“Wait upon me, saith the Lord, until that day
when I rise up to the prey; for My determination is to gather the nations, that
I may assemble the kingdoms, that I may pour upon them Mine indignation, even
all My fierce anger: for the whole earth [social structure] shall be devoured
with the fire of My jealousy.” (Zephaniah 3:8)
The picture of the Time of Trouble and of the glorious epoch of blessing to follow is graphically depicted by the Prophet Zephaniah. So terrible will be the Time of Trouble, so sweeping the overthrow of present institutions, that the Lord here symbolically pictures it as a fire consuming everything of the present social order.
But that it is not a literal fire, and that it will not consume or destroy mankind but prepare for their greater blessing, is shown by the next statement of the prophet: “Then I will turn unto the people a pure Message [in contrast with the confused message that has been promulgated by all the various sects of Christendom, Babylon], that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent.”
Surely, no one will deny that we are in the Time of Trouble, and that it is progressing rapidly. It has been reported that there is corruption in the governments of practically every nation of the world. Certainly we can see it rampant in the U.S. government, and as well in practically all state and local governments. Also, there have been many natural disasters in the past year, and are continuing to occur.
What wonder then, that we appreciate the statement, “Blessed are your ears, for they hear.” (Matt. 13:16) Harkening we not only have heard the Message of God's love and favor for our race, and how a Ransom has been provided, and that in consequence a preparation is being made for the blessing of all the world.
Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel - life everlasting, life which we now see is possible of attainment by all the families of the earth, and immortality as attainable by those who, in the Gospel Age, had the hearing ear of faith and the heart desire to follow in the footsteps of their Redeemer.
Let us continue to pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is done in Heaven.”
He's come! Let all the earth adore Him!
The path His human nature trod
Spreads to a royal realm before Him,
The Life of life, the Word of God!
WORLD EVENTS
“Russia’s announcement that it would work to promote international support for the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority [PA], its intention to supply missiles to Syria, and its opposition to sanctions against Iran presents a worrying trend for Israel. The Russian move toward funding the Hamas regime found an echo in a report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which suggested that the Western-led economic boycott of the PA must be lifted in order to fight poverty in the Gaza area. According to information received by Israel, Russia is set to conclude a deal, worth several hundred million dollars, to transfer thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles to Syria.” (Arntz Sheva, February 27, 2007)
“U.N. DECLINES TO CONDEMN IRAN PRESIDENT’S REMARKS ON ISRAEL: UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council refused to approve a statement yesterday that would condemn remarks about Israel's impending destruction attributed to Iran's hard-line president because of objections from Indonesia, council diplomats said.
“Qatar, the only Arab nation on the council said that it had no instructions, which also meant that approval yesterday was impossible, the diplomats said. The statement must be approved by all 15 council members.
France's U.N. ambassador, Jean Marc de La Sabliere, who called for condemnation of the remarks attributed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that it was unfortunate that the council could not act immediately. He said he would try again. At stake is... a real question of principle, de La Sabliere said.” (Associated Press, June 9, 2007)
“SECRET TALKS: According to a report in the Yedlioth Ahronoth newspaper on August 16, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas have been meeting secretly during the past few months for discussions that might lead to a permanent agreement between the two sides.”
(The Jerusalem Report, September 17, 2007)
“CREATION MUSEUM CAUSES STIR IN SCIENTIFIC CIRCLES: LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A museum where Adam and Eve share exhibit space with dinosaurs is drawing criticism from groups of science educators as it nears completion.
“The $27 million Creation Museum tells a biblical version of the Earth's history, asserting that the planet is just a few thousand years old and man and the giant lizards once coexisted. The educators say its exhibits, inspired by the Old Testament, are geared toward children but lack scientific evidence. ‘When they try to confuse [kids] about what is science and what isn't science, scientists have an obligation to speak out,’ said Lawrence Krauss, an author and a physics professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. ‘There's no doubt these are documented lies.’
“Krauss has signed one of two petitions circulated by national groups that challenge the facility's exhibits.
“The museum, built by the nonprofit ministry Answers in Genesis with private donations, includes a 200-seat special-effects theater, a 40-foot-tall depiction of Noah's Ark and robotic, roaring dinosaurs. The 60,000-square-foot facility in rural Petersburg, Ky., will open on Memorial Day.
“Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham said most natural-history museums and textbooks for students are devoted to teaching evolution. He said critics need to tour the museum before making judgments.
“One petition, started by the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, says the museum is part of a ‘campaign by the religious right to inject creationist teachings into science education.’
