Thursday, February 28, 2008

BE THOU MY VISION


Be Thou My Vision


Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.


Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.


Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.


Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.


High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.


*


Be Thou My Vision



Source: http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/lyrics/be-thou-my-vision

THE VISION IS SURE



The Vision is Sure



The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Hab. 2:3.


The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the just in those days of deep trial was the same faith that sustains God's people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances the most forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed. . . . In the service of God there need be no despondency, no wavering, no fear. The Lord will more than fulfill the highest expectations of those who put their trust in Him. He will give them the wisdom their varied necessities demand. {Mar 66.1}



Of the abundant provision made for every tempted soul, the apostle Paul bears eloquent testimony. To him was given the divine assurance, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." In gratitude and confidence the tried servant of God responded: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." 2 Cor. 12:9, 10. {Mar 66.2}



We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified--the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The time of waiting may seem long, the soul may be oppressed by discouraging circumstances, many in whom confidence has been placed may fall by the way; but with the prophet who endeavored to encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently declare, "The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." {Mar 66.3}



Let us ever hold in remembrance the cheering message, "The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. . . . The just shall live by his faith." {Mar 66.4}



Maranatha, Ellen G. White, page 66.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

QUESTIONS ON RELIGION?


Bill Clinton taking Communion at a Mass.


Bill and Hillary entertaining Bhuddists?


Hillary being blessed by a Shaman.



"Just two, "wild and crazy guys"!


Blogman.

WE SHALL OVERCOME



"WE SHALL OVERCOME"

We shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome some day

The Lord will see us through, the Lord will see us through
The lord will see us through some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
The Lord will see us some day

We’re on to victory, we’re on to victory
We’re on to victory some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We’re on to victory some day

We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand
We’ll walk hand in hand some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We’ll walk hand in hand some day

We are not afraid, we are not afraid
We are not afraid today
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
We are not afraid today

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free
The truth shall make us free some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
The truth shall make us free some day

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace
We shall live in peace some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe
WE shall live in peace some day



Source: http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/we_shall_overcome.htm

We Shall Overcome
Historical Period: Postwar United States, 1945-1968

We Shall Overcome song sheet
"We Shall Overcome"
song sheet, date unknown.
Courtesy of Ludlow Music, Inc.,
11 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011

Learn more.

It was the most powerful song of the 20th century. It started out in church pews and picket lines, inspired one of the greatest freedom movements in U.S. history, and went on to topple governments and bring about reform all over the world. Word for word, the short, simple lyrics of "We Shall Overcome" might be some of the most influential words in the English language

"We Shall Overcome" has it roots in African American hymns from the early 20th century, and was first used as a protest song in 1945, when striking tobacco workers in Charleston, S.C., sang it on their picket line. By the 1950s, the song had been discovered by the young activists of the African American civil rights movement, and it quickly became the movement’s unofficial anthem. Its verses were sung on protest marches and in sit-ins, through clouds of tear gas and under rows of police batons, and it brought courage and comfort to bruised, frightened activists as they waited in jail cells, wondering if they would survive the night. When the long years of struggle ended and President Lyndon Johnson vowed to fight for voting rights for all Americans, he included a final promise: "We shall overcome."

In the decades since, the song has circled the globe and has been embraced by civil rights and pro-democracy movements in dozens of nations worldwide. From Northern Ireland to Eastern Europe, from Berlin to Beijing, and from South Africa to South America, its message of solidarity and hope has been sung in dozens of languages, in presidential palaces and in dark prisons, and it continues to lend its strength to all people struggling to be free.

As you listen to "We Shall Overcome," think about the reasons it has brought strength and support to so many people for so many years. And remember that someone, somewhere, is singing it right now.

Learn more

For more background information on this period, visit these presentations.


A REMEDY FOR HILLARY'S MALADY

Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz;
Oh, What a Relief It Is!
Blogman.

THE GREAT NEED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT



The Great Need of the Holy Spirit.-By Mrs. E. G. White.-(Concluded.)

God has not appointed any man guide, nor made any man conscience for another; therefore let human hands be withheld from restraining his servants who feel the burden to enter his vineyard to labor. Let God work with his own chosen agents by his Holy Spirit. No human being is to sit in judgment upon his brother. Neither are any to feel that they can handle roughly the precious pearls for which Christ gave his life. The pearl, the precious human pearl, was found by Christ. Let man be warned; be careful how you treat the Lord's "peculiar treasure." All discourtesy, all pain, all neglect, which these souls suffer at your hands, is charged against you as inflicted upon Jesus Christ. They are not to be treated in a lordly, commanding manner. Laws and rules are being made at the centers of the work that will soon be broken into atoms. Men are not to dictate. It is not for those in places of authority to employ all their powers to sustain some, while others are cast down, ignored, forsaken, and left to perish. But it is the duty of the leaders to lend a helping hand to all who are in need. Let each work in the line which God may indicate to him by his Holy Spirit. The soul is accountable to God alone. Who can say how many avenues of light have been closed by arrangements which the Lord has not advised nor instituted? The Lord does not ask permission of those in responsible positions when he wishes to use certain ones as his agents for the promulgation of truth. But he will use whom he will use. He will pass by men who have not followed his counsel, men who feel capable and sufficient to work in their own wisdom; and he will use others who are thought by these supposedly wise ones to be wholly incompetent. Many who have some talent think that they are necessary to the cause of God. Let them beware lest they stretch themselves beyond their measure, and the Lord shall leave them to their own ways, to be filled with their own doings. None are to exercise their human authority to bind minds and souls of their fellow-men. They are not to devise and put in practice methods and plans to bring every individual under their jurisdiction.

