Salt Shakers E-News: Reflections On The ‘National Memorial Service’

Last week we mentioned the national memorial service for the bushfires – it was held on Sunday 22 February.
 
We noted that there had been one reference to it being ‘interfaith’ but that had been later reported as being ‘non-denominational’. . .
 
So what was the service really like?
The word we’d probably use to describe the service is ‘secular’.
It was hosted by ABC newsreader Ian Henderson and started with an Aboriginal ‘welcome to country’ by aboriginal elder Joy Murphy.
There were speeches by community representatives and members of the emergency services. The Governor General spoke with so many ‘platitudes’ it was hard to know what she really said, and Princess Anne gave a touching message from the Queen and herself.
There was talk of courage and resilience. There was no naming of the individuals who died – perhaps that was because the list is not final and the coroner’s reports have not been completed. (more…)

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Alan Keyes Political Discernment on President Obama & A Letter To Rick Warren

Dear Friends and Family in Christ,

1) Thank the Lord Jesus that Bible-believing God-fearing Christians can be filled and led by the indwelling Holy Spirit of godly revelation, spiritual discernment, and prophetic truth, as things are not always as they appear to be!
 
Following are two very impacting interviews with US Political Activist Alan Keyes, a fair-dinkum Christian in the public arena and powerful prophetic voice to the Government and people of the United States of America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Keyes

See Keyes’ very recent warning to the United States here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWdCNodGrA8

and one of his debates with President Obama here:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md2bf9DNVB4 (more…)

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CBN Article – “Australian Fires Revive Faith In God”

CBNNews.com – MELBOURNE, Australia —

By Wendy Griffith
CBN News Senior Reporter  -  February 21, 2009

 
Though the death toll continues to rise in the horrible Australia wildfires, there are many stories being told of divine intervention and survival.

In Australia’s state of Victoria, much of the land is black and scorched, a grim reminder of the ferocious wildfires that so far have claimed 200 lives.

CBN News Senior Reporter Wendy Griffith is in Australia covering the aftermath of the wildfires.  You can watch her reports on The 700 Club and Newswatch.  Check local listings.  You can also find her exclusive reports on CBNNews.com.   http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/542840.aspx

Breaking Christian News  @ at Tuesday 24th February

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=6404

(more…)

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Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham’s Daughter) Comments on Devastation in USA

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show (USA) after the fierce devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in the southern parts of USA in 2005. Anne Graham Lotz gave an extremely profound and insightful response. 

Jane Clayson: ‘How could God let something like this happen?’

Anne Graham Lotz: ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’

(more…)

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A God Of Justice or Love? What Does the Bible say?

Pastor Danny & Wife MaryseDear friends and family in Christ,

All glory to God as we continue to serve the Lord through His grace and strength standing strong for the truth of His Word in the mighty Name of Jesus!

There has been much speculation and discussion in the Church (Body of Christ) as to the timing of my article recently released through the media. Following is an excerpt from the dream which was published in the article. “In my dream I saw fire everywhere with flames burning very high and uncontrollably. With this I woke up from my dream with the interpretation as the following words came to me in a flash from the Spirit of God. That His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb.”  

I was led by the Holy Spirit to write the article and when it was finished, I took it to the office, but knowing the furor that it may cause, took it home with me again.  On Day 2, I took it back to the office, but still could not release it.  On Day 3, the Lord asked me whether I was going to listen to Him or to man, (including other pastors, ministers, and Christian leaders). In the words of Paul the Apostle, sent not from man or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, writing to the Galatians (born-again Spirit-filled Christians), “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10) (more…)

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Pastor Danny Ministering In Corryong

Believers Pray For Pr DannyThe following is a letter that was sent to Pr Danny, from Pr Douglas & Carol Allen, after he ministered in their church in Corryong:

“What an amazing weekend…. Pastor Danny and his team arrived here in the High Country of North East Victoria (Corryong) Saturday afternoon after a 5 and a half hour drive from Melbourne. Praise God for their faithfulness in coming to our small community to be a blessing.

