OneNewsNow:
By webmaster | July 20, 2008
The
American Family Association has found a way to say
“God!” in public places. Actually,
to say
“In God We Trust!” It is incredible that such language is now disputed, resisted, considered illegal.
They have produced
a colorful piece of art-work consisting of the American Flag with the words,
“In God We Trust!” in gold letters over the flag. At the bottom of the decorative and declarative piece are the words, “
The national motto of the United States of America – Adopted by Congress July 30, 1956”
They are offering these for 3/$10; 10/$25; or 100 or more at a dollar each. Their hope is that individuals will locate these in public places. Some
250,000 have already been hung in classrooms and public offices.
For more information call 662-844-5035, ext. 4. Or, visist
www.afa.net/resources/poster.asp
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Topics: American Heritage, Christian Persecution, Culture War | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 19, 2008
Only 5% of marriages reach the “golden 50!” One-out-of-twenty. 
40% of couples, over that fifty-year span will divorce. More and more of them, close to that goal-line. The remainder will see their marriages end by the death of one or more of the spouses.
So kiss your partner and cherish the moments. And weep for those who were so close to the rocking chair and those golden years.
This is a preview of
Well-Done to John Colbaugh
.
Read the full post Topics: Personal Notes | 1 Comment »
By webmaster | July 19, 2008
It’s a new junk-mail blocking service. It has the endorsement of the
American Family 
Association. Some say it is
the best spam-blocker on the market, bar none.
John Calloway, one of the developers of
SpamRival became weary of the invasion of privacy.
“The Internet,” he noted,
“is a great tool and a great gift, but people take advantage of it for the wrong reasons. I want to make sure that when my four-year-old is old enough to use the Internet that he is protected from the bad side of it.”
“Pornographers have started to avoid promoting through Web sites because they’re tired of the filters or Web blocks,” Calloway said.
“E-mail has been left completely open.” The American Family Association, by its very nature shouldn’t be bothered by pornographic overtures. Nor
, for that matter, should any other ministry. But
in one day, SpamRival blocked 1800 spam E-mails at only one employee’s inbox at the ministry. It appears that the spammers are targeting everyone – and perhaps, just perhaps, as some kind of sick joke, specifically ministries that oppose them.
It is a form of internet harassment.
Now it can be stopped.
SpamRival proved so effective on AFA computers, that they endorsed the product for other ministries and Christians wanting to clean up their in-box.
“Our object is to kill spam E-mail,” Calloway said.
Here is how it works. SpamRival works at the server level. It functions at the point of the Internet equivalent to the Post Office. All incoming and outgoing letters are routed through a similar electronic path before users download them to their computer. With SpamRival involved, the sender must prove to SpamRival’s computers he or she is a real person sending a legitimate letter, not simply a computer spitting out thousands or millions of pieces of spam to people on mailing lists.
The sender receives a “challenge” or reply E-mail asking him to click a link and type in the word shown on the screen. Once done, that person does not have to answer a challenge again – unless the recipient decides to block that sender’s E-mail.After seeing the devastating effects pornography has on people, Calloway and Six knew they had to so something. “We really want to be in the battle,” Six said. “We want Satan to know our name. We want to put the outpost right in his face.”
In the first few days after SpamRival was launched, some source tried to send 1,000 messages to AFA, attacking SpamRival. That blast of junk mail was
stopped dead at SpamRival’s servers, never reaching AFA computers. In addition to blocking porn
spam, Spam Rival can also
fight smut by keeping statistics on where spam is coming from and where it’s being sent. Then, they can take those statistics to leaders in Congress, show them how their constituents are being affected by this, and fight for tougher laws against pornographers and spammers.SpamRival is available for only pennies a day at an annual subscription rate. SpamRival dedicates huge profits to Kingdom work.
SpamRival pledges to never sell E-mail addresses or personal information to third-party vendors. SpamRival is the
only E-mail blocking company to make that pledge and they do it in writing on their Web site.
Permanent link to this post (550 words, 4 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)
Topics: Culture War, Moral Crisis, Moral Purity | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 19, 2008
One in every seven, 13% of all homosexuals have AIDS. The study focused on active
homosexual men in Seattle. The rate of HIV had become a concern to the local health officials. The study was the result of that concern.
