Click link below and try this quiz...

What's your theological worldview?

created with QuizFarm.com

From Army Renewal Blog (UK)

http://armyrenewal.blogspot.com/

150,000 People Will Die Today The counter to the side is ticking off the number of people who have died since you opened this webpage. The vast majority of those people are entering Hell. Christ commanded his followers to share the Gospel with those who are perishing... who have you shared with today? Click here for free Evangelism resources.

Daily Rations with a Smile for April 29, 2006

Food for Prayer - Education

The true cost of a college education
Graduates will have to work well into their thirties before they can reap the financial benefits of getting a degree, according to new research.
Observer UK news

Any thoughts?

 

From Macleans.ca

10 000 people are abducted every year.

With 10,000 people abducted yearly, UN launches anti-kidnapping manual

Antonio M. Costa

26 April 2006 - To protect the estimated 10,000 people kidnapped throughout the world every year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today launched a manual to help States handle the scourge, which often results in the death of victims.

Read more: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18259&Cr=kidnap&Cr1=

food for thought and prayer...

Fire destroys historic church in Nunavut

Last Updated Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:32:11 EDT

CBC News

One of the oldest buildings in the Nunavut town of Cambridge Bay was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning, leaving town residents in shock.

The town's 53-year-old historic Roman Catholic church was destroyed in a fire that officials suspect was caused by arson.

The interior of the building was completely gutted by the fire. (CBC)

"I just knew that this last remnant of Cambridge Bay's old town was going to disappear, said Vicki Aitaok, who witnessed the blaze.

The church was located in the old part of town, across the bay from modern Cambridge Bay, which is 2,200 kilometres north of Winnipeg on Victoria Island.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/28/church-060428.html

Addiction in Canada Stats - food for prayer

Although it may not be possible to determine the exact magnitude of changes in costs from 1992 to 2002, there is no doubt that costs have risen. A more telling comparison can be made in terms of the underlying estimates of death and illness linked to substance abuse:

. Alcohol was more of a problem in 2002 than it was in 1992. Increases in alcohol-attributed death and illness between 1992 and 2002 may be linked to changes in patterns of use, including increased consumption of five or more drinks on a single occasion.

. Tobacco was stable or falling. The reduction in smoking-attributed death and illness may result from improved tobacco control measures in the 1980s and '90s.

. Illegal drugs saw a substantial increase. Drug-attributed deaths, for example, more than doubled between 1992 and 2002, largely because of an increase in drug overdoses and the spread of hepatitis C, which was not measured in 1992.

http://www.ccsa.ca/NR/rdonlyres/A6B0BE86-F73F-4AE6-AF5E-E8908F8E769D/0/ccsanewrel20060426e.pdf

Parents sue US town over gay fairytale

Sydney Morning Herald
By Jason Szep in Boston
April 29, 2006

TWO families have filed a lawsuit against a Massachusetts town and its
public school system after a teacher read a gay-themed fairytale to children
without notifying them first.

Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/parents-sue-us-town-over-gay-fairyt
ale/2006/04/28/1146198345065.html

Reuters

(Q: Isn't a Christian launching a law suit at least as theologically
questionable as a non-Christian's 'gay' fairytale?)

Australian Catholics prepare for fight on gay adoption

Sydney Morning Herald
By Jonathan Pearlman and Linda Morris
April 29, 2006

A LAW banning gay and lesbian couples from adopting children will be
reviewed by an inquiry into NSW adoption legislation.

The Minister for Community Services, Reba Meagher, said individual
homosexuals could adopt under current laws but the review would consider
proposals to remove a ban on same-sex couples.

In the past five years similar bans have been overturned in Western
Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.

Read More:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/catholics-prepare-for-fight-on-gay-adopt
ion/2006/04/28/1146198353361.html

Notes - from Rev. JD's sermon

We influence our youth. We need to think carefully about this.

            The intent of today's message is to help all of us-youth and adults alike-to think about the major concerns that come to bear on our teens. Parents, in particular, have an opportunity to influence their children's lives. Sometimes we influence well, sometimes not. Take, for example, these parents who wrote absentee or release notes to the teachers of their children:

       My son is under the doctor's care and should not take P.E. Please   execute him.

       Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

       Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed.

Or perhaps the best one:

         Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was not his fault.

Click here to read more.

The Go - Spell of Mark

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Harper to sell out to Americans on Softwood

From Today's Globe and Mail

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was reported to be working the phones this
afternoon in an attempt to finalize the deal. Mr. Cannon said Mr. Harper
might even make a statement to the House later this afternoon.

NDP Leader Jack Layton called the proposed deal "a crime" while at least two
provinces and other Canadian business groups denounced it and threatened to
scuttle it.

Shares of Canadian lumber companies dropped today as analysts derided the
deal.

"The deal is awful, just awful. It basically marginalizes the Canadian
industry over the next seven years," Richard Kelertas, an analyst at
Desjardins Securities, said in an interview.

Child-care proposal gives least to poorest

Eliminating separate assistance program reduces Ottawa's payment to most needy

GLORIA GALLOWAY

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

OTTAWA - Low- and middle-income families will realize the smallest net benefit from the Harper government's $1,200-a-year child-care payment in part because the Conservatives are scrapping a separate assistance program.

The Conservative plan for meeting the country's child-care needs is to give families a direct payment of $100 a month, $1,200 annually, for every child under 6. The specifics of how that plan will be unveiled are expected to be in next Tuesday's budget.

