Between two worlds.....

Brooke Fraser - CS Lewis Song

2012-01-28T21:16:00.000-05:00

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I, I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found?
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me,
Is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath,
So we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live,
I was made to love,
I was made to know You

Hope is coming for me
Hope is coming for me
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning (morning)
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me
for me
for me
for me!

2012-01-24T21:13:00.002-05:00

Why is it that all I want to do is sleep? So tired...

Brooke Fraser - Shadow Feet (with lyrics)

2012-01-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

All I need-- everything I need--I can find in You.

Bahebak Wallah - Ayman Zbib - أيمن زبيب

2012-01-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

[Single 2012] Wael Kfoury - Ma Te7ke [Full Original Version].wmv

2012-01-21T20:18:00.000-05:00

2012-01-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

ugh

2 dead after five-story building collapses in Beirut

2012-01-20T20:48:00.000-05:00

2 dead after five-story building collapses in Beirut

2 dead after five-story building collapses in BeirutJanuary 15, 2012 06:02 PM

The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Two people died Sunday, including a 15-year-old girl, after a five-story building collapsed in the Fassouh neighborhood in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut Sunday.

Ann-Marie Abdel Karim was pronounced dead upon arrival at al-Roum Hospital.

More than 10 others were pulled out alive from under the rubble. At least 40 people are still believed to be trapped underneath the building.

Civil Defense personnel, the Red Cross and the Lebanese Army arrived at the scene to help rescue residents.

Army officials at the scene are asking people to evacuate the area, warning that some buildings might also collapse, while Civil Defense has brought heavy machinery and bulldozers in a bid to remove the rubble and rescue trapped residents.

Around two dozen people are on top of the rubble looking for trapped residents, while Red Cross personnel have surrounded the collapsed building attending to those rescued.

Some people have been seen coming out of the rubble bloodied.

Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, who arrived at the scene hours after the building collapsed, described the incident as a humanitarian disaster and urged officials to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

“This is a humanitarian disaster ... [we] should work on preventing any repetition of such an incident,” Khalil told reporters.

Beirut MPs along with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel have arrived to the scene of the rubble including lawmaker Jean Oghassapian who said there were voices being heard under the rubble asking for help.

Security officials have asked people to remain quiet in order to hear those calling for help from underneath.

Charbel told reporters that more help would arrive to assist in the evacuation process.

“There is more help coming to the area to assist in the evacuation process and pull people still trapped under the rubble,” Charbel said.

Among the 10 rescued, two women, a Filipino and Lebanese, were transported to a hospital nearby after being pulled from the rubble. Three hospitals in Ashrafieh have announced their readiness to accept injured people.

The Lebanese woman said her family was still under the rubble, adding that the building was old and in a bad condition, security sources said.

A Red Cross spokesperson said that ambulances have headed to the building and that no clear information regarding the number of people trapped under the rubble was available.

“The ambulances belonging to the Red Cross have arrived at the scene and we are now working to remove people from under the rubble,” Iyad Munzir, a spokesperson for the Lebanese Red Cross, told The Daily Star.

“We don’t have any clear information on the crisis,” he added.

Bystander Nicolas Abourjeily told The Daily Star that he had heard a big crash a block away from his building in Ashrafieh around 6 p.m.

“I saw a cloud of dust covering the area and saw some people coming up who were severely injured,” Abourjeily, 20, said.

The apartment block is known to be in an area of mainly old buildings. It included 10 apartments each with a monthly rent of LL25,000.

The rescued woman, who said she was from Al Abdel Karim family, also said that the weeklong rain storm which hit the capital may have contributed to the collapse of the building.

The Lebanese Army has blocked roads leading to the scene.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jan-15/159938-residents-trapped-as-five-story-building-collapses-in-beirut.ashx#ixzz1k3MlvvYZ
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

The Bark Side: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial Teaser

2012-01-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

2012-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

I know I vowed to stay positive for the New Year...and I am, I really am..

However, today I learned just how evil someone can be.

And it's someone who should care and love and want the best for me, for my family.

What do I do with that?

I am just so sad, so so sad.

And this will change my life, probably forever.

I have to cut off family ties, for my own and my kids' sanity.

It is going to be ugly.

Pray for me

2012-01-16T11:04:00.001-05:00

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Kinda, sorta, not really..

Glad I saw this...I posted the original video and wondered if all was really Biblically sound. I like the point he is making in the video, but...

Anyway, read for yourself, if interested..

EVIN DEYOUNG|1:25 PM CT

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Kinda, Sorta, Not Really

UPDATE: Since I posted this article, Jefferson Bethke and I have had a chance to talk by email and over the phone. I included some of our conversation in a follow up post. I hope you will be as encouraged by the exchange as I was.

******

There’s a new You Tube video going viral and it’s about Jesus and religion.

Specifically how Jesus hates religion.

The video—which in a few days has gone from hundreds of views to thousands to millions—shows Jefferson Bethke, who lives in the Seattle area, delivering a well-crafted, sharply produced, spoken word poem. The point, according to Bethke, is “to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion.” In the past few days I’ve seen this video pop up all over Facebook. I’ve had people from my church say they like it. Some has asked me what I think. Others have told me there’s something off about the poem, but they can’t quite articulate what it is. I’ll try to explain what that is in a moment. But first watch the video for yourself.

Before I say anything else, let me say Jefferson Bethke seems like a sincere young man who wants people to know God’s scandalous grace. I’m sure he’s telling the truth when he says on his Facebook page: “I love Jesus, I’m addicted to grace, and I’m just a messed up dude trying to make Him famous.” If I met him face to face, I bet I’d like Jefferson and his honesty and passion. I bet I’d be encouraged by his story and his desire to free people from the snares of self-help, self-righteous religion.

And yet (you knew it was coming), amidst a lot of true things in this poem there is a lot that is unhelpful and misleading.

This video is the sort of thing that many younger Christians love. It sounds good, looks good, and feels good. But is it true? That’s the question we must always ask. And to answer that question, I want to go through this poem slowly, verse by verse. Not because I think this is the worst thing ever. It’s certainly not. Nor because I think this video will launch a worldwide revolution. I want to spend some time on this because Bethke perfectly captures the mood, and in my mind the confusion, of a lot of earnest, young Christians.

Verse 1

What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion
What if I told you voting republican really wasn’t his mission
What if I told you republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian
And just because you call some people blind
Doesn’t automatically give you vision

Okay, so the line about Republicans is a cheap shot (if you vote GOP) or a prophetic stance (if you like Jim Wallis). While it’s true that “republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian” and in some parts of the country that may be a word churchgoers need to hear, I doubt that putting right-wingers in their place is the most pressing issue in Seattle.

More important is Bethke’s opening line: “Jesus came to abolish religion.” That’s the whole point of the poem. The argument—and most poems are arguing for something—rests on the sharp distinction between religion on one side and Jesus on the other. Whether this argument is fair depends on your definition of religion. Bethke sees religion as a man made attempt to earn God’s favor. Religion equals self-righteousness, moral preening, and hypocrisy. Religion is all law and no gospel. If that’s religion, then Jesus is certainly against it.

But that’s not what religion is. We can say that’s what is has become for some people or what we understand it to be. But words still matter and we shouldn’t just define them however we want. “Jesus hates religion” communicates something that “Jesus hates self-righteousness” doesn’t. To say that Jesus hates pride and hypocrisy is old news. To say he hates religion—now, that has a kick to it. People hear “religion” and think of rules, rituals, dogma, pastors, priests, institutions. People love Oprah and the Shack and “spiritual, not religious” bumper stickers because the mood of our country is one that wants God without the strictures that come with traditional Christianity. We love the Jesus that hates religion.

The only problem is, he didn’t. Jesus was a Jew. He went to services at the synagogue. He observed Jewish holy days. He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17). He founded the church (Matt. 16:18). He established church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). He instituted a ritual meal (Matt. 26:26-28). He told his disciples to baptize people and to teach others to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). He insisted that people believe in him and believe certain things about him (John 3:16-18; 8:24). If religion is characterized by doctrine, commands, rituals, and structure, then Jesus is not your go-to guy for hating religion. This was the central point behind the book Ted Kluck and I wrote a few years ago.

The word “religion” occurs five times in English Standard Version of the Bible. It is, by itself, an entirely neutral word. Religion can refer to Judaism (Acts 26:5) or the Jewish-Christian faith (Acts 25:19). Religion can be bad when it is self-made (Col. 2:23) or fails to tame the tongue (James 1:26). But religion can also be good when it cares for widows and orphans and practices moral purity (James 1:27). Unless we define the word to suit our purposes, there is simply no biblical grounds for saying Jesus hated religion. What might be gained by using such language will, without a careful explanation and caveats, be outweighed by what is lost when we give the impression that religion is the alloy that corrupts a relationship with Jesus.