“Krauss said about 2,000 educators have signed the petition. A second petition from the National Center for Science Education attracted support from nearly 600 university professors. It says there are ‘scientifically inaccurate’ exhibits at the museum.”
(By Dylan T. Lovan, The Associated Press, May 19, 2007)
IN FINANCE
As we approach 2008, there is a lot to be desired.Housing sales are still declining. Homeowner’s are facing foreclosure. Banks write off millions of dollars on sub prime loans. Assets are falling in value. Oil could rise to over $125.00 per barrel.
Oil affects most everything we do or have in the U.S.A. Food is one thing that affects inflation. Corn prices are very high. Milk prices worldwide are rising at the fastest rate ever and won’t be falling anytime soon. Food prices will raise 4-5%.
Inflation could rise in 2008, meaning we could be on the edge of a recession. Banks are hurting. Job growth is getting weaker. Retail sales are leveling off. The dollar is at an all time low. The stock market is up and down. In 2008 we will be electing a new president. One candidate wants to raise taxes. Some financial advisors are optimistic and some pessimistic. Matthew 24:39 tells us “they knew not” or “understand not.” It is only by the understanding of God’s plan of Salvation that we know this present “evil” order of things must be destroyed by the Time of Trouble before Christ’s Kingdom can be established. Our advice at present is to “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righ-teousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
“Researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types, A, B, and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood that can be given to anyone - an achievement that promises to make transfusions safer and to relieve shortages of type O blood. Bacterial enzymes [are used to] safely remove from red blood cells the sugar molecules that provoke an immune reaction in the recipient. Mismatching of blood causes at least half of all transfusion-related deaths.”
(Los Angles Times, April 2, 2007)
“Mosquitoes genetically engineered to resist infection with a malaria parasite outbreed their normal cousins and might be used to help control malaria, researchers said yesterday. The team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said their study suggests that releasing such genetically altered insects could help battle malaria, which kills up to 3 million people a year around the globe, most of them small children.”
(Reuters, March 20, 2007)
“ISRAEL’S ORMAT MAKES CLEAN FUEL THAT IS GOOD TO GO: Until now, biodiesel may now be the exclusive province of environmentalists or celebrities, but Israeli company Ormat has unveiled a new formulation that promises to bring the clean car fuel into our gas stations within two years. The world class alternative and renewable energy company, which was set up 40 years ago and specializes in geothermal energy, aims to help phase out traditional polluting diesel. According to founder Dita Bronicki, ‘We are talking about having independence from Middle East oil in countries like Canada and the U.S. - what we are doing is an important step in making that happen.’”
(Israel 21c Newsletter, June 25, 2007)
“AN ISRAELI COMPANY DRILL FOR OIL IN ALGAE: Israeli start-up Seambiotic has discovered a way to produce a safe, non-toxic and biodegradable bio-fuel by channeling smokestack carbon dioxide emissions through pools of algae. Not only does the algae, which thrives on carbon dioxide and sunlight, clean the emissions but it created 30 times more bio-fuel per hectare of land than traditional plant crops used in bio-fuel production. For two years Seambiotic has tested the idea at the Israel Electric Company power plant in Askelon, sparking interest from all over the world.”
“U.S,-CANADIAN FUND LOOKS TO ISRAELI CANCER RESEARCHERS FOR ANSWERS: Researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have identified a specific family of proteins that enables breast cancer cells to spread via the blood stream to other organs. The team hopes the discovery will facilitate the development of drugs that block or inhibit the production of these proteins to stop the spread of cancer elsewhere in the body - the leading cause of cancer death. This is just one project being carried out under the auspices of the U.S.-Canadian founded Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), which aims to stem the scientific brain drain from Israel and provide crucial ideas to help bring an end to the cancer crisis.”
(The above 2 items are from Israe121cNewsletter, October 4, 2007)
IN RELIGION
“START USING ‘ALLAH’ INSTEAD OF ‘GOD’?: WASHINGTON - It was bound to happen - and it seems fitting that a cleric named Tiny would think of it. Roman Catholic Bishop Tiny Muskens of the Netherlands has decided that the way to ease Muslim-Everybody Else tensions is to start using ‘Allah’ instead of ‘God.’ Noting that God does not care what we call him, Muskens thought, why not yield a little to Muslim ways? Or would that be ‘submit,’ the literal meaning of ‘Islam’?
“‘Allah is a very beautiful word for God,’ Muskens said on Dutch television a few days ago. ‘Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?’
“Muskens pointed out that in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country where he spent eight years, priests use the word ‘Allah’ in Catholic Mass.
