Fear Is Just A Lie - Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North) - Video Journal

Eating Orders on the rise in Teen boys - MSN

Eating Orders on the rise in Teen boys

This needs to be watched - males too obsess over the perfect body image


http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/video/?cp-documentid=3aaa02ad-003c-417c-9e38-dbf962726c62

Time Is Energy (and the principle of Chronos and Kairos)

The Greeks (and therefore the New Testament) had two very distinct words for “time” .  One we are probably familiar with – Chronos. As in chronology, chronicles, chronic pain etc…

The other word , not so much. It is “Kairos” .

The simplest way to distinguish the meanings of these two words is probably the following example from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Greek Words:

Chronos marks quantity, kairos, quality

Chronos is the seconds and minutes of time - either long or short. Kairos is a portion of time, the "things and events of time" (Strong's Concordance).  The English word "moment" might be a good way to describe it.

I recently read a blog by a young mother who used these two words to distinguish “time”.  She had become frustrated when older women would constantly come up to her and say something like “Cherish this time with your children! Its over so fast”

To her this somehow conveyed that she was not doing a good enough job “cherishing” or enjoying this time in her life when she had young children.  She was so stressed out just trying to keep them fed, clean and generally safe that she was not always “feeling the cherishing” .   And so she felt like a failure, like she didn’t love her kids enough or didn’t appreciate all that she had.

 The older ladies I’m sure did not mean to make her feel this way but such is the translation that can occur between one person’s mouth and another’s ear.

I know a bit of what this young mother feels, as does my wife. We are parents of an adorable, incredible and wonderful 11 month old daughter.

But man, its hard.

Having a child changed our world completely. It takes you to a level of selflessness you never knew existed.  And you get tired – real tired.

In talking with friends in similar stages of life and those who have done it before, there is a consensus that this is indeed the most stressful and busy time in a person’s life. 

Feeling guilty about not “cherishing” the time you have with your kids is, ironically, a waste of time. Not to mention energy and emotion. 

What this young mother eventually realized ( and I think what the older ladies were really probably referring to all along) was that this is not about cherishing the every second of the CHRONOS so much as it is cherishing all of the KAIROS.

Those precious moments when you realize how fortunate you are, how awesome and kind your Creator is, how wonderfully and fearfully your spouse and child were made  - when all the beauty just leaves you gasping for air. 

" As a person with a mental illness, time is not always my problem.  In fact, it rarely is. My problem is energy. "

One more thing before I sign off this post.  As a person with a mental illness, time is not always my problem.  In fact, it rarely is. My problem is energy. 

I usually have the time – but I rarely have the energy to do all the things I think I should do, much less the things I want to do.This is hard for most people to understand, and even harder to explain.

It’s not good when other people began to think that you are actually just lazy or selfish, it’s even  worse when you yourself begin to believe it.

I'm sure people with a wide variety of illnesses can relate to this.

But what I have found is that this principle of time we have been discussing also applies to energy.

I don’t always plan ahead very much because the more pressure there is to have a good time, the less likely it is for me to actually have a good time. This, of course, can make others understandably frustrated at my apparent lack of commitment or interest and I often feel terrible about that.

You can just forget about yourself and try and fake it for your family and friends – but eventually they catch on ( especially your wife).  And, of course, you yourself eventually wear down.

Fortunately many of friends do understand this. One example is where a good friend asked me to be in his wedding party - a truly high honour! To my dismay I realized this was n't going to work very well though - I would just end up being a mess leading up to and during the wedding. So I explained this to him and he very graciously understood.

I was able instead to attend the wedding as a guest and put that precious "energy" into doing what I could to make his day very special.

So what I have learned, and my gracious, loving wife has too – is that we often enjoy our moments the most when they happen somewhat spontaneously or without a lot of pomp and ceremony. When in a “kairos” of time (or energy as the case may be) , all the beauty of life and God and family comes into focus.. and you can see clearly.

How sweet are those moments. How sweet is clarity.

