Volume 4 Issue 25

Monday 29 June 2009

Hippolite Musings

Thought for the Day

Gentlemen,

“Do we have another Diana [situation] here?” was the question posed by one news reporter, in regards to the death of Michael Jackson.  The comparison was being made because of a celebrity death under suspicious circumstances.  The verdict is still out on that, but from this reporter’s perspective, the similarities don’t just end there.

The world has deified both Diana and Michael.  But not only that.  Diana’s funeral dwarfed Mother Theresa’s.  Michael’s is dwarfing Farah Fawcett, who apparently confessed born-again status, whereas neither Michael nor Diana ever did.

Ah well, just as well the accolades are waiting for us in heaven, else I might become quite stressed by the injustice of it all.

Blessings,
James

Correspondence

Iran: Stop the Crackdown

Hi friends

Millions of Iranian democracy protesters are facing an imminent violent crackdown. Top regime leaders are split on using violence, and every bit of pressure counts -- we urgently need world governments to withhold recognition of any new government that relies on violence to secure power. Sign the petition and forward this email - let's get to 1 million voices against the crackdown this week!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/iran_stop_the_crackdown/96.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Thanks!
Denys Church
on behalf of Promote
www.promote.org.nz
Tel: 021 411 560

Foreign Correspondent

From Chuck Missler’s K-House News Desk

• Israeli Experts Divided Over Iran's Mousavi - June 24, 2009
  Israeli experts disagree on whether the Jewish state is better off with Mahmoud Ahmadinjad as Iran's president, or with his challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi. While Mousavi is seen as more moderate than the incumbent, many experts think this actually makes him a greater threat – because the danger he poses is harder to see. Mossad director Meir Dagan told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week that "if the reformist candidate Mousavi had won, Israel would have had a more serious problem because it would need to explain to the world the danger of the Iranian threat." Arutz Sheva
• Iran On The Way To Revolution - June 23, 2009
  A week after hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the June 12 election, protestors continue to reject the results. Protests continue in Iran, despite the vicious backlash by the Iranian authorities. According to freelance journalist Kayvon Biouki: "By the look of things, it doesn't seem that the conservatives are going to back down. And at the same time it doesn't seem that people, Mousavi supporters, and all those who oppose the Iranian system in one way or another, those are not going to back down from this either. In a way, it's a revolution in progress." Fox News
• Universal is Expensive: Health Care Debate Warms Up - June 23, 2009
  "A preliminary estimate of the Senate Finance Committee's draft bill put the price tag of universal coverage at $1.6 trillion over 10 years. That was considerably more than anyone anticipated and forced the committee to delay work on the bill. The cost of the incomplete plan drafted by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was pegged at about $1 trillion over 10 years, but the CBO said that would still leave 30 million (rather than the current 46 million) people without coverage." There are several plans for legislators to consider. Medical News Today
• A Step Closer To Teleportation - June 22, 2009
  Australian scientists have developed a new method for transmitting data with light that may lead to super-fast quantum computers and teleportation technology. The research team from the Australian National University developed a new approach to generating quantum entanglement in beams of light using only two parts. AAP

Situation Vacant

CITIZENS INITIATED REFERENDUM FUNDRAISER

It is fairly obvious already that the Yes vote coalition has been spending up large to spread their half-truths and misinformation.

[The coalition for the No vote] need your help to make their campaign to the finish line in this long battle to make sure 'the voice of the people is not drowned out!' They have raised approx one third of their budget so far. Can you help them raise the rest of the total of $50,000? Whether you can afford $10, $20, $50, $500 or much more, whatever the amount, it will be an investment for the future protection of families in New Zealand.

You can send your checks made out to CIR Referendum, P.O. Box 9228, Greerton, 3142 Tauranga or direct Internet banking to their solicitors, McKenzie Elvin Trust account

For CIR Referendum Trust        02 0432 0393 450-02

Why I’m An AGW Critic

Polar bear expert barred by global warmists

Mitchell Taylor, who has studied the animals for 30 years, was told his views 'are extremely unhelpful’ , reveals Christopher Booker.

According to the world’s leading expert on polar bears, their numbers are higher than they were 30 years ago.

Sunday Service

Praise & Worship (with Ike)

• Yours Is The Kingdom
• Every Day
• The Same Power

Things You Need To Know (with Ella)

• Kairos Course, 9 week course
• Men’s Breakfast next Saturday @ JJ Murphy’s Bar with Bob Lawson
• Mission Possible lunch today, Operation Friendship with Elaine Scott
• Encounter, an evening with God and friends, 6pm tonight
• Warriors 4 Christ, Saturday 4^th July
• The Living Room, Monday 6^th July with Margaret Lawson from Hamilton Elim
• Blaize’s father died, family service tonight

Crunchies (with Selwyn)

• Sarah Powell is 11
• Michael Foley was on the cover of City Life newspaper
• Duncan Brown has a new job
• Selwyn Jackson has a second granddaughter

Tithes & Offerings

• Exodus 35:4-6, 5-9
• Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying “this is what God has commanded:
• Gather from everyone…
• Then everyone left Moses…
• Then they came back, every one whose heart was roused, whose spirit was freely responsive, bringing offerings to God for building the Tent of Meeting.

Sermon (with Jeannie)

• Mike’s surprise birthday last week was a brilliant success
• Don’t let the devil rob you of your faith
• She gave a testimony of giving comfort to a very frightened girl on the plane with her, during a rough landing. Very outside Jeannie’s comfort zone; a miracle.
• She showed the “Christian the lion” video clip (x2)
• “Those two men put their faith into their relationship”
• People put their faith into all kinds of things
• If you are facing a situation which is causing doubt and fear, the devil intimidates;
• when we pray, we close the gap between heaven and earth; when you agree with somebody, something happens that doesn’t happen when you pray alone

What’s God Like?

• Gospel of John: “if you’ve seen me (Jesus), then you’ve seen the Father”
• John 2: Jesus went to a wedding party
• He went out of his way, crossed heaven to be born a man, and crossed culture to speak with the Samaritan woman
• Just like that lion in that video, God never forgets His own people

Communion

• Let us not cheapen grace
• But with respect take these emblems
• As a reminder of our unity

Why I Am A Creationist

• New Book Offers DNA Evidence For Intelligent Design - June 23, 2009
  The digital code in DNA reveals new evidence of intelligent design, Stephen C. Meyer shows in his authoritative new book. Signature in the Cell shows that Darwin did not refute the argument from design, as New Atheists such as Richard Dawkins claim. Instead, using the same scientific method that Darwin himself pioneered, Meyer shows that modern discoveries about DNA have revived the design hypothesis, thereby providing modern scientific support for religious belief. The Discovery Institute

Why I Am A Christian

I Have The Father’s Handbook For Successful Living

He Tells Me Physical Punishment May Be a Legitimate Part of Family Discipline

A woman who writes under the pseudonym of Nonen Titi, has self published a book called 'The Happiness Inquisition." This fictional novel attempts to portray what the possible ramifications of the anti-smacking law will be in our communities. You may find it useful to give to a friend to help explain why this law is bad and must go.

To view the book cover and make any orders click on her website link. The cost is $10 including postage in NZ.

www.nonentiti.com

Why I Am Pro-Life

Amnesty’s Annual Report Touts Abortion

• Amnesty International Tars Poland over Abortion Access
  (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  Amnesty International recently issued its 2009 survey of what it considers to be the state of human rights throughout the world. Of particular interest to social conservatives is Amnesty's continued campaign to advance a "right" to abortion globally. In its entry on Poland, Amnesty raps the country for its alleged "Denial of access to abortion for eligible women," citing criticism that Poland received from the Human Rights Council (HRC) in May 2008. It further faulted the government for failing to implement a 2007 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Tysiąc v. Poland, concerning a purported "duty to establish effective mechanisms for ensuring women have access to abortion where it is legal."  
• New UNFPA Annual Report Prioritizes "Reproductive Health"
  (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  Last week, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released its annual report for 2008, highlighting the organization's work on maternal health and its "continued efforts to ensure the universal access to reproductive health and the right of all people to decide the number and timing of their children." Though UNFPA refuses to subject its books to an independent audit and also refuses to share specific budget reporting to its board of directors, its annual report asserts that in 2008, almost half of UNFPA's program expenses went to "reproductive health" programs, at a cost of $165.1 million, up from $146.6 million the previous year. 

Why I Am A Homeschooler

• UN Treaty Jeopardizes UK's Homeschoolers - June 16, 2009
  On June 11, 2009 a report on home education in England by Graham Badman, a former Managing Director of Children, Families and Education in the County of Kent, was accepted in full by the British Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. The report makes the case that homeschooling should be extensively regulated in England. Aside from registering with the state and mandating reports by homeschoolers, the Badman report makes references to balancing the rights of parents with the rights of children. This idea is expressed in the UNCRC. Home School Legal Defense Association

Why I Am Pro-Israel

Hope and Terror In Iran

Thursday June 25 marked three years since Iran-backed Hamas kidnapped Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit from Israel.

We are still hoping for his safe return, until then let's all pray for him and help Israeli soldiers, by making them smile this summer with a tasty kosher pizza.

While watching the videos below, make a small prayer for peace, democracy and freedom in the Middle East, from Iran to Israel.

IRAN (discretion advised)

• Iran’s answer to the free world - NEDA-YE SABZ
• MANY Students Shot & Killed by Basiji Gun Fire
• We found people with who to make peace in Iran

ISRAEL

• Very touching: It Happened Yom Kippur
• Take a tour of the Golan Heights
• Document: Do you remember Anne Frank?
• Fun: Ahmed & Salim meet Ben Laden
• Discover: The Diwan Project – Music from Yemen

Humour

Two ropes slither into a bar…

The first goes up to the bartender and asks for a drink, only to be told, “Sorry, we don’t serve your kind here.”

“I beg you pardon?”

“We don’t serve your kind.  You’re a rope, aren’t you?  We don’t serve ropes here.”

So the first rope tells the second rope this, adding, “you won’t get a drink here.”

The second rope, full of confidence, declares, “I’ll get a drink.”  So we combs his top, makes a bow and slides up to the bar.

The bartender gives him the same refusal, “we don’t serve your kind here.  You’re a rope, aren’t you?”

“I’m a frayed knot.”

DVD Review

Title

Babylon 5: The Series 

Author

J. Michael Straczynski (“The Great Maker”) 

Description

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind – ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream, given form. Its goal: to prevent another war, by creating a place where humans and aliens can work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call – home away from home – for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens, wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal... all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5.

Contents

• Season 1: Signs and Portents
• Season 2: The Coming of Shadows
• Season 3: Point of No Return
• Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat
• Season 5: The Wheel of Fire

Review

The best science fiction series, ever. I originally watched them on TV2 on Saturday afternoons, but now I have a friend who bought all five series.  I have been enjoying them.  If you haven’t watched a TV series without ads before, it’s a real treat.