“For the sake of peace, prosperity and clarity in the shire, let the record reflect that Muslims did not ask for this, though some of the Netherlands embraced the idea as a conciliatory gesture and in the U.S., some Muslims greeted the suggestion with enthusiasm.
“Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told FoxNews.com that calling God ‘Allah’ wouldn’t require a theological leap for Christians. ‘It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God,’ Hooper said. It’s not hard to understand why Muskens would tilt toward compromise. The Netherlands, which is now home to 1 million Muslims, hasn’t been quite the peace’n’love axis of the multicultural world, despite clouds of Silver Blue cannabis wafting from the Amsterdam’s famously mellow coffee houses.
“Between the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh, guilty of making a documentary film critical of Islam, death threats against fellow documentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and the recent Muslim attack of the head of a Dutch group for ‘ex-Muslims,’ one could begin to think of invoking Allah as a savvy survival technique.
“Besides, as Muskens pointed out, Allah is a lovely sounding word. Thus, in the spirit of Christian charity and Western tolerance, I’ve been trying it out with mixed results.
“The Doxology of my Protestant childhood is problematic with the two-syllable Allah instead of the monosyllabic God, but not impossible: Praise Allah, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Not perfect, but workable.
“America’s familiar childhood blessing is downright euphonious: Allah is great, Allah is good, let us thank him for our food. But the Apostle’s Creed is a mess: I believe in Allah the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son…Oops.
“Contrary to Hooper’s one-God claim, Christians and Muslims don’t really worship the same God. Although both religions are monotheistic - and if there’s just one God, there’s just one God - Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God and Muslims think otherwise.
“That’s not a small doctrinal difference. In fact, at the risk of exhausting the obvious, Christianity doesn’t exist without, um, Christ. Of course we could rewrite the Apostle’s Creed to include Muhammad: ‘I believe in Allah the Father Almighty… and in Muhammad, his favorite prophet…’
“The possibilities are infinite, really. Alternatively, we could pretend to be sane and suggest that everybody go to his or her own house of worship, pray to his or her own version of the Creator, and otherwise get a grip.
“Changing Western language, symbols and making other accommodations to ease relations between old Europe and new isn’t only a conciliatory gesture or even mere appeasement. It is submission by any other name.
“Language may be a manmade limitation, as Janaan Hashim said, speaking for the
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which endorses Muskens’ idea. But language is not meaningless. The words we use to define and express ourselves are the fundaments of cultural and social identity. John Stuart Mill put it this way: ‘Language is the light of the mind.’
“Muskens, who retires in a few weeks, conceded that his idea likely wouldn’t catch on right away. We might need another 100 years or so, but he predicted that, eventually, Allah will be the word.
“Given that European Muslins are procreating at three times the rate of non-Muslims - and given the ‘logarithmic rate’ of growth of jihadist ideology in the U.S., according to a new report by the New York Police Department’s Intelligence Division - it may be sooner than that.
“Peace be upon us.” (By Kathleen Parker, Orlando Sentinel, August 19, 2007)
“GEORGIA TAKES STEP TO ADD PUBLIC-SCHOOL BIBLE CLASSES: ATLANTA - A pair of Bible classes are set to appear in Georgia’s public-school classrooms next year, with supporters calling them a chance to teach students an important historical text and critics fearing they could be a jumping-off point for pushing religious beliefs. Literature and History of the Old Testament Era and Literature and History of the New Testament Era were on a list of classes the Georgia Board of Education voted to add to the state’s curriculum Thursday. The vote sets in motion a 30-day period, after which the board is expected to give the classes their final approval.”
(Compiled from wire reports, June 11, 2007)
“Passive indifference of faith has left Europe’s churches mostly empty. But debate over religion is more intense and strident than it has been in many decades. Religion is reemerging as a big issue in part because of anxiety over Europe’s growing and restive Muslim populations and a fear that faith is reasserting itself in politics and public policy. That is all adding up to growing momentum for a combative brand of atheism, one that confronts rather than merely ignores religion. According to a prominent British author on religion, Karen Armstrong, the movement ‘mimics the ardor of Christianity, Islam and Marxism, all of which have at their core an urge to convert nonbelievers to their worldview.’”
(Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2007)
“During his visit to India, the head of the World Council of Churches lamented the decline of Christianity in the West, while also praising the rapid growth of the faith in developing countries. ‘Churches are being sold in Europe and are being converted into bars. It is sad to hear that liquor is being served from pulpits where the word of God used to be preached.” (Eni, February 20, 2007)
“NOTE: The KJV is the most elegant version in any language, perhaps much too often exceeding that of the original Greek and Hebrew. Its title page has caused some to refer to the translation as the ‘Big JAMES and little GOD’ Bible. Although it is doubtful any of the translators had been baptized as an adult, for some of them it would not have implied much anyway. Nevertheless, others seem to have manifested a good Christian character.”
