| Quick Gospel: Giving Credit where Credit is Due |
|
 Craig Sager
Genesis 45:24
Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!"
Thought:
What? You have got to be kidding me right? After all that Joseph's brothers put him through, and his father. The restriction was that they could now have the best of the land in Egypt given to them by the one that they hurt the most, and they are not allowed to quarrel over it? Even the ones that said they wanted nothing to do with the plans to destroy Joseph to begin with? Talk about self control. Yet as you read on they do enjoy the fat of the land, so to speak, in the following verses.
How is it, then, that we make it so hard for ourselves to control our tongues and actions towards others? The majority of us never plotted to destroy our brothers or sisters. Yet, when we are given a blessing from God we treat it as though we were the creator of that blessing and ignore Who it really came from. And this gives us our self satisfaction to show to all of our neighbors. Do you not think that if God blessed Joseph's brothers even after there plot, that he will do the same for you? All we have to do is stop quarreling over Whom the blessings came from and give the honor and glory that is due.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we boast in our times of greatness of ourselves. Leaving out the one true giver of all blessings so that we look good and not You. By Your grace, though, we can be forgiven of that ignorance on our part. Teach us Your ways, give us opportunities so that we can learn how to operate in circumstances as these. Amen.
____________________________
Craig Sager writes devotionals to inspire people in their daily walk with God and open doors of understanding in how the Bible relates to each one of us. He lives with his wife and two sons in southwestern York County, PA.
|
|
| Iranian Pastor Tortured, Threatened for 'Converting Muslims' |
|
 Arrest, imprisonment appear to be part of larger crackdown in Isfahan
By Dan Wooding
ISFAHAN, IRAN (ANS) -- Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that an Assyrian pastor the Iranian government had accused of "converting Muslims" is being tortured in prison and threatened with execution, sources close to the case said.
|
|
| American Minute for March 10th |
|
 William J. Federer
ST. LOUIS, MO (American Minute) -- 26-year-old William Penn received from King Charles II the charter to Pennsylvania on MARCH 10, 1681, as repayment of a debt owed to his deceased father Admiral Sir William Penn, who captured Jamaica and defeated the Dutch navy. A student at Oxford, William Penn was expelled for having his own prayer services in his dorm room instead of attending the Anglican chapel. Penn converted to Quakerism and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
His colony was a "holy experiment" for persecuted Europeans, one of the few original colonies to accept Mennonites, Amish, Catholics and Jews. Emphasizing his plan of Christian tolerance, William Penn named the city "Philadelphia," Greek for "Brotherly Love." History records that since William Penn insisted on treating the Delaware Indians honestly, paying a fair sum for the land, Philadelphia was spared the Indian attacks and scalpings that other colonial settlements experienced.
Before arriving, William Penn wrote to the Delaware chiefs: "My Friends, There is one...God...and He hath made...the king of the country where I live, give...unto me a great province therein, but I desire to enjoy it with your...consent, that we may always live together as...friends."
Add American Minute to your website.
|
|
| War and Redemption Reign at the Academy Awards |
|
Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.
James Cameron will have to console himself with the over $2.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts that his film, Avatar, has raked in over the past few months (and more coming in daily). When it came time to hand out the Oscars at the end of the seemingly-eternal Academy Awards ceremony, Cameron’s neo-pagan/environmental vision was trounced in all the categories that focus on storytelling – though kudos are due to his technical crew who raised the bar on visual 3-D effects – though it didn’t take Tim Burton long to catch on as his opening weekend haul for Alice in Wonderland – another 3-D extravaganza – eclipsed that of Avatar.
Instead, stories of sacrifice and redemption ruled the Oscar’s main categories for screenplay, three of the four main acting awards, direction, and best animated feature and best picture.
Precious
Both Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and The Hurt Locker are intensely personal films. The first is the story of an urban African-American teenager saddled with just about every disadvantage one can imagine: poor, obese, nearly illiterate, living in a severely damaged family, raped and pregnant. Almost anyone would drown in despair, but a teacher and a social worker look beyond appearances and throw out a lifeline. Taking in less than ten percent of Avatar’s domestic box office gross, perhaps this win for best adapted screenplay, along with a best supporting actress win for Mo’Nique will encourage more people to see it. |
|
| American Minute for March 9th |
|
William J. Federer
ST. LOUIS, MO (American Minute) -- The Confederate iron-plated ship Merrimac destroyed two Union boats during the Civil War. The Union responded with the ironclad Monitor. Dedicating a statue to the Monitor's designer, John Ericsson, May 29, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge stated: "When the ironclad Merrimac went out on the morning of MARCH 9, 1862, to complete its work of destruction it was at once surprised by this new naval innovation...After a battle lasting four hours in which the Monitor suffered no material damage...the Merrimac...badly crippled, withdrew, never to venture out again...The London Times stated that the day before this battle England had 149 first-class warships. The day after she had but two, and they were iron-plated only amidships. Naval warfare had been revolutionized."
