Thursday, February 10, 2011

A cappella group performs in an all ‘natural’ vocal tradition

Naturally 7, of viral subway stunt in early millenium, to take WUD stage Saturday


Photo courtesy of EMI Germany

Preferring to call their music ‘vocal play,’ the seven singers that make up Naturally 7 have been ‘playing’ together for 12 years.

By Francis Bea
Thursday, February 3, 2011 8:16 p.m.
Updated Thursday, February 3, 2011 10:41:31 p.m.

Don’t call seven beat boxers, R&B singers and rappers an a cappella group. The terminology doesn’t suit their style. “Vocal Play” is more like it.

Twelve years ago, a group of brothers, friends and friends of a friend began the non-traditional route of pursuing a career in a cappella as the group known as Naturally 7. Their beginnings were of a Christian background — all members having grown up at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City.

“We came from a church background with a rich heritage of a cappella music, so we fell in love early,” the band said.

The aspirations were cemented after winning a cappella competitions in New York and San Francisco. Why might the name Naturally 7 sound familiar? Back in 2006, you most likely watched seven black men beat boxing and singing a remix of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” with a R&B twist in a French subway to awestruck onlookers.

There were no instruments used, but it sure as hell sounded like a band was supporting the singers. Their YouTube video went viral.

“We sang for the VP [of EMI] in a restaurant the day before and she was so moved she asked if we would break into song on the subway during rush hour the next day. We agreed to do it and it was posted on YouTube the next day…millions of views later…the rest is history,” they said.

Only a couple of times has the genre reached the Billboard Charts in the past, thanks to Billy Joel and Bobby Mc Ferrin. But millions of eyeballs and ears is the second best thing. The members’ motivation for pursuing a cappella and vocal play, although having long moved away from performing Christian songs is remarkable, but grounded with respect to their spirituality.

“We chose a cappella because it chose us,” the group said. “Just to clarify, a cappella is not solely rooted in singing cover songs like you watch on ‘Glee,’ and NBC’s ‘The Sing Off.’ A cappella is singing without the aid of instruments and has the ability to be original music or a cover.”

Embodying the instruments, coupled with R&B or soul singing, is their signature style. This is what they call vocal play. Their ability to mimic instruments from drums and cymbals to trombones allows them uninhibited access to performing any music desired, without the need for a backup band.

Naturally, when naming the band, “Naturally 7” was the unfettered choice.

“”Naturally” refers to the fact that what we do is all with the instrument that we have inside of us…,” the group said.

Add to this mix, seven is their “spiritual number of completion,” and just so happens to be the perfect number for mimicking a group complete with a band.

“It happens to work well for what we do. If you have bass, drums and a lead vocal…you still have enough members to have any other instrument of your choosing plus three part harmony. This allows us to cover the full musical spectrum of a band,” they said.

One has to wonder, for a successful group that has toured with the likes of Michael Bublé, if there is any instrument that Naturally 7 has yet to master (imitating vocally, that is).

“Piano. It’s probably the most recognized instrument in the western world, but its sound is the furthest from the voice,” they said. “It is a string and percussive instrument in one. That makes it difficult to produce vocally.”

Naturally 7 will be performing at the Wisconsin Union Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday.
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Money Hungry Ministries Beware


1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self–control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak–willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

2 Timothy 1-7

21 Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" 23 And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

Matthew 7:21-23


The text above describes how people will be in the last days. But wait, isn't this how wicked about Christians not your average everyday sinner who doesn't know God or has rejected God. Having a form of Godliness is the key statement in this scripture. Christians on the outside who look like wonderful Christians but outside of church and in their hearts they are just as bad if not worse than the non Christians in the last days.

All of you that run ministries or churches need to pay close attention because I believe this scripture is for us. If you run a ministry or a church look at these questions below and think truthfully about your answers to the questions.

Which is more important, how much money your ministry makes or how many people it helps?

Who do you have the most faith in, money or Jesus? If you answered Jesus then why are you so worried about donations or sales?

Are you making money off a side ministry or does all the money every single dime go back into the ministry to make it better or to make it reach more and more people?

Is your Ministry a business or a ministry?

If you sell sermons and books why do you sell them at retail prices? Why are they copyrighted? Why are you worried about people burning your sermons and giving them away for free? Did Jesus sell any of his sermons to people? Did Jesus charge people to attend his meetings? Did Jesus quote prophets in the Bible without giving them due credit on who he was quoting? Yes sometimes he did but most of the time he did not bring attention to who he was quoting and let the people focus on the message.

We understand it costs money to make these DVD programs and it cost money to reproduce them. We are not saying its wrong. We are mainly pointing out that sometimes we see ministries and churches worry more about tithe, sales, and donations more than they worry about spreading the gospel.

Why is it that we have more faith in money than we have in Jesus. The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want. The Shepherd takes care of his sheep. He makes sure they have water and grass and makes sure the creatures that are out to eat them are kept far away from the flock. So why do we still worry about money?! If its God's will, the money will come, if its not then God will show the way. David Gates is a wonderful example. He does not know ever if he will have enough money to pay for his programs. Sometimes the money comes in just in time and sometimes it doesn't come in. But his ministry never asks for donations. That is very admirable. He keeps his supporters informed with what they are doing and what they are praying for but never asks for anything. He has faith God will provide if it is his will.

Broken Adventist Ministry started on a credit card and with no Jobs. We told God we would do this ministry until the credit ran out. The credit never ran out and we have never asked for donations and have never sold anything, only given. We have never not been able to send out a book request or DVD request. Yes sometimes we are slow at shipping because the money does get low but it always comes right back up. Yes we have asked for money on others behalf but try to avoid handling the money if at all possible. We prefer to reach out to our huge network of supporters to ask for help for a certain ministry and have the supporters send their money directly to them. The more we give the more money we have in our account.

Its amazing and I know if other ministries and churches took the same leap of faith and said Lord we will not worry about money. That is your problem because you are the President of this Ministry or Pastor of this Church. We will only worry about what you wanted us to worry about. Saving Souls, being fishers of men, Spreading the gospel to those who haven't heard it.


I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

Revelation 3:15-17

21 Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" 23 And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

Matthew 7:21-23


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Wednesday, February 09, 2011

The Message for Today


The Message for Today

The message we bear must be as direct as was the message of John. He rebuked kings for their iniquity. He rebuked the adultery of Herod. Notwithstanding his life was in peril, the truth did not languish upon his lips. And our work in this age must be as faithfully done. The inhabitants of the world at this time are represented by the dwellers upon the earth at the time of the Flood. The wickedness of the inhabitants of the old world is plainly stated: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). God became weary of these people whose only thoughts were of pleasure and indulgence. They sought not the counsel of the God who had created them, nor cared to do His will. The rebuke of God was upon them because they followed the imagination of their own hearts continually; and there was violence in the land. "And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Gen. 6:6, 12, 13). . .

