Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The First European Citizens' Initiative for a work-free Sunday in Europe

Mum and Dad belong to us on Sunday


On December 1, 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force.

In Article 11.4, the Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union states:

"Not less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may take the initiative of inviting the European Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties."

Thus, the European Citizens´ Initiative formally exists since the Lisbon Treaty has entered into force on December 1, 2009. Currently, however, the procedure for setting out the precise legal structuring of the European citizens' initiative is underway. For example, it must be clarified from how many member states the signatures have to be submitted or how long the period will be in which the signatures can be collected. Once this process is completed, the collection of signatures for our first European Citizens´ Initiative can actually start.

For the success of the initiative it is important that, at this moment, we will be well prepared in order to be able to start quickly and easily with the collection of the signatures. Therefore, we ask you to sign already today as a supporter of the First European Citizens' Initiative for a work-free Sunday in Europe!

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http://www.free-sunday.eu/en/content/citizens-initiative
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Monday, August 09, 2010

RAP SESSION: PASTOR ELIZABETH TALBOT

Friday, April 13, 2007

RAP SESSION: PASTOR ELIZABETH TALBOT

This rap session features Elizabeth Talbot, a prominent Adventist senior pastor in Southern California. The interview was conducted as a collaboration between Claremont seminary student Trisha Famisaran, editor of Adventist Gender Justice and Marcel Schwantes, editor of Re-inventing the Adventist Wheel.






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BIOGRAPHY

In early 2005, Elizabeth Talbot commenced her new position as senior pastor at The Grace Place Church in Alhambra, California, making denominational history as the only senior female pastor in the Southern California Seventh Day Adventist Conference. On December 16, 2006, Elizabeth was officially commissioned in a ceremony at her church. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies (M.A.R.) from the Haggard Graduate School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University, and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Behavior. Elizabeth has the current honor of studying under the mentorship of renowned New Testament scholar Andrew Lincoln as a Ph.D. candidate for biblical studies at the University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.

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Marcel: You weren't the first, but for a while, you were the only female senior pastor hired by the Southern California Conference. Did that have special significance? What did it mean to you?

The significance at the time was that God can do more than we ask or imagine. When I switched professions in my late 30's, some people around me asked why, being that they thought I could never get anywhere as a pastor because of my gender. I told them I just wanted a chance to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it was a fire God had placed "in my bones". It is God who proved them wrong. So, the greatest significance for me is that God's purposes cannot be frustrated for long...

Marcel: Your church, the Grace Place, has doubled in attendance since you came on board, according to one article. What do you attribute that growth to?

I have no doubt that it is related to the preaching emphasis on the gospel: the good news of Jesus Christ. People are thirsty for Jesus. The first Sabbath I was there we had a new verse as a motto: "If I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). The growth is related to the fulfillment of that promise from Jesus' mouth. My core preaching is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Everything I preach is FOUNDED in this core truth. I believe the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (SDA Doctrine # 9) is the core doctrine of any true theology.

Marcel: Flashback to your days as Associate Pastor at Vallejo Drive SDA Church. You worked with one of the iconic figures of evangelical Adventism in Smuts van Rooyen. What was that experience like?

Smuts is a brilliant thinker, philosopher and theologian. I have learned so much from him and I will always love him as my mentor. At the beginning our personalities clashed a lot, so God used us to be a "sand paper" for each other's personalities. As time went by we became so close, holding long theological discussions very often. We still try to keep in touch and whenever we see each other in workers meetings we start discussing theology immediately. It's always a blast! I know that God designed that I should work under him for those 4 years. I will eternally be grateful for the legacy he passed on to me.

Marcel: You've been very critical of the controversial book written by your Union president, entitled Hidden Heresy?: Is Spiritualism Invading the Adventist Church? He suggests that the methodologies practiced by Adventist churches that model those of seeker-sensitive mega-churches like Saddleback and Willowcreek are "heresy" and not in harmony with the Adventist mission. Your reaction?

I have personally discussed with Elder (Tom) Mostert my concern about this book. We talked for about 4 hours. I even asked him to remove it from print. He explained to me what he was trying to say in the book... I continue to be whole heartedly opposed to a book that labels Spirit-filled methodologies for preaching the gospel and seeking non-Christians as "Hidden Heresy", especially as the General Conference Working Policy manual , policy No. O 110 so openly states:

"1. We recognize those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ"
I think Hidden Heresy stands in open violation of the above mention policy.

Trisha: As a woman, did you wrestle with the "call" to pastoral ministry? Did you experience conflict with people around you, those who disagreed with a woman being called to pastoral ministry?

I felt the call to ministry when I was a toddler. My father was a minister. I used to preach to my dolls instead of playing with them, since I was 3 years old. When I was hired as a full-time pastor I had much support from my family, even though some family members were in a journey themselves. I did receive sarcastic comments from outsiders, people who thought it was crazy that I would leave my business career to get involved with ministry in the Adventist church. They thought that I had "no future.”

Trisha: What advice do you have for a woman who senses a call to pastoral ministry, but is hesitant to accept because her family and peers do not agree with such a break in tradition and gender roles?


Your call is vertical, not horizontal. If you believe that you have been called by God and therefore empowered every step of the way by His grace, then "horizontal" relationships become secondary to that call. That is what Jesus meant when He said "unless you hate your father and mother for my cause.” He was talking about priorities, not the violation of the 5th commandment. My advice is to heed your "vertical call.” He will make a way where there is no way, just like the parting of the Sea of Reeds - regularly known as the Red Sea. The desire to preach the gospel is like fire in my bones. It supersedes anything and everything.

Trisha: What is your take on the distinction and usefulness of "commissioned" versus "ordained" ministry? What are your thoughts on the efficacy and meaningfulness of male pastors who have chosen to be "commissioned," and those who have turned in their ordination credentials in the past, as a stance of solidarity with women ministers?

There is not much distinction between "commissioned" versus "ordained" ministers. It is a play on words in order to keep the world-wide church happy. The North American Division has made a "culture-sensitive" decision to accept women in the ministry, but that is not the case with the whole world. They seem to have found a temporary alternative in the change of wording. Solidarity from male co-workers is always welcomed, and yet I think the actual battle is to be fought in another battlefield. But each one does what they can in the sphere of influence they have.

Trisha: What do you think about this proposition? “The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to begin having more conversations that are explicitly about sex and gender at the General Conference and academic levels in order to fully grapple with the question of the ordination of women.” Do you agree and, if so, how would you frame these questions and conversations as they relate to ordination?

I know that more dialogue needs to happen at the academic level in this issue. This is not my particular battle. I want to preach and teach the gospel as much as I am allowed. Unfortunately, many times humans delay God's plans, but He is sovereign and humans cannot completely frustrate His plans. But I do think others have been given this burden by God and they should pursue it as their purpose. I believe this issue is one of ignorance, and that is why academic conversations would be helpful. I think scholars with particular emphasis in "social criticism" and anthropological savvy would make a great contribution. I think the issues should be framed in the culture and time in which they were brought up in the NT so that a greater understanding of principles versus preferences may be achieved. As you can see in the link I sent you today*, we are not the only ones having issues in this area.

Marcel: Your first Masters degree is in Organizational Behavior. Put your change management hat on. If you were president of your local conference, what would you improve?

I am clear about 2 things:

A. Organizationally: I would flatten the organizational chart. It's too tall which, for practical purposes, sometimes becomes slow and inefficient.

