Connecting
man to man to God
For
week of December 26, 2010
Issue 336
The
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Of Life Ministries.
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“And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest
heaven, and on earth peace among those whom [the Lord] favors.'"
Luke 2:13-14
CONSIDER
“The
way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility,
third through humility.”
Augustine of Hippo
THE
CHRISTMAS SEASON OF THE CHURCH CALENDAR IS DEC 25, 2010 - JAN 5,
2011
by
Dennis Bratcher
Among
all the festivals and holidays of the Christian Church year,
Christmas remains the most observed and most popular. Of course,
much of that popularity, especially in the West, is due to the
commercial promotion of the holiday. In many Protestant churches
through the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Christmas
was noted but not really celebrated. While observed in some church
liturgies, there was very little in the way of gift giving and
family celebration that marks the season today. In fact, until
relatively recently, in the middle to latter nineteenth century,
Christmas was a regular work day. In many areas of the world
today, it remains a comparatively insignificant holiday even among
Christians. Still, the Christmas story captures the heart in a way
that transcends all the commercial hype.... Read this in full at
http://www.crivoice.org/cyxmas.html
WHY
A VIRGIN BIRTH?
“What
is the theological significance of the virginal conception? Some
have argued it was necessary to protect Jesus’ sinless
nature, but the narratives themselves do not indicate this
purpose. The Messiah could have entered human life free from sin
with or without a virginal conception...
“In
the final analysis, the details remain a mystery. What is certain
from the text is that the conception of Jesus was a supernatural
act of God, confirming that God himself was about to accomplish
the salvation which no human being could achieve.” from Four
Portraits, One Jesus by Mark L. Strauss
http://www.koinoniablog.net/2010/12/why-a-virgin-birth.html
BETHLEHEM
A 'CENTER OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY' DESPITE OCCUPATION
Despite
political conflict involving Israelis and Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza, Bethlehem remains the centre of Christian
spirituality, especially at Christmas, says the Palestinian
minister of tourism, Khouloud Deibes. "Christmas is a source
of joy and pride for us Palestinians because here it happened,"
Dr Deibes, a Christian resident of Bethlehem, said during a press
briefing Dec. 14. She noted that Christmas celebrations in
Bethlehem include those of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and
Armenian Christians. "Here we have the time also to celebrate
our churches; they are living monuments, not museums."....
Read this in full at
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/13820
A
COSMIC CULMINATION
by
Charles Colson with Catherine Larson
Sometime
this Christmas season, you are sure to hear those rousing words of
Handel's Messiah, taken from Revelation 11:15: "The kingdom
of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ" (ESV). Tradition has it that the music so moved King
George II that he stood to his feet out of respect for an even
greater King. The rest of the audience followed, as have audiences
for generations since. The Hallelujah Chorus is the culmination of
our Messiah's story, a story that Handel rightly showed was
foretold by the Prophets, heralded in the Annunciation, and has at
its heart a message about a king and a kingdom.
Sadly,
that kingdom message is often missed in our saccharine retelling
of the Christmas story. Somehow we glaze over the angel's words to
Mary, that she will give birth to a son whose "kingdom will
never end" (Luke 1:33). The myopia continues as we read the
Gospels. We skim over pages of kingdom references. We miss
Christ's inaugural address when he opens the scroll of Isaiah and
proclaims that Scripture has been fulfilled in the people's
hearing (Luke 4:21). We muddle through the parables that tell us
repeatedly, "The kingdom of God is like …." And
we glance over the very reason our Savior was crucified, a sign
crudely scrawled beneath the cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King
of the Jews" (John 19:19).... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/december/28.62.html
GOD
SO LOVED, HE GAVE: ENTERING THE MOVEMENT OF DIVINE GENEROSITY
by
Kelly Kapic
Our
passion to possess jeopardizes the joy of belonging to God.
Especially in the affluent West, our sense of self can become so
wrapped up with the idea of self-ownership that the thought of
belonging to somebody else -- including God -- looks like a threat
and not a hope. Fearing to give, we grasp ever more tightly. We
constantly clamor for our ‘rights’ and clink to the
impression that we own our bodies, our money, our ideas, our time,
our property, and everything else we can manage to slap our name
tag on. But more than anything else, we feel sure that we own
*ourselves*.... Read this in full at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45045489/God-So-Loved-He-Gave-by-Kelly-M-Kapic-Excerpt
GOD
IS GOOD
“Good
when He gives, supremely good;
Nor
less when He denies:
Afflictions,
from His sovereign hand,
Are
blessings in disguise.”
