CBM Jamaica gathering

Year End Gathering Dec 29-Jan 1.

The Christadelphian Bible Mission of Jamaica, a part of the Amended-run Christadelphian Bible Mission of the Americas (CBMA), will hold its annual year end gathering in Jamaica from December 29th to January 1.

Don Luff of the Brantford Ecclesia has informed the Jamaican ecclesias that only those who strictly meet under the BASF will be permitted to participate in this gathering, due to his position as head of the CBMJ, not as a member of any of the ecclesia there on the island.  Anyone choosing to attend this event should be aware of this restriction.

Location: Contact the registrar for details.
Speakers: Br. Don Luff of the Brantford, Ontario ecclesia
Topic: The Book of Ruth
Schedule: Contact the registrar for details.
Registration: Contact the registrar Annette Johnson at annettegj@yahoo.com


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2013 update

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Greed more common than generosity

Greed is more likely to be “paid forward” than generosity.

In an experiment, participants were given four tasks – two easy and fun, and two boring and difficult.
It was found that when someone was a victim of greed (i.e. they were assigned the negative tasks) they were more likely to assign negative tasks to the next person they could, rather than splitting the tasks equally.

In five experiments involving money or work, participants who received an act of generosity didn't pay generosity forward any more than those who had been treated equally. But participants who had been the victims of greed were more likely to pay greed forward to a future recipient, creating a negative chain reaction. Women and men showed the same levels of generosity and greed in the study. 

The results confirmed the researchers' hypothesis that greed would prevail because negative stimuli have more powerful effects on thoughts and actions than positive stimuli. Focusing on the negative may cause unhappiness, but it makes sense as an evolutionary survival skill, Gray said. "If there is a tiger nearby, you really have to take notice or you'll get eaten," he said. "If there is a beautiful sunset or delicious food, it's not a life-or-death situation." 

Read more:

Greed, not generosity, more likely to be 'paid forward'Paying it forward - a popular expression for extending generosity to others after someone has been generous to you - is a heartwarming concept, but it is less common than repaying greed with greed, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

De Kinderen van Theresienstadt

Op de 109de verjaardag van Caroline Stoessinger, de beroemde concertpianiste die Theresieënstad overleefde mocht doctor in de geschiedenis en ereconservator van het Kasteel van Gaasbeek, Vandormael zijn nieuwe boek voorstellen over de kinderen van het concentratiekamp te Theresienstadt in Tsjechië.

De nazi’s propageerden Theresienstadt als een ‘kuuroord’ waar prominente Joodse geleerden en kunstenaars rustig het einde van hun leven konden afwachten. In werkelijkheid stierven er 33.000 mensen door honger en ziekte en werden er meer dan 80.000 mensen naar uitroeiingskampen als Auschwitz gedeporteerd. En toch was het er ook anders. Honger, koude, ziekte en folteringen werden verdrongen door kunst. Meer dan 15.000 kinderen kregen er teken- en muziekles en maakten er dichtoefeningen. De overlevering van de vele kunstwerken is overweldigend en vaak hartverscheurend.


Amper honderd van de vijftienduizend kinderen overleefden het kamp en vandaag zijn er nog vijftien in leven. Herman Vandormael sprak met hen.

De Kinderen van Theresienstadt verscheen bij uitgeverij Lannoo EAN 9789401404914
Formaat: 17cm x 24cm, aantal pagina’s: 224, prijs: €22,99
Het boek is verkrijgbaar in de boekhandel en via de bekende internetboekenshops

Vijfduizend fragmenten van de Dode Zeerollen online

JERUZALEM (AP) — Het Israël Museum in Jeruzalem heeft vijfduizend fragmenten van de Dode Zeerollen online gezet. De digitale bibliotheek van Google waaraan de stukken zijn toegevoegd is dinsdag gelanceerd, meldden de Israëlische autoriteiten. Eerder werden al vijf van de Dode Zeerollen gedigitaliseerd.

Een van de belangrijkste teksten die nu digitaal te lezen is, is Deuteronomium, het vijfde boek van de Hebreeuwse bijbel. In het boek staan de tien geboden. Ook een deel van het eerste hoofdstuk van de Genesis staat nu online.

De tweeduizend jaar oude geschriften werden in de jaren veertig gevonden in grotten nabij de Dode Zee. Met de digitalisering komt een einde aan een periode waarin de rollen werden weggehouden van een groot publiek, en alleen beschikbaar waren voor selecte groepjes wetenschappers.

Eerste moslim-mensenrechtencommissie start deze maand

Midden vorig jaar werd de "Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission" officieel opgericht met achttien commissarissen. De leden van de commissie zijn advocaten, activisten, academici en diplomaten, onder wie vier vrouwen. De commissie moet advies geven aan de OIC-raad van ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken. Het voorbije jaar heeft ze vooral voorbereidend werk gedaan, zoals het uitwerken van procedures en het vastleggen van prioriteiten.

De commissie wil naar eigen zeggen eerst werk maken van de rechten van vrouwen, kinderen en minderheden en van het Israëlisch-Palestijnse conflict. "In de voorbije maanden hebben een aantal prioriteiten vastgesteld", zegt voorzitter Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin. "Later deze maand in Jeddah moeten onze werkzaamheden starten. Deze commissie wil in het bijzonder de misvatting rechtzetten dat de Islam en universele principes van de mensenrechten tegenstrijdig zouden zijn."

Lees meer > Eerste moslim-mensenrechtencommissie start deze maand

Strengere wapenwetgeving kan doden met vuurwapens beperken

De preppers en zij in de Verenigde Staten die het einde van de wereld verwachten houden zich vaak bezig met het verzamelen van wapens en met het aanleren van schieten aan hun kleine kinderen.

Ook al moet men bij een wapenaankoop in de States zich identificeren zodat geen wapen aan een minderjarige verkocht zou worden, krijgen deze dikwijls gewoon de wapens van hun ouders of nonkels.

De moeder van Adam Lanza was volgens haar schoonzus ook paranoïde en geloofde ze dat de wereld binnenkort zou vergaan. Volgens buren was zij erg verzot op schieten en was zij ook zeer actief in enkele schietclubs waar zij wenste te oefenen om zich te wapenen tegen de aanvallers en mogelijke vreemden die haar wereld zouden belagen.

Zij leerde haar kinderen schieten toen ze amper negen jaar oud waren en ging ook regelmatig met hen oefenen op de schietbaan.

Haar zoon  Adam Lanza vermoordde haar voor hij haar wapens nam en naar de Sandy Hook-basisschool in Newtown trok, waar hij twintig kinderen van 6 en 7 jaar oud en zes volwassen vrouwen neerkogelde. Alle slachtoffers werden meermaals getroffen. Daarna pleegde de dader zelfmoord.