B. Theologically: I would propose "Jesus based Evangelism" . I don't think that the evangelism programs currently "officially proposed" are necessarily GOOD NEWS about Jesus. Sometimes it feels as if we promote the church over Christ. This is an area that needs much growth, and I pray that we will catch on fire as a Conference: "He who has the Son, has life"

Marcel: As you stated to Trisha, your desire to preach the gospel is like fire in your bones. What does that look like five to ten years from now?

I am hoping to preach the Good News to more audiences, perhaps to the masses in stadiums, and through TV. I also want to teach more, to train ministers to think "Jesus" thoughts as the basis of their belief system. I know that God has prepared my future and is leading me there. And... He has things prepared that I have not heard of, or seen, or that have come to my mind yet. "He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine"... and I can imagine a lot... yet He will surpass it for His glory. So, I can't wait!

Marcel: You're quite the distinguished ping-pong player and we have this rivalry going, which I believe I have the upper hand. You still think you can whip me in ping pong?

You believe you have the upper hand? I think you need to review your "belief system."

: : :

* [ Elizabeth is referring to an article from the right-wing evangelical group, Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood found here in which her seminary - Azusa Pacific University, is unjustly singled out for an advertisement featuring Elizabeth as the first senior pastor in her conference.]

Read other interview articles about Elizabeth Talbot here and here.
Listen to podcasts of Elizabeth's sermons here.
View webcasts of Elizabeth's sermons here.
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Posted by Marcel at 10:27:00 PM
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Source: http://reinventingsdawheel.blogspot.com/2007/04/rap-session-pastor-elizabeth-talbot.html
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Working Within The Etablishment Church Or Outside Of It: What Should We Do?


WORKING WITHIN THE ESTABLISHMENT CHURCH OR OUTSIDE OF IT; WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Written By S. R. Shearer

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The Bible says that the church is -

"... the PILLAR and GROUND of the TRUTH" (1 Tim. 3:15)

But if the church no longer "abides in that truth" (I John 2:27) can it really be called the church any longer? The answer is obviously, No! Just because people who call themselves Christians meet together does not in itself mean that they meet as the church. The Mormons, the Moonies, the Jehovah Witnesses and countless other similar sects call themselves Christian - but does that mean that when they meet together, they meet as (or constitute) the church? - No, of course not! Why? - because they do not meet on the "ground of truth," despite the fact that they call themselves Christians. The Bible says:

"... God is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

We repeat, the church is more than the assembly of those who call themselves "Christian" - it is the assembly of those who -

call themselves Christian
AND
meet on the "ground of truth."
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Read entire article @: http://www.antipasministries.com/html/file0000084.htm
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A FINANCIAL EMPIRE SECOND TO NONE



Whenever anyone writes on conspiracy money is always given a prominent place. In this regard the Vatican certainly does not take a back seat to anyone. The wealth of the Vatican, as we will see, is so vast that in all probability its true worth will never be known.We are going to examine in some detail what various writers, who have tried to research the wealth of the Vatican, have said. Several of these writers are members of the Roman Catholic church. It is surely interesting to every Protestant that when Pope Paul brought his entourage from Milan to the Vatican, they were dubbed by Roman Catholic writers as the Milan Mafia.1
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It is not within the bounds of this study to examine the Mafia in detail. But the Cosa Nostra, the Family, or The Mafia are a 100% Roman Catholic outfit. They originated in Sicily where Michele Sindona was also born. They control vast holdings in Italy and North America. They have gone what they call "legit" in many enterprises and were able to close down an entire cheese plant in Wisconsin. They did this to establish a monopoly in the Pizza business. This incident made the national news. Businessmen came in and brought the cheese factory. After they bought it, they closed it down. It was only later that Mafia involvement was discovered. As far as we know, the factory, which employed most of the town's work force, is still closed down as of this writing. It is interesting to notice the timing of the move by the Mafia to control the cheese and pizza business in the United States. Panatella, a Vatican controlled company dealing mainly in flour and pasta, lost two and a half million dollars just prior to the Mafia takeover and required financing of 4.8 million dollars to keep it afloat.
Martin discloses that by the late sixties both the Institute for Religious Words (whose assets were conservatively put at 3 billion dollars) and the Special Administration of Holy See Property were invested in every sector of Italian industry and commerce. He went on to say, "On the boards of directors of companies in which theVatican had an interest there always sat a Vatican ' family ' man, somebody like Massimo Spada or Luigi Mennini."2
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Martin also pointed out that the Special Administration of Holy See Property, which was run by competent lay bankers, was advised by J. P. Morgan, Hambros Brothers of London, and the Rothschilds of Paris. Ostling recounts the story of Boys' Town, a Roman Catholic charity. Boys Town now has a worth of well over $200 million, including a securities portfolio valued (very conservatively) at $157 million. Although the interest on such a nest egg is ample to operate the Town, it still spends millions to send the traditional tearjerker fund appeals to 34 million people and raises nearly $18 million a year. This means Boys Town has about three times the endowment of Notre Dame University, raises more money than the Greater New York United Fund, and would rank 372nd in assets on the Fortune 500 if if were a business corporation. All this for 700 boys.3
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All this came to light after much digging by a weekly newspaper in Omaha, Nebraska. According to Lo Bello, a Roman Catholic journalist, the Vatican is the only sovereign state that never publishes a budget. He was accused of exaggeration in his estimates of Vatican wealth, but suffice it to say, the wealth of the Vatican must be immense, for a simple honest disclosure of its holdings, if they do not constitute great wealth, would lay to rest all the "extravagant" estimates of various writers, but such a disclosure has not been forthcoming. The Sindona debacle, which the Vatican sought to hide from thegeneral public, resulted in a loss of close to one billion dollars. Yet the Vatican carried on as before, demonstrating its reservoir of financial reserves as nothing else could. Very few companies could sustain such a loss and carry on without so much as a whisper.(Chrysler Corporation lost half a billion and would have gone under but for the U. S. government.) The financial tentacles of the Vatican reach into numerous banks in different countries. Yallop says that the Rothschilds in Paris have been doing business with the Vatican since early in the 19thcentury.4
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He goes on to point out that, "Credit Suisse, Hambros, Morgan Guaranty, Bankers Trust, Chase Manhattan, and Continental Illinois among others became Vatican partners."5
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This financial empire which finances the Vatican conspiracy is filled with murder and mayhem. Yallop states, "The murder of Luciano-Pope John Paul I was to stop him from removing Marcinkus who was the foundation holding up Calvi, Sindona, and Celli."6
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When the dust had cleared from John Paul's mysterious death, it left in its aftermath a series of murders, assassinations and "suicides" that only the Mafia could match for cold bloodedness. Of the main players in the scene only Marcinkus and Celli still remain in control. Yallop recounts in detail each one of the murders and "suicides," and his pages, which are very difficult to refute, make grim reading. His book, IN GOD'S NAME," merits close reading by all who are concerned about freedom.Because of the criticism that no disclosure is ever made of its wealth, the Vatican has in recent years tried to reform some of its monetary policies, but much still remains to be done. No estimate can be given of the immense wealth of the Vatican, but one canget some glimpses of the multi-billion dollar enterprise through various works that have appeared in recent years. Ostling, in his work, "Secrecy in The Church," written from the standp oint of one sympathetic to the Church, does give some interesting insights into the wealth of the Papacy. He recounts that the late Bishop James A. Pike (a convert from Romanism to Episcopalianism) wrote what he calls a sensational article in which he said that the Jesuits had a controlling interest in the Bank of America, the nation's largest, and that they earned 250 million dollars a year from their investments (a quarter of a billion). He goes on to say that the Jesuits "sputtered, but they have never made a full accounting of their holdings."7
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Gollin, a freelance writer who tried to research Papal wealth, figured the securities and commercial properties of the Dioceses of the U.S.at almost "one billion dollars."8
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Nino Lo Bello put "the American Jesuit's annual income at $250 million." He claims that all Catholic units in the U.S. and Canada combined have assets of more than $80 billion and an annual income of nearly $12.5 billion."9
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It was none other than Cardinal Vagnozzi who observed concerning the Vatican's finances:It would take a combination of the KGB, the C.I.A. and Interpol to obtain just an inkling of how much and where the monies are.10
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According to this Cardinal three of the most powerful agencies in the world could only obtain an inkling of how much the Vatican is worth. Yallop points out that the "Vatican bought into General Motors, Shell, Gulf Oil, General Electric, Bethlehem Steel, IBM and TWA." He went on to say that "the Vicar of Christ had acquired a new unofficial title: Chairman of the Board."11
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The Vatican also acquired "controlling interest in companies, in fields of insurance, steel, financing, flour and spaghetti, industry,cement and real estate."12
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It owns sections of downtown Montreal,Canada, sections of Mexico City in Mexico, many of the major hotels in Italy, blocks of real estate on the Champs D'Elysee in Paris, the Watergate area in Washington, D.C., real estate in New York City, and the entire satellite city of Lomas Verdes in Mexico.This is only the tip of the iceberg, for much of the Vatican's wealth is hidden in holding companies so that it is difficult to come even close in an estimate of its vast wealth. It is interesting to observe also that Pope John Paul, who was murdered in the Vatican, intended to reform the Vatican's finances. Yallop in his work claims that this could have been one of a half dozen reasons why he was murdered right in the Vatican. Another very interesting fact is that Pope John Paul confessed to Father Dezza. Even the Pope has a prelate to whom he confesses, and poor Pope John Paul for some reason chose the head of the Jesuits as his "Father Confessor." If for any reason he chose to confide some of his proposed changes to Dezza, he may have unwittingly sealed his own death warrant. Malachi Martin, former Jesuit professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, in his new book, "RICH CHURCH POORCHURCH," puts the wealth of the "church" at 300 billion dollars. He points out that the Vatican is the:largest single stockholder in the world with about $20 billion dollars traceably invested (but much more untraceably invested) with gold deposits exceeding those of most medium sized countries, and with a worldwide real estate operation.13
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He goes on to say in another place:a list of the companies and banks in Italy and abroad in which the Vatican acquired a controlling interest before the outbreak of World War II, when added to the list of those in which itacquired a minor but substantial interest, would fill some sixty or seventy pages of this book.14
,
Even Martin, who still classes himself as a Roman Catholic, is appalled at the extent of the Vatican's wealth when contrasted with the impoverished millions of Roman Catholics around the world.The present Pope speaks much about economic justice. Although much has been written about the present Pope in glowing terms,Yallop does not share the international newsmen's accolade.Yallop states candidly: the papacy of John Paul II has been a case of business as usual. The business has benefitted immeasurably not only from the murder of Albino Luciana, but also from the murders that have followed that strange lonely death in the Vatican.15
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He goes on to say: Many millions of words have been written since the election of Karol Wojtyla in attempts to analyze and understand what kind of man he is. As can be seen, he is the kind of man who could allow men like Villot, Cody, Marcinkus, Mennini, De Strobel and Poletto to remain in office.16
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He adds:"It is a papacy of double standards, one for the Pope and one for the rest of mankind. "There can be no defense on the grounds of ignorance, Marcinkus is directly answerable to the Pope."17
,

