear them they awaken something in us that causes us to worship. As writers, these are the songs we are to uncover like buried treasure. They are the keys to the heart.

Copied w/o permission from Leonard Jones' Blog. Hey he said some good stuff.

Labels: Word Cast

We Want Our ChrisTV!

Labels: christv

Did You Know There Are No Snakes In Hawaii

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A 66-year-old Brazilian man wrestled with a 15-foot (5-metre) anaconda for nearly half an hour to free his grandson from the snake's crushing death grip, local media reported on Friday. Read It Here

Labels: snake slayer

Worship Leaders On American Idol

Sean Michel, 27, of 1st Southern Baptist Church of Bryant, Ark is a worship leader and Chris Sligh, is a worship leader at Seacoast Church in Greenville, SC... both guys made it on the show American Idol. According to some in the blogger world people are interested in their faith and talking about it. May be cool. Read the whole deal here

Eating the Scroll

Ezekiel 3

1 Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

Reading the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Hearing the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Studying the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Memorizing the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Teaching the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Preaching the scroll is not the same as eating it.

Matt 26:26-29
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." Jesus who is the Word of God, tells us to "take and eat; this is my body."

There is something to this eating. Recieving the Word of God on the inside transforms us. Ezekiel says: "I opened my mouth and He caused me to eat it." This morning as I waste my strength upon Jesus, all I have to do is open my mouth. Hunger is all it takes; just enough to open our mouths and then He causes or enables us to eat the Word, and it was sweet. Our obedient hunger causes Him to move to fill us. He wants us to eat more than we want spiritual food.

Jesus,

You are the bread of Life; I hunger for you. You are the living water; I thirst for you. My mouth is open now cause me to eat the scroll. Cause me to encounter you. I wait at your feet. Satisfied in you! All that you are; come and fill me. More please!

Amen!

Labels: Bible Meditations

Monday, February 12, 2007

What Thinkest Thou?

Michelle Vu/TN (Feb. 8th, 2007)

The Christian Post has reported on the results of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities 31st Annual Presidents Conference, which hosted "world renowned scholars representing Islam, Judaism and Christianity." According to the report, these scholars are said to have emphasized the need for "more Jesus talk and Jesus action in conflict resolutions."

While it goes without saying that Muslims and Jews do not worship Jesus Christ, it was noteworthy that they admitted there is a deservedly global esteem that all religions reserve for the person of Jesus. So much so, says reporter Michelle Vu, that instead of "watering down" differences, the panel of experts urged deeper dialogue based around the character of Jesus in each religion.

For Muslims, Ambassador Akbar Ahmed noted that "in a sense Jesus was even a more powerful symbol than Abraham because he is more contemporary and inspires the entire Christian and Muslim world."

Ahmed is also said to have shared his own personal educational experiences attending Christian schools, saying it had a lasting impact on his view of Christians. (He attended the same missionary-operated Christian College that Pakistan President Musharraf attended.) Ahmed added that he and his classmates, many of which became diplomats, have the "highest respect" for their Christian teachers and Christians because of their education.

Calvin College president Byker reportedly agreed with Ahmed on the importance of education. He called on more Christian colleges to offer courses on Islam so that students can be "translators," people who understand two religious languages, and can engage in interfaith dialogues.

What Keeps Us From Praying?

Labels: christv

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Pray For Asbury Seminary

From: Communications Office

To: Announcements

Subject: Message from the President about financial challenge

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Christian greetings to our greater Asbury family!

As you have learned from the February 5, 2007, memo from our seminary Board of Trustees, Asbury faces a significant financial challenge. The President's Leadership Steering Team, the body with which I work directly in guiding our seminary, is now able to give you some of the background data with which we have been working for some time.

Two primary factors have brought about the present situation. 1) We are in the second year of a downward trend in enrollment, which means a major loss in income, even though the percentage is relatively small. Most seminaries are dealing with the same problem, but because of our size, the figures are more significant. 2) We are experiencing a projected decline of as much as 33% in the giving that funds the operating budget. Though this percentage is large, the actual dollar amount is far less than our loss in tuition income.

This is a serious challenge, but one that can be solved. We are already well underway in the development of a process and a plan to deal with these issues -- a plan that will address both short-term needs and long-term efficiencies. I am proud of the dedication and the professional skills that our leaders are bringing to this challenge. As these changes unfold, we will be on more solid footing than ever, God helping us.

Because this is your school, and you love it, we intend to keep you as informed as possible in the weeks ahead.

J. Ellsworth Kalas
President

ChriS.TV Coming To The Globe

Labels: christv

A Joseph In His Generation

R.G. LeTourneau

No Job Too Big

When the Allied powers marked the 50th anniversary of D-Day this summer, much of the world watched re-marked film footage of the June 6, 1944, invasion of Europe.

Accompanying the largest invasion force ever assembled onto the beaches of Normandy was an equally impressive display of machines and equipment, much of it built by the energetic, American businessman R.G. LeTourneau.

A big man with a big heart for God, LeTourneau had always done things in a big way. His company designed and built some of the world's most massive machinery—earth movers, transporters, missile launchers, bridge builders and portable offshore drilling rigs. If a task needed to be done faster, smarter, and bigger, LeTourneau could usually be found on the job.