Those who know the truth are to be worked by the Holy Spirit, and not themselves to try to work the Spirit. If the cords are drawn much tighter, if the rules are made much finer, if men continue to bind their fellow-laborers closer and closer to the commandments of men, many will be stirred by the Spirit of God to break every shackle, and assert their liberty in Christ Jesus. If men would act toward their fellow-men as to those whom Christ loves, if they would obey the commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself," there would be sweet harmony among the brethren. How much better it would be if those who claim to be Christians would behave like Christians. How much better it would be if all would cease speaking of their own good works and ways, indulging their self-esteem; refrain from the putting forth of the finger, imagining evil, and using their influence to weaken, oppress, and destroy. If men will not come to the terms made by the leading workers, they will not entertain them, they do not care what results may follow their injustice. With them it is rule or ruin. God has not appointed any man to do such work. And no human being shall be permitted to prescribe my liberty or intrench upon the perfect freedom of my brethren, without hearing my voice lifted in protest against it.

God will move upon men of humble position in society, men who have not become insensible to the bright rays of light through so long contemplating the light of truth, and refusing to make any improvement or advancement therein. Many such will be seen hurrying hither and thither, constrained by the Spirit of God to bring the light to others. The truth, the word of God, is as a fire in their bones, filling them with a burning desire to enlighten those who sit in darkness. Many, even among the uneducated, now proclaim the words of the Lord. Children are impelled by the Spirit to go forth and declare the message from Heaven. The Spirit is poured out upon all who will yield to its promptings, and, casting off all man's machinery, his binding rules and cautious methods, they will declare the truth with the might of the Spirit's power. Multitudes will receive the faith and join the armies of the Lord.

Many of those who are professedly followers of the Lord at the present time do not submit themselves to the guidance of his Spirit, but try to harness up the Holy Spirit, and drive it in their way. All such must abandon their self-sufficiency, and yield themselves unreservedly to the Lord, that he may work out his good pleasure in and through them.

The seven last plagues are about to descend upon the disobedient. Many have let the gospel invitation go unheeded; they have been tested and tried; but mountainous obstacles have seemed to loom up before their faces, blocking their onward march. Through faith, perseverance, and courage, many will surmount these obstructions and walk out into the glorious light. Almost unconsciously barriers have been erected in the strait and narrow way; stones of stumbling have been placed in the path; these will all be rolled away. The safeguards which false shepherds have thrown around their flocks will become as naught; thousands will step out into the light, and work to spread the light. Heavenly intelligences will combine with the human agencies. Thus encouraged, the church will indeed arise and shine, throwing all her sanctified energies into the contest; thus the design of God is accomplished; the lost pearls are recovered. Prophets have discerned this grand work afar off, and have caught the inspiration of the hour, and traced the wonderful descriptions of things yet to be.

Our people have had great light, and yet much of our ministerial force is exhausted on the churches, in teaching those who should be teachers; enlightening those who should be "the light of the world;" watering those from whom should flow springs of living water; enriching those who might be veritable mines of precious truth; repeating the gospel invitation to such as should be scattered to the uttermost parts of the earth communicating the message of Heaven to many who have not had the privileges which they have enjoyed; feeding those who should be in the byways and highways heralding the invitation, "Come; for all things are now ready." Come to the gospel feast; come to the supper of the Lamb; "for all things are now ready."

Now is the time for earnest wrestling with God. Our voices should join with the Saviour's in that wonderful prayer: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Many may ask, "Who is sufficient for these things?" The responsibility rests upon every individual. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." The scheme of salvation is not to be worked out under the laws and rules specified by men. There must be no fixed rules; our work is a progressive work, and there must be room left for methods to be improved upon. But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, unity must and will be preserved.

All the revelations of the past bring added responsibilities upon the workers in these last days. The past, present, and future are linked together. We must learn lessons from the experiences of other ages. If there are any of our brethren who think that they have devised plans by which they can secure a monopoly of any line of God's work, they are released from all such burdens. Individually we form a part of the great whole, fulfilling our part in the scenes foreseen long ages ago. In the counsels of God a place was assigned to every person, and each one is to devote his entire ability, his influence, the energy of his whole being, in an earnest endeavor to discharge the responsibility laid upon him. It is the duty of every human intelligence to put into daily practice the instructions of Christ in the seventeenth chapter of John by living a practical, Christian life. We are to be united to one another in the bonds of Christlike love. This is the path marked out for all. By following in it, without boasting, without self exaltation, we may satisfy the high claims of God upon us. If any are inclined to boast of their superior talents, let them bear in mind that these talents are another's, only lent to them for a season, and that if they are not employed in the Lord's work, they will be taken from them. Make no boasts of your extensive knowledge and influence. The great plan of redemption connects every man with his fellow-laborer. The influence of the past helps to mold the work of the present, and that in its turn enables us to lay hold of the work line after line, upon which we may carry on the future work. All these agencies have a close relation, not only to time, but to the endless ages of the future, reaching into eternity.

Let man now cease to trust in man. While they should respect God's plan for unity of action, let all remember that the Holy Spirit is molding and fashioning the human agent in the divine similitude. The life that is hid with Christ in God is revealed through men. We are now living in the closing scenes of this world's history. Let men tremble with the sense of the responsibility of knowing the truth. The ends of the world are come. Proper consideration of these things will lead all to make an entire consecration of all that they have and are to their God. There should be no boasting, no seeking for the highest places; but all should be ambitious to do with fidelity, with an eye single to the glory of God, the sacred work which it is our exalted privilege to engage in. The eye should not be so constantly looking to man, studying the plans which men devise; but rather seeking for a knowledge of the plans which are determined by the Source of all wisdom. Then there will be no danger of having plans for work contaminated by flowing through impure human channels. Look to God; pray to God; wait and watch and pray to God; work for God. The weighty obligation of warning a world of its coming doom is upon us. From every direction, far and near, calls are coming to us for help. The church, devotedly consecrated to the work, is to carry the message to the world: Come to the gospel feast; the supper is prepared, come. The weak must not now trust in finite men if they would be as David, and David as the angel of the Lord. If we have ever importuned God, wrestling for his blessing as did Jacob, let it be now. God calls to the church to arise and clothe herself with the garments of Christ's righteousness. Crowns, immortal crowns, are to be won. The kingdom of heaven is to be gained. A world, perishing in sin, is to be enlightened. The lost pearl is to be found. The lost sheep is to be brought back in safety to the fold. Who will join in the search? Who will bear the light to those who are wandering in the darkness of error?

by Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, July 23, 1895.

