 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
| Handle with prayer! |
|
ANiC news
ANiC and ACNA events calendar
October 9 – Formal investiture of Archbishop Foley Beach as Primate of ACNA in Atlanta, GA
October 18 – Deacon Aretta Hagle will be ordained a priest at Living Hope (Scarborough, ON)
October 19, 3pm – Good Shepherd (Vancouver) 125th anniversary thanksgiving service & banquet
October 19, 4pm – Bob Bailey will be ordained a deacon at Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC)
October 25-26 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in Manitoba (See website for details)
October 25, 9am-2pm – ANiC Regional Women’s Day, 467 Speers Rd, Oakville, ON
November 2 – Church of Our Lord celebrates its 140th anniversary
November 4 – Pre-synod equipping workshops, Ottawa, ON
November 5-7 – ANiC Synod 2014 in Ottawa, ON
November 9 – International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (See resources here.)
November 16 – Grady Buhler will be ordained a deacon at St Timothy’s (North Vancouver, BC)
November 21-23 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in Victoria, BC (See website for details)
November 28-30 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in Montreal, QC (See website for details)
December 12-14 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in New England (See website for details)
January 22-25 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in Greater Toronto (See website for details)
February 5-8 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in Ottawa/Pembroke (See website for details)
February 13-15 – Bishop Charlie holds meetings in St John’s, NL (See website for details)
February 24-25 – Southern Ontario clergy event at Faith Mission (Milton) – Information to come
May 14 – March for Life 2015 in Ottawa
News on Synod 2014 & pre-Synod workshops (November 4-7 in Ottawa)
A draft agenda for Synod 2014 is now posted to the ANiC website. Almost 200 are now registered – with most people also registering for the pre-synod workshops! If you plan to come but haven’t yet registered there is a deadline; registration closes October 21 – only a few weeks away. For full information see our synod web page.
Bishop Charlie begins regional meetings across ANiC
Bishop Charlie held meetings in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Calgary and Edmonton in September as he began his “tour” across ANiC sharing his passion for the five priorities that will mark our ministry focus during his term of office. On the ANiC website, you can read more about these priorities. Also check Bishop Charlie’s itinerary to see when he will be in your area and plan now to participate in one of these meetings.
A highlight of his time in Vancouver was the evangelistic children’s meeting which was ably organized by Jeremy Graham, St John’s Vancouver’s director of children and family ministries. There were fun family activities and great music. Bishop Charlie talked about the account of the paralytic let through the roof of the house to be healed by Jesus, briefly told how he came to Jesus, and invited anyone who hadn’t yet decided to follow Jesus to do so. You can see photos from this children’s meeting both on the ANiC Facebook page and on our website. There are also photos of the Vancouver public meeting focused on Bishop Charlie’s five priorities, as well as of the September 22 Patronal Festival at Saint Matthew’s Abbotsford, BC.
St Aidan’s begins fundraising to meet pressing legal obligations
Like many ANiC congregations, St Aidan’s carefully and prayerfully considered its decision to seek justice in the courts. The congregation was believed to have a particularly strong case as they held a letter from the Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of Huron from 2001 which clearly stated that the congregation owned the property.
However, as a result of surprising court decisions, which revolved around the meaning of the term “parish”, ANiC’s St Aidan’s Community Church not only lost their long-time property to the Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of Huron, they also are required to pay a portion of the Diocese of Huron's legal costs, amounting to approximately $142,000. This, together with their own legal costs, means the people of St Aidan’s now have to raise $371,000. The Diocese of Huron is relentless in its demand for immediate payment.
Please pray for God’s provision. And, if God is leading you to be part of that provision please send your cheque made out to “St Aidan’s Community Church”, with “Legal defence fund” on the memo line, to: St Aidan’s Community Church
3033 Rivard Avenue
Windsor, ON N8T 2J1
Pledges of monthly donations or significant lump sum two-year loans would also be most appreciated. Contact the rector Canon Tom Carman, or the wardens Alan Purves or Cathy Knight, via the church by email or by phoning (519) 962-5931. Thank you!
Bishops’ itineraries are now online
You’ll find itineraries posted online for Bishops Charlie Masters, Trevor Walters & Stephen Leung.
