January 2011
27 posts
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The rain beats down on a small Irish town. The streets are deserted. Times are tough. Everyone is in debt and living on credit. A rich German arrives at the local hotel, asks to view its rooms, and puts on the desk a €100 note. The owner gives him a bunch of keys and he goes off for an inspection.
As soon as he has gone upstairs, the hotelier grabs the note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher…
” —How a bail-out works
From the Financial Times. Read the rest at here
(via Boing Boing)
How to Change the World
Pray Informed - A few quick resources can quickly give some background information on the subject. Some sources I like to use are BBC world news, CNN International, Globe and Mail , United Nations and the Operation World book. Also look around for Christian world relief charities that have news of their operations on the ground. Try to balance out your sources from several countries and perspectives, if you can. As you read, think about how the information relates to the current issue. For example, we are currently experiencing a dramatic rise in global food prices. This is a fairly small story in most of our media sources, but it’s something that will will have far reaching implications. As you think about the issue, there are a few questions to ask. In 2008 this same problem was devastating to many countries and brought deadly riots. Which countries? (Haiti, Somalia and Cameroon) Which food supplies are now rising dramatically in price? (wheat, soy beans, sugar, & corn) Who eats them as a basis for their diet? Pray Positively - As tempting as it can be to pray for the fall of corrupt leaders or against other religion, don’t. Pray positively. Instead of praying for the fall of a leader, pray that God would raise up new leaders of integrity who will rule with compassion. Pray blessing on people so they will see God’s goodness. Pray for safety for those in danger. Don’t pray against the darkness - pray for light in the darkness. My one exception seems to be praying against weather and natural disasters! In the case of the food price article, we can be praying for good harvests this year, for wisdom for leaders in distributing food to their people, for improved farming techniques, for self-sufficiency for the countries that keep getting squeezed when these things happen, and for food to bridge the emergency gap and keep these people alive. Pray Mercy - Reading or watching news items it’s easy to jump to creating the ‘good guys’ team and the ‘bad guys’ team. In scripture we’re commanded to love our enemies and that no one is beyond the love of God. Why not pray for the transformation of those you see as in the wrong? Why not pray their well being? Why not pray for transformation in the communities, schools, jails, gangs, families, etc that helped shape them? It is the great mysterious love shown in mercy that will set us apart. Pray Politically - Some may say Christians have no place in politics, but I heartily disagree. Pray for leaders in hurting countries (along with your own), that they would lead with wisdom, compassion and integrity. Pray that they would be used by God for his purposes. And pray for the poor. Whatever the crisis, chances are it is will always hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Pray Expectantly - We don’t pray as those without hope. Pray knowing we are praying to the One who taught us to love, mercy and compassion. We already know the end of the story. Pray Persistently - When a country is in the headlines they tend to be at the front of our minds. However, with most crisis the suffering will go on long after the media leaves. In many cases a short term crisis will only intensify long term issues in a country. In 2008 one of the countries with riots over the rising food prices was Haiti. In 2010 the country was back in the news with the earthquake that did so much damage to an already hurting country. The headlines may be smaller now, but the people of Haiti still need your prayers. The current rising food prices will only add to the suffering From the 24/7 Prayer blog. Read the full post.
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Whatever version you are reading it is wonderful to learn more about God. Keep reading and keep learning - and then tell other people about it!…
Let us refresh our faith and continue to use the Bible as our main tool for teaching about Jesus of Nazareth.
But let us also remember to have a generous attitude full of joy towards others, based on God’s love.
Because God’s love doesn’t just stay on a page in a book.
” —From a piece by the Archbishop of York in the Sun (& Scottish Sun) called “Why I Love The Bible”. Great to see Jesus mentioned in a constructive, engaging and profound way in such a high profile paper.
Listen to the New Iron & Wine Album Right Here! →
teamcoco.com
Conan OBrien’s website teamcoco.com is hosting a stream of the new Iron & Wine album ” Kiss Each Other Clean”
“Building a Death Star: $7 trillion. Annual Wages: $960 million. The look on Leia’s face when we destroyed Alderaan: Priceless.”
—@DeathStarPR on twitter
“Building a Death Star: $7 trillion. Annual Wages: $960 million. The look on Leia’s face when we destroyed Alderaan: Priceless.”
—@DeathStarPR on twitter
2011 Music Preview →
bbc.co.uk
From the excellent BBC Music Blog.
Free Music? Yes Please!
A cool bunch of labels getting together to put some free music out there.
Label Love is an eclectic yet unified bundle of unique sounds compiled simply for the love of sharing them with the universe - each track plucked and presented by label heads from Melting Pot, Ninja Tune, One-Handed , Plug Research, Tru Thoughts and Ubiquity. Each label evokes its own signature swagger giving this collection a diversified and interesting flow of genres. Label Love consists of nostalgic classics, fresh unreleased gems and other dope, exclusive selections with the goal of expanding minds to new styles, vibrations and colors.
If the music player above isn’t working click here.
( For more see their 1st compilation here: http://labelloveworldwide.bandcamp.com/album/label-love-001 )
Play
