ETERNAL FLAME NEWS: Jan 7, 2013

Monday, January 7, 2013

Thousands of Christian Communicators to Gather for NRB 2013

NASHVILLE, Jan. 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- In less than two months, thousands of Christian media and ministry professionals will converge at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, to take part in the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention & Exposition - the world's largest annual gathering of Christian communicators.

For four days, top Christian media professionals and leaders attending the event will be exposed to new tools, services, ideas, inspiration, and relationships that can advance their organizations and themselves. Beginning March 2, they will attend a broad range of educational sessions; engage in hands-on activities from the exhibit floor training pavilion; and be inspired by nationally and internationally known speakers and artists.

"It's a group of men and women committed to using every electronic media platform available to us to reach the world for Jesus Christ," explains NRB President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright. "It's the embodiment of the body of Christ that we see at the Convention."

Every year, the NRB Convention & Exposition draws a wide range of participants, including radio and TV station owners and operators, pastors, church media professionals, radio and TV program producers, college educators, students, film producers, web and mobile developers, social media managers, marketing representatives, and ministry staff members.

A highlight of the gathering is its exclusive Exposition, the largest marketplace dedicated to Christian media professionals seeking to harness the power of media to spread the Gospel. Nearly 200 companies, ministries, and organizations will showcase their products and services on 135,000 square feet of exhibit space, including broadcasters, non-profits, educational institutions, publishers, media agencies, and broadcast equipment and software companies.

"NRB forces me to stop and assess the year, consider next steps, envision areas of growth or areas where I am missing ministry opportunities, investigate new technology and trends, etc.," commented one Convention participant. "Without NRB, I'd just keep doing the same thing year after year. It's a breath of fresh air in the middle of winter."

As in previous years, the NRB Convention will offer approximately 50 educational sessions led by professionals at the top of their field. These sessions offer participants topics such as fundraising, marketing, video production, social media, technology and leadership. Sessions this year include "Channeling IPTV & Chiseling Tablet Apps for Your Ministry," "Ethics and Leadership: Strengthen Your Character Development," and "What Should Christian Media Look Like in 10 Years?"

Among the dozens of speakers at the 2013 Convention will be ministry leaders Dr. Tony Evans of The Urban Alternative, Bobby Gruenewald of LiveChurch.tv, and Nick Hall of the PULSE movement; popular bloggers Jeff Goins and Tim Challies; as well as social media luminaries from Twitter, Google, and Facebook.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of attending the Convention is the chance to meet and speak directly with representatives of leading Christian organizations, including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Campus Crusade for Christ, In Touch Ministries, Focus on the Family, Grace To You, Moody Radio, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, World Vision, and more. For thousands, the Convention is a "must attend" on the calendar of Christian media professionals.

"We come together for a lot of reasons," says David Keith, NRB's Vice President of Convention & Technology Development. "It's a time for conducting business. It's a time for tackling challenges. And, all around, it's a great time for peers in media and ministry to network and enjoy each other's fellowship."

Dr. Wright adds, "You get energized by engaging men and women of vision, seeing the faithfulness with which they do their work, and seeing the hand of God's blessing on them. And it just reminds you that God is working in your life and your ministry too."

The upcoming Convention, NRB 2013, will mark NRB's 70th. While the event will kick off Saturday, March 2, the Exposition will officially open its doors Sunday afternoon.

The event concludes Tuesday, March 5.

About NRB

NRB is a non-partisan, international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of listeners, viewers, and readers. Our mission is to advance biblical truth; to promote media excellence; and to defend free speech. In addition to promoting standards of excellence, integrity, and accountability, NRB provides networking, educational, ministry, and fellowship opportunities for its members. Learn more at www.nrb.org.

Christian Newswire

San Diego to Hold First Walk for Life -- January 19th at Balboa Park

Ecumenical pro-life advocates to walk in solidarity, marking the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, at the first ever Walk for Life San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Saturday January 19th Citizens from southern California will participate in San Diego's first Walk for Life, marking the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade.

Walk participants will celebrate the magnificent gift of life from conception to natural death, and will look at the scientific facts stating human life begins at conception.

While over 50 million lives have been taken since Roe v. Wade in 1973 - the majority of Americans are pro-life with over 62% wanting abortion illegal according to a poll done by CNN in 2012.

"The people will continue to stand for the unborn, where women's reproductive rights are respected and protected because everyone, starting at conception until natural death, deserves to live." Mary Moran - Event Coordinator for the San Diego Walk for Life.

