The Ransomed Heart - Tuning the Instrument

“For example, God wants to be our perfect lover, but instead we seek perfection in human relationships and are disappointed when our lovers cannot love us perfectly. God wants to provide our ultimate security, but we seek our safety in power and possessions and then we find we must continually worry about them. We seek satisfaction of our spiritual longing in a host of ways that may have very little to do with God.” (Addiction and Grace)

And so, Gerald May says, “The more we become accustomed to seeking spiritual satisfaction through things other than God, the more abnormal and stressful it becomes to look for God directly.” Our instrument is out of tune from years of misuse.

(The Journey of Desire , 175–76)

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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 278
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

The Ransomed Heart - Remembering Together

"We were meant to remember together, in community. We need to tell our stories to others and to hear their stories told. We need to help each other with the interpretation of the Larger Story and our own. Our regular times of coming together to worship are intended to be times of corporate remembrance."

(The Sacred Romance , 207–8)

SCBC - White Oak : SCCC Retreat "Men of Steele"

SCBC - White Oak : Home:
"Set in the wooded hills of the midlands, White Oak Conference Center provides modern day comforts in tranquil surroundings away from daily routines and distractions. Able to host large adult and youth conferences in spacious venues, as well as, accommodate small retreats or seminars White Oak provides the perfect setting for training and fellowship.

White Oak is equipped to meet your conference needs with 140 motel rooms, a group house that sleeps 64, a 400-seat dining hall, an 850-seat auditorium, a 230-seat lecture hall and 23 additional classrooms. Also available are many recreational opportunities with a 25-acre lake, pool, gym, picnic shelter and other activities.

The 840-acre conference and retreat center is located 37 miles north of Columbia and 60 miles south of Charlotte, 8 miles off Interstate 77 at exit 46.

White Oak Conference Center exists to serve the churches of the South Carolina Baptist Convention as a place set apart for Empowering Kingdom Growth through evangelism and discipleship in the name of Jesus Christ.

White Oak Conference Center permits groups affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, other Christian denominations, and non-profit organizations whose purpose and objectives are compatible with those of the South Carolina Baptist Convention to utilize the conference center as space is available."

J A A R S: Partners in Bible Translation

J A A R S: Partners in Bible Translation:
"Prayer of the Day Sep. 27 - Praise the Lord for the Kodiak airplane, a new turbine-powered aircraft designed especially for mission flying. JAARS anticipates receiving its first one in early 2007."

Gmail - Want to be 7 years younger?

A tidbit of perhaps useless trivia from your friend in Africa. Thought you might be interested.

Want to experience Y2K again? Come to Ethiopia...at least to celebrate your birthdays! Where you can maybe really be 29, 39, 49, 59 , 69 or 79 again.

In Christ,
Steve Womack
Africa Area /SIL
Communications Coordinator


From Lonely Planet “Ethiopia & Eritrea”
Another great Ethiopian idiosyncrasy that confounds many travelers is the calendar. Based on the Julian system, it is roughly 7 ½ years ‘behind’ the Western Gregorian calendar. The year 2006-07 is thus ‘1999’ in the Ethiopian calendar, where ‘1999’ begins in September 2006. Just to confuse you thoroughly, the Ethiopian fiscal year begins on 8 July, and the Ethiopian New Year is rung in on 11 September. The Julian calendar is named after Julius Caeser, and developed as a result of a dispute over the exact date of Christ’s birth. The Julian calendar is made up of 12 months of 30 days each and a 13^th month of five or six days. Hence the Ethiopian Tourism Council challenge to “Visit Ethiopia and be seven years younger”!

New Life Ministries: 1-800-NEW-LIFE

New Life Ministries: 1-800-NEW-LIFE:
"Support Group Directory
Location Details: Name: Southbrook Church, Charlotte, NC Type: Other
Info: Men Only Group meets Fridays at 6:45 am

Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE to find out more about these support groups"

Excerpt from Steve's book "The Secret's Men Keep"

New Life Ministries: 1-800-NEW-LIFE:
"Excerpt from Steve's book 'The Secret's Men Keep'

When I came to understand that I wasn't the only man with secrets, my interests were piqued to discover what other men were thinking about that they weren't telling anyone else,' explained Stephen Arterburn.