There are special duties to be done, special reproofs to be given in this period of the earth's history. The Lord will not leave His church without reproofs and warnings. Sins have become fashionable; but they are none the less aggravating in the sight of God. They are glossed over, palliated, and excused; the right hand of fellowship is given to the very men who are bringing in false theories and false sentiments, confusing the minds of the people of God, deadening their sensibilities as to what constitutes right principles. Conscience has thus become insensible to the counsels and the reproofs which have been given. The light given, calling to repentance, has been extinguished in the clouds of unbelief and opposition brought in by human plans and human inventions.

It is living earnestness that God requires. Ministers may have little learning from books; but if they do the best they can with their talents, if they work as they have opportunity, if they clothe their utterances in the plainest and most simple language, if they are humble men who walk in carefulness and humility, seeking for heavenly wisdom, working for God from the heart, and actuated by one predominating motive--love for Christ and the souls for whom He has died--they will be listened to by men of even superior ability and talents. There will be a charm in the simplicity of the truths they present. Christ is the greatest teacher that the world has ever known.

John had not learned in the schools of the rabbis. Yet kings and nobles, Pharisees and Sadducees, Roman soldiers and officers, trained in all court etiquette, wily, calculating taxgatherers, and world-renowned men, listened to his words. They had confidence in his plain statements, and were convicted of sin. They asked of him, "What shall we do?" (Luke 3:14). . . .

2SM 151-152
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Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Profile: US ambassador seeks to 'build bridges' with Vatican

By Alan Holdren, Rome Correspondent



Rome, Italy, Jan 20, 2011 / 04:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- America’s ambassador to the Holy See says the two sides are working to rebuild trust following the leak of alleged diplomatic cables that caused embarrassment late last year.

“What brings us together is far, far, far more than what sets us apart, and I want to focus on that," Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz told CNA in a wide-ranging interview at his hilltop residence in Rome Jan. 19.

Ambassador Diaz said that during his 16 months in Rome he has seen “significant signs that show the ongoing commitment of this President, the White House, and our government in general to fostering and deepening this relationship.”

He said the scandal of the alleged U.S. diplomatic cables, released on the website WikiLeaks has not affected the Vatican-U.S. working relationship.

According to an analysis by CNA, more than 700 cables from the U.S. embassy to the Vatican were among the 250,000 State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks.

To date, only a handful of them has been released. But some of those have proven embarrassing, including one in which a U.S. embassy staffer poked fun at the “poor communications culture” in the Vatican and another in which Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone was described as “yes man.”

The WikiLeaks affair has been a bump in the road in an otherwise easy and low-key relationship between the Vatican and the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, during his first two years in office.

Ambassador Diaz is credited with running a smooth diplomatic operationespecially considering that prior to this he has had no previous diplomatic experience.

The 47-year old Cuban-American was a professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota when the call came from the White House in May 2009, five months after President Obama was inaugurated.

Reportedly, he was not first on the list for the position. However, the president’s top choices had to be rejected because they favored abortion or embryonic stem cell research — positions that would have made their appointment appear to be a snub to the Vatican.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Ambassador Diaz in August 2009, and since then he and his wife, also a theology professor, have been living with their four children in the ambassador's residence atop Rome’s Janiculum Hill.

When Pope Benedict XVI received Ambassador Diaz for the first time to accept his credentials, he did so warmly. But he made a point of emphasizing the Church’s differences with the U.S. administration.

“I think particularly of the need for a clear discernment with regard to issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care workers, and indeed all citizens,” the Pope told the new ambassador.

Despite broad disagreements on basic policies, Ambassador Diaz said he is focusing on the values and the interests the two sides share.

"I think it's important to recognize that there are differences,” he said. “But I think it's important not to be paralyzed by those differences. The things that we have in common far exceed the things that divide us," said Ambassador Diaz.

As the ninth U.S. ambassador, Diaz said he is really "standing on the shoulders" of the "giants" that have gone before him.

Unofficial relations between the two states go back to the birth of America, when President George Washington assured Pope Pius VI that the Pope would have full freedom to appoint bishops in the new land.

It would take until President Ronald Reagan in 1984 for the U.S. to establish its first official embassy here. At that time, it was widely perceived that the U.S. president saw the Vatican and then-Pope John Paul II as an important ally in the fight against communism.

The embassy recently celebrated its 27th anniversary. Ambassador Diaz has as a staff of 19 — a formidable presence for promoting U.S. foreign policy at the world's smallest state.

"The size is really inversely proportional to the scope of influence," said Ambassador Diaz. “You can't just think of the Holy See as boxed with the Vatican City walls. We have to think of it as this vast network."

Since his Senate confirmation hearings, Ambassador Diaz has spoken of his vision for the embassy as one of “building bridges.”

And he has pursued that strategy during his 16-month tenure. He has worked diligently to build relationships not only with Vatican officials, but also with the wider institutions of the universal Church — pontifical universities, religious communities, even hospitals, non-profits and humanitarian agencies.

The embassy has sponsored several high-profile meetings to highlight areas of mutual interest.

An embassy-sponsored conference in 2009 brought professionals to the city to raise awareness of the need to stop mother-child transmission of AIDS. The embassy co-sponsored a concert with the Church aid agency Caritas to raise money for Haitian earthquake victims.

An embassy-sponsored conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University last October encouraged members of different faith traditions to come together in "building bridges." At the event, the director of the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Joshua DuBois, gave the keynote address.

But Ambassador Diaz said much of his diplomatic work is done in one-on-one conversations — what he called "diplomacy at the table" during luncheons and dinners, and "targeted diplomacy" with Vatican contacts through more formal channels.

The issues of concern to the U.S. and the Vatican are broad and far-reaching.

"One of the greatest challenges,” he said, was how the “human family” is going to “reconcile” its “incredible diversity” of religions and cultures. This diversity, he said, “increasingly threatens to tear us apart.”

On that note, Ambassador Diaz called Pope Benedict’s annual speech to diplomats Jan. 10 “ambitious.”

The Pope used strong language to condemn religious discrimination and persecution around globe, especially in the Middle East, North Africa and China.

"The task of building bridges is essential if we are to bring about reconciliation and peace, and if we are going to tackle ongoing problems such as the trafficking of persons and basic violations of human dignity — including violations for persons to exercise a right to religious freedom," Ambassador Diaz said.