Though I truly am thankful for every minute of life…. I really cherish those ones.

 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time (KAIROS), because the days are evil.

 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

Ephesians 5: 15 - 17   

Iran court convicts Christian pastor convert to death (Youcef Nadarkhani )

Iran court convicts Christian pastor convert to death

A Christian pastor who converted from Islam is to be put to death for leaving Islam following the ruling of an Iranian court, it was reported today.

Youcef Nadarkhani, 34, was arrested more than two years ago on charges of apostasy, and has now been sentenced to death by an Iranian court for refusing to renounce his Christianity, according to the pastor's legal team.

The father-of-two had defied a request by the Gilan provincial court, in Rasht, Iran, to repent, and now faces death by hanging.


Mr Nadarkhani may be executed at any time without warning, as death sentences in Iran can be carried out immediately or dragged out for years.

If the execution goes ahead he would be the first Christian to be officially executed in Iran for religious reasons in 20 years.

The married father-of-two was detained in his home city of Rasht in October 2009, while attempting to register his church.

Supporters of the pastor say he was arrested after questioning the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of children in Iran.

Critics have said the execution could be seen as a form of defiance at
Western sanctions against Iran in the row over its nuclear agenda.

Jordan Sekulow, executive director of The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), told Fox News: 'This is defiance. They want to say they will carry out what they say they will do.

'The world needs to stand up and say that a man cannot be put to death because of his faith.


This one case is not just about one execution. We have been able to expose the system instead of just letting one man disappear, like so many other Christians have in the past.'

Church officials say there may be as many as 100,000 devoted Christians in the country and that Iran's leadership is concerned about the spread of Christianity.

Nadarkhani was initially charged with protesting, but charges against him were later changed to 'apostasy' - or abandoning Islam - and 'evangelising Muslims', which both carry the death sentence.

He was later tried and found guilty of apostasy in September 2010, and sentenced to death.


'The world needs to stand up and say that a man cannot be put to death because of his faith.'
In June this year the Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death sentence but asked the lower court in Rasht, which issued the initial sentence, to re-examine whether or not he had been a practising Muslim adult prior to converting to Christianity.

Nadarkhani told the court during his first hearing on Sunday that he had no intention of returning to Islam.

He said: 'Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?'

However, the court said that because Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry, he therefore must 'recant his faith in Jesus Christ'.

When the court ordered him to 'return to the religion of your ancestors - Islam', Nadarkhani replied: 'I cannot.'


Jason DeMars, of advocacy group Present Truth Ministries, said: 'This law dictates what should be done with apostates, depending on what type of apostasy has been committed.'

Mr DeMar added that section 6.225 of Iran's controversial legislation says that if a person's parents were Muslims at the time they were trying to conceive a child, and that converts to another religion and renounces Islam, he or she would be a national apostate.

He said: 'The death sentence is the penalty for national apostate, but after the verdict is pronounced, he or she will be commanded to repent of what he or she has done

'If he refuses to repent, he will be killed.'

The written verdict of the Supreme Court's decision also included a provision for annulment of the death sentence if Mr Nadarkhani recanted his faith.

Although the court found that Mr Nadarkhani was not a practising Muslim adult, the court said he remained guilty of apostasy because he had Muslim ancestry.

Mr Nadarkhani's lawyer, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, told the court that the repeated demand for his client to recant his Christian faith violated Iranian law and its constitution.

The last Iranian Christian convert from Islam executed by the Iranian government was Assemblies of God Pastor Hossein Soodmand in 1990.