More disturbing is the fact the data appears to be consistent with other “gay enclaves” throughout the nation.
Despite these facts, that threaten us all – the culture pushes forward with the legalization of Homosexual marriages. It is all an illusion. In a culture of “open heterosexual marriages” we see no risk in “open homosexual marriages.” But multiple sexual partners of homosexual men are key in the proliferation of HIV and AIDS. Somehow we think by domesticating gay marriage these 
behavior patterns will change.
This is a preview of
The Moral War Continues!
.
Read the full post Topics: Culture War, Family, Kids, Moral Crisis, Moral Purity | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 19, 2008
Increasingly, faith is blamed for the world’s woes.
“Islamic terrorism!” is on everyone’s lips.
The ideological conflict between the Muslim faith and Christianity, seems to constantly reap recollections of the Crusades.
With some evangelical leaders suggesting military action as a solution, our credibility as agents of peace and reconciliation is severly weakened.
Liberals suggest that a peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity must be forged. They seem to forget that
Islam now occupies the cradle of ancient Christianity, and there is little trace of the church left there. In the first one-hundred years of its existence, Islam gobbled up almost one-third of all churches in their path. They subjugated both Jews and Christians making them second class citizens at best. They silence any attempts at evangelism.
A recent editorial in USA Today by one of its contributing editors plowed this same fruitless furrow. He suggested the same tired line that both faiths, Islam and Christianity, “promote peace.” He further pointed to the “innumerable Muslims” who offer “lessons-by-example” in their daily lives. Christian leaders are quick to point differentiate themselves from zealots who use force to further their mission. There is still no tearful regret, no remorse, no weeping and requesting forgiveness of the losses of 9-11 at the hands of radical Islamics. There can be no rational comparison of either the violent tendencies or the peaceful missions that rise out of either camps.
This is a preview of
Violent Christians and Peaceful Muslims - The USA Today Perspective!
.
Read the full post Topics: Anti-Christ Spirit, Christian Persecution, Culture War, International, Muslim Issues | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 18, 2008
I recently shocked a friend when I insisted that
Obama had Muslim roots that he was hiding! 
Afterwards, I felt badly.
Daniel Pipes, a Mideast specialist and one of most astute observers of the Islamic world says,
“He is not now a Muslim.” Pipes believes him.
Obama has been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ. Almost all of us have seen video clips of the former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, that were shocking. It is clear to me, that Wright is not a conservative Bible believing pastor and the views expressed at Trinity are not views that would be shared by conservative Christians. Remember, this is the church in which Oprah was a member before her independence from Christianity. No wonder she became disillusioned with the faith.
So, Obama is a Christian – but that is not all of the story. He said in one interview, “If I were a Muslim I would let you know,” meaning that he would be honest with us!
There have been rumbles out of Africa and out of the Muslim community that seem to contradict his statement. Was Obama ever a Muslim? Was he seen, growing up, as a Muslim? If he had been Muslim, and now is not, might Muslims consider him a murtadd, an apostate?
Obama’s campaign website has a statement, dated Nov. 12, which says, “Barack Obama Is Not and Has Never Been a Muslim.” It also declares, “Obama never prayed in a mosque. He has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian.”
Early in the run for the democratic nomination, the question arose. In the
Smokey Row Coffee Shop in Oskaloosa, Iowa a few days before Christmas, Obama told a small group of locals over a piece of pumpkin pie that his
“father was from Kenya, and a lot of people in his village 
were Muslim.” He told them explicitly that his father
“didn’t practice Islam” and that
“he wasn’t very religious.” Obama asserts,
“My mother was a Christian from Kansas, and they married and then divorced. I was raised by my mother. So, I’ve always been a Christian. The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country. But I’ve never practiced Islam.”
Obama also lived in
Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation on the face of the earth. His mother taught there. Obama says,
“I went to school. But I 
didn’t practice. But what I do think it does is it gives me insight into how these folks think, and part of how I think we can create a better relationship with the Middle East and that would help make us safer is if we can understand how they think about issues.”
Those statements would seem to settle the issue. “I’ve always been a Christian,” said Obama.