Brother
Lawrence (c.1605-1691), attributed, The Practice of the Presence
of God, New York, Revell, 1895, p. 4
HEAVEN
BREAKING THROUGH
“‘[The]
gospel ... sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these
things.’ 1 Peter 1:12 (NIV)
“The
good news of Jesus coming to rescue us is something even angels
never tire of, can't stop looking at, long to look into...But do
I? Do I tire of it? Stop wondering at it? At this story of the God
who stepped out of heaven and came down into this world to be with
us? At this gift he gave us? The best gift he could ever have
given us, the gift he gave only us -- the precious treasure that
not even angels have?
“In
C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle there is a stable whose inside
is bigger than its outside. Lucy says, ‘In our world too, a
stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole
world.’ The Christmas story has all the expanse of the
universe inside it.
“How
do we wake up to the story we are so familiar with we no longer
see? The story we know so well we no longer long for? The story we
know by heart and no longer wonder at?
“One
thing I quickly realized writing The Jesus Storybook Bible
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v__QaCsdvQk)
is that the Christmas story doesn't begin with Mary and the angel
Gabriel, of course, it begins long, long ago, all the way back in
the very beginning of the world, before even time began, in the
very heart of God.
“It
begins with Genesis and with a Promise made -- every single Old
Testament story whispers Jesus’ name, points to his coming.
He is the Promise kept. He is the answer to all our longings, to
all our fears. He is the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams.
And at last he is here!
“The
Jesus Storybook Bible has 21 stories from the Old Testament --
every one whispering his name, pointing to the promised child. And
three stories from the story of his birth. This (my math skills
being such) makes 24 stories altogether telling the story of
Christmas from the very beginning. A story a day for Advent.
“Reading
the stories is one way to trace the Great Story and join God's
people through all those long centuries on a journey of longing
and wonder and excitement, waiting for the Rescuer to come.
Waiting for Heaven to break through on Christmas morning.
“So
I pray this Christmas, that Heaven will break through in our
hearts and in our lives. That it will break through as it did
2,000 years ago in that stable that was bigger on the inside than
the outside. As it did for a brief moment for these unsuspecting
shoppers at Macy's -- and that we, like them, will be caught up in
a chorus of Hallelujahs.”
Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of
The Jesus Storybook Bible
‘SHOULD
WE CANCEL CHRISTMAS?’ IS ONLINE RADIO PROGRAM
Christian
Television Australia’s Christmas Day TV special, which asks
the question, “Should We Cancel Christmas?,” is now
available in a radio version. It’s available for anyone to
hear at http://www.christiantelevision.org.au/radio.... Read this
in full at
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2010/s10120116.htm
POPULAR
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Check
out some New Year's resolutions that are popular year after year.
*
Drink Less Alcohol
*
Get a Better Education
*
Get a Better Job
*
Get Fit
*
Lose Weight
*
Manage Debt
*
Manage Stress
*
Quit Smoking Now
*
Save Money
*
Take a Trip
*
Volunteer to Help Others
....
Read this in full at
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml
BIBLE
READING PLANS FOR 2011
http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/all
http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Bible/Plans.htm
http://www.biblica.com/bibles/daily-reading/
http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/
http://www.navpress.com/dj/content.aspx?id=138
http://www.bibleplan.org/
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=1117841&TopLevel_id=190000
9
WAYS TO KNOW THAT THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS TRUE
by
John Piper
1.
Jesus Christ, as he is presented to us in the New Testament, and
as he stands forth from all its writings, is too single and too
great to have been invented so uniformly by all these writers. The
force of Jesus Christ unleashed these writings; the writings did
not create the force. Jesus is far bigger and more compelling than
any of his witnesses. His reality stands behind these writings as
a great, global event stands behind a thousand newscasters.
Something stupendous unleashed these diverse witnesses to tell
these stunning and varied, yet unified, stories of Jesus Christ.