He sees a "bridge-building" opportunity in Pope Benedict's call for world religious leaders to gather in Assisi next October to pray for peace. It is fitting that such an encounter should take place in the birthplace of St. Francis, whose name is associated with peace and reconciliation.

In an "interconnected" world, St. Francis’ message that all things are tied together is important, Ambassador Diaz said. The day of prayer called by the Pope has the potential to "do what religion is intended to do — bring people together and not drive them apart."

"In this interdependent world, civic leaders cannot act alone, no nation can act alone, and the contribution of religious leaders is essential in the building of peace, the defending of human dignity, the fight against any type of abuse. And certainly the religious leaders have a central role to play in that outgoing, noble task," Ambassador Diaz said.

He identified ending human trafficking and promoting education and migration issues as the embassy's top priorities.

"There are so many different areas that wherever the dignity of the human person is violated, that persons … and organizations associated with the Church can help," he explained.

"I think that's where the effective work of building those bridges and defending that dignity would come in, the day-to-day exercise of this relationship."

He does not downplay the continued differences between the U.S. and the Holy See on issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, the homosexual lifestyle, and the promotion of condoms for AIDS prevention.

No diplomatic relationship finds both sides seeing eye-to-eye on every issue, Ambassador Diaz noted. "That's the ideal, the ideal will never be there."

He prefers to concentrate on his responsibility as President Obama's personal representative to the Holy See.

"As a person of integrity, I would not be sitting here if I did not believe that there was a significant convergence in my ability to carry out this duty here at the Holy See,” he said. “I'm defending the dignity of human persons in different ways. I am building bridges. And these are fundamental tenets of this administration and fundamental tenets of who I am as a person.”

He would like his time as ambassador to be remembered as one in which U.S. foreign policy and the common interests of the Holy See were united "to advance the common good of the human family."

"If I can do that, even if it's just in little ways, during my tenure here, then I'll call it a success,” he said. “I'll be happy that I did my job, which is to answer the call — certainly of President Obama and of my country, to serve it — and also the call of the human family and the Church to advance the common good."
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Hail Mary! Catholic Church Blesses iPhone App

February 8, 2011 01.14pm EST
Hail Mary! Catholic Church Blesses iPhone App

By William Fenton



On the first day he created a YouTube channel. On the second day he embraced social networking. On the third day, the Pope went mobile.

The Catholic Church has blessed "Confession," a new iPhone app, according to a report from Reuters. Billed as the "perfect aid for every penitent," the $2 app from Little iApps helps worshippers track sins and pay penance.

In addition to a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, Confession explores your conscience through a personalized examination of your sex, age, and marital status. Password-protected profiles mean than more than one sinner can confess with privacy.

Despite looking almost as much fun as the real thing, the app doesn't aim to replace traditional confession—instead, it's a tool to help users understand their actions before visiting their priest. To this, the church approves: in what appears to be a first, senior officials in America bestowed their seal of approval to a mobile phone application.

Granted, this isn't the first time the church has embraced technology. In early 2009, the church launched a Vatican YouTube channel. At last month's 45th World Communications Day, Pope Benedict also urged Catholics to expand their relationships by embracing social-networking sites like Facebook. In this context, the church's e-embrace of Confession computes.

"Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology," explained Patrick Leinen, developer at Little iApps. "Taking to heart Pope Benedict XVI's message from last years' World Communications Address, our goal with this project is to offer a digital application that is truly 'new media' at the service of the word."

Confession is available now through the iTunes App Store for $1.99. I for one plan to indulge, if only to see if the app scales to the demands of a devout sinner.
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Tim Armstrong’s Hail Mary Pass

February 7, 2011



Posted by Ken Auletta



AOL’s purchase of the Huffington Post is the equivalent of a fourth-quarter Hail Mary pass. The game clock was ticking down on C.E.O. Tim Armstrong’s pledge to demonstrate by the second half of this year that AOL could mount a comeback from the near dead. AOL suffered a dismal last quarter of 2010, with revenues and traffic and subscribers continuing to fall. Quarterback Armstrong was not scoring with pledges to transform AOL into a content company. He boldly threw about a hundred and twenty million dollars per year at Patch, an attempt to create hyper-local online news sites, which I describe in my piece on Armstrong that ran in the magazine last month. He hired more journalists last year than any news organization. He dared make acquisitions of quality sites, like TechCrunch. Because Armstrong is a charismatic C.E.O., and came to AOL with an aura of success from Google, he was embraced as an inspirational team leader.

But as Ben Roethlisberger reminded us in the Super Bowl yesterday, quarterbacks can go from hero to bum if they fail to get in the end zone. Armstrong needed to call an audible, to do something different to score. When Armstrong claims, as he did, that the synergies to be achieved by combining the two companies was the equivalent of one plus one equals eleven, I’m reminded of when AOL and Time Warner made similar claims for their 2000 merger. Beware. But by placing AOL’s content efforts under the Huffington Post umbrella, Armstrong demonstrates that he understands that AOL can’t win by gaining a few yards at a time. He had to scramble and throw a long pass, and he has.

Illustration by John Cuneo.
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Monday, February 07, 2011

A Desperate Companionship for Evil




16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19In your patience possess ye your souls.

Luke 21:16-19




A Desperate Companionship for Evil.--Christ shows that without the controlling power of the Spirit of God humanity is a terrible power for evil. Unbelief, hatred of reproof, will stir up satanic influences. Principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places will unite in a desperate companionship. They will be leagued against God in the person of His saints. By misrepresentation and falsehood they will demoralize both men and women who to all appearances believe the truth. False witnesses will not be wanting in this terrible work [Luke 21:16-19 quoted] (MS 40, 1897). {5BC 1122.12}
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Sunday, February 06, 2011

First and Long for Sabbath Super Bowl Ad

Sun, 02/06/2011 - 02:52 Jared Wright


If Leo Schreven, founder of All Power Ministry, succeeds, his Sabbath-themed television ad being prepared for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 will be the first commercial in Super Bowl history to promote a distinctly sectarian message during the game. But in the case of this ad, the if is a very big one.

For Schreven, whose corporate roots helped him create an outreach media juggernaut, the $3 million spot makes good fiscal sense. He estimates that as a result of the advertisement, some 100 million viewers will learn about his website, GoAllPower.com, not to mention the presumed extended audience that will discuss the ad at the office and on the Web following the Super Bowl. Schreven projects that 3.1 million individuals (a figure he considers conservative) will be baptized as a result of seeing the ad and visiting the website. This project is part of a larger effort to reach 5 billion people in five years, according to the website.

The proposed ad featuring a "Jesus" who tells a room full of Super Bowl viewers, "The 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," and "Sunday is for football," will be funded through donations.