But the young-child supplement of the Canada Child Tax Benefit, which currently pays $20.25 a month to parents who do not claim child-care expenses for their preschool-age children, will be eliminated at the same time. The benefit is due to increase in July to $249 annually.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060426.wxchildcare26/BNStory/National/home

E-rations with a smile for April 26, 2006

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	2 Samuel 1 and Psalm 140 and Matthew 13

Food for Prayer - Addictions

Addictions bleed nearly $40B a year from economy: study

Addictions to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs cost the Canadian economy $39.8 billion a year, according to survey results released Wednesday. FULL STORY

AIDS ASSISTANCE

From the United Church of Canada

By the end of 2005, 25 million people had died of AIDS, 40.3 million were living with HIV, and an estimated 14 million were orphaned. The depth of this tragedy presents and immense challenge to the international community. But we are not without choices. We can choose to mobilize the political will and necessary resources to address the fundamental issues that contribute to the spread of AIDS. Providing medicine and doctors is not enough. To stop the crisis, we must also tackle debt and poverty, lack of clean water, and poor housing. Until we transform the structures that contribute to the spread of AIDS, the crisis will continue.

Between May and August 2006, leaders and policy makers will have three chances to truly respond to the gravity of the AIDS pandemic. From May 31 to June 2 the United Nations will hold a Special Session on HIV/AIDS in New York, and from July 15 to 17, leaders of the world's most powerful countries, the G8, will meet in St. Petersburg. Then more than 15,000 people will gather in Toronto at the 16th International AIDS Conference from August 13-19.

Take Action

1. Pray that the God of Life stirs us to compassion and justice.
2. Learn by reading more about the link between debt/poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Download the article on debt and HIV/AIDS. [ PDF: 2 pp. / 75 KB ]
3. Act by circulating a bulletin insert in your Sunday order of worship with an invitation to write the prime minister and call for cancelling 100 percent of the debts owed by countries with high HIV rates. Download bulletin insert/sample letter. [ PDF: 2 pp. / 162 KB ]

Augustana opens centre for study of religion and public life

CAMROSE, AB-Augustana University officially opened the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life March 25. Member of Parliament, deputy NDP leader and United Church minister Bill Blaikie and Walter McLean, a former cabinet minister and Presbyterian minister, were on hand for the launch.

Centre director David Goa says the idea for the Ronning Centre was finally put on the table when Augustana became affiliated with the University of Alberta two years ago.

"Religion in public life is a huge issue in Canada-we must think of ways to talk about it," says Goa.

get the full story>

Poverty in Canada

Poverty in Canada

'The problem of poverty is not God’s fault; it's man's,' said Bloc Quebecois
MP Yves Lessard through a translator. 'The resources are here. The economy
is here. We just need to share what there already is.'

www.christianweek.org /
http://www.christianweek.org/stories/vol20/no02/record.htm

Persecution in Belarus

Churches Under Pressure from Belarusian Authorities

The chairman of the New Generation Church council in Baranovichi, Belarus is facing a fine for organizing an in-depth Bible study group within the registered church. When police raided the Bible study led by Gennady Akhrimovich early this year, they accused it of being an unauthorized religious gathering.  A court hearing on April 6 was postponed for two weeks to allow the prosecution to adequately prepare. Click HERE to read more.

Persecution

Apostasy trial wakes up the world

 

(Staff)  The case of Abdul Rahman sounded a wake-up call to the plight of Christian converts in Muslim countries. It is now being widely acknowledged, even in the secular press, that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today.

 

Click sub-title to read more.

Stats worth praying about

Statistics Canada indicates that ten percent of families with children are
stepfamilies, and about a third of them include children from different
unions. In the United States, it's estimated that stepfamilies may outnumber
biological families by the year 2010. - Reader’s Digest Canada,

28.6% of 15-17 year-old girls in Canada have reported illicit drug use. -
Michael Tjepkema,Statistics Canada Health Report

Comment by Canadians on the failure to honour our war dead

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060425/yoursay_afghanistan_060425/20060425/

From CP, further to 'Freedom of the Press' blog of today

Military brass, soldiers' families and MPs from the governing party are also indicating their displeasure with the new policy.

The family members of two soldiers killed in a military exercise by friendly fire four years ago slammed the government response to last weekend's deaths.

The father of the late Sgt. Marcel Leger said the public participation in his son's homecoming in 2002 was something he will cherish forever.

"It was a Canadian thing. It was something we wanted to show all Canadians - what the cost of their liberty is," Richard Leger told the CBC.

"It's still heartwarming to (remember) the people's faces. People were lined up on the 401, in 2002, all the way from Trenton to Toronto.

"They wanted to be there. They had to be there. I was told that often. . . and those are the things I carry with me all my life."

The grandmother of Pte. Richard Green, also killed by friendly fire in 2002, said she disagrees with a Conservative decision not to lower flags on Parliament Hill.

And at least two Tory MPs came out swinging against their own government.

Ontario MP Garth Turner said he's been "besieged" by angry phone calls from constituents about the caskets and the government's new flag policy.

He said callers panned the move as disrespectful to the fallen soldiers and to regular Canadians who feel they're being shut out of an event of national mourning.

"Right now (the calls are) probably running 30 to 1 (against the government)," Turner said.

"There's a great deal of concern, confusion and uncertainty about why the government has adopted the position that it has."