2.
Nobody has ever explained the empty tomb of Jesus in the hostile
environment of Jerusalem where the enemies of Jesus would have
given anything to produce the corpse, but could not. The earliest
attempts to cover the scandal of resurrection were manifestly
contradictory to all human experience -- disciples do not steal a
body (Matthew 28:13) and then sacrifice their lives to preach a
glorious gospel of grace on the basis of the deception. Modern
theories that Jesus didn't die but swooned, and then awoke in the
tomb and moved the stone and tricked his skeptical disciples into
believing he was risen as the Lord of the universe don't
persuade.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianity.com/Home/Christian%20Living%20Features/11552884/
BILLY
GRAHAM, IN TV INTERVIEW, REFLECTS: 'MY TIME IS LIMITED'
Billy
Graham granted his first interview in several years Dec. 20,
telling Fox News' Greta Van Susteren that if he could do it over
again, he would spend less time traveling and more time in
meditation and prayer.
The
renowned evangelist, now 92, spoke to Van Susteren just before
meeting President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, along with
Franklin and Jane Graham, for lunch in Charlotte, N.C. The Bushes
were at the Billy Graham Library to sign copies of their
autobiographies.
Van
Susteren asked Graham if he has hope, and Graham said he has a
tremendous amount of hope because he is a believer in Jesus
Christ, who was raised from the dead and "is alive right
now".... Read this in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=34303
WHY
DO WE SEEK POWER?
In
his book Basic Christian Leadership (InterVarsity Press), John
Stott discusses the focus on power in 1 Corinthians 1:17--2:5:
“This concentration on power makes an immediate appeal to us
today, for we live in a society that worships power. Not that this
is new. The lust for power has always been a characteristic of the
human story, at least since Adam and Eve were offered power in
exchange for disobedience...
“We
see the same power-hunger in the church: in top-level
ecclesiastical power struggles, in denominational disputes, in
some local churches driven by market forces and others in which
the clergy hold all the reins of power and refuse to share it with
the lay people (especially the young people), in parachurch
organizations that dream of expanding into world empires and even
in the pulpit, which is an exceedingly dangerous place for any
child of Adam to occupy...
“I
confess to being frightened by the contemporary evangelical hunger
for power, even the quest for the power of the Holy Spirit. Why do
we want to receive power? Is it honestly power for witness (as in
Acts 1:8) or holiness or humble service? Or is it in reality a
mask for personal ambition, a craving to boost our own egos, to
minister to our self-importance, to impress, to dominate or to
manipulate?”
http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11643003/
INTERVIEW:
CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S FAITH CONTEXT FOR FOREIGN POLICY
Condoleezza
Rice was attending her father's church when a bomb exploded just a
few blocks away at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in 1963.
Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family (Crown),
recounts the segregation the former secretary of state
experienced, and her life as the daughter of a Presbyterian
minister. She spoke with Christianity Today about faith and
foreign policy during her book tour in New York City.
Q:
How does your understanding of religion help you deal with the
interplay between religion and foreign policy?
A:
It helps to have both a historical and theological understanding
of the children of Abraham and the relationships between Muslims,
Jews, and Christians. I personally think that Israel is
remarkable. It would not exist but for the toughness of the people
and the grace of God. Yet Jerusalem is a place where the great
religions don't so much come together; they clash there. You
suddenly realize the extent to which man will go to use God for
his own purposes rather than the other way around. That for me is
the most terrifying thing about the combination of religion and
politics, because that is really when man is trying to use God for
his own purposes. That's why I don't see any conflict with being
Christian and wanting to see a Jewish state, being Christian and
believing there can be a Palestinian state, because the state is
the state. When you start to try to infuse it with God's purpose
you almost always get in trouble.
Q:
What do you want to say about evangelicals or the interaction of
faith and policy?