10/10

Bible Reading 

Week to 5 July 2009

29. Isaiah 19:1 – 22:25
30. Isaiah 23:1 – 26:21
1. Isaiah 27:1 – 29:24
2. Isaiah 30:1 – 32:20
3. Isaiah 33:1 – 36:22
4. Isaiah 37:1 – 39:8
5. Micah 1:1 – 5:1

Week to 12 July 2009

6. Micah 5:2 – 7:20 
7. Nahum 1:1 – 3:19
8. 2 Kings 21:1 – 21:26; 2 Chronicles 33:1 – 34:13
9. 2 Chronicles 34:14 – 35:27
10. 2 Kings 22:1 – 23:34
11. Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20
12. 2 Kings 23:35 – 25:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1 – 36:23

Don’t forget you can look up these references for yourselves at: http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/.

End Notes

• METTLE is an acronym for Men's Evangelical Team Together for Learning Experiences. We are primarily Christian businessmen from Wellington, who meet occasionally in the CBD to encourage each other in our daily walk with Jesus. This Weekly Collaborative Blog (WCB) is our primary means of communication.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this WCB, you are welcome to forward them along. Similarly, if your circumstances are such that membership in this distribution list is no longer relevant, then hit reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE to have it removed.
• If you choose to respond to any item raised in this WCB, please indicate clearly which items you wish to remain Private, as any correspondence may be considered Public and could be published.
• If this fortnight’s newsletter has been of benefit to you, why not drop a line and say so.  Or better yet, visit the TVORNZ website to read past issues and add a comment!
• Published by The Voice of Reason, New Zealand, copyright (C) 2009

Volume 4 Issue 24

Monday 22 June 2009

Hippolite Musings

Thought for the Day

Gentlemen,

Please don’t let the Main Stream Media’s (MSM) usual concentration on Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) distract or confuse you about the up-coming referendum.  “They” don’t want you to exercise your democratic right to disagree with the anti-smacking law.  They know it was hugely unpopular, unnecessary and ideologically driven.  They imposed it from a UN directive from above, not a grass-roots movement from below.

The law is wrong because it casts the State as caring experts against parents as disinterested amateurs.  For Christians, that is simply not the case.  We are charged with the responsibility to bring up our children in the right ways.  The State can never fulfil that role better.  The State wants that role for itself, because it wants to shape the priorities of our children.  Instead of God, family and State, it wants State only.

Bradford, Key & Goff are attempting to side-line the results already, because they know they are going to lose.  The question is not ambiguous.  It means what it says.  We are not fooled.  They have criminalised smacking.  They have criminalised “reasonable force.”  They have criminalised parental authority.

Larry Baldock, the architect of the referendum, has given John Key the option to decriminalise parental smacking, in exchange for dropping the referendum.  John Key has refused.  Therefore, in my opinion, the entire $9M is John Key’s National Government’s responsibility, not the Citizen who initiated it.  Helen Clark very cleverly and very cynically prevented the referendum taking place during last year’s general election, in order to avoid the negative publicity it would have added at that time.  The cost would probably have been much less than $9M at that time.

Vote “NO” in the up-coming referendum “Should a smack, as a part of good parental discipline, be a criminal offence in NZ?”

Blessings,
James

Correspondence

The Clueless Cup

I pass this on, in case any of you are interested in attending, either as audience or participants!  I shan’t be able to make it myself.

Greetings, Fellow Thespians!

New Players would like to invite you to compete for the Clueless Cup, in a fantastic evening of Charades!

Saturday, 11th July 2009, 7.30pm
Newlands Community Centre
Batchelor Street
Newlands
Front door is opposite front door of the Newlands Tavern!

Our Mute Master is Barry Lakeman, who will provide the 'doing' things, and collate the scores

You will be able to see where our 'performance space' is and also be cosy in a smaller room, upstairs

Look forward to hosting many teams, please RSVP to our 24 hour answerphone 4787878 by Weds 8th, for catering purposes

Tea, Coffee and Supper provided

Thanx

Marie Thomson
President
New Players Theatre Co

Foreign Correspondent

From Chuck Missler’s K-House News Desk

• Sorry Carter: No Certainty of Two-State Solution - June 17, 2009
  Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu may have agreed to demilitarize the PA state, but a two-state decision is not actually in the bag. "There is no consensus in Israel regarding the two-state formula," Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin told former US President Jimmy Carter on Monday. "We will not, under any circumstances, allow the establishment of a neighbouring state that will be a genuine threat on our existence." Arutz Sheva
• Children Purchased As Suicide Bombers - June 16, 2009
  Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said the terrorists are paying huge amounts of money to buy children to use them as suicide bombers. "The terrorists are using children for their barbarous terrorist activities and a suicide bomber is paid Rs five to 25 lakh from terrorist outfits," Mr Malik said while speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad yesterday. He said the government is determined to continue the war against terrorism until the Taliban are flushed out of the country, adding terrorists are targeting innocent people... NewKerala.com
• Russia Calls For “Supranational Currency” To Replace the U.S. Dollar - June 16, 2009
  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is hosting back-to-back summits of developing economies in Yekaterinburg, in the Ural Mountains that divide Europe and Asia, as he seeks to lessen the world economy's dependence on the US dollar. Medvedev and Hu will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the first summit of so-called BRIC nations. Bloomberg
• The Iranian Thugocracy - June 15, 2009
  Many Iranians are displaying the courage of despair, in the knowledge that they have been deceived and cheated. They were promised an election for president. The incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a fanatic who has alienated huge sections of the population, and Iranians' hope was that this election would provide some sort of test of public opinion. Not the independent official that the title seems to describe, the president is responsible for putting into practice the policies of the "supreme leader," and as such he is hardly more than a public dogsbody. Under the disguise of clerical robes and turbans, the Islamic Republic is a classic example of thugocracy... National Review Online
• Italy And US Stop Hackers Who May Have Funded Terrorists - June 15, 2009
  Italian and US authorities have broken up an international group that hacked into long-distance phone lines and may have provided funds to terrorists in Southeast Asia, officials said Monday. Police conducted raids across Italy on Friday to arrest five Pakistanis linked to a hacking operation in the Philippines. On the same day, Federal authorities in New Jersey charged three people living in the Philippines in connection with the case. Fox News

Situation Vacant

Dancers Wanted – Machol Pacifica 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen!

As you may have already heard, the Wellington Israeli Dance Group is hosting this year's Machol Pacifica from the 16th to the 18th of October.  We are delighted to be hosting Pamela Schwartz (formerly of Argentina, Auckland and Australia: the 3 A's) who has kindly offered to teach us the latest dances she has learned in Melbourne.  Pamela has attended several dance workshops since we have seen her last and she will be choosing the very latest and best dances to teach us.

Pamela has generously offered to teach us without a fee, which means we can offer the lowest price we've ever offered at a workshop!  Full registration is only $50.00, while the Early Bird registration is a mere $40!

Taking into account the current rocky financial situation, the website lists a number of options for both accommodation and food.  We will not have the workshop catered, as we will be dancing in the Whitireia Performing Arts Centre, near Courtenay Place.  There are two great cafes just downstairs from the venue and Moore Wilson's Supermarket just across the road.  We have access to a kitchen in the venue so, while we will be providing morning and afternoon tea and supper, we suggest you decide on your own meal budget for both lunches and dinners.

The website gives a mountain of information about the Dance Workshop, including the schedule.  As you will note, we are not dancing on the long weekend this time around, so the workshop will run only from Friday night through 'til midday Sunday.

There will be two exciting new features this year!  First is a concept borrowed from the Munich Dance group where our old friends Corina Brunner and Matti Goldschmidt dance.  On the Saturday afternoon, from 3.15 - 4.30, Pamela will be teaching a single 'Advanced' session.  The dances in this class will be more complicated and she will be teaching at a greater speed.  Please be sure you are up to this level before attending this session, as Pamela will not be able to slow down to match slower learner's requirements.  A great challenge for all you advanced dancers!

The second innovation this year was a suggestion by our inspired Treasurer, Fiona Bayliss.  We have booked a second studio at the Performing Arts Centre for the Saturday night and will run two social dance sessions simultaneously.   Studio One will host newer dances, while Studio Two will be playing a selection of older favourites.  We will be emailing group leaders within the next few weeks to ask for a list of older favourites and we will combine these to create a playlist that will both challenge and thrill.

For more information, please don't hesitate to contact us, and to download your registration form, please visit the website at:  www.macholpacifica.org.nz .

Regards

Wellington Israeli Dance Group

Why I’m An AGW Critic

Will someone tell the Arctic it is supposed to be melting now?

from TBR.cc by iwishart

With temperatures in the Arctic remaining cool, it looks as though the ice is continuing to recover from its 2007 lows.

This one will get up Trufflehunter's nose and his repeated claims of "faster melt than ever", but so be it: the latest snow and ice official data shows Arctic sea ice extent for much of April and May has actually exceeded the average, contrary to what alarmists like the Hot Topic bloggers have been braying.

Sunday Service

Praise & Worship

• O Praise Him
• Your Word
• Because He Lives
• The Anthem

Thing You Need to Know

• Breakthrough Prayer, Tuesday @ 6pm
• Sing & Jive for Under 5s, Wednesday @ 10am
• Raze Youth, Friday, 7pm, Studio, High-schoolers
• Mission Possible lunch: Operation Friendship with Elaine Scott, next Sunday
• Kairos Course, kairoscourse.org
• www.wn.elim.org.nz

Crunchies

• Birthdays (including June Hewitt)
• Catherine Griffin leaving for Canada tonight for father’s 92^nd birthday
• Visiting from Brisbane
• First time
• Bakers back from International Student Convention (US)
• Mike’s birthday (65^th) tomorrow

Tithes & Offerings

• Malachi 3:10-12 (NCV)
• Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of wht you earn so there will be food in my house..
• Prayer under an Open Heaven

Sunday Service

• Visiting Speaker Alan Chan, father of Kevin Chan
• In missions for 39 years. The last 9 years have been the most exciting.

“Do You Believe God?”

• We are in the last days
• Anticipating the immanent return of our Lord

Romans 8:28

• “All things work together for good for those who are called for His purposes…”
• If you are in His will, you are in the right frame to receive His promises

How to get into His Will

• John 20:21 “As my father has sent me, so I am sending you…”
• 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” We are to continue that ministry of reconciliation.
• 1 Corinthians 4:20: For the kingdom is not just in words, but in power.

There is an increase of witchcraft in the West

• God-shaped hole in each of our hearts
• Being filled by counterfeit power

The Father’s purpose for the church

• To fight the spiritual battle
• Ephesians 6:12

We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit

• Travels to North-east Indian villages (Nagaland, military controlled area)
• These churches have the Word. But they also need the Power.
• Built upon the solid word of God.
• “The Holy Spirit can turn a pussy cat into a tiger in a split second”

John 14:12

• “These things that you see me do, you shall do also” - Do I have that same authority? Power?
• “Even greater things” – woo wee!
• Do you believe God?
• Dare I claim this?
• Dare I believe You?