REFERENCES
I.Martin, Malachi, THE FINAL CONCLAVE, Stein and Day, New
York, 1978. p. 18
2. Ibid., p. 26
3. Ostling, Richard, SECRECY IN THE CHURCH, Harper and
Row, N.Y. 1974, p. 51
4.Yallop, David, IN GOD'S NAME, Bantam Books, N.Y., N.Y.
1984, p 97
5. loc. cit.
6. Ibid., p. 103
7. Ostling, p. 49
8. loc.cit.
9. Ibid., p. 50 10.Yallop,p. 105
11. Ibid., p. 99
12. Ibid., p. 98
13. Martin, Malachi, RICH CHURCH POOR CHURCH, G. P. Putnam's
Sons, N.Y., N.Y. 1984, p. 14
14. Ibid., p. 40
15.Yallop, p. 264
16. Ibid, p. 265
17. Ibid., p. 264

An excerpt of:
The Vatican Jesuit Global Conspiracy
by Dr. Ronald Cooke .

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Michelle Obama visits Granada with youngest daughter


(AFP) – 4 days ago

GRANADA, Spain — US First Lady Michelle Obama and her nine-year-old daughter Sasha on Thursday visited Granada, the former seat of Moorish rule in Spain, during the second day of her holiday in the country.

The two had ice cream in the centre of the southern city as dozens of cameramen and local residents looked on before they began their tour of Granada amid temperatures that soared to nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Michelle Obama smiled and waved to the crowd before entering the city's imposing cathedral, which contains the tombs of Spain's king Ferdinand of Aragon and queen Isabella of Castile, the first stop on their tour.

She then attended a flamenco performance by Juan Andres Maya at a tavern in the centre of the city.

"She clapped along to the music and at the end even imitated some flamenco moves with her hands. It really moved me, I almost cried," Maya told public television TVE.

The tour of the city ended with a tour at sunset of the Alhambra fortress-palace, Spain's most-visited tourist attraction.

Once the residence of Moorish kings, the Alhambra is now one of the world's largest open-air museums of Islamic architecture and a World Heritage Site.

It features royal residential quarters, official chambers, a bathhouse, and a mosque, as well as a series of courtyards flanked by sweeping archways, columns and fountains.

The US First Lady and Sasha arrived on Spain's Mediterranean coast on Wednesday for a vacation with friends at the five-star Hotel Villa Padierna in the hills above the seaside resort of Marbella, a haunt for the rich and famous.

The White House has described the four-day visit as "a private, mother-daughter trip with longtime family friends".

Michelle Obama, 46, was however scheduled to meet Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia on Sunday at their summer palace on the Balearic island of Majorca, a short flight from Marbella, before she returns to the United States.

President Barack Obama, who celebrated his 49th birthday on Wednesday, stayed behind in the United States as did the couple's elder daughter, 12-year-old Malia, who is attending a summer camp.

Michelle Obama was cheered and applauded by several hundred onlookers on Wednesday night as she strolled through the historic centre of Marbella before having dinner at one of the city's most exclusive restaurants.

She bought two white dresses, one for herself and another for Sasha, for a total of about 80 euros (105 dollars) during her visit to the centre of Marbella, Spanish public television TVE reported.
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Mountain Media Ministries - Fall 2010 Seminar Trip



In our seminars, you will learn the basis for preparation and country living--from a spiritual perspective. And then with that foundation, we delve into valuable practical information on the "nuts and bolts" topics. What will you do when, for whatever reason, you do not have electricity? Will you be able to get water from your well? Will you be able to keep your home warm? Will you be able have food? These are the most basic physical necessities of life, and they are topics that are just as applicable to those currently living in the country as to city dwellers. Almost everyone has become completely dependent for even these most basic necessities, in this modern society of ours. In the Country Living Seminars, we will be exploring how you can become as independent as possible for these basic necessities. How you can not only survive, but also thrive! So that you can be a help and blessing to others in the days ahead. And so you can be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.


