In today's secular world, Easter earns millions of dollars for marketing companies - some of which are Christian companies. (Think Lifeway!) Pastel colored eggs, candies, and baskets scream "Buy Me!" from the supermarket shelves. The all-important "Easter Bunny" springs forth… seducing kids and parents into a market-driven frenzy of eggs, chocolate, and giving gifts. What's missing? The real meaning of the Christian Easter Holiday! Where's Jesus in all of this? -- Before I became a Christian, Easter was just another holiday. I knew it was about Jesus, but I didn't really care. I often skipped church on Easter, preferring to stay home. After all, if I didn't love God during the rest of the year, why "fake it" by showing up in a suit one day out of the year - hoping the pastor would count me as one of the redeemed? But…. AFTER I became a Christian, Easter took on a whole new meaning. Why shouldn't it? I mean, I LOVE Jesus. He lives within me. Easter became a special day of celebrating Jesus' victory over hell, death, and the grave. -- If I love Jesus and worship Him, then Easter becomes such a special day! Yet why do I see such apathy in other Christians when it come to celebrating the resurrection of our Lord? -- Why? I think it has to do with our culture, and how over-marketed we are. Everywhere we turn we're bombarded with messages to buy something. Every holiday has it's own theme, and Easter is no exception. Pastel colors bombard the eyes. Decorations are sold in most major department stores. I've even seen people put up "Easter trees" ... Just like a Christmas tree, but with eggs for ornaments. Why do Christians even fall for this? I mean, shouldn't we be "in the world, and not OF the world?" This is an important question, and I think the reason why most Christians give short shrift to Easter is because they don't want to face up to 3 basic truths of Christianity. -- As a pastor, I have heard the critique of my ministry that I spend too much time in the New Testament, and not enough time in the old. Fair enough. I do spend time in the New Testament. Part of that has to do with the fact that when I took a good hard look at Berean Baptist Church where I'm the shepherd, I came to the conclusion that as a church, we needed a fresh vision of who Jesus was. But just as a jeweler sets a diamond against a black velvet cloth to show it's luster, Christ makes the most sense to us when we see him in the grand perspective of our need of a savior. What are these 3 spiritual truths that we must embrace as Christians? ...

We are going to begin to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole in the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown

When does the next episode come out? We will be filming May 21-25, 2012. The next episodes will be available in early June 2012. Our goal is to film 2-3 episodes at a time, producing a total of around 10 episodes. If you would like to assist us in this endeavor, please donate today.

WHAT IS IMPLIED IN EVANGELICAL FAITH:

1. It implies an intellectual perception of the things, facts, and truths believed. No one can believe that which he does not understand.
2. Evangelical faith implies the appropriation of the truths of the Gospel to ourselves. It implies an acceptance of Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The soul that truly believes in Christ, believes that He tasted death for every man, and of course for it. It apprehends Christ as the Saviour of the world, as offered to all, and embraces and receives Him for itself. It appropriates His atonement, and His resurrection and His intercession, and His promises to itself. Christ is thus presented in the Gospel not only as the Saviour of the world, but also to the individual acceptance of men. He saves the world no further than He saves individuals. Evangelical faith implies a personal acceptance and appropriation of Christ to meet the necessities of the individual soul.
3. Faith is a state of committal to Christ, and of course it implies that the soul will be unreseveredly yielded up to Him, in all His relations to it, so far and so fast as these are apprehended by the intellect.
4. Evangelical faith implies an evangelical life. This would not be true if faith were merely an intellectual state or exercise. But since, as we have seen, faith is of the heart, since it consists in the committal of the will to Christ, it follows, by a law of necessity, that the life will correspond with faith. Let this be kept in perpetual remembrance.
5. Evangelical faith implies repentance towards God, that is, a turning from sin to God.
6. Evangelical faith implies a renunciation of self-righteousness. It is impossible for one to embrace Christ as the Saviour of the soul, any further than he renounces all hope or expectation of being saved by his own works, or righteousness.
7. Of course it implies peace of mind. In Christ the soul finds its full and present salvation. It has found its resting-place in Christ, and rests in profound peace under the shadow of the Almighty.
8. It implies hope, as soon as the believing soul considers what is conveyed by the Gospel, that is, a hope of eternal life in and through Christ.
9. It implies joy in God and in Christ. St. Peter speaks of joy as the unfailing accompaniment of faith, as resulting from it.
10. Present evangelical faith implies a state of present sinlessness [covered by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)]. Observe: faith is the yielding and committal of the whole will, and of the whole being to Christ. This, and nothing short of this, is evangelical faith. But this comprehends and implies the whole of present, true obedience to Christ. This is the reason why faith is spoken of as the condition, and as it were, the only condition, of salvation. It really implies all virtue.