Here are some concerns. In the Islamic world, faith and culture are fused in a way that almost defies separation. Obama has focused on his not practicing Islam as evidence his insubstantial Muslim roots and identity. Daniel Pipes, an expert in this area says,
“Muslims do not see practice as key. For them, that he was born to a line of Muslim males makes him born a Muslim. Further, all children born with an Arabic name based on the H-S-N trilateral root (Hussein, Hassan, and others) can be 
assumed to be Muslim, so they will understand Obama’s full name, Barack Hussein Obama, to proclaim him a born Muslim.”Culture and birth, not merely faith practice, are elements of identity!
Nedra Pickler, a writer for the Associated Press wrote on January 24, 2007, that Obama’s mother remarried Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian, and the family lived in that nation from 1967-71. Obama attended a Catholic school there named from St. Francis of Assisi. School records reveal he was enrolled as a Muslim, which was the religion of his stepfather. Each student chose one of five state-sanctioned religions when registering – Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant. Obama’s parents identified him not as Christian – Catholic or Protestant – but as Muslim.
Kim Barker in the Chicago Tribune on March 25 called the evidence false. Supposedly, interviews with “dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends” conclude that Obama was not a regularly practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia, despite his being noted as Muslim on the registration form. The forms are said to reflect the religion of the father. Because Soetoro was a Muslim, Obama was listed as a Muslim. The form also listed Obama as an Indonesian. Other errors appeared on the form as well.
Obama’s campaign has been asked about this. Communications director Robert Gibbs says he is not sure why the document listed the Senator as a Muslim. He went on to state, without equivocation - “Senator Obama has never been a Muslim.” This is like saying “the facts say” but “we now say!”
Eventually, the Obama campaign retreated from this absolute and untenable position. “Obama has never been a practicing Muslim,” the new statement noted. A reported from The Times explored the issue further and learned, “His former Roman Catholic and Muslim teachers, along with two people who were identified by Obama’s grade-school teacher as childhood friends, say Obama was registered by his family as a Muslim at both schools he attended. That registration meant that during the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class.” At this public school, while Muslim children were studying Islam, Christian children were learning about the Christian faith. On the premises is a mosque.
“Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers,” even though neighbors also concede that Soetoro was very involved in his work. Childhood friends have been
located as well who say
Obama sometimes went to Friday prayers at the local mosque. They claim -
“We prayed but not really seriously, just following actions done by older people in the mosque. But as kids, we loved to meet our friends and went to the mosque together and played,” said Zulfin Adi.
If Obama had said, “I was registered as a Muslim. I learned about Islam in special lessons weekly. And I went to the Mosque, and prayed as a Muslim – though I never took it seriously.” One Indonesia friend, Zulfin Adi, remembers him not only attending the mosque for Friday prayers, but also wearing a sarong (a garment associated with Muslims).
Honesty!
Despite the attempts to discredit the earlier reports, the bottom line is that “dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends” confirm that while Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia – “he was an irregularly practicing Muslim. He still practiced Islam. He was registered by his family as a Muslim at both schools he attended.” At least three teachers have confirmed his enrollment as a Muslim. He could have chosen, or his family, the Christian education option during the religious training hours. They or he chose Islamic education. He occasionally went with his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers. Occasionally, confirmation - he did pray in the mosque, as a Muslim. His 3rd grade teacher also confirmed, he and his family, though infrequently, did attend mosque services.
Every effort, by the liberal media, to suppress the story, confirms it. Though they chip away at certain facts, the effect of the data remains. As Daniel Pipes points out, “Calling the Islamic-Muslim upbringing a falsehood is in itself a falsehood.”
The media, having found a new darling, would like the story to go away. But it is at the heart of the question of integrity. If a man is not truthful about his faith, can he be trusted at all? His assertions are adamant, “I’ve always been a Christian … The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country [Kenya]. But I’ve never practiced Islam … I have never been a Muslim. … other than my name and the fact that I lived in a populous Muslim country for 4 years when I was a child [Indonesia, 1967-71] I have very little connection to the Islamic religion.”
The absolute nature of his statements – “always” and “never” – counter the facts. There is room to more than suggests, that he both saw himself and was seen as a Muslim in his formative years. Just be honest!