De politie zegt aanwijzingen te hebben over het motief van Lanza maar wil daar nog niet over communiceren.
Ondertussen is het onzeker of de Sandy Hook-basisschool nog ooit zal gebruikt worden. De meer dan 400 kinderen van de school krijgen voorlopig een onderkomen in een ongebruikte school in Monroe, een stadje op 11 kilometer van Newtown.

Begeleid door honderden rouwenden werden de twee schoolkameraadjes maandagmiddag begraven. Veel mensen legden bloemen, knuffels of ballonnen neer voor de kleine synagoge van buurstad Fairfield en voor het gebouw van een begrafenisonderneming in Newtown.

Voor de Amerikanen is het bezit van een wapen iets heiligs waar niet aan geraakt mag geworden. Zij beroepen zich op het 2° amendement van de Amerikaanse grondwet. Een beperking in het mogelijk aanschaffen en gebruik van een wapen wordt door hen aanzien als een vermindering van hun grondwettelijke vrijheid.

Vreemd genoeg zijn er zeer veel conservatieve gelovigen die het bezit en gebruik van een wapen zeer belangrijk vinden. Dikwijls valt er met hen zelfs niet te discussiëren over het gebruik van wapens.

Zij zouden beter ernstiger nadenken over een beperking in de wapenverkoop en hoe dat zou kunnen bijdragen aan minder geweld met vuurwapens.

Voor België bracht de strengere wapenwetgeving in 2006 het aantal doden in Vlaanderen door vuurwapens met de helft naar beneden. Vooral het aantal zelfmoorden met een vuurwapen is drastisch afgenomen.

Volgens het Vlaams Agentschap voor Zorg en Gezondheid) kwamen in 2005 134 Vlamingen om het leven door een vuurwapen tegenover nog 89 in 2006. Dat was het jaar waarin de Belgische regering na de moordpartij van Hans Van Themsche in Antwerpen een strengere wapenwet doorvoerde. Sindsdien moeten potentiële kopers kunnen aantonen dat ze een wettige reden voor vuurwapenbezit hebben. Na de wet bleef het aantal doden door vuurwapens dalen. In 2008 ging het om 73 doden en in 2010 daalde dat cijfer zelfs tot 68.
Vooral het aantal zelfmoorden met een vuurwapen heeft een diepe duik genomen. In 2000 beroofden 104 Vlamingen zich met een wapen van het leven. Tien jaar later is dat aantal met meer dan de helft gedaald tot 50.

Doordat Barack Obama tegen de Republikeinse meerderheid in het Huis van Afgevaardigden moet blijven opzien die een zeer machtige wapenlobby achter zich heeft, zal het voor hem helemaal niet makkelijk zijn om de wapenverkoop aan banden te gaan leggen. Nochtans is het grote noodzaak.

"Na opnieuw een gruwelijke nationale tragedie is het gemakkelijk om over wapens te praten. Maar het is tijd om te praten over mentale ziektes,"  schrijft een Amerikaanse moeder op haar blog The Anarchist Soccer Mom.

Een paar weken geleden, trok haar mentaal zieke zoon Michael een mes en dreigde haar te vermoorden en daarna zichzelf nadat zij hem gevraagd had om zijn achterstallige bibliotheekboeken terug te brengen. Zijn 7 en 9 jaar oude broers en zussen wisten het veiligheidsplan - vooraleer zij het hen vroeg renden ze al naar de auto en vergrendelden de deuren. Zij slaagde erin om het mes van Michael te krijgen, dan verzamelde zij methodisch alle scherpe voorwerpen in het huis in een Tupperware container die nu met haar mee reist. Door dit alles, bleef hij beledigingen schreeuwen naar haar en dreigde hij haar te doden of te kwetsen. zij weet niet wat er met hem verkeerd is en heeft al van alles geprobeerd.

Aan het begin van de zevende klas, werd Michael toegelaten tot een versneld programma voor hoogbegaafde wiskunde en bèta-studenten. Zijn IQ is uit de hitlijsten. Als hij in een goede bui is, zal hij zich graag buigen over onderwerpen variërend van de Griekse mythologie tot de verschillen tussen Einstein en de Newtoniaanse fysica tot Doctor Who. Gelukkig is hij meestal in een goede bui. Maar als hij dat niet is, moet er best uitgekeken worden. En het is onmogelijk om te voorspellen wat er hem kan doen 'ontploffen'.

"Ik heb een zoon die psychisch ziek is. Ik hou van mijn zoon. Maar hij jaagt me veel angst aan," schrijft de vrouw. "We weten nog steeds niet wat er mis is met Michael. Hij heeft diverse soorten anti-psychotica en anti-depressiva geslikt en het aantal gedragsveranderende plannen zijn bij elkaar al zo dik als een roman uit de Russische literatuur. Maar niets helpt."
De auteur wil met haar stuk een discussie op gang helpen over de manier waarop de Verenigde Staten omgaan met patiënten zoals haar zoon.
"Ik deel dit verhaal, omdat ik de moeder ben van Adam Lanza. Ik ben de moeder van Dylan Klebold en van Eric Harris. Ik ben de moeder van James Holmes. Ik ben de moeder van Jared Loughner. Ik ben de moeder van Seung-Hui Cho. Deze jongens, en hun moeders, hebben hulp nodig. "
"Het is tijd voor een zinvol, landelijk gesprek over geestelijke gezondheid. Dat is de enige manier waarop onze natie ooit echt kan genezen. God help me. God help Michael. God help us all," besluit de vrouw.

Het had heel wat voeten in de aarde voor ObamaCare er door te krijgen en het valt op dat er daar nog steeds heel wat werk moet geleverd worden om ook mensen in de geestesgezondheidszorg goede begeleiding te kunnen geven en voldoende opvang te voorzien aan ouders met kinderen met psychologische problemen.
 


Lees meer over:

Obama versus verenigde schutters

Ik ben Adam Lanza’s moeder

Thinking the Unthinkable

US must do more to protect its children

 

Bible Mini-Series by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey

Former Touched By an Angel star Roma Downey, Burnett’s wife and fellow executive producer, heads a large international cast in the role of Mother Mary. From what I could see from the trailer she nor the annoying music can tempt me to watch epic miniseries scheduled to air next year on the History Channel.

Overdone Americanised drama no wonder they can fill 10-hours in a sort of five-part docudrama, which premieres March 3 on the History Channel. They perhaps used more the scissors and could bring it more dynamic and less overacted.

The idea to bring the story of the the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is laudable. It shall present some of its best-known stories, including Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, Daniel in the lions’ den and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus

A project close to Television producer Mark Burnett's heart. Mark Burnett made his name as the power behind such reality-television hits as "Survivor" and, more recently, "The Voice."  In the past couple of years the 52-year-old former paratrooper says he has become deeply religious, a transition he credits to Roma Downey, his wife since 2007. “It wasn’t until I met Roma that I truly understood my faith and it’s been a dynamic shift for me,” Mr. Burnett said.

 “To us, as a family, we love the Bible. This is not a TV show to us. It’s images and sound and sacred text that people will still watch, way after our grandchildren are old people.”

