7 Year-Old Sings at Grandfather's Funeral - Wise Beyond Her Years
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
83,000 Bibles Sent to Cuba to Keep Up With ‘Incredible’ Growth of Christianity
By Samuel Smith, Christian Post, March 21, 2015
A shipment of 83,723 Spanish-language Bibles are headed for Cuba and will be distributed to a number of Southern Baptist churches in both Western and Eastern parts of the island nation, SBC’s International Mission Board announced this week.
IMB, which is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced that the shipment of three 40-foot containers filled with Bibles left from the ports of South Florida and is being distributed this week to various churches throughout Cuba.
The shipment is the third since 1999 that Southern Baptists have sent to Cuba and have sent nearly 500,000 Bibles in total, IMB strategy leader for Cuba, Kurt Urbanek, said in a media statement.
“The extensive process of seeking permission from the Cuban government to ship Bibles required a great deal of negotiation with government officials and the Cuban Bible Society,” Urbanek explained in the release. “We are grateful the Cuban government opened the doors for the Bibles.”
Since the Cuban government amended its Constitution in 1992, declaring it a secular state, instead of an atheist state, religious activities have been given room to grow and flourish.
“The growth is so incredible, that’s why Bibles are so important,” Urbanek said.
A shipment of 83,723 Spanish-language Bibles are headed for Cuba and will be distributed to a number of Southern Baptist churches in both Western and Eastern parts of the island nation, SBC’s International Mission Board announced this week.
IMB, which is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced that the shipment of three 40-foot containers filled with Bibles left from the ports of South Florida and is being distributed this week to various churches throughout Cuba.
The shipment is the third since 1999 that Southern Baptists have sent to Cuba and have sent nearly 500,000 Bibles in total, IMB strategy leader for Cuba, Kurt Urbanek, said in a media statement.
“The extensive process of seeking permission from the Cuban government to ship Bibles required a great deal of negotiation with government officials and the Cuban Bible Society,” Urbanek explained in the release. “We are grateful the Cuban government opened the doors for the Bibles.”
Since the Cuban government amended its Constitution in 1992, declaring it a secular state, instead of an atheist state, religious activities have been given room to grow and flourish.
“The growth is so incredible, that’s why Bibles are so important,” Urbanek said.
'Big brother' technology comes to Australia's shops
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-31916942
By Nina HendyHobart, Australia
19 March 2015
From the sectionAustralia
The new technology will give shoppers free wi-fi in return for information about them
A powerful new technology is giving bricks-and-mortar retailers access to more information about Australian shoppers as they move around the physical world, and shoppers might not even know about it.
For years, online retailers have been learning about their consumers by analysing their internet traffic but it's been impossible for bricks-and-mortar retailers to track shopping patterns in the same way.
Until now that is. New technology is giving retailers a clearer picture of what consumers are doing in the physical world by turning mobile phones into virtual tracking devices.
Retailers and other businesses with high foot traffic - such as pubs, cafes and restaurants - are increasingly offering free access to wi-fi networks and asking consumers to grant access to their digital data in return.
Retailers are then collecting, collating and analysing data about shoppers' gender, age and browsing habits.
It's an exciting development for retailers but one that some experts say consumers should think twice about.
Many shoppers might not be aware that logging on to free wi-fi is giving the corporate world access to their data, says Australian retail and consumer behaviour expert Brian Walker.
There is a "Big Brother" element to the technology, he admits.
"There could be some ramifications once shoppers understand this. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of revolt as the realisation hits."
Consumer advocacy group Choice warns that digital data could be the new battlefield between shoppers and retailers.
"Most people don't realise that such services that are advertised for free can cost you a lot in terms of being targeted with advertising," says Choice's Tom Godfrey.
Data collection
The largest and oldest retail property in Australia, the Queen Victoria Building in the heart of Sydney, has carried free wi-fi networks since September 2012 to attract more customers.
Research shows free wi-fi keeps shoppers in the centre longer and helps management build a rich customer database for marketing purposes.
Westfield provides free wi-fi - but will use the data to send targeted offers to shoppers
The latest retailer to follow the trend is Australian shopping centre juggernaut Westfield, which also owns retail malls in the US and UK. Westfield has just rolled out free wi-fi networks across 21 shopping malls in Australia. As shoppers log in, Westfield will collect data.
Beginning later this year, it will use that data to deliver personalised offers to shoppers' mobile phones as they walk in and out of stores, says John Batistich, director of marketing for Scentre Group (Westfield Shopping Centres).
"We want to use the data to send out compelling news, offers, fashion content and information on events from later this year via a partnership with Optus," Mr Batistich told the BBC.