Hope to see you there!..

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Obama Booed By Boy Scouts At the National Jamboree

'>http://


TheCrazyAJShow August 04, 2010
First Appeared on the Chris Plante Talk Show-------------------------------------------------------------------------------On scoutings 100th birthday, President Barack Obama is booed by over 70,000 scouts and scouters. Everyone there was booeing for 1 reason, he didnt show up. The last 3 presidents had the courtesy to show up while Mr.Obama would rather talk about snookie on the view. Good Call Mr.Obama!
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A Contaminated World In Travail!


Volume XXIX Issue VIII August 2010
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/



A Contaminated World In Travail!


"Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"

Psalm 118:4-6


"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah."

Psalm 46:1-3


"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour...."

Isaiah 43:1-3


"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

Matthew 14:28-31


In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will once again examine the current events happening in these last days. I sit here in front of this computer screen feeling helpless and missing my dad, Pastor David J. Meyer. One point he always stressed whether preaching, teaching, or writing the newsletter is that without God's help, he could do nothing. He truly believed that and I feel the same way.

One day when I was fourteen years old, I walked into my dad's bedroom and asked him if he would allow me to post his newsletter online. After receiving his consent, I began our online endeavor, a lasting project which has seen our site visits spike to approximately two million a year. Over the last few years, I became more involved with the newsletter as I offered suggestions and helped with the editing and correcting process.

As I sit here and attempt to write an entire issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter for the first time, I do so to honor my dad as well as my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I hope and pray this will be a blessing to you and all who read it. Whatever good may come of it, I give all glory to God.

While searching the Scriptures in preparation for this newsletter, I felt pressed and compelled to tell you all not to be afraid. We live in a time when everything seems to be going wrong. Our world is being polluted, our food supply is contaminated, our earth is constantly shaking, there are wars and rumours of wars, sin abounds everywhere, and many of the economies of the world are in shambles. The situation may seem very dire, but we have our Saviour. We have Jesus.

In Matthew, chapter 14, we find the story of Jesus walking on the sea. Peter, being the compulsive man that he was, asked Jesus to allow him to walk on the water with Him. Our Lord allowed this, and as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he did not sink. When Peter looked around and saw the wind and the waves, his faith wavered and the sea began to overcome him. I urge each and every one of you to keep your eyes fastened on Jesus. If you do so, his miraculous power will keep you safe through impossible odds and carry you above the cares of this life no matter what troubles you may face. You will not sink into the deep abyss of sin and distress. Just keep looking to Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him and all will be well.

A Bleeding And Wounded Earth!

I'm sure by now you have all heard the story. On April 20th, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and killed eleven people while injuring seventeen more. It has become the biggest oil spill in U.S. history and has been called the "worst environmental disaster America has ever faced" by President Obama. (1) After the explosion, we saw one incompetent attempt after another to stop the spill, none of which even came close to working. Eventually, British Petroleum (BP), the company who had been leasing the oil rig, resorted to drilling two relief wells in an effort to stop the flow of oil. As of now, the relief wells are still not completed, and likely they will not be finished until August. (2)

The oil spill has reached Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and northwest Florida. Thousands of animals, including sea turtles, dolphins, and birds, have been killed. Meanwhile, giant plumes, made of a mixture of oil, gas, and seawater, have been found radiating around the blown-out well in all directions. The plumes contain toxic gases, including methane, which threaten the air supply for both animals and humans in the area. (3)

While BP officials can't seem to figure out what they are doing, the response of the Obama Administration has been underwhelming to say the least. Obama did visit the Gulf a couple times to tell BP to clean up the mess, but he really showed no sense of urgency until his approval rating started to drop. Even at that point, Obama's best strategy seemed to be going on television and using mild vulgarity to make threats. (4) Meanwhile, scientists have complained about the lack of coordination of the oil spill research efforts. Christopher F. D'Elia, the dean of the School of the Coast and Environment at Louisiana State University, stated, "Whatever the federal government is up to -- it may be well planned internally within the federal government, but the involvement of the outside research world is inadequate in my view." (5)

President Obama seems very proud of the fact that he negotiated a $20 billion fund from BP for the Gulf spill victims. (6) However, that money won't be nearly enough to cover the damages inflicted by this disaster. US lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, the man Obama appointed to oversee the fund, stated, "There's no question that the property value has diminished as a result of the spill. That doesn't mean that every property is entitled to compensation." He further went on to say, "There's not enough money in the world to pay everybody who'd like to have money." (7)

Despite the fact we have seen other large oil spills before, such as the Mexican Ixtoc 1 spill in 1979 and the Alaskan Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, very little money has been spent on oil spill cleanup technology over the years. The oil companies know the risks of deep water drilling, and they should have been more prepared for the recent spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although BP claims they have spent $29 million on safer drilling operations research, they did not research oil spill cleanup technology at all. (8)

The extent of the damage caused by this catastrophe remains unknown. It is likely that the effects on sea creatures, our food supply, and the citizens of the Gulf coast will be felt for years to come. The Obama Administration will likely try to use this event to pass sweeping new energy laws. Should the bureaucrats succeed, Americans will see their cost of energy increase exponentially.

A Crumbling Economy!

President Obama has claimed for the last few months that the U.S. economy is "recovering." He claims his stimulus plan is working and that we are "heading in the right direction." Yet I keep seeing headlines that say things like "U.S. Consumer Confidence Crumbled in June." (9) With the expiration of first time home-buyer tax credits of up to $8000, pending home sales plunged 30% in May. This was surprising to many in the real estate business since economists were expecting a drop of only 10.9%. (10) Perhaps it is good that the homebuyer credit program is over since it appears our government wasn't running it very efficiently. CNN reported that over $28 million was stolen from the program, including $9.1 million by prison inmates. (11)

Meanwhile, Barack Obama's special mortgage program, designed to help homeowners make their housing payments easier, has been a stunning failure. More than a third of the 1.24 million borrowers who were enrolled in the program have dropped out with 155,000 participants leaving the program in May 2010 alone. According to John Taylor, chief executive of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, "The foreclosure-prevention program has had minimal impact." (12)

As of early July 2010, the unemployment rate in this country sits at 9.5%. This is actually a drop from the June rate of 9.7%, but only because 652,000 people have stopped looking for work altogether and are no longer considered unemployed. According to an Associated Press report, the United States has 7.9 million fewer jobs than it did when the recession began. (13) Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has predicted that the unemployment rate will stay high. "The unemployment rate is still going to be high for a while, and that means that a lot of people are going to be under financial stress." (14) Bernanke also stated, "My best guess is we'll have a continued recovery, but it won't feel terrific." (15)

While Obama and Bernanke talk about recovery, banks in this country are still being shut down. Recent closures include banks in Florida, Nevada, California, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Illinois. Over eighty banks in the United States have been shut down by regulators in 2010. (16) As smaller banks continue to close, we may eventually be left with only two or three very large banks. Of course, that would probably make the task of launching a brand new monetary system much easier.