 In recent years Mr. Burnett and Ms. Downey have become friends with celebrity televangelist Joel Osteen, who preaches at a church in Houston that is home to the largest congregation in the U.S. Mr. Osteen is advising Mr. Burnett on the show.

“He’s been to [our church] several times and we come over to their house for dinner and things like that,” Mr. Osteen said.

Watch Reality TV: 'The Voice' Creator Mark Burnett Hears a Higher Calling

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The Nativity clip from the upcoming The Bible Mini-Series

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US must do more to protect its children

In October the head teacher of Sandy Hook Elementary viewed her school as a model, telling the Newtown Bee newspaper in 2010: "I don't think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day."

Once more the world had to face a drama in a school. The assault on Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut, by Adam Lanza, 20, who shot dead his mother before driving to the school in her car then killing twenty children and six women before taking his own life.

Since Barack Obama has been President for the fourth time he had to come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting.  The fourth time they’ve hugged survivors.  The fourth time they’ve consoled families of victims and in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America -- victims whose -- much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Strangely enough in the previous case it were Christian conservatives who opposed any limitation of weapon carriage. Though more than once voice said the American people could not tolerate this anymore, no severe political action was taken becaus the firarmslobby was too strong to resit.

"These tragedies must end." Obama is also convinced. President Obama speaking at at an inter-faith vigil in Newtown, Mr Obama said he would use the powers of his office to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. "We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true.  No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society."

Obama drew on Scripture and spirtuality to comfort grieving families - and a heartbroken nation Sunday night in Newtown where the first funerals, for two of the child victims, will be held today.

Officials say the young man was armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and used a semi-automatic rifle as his main weapon. He was also carrying two handguns, and a shotgun was recovered from a car.

The complex causes of gun crime "can't be an excuse for inaction", Obama said. " And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it.  Newtown -- you are not alone."

"We know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms, and kept steady through it all, and reassured their students by saying “wait for the good guys, they’re coming”; “show me your smile.”
And we know that good guys came.  The first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm’s way to safety, and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and trauma because they had a job to do, and others needed them more.
And then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do; one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, “I know karate.  So it’s okay.  I’ll lead the way out.”

In the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconscionable evil, many in that small town have looked out for each other, and have cared for one another. With such tragedies we always also can see that there is shown love and caring for each other.

But once more it is time that the Americans open their eyes and see what damage weapons can do and how much more important it is to come up for the weak and safeguard people from the pisuse of those killing 'playtoys'.

Often we see American adults couraging theid kids playing with weapons and exercising shooting. The first replay they give is the freedom of people and the second amendment in the constitutional law.
Did they ever wonder how far freedom goes and what it really is?

Today that nation should be left with some hard questions.
It is realy high time to consider if it is wearth to continue to sell weapons so freely.

Would the American government now at last take steps to safeguard their children?

Obama continued his speech:

"Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around.  With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves -- our child -- is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice.  And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm.  And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t -- that we can’t always be there for them.  They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments.  And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear.

And we know we can’t do this by ourselves.  It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself.  That this job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbours, the help of a community, and the help of a nation.  And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children.

This is our first task -- caring for our children.  It’s our first job.  If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right.  That’s how, as a society, we will be judged."

Beperking opgelegd aan MET Broederschap

Jaarlijks gaven ruim 6000 mensen op hun belastingformulier in Hongarije aan dat 1 procent van hun belastinggeld naar de methodistische broederschap MET, moest.

Volgens de leider pastor Gabor Ivanyi is de aangifte op het belastingsfromulier in Hongarije de manier om te meten hoe groot de steun voor een bepaalde groep is. „We stonden daarmee op de zevende plaats van alle kerken in Hongarije.”

In hun werk is de broederschap –die in 1981 ontstond door een scheuring binnen de methodistenbeweging– vooral gericht op zigeuners. „Van de 1 miljoen Roma leeft ongeveer de helft in absolute armoede. Je snapt niet hoe zij overleven. Hen te helpen is voor ons een geestelijke zaak.”
Veel van de 140 locaties waar de broederschap wekelijks samenkomt, bevinden zich dan ook in de armere streken van het land. Maar ook in de hoofdstad Boedapest zijn de methodisten actief. Daar is Ivanyi rector van het Wesley Theologische School met duizend studenten. Daarnaast zijn er een ziekenhuis en een opvang voor daklozen.

In totaal had de broederschap 800 mensen in dienst. Daarvan heeft men zo’n 20 procent moeten ontslaan, omdat de kerk onder de nieuwe wet geen erkenning meer heeft en dus geld kwijtraakt.

Formeel voldoen de methodisten aan alle criteria voor erkenning. Jaarlijks gaven ruim 6000 mensen op hun belastingformulier aan dat 1 procent van hun belastinggeld naar de broederschap moest. Volgens Ivanyi is dat in Hongarije de manier om te meten hoe groot de steun voor een bepaalde groep is. „We stonden daarmee op de zevende plaats van alle kerken in Hongarije.”

Voor officiële erkenning heeft een kerk 1000 aanbevelingen nodig. Daarbij moet de kerk twintig jaar actief zijn in Hongarije. Aan beide eisen voldoet de broederschap. Ivanyi: „We voldoen aan alle eisen, maar we missen bij de regering de oprechtheid. De erkenning is blijkbaar geen recht, maar genade.”
Ivanyi denkt dat de premier een rekening met hem te vereffenen heeft. Vroeger trok hij samen met Orban op tegen het communisme. „Ik heb twee van zijn kinderen gedoopt. Van de parlementsvoorzitter heb ik de vader begraven. Maar ik heb de omslag naar minder democratie in de partij niet ondersteund en daarom val ik er nu buiten.”

De verandering van kerk naar vereniging heeft praktische consequenties. Een pastor van een vereniging kan bijvoorbeeld geen gevangenis meer bezoeken. Ivanyi: „Ik kan dat nog wel, omdat ik bekend ben en acht jaar in het parlement heb gezeten. Maar andere predikanten komen er niet meer binnen.”
De Hongaarse regering stelt dat deze wet alleen de financiële kant betreft en niet de geloofsuitoefening zelf.

Hierbij kan men natuurlijk vragen stellen. Een vereniging valt steeds onder de controle van het rijk en hoort haar ledenlijsten in te leveren. Hierdoor kan de staat volledige inzage krijgen in het geloof van de ingezetenen van haar land en weet zij achter welke waarden zij staan.

Volgens Gabor Ivanyi.zijn verenigingen ook niet zo vrij om zomaar vergadering in te richten, maar dat kunnen wij niet bevestigen." Als vereniging kun je ook geen school oprichten. Ook de communistische regering zei in de jaren zeventig dat er grondwettelijke vrijheid was. Maar de werkelijkheid was anders.” zegt Ivanyi.