(Read the most recent draft of the ad's script.)

However, even if the funds come in, the commercial will be a hard sell. Networks that provide Super Bowl coverage appear wary of ads that promote religious ideology. FOX Sports, who will provide coverage of today's Super Bowl XLV, rejected an ad in which a football player wrote "John 3:16" in white letters over his eye paint. The ad ended with a website, "LookUp316.Com," splashed across the screen. Watch ad here.

Explaining its rejection of the ad, Fox issued a statement saying, "As a matter of company policy, Fox Broadcasting Company does not accept advertising from religious organizations for the purpose of advancing particular beliefs or practices"

The "Look Up 316" ad is an apparent reference to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who during his college football days created controversy by writing Bible texts on his eye black, including John 3:16. Many see Tebow's actions as a catalyst for a rule banning writing on eye paint in college football. The NFL had also adopted a similar rule prior to the Broncos drafting Tebow. The quarterback found himself at the center of a controversy again last year when he filmed a Super Bowl ad for Focus on the Family. In the first cut of the ad, Tebow's mother was to speak out against abortion, noting that doctors recommended aborting her son because of complications with the pregnancy. The final version of the commercial, which aired during Super Bowl XLIV (approved by CBS, who provided last year's television coverage), significantly toned down the rhetoric, omitting the abortion account. Instead, the ad invited viewers to visit Focus on the Family's website for the rest of the story.

Given the likelihood that an attempt to promote Sabbath observance to Super Bowl viewers will be quickly rejected, a possible scenario is that the ad will be submitted with inevitable rejection in mind in order to generate media coverage, as was the case for the 316 spot. This would generate buzz without the hefty price tag, but it would mean far fewer viewers would ultimately see the ad. Another scenario, perhaps less likely, is that the ad will be softened as was the Tebow/Focus on the Family ad. This would mean maximum viewership, but less punch.

Speaking to Spectrum, Schreven said that his media team has found a way to buy all the top search engine ads following the Super Bowl if the commercial does not cross the goal line. This would ensure a high level of visibility for the ad online if television exposure should prove impossible.

Whether or not we see the Sabbath Super Bowl commercial on NBC next year, we can expect to see a new era of market-based outreach that moves beyond the Adventist satellite TV model of message marketing. The line between evangelism and advertising grows ever thinner.

Leo Schreven speaks with Spectrum about the Super Bowl ad here:

http://spectrummagazine.org/article/interviews/2011/02/06/leo-schreven-taking-sabbath-super-bowl
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THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS


5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

8But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

9Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

10For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

11For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.


Jeremiah 23:5-12.

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Friday, February 04, 2011

Father General Visit to America

The hand is quicker than the eye... ....
As they say in the world of the Magicians.

So, while we are 'engrossed' with the minute to minute developments in Egypt:




Father General

Visit to America. Father General will take part in the meeting of the Jesuit Conference USA and visit the Jesuits and Jesuit ministries of Jamaica (a dependent Region of New England) February 13-19. Every two years Father General attends a meeting of the Provincials to get first-hand information about the mission of the USA Assistancy and to present his perspective and vision regarding the universal Society. In addition to their usual and ongoing work for promoting the apostolic livelihood of the men and ministries of the USA Assistancy, the Provincials will discuss implementation of two parts of the Assistancy's strategic discernment plan: communications and vocation promotion. Father General's visit to the Jamaica Region will include an opportunity to visit some of the Society's ministries, meet about 100 of the Society's collaborators and benefactors, and join the Jesuits of Jamaica for an evening of prayer and conversation.
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Related:

From the Curia

From January 31 - February 3
, meeting at the Curia Offices in Rome were the members of the Permanent Interprovincial Commission, known as CIP, which advices on the government of the interprovincial Roman houses. Numerous themes were discussed and studied. Topics discussed included: the context of the Mission of the DIR (concerning the international houses in Rome), with the participation of rectors of the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute; the community life of the Jesuit professors and scholastics of the Roman houses. The discussion was also attended by numerous members of various communities in collaboration in the "Consortium " which includes the three above mentioned Papal institutions, as well as discussion, with the deans and faculty of the Pontifical Gregorian University, regarding research professors to replace the more senior members of the faculty, the move of these senior Jesuits to their respective Provinces, and other related topics. There were also many meetings with the communities of individual institutions and the exchange of ideas with professors and students.

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And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down


1 Kings 18


1And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

2And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

3And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

4For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

5And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

6So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

8And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

9And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

10As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

11And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

12And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

13Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

15And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.

16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

18And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

19Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

30And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

32And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

34And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

40And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.

45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.


King James Version (KJV)
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Wednesday, February 02, 2011

It's Spiritualism



As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought,the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.

The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.

The Great Controversy, pp. 588-589.
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The Fulfillment Of Scriptures In The Last Days!


Volume XXX Issue II February 2011
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/



The Fulfillment Of Scriptures In The Last Days!

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

Matthew 24:6-13

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

II Peter 3:3-8

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Matthew 24:42-44

"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

Acts 1:11

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine the signs of the last days that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, told us to look for, and we will compare them to the current events happening here and now in the twenty-first century.

Since the time Jesus ascended into heaven as recorded in Acts, chapter 1, the followers of Christ have been watching and waiting patiently for the return of our Saviour. As we grow ever closer to that glorious event, fewer and fewer people seem interested, yet we see signs unfolding that indicate the coming of the Lord could be at the very door. There are many who scoff at the notion that Jesus will be returning soon, saying that people have been waiting thousands of years for the event to occur and it still hasn't happened. Of course, Peter understood this would happen when he astutely reminded us that in the eyes of God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. God dwells outside the realm of time and He can see the past, the present, and the future concurrently. I know, as faithful children of God, we long for the return of our Lord. However, we must remember that it is only by the grace of God that Jesus has not yet returned, for He is giving sinners in this world time to repent. Nevertheless, God has appointed a final day, and only He knows when that will be.

Over the last two thousand years, many men have risen up and claimed to know when our Lord Jesus Christ will return. These men often claimed a divine revelation or else they looked for secret codes and mathematical systems in the Bible to predict the end of days. One such man who has received a lot of attention in the media lately is Harold Camping, owner of a radio station known as Family Radio. Mr. Camping has predicted that Judgment Day will occur on May 21, 2011. This, of course, is a modification of his previous prediction that September 6, 1994, would be the day of the event. (1) The Bible makes it clear that no man knows when our Saviour will return and this world will end. In Mark 13:32 we read, "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." When men such as Harold Camping make false predictions about the end of the world, it only serves as fuel for the unbelievers to mock and scoff at Christians.