Verse 2

I mean if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor
Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever had a divorce
But in the old testament God actually calls religious people whores

These claims say very little because they try to say too much. Have there been religious wars in the last two thousand years? Yes. Have there also been wars over money, land, ego, women, slavery, democracy, freedom, communism, fascism, Nazism, terrorism and just about everything else you can imagine? Yes. Furthermore, if you want to blame conflict on religion, you can’t neatly excise Jesus from the equation. You may not like the Crusades, but many of the Crusaders thought they were sincerely fighting for Jesus by trying take back the Holy Land from the Muslims.

More to the point, Christians need to stop perpetuating the myth that we’ve basically been huge failures in the world. That may win us an audience with non-Christians, but it’s not true. We are sinners like everyone else, so our record is mixed. We’ve been stupid and selfish over the years. But we’ve also been the salt of the earth. The evangelical awakening in England in the eighteenth century is widely credited for preventing the sort of bloodbath that swept over France in the “enlightened” French Revolution. Christians (and conservatives in general) give more to charitable causes than their secular counterparts. Christians run countless shelters, pregnancy centers, rescue missions, and food pantries. Christians operate orphanages, staff clinics, dig wells, raise crops, teach children, and fight AIDS around the globe. While we can always do more and may be blind to the needs around us at times, there is no group of people on the planet that do more for the poor than Christians. If you know of a church with a dozen escalators and no money and no heart for the hurting, then blast that church. But we have to stop the self-flagellation and the slander that says Christians do nothing for the poor.

As for divorce, it is often (but not always) wrong. Even when it is wrong, there is forgiveness when people repent. Shame on any church that doesn’t think or demonstrate that there is room at the cross for unwed or divorced moms.

And about the harsh language in the Old Testament—it cuts both ways. All people in the Old Testament, and in the entire ancient near east for that matter, were religious people. Some of them were fakes and hypocrites and whores. Some were idolaters and adulterers. Some performed their rituals and went on to ignore the weightier matters of the law. And some of the religious people were God’s remnant, God’s holy people, and God’s friends. In both Testaments, God has no problem rebuking religious people and no problem loving them either.

Verse 3

Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice
Tend to ridicule God’s people, they did it to John The Baptist
They can’t fix their problems, and so they just mask it
Not realizing religions like spraying perfume on a casket
See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core
It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores
Like lets dress up the outside make look nice and neat
But it’s funny that’s what they use to do to mummies
While the corpse rots underneath

I’ve already said that I don’t think “religion” is the right term for what Bethke is talking about. But he has done a great job here of describing false religion. Jesus blasted the Pharisees for being “whitewashed tombs,” for looking beautiful on the outside and full of dead people’s bones on the inside, for appearing righteous but being full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matt. 23:27-28). It is possible for churches and churchgoers to have the reputation for being alive, but actually be dead (Rev. 3:1). Some churches claim to love grace, but all they give you is legalism. Bethke is hitting on a real problem.

Verse 4

Now I ain’t judgin, I’m just saying quit putting on a fake look
Cause there’s a problem
If people only know you’re a Christian by your Facebook
I mean in every other aspect of life, you know that logic’s unworthy
It’s like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey
You see this was me too, but no one seemed to be on to me
Acting like a church kid, while addicted to pornography
See on Sunday I’d go to church, but Saturday getting faded
Acting if I was simply created just to have sex and get wasted
See I spent my whole life building this facade of neatness
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness

I wish Bethke, and critics like him, would admit that they are “judgin.” He is evaluating Christianity. He is criticizing church as he sees it. The whole poem is a harsh judgment on religious people. Granted, judging is not the same as judgmentalism. After all, I’m judging this poem. So I don’t think what Bethke is doing is wrong. I just wish he wouldn’t try to claim the moral high ground.

Other than that, this is another good verse. Bethke tells his own story to prove that we can be real good at fooling everyone, including ourselves. We need to realize that there are plenty of people in many of our churches who seem to have it all together but don’t. They are kidding themselves and we should not encourage such self-deception.

Verse 5

Because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean
It’s not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken
Which means I don’t have to hide my failure, I don’t have to hide my sin
Because it doesn’t depend on me it depends on him
See because when I was God’s enemy and certainly not a fan
He looked down and said I want, that, man
Which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools
Don’t you see so much better than just following some rules
Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the Bible, and yes I believe in sin
But if Jesus came to your church would they actually let him in
See remember he was called a glutton, and a drunkard by religious men
But the Son of God never supports self righteousness not now, not then

There is much that is good and a few things that are confused in this verse. The church should be an ocean of grace. We don’t have to hide our sins before God. It doesn’t depend on us. We should love the church and the Bible and believe that sin exists. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. Jesus never supported self-righteousness. All of that is wonderfully and powerfully true.

But let me raise a few other points.

One, we have to remember that the purpose of a hospital is to help sick people get better. I’m sure Bethke would agree with that. But there is no indication in this poem that the grace that forgives is also the grace that transforms. Following Jesus is more than keeping rules, but it’s not less. In one sense, loving Jesus is also all about keeping rules (John 14:15, 21,23-24). I’m not sure how the Jesus of John 14 fits in the world of Bethke’s poem.

Two, there is no inherent dignity in being broken. Jesus likes the honesty that acknowledges sin, hates it and turns away, but he does not love authenticity for its own sake. We have to be more careful with our language. When Paul boasted of his weakness, he was boasting of his suffering, his lack of impressiveness, and the trials he endured (1 Cor. 2:3; 2 Cor. 11:30; 12:9). He never boasted of his temptations or his sins—past or present. That’s not what he meant by weakness. Being broken is not the point, except to be forgiven and changed.

Three, as I’ve mentioned before, the religious leaders hated Jesus, first and foremost because they thought he was a blasphemer who dared to make himself equal with God (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71; and less clearly in John 18:19-24). It’s true that many of the religious elite found Jesus too free with his meals and his associations. They called him a “glutton and drunkard” (Luke 7:34), though he wasn’t either. But they also said John the Baptist “has a demon” (Luke 7:33). They were just as opposed to John’s asceticism as they were upset with Jesus’ liberty. More than hating grace, the Jewish leaders hated the truth about Christ and found ways to reject God’s messengers.

Verse 6

Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums
See one’s the work of God, but one’s a man made invention
See one is the cure, but the other’s the infection
See because religion says do, Jesus says done
Religion says slave, Jesus says son
Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see
And that’s why religion and Jesus are two different clans

I won’t repeat my initial comments about religion and Jesus and whether they are really “on opposite spectrums.” I don’t think they are. That point notwithstanding, Bethke speaks the truth in this section. The differences between slavery and sonship, bondage and freedom, blindness and sight are all biblical themes.

I think the line about “religion says do, Jesus says done” can be misleading. Too many people hear that as “relationship not rules” when we’ve already seen that Jesus wants us to do everything he has commanded (Matt. 28:20). But if “do” means “do this to earn my favor” then the contrast is very appropriate.

Verse 7

Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man
Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own
Not based on my merits but Jesus’s obedience alone
Because he took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down his face
He took what we all deserved, I guess that’s why you call it grace
And while being murdered he yelled
“Father forgive them they know not what they do.”
Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you
And he absorbed all of your sin, and buried it in the tomb
Which is why I’m kneeling at the cross, saying come on there’s room
So for religion, no I hate it, in fact I literally resent it
Because when Jesus said it is finished, I believe he meant it

There is a lot to like with this final section. Great affirmation of Jesus active obedience. Great focus on the cross. Great invitation for sinners to come to Christ. I think Bethke understands justification by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone. I would have liked to have heard something about the wrath of God being poured out on the cross as opposed to simply “absorb[ing] all of your sin.” But given Bethke’s previous video criticizing Love Wins, it’s best to give him the benefit of the doubt. Similarly, I’m not sure it’s best to so emphasize that Jesus was thinking of us on the cross. The “joy set before” him in Hebrews 12:2 was the joy of being seated at God’s right hand, not the joy of being with us as Bethke advocates in another video. But these are smaller points that do not negate the strong message of grace and forgiveness.

Conclusion

I know I’ve typed a bunch of words about a You Tube video that no one may be talking about in a month. But, as I said at the beginning, there is so much helpful in this poem mixed with so much unhelpful—and all of it so common—that I felt it worth the effort to examine the theology in detail.

