9 Jan 2009 14:15 Africa/Lagos
'The Biblical Dinner': A Documentary Film That Thrills Viewers by the Remarkable Historical Events and Truth of the Bible - A Must See!
Experience a thought-provoking meal with customs dating back to Abraham, and relevance stretching far into eternity
GARDEN VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- DVD Studio (http://www.dvdstudio.us/) releases "The Biblical Dinner," a 60-minute video that transforms you back in time ... IMAGINE yourself transported to a time before electricity, before upright seating or silverware -- to a place illuminated by ancient oil lamps, warmed by the laughter of friends who are prepared to give their lives for your safety. Imagine yourself reclining at a table where each bite or sip taken holds both ancient relevance and soul-level significance.
Welcome to THE BIBLICAL DINNER ...
Pastor Jay McCarl (Calvary Chapel on the Georgetown Divide, CA) hosts an intimate, thought-provoking meal with customs dating back to the time of Abraham, and relevance stretching far into eternity. Pastor Jay explores a variety of subjects including:
-- The remarkable historical events surrounding the Last Supper
-- Ancient table manners including Gifts of Hospitality
-- The Spiritual ramifications of a single piece of bread
-- The unexpected significance of the seating arrangements of the Last Supper
"I've been a Christian for over 20 years, a pastor for over 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Pastor Jay's 'Biblical Dinner' was an incredibly wonderful experience. A definite must ...." --Pastor Todd Gold, Calvary Chapel of Auburn, California
"Attending 'The Biblical Dinner' opened my eyes to the cultural significance of many of the Scriptures I had only casually passed by. It was a night of true spiritual ground breaking!" --Pastor Rick Hardesy
Produced By: DVD Studio
Author/Host: Jay McCarl
Directed By: Greg Bueghly
Wholesale Contact Information:
DVD Studio
7060 Prospect Lane
Garden Valley, CA 95633
530-333-1087
gregb@dvdstudio.us
Retail Sales at http://www.dvdstudio.us/ and most Fine Christian Book Stores.
Watch The Trailer
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.
Source: DVD Studio
CONTACT: DVD Studio, +1-530-333-1087, gregb@dvdstudio.us
Web Site: http://www.dvdstudio.us/
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 02, 2009
You, too, Can Make a Difference
You, too, Can Make a Difference
Wishing all Daily Encounter readers a very Happy New Year
"For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ."1
I read about a group of nuns who were given a vacation trip through the Rocky Mountains where they had never been before. They were filled with awe as they marveled at the wonder of the many miles of majestic mountains. However, every time they stopped to enjoy the view, one particular nun would slip away by herself. So on one occasion the other nuns decided they would follow her to see what she was up to. "They watched her as she walked into the gully. She bent down and reached under a sizable rock, and then turned the rock upside down. She brushed her hands and turned around to walk back up the trail. When she looked up, the entire Order of nuns was watching her.
"Margaret, what are you doing?" they asked.
"I'm turning over a rock," she replied.
"Why?" they asked. "Do you do that every time?"
She answered, "Yes."
"Why do you do that?"
She replied: "Because I will never pass this way again, and it's my intent to have made a difference while I was here. So I turn some rocks over so that this place is different because I passed here."2
A little amusing perhaps, but seriously, I want to make a difference—for time and eternity—as I pass through the journey of life! I don't think any of us want to have lived in vain. The best and ultimate way I know to make a difference is to make myself available for God to use every day of my life.
We are not all called to be homemakers, doctors, bakers, dressmakers, preachers, communicators, or whatever—but we are all called to be faithful and when we make ourselves available to God every day, be assured, he will use us to make a big difference in the lives of the people he brings across our path.
As William Penn so eloquently put it: "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."3
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, at this the beginning of another New Year, I commit and trust my life to you and am available for your service. Please use me this year to be as Christ to every life I touch and in so doing make a difference in the world in which I live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Philippians 1:20-21 (NLT).