When offered payment in 1882, John Ericsson replied: "Nothing could induce me to accept any remuneration for the Monitor...It was my contribution to the glorious Union cause...which freed 4 million bondsmen."
John Ericsson wrote to President Lincoln: "Attachment to the Union alone impels me to offer my services at this frightful crisis -my life if need be- in the great cause which Providence has caused you to defend."
Add American Minute to your website. |
|
|
| Obama's Abortion Mandate in Healthcare Would Increase Breast Cancer Deaths, Premature Births -- Women's Group Rebukes Obama, Reid, Pelosi |
|
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer today sharply rebuked President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and others in Congress for aggressively pursuing an effort to include an abortion mandate in healthcare reform, despite having been informed of overwhelming evidence showing the U.S. National Cancer Institute deliberately misled women with its 2003 workshop that purported to conduct a "comprehensive review" of an abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link. [1] On January 20, 2010, the Coalition sent a letter (download .pdf) to Obama and members of Congress which notified them of the NCI's misconduct and called for a Congressional investigation of the agency. [2]
"It is despicable that Obama and others in Congress are striving to force taxpayers to pay for abortions, even though an abortion mandate would result in more breast cancer deaths and premature births among women with abortions," said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition. "Obviously, they don't care if women die and babies develop cerebral palsy.
"The NCI has declared the ABC link 'non-existent,' but research (download .pdf) last year by NCI branch chief Louise Brinton revealed that she and her colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center are convinced the link exists (and they found that women using oral contraceptives have a four-fold increased risk of the deadly triple-negative breast cancer). [5] Three studies last year (and dozens of studies since 1957) reported an ABC link. [3-5] Additionally, medical texts admit that childbearing sharply reduces breast cancer risk. No one can deny that abortion causes women to lose that protective effect. |
|
| From the Pastor's Heart: Tunnel Vision |
|
 Tom Myers
DILLSBURG, PA (Mt. Pleasant Church of God) – There are many things that people simply do not pay attention to at all because they are narrowly focused on one particular thing of personal interest. Being so caught up in one thing can be dangerous since you develop what is known as tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is an actual medical occurrence where a person loses sight of everything that is happening in the peripheral area of their vision. This makes driving more dangerous since you have to keep turning your head to see things that either have the potential of entering the path of your vehicle or hazards that could be up ahead.
Spiritually this can even be more dangerous because people mainly tend to get tunnel vision in regards to their own achievements and “good deeds done” that they forget to compare themselves to the Savior rather than fellow sinners, whether they are saved by grace or not. That is exactly what happened to Israel and Judah which brought about God’s judgment.
|
|
| For a fee, a new service run by Atheists will place your dog or cat in the home of a Caring Unbeliever on Judgment Day |
|
By Michael Ireland
MINNEAPOLIS. MN (ANS) -- Many people in the U.S. -- perhaps 20 million to 40 million -- believe there will be a Second Coming in their lifetimes, followed by the Rapture, says an article in BusinessWeek by Mike Di Paola, a reporter for Bloomberg News.
Di Paola says: "In this event, they say, the righteous will be spirited away to a better place while the godless remain on Earth. But what will become of all the pets?"
Di Paola quotes Bart Centre, 61, a retired retail executive in New Hampshire, who says many people are troubled by this question, and Centre wants to help. He started a service called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets that promises to rescue and care for animals left behind by the saved. |
|
| The Church Should Know More Than the Government says House Church Leader |
|
ORANGE COUNTY, CA (Christian Newswire) -- The federal government is beginning Census 2010 in an effort to determine the needs of communities around the nation, which will affect the spending of more than $400 billion in federal funds. House church leader Ken Eastburn is challenging Christians to not let the government beat them to the punch, "What a shame it would be if the government could get to know the needs of our communities better than us! The census shouldn't be a substitute for our responsibility to know and love our neighbors."
Census forms are being mailed this month and will consist of just 10 questions. These questions will help determine how more than $400 billion in federal funds will be distributed to places like hospitals, schools, senior centers, etc. Households that do not return the form may expect to receive an in-person visit from a census taker.
"If someone were to get a knock on their door from a census taker before a Christian in their community, the local church is not doing its job," says Eastburn, "We are not responsible for how people respond to our efforts to know and love them, but we are still responsible to try." |
|
|