Because of doing too much social work put to silence

Because certain faith-groups are doing too much in the branch of social work the Hungarian government is afraid those Christians groups will receive too much power. Therefore it wants those churches to stop their activities.

Schools formed by other religious communities than the Roman Catholics had to be handed over to the Catholics.

A brotherhood schism of the Methodists had 140 locations in poor parts of the country, facing more than 1 million Roma living in poverty. The church does not receive any money from the Hungarian government and lost her recognition as a church.

According the government these limitation have only something to do with the financial site but not with the freedom of fellowship or freedom of religion.

Falling figures for identifying Christians

In England the atheists saw their numbers grow from 6 million, to 14.1 million. some do think it is the conservatism of the church which draws people further away form the church. this could well be, but is it progressiveness that should keep people into the church community?

We think a church community can still be very up to date and keep to the values and rules given by the Master Teacher Jesus from Nazareth.

In Belgium we noticed that certain ideas to modernize the church and the many changes it underwent made people even more confused and having them making the step to leave their church. Also the happening in the English church and discussions about women functions made more people laugh at the ongoings in those churches and consider them not worth spending their time in it.

New figures from the 2011 Census show that the number of people who identify as Christians in England and Wales has fallen by 4 million over the last 10 years.

The data shows that numbers fell from 37.3 million in 2001 to 33 million last year.

The statistics came as the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, claimed that English cathedral congregations are growing dramatically, challenging the claim made by secularists that the Church of England is fading in Britain.
Other polls have detected similar shifts. The 2012 British Social Attitudes Survey showed that only about half of Britons claim a religious affiliation, down sharply from 20 years ago when two out of three Britons did. Barely a quarter of young people identify themselves as religious.

The new figures show that Islam is the U.K.'s second-largest religion, at 2.7 million. Hinduism is third, at 817,000. The number of self-identified Jews rose by 3,000, from 260,000 to 263,000.

Sancta Claus is not God

On the net my eye caught some writings where Sancta Claus was compared to God.

Some people also write that He has a naughty and nice list.

“He knows when we’ve been sleeping,
He knows when we’re awake.
He knows when we’ve been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake.”

We think of God a lot like we think of Santa Clause. Will we make it to His nice list? Our hope is that we will have done enough good so that we get to Heaven.

For many who take Jesus to be God who came onto the earth on the 25th of December those who do not behave shall miss the nice list, but because of Jesus we can be forgiven.

Jeshua, the son of Mary and Joseph from the tribe of David got to be known as Jesus. When he came onto the earth on the 17th of October -4 nobody would have thought this baby born in a humble environment would be a world star.

About him we could use the opening line Once Upon A Time. We have this tendency to want to put the Christmas story into the Once Upon A Time genre. As a parent or grandparent tells the story to a child, “Once upon a time there was a girl called Mary.” That’s not how the story begins.

As in other stories (of my favourite writers)there could be written: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...”

For some the family tree the apostle Matthew gives on the human side for Jesus is comparable to the First Christmas Tree. They do forget that in earlier times the pinetree was, as in certain traditions today, a universal symbol of life and fertility.
The pine-tree is associated with the  early Romans decorations with little masks of Bacchus the Greek fertility god  and with the mothergoddess Cybele. Like all evergreen trees which do not lose their leaves or green colour during the wintertime, the pine tree stands for immortality, resiliency, longevity, and rebirth.
The pine's strength in the face of adversity makes it symbolic of those who have become strong through suffering, or who have kept to their beliefs and promises in spite of opposition.
In Scandinavia, a myth of enduring love surrounds a certain pine. It is said that this tree grew from the blood of two lovers who had been wrongfully executed in the forest. During the Christmas season, strange lights can be seen shining in its branches as a testimony of their innocence and love.
In Japan, the pine tree stands as a tribute to strong character and energy because it holds up against strong winds. Taoists once believed that if a pine's resin was allowed to flow down its trunk and onto the earth, a fu-lin or mushroom of immortality would grow from it in 1000 years. Eating the fu-lin would give a person eternal youth.

The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge from the Garden of Eden were blended together in many customs and legends about the fir tree. Adam and Eve Day was celebrated on December 24th. During the Middle Ages it was customary to perform Paradise Plays on the Church grounds on this holiday, like they still do in many villages. Parents seem to adore their children playing in those Christmas plays. A single fir tree strung with apples was used to symbolize both of the garden's trees.

The priests and priestesses at the service for Cybele were castrated and inaugurated under the pine tree. The ecstasies with the dervish-like behaviour of the priests and devotees of the "great goddess" where taken into the Catholic Church by the convert Montanus who also made the mother of Christ into the mother godess Cybele. As mother god therefore Jesus had to become god as well. For those opposing the non-tinitarian believers at that time this was a good opposition to further the idea of the Trinity. Certainly because Montanus was of the opinion that the Holy Spirit was soon to return to the earth and would be the person to be the master of the New Jerusalem.

Montanus considered himself to be the Paraclete.

The Paraclete ordered a few fasts and abstinences; the latter were strict xerophagioe, but only for two weeks in the year, and even then the Saturdays and Sundays did not count (Tertullian, "De jej.", xv). Not only was virginity strongly recommended (as always by the Church), but second marriages were disapproved. Chastity was declared by Priscilla to be a preparation for ecstasy: "The holy [chaste] minister knows how to minister holiness. For those who purify their hearts [reading purificantes enim corda, by conjecture for purificantia enim concordal] both see visions, and placing their head downwards (!) also hear manifest voices, as saving as they are secret" (Tertullian, "Exhort." X, in one manuscript).

Gifts were accepted, under the guise of offerings, and today this tradition keeps on in the giving gifts at Christmas. The decorations taken into the temples were liked by Pope Damus I who is celebrated in Catholic churches on the 11th of December. When you look at the statues and many paintings of Mary and the child Jesus you can clearly see the same composition as the goddess Cybele or Isis with child Horus.
Those heathen gods where taken into the gnostic teachings.

Now earth, say the Greeks, gave forth a man, (earth) first bearing a goodly gift, wishing to become mother not of plants devoid of sense, nor beasts without reason, but of a gentle and highly favoured creature.

The Jesus of the apostles now became a man from the beginning of the world and an incarnation of the God Creator. In order, therefore, that finally the Great Man from above may be overpowered, from whom, as they say, the whole family named on earth and in the heavens has been formed, to him was given also a soul, that through the soul he might suffer; and that the enslaved image may be punished of the Great and most Glorious and Perfect Man, for even so they call him.

The god-son and god-mother had be born and it took only a few steps to bring them honour on the birthday of the goddess of light, on the 25th of December.

The Perfect Man Called Papa By the Phrygians was to be worshipped as a god. Homer was considered as one of their prophets and made the following assertion: "he who says that all things derive consistence from one, is in error; but he who says that they are of three, is in possession of the truth, and will furnish a solution of the (phonomena of the) universe. For there is, says (the Naassene), one blessed nature of the Blessed Man, of him who is above, (namely) Adam; and there is one mortal nature, that which is below; and there is one kingless generation, which is begotten above, where, he says, is Mariam the sought-for one, and Iothor the mighty sage, and Sephora the gazing one, and Moses whose generation is not in Egypt, for children were born unto him in Madian; and not even this, he says, has escaped the notice of the poets. Threefold was our partition; each obtained His meed of honour due."