However, several other Christians, including at least six Protestant pastors, are reported to have been assassinated in Iran by unknown killers in recent years.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105024/Christian-pastor-faces-execution-Iran-refusing-renounce-faith.html

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/22/iran-court-convicts-christian-pastor-convert-to-death/?test=latestnews

Property of Jesus - Bob Dylan

Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt
Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without
Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do
Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walking through.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

Stop your conversation when he passes on the street
Hope he falls upon himself, oh, won't that be sweet
Because he can't be exploited by superstition anymore
Because he can't be bribed or bought by the things that you adore.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

When the whip that's keeping you in line doesn't make him jump
Say he's hard-of-hearing, say that he's a chump
Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve
Because he doesn't pay tribute to the king that you serve.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

Say that he's a looser 'cause he got no common sense
Because he don't increase his worth at someone else's expense
Because he's not afraid of trying, say he's got no style 
'Cause he doesn't tell you jokes or fairy tales, say things that make you smile.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.
You can laugh at salvation, you can play Olympic games
You think that when you rest at last you'll go back from where you came
But you're picked up quite a story and you've changed since the womb
What happened to the real you, you've been captured but by whom ?

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor. Economists rate impact. (Article from Christianity Today)

This article is a fantastic source of information on how to give wisely and effectively - in other words, actually make an impact. Written by an Economist and with input from another 16 economists specializing in this area, I believe you will find this a very valuable article... Christian or not.

This is mostly about numbers and sometimes doesn't take into account the heart and soul of the matter as much as it should ( but that is hard to measure ).

 However, I was not surprised to see that child sponsorship was very near the top - and if you want a long term, holistic approach , I think even the author would agree it is the single most effective way to give and impact against poverty and for individuals and even their countries.

I was also not surprised to see that Compassion International was highly regarded. (For my take on this organization read Child sponsorship why I chose Compassion International )



From Christianity Today:

Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor

Economists rate impact.

Bruce Wydick | posted 2/17/2012 10:12AM

Read article here

Excerpt from article: 

To answer this question, I polled top development economists who specialize in analyzing development programs. I asked them to rate, from 0 to 10, some of the most common poverty interventions to which ordinary people donate their money, in terms of impact and cost-effectiveness per donated dollar.

Today, those who want to care for the poor enjoy a plethora of attractive options. But what are the best ways to help those living in developing countries?

Sixteen researchers responded to the survey. They are from Cornell, Duke, Yale, the University of Maryland, UC-Berkeley, Stanford, George Washington, UC-Santa Cruz, the University of Minnesota, Brandeis, Michigan State, Tufts, and the World Bank. Of the respondents, five are members of the Association of Christian Economists. And they showed remarkable consensus in their ratings. Virtually none of the highly rated poverty interventions received low marks from any of the responders. Likewise, virtually none of the lowly rated programs received high marks. I did not include my own rankings in the survey, but I do comment on each. The following are the results in order of greatest estimated impact to the least, followed b organizations that use that strategy (= faith-based).

Lecrae - His Story and Music

I've listened to this guy for a while - great music, great lyrics, great person.

Also Jeremy Lin's favourite rap artist.

                      Interview with CBN:

                  His life story - an intro to "Take Me as I Am"

Music Video for "Background"

Jeremy Lin Quote

On Jeremy Lin's Twitter account:

"To know Him is to want to know Him more..."

Emotional Suicide

Christians and other “people of faith” have often been accused of committing “intellectual suicide” .

And maybe for certain people in certain times this may have been true. However,  the overwhelming majority of Christians have not committed this “intellecticide” . Not just because we have become more intellectually engaged in recent decades but because it’s simply not necessary to turn off the mind. We believe in a God who created the mind, the intellect, reason and logic.

Christianity is, in fact, a very reasonable world view ( and once experienced , I believe it becomes confirmed) . Yes, at some point it takes faith. But all world views do. Some like to pretend they don’t , but we , as the human race in sum, simply do not have the answers to all of life’s questions – be it the origins of life or the endings of life – it is all hypothesis, theory, speculation. 

So all humans, and I do propose ALL, have faith in something.   It may be faith that something IS or faith that it IS NOT – but it is faith.

So my question then is – as a society in our quest for truth -  have we committed emotional suicide? Or are we maybe just “cutting” as it were at our emotions?

If so, how long can we ignore the symptoms of a sick heart?