Speakers at the Walk include Walter Hoye - Founder/President of Issues 4 Life Foundation (Master of Ceremonies), Charmaine Yoest - President/CEO of Americans United for Life, Dr. Jim Garlow - Senior Pastor, Skyline Church, Rancho San Diego and Dran Reese - Director of The Salt and Light Council, and many other powerful speakers will share their testimonies.

"History will be hard on pro-abortionists, just as it is hard on those who were pro-slavery. Why? Because they were morally wrong," said Dr. Jim Garlow. He continues, "There are tours in Germany of the concentration camps, of the killing centers. Someday there will be tours of the abortuaries in America, the present day killing centers. And tourists will ask, "Where was the church? Why were people silent?" I do not want them to be referring to me. I will not be silent."

Director of Salt and Light Council Dran Reese, will share her heart wrenching and powerful story: "My mother was raped at gunpoint. I am alive because my mother let me live. I am grateful to be alive and thank my mom she didn't sentence me to death."

The public is invited to participate in this inspiring family-friendly event on January 19th at 9:00 a.m. at Balboa Park on the corner of 6th Avenue and Laurel St., San Diego. More details can be found at www.SanDiegoWalkForLife.com.

Christian Newswire

First National TV Ad Campaign Highlighting Adoption as Alternative to Abortion a Success

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a country with an estimated 1.2 million abortions each year, less than 1% of single women with unplanned pregnancies choose adoption. To shine the light on adoption, Heroic Media and Bethany Christian Services successfully launched the first-ever national TV ad campaign focused on adoption as a positive alternative to abortion. Women across the country responded to learn more about adoption, with many considering preparing an adoption plan for their child.

Heroic Media, with nearly 10 years of experience developing pro-life media messages, created its first TV spot focused on sharing the option of adoption with women facing unplanned pregnancies. During the campaign, 45 spots aired nationwide over a four week period. As a result of the campaign, hundreds of pregnant women unsure about their situation contacted Bethany Christian Services' licensed pregnancy counselors for more information about their options.

According to Bethany, one such birthmother in Florida contacted the organization to discuss adoption as she had been considering leaving her baby at the hospital after giving birth, as allowed by state law. Ultimately, the birthmother decided to place her daughter with a pastor and his wife through Bethany Christian Services.

"This campaign represents a partnership between two national leaders in the fight for life and alternatives to abortion," said Bill Blacquiere, president/CEO of Bethany. "The commercial has already impacted lives across the country and we will continue to air it in hopes of connecting women with adoption resources in 2013."

In the summer of 2012, Heroic Media gathered a research team and spoke with leading adoption agencies in the country to learn about the women they served who have become birthmothers, including their questions or fears about adoption and how organizations such as Bethany, a leading child welfare agency dedicated to caring for orphans and vulnerable children, could address their concerns and offer them a meaningful message of hope.

According to Marissa Cope, director of marketing research and communications for Heroic Media, the commercial's goals were threefold:

Identify the key target audience -women ages 18-34 who are facing or may soon be facing a decision about an unplanned pregnancy.
Communicate clearly that adoption is a viable option and address their feelings, needs and questions about adoption.
Extend a clear call to action to invite women to contact an adoption resource such as a particular adoption agency or helpline.

The final product, a commercial titled, "The Adoption Option," features a simple message: Adoption is a positive solution and alternative for a birthmother, a life-changing blessing for adoptive parents and a gift of love and hope to adopted children. In the commercial, the actress makes it clear that women can choose the family who will adopt their baby and that they will receive help throughout the rest of their pregnancy.

To view the commercial, visit www.heroicmedia.org/adoption. For more information on Bethany Christian Services, visit www.Bethany.org.

Christian Newswire

Announcing the First Distinctively Christian Introductory Psychology Textbook in 60 Years and the First Ever for Christian High School Students -- Psychology: A Christian Perspective, High School Edition

BLUE RIDGE, Georgia, Jan. 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Every year thousands of Christian students leave home for college. When they arrive, they will probably take an Introductory Psychology class. For most, it will be their first exposure to Psychology. Dr. Tim Rice, LPC, author of Psychology: A Christian Perspective, High School Edition, thinks that is risky.

Dr. Rice states, "Surveys suggest that as many as 75% of Christian students 'walk away' from their faith within 12 months of entering college. If that statistic is accurate, and if it has anything to do with the teaching in college, it is because Christian students are unprepared for the worldview challenges embedded in modern Psychology's theories and schools-of-thought."