A:
Let me be clear. I'm evangelical and I'm proud of it. I consider
an evangelical to be someone who professes faith in a way that
draws others to it. It's interesting because here we have
separation of powers and separation of church and state, but we
are the most religious people in the world. It serves us well,
because when you're religious you at least know that you have to
answer to some higher calling than your own whims or desires. When
that's the case, you're also more cognizant of your
responsibilities to care about those who have less. The United
States has been served well by its religiosity, and I'm very, very
unabashedly proud of how religious a people we are.... Read this
in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/january/1.71.html
LOVE
TAKES THE DANCE FLOOR
“[What]
I call the Jesus Creed: ‘The most important [commandment],’
answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord
our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than
these.’ Mark 12:29-31
“...The
first word that should come to mind when we hear Jesus say
"kingdom" is the word love.
“In
the Kingdom.Life, the King, the King’s land, and the
citizens of the King are those who love God and who love others
(as they love themselves). When Jesus stands up tall and announces
that the kingdom has drawn near, he is saying that a society
shaped by love is about to take the dance floor and show us how to
dance.
“Without
love, society becomes a chaos of individuals.
“Without
love, society becomes a free-for-all.
“Without
love, society ceases being society.
“With
love, society becomes community.
“With
love, society becomes one for all and all for one.
“With
love, society becomes kingdom.
“The
kingdom is a kingdom of love. For this reason I have been teaching
for almost a decade that we should begin each day and end each day
by reciting the Jesus Creed. From the moment we wake up to the
moment we fall asleep; whether we are searching for or have found
our soul mate; whether we are working or playing or traveling;
whether we are wondering what God designed for us to accomplish in
this world; whether we are serving in a homeless shelter or
whether we are pouring coffee into espresso cups, our various
dreams have their meaning only when they are enveloped by loving
God and loving others. When we live in love, we live in the
kingdom society Jesus came to create.”
Scot McKnight, in
his book One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow, by Scot McKnight
FIGHT
THE GOOD FIGHT
"While
women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry,
as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in
and out, as they do, I'll fight; while there is one drunkard left,
while there is a poor girl upon the streets, while there remains
one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight -- I'll fight
to the very end!"
William Booth, founder of The Salvation
Army
CHRISTIAN
RENAISSANCE
“I
would call Christians to think -- instead of culture warring -- of
a Christian renaissance, of faithfully living out the way of Jesus
in every sphere of our life, of putting an emphasis on the
creative, constructive things we do -- in the civil issues in
public life, but also in areas like the arts, putting the emphasis
on the creative, constructive, positive things we do. We need to
be for things more than we’re against things.”
Os
Guinness
EVANGELICAL
CHURCHES UNITE IN RARE MERGER
Two
Madison, Wisconsin evangelical churches — both among the
city's largest in their heydays — have merged in what church
leaders say is an unusual case of congregations uniting instead of
splintering. Lake City Church and Mad City Church now will be
known as City Church.
"Churches
are used to blowing apart," said the Rev. John Ruck, who was
the senior pastor at Lake City Church. "Putting two of them
together is pretty rare." The union, which church leaders
attribute to God's will, joins a longtime city fixture with a
relative newcomer.
Lake
City Church began as a Bible study group in 1927. Its sanctuary,
4909 E. Buckeye Road, can seat more than 800 people and will be
the new congregation's home. Lake City Church also runs Abundant
Life Christian School.
Mad
City Church started 14 years ago as an alternative to traditional
churches. Known for its contemporary worship services, it rented
office space at a shopping center and met Sundays at Madison La
Follette High School.
Both
churches are nondenominational and were roughly the same size
before the union — about 450 adults and children each, down
from more than 1,000 each several years ago.... Read this in full
at
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_65b78794-04b8-11e0-aff5-001cc4c002e0.html
HOW
THE CHURCH IS YOUR MOTHER
“In
[the Christian] spiritual family, God is our Father and other
Christians are our brothers and sisters; but who is our mother?
...
“Centuries
ago, [a church leader named] Cyprian ... provided an answer for
this question, famously saying, ‘No one can have God as his
Father who does not have the church as his mother’ ...
“The
idea that the church is the mother of Christians was not only
widely affirmed in the first few centuries of Christianity, it
also found great traction among the Protestant Reformers ... But
where did these church fathers and Reformers get the idea that the
church is our mother? They found it in the Bible [for example, see
Galatians 4:19, 21-31; also 1 Cor. 3:1-2] ...
“To
ask how the church is our mother is really to ask, ‘How does
the church provide the nurture, care, and maturation for spiritual
growth?’ ...