To be sure, emotions and feelings alone are not a very reliable resource – but I wholeheartedly believe they are an absolute necessity in the quest for truth. Imagine – using logic and emotion! We could get somewhere.


I suppose we could replace the word "emotion" with  "experience" and still be talking along the same lines.  Because after all, a world view must be actually liveable in the real day-to-day world.

I sometimes look at it this way – I can study a famous person from many aspects, I can analyze their words and actions or lack thereof, I can read the tabloids or their exhaustive biography but I cannot truly KNOW that person until I have developed a personal relationship with them.

Until I have let down the guard on my heart and let a relationship happen – for good or bad.  Until we have talked, shared experiences, been in deep troubles together I don't really know that person. 

 I mean even “The Big Bang Theory’s” Sheldon loves his Mee-Maw and desperately wants his consciousness to be uploaded into an independent orbiting satellite to last for eternity.

This paradox takes its form when I hear of one man who exclaimed “There is no God, I hate God.”

We can believe there is no God, but we cannot hate Him at the same time – for that betrays our underlying belief in Him.

I think that if we get down to it -  our own hurts, our pride and rebellion colours our views far more than we’d like to admit.

I guess all that I am really trying to say  is that in this age of Intellectualism ( which is not necessarily bad of course) we may have swung the pendulum too far and forgot that the heart, whether we like it or not, makes many decisions for us. 

Let the heart and mind search for truth in harmony. Let us not be afraid of faith… because we must all deal with it.

Let’s just place our faith well!

Family

 I know I am only 34 years old ( not even quite that). I know I've only been married 6 and half years. And I know that I've only been a father for 11 months...

But this much is clear to me - so far in my life , the family unit has been the most enlightening illustration on the character and nature of God.

Whether as a son or daughter, a brother or sister,  a husband or wife, a father or mother ...

I know we don't all have that illustration in perfect form, but we can all be enlightened by it. 

J.B. (Jabe) Nicholson Jr.

I listened to this gentleman for many years when I was younger and I still thoroughly enjoy his warm, insightful and brilliant messages... He would never tell you but he has the IQ of a genious.. but more, I think he has is a man after God's own heart...

This man is one of the spiritual giants in my life... one of a handful of people I can say have truly helped shape my faith and right understanding of God 

http://jabenicholson.blogspot.com/

Pray for the Johns Day

interesting.... at first we find it repulsive... then we realize, this is what Jesus would do...

http://www.prayforthejohns.org/p/participate.html

Story Behind "The Vow" - Kim and Kricket Carpenter

As far as I can tell this is legit.....



Original Link:   http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20141613,00.html

IN WEDDING PORTRAITS ON THE walls of their Las Vegas, N.Mex., living room, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter look like any young newly-weds—deeply in love and filled with hope for their new life together. But Krickitt admits it causes her some pain now to look at the pictures or to see herself in the wedding video, walking down the aisle in her lacy white gown. "I would almost rather not watch it," she says. "It makes me miss the girl in the picture more and more." 

In a sense, that Krickitt is gone, lost forever. Less than 10 weeks after the September 1993 ceremony, the Carpenters were in a nightmarish auto accident that badly injured them both and left Krickitt comatose. Though doctors initially doubted she would survive, she rallied, regaining consciousness and, eventually, most of her physical abilities. But the trauma to her brain caused retrograde amnesia, erasing virtually her entire memory of the previous 18 months—including any recollection of the man she had fallen in love with and married. "The last 2½ years have been based on a story I'm told," says Krickitt, 26, "because I don't remember any of it." 

Krickitt Pappas was a sales representative for an Anaheim, Calif., sportswear company when Kim, then baseball coach and assistant athletic director at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, phoned in September 1992 to order some team jackets. While chatting, they discovered mutual interests—both were devout Christians, and Krickitt's father had also coached baseball. One call led to another, and by January, Kim, now 30, recalls, "we were probably talking five hours a week." The following April, he invited her to visit New Mexico for a weekend. "She got off the plane—I'll never forget," he says. "It was like I'd always known her." Over the next few months they spent nearly every weekend together. In June he showed up unannounced at her apartment with flowers and a ring. "I asked if she'd become my lifetime buddy," he says. 