While you will never hear me make any predictions as to when the end of the world will happen, I do firmly believe that we are living in the last days. In Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus gives us many signs to look for, including wars and rumours of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. When we compare what Jesus told us to look for with recent headlines, it leaves no doubt in my mind that we are living in the end times.

I realize that the thought of the world ending is very scary to many people. However, the children of God have nothing to fear. God doesn't make any mistakes, his timing is always perfect, and He will sustain us through any hardships that we may endure. I know that many people, especially young people, may feel like they don't want the world to end because there are still things they want to do. Young people have an innate desire to grow up, be successful, get married, raise children, and so on. You may or may not get these opportunities; only God knows for sure. Nevertheless, if you never get the chance to fulfill your ambitions, you can be certain that heaven will be better than anything this world has to offer. You will not even remember your earthly intentions, and if you could, they would seem foolish in comparison to the glory of an eternity with God and His saints.

If you have not yet given your heart to God, I encourage you to do so now. Call upon the Lord, repent of your sins and fulfill the Gospel message; and He will strengthen you, encourage you, comfort you, and bless you.

Wars And Rumours Of Wars!

As a young child, I recall riding with my father to church and listening to the news on the radio as we traveled. The men on the radio were talking about something called the "Gulf War," and I remember my father being very concerned about what was happening. Since that time there have been many other conflicts, and many more that were rumored but never came about.

Of course, we know there was a second war in Iraq, which began in 2003 and was proclaimed by Barack Obama to be officially over on August 31, 2010. We also have the war in Afghanistan, which has raged on since October 2001, even before the second Iraqi War began, and it continues to remain unresolved. In fact, Admiral Mike Mullen has indicated that a troop drawdown in Afghanistan may not happen until the year 2014. (2) Mullen has recently taken on a more upbeat tone regarding the Afghani War, claiming that he believes the United States is winning the conflict. However, Mullen also warned that the war cannot be won as long as safe havens remain for al-Qaida and the Taliban in neighboring Pakistan. "It is absolutely critical that the safe havens in Pakistan get shut down. We cannot succeed in Afghanistan without that," Mullen said. (3) The war in Afghanistan will likely exceed ten years, and even as the U.S. military expresses hope that it may end soon, the potential for other wars are now rising up.

I am sure most people have heard about the growing tensions between North and South Korea in recent months. Officials in South Korea only expect the situation to get worse, and they have ramped up their military exercises in preparation of any potential attacks from the North. Brigadier General Ju Eun-sik, chief of the South Korean army's 1st armored brigade stated, "We will completely punish the enemy if it provokes us again like the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island." (4) North Korea seems quite proud of their recent attack on the South, and as one North Korean soldier boasted, "At the order of 'fire' we poured out merciless thunderbolt of fire at the enemy." (5) The North has issued many threats, including a message on New Year's Day, claiming, "If a war breaks out on this land, it will bring nothing but a nuclear holocaust." (6) The United States is growing increasingly concerned over North Korea, insomuch that U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated, "With the North Koreans' continuing development of nuclear weapons and their development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, North Korea is becoming a direct threat to the United States." (7)

In addition to North Korea, China is now making headlines in the news as they take steps to bolster their military. One news report indicates that China may launch its very first aircraft carrier in 2011. (8) On January 11, 2011, the Associated Press reported that a new Chinese stealth fighter jet, known as the J-20, completed its first test flight. (9) In December 2010, China's defense minister, Liang Guanglie, made the following remarks, "In the coming five years, our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction. We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the horses south, or put the bayonets and guns away." Mr. Liang further went on to say, "The modernization of the Chinese military cannot depend on others, and cannot be bought. In the next five years, our economy and society will develop faster, boosting comprehensive national power. We will take the opportunity and speed up modernization of the military." (10) With all of this "modernization" transpiring, U.S. Defense Secretary Gates has expressed concern over China as well. Of the recent Chinese military advancements, Gates stated, "I've been concerned about the development of the anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles ever since I took this job. They clearly have the potential to put some of our capabilities at risk and we have to pay attention to them. We have to respond appropriately with our own programs." (11)

There certainly is an abundance of "wars and rumours of wars." North Korea is a threat, Iran is a threat, China could become a threat in the coming years, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. At any given time, there are wars, conflicts, and skirmishes all over the world. Many of us, particularly in the United States, dwell in relative safety, away from the ongoing wars. Because of that, it can be easy to forget or not even be aware of the struggles that others face around the globe every day. One thing is certain, we have nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The related fulfillment of Scripture in Matthew 24 has already come to pass.

Famines And Pestilences!

When Americans go to the supermarket and see aisles and aisles of food, it can make it hard to believe that there is a famine in the world today. Yet, while it may seem like there are many foods we can buy and consume, most of the items on the store shelves have very little nutritional value. Even foods that ordinarily should be very healthy, such as fruits and vegetables, are not, due to the widespread use of genetically modified crops. Additionally, vast amounts of our food supply are heavily processed with chemicals, leading many people to question the safety of our common everyday products.

To make matters worse, the cost of our subpar food supply is on the rise. Bloomberg News reported on January 5th, 2011, that world food prices had surged to a new record, surpassing the levels that sparked riots in 2008. (12) In December 2010, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the price of meat, poultry, fish, and eggs has increased by 5.8 percent since November 2009. Dairy products have increased 3.8 percent, fats and oils increased 3 percent, and sugar and sweets increased 1.2 percent within that period. (13)

There has also been an incredibly large decrease in the population of bumble bees in the United States with some populations decreasing by a level of 90 percent. Bumble bees play a crucial role in food production as they pollinate crops such as tomatoes, peppers and berries. (14) In the August 2010 issue of the Last Trumpet, I reported that cell phone usage could be partially responsible for the decrease in the population of honey bees. I suspect it may be part of the problem with the decrease in bumble bees as well. Whatever the cause may be, the decline of both bumble bee and honey bee populations around the world could have a detrimental impact on our food supply.

The global increase in food prices has already caused riots to break out in Algeria. The riots resulted in the death of three people and the injury of four hundred more. (15) The majority of the rioting Algerians were young people, who reportedly began torching government buildings while shouting, "Bring us sugar!" (16) An older Algerian woman named Amara Ourab was quoted as saying, "They are right, these young people. They have no job, no housing, no visa, and now not even bread or milk." (17)

Kenya is now undertaking emergency measures to fight famine as people and livestock have now begun to die due to a persistent drought blamed on La Nina weather. (18) Kenya, a nation in Africa which Michelle Obama once referred to as her husband's "home country," is no stranger to famine, having suffered from a similar condition in 2008.