The way was further paved to bring the Trinity and  worshipping of statues and artefacts of anathemata into the church.

In many churches the pine-tree as symbol of new life receives an important place in front of the church. The decorations from the Roman and Greek tradition with the decorations from the Celts and Slavic people were integrated.

Though the Christmas tree as we know it today found its 'rebirth'  in the 16th century in Germany and only became more popular out of that country in later years.

The Sancta Claus also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and simply "Santa", came into existence in the 19th century coming from the tradition from Holland, Belgium and Northern France of Sinterklaas or Sint Nicholaas (Saint Nicholas), "De Goedheiligman " (The Good Holy Man). Parallels have been drawn between the legend of Sinterklaas and the figure of Odin, a major god among the Germanic peoples, who was worshipped in North and Western Europe prior to Christianization. This figure found its origin in the pagan customswhere Odin rides the sky with his gray horse Sleipnir.

The "pakjesavond" or "evening of presents" became a very appreciated moment to be together with the family.

It is often claimed that during the American War of Independence, the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town (New Amsterdam), reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city's non-English past. The name Santa Claus supposedly derived from older Dutch and Flemish Sinter Klaas.

To compare this Sancta with the gift God gave to the world, or with that giver himself is total blasphemy. Jesus is really a gift which is precious and we should all praise. But he was a man of flesh and blood who gave his life for the sin of all, so that his Father would accept them as His children again.

God is not Sancta nor Christ and Christ is not Sancta nor God.

In case you would like to look at Christ Jesus as the Light that came unto us, be careful not to mix the heathen symbols and traditions in your actions and give each of the figures involved in this factual story their right place. Do not make it to some fictional fantasy and presentation of political cartoonist Thomas Nast with a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children.

Coming back to the opening lines of storybooks we may take these days Matthew his gospel, who starts by establishing the legal right to Jesus as the promised Messiah. If it’s surprising to start a book with a list of names, it’s even more surprising with the particular names chosen. They just are not what you would expect as an introduction to such an important figure who is by many considered to be God. But this family tree shows the family tree of the promised one, indicating that Jesus started life on this earth about two millennia ago.

Let us remember that and accept Jesus, the fulfiller of the New Covenant, for whom he really is: the son of God given to the world to bring us closer to his and our Father, the Only One God of gods, the Elohim Jehovah, our strength. Today Jesus is our mediator between His Father, God and us, which is a marvellous present for which we should be thankful to God the Most High.We can only hope that we shall be surprised by joy and be gathered with this Jesus to enter the Kingdom of God.

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Please do read:

1. Politics and power first priority #3 Elevation of Mary and the Holy Spirit
2. The Legend of St. Nicholas
3. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
4. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
5. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
6. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
7. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality  
8. About a man who changed history of humankind  
9. Wishing lanterns and Christmas
10. Christmas trees 
11. God's Special Gift
12. What Jesus sang
13. Merry Christmas with the King of Kings
14. I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late !  

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• Een Groots Geschenk om te herinneren

Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church

David Kinnaman headed a five-year project of which the research is included in a new book by Kinnaman titled You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church.

No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research uncovered six significant themes why nearly three out of every five young Christians (59%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15.

The impression we have is that many churches are in a way a closed group and not so friendly to new comers or people they do not know. Often they are also not keen to give full answers to people who have questions about faith and who have difficulties about the interpretation of certain Bible verses.
36% of the respondents felt they could not ask their most pressing life questions in church. In a related theme of how churches struggle to help young adults who feel marginalized, about one out of every six young adults with a Christian background said their faith “does not help with depression or other emotional problems” they experience (18%).

1. Churches seem overprotective.
2. Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.
3. Churches come across as antagonistic to science.
4. Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.
5. They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
6. The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.    

 Read more:
Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church

Christadelphian Heritage College denied to continue their years 7, 8 and 9 classes

Despite the setback of being denied, by the Christadelphian Heritage College Melbourne in The Basin, to continue their years 7, 8 and 9 classes for next year the Christadelphian Heritage College Melbourne in The Basin the school would work towards starting its senior college again in the future.

"We're very enthusiastic about our numbers in the primary school for next year,'' chairman Jack Lawson said.

"We're a small school but we offer a more personalised teaching experience and we have a beautiful environment that surrounds our school.''

The school was founded in 2010 and teaches students from prep to grade six.

Food parcels in Esselen Park and Tembisa

Liezl Viljoen and P2P presented parcel of dry foods and a parcel of fruit and vegetables to the GoGo's (Granma's and Granpa's) in Esselen Park and Tembisa.

In many regions we are looking at festive seasons, so for this occasion a small gift was included in the parcels.


Find some photo's and more information:

102 years of Age

Blueprint for Ancient Egypt

SEPE (Survey and Excavation Projects in Egypt), directed by Dr. Gregory Mumford, is based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It is funded by the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, NASA, and private donors. The objectives of this project are broad, but include
(1) an examination of the relations between Egypt and her neighbours, concentrating on the East Delta and Sinai,
(2) the excavation, analysis, and reconstruction of all aspects of the Late Period settlement of Tell Tebilla (East Delta), and
(3) investigating the more neglected aspects of Egypt's exploitation of and interaction with South Sinai.

Tell Tebilla is situated in the East Delta. Work on this site began with a summer reconnaissance trip in 1999, and has continued through December 1999, the summers of 2000, 2001 and 2003.
 
For more than a year, Parcak and her team scanned giant swaths of Egypt with a combination of NASA and commercial satellites, using techniques they had developed on a smaller scale and previously employed in regions in the South Sinai, East Delta and Middle Egypt. “The thing that was new for me was that I had never before been able to apply the technology over a broad area and test it on different environments and sites,” Parcak explained. “We scaled up our methodology across Egypt.”

Satellites orbiting 400 miles above earth have revealed numerous hidden ancient sites across Egypt, including 17 pyramids, 1,000 tombs and 3,100 settlements, the BBC reported in May. 

The contours of ancient Egyptian homes and other buildings appear in infrared imagery because they were constructed from mud brick, a dense material that stands out from surrounding soil. As a result, the satellite images showed both known archaeological sites that have been studied and excavated for decades and other ancient treasures ostensibly buried deep beneath the sand. 


Continue reading: Satellite Images Provide Blueprint for Ancient Egypt

Related:

Archaeology and the Bible researcher 1/4

Archaeology and the Bible researcher 2/4

Archaeology and the Bible researcher 3/4

Archaeology and the Bible researcher 4/4

 

 

 

A New Jerusalem

Many Christians view the New Jerusalem as a current reality, that the New Jerusalem is the consummation of the Body of Christ, the Church and that Christians already take part in membership of both the heavenly Jerusalem and the earthly Church in a kind of dual citizenship.