When contemplated as an attribute of love, it is only a branch of sanctification. When contemplated in the wider sense of universal conformity of will to the will of God, it is then synonymous with entire present sanctification. Contemplated in either light, its existence in the heart must be inconsistent with present sin there. Faith is an attitude of the will, and is wholly incompatible with present rebellion of will against Christ. This must be true, or what is faith? -- REVIVAL TRUTHS by Charles G. Finney

Revivalists, in the early 1800s, such as Asa Mahan (president of Oberlin College) and evangelist Charles Finney advanced Wesley's theology. They taught "that sinners had the natural ability to believe, and that evangelistic methods could overcome their 'moral' inability through the persuasive power of the Gospel." "Finney and Mahan applied this same understanding to the Christian's growth toward spiritual maturity. To be sanctified, they insisted, required only the same kind of simple, instantaneous faith one exercised to be converted." In 1836 both men experienced what they called "baptisms of the Holy Ghost" which they believed not only freed them from committing sin but also removed their tendency toward sin. Contributing to the spread of this "Holiness" doctrine were the popular camp meeting revivals of the first half of the 1800s, the ministry of Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) (who taught that sanctification could be reached instantaneously by an act of faith) and the "Prayer Revival" of 1857-1858 (sometimes called the Third Great Awakening). There was also much unrest in Methodist circles as many felt the denomination had lost its fervor. The Wesleyan Methodist (in 1843) and the Free Methodist (in 1860) left the denomination to form the first Holiness denominations. Until the 1890s the Holiness Movement was largely a Methodist phenomenon, but as the Methodists settled more into mainstream Christianity tensions escalated into a schism which resulted in new, non-Methodist, Holiness denominations. These included the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana (1880), Church of the Nazarene (1908) and Pilgrim Holiness Church (1897). The Holiness adherents saw themselves as the true descendents of the Wesleys and practiced strict moral ethics, abstinence from worldly pleasures and amusements and a strong belief in entire sanctification (also known as the "second blessing" and the baptism of the Holy Spirit). More importantly "Holiness teaching offered 19th-century evangelicals a means of overcoming their sectarian conflicts. Doctrine might divide, but the experience of a pure heart would unite all true believers against the threats posed by religious formalism, atheism, and Roman Catholicism." This Holiness emphasis would continue to be spread throughout the 19th century by individuals and groups as diverse as the Salvation Army, Quakers, D. L. Moody, Hannah Whitall Smith, the Y.M.C.A., the Keswick Movement and Oswald Chambers. A brief explanation concerning some of those might prove helpful. ... Maturity in Christ is expected of every believer; freedom from spiritual battle with the world, the flesh and the devil is attained only in the next life. At the same time, we must be careful that we do not over react to Holiness philosophy and believe that godliness is attained through our own self-determined efforts of obedience. We are certainly called to obedience, but it is not a self-energized, self-motivated or self-obtaining obedience. It is an obedience made possible only because of the power of God in our lives. This is the consistent teaching of the New Testament, but we will direct our attention to Romans 8:12-13. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Peterson, once again, summarizes things well, "Holiness of life is not simply attained by moral effort nor even by striving to keep the law of God. It is not even a matter of 'letting go and letting God.' Practical holiness involves 'putting to death' in our lives what God has already sentenced to death on the cross ('mortification') and living out the new life given to us by the indwelling Christ. Human effort is required, but not apart from, nor distinct from the activity of God's Spirit, who subdues the flesh as we mortify it in His power, and as we set our minds upon the things of the Spirit." -- Holiness of life should be the heart-felt desire of every Christian. But that holiness is not found in either short-cuts or self effort. **It is found as we pursue righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22) laying aside the deeds of the flesh (Colossians 3:5-10) through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and as we behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holiness Movement was in many ways a reaction to the dead orthodoxy and lifeless spirituality that infiltrated so much of Christianity during the nineteenth-century. However, its [explicit] remedy, a second blessing [based more on human ability] resulting in the eradication of sinful tendencies and a higher life not available to the unbaptized, went beyond the teaching of Scripture. As is often the case in reactionary movements, the cure [i.e. a cultural salvation, human based rules salvation] may be as bad as the [original sin] disease.