(From A Book Review, June 2007)
“A shortage of qualified young clergy could be on the horizon for churches nationwide as large numbers of ‘Baby Boomer’ pastors prepare to retire and fewer seminary students show interest in leading a congregation. A recent study by the Lewis Center for Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary shows a significant 20-year decline across major denominations in numbers of clergy under age 35, both Protestant and Catholic. Other reports indicate only about one-third of seminary students in North America today plan to be ordained and serve a congregation,” (Fund For Theological Education, June 1, 2007)
“The Joshua Project, an outreach program sponsored by the Unreached People’s Network, estimates that nearly 2.6 million people worldwide have limited or no access to the message of the Gospel.”
(Religion News Service, May 14, 2007)
“CHRISTIANITY DECLINING IN THE WEST: Although Christianity remains the largest of the major world religions - with over 2.1 billion professed adherents - and the fastest growing in worldwide total adherents, the statistics for Europe and North America are depressing. Christianity in the West may be dying. Many once mighty cathedrals in Europe sit empty. According to Dr. Todd M. Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, ‘Whereas in 1900, over 80% of all Christians lived in Europe and Northern America, by 2005, this proportion had fallen to under 40% and will likely fall below 30% before 2050.’ A recent USA Today article contains the following quote from George Weigel, a Catholic columnist and the U.S. biographer of Pope John Paul II: ‘Western Europe, the cradle of modern Christianity, has become a ‘post-Christian society’ in which the ruling class and cultural leaders are anti-religious or ‘Christophobic.’ According to the 2005 European Spiritual Estimate, only 4.2% of Europeans would identify themselves as ‘born again’ or personally committed, faith-based Christians.
“The situation in North America is somewhat better, but still depressing. According to Canada’s General Social Survey 2001 data, attendance at religious services has fallen dramatically across the country over the past 15 years. Nationally, only one-fifth (20%) of individuals aged 15 and over attended religious services on a weekly basis in 2001, compared with 28% in 1986. In 2001, 4 in 10 adults (43%) reported that they had not attended religious services during the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with only 26% in 1986.”
(Bridges For Peace, September 2007)
“ATHEISTS GROW IN NUMBER, STILL MOST AMERICANS NOT BUYING IN: A legion of the godless is rising up against the forces of religiosity in American society. ‘People who were ashamed to say there is no God now say, ‘Wow, there are others out there who think like me, and it feels ~#*+ good,’ said Margaret Downey, the president of the Atheist Alliance international, whose member-ship has almost doubled in the past year to 5,200. It has a 500 person waiting list for the convention in Crystal City, VA., later this month…
“In the past two years, five books promoting atheism have hit the best seller lists, outselling such religious tomes as Pope Benedict XVI’s book on Jesus, and popular Christian novelist Tim LaHaye’s latest book Kingdom Come, according to Nielson BookScan…
“A study released in June by the Barna Group, a religious polling firm, found that about 5 million adults in the United States call themselves atheists. The number rises to about 20 million - about one in every 11 Americans - if people who say they have no religious faith or are agnostic (they doubt the existence of God or a supreme deity) are included…
(The Washington Post, September 16, 2007)
Comment: The above 2 items indicate that the great system of mystic Babylon is about to be cast into the sea (the restless sea of ungovernable peoples). The “sea” of anarchy will swallow up the false systems as prophesied (Rev. 18:21). This is what was done with Ancient Babylon, which is a type of mystic Babylon (Jer. 51:63,64). But let us be careful to differentiate between the system and the individuals connected with those systems. The prophesy applies to the system only.
“SIX NUNS EXCOMMUNICATED FOR HERESY; FIRST TIME IN DIOCESE’S 165-YEAR HISTORY: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Six nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday.
“The Rev. J. Gaston Herbert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.
“The Vatican has declared all members of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Herbert said the excommunication was the first in the diocese’s 165-year history.”
(Associated Press, September 27, 2007)
Comment: We cannot condone the sect, whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, because this reeks of spiritism. She may be possessed, but not of the Virgin Mary, but by evil spirits. But this case shows, once again, that the Catholic church and its dioceses cannot control their devotees as they once could. It is just another sign of their impending destruction.
“Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader that he holds hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a groundbreaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alecy II.”