They seemed a good fit. Kim, who had played college baseball and golf at Highlands, was one of three sons of Danny Carpenter, a retired printing firm owner, and his wife, Maureen. Krickitt (born Krisxan and nicknamed as a baby by an aunt) was a two-time Academic All-American gymnast at Cal State-Fullerton. She grew up in Phoenix, the daughter of Gus and Mary Pappas, former schoolteachers and coaches who also have a son, Jamey. They married that fall and moved into an apartment in Las Vegas (128 miles northeast of Albuquerque), where Krickitt found work as a hospital fitness instructor. 

They were just settling into married life when, on Nov. 24, they set out to visit her parents in Phoenix. Krickitt—with Kim lying in the back seat and a friend in the passenger seat—was driving west on Interstate 40 and had to swerve to avoid hitting a slow-moving truck. A pickup following them smashed into the Carpenters' car. Their Ford Escort flipped over on its roof and went into a sickening skid. "I can remember every split second of that wreck," says Kim. "I screamed and screamed and screamed for Krickitt and got no answer." Kim suffered a punctured lung, a bruise on his heart, a concussion and a broken hand. Milan Rasic, the friend, had a separated shoulder. But worst off was Krickitt, who had suffered a terrible skull fracture when the roof of the car caved in around her head. Unconscious and fastened in by a safety belt, she hung upside down for 30 minutes before rescuers arrived, then 40 more before they could free her. Emergency medic D.J. Combs recalls that her pupils were fixed in a rightward gaze: "She had what we call doll's eyes." 

"It was pretty bleak initially," says emergency-room doctor Alan Beamsley, who was at the Gallup, N.Mex., hospital where Krickitt arrived nearly 90 minutes after the accident. "We were scared for her." A doctor brought Kim an envelope containing Krickitt's rings and watch. "He said, 'I'm very sorry, Mr. Carpenter,' " Kim recalls. "I thought she'd died." Despite doctors' advice, he refused treatment for himself to stay by his wife's side. "I didn't recognize her, she was so messed up," he says. "I grabbed her hands and said, 'We're gonna get through this.' " 

When a helicopter arrived to take Krickitt the 140 miles to the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, there was no room for Kim. Emergency medic Combs remembers his plea: "If my wife's going to die, I want to be there." By the time Kim reached Albuquerque five hours later, Krickitt was in a coma. The next morning, Thanksgiving, her parents flew in from Phoenix. Though doctors held out little hope, Kim recalls, "we went to the chapel and started praying." That day the swelling started to subside and her dangerously low blood pressure slowly began to rise. In five days she went off life support and 10 days after the accident, emerging from her coma, she was transferred to Phoenix's Barrow Neurological Institute. 

Three weeks after the accident, when a nurse asked her what year it was, Krickitt responded: "1969." She was able to name her parents. But when the nurse asked, "Who's your husband?" she replied, "I'm not married." Tests soon showed that she had maintained most of her long-term memory. As for her husband, he was a complete stranger—she felt nothing for him. "I don't have a visual memory in my head, and I have no memory in my heart," she says now. 

Kim remembers comforting himself by saying, "This isn't my wife; my wife is in this body, trapped and trying to get out." He worked to encourage her rehabilitation. But Krickitt found his presence and pep talks annoying. "I think she resented his pushing, because at that point she wasn't Krickitt," says her mother, Mary, adding that the process of reteaching her daughter the most basic tasks "was like raising her again." Facing medical bills in excess of $200,000 and relentless bill collectors, Kim returned to his Las Vegas job with serious doubts about the future. "I honestly didn't think our marriage would work," says Kim, but he wouldn't give up. "I made a vow before God," he explains, " 'until death do you part.' " 