My gratitude to Brother Stuart Peckham. Arsenio

PSALM 40

Psalm 40 (King James Version)



1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

4Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

12For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

15Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

16Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.



In Farsi:

Psalm 40 - The LORD is my Shepherd
Psalm 40 - The LORD is my Shepherd Psalm 40 - The LORD is my Shepherd

Farsi (Source): http://www.farsinet.com/bible/psalms/psalm40.html

HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW

American Tree Sparrow, Bois Papineau Nature Park, Quebec, Canada by Robert Servranckx

American Tree Sparrow, Quebec, Canada by Robert Servranckx
(Courtesy: http://deputydomain.blogspot.com/2007/07/his-eye-is-on-sparrow.html)

HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Words:
Ci­vil­la D. Mar­tin, 1905.

Music:
Charles H. Gab­ri­el (MI­DI, score).

BY FAITH

Hebrews 11 (King James Version)



1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

24By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

28Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

31By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

32And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.

34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

RE: CHILDREN ASKED TO JUMP FOR SCIENCE

Thursday, 9 August, 2001, 14:32 GMT 15:32 UK

Children asked to jump for science

girls jumping in a playground
Hundreds of thousands of pounding feet will launch Science Year

Schools across Britain are being asked to let children jump together in their playgrounds to help kick start Science Year.

At 11am on 7 September, children will jump for a minute in a nation-wide experiment.

Scientists want to measure the impact on machines used to monitor earthquakes.

And the event will go into the record books as the "greatest simultaneous jump in history".

The jump is being held to launch Science Year, a government-funded campaign which aims to promote science among pupils aged between 10 and 19.

Record books

It will be recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.

David Hawksett of the Guinness Book of Records said he thought the jump would get Science Year off to a good start.

"This is what we call a precedent-setter," he said.

"We hope this is a challenge that will be taken up around the world but we suspect that possibly the UK will hold this one for some time."

If the sound of hundreds of thousands of pounding feet makes some people think an earthquake is taking place, it will not be the first time.

In 1995, Londoners contacted Scotland Yard saying they had felt an earthquake tremor.

But Alice Walker, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey said the band Oasis had been to blame.

Science Year Launch Events
London - Science Museum
Birmingham - Think Tank, Millennium Point
Cornwall - Eden Project
Newcastle - Life Interactive World
Glasgow - Glasgow University and Glasgow Science Centre
Belfast - W5 at Odyssey Centre
Cardiff - Techniquest
Bristol - Explore @ Bristol

"Investigations revealed that 20,000 rock fans had been jumping up and down to Oasis in Earl's Court and tremors were being reported from up to one mile away.

"It will be interesting to see if hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions of school students can beat Oasis."

The experiment - which is being billed as The Giant Jump - will be the first official event of Science Year.

As well as the jump in schools, other jumps and launch events will be held across Britain.

Science Year is being run by a group called Nesta (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) which was set up by an Act of Parliament to promote innovation in science, technology and the arts.

So far 3,500 schools are said to have signed up to take part in the Giant Jump.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1482116.stm

EARTHQUAKE FELT ACCROSS MUCH OF GB

Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 09:43 GMT
Earthquake felt across much of UK
House in Barnsley Road, Wombwell
A man was hurt when a chimney collapsed and fell into his bedroom
The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes across large parts of the country.

People in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Cumbria, the Midlands, Norfolk and also parts of Wales, felt the tremor just before 0100 GMT.

A man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in South Yorkshire.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the epicentre of the 5.3 magnitude quake was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.

The tremor was felt in north, mid and south Wales although staff at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they felt the earthquake but were not called to any related incidents.

Bev Finnegan, who lives in Market Rasen, said: "I was terrified to be honest. The noise was really, really terrifying... it was so deep and rumbling.

"It felt like the roof was going to fall in. There were people coming out in their dressing gowns wondering what it was. It was quite an experience."

A Lincolnshire police spokeswoman said the force had received dozens of calls from residents but there were no reports of anyone in the county being injured.

"There is slight structural damage, cracks and a couple of chimneys damaged. There's nothing serious at present," she said.

"Mostly people were distressed by it so there were a large quantity of calls coming in."

Map

Speaking from Gainsborough, Mike Thomas, chief fire officer for Lincolnshire, said crews had been called out to 50 incidents and one fire as a result of the quake.

And Justin Cowell, in Gainsborough, told BBC News that it "started as a massive shake".

"People had come out into the street. It seemed the whole town had woken up."

Tom Edwards, from Heckington, Lincolnshire, said he heard a noise like "an underground train and an enormous roar".

"I thought I was probably going to get killed."

Dr Brian Baptie, of the BGS, said: "An earthquake of this size, of magnitude five or thereabouts, will occur roughly every 10 to 20 years in the UK.

I have never felt one as strong as that one before
David Somerset
Driffield

"So we can get these kind of moderate to significant earthquakes of this size but they're relatively rare."

The BGS recorded an aftershock with a magnitude of 1.8 at about 0400 GMT.