Eastern Ontario Tory MP Daryl Cramp, whose riding neighbours the Trenton military base where the soldiers will be returned, said media should have been allowed in for Tuesday's event.

Click HERE to read more from the star.

E-rations with a smile for April 25, 2006

 

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	1 Samuel 30-31 and 1 Chronicles 10 and Matthew 12

More Freedom of the Press...

Media banned from covering dead soldiers' return
CTV.ca News Staff

The media will be barred from an Ontario airfield Tuesday when the bodies of
four Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the weekend arrive home.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060425/flag_a
fghanistan__060425

I am obviously opposed to 'freedom of the press' when it infringes on a
society's right to security or when it interferes with someone's right to a
fair trial (by publishing the names of people who are allegedly presumed
innocent before they are convicted) or when it airs an individual's personal
'dirty laundry' for entertainment purposes. That being said, it is important
not to hide valuable information from the public or to strip a country of
its peoples' opportunity to mourn for the passage of its citizenry who die
in battle. This just seems mean.

Any thoughts? Am I wrong? click the comments bar in the header for this page
and let me know what you think...

Interesting...this would actually be a big shift

Vatican reconsiders condom ban

Last Updated Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:48:04 EDT

CBC News

The Roman Catholic Church might ease its longstanding opposition to the use of condoms to prevent AIDS, a senior church official says.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/04/24/Vatican-condoms.html

This could possibly be a big shift. The Vatican makes one of the strongest 'sanctity of life' arguments. As I understand it, the Vatican, in order to be consistent, ties birth control in with the sanctity of life along with other issues like capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia...

AIDS is the issue because that also interferes with the sanctity of life. It will be interesting to see how this plays out theologically. I wonder if they will be able to maintain consistency whichever decision they make.

any thoughts?

Daily Rations with a Smile

Should the medical system be allowed to discriminate?

YOU DRINK, SMOKE AND EAT TOO MUCH  Do you deserve the same medical care as everyone else? Some doctors say no. BONUS: read the response following the publication of this article. >> READ THE ARTICLE >> SEE THE FOLLOW-UP From Macleans.ca: Should the medical system be allowed to discriminate?

Pray For An End To Torture Now

From the Deccan Chronicle

You may not be familiar with the name Khaled el-Masri, but the Bush
administration sure knows who he is. Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese
descent, was arrested while visiting Macedonia in December 2003. A few weeks
later, he was handed over to a group of masked men dressed all in black — in
the so-called ninja outfits frequently worn by the rendition cowboys.

Masri’s clothes were cut off and he was drugged, put aboard a plane and
flown to Afghanistan, where he was held in a squalid basement cell for five
months. It turned out, as noted by Dana Priest of the Washington Post, who
was awarded a Pulitzer Prize last week for her reporting on the government’s
covert counter-terrorism programmes, that “the CIA had imprisoned the wrong
man.”

Priest wrote: “Masri was held for five months largely because the head of
the CIA’s counterterrorist centre’s Al Qaeda unit ‘believed he was someone
else,’ one former CIA official said. ‘She didn’t really know. She just had a
hunch’.” Someone had a hunch that Maher Arar was a terrorist, too. A
Canadian citizen who had been born in Syria, he was snatched by American
authorities at Kennedy Airport in New York on September 26, 2002, and
shipped off to a nightmare in Syria that lasted nearly a year. He was held
for most of that time in an underground, rat-infested cell about the size of
a grave.

No one, not even among the Americans and Syrians who tortured him, was ever
able to come up with any evidence linking Arar to terrorism.

Read More: http://www.deccan.com/Columnists/Columnists.asp?#America’
s%20crimes%20against%20humanity

Pray and act for an end to torture...

Anglican Communion: is it over?

April 2006
Second Episcopal diocese could spark Communion crisis
Jim Brown

A conservative Anglican leader says if one of the two openly homosexual priests who are candidates to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California is elected, the fallout could rival that of the controversy over the denomination’s 2003 ordination of homosexual Bishop Vicki Gene Robinson.

Read More: http://anglicanplanet.net/TAPIntern0604f.html

Given recent splitys over this issue between the English Speaking First World (excepting Australia) and the rest of the world, is the communion finish?

Any thoughts? Click the comment bar on the page header...

Quoting from the Bible is not Illegal in Canada

Baptist Press (USA)- In a victory for religious freedom, the Saskatchewan
Court of Appeal unanimously ruled April 13 that a Canadian man did not
violate the law when he purchased a newspaper ad that included Bible verses
condemning homosexuality. The decision overturned rulings by lower courts,
which had said the man, Hugh Owens, broke the law.

The advertisement at the centre of the controversy was printed in 1997 in
the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. It listed Bible verses from Romans, Leviticus
and 1 Corinthians on one side, an "=" sign in the middle and two stick men
holding hands on the other side. A circle with a slash across it covered the
stick figures.

Read More: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23078

'The Defender of the Faith' is 80

'The Defender of the Faith', Canada's head of State, is 80

Try this quiz about Canada's Monarch: http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/quiz/quiz.cgi?quiz=quiz-queen2006

"The 'Whatever' Generation":

Generation X & Millennials Fact Sheet

http://www.tniv.info/pdf/GenerationalFactSheet.pdf

Earth Day 'Extinction' warning from the Toronto Globe and Mail

'We might become extinct'

Coupled with global warming and modern forest management, the pine beetle's impact on natives and their culture could be catastrophic ...Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060422.wxbugs22/BNStory/Science/home

Cardinal Condones Condemned Condoms ....