Making steady progress, Krickitt traveled with her mother to visit Kim, then returned on her own to see him again. "I figured, if I fell in love with this guy before, I guess I just need to meet him again," says Krickitt. Almost five months after the crash, she moved back in with him, but their life together was difficult. Her injuries had caused deep emotional swings and left her quicktempered. And she was baffled by her reentry into marriage. "I remember asking, 'How did I do the wife thing? Did I cook for you? Did I bring you lunch?' " Her neurological problems posed other difficulties. She was unable to drive and couldn't remember directions. She tired easily, and her emotions were jumbled—she would laugh when she meant to cry and cry when she meant to laugh. Says Kim: "I was thinking, 'Man, I'm living with someone with two different personalities.' " 

She has slowly regained control of her life, returning to work in August 1994, but a new personality emerged—a blend of her old self with new, more outgoing traits. (She is likely to have chronic lingering effects, including short-term memory lapses and occasional clumsiness.) And it was difficult to make the marriage work again. Mike Hill, a therapist the couple started seeing in fall '94, pinpointed the problem. "There wasn't that emotional attachment that comes through the early part of the relationship," Hill says. "You need to establish some memories of your own." So Kim and Krickitt began dating again—chatting over pizza, shopping, Jet Skiing at a nearby lake. "I got to know my husband again," says Krickitt. "There was a point when I really started to enjoy this companion. I would miss him if he wasn't around." 

This year on Valentine's Day, Kim proposed again. Krickitt accepted. "I could've not fallen in love with him again, but the Lord didn't allow that," she says. On May 25, the two again exchanged rings—new ones—and read newly written vows. "Only one thing can surpass forever the painful events we have felt," Kim told her. "That is the love I have for you." 

THOMAS FIELDS-MEYER 
MICHAEL HAEDERLE in Las Vegas, N.Mex. 






Update:




  Original Link:    http://www.daily-times.com/ci_19670601

After 20 years, the Carpenters are ready for their close-up

By Ryan Boetel rboetel@daily-times.com

Posted:   01/04/2012 12:17:44 AM MST

FARMINGTON — Kim and Krickitt Carpenter didn't want their story in the hands of just anybody.

To keep it accurate, the Farmington couple wrote the book about their saga themselves.

The Carpenters sold the movie rights to their story in 1996 but objected to movie scripts that strayed too far from the truth. One such script is still used as an inch-tall riser to balance a family portrait.

But after 19 years, a book deal, magazine articles, dozens of nationally televised interviews and two children, the Kim and Krickitt story is ready for Hollywood.

"The Vow" a movie based on the Carpenters, will be released Feb. 10, just in time for Valentine's Day.

"At one point in time this movie was going to be rated R and oh man, I threw a fit," Kim said. "It had the F-word in it and that was not acceptable. It takes a lot for me to say a bad word. In our family, if you say a bad word, you have to pay for it."

In November 1993, the Carpenters were in an automobile accident on I-40 west of Gallup. Both were badly injured and Krickitt, who doctors said had less than a 1-percent chance of surviving, was comatose for months after the accident.

Krickitt woke with no recollection of the year prior to the accident, which included all memories of her husband, Kim, and their marriage 10 weeks before the crash. "The Vow" is based on the story of Kim and Krickitt's recovery and romance, plus the usual Hollywood sensationalism and glamour, the couple said.

The doctors

---

"asked her who her husband was and she said I'm not married,'" Kim said. "They said, Krickitt, you are married. Do you know who your husband is?' And she said Todd.' Todd was an ex-boyfriend."

How the couple overcame Krickitt's head injury is the love story. Though they both downplay the struggle.

"We just did what we said we would do," Krickitt said. "We said, till death do us part.'"

The Carpenters remain married and have two children, Danny 11, and LeeAnn, 8. Kim is the San Juan County executive officer and Krickitt is a substitute teacher for Farmington high schools.

To this day, Krickitt cannot remember about a two-year chunk of her life: The year before and after the accident. Her head was struck from behind in the accident and her brain hit the front of her skull, damaging her frontal lobe, which controls short-term memory and personality, she said.