“I
hope you as a Christian are beginning to embrace the idea that the
church is your spiritual mother. God gives us the church to help
us form our identity as Christians. The church helps us to endure
suffering, bringing comfort and encouragement in difficult times.
The church nourishes us with the Word and the Lord's Supper,
provides godly examples for us to imitate, and disciplines us when
we go astray. In addition, we grow and are transformed as Jesus is
uniquely manifested in our worship assemblies. The church provides
maternal care for us in all of these ways, helping us to grow to
become more like Jesus.”
Jim Samra in his book The Gift
of Church: How God Designed the Local Church to Meet Our Needs as
Christians
THE
BEST CHRISTIAN BOOKS OF 2010
by
Brian Nixon
Since
I do this each year, I must put forth my bias and criteria. First,
I’ve only read a particular number of books, so my list is
unique and partial to me. Second, the books -- by and large -- are
from the orthodox viewpoint, adhering to a theologically
conservative perspective (at least in principle). Third, the books
are not from any particular field, but cross the spectrum in both
scope and genre. And fourth, all books were published in 2010 or
late 2009. So here I go:.... Read this in full at
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2010/s10120107.htm
HOW
TO RESPOND TO DOUBT
by
Nancy Pearcey
“Critical
thinking?” the radio host burst out. “Most people on
the conservative Christian Right would say that’s one of the
biggest dangers we have -- this 'nonsensical' idea of critical
thinking.”
I
was talking with the arch-liberal Barry Lynn, executive director
of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. He had
invited me on his radio program “Culture Shocks” to
talk about my newly published Saving Leonardo. Yet when I
explained that the book dissects secular worldviews to help people
develop critical thinking, Lynn seemed incredulous. Conservative
Christians discourage any questioning of their faith, he asserted.
He
was painting with a broad brush, but admittedly there is some
basis for such a negative stereotype. In fact, it has become one
of the main reasons young people are leaving the church.... Read
this in full at
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women/2010/12/nancy_pearcey_embrace_your_dou.html
2011
NIV BIBLE UPDATE RELEASED IN DIGITAL FORMAT
Bible
publisher Zondervan has launched the first product featuring the
updated New International Version of the Bible (NIV) -- a digital
ebook of the bestselling NIV Bible (www.TheNIVBible.com).
Print products featuring the updated NIV -- the world's most read
modern English Bible with more than 400 million copies in print --
are scheduled for release in March 2011.
As
part of the NIV ebook release, Zondervan launched a BUY ONE, GIVE
ONE campaign. For every digital copy of the updated NIV Bible sold
through Jan. 4, 2011, Zondervan will donate a New Testament of a
new NIV-like Hindi translation through Biblica, the worldwide
publisher and translation sponsor of the NIV Bible and a global
Bible and publishing ministry. Zondervan and Biblica hope to
donate 30,000 copies of the all-new Hindi translation of the New
Testament.... Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/2562515767.html
C.
S. LEWIS' THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS ANNOUNCES 2011 NATIONAL TOUR
THE
SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the provocative and wickedly funny theatrical
adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a
demon's point of view, has announced a multi-city tour in 2011.
Starring Max McLean, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS will run Jan. 15 at the
Alex Theater in Glendale, California (Los Angeles); Jan. 29 at the
Balboa Theatre in San Diego, California; Feb. 12 at the Arlene
Schnitzer Hall in Portland, Oregon; Feb. 26 at the Moore Theatre
in Seattle, Washington; March 19 at the Pikes Peak Center in
Colorado Springs, Colorado; March 26-27 at the Knight Theater in
Charlotte, North Carolina. More dates will be added for 2011.
Please visit www.screwtapeonstage.com....
Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1965315758.html
TEXAS
MEGACHURCH PREMIERES 3-D CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Some
might call it wholesome innovation, others shameless gimmickry,
but Fellowship Church is offering Christmas in 3-D this year.
“It's
a little cheesy, but cheese works,” said Ed Young, pastor of
the Grapevine-based megachurch with campuses in Dallas, Plano,
Fort Worth and Miami.