Just how bad is the U.S. economy? One thing we need to keep in mind is that the money Obama used for his massive stimulus package was borrowed from other countries. The United States is broke, and Obama's unbridled spending has put this country on the brink of a debt that could exceed the value of its gross domestic product by 2012, based on reports from the International Monetary Fund. (17)

Budget crises on the state level abound as well. The state of Illinois has raised its retirement age to 67. Arizona, New York, Missouri, and Mississippi plan to make people work more years to collect pensions. Colorado has cut pensions for all its workers, including past, present, and future. California and New Jersey have already cut, or are looking to cut, pensions as well. The situation in Illinois is so bad that R. Eden Martin, president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, warned, "We're within a few years of having some of the pension funds run out of money." He further stated, "Funding for the schools is going to be cut radically. Funding for Medicaid. As these things all mount up, there's going to be a lot of outrage." (18)

We now live in a world with a global economy, and because of that, some elements of economic distress are beyond the control of even our own government. The financial collapse in the European Union, particularly within Spain, Portugal, and Greece, has been a cause of great concern to economists and other finance experts. Jeff Tjomehoj, a research manager for Lipper Inc, said, "It weighs a lot on the financial system because what we're really talking about is the health of European banks, and our banks are going to have a lot of exposure to them." The economy of Greece has collapsed to the point their debt is now valued at "junk" status. (19)

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, is so concerned about the debt crisis in Europe that he has warned that democracy could disappear in Spain, Portugal, and Greece. His concern seems based on the fact that all three of these countries have histories of military coups, and without economic stability, it could open the door for new dictators to come in and take over. (20)

End Time Technology!

Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since the 1950s. We've seen computers shrink from units that would take up an entire room to tiny devices that we can now fit in our pockets. In fact, smartphones, such as the iPhone, the Evo, and the Droid, are basically miniature computers that also have the capability to send and receive phone calls. These devices have technology much more advanced than what was used in home personal computers only ten years ago. Mobile phones have become so cheap and ubiquitous that it is not uncommon to see very small children using them. But are cell phones safe?

The United Nations recently completed a study spanning ten years, thirteen countries, and thirteen thousand participants. They found a forty percent higher incidence of glioma, a rare form of brain cancer, among the participants who used their phones the most. Despite the findings of the study, experts decided the results were "inconclusive." It's worth noting that simply holding the phone four inches away from your head reduced the radiation levels to nearly zero, so if you must use a cell phone often, you may want to purchase a Bluetooth headset. (21)

Evidence is mounting that mobile phones may also be responsible for the disappearance of honey bees. Researchers at Chandigarh's Punjab University in India set up an experiment with two bee hives. The one hive was fitted with two mobile phones, which were powered on twice a day for fifteen minutes each session. The other hive was fitted with two dummy mobile phones. The results of the three-month study were striking. The researchers found that in the hives with the powered cell phones, the queen bee produced fewer eggs, fewer bees returned to the hive after collecting pollen, and the bees that did remain stopped producing honey. The hive with the dummy mobile phones remained normal. (22)

The U.S. military has grown increasingly concerned over the possibility of cyber attacks through the Internet. The concern has resulted in the army setting up a new U.S. Cyber Command, headed by General Keith Alexander. "In short, we face a dangerous combination of known and unknown vulnerabilities, strong adversary capabilities, and weak situational awareness," Alexander warned. "Our U.S. Department of Defense must be able to operate freely and defend its resources in cyberspace." Much of this concern seems to be sparked by successful cyber attacks against Estonia in 2007 and the country of Georgia in 2008. (23)

The paranoia over a possible cyber attack is being used as an excuse for a new U.S. Senate bill that would grant the President of the United States power to shut down all or part of the Internet during an emergency. The legislation stipulates that all Internet service providers "shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed" by the Department of Homeland Security. Failure to comply would result in fines against the service providers. (24) Somewhat troubling is the fact that what exactly constitutes an emergency isn't clearly defined. Keep in mind that governmental control over information on the Internet is nothing new. They've been doing it in China for years! The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved the bill known as "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act," or PCNAA. As of this writing, a vote in the Senate is pending. (25)

We know that many people have been implanted with microchips over the years. However, Dr Mark Gasson, a scientist from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, claims to be the first person to be infected with a computer virus. Dr Gasson, who had a RFID chip implanted in his left hand last year, stated, "By infecting my own implant with a computer virus, we have demonstrated how advanced these technologies are becoming and also had a glimpse at the problems of tomorrow." He further stated, "I believe it is necessary to acknowledge that our next evolutionary step may well mean that we all become part machine as we look to enhance ourselves. Indeed we may find that there are significant social pressures to have implantable technologies, either because it becomes as much of a social norm as say mobile phones, or because we'll be disadvantaged if we do not. However, we must be mindful of the new threats this step brings." (26) Yes, I suppose not being able to buy or sell might be considered a "disadvantage" by some.

A Contaminated Food Supply!

It seems like every year we're seeing more and more food recalls. In recent weeks we've seen recalls for Marie Callender frozen dinners, which are possibly tainted with salmonella. (27) Campbell's has recalled 35,000 cases of SpaghettiOs because they may have undercooked meat. (28) Kellogg's has recalled 28 million boxes of breakfast cereals, including Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, and Honey Smacks. They claim it's because of a waxy smell and flavor coming from the cereal packaging. Although the risk is low, consumption of the tainted cereals could cause an upset stomach. (29) It is important to remember that many food manufacturers discover problems months later after putting their products on the market. It is always a good thing to pray before you eat!

Much of the food we consume in the United States now comes from genetically modified crops. In fact, 81% of corn crops, 91% of soybean crops, 95% of sugar beet crops all come from bioengineered seeds. Additionally, most processed foods and feedstock for cattle and chicken contain GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Many other countries, including those in Europe as well as in China, require food companies to indicate on the label the presence of all genetically modified food. The United States does not require any such labeling, and consequentially, we have no way of knowing if the food we are buying has genetically modified organisms or not. (30)

Over the years we have been warned many times about polluted seafood. But it seems the extent of the pollution may have been grossly underestimated. Scientists discovered high levels of cadmium, aluminum, chromium, lead, silver, mercury, and titanium in tissue samples taken from about 1000 whales over the course of five years. Biologist Roger Payne was quite distressed by these discoveries and issued this somber statement, "You could make a fairly tight argument to say that it is the single greatest health threat that has ever faced the human species. I suspect this will shorten lives." (31)

The United Nations would like us all to become vegans. As crazy as it may sound, a report from the United Nations' Environment Programme claims that due to a world population likely to surge to 9.1 billion people by the year 2050, diets rich in meat and dairy products will no longer be sustainable. According to the report, "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to the population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products." (32) If the UN gets their way, the Fourth of July will never be the same!

Wars And Rumors Of Wars!

As we watch and pray in these last days, we only have to read the daily news to began to see how the nations of the world might align themselves if World War III breaks out. Of course, Israel and Palestine have been making the news lately with all of their conflicts. But we also see the nations of Iran and North Korea gearing up to produce nuclear weapons. We've seen Venezuela seeking to align themselves with Iran, and Al Qaida has been making more threats.