2. Rev. Douglass M. Bailey, Sermon: "Hard Truth for Advent."
3. Attributed to William Penn, British religious leader (1644-1718).
<:))))><
Wishing all Daily Encounter readers a very Happy New Year
"For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ."1
I read about a group of nuns who were given a vacation trip through the Rocky Mountains where they had never been before. They were filled with awe as they marveled at the wonder of the many miles of majestic mountains. However, every time they stopped to enjoy the view, one particular nun would slip away by herself. So on one occasion the other nuns decided they would follow her to see what she was up to. "They watched her as she walked into the gully. She bent down and reached under a sizable rock, and then turned the rock upside down. She brushed her hands and turned around to walk back up the trail. When she looked up, the entire Order of nuns was watching her.
"Margaret, what are you doing?" they asked.
"I'm turning over a rock," she replied.
"Why?" they asked. "Do you do that every time?"
She answered, "Yes."
"Why do you do that?"
She replied: "Because I will never pass this way again, and it's my intent to have made a difference while I was here. So I turn some rocks over so that this place is different because I passed here."2
A little amusing perhaps, but seriously, I want to make a difference—for time and eternity—as I pass through the journey of life! I don't think any of us want to have lived in vain. The best and ultimate way I know to make a difference is to make myself available for God to use every day of my life.
We are not all called to be homemakers, doctors, bakers, dressmakers, preachers, communicators, or whatever—but we are all called to be faithful and when we make ourselves available to God every day, be assured, he will use us to make a big difference in the lives of the people he brings across our path.
As William Penn so eloquently put it: "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."3
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, at this the beginning of another New Year, I commit and trust my life to you and am available for your service. Please use me this year to be as Christ to every life I touch and in so doing make a difference in the world in which I live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Philippians 1:20-21 (NLT).
2. Rev. Douglass M. Bailey, Sermon: "Hard Truth for Advent."
3. Attributed to William Penn, British religious leader (1644-1718).
<:))))><
A Chance to Change the World
Friday, January 2, 2009
1. A Chance to Change the World
"And then he [Jesus] told them, 'Go into all the world and preach [communicate] the Good News to everyone, everywhere.'"1
Donald William Dotterer wrote, "Steven Jobs is the man who founded the enormously successful company called Apple Computer. Jobs decided that Mr. John Sculley was the man he needed to help him fulfill his dream of building a completely different kind of computer company, one which [Jobs dreamed] would make computers available to every person in the world. However, Mr. Sculley was comfortably and safely entrenched as president of the Pepsico Corporation, the makers of the soft drink Pepsi.
"In this position, John Sculley had achieved everything that a man could want: power, prestige, public recognition, an enormous salary and a secure future. The thought of a career change requiring a move to the West Coast frightened him. He was concerned about losing pensions and deferred compensation and the adjustment to living in California, in other words, 'the pragmatic stuff that preoccupies the middle-aged.'
"John Sculley knew that he was safe at Pepsico. But he also knew that he had grown to dislike the competitive nature of the business. He also knew how bored he was. Steven Jobs at Apple Computer sensed this. And so he finally confronted his new friend with this pointed question. He said to John, 'Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?' That question penetrated deep into the heart and mind of John Sculley. It changed the course of his life. He therefore went to Apple Computer and helped it to grow into one of the most successful corporations in the world. Mr. Sculley's life was changed because he took the risk and decided to invest. Was it a risk? Yes. But without it, there would be no reward."2
I'm not suggesting that you should change your job (though some of you may need to), but I am asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life doing only what you are doing now, or do you want to help to truly change the world—one person at a time?"
You can. Here are a few of many simple ways you can do this:
First, make yourself available to God every day and ask him to use you to be as Jesus to every life you touch and that people seeing Jesus in you will want him for themselves.
Second, become involved in serving others through your local church or a fine voluntary organization and help make a difference in your local community.
Third, you can send copies of suitable Daily Encounters to friends and loved ones and share with them these non-preachy Christian messages that speak directly to their personal needs. Hundreds of people are being reached with the gospel and Christian message in this way and it, too, is helping to change the world—one person at a time.