The term New Jerusalem occurs twice in the New Testament, in verses 3:12 and 21:2 of the Book of Revelation. A large portion of the final two chapters of Revelation deals with John of Patmos’ vision of the New Jerusalem. He describes the New Jerusalem as “‘the bride, the wife of the Lamb’”, where the river of the Water of Life flows (22:1).

After John witnesses the new heaven and a new earth “that no longer has any sea”, an angel takes him “in the Spirit” to a vantage point on “a great and high mountain” to see the New Jerusalem’s descent. The enormous city comes out of heaven down to the New Earth. John’s elaborate description of the New Jerusalem retains many features of the Garden of Eden and the paradise garden, such as rivers, a square shape, a wall, and the Tree of Life.

 Read more about Revelations and the New Jerusalem:

1. Alchemy Geometry in the New World
2. The Song of The Lamb #1 Visions, symbols and suggested meanings
3.  The Song of The Lamb #2 Sevens
4. The Song of The Lamb #3 Daniel and Revelation 

 

Who are the honest ones?

Do Christians have to be honest and are they more honest than others? Do you feel that you are working in the right way, having the right ethics about social and work attitude,?
Are you concerned how you treat others and how honest you and others are?
Do you really care about the ethics of the people in the many professions? Does it truly matter to us whether they are honest?

Former attorney, political comedian and frequent commentator on various TV networks including CNN, Dean Obeidallah is left with a few burning questions and writes: "If we actually did care about the moral fitness of Congress, why would we re-elect them to the tune of 91% in 2012? If honesty truly meant something to us, wouldn't we have voted out at least half of them? Even 25%? But no, when given a chance last month to vote out Congress, we sent home only 9% of those up for re-election.".

As the American Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending "fiscal cliff" that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1, one in 10 Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of its members as very high or high. This puts the lawmaking body second lowest on a list of 22 professions measured -- higher only than car salespeople.

Topping the list of professions we find most ethical were nurses, followed by pharmacists and doctors. Dentists came in lower, but I doubt that dentists are truly less honorable than M.D.s; it's just that dentists seem to enjoy causing us so much pain that this may be our way of paying them back.


Read also:

We're the ones who are unethical

Kerstboomversiering en vruchtbaarheidsritus

De 37ste paus van de Rooms-katholieke Kerk, Damasus I (Guimarães, ca. 305 - Rome, 11 december 384), vond het niet zo erg dat zoals bij de vereringsdiensten van de Montanisten beelden werden gebruikt. De godmoeder Cybele met daarmee gepaard gaande leeuwen, bekroond met een polos en een tympanon vast houdend. Van Nicaea in Bithynië (Istanboel Archeologisch Museum).

De vroegere priester in de dienst van de Frygische godin Cybele, Montan of Montanus, bracht de Magna Mater(Moedergodin of Grote Moeder) naar voor in de kerkgemeenschap.Ook de castratie en feestelijkheden onder de dennenboom brachten een nieuw symbool in de kerk, welk nu bij het kerstgebeuren zelfs een centrale plaats krijgt toegewezen in de huiskamer. Die symbolen van vruchtbaarheid begonnen in de 4° eeuw een belangrijker rol te spelen en vonden van uit de heidense gebruiken hun weg in de Katholieke Kerk.
  Vaak gebruikte afbeelding van Isis als de Moedergodin met Horus, haar zoontje, op schoot. Musée du Louvre

Zoals de godin Cybele in een tempel op de Palatijn geplaatst werd kon men nu Maria, de moeder van Jezus, zoals de vruchtbaarheidsgodin Isis op een altaarstuk of verhoog vooraan in de gebedsruimte plaatsen. De oude gebruiken van Hellas, Etrurië en elders werden naar de tijd vorderde weer opgenomen onder diegenen die zich aansloten bij de geestelijken die zich uitgaven als uitverkorenen en dienstheren van God en Christus Jezus. Zoals anathemata bij tempels werden geplaatst vond men alom meer geen bezwaar om deze ook bij de christelijke huizen te patsen. Zoals sommige typen wijgeschenken aan de tempel konden worden opgehangen, begon men ook voorwerpen te wijden en deze in de gemeenschapshuizen op te hangen. Dit gebruik nam op sommige plekken zelfs zulke vormen aan, dat men genoodzaakt was de geschenken te verwijderen. De verwerper van het arianisme, zoon van een Spaanse priester, Antonius genaamd, en een zekere Laurentia, hield van het wereldse en zal de sobere gebedshuizen zonder veel franjes denkelijk te koel gevonden hebben. Voor hem mochten die ontmoetingsplaatsen gerust meer versierselen hebben. Terwijl in de vroeg christelijke kerk elke gelovige de dienst op maakte, vonden al snel enkele machtliefhebbers dat het diegene toebehoorde met de meeste macht en verbondenheid met de zelfde denkers. Naast de versiering van kerken, moesten de uitvoerders van de dienst nu weer verschillend zijn van de andere gelovigen en duidelijk herkenbaar anders zijn. Daarom bracht de paus Damasus I de versierselen in opgang en stimuleerde hij het verfraaien van liturgische handelingen. Damasus zijn pontificaat kenmerkte zich vooral door een versterking van de pauselijke macht, en de zoektocht naar een theologisch argument voor deze macht. Dat vond hij onder andere in Mattheus 16:18, waar staat:

"En ik zeg U dit: Gij zijt Petrus, de steenrots, en op deze steenrots zal ik mijn Kerk bouwen."

Nu nog gebruikt de Katholieke Kerk die zinsnede om zich te beroepen op het alleenrecht van het zeggingschap over de kerkgemeenschap. In de laatste jaren van zijn pausschap werd Damasus geassisteerd door Sint-Hiëronymus, die hij aanzette tot het maken van de Vulgaat, de Bijbelvertaling in het volkslatijn van zijn tijd.

Lees meer over de machtsverhoudingen in de eerste kerk, Montanisten e.a.:

1. Politiek en macht eerste prioriteit #1
2. Politiek en macht eerste prioriteit #2 Arianisme, Nestorianisme en Monofysitisme 
3. Politiek en macht eerste prioriteit # 3 Verhoging van Maria en de Heilige Geest 
4. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
5.  Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
6. Bijgeloof en feesten
7. Een Groots Geschenk om te herinneren
8. Achtergrond Christelijk Kerstfeest
9.  Niet gebonden door labels maar vrij in Christus 
10. Religious Practices around the world
11. Worship and worshipping

Hall Chairs needed

Does any ecclesia have 20+ surplus quality chairs it is willing to pass on to us?

Ware Ecclesia in Hertfordshire is presently refurbishing its hall. We were proposing to buy new chairs but wondered whether another ecclesia had a surplus they might like to sell on to us ? We need 20 minimum for our own use, and 10 more if possible.