In June 2010, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez issued the following statement, "Someday the genocidal state of Israel will be put in its place, in the proper place and hopefully a real democratic state will be born. But it has become the murderous arm of the Yankee empire -- who can doubt it? -- which threatens all of us." (33)

Additionally, an Iranian spiritual leader, known as Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, has written a book in which he stated that Iran should not deprive themselves of the right to produce "special weapons." Yazdi states in his book, "Under Islamic teachings, all common tools and materialistic instruments must be employed against the enemy and prevent enemy's military superiority."

Iran also announced in June 2010 that they would penalize world powers by freezing nuclear talks for two months. "We are postponing the talks because of the bad behavior and the adoption of the new resolution in the (UN) Security Council. This is a penalty so that they are disciplined to learn the way of talking to other nations." (35) That statement was issued right around the same time that CIA Director Leon Panetta said Iran probably has enough low-enriched uranium for two nuclear weapons and could possibly have them built in two years. (36)

On March 26, 2010, North Korea torpedoed and sank a South Korean corvette, known as the Cheonan. Since that time, tensions have been high as we've seen North Korea issue threats of military action. (37) They also recently announced plans to build up their nuclear weapon capabilities. The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued this statement, "The recent disturbing development on the Korean Peninsula underscores the need for (North Korea) to bolster its nuclear deterrent in a newly developed way to cope with the U.S. persistent hostile policy toward (the North) and military threat toward it." (38)

A recent report by the inspector general of the U.S. Justice Department stated that the agency is not prepared to handle an attack against this nation with a weapon of mass destruction. The report found that "the department is not prepared to fill its role." (39) A report issued in December 2008 by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism stated that the United States will likely be attacked by a weapon of mass destruction by the year 2013. (40) Considering the facts, it's a bit disconcerting that Adam Gadahn, a U.S. born representative of Al Qaida, recently issued a warning that stated, "With the relatively small number of Americans we have killed so far, it becomes crystal-clear that we haven't even begun to even the score." (41)

Signs In The Heavens And On The Earth!

The people of this planet have certainly been enduring a lot of natural disasters lately. It seems there's been a lot of flooding especially. In the month of June, a flash flood swept through the Albert Pike Recreation Center in Arkansas and killed about twenty people. (42) Also in June, flooding and landslides killed about fifty people in Myanmar. (43) China had a massive flood, which forced them to evacuate over a million people. (44) At least forty people were killed in a Brazilian flood, which also swept away entire villages. (45)

As always, the earth continues to shake and quake. In fact, a quick look at the charts on the U.S. Geological Survey website will indicate that there are earthquakes occurring every single day. Some of the notable ones include a 7.5-magnitude quake off India's Nicobar Islands on June 12, 2010 (46), a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in southern California on June 15, 2010 (47), and a 5.5-magnitude earthquake in Canada that was felt in Ottawa and Montreal on June 23, 2010. (48) The Canadian quake was especially surprising since that region does not usually have them.

According to a recent study by scientists, there is a one-in-three chance that a major earthquake, like the ones felt in Chile and Haiti, could hit the Pacific Northwest within the next fifty years. Chris Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University, claims, "It's not a question of if a major earthquake will strike, it's a matter of when. And the 'when' is looking like it may not be that far in the future." (49)

Scientists also claim the sun is about to get a lot more active. According to Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division and other scientists, sunspots will soon start erupting, causing solar storms that could potentially wreak havoc on power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, and emergency radio communications. (50)

Another odd happening was a recent infestation of frogs in Thessaloniki, Greece. According to Thessaloniki traffic police chief Giorgos Thanoglou, there were millions of frogs found near the town of Langadas. Authorities were forced to close a main highway after three cars skidded off the road while trying to avoid the frogs. (51)

In closing, I urge you all to keep watching and praying. I know it's easy to feel dismayed and discouraged by what we see happening in this world. But put your trust and hope in God, and He will sustain you. If you have any prayer requests, please feel welcomed to send them to us, and our teams of intercessors will give them each individual attention. Thank you all for your support of this ministry. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer

Acknowledgements

01. The Washington Post, Jun 22, 2010, by David A Fahrenthold and Ylan Q Mui, Washington, D.C.
02. LiveScience, Jul 2, 2010, by Stephanie Pappas, http://livescience.com/.
03. Ibid.
04. CNN, Jun 8, 2010, by CNN Wire Staff, http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/07/gulf.oil.obama/index.html.
05. McClatchy Newspapers, Jul 2, 2010, by Renee Schoof, Washington, D.C.
06. USA Today, Jun 16, 2010, by Catalina Camia, http://usatoday.com
07. AFP, Jul 1, 2010, by Allen Johnson, New Orleans, LA.
08. Associated Press, Jun 26, 2010, by Phuong Le and John Flesher, Barataria Bay, LA.
09. Associated Press, Jun 29, 2010, New York, NY.
10. Fox Business News, Jul 1, 2010, by Ken Sweet.
11. CNNMoney, Jun 23, 2010, by Aaron Smith.
12. Associated Press, Jun 21, 2010, by Alan Zibel, Washington, D.C.
13. Associated Press, Jul 2, 2010, by Christopher S. Rugaber, Washington, D.C.
14. Bloomberg, Jun 8, 2010, by Scott Lanman and Joshua Zumbrun, Washington, D.C.
15. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 8, 2010, Milwaukee, WI.
16. Associated Press, Jun 5, 2010, by Marcy Gordon, Washington, D.C.
17. Bloomberg, Jun 4, 2010, by Garfield Reynolds and Wes Goodman, http://bloomberg.com/.
18. The New York Times, Jun 19, 2010, by Mary Williams Walsh, New York, NY.
19. US News And World Report, Jul 1, 2010, by Ben Baden and Rob Silverblatt.
20. The Daily Mail, Jun 15, 2010, by Jason Groves.
21. Associated Press, May 17, 2010, by Frank Jordans, Geneva.
22. Telegraph.co.uk, May 29, 2010, by Dean Nelson, New Delhi.
23. Reuters, Jun 3, 2010, by Jim Wolf, Washington, D.C.
24. CNET News, Jun 10, 2010, by Declan McCullagh, http://cnet.com/.
25. Huffington Post, Jun 25, 2010, by Bianca Bosker, http://huffingtonpost.com/.
26. Media Newswire, May 26, 2010, by Rona Cheeseman, http://media-newswire.com/.
27. Associated Press, Jun 18, 2010, by Mary Clare Jalonick, Washington, D.C.
28. Reuters, Jun 18, 2010, by Reuters, Los Angeles, CA.
29. Christian Science Monitor, Jun 28, 2010, by Alissa Figueroa, http://csmonitor.com/.
30. MSNBC, Jun 21, 2010, by Jennifer Alsever, http://msnbc.com/
31. Associated Press, Jun 24, 2010, by Arthur Max, Agadir, Morroco.
32. Guardian, Jun 2, 2010, by Felicity Carus, http://guardian.co.uk/.
33. Associated Press, Jun 28, 2010, by Associated Press, Caracas, Venezuela.
34. Associated Press, Jun 14, 2010, by Aliakbar Dareini, Tehran, Iran.
35. AFP, Jun 28, 2010, by Farhad Pouladi, Tehran, Iran.
36. Associated Press, Jun 27, 2010, by Anne Flaherty, Washington, D.C.
37. AFP, Jun 15, 2010, by Gerard Aziakou, United Nations.
38. Associated Press, Jun 28, 2010, by Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, South Korea.
39. McClatchy News Service, Jun 2, 2010, by Ken Dilanian, Washington, D.C.
40. CNSNews, Jun 11, 2010, by Edwin Mora, CNSNews.com.
41. Associated Press, Jun 20, 2010, by Paul Schemm, Cairo, Egypt.
42. Associated Press, Jun 12, 2010, by Justin Juozapavicious, Caddo Gap, AR.
43. Associated Press, Jun 17, 2010, by Associated Press, Yangon, Myanmar.
44. AFP, Jun 18, 2010, by AFP, Beijing, China.
45. Reuters, Jun 22, 2010, by Reuters, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
46. AFP, Jun 12, 2010, by AFP, New Delhi.
47. Associated Press, Jun 15, 2010, by Elliot Spagat, San Diego, CA.
48. AFP, Jun 23, 2010, by AFP, Ottawa, Canada.
49. Our Amazing Planet, Jun 3, 2010, by Jeremy Hsu, http://ouramazingplanet.com/.
50. Space.com, Jun 9, 2010, by Space.com staff, http://space.com.
51. Associated Press, May 27, 2010, by Associated Press, Thessaloniki, Greece.