So, he set out to write The Secrets Men Keep book, which comes in part from a professional survey of 3,600 men. He explores topics such as:

* What money means to men
* How parental expectations affect a man throughout his life
* The truth about the male ego
* How men really feel about being a spiritual leader
* What worries men in their relationships with women
* Why success is a double-edged sword

From the Introduction:
Why Men Keep Secrets

'Secrets are not a bad thing. If they were, God wouldn't have them. There are some things that he keeps completely to Himself-'secret things,' as the Bible calls them (Deuteronomy 29:29). He has other information that He reveals only to 'his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). In fact, Proverbs 25:2 says, 'it is the glory of God to conceal a matter.'

'If it's acceptable for God to conceal things, to have secrets, then why is it not completely acceptable for men to have secrets, 'to conceal a matter'?

"The bottom line is this (and every man knows it): most of the secrets men keep are held out of fear—the fear of embarrassment, shame, guilt, loss of respect, loss of stature and favor, repercussions, reparations, and the like. In other words, men mostly keep secrets for all the wrong reasons. Understandable reason, but wrong nonetheless..."

The Secrets Men Keep is broken into 5 sections (25 chapters):

• Section 1: Secrets About Finances, Fame and Family
• Section 2: Secrets About Feelings
• Section 3: Secrets About Spirituality
• Section 4: Secrets About Relationships With Women
• Section 5: Secrets About Sexuality

The Ransomed Heart - It Must Be Intimate

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It Must Be Intimate
09/27/2006

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Of course, small groups have become a part of the programming most churches offer their people. For the most part, they are disappointing and short-lived—by the very admission of those who try them. There are two reasons. One, you can’t just throw a random group of people together for a twelve-week study of some kind and expect them to become intimate allies. The sort of devotion we want and need takes place within a shared life. Over the years our fellowship has gone camping together. We play together; help one another move; paint a room; find work. We throw great parties. We fight for each other, live in the Four Streams. This is how it was meant to be.

(Waking the Dead , 193) From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 270 Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing, go to the My Profile section on www.ransomedheart.com and uncheck the Daily Readings List checkbox in your profile.

Residents beat man accused of showing porn

Residents beat man accused of showing porn: "When one of the mothers saw him and asked Burke what he was doing, he tried to run and the woman started screaming, said Elizabeth Williams, the mother of another child. According to a police report, Burke said about 15 men 'jumped him and hit him repeatedly on the face with their fists.' He suffered minor injuries, police said."

Quote Details: Thomas Berger: Why do writers write?... - The Quotations Page

Quote Details: Thomas Berger: Why do writers write?... - The Quotations Page: "Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.
Thomas Berger"

"Why do bloggers blog? Because it isn't there." by KingDan

Activeword.org - Devotional

Activeword.org - Devotional: "Keeping this perspective will protect us from placing unrealistic expectations on other people and will refine our motivation for ministry."

Compost Central

Compost Central: "Mulch and Composting Facility

5631 West Blvd.
phone: 704-588-9070
Directions:

From I-77 South...turn right onto Billy Graham Parkway towards the airport ... turn left onto West Boulevard and travel about 2 miles. Turn left into the composting facility.

Hours of Operation:

Saturday; 7am - 3pm, Monday - Friday; 7am - 5pm

Residential, Commercial and Industrial Yard Waste generated in Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mint Hill, Pineville, and the unincorporated areas of the County may be brought to the County's yard waste facilities.

Acceptable Materials:

* Leaves (unbagged please!)
* Brush (unbagged please!)
* Grass clippings (unbagged please!)
Limbs less than 5' in length
* NO tree stumps!

Yard Waste Fees:

* $16.00 per ton
* Automobiles - $1.00 per load
* Vans, pickup trucks, trailers (less than 10 feet in length) - $7.00 per load
* Compactor trucks - $4.00 per yard ($7.00 minimum)
* All other vehicle types - $2.15 per cu yard ($7.00 minimum charge) "

Mark Twain: Most people are bothered...

Quote Details: Mark Twain: Most people are bothered... - The Quotations Page: "Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.
Mark Twain
US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)"

Is this quote cynicial or insightful?

Tweaked Firefox Lets You Surf Internet Without a Trace

Tweaked Firefox Lets You Surf Internet Without a Trace - Yahoo! News: "A tweaked version of Firefox that makes Web browsing anonymous has been released by a group of privacy-minded coders.