Vicar of Baghdad postpones visit to St George’s Burlington until December 7
Canon Andrew White, who is known as the Vicar of Baghdad and is one of the more high-profile Anglicans in the world today, had been scheduled to baptize his grandson and speak at St George’s (Burlington, ON) on September 7. Due to illness – he was diagnosed with Hepatitis B – he had to postpone at the last minute. The tentative new date for this event is December 7. If you are in the Burlington/Toronto area, you’ll want to mark your calendar now!
Since being treated for Hepatitis, Canon White visited the US, meeting with government officials and served as guest chaplain to the US Senate where he gave the invocation. He was recently presented with the Anne Frank Award for Religious Tolerance by the Government of Holland in recognition of his role in peace-making in the Middle East at great personal risk.
Calling all Southern Ontario clergy
The 2015 southern Ontario clergy event is planned for February 24-25 at Faith Mission (near Milton, ON). The guest speaker will be the Rev Keith Ganzer. Book your calendars now and watch for more information!
Southern Ontario women’s day set for October 25
An ANiC women event is planned for Saturday, October 25, from 9am-2pm at Mo's Restaurant, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, ON. The cost is $25. Register by calling St Hilda’s at 905-827-3711. See St Hilda’s website for more information.
ANiC group forming in Burnaby
A new ANiC group has begun in Burnaby, BC meeting in a home every second Saturday. The small group now is led by the Rev Ka Hyun MacKenzie Shin. If you know of anyone in the Burnaby area wishing to align with a forming ANiC congregation, suggest they email Ka Hyun+ or Jan Chapman.
“Thanks!” from ARDFC
Thanks to generous donors, ARDFC has been able to send $20,000 to Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis to help the local Anglican ministries meet the desperate needs of Iraqi refugees
Great progress is being made on constructing the pediatric ward that ARDFC is funding in Yei, South Sudan. The hope is that the ward will be operationally ready sometime in October. See photos here. However, the construction is progressing faster than we have been able to raise the funds. Will you help us meet our commitment? We need to raise $13,000 as soon as possible. You can donate through your church or online. See the ARDFC website for information. Thanks!
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church – Sunday, November 9
Let’s join with over half a million churches in 150 countries in praying for Christian believers who are suffering, even dying, for their faith. Resources for churches are here.
Pressing needs of Cuba church partners met. PTL!
The Rev Barclay Mayo who is coordinating the partnership between Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) plants in Cuba and ANiC congregations reports that all the pressing needs which were identified earlier this year by Bishops Charles Dorrington (of the REC) and ANiC’s Trevor Walters have now been met. We are grateful for the faithful generosity of the congregations who have partnered with the Cuban parishes. Watch for more needs to be posted to the
For more information on this partnership, see the ANiC website. More pressing needs in the Cuban churches will be posted online soon.
Deacon passes to glory
Deacon Harold Ernest Dolman, who served at St Aidan’s (Windsor, ON), has died – just ten days short of his 86th birthday. Harold+ was a devoted layman in St Aidan’s and then served faithfully as a deacon from the time of his ordination in December 1996. His chief area of service was in visiting the sick – a ministry he continued despite failing health until about a year and a half ago. He continued his liturgical duties until July of this year. Harold+ was a wonderful man of God and a dedicated servant of Christ and His Church.
Jobs in Toronto
Part-time child care worker – Christ The King (Toronto, ON) is looking for someone to provide meaningful childcare for children ages 0-6 years during the Sunday 4pm service and potentially at other times as well. For information and to apply, see the church website.
Mandarin-speaking evangelist – Christ the Redeemer(Toronto, ON)is looking for a full-time evangelist who is: fluent in English and Mandarin, theologically educated, familiar with Anglicanism, and experienced in international student ministry in a university setting. This one-year renewable contract position is responsible for ministering among Chinese scholars at the University of Toronto. If interested, please email a cover letter and resume by October 26. For more information email the Rev Marion Karasiuk.
Spotlight on ANiC people and congregations
The Rev Simon Neill (Immanuel Vancouver) is featured in a Missions Fest Vancouver promotional video. You’ll first see Simon+ about 27 seconds into the video.
The Redeemer City to City website features a great four-minute video about St Peter’s Fireside (Vancouver, BC).
The Rev Marion Karasiuk of Christ the Redeemer (Toronto, ON) will be part of a panel on Community and International Student Mission at a conference of the Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries on Saturday, October 25. The conference is 8:30am - 2:30pm at Bayview Glen Church, 300 Steeles Ave. East, Thornhill, ON.