Addendum


Many of you have asked us to explain the cause of Pastor Meyer's death. In truth, only God fully knows. In brief, it appears that he developed a type of mycosis from ordinary mold that is air born and common enough so that all of us deal with it. Usually, our immune systems are strong enough to withstand this mold, but for some reason, Pastor Meyer had difficulty.

A few days before Memorial Day, Pastor began having excruciating headaches. He had been suffering severe headaches for many weeks already, had a surgery for sinusitis in April, and then lost sight in his left eye, but these new headaches were beyond any ordinary pain. It felt like his head was going to explode. We would cry out to God, and God helped him again and again. But the headaches would always come back.

Other things had gone wrong, too. He had been unable to sleep soundly for weeks. Later, we found out he was suffering from an undiagnosed bronchitis and had suffered mini strokes. On June 1st after a MRI, he suffered a major stroke and ended up in a coma. The Lord took him home on June 8th.

We all thank God for this remarkable man that we loved so very much. Even when Pastor Meyer was gravely ill, he kept on doing whatever he could for the Kingdom of God. He loved his work and the people that he reached with great intensity. I, as his wife, also thank God for him and the wonderful example of his life. I rejoice that I could work at his side and glean from his knowledge and love for God. His last conscious moments there in the hospital room were spent praying quietly and singing one of his beloved hymns.


Shirley Meyer .

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Volunteer builders construct two Mid-State churches




Posted: Jun 16, 2010 5:48 PM EDT


Unity Project on Facebook


MCMINNVILLE,Tenn. – More than 450 volunteers from five different states will finish construction on two churches in Warren County, as part of a mission called "A Unity Project".

Hundreds of volunteers are giving their time and money to help build the churches in McMinnville in only three weeks.

Pastor DeWayne Howard of Bridges of Hope Fellowship told News 2 Wednesday that he's watching a miracle go up before his eyes.

"We're a 3 1/2 year old congregation, no money in the bank. God said build it. We stepped out, and here it is," Howard told News 2 as members of churches from Macon, Georgia worked inside and out.

The sanctuary and classrooms of the church he pastors will be finished this week with only painting and some other details left to go.

Howard says his church is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars, including $200,000 in labor costs alone.

"It's a $650,000 building. We're building it for $175,000," Howard said.

Baptist church groups from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina have worked on the building, plus they have helped get a sanctuary for McMinnville Seventh Day Adventist Church off the ground.

"They have the money to buy the materials, but they don't have workers. We said, let's let our Baptist volunteers build their Seventh Day Adventist Building," said Pastor Howard, adding, "Yes, it is very unusual."

Harley Roth is pastor of the McMinnville Seventh Day Adventist Church, being built just a few miles down the road.

Roth said, "Our church has been wanting to build for decades, but there's never been an opportunity financially, or in coming together."

The volunteers started on the Adventist church last Thursday, and within less than a week, walls and a roof were in place.

Pastor Roth said, "It's surprising, because they're giving of themselves. What amazes me is that these people pay for the privilege. I understand it's about $300. They pay just for coming."

The groups even brought their own food and cooks, and some took vacation time from work to be there.

Don Hensley, who is retired, is volunteering with the Georgia group.

He explained his motivation for travelling to another state to help build a church for strangers.

Hensley said, "We're Christians, we love Christ, and we're trying to help somebody else have the opportunity to serve God."

According to a press release, "A Unity Project" aims to encourage both congregations to set aside any differences and to focus on the things that unite them.

"We want to stretch hands across denominational lines and reach other people," said Howard.

Many of the building supplies, concrete, and other items were donated by a number of different businesses from Murfreesboro and Nashville.

Both church buildings will be finished by Friday. ..


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Campers ready to do 'Godspell'


From left, Megan Goffin, Brielle Collands, Sydney Teagarden, Kaitlyn Goffin and Ileah Bonzi perform their dance steps during rehearsal of "Godspell" at musical theater camp.CORRESPONDENT PHOTO / KHARLI ROSE


Published: Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 5:32 p.m.

Tie-dyed shirts, top hats and loud music were all welcome at Seventh-day Adventist Church on Friday as messages from the Bible were taught through songs.



Kandi Griffin surrounds herself with supplies she needs to create her own special box during a recent art workshop offered to people 55 and older in the Juliano Room at the North Port Library. CORRESPONDENT PHOTO / BETSY WILLIAMS "Some of you are stomping, some of you are clapping," director Jeff Michaels said to his group of excited actors.


More than 10 children put their best feet forward, sometimes in a chorus line, practicing lines and sharpening moves for their performance of "Godspell."

"We all have to learn exactly the same dance moves, and if we do it separately it won't look good," Sadie Weisberg, 12, said.

The performance is a fundraiser for future youth missions and will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the church, 2036 Loveland Blvd., Port Charlotte.

"It's acting with the book of Matthew and all the parables and teaches them about love and acceptance," co-director Isabelle Michaels said. "It gives the kids hope and encouragement and teaches them the Bible in a very fun way."

Though the characters remain true to the text, the play is set in the 1960s. Modern twists bring color and humor to the stage.

Portraying Jesus, Wesley Taylor, 14, kneeled before Weisberg and took her sneaker in his hand.

"Look what the foot says. It says rejoice," he told her.

"It says Reebok," she replied, and snickers came from the crowd.

With new songs to support old stories, students in elementary and middle school will bring new connections of the Bible to center stage.

For more information call 979-8068.

-- Kharli Rose, correspondent


Florida's Blood Centers needs donors

Florida's Blood Centers is asking for donations of all blood types as soon as possible.

The most acute need is for type-O blood, especially the universal type O-negative. Type O-negative is routinely given to accident and trauma victims.

For more information, visit http://www.floridasbloodcenters.org/.

Area Florida's Blood Centers are at:

Venice: 333 Tamiami Trail S., Suite 169; call 492-9202.

North Port: 14820 Tamiami Trail; call 240-6565.

Port Charlotte: 23080 Harborview Road; call 625-1874.

Call each location for hours.

55-plus craft workshop keeping brains active

Whether making crafts for decoration or trying to tell a story, Connie Curtis encourages students to express themselves and be as creative as possible.

Her students are older than 55, and her workshops are an introduction to art.

"Creating helps the aging brain," said Curtis, who teaches the "Arts for Adults Plus 55" workshops in the Juliano Room at the North Port Library.