Chairs need to be with cushion fabric seats and ideally be stackable. A mix of chairs with and without arms would be ideal, in a neutral colour.

At the same time, we expect to have c 30 chairs available for passing on elsewhere if required. These are brown metal framed with varnished light wood seats and backs, and are stackable.

We can arrange collection from anywhere in the UK.

Please contact 

gordon.dawes@talk21.com 

with any offers.

With love in the Lord

Gordon Dawes

Good news of great joy to all people

Horley ecclesia will be having a carol service "Good news of great joy to all people" on Saturday 22 December at 6.00pm (God willing), to which friends and neighbours and, of course, our brothers and sisters are warmly invited. It will be at their usual hall: Hookwood Memorial Hall, Withey Meadows, Hookwood, Horley, Surrey RH6 OAZ. 

Their regular Sunday family service at 10.00 will not take place on Sunday 23 December, but we will have our memorial service as usual at 11.30 that day.

Israel responds to the Palestinians UN status upgrade

On Friday 30th of November, after the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the status of the Palestinians to a "non-member observer state", Israel responded by announcing it was authorising plans to be drawn up for 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - in an area called "E1".

Listen in MP3 Format 

>Israel Responds to the UN Vote: Controversy on the Mountains of Israel

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With the war in Israel and Gaza dominating our news this week, the CALS have created a special page on their website intended for interested friends to explain the significance of the troubles. It can be accessed via the home page at http://www.thechristadelphians.org.uk or directly via http://www.thechristadelphians.org.uk/events_02.htm 

Grainport of Rome found

Rome emerged as the prime power of the Mediterranean thanks in part to trade. It imported huge amounts of wheat, especially from Egypt. In the first century AD, the grain port at Ostia was superseded by a giant installation covering 200 hectares (500 acres) at Portus.

 

French and Italian archaeologists have found the remains of a grain port that played a critical role in the rise of ancient Rome, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said on Thursday. Cores drilled at a location at the mouth of the River Tiber have revealed the site of a port whose existence has been sought for centuries, it said in a press release. The port lies northwest of Ostia, which was established by Rome as a fortress gateway to enable trade to pass upriver towards the city and prevent pirates and marauders. The evidence points to a port established between the fourth and second century BC and had a depth of six metres (20 feet), making it accessible to sea-going vessels, the CNRS said.

Muslim world denies the very existence of the two Jewish Temples

On the 25th day of the lunar month of Kislev (Dec. 8), Jews around the world will celebrate the eight-day holiday of Hanukah. Hanukah commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in the second century BCE by Jewish freedom fighters (the Maccabees) who resisted the Macedonian regime in Damascus. The regime had violently attempted to enforce its polytheistic Hellenistic religion on the inhabitants of Judea — a people who held the then extraordinary belief in the one invisible God of all humankind and whose temple was in Jerusalem.
The story is told in great detail in the Book of Maccabees I and II, which, originally written in Hebrew, now survives in Greek and Latin versions in the Christian Bible. The Jews have kept the story alive through the Hanukah festival itself and the retention of the scroll of Hanukah (the Megillat Antiochus).



For over a decade the Muslim authorities (the Waqf) who now control the Temple Mount have been despoiling its archaeology through illegal excavations and site destruction according to Israel Matzav. Nevertheless, the physical evidence that they have discarded, and which Israeli archaeologists pore over like forensic scientists at a crime scene, shows signs of the temple’s existence, the most recent being coins minted by the Hasmonean rulers of Judea who were the royal and priestly heirs of the Maccabees, as well as coins minted during the first Jewish revolt against the Romans in 70 AD. It was these pagan conquerors who burnt the temple and brought its sacred treasure back to Rome, and whose golden menorah was beautifully reproduced on the Arch of Titus. A three-dimensional copy of this menorah now stands in front of the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, walking distance from where the original once stood, 2,000 years earlier.

Continue reading:
 Muslim Temple denial continues

Geoffrey Clarfield: Muslims in denial about the existence of the Jewish temple

 

Guelph Youth Gathering – February 1-3, 2013

Young people who are in grades 6 to 8, as well as high school and College/University age are invited to the annual Guelph Youth Gathering to be held at Camp Edgewood, Eden Mills, Ontario from February 1st to 3rd, 2012. The theme for the gathering comes from Isaiah 35:10:

…and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Date: February 1st to 3rd, 2013
Location: Camp Edgewood, 49 Memorial Street, Eden Mills, ON N0B 1P0. Click here for camp location. Visit their website at: http://www.edgewood-camp.on.ca/
Speakers: Bro Nathanael Abel and Bro Will Snodgrass
Schedule:

• Friday, February 1, 2013: Registration = 7:00 pm. Opening Session begins at = 8:00 pm sharp
• Saturday, February 2, 2013:  Classes for grades 6 to 8 young people and classes for high school and college age young people, followed by activities.
• Sunday, February 3, 2013: Gathering will end following lunch.

Please Note: The Youth Gathering is a Nut-Free facility. Food containing nuts are strictly prohibited on the Camp Edgewood property.

Fee There is a suggested contribution cost of $65 for the weekend. Please make cheques out to “Guelph Christadelphian Ecclesia”.
Registration: Send Registration form with contribution cost to

• Guelph Christadelphian Ecclesia, 187 Norfolk Street Guelph, ON N1H 4K1
• Click here to download the Registration Form.

Additional questions? Send an email to Lee.davis44@hotmail.com.

People who know how to pray to move God to take hold of our affairs in a mighty way

Alan Hermann

Above all else the Church today needs people who will constantly claim and prove God’s promises in prayer. These are the people who will determine the health and future of the modern church. It is not educated people we need today. It is not more money that the church requires. (The church is never short of money but of God centred prayer warriors who live their prayers.) It is not better structures, more programs, improved facilities or effective publicity helpful though these are. It is people of all ages and backgrounds who know how to pray, who will in prayer move God to take hold of our affairs in a mighty way and put life and power into the church and all its structures. Such prayer is dangerous. When it is active radical things happen and we must be prepared for our lives to be shaken to their foundations. Are we people who are available to God to be used when the Holy Spirit moves in response to prayer? If so then let us pray and risk everything to God. We will never be the same again. Are we game?

Syrian capital facing total destruction in the coming months

The final chapter of Syria’s bloody civil war may be about to begin, but this is bringing no sense of relief.
There is growing talk of a looming battle-to-the-death in the streets of Damascus. There is growing fear that President Bashar Assad may use chemical weapons in a final desperate effort to remain in power. And there is growing worry in many quarters that this next perilous phase, which may resolve nothing in terms of Syria’s immediate future, could also lead to a dramatic reshaping of the entire Middle East as we know it.