On
Dec. 18 in Grapevine, Texas, about 4,000 people – nearly a
full house – came for the first of the church's
well-advertised 3-D Christmas services. Adults and children alike
each got a pair of paper-frame glasses with red and blue plastic
lenses. They donned them for three brief videos shot in 3-D. The
third re-created a real-life episode from last Christmas, in which
Young's dogs got into the living room and tore up gift
packages.... Read this in full at
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/tarrant/stories/DN-3Dchurch_20met.ART0.State.Edition1.435f17e.html
VERSE
TO PONDER
“Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:11
CONSIDER
“The
Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been
found difficult; and left untried.”
Gilbert Keith
Chesterton (1874-1936), What's Wrong with the World, New York:
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1912, p. 48
SACRED
SPACES: WASHINGTON'S BASILICA
Sister
Miriam MacLean is buzzing around Washington, DC’s Basilica
of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. A steady stream of
tourists trails closely behind her. As director of visitor
services, she leads the tours of the massive mosaic domed church
in Washington. It may be one of Washington’s lesser known
tourist attractions, but the shrine gets nearly 1 million visitors
a year and keeps its doors open 365 days of the year.
“Many
people who traveled in Europe or traveled in other places are
surprised when they come to our own country and see such a church
of beauty and awe,” MacLean says. She is part of the
Religious Sisters of Mercy.
Rising
nearly as high as the Washington Monument, the shrine also shares
the city’s low-rise skyline with the US Capitol.... Read
this in full and view the video report at
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/21/sacred-spaces-washingtons-basilica/
TRON'S
LEGACY -- PERFECTION IS UNKNOWABLE
by
Ben Witherington
Jeff
Bridges stars in two movies this Christmas, and they could not be
more different. One is the Coen Brothers remake of John Wayne's
film 'True Grit', the other is the long awaited sequel to Tron, a
truly groundbreaking film. We will deal with 'True Grit' later.
One needs to keep in mind this is a Disney film. The visuals are
very alluring, though they remind one of that recent Budweiser
commercial with girls from outer space offering Budlight and
'shraplication'. Tron Legacy is sexless, but not quite bloodless,
despite a plot that is plodding, and some bad reviews as a result.
Though
the visuals are alluring, the digital world conjured up is frankly
not appealing. I wouldn't even want to visit it. This world is
dark, dangerous, and merciless. And talk about stilted
dialogue. It's almost as bad as the dialogue in Avatar. But
of course the computer generation doesn't much go to movies for
dazzling dialogue -- just give me the visual 3D effects. Jeff
Bridges is ok in this film as the zen master creator of the world
of Tron. Garrett Hedlund is the real star of the film and he is a
little better, reminding one of the young man who played Kirk in
the Star Trek reboot. The sound track sounds rebooted as well --
can you say Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene. Maybe we were meant to
think that this digital world is rather like the ‘80s when
the original was made.... Read this in full at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/bibleandculture/2010/12/trons-legacy---perfection-is-unknowable.html
AT
50, ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW STILL PROVIDING WISDOM
Say
a group of immigrants want to build a mosque in Mayberry, right
next to All Saints Church. WWAD: What Would Andy Do? The question,
of course, never surfaced in the beloved Andy Griffith Show that
chronicled life in the bucolic town of Mayberry, untouched by the
battles of civil rights and war that festered in the 1960s.
Tucked
somewhere into the cool green hills of North Carolina, Sheriff
Andy Taylor mediated minor feuds in the largely homogeneous
hamlet, guided his son, reined in the excitable Deputy Barney Fife
(played by Don Knotts), and set an example for commonsense
leadership that still inspires today.
Joey
Fann, a software engineer from Huntsville, Alabama, and author of
The Way Back to Mayberry, a popular study guide for small groups
in churches, wonders what the calm lawman of Mayberry would make
of America's current collective agitation.... Read this in full at
http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2010-09/50-andy-griffith-show-still-providing-wisdom
FAITH
LEADERS: STOP RELIGICIDE OF IRAQI CHRISTIANS
Religious
leaders across different faiths joined together with Open Doors, a
ministry that serves persecuted Christians around the world, on
Dec. 20 to call attention to the systematic "extermination"
of Iraqi Christians.