Matthew 10:8

• “When you go, preach the gospel of the kingdom. Heal the sick. Cleanse the leper. Raise the dead.”
• You don’t have to be a Christian to build hospitals, be doctors. (James says: but Christians created the first hospitals)
• But Christians will make better hospitals, doctors (because we have a right relationship with the Great Architect and Maker of our bodies)
• We are to operate in the spiritual realm to effect healing

Alan told a story about travelling into Nagaland

• Miracles of getting permits
• Getting through security
• Working healing miracles

Why I Am A Creationist

Laura Ingraham hosts Dr. Stephen Meyer

from Uncommon Descent by Clive Hayden

Dr. Stephen C. Meyer will be appearing on the Laura Ingraham show this coming Tuesday, June 23rd, at 11:00 a.m., EST. They will be discussing Dr. Meyer’s new book Signature in the Cell, DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. For information on the new book please visit www.signatureinthecell.com. They will be joined by Francis Collins, author of The Language of God.  You won’t want to miss this discussion.

Why I Am A Christian

My God is Creator of the Universe…

…unlike some other religions, where their god is merely an exalted man who evolved to become the god of this world.

And yes, I’m picking on the Mormons, because I happen to know a little about them.

Why I Am Pro-Life

Pro-Lifers Largely Prevail at Geneva Human Rights Council Meeting

(NEW YORK – C-FAM)  The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), meeting this month in Geneva, Switzerland, has adopted a resolution on maternal mortality and human rights that relieves concerns pro-lifers had during the early stages of negotiations.  The battle over the final text concerned two points: how broad a reference to "sexual and reproductive health" would the document contain, and whether member states would retain oversight over a report on maternal mortality from the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) called for by the resolution.  

Global "Safe Abortion" Conference Risks Women's Lives

(NEW YORK – C-FAM)  A year-and-a-half after the "Global 'Safe Abortion'" conference took place in London, abortion advocates Marie Stopes International and Ipas just released the conference report detailing the abortion movement’s worldwide strategy.  While organizers claimed that the primary objective of the conference was to "save women's lives and reduce maternal mortality," the report reveals that participants prioritized a so-called "right" to "safe and legal abortion" above all else – dismissing any evidence of its harmful effects on women and even denying the right of conscientious medical professionals to object to participating in abortions. 

Why I Am A Homeschooler

Our School Can’t Close…

…because of Swine Flu!

Why I Am Pro-Israel

Take a look at Iran… and Israel

Two major events happened this week, two events that could shape the Middle East of tomorrow...

On the one side, we saw that the democratically elected Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a historical speech, where he accepted the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state, showing that he, as much as the Israeli people that elected him, really want peace.

On the other side, the Iranian people had the difficult task of electing their new leader. And instead of showing their will for peace and progress by clearly electing the opposition candidate, the Iranian people chose to give their vote [James says: or had their vote stolen] to the anti-Semite and Holocaust denier, M. Ahmadinejad, who will continue on his path of building a nuclear bomb, leading the whole region into a state of war.

This week, we saw 2 major events, 2 people, 2 visions of the potential future, 2 visions of the world: glorification of life versus a glorification of death.

Netanyahu Speech

Look on Iran:

• Iranian Pres. Candidate Mohsen Rezai: less dangerous than Ahmadinejad?
• “Interesting” Iranian Presidential Debate

How a Muslim cleric received the “Obama Speech”

Focus on Jewish Culture:

• Ashkenazi: The king of Yiddish songs
• Sephardic: Yemenite Piyut for Simcha Torah
• Israeli Music today: (woman) Malka Ingedashet

Humour

Bad Thinking

Three old men were at the doctor for a memory test. The doctor said to the first old man, "What is one plus one?"
"Two hundred seventy-four," he replied.
The doctor said to the second man, "It's your turn. What is one plus one?"
"Tuesday," replied the second man.
The doctor said to the third man, "Okay, your turn. What's one plus one?"
"Two," said the third man.
"That's great!" said the doctor. "How did you get that?"
"Simple," said the third man. "I subtracted 274 from Tuesday."

—John Fehlen, Stanwood, Washington

Book Review

Title

Amos

Author

Amos

Description

The Book of Amos records the words of the first prophet in the Bible whose message was recorded at length.  Although he came from a town in Judah, he preached to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, about the middle of the eight century BC.  It was a time of great prosperity, notable religious piety, and apparent security.  But Amos saw that prosperity was limited to the wealthy, and that it fed on injustice and on oppression of the poor.  Religious observance was insincere, and security more apparent than real.  With passion and courage he preached that God would punish the nation.  He called for justice to flow “like a river” (5:24), but he also said, “Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy” on the people of Israel who were still left alive. (5:15)

Contents

• Judgment on Israel’s neighbours 1:1 – 2:5
• Judgment on Israel 2:6 – 6:14
• Five visions 7:1-9:15

Review

New Zealand is a class-less society.  It is hard for me to appreciate class division.  I figure with universal social welfare, there is no excuse for begging.  I believe in meritocracy: you reap what you sow.  Injustice and oppression in Biblical times translate to corruption in today’s political climate.  It still happens, it’s still wrong, we still have it, and I agree that “the price of freedom is constant vigilance.”

Hence, the Citizen Initiated Referendum is one avenue open to us to keep the blighters honest.

7/10

Book Review

Title

Hosea

Author

Hosea

Description

The prophet Hosea preached in the northern kingdom of Israel, after the prophet Amos and during the troubled time before the fall of Samaria in 721BC.  He was especially concerned about the idolatry of the people and their faithlessness towards God.  The Book of Hosea boldly pictures this faithlessness in terms of Hosea’s own disastrous marriage to an unfaithful woman.  Just as Hosea’s wife Gomer turned out to be unfaithful to him, so God’s people had deserted the LORD.  For this, judgment would fall on Israel.  But Hosea loved his wife and took her back again and in the same way God’s constant love for his people would finally prevail and he would win the nation back to himself and restore their relationship.  This love is expressed in the moving words: “How can I give you up, Ephraim?  How can I hand you over, Israel?  How can I treat you like Admah?  How can I make you like Zeboiim?  My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.” (11:8)

Contents

• Hosea’s marriage and family 1:1-3:5
• Messages against Israel 4:1-13:16
• A message of repentance and promise 14:1 - 9

Review

It’s comforting to know that, even when I’m unfaithful, God is faithful. 

7/10

Book Review

Title

The Shack

Author

William P. Young 

Format : Paperback, 256 pages.
Published In : United States, 01 Jul 2008

Description

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

Review

I read this book at the encouragement of a couple of friends, against the advice of another friend and my pastor.  That was one strike against it.  The premise was a father dealing with the greatest tragedy I can imagine.  That was a second strike against it.

So I went into it with a cautious attitude.  I was expecting dubious theology.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  It is one of the best modern parables/allegories I have read, since Peretti’s This Present Darkness. 

I understand the reluctance of some Christians to trust this book as a weapon in our spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of New Age influenced Westerners.  There is wriggle-room in the story to argue there are other paths to God than through Jesus.

But as a novel which deals with deep questions of pain and joy, I cannot fault it.  It should entertain strong Christians, while giving non-Christians at least an accurate introduction to the main doctrines of Christianity, but without the religiosity.

As a validation of allegory, and just because I like being provocative, does anybody actually believe that the rich ruler was in Hell and could see across to Lazarus reclining in Abraham’s bosom?  No?  Then allegories don’t have to be strictly accurate, in order to convey a greater spiritual truth.

9/10

Bible Reading 

Week to 28 June 2009

22. 2 Chronicles 29:1 – 31:1
23. 2 Chronicles 31:2 – 32:33
24. Isaiah 1:1 – 4:1
25. Isaiah 4:2 – 6:13
26. Isaiah 7:1 – 10:19
27. Isaiah 10:20 – 14:23
28. Isaiah 14:24 – 18:7

Week to 5 July 2009

29. Isaiah 19:1 – 22:25
30. Isaiah 23:1 – 26:21
1. Isaiah 27:1 – 29:24
2. Isaiah 30:1 – 32:20
3. Isaiah 33:1 – 36:22
4. Isaiah 37:1 – 39:8
5. Micah 1:1 – 5:1

Don’t forget you can look up these references for yourselves at: http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/.

End Notes

• METTLE is an acronym for Men's Evangelical Team Together for Learning Experiences. We are primarily Christian businessmen from Wellington, who meet occasionally in the CBD to encourage each other in our daily walk with Jesus. This Weekly Collaborative Blog (WCB) is our primary means of communication.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this WCB, you are welcome to forward them along. Similarly, if your circumstances are such that membership in this distribution list is no longer relevant, then hit reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE to have it removed.
• If you choose to respond to any item raised in this WCB, please indicate clearly which items you wish to remain Private, as any correspondence may be considered Public and could be published.
• If this fortnight’s newsletter has been of benefit to you, why not drop a line and say so.  Or better yet, visit the TVORNZ website to read past issues and add a comment!
• Published by The Voice of Reason, New Zealand, copyright (C) 2009

Volume 4 Issue 23

Monday 15 June 2009

Hippolite Musings

Thought for the Day

Gentlemen,

Thank you to the many who sent messages of condolences.

Mum had been in a rest home, suffering from dementia, for the past 18 months.  Her passing was sudden but not unexpected.

It was a wonderful three day tangi, with many marvellous stories and songs shared.  I saw my five siblings together for the first time in a long time.

Blessings,
James

Correspondence

Received this letter from a friend:

This year is both the bi-centenary year Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary year of the publication of the On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Darwin's book caused the discussion about the interface of empirical science and Christian faith to take a sharply combative turn.

Inasmuch as the matter of origins remains an ongoing concern with which Christians, in our socio-cultural context, must consider, I am writing to you to inform you, and those to whom you minister, about the Consortium's colloquium entitled "God and Darwin: Theology in Evolution". The colloquium will explore and discuss the issues involved as they are 150 years on. Consequently, the colloquium will reflect a range of faithful Christian responses as stimulus for further consideration. I'm sure that those to whom you minister would benefit from the stimulus and trust that you will commend participation in the colloquium to them.

The talks to be given are:

• Faith, Reason and Scientific Method
  Sean Devine (Victoria University of Wellington)
• An analysis of the Darwinian religious debate: its history, terminologies, ideologies and options
  Nicola Hoggard Creegan (Laidlaw-Carey Graduate School)
• Human evolution: how random process might fulfil divine purpose
  Graeme Finlay (University of Auckland, School of Medical Sciences)
• The doctrine of Creation in Scripture and its implications for humanity today
  Dennis Gordon (NIWA)

When: Saturday 4 July, 2009, 9:30am to 5:00pm

Where: Lecture Theatre 1, Rutherford House, VUW Pipitea Campus, Featherston Street, Wellington

Cost: Waged - $50; Unwaged - $30 (Morning & Afternoon tea provided, BYO Lunch)

For further information and registration, contact Garth Steven at Booth College of Mission: garth_stevenson@nzf.salvationarmy.org (04) 5288628 extn 745, PO Box 40-542, Upper Hutt 5140

As I told my friend, sounds a bit too liberal for my liking.  Theistic evolutionism is not creationism.