Cardinal backs use of condoms for married couples, only if one has AIDS
Directly contradicts Vatican in interview
Apr. 22, 2006. 01:00 AM

STUART LAIDLAW
FAITH AND ETHICS REPORTER

A man once seen as a possible replacement for Pope John Paul II has broken
with the Vatican and publicly backed the use of condoms by married couples
to prevent the spread of AIDS.

Read more:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1145657412735&call_pageid=968332188492&col=9687939721
54&t=TS_Home

Any thoughts?

The Earth, Our Responsibility

"The problem of accelerated climate change exemplifies what has gone awry in the modern human project of dominating and managing nature for strictly human purposes of security and enrichment. In its causes and consequences it displays many of the worst injustices that prevail in relationships between rich and poor in the modern world. This threat to creation has brought the Christian community to new reflection on our faith. Through this reflection we Christians are reinterpreting our responsibility towards creation."

The World Council of Churches

Our Christian Responsibility

Earth Day In A Box All the information you need to organize your own event, get involved, and help combat climate change.

Only (April 22) until Earth Day Join Earth Day Network's Climate Change Campaign. Earth Day 2006 will launch a sustained, three-year campaign to educate consumers, corporations and governments worldwide on the urgent need to take concrete steps on climate change now - before it's too late. Our Goal For Earth Day '06 - 10,000 Climate Change Events Worldwide. More

Pastors at the Breaking Point

Rebekah Montgomery
from www.Crosswalk.com

Focus on the Family reports a whopping 1,500 pastors will leave their churches this month due to moral failure, burnout or contention within the congregation. Other reports say 80 percent of pastors and 84 percent of their spouses are discouraged or dealing with depression. A report on the state of the pastorate in America claims 80 percent of adult children of the pastors surveyed sought professional help for depression.

Is it impossible for a pastor to effectively serve his congregation, maintain a good marriage, and rear a healthy family today?  No... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

 

GULF COAST & FLORIDA HURRICANE RELIEF - FAST FACTS 4/18/06

The Salvation Army responded immediately following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, serving the immediate needs of survivors by providing shelter, food, water, ice, cleaning supplies, baby supplies, and hygiene products. Over One Million have been served in at least 30 states. The following information represents the Southern Territory’s fifteen states and the District of Columbia.

To date, The Salvation Army has spent $142 million on initial emergency response services. Of the $142 million spent so far, 68% has gone towards direct financial assistance to survivors. The remaining 32% of the total spent has gone towards meal services, cleaning and personal hygiene supplies for survivors, equipment, and transportation and lodging for Salvation Army disaster personnel.

ü      The Salvation Army has served 5,654,866 hot meals, 8,234,469 sandwiches, snacks & drinks.

ü      The Salvation Army has provided 178 Mobile Feeding Units (Canteens), 11 Field Kitchens, capable of producing 20,000 hot meals per day (each), (Incl. 8 Southern Baptist Kitchens.) in the many areas affected.

ü      The Salvation Army has distributed 178,813 Cleaning Kits. (Broom, bucket, mop & detergent) and 235,229 Food Boxes (groceries.)

ü      The Salvation Army has ministered through Pastoral Care to 274,575 individuals.

ü      The Salvation Army has registered and begun helping with 281,709 Social Services Cases.

ü      The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) has received over 61,000 inquiries and has found 25,5o8 survivors.

ü      Salvation Army officers, employees and volunteers have served a total of 886,017 hours.

ü      The Salvation Army has assisted a total of 1,666,605 individuals.

Data from Territorial Headquarters, Community Relations & Development Department, Atlanta, Georgia.

Set the captives free...

CTV.ca News Staff

Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled on Wednesday the Conservative
government's plan to move forward with justice reform

One measure will be to end the practice of conditional sentences, which
allow criminals to serve out their sentences at home.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060419/harper
_sentences_060419

--------------------------

If you impose conditions on people, they may wish to follow them. It keeps
them away from other criminals and helps to integrate them into society. It
is much less expensive and has a much lower rate of repeat offenders than
does traditional incarceration. Also, prison has long had the reputation for
being an easy place to get drugs - I know people who started drugs in
prison - and learn how to commit new crimes. Why does the new Conservative
government prefer that over the crime prevention programmes that they are
cutting?

Fees for Education is Discrimination in Favour of the Wealthy

Abolition of school fees receives boost at UN-backed meeting

6 April 2006 - Countries seeking a breakthrough in universal basic education by abolishing school fees will soon have a detailed blueprint based on the experience of African states that have already taken that step, thanks to a new United Nations-backed initiative.

"School fees are keeping children out of the classroom, and many of these are the most vulnerable children in our societies," UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Education Chief Cream Wright told high-level education officials currently meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click HERE to read more.

Capitalism, is it compatible with Christianity?

REUTERS Hurricane Katrina showed just how unjust the distribution of wealth in the United States and other wealthy countries can be.

SPIEGEL Interview with Economist Kenneth Rogoff: "Unbridled Capitalism Will Lead to Very Real Problems"
Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff discusses the dangers of unbridled capitalism, the greed of corporate CEOs and a fundamental problem with the United States economy. more...

Praise God...

The World's Children's Prize, decided by a jury of children who have been
exposed to child labour, war or poverty, went to Craig Kielburger of
Thornhill, Ont., north of Toronto. As a 12-year-old, Craig started Free The
Children, an organization that has since built 400 schools in 20 countries,
and helped provide clean water to more than 100,000 children.

