My Dad - Some refections from Pastor Ken Davis

Read the entire article here...

"I said in a devotional the other day that fathers should do their devotions with their doors open so that their children could see them at it. This was what I grew up with. My father kept a study in our home where he prepared sermons and did his reading. I can remember as a young boy walking past that study and seeing my father on his knees praying. I remember him taking me to pre-service prayer meetings at the church he pastored in Sackville New Brunswick and hearing him pour out his heart to the God he loved. Years later I sat in a prayer meeting with him as a fellow pastor and marvelled at the sense of the presence of God in the room when that man prayed. He was conversing with Someone he knew deeply, personally, intimately. To see that 6′4″, 250 lb. frame, full of arthritis, creek down to its knees and talk to his Friend was a gift from the perfect Father to me so that I could see what grace can do in a man. My father was told by the leaders of his church once that he was not welcome any more as their pastor because he had said in a sermon: “Instead of sitting on your fannies you should be on your knees in prayer.” I am so glad that he said that, that he meant it, and that he was not making demands on his people that he was not making of himself."

Whatever Happened to John Hinckley Jr.?

Judge Gives Reagan Assailant Longer, More Frequent Visits:

"Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009 @09:24am CST

(Washington, DC) -- The man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 will be allowed to visit his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia more often and stay there for longer periods of time.

That was the ruling announced by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman yesterday.

Judge Friedman said the 53-year-old John Hinckley Jr. can obtain a Washington, DC driver's license and denied only a few requests.

Hinckley's stays at his mother's house will be extended from six to nine nights per visit.

Hinckley will also be able to work as a volunteer near the house.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the Reagan shooting and was ordered to become a patient at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in the nation's capital."

Christian Woman's Pregnancy hoax revealed

Pregnancy hoax revealed

A 26-year-old Christian who claimed on her Internet blog to be carrying a terminally ill baby has apologised after it was revealed her pregnancy was a hoax.

Beccah Beushausen of Mokena, Illinois, had almost a million hits on her blog when she began writing about her desire to give birth to “April Rose.” For two months she blogged about how she would go full term with the baby and refuse to get an abortion because of her Christian faith.

On June 7, she said she had given birth and was pictured with her “baby.” But her ruse was discovered when one of her readers recognised the “baby” as a doll.

Events like this one always make me thankful for the local church. I wonder how many readers of Beushausen's blog bothered to query her church concerning the verity of her situation and need? To be honest, this is the first I heard of this story, but in the age of instant attention via blogs and web pages, Christians would be very wise to operate through the authority structures God has ordained.

What of you? Ever met someone in great need and gone to their church/elders only to discover it was only a hoax, or at least greatly exaggerated?

Hypocrisy by Another Name?

Orthodox Jews launch 'kosher' search engine - Holy Post

Religiously devout Jews barred by rabbis from surfing the Internet may now “Koogle” it on a new “kosher” search engine, the site manager said on Sunday.

Yossi Altman said Koogle, a play on the names of a Jewish noodle pudding and the ubiquitous Google, appears to meet the standards of Orthodox rabbis, who restrict use of the Web to ensure followers avoid viewing sexually explicit material.

The site, at www.koogle.co.il, omits religiously objectionable material, such as most photographs of women which Orthodox rabbis view as immodest, Altman said.

Its links to Israeli news and shopping sites also filter out items most ultra-Orthodox Israelis are forbidden by rabbis to have in their homes, such a television sets.

“This is a kosher alternative for ultra-Orthodox Jews so that they may surf the Internet,” Altman said by telephone.

The site was developed in part at the encouragement of rabbis who sought a solution to the needs of ultra-Orthodox Jews to browse the Web particularly for vital services, he said.

Nothing can be posted on the Jewish Sabbath, when religious law bans all types of work and business, Altman said. “If you try to buy something on the Sabbath, it gets stuck and won’t let you.”

There is a corner of the human heart that will justify anything. Jewish Rabbi's are not the only ones guilty of this, but so much of modern orthodoxy bleeds this sad hypocrisy.

Do we really think we are fooling the One who sees every intention of the thoughts of the heart?