Archive for January 15th, 2010

Changing The Culture By Changing One Life At A Time – A Wonderful Theme And Aim

Friday, January 15th, 2010
I have just been listening to Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and the theme adopted for 2008 is Changing the Culture by Changing One Life at a Time”. That is a powerful goal and worthy aim. If you have never visited the Answers in Genesis Web Site may I suggest you have a look. There are answers there to many massive and major questions which affect every important aspect of our life.

Never underestimate the power of prayer.

In Psalm 65:2 we read, “O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.” What a wonderful reminder for each of us is this verse of the vital importance and power of prayer. It is a reminder of God’s omnipresence, omniscience, and His all sufficiency.

It’s a reminder, too, that we can pray to our Heavenly Father at any time from any place and He hears the prayers of God’s people, no matter how many are praying at the same time.

Think about the fact that the infinite Creator God who said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” hears the prayers of His fallible creatures. I am reminded of what King David said when he thought on the greatness of God: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it” (Psalm 139:6).

Any person regardless of nationality, rank, condition and circumstance may come to God in prayer.

There are no barriers to the throne of grace it is open through the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come to Him with our worship, praises, and requests.

There is yet another reminder for us in God’s Word: “And when you pray” (Matthew 6:7); “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray” (Mark 11:24); “When you pray, say” (Luke 11:2).

I often share with people that it is not “IF you pray,” but “WHEN you pray” – God wants to hear our requests. He wants to hear our praises. Yes, prayer is vital.

At Answers in Genesis, there are many things to praise God for on a daily basis, and we have many needs to bring before Him each day.

In 2007, we had over 800 supporters sign up to commit to pray daily and fast once a month for the ministry, including the new Creation Museum.

For 2008, I am pleading with many more of our supporters to become involved in this, one of the most vital aspects of the Answers in Genesis ministry: PRAYER. As a cutting-edge ministry in the world, many are the attacks we receive from foe and friend. There are many needs for a ministry like this – financial needs, travelling mercies, protection from those who seek to undermine the proclamation of the creation/gospel message.

Answers in Genesis has set a goal for 1,000 (or more) prayer partners in 2008. Would you have a look at the Web Site – particularly the Questions and Answers section if you have genuine questions and would you give serious consideration to joining in Prayer for the work and ministry at Answers in Genesis? Personally, I have found this a most valuable Web Site and I have referred many people to it.

Sandy Shaw

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The Perfect Theme For a Perfect Wedding

Friday, January 15th, 2010
One of the easiest ways to make a wedding memorable is to have a theme. Themes can be humorous, cultural, seasonal, venue-inspired or downright crazy but one thing they do is make your wedding unique and unforgettable. This is because although themes may be alike, each person’s interpretation of the theme is different.

Wedding themes are chosen for the main reasons of accessibility of resources and materials. Accessibility of resources literally means the cost of implementing the said theme – how expensive it will be to bring to life the theme of a carnival at your wedding, for instance. Accessibility of materials means the availability of the necessary decorating materials to create your theme wedding. Bringing in snow, for example, when you marry in summer may be a lot less appealing when you consider the extreme difficulty of creating the snow.

Here are a few examples of wedding themes:

- Seasonal themes – This is based on the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter. If an autumn wedding is chosen then decor such as maple leaves are used as well as honey and golden colors are used for other decors. Spring wedding would warrant lots of flowers. Sunset wedding also falls into this category as the wedding will be held during sunset especially the exchange of vows.

- Venue-inspired themes. This is the kind of wedding the uses the venue as the theme. Such themes are the beach wedding, castle wedding and garden wedding.

- Cultural themes. It is interesting to see the different culture and through cultural theme wedding, guests are invited to experience them. Some popular cultural theme weddings are Indian summer wedding, Scottish wedding or Eastern wedding. Cultural wedding is usually adopted when it is a cross-cultural wedding.