Mr. Kielburger, now 22, said he hopes the prize will inspire children to
follow in his footsteps.

“It serves as an important symbol, that you don't have to wait until you are
an adult to work for positive change,” he said.

Read more from the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060418.wkielb0418/BNSto
ry/International/home

Praise God.

More DaVinci Code...

Faith&Friends Cracking the Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code is back. Three years after the novel's publication, Columbia Pictures is set to release a movie based on the runaway bestseller. The film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, will hit theaters this May. Of course it might not be accurate to say The Da Vinci Code is back because it never really went away. More...  See also our blog: Sunday, April 09, 2006: Korean churches urge ban on 'Da Vinci Code' film.

Careful, as the song says, Hypocrites 'aren't hip with it'

Harper changes tune on appointments
BILL CURRY

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is choosing which Conservative MPs
will become chairs of Commons committees, reversing a parliamentary reform
that he championed while leader of the Official Opposition.

Opposition members are concerned that the role of MPs will be significantly
weakened as a result, because the chairpersons' loyalties will be to the
Prime Minister rather than the MPs on the committees, who may at times wish
to publish reports critical of government policy.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060418.wxchairs18/BNSto
ry/National/

Be careful Mr. Harper; if you are changing your mind, first explain your
error in judgement so that you don't appear to be a hypocrite. Leaders are
held to greater accountability - particularly those who (used to) publicly
proclaim Christ. Just a warning - we're praying for you....

How has religion changed?

As people flock to celebrate Easter and considering the rise of the so-called super churches in Africa, how has faith changed?

A majority of Africans put religion above any other self-defining factor in a recent BBC survey. Millions belong to Pentecostal and Evangelical movements, the fastest-growing strand in the Christian faith.

These super churches emphasise faith through fever-pitch gatherings, spiritual rebirth and using the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives. They also use broadcasting, the internet and 24-hour telephone lines.

Click HERE to read more.

The fall of Babylon?

US marines admit to Babylon destruction

By Jonathan Charles BBC World affairs correspondent Babylon was home to one of the ancient world's Seven Wonders A senior US marine officer admits to the damage caused by his troops to the ancient Iraqi site of Babylon. US forces built a helicopter pad on the ancient ruins and filled their sandbags with archaeological material in the months following the 2003 invasion. The vibration from landings led the roof of one building to collapse. Colonel Coleman was chief of staff at Babylon when it was occupied by the First Marine Expeditionary Force. Babylon's Hanging Gardens were among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

BC Government Policies Creating Prosituted Persons on the DTES?

Debra Critchley of the Vernon Women’s Centre is shocked by the situation in her community. “We are seeing a growing number of women who have been denied welfare and are turning to survival sex as a way to make rent or put food on the table for their children.”

Susan Henry, with First United Church in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, says the number of people sleeping in the church continues to climb. “Many of the people who come through our doors have a hard time navigating the system and advocating for themselves, so even if they are actually eligible for welfare they end up turned away. Without the help of an advocate, they would have little chance of getting welfare. But even with help, the rules and timelines are so tight, sometimes there’s nothing I can do, or a file gets closed before I can intervene.”

Click to read Whole Report or just Press Release

Food for prayer...

Grace and Works

“Grace and free will are not easily harmonised, and this has led some Christians so to emphasise the grace and sovereignty of God as to teach a doctrine of predestination that disallows free will. Such a doctrine implies that God alone determines who will be saved without the need for any co-operative response from us. Free will, in this case, is undermined. On the other hand, it is possible to forget that our God-given free will is itself flawed by sin. It cannot operate in true freedom without the grace of God.” - Salvation Story

Canada, EU, and US gave up influence, now...

Iran promises $50 million for Palestinians
Last Updated Sun, 16 Apr 2006 13:25:32 EDT
CBC News

Iran has decided to give the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority $50 million US, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/04/16/iran-palestinian.html

When the west gave up its influence towards the ending the violent occupation-resistance struggle in the near east, Iran stepped in to fill the void by supporting the democratically-elected PA. What did we think would happen? Why didn't we listen to the World Council of Churches? (see blog: WCC asks EU to give new PA more time 12. April 06 or statement  by WCC)

Ken Dryden for PM?

Ken Dryden for PM - What do think?

No one can say he's not Canadien...

Pope Celebrates Resurrection...

 

Pope Benedict celebrates Easter Mass

Associated Press

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first Easter Sunday as pontiff, praying for peace Iraq, negotiated solutions to the world's nuclear disputes and dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.

Looking tired, Benedict led nearly 100,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans in Mass in St. Peter's Square. His 79th birthday coincided with Easter, when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060415.wpope15/BNStory/International/home

Canada's role in Afghanistan -Toronto Star

There were some bright spots in an otherwise dismal debate on our role in
Afghanistan.

Former NDP leader Alexa McDonough and rookie Toronto New Democrat Peggy Nash
drew the important distinction between troops that provide security for
development and troops that aggressively seek out insurgents. Blurring these
distinctions, as Canada is doing, McDonough said, doesn't work. It's hard to
win the trust of villagers after you've killed all of their relatives.

www.thestar.com

Important distinction for Christians to draw, I think....

Easter Message from the General

A Christ-centred, Calvary-conscious Army General Shaw Clifton's Easter message

He Has Risen!

 

He has risen indeed!