As time continues on, we'll likely see more and more famines around the world. A report from 2007 indicated that 75 percent of all land in Central America is infertile, one fifth of the land in Africa has degraded soil, and 11 percent of Asia is no longer suitable for farming. (19)

Since the beginning of 2011, we have been seeing numerous news reports of massive animal die-offs all over the world. The media frenzy began after it was reported that between 3,000 and 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky over Beebe, Arkansas, just before midnight on New Year's Eve. (20) Other incidences of animal die-offs soon were reported, including 100,000 drum fish spanning about twenty miles along the Arkansas River (21), 2,000,000 fish in Chesapeake Bay (22), 8,000 turtle doves Faenza, Italy (23), 500 redwing blackbirds and starlings in Louisiana (24), 300 blackbirds in Alabama (25), and many other occurrences too great in number to list in this newsletter.

As news reports of the animal die-offs began to circulate, the scientific community was quick to try and reassure us that there is nothing unusual happening. LeAnn White, a wildlife disease specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin, was quoted as saying, "This instant and global communication, it's just a human instinct to read mystery and portents of dangers and wondrous things in events that are unusual. Not to worry, these are not portents that the world is about to come to an end." (26)

The assertion by scientists that animal die-offs are nothing unusual and have actually been happening for years is hardly comforting. If what they say is true, it only means the situation is more serious than we realized. Are we, the people, so self-absorbed and distracted that we didn't notice thousands of animals dropping dead until now?

In reality, the animal die-offs we have been seeing in recent weeks are not quite the same as the die-offs that normally happen. The majority of the records at the U.S. Geological Survey indicate that a typical die-off event involves far fewer animals and is generally spread out over a longer period of time. A record for a single incident will often span several days, weeks, or even months. What we've been seeing lately involves a very sudden death affecting thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of animals all at once.

Here let it be noted that two of the leading causes of wildlife death are pollution and disease. When we consider that fact, it becomes obvious that there is already widespread pestilence all over the land. One can only wonder what unseen effects this may have on the human population!

Earthquakes In Divers Places!

In Mathew 24:7 we are warned to watch for earthquakes in "divers places," which means several earthquakes in various locations. I've written about earthquakes before, and most readers of the Last Trumpet are probably already aware that earthquakes are now occurring every day. There have been many earthquakes reported over the last few months. In fact, according to a report by CNN, dated December 24, 2010, there have been over 500 measurable earthquakes since September 20, 2010, in the state of Arkansas. Some have grown weary of all the earthquakes, especially Steve Wilson, the assistant superintendant at Woolly Hallow State Park. Wilson was quoted as saying, "In the beginning it was fun, it was neat, it was a cool thing to experience. But now we're wanting it to go away. We've had all the fun we want." (27)

A small sampling of earthquakes since December 2010 include an unusual 4.2-magnitude earthquake in Indiana (28), a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Puerto Rico (29), a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia (30), a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Argentina (31), a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Chile (32), a 6.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pacific Island of Vanuatu (33), a 4.9-magnitude earthquake in New Zealand (34), two earthquakes in Japan, one with a 6.3 magnitude (35) and the other a 7.4 (36); and two earthquakes in Iran - one 5.3 (37), the second 6.5 magnitude. (38)

Aberrant Weather And Widespread Destruction!

Earthquakes are not the only natural disaster that people around the world have been forced to contend with. Many areas have reported strange weather resulting in massive damages and an unfortunate loss of life.

In California there were massive floodings, mudslides, and evacuations as the state was hit with a weeklong deluge of rain in December 2010. Five homes were completely destroyed while seventy others were damaged, resulting in about $17.2 million worth of destruction. (39)

Great Britain endured temperatures which were reportedly the lowest ever since their recordkeeping began. The temperature often dropped below zero degrees Celsius, and the accompanying snow and ice caused ensnarled traffic and many flight delays at London's Heathrow Airport. (40)

Brazil was hit by a major flood in January 2011, which killed at least 537 people, (41) and saw 57 cities enter a state of emergency as 100,000 people were forced to flee from their homes. (42) South Africa also suffered a January flood, which claimed the lives of at least 39 people. (43) Also in January, the Associated Press has reported that dozens of people in India, mostly homeless, have died from exposure to abnormally cold temperatures. (44)

Australia has also suffered much flood damage, and as of this writing, this continent continues to be at risk. Brisbane, which is the capital city of the state of Queensland, was hit hard by the catastrophe. 30,000 homes and businesses were flooded. As of mid-January, 26 deaths have been confirmed with 53 people still missing. (45) I know we have many loyal readers in Australia, and we were certainly keep you all in prayer as you deal with the aftermath in the coming months.

We are certainly living in tumultuous times. In the year 2010, there were natural disasters that claimed the lives of 295,000 people around the globe with economic losses of $130 billion. (46) Thankfully, we serve a merciful God who loves His people and will keep us safe even when there is disaster all round us. I find great encouragement in Nahum 1:7, which reads, "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." God knows each of us personally, and He will never forsake us.

A Poisoned Water Supply!

My father warned about the dangers of fluoride in the water supply for years. Many others have also sounded the alarm, but for the most part, the dangers have been written off by the government, the news media, and the scientific community. However, new research now indicates that fluoride can weaken teeth and bones. Another study has found that exposure to fluoride can lower intelligence in children. Now a New York City Councilman from Queens, known as Peter Vallone, has begun to fight for the removal of fluoride from the New York City water supply. In an article from the New York Daily News, Vallone is quoted as saying, "This amounts to forced medication by the government. What's next? They decide we're depressed and add Prozac to our drinking water?" (47) In an astonishing turnabout, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced plans to lower the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water. The decision came about after it was discovered that two out of five adolescents suffer from splotchy teeth, a condition otherwise known as fluorosis. (48) Although a reduction in the fluoride levels of drinking water is a good start, it doesn't go far enough as the chemical should be completely removed. Fluoride is the active ingredient in most toothpastes now sold in the United States. Have you ever noticed the warnings on the packaging? One tube of toothpaste I happened to have nearby warns, "Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." Personally, I'd rather not have poison in my drinking water!

The United States' Economy: "Recovering" At A Snail's Pace!