The main 10-second quake, which struck at 0056 GMT at a depth of 15.4km (9.6 miles), was the biggest recorded example since one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984.

Thousands of people from across England contacted the BBC to described how their homes shook during the tremor.

Graphic from earthquake guide

Jemma Harrison, 22, in Bury, Greater Manchester, said: "It was really bad. I was fast asleep and woke up and the room was shaking and there was a loud bang and alarms were going off."

Natasha Cavey, in Tipton in the West Midlands, said: "All my cupboard doors flew open and the whole house shook, it was unreal. I can't believe it."

David in Alrewas in Staffordshire said: "The birds were flying around like it was daylight.

"It was quite severe. I experienced the Dudley one and this was more severe.

"I went outside to see if the roof had collapsed. I could see the furniture in the room moving, it was like it was on a jelly mould."

'Roof coming in'

Dr Baptie said: "The largest earthquake that we know about that has struck the UK was about 100km off the east coast of England on the Dogger Bank and it had a magnitude of 6.1.

David Somerset, 41, from Driffield near Beverley in East Yorkshire, said: "I have never felt one as strong as that one before. I was in my sitting room and the grandfather clock was rattling rather violently.

PREVIOUS QUAKES IN THE UK
April 2007 - Folkestone, Kent (magnitude 4.3)
December 2006 - Dumfries and Galloway (3.5)
September 2002 - Dudley, West Midlands (5.0)
October 2001 - Melton Mowbray (4.1)
September 2000 - Warwick (4.2)
April 1990 - Bishop's Castle, Shropshire (5.1)
July 1984 - Nefyn, north Wales (5.4)
June 1931 - in North Sea near Great Yarmouth (6.1)
"It was very strong, I felt the whole room moving."

Philip Norton, a BBC reporter for Look North in Hull, said: "Everything started wobbling.

"The windows were rattling and the blinds were visibly moving. It sounded like the roof was coming in."

BBC reporter Lynn Crombie in Norwich said she was "absolutely terrified" and thought somebody "had driven into the side of the house".

"Then I thought somebody must have kicked the door in and everything continued to rattle inside the house," she said.

Jamil Ali in Sheffield said: "I woke up and the first thing I thought was that there were a load of burglars in the house.

"The kids were screaming and so was my wife. It was that violent you actually moved yourself."

The West Midlands was hit by an earthquake in 2002 in the Dudley area that reached a magnitude of 5.0 and one measuring 4.3 hit Folkestone in Kent last year.


Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7266136.stm

Monday, February 25, 2008

BILLY GRAHAM, CATHOLICISM AND APOSTASY

Billy Graham, Catholicism, and Apostasy

Billy Graham with the Pope in Nov. 1982


Billy Graham praises the pope, a man who allows himself to be called God (see Blasphemy 101)
When Billy Graham was on the Phil Donahue show on 10-11-79, he said that pope John Paul II was someone that he could quote with "some real authority." He also said that the world was looking for a spiritual leader and that the pope didn't pull any punches. [Lord have mercy, Jesus]
For a newspaper clipping showing Graham praising the pope as "almost an evangelist", click here.

Billy Graham receives honorary degree from Catholic college
Billy Graham received an honorary doctorate from Catholic priests at Belmont Abbey College in 1967. He called it, "a time when Protestants and Catholics could meet together and greet each other as brothers, whereas 10 years ago they could not". He joked around, "I'm not sure but what this could start me being called "Father Graham".
("Belmont Abbey Confers Honorary Degree," Paul Smith, Gazette staff reporter, The Gastonia Gazette, Gastonia, North Carolina, Nov. 22, 1967).

Billy Graham turns Catholic converts back to Catholic religion
These poor people come forward to receive Christ but when the Billy Graham counselors get to 'em they turn them back over to Catholic priests--keeping them in the same system of bondage!
In 1957, Graham said, "Anyone who makes a decision at our meetings is seen later and referred to a local clergyman, Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish." (San Francisco News).

According to The Florida Catholic (Sept. 1983) 600 people were turned over to the Catholic religion as a result of the Orlando crusade.

At Billy Graham's 1984 Vancouver, British Columbia crusade, the vice-chairman of the organizing committee said, "If a Catholic steps forward there will be no attempt to convert them and their names will be given to the Catholic church nearest their homes" (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 5, 1984). [Lord, have mercy!]

Billy Graham even had a Catholic priest SUPERVISE the 6,600 counselors for the Denver crusade. Information on the hundreds of Catholics who came forward were sent to a Catholic organization in Denver. (Wilson Ewin, Evangelism: The Trojan Horse of the 1990s).

An ecumenical advisor to the Catholic religion noted in 1989 that "Those who come forward for counseling during a mission evening in June, if they are Roman Catholic, will be directed to a Roman Catholic 'nurture-group' under Roman Catholic counselors in their home area" (John Ashbrook, New Neutralism II, Mentor, Ohio: Here I Stand Books, 1992, p. 35).

The Catholic archdiocese in Portland, Oregon, set a goal to supply 6,000 of the 10,000 counselors needed for the Graham crusade. All Catholics responding to the altar call were channeled to the Catholic religion. These are just a few examples of many.

Billy Graham thinks that infants can become Christian through baptism
But the Bible says that by the works of the flesh shall no man be justified. Baptism comes after faith in Jesus Christ. Look what Billy Graham told the Lutheran Standard in October 1967,
"I do believe that something happens at the baptism of an infant... we cannot fully understand the mysteries of God, but I believe that a miracle can happen in these children so that they are regenerated, that is, MADE CHRISTIAN, THROUGH INFANT BAPTISM."
Billy Graham don't believe hell is literal fire

"...I think people have a hard time believing God is going to allow people to burn in literal fire forever. I think the fire that is mentioned in the Bible is a burning thirst for God that can never be quenched."
The Orlando (Florida) Sentinel for April 10, 1983

Hell isn't based on our human reasoning. According to Matthew's Gospel, it was created for the Devil and his angels, but people that reject Jesus Christ will be up in there too.