"Remember that there are no big jobs," he said, describing his flair for colossal endeavors, "only small machines and small thinking." His capacity to think and act on a grand scale made LeTourneau an internationally recognized industrialist. Yet he always attributed his success to the Lord. He typically began his talks to students and businessmen by saying: "I'm just a mechanic that God has blessed, and it seems He wants me to go around telling how He will bless you too."

LeTourneau's success came at the price of many early failures and setbacks. It was these humbling years that formed the backdrop to his salvation and "partnership with God" in business.

LeTourneau dropped out of school at age fourteen and went to work shoveling sand and dirt at an iron works factory in Portland, Oregon. Even at this early age, his mind was busy thinking of how to do the job more efficiently. By sixteen, he had grown into a large, muscular young man. And though these two years of labor with street-savvy men had educated him in the ways of the world, they had hardened his heart to the things of God. What he didn't know was that his devoutly Christian parents had been praying for his salvation daily.

The week before Christmas in 1904, the city of Portland had a crusade, and LeTourneau decided to attend. "What terrified me was that after a week of concentrated singing, and listening to sermons, I didn't feel even a tremor of response." That concern led to a humble plea for God's help. "No bolts of lightning hit me. No great flash of awareness. I just prayed to the Lord to save me, and then I was aware of another presence."

The following years were turbulent. LeTourneau moved to California where he worked almost forty odd jobs. At twenty-eight, he married a girl twelve years younger. They lost their first child in infancy, and he broke his neck in a stock car crash. Due to an inept partner in a Stockton, California, repair shop, he was $5,000 in debt by age thirty-one. Disengaging himself from the garage, he promised to repay his indebtedness to a trusting banker. When the banker asked how he would repay, he simply held up his two hands. Impressed by his determination and honesty, the banker agreed to extend the loan, so LeTourneau bought a tractor and scraper and went into the earth-moving business.

Stubborn, willful, and self-reliant by nature, LeTourneau refused to give up. His struggle to make his faith in Christ relevant to his life and work led him to attend a revival at his church. It was there he prayed: "Lord, if You'll forgive and help me, I'll do anything You want me to do from this day on."

Feeling renewed, LeTourneau wondered how God would use him. He visited the preacher early the next morning, and the pastor told him: "You know, Brother LeTourneau, God needs businessmen as well as preachers and missionaries." That was all LeTourneau needed to hear. In the book, More Than Conquerors, a collection of biographical sketches of Christian men and women in history, it is noted of LeTourneau: "In our high-tech age today, machines - really big machines that push and pull, lift and move, scrape and dig—are not too popular anymore. However, without the kinds of machines that R. G. LeTourneau dreamed of . . . the technological age we are now in might never have happened at all." Yet as significant as his contribution to industry was, his commitment to "do whatever God wanted him to do" left a legacy of trusting faith, godly generosity, and compassion. For many years, he lived on ten percent of his income and gave away ninety percent to Christian work, especially missionary efforts in Africa and South America. Even when his business was in financial jeopardy, he continued giving his sacrificial pledges to Christ's work. "The question" he said, "is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God's money I keep for myself."

Throughout his life, LeTourneau emphasized God's ability to help the common man with everyday problems. He founded a university in Texas that bears his name and formed a foundation that funds many Christian ministries. Before his death in 1969 at age seventy-nine, LeTourneau said: "Everything considered, I've had my share of ups and downs, but thus far my life has been a miracle of God's grace all the way through."

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

More Addictive Than Coffee...Watch Out TBN

Labels: Youtube

Who Am I?

"Modern man is responsible to society- HE THINKS TRUTH IS ESTABLISHED BY MAJORITY OPINION. For religious man, responsible to God, God alone determines Truth, and one should avoid judgments based on false, human criteria. God stands diametrically opposed to world. Men were false- God was Truth: an unbounded abyss separated them." --- (Clue I wasn't a Christian)

Labels: who am I

What They Left Out of Your History Class

What Thomas Jefferson Learned From The Muslim Book Of Jihad
By Ted Sampley
U.S. Veteran Dispatch, January 2007

Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during his ceremonial swearing-in.

Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.

The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the library.

Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college, said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.

There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli.

Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a subject once well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.

Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves.

The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty" of only young women and children could be collected.

Young non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as many concubines as their fortunes allow.

Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East. Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived after the surgery.

When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an Islamist warlord ruling Algeria.

Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with the four Barbary States. Congress appointed a special commission consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the negotiations.

Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the new American government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy the freedom of enslaved sailors.

Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations to force an end to Muslim piracy.

In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain.

The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to appease.

During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.

In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."

For the following 15 years, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent of United States government annual revenues in 1800.

Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and informed Congress.

Declaring that America was going to spend "millions for defense but not one cent for tribute," Jefferson pressed the issue by deploying American Marines and many of America's best warships to the Muslim Barbary Coast.

The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake, USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.

In 1805, American Marines marched across the dessert from Egypt into Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all American slaves.

During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.

Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with the line, "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we will fight our country's battles on the land as on the sea."

It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat of all the Muslim slave trading pirates.

Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put an end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a "visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own Muslim book of jihad.

: Name: ChriS & Yvette Ferguson

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