The strengths in this poem are the strengths I see in many young Christians—a passionate faith, a focus on Jesus, a love for grace, and a hatred for anything phony or self-righteous. The weaknesses here can be the weaknesses of my generation (and younger)—not enough talk of repentance and sanctification, a tendency to underestimate the importance of obedience in the Christian life, a one-dimensional view of grace, little awareness that our heavenly Father might ever discipline his children or be grieved by their continued transgression, and a penchant for sloganeering instead of careful nuance.

I know the internet is a big place, but a lot of people are connected to a lot of other people. So who knows, maybe Jefferson Bethke will read this blog. If you do, brother, I want you to know I love what you love in this poem. I watched you give your testimony and give thanks to God for his work in your life. I love the humble desire to be honest about your failings and point people to Christ. I love that you love the church and the Bible. I love that you want people to really get the gospel. You have important things to say and millions of people are listening. So make sure as a teacher you are extra careful and precise (James 3:1). If you haven’t received formal theological training, I encourage you to do so. Your ministry will be made stronger and richer and longer lasting. I encourage you to speak from the Bible before you speak from your own experience. I encourage you to love what Jesus loves without tearing down what he also loves and people are apt to misunderstand. I encourage you to dig deep into the whole counsel of God.

Thanks for reminding us about Jesus. But try to be more careful when talking about religion. After all, there is one religion whose aim is to worship, serve, know, proclaim, believe, obey, and organize around this Jesus. And without all those verbs, there’s not much Jesus left.

Coldplay - Princess of China (Lyrics on Screen) HD

2012-01-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

This and the song "Paradise" from the same album might be the best songs, ever..

Mr Loughat - American Embassy

2012-01-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Heheheh..

Joseph Attieh - El Haq Ma Beymout / جوزيف عطية - الحق ما بيموت

2012-01-12T07:53:00.000-05:00

I have probably shared this before...but I like it...

Galatians 5:7-10

2012-01-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

So true....

You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

Isaiah 40:4

2012-01-11T20:42:00.002-05:00

Every valley will be raised. Every mountain and hill will be lowered. Steep places will be made level. Rough places will be made smooth.

This is God's work - in the world, and in me....

Change is good.

Mr Loughat - New Year's Eve

2012-01-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

So Lebanese...makes me miss it even more, lol..

2012-01-06T07:41:00.000-05:00

And God saw the light." --Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"--He looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear reader, He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to Him as His own handiwork, but because it is like Himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are His." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your heart, for He has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in His finished work, God sees the "light." He not only sees it, but He also preserves it in you. "I, the Lord, do keep it." This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by His grace, He will one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.

I Will Lift My Eyes - Bebo Norman (with lyrics)

2012-01-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

It's crazy, that you can be on a fabulous vacation, far away, in a place you should be really enjoying, with people you should be having fun with, and realize that you are not even welcome there--that you and your kids are not a part of what should be your family...
When the unsaid ugliness finally comes out at you full force, yet you are stuck with them for days still--what can you do? When you are blamed for things you really have not done--when you are told you are ungrateful, unappreciative, a bad parent, and you know that's not true--not that you are perfect, but you know you have not done anything wrong...when you see your kids looked down on and treated like less than the others, maybe because they look so much like their father--the father their grandfather has never once spoken of since his untimely death, as if he never existed, as if he was somehow not good enough..
What can you do?
Pray.
Look to the One who really knows who you are--because He knit you together..
Pray for those who hate you only because you exist..because maybe they find you a threat somehow?
Pray for those who talk behind your back, who work to undermine you to your father, their meal ticket, their hope for their future..
If only they knew what the real Hope was..

2012-01-01T22:43:00.001-05:00

It's true, no matter where you go, there's no place like home...

2011-12-23T22:14:00.002-05:00

92 sunny degrees here...watched the sun set on an ocean far away from home...
Doesn't feel like Christmas, but it will be here in a day! Hope I will finally get some rest...life has been way too busy lately..

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks [LYRICS]

2011-12-22T23:20:00.000-05:00

I don't know why..this song is stuck in my head...I don't even get it...hahaha

2011-12-21T22:38:00.001-05:00

Leaving soon for an international tropical Christmas...
The working full-time single mom thing might kill me before I get on the plane, but off we go..

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and Happy New Year.

I pray blessings on all for the next year. I know, for me, it will be new, different, and better. No more looking back, no mourning lost loves and bad relationships. My resolution for the new year is to move beyond the bad things I have allowed in my life--to cut off bad people, and to no longer allow them to steal my joy.. I know all too well that life is short.

Happy Holidays to all!

David Crowder You Alone

2011-12-18T20:24:00.000-05:00

He is truly all I need. No one can compete, no one can give me what I really want and need, and I certainly have no ability to choose for myself. Without Him, I choose only sin and evil. Now, during this season, I need to pause during all the madness and thank Him for His gift of grace.

Ramy Ayach - Majnoun / رامي عياش - مجنون

2011-12-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

2011-12-11T07:44:00.001-05:00

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds,
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling. (Psalm 68: 4-5)

Six years ago today my life changed forever in an instant. God continues to amaze me with His provision for our every need.

Discerning..

2011-12-07T22:29:00.001-05:00

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Colossians 2:8

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ.

John 4:1

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Philippians 1:9-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

A warning from Proverbs 5...

2011-12-05T21:01:00.001-05:00

........you will give your best strength to others.
      You will give the best years of your life to someone who is mean.
¹⁰ Strangers will use up all of your wealth.
      Your hard work will make someone else rich.
¹¹ At the end of your life you will groan.
      Your skin and your body will be worn out.
¹² You will say, "How I hated to take advice!
      How my heart refused to be corrected!
¹³ I would not obey my teachers.
      I wouldn't listen to those who taught me.
¹⁴ I was almost totally destroyed.

Heya Hayati...

2011-12-02T23:27:00.001-05:00

amazing..

how you can lay out your heart

asking someone to show you how it could ever work,

asking someone you thought loved you,

to make it work...

only to have it stomped on yet again,

because, you see,

apparently,

I am a snobby horrible person.

2011-11-30T22:20:00.001-05:00

so tired...

A Muslim Student Challenges Ravi Zacharias

2011-11-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

Very interesting question-answer, anyone of any faith will find this informative.

2011-11-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

I am thinking it may be time to retire this blog. It has been a great place to vent, to post thoughts, videos, and things I have found interesting--however, it may have outlived its usefulness. It's beginning to be obvious to me that I need to make some major changes in my life, in my outlook, in my actions as far as making a future for myself. It may just be time to keep those thoughts and actions to myself.

Min shouf.

2011-11-24T17:45:00.001-05:00

Finally an engagement in our family...long awaited. I am happy, but it's a bittersweet happiness, because I realize it may never happen again for me..

2011-11-24T06:56:00.001-05:00

I am about to go and burn off about 600 calories before our Thanksgiving feast in the local turkey run 10K. It's always great to have a calorie deficit before I eat like a pig.

Today I am thankful for:

God and all His provisions and His sovereign plan for me that is way better than any plan I can ever make for myself.

The fact that I always have plenty to eat and drink and I never have to worry much about my immediate needs for food, clothing and shelter, unlike so many people in this world.

I am thankful that I have a job that keeps me busy (ok, way busier than I would like), and also provides relatively decent health care and a decent income.

I am thankful for my good health and the good health of my loved ones.

I am thankful that my children are healthy, happy, well-adjusted despite many things that have occurred in their lives, and hopefully prepared to grow into adults who can be an asset to society.

I am thankful I live in a country that, while it has its problems, is safe, prosperous, and stable. There is no danger of us going to war or changing governments in some scary coup, etc.

I am thankful for my friends and my church home.

I hope any who read this will also count their blessings, whatever they are.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

40 something...

2011-11-15T18:38:00.001-05:00

Another birthday has gone by, and yes, I am still alone. Better to be lonely and obedient. I know. I am truly thankful for all that I have: good friends, a wonderful family, a job (in this economy), a nice home, a wonderful church family, and I have never gone hungry.

Yet, I am tired, tired, tired. The job is great, but the more I stay, the more responsibility it becomes. Responsibility=too much on my head. I really have so much respect for my late husband and how hard he worked to keep us in our lifestyle. It's just so hard being the only adult--the only one in charge, especially with a preteen son who seems to have no respect for my authority. (Military school?) Really. And, I never knew how stressful it was to be the one who is supposed to fix everything...at home, and at work.

My lack of discernment in other areas of my life have led me to this lonely point. I know this. However, I refuse to take all the blame. I am at fault, yes, but I didn't get here by myself.