Why are Christian students unprepared? Dr. Rice states, "Among Christians, Psychology is controversial and our disagreements are often contentious. Many Christians see Psychology as an idolatrous and ungodly rival religion and are concerned that there is no room for faith in its study. Some have called Psychology 'the great seduction in preparation for the antichrist.' Others believe that God created Psychology when He created Man and that we have a duty to study it." According to Rice, "because the disagreements about Psychology are so contentious no one has taken on the task of covering this subject at the worldview level, especially in a way that supports high school students, until now."

Psychology: A Christian Perspective, High School Edition offers a comprehensive overview of Psychology. It is appropriate for high school students -- challenging, but understandable, with interesting case studies and examples. It has 15 chapters, 265 pages, review questions at the end of each chapter, and an available Teachers' Guide with fill-in-the-blank quizzes, answer keys, and links to information for further study.

Whatever you think about Psychology, the time to deal with it is before students go to college. Psychology: A Christian Perspective, High School Edition equips parents and teachers to help students to recognize psychology-specific worldview issues, and to introduce them to the study of the wonders of God's greatest creation; the human mind.

Publisher's website: www.homeschoolpsych.com/Psychology-AChristianPerspective.html
ISBN: 978-0-9815587-2-1

For media inquiries and interviews contact: Dr. Tim Rice -tim@homeschoolpsych.com

Christian Newswire

23rd Annual Worldwide Weekend of Prayer for the Addicted

CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ --The weekend of April 6 - 7, 2013 has been designated as the 23rd Annual "Just Pray NO!" to drugs Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting. Since April 7th, 1991 "Just Pray NO!" has united millions of Christians from 150 nations and territories around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. -- James 5:16

Not only is substance abuse America's number one health problem, the devastation of alcoholism and other drug addiction has impacted families and communities worldwide. Substance abuse has been directly linked to violence and sexual immorality and is a major source of income for organized crime and terrorist activities.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. -- Ephesians 6:12

Make a formal commitment to join with believers in Christ from around the globe this coming April. Put on the full armor of God and fervently pray in spirit and in truth. We are seeking to enlist millions of prayer warriors from around the world to join us in battle.

We are not only praying for the release of those bound by substance abuse but also for people to be delivered from pornography, gambling, obesity and smoking. We are seeking individuals and groups which are willing to commit to pray weekly on behalf of the addicted and their families, and then join with multitudes of other committed Christians from around the world in prayer and fasting during weekend of April 6 - 7, 2013.

If you believe that God is calling you to intercede for the addicted please contact us.

To find help for addiction through prayer and Christian ministries log on to our web site: justprayno.org .

View our "Pray No to Drug Overdose Video"

To learn how groups can participate in our annual prayer event, click on "Information on the Annual Worldwide Weekend of Prayer" or email: justprayno@aol.com.

Christian Newswire

Missionary befriends female inmates, helps them find second chance in Christ

Peru (MNN) ― What comes to mind when you think of women prisoners in Peru? Probably not a Bible study.
"They have committed murders and robbery, prostitution, drugs, all kinds of things. But they're just women you know? I mean, they're people," says Louise Reimer with The Mission Society. "They've made mistakes; they've had a rough time in their lives perhaps."
Reimer is an avid advocate for redemption; she spent 20 years in the U.S education system working with troubled kids.
"Sometimes, these children would end up going to prison, and I just have a heart for that segment of society because I know that they have experienced things in their lives that would lead them to this kind of a lifestyle," she explains. "I just believe that there's always hope.
"God is a god of second chances, and I want to be there to help them find that second chance in God."
Or maybe when you think of women prisoners in Peru, you remember Lori Berenson.
On November 30, 1995, she was arrested in Lima and accused of gathering information for the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Bent on overthrowing the Peruvian government, the MRTA planned to kidnap members of Peru's Congress and exchange them for detained rebel leaders.

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Facebook Bans SNL’s Victoria Jackson for Posting Graphic Abortion Image

A few facts…

1. The Left heralds abortion as a constitutional right.
2. Facebook allows only people age 13 and over to create personal pages. In other words, every female on Facebook has the legal right to abort.
3. Facebook allows a pro-abortion activist to post instructions on how to commit illegal self-abortions. (Facebook briefly censored the instructions but reposted them and apologized.)

So, logically and objectively speaking, why in the world would Facebook censor information about abortion? Isn’t FB for full disclosure and informed consent?
Would FB actually help promote a surgical procedure but censor what that procedure entails?
Yes, FB does this, and repeatedly, by removing photos showing the reality of abortion.
The latest victim of Facebook’s censorship is Victoria Jackson.