Mr Batistich says Westfield completed two shopping mall trials recently, which tracked between 2,500 and 3,500 wi-fi sessions a day.
New frontier
For now, the technology doesn't let Westfield track where or how much money shoppers spend but as people increasingly use their mobile phones to make purchases, that level of detail will also be available, he says.
The technology was developed by Australian company SkyFii. Chief Executive Officer Wayne Arthur says the free wi-fi-data swap is a fair exchange and shoppers can unsubscribe from the network at any time.
"We'll be adding value to the consumer when they give up their information, which will provide them with a far more personalised shopping experience," he says.
Mr Walker says businesses are rushing to gather data and learn how to interpret it.
"From a branding perspective, this move provides enormous value to Westfield and others, giving them the ability to create far more tailored marketing than ever before."
Data collection and analysis also opens up the potential for new revenue streams, he points out.
"Whether Westfield on-sells the data is another matter entirely. This could well be a very concerted effort to make more money."
So how can consumers protect their data? Technology expert Rob Livingstone says everybody should check the default privacy and location settings on their mobile devices and apps and change them if necessary.
"The bottom line is, if it's free, you are the product and your privacy is the currency."
By Nina HendyHobart, Australia
19 March 2015
From the sectionAustralia
The new technology will give shoppers free wi-fi in return for information about themA powerful new technology is giving bricks-and-mortar retailers access to more information about Australian shoppers as they move around the physical world, and shoppers might not even know about it.
For years, online retailers have been learning about their consumers by analysing their internet traffic but it's been impossible for bricks-and-mortar retailers to track shopping patterns in the same way.
Until now that is. New technology is giving retailers a clearer picture of what consumers are doing in the physical world by turning mobile phones into virtual tracking devices.
Retailers and other businesses with high foot traffic - such as pubs, cafes and restaurants - are increasingly offering free access to wi-fi networks and asking consumers to grant access to their digital data in return.
Retailers are then collecting, collating and analysing data about shoppers' gender, age and browsing habits.
It's an exciting development for retailers but one that some experts say consumers should think twice about.
Many shoppers might not be aware that logging on to free wi-fi is giving the corporate world access to their data, says Australian retail and consumer behaviour expert Brian Walker.
There is a "Big Brother" element to the technology, he admits.
"There could be some ramifications once shoppers understand this. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of revolt as the realisation hits."
Consumer advocacy group Choice warns that digital data could be the new battlefield between shoppers and retailers.
"Most people don't realise that such services that are advertised for free can cost you a lot in terms of being targeted with advertising," says Choice's Tom Godfrey.
Data collection
The largest and oldest retail property in Australia, the Queen Victoria Building in the heart of Sydney, has carried free wi-fi networks since September 2012 to attract more customers.
Research shows free wi-fi keeps shoppers in the centre longer and helps management build a rich customer database for marketing purposes.
Westfield provides free wi-fi - but will use the data to send targeted offers to shoppersThe latest retailer to follow the trend is Australian shopping centre juggernaut Westfield, which also owns retail malls in the US and UK. Westfield has just rolled out free wi-fi networks across 21 shopping malls in Australia. As shoppers log in, Westfield will collect data.
Beginning later this year, it will use that data to deliver personalised offers to shoppers' mobile phones as they walk in and out of stores, says John Batistich, director of marketing for Scentre Group (Westfield Shopping Centres).
"We want to use the data to send out compelling news, offers, fashion content and information on events from later this year via a partnership with Optus," Mr Batistich told the BBC.
Mr Batistich says Westfield completed two shopping mall trials recently, which tracked between 2,500 and 3,500 wi-fi sessions a day.
New frontier
For now, the technology doesn't let Westfield track where or how much money shoppers spend but as people increasingly use their mobile phones to make purchases, that level of detail will also be available, he says.
The technology was developed by Australian company SkyFii. Chief Executive Officer Wayne Arthur says the free wi-fi-data swap is a fair exchange and shoppers can unsubscribe from the network at any time.
"We'll be adding value to the consumer when they give up their information, which will provide them with a far more personalised shopping experience," he says.
Mr Walker says businesses are rushing to gather data and learn how to interpret it.
"From a branding perspective, this move provides enormous value to Westfield and others, giving them the ability to create far more tailored marketing than ever before."
Data collection and analysis also opens up the potential for new revenue streams, he points out.
"Whether Westfield on-sells the data is another matter entirely. This could well be a very concerted effort to make more money."
So how can consumers protect their data? Technology expert Rob Livingstone says everybody should check the default privacy and location settings on their mobile devices and apps and change them if necessary.
"The bottom line is, if it's free, you are the product and your privacy is the currency."
