Tuesday, November 27, 2012

FREE Christmas Songs from Integrity!

The free tracks are:
"Light Has Come" by Matt Maher and Charlie Hall
"Joy Has Dawned" by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
"Light Of The World (O Jesus Son Of God)" by Matt Redman
"The Angels Knew" by Nick and Becky Drake
"Joyful Joyful" by Brenton Brown.

To get the songs, all you need to do is register or login to www.kingswayworship.co.uk/christmas-songs

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus


Freedom From Religion Foundation Mocks the Nativity Scene in WI State Capitol

Atheists, clearly agitated that Christians purportedly “stole” various holiday traditions from pagans, have come up with a solution: A potentially-offensive “natural nativity scene” that removes baby Jesus and replaces traditional Bible characters with some eyebrow-raising alternatives. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is behind the spectacle, which emerged this week as part of a diorama inside the Wisconsin state capitol.
The angel that typically graces the nativity is replaced with an astronaut. And the wise-men – prominent figures in the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth — are replaced with evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, scientist Albert Einstein, anarchist Emma Goldman and author Mark Twain. The Statue of Liberty is also placed in the alternative nativity to purportedly symbolize freedom.
FFRF Assembles Alternative Nativity in Wisconsin State Capitol
Photo Credit: Freedom From Religion Foundation
Rather than including Mary, whom the FFRF dismisses as “a mythical fertility figure,” the display includes Venus, the Roman goddess of love. And forget about Joseph — this depiction has Thomas Jefferson, a figure atheist groups enjoy touting for his purported church versus state views. According to the FFRF, Jefferson “would have disavowed Christian devotional scenes on state property.”

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College students to help Sandy survivors

EDISON, N.J. (BP) -- College students will have their second opportunity in as many years to use their holiday breaks to minister to disaster survivors in the Northeast as the North American Mission Board is coordinating their deployment to respond in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey.

"The opportunities for short-term mobilization will be ongoing because the need is so great," said Susan Peugh, a NAMB staff member who coordinates volunteer opportunities and helped pull the initiative together.

"It is great to see this partnership come together to assist the people affected by Sandy. We know students want to help and [we] have seen the excellent ministry they have provided in the past. The opportunities to serve here will be life-changing," Peugh said.

The first wave of students, expected Dec. 7, will lodge at Staten Island's Arlington Warehouse and will pay for the privilege. A $15 registration fee and a $15 per-night fee will help reduce logistical expenses, such as insurance, identification badges and lodging.

The students will work with trained Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, primarily assisting residents affected by Sandy to clean up their properties.

Students will be required to view a SBDR training video prior to traveling to New York. They will receive additional onsite training specific to their assignments. More than 350 students assisted in SBDR clean up ministry last year in response to Hurricane Irene.

Campus student directors and college students interested in ministry opportunities in the area may register at regonline.com/collegiatedr (use code "collegiatedr"). A mobilization coordinator will contact those expressing interest to connect them with ministry opportunities.

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WEEK OF PRAYER: South African youth turn from despair

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (BP) -- It's hard not to be happy around 12-year-old Olwetu. She greets visitors with an infectious smile and sparkling eyes. Usually surrounded by friends, the outgoing South African seventh-grader is constantly smiling, laughing and talking.

But this is not typical behavior among Olwetu's peers -- hopeless is the best word to describe youth from the nation's Xhosa minority in the slums of Cape Town.

Most young people here must deal with a myriad of issues -- abuse, violence, drugs, gangs, rape, loss of one or both parents, poor education, HIV/AIDS, poverty. These problems have far-reaching tentacles affecting every family in the township.

"We began to see students that were asking ... 'What do I do when I've been raped by my uncle?' 'What do I do when my father and mother are abusing me?' 'I don't have any food at home.' 'My mom and dad don't have work.' 'My mom and dad are dead and I live with my aunt,'" said Bruce Erickson, a Southern Baptist missionary in Cape Town.

San Francisco bans public nudity, but with exceptions for LGBT events

SAN FRANCISCO — After Feb. 1, San Franciscans will have to get dressed before leaving home.
On Nov. 20, in a 6-to-5 vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a ban on public nudity, The New York Times reported, but some wonder if it’s enough.
Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, said the ordinance is a start but that it still allows open nudity, demonstrations of sadomasochism, and other such practices at city events such as the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride parade and the Folsom Street Fair. The ban also doesn’t include women who choose to go topless.
“Female public nudity is dangerous to women and girls because it portrays them as sex objects and stimulates potential rapists,” said Thomasson. As for male nudists in San Francisco, Thomasson said they behave “like animals, dehumanizing themselves.  They see themselves only as flesh, not spirit.”

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ANGUS JONES's Testimony: 'Two And A Half Men' 'Filth,' Urges Viewers To Stop Watching



Judge: School Can't Expel Student over RFID Badge