Jesus House Choir 'Reaching Out' to Transform Lives, Break Stereotypes of Homelessness

By Melissa Barnhart , CP Contributor

May 14, 2013|1:39 pm

For 40 years Jesus House, a nondenominational Christian outreach organization, has been transforming the lives of those battling addiction, suffering from mental illness, or facing the perils of homelessness and poverty. More than a shelter, Jesus House is a hub of community support that transforms the lives of their residents, as well as the tens of thousands of people who depend on the work of Jesus House volunteers who seek out the needs of the community.

Early in the morning, before the sun peeks over the horizon, Jesus House volunteers in Oklahoma City, Okla., are fast at work preparing 100,000 meals a year to feed the homeless. Many provide aid to homebound senior citizens by repairing pipes, mowing lawns, building fences, and providing grocery baskets and bottled water, along with prayers for their brothers and sisters in Christ.

READ MORE AT THE CHRISTIAN POST

Christian Persecution is Motivating Muslims 'To Know Christ'

By Janet Parshall , Special to CP

May 13, 2013|10:17 am

With all of the unrest being reported in countries like Egypt, Syria and Libya, perhaps the real untold story is the record number of Christians leaving the Muslim world.

According to Open Doors USA, at least 100 million Christians in 65 countries suffer persecution. For example, as the situation in Syria continues to intensify, it is very easy to forget the plight of Syrian Christians who are fleeing the country.
In his new book, Crucified Again, Raymond Ibrahim writes that Christians in that country are being targeted for kidnapping, plundering and beheadings. He reports that regions and towns that were once populated with Christians are now emptied.

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Calif. OKs bill allowing boys in girls' restrooms

Posted on May 10, 2013 | by Erin Roach 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP) -- A bill that would allow boys who say they identify as girls to use the girls' restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, passed the California Assembly Thursday (May 9) and now heads to the state Senate.

AB 1266, which passed largely on a party-line vote of 45-24, has been touted by supporters as "eliminating obstacles facing transgender people," but opponents have warned it "mandates San Francisco values on all California schools."

Under the bill, a student will be "permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions," consistent with "his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."

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Doctor Found Guilty of Murder in Philadelphia Abortion Trial

3:51PM EDT 5/13/2013 Dave Warner/Reuters 

A Philadelphia abortion doctor was found guilty on Monday of murdering three babies during late-term abortions at a clinic serving low-income women.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, who ran the now-shuttered Women's Medical Society Clinic, faces the possibility of the death penalty in the case that focused on whether the infants were born alive and then killed.
He was accused of delivering live babies during late-term abortions and then deliberately severing their spinal cords.

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When Churches Become Like Country Clubs

9:30AM EDT 5/14/2013 Carol Pipes/LifeWay 

Nine out of 10 churches in America are declining or growing at a pace slower than the rate of their communities. Churches limp along as members drift out the proverbial back door. So what can church leaders do to stop the exodus? Thom S. Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources and best-selling author, sees this as a symptom of an underlying problem in most churches.
Rainer suggests American congregations are weak and in decline because church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be part of the body of Christ. People join churches expecting to be served, fed and cared for, he says.

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A Year Later, Ron Luce Looks Back on Daughter's Deadly Plane Crash

2:00PM EDT 5/14/2013 Ron Luce 

One year ago, the lives of five families went into chaos. The people who loved, raised and cherished Austin Anderson, Stephen Luth, Garrett Coble, Luke Sheets and my own Hannah were shaken to the very core when we learned that the five of them had been in a plane crash in Kansas.
After discovering that Hannah was the sole survivor and that the four other men who loved God had perished, life for me began to get more complex. Through all the months of Hannah’s recovery—the operations and physical therapy and adjusting to her new world—the question that persists and is still not answered is “Why?”

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How a Small Texas Church Birthed Historic Capitol Hill Prayer Event

4:16PM EDT 5/14/2013 Dan Cummins 

Three years ago, my church in Bullard, Texas, was very concerned regarding the spiritual and political direction in which we saw America heading. One Wednesday evening, a handful of our members gathered to pray for America. I remember praying a very simple prayer aloud: “Lord, open to us a door to the nation, that somehow we can make a difference.”
Little did any of us realize that night how God would literally answer that simple metaphorical prayer. He opened to a little country church in East Texas the actual door to the Capitol of the United States of America and its most sacred room, the National Statuary Hall.

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