Foreign Correspondent

From Chuck Missler’s K-House News Desk

• Conservatives Gain In European Parliament Elections - June 09, 2009
  Europe was leaning to the right ahead of European Parliament elections Sunday, with voters in many countries favouring conservative parties against a backdrop of economic crisis. High unemployment across Europe has increased voter dissatisfaction with mainstream national parties, and scepticism over the EU's power to help spur recovery. AP
• Hezbollah Loses in Lebanon Elections - June 09, 2009
  The ruling pro-Western alliance managed to win in Lebanese parliamentary elections this weekend, much to the relief of Washington. "Sanity prevailed," a senior administration official said Sunday night. "Hey, look on the bright side, boys!" Andrew Exum, a Lebanon expert at the Centre for a New American Security wrote of Hezbollah. "Now you don't have to govern. It's a lot easier to be in the opposition if you're Hezbollah. You still keep your arms, and there is less pressure from the outside." In other words, despite relieving election results, the US and Israel still need to keep a close watch on Hezbollah. The New ForeignPolicy.com
• Supreme Court Won't Hear Challenge To Don't Ask Don't Tell - June 09, 2009
  The US Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case challenging the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy for gays in the military. Prior to 1993, when "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was implemented, homosexuals were completely banned from the military. Since 1993, gays and lesbians can only be dismissed if they are open about their same-sex attraction. Homosexual activist groups are waiting for President Obama to fulfil campaign promises to promote even more openness for gays in the military, but the White House has put that agenda on the back burner for now. AP
• US Journalists In North Korean Prisons - June 09, 2009
  While starvation, vicious beatings, torture, and public executions are the normal fare in North Korean work camps, the American journalists who were recently given 12-year sentences will most likely not be treated as badly as normal prisoners. North Korea cannot afford to let American journalists describe the true conditions of its prison camps, and with world eyes on the situation, the two journalists cannot just be buried. Still, even with better treatment, Laura Ling and Euna are in for no picnic. Time
• Five Questions for Sotomayor - June 09, 2009
  Unless we want confirmation processes to continue focusing on pot smoking, illegal-immigrant nannies, and the like, senators from both parties should ask probing questions that can cut through the "that case may come before me" clutter and actually shed light on Judge Sotomayor's judicial philosophy. Here are five. Cato Institute
• New Hampshire Passes Gay Marriage Bill - June 06, 2009
  New Hampshire's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives endorsed gay marriage in a 198-176 vote, hours after the state Senate approved the legislation 14-10 along party lines, making the state the fourth this year to back gay marriage in the United States. Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, signed the bill, which goes into effect on January 1. Reuters

Situation Vacant

Family First Fund Raiser

Will be responsible for helping to raise $50,000 funds to assist with the campaign to overthrow the Anti-Smacking Law.  For further information:

• Website www.voteno.org.nz
• Downloadable brochures translated in different languages
• Video footage of one very high profile NZ’ers and lots of other quotes
• Twitter and blog is already happening
• Facebook is also
• Billboards and newspaper ads being worked on as we speak

Our twitter has almost 200 followers and has been only running for about 3 weeks
The yesvoters have been going for almost 2 months and have 135!!

It’s all about timing.

The public awareness is very high yesterday and today but will die down for a couple of weeks until voters start receiving the actual voting papers.

Contact:

Bob McCoskrie JP
NATIONAL DIRECTOR

Why I’m An AGW Critic

Anecdotal Evidence

Because SH2 (Rimutaka Hill Road) to Masterton was closed tonight by snow and I couldn’t play squash interclub, that’s why.

And yes, I am aware that “they” have renamed Global Warming to be Climate Change because “they” know we aren’t fooled by GW anymore, and CC is sufficiently vague to mean everything and nothing.

Sunday Service

I wasn’t there

I was attending and presenting at a Dot Net Code Camp at Whitireia Polytechnic.  This was a voluntary contribution to my “geek” community (therefore not “work” for any of my legally-minded friends).  For full report see my Microsoft Sync Framework presentation.

Why I Am A Creationist

Latest Materialist Nonsense

In her recent paper, The Non-epistemology of Intelligent Design: Its Implications for Public Policy, evolutionary philosopher Barbara Forrest states that science must be restricted to natural phenomena. In its investigations, science must restrict itself to a naturalistic methodology, where explanations must be strictly naturalistic, dealing with phenomena that are strictly natural. Aside from rare exceptions this is the consensus position of evolutionists. And in typical fashion, Forrest uses this criteria to exclude origins explanations that allow for the supernatural. Only evolutionary explanations, in one form or another, are allowed.

Why I Am A Christian

My mother was an exo-biogenesist

That’s a big word meaning, “we know we can’t prove Evolution occurred here, but the Universe is such a massive place, and so very old, that it must have taken place somewhere else, and then seeded here.”  Richard Dawkins similarly falls into this position.

The bad news is, this merely moves the problem of the impossibly large improbabilities of chance mutation from this earth to some other hypothetical planet.  This can neither be tested nor proved.

The really bad news is, it’s still rebellion against God.

Why I Am Pro-Life

From Friday Fax

• Feisty Timor Leste Bucks Abortion Lobby, Upholds Right to Life
  (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  The parliament of East Timor – a small, Catholic nation in South East Asia recognized as an independent state in 2002 – has resisted concerted pressure from United Nations agencies and pro-abortion non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by enacting a revised penal law that continues to criminalize abortion in virtually all cases. With last week's 45 to 0 vote with only 7 abstentions on the main operative paragraph, parliament retained penal sanctions on abortion, except in instances where abortion is the "only way" to prevent death to the mother as attested to by three independent physicians. A preamble paragraph states that life "from the moment of conception" is entitled to protection.
• UN Comes One Step Closer to Creating New Women’s Super Agency
  (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  At United Nations (UN) headquarters this week, member states moved another step closer to setting up a new women's "super-agency." Last month, nations had pushed back when UN staff insisted governments approve a new office without providing details on its budget, structure, staffing, or mandate. At this week’s meeting, Member States were presented with a "consolidated response" paper from the UN Secretariat which detailed the staffing and cost projections of a new UN "gender entity." 

Why I Am A Homeschooler

That’s a starfish attached to Tane’s hand

We visited the Marine Education Centre Open Day.  This was open to all members of the public, so not really a home-schooling activity.  But our mentality is that learning takes place anywhere, anytime; so Fiona is always aware of these community events and we make it a priority to attend them.

Wellington Home School Science Fair

I assisted my three children to prepare for their first Science Fair:

• Tane’s project was called “Colour Confusion” where he tested 16 people by mixing 3 artificial colourings with 3 artificial flavourings to see whether they could guess the correct flavour.  He prepared a statistical report of his findings.
• Hamish’s project was called “I’m Dying to Find Out” where he mixed natural dyes from vegetables.  His hypothesis was that Red Cabbage would make the strongest dye, because it was so colourful.  He also tested some orange berries, coffee and green tea.
• Aimee’s project was called “Yeast Balloon” where she used yeast in a bottle to blow up a balloon, thus proving that yeast with sugar creates carbon dioxide.

Why I Am Pro-Israel

Islam Propaganda vs. 100 Shalom

A few days after the “Obama speech”, Israel, an Island of history, culture, beauty, is still standing in an “ocean” of hate.

I particularly enjoyed the first video about “Pepsi”, this guy looks to be so sure of himself… And that’s what made me smile, with virulent enemies like this one; I see real hope for Israel…

Enjoy the videos!

• Muslim Cleric: PEPSI support Israel (clear and simple demonstration)
• KKL-JNF's role in the founding and development of Tel Aviv
• Obama on Iran & North Korea... uhhh... on North Korea... uhh...
• Israel & Tel Aviv: 100 Shalom
• Israel: Muslim Respect for Other Religions
• Take a look on East Jerusalem
• Israeli Students React to President Obamas Historic Speech in Cairo

Here are the latest headlines from the One Jerusalem Blog:

• Chaos In Iran: What Does It Mean To U.S. and Israel:  Iran's official election results, the re-election of President Ahmadinejad, has caused thousands of Iranians to take to the streets. For reports on the street demonstrations see here and here.One Jerusalem has been in touch with experienced Iranian reporters who are...
• Are Jews Encouraging Arab Only Sections of Jerusalem?:  Over the years, Jerusalem has been at the core of every dispute between Israel and its neighbours, From the founding of the Jewish State in 1948 until the war in 1967 Israeli Jews and Christians were barred from the Old City...
• Jerusalem Is At The Heart of Zionism:  Today, in a speech to a small group of Israel supporters, Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Moshe Yaalon repeated the words of a Palestinian leader who spoke approvingly of the two-state formula because once Israel gets out of Jerusalem "the...

Humour

NZ Correction Referendum: Vote Yes? No!

Renton Maclachlan conducts an in-depth and enlightening interview with Dennis Morris-Traveler, spokesperson for the Yes vote campaign.

Book Review

Title

Jonah

Author

Duh, Jonah?

Description

A prophet is sent to warn some people.  He rebels and runs away.  He is sent back. He warns them.  They repent.  Disaster is averted.  Prophet is annoyed, because he really hated those people.  God sorts him out.

Contents

Four chapters; nice easy read.

Review

Anyone got a problem with a man surviving three days in the belly of a whale?  (Yes, I know the Bible uses the term fish, but I don’t automatically assume that the taxonomy of the Bible is the same as the taxonomy of 21st century man.)  There is a Hebrew school of thought that Jonah actually did die (and go down into the depths) and was resurrected, thus rendering a more complete pre-announcement of the death and resurrection after 3 days of Jesus Christ.

Good morality tale of the love of God for all sinners.  Pity Nineveh didn’t stay the course.  They rebelled again a few kings later.

9/10

Video Review

Hello James,

Understanding Creation and Evidences for Creation

I mentioned to you yesterday [7th June] morning at Church the subject video cassettes I have.  They are two sets of five hours each, of Kenneth Copeland interviewing Carl Baugh, Ph.D., recorded in the early 90's.  Carl Baugh is the Director of Creation Evidences Museum in Glen Rose, Texas.

Carl is dedicated to researching, excavating and displaying scientific evidence for creation.  He starts with the Word of God as the absolute truth, and then looks at science to see what part of the theories are true.

I've watched these at least three times and, from Understanding Creation, learnt rich solid truths concerning:

• creation vs evolution
• the uniqueness and splendour of the universe
• dinosaurs, the flood and the fall of man
• the original, meaningful purpose of mankind, and much more.