Membros de uma Gangue Atiraram nele Oito Vezes —Um Anjo Salvou sua Vida
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/membros-de-uma-gangue-atiraram-nele-oito-vezes-um-/
Michael Ashcraft e Mark Ellis
[Gang Members Shot Him Eight Times—An Angel Helped Save His Life]
Quando iniciados de uma gangue atiraram no músico Marcus Stanley oito vezes numa noite de 2004 numa rua de Baltimore, ele temia, SE sobrevivesse, que sua carreira de músico chegaria ao fim.
Ele tocava piano com o cantor Chris Brown da R&B. Viajava com músicos gospel como Donnie McClurkin, mas não prestava realmente atenção ao evangelho. Era atraÃdo pelo dinheiro e estilo de vida extravagante.
“Eu não estava focado na mensagem. Não estava focado em Cristo,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Estava realmente focado em ter sucesso—ser músico, ser um músico popular, e tocar com um grande artista. O dinheiro era provavelmente a razão principal, porque eu o ganhava rápido.”
Aqueles dias de fama e fortuna chegaram imediatamente ao fim naquela noite em que fui baleado. A polÃcia suspeita que era uma tentativa de assassinar qualquer pessoa como iniciação em uma gangue.
“Chegávamos tarde cada noite,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Eu estava na verdade indo para uma loja. Percebi que estava sem a carteira e não havia chegado à loja ainda, mas dei meia volta e comecei a voltar para pegar minha carteira e então vi aqueles caras de pé na esquina aquela noite, e eles estavam me observando.”
Um dos seis, o lÃder da gangue, se aproximou e perguntou:
— O que você está fazendo aqui, cara?
— Só estou esfriando a cabeça, irmão — respondeu Stanley, e continuou andando. A gangue o seguiu e o cercou.
— Olha, agora você vai esticar, cara — retrucou o lÃder. Sacou um revólver calibre 45 da jaqueta de couro, apontou para Stanley e atirou à queima-roupa.
Stanley caiu no chão, cego pela centelha do disparo. A seguir vieram mais sete disparos.
“Lembro que caà assim que vi o flash do revólver, e então apareceu um anjo na minha frente,” diz Stanley.
Aparentemente o anjo salvou a vida de Stanley desviando as balas.
“Tenho quase 2 metros de altura, de modo que o anjo tinha provavelmente mais de 2 metros,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Era simplesmente uma figura transparente. Eu não vi asas nem nada assim. Vi que era claro, transparente e estava na minha frente.”
Stanley ouviu Deus lhe dizer para não se mexer. Ele segurou o fôlego e esperou os assassinos irem embora. Quando eles fugiram de carro, Stanley finalmente respirou. “Ó Deus … Ó Deus,” clamou baixinho. Ele viu uma poça de sangue se formando ao seu redor e tentou se levantar, mas não conseguiu.
Pela primeira vez na vida ele clamou ao Senhor da Vida—o mesmo Deus que os cantores gospel invocavam.
“Eu estava tipo, ‘Deus me ajude. Ajude-me a viver,’” disse Stanley. “Só me lembro de tentar permanecer consciente. Pensei que isso seria muito importante.”
“Era como um filme. Você vê esse tipo de coisas nos filmes. Vê a luz lá em cima. As pessoas veem sua vida em um flash bem diante de seus olhos. Foi assim comigo, só que comecei a pensar o que aconteceria se eu morresse. E eu pensava, ninguém vai saber o que aconteceu comigo.”
Ele engatinhou da rua até a calçada. Stanley tentou acenar para os carros que passavam, mas ninguém parava para ele.
De repente lembrou que ainda estava com seu celular e ligou para o número de emergência.
Quando a polÃcia chegou, desenhou uma linha com giz ao seu redor e colocou uma fita para isolar a cena do crime. Apesar de tudo ao seu redor comunicar morte, Stanley começou a orar por vida.
Depois que os paramédicos o levaram às pressas ao hospital, os médicos cortaram suas roupas e Stanley pode ver todos os ferimentos de bala. Meu corpo parece morto, como se eu não poderia estar vivo, mas estou, pensou.
Stanley ouviu o paramédico dizer, “Acho que ele não vai resistir.”
Quando o levaram para cirurgia, os médicos pareciam perplexos por ele ainda estar respirando e consciente.
Antes da cirurgia, Stanley viu uma coisa impressionante. “Lembro de olhar e ver o mesmo anjo que estava na rua e ele tinha os braços cruzados... Ele não fez nem disse nada. Estava como que meneando a cabeça como se dissesse, ‘Vai ficar tudo bem.’” Stanley sentiu imediatamente a paz de Deus.