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Singer Christy Nockels on Why God Allowed Her Miscarriages

By Anugrah Kumar , Christian Post Contributor

January 5, 2013|1:42 pm

Christian worship leader Christy Nockels and her husband Nathan experienced two back-to-back miscarriages, and though painful, both physically and emotionally, that wasn't without God's blessings and it brought about a new realization that stays with her even today.

"In 1999 and 2000, Nathan and I experienced two miscarriages pretty much back to back, about seven or eight months apart," says Christy in a new video on the Desiring God ministry's website. "Of course it was our first try at having children, and there's a lot of fear that starts to come around that, because you think if there's something wrong with my body… am I ever going to be able to have kids."
The video has been posted as an example of what preacher and author John Piper shared in his latest message on "indomitable joy in Jesus in the very midst of suffering and sorrow."
"The first miscarriage was physically painful, the second we just kind of had to wait it out and see," the Texas-born musician said. However, God not only gave her healing, but also a precious realization.
"In remembering it, it's been so good for me to sort of relive that in a way of realizing that He really entrusts you with the suffering so that you can later share Him," Christy said. "I think that has been a beautiful part of realizing what that season was for. Had I never experienced that, I would never have been able to comfort others in the way I have been able to comfort them because of how God comforted me through that, and how the body of Christ came around us in that time."
Christy recalled when she learned she was pregnant with their first child, Noah, who is now 12 years old, she was driving her car. Christy and Nathan were at the time recording a song called, "Glory Baby," which she started writing after the first miscarriage, but could go only as far as the first line, which read, "Glory Baby, you slipped away as fast as we could say baby." But God helped her continue writing the song after the second miscarriage, and finish it after a time of healing.

Christian pastor Nadarkhani freed from jail in Iran after Christmas Day arrest

Youcef Nadarkhani, the Iranian Christian pastor who had been re-arrested on Christmas Day after serving nearly three years in prison for renouncing Islam, was released today, according to individuals close to the pastor and his family.
Nadarkhani, 35, had been held since Christmas Day at Lakan Prison in Rasht, the facility where he was imprisoned from 2010 to 2012 in a case that made international headlines. Although he initially faced possible execution, he had been freed in November, with just 45 days left on a downgraded sentence issued after Fox News and other media outlets drew attention to his plight. But when he was arrested, an Iranian judge said he must finish his sentence.

This Portrait of Jesus in an Ohio Middle School Sparks Major Church vs. State Battle

Atheists are demanding that an Ohio school district remove an image of Jesus Christ that is currently hanging inside of Jackson Middle School. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claims that the portrait is potentially alienating non-Christian students and faculty, alike, and that it shows a public endorsement of Christianity over other faiths.
Despite these allegations, District Superintendent Phil Howard is refusing to remove the image unless he receives orders from a judge or the school board. The picture of Jesus and its posting is a decades-old student gift and initiative.
Currently, it is displayed in the school’s “Hall of Honor,” among pictures of other well-known individuals. According to WKKJ, the images featured in this hallway depict “influential figures and distinguished alumni.”
“A lot of things are permissible so long as they are student-led or student-initiated,” Howard explained, noting that pupils gave the image, thus allowing for it to hang.
The portrait was given to the school by a group of students in 1947. But after decades of hanging on the school’s walls without incident, the FFRF sent a letter on Jan. 2 to demand that it be taken down, charging that it is a violation of the First Amendment.

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Has Rapper Eminem Really Become a Born-Again Christian?

Rapper Eminem is known for his edgy music, which generally includes explicit lyrics and controversial themes. That’s why last week’s media report alleging that the performer has become a born-again Christian sparked so much interest.
While it was enticing for many to pounce on the idea that the formerly-troubled star would have a “come to Jesus” moment, the entire notion of an intense spiritual transformation is based on an unnamed source who was cited on the web site AllHipHop.com.
“I heard a doozie recently and I’m not sure that I can believe that its completely true,” the article announcing the rumor about the purported conversion read. “On the flip, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was. Eminem has been evolving a lot over the last few years. We’ve seen it. Maturity. Sobriety.”
The rumor, based on a source from Detroit, Mich., claims that the rapper is removing himself “further from the depths of the music industry.” This action, which has purportedly had an impact on his business ties and the acts he works with, is allegedly predicated upon the conversion to Christianity in which the rapper is said to have turned his life over to God.
This story wasn’t only reported on the hip hop blog, though. Other outlets like The Christian Post and the blog and opinion section of The Huffington Post also explored the alleged faith transformation. Following the story’s circulation, TheBlaze decided to investigate the shocking claim. We made several calls and sent e-mails to an Interscope Records representative who work with “Slim Shady” (one of the rapper’s stage names).

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