An Ancient Holy Week Timeline, Bible Study, Devotional & Personal Journal for Easter Week 2012. ... Follow along with Jesus in the current Resurrection (Easter) holiday dates of 2012 during the last Ten days leading up to and including His Cross and His Glorious Resurrection. It also marvelously explains and demonstrates that Jesus did indeed die and remain deceased for a total of 3 days and 3 nights and that He then Resurrected' returned from death' just as He prophesied that He would. This is a Personal Study-Journal encouraging the reader to include their own devotions during this 10 day journey with Jesus. ... It will change your life!

Basic Christian Full Content PDF Version. The BasicChristian.org most complete resource.

Nexon has announced their new Starter League, the first serious attempt to create a DotA 2 league in  South Korea. The NSL will be an open league which will lead to the creation of new DotA 2 teams and increase competition within the country's borders, although the event coverage will also be done in En...

On a busy Saturday, our k1ck.cod4 team is once again attending the OCP lan party that takes place in  Ourém. Defending the title that they have conquered in 2012, althoug...

Bad news for gamers, specially in Sweden, as the authorities took the decision to tax the so called LAN parties, such as the biggest one in the world, Dreamhack. In fact, the organizers of multiplayer get-togethers will be forced to pay a fee of up to $5,000 in order to receive a "permit" to connect PCs and video game consoles for gaming purposes, although the new rules do not apply to, for instance, Internet cafes, where computers are ma...

The hotel consists of 14 units, one of which is a full suite. Comfortable and very well maitained and preserved for its 100 years, the sellers have added state-of-the-art technology with closed circuit TV, satellite TV and free Wi-Fi. The compact but welcoming reception area doubles as the hotel gift shop, offering free newspapers, area maps, postcards, local attractions and events and also serves free coffee every morning to guests.. This is a good property for the owner operator. Asking only $414,160.

Grandma Got Molested At The Airport

Supreme Court schedules ‘conference’ on Obama’s eligibility
February 18, 2011

In a stunning move, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled another “conference” on a legal challenge to Barack Obama’s eligibility to occupy the Oval Office, but officials there are not answering questions about whether two justices given their jobs by Obama will participate.

The court has confirmed that it has distributed a petition for rehearing in the case brought by attorney John Hemenway on behalf of retired Col. Gregory Hollister and it will be the subject of a conference on March 4.

In this adaptation of the Frank Herbert science fiction epic, Paul Atreides grapples with life on the desert planet of Arrakis, and with the expectation that he will lead the Fremen to religious revolt as a messianic figure.

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere and being discussed by everyone it seems. But, what is AI? By definition, it is a field of computer science that is focusing on creating intelligence systems; AI is making computers capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence. We have been using computers for decades, but the introduction of AI […]

Dieser Unfall ist mehr als mysteriös: In Lengenbostel ist eine Autofahrerin mit einem Gegenstand kollidiert, den die Polizei bisher nicht identifizieren konnte. Die Beamten bitten nun um Hilfe aus der Bevölkerung.