Standing United At The AltarAs the people started to arrive Saturday evening God spoke into Pst Danny’s heart about a young man who needed a deep touch from God, including salvation. He Touched By The Holy Spiritcalled him out and spoke a word over him which was totally spot on for the crisis he is going through. Praise the Lord for a good work which has begun. Also that same night he spoke into the lives of couples who belong to the fellowship with regards to what God has in store for them and how God is going to use them in the days to come. We, being the Pastors, know just how our people needed to hear these words,which once again from our knowledge of these precious folk was so spot on! Thank you Pastor Danny and team (Barry & Susanna & Barry & Cheryl) for being so sensitive and passing onto to us what you heard from God.

The Word which was ministered on Sunday morning was awesome (1Kings 16 & 17 ) We believe great fruit will come about from this. The Presence of God was beautiful and tangible. (in all meetings!) (more…)

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Luther Rome And The Bible

Editors comments:  There is no doubt we are seeing the most significant shift within the Christian Church, and indeed in the nations, in our lifetime, as the “Season of Change” that we have been proclaiming for more than 12 months now begins to take shape. An article in next weeks International News for example tells of an atheist who is proclaiming that Christianity is the only hope for Africa. In this article another major shift of potentially great spiritual significance has begun within the Roman Catholic Church as an initiative of the Pope. Whilst there are still many theological and doctrinal differences between Rome and the Protestant Church, we can only watch and marvel at how God is changing long standing paradigms and moving mountains to bring His purposes to pass in our day. 

LUTHER, ROME & THE BIBLE
Source: International Prayer Council

By Jeff Fountain, Protestant leader within the International Prayer Movement

Luther would have been amazed at the efforts of the Vatican today to put the Bible back into the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. In October last, bishops from around the world were called to Rome for a three-week synod to discuss how to promote prayerful reading, understanding and proclamation of God’s Word. Pope Benedict XVI himself kicked off the synod with a round-the-clock Bible reading marathon lasting a whole week, by reading the opening verses of Genesis. Twelve hundred readers took part, including Orthodox and Evangelical leaders. (more…)

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85-Year-Old Retired Pastor Has Witnessed To 10,000 People; His Goal Is 50,000

Ted CottenBy Teresa Neumann

What an inspiration. Truly.

(Longview, WA)—As reported in Baptist Press News (BPN), having kept written track over the years, 85-year-old retired pastor Ted Cotten has now witnessed to 10,000 people. “If God lets me live long enough,” he said, “my goal is to reach 50,000.”

How does he do it? Wherever he goes—restaurants, stores, banks, sporting events, vacation spots—Cotten reportedly asks people if they’d be willing to read a short prayer (of salvation) he says changed his life more than 70 years ago. (more…)

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Muslim Population ‘Rising 10 Times Faster Than Rest Of Society’ (UK)

Times (UK) – Richard Kerbaj

The Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years, according to official research collated for The Times.

The population multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society, the research by the Office for National Statistics reveals. In the same period the number of Christians in the country fell by more than 2 million.

Professor Coleman said that Muslims would naturally reap collective benefits from the increase in population. “In the growth of any population … [its] voice is regarded as being stronger in terms of formulating policy, not least because we live in a democracy where most people in most religious groups and most racial groups have votes. That necessarily means their opinions have to be taken and attention to be paid to them.” (more…)

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Costello Fuels Comeback Talk

Peter CostelloHerald Sun – February 05, 2009

A HIGH-tempo start to the parliamentary year has triggered speculation that Peter Costello has rediscovered his hunger for politics.

But the former treasurer still won’t reveal if he will contest the next election.

In recent days, Mr Costello has made his first substantive speech to Opposition MPs since the 2007 election – urging Liberals to adopt a more hardline stance against contentious Labor policies. (more…)

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Pastor Danny And His Family’s Recent Holiday to Singapore, Sri Lanka, And Philippines

With The Children At The Girls HomeAll The Children In The Feeding Program Enjoying Their Lunch, Which For Most Of Them, Is Their Only MealDear Friends and Family in Christ,

We thank the Lord that our family was very blessed to visit Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines over the recent Christmas holiday.

Most of our time in Sri Lanka was spent with family and friends over Christmas. We also has the opportunity to visit the orphanages and the feeding program for 150 children that we support at CTFM.