Os médicos operaram por oito horas para salvar sua vida. Reataram o cólon, removeram metade de seu estômago e pâncreas, e removeram totalmente seu baço, disse.
Depois da cirurgia, ele continuou com os nervos danificados no braço, e perdeu a sensibilidade da mão direita. Pensou que sua carreira musical havia acabado.
Foi extraordinário o fato de ele voltar a andar e até tocar piano três meses depois de fazer reabilitação.
Apesar da intervenção impressionante de Deus para preservar sua vida, Stanley não estava pronto para entregar sua vida a Jesus como Senhor e Salvador. Ele voltou a seguir os seus sonhos no mundo da música.
A necessidade de tomar analgésicos depois da cirurgia o deixou viciado em medicamentos. Cinco anos depois, ele estava tão desgostoso do rumo que sua vida tomara que finalmente resolveu se entregar totalmente a Jesus.
Stanley chegou ao fundo do poço, e desta vez estava pronto para se render. Clamou a Deus e entregou sua vida completamente a Jesus Cristo.
“Cheguei a um ponto que fiquei tão desesperado que pensei, ‘não posso mais continuar assim.’ Foi então que tudo mudou para mim no que diz respeito aos sonhos que eu perseguia, e decidi que precisava de Jesus. Demorou bastante tempo para eu chegar a este ponto,” disse Stanley a CBN.
Mais tarde, ele descobriu que o cirurgião que o operou encontrou a Deus como resultado daquela cirurgia. “Ele reconheceu que não era possÃvel ele ter feito aquela cirurgia sozinho.”
Hoje, Stanley usa seu talento para o reino de Deus. Ele toca e dá palestras para jovens em escolas do ensino médio.
“Não falo sobre a minha música,” diz Stanley. “Mas sim sobre o que Deus fez na minha vida, e pretendo fazer com que ele seja famoso em tudo o que faço e mostrar a sua glória.”
De http://blog.godreports.com/2014/12/gang-members-shot-him-eight-times-an-angel-helped-save-his-life. Pode ouvir Marcus Stanley contar a história no clipe no YouTube no final desta página.
Michael Ashcraft e Mark Ellis
[Gang Members Shot Him Eight Times—An Angel Helped Save His Life]
Quando iniciados de uma gangue atiraram no músico Marcus Stanley oito vezes numa noite de 2004 numa rua de Baltimore, ele temia, SE sobrevivesse, que sua carreira de músico chegaria ao fim.
Ele tocava piano com o cantor Chris Brown da R&B. Viajava com músicos gospel como Donnie McClurkin, mas não prestava realmente atenção ao evangelho. Era atraÃdo pelo dinheiro e estilo de vida extravagante.
“Eu não estava focado na mensagem. Não estava focado em Cristo,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Estava realmente focado em ter sucesso—ser músico, ser um músico popular, e tocar com um grande artista. O dinheiro era provavelmente a razão principal, porque eu o ganhava rápido.”
Aqueles dias de fama e fortuna chegaram imediatamente ao fim naquela noite em que fui baleado. A polÃcia suspeita que era uma tentativa de assassinar qualquer pessoa como iniciação em uma gangue.
“Chegávamos tarde cada noite,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Eu estava na verdade indo para uma loja. Percebi que estava sem a carteira e não havia chegado à loja ainda, mas dei meia volta e comecei a voltar para pegar minha carteira e então vi aqueles caras de pé na esquina aquela noite, e eles estavam me observando.”
Um dos seis, o lÃder da gangue, se aproximou e perguntou:
— O que você está fazendo aqui, cara?
— Só estou esfriando a cabeça, irmão — respondeu Stanley, e continuou andando. A gangue o seguiu e o cercou.
— Olha, agora você vai esticar, cara — retrucou o lÃder. Sacou um revólver calibre 45 da jaqueta de couro, apontou para Stanley e atirou à queima-roupa.
Stanley caiu no chão, cego pela centelha do disparo. A seguir vieram mais sete disparos.
“Lembro que caà assim que vi o flash do revólver, e então apareceu um anjo na minha frente,” diz Stanley.
Aparentemente o anjo salvou a vida de Stanley desviando as balas.
“Tenho quase 2 metros de altura, de modo que o anjo tinha provavelmente mais de 2 metros,” disse Stanley à CBN. “Era simplesmente uma figura transparente. Eu não vi asas nem nada assim. Vi que era claro, transparente e estava na minha frente.”
Stanley ouviu Deus lhe dizer para não se mexer. Ele segurou o fôlego e esperou os assassinos irem embora. Quando eles fugiram de carro, Stanley finalmente respirou. “Ó Deus … Ó Deus,” clamou baixinho. Ele viu uma poça de sangue se formando ao seu redor e tentou se levantar, mas não conseguiu.
