TD Jakes at Obama’s private prayer service the day after the inauguration.

Jakes read from Daniel, 3:19 and used the scripture to offer [Obama] a series of four lessons for his administration.
1 “In time of crisis, good men must stand up. God always sends the best men into the worst times.”
2 “You cannot change what you will not confront. This is a moment of confrontation in this country. There’s no way around it…This is not a time for politeness or correctness, this is a time for people to confront issues and bring about change.”
3 “You cannot enjoy the light without enduring the heat. The reality is the more brilliant, the more glorious, the more essential the light, the more intense the heat. We cannot separate one from the other.”
4 “Extraordinary times require extraordinary methods. This is a historical moment for us and our nation and our country, and though we enjoy it and are inspired by it and motivated by it.”

After his four lessons, Jakes turned from the crowd and looked directly at Obama.
“The problems are mighty and the solutions are not simple,” Jakes said, “and everywhere you turn there will be a critic waiting to attack every decision that you make. But you are all fired up, Sir, and you are ready to go. And this nation goes with you. God goes with you.
“I say to you as my son who is here today, my 14-year-old son – he probably would not quote scripture. He probably would use Star Trek instead, and so I say, ‘May the force be with you.”

Leadership

When the best leaders have done their work, the people say ‘we did it ourselves’.

Chinese proverb

Faith at work - the future

“The attitude seems to be, if you have a faith, leave it at home and pick up the pieces later.” But he believes that that position will become untenable, particularly for employers. “Pretty well all the major board-rooms will have to consider the effects of religion on their business and operations in the next phase,” he says. “I think the religious debate has only just begun, almost like the 15th and 16th century, as the central topic of discussion throughout the world and the business community. Why is that? It is partly driven by a clear view that Islam has that there is no separation between the work that you do and the work of God. It is one seamless world. In many ways that is true for Christians as well.”

Ken Costa

Grace

I am not what I ought to be...
I am not even what I hope to be...
But by the grace of God
I am certainly not what I was.

John Newton

The purpose

'Through his transcendent love, our Lord Jesus Christ became what we are, that he might make us to be what he is.'

Irenaeus in Against Heresies

CS Lewis's thinking

‘What he thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything.’

Owen Barfield on Lewis quoted by Philip Tallon

A Lenten Prayer for Travelling Mercies

Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

Charles de Foucauld
He was a French aristocrat who joined the French army in Algeria, then left it, and lived there identifying with the people, serving the poor, learning the language, and sought to found a new religious order, which became The Little Brothers of Jesus. His is a compelling story about how "great awakenings" begin with faithful journeys of discipleship. Charles de Foucauld lived from 1858 to 1916, a Catholic contemplative at the time of the 19th-century revivals.

Sojourners/Jim Wallis

John Venn’s five practical mission principles (1799)

• Follow God’s leading
• Begin on a small scale
• Put money in second place because money follows ministry; let prayer, study, and mutual converse precede its collection
• Success depends on sending out people of the highest calibre
• Depend wholly upon the Spirit of God.

From www.faith2share.net

Another great headline

Smith attacked over 42-day speech

BBC News website 28.10.2008

Gruesome BBC

Two adjoining headlines on today's BBC News website. Any connection?!
'Man admits head on beach murder'
'Opened croc may hold missing Scot'


http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 14 October 2008

A bank robber in the US taped branches and leaves to his head in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his identity. He was later recognised and arrested.

BBC News 9 July 2007

And another great headline

"Log rolling champ baptised in brook."

Baptist Times 26 April 2007

Great holiday suggestion

"This hotel is gross!!!!!!! It was an awful experiance. When we got there it was about 11 pm and there were sketchy biker guys hanging around out side. It is right by the highway and not safe at all. There was no one at the desk to help us. We had to climb in the window to get to our room. The room connected to the employee's only lounge and there was no lock!!! There was blood on our matress and insects and dirt everywhere. The AC didn't work and niether did the hot water. The hot water only works if you turn on the heat, so if you want to do that on a summmer night go right ahead. The sheets were dirty and gross.

"It looks like it was built in 1920 and hasnt been updated since. They will charge you extra if you use the soap or miniscule crappy bottle of shampoo. They only give you two towels, which are about the size of a dish cloth. In the morning the maid came in at 7am without knocking to clean our room. When they clean the room they don't chage the sheets. The breakfast had no milk or water, and the fruit they gave us was frozen. Only stay at this crap motel if you are physically forced!!!! If it is a last resort stay outside instead!!!!!!!

This Member:
Liked: Nothing everything was disgusting!!!!!!!!! but they did have internet, that was the only good thing.
Disliked: the bloody matress, the insects, the service, the location, everything!!!!!!

From a travel forum Apr 29, 2007

And another

Snake bursts after gobbling gator

BBC News website 25 May 2007