(Associated Press, June 16, 2007)
“POPE SHUT HIS EYES TO VIOLENCE OF CONVERSION: Pope Benedict XVI apparently, sort of, admitted the truth about the forced religious conversions of the native peoples of the New World. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that ‘unjusti-fiable crimes’ were committed during colonial-era evangelization in the New World. But he did not repudiate the statements he made on this subject during his visit to South America earlier this month, as was demanded by indigenous groups and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Chavez even accused the pope of ignoring the ‘holocaust’ that followed Columbus' ‘discovery’ of the New World in 1492...
“On May 13, while speaking to Latin American and Caribbean bishops, the pope demonstrated an amazing ignorance of the history of the violent cultural and religious oppression of indigenous peoples in the New World by European Christians. Benedict stated that the native people had been ‘silently longing for Christ without realizing it.’ He said that their conversion was not a conquest but an ‘adoption’ that made ‘their cultures fruitful, purifying them…’
“Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of the ‘civilization’ and
massacres of natives in North, Central and South America when he stated that the church had not imposed itself on indigenous peoples. That Christianity had not been detrimental to their way of life...
“But he by no means apologized for his earlier statements: ‘While we do not overlook the various injustices and sufferings which accompanied colonization, the Gospel has expressed and continues to express the identity of the peoples in this region.’
“Clearly, this pope has a long way to go
in understanding the truth of the colonization and the history of forced religious conversion of the Americas.” (Special to the Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2007)
“POPE REMOVES RESTRICTIONS ON HOLDING MASSES IN LATIN: VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI removed restrictions yesterday on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was all but swept away by the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
“The decision, a victory for traditional, conservative Roman Catholics, came over the objections of liberal-minded Catholics and angered Jews because the Tridentine Mass contains a prayer for their conversion.
“Benedict, who stressed that he was not negating Vatican II, issued a document authorizing parish priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite if a ‘stable group of faithful’ requested it.” (Wire Report, July 8, 2007)
“POPE: OTHER CHRISTIANS NOT TRUE CHURCHES: Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.
“Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of The Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.”
(Yahoo News, July 10, 2007)
Comment: Benedict says he is not negating the Vatican II Council, but that is exactly what he is doing. It is our understanding that according to Vatican law, once a decision is made by a Council it cannot be rescinded, because the church councils are considered perfect and do not make mistakes.
“EPISCOPALIANS REBEL OVER APPROVAL OF GAYS: Some plan to leave the Central Florida diocese after failing to oust the bishop… The long-simmering dispute over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church, USA,
which has threatened to tear the denomination apart, is now roiling the Diocese of Central Florida…” (Orlando Sentinel, November 4, 2007)
“EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF PITTSBURG VOTES TO SPLIT FROM NATIOAL CHURCH: JOHNSTOWN, PA. - By more than a 2-1 vote, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted in favor of separating from the national church because of a theological rift that began with the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003…”
(The New York Times, November 4, 2007)
Comment: These two items, among others, indicate the falling of the Nominal systems. But it is not because of the gay and same sex unions, etc. that they are falling. These are only the symptoms of the real problem. If the denominations could discuss the real Biblical teachings rather than these social problems, perhaps they could survive. However, they have not considered the cardinal doctrines of the Bible for many years. For instance, such important doctrines as the Ransom, Resurrection, (which is never mentioned except at Easter), Justification by faith, Sanctification and Restitution to name a few. Their only concerns are the social questions, which would be taken care of, if their minds were on the real Bible Truths. Other denominations are having similar problems. (Jer. 51:7; Rev. 14:8; 18:23)
“SOUTHERN BAPTISTS FACING CROSSROADS OVER IDENTITY: Southern Baptists head into their annual national meeting this week at odds over whether they have become too conservative and wed to partisan politics or whether a harder line is necessary to give the Nashville, Tenn.-based denomination a clear identity, Beginning Tuesday in San Antonio, proposals about issues such as political involvement, clergy sexual abuse and speaking in tongues should provide a glimpse at where the 16.3 million-member denomination is headed, 28 years after the ‘conservative resurgence’ swept liberals out. What’s at stake is the direction of the SBC and how the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. will work to reverse stagnating membership.”
(Orlando Sentinel, June 11. 2007)
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Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the many beautiful Christmas cards received expressing love and prayers. Be assured that our warm Christian love and prayers are ever with you. We wish for all our readers that they will grow in Grace and Knowledge of the Lord for a blessed New Year as “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18)
ANNOUNCEMENT: The date of our Memorial is March 20, 2008, after six p.m.