Parish and regional news
Good Shepherd (St Catharine’s, ON) – Please uphold rector, the Rev Jim Carriere who is in hospital recovering from a heart attack on October 3.
Toronto area ministry – The Rev Aaron Eime from Christ Church Jerusalem will speak at two ANiC churches in the Toronto area on Sunday, October 12. More information is here.
| • |
10:30am @ Christ the Redeemer, 455 Spadina at College, Toronto entrance off College, immediately to the right of doors to Tim Horton's, downstairs). |
| • |
3pm @ Bethel South Asian (Brampton), 10245 Kennedy Road North, Brampton. |
Church of Our Lord (Victoria, BC) celebrates its 140th anniversary on November 2.
The Open Gate ( Victoria, BC) – The Rev Andrew Hewlett was inducted as rector on September 7.
Abbotsford, BC ministry – On October 24-26, the Rev Aaron Eime has a series of sessions at Saint Matthew’s(Abbotsford, BC). See more here.
Church of All Nations, Japanese (Vancouver, BC), in conjunction with their New Eden Garden Ministry, held a Harvest Celebration and baptism on October 4.
Got parish news? Let the rest of us know about it! Email Marilyn.
Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) news
Watch the investiture of Archbishop Foley Beach in “real” time
The service of investiture on October 9 (Thursday) beginning at 7pm EDT will be provided live online by AnglicanTV via livestreaming here. David Virtue tells us that among the participants will be eight current and two retired archbishops of the Anglican Communion, representing more than 50 million Anglicans, the vast majority of the global Communion.
Archbishop Wabukala, GAFCon chairman, to assist in ACNA investiture
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of the Church of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCon, will assist in the investiture, October 9, of ACNA’s new Primate, Archbishop Foley Beach. For more information on the service of investiture, see the ACNA website.
Canterbury sees ACNA as an ecumenical partner; Communion majority disagree
In a recorded interview with the Church of Ireland Gazette, Archbishop Justin Welby “…stated he saw the Anglican Church in North America as an ecumenical partner, not a member church of the Anglican Communion.” He also seems to write off the other four instruments of unity and elevate his office as the arbiter of Anglicanism. For more commentary on Archbishop Welby’s comments, see Anglican Ink and Anglican Samizdat.
The Principal of Moore College in Australia, the Rev Dr Mark Thompson, writing on the Sydney Anglicans blog, notes that Archbishop Welby’s statement “…is a gigantic slap in the face to the Primates who represent the vast bulk of practicing Anglicans around the world and who, meeting in London in April 2009, recognised the Anglican Church in North America ‘as genuinely Anglican’ and called on all Anglican Provinces to ‘affirm full communion with the ACNA’…The Archbishop of Canterbury’s insistence on communion with his office as a—if not the—defining characteristic of Anglicanism ought to come as no surprise. It is an institutional and process-driven answer to the question of Anglican identity from one who has shown himself to be more comfortable thinking in those categories than in theological ones… he knows that institutional inclusiveness is a more achievable goal than theological agreement and a common commitment to biblical patterns of discipleship... We must deny categorically and in the strongest possible terms that communion with the see of Canterbury is the determining factor when it comes to Anglican identity. It is not and never can be… Anglican identity is fundamentally a matter of certain theological commitments…”
On the heels of Archbishop Welby’s interview, the Diocese of NW Australia, meeting in synod, passed a motion: “That this synod welcomes the impending investiture of the Most Reverend Dr Foley Beach, the Archbishop of The Anglican Church in North America; recognizes the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) as a member church of the Anglican Communion, in full communion with Diocese of North West Australia; rejoices that the orthodox faith is proclaimed in word and deed through ACNA and its member churches; continues with ACNA to pray for and call for repentance from those churches which have turned to a difference gospel; calls upon faithful Anglicans around the world to join us in joyful praise to God for the renewal and rebirth evident in ACNA and the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.”
Conferences and other news
Nashotah House seminary is holding its Fall 2014 symposium on October 17-18. It is focused on thinking creatively about the mission of the Church and the reign of Christ in the 21st century. You can learn more on the Nashotah House website.
Trinity School for Ministry is hosting a conference on October 10-11 in Ambridge, PA to discuss how we can minister to those with same-sex attractions while holding fast to historic Biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality. For information see the Trinity School for Ministry website.