Pela primeira vez na vida ele clamou ao Senhor da Vida—o mesmo Deus que os cantores gospel invocavam.
“Eu estava tipo, ‘Deus me ajude. Ajude-me a viver,’” disse Stanley. “Só me lembro de tentar permanecer consciente. Pensei que isso seria muito importante.”
“Era como um filme. Você vê esse tipo de coisas nos filmes. Vê a luz lá em cima. As pessoas veem sua vida em um flash bem diante de seus olhos. Foi assim comigo, só que comecei a pensar o que aconteceria se eu morresse. E eu pensava, ninguém vai saber o que aconteceu comigo.”
Ele engatinhou da rua até a calçada. Stanley tentou acenar para os carros que passavam, mas ninguém parava para ele.
De repente lembrou que ainda estava com seu celular e ligou para o número de emergência.
Quando a polÃcia chegou, desenhou uma linha com giz ao seu redor e colocou uma fita para isolar a cena do crime. Apesar de tudo ao seu redor comunicar morte, Stanley começou a orar por vida.
Depois que os paramédicos o levaram às pressas ao hospital, os médicos cortaram suas roupas e Stanley pode ver todos os ferimentos de bala. Meu corpo parece morto, como se eu não poderia estar vivo, mas estou, pensou.
Stanley ouviu o paramédico dizer, “Acho que ele não vai resistir.”
Quando o levaram para cirurgia, os médicos pareciam perplexos por ele ainda estar respirando e consciente.
Antes da cirurgia, Stanley viu uma coisa impressionante. “Lembro de olhar e ver o mesmo anjo que estava na rua e ele tinha os braços cruzados... Ele não fez nem disse nada. Estava como que meneando a cabeça como se dissesse, ‘Vai ficar tudo bem.’” Stanley sentiu imediatamente a paz de Deus.
Os médicos operaram por oito horas para salvar sua vida. Reataram o cólon, removeram metade de seu estômago e pâncreas, e removeram totalmente seu baço, disse.
Depois da cirurgia, ele continuou com os nervos danificados no braço, e perdeu a sensibilidade da mão direita. Pensou que sua carreira musical havia acabado.
Foi extraordinário o fato de ele voltar a andar e até tocar piano três meses depois de fazer reabilitação.
Apesar da intervenção impressionante de Deus para preservar sua vida, Stanley não estava pronto para entregar sua vida a Jesus como Senhor e Salvador. Ele voltou a seguir os seus sonhos no mundo da música.
A necessidade de tomar analgésicos depois da cirurgia o deixou viciado em medicamentos. Cinco anos depois, ele estava tão desgostoso do rumo que sua vida tomara que finalmente resolveu se entregar totalmente a Jesus.
Stanley chegou ao fundo do poço, e desta vez estava pronto para se render. Clamou a Deus e entregou sua vida completamente a Jesus Cristo.
“Cheguei a um ponto que fiquei tão desesperado que pensei, ‘não posso mais continuar assim.’ Foi então que tudo mudou para mim no que diz respeito aos sonhos que eu perseguia, e decidi que precisava de Jesus. Demorou bastante tempo para eu chegar a este ponto,” disse Stanley a CBN.
Mais tarde, ele descobriu que o cirurgião que o operou encontrou a Deus como resultado daquela cirurgia. “Ele reconheceu que não era possÃvel ele ter feito aquela cirurgia sozinho.”
Hoje, Stanley usa seu talento para o reino de Deus. Ele toca e dá palestras para jovens em escolas do ensino médio.
“Não falo sobre a minha música,” diz Stanley. “Mas sim sobre o que Deus fez na minha vida, e pretendo fazer com que ele seja famoso em tudo o que faço e mostrar a sua glória.”
De http://blog.godreports.com/2014/12/gang-members-shot-him-eight-times-an-angel-helped-save-his-life. Pode ouvir Marcus Stanley contar a história no clipe no YouTube no final desta página.
