by Michelle Brown
www.lifeoutreach.org
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
When I was a little girl I had a head full of curly red hair. Not much has changed now that I’m an adult. I still have a head full of curly red hair, along with random white hairs that get pulled when I notice them.
Since I had such curly hair, the adults in my life would repeat the children’s ditty about the little girl with the little curl:
There was a little girl
With a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
When she was good
She was very, very good
But when she was bad she was horrid
They may have been teasing me, but I had the feeling that they were saying something unpleasant about the sort of person I was.
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Posted by Walt as Witnessing at 7:31 AM EDT
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New York, May 2, 2007 - Actor Kirk Cameron and best-selling author Ray Comfort will square off with two atheists in New York on Saturday, May 5. ABC originally planned to stream the 90-minute debate LIVE on their website, but decided to reschedule the broadcast to capture a larger audience. They will broadcast the entire debate on ABC.com on Wednesday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Comfort-who claims he can prove the existence of God, scientifically, without mentioning faith or the Bible-stated, "The network originally offered me only four minutes to present my case. After speaking with Kirk and conferring with the atheists, they settled on 13 minutes. I'm ecstatic. I can prove the existence of God in that amount of time.
"We are very grateful to ABC for taking this courageous step," Comfort continued. "As far as we know, nothing like this has ever been done before. ABC's website is already the 7th most visited news site, with 19 million visitors every month. But with more than 177 million people in the U.S. who call themselves Christians, we are sure that it will draw an even larger viewing audience. Is there actually evidence for God? That's the most important question any of us will ever consider."
Cameron added, "We are excited that the network has decided to do this, because we have something very relevant to present. Most people think that belief in God is simply a matter of blind faith, and that His existence can't be proven. We will not only prove that God exists, but as an ex-atheist I'll show that the issue keeping so many people from believing in God-Darwinian evolution-is completely unscientific. It's a fairy-tale for grownups."
The debate came about after ABC ran a story in January about hundreds of atheists videotaping themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
"But," Comfort continued, "there is something more sinister here than a few people not believing in God. Why would so many be so bitter against Christianity in particular? Why aren't they making videos that blaspheme Buddha or Mohammed or Ghandi? We made our own video clip and posted it on www.Hollywoodblasphemy.com to expose why.
As of May 2 there is still an opportunity for people to join in the debate, by submitting questions that will be passed on to the panelists. ABC will limit the live audience to 100 people, evenly divided between atheists and believers. The debate will be moderated by Martin Bashir, and on May 9 a shortened version of the debate will be aired on Nightline.
For further information, contact mark@livingwaters.com
Posted by Walt as Atheism, Creation, Witnessing at 7:32 AM EDT
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by Jeanne Rogers
www.lifeoutreach.org
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, harsh words, and slander,
as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead be kind to
each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God
through Christ has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
The Bible recognizes anger, rage and indignation as valid human emotions. However, because humans have a way of letting anger become sinfully destructive, such attitudes and actions are condemned except in cases of righteous indignation rising from intolerance of sin and injustice.
The dictionary defines anger as a strong feeling of displeasure at a perceived threat, accompanied by a rush of energy we can use to flee or fight back. Most of us can say we have experienced that rush of energy at a perceived threat, but what is the godly response when we feel provoked with anger?
Christian author Barbara Brown Taylor describes anger as one of God’s good gifts, giving us the ability to recognize danger and respond to it. She cautions us about the mishandling of anger but encourages us to let it reveal some important things about ourselves.
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Posted by Walt as Witnessing at 8:43 PM EDT
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He has a way of making the worse appear the better reason; he can put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter—make men believe that it is to their own advantage to do that which is causing their everlasting ruin. He can make men carry coals of fire in their bosoms, and dream that they shall not be burned; he can make them dance pon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven. Alas! fools that we re how readily do his lies prevail against us! - C.H. Spurgeon
Posted by Walt as C.H. Spurgeon Gems, Witnessing at 8:16 AM EDT
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by Thomas E. Brewton
Real success is following God's will, not making lots of money.
Sunday's sermon at the Long Ridge Congregational Church (non-UCC) in North Stamford, Connecticut, was delivered by Rev. Steve Treash. His message dealt with success in the things that really matter.
While confidence is, by some measures, thought to be the best predictor of academic and business success, it too easily becomes exclusively self-confidence. As with Peter's wanting to walk across the water to meet Jesus, that sort of confidence falters the moment we take our eyes off Jesus as our savior. We begin to sink and can be saved only by calling for the Lord's help.
True success in this life is doing God's will to the best of our abilities.
The Old Testament story of Joseph in Egypt illustrates the right kind of confidence that leads to success.