2. John Mayer-All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye [lyrics on screen]

2011-11-12T19:55:00.000-05:00

2011-11-12T18:15:00.001-05:00

Lebanon votes against Arab League decision to suspend SyriaNovember 12, 2011 03:44 PM

The Daily Star

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour speaks during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 10, 2011. (Mohammad Azakir/The Daily Star)

BEIRUT: Lebanon voted against a decision by the Arab League Saturday to suspend Syria in four days time should Damascus fail to end the country’s crisis.
Reading a statement, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem al-Thani, said the decision, which would take effect on Nov. 16, had been passed after 18 countries voted in favor. Iraq abstained from the decision while Syria, Lebanon and Yemen voted against.
Bin Jassem said the League had decided “to suspend Syrian delegations’ activities in Arab League meetings” if Damascus continued to stall the Arab initiative, referring to a Nov. 2 peace bid that called for the withdrawal of the Syrian Army from streets, an end to the crackdown on protesters, the release of all political prisoners and the launch of dialogue between the opposition and the government within two weeks.
Bin Jassem, who was speaking to reporters at League’s headquarters in Cairo, also said the Arab body had decided to implement “economic and political sanctions against the Syrian government,” and had urged member states to withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus.
Media reports quoted Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour as saying the decision by the League was counterproductive and could lead to further dangers.
“The decisions that were issued by the Arab League will not help reach a solution. In fact it will push things toward more dangerous situations. This is what we focused on: that Syria’s security means security for the region,” several media outlets quoted Mansour as saying.
“What was taken in terms of decisions is a dangerous sign because they are against a founding member of the League,” he added.
In one of the first reactions to the news by a March 14 coalition member, MP Marwan Hamadeh said the decision was a positive move by the Arab body, but criticized Lebanon’s decision to vote against Syria’s suspension.
Hamadeh, who described the decision by the Lebanese delegation in Cairo as “shameful,” also called on the government to resign immediately.
“[I call for] on this government, which that has put us in Arab isolation in addition to its own national isolation, to resign immediately,” Hamadeh said in a statement.
Lebanon has repeatedly said that it must seek to isolate itself from decisions that might harm Syria.
During his first visit to the United Kingdom last week, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon’s stability depended on taking a neutral stance toward the unrest in Syria.
“The third [key factor for stability] in Lebanon is the issue of Syria and the principle here is to keep ourselves out of anything that harms Lebanon’s internal interests. We are working with this goal of protecting our nation, both its people and territory, and for peace,” Mikati said a day before meeting U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron in London on Nov. 7.
The UN says some 3,500 Syrians, mostly civilians, have been killed in a crackdown by Damascus on protesters calling for reforms in the Arab country which has been under Baath Party rule for almost five decades. Syrian authorities deny targeting civilians, blaming “armed gangs” for the deaths.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Nov-12/153895-lebanon-votes-against-arab-league-decision-on-syria.ashx#ixzz1dXHyr1Lp
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Fall Apart (Slideshow with Lyrics)

2011-11-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

He Has Sent Redemption

2011-11-05T13:45:00.000-04:00

2011-11-05T10:41:00.001-04:00

“I’ll be back” Hariri tells his Twitter followersNovember 04, 2011 06:53 PM (Last updated: November 05, 2011 10:09 AM)By Fadi Chahine

The Daily Star

“It’s me, Saad, you are talking to. Believe it,” Hariri tweeted.

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri took to cyberspace live Friday, fielding questions on Twitter from supporters and followers alike to explain his position on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, his return to the country, plans for the Future Movement and the latest developments in Syria.
As Lebanese politics become more complicated by the day, Hariri said that now is the time to reach out to his supporters and share with them, and the world, his take on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region.
“Well it’s about time to make this more up close and personal , you’ll be hearing from me more often and I’ll be around as much as I can,” he tweeted.
Hariri lamented his absence from Lebanon saying that he misses his city, Beirut, and longs to return to Lebanon.
“I miss Beirut and I miss Lebanon, but mostly I miss the [Lebanese] people,” he said. The former prime minister has been out of the country since April, following the collapse of his government.
Touching on the events in Syria, Hariri said that he is monitoring the government’s crackdown against protestors on TV with trepidation.
“It’s Friday [I am ] sitting and watching what’s happening in Syria, more blood [being] spilled for freedom by the oppressor after the Arab initiative,” Hariri said, after several followers asked him about his position on what's happening in Syria today.
Syria accepted without any reservations this week the Arab League plan that was drafted to end the eight-month-old crisis that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, civilians and security forces, as the government continued its crackdown on anti government protesters.
“I think one has to persist peacefully, we did it in Lebanon and I am sure the Syrian people will prevail in the end,” he said. “Just pray for them.”
Some of his followers tweeted their doubts that it was actually Hariri responding to questions, prompting them to ask if this was “really Saad Hariri.”
“It’s me, Saad, you are talking to. Believe it,” he tweeted.
The seemingly impromptu Twitter conversation came hours after Hariri released a press statement in which he warned that Syria may renege on the Arab League’s plan to resolve the crisis in the neighboring country, and cautioned Lebanese lawmakers about illegal weapons in the country.
Hariri “warned against attempts [by Syria] to circumvent the Arab initiative through devious methods which totally contradict the provisions of the initiative,” according to a statement issued by his press office on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
He also warned against “evading obligations to release political detainees, under weak pretexts that will not fool the Syrian people,” he added.
He also accused Hezbollah of attempting to forcefully affiliate Lebanon with foreign axes in a bid to divide the country, adding that “such behavior may have a serious impact that threatens the unity of the state, entity and institutions.”
Hariri expressed his hope that the Eid al-Adha festival “would be a good opportunity for all Lebanese parties to reflect on the situation in the country as a result of the attitude of those who use illegal weapons to intimidate others.”
The former prime minister also urged Lebanese to unite their efforts to consolidate national unity and consecrate the sovereignty of the state and power over Lebanese territories.
He “underlined the importance of solidarity with the Arab people who are calling for freedom, particularly the Syrian people who are courageously confronting the military, repressive machine, and seeking a free democratic system,” the statement added.
Hariri congratulated the Lebanese in general, the Muslim community on the occasion of the Eid, and the Libyan people as he praised their achievements of ridding the country from deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
--Additional reporting by Dana Khraiche.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Nov-04/153193-ill-be-back-hariri-tells-his-twitter-followers.ashx#ixzz1cqGkyDOv
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Official Lyric Video - Let Me Rediscover You - Downhere

2011-11-03T20:49:00.000-04:00

2011-11-02T22:16:00.002-04:00

I am pretty sure I have never been this exhausted and tired, both physically and mentally, ever. I hope this season of my life passes soon...

Lifehouse - Everything Lyrics

2011-10-29T23:46:00.000-04:00

2011-10-29T12:38:00.001-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/world/middleeast/army-defectors-in-syria-take-credit-for-deadly-attack.html

October 26, 2011

Defectors Claim Attack That Killed Syria Soldiers

By NADA BAKRI

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A force of Syrian Army defectors claimed responsibility for a Wednesday attack that killed a military officer and eight soldiers in central Syria, another signal that disaffected troops are taking a larger role in the antigovernment uprising and pushing it into more violence after months of a brutal government crackdown.

The attack came as an Arab delegation led by the Qatari prime minister met with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria’s capital, to press his government to negotiate with the street protesters and end the conflict, which the United Nations says has left more than 3,000 dead. Syrian activists reported at least 10 more civilian deaths on Wednesday.

One Syrian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in Damascus, offered kind words for the delegation’s mission. “We have deep divisions between two sides, so we need a national and serious dialogue to save the country,” the official said.

But in the hours before the meeting, the government telegraphed an intransigent stance, mustering tens of thousands of supporters to rally in the capital for the second time this month. The Syrian satellite television station Addounia showed thousands of demonstrators filling Umayyad Square in the heart of Damascus. They were waving Syrian flags, holding pictures of the president and chanting, “The people want Bashar al-Assad.”

The Syrian state news agency, SANA, said the rally had been held under the banner “Long live the homeland and the leader of the homeland; the Syrian people are one family.” A similar rally was held the previous Wednesday in Aleppo, Syria’s second-biggest city.

With most foreign journalists barred from Syria and the government keeping tight control on information, it is hard to assess how great a role coercion plays in such displays. Certainly, significant elements of the Syrian elite remain entwined with and supportive of the Assad government.

The country’s military and security forces, which had long appeared largely cohesive, have lost perhaps 10,000 to defections, according to an American official. A fraction of that number have coalesced into two groups, the Free Syrian Army and the Free Officers Movement. Their clashes with Syrian security forces have increased in the past weeks.

It was the Free Syrian Army that claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog group operating in exile, said a rocket-propelled grenade had struck a vehicle carrying troops on the highway linking Hama and Salamiya.