Anglican TV interviews Bishop Bill Atwood of the ACNA’s International Diocese about the first “Anglican version” of Youth With A Mission’s (YWAM) Discipleship Training School. It starts in January and includes three months of class time – with Anglican theology and spirituality – followed by 10-12 weeks doing mission work. The ACNA website has more information on this 26-week residential training course aimed at preparing, equipping and mobilizing your people to engage in mission around the world.
Anglican Communion news
September pastoral letter from GAFCon chair, Archbishop Wabukala
In his September pastoral letter, GAFCon chairman and Primate of Kenya, Eliud Wabukala specifically endorses the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) in the struggle for Biblical faithfulness has now shifted from North America to Britain. He says “AMiE is authorised by the GAFCON Primates to work within and, where necessary, outside the structures of the Church of England as a missionary society”.
Lambeth 2018 cancelled?
Based on recent comments from the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, an Anglican Ink article speculates that the “2018 Lambeth Conference [the once a decade gathering of all the bishops in the Communion] has been cancelled”. The article quotes Presiding Bishop Schori saying, that the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby had “been very clear that he is not going to call a Lambeth until he is reasonably certain that the vast majority of bishops would attend. It needs to be preceded by a primates meeting at which a vast majority of primates are present.”
Anglican Unscripted commentators Kevin Kallsen and George Conger discussed this recently, suggesting that the Communion is too broken and the last Lambeth conference was “a bust”.
VirtueOnline points out, however, that a Lambeth spokesperson is saying that this is not yet confirmed and would not be decided until Archbishop Welby completes his current round of visits to all the Primates.
For those who enjoy the politics of the Anglican Communion, you’ll want to listen to episode 121 of the Anglican Unscripted video magazine which focuses on the past, present and possible future of the Communion. And Alan Haley offers an overview of the unraveling of the Anglican Communion – focusing primarily on the US Episcopal Church’s role. And Canon Phil Ashey discusses the breaking of the Communion in light of GAFCon’s endorsement of the Anglican Mission in England – a reforming movement similar to the ACNA’s precursor in North America.
Barbara Gauthier links the dots of the events of the last two weeks and concludes, “Lambeth 2018 may not materialize but plans for GAFCON 2018 are very much alive. That says a lot.”
The official Anglican Communion News Service responded with a news release quoting Archbishop Welby saying of the Lambeth Conference, “As it hasn’t been called, it can’t have been cancelled.” He adds that the Lambeth Conference “…needs to be called collegially by the primate, together with real ownership of the agenda and a real sense of what we’re trying to do…” But then there is an admission that “…by the time those details have been finalised it will likely be too close to 2018 to organise such a large event for that year. Therefore having the conference in that year was doubtful.”
Archbishop of Canterbury is interviewed on his faith
When interviewed about his faith, Archbishop Justin Welby, unlike some western Anglican primates, clearly articulates the Gospel message.
International news in brief
Canada
Dr Priscilla Turner’s submission to the Anglican Church of Canada’s commission which is reconsidering the marriage canon exposes serious misunderstandings of Scripture, science and Jesus’s teaching. Her submission may be seen here.
The Anglican Church of Canada’s St Martin’s Anglican Church in Calgary has launched an Imam in Residence program. Imam Syed Soharwardy will be at the church the weekend of October 17-19 to explain the Qur’an and Sharia law. He will even deliver the sermon during the worship service on Sunday.
United States
The US Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced that she will not stand for re-election to a second nine-year term. She will step down in 2015. Anglican Unscripted (episode 120) focuses on the current state of the US Episcopal Church.
On October 6 the US Supreme Court refused to review lower court decisions which struck down bans on same-sex marriages in a number of states, making those lower court decisions final. As Alan Haley says, “…by refusing to exercise its powers of review, the Court has in effect given a green light to same-sex marriage in as many as thirty States, with more sure to follow. “ Albert Mohler also provides insightful commentary.
England
Well-loved retired Bishop of Winchester, the Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt died aged 71.
As the British House of Lords debated military action against the Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Archbishop Justin Welby, who by virtue of his position is a member of the House, spoke in favour of military action, but warned that the global phenomenon of jihadism demands that the Church offer a more compelling hope. He said, “.”The action proposed today is right, but we must not rely on a short-term solution on a narrow front to a global, ideological, religious, holistic and trans-generational challenge. We must demonstrate that there is a positive vision far greater and more compelling than the evil of ISIL and its global clones
Bishop Alan Wilson “has written a book, published this week, in which he argues that the Church of England should fully support gay sexual relationships and same sex marriage.” The book also claims that ten per cent of the bishops in the Church of England are homosexual. You can read more on Anglican Mainstream.