Churches prepare to celebrate Easter

12. April 06

"Christ is risen. He is risen indeed." The joy of Easter is an expression of the yearning and hope that the chains of sin and death will be broken for all human beings and all creation, an affirmation that the transformative...

[more]

WCC asks EU to give new PA more time

12. April 06

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is urging the European Union to exercise "respect for the democratic mandate given by [the recent Palestinian] elections and time for the new government to find its feet and demonstrate...

[more]

Church Leaders Call for Action on Homelessness

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Harper, the leaders of four Canadian churches have called on the government to release funds designated for affordable housing. [ More ] [ en français ]

CSI Resurrection (Salvationarmy.ca)

CSI: Resurrection You've heard it said: crime doesn't pay. Unless of course you're talking about CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the top-rated TV show that follows the exploits of detectives at the Las Vegas police bureau, the second busiest crime lab in America. With obsessive dedication to the facts, More...

Resurrection Sunday

Through His resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death, and opened the way
for us to have a relationship with God. He told the doubting disciple
Thomas: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me” (John 14:6). Only Jesus can offer us complete
forgiveness, joy and peace. The Bible promises that those who believe in
Christ will also be resurrected to spend eternity with God (1 Corinthians
6:14). The resurrection is our ultimate reason for hope. This Easter,
celebrate the resurrected Christ. The evidence is too hard to ignore.

from salvationarmy.ca

Calvary

April 2006  Andrea Mantegna's 15th century masterpiece, Calvary. Christians around the world will together hold up the Cross this month during Holy Week. To help with your thinking and praying during this season, we've asked Ron Ferris, Bishop of Algoma, to offer some reflections on our Lord's Passion.

Tories will not give advances to elderly former students

Church protests dropping of fast-track payments
ANGLICAN JOURNAL
STAFF

April 12, 2006 - Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has "strongly" urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to reconsider the his Conservative government's decision not to give advance payments to elderly former students of residential schools before a revised agreement is finalized.

"The Anglican Church of Canada is deeply disappointed at this failure to meet the needs of the elderly former students of residential schools," said Archbishop Hutchison in a letter to Mr. Harper hours after Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice made the announcement on behalf of the federal government on April 11. "We expected a more humane response to the needs of former students, some of whom are faithful members of the Anglican church."

read more:http://anglicanjournal.com//extra/news.html?newsItem=2006-04-12_a.news

Good Friday in Rome

OFFICE FOR THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF  

WAY OF THE CROSS
AT THE COLOSSEUM

LED BY THE HOLY FATHER

POPE BENEDICT XVI

Click the picture... 

GOOD FRIDAY 2006

 

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS

COMPOSED BY

Archbishop ANGELO COMASTRI

Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City
President of the Fabric of Saint Peter's

Food for Prayer...

MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 7:02 p.m. ET April 14, 2006

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld allowed an “abusive
and degrading” interrogation of an al-Qaida detainee in 2002, an online
magazine reported Friday, citing an Army document.

The report, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, comes amid a
spate of calls by retired U.S. generals for the Pentagon chief to resign.

Rumsfeld spoke regularly to U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, a key
player in the treatment of detainees in Iraq and Guantanamo, during the
interrogation of Mohammed al-Kahtani, who is suspected to have been an
intended Sept. 11 hijacker, Salon quoted the inspector general’s report as
saying.

Kahtani, a Saudi national, suffered “degrading and abusive” treatment by
soldiers who were following the interrogation plan Rumsfeld had approved,
Salon reported, quoting the 391-page report.

Over 54 days in late 2002, soldiers accused him of being a homosexual, and
forced him to stand naked in front of a female interrogator, to wear women’s
underwear and to perform “dog tricks” on a leash, Salon reported.

Kahtani was forced to undergo 18- to 20-hour interrogations during 48 of the
54 days, the magazine said.

Salon cites Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, an Army investigator, as saying in
a sworn statement to the inspector general that “The secretary of defence is
personally involved in the interrogation of one person.” Rumsfeld had weekly
contact with Miller, according to Salon.

Schmidt is quoted under oath as saying he concluded that Rumsfeld did not
specifically order the interrogation methods used on Kahtani, but that
Rumsfeld’s approval of broad policies permitted abuses to take place.

Rumsfeld had approved 16 harsher interrogation tactics for use against
Kahtani on Dec. 2, 2002, Salon reported. Strategies included the use of
forced nudity and removing religious items.

Read More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12319090/

Isn't it ironic that this information would be released on the day that we
remember the torture our Lord suffered for us. This was also authorized by
the Superpower of the day....

Good Friday in Manila

At least seven Christian devotees in the Philippines were nailed to crosses
during Good Friday re-enactments as a tribute to the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ.

Although Filipino religious leaders denounce the Lenten ritual, the public
re-enactment is one of the most highly-anticipated events in the village of
San Pedro Cutud, located about 70 kilometres north of Manila.

The Roman Catholic volunteers had their palms and feet attached to the
crosses with 10-centimetre nails doused in alcohol.

Seven devotees were among the initial batch of men to partake in the event
but more were expected to do so Friday night.

Ruben Enaje, 45, was nailed in the ritual for the 20th time. The commercial
sign maker said he participated in the event to thank God for helping him
survive a fall off of a building.

However Monsignor Pedro Quitorio said. "If you have Christ in you, that's
enough blessing. You don't need to duplicate what he did on the cross."