Billy Graham let apostate Catholic Bishop bless new converts
In 1962, a Roman Catholic bishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, blessed the people that came forward at the invitation. (Daily Journal, International Falls, Minnesota, Oct. 29, 1963, cited by the New York Times, Nov. 9, 1963).
Those poor people came to Graham for help and he let an idolater bless them. Has he not read that behind every idol is a devil? Yet he let that man "bless" the people of God.

Billy Graham befriends heretics
In 1959, Graham invited the liberal Bishop James A. Pike to lead in prayer at one of his crusades. Yet Pike said in an Episcopal letter: "Religious myth is one of the avenues of faith and has an important place in the communication of the Gospel." He called the Garden of Eden a myth and said, "The virgin birth... IS A MYTH which churchmen should be free to accept or reject..."
What I've supplied here don't even touch the tip of the iceberg of Billy Graham's cozy relationships with heretics.

Billy Graham gives stamp of approval on practically every Bible version that comes out
In one of his endorsements for the "New Living Translation," He says, "...I am pleased to recommend the New Living Translation for even greater readability and accuracy." The King James Bible is highly readable and pinpoint accurate. People have been getting saved by reading the King James Bible and they've been growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ through it. There is no need for another "translation." But the Devil will keep 'em coming as long as people are foolish enough to buy them.

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



Billy Graham EXPOSED!

Source: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/billy_graham-apostasy.htm

BERTONE'S ADDRESS TO CUBAN YOUTH

ZE08022409 - 2008-02-24
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-21882?l=english

Cardinal Bertone's Address to Cuban Youth


"Never Forget the Mission the Lord Has Entrusted to You"


SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, FEB. 24, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, gave Saturday during the recitation of the rosary with youth gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre in Santiago de Cuba.

* * *

Lord Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
Brother Priests, Religious,

Dear Young People,
All Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the coronation of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre as Queen and Patroness of Cuba, accomplished by John Paul II during his apostolic visit to this nation, we have come to this celebrated Marian shrine to recite the holy rosary.

We do it in the context of the 4th centenary of the apparition of the Virgin in which we remember the love of the Mother of God, manifested for this land and her children, when three young people found her image in the waters of the sea. Today, aware of the presence of Mary in your history, you welcome her into your hearts, with the echo that still lives of the words of the pilgrim Pope, by which he invited you not to be afraid to open your heart to God.

With the recitation of the rosary we learn from Mary how to contemplate the beauty of her Son's face and we experience the depth of his love. It is a recalling, a remembering, a salutary contemplation, a meditation and a supplication. It is a retracing of Jesus' life. For this reason "Mary has been defined as the book […] on which the doctrine of her Son has been written" (Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Homily for Mass concelebrated with the apostolic nuncios of Latin America, Feb. 17, 2007).

The rosary, the best tradition of the art of prayer, is deeply rooted in life itself, in which it illuminates the mystery of the heart of man. In the recitation of the Rosary there is a profound contemplative attitude of the mysteries of the life of the Lord, a slow meditation, while one says the prayers to Mary according to the best tradition of the art of prayer; it is particularly beneficial in a world sometimes dominated by hustle and bustle and by the proliferation of voices that distract us.

In the background of the Hail Mary one places in the hands of the Mother of God and our Mother everything that makes up "lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind -- our personal concerns and those of our neighbor, especially those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the rosary marks the rhythm of human life" (John Paul II, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae," No. 2).

With the joyful mysteries this afternoon we remembered the Incarnation and the hidden life of Christ. According to the words of the Angel, Mary became the temple of God in a unique way: She was the Mother of the Son of God. "You will conceive a son, you will give birth to him and call him Jesus. He will be great and called Son of the Most High."

Mary, with total consent and availability, replied with those words that opened the gate of salvation to us: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). Thanks to her, a woman completely open to God's plans, the Savior's definitive coming into the world is accomplished, the desire of the ages. Because of this all generations from now on will call her blessed (cf. Luke 1:48). Christ too, coming into the world, says: "Behold, I come […] to do your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:5-7). The two "beholds," the Son's and the Mother's, intimately meet in the mystery of the salvation of the whole human race. And you too can participate in it, renewing your "here I am" today.

This is what your forebears did, by the practice of this Marian prayer they entrusted the cause of the Pilgrim Church in Cuba to God. As Our Lady of the Rosary was invoked in decisive moments of Christianity as propitiator of salvation, so also the Cuban people, in crucial moments of its history, entrusted itself to Our Lady of Charity.

Today young people from different dioceses have come to this sanctuary, above from the diocese that has welcomed us, Santiago de Cuba, and also from the Diocese of Holguín and the Diocese of Santísimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo.

Dear young people, thank you for your significant presence, which speaks to us of a young country with a promising future. Show contemporary society that, as Pope John Paul II said, "you can be modern and deeply faithful to Christ" (Prayer at the end of canonization ceremony in Madrid, May 4, 2003). You are the heirs to the memory of the Christian communities who, through trials and difficulties, knew how to hand on their authentic faith in the course of history. Now it is up to you to be the present and the future of the Church of Cuba. This should encourage you to grow more in faith every day and to dedicate yourself disinterestedly, even at the cost of sacrifices, to the cause of the Gospel, and to work on behalf of all, above all for those who are most in need, the poor, the marginalized, the excluded, the sick and your peers, who on many occasions, because of their youth, are the most vulnerable.