Christians
have been in Iraq for over two millennia but now they are on the
verge of extinction as extremists continue to target them for
their faith. In 2003, the Iraqi Christian population was 1.3
million but that number has dwindled below 350,000 as many flee to
neighboring countries to escape the persecution, according to the
faith leaders' estimates.
Dr.
Carl Moeller, CEO and president of Open Doors USA, said the crisis
of embattled Christians in Iraq and the Middle East is nothing
short of "religicide." "We must stand with the
historic Christian community in these countries, not to give
permission for them to be exterminated by our ignorance but to be
stood up for," Moeller told reporters at the Museum of
Tolerance in Los Angeles.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101221/faith-leaders-stop-religicide-of-iraqi-christians/
THE
POWER OF FRIENDSHIP
Children
go through ups and downs like everyone else. But even in
elementary school, some children are shy and awkward, and
they can easily become social outcasts, anxious about social
interactions and maybe a tad depressed. Normal adolescent angst
can spiral out of control for these young people, taking them on a
trajectory that can lead to major depression by adolescence --
unless, research suggests, they have a simple but valuable asset:
a friend.... Read this in full at
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/reading-writing-rithmetic-and-relationships/
AN
ORDINARY MAN'S INSPIRING JOURNEY TOWARD A SIMPLER, MORE MEANINGFUL
LIFE
In
2008, a young father of three decided to winnow down everything he
owned to merely 100 things. In THE 100 THING CHALLENGE (Harper
Paperbacks; December 28, 2010; 9780061787744) Dave Bruno describes
how he strove to loosen the grip that consumerism had on his life
-- and how his challenge gave rise to a grass-roots viral movement
that has inspired thousands of people to follow Dave's example.
In
the book, Dave reveals the "aha" moment that caused him
to instantly re-think his life and do a complete life makeover
starting one day in the middle of his normal routine. The book
illuminates his journey to get rid of nearly all of his stuff and
then takes us through how his life changed for the better when he
stopped filling his emotional vacuum with meaningless things.
Among the lessons you will learn from Dave when reading live in
more spiritually and socially meaningful ways. Among the lessons
learned in the THE 100 THING CHALLENGE:.... Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/652715763.html
MONEY,
MEDIA, MARRIAGE AND MILLENNIALS... WHAT IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF
INFLUENCERS THINKING
At
more than 78 million strong, the Millennials -- those born between
1980 and 2000 -- have surpassed the Boomers as the larger and more
influential generation in America. Millennials are shaping the
first half of the 21st Century of American culture, and their
attitudes and preferences influence businesses, the workplace,
schools, churches, and more.
Now,
as its members begin to reach adulthood where the traits of a
generation really take shape, best-selling research author Dr.
Thom Rainer (Simple Church) and his son Jess (a Millennial born in
1985), present the most comprehensive research project on
Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective in their book,
The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation
(January 1, 2010 - B&H Publishing Group).
Research
began for this project in June 2009, and is based on 1,200
interviews with its namesakes that aim to better understand them
personally, professionally, and spiritually. Chapters report
intriguing how-and-why findings on family matters (they are closer
knit than previous generations), their desire for diversity
(consider the wave of mixed race and ethnic adoptions), their
attitude toward money, the media, and perhaps most tellingly,
religion.... Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/4547115766.html
DESPITE
ABYSMAL TRACK RECORD, CALIF. ATHEIST KEEPS SUING IN LONELY CRUSADE
He
is the most famous -- and the loneliest—atheist in the
country. For 14 years, Michael Newdow, an emergency room doctor
and attorney, has challenged what he sees as violations of the
First Amendment’s protection against established religion.
He works alone from his Sacramento home, his only tools a
computer, a printer and a razor-sharp sense of injustice.
He
has sued to have “In God We Trust” removed from US
currency, to prohibit prayer at presidential inaugurations and
most famously -- or infamously -- to strike the phrase “under
God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. To date, he has never
won a single case.
Yet
Newdow remains undeterred. In January, Newdow plans to ask the US
Supreme Court to hear his “In God We Trust” case,
which he lost last March at the California-based 9th US Circuit
Court of Appeals. After that, he said, he may revive his pledge
case, this time on behalf of other families who feel harmed by the
pledge’s religious reference.... Read this in full at
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/despite_abysmal_track_record_calif_atheist_keeps_suing/
US
CENSUS BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2010 CENSUS POPULATION COUNTS
The
US Census Bureau announced Dec. 21 that the 2010 Census showed the
resident population of the United States on April 1, 2010, was
308,745,538. This represents an increase of 9.7% over the 2000 US
resident population of 281,421,906.... Read this in full at
http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb10-cn93.html
CONSIDER
“Jesus
did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to
fill it with His Presence.”
