I just saw OSU's coach Jim Tressel on the sidelines. He isn't wearing his normal sweater vest thing….instead, he is sporting an OSU fleece jacket thing.
“The Game”
Sorry I'm late on this. I thought the OSU/Michigan game was on ESPN. Turns out it was on ABC. I missed most of the 1st quarter.
Currently, the score is:
MICH 7
OSU 0
Time 6:13 left in 1st quarter.
I want to go on the books saying I think Michigan will win. If OSU fans weren't so nuts, I'd root for OSU. But since Columbus all of Ohio is so nuts about the Buckeyes, I'll go against the grain.
Ive got to Vent
On the way home today, I was listening to Fox News. They were playing this news conference by the Democrats in Washington. They were going on and on about how this election shows America wants a new direction. They were going on and on about how they were going to be bi-partisan. On and On. I got so ticked off.
Let's rewing 2 years. The Republicans had a larger margin of win than the dems do now. The dems were going on and on about how this didn't mean anything….how they expected to work with the Republicans…etc…. The republicans even threw out some ideas like sharing of comittee chairs, etc…. Now the libs win with way less margin and it's a major point!!!
Come on!
The republicans lost because they refused to act like they won. They didn't act like conservitaves who knew they were on the right path. Instead they caved to the liberals and didn't do anything. They squandered an opportunity and deserved to lose.
In the meantime, I hope the libs don't resort to lies. But I'm not optimistic.
Movie
Several weeks ago at work, they asked for extras for a movie they were shooting. I answered the call, and was an extra. If you want to see the movie, follow this link to the IMB's IME music download page. The IMB rearranges their site often, so I'll post links directly to the movie just incase it gets moved. These are below:
Streaming: Low | Medium | High
Downloads: MPEG -1 | Quicktime
IMB/International Missions Stats
At the last IMB Trustee Meeting, the following new information was reported:
— engaged a total of 1,170 people groups worldwide, three-quarters of whom are classified by mission researchers as unreached (less than 2 percent of the population claiming evangelical Christian faith).
— engaged for the first time 104 people groups, 73 of whom are unreached, with a combined population of nearly 100 million.
— engaged 120 unreached urban centers, including 12 for the first time.
— started 23,486 churches and more than 10,600 "outreach groups" (potential future churches). That brought total partner churches worldwide to 135,252, with a combined membership of 8.8 million, and outreach groups to 55,723.
— baptized 475,072 new believers – about 1,300 each day or one each minute.
— involved nearly 510,000 new believers in discipleship training, in addition to more than 1.1 million existing church members in discipleship groups. Those are "solid indicators showing the excitement and hunger for the Word of God," Holste said. "As people are introduced to the Bible and come to know Christ, they are baptized and nearly all are discipled in their first year of Christian growth. For the first time in our reporting history, the number of church members in discipleship training has risen above the 1 million mark."
— trained more than 150,000 Christian leaders in nonresidential settings (extension and correspondence course, short-term courses, on-the-job training) and more than 20,000 in residential pastoral programs.
— worked with 1,772 international missionaries sent out by overseas Baptist partners to other people groups and 3,400 home missionaries reaching out to people groups within their own countries.
You can learn more at http://www.imb.org/core/story.asp?StoryID=4818&LanguageID=1709
Vote
Well, yesterday was Election Day in the US. Cyndi and I went to the polls in VA and voted. We didn't have too much stuff on our ballot.
If you are interested in how the results within Richmond turned out, follow this link.
BTW, just as I did in Columbus, I voted FOR the marriage amendment.
reed diffusers
Just a heads up for those of you who have seen these reeds diffusers in stores.
I purchased a couple of them in Pier 1 and they really do work. I thought maybe they
would evaporate quickly but I have had one in each bathroom for over a month and
they seem to be doing great. I turn the reeds around the first of each month, as suggested
by the sales girl. I am sure they will last the intended 6 months. Yankee Candle has some
also they are a bit more expensive. I would not buy the cheapy ones in Wally World, they
may not last as long.
Anyhow, just thought I would pass that on to everyone.