You are the voice of those who do not have a voice. Today you are faced with new challenges, new and numerous problems, and new hopes too, above all in what regards the dignity and fundamental rights of the person. Defend life from its conception to its natural end and always proclaim the truth. The truth about marriage and the family, of an irreplaceable value for all of society and also your people.

Cuban families, your families, must be a powerful example in trials, and of joy and confidence in the future. Never forget the mission the Lord has entrusted to you. Take the rosary into your hands with confidence, rediscovering the face of Christ, and bringing his love and his Gospel into your daily life, in the university, in your workplace, in your circle and to your friends. Make the values of dialogue and reciprocal respect, of solidarity, of freedom and peace present with your witness. Promote hope and be ready to leave everything to follow Christ.

Put your plans under Mary's protection. She will accompany you along the road of evangelization as Mother of all. The Cuban people have always experienced the benefits of her maternal protection. John Paul II noted this, saying that Cuban history shines with marvelous demonstrations of love for its Patroness.

Dear young people, beloved brothers, continue to turn to her with serenity of spirit, but at the same time with apostolic boldness, that she may continue to be shield and refuge, as you sing in the hymn. I entrust your lives to Mary, venerated with the title of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre. I place in her hands the difficulties and aspirations of all of the children of this beloved land. As in the past, may she guide and support your steps to heaven and encourage you "to live in such a way that in society those authentic moral values may reign which constitute the rich spiritual heritage received from your forebears" (John Paul II, Homily at Santiago de Cuba, Jan. 24, 1998, 3)!

May this prayer today be for all of you a reason for encouragement and hope, knowing that you can count on the special nearness of Pope Benedict XVI, from whom I offer you an affectionate apostolic blessing!

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]


© Innovative Media, Inc.

Source: http://www.zenit.org/article-21882?l=english

CARDINAL RECALLS NOBILITY OF SMOM GM

ZE08021805 - 2008-02-18
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-21811?l=english

Cardinal Recalls Nobility of Order of Malta Grand Master


Says Bertie Was Known for Compassion Toward Suffering


ROME, FEB. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Andrew Bertie was not just of noble birth, he was noble of soul, said the cardinal who presided at the funeral of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

This is how Cardinal Pio Laghi characterized Bertie during the solemn funeral Mass that was celebrated at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill in Rome on Saturday. Bertie Died Feb. 7 at age 78.

In his homily, the cardinal recalled Bertie's "natural gift of making himself be obeyed, a virtue in which he himself provided an example; compassion toward those who suffer, his straightforward and serene manner of speaking -- with an occasional sagacious comment but always marked by charity -- the noble expression of his face, which revealed a profound spirituality and a strong conviction."

Benedict XVI, in a telegram of condolence for his death, praised "the work of this man of culture and [...] his generous commitment in the fulfillment of his high office, especially in favor of those most in need, and for his love for the Church and for his luminous testimony of the principles of the Gospel."

Cardinal Laghi paid homage to Bertie's dedication in promoting the mission of the Order of Malta: taking care of everyone, without distinction of religion, race or origin.

Cardinals Paul Poupard, Jean-Louis Tauran, Renato Martino and John Patrick Foley concelebrated the funeral Mass with Cardinal Laghi.

After the Mass, Bertie's body was entombed in the Church of Santa Maria del Priorato. The state funeral will take place March 8 in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The Order of Malta is a lay Catholic charitable group. It operates numerous hospitals, medical centers, first aid groups and various humanitarian projects in 120 countries.

Currently 12,500 members and 80,000 permanent volunteers, assisted by 13,000 doctors and nurses, are engaged in the charitable works of the order.


© Innovative Media, Inc.

Source: http://www.zenit.org/article-21811?l=english

CARDINAL MURPHY ASKED BOARD TO RESIGN




Cardinal Murphy O'Connor

British Cardinal asks Board of Catholic hospital to resign over Catholic Pro-life ethics
By Hilary White
2/23/2008

LifeSiteNews (www.lifesitenews.com)

"In light of recent difficulties and challenges the cardinal asked the board to resign their office."

LONDON, UK (LifeSiteNews) - After three years of investigations and disputes, Cormac Cardinal Murphy O'Connor has asked the entire board of directors of a London Catholic hospital to resign in order to facilitate the implementation of a Catholic ethics code that would preclude abortion referrals, IVF and contraception.

A spokesman for the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, who is patron of the hospital and the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, is quoted by the Guardian saying, "In light of recent difficulties and challenges the cardinal asked the board to resign their office."

An investigation into the practices of the fashionable private hospital in St John's Wood was launched in 2006, after complaints came from the Vatican that the hospital was dispensing chemical contraceptives and referring for abortions. Later it was also revealed that the hospital had allowed phalloplasties, a woman-to-man "sex-change operation".

After nearly two years of disputes with the hospital's board, Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, the hospital's arbiter on ethics, imposed a new ethics code and appointed an auxiliary bishop of Westminster archdiocese to oversee implementation. At this, a number of board members resigned, accusing the cardinal of promoting Catholic "values", which they held to be in conflict with patient care.

The hospital is also under investigation by the government's Charity Commission for failing to disclose vital information surrounding an £11 million loan to open an NHS primary care centre on its premises. Money to refurbish the property, a former convent, was approved by the government's Charity Commission, but the agency was not informed that a clause in the lease allowed doctors to opt out of the hospital's own ethics code.

The cardinal's office said the removal of the previous board was "to enable a new chairman to begin his office with the freedom to go about ensuring the future wellbeing of this Catholic hospital".

Charles Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank has been appointed in that position. Lord Guthrie is a former Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Army, and is Vice President and Knight of Sovereign Military Order of Malta, an ancient Catholic military order that now focuses on medical charity work around the world. The Order has its London headquarters, including an ornate and historic chapel, at the hospital.