weser-kurier.de

Er arbeitet als Reinigungskraft in öffentlichen Toiletten. Er putzt sehr gewissenhaft. Die Handgriffe sind einstudiert, der Ablauf bleibt sich gleich. Der Mann bückt sich mit schnellen Bewegungen nach dem Abfall, den die Leuten liegen gelassen haben, er sammelt Fitzelchen ein, leere WC-Papier-Rollen. Dann zieht er sich die Gummihandschuhe über. Er macht die Kloschüssel sauber. Er seift das Sieb im Urinal ein. Mit einem kleinen Kontrollspiegel inspiziert er die Unterseite der WC-Sitz-Erhöhung. Anschliessend poliert er die Armaturen. Nimmt mit einem Wischmopp den Boden auf. Ein Mann macht seinen Job, er macht ihn gut – und er wirkt zufrieden dabei.

Hirayama, so heisst er, arbeitet für «The Tokyo Toilet», das steht auf seinem Overall. Wim Wenders’ neuer, in Japan realisierter Kinofilm «Perfect Days» dreht sich um ihn: einen glücklichen Toilettenreiniger in der Hauptstadt.

nzz.ch . . . imdb.com . . . orf.at

.

New video by PeteNewport: This is Art #MadeInUSA #PaddleCraftsmanship #HandcraftedGear #AmericanMade #Watersport #PaddleStrong

The Situation I’ve been reading a few emails I’ve received recently and the common theme has been a discussion around struggle and opposition. As we reach for success and make the effort to sustain healthy motivation for change we encounter to bothersome stuck states. Stuck states are those conflicting situations where we have made up our minds to make a change for the better and our intentions are set to take positive action and yet we find ourselves unable to take the first step. We can be stuck on bad attitudes, negative expectations, fear of failure or toxic relationships among...

Are you frustrated by an inability to unleash your full personal power of self to make a difference in your own life for success and happiness? Is your motivation lagging and are you just dealing with life as it comes at you? Listen, you do not have to lead each day frustrated by the lack of productive action in your life any longer. There are many people just drifting through life for one reason or another. The result however, is that these individuals are not using their abilities to effectively create the life they long for or the life they...

So here's how our acronym breaks out: F-O-R-G-E F = "Forget the Past" 0 = "Opportunity Abounds" R = "Refocus Your Efforts and Energy" G = "Getting Starts with Getting it Going" E = "Experience Renewal of Mind, Body and Spirit" Here's our acronym as a statement we can repeat to ourselves to help us refocus our thoughts and take positive actions each day: I " Forget The Past " because " Opportunity Abounds " anew each day. Therefore, I " Refocus My Efforts and My Energy " towards "G etting It Going " and " Experiencing Renewal in Mind, Body and Spirit " Final Thoughts For You One of my favorite success and motivation coaches once said "You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going" .

On October 16, 2017, soccer pundit Grant Wahl Tweeted: “Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt is set to move team to Austin, Texas, in 2019 if downtown stadium can’t happen in Columbus. Story soon.” That Tweet set off a firestorm on Twitter of angry Columbus soccer fans and excited Austin soccer fans. And I was there […]

The post Soccer is More Than a Sport to Me appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

In April 2003, I attended an affiliate marketing event on a cruise ship out of Miami. This was the third year it took place on a ship after an inaugural version on land. Over those years, I met Missy Ward at these events and became conference friends. While sitting at a bar on the ship […]

The post Affiliate Summit Sort of Started as a Spite Store appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Watch: BBC China correspondent ordered to stop filming and pushed at car attack scene

The actress was the last surviving original cast member of BBC Radio 4 serial The Archers.

Auerbach died peacefully at his home in London on Monday morning, his representatives confirmed.

A remix will blend the voices from all the different versions released over the years into one whole.