The blog Cranmer’s Curate critiques the Church of England’s recent College of Bishops’ statement on sexuality, saying it contained “spiritual and moral relativism”.
The GAFCon Primates have authorized the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) “…to work within and, where necessary, outside the structures of the Church of England as a missionary society”. As the Church of England increasingly follows the lead of the Anglican Church of Canada and the US Episcopal Church in adjusting church theology and practice to accommodate devolving cultural norms, AMiE unites and supports Biblically faithful congregations.
The GAFCon statement coincides with the ReNew Conference held in Britain to unite confessing Anglicans in mission. The Rev Andrew Symes reports that “…delegates left… [the conference] with a strong sense of optimism that although anti-Gospel secularism may be growing greater in Church and nation, there is a growing movement of orthodox Christian leaders that has emerged, doing church locally, prayerful, ready to support one another.”
A Spectator article discusses the potential future split in the Church of England when women are appointed to the episcopate. It notes that churches likely to leave tend to be younger and growing, while the average congregation in the Church of England is aging and shrinking.
Iraq
Canon Andrew White was in the US in September raising awareness and building support for the Anglican Church’s work in Iraq. He offered the opening prayer in the US Senate on September 17. You can read about his visit to ACNA parishes in Texas and the resulting outpouring of love and generosity on the ACNA website.
Amid all the barbarism, he reports that people are being saved and asking for baptism. (See here.) Another article on the blog God Reports tells of the tireless and courageous work of local Christian leaders in Syria. You also can read reports linked from the website of Canon White’s charity, The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East.
In a special edition of Anglican Unscripted, Kevin Kallsen talks with an undercover Anglican priest who has just returned from Northern Iraq about radical Islam and the situation Iraq.
A two-part Huffington Post article explores the historical and ideological origins of ISIS and its relationship to Wahhabism.
Writing on the Sydney Anglican blog Philip Jensen ably responds to President Barak Obama’s claim that ISIS (aka Islamic State, also ISIL) is neither Islamic nor a State. He says “We should take our opponents self-identity seriously. They are waging war in the name of Islam and in accordance with their Islamic beliefs. They wish to create the Caliphate. Their commitment is more than a power grab for land – it is a religious zeal and if we ignore it, we will seriously underestimate them.… To claim that: “ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.” is not true of an organisation that is trying to establish the Caliphate. They have a vision for something far greater than slaughter… The politically correct, diplomatically wise, avoidance of understanding the Islamic basis of ISIL will doom our attempts to quell this movement. “
West Africa/Ebola
CBC reports that the US Centers for Disease Control estimates that the Ebola epidemic in West Africa could reach up to 1.4 million cases by the end of January. Liberia and Sierra Leone are the countries currently most affected, although the epidemic is thought to have started in Guinea. Close to 3000 are thought to have died to date. Mission agencies have been on the forefront of treating Ebola cases to this point – especially SIM’s Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA) hospital in Liberia. SIM had issued a call for a dedicated week of prayer from September 29 to October 5 petitioning God for a stop to the epidemic.
Nigeria
World Watch Monitor reports that “What ISIS has done in Iraq, Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria, a Nigerian cleric says.” Speaking of his area in northeastern Nigeria, the clergyman said, “We have lost almost everything…Most of our churches have been destroyed and our pastors are scattered all over. Our members have fled and some of them killed.” Christian Headlines reports that two more pastors were among 31 Christians killed by Muslims in the early hours of September 17. Others were injured and houses were burnt.
Kenya
ACNA’s Bishop Bill Atwood reports from the Church of Kenya’s House of Bishop’s meeting where, he says there was :
Uniform support for GAFCon and praise for GAFCon 2, which was hosted in Nairobi.
A resounding rejection of the so called liberal-led “indada” (endless conversion process) on sexuality.
An agreement to impose a five-year moratorium on women in the episcopate and to pursue a prayerful theological study in collaboration with other GAFCon partners.
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala has been appointed by Kenya’s president to chair the National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee.
Mozambique
Anglican Ink reports that local Anglican Church leaders were instrumental is brokering a peace accord bringing to an end a two-year civil war.
India
Morning Star News reports that, since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took power in May, persecution of Christians by Hindu extremists has dramatically increased.