How Christianity Makes Sense of Life
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/how-christianity-makes-sense-life/
A compilation
Audio length: 8:27
Download Audio (7.7MB)
Christianity is not just an attempt to make some sense of a small part of reality. Christianity is a worldview that offers the very meaning of life. It explains the greatest questions of humanity, and it deals with the most explored topics of our history: life after death, the origin of the universe, the existence and character of God, the universal conflict between good and evil. All this and more is addressed by the message that we call the Gospel.—Stuart McAllister
*
In the Christian worldview, more specifically, God doesn’t remain distant and removed from evil; God actually enters into our world of evil, suffering, and injustice in the person of Jesus Christ. He comes, standing in the place of God, befriending the marginalized, healing the sick, proclaiming hope for those who turn from their dead-end ways to follow him. Jesus dies naked on a cross, rises from the dead to prove his claims true, and promises to return to right all wrongs and to bring about a new creation in which there is no more injustice or evil.—Paul Copan
*
Your worldview, in a sense, is the lens through which you ultimately look at reality. That’s what I like about the Christian faith. It corresponds to reality. It coheres as a worldview; it’s logically consistent. I can test it out, and it brings relevance to your life in all of the most vital pursuits that you and I engage in. Don’t be afraid of the sciences. Don’t be afraid of philosophy. Don’t be afraid of studying world religions. All of these ought to be well understood and then meaningfully responded to.—Ravi Zacharias
*
A revolutionary education today would be a back-to-God education, and that’s reallyrevolutionary in this modern day and age! Back to God in creation. Back to real faith in religion, back to creation in science, back to a plan in history, beauty in art, harmony in music, laws in learning to read, right and wrong in behavior, and order in government and God in everything—the Creator of all things, the designer of everything, the planner—so that life again means something.
For God is the only one who can give a real meaning to living. Let’s get back to God in our education, in every subject in every field. I taught school for years, and I brought out God in everything, showing there was perfection in all things and that the perfect one had a hand in the creation of all, and there was a reason for everything.
Back to reasoning, back to a pattern for existence made by a divine designer who makes the plans according to rules, brings about order, and who gives meaning to the universe and purpose to the planets, love to our hearts and peace to our minds, health to our bodies and rest to our spirits, happiness to our lives and joy to our souls, and the wisdom to know that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,”1 and that mere knowledge is not enough, but how to use it is more important for the glory of God.
We must see God in everything to give it meaning, reason, purpose, plan, design, and a goal, and peace and order and a design for living given us by the great designer in His rules and laws, rights and wrongs and absolutes, without which there can be no peace and no order and no happiness.
Thank God for the absolutes and the rules of the Ruler, that we may know the difference between right and wrong and therefore find happiness through His love and His loving laws and reasonable rules. May God help you to “know Him, whom to know islife eternal.”2 And absolute!—D, Brandt Berg
*
An adequate worldview must answer more than how to maximize one’s earnings or one’s pleasure. It must make sense of the tough questions that haunt us in the still and darkness of the night, questions such as: “Why are we here?” “What’s next?” “How should we live?” and “What is required for salvation?” Many people today live lives not of reflection but of hyper-stimulation. They may never have taken the time to examine their worldview, and as they bounce from one activity to the next, they push away the nagging sense that something is missing. So it is that they may not realize, at least not for a very long time, that they are operating on a very “stripped down” view of the world, one that highlights pleasure and power, but ignores those things that endure. …
The best worldview to adopt is the one true one, the one that completely conforms to reality. Christianity doesn’t promise a perfect life in the here and now. Indeed, following Christ is guaranteed to bring trials and hardships … but if what you want is a worthy life now—a life well-lived—and the guarantee of being made perfect by the One who defines perfection, then the Christian worldview will be your ultimate destination.—Al Serrato
*
Watching athletes compete with all their heart always reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
The tasks which face us as Christians are of Olympic proportions. To build God’s kingdom today, we can’t afford to have folks “just along for the ride.” Each Christian must be fully equipped with a biblical worldview, knowledge of how Scripture applies to every area of life, courage, determination, resourcefulness and wisdom. I suspect that most Christians are not getting this kind of training. Is it possible that we Christian runners are falling by the wayside in the race of life?—Dr. Jeff Myers
Published on Anchor March 2015. Read by Debra Lee.
1 Proverbs 9:10.
2 John 17:3.
A compilation
Audio length: 8:27
Download Audio (7.7MB)
Christianity is not just an attempt to make some sense of a small part of reality. Christianity is a worldview that offers the very meaning of life. It explains the greatest questions of humanity, and it deals with the most explored topics of our history: life after death, the origin of the universe, the existence and character of God, the universal conflict between good and evil. All this and more is addressed by the message that we call the Gospel.—Stuart McAllister
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In the Christian worldview, more specifically, God doesn’t remain distant and removed from evil; God actually enters into our world of evil, suffering, and injustice in the person of Jesus Christ. He comes, standing in the place of God, befriending the marginalized, healing the sick, proclaiming hope for those who turn from their dead-end ways to follow him. Jesus dies naked on a cross, rises from the dead to prove his claims true, and promises to return to right all wrongs and to bring about a new creation in which there is no more injustice or evil.—Paul Copan
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Your worldview, in a sense, is the lens through which you ultimately look at reality. That’s what I like about the Christian faith. It corresponds to reality. It coheres as a worldview; it’s logically consistent. I can test it out, and it brings relevance to your life in all of the most vital pursuits that you and I engage in. Don’t be afraid of the sciences. Don’t be afraid of philosophy. Don’t be afraid of studying world religions. All of these ought to be well understood and then meaningfully responded to.—Ravi Zacharias
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A revolutionary education today would be a back-to-God education, and that’s reallyrevolutionary in this modern day and age! Back to God in creation. Back to real faith in religion, back to creation in science, back to a plan in history, beauty in art, harmony in music, laws in learning to read, right and wrong in behavior, and order in government and God in everything—the Creator of all things, the designer of everything, the planner—so that life again means something.