From Evidences:

• a panoramic study of the entire creation model
• multiple proofs as to why evolution does not hold water
• how beautifully God orchestrated the universe - all for the benefit of man
• a scientific explanation, and evidence, of 'Job's dragon'
• the effect of the great flood, how an ice age can occur in about 300 years
• the formation of the ice caps
• how the earth expanded at the flood
• the effects of the magnetic field on living creatures and how it is slowly decaying, and much more

Some highlights [which I hope may whet your appetite to view these] for me, and I'm working off memory here as it's a while since I've watched them:

• A Russian with a double doctorate [quantum ? and applied maths] who, as an atheist happened to see Carl's television programme during a teaching visit to a US university circa 1990.  He was one of about eight similarly qualified scientists resident in the eastern bloc countries at that time, and was intrigued enough to reduce the earth to a mathematical formula.  It took eight pages, which he had peer-reviewed by his colleagues, who could not fault his analysis but made it very clear that they did not like his result: that the earth is no older than 10K years and no younger than 6k years!  From this experience the Russian [who confessed he'd studied most religions] knew he had to find out more about the creator of the earth [and universe] and from his study became a Christian.
• Carl details how God created a perfect world, and by including the elements of uranium and plutonium constructed a perfect thermo-nuclear self-sustaining environment for His created creatures, man and the animals including dinosaurs. The firmament was a cryogenic layer of hydrogen [about 70 miles high] which at that temperature forms a very thin metallic layer which filtered out harmful rays, kept the earth in an ideal environmental state to promote growth without the need for rain, formed an atmosphere which was about twice the pressure we now have which was the reason for mankind living long lives with good health.  It also sustained dinosaurs who have a very small lung structure - the reason they died out was because the drop of atmospheric pressure when the flood occurred and caused the firmament to break up, meant they couldn't survive.  He talks about the flood at which time most fossils were formed - they can only 'happen' when 'things' are suddenly buried.  Road-kill animals left on our roads soon disappear due to preying birds, action of the sun and elements; they do not fossilise!
• The firmament also acted like a crystal radio.  It picked up the 'music' from the stars [see Job 38:7].  Scientists have recently detected signals from outer space which appear similar to music - the Bible told us this way back.
• A fascinating anecdote from the US Navy academy where the students had to make a model boat to be tested in a large vat which could simulate force 10 sea states and wind.  The only one that stayed afloat was an exact model of the Ark - interesting.
• An analysis of some of God's creation including why the bumble bee can fly, the amazing fire-fly and how it works, why glow-worms glow, and much more.

Am happy to loan you the DVD's I've had copied from the original VCR tapes.  The info in/on these really opens one's mind to what God did [recorded in the Bible] much of  which Carl has authenticated from discoveries of 'stuff' found in/on the earth, and insightful research and analysis.

Kind regards,
Aaron

Bible Reading

Week to 21 June 2009

15. Amos 7:1 – 9:15
16. 2 Kings 15:1 – 15:38; 2 Chronicles 26:1 – 27:9
17. Hosea 1:1 – 4:19
18. Hosea 5:1 – 9:9
19. Hosea 9:10 – 14:9
20. 2 Kings 16:1 – 17:41; 2 Chronicles 28:1 – 28:27
21. 2 Kings 18:1 – 20:21

Week to 28 June 2009

22. 2 Chronicles 29:1 – 31:1
23. 2 Chronicles 31:2 – 32:33
24. Isaiah 1:1 – 4:1
25. Isaiah 4:2 – 6:13
26. Isaiah 7:1 – 10:19
27. Isaiah 10:20 – 14:23
28. Isaiah 14:24 – 18:7

Don’t forget you can look up these references for yourselves at: http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/.

End Notes

• METTLE is an acronym for Men's Evangelical Team Together for Learning Experiences. We are primarily Christian businessmen from Wellington, who meet occasionally in the CBD to encourage each other in our daily walk with Jesus. This Weekly Collaborative Blog (WCB) is our primary means of communication.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this WCB, you are welcome to forward them along. Similarly, if your circumstances are such that membership in this distribution list is no longer relevant, then hit reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE to have it removed.
• If you choose to respond to any item raised in this WCB, please indicate clearly which items you wish to remain Private, as any correspondence may be considered Public and could be published.
• If this fortnight’s newsletter has been of benefit to you, why not drop a line and say so.  Or better yet, visit the TVORNZ website to read past issues and add a comment!
• Published by The Voice of Reason, New Zealand, copyright (C) 2009

Volume 4 Issue 22

Monday 8 June 2009

Hippolite Musings

Thought for the Day

Gentlemen,

I read Chuck Missler’s article about the San Diego county attempts to shut down home Bible study.  The “official” explanation for the action is because the regular home group meeting was causing a parking nuisance for the neighbours.  It still doesn’t explain why the official asked specific questions to ascertain the religious nature of the meeting, and only then threatened closure.  I hope that civil official is fired in order to send a strong message that America still supports religious freedom.

The news about the slaying of the late-term abortionist George Tiller in Wichita has many people ranting about “religious extremist hypocrisy.”  Let me lay out my thoughts:

• No Pro-Life group has claimed responsibility; so far it seems that a lone gunman was involved.  While not condoning murder (by either side) at all, IF the gunman was NOT a Christian, but was a father or grandfather of one of Tiller’s victims, then by what standard do you condemn him?
• I don’t know whether the lone gunman has a faith.  I don’t know whether George Tiller has a faith.  The fact that George Tiller was in church proves nothing.  His actions in murdering babies speaks volumes.
• Can God use the ungodly for His own purposes?  The Bible has numerous examples of just this.

Blessings,
James

Correspondence

Elim Business Seminar

Hello Business People,

Through a series of business seminars, we here at Elim endeavour to support and better connect our business people.

We are privileged to kick our seminar series off with Jeh Sie Chan's Dad, Tan Tek Seng at the Museum Hotel.  Tan Tek Seng is the National President for the Full Gospel Businessman Fellowship in Malaysia.  He has been a director of multi-national manufacturing companies and started his own business.  He teaches on issues such as overcoming debt and dealing with economic pressures in the business world.  On Saturday night, 20 June, at 7pm at the Museum Hotel, Tek Seng will be speaking on how to run a business in tough economic conditions and also be talking about some of his experiences of being a Christian in business. This will be followed by a question and answer session.  There will be an opportunity to mingle after the seminar.

You can find Tan Tek Seng's testimony here: http://www.fgb.com.my/voice_7.htm

Speaker: Tan Tek Seng – How to run a business in a recession/Personal experiences of being a Christian in business
When: Saturday, 20 June at 7pm
Venue: Senna Room in the Museum Hotel, 90 Cable Street, Wellington
Cost: $10 entrance fee (this only covers cost, please be prepared to sow into future business events)

RSVP by Wednesday 17 June to andrewp@wn.elim.org.nz or (04) 385 9634. Limited seats available.

If you know any business orientated people that might like to come along, please forward this to them.

Foreign Correspondent

From Chuck Missler’s K-House News Desk

• Pravda Opinion Piece Mourns Demise of US Capitalism - June 02, 2009
  A commentary published in the once-official newspaper of the Soviet Union heralded America's "descent into Marxism" citing the United States' takeover of General Motors, poor education standards, and the election of Barack Obama as president. The opinion piece in Pravda, one of the Soviet-era newspapers still published in Russia, carried the headline, "American Capitalism Gone with a Whimper," and was written by Stanislav Mishin, who runs the blog "Mat Rodina." CNS News
• The Swine Flu Confirmed in 10,000 Americans - June 02, 2009
  Cases of the new H1N1 flu virus have now been found in all 50 U.S. states and tests have confirmed the virus in more than 10,000 people across the nation, (though the actual number of cases may be 20 times that). Seventeen deaths in the United States have been definitively linked to the swine flu virus, the CDC said Fox News
• Dow Jumps 221 Points Despite GM Bankruptcy - June 01, 2009
  Inspired by fresh signs the US economy is slowly healing, the Dow climbed more than 200 points on Monday even as General Motors became the largest industrial bankruptcy in American history. "Obviously people knew would happen. Now that it's out of the way, there's almost some relief. Everyone can stop focusing on it," said Ryan Detrick, equity analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research. Fox Business
• San Diego County Attempts to Shut Down Home Bible Study - May 25, 2009
  A pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a San Diego County official, who then threatened them with escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible studies in their home. The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of County regulations. 10News. 

Situation Vacant

A Storehouse of Knowledge—A Biblical Worldview Encyclopaedia

The secular world sidelines Christianity, and secular encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia are no exception.  Wikipedia has a policy of not taking sides, yet it is dominated by people opposed to Christianity, with the result that evolution and long ages are treated as fact, and the true biblical account of origins is regarded as pseudoscience.  And it’s not just on the creation/evolution issue either; their article on the Mission Aviation Fellowship, for example, snidely says that "Medical work is sometimes used as a front for evangelism and conversion efforts in non-Christian areas".

To provide an alternative, a friend of CMI has created a new encyclopaedia that, like Wikipedia, anyone can contribute to.  But unlike Wikipedia’s unstated anti-Christian bias, this new encyclopaedia has an explicit biblical viewpoint.  A Storehouse of Knowledge is looking for more Christians to contribute to it, and is inviting CMI supporters and other Christians to help out. 

Why I’m An AGW Critic

• Ex-BBC science man slams corp: 'Evangelical, shallow and sparse' – Nonstop Thermageddon coverage risks ridicule.  The BBC's environmental coverage has come under fire from a former science correspondent. Award-winning author and journalist David Whitehouse says the corporation risks public ridicule - or worse - with what he calls "an evangelical, inconsistent climate change reporting and its narrow, shallow and sparse reporting on other scientific issues."
• BSE, Climate Change and Science Journalism – This is that article that slams the BBC by David Whitehouse.

Sunday Service

Praise & Worship

• with Jamie
• Your Word
• Redeemer
• Let Us Adore
• and prayer for healing

Communion

• with Selwyn
• Malakai’s (geographic) group
• No sacrifice: no victory
• Philippians chapter 2:5

New Visitors

• With Jessie
• {snip}: Information Embargoed until Sunday 21^st @ 6pm

Things You Need To Know

• With Jamie
• Breakthrough Prayer Tuesdays @ 6pm
• Sing ‘n Jive Wednesdays @ 10am
• Vision Sunday next Sunday (June 14^th)
• Sat 20^th 7pm, Museum Hotel, Jessie Chan’s dad, Tan Tek Seng, will minister to business people
• Sunday 21^st , Kevin Chan’s dad, Alan Chan, will minister to us all
• Sunday 28^th, Mission Possible Lunch
• Saturday 4 July, Warriors 4 Christ Outreach
• Monday 6 July, Women’s Living Room
• {snip}: Information Embargoed until Sunday 21^st @ 6pm
• Mike & Jeannie are preaching @ Christchurch Elim today

Crunchies

• Started school
• A+ for last assignment
• 4^th birthday
• Son has joined the junior All Blacks

Tithes and Offerings

• With Selwyn
• Joshua 1

Sermon

• With Selwyn Jackson
• Vision

Vision

• Believe
• Begin
• Become

Reference

• Nehemiah, a man who carried an amazing vision for a city and its people
• He was a Jew in exile, the cupbearer (butler) to the King, a trusted position

Believe

• He believes in God’s promises for the people
• He believes in God’s promises for he city
• He believes something has to be done

Begin

• Take hold of the vision/call and do something with it
• Act on beliefs
• Begin seeking God
• Begin talking to the right people
• Make plans
• Step out of comfort zone
• Set out and survey the scene

Become

• They said “We’re with you. Let’s get started.”
• They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work
• (Neh 2:18)

Vision

• It took someone to believe in something (Nehemiah, rebuild Jerusalem)
• Who then inspired others to begin something (return from exile)
• Resulting in them all becoming something (a nation)

Vision Sunday Next Week

• Future Church, ministry outreach “Dream Theatre”, Alpha Room
• Present Church, current ministries, Tennyson Room
• The Elimites, temple workers (like the Levites), Foyer

Vision Statement

• We are ELIM
• From the Nations in the Capital to the Nations in the World

ELIM

• Expecting great things from God, Attempting great things for Him
• Lifting up Jesus
• Influencing our community for Christ
• Multiplying our ministries

Why I Am A Creationist

ICR June Acts & Facts is now available

In This Issue

• Letting God Settle Matters
  Lawrence E. Ford
• Dangerous Turn Ahead: Traveling down the road to compromise
  Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
• Werner Arber: An Honest Evolutionist?
  Lawrence E. Ford
• Discovering and Defending the Certainties of Creation
  Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.
• Made in His Image: Breath of Life
  Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.
• Human-Chimp Similarities: Common Ancestry or Flawed Research?
  Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D.
• Turtles and Snakes: No Evolutionary Journey
  John D. Morris, Ph.D.
• No Seal of Approval for Evolution
  Frank Sherwin, M.A.
• Fossilized Biomaterials Must Be Young
  Brian Thomas, M.S.
• More Than Star Stuff
  David F. Coppedge
• The Calendar and the Antiquity of Genesis
  Bill Cooper, Ph.D., Th.D.
• The Crown of Fatherhood
  Henry M. Morris IV
• Ideas Have Consequences
  Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.
• Radio Log

Why I Am A Christian

Creationism got me saved

So I’m dedicating this section to another Creationist publication this week.