"I would love to say that I fell in love with him again because that's what everybody wants to hear," Krickitt said. "I chose to love him and that was based on obedience to God, not feelings ... I chose to love him because I made a vow."

The movie, produced by Spyglass Entertainment, has inaccuracies, the Carpenters said. It stars Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams as Leo and Paige, who are the fictional Kim and Krickitt. It was filmed in Chicago and Canada instead of New Mexico.

"And there's no baseball," Kim said, another difference between the real life story and the Hollywood version.

The Carpenters are preparing for movie premiers in Hollywood and Farmington on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8, respectively, and the international premier in London.

The tragic car accident started becoming a worldwide love story in 1996. At the time of the accident, Kim was a baseball coach for New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas. He was named the coach at age 23 and was the youngest college baseball coach in the country.

A television reporter tracked down the young former coach to do an update on Kim's coaching career. Instead the reporter stumbled on Kim and Krickitt's story and reported it.

The Albuquerque Journal ran a version of the story a few days later, and soon, outlets like ABC News, Dateline NBC and Good Morning America were requesting interviews.

"People kept telling us they were encouraged by our story," Krickitt said. "One day I was praying and said Lord, if people get encouraged by our story and if you want to do something with our story, I give it to you and pray that something happens.'"

The couple wrote a book called "The Vow: The Kim and Krickitt Carpenter Story," published in 2000.

"It keeps our story intact," Krickitt said. "It's our story; we wrote it."

The Carpenters are releasing a new version of their book called "The Vow: The True Story Behind the Movie," to coincide with the movie release.

The new book includes tidbits of family information from the past 10 years, like the media circus that surrounded Danny's birth, which was around the same time the book was released, and LeeAnn's brain injury. Her parents dropped her on her head during a Connie Mack World Series game when she was 8 weeks old, and she had to be flown to Albuquerque to be treated for a head injury. She recovered.

"It tested us. It tested us to the end," Kim said of the accident and life that followed. "But I think it's given us a greater appreciation for what we've overcome."

Made In Roatan

Bob and Debi Cowan are one of the  former  Pastor/Wife teams at Grace Bible Church ( where we attend).


A while back they moved to Roatan, an island of the coast of Honduras.  They did this,  following the call of God on their lives, to minister to the people there. They  have now set up a little shop where local "Islanders" can bring their hand made goods and sell them with ALL proceeds going back to the artists.  


If you are ever looking for a truly unique and special gift for yourself or another, all the while helping these low income families earn a living , please check out their website! Shipping is surprisingly inexpensive! 


Webiste here:   http://www.made-in-roatan.com/

My List of Recommended Bible Study Tools

My List of Recommended Bible Study Tools

First of all I will recommend a web site ! You know we are living in the cyber age and there are some great resources online to help you study your Bible ( as well as some very very wacko ones – be careful!)

Blue Letter Bible allows you to search the entire text of the Bible in multiple translations to find verses.  In the King James and New American Standard versions , you will also be able to access Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance definitions and even Vines Dictionary definitions ( see below for these books).

It is truly an amazing tool!

www.blueletterbible.org

(In this Blog, I assume a belief on the part of the reader  in the inerrancy and Divinity of the Bible. However for those who have questions I have a couple recommendations  at the very bottom.

 In the area of Apologetics you may also want to read other works by Lee Stroebel, Dr. William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, Dr. Craig Blomberg, Dr. Gary Habermas  or Dr. Bruce Metzger etc….)

Concordance

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

A list of literally EVERY word in the English Bible sorted alphabetically and with a Hebrew and Greek Dictionary Definition.

If you can think of only a word or two of the verse you’re looking for and you want to look up what the Bible says about a certain word – this can all be done through Strong’s   ( Other concordances include Young’s and Cruden’s  but Strong’s is the most widely )

Next to the specific word you will find the Verse where it is located ( i.e. Eph 2:8) and also a number that corresponds to the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries at the back of the book.  Find the same number in the dictionary ( one set of numbers for Hebrew – Old Testament / and one set of numbers for Greek – New Testament) and you will find the corresponding word and a brief definition of that word in its original language.