Meanwhile, activists said, several towns in southern, central and northern Syria complied with a call for a general strike on Wednesday by the Syrian National Council, an umbrella group of opposition parties and figures. The strike, the group had said, was to be the first phase in a campaign of civil disobedience to bring down the government.

Activists said that Syrian security forces had killed at least seven people in the central city of Homs, including an 18-month-old toddler, and that one protester had been killed in a suburb of Damascus and two others in towns in the northwestern province of Idlib, near the Turkish border.

The delegation to Damascus followed an urgent session of the Arab League last week in Cairo, where officials urged the Syrian leadership to end its crackdown before possible foreign intervention and gave Mr. Assad until the end of this month to do so or face a vote to suspend Syria’s league membership. Besides Qatar’s prime minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the delegation included the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Oman and Sudan and the Arab League’s chief, Nabil el-Araby.

The Syrian state news agency, SANA, quoted Mr. Thani as saying, “We took note of the commitment of the Syrian government to work with the Arab committee to reach a solution.” Opposition figures have repeatedly said they will not sit for talks with the Syrian leadership as long as the government’s crackdown continues.

“I think these initiatives can’t do more than kill time,” said Fayez Sara, a prominent opposition figure in Damascus. “I am not building too much hope on it. I don’t see anything new or practical in it. There is a deep crisis in Syria, and the regime doesn’t have the intention to solve it.”

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, and an employee of The New York Times from Damascus, Syria.

Royal Tailor - Hold Me Together with lyrics

2011-10-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

Aaron Shust - My Hope is in You - Lyrics

2011-10-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

Beatles - I'm So Tired (lyrics)

2011-10-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

Story of my life...

A Duet With Siri (iPhone 4s Song)

2011-10-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

2011-10-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

...............

Weird day..

took my baby girl to visit a college.

can't believe we have reached this point.

where did my life go?

why did i waste so much time?

with the wrong person?

my life is going on...

and i am watching like i am at a distance.

i feel that i have wasted much of it.

and i wasted myself.

on someone who didn't care or appreciate it.

or even see what i am worth.

someone who never saw me for who i am.

Only saw what he could get from me.

still sees me as someone to use.

someone to ask for things.

someone to get things from.

never to do things for and make me happy

where is the one (on this earth) who wants to do things for me?

where is the one who lives to see me happy and cared for?

Oh yeah, he is in heaven already.

I was blessed to have it once. Maybe that's all I get.

Shake Heaven India

2011-10-19T07:45:00.000-04:00

I love the Montell Jordan song, "Shake Heaven," -- it's even on my running mix. How cool is it that people as far away as India made their own version, mixing Hindi and English, and their own style to perform this song?

2011-10-18T22:01:00.001-04:00

The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.

I prefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie. If someone is telling me the truth that is when I will give my heart.

Telling lies is a fault in a boy, an art in a lover, an accomplishment in a bachelor, and second-nature in a married man.

Ziad Rahbani (Shu hal iyam)

2011-10-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

Fairuz - Mesh ossa hai فيروز - مش قصة هي

2011-10-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

Hard To Get by Rich Mullins / covered by Phil Stacey

2011-10-14T19:04:00.000-04:00

bala wala shi

2011-10-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

2011-10-10T14:15:00.004-04:00

Copts Criticize Egypt Government Over Killings

By David D. Kirkpatrick

CAIRO — Egypt's Coptic Church harshly criticized the government on Monday over its actions in crushing a bloody protest in Cairo the night before that left at least 24 people dead, mostly Christians, as grieving families began to bury their dead, some of them mangled by tanks, bullets and beating wounds.

The protest on Sunday was the most violent in Egypt since the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak from the presidency eight months ago and raised new questions about the country's ability to move forward toward a pluralistic and tolerant democracy.

In a statement, the Coptic Church, which represents about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, accused military and police forces of allowing anti-Christian instigators to turn what had been a peaceful protest into a sectarian riot, then used the violence as a pretext for deadly force directed largely against the Coptic protesters.

"Strangers got in the middle of our sons and committed mistakes to be blamed on our sons," the statement said. It said provocations against Egypt's Christian community reflected "problems that occur repeatedly and go unpunished."

In a further sign of mistrust, the families of 17 Copts who were killed said they would refuse to allow the government to conduct autopsies, fearing it would lie about the results in order to protect the killers. The families said medical examiners in their own community would conduct the autopsies instead.

Foreign leaders also expressed concern. The White House extended its condolences to the families of the victims and said: "Now is a time for restraint on all sides so that Egyptians can move forward together to forge a strong and united Egypt. As the Egyptian people shape their future, the United States continues to believe that the rights of minorities — including Copts — must be respected, and that all people have the universal rights of peaceful protest and religious freedom."

The violence on Sunday began after a demonstration by Copts angry about a recent attack on a church. By day's end it had morphed into a raging riot directed against the military council that has ruled Egypt since Mr. Mubarak was ousted in February. The violence seemed to be aggravated by the public's widespread distrust of the military's authority because of repeated delays in turning power over to Egyptian civilians.

When the clashes broke out, some Muslims ran into the streets to help defend the Copts against the police, while others said they had come out to help the army quell the protests in the name of stability.

Thousands filled the streets of downtown Cairo, many armed with rocks, clubs or machetes. Witnesses said several protesters were crushed under military vehicles and the Health Ministry said that about 20 underwent surgery for bullet wounds.

The protest took place against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Copts and the Muslim majority. Copts had joined the pro-democracy protests against Mr. Mubarak in large numbers, hoping for the protections of a pluralistic, democratic state, but a surge in the power of Islamists has raised fears of how much tolerance majority rule will allow.

But the most common refrain of the protests on Sunday was, “The people want to bring down the field marshal,” adapting the signature chant of the revolution to call for the resignation of the military’s top officer, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who is functioning as Egypt's acting president.

The military and riot police, on the other hand, appeared at some points to be working in tandem with Muslims who were lashing out at the Copts. As security forces cleared the streets around 10 p.m., police officers in riot gear marched back and forth through the streets of downtown alongside a swarm of hundreds of men armed with clubs and stones chanting, “The people want to bring down the Christians,” and, later, “Islamic, Islamic.”

Heba Afify contributed reporting from Cairo, and Rick Gladstone from New York.

2011-10-09T18:29:00.001-04:00

And the media says, ho, hum..

Got news? One doomed Iranian pastor (ho hum)

Posted By tmatt On September 27, 2011 @ 2:12 pm In Evangelicals,Got news?,Islam,Journalism,Politics,World,World Religions | 26 Comments

Once again, we find ourselves in the parallel universe of alternative, advocacy, alternative, “conservative news.”
The only problem is that the story in question is worthy of actual mainstream news. There is nothing “conservative” about it, for old-fashioned liberals who are committed to religious liberty and human rights, as defined by the United Nations. Your GetReligionistas would argue that the public would be better served by mainstream coverage of this case.
So what’s the story? Here is an update from a “conservative” website, Independent Catholic News:

An Iranian pastor could be executed if he refuses to give up his faith. Rev Yousef Nadarkhani has twice refused to recant his Christian faith during two court hearings held in Rasht, Gilan Province on 25 and 26 September. Sources close to Christian Solidarity Worldwide indicate that recanting will again be demanded at sessions scheduled for 27 and 28 September, and that if he continues to refuse, he will be executed thereafter.
Pastor Nadarkhani was tried and found guilty of apostasy (abandoning Islam) in September 2010 by the court of appeals in Rasht. The verdict was delivered verbally in court, while written confirmation of the death sentence was received nearly two months later. At the appeal in June 2011, the Supreme Court of Iran upheld Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s sentence, but asked the court in Rasht, which issued the initial sentence, to re-examine whether or not he had been a practicing Muslim adult prior to converting to Christianity. The written verdict of the Supreme Court’s decision included provision for annulment of the death sentence if Pastor Nadarkhani recanted his faith.
Following investigation, the court in Rasht has ruled that Pastor Nadarkhani was not a practicing Muslim adult before becoming a Christian. However, the court has decided that he remains guilty of apostasy because he has Muslim ancestry.

Meanwhile, over at the “Religious Right Now” blog at the On Faith site at the Washington Post, we have this crisp piece of dialogue from one of the court proceedings in Iran:

When asked to “repent” by the judges, Youcef stated, “Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?”
The judges replied , “To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.”
To which he replied, “I cannot.”