Nach deinem Studium möchtest du hochmotiviert in den Berufsalltag starten und deine Leidenschaft für klassische sowie digitale Medien in einem aufstrebenden, modernen Umfeld einbringen? Mit einem Gespür für aktuelle Trends und deiner Hands-on-Mentalität unterstützt du uns als Junior / Trainee im Marketing & Artist Management (m/w/d) in unserer Agentur im Herzen Düsseldorfs. Arbeitszeit: Vollzeit Vertragsdauer: 12 Monate mit anschließender Übernahme (unbefristet) Ort: Düsseldorf Start: nach Vereinbarung… | 25ᵗʰ Management – Düsseldorf

Unser Hamburger Filmverleih Little Dream Pictures bringt sowohl unterhaltsame Familienfilme als auch Arthouse-Produktionen in die deutschsprachigen Kinos und übernimmt deren Vertrieb und Vermarktung. Unser Repertoire erstreckt sich dabei von Dokumentarfilmen über politische Dramen bis hin zu Animationsfilmen für alle Altersgruppen. Seit unserer Gründung 2016 sind wir kontinuierlich gewachsen und haben es uns zum Ziel gemacht all unseren Projekten eine optimale Betreuung und Vermarktung zu bieten. Wir sind… | Little Dream Pictures GmbH – Hamburg

FOTOGRAFIN | Hamburg

BIO Illustratorin/Grafik Designer/Mediengestalter | Berlin

Up to 200 Russians are estimated to have arrived in the country in the recent past.

Axel Rudakubana is charged with the murders of three young girls in Southport on 29 July.

Conversation with Leo Laporte,
Podcast Person of the Year. I
love his podcasts, especially
the MacBreak video podcast!

I created this Blogger.com template. For more details &
a download link, go to my design blog.

New article on controlling digital equipment is now available.

The Holy Father announced on Saturday that St. Isaac of Nineveh, a seventh-century Assyrian bishop venerated across Christian traditions, will be added to the Roman Martyrology.

I have added a Breitbart and Pajamas Media newsfeed under the News category (left column). You are welcome to give me suggestions on additional news sources.

Related: My post, TRACKING THE NEWS BUZZ.

It is interesting to see how the GOP is struggling to keep the seats in the forthcoming elections. Rush Limbaugh is angry about a GOP pre-mortem comment. The main problem with today's conservatives is that they are not able to defend capitalism in a principled way. It could be the case that they hesitate to support capitalism due to their "pork" addiction... Here is a quote from Gary Shapiro's article, Clemson University Establishes a Think Tank Devoted to Studying the Moral Basis of Capitalism:

The Clemson institute, Mr. Thompson said, faces what he calls an "anti-capitalist bias" among most of the intellectual elite in America. "It began in the last the quarter of the 19th century and picked up steam," he said. "For well over 100 years, the cultural elite in universities have been opposed to capitalism and have set the terms of this debate, which is why the Republican Party in general and conservative intellectuals in particular have not been able to defend capitalism on moral grounds." (NYSun.com, 09/25/06.)

For more on GOP and the problems with conservatism, read C. Bradley Thompson's article, The Decline and Fall of American Conservatism. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Like the aging hippies of the New Left, compassionate conservatives reject the idea of basing morality on reason and instead embrace a morality grounded in feelings. They reject the possibility of a morality of self-interest and individual rights, and instead embrace a morality of self-sacrifice and governmental coercion. Despite all their loose rhetoric about applying “free-market” solutions to the plight of the poor, compassionate conservatives accept the moral premise of liberal-socialism: that you have a moral duty—a moral duty that will be enforced by the state—to love and support those who have needs greater than your own. (TheObjectiveStandard.com, Fall 206, Vol. 1, No. 3.)

Big Spenders


Related: My post, THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT IS DEBATED IN WALL STREET JOURNAL.

In efforts to expand their fiber footprint, Spartan Net has hired Bill Knapp as their new vice president of business development. With increased demand for high-speed internet and connected information technology solutions in the multifamily market, Knapp will work to amplify Spartan Net's presence and partnerships across the region.

Spartan Net is excited to announce receiving national recognition for the first 10 Gigabit deployment in student housing! This new technology was deployed at Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors Landmark on Grand River in partnership with Nokia and LightSpeed Technologies, Inc.

Once again Network Control is recognized as a key telecom expense management provider by Analyst firm Gartner in their 2020 Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services.

Telecom Expense Management company Network Control has been selected for the latest Gartner Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services.