- Humorous themes – This is the theme that will bring out fun and humor for the wedding. It could be anything from fancy dress such as the Retro theme, The Seventies, Halloween, Medieval Times and The Wild West.

- Color themes. Color themed wedding can be interesting as it is up to one’s creativity to use the chose color or colors. Themes like Goth or psychedelic are derived from color theme wedding.

- Extreme weddings. For the very adventurous are extreme wedding themes. These include the likes of underwater weddings, bungee-jumping points or mid-air weddings. More often than not, the couples who opts for extreme weddings are the outdoor type and would settle for anything ordinary.

A successful implementation of a theme lies solely on your hard work and creativity. When you are willing to put in that extra effort, you will see paid off in a form of contentment. For instance, you don’t need to paint the whole venue blue if the color blue is your theme; instead, you can use disposable wall paper or blue ribbons and bows and even flowers to grace the walls. If you need to do some major modifications to the venue, be sure you have the approval of the owner.

To be able to carry out the theme without faultless requires a great deal of work. That is why it is best to choose one close to your heart or your spouse’s. The themes chosen would usually revolved around hobbies or favorite pass time. For instance, a couple who loves football can choose this as their wedding theme. That way both can plan and think of creative ways to portray their love to each other through football.

Another popular theme wedding is one that is based on your careers. If both you and your spouse are in the financial sector, using a Money theme can be suitable while a Lounge theme is appropriate for couples who are in the media or entertainment industries. Otherwise, go totally different and have a theme wedding that has absolutely nothing to do with your careers.

If it is too difficult to merge two different careers, then pick a common interest – a love for cars, for instance, or a compulsion to travel.

When you choose a theme, remember, a great one is the one that is meaningful to both of you. It is one of the biggest day in your life so strive to make is a memorable one.

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The Secret Life of Bees

Friday, January 15th, 2010
A moving theme in a largely unmoving film. The book on which it’s based must have been so much bigger. You can laud the beauty of emotional values in a movie endlessly, but most of us just want to be entertained. Emotions in themselves are inside of each of us; a good movie is supposed to take you over, to own you, and so to draw those emotions out. Once there, its emotions are your emotions. “The Secret Life of Bees” did not do that for me. Some of its scenes are gripping, but its general flow is unstimulating. Too much is left in charge of its words, which are not evocative. I found myself pulling and pulling for full-blooded dimension in interactions that seemed to deserve that. Drama, in scene after scene, just doesn’t emanate from the screen except with a few welcome occasions.

It’s 1964 and 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) finds that the weight of her mother’s death and her troubled relationship with her abusive father (Paul Bettany) are just too much. She escapes with housekeeper and caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) to a South Carolina town. Yet young Lily seeks an understanding of her mother’s past. She is invited to live with the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, wise matriarch August (Queen Latifah), emotionally brittle May (Sophie Okonedo) and willful June (Alicia Keys), a cellist and civil rights activist, where she finds peace of soul and spirit in their enchanting world of beekeeping and honey gathering.

At one point, Rosaleen, a black, attempts to register to vote and is badly beaten by rednecks. This will set off other cruel racist encounters. One will involve a black local boy, Zach (Tristan Wilds) who will be in mutual attraction with Lily.

A seemingly worthwhile serious affair is between strong-headed June and her boyfriend Neil (Nate Parker), but darn, it does not, plot wise, rise off the screen.

Things will climax when Lily’s ornery dad tracks her down and wants her back.

The racial conflicts, always stomach-churning, are nonetheless old hat, unfortunate tragedies from the Deep South which have been dealt with over countless movies. I looked for a variation, a new statement, a new insight, but there was only rehash of a dark American past.

You can respect this movie, but to like it? Mmm . . .

“The Secret Life of Bees” (quality rating: 6 out of 10)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Screenplay: Gina Prince-Bythewood, based on the Sue Monk Kid novel

Cast: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keyes, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany

Time: 1 hr., 50 min.

Rating: PG-13 (thematic material, some violence)

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