Fourth, besides financially supporting your local church, help support faith organizations that are making a difference and those that are spreading the gospel. There are many such organizations that are dependent on the support of concerned Christians for their operation. And in your giving, please consider becoming a partner with ACTS International (publisher of Daily and Weekend Encounter) through your prayer and financial support and therein be a part of a work that is sending the gospel around the world via E-mail and the Internet every day of the year.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for Jesus, the Savior, the hope of lost mankind, and the only one who has the power to truly change the world. I am available—please guide me in how I can best invest my time, talents, and money in your work, and use me today and every day to be as Christ to every life I touch and therein help change the world in which I live—one person at a time. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Mark 16:15 (TLB-NLT).
2. Donald William Dotterer, "Living the Easter Faith," CSS Publishing Company, 1994. Cited on www.eSermons.com, 2002.
<:))))><
1. A Chance to Change the World
"And then he [Jesus] told them, 'Go into all the world and preach [communicate] the Good News to everyone, everywhere.'"1
Donald William Dotterer wrote, "Steven Jobs is the man who founded the enormously successful company called Apple Computer. Jobs decided that Mr. John Sculley was the man he needed to help him fulfill his dream of building a completely different kind of computer company, one which [Jobs dreamed] would make computers available to every person in the world. However, Mr. Sculley was comfortably and safely entrenched as president of the Pepsico Corporation, the makers of the soft drink Pepsi.
"In this position, John Sculley had achieved everything that a man could want: power, prestige, public recognition, an enormous salary and a secure future. The thought of a career change requiring a move to the West Coast frightened him. He was concerned about losing pensions and deferred compensation and the adjustment to living in California, in other words, 'the pragmatic stuff that preoccupies the middle-aged.'
"John Sculley knew that he was safe at Pepsico. But he also knew that he had grown to dislike the competitive nature of the business. He also knew how bored he was. Steven Jobs at Apple Computer sensed this. And so he finally confronted his new friend with this pointed question. He said to John, 'Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?' That question penetrated deep into the heart and mind of John Sculley. It changed the course of his life. He therefore went to Apple Computer and helped it to grow into one of the most successful corporations in the world. Mr. Sculley's life was changed because he took the risk and decided to invest. Was it a risk? Yes. But without it, there would be no reward."2
I'm not suggesting that you should change your job (though some of you may need to), but I am asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life doing only what you are doing now, or do you want to help to truly change the world—one person at a time?"
You can. Here are a few of many simple ways you can do this:
First, make yourself available to God every day and ask him to use you to be as Jesus to every life you touch and that people seeing Jesus in you will want him for themselves.
Second, become involved in serving others through your local church or a fine voluntary organization and help make a difference in your local community.
Third, you can send copies of suitable Daily Encounters to friends and loved ones and share with them these non-preachy Christian messages that speak directly to their personal needs. Hundreds of people are being reached with the gospel and Christian message in this way and it, too, is helping to change the world—one person at a time.
Fourth, besides financially supporting your local church, help support faith organizations that are making a difference and those that are spreading the gospel. There are many such organizations that are dependent on the support of concerned Christians for their operation. And in your giving, please consider becoming a partner with ACTS International (publisher of Daily and Weekend Encounter) through your prayer and financial support and therein be a part of a work that is sending the gospel around the world via E-mail and the Internet every day of the year.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for Jesus, the Savior, the hope of lost mankind, and the only one who has the power to truly change the world. I am available—please guide me in how I can best invest my time, talents, and money in your work, and use me today and every day to be as Christ to every life I touch and therein help change the world in which I live—one person at a time. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Mark 16:15 (TLB-NLT).
2. Donald William Dotterer, "Living the Easter Faith," CSS Publishing Company, 1994. Cited on www.eSermons.com, 2002.
<:))))><
Pope Benedict Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation
Pope Benedict Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation
Pope Bebedict XVI spoke out recently against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself."
