Wednesday, December 19, 2012

JMC Live Shine Morrison Interview



JMC Live interviews recording artist Shine Morrison

http://www.ShineMorrison.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/ShineMorrison
http://www.reverbnation.com/shinemorrison
https://soundcloud.com/shine-morrison

2012 Top 10 List of Most Impactful Christian Charities Released By www.ROIministry.org

Contact: Tim Barker, ROI Ministry Inc., 678-264-7587
ATLANTA, Dec. 19, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- When it comes to end-of-year charitable giving, the number one questions a donor usually ask is:  Where can my donation make the greatest impact in the lives of others?  To answer this, ROIministry.org challenged exhaustive research, strategic givers and the largest Christian foundations in the world. After a reviewing nearly 1,000 causes, the donor advocacy group has produced a list of the 10 most impactful Christian charities with outcomes such as:
  • Water to extreme poor per month - .5¢ ea
     
  • Feed children and orphans per month - $2.30 ea
     
  • Discipleship - Person guided through reading the New Testament - $1.75 ea
     
  • New decision for Christ -  nearly half continue to regular church attendance  - $3 ea
     
  • Web based evangelism to closed nations, per decision - .65¢ ea
Typically, a non-profit's 990 forms are reviewed by donors to ascertain program verse overhead expense, however the biblical approach also requires evaluating "good lasting fruit" from gifts. Many of the Christian charities in the survey also responded with physical needs met per dollar, amount per meal, clean water, etc. Others emphasized the spiritual part of a person, as "this had to be included, because people are the only thing that last forever." This meant many trips to ministries and to the "ends of the earth" to see "fruit" and checks and balances used to track this.

ROIministry.org teams also tested the findings against what Jesus taught about giving. He "came to preach the good news to the poor" and his litmus test for followers is what we do for the "least of these." In finding these and defining how to be a good "neighbor," Jesus provided the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The beaten, left for dead, lacking clothes person that the religious leaders avoided in this Parable, is where ministries with the greatest fruit per dollar achieved overall. The most impactful Christian charities serve the "least of these" billion people at the "ends of the earth" who are currently only receiving 1/3 of one percent of all Christian giving today.

TOP 10 MOST IMPACTFUL CHRISTIAN CHARITIES OF 2012
  1. You - Individuals have ability to increase giving impact substantially
     
  2. Jesus Film Harvest Partners
     
  3. Compassion International
     
  4. Legacy World Mission
     
  5. 410 Bridge
     
  6. Faith Comes By Hearing
     
  7. Global Media Outreach
     
  8. Gospel for Asia
     
  9. International Leadership Institute
     
  10. Equip
ROI Ministry has also partnered with the National Christina Foundation (NCF) to develop a website to give anonymously to the Top 10 Christian charities at www.roiministry.org.

ROI Ministry, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization of market place believers and Christian leaders who desire to make the greatest Kingdom impact possible with their God-given resources. The organization does not charge fees and receives no compensation from ministries highlighted. One hundred percent of all giving goes to the ministry's specific program that achieves the greatest impact per dollar.  More information can be found at www.roiministry.org

Related links:
2012 Top 10 Most Impactful Christian Charities infographic --
www.roiministry.org/top-10

Asperger's American Heritage Girl Serves Veterans

Contact: Jody Token, 513-771-2025
CINCINNATI, Ohio, Dec. 19, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Autistic people who struggle with speech and talking to people ... they don't talk to strangers and they certainly don't get up in front of the city council and present anything."
But that's exactly what 17 year-old Lydia Bishop did. And in front of more than one hundred people, Lydia presented her idea for a Veterans Day parade to honor her grandfather and other Veterans.

The city council approved her request. The Lake Dallas, Texas community enjoyed its first Veterans Day parade this fall.
Lydia was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as a young girl, but has learned to overcome her fears in a faith-based extracurricular program called American Heritage Girls (AHG). With an emphasis on Christian values and family involvement, Lydia participates in badge programs, service projects, leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences.
AHG troop TX0191 leader, Ellen Samek described Lydia as a quiet girl when she joined AHG. "Three years ... she has come from not talking to anybody, to now making presentations. And that's what AHG has been and made a difference in her life and in ours," says Samek.

Lydia is earning her Stars and Stripes Award, the highest award earned in the AHG program. Lydia's story of overcoming autism and honoring Veterans has inspired girls in the AHG program.
AHG has experienced a 68 percent growth rate in new troops, according to the AHG membership department, and a 59 percent growth in overall membership in 2012.

"Families are seeking a confidence-building activity for their daughters," says Patti Garibay AHG founder and executive director. "AHG continues to resonate with families because it helps girls realize their God-given potential to become women of integrity."
Watch Lydia's inspiring story on YouTube's AHGchannel
American Heritage Girls is a faith-based character development program for all girls 5 - 18 years of age. AHG is dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. Founded in 1995 in Cincinnati, Ohio, AHG has grown from ten troops and 100 members to more than 22,000 members across four countries and 48 U.S. states. With emphasis on Christian values and family involvement, girls participate in badge programs, service projects, leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences.