Neat Video
A buddy sent me a link to this video. It is a very neat machine/sculpture where steel balls roll around the structure. It kind of reminds me of Marble Works on steroids.
Steel Circus Kinetic Sculpture
BTW, if anyone finds a better Marble Works link, post it as a comment. I need to run to work and don't have time to look more.
[Update 2 Nov 2006] My mom found a link to a page selling some Marble Works toys: http://www.discoverytoysinc.com/toys3b.htm
Voice of the Martyrs International Day of Prayer
Voice of the Martyrs is calling for an International Day of Prayer on 12 November. Through this, they hope to raise awareness of our Christian brothers and sisters who are in chains around the world. Haven't thought about it? Why not visit www.persecution.com to learn more about Voice of the Martyrs. Want more information on the International Day of Prayer? Follow this link to the VOM Day of Prayer page.
Interesting Article on Persecution
I was looking at the IMB's website a few days ago and ran across two articles I thought were interesting. The first is entitled "Should we pray for God to lift persecution?"
He told her about 40 people gathered in the remote bush outside a village. They all sat on mats in the hot, African sun to sing worship songs and share testimonies.
Suddenly the local authorities arrived.
Many scattered. About 14 bold believers stayed behind and said they wouldn't stop praising the Lord. All 14 were detained, including Abdul.
"I didn't fight them," Abdul said. "I've been having this problem for a long time. They don't need a reason to detain me. They say I disgrace the Fulani."
From the jail, he called Malone, but not because she would bail him out. He just longed for soothing words of encouragement from his Fulani "madujo," or mother.
That encouragement is the best thing Malone can offer when her Fulani "children" face persecution. She hates to watch them face the cruel and tragic treatment, but she knows God uses it to draw others to Him.
"I can't think of any instance in my experience where persecution has caused someone to turn back from the faith," she said. "In fact, it more often has the opposite effect."
She once asked a new Fulani believer why he wanted to become a Christian after watching his friends get beaten.
"That's why I think Christianity must be the true way," he replied. "No one would be willing to go through that suffering for a lie!"
The next article is Beyond the bookshelves: Librarian guides underground worship movement:
For more than 20 years, Malone has been sorting books and helping the students at a seminary in West Africa research their assignments. But her after-hours gig involves a bit more risk.
That's when Fulani believers come to her house seeking guidance with their underground worship communities – which are popping up everywhere despite harsh, new Muslim laws assigning the death penalty to Christian converts.
…
With Malone's guidance, those few Fulani started taking the Gospel to their own people. A few converts became a few more.
Then, the region erupted in riots. People of different religions and ethnic groups clashed over the government's installation of Islamic regulations, called Shari'ah law. Many were slain. Rioters burned the pastor school to the ground, along with churches and many homes of the Fulani converts.
Malone remembers her thoughts as she returned to her library to find all the books still smoldering, charred beyond use.
"I used to feel guilty about doing this ministry when my job was to be a librarian," she said. "After that, I changed my way of thinking. I realized books are temporary. It's the people that last."
But the new religious tension forced some changes in the Fulani ministry.
"We've had to go more undercover," Malone said.
She can't visit the new Fulani believers at their homes anymore. Some of them lost children when their grass and stick homes were torched. Others have been detained without reason.
"If she visits them, they are going to have more problems with their neighbors and the Muslim brothers," Abdul explains.
So Abdul and his Fulani brothers launched their own evangelism plan, forming a structure for their worship communities. Small groups gather in homes for worship and Bible study. Sometimes larger groups assemble, but spontaneously, and not in the same place twice.
We need to remember to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who suffer for the cause of Christ. But should we pray for God to lift persecution? I think the answer is a clear NO. Look at what happened here in America with no persecution. The church became soft, ineffective, and full of apostacy.
Instead, we should pray for God to be glorified, people to be saved, and witness of the believers. We should pray that God would let them know people are praying for them. Pray that God would give them strength and boldness. Pray that He be glorified through the situation.
You can also write letters to those in prison for Christ around the world. Voice of the Martyrs has an excellent program where you can find out about those who are jailed around the world for their Christian beliefs.
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