The "Great Recession" in the United States has officially been over since 2009. However, we are now in the year 2011, and considering the amount of time that has passed, very little economic improvement has been made. There were 157 bank closures in the United States during the year 2010, which was the highest closure rate since 1992. (49)

Although the official unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent, this was mainly due to the fact that so many discouraged job-seekers decided to stop searching for work and are no longer considered unemployed. Julie Coronado, a senior economist at BNP Paribas in New York, stated, "The Fed will not take much comfort in the decline in the unemployment rate when it is not driven by job growth." Of all the people in the United States who could potentially be working, only 64.3 percent of them actually have a job. (50)

Home foreclosures are continuing at a shocking and disheartening pace. Over one million homes were foreclosed on in 2010, and RealityTrac Inc is predicting that another 1.2 million homes will be repossessed in 2011. (51) To make matters worse, many banks have been improperly foreclosing on homeowners that aren't delinquent on their mortgage payments, or in some cases, don't even have a mortgage. One such example took place in Pennsylvania at the home of woman named Angela Iannelli. The woman, who was up to date on her mortgage payments, arrived home to find her house ransacked, her utilities cut off, and anti-freeze poured down her drain. (52) Similar incidents have been reported all over the country.

In the city of Detroit, Michigan, the circumstances are so dire that the mayor is now considering a plan that would cut off 20 percent of the city from municipal services such as garbage pickup, police patrols, road repair, and street lights. (53) The schools in Detroit are in trouble, too, and may soon be forced to file for bankruptcy. (54)

In the city of Camden, New Jersey, which is one of the most violent cities in the United States, half of the police department and nearly seventy firefighters may soon be laid off. (55)

Despite Barack Obama's recent tax package, which resulted in the renewal of former President Bush's tax cuts, other types of taxes around the country have been increased. One such example is the state of Illinois, which upon facing a $15 billion state deficit, passed legislation to increase personal state income tax by 66 percent and corporate income tax by 45 percent. (56) I would not be surprised to see other states pass similar tax hikes, since many other states are suffering from large budget deficits.

In closing, I know there is so much more that could be said about current events and the times we live in. There were many things I had planned to write about, but I'm unable to cover them in this newsletter because I just don't have the space to do so. However, the Lord has impressed upon me that we are indeed living in the last days, and much of the Scripture has already been fulfilled. Each sign Jesus warned us to watch for is clearly unfolding before our very eyes. These are times of great turmoil; yet, I am fully confident that our Saviour will sustain, protect, and carry us through as we face challenges that no other generation has ever faced. I encourage you all to stay strong in the faith and keep watching for the soon return of our Lord.

Thank you to all who support this ministry. We could not do what we do without your generosity, and it is truly humbling to have such an opportunity to work for God. If any of you have any prayer requests, small or great, our teams of intercessors will gladly lift you up in prayer. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.


Samuel David Meyer

Acknowledgements
01. Time Magazine, January 3, 2011, By Megan Gibson, http://time.com.
02. Associated Press, January 12, 2011, By Anne Flaherty, Washington, D.C.
03. Ibid.
04. Associated Press, December 22, 2010, By Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, South Korea.
05. The Christian Science Monitor, December 26, 2010, By Donald Kirk, Seoul, South Korea.
06. Associated Press, January 1, 2011, By Kim Kwang-tae and Foster Klug, Seoul, South Korea.
07. Reuters News Service, January 11, 2011, By Phil Stewart, Beijing, China.
08. Reuters News Service, December 23, 2010, By Benjamin Kang Lim, Beijing, China.
09. Associated Press, January 11, 2011, By Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, China.
10. The Telegraph, December 29, 2010, By Peter Foster, Beijing, China.
11. The Telegraph, January 9, 2011, By David Eimer, Beijing, China.
12. Bloomberg News, January 5, 2010, By Rudy Ruitenberg, http://bloomberg.com.
13. San Francisco Chronicle, December 16, 2010, By Stacy Finz, http://sfgate.com.
14. AFP, January 4, 2011, By AFP, Washington, D.C.
15. AFP, January 8, 2011, By Beatrice Khadige, Algiers, Algeria.
16. Associated Press, January 6, 2011, By Aomar Ouali, Algiers, Algeria.
17. Ibid.
18. AllAfrica.com, January 12, 2011, By Walter Menya, Nairobi, Kenya.
19. The Guardian, August 31, 2007, By Ian Sample, http://guardian.co.uk.
20. CNN, January 3, 2011, By CNN Wire Staff, http://cnn.com.
21. Today's THV, January 3, 2011, By Today's THV, http://todaysthv.com.
22. Baltimore Sun, January 5, 2011, By Timothy B. Wheeler, http://baltimoresun.com.
23. The Daily Mail, January 7, 2011, By Wil Longbottom, http://dailymail.co.uk.
24. The Advocate, January 4, 2011, By Koran Addo, Labarre, LA.
25. UPI, January 13, 2011, By UPI, Athens, AL.
26. Associated Press, January 7, 2011, By Seth Borenstein, Washington, D.C.
27. CNN, December 24, 2010, By Sarah Hoye, Guy, AR.
28. CNN, December 30, 2010, By Alan Silverleib, http://cnn.com.
29. Associated Press, December 24, 2010, By Associated Press, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
30. AFP, December 21, 2010, By AFP, Jakarta, Indonesia.
31. Associated Press, January 1, 2011, By Associated Press, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
32. Associated Press, January 2, 2011, By Eva Vergara, Santiago, Chile.
33. Associated Press, January 9, 2011, By Associated Press, Sydney, Australia.
34. Associated Press, December 26, 2010, By Associated Press, Wellington, New Zealand.
35. Ria Novosti, December 23, 2010, By Ria Novosti, Moscow, Russia.
36. AFP, December 22, 2010, By Harumi Ozawa, Tokyo, Japan.
37. AFP, January 5, 2011, By AFP, Tehran, Iran.
38. Associated Press, December 21, 2010, By Associated Press, Tehran, Iran.
39. Associated Press, December 24, 2010, By Amy Taxin, Los Angeles, CA.
40. The Daily Mail, December 18, 2010, By Daily Mail Reporter, http://dailymail.co.uk.
41. The Washington Post, January 14, 2011, By Juliana Barbassa, Teresopolis, Brazil.
42. Associated Press, January 8, 2011, By Associated Press, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
43. Associated Press, January 7, 2011, By Associated Press, Johannesburg, South Africa.
44. Associated Press, January 5, 2011, By Biswajeet Banerjee, Lucknow, India.
45. Associated Press, January 14, 2011, By John Pye, Brisbane, Australia.
46. AFP, January 3, 2011, By AFP, http://afp.com.
47. New York Daily News, December 28, 2010, By Erin Einhorn, New York, NY.
48. Associated Press, January 7, 2011, By Associated Press, http://associatedpress.com.
49. Washington Post, December 28, 2010, By David S Hilzenrath, http://washingtonpost.com.
50. Reuters News Service, January 7, 2011, By Lucia Mutikani, Washington, D.C.
51. Associated Press, January 14, 2011, By Paul Sakuma, New York, NY.
52. Associated Press, December 9, 2010, By Michelle Conlin, http://associatedpress.com.
53. The Wall Street Journal, December 11, 2010, By Matthew Dolan, Detroit, MI.
54. The Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2009, By Paul Kersey and Michael Van Beek, http://wsj.com.
55. Philadelphia Daily News, January 15, 2011, By Jason Nark, http://philly.com.
56. The Christian Science Monitor, January 12, 2011, By Mark Guarino, Chicago, IL.