Every few minutes, the Torpark browser causes a computer's IP address to appear to change. IP addresses are numeric identifier given to computers on the Internet. The number can be used along with other data to potentially track down a user, as many Web sites keep track of IP addresses.

Hackers Promote Privacy
Torpark's creators, a group of computer security gurus and privacy experts named Hactivismo, said they want to expand privacy rights on the Internet as new technologies increasingly collect online data.

The browser is free to download at torpark.nfshost.com. It's a modified version of Portable Firefox, an optimized version of the browser that can be run off a USB memory stick on a computer."

USB Data Cable w/ Charging Port - Motorola

USB Data Cable w/ Charging Port - buy direct - Motorola Shop US: "
USB Data Cable w/ Charging Port SKU: NNTN5405A

USB data cable for quick and easy communication using your data-enabled phone.

The cable includes a 17 pin connector plug on one end with a standard type 'A' USB plug on the other. It is used to connect the phone to data devices such as a personal computer."

Yale University to post courses on Web for free

Yale University to post courses on Web for free - Yahoo! News: "Yale University said on Wednesday it will offer digital videos of some courses on the Internet for free, along with transcripts in several languages, in an effort to make the elite private school more accessible.

While Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others already offer course material online without charge, Yale is the first to focus on free video lectures, the New Haven, Connecticut-based school said."

Cabin Fever Vacations 1-866-21CABIN

My family is checking in on Dec 27th at 3pm and checking out Jan 2nd at 10 am.

Cabin Fever Vacations 1-866-21CABIN:
"The Lodge at Sherwood Forest **NEW CABIN TO PROGRAM**

How about the view from this cabin...The Lodge at Sherwood Forest offers a cabin full of exciting things for young and old. The cabin is in a fantastic location in the Sherwood Forest Resort, less than 5 minutes from Dollywood and Pigeon Forge…and only 10 minutes from Gatlinburg! For your enjoyment the cabin offers a pool table, hot tub, 3 jacuzzis, and a quasicade game tower with X-Box, & Nintendo Game Cube. The cabin is also professionally furnished and has plenty of sleeping arrangements for a party of up to sixteen. Enjoy the best of both worlds…a perfect place to relax and getaway but close to all the action and adventure of the Great Smoky Mountains!
AMENITIES....listed...."

The Ransomed Heart - The Religious Spirit

The Religious Spirit 09/19/2006 The Religious Spirit has turned discipleship into a soul-killing exercise of principles. Most folks don’t even know they can walk with God, hear his voice. He’s stigmatized counseling as a profession for sick patients, and so the wounds of our hearts never get healed. He’s taken healing away from us almost entirely, so that we sit in pews as broken people feeling guilty because we can’t live the life we’re supposed to live. And he takes warfare and mocks it, stigmatizes it as well so that most of the church knows almost nothing about how to break strongholds, set captives free. Finally, the Religious Spirit makes it next to impossible for a person to break free by spreading the lie that there is no war. Be honest—how many Christians do you know who practice spiritual warfare as a normal, necessary, daily part of the Christian life? Some of my dearest friends pull back from this stream and sort of cast a concerned look over me when I suggest it’s going on. Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war? You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re not advancing the kingdom, we’re holding car washes. We gave up the hymn not so much for reasons of musical fashion but because we felt ridiculous singing it, as you do when asked to sing “Happy Birthday” in a restaurant to a perfect stranger. We don’t sing it ’cause it ain’t true. We have acquiesced. We have surrendered without a fight. (Waking the Dead, 162) From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 262 Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing, go to the My Profile section on www.ransomedheart.com and uncheck the Daily Readings List checkbox in your profile.

shurgardiansforever : Message: Mr. Benson and the Morningstar ethos

shurgardiansforever : Message: Mr. Benson and the Morningstar ethos: "Has anyone hear that Mr. Benson is in the hospital?
We continue to pray for his speedy recovery.

We will miss the readerboard wit.
We will miss his Christmas party where he showed us true Christian love.
We will miss the Morningstar ethos that touch us with encouragement.
We will miss the customers who knew the Mr. B way.
We will miss a compassionate business leader.
We will miss a schedule that allows for church attendance.
We will miss his gifts.

Please pray our 'smooth' transition.
Jesus is still in control."

ActiveWord: Piadoso para el 17 de septiembre de 2006

Todos es alguien

“El quién viene a mí yo echará de ninguna manera hacia fuera.” (Juan 6:37 NKJV)