• Swine flu—is it evolution? - In this “year of Darwin”, the anticreationists are seemingly not letting any opportunity pass to try to embellish evolution in the minds of the masses. The swine flu outbreak is the hot media topic of the moment and evolutionists are citing this disease as evidence of evolution occurring right before our eyes. But is this the case? Are the changes in viruses really proof of evolution? It’s also clear that many of their comments are aimed at the creation-believing community (a clear sign that the establishment is worried).
  Medical doctor Carl Wieland and biologist Dr David Catchpoole reveal the simple truth behind the facts in their article Swine flu—is it evolution? Such a topical subject would also be a great way to start a conversation about evolution and creation.
• Can’t drink milk? You’re “normal”! - Many people today are unable to drink milk. This is commonly known as lactose intolerance and for many years it was regarded as abnormal and viewed as evidence of human evolution. I.e., it fitted the evolutionary stereotype of some “races” being less evolved than others. But now researchers have discovered that it’s the other way round. Lactose intolerance in adults is actually “normal”, while those of us who can digest milk as adults are in reality “mutants”! For more on this read Can’t drink milk? You’re “normal”!

• Cuttlefish camouflage - Cuttlefish are known as the “chameleons of the sea” due to their ability to produce an incredible array of bright colours at astonishing speeds. The knowledge of their ability to do this has inspired scientists to design a new type of TV screen, with very low power requirements—under 1% of normal screens. Once more we see God’s incredible design features in the natural world being copied by man.
• Did Adam have an immune system? - This insightful question prompted a response for our regular weekend feedback on our website. If everything was created perfect, why would Adam need a biological defence system for harmful viruses, etc.? To find the answer read Adam and the immune system.
• Seven signs of evolution in action - Well at least that’s what cable-news broadcaster MSNBC claimed. Once more this seems to be an attempt to counter the increasing questioning of Darwinian evolution this year, and indeed, the article itself pays homage to Darwin by mentioning this double-anniversary year. In the article they list seven evidences occurring around us that allegedly prove evolution. Most of these have already been answered on our website. However, we have responded to the article point by point as it provides a concise and useful rebuttal to the “best evidences” for evolution, because MSNBC’s “seven signs of evolution” actually all point to creation.
• Episode 14—Radioisotope dating—An evolutionists best friend? - Does radioisotope dating provide solid scientific evidence for ‘billions of years’? Richard and Calvin discuss the huge problems with this dating method and summarize recent research results that support a young earth.

Why I Am Pro-Life

• Social Conservatives to Descend Upon Amsterdam for Global Meeting - WASHINGTON, DC – C-FAM)  Up to 4,000 social conservatives are expected to descend upon liberal Amsterdam, Netherlands, on August 10-12 for the biennial World Congress of Families, a meeting that brings together scholars, academics, policy makers, elected officials, and activists for four days of speeches, lectures, and networking. The Netherlands beat out four other countries in its bid to host what is the largest gathering of social conservatives in the world. Russia, Bolivia, Latvia and Nigeria lost out after the Dutch proposal included support from the government though a promise the liberal government would not interfere with what will be a politically conservative program.
• UN Population Awards Honor Former “Reproductive Rights” Advocates - (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  This week, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) hosted its annual population award ceremony at the United Nations (UN) to honour an individual and an organization for “outstanding contribution” in the population field, including family planning and “reproductive rights” advocacy -- Dr. Mahmoud Fathalla, a former advisor to both the World Health Organization and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and a Nicaraguan-based non-government organization that has been critical of the Nicaraguan government for instituting a complete ban on abortions. 

Why I Am A Homeschooler

Court Rules No Reading Bible To Kindergarten Class

Date: June 02, 2009
Source: AP

A kindergartner's mother cannot read Scripture during show and tell, even if the Bible is the boy's favourite book, a US appeals court said Monday in the latest challenge over religion in public schools. Schools can more tightly control speech presented to younger students, who may not distinguish a parent from their teacher, the ruling said. Busch argued that the class heard stories related to Passover, Christmas and other religious holidays, but the court concluded there was a "significant difference" between identifying such holidays and reading from Scripture.

Why I Am Pro-Israel

Hope Under Fire

Shalom everyone,

Tuesday 2nd of June, Israel underwent the biggest military exercise of its history, as all the population of the country had to run to a shelter when they heard the siren this morning. While the threat of a nuclear Iran is more serious than ever, Israel put its hope in its young men and women serving bravely in the IDF. This is what this beautiful country is about, an eternal hope, even under fire.

Enjoy the videos below, and do not forget to share them with all your friends.

• Arab Immigration to Israel
• Virtual Tour of Israel: Archaeology
• Virtual Tour of Israel: Nature
• Hope Under Fire (thanks to our US friends)
• The Tefillin Booth
• Injured Israeli Soldiers - True Heroes
• The Jerusalem Syndrome

Humour

Copyright 1992, Wendell Simons and Christianity Today International.  Used with permission.  Click to see a larger image.

Book Review

Title

What Darwin Didn’t Know

A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution

Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Published In: United States, 01 Jan 2004

Author

Geoffrey Simmons, M.D.

Description

Endorsed by William Dembski, Ph.D., the scientist at the forefront of the intelligent–design movement.

Darwin might have thought twice about publishing his theories if he had had access to today’s medical and microbiological discoveries. Drawing on years of research, Dr. Simmons demonstrates that the almost infinite complexity of the human anatomy simply could not have developed by chance. For example:

• the body runs on “battery power”...from the hundreds of mitochondria in each cell
• the two sexes—evolutionary theory cannot explain why they exist
• every cell is its own pharmacist, chemist, and metallurgist

Accessible, clearly presented, and utterly fascinating, What Darwin Didn’t Know shows the human body to be a marvellous system constructed by an infinitely wise Designer.

Contents

Part I: Basic Issues

1. The Scope of the Challenges
2. The Cell
3. Reproduction: Macroscopic
4. Reproduction: Microscopic
5. The Beginning
   
   Part II: External Connections
   
6. The Neurological System
7. Vision
8. Hearing
9. Balance
10. Smell
11. Taste
12. Touch
13. Skin
    
    Part III: Internal Systems
    
14. The Endocrine System
15. The Respiratory System
16. The Gastrointestinal System
17. The Circulatory System
18. The Excretory System
19. The Musculoskeletal System
    
    Part IV: More Enigmas
    
20. Self-Protection
21. Gifts
22. Biorhythms
23. The Differences Between Man and Monkey
24. Purposeful Design

Darwin Dissected

Review

It’s good to have a resource that so clearly and succinctly sums up the case for an Intelligent Designer in the authors one area of expertise.  This is that book.

However, I found this book tough going, because I’m not an MD and most of the science went over my head.

The author may consider himself a Christian, I don’t know; he didn’t stipulate.  He is a long-ager, as most ID proponents tend to be.  His graphic description of reproduction is not suitable for young readers.

I’m glad Dr Simmons wrote this book.  It is another tome in the arsenal of Biblical Creationists and Intelligent Designers.

7/10

Book Review

Title

1 Kings 

Author

A couple of prophets,  I guess?

Description

This book continues the history of the Israelite monarchy begun in the Books of Samuel.  1 Kings falls into three parts:

1. The succession of Solomon as king of Israel and Judah, and the death of his father David.
2. The reign and achievements of Solomon.  His building of the Temple in Jerusalem was a significant achievement.
3. The division of the nation into the northern and southern kingdoms, and the stories of the kings who ruled them down to the middle of the ninth century BC.

In 1 and 2 Kings, each ruler is judged according to his loyalty to God, and national success is seen as depending on this loyalty.  On the other hand, idolatry and disobedience lead to disaster.  The kings of the northern kingdom all fail the test, while the record of Judah’s kings is mixed.

Prominent in 1 Kings are the prophets of the LORD, those courageous spokespersons for God who warned the people not to worship idols and not to disobey God.  Especially notable is Elijah and the story of his contest with the priests of Baal (chapter 18).

Contents

1. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King; David Makes Solomon King
2. David’s Charge to Solomon; Solomon’s Throne Established
3. Solomon Asks for Wisdom; A Wise Ruling
4. Solomon’s Officials and Governors; Solomon’s Daily Provisions; Solomon’s Wisdom
5. Preparations for Building the Temple
6. Solomon Builds the Temple
7. Solomon Builds His Palace; The Temple’s Furnishings
8. The Ark Brought to the Temple; Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication; the Dedication of the Temple
9. The LORD Appears to Solomon; Solomon’s Other Activities
10. The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon; Solomon’s Splendour
11. Solomon’s Wives; Solomon’s Adversaries; Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon; Solomon’s Death
12. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam; Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan
13. The Man of God From Judah
14. Ahijah’s Prophecy Against Jeroboam; Rehoboam King of Judah
15. Abijah King of Judah; Asa King of Judah; Nadab King of Israel; Baasha King of Israel
16. Elah King of Israel; Zimri King of Israel; Omri King of Israel; Ahab Becomes of King of Israel
17. Elijah Fed by Ravens; The Widow at Zarephath
18. Elijah and Obadiah; Elijah on Mount Carmel
19. Elijah Flees to Horeb; The LORD Appears to Elijah; The Call of Elisha
20. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria; Ahab Defects Ben-Hadad; A Prophet Condemns Ahab
21. Naboth’s Vineyard
22. Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab; Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead; Jehoshaphat King of Judah; Ahaziah King of Israel

Review

Quite gripping; a rollercoaster ride of good kings vs. bad kings.  If the book of Judges could be summarised as the book of “cyclic rebellion, oppression, repentance and redemption”, then the book of 1 Kings is the northern kingdom’s inexorable descent into the level of unrighteousness that resulted in Samaria being a bye-word of ungodliness in the time of Jesus.  Not merely mock-rivalry like Australia and NZ, but real rivalry like modern Israel and modern Palestine.