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060414/filipi
no_devotees_ap_060414

Good Friday in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, thousands of pilgrims filled the Via Dolorosa -- the path
believed to be where Jesus carried his cross to his death.

Fourteen stations were set up along the path with each location marking a
different event from the day of Christ's death.

Worshippers from all around the world gathered to pray and sing at each of
the stations.

Israeli Arab Christians were notably one of the largest groups in the
procession.

The pilgrims eventually made their way through the narrow streets to the
location of Christ's crucifixion, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Inside the church, pilgrims attended a special mass and kissed the gravesite
believed to be where Christ was buried.

One group from California re-enacted the final walk in costume with one man
portraying Christ. The man appeared blood-soaked, wearing a crown of thorns
and carrying a large wooden cross to the Holy Sepulcher.

Since portraying Christ is a blasphemous act in the eyes of the church the
man had to remain outside.

From CTV.ca:
http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060414/filipi
no_devotees_ap_060414

Good Friday

Definition and etymology of Good Friday from the Catholic Encyclopaedia. Good Friday, called Feria VI in Parasceve in the Roman Missal, he hagia kai megale paraskeue (the Holy and Great Friday) in the Greek Liturgy, Holy Friday in Romance Languages, Charfreitag (Sorrowful Friday) in German, is the English designation of Friday in Holy Week -- that is, the Friday on which the Church keeps the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Parasceve, the Latin equivalent of paraskeue, preparation (i.e. the preparation that was made on the sixth day for the Sabbath; see Mark 15:42), came by metonymy to signify the day on which the preparation was made; but while the Greeks retained this use of the word as applied to every Friday, the Latins confined its application to one Friday. Irenaeus and Tertullian speak of Good Friday as the day of the Pasch; but later writers distinguish between the Pascha staurosimon (the passage to death), and the Pascha anastasimon (the passage to life, i.e. the Resurrection). At present the word Pasch is used exclusively in the latter sense. The two Paschs are the oldest feasts in the calendar.

From the earliest times the Christians kept every Friday as a feast day; and the obvious reasons for those usages explain why Easter is the Sunday par excellence, and why the Friday which marks the anniversary of Christ's death came to be called the Great or the Holy or the Good Friday. The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.

Any thoughts?

"...if I were to declare that man was so free to act that there was no control of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to atheism; and if, on the other hand, I should declare that God so over-rules all things that man is not free enough to be responsible, I should be driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is foreordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other" - Charles Spurgeon

We reject our God-given responsibilities at our own peril

Ottawa plans cuts to green programs: documents
CTV.ca News Staff

The new Conservative government will be making deep spending cuts to programs designed to fight global warming in order to fund tax cuts, according to cabinet documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The documents show that the government will slash spending on Environment Canada programs designed to fight global warming by 80 per cent, as well as cuts of 40 per cent to budgets devoted to climate change.

The text reveals that the Tory campaign promise of tax breaks for transit passes would amount to a cost of $2 billion over the span of five years.

However, the government has no evidence the incentives will increase ridership.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060413/environment_cuts_060413

 

From christianweek.ca

Olympian's faith keeps her steady

WINNIPEG, MB-Canada's most recent Olympic hero speed skater, Cindy Klassen, is beginning to deal with the aftermath of becoming the nation's most decorated Olympian.

"I don't think she's felt the sense of how big this really is," says George Sourlis of Landmark Sport Group, which represents her, adding demands for appearances and interviews have been "unbelievable. She's very well-spoken-big smile-and I think she'll be able to handle it."

And in the midst of all the extra attention, media interviews and appearance requests following her five-medal performance in Turin, there is one thing that has quietly accompanied Klassen's contagious smile and down-to-earth personality: her faith in God. Read More>

From salvationarmy.ca

NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) Families and individuals can lose their housing for any number of reasons: fleeing abuse, losing a job, or having an income too low to stay in suitable housing. Some are at risk because of mental illness, substance abuse problems or lack the life skills and ability to live on their own. More...

Dosanij and Black are right. O'Connor is wrong...

"What are the goals and objectives of the mission and how do they meet our
foreign-policy objectives? What is the mandate, what is the defined concept
of operations, what is the effective command and control structure, what are
the rules of engagement?" Mr. Layton asked, quoting Mr. O'Connor.

Mr. Dosanjh followed by outlining the former Liberal government's rationale
for authorizing the deployment last year. "Traditional peacekeeping in the
post-Cold War, post-9/11 world has changed to include humanitarian, security
and reconstruction dimensions," he said. "Reconstruction is not possible
without security."

Yes.

"We're concerned about whether this mission can be successful," NDP defence
critic Dawn Black said. "The U.S. has spent four years fighting a
counterinsurgency in southern Afghanistan and the situation has only grown
worse."

Yes.

"On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked North America and Canadians were
killed. Let me be clear: when terrorists attack Canadians, Canada will
defend itself. That's why we're in Afghanistan," "Must we wait for
terrorists to appear in Vancouver, Montreal or here in Ottawa before we
recognize the very real threat that they present to our security?"

No. No one attacked Canada but they will if we provoke them. We are
peacekeepers not war-mongers....

Continue to pray for peace...

Afghanistan: Toward counter-insurgency by other means

Ploughshares
Ernie Regehr
January 2006

Election campaign attention to Canada's growing military commitment to Afghanistan did not get beyond the briefest controversy over whether Canada was abandoning its peacekeeping tradition in favour of war-fighting. That's a pity because a variation on that question will still need to be answered by the new Government: Is Canada going to Afghanistan to help protect vulnerable people and create security conditions conducive to humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, or are we entering the fight on one side of a civil war?