Newly-completed Chechen Bible presented at peace conference

Chechnya (MNN) ― Chechnya has been at war for much of the last century.

It's a region familiar with the machinery of conflict, dating all the way back to the 15th century with an attempted invasion of the Ottoman Turks. The landlocked country is nestled in the Northern Caucasus and boasts fertile farmland as well as efficient transportation routes to neighboring countries, making it a prize to the nation that conquers it.

It was struggle inflamed by intense nationalism and ethnic hatred, and one that cycled again and again, quelling hopes of a new generation that would know peace. To that end, Bible translators began work on the message of peace, completing the first Scripture portions in 1986, and finishing others as recently as 2007.

Once those were completed, a New Testament was produced in 2007, and that lay the groundwork for the rest of the Bible being translated into Chechen. After a generation of faithful work, Wycliffe Associates reports that the Institute for Bible Translation (IBT) released a translation of the whole Bible in the Chechen language two months ago.

The Bible was presented at the Second Peacemaking conference, organized by the Public Chamber of the Chechen Republic, two Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, and local government.

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The video game - desensitization link ... was it a factor?


An expert on the influence of violent video games believes such alleged "entertainment" may have played a role in last Friday's massacre of children and adults at a Connecticut school.

Adam Lanza killed 20 kindergartners at Sandy Hook Elementary School and six adults last week in Newtown, then turned his gun on himself. He was thought to have been a fan of warfare video games.
Al Menconi, a Southern California-based family advocate who lectures on the influence of media, believes there is significant relationship between violent gaming and aggressive behavior.

"When did you ever think that the most popular game is killing people?" he asks. "You can't point at video gaming and say video gaming made my child pull that trigger -- no, you can't ... and I'm not saying that.

"But I can say this, and research has backed me up: it has desensitized a whole generation of young people."

Menconi points to research that reveals a direct physiological occurrence during a first-person shooter game and the gamer.

"There's a little thrill that goes with the fact of killing -- and in fact, it hits the same mental synapse of the child as actual killing," he explains. "And after it is done over and over and over and over and over, that little rush needs a bigger rush. It's kind of like drugs."

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Social media reverberates with Newtown tragedy comment

NASHVILLE (BP) -- As news of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School spread Friday (Dec. 14), Southern Baptists active on social media began to offer their thoughts on the tragedy as well as their prayers for the people of Newtown, Ct., and messages of hope for all those impacted.

Immediately after news broke, many were left with questions about why such a place was targeted. Alvin Reid (@AlvinReid), a professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, tweeted, "Early report that 27 have been killed at an elementary school in CT. Reports unconfirmed, but an elementary school?"

Later, Reid and the North American Mission Board (@NAMB_SBC) sent out a prayer request for Bryan Sims (@SBC_pastor), who leads Southbury Baptist Church just north of Newtown.

Bryant Wright (@BryantWright), former SBC president and pastor of the Atlanta-area Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, tweeted that he was "sickened by another mass murder of children. So angry at the evil one for using empty misguided souls for such evil. Sad, praying 4 parents."

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's president, R. Albert Mohler Jr. (@AlbertMohler) expressed his immediate thoughts on Twitter. "It has happened again. Connecticut. Agony. Death. Children. Grief. Guns. Unfathomable. Horror. Evil. Murder. Heartbreak. Grace? Pray."

For Richard Ross (@richardaross), professor of student ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the murder of children demonstrated the need for cultural change. "They took canaries to old mines," Ross tweeted. "Toxic gas would kill little lungs and give adults time to escape. Children suffer most from toxic culture."

Terry Dorsett (@TerryDorsett), a NAMB church planting catalyst in Connecticut, reported what was happening in the area. "Prayer meetings are being held at several places around Newtown, CT, tonight. Proof that deep down inside, our nation still believes."

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Newtown pastor sees pain as path to healing

7:00 A.M. Dec. 19, 2012 | NEWTOWN, Conn. (UMNS)


Flag of Honor provides a makeshift memorial for the 20 children and six adults who died on Dec. 14, 2012, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. A UMNS photo by Arthur McClanahan.
Flag of Honor provides a makeshift memorial for the 20 children and six adults who died on Dec. 14, 2012, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
A UMNS photo by Arthur McClanahan. View in Photo Gallery
The Rev. Mel Kawakami, senior pastor of Newtown United Methodist Church, has the difficult duty of shepherding his flock through the anguish of the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
Two 7-year-olds from the congregation were among the 20 children and six adults who were killed Dec. 14 in the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Kawakami, who has served the Newtown church since 2008, found himself on Dec. 15 rewriting a sermon that he had expected to accompany the church Christmas pageant.
After the second worship service Dec. 16, Kawakami shared his thoughts with his friend of more than two decades, the Rev. Arthur McClanahan, now a member of the Iowa Annual (regional) Conference and the conference communicator.
McClanahan is a former clergy member in the New York Annual (regional) Conference, which includes the Newtown area. McClanahan had been in the northeast for the last week reporting on the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. He was in Connecticut the day of the shooting and went to Newtown on behalf of United Methodist News Service.

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Singing carols on the Metro to share the Christmas story