Paul Claudel
VERSE
TO PONDER
"If
serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my
household, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15
THIS
WEEK'S HYMN: RING OUT THE BELLS FOR CHRISTMAS
Words
& Music: William A. Ogden, 1870
Ring
out the bells for Christmas,
The
happy, happy day;
In
winter wild, the holy Child
Within
the cradle lay.
O
wonderful! the Savior
Is
in the manger lone;
His
palace is a stable,
And
Mary’s arms His throne.
Refrain
Ring
out the bells for Christmas,
The
merry, merry Christmas,
Ring
out the bells for Christmas,
The
happy, happy day.
On
Beth’lem’s quiet hillside,
In
ages long gone by,
In
angel notes the glory floats,
“Glory
to God on high.”
Yet
wakes the sun as joyous
As
when the Lord was born,
And
still He comes to greet you
On
ev’ry Christmas morn.
Refrain
Where’er
His sweet lambs gather,
Within
this gentle fold
The
Savior dear is waiting near,
As
in the days of old.
In
each young heart you see Him,
In
ev’ry guileless face,
You
see the holy Jesus,
Who
grew in truth and grace.
Refrain
In
many a darksome cottage,
In
many a crowded street,
In
winter bleak, with shiv’ring cheek,
The
homeless child you meet.
Gaze
upon the pale, wan features,
The
feet with wand’ring sore.
You
see the souls He loveth,
The
Christ Child at the door.
Refrain
Then
sing your gladsome carols,
And
hail the newborn Sun;
For
Christmas light is passing bright,
It
smiles on everyone;
And
feast Christ’s little children,
His
poor, his orphans call,
For
He Who chose the manger,
He
loveth one and all.
Refrain
>from
NetHymnal at
http://nethymnal.org/htm/r/o/rotbxmas.htm
ON
PRAYER
“Don't
count sheep if you can't sleep. Talk to the Shepherd.”
Paul
Frost
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 us to add you to our prayer
chain 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!
http://www.ChristianConnectionTravel.com
Books,
Music & More!
http://www.ChristianConnectionBooks.com
Get
your domain name here!
http://www.GoGlobalDomains.com
Let
me show you how to earn money as you
travel!
http://www.earnGlobalVacations.com/
It's
as easy as 1-2-3!
SHARE
YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why.
50
Ways to Improve Your Life in 2011
http://politics.usnews.com/news/features/50-ways-to-improve-your-life-in-2011
The
Year 2010 in Photos
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/2010_in_photos_part_2_of_3.html
Yahoo!
News Year in Review
http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/
BusinessWeek
Year in Review
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_52/b4209009504184.htm
Reuters
Year in Review
http://www.reuters.com/subjects/2010-year-in-review
The
Cosmic Log
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/20/5685569-the-year-in-space-sunrise-sunset
The
Year in Travel News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40754755/ns/travel-news
Notable
Deaths of 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/obituaries/20100329_NOTABLEDEATHS.html
Top
Ten Monks
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/commentaries/2010/tenmonks.html
All
links to websites are provided as a service, and do not imply
endorsement by this ministry.
(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.)
Aspire
to inspire before you expire.
Min.
Frank Coleman, Editor
Rev.frank@gmail.com
Thanks
for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
CONNECTIONS
is a periodic newsletter of announcements, news, recommendations,
articles, and other information helpful to men in our spiritual
growth. Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
The
CONNECTIONS Team offers a variety of activities for men to
interact with other men on our journey of faith in Christ
together. Large group, small group, and one-to-one events
encourage relationship building and spiritual strengthening that
result in maximizing the potential we all have in Christ.
Contact
Min. Frank Coleman, 773-410-1483, frank@frankcoleman.com
if you'd like to participate in a men's discipleship program.
Path Of Life Ministries is located in Chicago, IL.
Visit
our website at: http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/
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