Commentary

Believer’s Bible Commentary by William Macdonald

A Bible commentary follows Biblical Theology in the sense that it offers interpretation and other notes one verse at a time from Genesis 1:1 to the end of your Bible. It is great when you are struggling with a particular passage to get a basic understanding of it through Biblical, Linguistic and Cultural context.

We need to remember though that a commentary is a man’s view of the Bible and it often helps to have more than one.  You should usually try reading and understanding each Scripture passage on your own first with prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

There are many commentaries out there and you need to be careful which one you choose and trust.  Often commentaries are multiple books ( MacArthur, Warren Weirsbe,  H.A. Ironside etc…) but sometimes you will find a single volume one like McDonald’s  or Matthew Henry’s. 

I like Believer’s Bible Commentary as it is concise and simple,  yet very deep in its theology and understanding of the Scriptures.  

Systematic Theology

Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology

Systematic Theology is different from Biblical Theology in that it tackles a specific topic or doctrine  and then seeks to find out what the Bible – as a whole – says and teaches on that topic.  Examples of topics would be “the Church”,  “the Trinity”, “the Holy Spirit” etc…

The same warnings need to be heeded about Systematic Theology books as about Bible commentaries – they are only human.  But when you find a good trustworthy one, it can be quite helpful.

Grudem’s is under the category of “Reformed” theology – essentially meaning that it is not Roman Catholic theology which does differ in certain points.  I like Grudem’s book because although he is upfront about his personal views on a topic, he also explains some other views and , ultimately, appeals to Scripture to interpret Scripture ( i.e. what does the whole Bible in its full context say on the matter – not just picking out a verse here and there).

Note – mark Driscoll has put out a book called “Doctrine” that is kind of like a mini- systematic theology. Although Mark can sometimes come off as a bit blunt and rough around the edges, I find this book quite reliable and easily understood and sticks mainly to the “facts” as opposed to the “opinions”.

Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

Don’t let the titles intimidate you. This is simply a dictionary with more in-depth definitions on Bible words in their original language as compared to a concordance dictionary.

Nelson’s Book of Bible Maps and Charts

I am a complete nerd for maps and charts so this book is right up my alley. However, regardless of your like of history or geography – this little book ( or one like it) is extremely helpful in getting a handle on the Bible as whole.

Each book of the Bible is briefly looked at and you are given information such as : the author, date of writing, place of writing, audience directed at and a short summary. You will also get a little “outline” of that book ( I.e. Genesis) in chart form , showing the main themes and key verses and message.

There is so much good and important information in here and yet you will love its simplicity and colourful charts and maps ( yes, pictures! ;)  ….

Here’s the Difference

This small book,  also by William MacDonald, is a treasure in the art of Biblical distinctions – in other words telling the difference between different Bible  topics (i.e. Israel and the Church, The Old covenant and the New Covenant” etc.. ) .

As many scholars will tell you , you must first “define the terms” you are using. This book helps with that a great deal and can really enlighten your Bible study as you begin to understand the context of the passage or topic you are reading..

Rose Publications

Rose has many small pamphlet type publications that are very valuable for a “quick” reference guide.  Rose covers many many topics and I have found them all to be quite Biblically reliable so far.

The Case for Christ

This book is not so much to for studying the Bible but for authenticating It.  Author Lee Stroebel’s ground breaking work does a fantastic job of looking at the evidence that Jesus Christ was who He said He was – the Son of God. As part of that it goes in depth to study the reliability of the New testament – specifically the Gospels – Matthew , Mark, Luke and John  - in other words, Jesus’ biographies.

A much smaller work but also very valuable for evidence of the reliability of the Bible ( both Old and New Testaments)  is “The Bible: Myth or divine Truth” by Warren Henderson.