Read more: http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/Briefings/brf061.pdf

Related: PM Harper visited Afghanistan today. See also our blog of Friday, February 24, 2006: 'Problem'. for My own opinion..

Pray for peace in Afghanistan

Rocket kills 6 at Afghan school
Last Updated Tue, 11 Apr 2006 05:37:14 EDT
CBC News

Six children were killed on Tuesday in a rocket blast at a school in eastern
Afghanistan.

Students were outside studying in the overcrowded Salabagh School in
Asadabad when a rocket landed in the yard. There are not enough buildings at
the school for all the students to study indoors.

Shrapnel from the rocket blast killed six children, and wounded at least
another 14, including a teacher and the school custodian, police said.

Parents rushed to the school when they heard the explosion.

The school is close to a military base used by the U.S.-led coalition....

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/04/11/afghanistan-school-rocket.
html

If you poke an animal with a stick, it will get mad...

Iran has joined 'club of nuclear countries': Ahmadinejad
Last Updated Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:48:02 EDT
CBC News

Iran has enriched uranium for the first time, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
said Tuesday about the critical step in developing a nuclear program.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/04/11/iran-nuclear060411.html

The US has been provoking Iran for years. It set the showed them in Iraq
that once a country is totally disarmed and defenceless, the USA is liable
to invade it. Now we have another nuclear power. What did we expect? If you
poke an animal with a stick, it will eventually strike back at you...

Pray for peace. Pray that all world leaders will submit to God...

The Anti-Poverty, Liberation Movement Continues in Latin America

Populist leader heads for victory in first round of Peru election

Last Updated Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:46:15 EDT

CBC News

Humala is a 43-year-old retired army officer, who has soared to power in his first major election on a groundswell of popular support.

He is seen as a latter-day Robin Hood who has won the support of the country's aboriginals, the unemployed and the poor with his promises to end corruption and give more money to the needy.

They see him as a populist leader along the lines of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, the leader who has built a loyal following among his nation's lower classes...

Humala has pledged to redistribute the wealth of foreign mining companies among the Peruvian poor, favour domestic business, raise taxes on foreign companies, raise spending on the poor and strip power from a political class that is widely viewed as corrupt.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/04/10/peru-060410.html

Food for Prayer: Unemployment in W. Africa

Youth unemployment a 'ticking bomb' for security in West Africa: UN study

SRSG Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

7 April 2006 - Increasing levels of youth unemployment in impoverished West Africa, where almost three quarters of the population is under 30, poses a serious threat to the security and stability of the whole region, the United Nations Special Representative for the area warned today, highlighting the findings of a UN study looking at ways to diffuse this "ticking bomb."

"The future of the entire region is threatened by the growing numbers of youth who lack prospects of ever being able to work for a reasonable living. Until this situation changes, the likelihood of having genuine peace, security and development in West Africa will remain small," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.

Read More: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18095&Cr=west&Cr1=africa

Food for Prayer: Pray for Kenya

UN agency calls for strong action following recent surge in rapes in Kenya

7 April 2006 - The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is urging the Kenyan Government to take strong measures following a recent spike in rape incidents that has seen young girls to elderly women being brutally assaulted.

Whole article: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18092&Cr=Kenya&Cr1=

With all due respect, fire O'Connor.

Afghan mission 'in our national interest'
Apr. 10, 2006. 08:59 PM
CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — Fighting terrorists in Afghanistan is better than waiting until
they show up in Canada, Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor told the Commons on
Monday.

“Canada is in Afghanistan because it is in our national interest,” he said.
“Our security begins very far from our borders.”

Another not so bright comment from a seemingly not so bright O'Connor.

Mr. O'Connor, we are in Afghanistan to save lives and keep the peace - or at
least we should be; the majority of Canadians would support this but you
seem to tell us again and again that we are really there to attack and kill
people and now to prevent the second poorest country in the world from
invading us. This is not right. This is not good. Mr. Harper, show some
integrity: Fire Gordon O'Connor and David Emerson too while you are at it.

This is Canada. We don't traditionally like provoking wars...

Korean churches urge ban on 'Da Vinci Code' film

A South Korean Christian group has filed for a court injunction to stop the movie version of The Da Vinci Code, saying it defiles the sanctity of Jesus Christ and distorts facts.

CBC Arts

The novel 'The Da Vinci Code' has already sparked controversy in Korea, a church group says. (AP photo/Anchor Press)

"The Da Vinci Code is a movie which belittles and tries to destroy Christianity," said the Rev. Hong Jae-chul of the Christian Council of Korea, an umbrella group of more than 60 Korean Protestant denominations.

read more: http://news.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/Entertainment/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CBC-ARTS-V2&newsitemid=korea-davinci&showbyline=True

Should we ever stand up to aggression?

Should a Christian ever support military intervension to overthrow a miliatry aggressive regime?

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/US_Interventions_WBlumZ.html

When is enough, enough? Ever? Was Chamberlain right? Do you continue to pursue a policy of appeasement in the face of military aggression? Do you just realize that there are other means of resisting aggressive nations besides the military. Does a war need to be winnable to fight? Do we need to encourage people to establish or financially support a Christian movement for peace in war-making nations? Is praying and teaching enough? Is there anything else we should do?

Should a Christian ever support military intervension to overthrow a miliatry aggressive regime?