8/10

DVD Review

Title

God of Wonder

Exploring the Wonders of Creation, Conscience, and the Glory of God

Publisher

© 2008 Eternal Productions www.eternal-productions.org

85 minutes

Description

God’s wonders surround us, and these marvels reveal much about our Creator.  through creation we glimpse His power and wisdom, His majesty and care.  Creation is speaking to those who will listen…

God of Wonders is a breathtaking tour of God’s creation wonders, visible and invisible, and the greatest wonder of all – His redeeming love!

Contents

Join us on a remarkable journey of discovery as we explore the Creator’s handiwork and what His creation reveals about His character.  Survey the unimaginable size of the universe and ponder the vast energy present in all matter.  Examine the elegant water molecule essential to all life and discover how God combines these molecules to form beautiful and symmetrical snow crystals.  Learn about the incredible complexity of DNA and the miraculous workings of the tiny seed.  From the functional design of birds to the transformation of butterflies, these and many other features of creation are highlighted in this visually stunning presentation.

1. God of Wonder
2. God of Power
3. God of Wisdom
4. God of Justice
5. God of Love

Review

I’ve waited many years for a nature documentary I could enjoy with my family, without being bombarded by evolutionary non-sense.  This is that documentary.  The many experts in their fields combine to encourage viewers that it’s okay to look at a design, and infer a Designer.  The many Scripture quotations put the limitations of human knowledge properly in perspective. 

From the philosophical axiom that the Universe is finite therefore requires a beginning (and its corollary that God is infinite therefore doesn’t require a beginning) to its discovery that Information Science proves information never comes from Nature, but instead requires a Mind, this DVD covers all bases.

You’ll love it.  I did.  Thanks to Pastor Mike for recommending it to me.

10/10

Bible Reading

Week to 14 June 2009

8. 2 Kings 10:1 – 12:3
9. 2 Chronicles 23:1 – 24:27; 2 Kings 12:4 – 12:21
10. 2 Kings 13:1 – 14:29
11. 2 Chronicles 25:1 – 25:28
12. Jonah 1:1 – 4:11
13. Amos 1:1 – 3:15
14. Amos 4:1 – 6:14

Week to 21 June 2009

15. Amos 7:1 – 9:15
16. 2 Kings 15:1 – 15:38; 2 Chronicles 26:1 – 27:9
17. Hosea 1:1 – 4:19
18. Hosea 5:1 – 9:9
19. Hosea 9:10 – 14:9
20. 2 Kings 16:1 – 17:41; 2 Chronicles 28:1 – 28:27
21. 2 Kings 18:1 – 20:21

Don’t forget you can look up these references for yourselves at: http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/.

End Notes

• METTLE is an acronym for Men's Evangelical Team Together for Learning Experiences. We are primarily Christian businessmen from Wellington, who meet occasionally in the CBD to encourage each other in our daily walk with Jesus. This Weekly Collaborative Blog (WCB) is our primary means of communication.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this WCB, you are welcome to forward them along. Similarly, if your circumstances are such that membership in this distribution list is no longer relevant, then hit reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE to have it removed.
• If you choose to respond to any item raised in this WCB, please indicate clearly which items you wish to remain Private, as any correspondence may be considered Public and could be published.
• If this fortnight’s newsletter has been of benefit to you, why not drop a line and say so.  Or better yet, visit the TVORNZ website to read past issues and add a comment!
• Published by The Voice of Reason, New Zealand, copyright (C) 2009

Volume 4 Issue 21

Monday 1 June 2009

Hippolite Musings

Thought for the Day

Gentlemen,

It’s been a week of missing out:

• Where's Global Warming when you want it?  This week’s cold snap (24 hours before winter officially starts) puts the lie to the controversy that is Climate Change.  Let’s hope we hear no more of that hoary chestnut.
• Sue Bradford didn’t get the Green leadership.  Yay!  “Too controversial.”  Really?!?!?!  How about down-right wrong for any form of leadership, even that dysfunctional collection of misfits?
• Susan Boyle didn’t win Britain’s Got Talent 2009.  Sob!
• We all didn’t get further tax cuts.  The tax cuts would have cost $98M.  The Emissions Trading Scheme is set to cost us $550M.  In my considered opinion, this is the wrong set of priorities.

I had a very interesting conversation with an intellectual, humble, Christian man the other day.  He terms himself a Creationist in every important sense of the word, but not Young Earth.  To him, I believe, the Age of the Earth is a non-issue that my insistence upon could create a barrier to belief of the majority of non-Christians. 

Before I realised what I was saying, I asked him “what evidence have you seen that causes you to believe in long-ages?”  His answer was Starlight and Time.  I have seen a presentation on just that matter: that the universe could give the appearance of great age, while the Earth could literally be only a few thousand years old.

My friend was not convinced by that argument, and so we agreed to disagree.

I guess the reason I mention this to you all here is because to me, the Young Earth is not a side issue.  It is a question of “whose report will you believe?”  God said it; Moses wrote it; I read it; that settles it!  The “how” is the purpose of scientific enquiry.  I am confident real science will only and can only confirm what God said.

Thankful that we miss out on what we deserve (punishment for our sins) but instead receive the unmerited grace of God…

Blessings,

James

Correspondence

Keyhole on When An “Ear-flick” is Assault

Wednesday, 27 May 2009, 10:44 am

MEDIA RELEASE
Satirists for Section 59 Debate
26 May 2009
SATIRE
Keyhole on When An “Ear-flick” is Assault
A prominent New Zealand political satirist punched his four-year-old son in the face, the Christchurch District Court was told last week.

John Keyhole, 50, well-known for his satirical attacks against laws he considers “foolish” and “an ass”, faced three charges of assaulting a child under the age of 14 at the Bridge of Forgetfulness on April Fool’s Day – 1 April 2007.

For More Go To http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0905/S00359.htm

James says:

The facts of the case this satire is based upon are very murky and suspicious, to my mind.  At no stage in the initial enquiry was “a punch to the face” ever in question; which begs the point, was the witness ideologically opposed to any form of discipline, to the extreme that she would lie?

Foreign Correspondent

From Chuck Missler’s K-House News Desk

• Masters Student Expelled For Christian Viewpoint - May 26, 2009
  Eastern Michigan University (EMU) African-American grad student Julea Ward was kicked out of the school's counseling program after she requested a homosexual man be counseled by another person. According to Gary Glenn of the American Family Association of Michigan, Julea Ward made the request because, as a Christian, her beliefs and counsel would not affirm the client's lifestyle... OneNewsNow
• CA's Same-Sex Marriage Ban Will Stand - May 26, 2009
  The state Supreme Court has upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, but also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed. The decision Tuesday rejected an argument from gay rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval. USA Today
• MIT Robotic Therapy Holds Promise For Cerebral Palsy - May 26, 2009
  Over the past few years, MIT engineers have successfully tested robotic devices to help stroke patients learn to control their arms and legs. Now, they're building on that work to help children with cerebral palsy. "Robotic therapy can potentially help reduce impairment and facilitate neuro-development of youngsters with cerebral palsy," says Hermano Igo Krebs, principal research scientist in mechanical engineering. MedicalNewsToday
• Trouble With North Korea Only Beginning - May 26, 2009
  President Obama, other world leaders and the UN Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test Monday, while experts who have studied the isolated state for years warned that the US has few options and that more provocation likely lies ahead. On Tuesday, South Korea said it will join the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative, which began in 2003 to deter states such as North Korea and Iran from trade in missile and nuclear technology. North Korea has warned that it would consider the South's full participation in the program as a declaration of war. The Washington Times
• Palestinian Christians Don't Feel Safe Anymore - May 25, 2009
  Palestinian Christians are reeling from a series of grave desecrations this week that they say are indicative of intimidation tactics from the town's growing Muslim population. "Christians don't feel free anymore. Our way of life is changing while the Muslim population grows," a local Christian told WND. The Christian would only give his first name, Anis, for fear of Muslim retaliation if he speaks out. WorldNetDaily
• Netanyahu Would Remove Illegal Outposts - May 25, 2009
  Deeply concerned about the Iranian threat and eager for US support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to remove illegal outposts while allowing natural growth in existing West Bank settlements. "We are not in regular times," Netanyahu said. "The danger is approaching, and the most dangerous thing for a live organism is to not recognize the danger on the way." Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman disagreed, urging the government to ratify the road map. The Jerusalem Post

Situation Vacant

New Staff Position

CMI international (NZ) is currently looking for a part-time staff member for their Auckland, Howick office. This position would initially call for at least 20 hours per week and would suit someone with an interest in our ministry and with skills to handle:

• Accurate computer processing and data entry
• Telephone enquiries
• Customer enquiries and sales
• Packing and postage
• Stock taking
• General office duties
• Own transport

Applicants will also need to be able agree with and sign our Statement of Faith.

If you would like to apply for the above position please email Adrian Bates at NZ@creation.info with a copy of your current resume and your contact details.  Please also include any other skills or abilities that might be relevant to working in a Christian ministry.

Why I’m An AGW Critic

Dr Willem de Lange

It is clear that the oceans warmed over the 20th Century by about the same amount as the atmosphere. This agreement should not be entirely surprising as 70 percent of the mean global air temperature comes from over oceans. The inconvenient truth is that the atmosphere is not capable of warming the oceans to any significant degree – 99.9 percent of ocean heat is derived from sunlight. What does this mean for climate change? It means that variations in the amount of sunlight reaching the oceans will control the rate at which the oceans warm. This is influenced at long time scales by changes in the Earth’s orbit. At short time scales there are changes in the amount of sunlight associated with the sunspot cycle. These changes are small, but due to the ability of the oceans to store heat it may be possible to have a cumulative effect as sunspot cycles wax and wane. However, the main control is the amount of cloud and ice cover. Clouds and sea ice reflect sunlight before it can be absorbed by the oceans, and is referred to as albedo. Albedo changes have a greater influence on climate than the Greenhouse Effect...

To read click here>>>

Sunday Service

Praise & Worship

• Love the Lord
• Thousand Tongues / Come On Sing Out
• You Are Faithful

Family Service

• The pre-school children showed us their art-work, lead by Jonathon and Mel Corby.
• Put on the full armour of God:
  • the helmet of salvation
  • the breastplate of righteousness
  • the belt of truth
  • the sandals of peace
• Did a song for us: Jump
• Received certificates for memory verses

Crunchies

• Birthdays (including Judith Baxter and Rebecca Hart)
• New people

Things You Need to Know

• By Ike
• Two weeks away from Vision Sunday
• Kairos – cross-cultural missions – first 4 week block Thursday 4 June, see Kevin Chan
• Global Day of Prayer, here @ 2pm today

Tonight at 6pm

• Encounter in the foyer
• Mike and Ian will take your txt questions
• Txt Selwyn (027) 560 8191 now

Tithes and Offerings

• Small Gifts in God’s Hands
• The little boy gave up his lunch; received a miracle in return
• Sarah Powell prayed for us

Sunday Service

• Mike Knott
• Vision 09
• What do you see?