She tells students there is no right way. And, that's the secret to success in her workshops.

"I come to the workshops to see what others are making," veteran crafter Kandi Griffin said. "I also like to exercise my brain."

A recent workshop project was making and decorating boxes using recycled materials.

The workshops are free and open to anyone older than 55. All of the supplies are provided for the students.

"All they have to do is show up, bringing with them their imagination," Curtis said.

By sharing her ideas, Curtis said she is giving back to the community. At the same time, Curtis strives to give her students new insights about their own talents to help improve their self-confidence.

While the sessions attract mostly women, Curtis said she is looking forward to having men take part in the workshops.

"They bring a different dynamic to the class," she said.

Kathy Berencsi, who recently retired, is finally taking time for herself for the first time in 10 years. The workshop has helped her set goals.

"For me, I have so many ideas I need someone to help me get organized," she said.

The next art workshop is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 19. Registration is required by calling the library at 861-1307.

-- Betsy Williams, correspondent


This story appeared in print on page BN3 .

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Mass hypnosis disguised as 'Christian Worship'

'>http://

Storms spawn tornadoes in North Dakota, Minnesota


(AP) – 1 hour ago

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Strong storms spawned several tornadoes that touched down in southeast North Dakota and western Minnesota, including one that appeared to have struck a farm house. No injuries appear to have been reported.

A video shot by a storm chaser showed a tornado touching down near a farm house in Wilkin County, Minn., and debris flying into the air as the funnel tore into the building. As the tornado moved away, the home appeared shredded, with part of its roof missing.

The storms started in North Dakota and moved east into Minnesota, said Tom Grafenauer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks. Touchdowns were reported between about 6:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. near Tyler, N.D.; Tenney, Minn.; and Fergus Falls, Minn.

"Most of this action was in Minnesota," Grafenauer said.

One tornado appeared to be on the ground for 20 or 30 minutes, he said.

Dave Langenwalter told KVLY-TV in Fargo that he and his son had just gone into their basement when a tornado touched down just yards from their house near Tyler, N.D. The outbuildings were flattened and his garage was gone, he said. His car apparently was picked up and dropped several yards away. Langenwalter found it behind a nearby grove of trees.

Richland County Chief Deputy Gary Ruhl told the television station that "at any given time" there were four funnel clouds in his county in the state's far southeast corner.

One tornado "came from the southwest, came through this farmstead and leveled everything off. It crossed the river into Wilkin County (Minnesota) and also destroyed a farmstead over there," Ruhl told KVLY-TV.

It wasn't clear Sunday morning exactly how many separate tornadoes touched down or what the extent of the damage was. A National Weather Service storm survey team was in the area assessing the damage and trying to determine exactly what happened, Grafenauer said.



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Saturday, August 07, 2010

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate


O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.


Matthew 23:37,38

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The WCC and the United Nations


International Affairs, Peace & Human Security
The WCC and the United Nations


For many years the WCC has facilitated the participation of Indigenous peoples' representatives to meetings of the UN Human Rights Commission and its Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. Here, Indigenous representatives demonstrate at the Group's 15th session, Geneva, 1997.


For over 50 years, the WCC, through the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), has maintained a constant and active presence at the United Nations. In the early years there were offices in New York (UN Headquarters), London, Geneva (UNHCR and ILO), Paris (UNESCO), and close liaison with Rome (FAO). Today only the Geneva and New York UN Headquarters Liaison Offices remain, though consultative relations have further been established with virtually the whole family of UN-related agencies (UNEP, UNDP, UNCTAD, WHO, etc.)


History and overview
WCC role in international affairs


The UN offices in New York and Geneva are part of the WCC International Affairs, Peace & Human Security Team. In relation to the UN, WCC International Affairs, Peace & Human Security:


  • monitors UN processes and informs appropriate WCC staff

  • advises and assists in the formulation of WCC policies on international affairs and how they are to be represented at the UN

  • shares with the churches information and analysis on critical political issues, viewed in part through UN work and debates

  • arranges for and promotes research on selected problems of international justice, world order and peace, and uses the results to further ecumenical priorities in the UN.

  • makes representations to governments in accordance with WCC policies

  • develops relationships with non-governmental organizations and provides contacts with the UN and related regional bodies

  • represents the WCC or provides for its representation before these international bodies

  • represents, facilitates and helps coordinate the representation of member churches, related international Christian organizations and non-member churches before such international bodies.


In addition, International Affairs, Peace & Human Security staff, through its UN offices, coordinate the UN-related work of many other WCC teams (Justice, Peace and Creation, Education and Ecumenical Formation, Mission and Evangelism, Regional Relations) to facilitate their work in a wide variety of areas, and to ensure coherence in the WCC's representations to UN bodies. As it does so, it seeks to demonstrate the ecumenical movement's long-standing commitment to the UN and the ideals embodied in the UN Charter and to give voice to the ethical, moral and spiritual values which must undergird international relations.


Source: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/wcc-un-e.html

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The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast







Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. Isa. 8:16.


The living righteous will receive the seal of God prior to the close of probation.

The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation. . . . The mark of the beast is the opposite of this--the observance of the first day of the week.

Sunday keeping is not yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth causing men to worship this idol Sabbath. The time will come when this day will be the test, but that time has not come yet.

No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit Sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast.

If the light of truth has been presented to you, revealing the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and showing that there is no foundation in the Word of God for Sunday observance, and yet you still cling to the false Sabbath, refusing to keep holy the Sabbath which God calls "my holy day," you receive the mark of the beast. When does this take place? When you obey the decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God, while you know that there is not a word in the Bible showing Sunday to be other than a common working day, you consent to receive the mark of the beast, and refuse the seal of God.

In a little while every one who is a child of God will have His seal placed upon him. O that it may be placed upon our foreheads! Who can endure the thought of being passed by when the angel goes forth to seal the servants of God in their foreheads?

Maranatha, E. G. W., p.212.
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Sotomayor to be sworn in Saturday

My Personal Observation (Exactly a year from the last Supreme Court nomination; Pres. Obama's second appointed supreme court justice will be sworn in on the Sabbath {today}).


From NBC's Pete Williams


Though Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed today by the Senate to become the next Supreme Court justice, she is technically not yet "Justice" Sotomayor. She won't be until she takes both the federal oath and the judicial oath on Saturday.

A White House official says Sonia Sotomayor will stay out of public view today. She's at her chambers at the federal courthouse in New York.

Video: Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., officially announces that Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Senate. She'll be sworn in on Saturday at the Supreme Court by Chief Justice Roberts. (That event will be available for TV pool coverage, which will be a first for the court.)

Justice Sotomayor will be the court's second-youngest member, at age 55. Only Roberts, who turned 54 in January, is younger.

*** UPDATE *** Here's what the Supreme Court now says about the swearing in:
Sotomayor will be sworn in as the 111th Justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11 a.m. at the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., will first administer the Constitutional Oath in a private ceremony in the Justices' Conference Room attended by members of the Sotomayor family. The Chief Justice will then administer the Judicial Oath in the East Conference Room before a small gathering of Judge Sotomayor's family and friends.

The Judicial Oath ceremony in the East Conference Room will be open to pool coverage. There will be no opportunity for interviews or questions at the ceremony.

A formal investiture ceremony will take place on Tuesday, September 8, at 2 p.m. at a special sitting of the Court in the Courtroom.


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