Special Note: A new tribute website for Pastor David J. Meyer can now be accessed at http://pastormeyer.org.

If you have a comment on this newsletter or would like to suggest future topics, you may send email to editor@lasttrumpetnewsletter.org.

Peculiar Arabic Anagrams: What a riot?

 






Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak - Egypt's President (recently promoted to Tyrant)
Barack Hussein Obama - United States President

Hussein Obama-Barack
While the Administration promotes a democratic process in Egypt, it stifles dissent in America.

While they call for Hosni Mubarak to step down, Hussein Barack gives us Obamacare like bad medicine; forced down our throats like Castor oil by a Democrat Senate and House of representatives. What a tough pill to swallow!

Are there some inconsistencies here?

Over there freedom, and tyranny here?


“We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” -Edward R. Murrow.


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Tuesday, February 01, 2011

New Adventist president reaffirms cooperation with China's Protestant organization



Wilson hosts China Christian Council representatives at world headquarters, accepts invitation to visit China

9 Jul 2010, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN


Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson will maintain a cooperative relationship with China's officially recognized Protestant organization.

"Although the Adventist Church has distinct doctrines, we are certainly open to cooperating with fellow Christians who are lifting up Christ," Wilson said following a meeting with representatives of the China Christian Council at Adventist Church headquarters on July 6.

The China Christian Council/Three-Self Patriotic Movement is the officially recognized religious organization that oversees the activities of Protestant churches in mainland China.

While the Adventist Church established a relationship with the China Christian Council in the mid-1990s, Council representatives for the first time attended a General Conference Session, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia last week.

The visit helped cement the China Christian Council's perception of Adventists as a "mainstream" Protestant denomination, said world church General Vice President Eugene Hsu, a native of China.

"Even though China doesn't recognize denominational structure internally, the fact they allowed a delegation to attend Session shows they are aware of the global scope of the Adventist Church," Hsu said.

Maintaining "cordial relationships" and constructive dialogue with other denominations' leaders facilitates mutual understanding among faith groups, leaders from the church's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department said at this week's meeting.

The China Christian Council delegation included Xuebin Shen, vice chairperson of the organization's National Committee; Jun Wang, chairperson of its Shaanxi chapter; Zhiming Zhu, vice president of the Wuxi Christian Council; and Meiying Shi, secretary of the Overseas Relations department of the China Christian Council.

The delegation asked how Adventists relate to other denominations, and whether Adventist-run seminaries enroll non-Adventist students. Shen was impressed with the church's commitment to healthy living, adding that he might try a vegetarian diet for a year, Hsu said.

During the meeting, Wilson accepted an invitation to meet with China Christian Council officials in China.
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Source: Adventist News Network
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Source
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God Absent From Church's New Spiritual Guide

28 January 2011
Reuters


God is absent from a new spiritual guide the Russian Orthodox Church is drafting in tandem with Russia's ruling party, a newspaper said on Thursday.

Instead justice, patriotism and solidarity top the list of the guideline, dubbed "Eternal Values: The foundation of Russian Identity, which the Church is to publish with the dominant United Russia party, headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The moral guide lists the values in order of their importance in the eyes of the church and the party: 1. justice, 2. freedom, 3. solidarity, 4. unity, 5. self-restraint and sacrifice, 6. patriotism, 7. welfare and 8. love, the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported.

The paper cited Church spokesman, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, as saying the principles were based on how strongly they are "rooted in God's truth and in the life experiences that remain constant."

The Orthodox Church has gained substantially in power in Russia since the fall of communism, forming close ties with Russia's political elite.

But its dominance has drawn criticism from rights groups who say it's growing political role undermines Russia's secular constitution.

Earlier this month, the Church outraged Russian feminists by proposing that women dress more modestly.


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In banks we trust? Churches in U.S. hit by foreclosures


Michael Babad
Globe and Mail Update
Published Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011 4:51PM EST

Churches hit by foreclosure
Churches in the United States are finding they're not immune to the real estate crisis.

Many churches, The Wall Street Journal reports today, also can't pay their mortgages because they took on too much debt and now face smaller congregations and declining collections amid high unemployment levels.
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Monday, January 31, 2011

Threat of US Municipal Default


The debt being carried by state and municipal governments in the United States generates a risk massive financial problems for the U.S. economy, according to one widely published banking analyst. Meredith Whitney manages her own advisory firm, and is a frequent contributor to CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg News programs.

The state and local governments have been getting by on the billions of dollars handed out by the federal stimulus programs, but the debt is making investors on Wall Street nervous about another big bailout.

“It has tentacles as wide as anything I’ve seen. I think next to housing this is the single most important issue in the United States, and certainly the largest threat to the U.S. economy,’ Whitney said.

Whitney added that people are not paying attention to the state of the local governments, “Cause they don’t pay attention until they have to.”

“There’s not a doubt in my mind that you will see a spate of municipal bond defaults,” Whitney predicted, which could include 50 to 100 defaults adding up to hundreds of billions worth of damage to the financial system (Meredith Whitney: State Economic Crisis Is being Ignored; Crisis on the Way,” http://www.streetinsider.com, Dec. 20, 2010).

In a rebuttal, a spokesperson for the National League of Cities wrote:

“The municipal bond market remains strong for a variety of reasons: Local and State debt levels are low; borrowing is longer-term and predictable; local and state governments have balanced budget requirements; rules require preemptive steps to prevent defaults.

“Sky-is-falling reports about the municipal bond market are a distraction from a much more common and economically significant story about cuts in other arenas – cuts in services that impact the quality of life in communities; job losses in the public sector; cuts in pension and health care benefits for employees and retirees as local and state governments seek to rein in liabilities” (“Crying Wolf On Muni Defaults: 60 Minutes And Wall Street Analyst Miss The Real Story,” press release from PR Newswire quoted on www.thestreet.com, Dec. 22, 2010).

Inspired commentary

There is no doubt that money, representing security can be a major motivating factor the the behavior of individuals and groups. Some future crisis will ignite a call for a Sunday law to try to win God’s favor:

Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. ... Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment keepers will be misrepresented and condemned (The Great Controversy, p. 592).
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