As a member of the House of Lords, Baron Guthrie has spoken against the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in 2005, saying that it is the failure of the medical community to improve pain relief and appropriate care of the dying that has generated a demand for euthanasia.

But the Restituta Group, an organisation that has been working to restore the Catholic ethos to the hospital, told LifeSiteNews.com that the move by the Cardinal to remove the board is "baffling".

Nicolas J. Bellord, secretary to the group, said the problems in the board and the hospital's Catholicity were being resolved and that the situation was improving.

"I'm totally baffled," Mr. Bellord said, "The board seemed to be getting on top of the problem. They seemed to have achieved a great deal. They were getting back towards Catholicity, they started on that way and now they've being asked to resign."

Bellord pointed out that technically, the Cardinal has no legal power to remove the board.

The hospital said it would not be commenting further on the resignations. Deputy chief executive, Claire Hornick, said "Lord Guthrie, supported by Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, has stated that under his chairmanship there is no desire that the hospital be sold and that the committed plan remains to continue the objects of the charity, which, guided by its Catholic ethos, is to serve the local community."

Source: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=26949

SHAME ON YOU, BARACK OBAMA!


Image for ‘Shame on you, Barack Obama’
P.S. Remember, "It takes a village". Blogman.

HIRAM RHODES REVELS

REVELS, Hiram Rhodes, (1827 - 1901)

Senate Years of Service: 1870-1871
Party: Republican

Library of Congress

REVELS, Hiram Rhodes, a Senator from Mississippi; born in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, N.C., on September 27, 1827; attended Beech Grove Quaker Seminary in Liberty, Ind., Darke County Seminary in Ohio, and Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.; barber; ordained a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church at Baltimore, Md., in 1845; carried on religious work in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri; accepted a pastorate in Baltimore, Md., in 1860; at the outbreak of the Civil War assisted in recruiting two regiments of African American troops in Maryland; served in Vicksburg, Miss., as chaplain of a Negro regiment, and organized African American churches in that State; established a school for freedmen in St. Louis, Mo., in 1863; after the war, served in churches in Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana before settling in Natchez, Miss., in 1866; elected alderman in 1868; member, Mississippi State senate 1870; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate; presented his credentials upon the readmission of Mississippi to representation on February 23, 1870; took the oath of office on February 25, 1870, after the Senate resolved a challenge to his credentials, and served from February 23, 1870 until March 3, 1871; first African American Senator; secretary of State ad interim of Mississippi in 1873; president of Alcorn University (formerly Oakland College), Rodney, Miss., 1876-1874, 1876-1882; moved to Holly Springs, Marshall County, Miss., and continued his religious work; editor, Southwestern Christian Advocate, official newspaper of A.M.E. Church 1876-1882; in retirement after 1882, taught theology at Shaw University, Holly Springs, Miss.; died from a paralytic stroke in Aberdeen, Miss., January 16, 1901; interment in Hill Crest Cemetery, Holly Springs, Miss.


Bibliography

American National Biography; Dictionary of American Biography; Libby, Billy W. “Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi Takes His Seat, January-February, 1870.” Journal of Mississippi History 37 (November 1975): 381-94; Thompson, Julius. Hiram R. Revels, 1827-1901: A Biography. New York: Arno Press, 1982.

Source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=afroamhistory&cdn=education&tm=55&gps=260_264_796_431&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl%3Findex%3DR000166

P.S. Note: Bolds and Highlights used to emphasize (Feb. 25) anniversary. Blogman.

MOM ARRESTED AFTER KIDS FOUND DEAD

Mom arrested after kids found dead

NEW CASSEL, N.Y. — A single mother who neighbors said was overwhelmed was accused of murder Sunday after police found her three small children dead in a bed, then tracked her down and arrested her.

Leatrice Brewer, 27, has been charged with multiple counts of murder, Nassau County police said.

Officers were met at the two-story home by a woman who directed them to a top-floor apartment, where they found the children, Jewell Ward, 6, Michael Demesyeux, 5, and Innocent Demesyeux, 1.

Brewer wasn't home but was found later, said police, who wouldn't reveal where they arrested her. The county medical examiner's office was trying to determine how the children died.

Source: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/National%20News/Nation-and-world-in-brief-022508

LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS

LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

Words:
Eli­sha A. Hoff­man, in The Glad Evan­gel for Re­viv­al, Camp, and Evan­gel­is­tic Meet­ings (Dal­ton, Georg­ia: A. J. Sho­wal­ter & Com­pa­ny, 1887).

Music:
An­tho­ny J. Sho­wal­ter (MI­DI, score). Sho­wal­ter wrote this tune and words to the re­frain after hear­ing from two friends whose wives had died, and asked Hoff­man to write the re­main­ing lyr­ics.

Aymara Español Quechua

Source: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/lotearms.htm

PSALM 90



Psalm 90


1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

3Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

11Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

12So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

16Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

17And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

GOD AND COUNTRY

(Liberty Magazine Cover: Jan/Feb 2006)


It’s a brave—though some might instead say unwise—individual who chooses to resist the might and authority of the United States Marine Corps. Created by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775—238 days before the Declaration of Independence was signed—the Marines have become, and are today, a formidable fighting force whose motto, “Semper Fidelis,” Latin for “Always Faithful,” has become a byword for many in America.

Faithfulness takes on many forms, as a former Marine lance corporal, Joel David Klimkewicz, discovered about a year ago. His story has many twists and turns, and the final outcome isn’t, well, final yet. Through it all, however, Klimkewicz, now a religion major at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, maintained his poise, his faith, and his example as a Marine—but a Marine of conscience.
“We have to obey God rather than man, no matter what the consequences,” said Klimkewicz, in a telephone interview. He is now appealing the equivalent of a felony conviction for refusing to obey a lawful order. “God is in control of our lives, through our conscience and [how we live] our lives.”