He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican, in keeping with Bible teaching, opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.
Pope Benedict said saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."
The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes "gay marriage". In October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation [that needs straightening out], an irregularity, a wound [that needs healing]."
The pope said humanity needed to "listen to the language of creation" to understand the intended roles of man and woman. He compared behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work."
"The Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Holy See (Vatican) spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said as debate raged over the Vatican statement.
Fr Lombardi said the Catholic Church is clearly against considering homosexuality a crime, but is wary of international declarations that use the issue to promote a political agenda based on sexual orientation.
In early December, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore drew criticism from "gay" rights groups when he said the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration to endorse the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Archbishop Migliore said such a declaration might be used to put pressure on or discriminate against countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage.
Fr Lombardi, in his latest comments to reporters, said the Vatican was not conducting a battle against the United Nations or weakening its opposition to discrimination against homosexuals, which is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
"There is no question that the Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Fr Lombardi said.
The Church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," he said.
He noted that Archbishop Migliore's comments were made in response to a question about a draft declaration that had yet to be presented at the United Nations or in any public forum.
He said Archbishop Migliore's point was that it's one thing to argue against discrimination and criminalisation regarding homosexuality, but another to contend that anyone who makes a distinction based on sexual orientation is considered an adversary of human rights.
Specifically, Archbishop Migliore expressed the fear that the draft declaration could lead to a situation in which "states that do not recognise same sex unions as 'marriage' will be pilloried and put under pressure" to do so.
By Adeleke Adeyemi
"The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them" (Barry Lopez)
What's Your Story - Nexus Or Excuse?
Pope Bebedict XVI spoke out recently against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself."
He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican, in keeping with Bible teaching, opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.
Pope Benedict said saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."
The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes "gay marriage". In October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation [that needs straightening out], an irregularity, a wound [that needs healing]."
The pope said humanity needed to "listen to the language of creation" to understand the intended roles of man and woman. He compared behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work."
"The Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Holy See (Vatican) spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said as debate raged over the Vatican statement.
Fr Lombardi said the Catholic Church is clearly against considering homosexuality a crime, but is wary of international declarations that use the issue to promote a political agenda based on sexual orientation.
In early December, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore drew criticism from "gay" rights groups when he said the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration to endorse the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Archbishop Migliore said such a declaration might be used to put pressure on or discriminate against countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage.
Fr Lombardi, in his latest comments to reporters, said the Vatican was not conducting a battle against the United Nations or weakening its opposition to discrimination against homosexuals, which is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
"There is no question that the Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Fr Lombardi said.
The Church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," he said.
He noted that Archbishop Migliore's comments were made in response to a question about a draft declaration that had yet to be presented at the United Nations or in any public forum.
He said Archbishop Migliore's point was that it's one thing to argue against discrimination and criminalisation regarding homosexuality, but another to contend that anyone who makes a distinction based on sexual orientation is considered an adversary of human rights.
Specifically, Archbishop Migliore expressed the fear that the draft declaration could lead to a situation in which "states that do not recognise same sex unions as 'marriage' will be pilloried and put under pressure" to do so.
By Adeleke Adeyemi
"The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them" (Barry Lopez)
What's Your Story - Nexus Or Excuse?
Happy New Year 2009 and Here is A Great New Book for Evangelism!
Happy New Year!
May I recommend Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven, an awesome book of awesome testimonies of the facts on heaven and hell by those God brought back to life in Nigeria, Russia and by scientists and Astronauts.
This book is a must read and I have been using it for evangelism and when you read it, you would be glad to recommend it and use it for evangelism as well.
Cheers and God bless you always.
Faithfully,
Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
May I recommend Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven, an awesome book of awesome testimonies of the facts on heaven and hell by those God brought back to life in Nigeria, Russia and by scientists and Astronauts.
This book is a must read and I have been using it for evangelism and when you read it, you would be glad to recommend it and use it for evangelism as well.
Cheers and God bless you always.
Faithfully,
Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
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