For God is the only one who can give a real meaning to living. Let’s get back to God in our education, in every subject in every field. I taught school for years, and I brought out God in everything, showing there was perfection in all things and that the perfect one had a hand in the creation of all, and there was a reason for everything.
Back to reasoning, back to a pattern for existence made by a divine designer who makes the plans according to rules, brings about order, and who gives meaning to the universe and purpose to the planets, love to our hearts and peace to our minds, health to our bodies and rest to our spirits, happiness to our lives and joy to our souls, and the wisdom to know that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,”1 and that mere knowledge is not enough, but how to use it is more important for the glory of God.
We must see God in everything to give it meaning, reason, purpose, plan, design, and a goal, and peace and order and a design for living given us by the great designer in His rules and laws, rights and wrongs and absolutes, without which there can be no peace and no order and no happiness.
Thank God for the absolutes and the rules of the Ruler, that we may know the difference between right and wrong and therefore find happiness through His love and His loving laws and reasonable rules. May God help you to “know Him, whom to know islife eternal.”2 And absolute!—D, Brandt Berg
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An adequate worldview must answer more than how to maximize one’s earnings or one’s pleasure. It must make sense of the tough questions that haunt us in the still and darkness of the night, questions such as: “Why are we here?” “What’s next?” “How should we live?” and “What is required for salvation?” Many people today live lives not of reflection but of hyper-stimulation. They may never have taken the time to examine their worldview, and as they bounce from one activity to the next, they push away the nagging sense that something is missing. So it is that they may not realize, at least not for a very long time, that they are operating on a very “stripped down” view of the world, one that highlights pleasure and power, but ignores those things that endure. …
The best worldview to adopt is the one true one, the one that completely conforms to reality. Christianity doesn’t promise a perfect life in the here and now. Indeed, following Christ is guaranteed to bring trials and hardships … but if what you want is a worthy life now—a life well-lived—and the guarantee of being made perfect by the One who defines perfection, then the Christian worldview will be your ultimate destination.—Al Serrato
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Watching athletes compete with all their heart always reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
The tasks which face us as Christians are of Olympic proportions. To build God’s kingdom today, we can’t afford to have folks “just along for the ride.” Each Christian must be fully equipped with a biblical worldview, knowledge of how Scripture applies to every area of life, courage, determination, resourcefulness and wisdom. I suspect that most Christians are not getting this kind of training. Is it possible that we Christian runners are falling by the wayside in the race of life?—Dr. Jeff Myers
Published on Anchor March 2015. Read by Debra Lee.
1 Proverbs 9:10.
2 John 17:3.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Job hunting? Don’t overlook nonprofits
By Anne Fisher, Fortune, March 19, 2015
Not-for-profits are adding new jobs at a higher rate than their corporate counterparts.
Now that the economy is getting back on track, charitable giving, which took a nosedive during the downturn, is on the rise again. That means the nearly 2 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., which already employ almost 11 million people, are ready to grow. Yet, partly because even some of the biggest nonprofits have skimpy or non-existent budgets for recruitment, they’re often invisible to job seekers.
That’s too bad, because about 50% of U.S. nonprofits plan to create new jobs in 2015, according to a new survey from research and consulting firm Nonprofit HR—markedly more than the 36% of for-profit companies that say the same.
Looking for job stability? Nonprofits beat their corporate counterparts hands-down, the study says. Consider: Only 7% plan to eliminate any positions this year. By contrast, 74% of for-profit employers plan at least some layoffs in 2015.
One downside of working at a nonprofit is that most can’t pay as well as businesses can. More than one in four (27%) nonprofits polled gave “inability to pay competitively” as their biggest problem in attracting and keeping talent.
“But not all nonprofits are alike. Some of the very large ones can match the compensation that business offers,” says Barbara Lehrer, president of a staffing and headhunting firm called the New York Beacon Group that sometimes recruits managers from for-profit companies to run nonprofits in New York City and its environs.