Additionally, I was able to minister to 60 pastors and Christian leaders who came together from many denominations and parts of Sri Lanka to catch the corporate vision of united prayer for the nation’s transformation in the Kingdom of God.

Please continue to pray for God’s mighty hand to heal this nation and to restore peace to its people. (more…)

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Urgent Action Required: Sri Lanka Anti-Conversion Bill

Ministers on stage at the prayer rally against the Anti-Conversion BillDear Family and Friends in Christ,

We returned from Sri Lanka 2 weeks ago, as we were there for over a month.  My trip was primarily a holiday, but I had the opportunity to spend time with many church leaders from many Christian denominations.

4000+ Sri Lankan Christians protest against Anti Conversion Bill in ColomboIt was brought to my attention that the Anti-Conversion Bill was back in the Sri Lankan Parliament and if passed would cause major problems for the church and those wanting to embrace Christianity. This unjust bill raised its head under the former government, but was put off mainly because of united prayer and action initiated by many Christian organizations, ministries, churches, and believers around the world.

Many lobbied their respective Sri Lankan Embassy in the country they lived in. Also I personally spent much time in the US State Department along with my US counterparts, who work on Christian Human Rights Issues, to stop the Anti-Conversion Bill from going through. The end result was that the then president The Hon Chandrika B Kumaratunge did not let it get through Parliament. (more…)

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Holy Spirit Revival Fire Falls In Melbourne And Sydney / Catch The Fire!

Revival MeetingsDear Friends and Family in Christ,

All glory to God as we had our first Revival and Healing meeting for this new year 2009 on Sunday the 1st of February in Hallam, Melbourne, Victoria!

The meeting went on for almost 4 hours as the electrifying presence and power of the Holy Spirit swept through the place!  Hungry and thirsty worshippers were so overwhelmed, kneeling and lying prostrate on the floor in His Holy Presence! Many commented, “Thank God the Revival meetings have started again. We could not wait to get there!”

Many Christian worshippers from many different churches and denominations came for the first time, as many others had travelled from interstate. Well, all glory to God as everyone who came was absolutely blessed. (more…)

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Importance Of Mum And Dad—God’s Ideal Design For Family—Confirmed By Study

By Aimee Herd

Family“While family communication and interaction is critical to high-quality relationships for children and adolescents, this study suggests that the opposite-sex parent is especially important in making children feel validated and encouraged…”

EDITOR’S NOTE: In society today there are many single-parent families where the children are well-loved and taken care of. We at BCN certainly recognize this monumental task of having to fulfill both mother and father roles, and having been a single mom myself, I appreciate the difficulty but also the viability. This article is not meant in any way to disqualify single parents, but to underscore God’s perfect plan for raising a child. –Aimee Herd, BCN.

A study published in the Journal of Communication and Religion confirms the benefits of God’s original design for a family: a mother and a father.

According to the Town Hall report, the research showed that boys need the input and nurturing of a mother, and girls, likewise, need that of a father. (more…)

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Open Doors USA President Calls On American Christians To Pray For Mideast Crisis

By Michael Ireland

“Pray that the war between Israel and Palestine is shorter and less devastating than what military and political speculators around the world are predicting.”

IDF Tank Moves Into GazaEDITOR’S NOTE: BCN recognizes the Scriptural call to support and stand with Israel. At the same time, we know that God loves both Israelis AND Palestinians; both Jews AND Muslims; and of course, Christians. While this particular prayer request is focused on Christians who are affected by the Gaza war, we believe we are called to pray for ALL of those in the area—for God’s Divine intervention in the situation. It is only God’s Spirit that can change the heart of a terrorist. –Aimee Herd, BCN.

(Garden Grove, California)—An estimated 10,000 Israeli ground troops moved into Gaza on Jan. 3rd, [in answer to the continuous rocket and long range missile attacks on Israel by the terrorist organization, Hamas]. [Meanwhile,] the small community of Christians in the area have been drawing strength from their faith in God. Last week’s attacks left more than 400 dead and 2,000 injured and the numbers are expected to dramatically increase. (more…)

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