What’s God Like?

• Various people said God was things like, Just, Awesome, Almighty
• Various people said Jesus was things like, Gentle, Peaceful, Loving
• Jesus said, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”

Get the Picture?

• The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered, “I see a stick of almond wood.”
  The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, because I am watching to make sure my words come true.” Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NCV)
• The next day, when Moses entered the Test, he saw that Aaron’s stick had grown leaves. It had even budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. Numbers 17:8 (NCV)

What would you like to be when you grow up?

• Hamish: a scientist
• Tane: “whatever God has planned for me”
• Aimee: A doctor

Picture

• I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or image. Amen Ephesians 3:20-21
• Live out o your imagination instead of out of your memory
• How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:17
• (Or – “how precious to me are your thoughts”)

Radio

• Various people gave their responses to what was their favourite programme.
• The fabulous Baker boys said “Adventure in Odyssey”
• It’s important to have some imagination time

Promise

• 2 Corinthians 1a;20-22 (NIV)
• For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
• Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
• Set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Process

• God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them. We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives so you will surely get what you hope for. We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.
• Hebrews 6:10-12

Product

• So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
• You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
• Hebrews 10:35-36

Why I Am A Creationist

Info-Bytes

Episode 13—The origin of ‘races’—now online!

In this episode Richard and Calvin talk about the tower of Babel and the origin of the nations and some of the problems associated with the idea that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors. Click here to watch now.

Darwin, how could you be so wrong, wrong, wrong?

Our featured Darwin article focuses on Darwin’s visit to Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America where he encountered the Fuegian people. Sadly, Darwin viewed these people as savages and sub-human, and no doubt such racist views helped him develop ideas about human evolution. Yet, years later many Fuegians converted to Christianity. Read this fascinating although tragic historical account: Darwin and the Fuegians.

CMI audio/radio spots—free for you to download

We have now produced radio spots that you can freely use on your radio station, internet site or even church site. Each 60-second clip has been produced in two different ending tags to be suitable for your own country. One narration tag can be heard in a standard North American accent. The other is in a standard British or neutral accent. Choose your preferred accent to also see a list of available programs. Click on http://creation.com/radiospots to listen.

The “eighth wonder of the world!”

Well, that’s how some evolutionists are describing their latest mammal fossil candidate as a link to human beings. The fossil Darwinius masillae (named after their hero Charles Darwin) has all the characteristics of a lemur, so why all the hype? In fact, there’s been more around this discovery than we can ever recall, and its release last week was akin to the release of a Hollywood blockbuster. But is this fossil living up to the hype or is it a desperate attempt via showmanship to convince the masses? Read Darwin fossil hyper-hype.

New website feature: See events at a glance!

Now it’s easy to see if there is a CMI event near you. Our online Events Calendar at http://Creation.com/events now features a map image showing all confirmed events in your country. You can even zoom right in to see the street name where the event will take place.

If there isn’t an event near you, all it takes is an invitation. Click here to request an event.

Why I Am A Christian

Because there are sound, rational, scientific, ethical, and moral reasons to believe.  To that end, it would be good that the high-priest of Fundamentalist Atheism (Richard Dawkins) should be challenged in his beliefs.  William Lane Craig would be good at it.

Therefore, I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:

"Richard Dawkins and William Craig Should Debate Each Other"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dawkinscraigdebate?e

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.

Thanks!

Why I Am Pro-Life

UN Committee Says Nicaraguan Pro-Life Laws Violate Torture Convention

By Piero A. Tozzi

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) The United Nations (UN) committee charged with monitoring compliance with the Convention Against Torture has declared that Nicaragua’s full protection of fetal life violates the country's obligations under the Convention. This is the first time this committee has reviewed Nicaragua since that government outlawed abortion for any reason three years ago. The torture committee is the fourth UN committee to pressure Nicaragua with respect to its laws protecting unborn life, joining the committees charged with monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  Read more

New Approach to Abortion Rights at UN: “Motherhood and Apple Pie”

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) Abortion rights advocates at the United Nations (UN) are pursuing a new approach – one that avoids mention of abortion, promotes a right to maternal health, and seeks to enforce “reproductive rights” norms among UN member States. The reason for the shift seems to be an increased confidence among activists and UN officials that they have secured or are close to securing a new international right to abortion.   Read more

Why I Am Pro-Israel

Here are the latest headlines from the One Jerusalem Blog:

• One Jerusalem Joins PM Netanyahu On Jerusalem Day:  Several hours ago we landed in Ben Gurion Airport and we immediately made our way to Jerusalem. As we entered the Holy City police officers began closing off many streets to traffic. It took a while to get to our hotel.... (read more)
• PHOTOS :: Israel Celebrates its Eternal Capital!:  Israelis take to the streets dancing over their cherished capital. Here are some candid snapshots taken earlier today by One Jerusalem, just outside of Jerusalem's Old City.                ... (read more)
• One Jerusalem Conference Call with John McLaughlin:  One Jerusalem was fortunate to be joined on a conference call today with veteran political consultant John McLaughlin.  John was on the call to discuss his newest public opinion survey on national security. The survey clearly shows the American people... (read more)
• Jerusalem Day:  As Israel and Jewish people around the world celebrate the unification of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the Jewish people a public opinion survey of American voters asked the following question:Should the United States force Israel to give... (read more)
• Netanyahu and Obama Talk to the Press:  watch the video
• Netanyahu Trumps Obama: Iran is the primary issue:  Before Prime Minister Netanyahu met with President Obama, the Obama Administration insisted that Netanyahu acknowledge that the creation of a Palestinian State is the first order of business. Today, the two leaders met and then they made themselves available for a... (read more)

Humour

Painful Revenge

A mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl's grip and said comfortingly to the boy, "There, there. She didn't mean it. She doesn't know that hurts." He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, "What happened?"

The little boy replied, "She knows now."

—Joke a Day Ministries Group; submitted by Keith Todd, www.sermonfodder.com

Book Review

Title

Ecclesiastes 

Author

Solomon, last King of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah

Description

Ecclesiastes contains the thoughts of “the Teacher”, a man who reflected deeply on how short and contradictory human life is, with its mysterious injustices and frustrations, finally concluding that life was “meaningless”.  He could not understand the ways of God, who controls human destiny.  Yet, in spite of this, he advised people to work hard, and to enjoy the gifts of God as much and as long as they could.

Many of the Teacher’s thoughts appear negative and even depressing.  But the fact that this book is in the Bible shows that biblical faith is broad enough to take into account such pessimism and doubt.  Many have taken comfort in seeing themselves in the mirror of Ecclesiastes, and have discovered that the same Bible which reflects these thoughts, when read as a whole, also offers the hope in God that finally does give life its greater meaning.

1. Everything is Meaningless; Wisdom is Meaningless
2. Pleasures are Meaningless; Wisdom and Folly are Meaningless; Toil is Meaningless
3. A Time for Everything
4. Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness; Advancement is Meaningless
5. Stand in Awe of God;
6. Riches are Meaningless
7. Wisdom
8. Obey the King
9. A Common Destiny for All
10. Wisdom Better Than Folly
11. Bread Upon the Waters
12. Remember Your Creator While Young; The Conclusion of the Matter

Review

When I was a young lad (sounds like the beginning of a song) I had heard the song by the Byrds, “For every season, there is a reason” and did not realise it was from the Bible.  Funny how facts like that were concealed from me until the appropriate time.

Interesting that the Teacher, after stating that both Wisdom and Folly are useless, goes on to state that Wisdom is slightly less useless than Folly!  I get the feeling this guy was having a hard time reconciling with his own mortality.  Kind of like Job without the benefit of the prologue.

A short read, but significant in its justification of war.

8/10

Book Review

Title

Song of Songs

Author

Solomon, last King of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah

Description

The Song of Songs is a series of love poems, for the most part in the form of songs addressed by a man to a woman, and by the woman to the man.  In some translations, the book is called The Song of Solomon, because it is attributed to Solomon in the Hebrew Scriptures.

These songs speak frankly and beautifully of romantic human love between a woman and a man.  The songs have also sometimes been interpreted by Jews as a picture of the relationship between God and his people, and by Christians as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Contents

• First song 1:1 – 2:7
• Second song 2:8 – 3:5
• Third song 3:6 – 5:1
• Fourth song 5:2 – 6:3
• Fifth song 6:4 – 8:4
• Sixth song 8:5-14

Review

I’m not one of those Christians that ascribe this book as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church.  That is because, in my mind, this is a highly erotic book.  To others, they may not see it in the same way, as it suggests, rather than outright describes procreation.

I like this book; I’m glad and not embarrassed that it’s in the Scriptures.  Because I know that my God made man and woman to enjoy each other physically, and not merely for reproduction.  In the words of some long forgotten Christian pastor speaking to youth, “God created all the fiddly bits; He knows what they are there for.”

So, while I would never use this book to justify pornography (looking at a naked woman that is not your wife is never appropriate), in my mind it does justify eroticism.  How you draw that line is simple for me: my marriage vows state I would only commit myself to the fulfilment of my wife’s highest dreams, not my basest fantasies.

When the obligatory poll-dancing bar scene comes on EVERY SINGLE COP SHOW ON TELLY, I always avert my eyes to look directly at my wife.  She (who is not programmed to respond visually in the same way) informs me when it’s safe to go back to watching the programme. 

8/10

Bible Reading

Week to 7 June 2009

1. 1 Kings 21:1 – 22:53
2. 2 Chronicles 17:1 – 19:11
3. 2 Chronicles 20:1 – 21:1; 2 Kings 1:1 – 2:25
4. 2 Kings 3:1 – 4:44
5. 2 Kings 5:1 – 6:23
6. 2 Kings 6:24 – 8:29
7. 2 Chronicles 21:2 – 22:12; 2 Kings 9:1 – 9:37

Week to 14 June 2009

8. 2 Kings 10:1 – 12:3
9. 2 Chronicles 23:1 – 24:27; 2 Kings 12:4 – 12:21
10. 2 Kings 13:1 – 14:29
11. 2 Chronicles 25:1 – 25:28
12. Jonah 1:1 – 4:11
13. Amos 1:1 – 3:15
14. Amos 4:1 – 6:14

Don’t forget you can look up these references for yourselves at: http://biblereader.cloudapp.net/.

End Notes

• METTLE is an acronym for Men's Evangelical Team Together for Learning Experiences. We are primarily Christian businessmen from Wellington, who meet occasionally in the CBD to encourage each other in our daily walk with Jesus. This Weekly Collaborative Blog (WCB) is our primary means of communication.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this WCB, you are welcome to forward them along. Similarly, if your circumstances are such that membership in this distribution list is no longer relevant, then hit reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE to have it removed.
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• Published by The Voice of Reason, New Zealand, copyright (C) 2009