Growing fear that civil war in Syria could unleash the world's first use of chemical weapons in nearly three decades is based on two grim scenarios neither considered likely but both carrying risks of civilian massacre and a major escalation of violence.
The first is that President Bashar Assad, in a last-ditch effort to save his regime, would order chemical attacks either as a limited demonstration to the rebels of his willingness to use the internationally banned weapons, or in a large-scale offensive designed to turn the tide of a conflict that already has killed an estimated 40,000.
The second is that some portion of Assad's arsenal could be moved to Iran or Lebanon or fall into the hands of foreign fighters with ties to terrorist groups who are helping Syrian rebels.

The Syrian capital is “facing total destruction in the coming months”. This is the  remarkable statement in the Daily Telegraph report above. It is remarkable because this is exactly what the Bible says is going to happen to this city. However the scale of the coming destruction on Damascus is greater than anyone realises. It will actually cause Damascus to cease from being a city. How this destruction takes place and what exactly causes it we don’t know…. But we can see it cannot be long before it is fulfilled.
The Bible says that Damascus will cease to be a city, it will be a ruinous heap and all her men of war will be killed in that day. The rebels with their small explosives and light weapons could not bring about this cataclysmic destruction of a capital city. The destruction foretold requires weapons that only nations possess. Possibly even nuclear. We may not have long to wait before we see these things take place…

A respected weekly French magazine called “Le Point” has reported this week that France is preparing its special forces for a mission in war-torn Syria. The mission would only involve a relatively small amount of special forces, and a number of NATO countries — including the UK and the US — would be involved. Debkafile also reports this week that this action is to begin shortly. Whether these reports are true or not we can see how the crisis in Syria is moving towards a conclusion.
Russia we know is adamant that no military action should be taken. America, UK and France are increasingly adamant there must be. In Daniel 11 v 40 we read of the king of the south (America / UK) pushing at the king of the north (Russia). After the push Russia comes down. The word “push” could be seen as a military provocation…

Israel being a prime target as Syria’s arch enemy. Isaiah 17 speaks of Israel being greatly weakened when Damascus falls – Syria may weaken Israel by using chemical weapons against it.

Across the world lots of messages do remind people about sayings concerning times which people should warn that something serious was going to happen.
In the meantime nearly 300 people shed their clothes at Papamoa, New Zeeland,  to take part in a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest collective skinny dip and in Rotorua quite a crowd has been looking for a place to safely and comfortably socialise in the nude.
Rotorua's lakes are bursting with water with water levels across the region reaching all-time highs.

Further in the news:

A one-metre high tsunami wave has struck the city of Ishinomaki in northeastern Japan after a strong earthquake off the coast.  Buildings shook as far away as Tokyo following the tremor which took place in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 23 miles, with the epicentre 285 miles from the capital. Japan's NHK television urged people in coastal areas likely to be affected to head to safety.

An unusually destructive tornado swept through neighbourhoods around New Zealand's largest city Thursday, killing three people and forcing 250 more to evacuate damaged and powerless homes. The small tornado hit Hobsonville and Whenuapai, western suburbs of Auckland, during a midday storm that also uprooted trees, damaged buildings and caused flooding that closed roads. Thursday's tornado was the deadliest in New Zealand in more than 60 years. 

What do the lunar landings, the Kim Dotcom saga, flying saucers and UFO sightings, the Mt Tongariro eruption, the Holy Grail, the 9/11 attacks and the war on terror, the Urewera raids and the Mayan calendar have in common?

 

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” (Daniel 11:40 KJBPNV)

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1 KJBPNV)

 “24 Damascus has grown feeble, and turns herself to flee, and fear has seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in labor. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! 26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, says Yahweh of hosts.” (Jeremiah 49:24-26 KJBPNV)

“3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, says Yahweh of hosts. 4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall become lean.” (Isaiah 17:3-4 KJBPNV)

 “Consider you not what these people have spoken, saying, The two families which Yahweh has chosen, he has even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” (Jeremiah 33:24 KJBPNV)

“25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26 KJBPNV)



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Please do find:

Burman: If Syria splits apart, so might the entire region 

Syria's chemical weapons risk

 

Handicapped youngsters and Helpful computers

P2P made it possible that preaching could reach handicapped people and that they got a tool with which they can grow and feel more free.

P2P got some desktops  which could be put together to make 6 good working PC's.
They installed some maths games, English worksheets and Bible software on the computers for the children to work with and improve their education while playing games on the computer.

Read more about it:

Computer Distribution

Oplossing met twee staten is de enige uitkomst voor het Israëlisch-Palestijns conflict

België heeft de resolutie die door de Algemene Vergadering werd aangenomen mee ondersteund maar waarschuwt toch dat men er bewust moet van zijn dat dit nog geen volwaardige erkenning als staat is voor Palestina.

Een volwaardige Palestijnse staat kan alleen tot stand komen na onderhandelingen tussen Israëli’s en Palestijnen. Onderhandelingen zijn de enige weg, hoe moeilijk dat ook is. Alle aandacht moet gaan naar een snelle hervatting van de vredesgesprekken. Daarbij moeten zowel Israël als de Palestijnse Autoriteit afzien van elk eenzijdig optreden dat de geloofwaardigheid van het vredesproces in het gedrang kan brengen. Didier Reynders is tevreden met het engagement van de Israëlische regering om de bestaande akkoorden niet in vraag te stellen.

Zoals de Hoge Vertegenwoordiger Catherine Ashton in naam van de Europese Unie heeft gedaan, vraagt ook minister Reynders alle betrokken partijen om met de nodige spoed werk te maken van een oplossing voor het conflict. De EU moet in overleg met de Verenigde Staten werken aan een vredesinitiatief dat de krijtlijnen voor het onderhandelingsproces bevat en dat voor beide partijen voldoende waarborgen en stimulansen biedt.

Vicepremier en minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Didier Reynders is tevreden met de beslissing van de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties vandaag om Palestina het statuut van waarnemend / niet-lidstaat toe te kennen. De stemming is een belangrijke stap naar de oprichting van een Palestijnse staat, waar België en de internationale gemeenschap vragende partij voor zijn. Maar België vindt dat een echte doorbraak er pas zal komen als de Palestijnen op het terrein over een toekomstige staat kunnen beschikken met instellingen, overheidspersoneel en middelen voor een goede werking. België heeft voor de ontwerpresolutie gestemd omdat het zich volledig kan vinden in het doel. Dat doel is een oplossing met twee staten die in vrede en veiligheid naast elkaar bestaan. Daarbij moet de toekomstige Palestijnse staat democratisch, leefbaar en blijvend zijn. De oplossing met twee staten is de enige uitkomst voor het Israëlisch-Palestijns conflict en alle inspanningen moeten daarop worden gericht. Minister Reynders betreurt dat de 27 EU-Lidstaten bij de stemming in New York niet tot een gemeenschappelijk standpunt zijn gekomen. België heeft geen enkele moeite gespaard en zich zeer constructief opgesteld. Toch is minister Reynders tevreden dat er een Europese consensus bestaat over het einddoel en dat de EU zich blijft inzetten voor het proces.