How Joel Klimkewicz lived his life resulted in a December 14, 2004, court-martial conviction and a seven-month prison sentence. Klimkewicz, a native of Birch Run, Michigan, is married and has a 4-year-old daughter. For his principled stand, he was imprisoned, reduced in rank to recruit, and given a bad conduct discharge from the Marine Corps—although that latter move is on hold while his case continues on appeal..


“In 36 years of dealing with these cases, this is the first one I’ve seen go so far,” said Richard O. Stenbakken, a retired U.S. Army chaplain and Seventh-day Adventist church pastor who until recently headed Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries for the 14.3-million-member church.

Adventist Church attorney Mitchell A. Tyner said, “The Marine Corps, in its zeal to prevent others from avoiding combat, has totally misread this soldier, and the result is a serious miscarriage of justice.”

Klimkewicz, who experienced a religious awakening while on a shipboard assignment in the Marines, formally joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the summer of 2003. Before his conversion Klimkewicz, by his own admission, led a less-than-exemplary life. Afterward his wife, Tomomi, a Japanese citizen who has a temporary residence permit and is seeking permanent resident status in the United States, as well as his coworkers and superiors in the Marines, noticed a marked change in his behavior and attitude.

After he joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Klimkewicz learned that noncombat-ancy is the church’s recommendation, and, upon personal reflection, came to the principled conclusion that he could not take up a weapon to kill another person. Klimkewicz told Marine Corps officials that he was willing to serve, but not to carry a weapon or to take a life. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, while recommending noncombatancy for its members who serve in the military, leaves such decisions to a member’s individual conscience.

Such requests are usually granted, observers of the issue say, or the service member is given an administrative discharge from the military. Klimkewicz volunteered for two separate deployments in which he would help clear land mines in Iraq, a fairly high-risk task in which he would not have to carry a weapon, but superiors refused him. When one superior, Major Kirk Cordova, executive officer of the Second Combat Engineers Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division, ordered the Marine to carry a weapon, Klimkewicz refused and was brought up on charges.

“I can’t take a human life; that’s my only real issue,” Klimkewicz affirmed when interviewed about the matter.

What made this more than a garden-variety change of heart by a member of the U.S. military may never be fully known; it’s certainly not settled now. The Marine Corps, in speaking with various military and public media, maintains that Klimkewicz was trying to dodge his service and that his “conversion” to noncombatancy came before he had reenlisted in the Corps. The former corporal says no, he was not trying to evade his duty. He says he would gladly serve, but not kill.

“I’m a conscientious cooperator; I don’t object to serving my country,” he said in an interview.

Was it totally within the discretion of the Marine Corps to handle this matter? Yes, say observers. They could have granted Klimkewicz’s request or given him an administrative discharge, and they did not have to set up a situation in which he would feel compelled to disobey an order. Whatever Major Cordova’s motivations were, they remain secret; he has not spoken publicly about the case so far as can be determined.

The moves against Klimkewicz drew international attention, including major media coverage in the United States and overseas. Men, women, and children sent letters and messages of encouragement; other religious groups, including the Quakers, took up his cause. Even Seventh-day Adventist Church members in the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific, sent a donation to help the Klimkewicz family, which was deprived of his salary while he was in a U.S. Navy brig, or jail.

That family was also deprived of the man who became a better husband and father through his religious experience. Recalling that time after he was released from prison, Klimkewicz said that his wife, Tomomi, who also had adopted the same faith, actually gained from this time of adversity.

“My wife learned a lot through this experience. She’s learned how to do the finances all on her own. She has adapted and overcome that obstacle, and she gained a lot of faith from the local church members who supported her morally and financially, as well as from all the church members who sent donations from around the country and all over the world,” Klimkewicz said in an interview. “The separation time has actually brought us closer together, and she’s learned how to trust in God.”

What suddenly prevailed upon the Marine Corps to release the prisoner early? It might well have been the interest that two members of the United States Congress took in the case. Representative Dale E. Kildee of Michigan and Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland each spoke up on the Marine’s behalf. Those appeals—and Representative Bartlett’s presence on a House appropriations subcommittee that deals with the Marine Corps—may have motivated the early release. It may have been a result of the spotlight of public interest. It may have been a belated recognition that Klimkewicz is not disloyal, but determined to be loyal to his faith commitment.

Klimkewicz was acknowledged by many to have been a model prisoner, who completed his assignments without complaint and even held Bible studies for others in the brig who were interested.

“When I found out I was going to be released, other prisoners were happier [for me] than I was that I was going to leave,” Klimkewicz recalled. “I was never treated as someone trying to get one over on the system.”

Indeed, private citizen Klimkewicz has a particular reason for seeking the overturn of his conviction: He wants to go back into the military as a chaplain, offering spiritual support to men and women in a stressful, demanding line of work, sharing the same good news that once touched his life.

“It would be a perfect ending,” he said.



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Mark A. Kellner is a freelance author in Rockville, Maryland. He writes a weekly column in the Washington Times and is the author of God on the Internet.
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AN OSCAR FOR DIABLO

Diablo Cody

Sunday, February 24, 2008

THE 3 R'S ARE BACK!

Yes, I remember that famous speech Ronald Reagan gave back in 1983, alluding to the 3 R's: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. He stated then that American schools should focus more keenly on these subjects to compete with the developing world's youth, who was surpassing our own's intellectual capabilities.

Fastforward to 2008. We now have another version of the 3 R's that has developed this past week.
In the Presidential race:
It's the 3 R's of 2008, as in Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, and Raul Castro.
Rah, Rah, Rah.
Business as usual!
Arsenio.
***