Sadly, this piece of hard news is found in the midst of a blog post that, while backed by numerous links to hard documentation, is written in a rather typical advocacy journalism style. That’s normal, at a conservative weblog — even one hosted by the Post.
My point, once again, is simple: Where is the actual news coverage by the mainstream press? This is a life-or-death issue in a land that is of great concern, these days, to the U.S. government.
The mainstream press is, obviously, highly sensitive about some human-rights issues in Iran. This is what happens — go ahead and click — if you run a Google News search right now for the terms “Iran,” “hikers” and “release.” You remember this story? Here’s a Los Angeles Times update:

In a no-holds-barred statement, two Americans who spent 781 days in an Iranian prison on spying charges called themselves hostages of sour U.S.-Iranian relations and described the screams of prisoners being beaten, the mental manipulation of their jailers, and how they lived in “a world of lies and false hope” until their sudden release last week.
Gone was the diplomacy and the words of gratitude to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that marked the statements from their fellow prisoner Sarah Shourd one year ago, when she was freed after 410 days in prison ahead of companions Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.

Now, I realize that Americans being jailed in Iran is automatically more newsworthy to American readers than the looming death of a Protestant pastor who dared to leave Islam (even if he had never practiced the faith) and wanted to teach his Christian faith to his own children.
Some human-rights cases are more important than others, these days. I get that, sort of. However, this subject is vitally important for millions of Americans — secular and religious, liberal and conservative — who care about fundamental human rights. It also represents a major turn for the worse IN IRAN. According to the U.S. State Department, this would be the first execution for apostasy there since 1990.
I guess, although this is a painful metaphor, the mainstream press will simply cover Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani when he is dead.
If only he was an American who was hiking, not a blasphemer in Iran.

Written by: tmatt on September 27, 2011.

Article printed from GetReligion: http://www.getreligion.org

Yemeni song..

2011-10-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

2011-10-06T22:20:00.003-04:00

I am old...
my baby is officially an "adult."
how did this happen?

Sorrow....

2011-09-30T22:50:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine died today after a terrible car accident. Friends posted on Facebook about how awful, how horrible, how tragic it was.

It is. I don't disagree. However, I have been there. It is terrible, tragic, and awful..

I feel for her children, her husband, her friends. It seems like the worst thing ever. And it is.

But, I lived. I continue to live after the tragic and untimely death of my husband. Way too young. I still can't believe I was a widow at age 36. I am still a widow at age 41. It stinks.

But, we have to know and trust that there is a plan in all things, or nothing makes sense at all. God is, after all, sovereign. There is nothing out of His control. So, I have to believe that there is a bigger plan in our suffering. I have lived on. Day by day. I have put one foot in front of the other and pushed on. I have fallen, I have picked myself up, shaken off the dust, and tried to keep on going. Some days are harder than others. Through it all, I know I can make it. I have made it. It hasn't been easy, but here I am. Tougher, leaner, more grateful of the things I have and the people I love.

2011-09-26T07:29:00.001-04:00

Robert Fisk -- Why the Middle East Will Never Be The Same Again

Robert Fisk: Why the Middle East will never be the same again

The Palestinians won't achieve statehood, but they will consign the 'peace process' to history.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

EPA

After years of mistrust, the Palestinian move at UN indicates how far away a two-state solution is

ENLARGE

The Palestinians won't get a state this week. But they will prove – if they get enough votes in the General Assembly and if Mahmoud Abbas does not succumb to his characteristic grovelling in the face of US-Israeli power – that they are worthy of statehood. And they will establish for the Arabs what Israel likes to call – when it is enlarging its colonies on stolen land – "facts on the ground": never again can the United States and Israel snap their fingers and expect the Arabs to click their heels. The US has lost its purchase on the Middle East. It's over: the "peace process", the "road map", the "Oslo agreement"; the whole fandango is history.

Personally, I think "Palestine" is a fantasy state, impossible to create now that the Israelis have stolen so much of the Arabs' land for their colonial projects. Go take a look at the West Bank, if you don't believe me. Israel's massive Jewish colonies, its pernicious building restrictions on Palestinian homes of more than one storey and its closure even of sewage systems as punishment, the "cordons sanitaires" beside the Jordanian frontier, the Israeli-only settlers' roads have turned the map of the West Bank into the smashed windscreen of a crashed car. Sometimes, I suspect that the only thing that prevents the existence of "Greater Israel" is the obstinacy of those pesky Palestinians.

But we are now talking of much greater matters. This vote at the UN – General Assembly or Security Council, in one sense it hardly matters – is going to divide the West – Americans from Europeans and scores of other nations – and it is going to divide the Arabs from the Americans. It is going to crack open the divisions in the European Union; between eastern and western Europeans, between Germany and France (the former supporting Israel for all the usual historical reasons, the latter sickened by the suffering of the Palestinians) and, of course, between Israel and the EU.

A great anger has been created in the world by decades of Israeli power and military brutality and colonisation; millions of Europeans, while conscious of their own historical responsibility for the Jewish Holocaust and well aware of the violence of Muslim nations, are no longer cowed in their criticism for fear of being abused as anti-Semites. There is racism in the West – and always will be, I fear – against Muslims and Africans, as well as Jews. But what are the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, in which no Arab Muslim Palestinian can live, but an expression of racism?

Israel shares in this tragedy, of course. Its insane government has led its people on this road to perdition, adequately summed up by its sullen fear of democracy in Tunisia and Egypt – how typical that its principle ally in this nonsense should be the awful Saudi Arabia – and its cruel refusal to apologise for the killing of nine Turks in the Gaza flotilla last year and its equal refusal to apologise to Egypt for the killing of five of its policemen during a Palestinian incursion into Israel.

So goodbye to its only regional allies, Turkey and Egypt, in the space of scarcely 12 months. Israel's cabinet is composed both of intelligent, potentially balanced people such as Ehud Barak, and fools such as Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the Ahmadinejad of Israeli politics. Sarcasm aside, Israelis deserve better than this.

The State of Israel may have been created unjustly – the Palestinian Diaspora is proof of this – but it was created legally. And its founders were perfectly capable of doing a deal with King Abdullah of Jordan after the 1948-49 war to divide Palestine between Jews and Arabs. But it had been the UN, which met to decide the fate of Palestine on 29 November 1947, which gave Israel its legitimacy, the Americans being the first to vote for its creation. Now – by a supreme irony of history – it is Israel which wishes to prevent the UN from giving Palestinian Arabs their legitimacy – and it is America which will be the first to veto such a legitimacy.

Does Israel have a right to exist? The question is a tired trap, regularly and stupidly trotted out by Israel's so-called supporters; to me, too, on regular though increasingly fewer occasions. States – not humans – give other states the right to exist. For individuals to do so, they have to see a map. For where exactly, geographically, is Israel? It is the only nation on earth which does not know and will not declare where its eastern frontier is. Is it the old UN armistice line, the 1967 border so beloved of Abbas and so hated by Netanyahu, or the Palestinian West Bank minus settlements, or the whole of the West Bank?

Show me a map of the United Kingdom which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it has the right to exist. But show me a map of the UK which claims to include the 26 counties of independent Ireland in the UK and shows Dublin to be a British rather than an Irish city, and I will say no, this nation does not have the right to exist within these expanded frontiers. Which is why, in the case of Israel, almost every Western embassy, including the US and British embassies, are in Tel Aviv, not in Jerusalem.

In the new Middle East, amid the Arab Awakening and the revolt of free peoples for dignity and freedom, this UN vote – passed in the General Assembly, vetoed by America if it goes to the Security Council – constitutes a kind of hinge; not just a page turning, but the failure of empire. So locked into Israel has US foreign policy become, so fearful of Israel have almost all its Congressmen and Congresswomen become – to the extent of loving Israel more than America – that America will this week stand out not as the nation that produced Woodrow Wilson and his 14 principles of self-determination, not as the country which fought Nazism and Fascism and Japanese militarism, not as the beacon of freedom which, we are told, its Founding Fathers represented – but as a curmudgeonly, selfish, frightened state whose President, after promising a new affection for the Muslim world, is forced to support an occupying power against a people who only ask for statehood.

Should we say "poor old Obama", as I have done in the past? I don't think so. Big on rhetoric, vain, handing out false love in Istanbul and Cairo within months of his election, he will this week prove that his re-election is more important than the future of the Middle East, that his personal ambition to stay in power must take first place over the sufferings of an occupied people. In this context alone, it is bizarre that a man of such supposed high principle should show himself so cowardly. In the new Middle East, in which Arabs are claiming the very same rights and freedoms that Israel and America say they champion, this is a profound tragedy.

US failures to stand up to Israel and to insist on a fair peace in "Palestine", abetted by the hero of the Iraq war, Blair, are responsible. Arabs too, for allowing their dictators to last so long and thus to clog the sand with false frontiers and old dogmas and oil (and let's not believe that a "new" "Palestine" would be a paradise for its own people). Israel, too, when it should be welcoming the Palestinian demand for statehood at the UN with all its obligations of security and peace and recognition of other UN members. But no. The game is lost. America's political power in the Middle East will this week be neutered on behalf of Israel. Quite a sacrifice in the name of liberty...

