Movie Portraying Jesus as a Philosopher, Not GodFilmmaker Paul Verhoeven, a professed atheist, is telling the story of Jesus as if he were simply a man, who influenced his time, sparked a political movement and made thought-provoking statements.
The Illusive Gay GeneIt is one of the most explosive topics in society today. The social and political ramifications affect the very roots of this country. But is the country being told the truth concerning homosexuality? Is there really a genetic basis for homosexuality?
No More Abortion ClinicsAbortion will still be legal in Mississippi next month. It’s just that women who live there probably won’t be able to get one.
Michigan Standing Up for Christian StudentsThe Michigan House has passed a bill named after an Eastern Michigan University (EMU) student who was kicked out of the school's counseling program because of her faith.
India's Destruction of Baby GirlsEvery 12 seconds, a baby girl is aborted in India. That's about 7,000 girls killed every day just because they are females.
Syrian Christians feel vulnerable in besieged Homs neighborhoodsChristians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence sweeping the country of 22 million people. They fear Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups.
FCC’s policy on obscenity on TV ‘vague’The court did not address the broader free speech question of whether federal regulators should have any control over television content. Instead, the judgment dealt only with several specific instances and subsequent fines.
Rescinds Authorization Using Service Emblems on BiblesThe Pentagon has revoked permission for a Christian ministry to produce Bibles for different branches of the military, marked with those insignias, after an anti-Christian group called them a threat to national security.
More than Feeling Sorry
Who hasn't seen a commercial come on TV around the holidays and hurt for those children, families, or victims of a disaster? Sure, we've all been there. What happens most of the time is that we simply change the channel. But, occasionally, something that we see...something that we hear moves us. We want to do more than simply feel sorry for the hurting person we see on the screen, so we get out the debit card, call the toll free number, and give. Now, let me say that there is nothing wrong with giving. Many times God uses our financial resources to accomplish great things.
CNN news reports a harrowing experience for one man who went through the most recent onslaught of killer tornadoes:
Steven Vaught of Greenville, Kentucky, said he is lucky to be alive to tell how he survived the storm.
"Why? I don't know," he said. "But I did."
He teared up while recounting the moment the storm came rolling through in an interview with CNN affiliate WSMV-TV in Nashville, Tennessee.
"I was laying on the couch and all the sudden I start hearing a train," he said. "I got up and took two steps off the couch and then me and the two dogs I have and the trailer started rolling down the hill."
Five times. That's how many times he and his trailer flipped continuously down the road as the storm tore through, he recalled.
"Once it hit the ground on the fifth time, I saw daylight and I was sitting up against the stove like I was sitting in a chair," he said.
Vaught had to get stitches in his bloodied chin and staples in his head from some of the injuries he sustained. But those were nothing, he said, compared with what he went through.
He shook his head as he took stock of the destruction around him.
"I don't know how I'm here," he said as his eyes welled up with tears. (click Tornado Stories for more from CNN)
How can I respond?
What happens next is what really matters. With the horror of the tornado over, the response by caring people can make all the difference. The good news is there are people who have chosen to work with disaster victims. They have been labeled "disaster junkies." I'm not sure if the media is making fun of them or trying to label a group that cares in order to stop their own conscience from hurting. Regardless, they are helping the hurting...right here in our own country.
Personal Experience of Being Cared for
I was a recipient of such care after Hurricane Hugo. We had just gotten back to our home on the Isle of Palms and had nothing. The caring volunteers were already there making a difference in the lives of displaced families like ours. They didn't send money, they came themselves. As far as we were concerned, their presence made a huge difference. Disaster junkies were making a difference. And you can make a difference too through ministries like Disaster Relief and Samaritan's Purse.
Get Involved
In the same way, there are times when we sense God not only wants our money, but our involvement. It is then that our small faith in a great God should really kick in. It's not that we can't do some great things because of our finances, but we sense that nothing short of us getting involved will be enough. That is a faith that hurts. It is when we truly understand that God uses us who aren't necessarily the best, but can care the most. When we care, determine that we will make a difference, and then get involved with the hurting, our impact can only be measured in eternity.
What matters to YOU?
Who do you care most about? Then that is where you can make a difference. It was Nehemiah...he believed that God could use a guy like him whom God had placed In a place of prominence to do what looked like the impossible, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. I want you to hear the care in his voice. Here are his words:
"...why shouldn't I be depressed when the city, the city where all my family is buried, is in ruins and the city gates have been reduced to cinders?" (Nehemiah 2:3 MSG)
His heart is broken for his beloved city that is not protected, is a place of scorn, and a place no one would want to live. The broken down walls were symptomatic of the broken nation, so Nehemiah's burden caused him to trust in God and believe that God could use him. If something has to be done...
It might as well be me,
Pastor Trey Rhodes
ATTENTION...Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday! Spring forward one hour. Set your clocks ahead 1 hour.
Dinner this Saturday night. Join us for Nancy Hunter's homecooked ham! For more information, go to: www.ocannounce.info
