Cyndi and I have volunteered to go with the SBC of Virginia the last week of October. We called our church contact after training and told him our avialability. So far, we haven't heard anything back yet. Hopefully that will change…I'm excited about going down.
Tract
I have been developing a witnessing tract that people could download and print. Well, it is finally complete–content wise. I just need to get the page layout complete so I can get it as a downloadable PDF. Once it is available, I'll post a notice here and link to it in my store.
Cuba and Church
Well, it seems Cuba has joined the ranks of those nations persecuting the church. According to this article on Worthy News, Cuba is instituting new rules for house churches.
Government regulations aimed at curbing the growth of Christian house churches in Cuba took force on September 22, sparking fears that evangelical Protestants on the island could face a period of heightened persecution.
If strictly enforced, the measure would seriously restrict freedom of assembly and the right to propagate one’s faith.
“The growth of the house churches themselves has brought this on,” one Havana pastor said. “The authorities are saying: ‘the church has gotten out of hand.’”
Those opinions were expressed earlier this year, after the Cuban Ministry of Justice released “Resolution No. 46: Instructions for the Request, Procedure and Authorization to Celebrate Worship Services in Dwellings of Personal Property.” Published last March, the resolution granted a six-month grace period for church groups to acquaint themselves with the regulations and take steps to comply. The grace period officially ended September 22.
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Christian Massacre?
According to WorldNetDaily.com, there is a website showing video of Christians martyered for their faith.
An American-hosted soft porn Internet site also doubles as a cyber home for radical Islamic video propaganda.
One approximately six-minute video housed on the Japanese site which we will not list because it so horrendous. Titled, "The Ambon Massacre," it starts with a picture of the ocean waves lazily lapping at dusk.
The scene soon shifts to video of a burning building and people being massacred. Then viewers see rows of dead bodies covered with newspaper, followed by scenes of burning, decimated houses.
The horrifying footage is followed by graphic video of burned, dead bodies with holes in their heads, as well as chopped off body parts. The dead include babies and the mutilated corpses of young people with gaping holes in their necks.
Your Own Card Catalog
Do you have books or do you have a library? For those who know Cyndi and I know we have a library (last count 5 normal bookshelves chock full of books and that is only half). I came across this library/card catalog site you can use yourself. I'm thinking about signing up for the free trial. If so, I'll let everyone know what I think.
Prayerwalking
Today, I felt like I ought to start prayerwalking around where we live. While I was doing that, it struck me that I ought to track this somehow. I had a map of Richmond, so I could highlight it, but then I thought why not do it on the computer. So, that is what I did. Below are some thumbnails if you want to track my progress.
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[Update 2012-12-26 16:24:18] I moved these images over to flickr
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Voice of the Martyrs is calling for an International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church on 13 November of this year. I'm going to encourage my church to do something special on this day…why don't you do the same?
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Missionaries Attacked by Hundus
Hindu fundamentalists attacked a Christian missionary compound in India, severely injuring several people.
Sunday's attack was the second within a month at the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society facility in Rohtas district, Bihar state, reported Compass Direct, a news service that monitors persecution of Christians.
In the previous attack, Aug. 31, a mob of about 800 held the compound under siege for three days, injuring 12 Christian residents.
On Sunday, one man received a spinal injury that left him partially paralyzed, Compass reported.
A mission representative said about 16 attackers came from the nearby villages of Shankarpur and Bhedibigha at 6:30 p.m. and broke open the gate of the compound.
…
Open Doors notes other persecution-related news from India:
Christians in Chattisgarh, India, organized a five-day rally two weeks ago to protest increased attacks on churches in the state. About 80 Christian leaders attended the rally, coordinated by Arun Pannalal of the Church of North India, following Sept. 11 violence in Raipur in which Hindu fundamentalists destroyed property at one church and struck worshipers at another, according to Compass.
On Sept.22, Hindu fundamentalists attacked and threatened several Christians in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh state, accusing them of desecrating a Hindu idol. One Christian was admitted to a hospital with serious injuries, while another was detained at the Kalyanpura police station for more than 32 hours.
The radical Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, has called for a comprehensive law to ban
religious conversions in India as part of a new campaign to stem the "increasing" number of conversions around the country. Addressing media Aug. 25, Mohan Joshi, national secretary of the council, said anti-conversion laws in some states were not stringent enough to curb religious conversions, reported Compass.
India, which is 83 percent Hindu and 11 percent Muslim, has 25 million Christians, who represent 2.4 percent of the population.
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The Next Supreme Court Nominee
This Wall Street Journal article got me thinking about what I would like to see in the next nominee. Below are a few snippets from the article:
With Judge John Roberts poised to win Senate confirmation today, President Bush faces a delicate political choice for his second Supreme Court nominee.
Should the president, whose approval rating in polls is lower than at any time during his presidency, select a candidate who — like Judge Roberts — hasn't written extensively about abortion, and try to recapture ground with disenchanted moderates and independents?
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"We don't want a stealth candidate," says Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, a conservative lobbying group. "I think the grass roots wants somebody who is upfront, who is out there and is a Scalia or Thomas," she added, referring to the court's two most conservative justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The antiabortion Family Research Council is urging members to sign a petition to "encourage and embolden" Mr. Bush as he ponders a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
I think the biggest thing for me is not to have, to quote Phyllis Schlafly, "…a stealth candidate…." I want Pres. Bush to nominate a solid conservative. Draw a line in the sand and fight for what is right.
Sub $100 Laptop
This is cool. Look at the snippets from the following news stories:
Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC.
The laptop will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply.
Professor Negroponte came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village.
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The laptops will be encased in rubber to make them more durable, and their AC adaptors will also act as carrying straps.
The Linux-based machines are expected to have a 500MHz processor, with flash memory instead of a hard drive which has more delicate moving parts.
The laptop will be more rugged and flexible than ordinary ones They will have four USB ports, and will be able to connect to the net through wi-fi – wireless net technology – and will be able to share data easily.
It will also have a dual-mode display so that it can still be used in varying light conditions outside. It will be a colour display, but users will be able to switch easily to monochrome mode so that it can be viewed in bright sunlight, at four times normal resolution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4292854.stm
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The $100 laptop computers that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers want to get into the hands of Third World children would be durable, flexible and self-reliant.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hund29.html
This is just awesome! I'd buy one if I knew where to get it from. They ought to sell them for $150-$200 then funnel the profits back into their giveaway program.