Refugees
As many as 700 people fleeing Africa and the Middle East are feared drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. The Hindustan Times reports that “In the worst incident, as many as 500 migrants are believed to have died after traffickers rammed their ship off Malta's coast…” The traffickers took this action after the migrants refused to change boats mid-voyage because of fears for their safety.
Sydney Anglican reports that Archbishop Glenn Davies (Diocese of Sydney) has written to the Primate Minister of Australia asking the government increase its quota for admitting refugees especially targeting those fleeing persecution in the Middle East.
Resources
Resources for ministry
Pastors’ health – Research commissioned by Focus on the Family found that pastors are as likely to experience mental illness as anyone else, with nearly one in four reporting they have “personally struggled with mental illness”. The research also found that the majority of pastors rarely or never spoke of mental illness in sermons or before large groups. Read about the rest of the research on the Christianity Today website.
Worship music: performance vs participation – Jamie Brown writes that the “worship wars” over music style are over. Now, he says, “It’s more about the heart of the leaders and less about the preferences of the worshippers. This is about a fundamental distinction between two models of worship leading (irrespective of the style of music). The first model views the congregation’s engagement as integral. The second model views the congregation’s engagement as incidental. The first model I call “congregationalism” and the second model I call “performancism”.”
Confessions of an ex-pastor – Mark Buchanan, writing in Faith Today, confesses his failings as a pastor and tells us what he’d do differently, were he ever to pastor again. Succinct, helpful and challenging!
Churches partnering together – A new book offers vision and advice for churches partnering with neighbouring like-minded church to multiply their impact for the Gospel.
Resources for Christian living
39 Articles – Canon Phil Ashey’s video series on the 39 Articles continues with:
The doctrine of hell – Tim Challies says of The Most Encouraging Book on Hell Ever…”So while this book does correct recent false teaching, it does more than shore up a besieged doctrine. It logically and theologically integrates an orthodox view of hell into the gospel, thus reminding the reader to delight in the beauty and cohesiveness of the whole of God’s Word.”
The Spiritual Journey – ACNA’s Bishop Bill Attwood has written a book, available on Amazon, which “provides an understanding and practical application of the Spiritual Journey as presented by St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila.
Ministry of encouragement – A Christianity.ca article urges us to be encouragers to our pastors. Pollster George Barna found that "pastors are the single most occupationally frustrated professionals in (North) America." They need our encouragement, not criticism!
Accountable friendship – If you truly want to be accountable to someone in your Christian walk, ask your friend to hold you accountable in the area identified by your answer to this question, courtesy of Vaughn Roberts: “If you were the devil where would you attack yourself?”
Visualizing the Bible’s cross-references – Have a look at a graphic showing the 63,000+ cross references in the Bible. (Just one of the cool things you learn from the Bible-in-a-Day course!)
Resisting the devil – Tim Challies provides excellent Bible-based advice on how to stand firm in those times “when sin looks delicious”.
Abortion
LifeSiteNews reports that new US-based research found that “…abortion in America has cost our nation more than $16 trillion in federal revenue – or approximately the amount of our current national debt.” The researcher, Mark Olson, writes “Basic macroeconomics says that any such loss in population will result in a collapse of the necessary aggregate supply and demand to sustain long term national economic growth. The population loss due to abortion would have the same negative economic impact as any population loss due to war, epidemic, or natural disaster.” He concludes that the fiscal problems the US is facing cannot be solved by either economic or political policies – but only through ending abortion on demand.
Psalm 139 Project has produced a terrific four-minute YouTube video, “The Life of Julia”.
Watch a short YouTube video, produced by We Need A Law, which features volunteers planting 100,000 little pink and blue flags on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They did this to draw attention to the 100,000 young lives ended by abortion in Canada each and every year.
Soul food
Just for laughs
Leo and Sam had locked the car, forgetting to remove the key from in the ignition. Realizing the mistake, Leo asked, "Why don't we get a coat hanger to open it."
"No, that won't work," answered Sam. "People will think we're trying to break in."
"What if we use a pocket knife to cut around the rubber, then stick a finger in and pull up the lock?"
"No, Leo," said Sam. "People will think we're too dumb to use a coat hanger."
"Well," sighed Leo, "we'd better think fast. It's starting to rain, and the sun roof is open!"
Thought
The mighty oak was once just a little nut that held its ground.
And now a Word from our Sponsor
Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah
Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
Psalm 66:1-5 ESV
... back to "Newsletters" main page
|
|
|
 |