Joseph had endured a string of grave misfortunes. His older brothers resented his ostentatiously seeking to be their father's favorite son. The brothers took his bright coat and threw Joseph into a well, intending to leave him there to die. When a caravan bound for Egypt appeared, the brothers hauled Joseph out of the well and sold him to the caravan merchants as a slave.
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Posted by Walt as The Bible, Witnessing at 10:46 PM EDT
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by Thomas E. Brewton
We can trust God completely to see us through adversity.
Sunday's sermon at the Long Ridge Congregational Church (non-UCC) in North Stamford, Connecticut, was delivered by Reverend David Newberry. His texts, from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, were examples of humans' weakness and doubt that God would, or could, sustain them in times of peril.
Exodus 3 in the Old Testament is one of the most famous passages in the Bible. A young Moses is shepherding his father-in-law's sheep on the desert edge, when he sees a bush that is burning, but is not consumed by the flames, symbolizing that God is existence itself, the source of all energy and matter, neither becoming nor ending. From the burning bush God tells Moses:
Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. (Exodus 3:16)
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Posted by Walt as The Bible, Witnessing at 12:04 AM EST
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Tampa area missionary faces challenges in Africa
by Jeff Lukens
Most people in America focus on gaining ever more money, power and status. Once in a great while, you come across someone who could have these treasures abundantly, but chooses not to seek them. Instead, he or she strives for a higher purpose in life. This is a story of such a person.
About five years ago, I would journey across Tampa every Monday night to the Seminole Heights area to attend a Bible study with about 100 other men. I had been doing this for a few years, and over time I had become the treasurer of the group.
One night I was in front of the class giving the treasurer's report, and asked for a volunteer to be my assistant treasurer. Out of the crowd, one person came forward. His name was Jim Smith.
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Posted by Walt as Personal Testimonies, Witnessing at 11:31 PM EST
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by Michael Bresciani
Stars come in various sizes, shapes, ages and brilliance. It is their brightness that is the most noted of all their attributes. Astronomers still engage a system for measuring the brightness of a star that was developed by one of their own named Hipparchus at about 120 BC. The scale he developed rates the brilliance of stars from 1 to 6. One is the brightest and six the faintest. The brightest stars are said to be of the first magnitude. The brightest star in the skies today is Sirius and it is rated a 1.42. Hipparchus method of rating the luminescence of the stars is used to this very day.
The Star of Bethlehem falls outside of Hipparchus method. It was apparently a one time event. It was never seen before and there is little reason to believe it will ever happen again. The account of the Star of Bethlehem is found only in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Hundreds or perhaps thousands of people saw the brilliant star pulsating in the eastern skies. The stir it created was so great that it reached the ears of Herod, a man, who later was to become the King of Judea. The Romans did not allow anyone to be called a king throughout their empire except by special dispensation. Herod successfully wrangled the title from the Roman senate through great coercion, which bespeaks of his manic megalomania.
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Posted by Walt as Prophecy, Witnessing at 1:25 AM EST
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with Beth Moore
"I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe
in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You,
Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that
the world may believe that You sent Me. " (John 17:20-22, NAS)
Keith and I share a great passion for unity in the body of Christ with James and Betty Robison. We have such fun with the Robisons. Our hearts are united and we are more than just friends–we are partners in ministry.
There are many people within the body of Christ whom Keith and I love, even with all its diversity. Sadly, there are those who would have us only befriend people who believe exactly as we do. Now I’m not sure that there are many people who line up one hundred percent with each other doctrinally. If I based all my relationships on whether we agreed one hundred percent on every doctrinal detail, I’d live a very lonely existence.
This is not to say that we don’t need to know where the straight and narrow of the Word of God is, but our approach to differences should never be warlike or hostile. We should be speaking the truth in love and building up the Body, instead of tearing it down. It breaks the heart of God to see His people insulting each other. We are like the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14.
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Posted by Walt as Ministries, The Bible, Witnessing at 6:29 AM EST
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by Garold Andersen
"When Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped him in
cloth and laid him in a manger, as there was no room in the inn.
(The angel said to the shepherds,) 'This will be a sign for you: you
will find the child wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2:7&12)
As a child, my first impression of the nativity scene was simple: a cozy image of Christmas. When I later understood that Jesus was born in a stable because his parents had been turned away from the inn, it made me angry. I despised the innkeeper for his lack of compassion. Then I thought, "Wait a minute; perhaps someone else was to blame. Maybe Joseph hadn't planned the trip well or Mary, fearing the journey, had drug her feet, or it could have been the Roman officials who had not given them enough time to plan for the journey." In the end I was missing the point. Instead of seeing the amazing work of God I was searching for someone to blame.
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Posted by Walt as General, The Bible, Witnessing at 2:02 AM EST
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