Besides, people change jobs for all kinds of reasons other than money, she notes, like “the chance to work for a cause they really believe in, but also the prestige, or a better title, and a chance to apply their skills on a broader scale.”
Sometimes people move to the nonprofit world because, as Brian Marcotte puts it, “I was at a point in my career where I wanted to do something different.”
Marcotte spent 21 years at Honeywell, where he was vice president of global compensation and benefits. Since last May, he’s been president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, a research and advocacy group made up of 415 employers, including 67 Fortune 100 companies. Among other things, NBGH members share knowledge and best practices on containing health care costs, which had been an interest of Marcotte’s in his corporate job.
Like most of the other organizations Nonprofit HR surveyed, NBGH is hiring, albeit on a modest scale. “We plan to add jobs as we grow,” Marcotte says. “We gained 28 new member companies last year, and five or six so far this year. So we have created a couple of new positions, which we’re trying to fill right now.”
Not-for-profits are adding new jobs at a higher rate than their corporate counterparts.
Now that the economy is getting back on track, charitable giving, which took a nosedive during the downturn, is on the rise again. That means the nearly 2 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., which already employ almost 11 million people, are ready to grow. Yet, partly because even some of the biggest nonprofits have skimpy or non-existent budgets for recruitment, they’re often invisible to job seekers.
That’s too bad, because about 50% of U.S. nonprofits plan to create new jobs in 2015, according to a new survey from research and consulting firm Nonprofit HR—markedly more than the 36% of for-profit companies that say the same.
Looking for job stability? Nonprofits beat their corporate counterparts hands-down, the study says. Consider: Only 7% plan to eliminate any positions this year. By contrast, 74% of for-profit employers plan at least some layoffs in 2015.
One downside of working at a nonprofit is that most can’t pay as well as businesses can. More than one in four (27%) nonprofits polled gave “inability to pay competitively” as their biggest problem in attracting and keeping talent.
“But not all nonprofits are alike. Some of the very large ones can match the compensation that business offers,” says Barbara Lehrer, president of a staffing and headhunting firm called the New York Beacon Group that sometimes recruits managers from for-profit companies to run nonprofits in New York City and its environs.
Besides, people change jobs for all kinds of reasons other than money, she notes, like “the chance to work for a cause they really believe in, but also the prestige, or a better title, and a chance to apply their skills on a broader scale.”
Sometimes people move to the nonprofit world because, as Brian Marcotte puts it, “I was at a point in my career where I wanted to do something different.”
Marcotte spent 21 years at Honeywell, where he was vice president of global compensation and benefits. Since last May, he’s been president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, a research and advocacy group made up of 415 employers, including 67 Fortune 100 companies. Among other things, NBGH members share knowledge and best practices on containing health care costs, which had been an interest of Marcotte’s in his corporate job.
Like most of the other organizations Nonprofit HR surveyed, NBGH is hiring, albeit on a modest scale. “We plan to add jobs as we grow,” Marcotte says. “We gained 28 new member companies last year, and five or six so far this year. So we have created a couple of new positions, which we’re trying to fill right now.”
Sunday, March 22, 2015
March 22 Streams In the Desert---L.B. Cowman: God's Timing
"And when 40 years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mt. Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush, saying, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, & I have heard their groaning, & am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt" (Acts 7:30,32,34).
That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; & at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. --Dr. Jowett
God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull.
The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, & day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, & without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair. Joseph's was a long trial, & God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. "He shall sit as a refiner & purifier of silver," but He knows how long, & like a true goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal. We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, "All things have worked together for good." Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a "need-be" for every lesson, & when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, & we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. God is educating us for the future, for higher service & nobler blessings; & if we have the qualities that fit us for a throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come. Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak to you & reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait. --Selected
"He never comes too late; He knoweth what is best;
Vex not thyself in vain; until He cometh--REST."
Do not run impetuously before the Lord; learn to wait His time: the minute-hand as well as the hour-hand must point the exact moment for action.
That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; & at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. --Dr. Jowett
God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull.
The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, & day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, & without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair. Joseph's was a long trial, & God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. "He shall sit as a refiner & purifier of silver," but He knows how long, & like a true goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal. We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, "All things have worked together for good." Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a "need-be" for every lesson, & when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, & we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. God is educating us for the future, for higher service & nobler blessings; & if we have the qualities that fit us for a throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come. Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak to you & reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait. --Selected
"He never comes too late; He knoweth what is best;
Vex not thyself in vain; until He cometh--REST."
Do not run impetuously before the Lord; learn to wait His time: the minute-hand as well as the hour-hand must point the exact moment for action.