Like Robert Fisk on The Independent on Facebook for updates

2011-09-24T20:13:00.000-04:00

Ayman Kafrouny Aktar Men Kalam 013 from Ayman Kafrouny on Vimeo.

2011-09-24T20:09:00.002-04:00

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

2011-09-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

sick of being sick...

2011-09-17T22:55:00.003-04:00

Something I need to remember daily...

Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.

Isaiah 54

America's Future

2011-09-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

2011-09-10T14:08:00.003-04:00

Psalm 2
English Standard Version

The Reign of the LORD’s Anointed

1 Why do the nations rage^a
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break^b them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

New - Ayman Kafrouny - Ya Rabb

2011-09-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

2011-09-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

‎"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1

Never Once - Matt Redman (Official Song Slide)

2011-09-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

Beirut Night Life-Summer 2011

2011-08-31T20:57:00.000-04:00

2011-08-26T20:59:00.003-04:00

You know, I guess it just proves people don't ever change, when someone just goes right back to fake names and fake identities...

Sufjan Stevens - For the widows in paradise

2011-08-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

2011-08-25T08:49:00.001-04:00

Maybe one day there will be someone in my life I can depend on...

Maybe one day someone will truly love me - not for what they can get from me-- but for me, for who I am right now, and not try to change me, criticize me, take me for granted, or treat me like trash

Maybe one day there will be a spiritually mature person in my life--someone I can turn to, someone who truly cares about me--about what I have to say, or what I think, someone who will listen, be there when I need them, be a friend, be everything to me
Maybe one day...

Something to think about...

2011-08-22T18:13:00.002-04:00

If you are experiencing defeat after defeat, it may be because you are not living a spiritually alert life. It could also be that you have chosen to ignore God’s instructions and commands somewhere along the way. You may be thinking, “I am not afraid of the devil.” That is not the issue. The real issue is whether the enemy is afraid of Christ’s life in you.

From Dr. Michael Youssef's Facebook page.

Why Hizballah Accused Are Untroubled by Indictment for Hariri Murder

2011-08-19T18:29:00.000-04:00

By Nicholas Blanford and a TIME reporter / Beirut

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2089420,00.html#ixzz1VW5J7p1f

A man accused by an international tribunal of killing an iconic Lebanese statesman, in the process provoking six years of political turmoil that still threatens to undermine the country's tenuous stability, might deem it a good idea to disappear for a while. But for the four members of the militant Shi'ite Hizballah movement indicted in late June for their alleged roles in the 2005 car-bomb assassination of Rafik Hariri, the accusations are of little concern. And the fact that the indictment relies largely on circumstantial evidence created by cell-phone traces will give Hizballah confidence that it can beat the rap in the court of public opinion.

"I don't care about the indictments. Let them come to arrest me," one of the four told TIME in an exclusive interview, which he gave on condition of anonymity despite having been publicly named among the four suspects. "If I was guilty, Hizballah would have turned me over from the first day to the so-called international justice. I said it once and will repeat it for the last time: I am innocent of all charges against me." (See "Hizballah Leader Stands Defiant amid Indictments.")

His interview marked the first public comments made by any of the four men, two of whom are senior Hizballah commanders, since their names were leaked to the media in late June after the Netherlands-based U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon handed a sealed indictment to the Lebanese authorities. On Aug. 17, the tribunal released a redacted version of the indictment detailing the evidence it has uncovered to be used by the prosecution in a future trial. (See "Accused Hizballah Man Speaks.")

The four indicted individuals are:

Mustafa Badreddine, a veteran Hizballah operative who, according to the indictment, sometimes operated under the pseudonym Sami Issa and "served as the overall controller of the operation";

Salim Ayyash, allegedly Badreddine's deputy, "who coordinated the assassination team, which was responsible for the physical perpetration of the attack";

Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra, who are alleged to have prepared a scheme to divert blame for the Hariri assassination onto Sunni Islamist militants.

"As participants in the conspiracy, all four accused played important roles in the attack on 14 February 2005 and therefore all four bear criminal responsibility for the results of the attack," the indictment says.

The contents of the indictment have been long awaited in Lebanon with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. The allegation that members of Hizballah, the leading force in the current government, had played a role in killing Sunni leader Hariri has further aggravated an already dangerous sectarian political showdown in Lebanon. (See "Hizballah's New War Theme Park.")

Hizballah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, dismissed the indictments as groundless and accused Israel and the U.S. of manipulating the tribunal to pave the way for "sectarian strife and civil war."

But Saad Hariri, son of the murder victim and a former Prime Minister himself, snapped back, accusing Nasrallah of stirring sectarian strife and calling on Hizballah to turn the accused over to the authorities.

The evidence disclosed by the indictment is based almost entirely on a painstaking analysis of cell-phone usage in the months leading to Hariri's assassination. From the millions of cell-phone calls made in Lebanon each day, investigators were able to tease out five covert and open networks of cell phones allegedly used by various conspirators to coordinate the operation. The core team used a "red network" of cell phones activated a month before the assassination and used only to communicate with one another. The last time any of the "red" phones was used was just two minutes before the bomb blast that killed Hariri. The other phone networks were color-coded by the tribunal as green, blue, yellow and purple. From the analysis, the investigators were able to pinpoint the past locations of various conspirators and assessed that the surveillance of Hariri's movements began on Nov. 11, 2004, three months before the assassination.

Daniel Bellemare, the tribunal prosecutor, admitted in the indictment that the evidence is circumstantial but added that such evidence is "often more reliable than direct evidence, which can suffer from firsthand memory loss or eyewitness distortion". (See TIME's photo-essay "Protests in Lebanon.")

The probe into the cell-phone networks was first revealed in October 2005 in the initial report of a U.N. commission investigating the assassination. The cell-phone evidence does beg a question, however. The indictment acknowledges that the conspirators were aware that the locations of mobile phones can be traced — that's why, it argues, they sought to disguise their tracks by activating the red network in a stronghold of Sunni Islamists in north Lebanon where few Shi'ites are found. But if they were that diabolically clever, it's puzzling that the conspirators would use their carefully camouflaged red-network phones while also carrying not only other operational color-coded phones but even their personal cell phones, which can still be traced even when not being used. Hizballah's highly secretive and technologically proficient personnel would have known that the only way to avoid a trace is to remove the battery and sim card from the phone. Yet, according to the indictment, it was the proximity of the four men's personal phones to the color-coded secret phones that helped identify them.

Another surprise is the apparent lack of supporting evidence in the indictment. Although the tribunal's pretrial judge assessed that the accumulated evidence was sufficient to indict the four accused, it was widely assumed that after six years of investigations the tribunal would have amassed evidence beyond just the telecommunications records.

The prosecution's reliance on the cell-phone data suggests that Nasrallah will soon make another of his periodic televised addresses to sow doubt about the tribunal's credibility. Hizballah accuses Israel of killing Hariri, arguing that only the Jewish state stood to benefit from the assassination. A year ago, Nasrallah broadcast what he said was footage from Israeli reconnaissance drones intercepted by Hizballah technicians showing the routes taken by Hariri's motorcades in and around Beirut. He said this demonstrated that Israel had been monitoring Hariri's movements.

Nasrallah's effort to demolish the tribunal's case in the public mind will have been assisted by the arrest in June last year of a senior employee of Alfa, one of two state-run mobile-phone operators, on charges of collaborating with Israel. Charbel Qazzi, a senior technician, admitted under interrogation that he had been spying for Israel for 14 years. His position within Alfa reportedly enabled the Israelis to track and monitor individuals and tamper with telecommunications data.

Meanwhile, the four accused Hizballah men are rumored to be living openly and without fear of arrest in areas under the Shi'ite party's control. It is highly unlikely that Hizballah would hand over any of them to a tribunal it says was established as a means of attacking the organization.

The tribunal's methodical process, however, grinds on. Judge Antonio Cassese, the tribunal's president, on Aug. 18 instructed that "a form of advertisement" was necessary to publicize the indictment and the names and pictures of the four accused to help lead to their capture. If the four men continue to evade arrest, the tribunal will then decide when to proceed with trials in absentia.

Judging from the comments and relaxed attitude of the accused Hizballah member interviewed by TIME, it's a safe bet that the dock will be empty when the trials finally begin.

Click to Print

2011-08-14T16:17:00.002-04:00

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

(Matthew 7:6, ESV)

2011-08-13T19:23:00.008-04:00

Funny...