Obama’s younger sister, Maya Soetoro, said the family attended the mosque! That is a significant revelation. Although she muted the confession by saying that their attendance was “only for ‘big communal events,’ not every Friday.”
In Islam, religion passes from the father to the child. Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (1936–1982) was a Muslim. He named his son, Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. Only Muslim children are named “Hussein”.
His stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, was also a Muslim. His half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, explained to Jodi Kantor of the New York Times: “My whole family was Muslim, and most of the people I knew were Muslim.” An Indonesian publication, the Banjarmasin Post reports a former classmate, Rony Amir, recalling that “All the relatives of Barry’s (Barack’s nickname) father were very devout Muslims.”
In Dreams of My Father, Obama refers to Koranic studies. Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times, reports that Obama “recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them [to Kristof] with a first-rate accent.” Obama has denied that while living in Indonesia, a Muslim country, he practiced Islam. Indonesians, who remember him, have a different recollection. Rony Amir, describes Obama as “previously quite religious in Islam.”
It is clearly false for Obama to state, as he does, “I’ve always been a Christian” and “I’ve never practiced Islam.” His staff is certainly not ignorant of the facts. They are collaborating in the PR fabrications when they state that “Obama never prayed in a mosque.” The evidence is contrary - Obama was born a Muslim to a non-practicing Muslim father, and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father. At some point, he converted to Christianity.
Obama’s conversion to another faith, in short, makes him a murtadd.
This is significant. By denying his Islamic roots, he relieves the Muslim community from charging him with apostasy. And that would be done on the international stage. It would showcase a harsh side to Islam. It would set back the public relations campaign they have successfully launched in the aftermath of 9-11. It is a face-saving thing for Obama to quiet his Islamic roots – face-saving to the world of Islam.
If, on the other hand, he were to admit that he had been raised as a Muslim, received childhood instruction as a Muslim, that he had prayed as a child in the Mosque (even insincerely), that his family occasionally attended a Mosque – if he were to admit all of that, and then declare, that he had rejected that faith and was now a Christian, such a declaration would raise a human rights issue across the Muslim world. Daniel Pipes notes, “It would uniquely raise the issue of a Muslim’s right to change religion, taking a topic on the perpetual back-burner and placing it front and center, perhaps to the great future benefit of those Muslims who seek to declare themselves atheists or to convert to another religion.” Is he afraid to do this? Or is he such a pluralist, that he sees little difference between the Christian faith, and Islamic faith?
Obama’s having been born and raised a Muslim and having left the faith to become a Christian make him neither more nor less qualified to become president of the United States in the eyes of some. But if he was born and raised a Muslim and is now hiding that fact, this points to a major deceit, a fundamental misrepresentation about himself that has profound implications about his character and his suitability as president.
In either case, Obama short-changes his supposed “Christianity,” and protects the Islamic world by his denials.
Adapted from an article by Daniel Pipes, Was Barack Obama a Muslim? FrontPageMagazine.com, December 24, 2007
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Topics: American Heritage, Culture War, Muslim Issues | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 16, 2008
Most churches have a single-dimensional model for prayer. They have a prayer meeting that is one-style, one-time, one-leader for all. They are limited in terms of the prayer formats that are used. Even the prayer focus becomes routine, often too narrow. Intercessors sometimes “take over” the prayer services with a 
level of passion too hot for the typical participant not accustomed to such fervent prayer! Sometimes the prayer meetings degenerate into a litany of prayer requests.
What is needed is a multi-dimensional model. A growing church needs many opportunities for prayer – different times and places. It needs a prayer ministry that is diverse in its focus.
This is a preview of
The 4-dimensional Model of Prayer!
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By webmaster | July 16, 2008
A
crisis or casual approach to prayer ministry is not adequate (Level One). Further,
a prayer ministry must not be our goal (Level Two). We don’t want a “prayer ministry,” but rather a “praying church!” There are various levels of intensity here.
All should launch an aggressive, balanced prayer process that seeks to engage the whole church in prayer. This is more than a prayer ministry. And yet, this church may not be able to set aside a room dedicated only to the purpose of 
prayer.