When I wasn't with you, I was:
-the only woman you ever loved.
-the woman God made for you.
-the best thing that ever happened to you.
-the only one who can make you happy.
-your only real true love of your life.

When I am with you, I am:
-selfish, annoying, rude, and snobby (really?)
-I really need to change my whole attitude and personality.
-I expect or ask too much from you.
-I need to change my expectations of life because I am spoiled.
-I selfishly want to spend time with you.
-I make you stressed out so much that you don't even call or
text or want to be with me.
-I don't have any problems in my own life (right--because I am spoiled, remember?)
so I should only care about your problems and
never expect or ask you to worry over how I am doing.
-oh yeah, I am too friendly and make small-talk with people which offends you
because I am not paying attention to the most important person in the room---you.

From this, what should I conclude?

I am only worth loving at a distance...as something pretend--something not real, because obviously, for you, the real me is not all that great, and definitely not what you really want.

Just saying

2011-08-12T10:43:00.002-04:00

I am not sure which is more sad--the fact that you were so self-involved and so wrapped up in your own life that you didn't even notice I was gone, or that you didn't care enough to even ask why or how you could fix it....

Tenth Avenue North - Love is here - w/lyrics

2011-08-11T13:41:00.002-04:00

Life on earth is disappointing...people fail us, love is never enough, loneliness, heartache, and a void that is never filled by earthly things...no one person will ever be the answer, no one can give us what we truly need or want. I know this, and yet, I still keep holding tightly to things here, hoping and praying that somehow it will make things good for me...if I just had "this" or "that" or if my life was like this, then everything would be better...

When will I learn?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you....

2011-08-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2011-08-10T10:08:00.001-04:00

Daily Devotional for Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

"Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you." And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand." 1 Samuel 13:3-4

There is a freedom that comes in having nothing to hide. Living a life of integrity allows you this freedom. Your integrity is measured not by what you say about yourself but by what God and people say about you. Samuel had lived all his life among the people of God. Leaders who preceded him were dishonest and corrupt; it would have been easy for Samuel to compromise in his dealings as well. Near the end of his life, however, Samuel could boldly stand before his nation and ask them to reveal any offense he had committed against any of them. They could not think of one.

In his position of leadership, Samuel could have taken advantage of people. Yet because he carefully guarded his motives and kept his relationships blameless, Samuel could fearlessly ask the people to report if he had mistreated them in any way. It takes courage to open your life up to the scrutiny of others, but Samuel did not fear what others would say about him. He did not have to avoid anyone whom he had offended. He had a confidence that comes from living a blameless life.

If you have mistreated others, you cannot change the past, but you can choose to live with absolute integrity from this day forward. Living righteously frees you to face any person unashamedly, knowing you have behaved in a Christlike manner. If your reputation is stained, seek forgiveness from those you have offended. Ask God to guide you daily in your relationships so that you have no regrets about your treatment of others.

2011-08-08T22:49:00.001-04:00

Maybe one day there will be someone in my life who actually cares a tiny bit about me and what's going on in my life.

2011-08-08T21:36:00.002-04:00

Psalm 1

1:1 Blessed is the man [1]
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law [2] of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

2011-08-03T21:05:00.001-04:00

Tfeh...

Ramadan kareem

2011-07-31T20:59:00.002-04:00

I wish a blessed Ramadan to my family and friends who celebrate. May God bless you and keep you all.

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

2011-07-30T12:18:00.001-04:00

Found this on:
http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/
Something to really think about..

JJ Heller - What love really means - Lyrics

2011-07-16T11:41:00.000-04:00

Heather Williams - Hallelujah - Lyrics

2011-07-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

Wise saying posted on facebook....

2011-07-10T15:03:00.001-04:00

‎"Be with someone who knows what they have when they have you."

Natalie Grant - Your Great Name

2011-06-30T20:57:00.000-04:00

Hisham & Amina - Baladna / هشام و أمينة - بلدنا

2011-06-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Dog Tease

2011-05-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

Matthew 7

2011-05-07T15:32:00.000-04:00

6 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

What does God think about the death of Osama Bin Laden?

2011-05-02T21:17:00.003-04:00

Great article by a very respected teacher and pastor regarding how to respond to the death of wicked people..
It is difficult to rejoice in the death of anyone, yet after all the years and the thousands of innocent civilian deaths he caused, it is also difficult not to feel some sort of satisfaction...

Here's what the Bible says:

Is God Glad Osama Bin Laden's Dead?

May 2, 2011 | by: John Piper | Category: Commentary

God’s emotions are complex—like yours, only a million times more. Right now, your emotions about bin Laden are not simple, i.e. not single. There are several, and they intermingle. That is a good thing. You are God-like.

In response to Osama bin Laden’s death, quite a few tweets and blogs have cited the biblical truth that “God does not delight in the death of the wicked.” That is true.

It is also true that God does delight in the death of the wicked. There are things about every death that God approves in themselves and things about every death that God disapproves in themselves.

Is God Double-Minded?

This is not double talk. All thoughtful people make such distinctions. For example, if my daughter asks me if I like a movie, I might say yes or no to the same movie. Why? Because a movie can be assessed for its 1) acting, 2) plot, 3) cinematography, 4) nudity, 5) profanity, 6) suspense, 7) complexity, 8) faithfulness to the source, 9) reverence for God, 11) accurate picture of human nature, etc., etc., etc.

So my answer is almost always “yes, in some ways, and no in other ways.” But sometimes I will simply say yes, and sometimes no, because of extenuating circumstances.

Here is why I say God approves and disapproves the death of Osama bin Laden:

In one sense, human death is not God’s pleasure:

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I do not pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32).

In another sense, the death and judgment of the unrepentant is God’s pleasure:

Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself.(Ezekiel 5:13]

[Wisdom calls out:] Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you.(Proverbs 1:25–26)
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! (Revelation 18:20)
As the Lord took delight in doing you good . . . so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. (Deuteronomy 28:63)

We should not cancel out any of these passages but think our way through to how they can all be true.

God is Not Malicious or Bloodthirsty

My suggestion is that the death and misery of the unrepentant is in and of itself not a pleasure to God. God is not a sadist. He is not malicious or bloodthirsty. The death and suffering considered for itself alone is not his delight.

Rather, when a rebellious, wicked, unbelieving person is judged, what God has pleasure in is the exaltation of truth and righteousness, and the vindication of his own honor and glory. (For further discussion of God’s heart in judgment see the section in The Pleasures of God called “How Is God Like George Washington?”, pp. 147–149.)

When Moses warns Israel that the Lord will take pleasure in bringing ruin upon them and destroying them if they do not repent (Deuteronomy 28:63), he means that those who have rebelled against the Lord and moved beyond repentance will not be able to gloat that they have made the Almighty miserable.

God is not defeated in the triumphs of his righteous judgment. Quite the contrary. Moses says that when they are judged they will unwittingly provide an occasion for God to rejoice in the demonstration of his justice and his power and the infinite worth of his glory (see alsoRomans 9:22–23).

A Warning

Let this be a warning to us: God is not mocked. He is not trapped or cornered or coerced. Even on the way to Calvary he had legions of angels at his disposal: “No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord”—of his own good pleasure, for the joy that was set before him.

At the one point in the history of the universe where God looked trapped, he was in charge, doing precisely what he pleased—dying to justify the ungodly like you and me.

(Adapted from The Pleasures of God, pp. 66-74.)

2011-04-30T19:09:00.001-04:00

http://www.almalakootsat.com/LiveStream.html

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Dimming Of The Day

2011-04-28T21:58:00.000-04:00

Jesus is Risen song ترنيمة: المسيح قام

2011-04-23T10:28:00.000-04:00

Holy Week

2011-04-21T08:57:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 53

53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? [1]
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected [2] by men;
a man of sorrows, [3] and acquainted with [4] grief; [5]
and as one from whom men hide their faces [6]
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief; [7]
when his soul makes [8] an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see [9] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, [10]
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, [11]
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

2011-04-19T19:28:00.001-04:00

Things I would love to say to my dear late husband:

Thanks for working so hard all those years so I could stay home with the kids.

Now that I work every day, I really understand how tiring it is to work all day, and I have to come home and cook and drive kids everywhere...

Thanks for providing so well for us and buying us a home in a nice neighborhood where I feel safe and comfortable.

Thanks for teaching me to relax and not worry about the small stuff...

Thanks for making me a part of your family--sometimes I really feel I belong to them, even though there isn't any Lebanese blood in my veins..

Thanks for helping me create two gorgeous, smart, sweet, generous kids who I know will make you proud.

Thanks for being there all those years to listen to me--you were also my friend. I miss that.

I know it's been a while, I was just tired today and thinking...

"More Like Falling In Love" Jason Gray

2011-04-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

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