In some cases, a church may add to the aggressive, balanced prayer process, a dedicated prayer room – a place set aside as a kind of retreat for personal prayer and small prayer groups to gather. All during the week, people will check in and make use of this prayer room. Intercessors might gather before or even during services to support worship activities in prayer.
This is a preview of
The Levels of Church-based Prayer Ministry
.
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By webmaster | July 16, 2008
THE CHURCH SOWN 
We know the Church
ecclesia –
called out from the world and separated unto God. Every Sunday, we exercise this aspect of church. Driving out of our neighborhoods, we pass hundreds of homes with families not connected to a life-giving congregation. We pass the super-centers and schools where we work, hospitals and health centers, office buildings and industrial structures. In some of these places
, daily life goes on as if there were no God.
At church, we will hear wonderful words, sing inspiring choruses, and listen to a motivating lesson that challenges us. And then we return to those same neighborhoods and workplaces. In some cases, they are like two different worlds. Some may have wondered, “How could I get the spirit of what I sense on Sunday into this office complex?” For others, such thinking may not only seem novel, but foreign, perhaps unthinkable and unachievable. Many places in the city have no witness to the life giving, changing power of Christ. The salt has remained in the salt-shaker. The light has been placed carefully under a cover to not offend.
This is a preview of
ReThinking the Church!
.
Read the full post Topics: Culture War, Prayer Points | No Comments »
By webmaster | July 16, 2008
Most churches are organized on a hierarchial model. The flow chart is typically top-down, with the Senior Pastor at the top of the pyramid. Under him is the Associate Pastor, the Director of Business Affairs and Staff Supervisors. At the next level are the departmental leaders and volunteers. A hundred of these charts are simultaneously different and the yet the same.
This is a preview of
Restructuring the Church to Accomplish Mission
.
Read the full post Topics: Prayer Points | No Comments »
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to say “In God We Trust!” It is incredible that such language is now disputed, resisted, considered illegal. 
Association. Some say it is the best spam-blocker on the market, bar none.
, for that matter, should any other ministry. But in one day, SpamRival blocked 1800 spam E-mails at only one employee’s inbox at the ministry. It appears that the spammers are targeting everyone – and perhaps, just perhaps, as some kind of sick joke, specifically ministries that oppose them. It is a form of internet harassment.
spam, Spam Rival can also fight smut by keeping statistics on where spam is coming from and where it’s being sent. Then, they can take those statistics to leaders in Congress, show them how their constituents are being affected by this, and fight for tougher laws against pornographers and spammers.SpamRival is available for only pennies a day at an annual subscription rate. SpamRival dedicates huge profits to Kingdom work. SpamRival pledges to never sell E-mail addresses or personal information to third-party vendors. SpamRival is the only E-mail blocking company to make that pledge and they do it in writing on their Web site.
homosexual men in Seattle. The rate of HIV had become a concern to the local health officials. The study was the result of that concern.
behavior patterns will change.
The ideological conflict between the Muslim faith and Christianity, seems to constantly reap recollections of the Crusades. With some evangelical leaders suggesting military action as a solution, our credibility as agents of peace and reconciliation is severly weakened.
Afterwards, I felt badly. Daniel Pipes, a Mideast specialist and one of most astute observers of the Islamic world says, “He is not now a Muslim.” Pipes believes him.
were Muslim.” He told them explicitly that his father “didn’t practice Islam” and that “he wasn’t very religious.” Obama asserts, “My mother was a Christian from Kansas, and they married and then divorced. I was raised by my mother. So, I’ve always been a Christian. The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country. But I’ve never practiced Islam.”
didn’t practice. But what I do think it does is it gives me insight into how these folks think, and part of how I think we can create a better relationship with the Middle East and that would help make us safer is if we can understand how they think about issues.”
assumed to be Muslim, so they will understand Obama’s full name, Barack Hussein Obama, to proclaim him a born Muslim.”
located as well who say Obama sometimes went to Friday prayers at the local mosque. They claim - “We prayed but not really seriously, just following actions done by older people in the mosque. But as kids, we loved to meet our friends and went to the mosque together and played,” said Zulfin Adi. 
level of passion too hot for the typical participant not accustomed to such fervent prayer! Sometimes the prayer meetings degenerate into a litany of prayer requests.
prayer.
