Lost From J.J. Abrams, the creator of Alias, comes the action-packed adventure that became a worldwide television event. Stranded on an island that holds many secrets, 48 plane crash survivors must band together if they hope to get home alive. The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 discover that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, housing and hatches with electricity and hot & cold running water, a group of island residents known as "The Others," and a mysterious man named Jacob. Faith, reason, destiny and free will all clash as the island offers opportunities for both corruption and redemption... but as to its true purpose?
Create TV: Arts & Crafts shows, Painting shows, Scrapbooking shows, Sewing shows, Quilting shows and Project Tips arts & crafts, scrapbooking, painting, sewing and quiltingLearn to make memories with Create® TV’s collection of do-it-yourself craft shows. With popular hosts like Donna Dewberry, Vicki Payne, Sue Hausmann, and painter Bob Ross, Create TV’s arts & crafts shows will help your ideas come to life. Watch favorite programs like America Sews, One Stroke Painting, Scrapbook Memories, and more to take your hobby to the next level. America Quilts Creatively Create your own colorful home quilting projects with quilting expert Sue Hausmann. America Sews With Sue Hausmann Get the tools of the trade for your next sewing project with sewing expert Sue Hausmann. Beads, Baubles and Jewels Explore innovative and dazzling creations from some of the most dynamic jewelry designers working today. Best of the Joy of Painting, The Learn how to paint Bob Ross’ trademark “happy” clouds, trees and scenery in his entertaining and instructional episodes. Color World with Gary Spetz Crafting at the Spotted Canary
the necessity of companionship Even though we must walk our own path, there are indeed times when we need help. At points in our lives we require someone who will challenge us or give us guidance. When I left the church two years ago, I had no idea the impact it would have on me. I thought I was doing fine, when in fact I had descended into some kind of numbing spiritual death. Then, about 3 months ago, it became painfully obvious that I was in desperate need of help. It was then when I came clean to my counselor. I want to encourage you to find someone to talk to if you are going through such a transition. Wise counsel is precious. Buy a print of my painting. Myisha Cherry: Our Obsession, Love, and Need for Satan In the beginning of every semester I discuss ancient Jewish monotheism with my students in the World Religions and Western Civilization college courses I teach. In the process of exploring the underlying beliefs of the ancient Israelites, I make the point that to the Jews, there was no such concept of a Satan or a devil as we imagine in modernity. According to the ancient Israelites, God was omnipotent and therefore an evil agent that could rival God didn't exist. Consistently each semester, my students immediately take me through the Jewish Bible, attempting to prove that, "No, the devil does exist and he is real." At this point, a few of my theist students typically become outraged. The dedication of my students to the belief in the representation of a physical Satan in the Jewish Bible always sticks with me. What lies behind this belief? Believers in God may also find a need to believe in Satan because it provides justification for evil in the world.
Skye Jethani: Hello, Rob Bell - The Interview Last year Rob Bell made waves with his book Love Wins which he describes as "a book about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who has ever lived." The waves became a tsunami when John Piper, a pastor and leader within the Gospel Coalition, tweeted "Farewell, Rob Bell" and dismissed him as a heretic. Agree or disagree with his point of view, Bell knows how to stir conversation. I've had the benefit of interviewing Bell a number of times and have always found him thoughtful, gracious, and genuine in his pursuit of Christ. Skye: Apart from ministry, Christians talk very little about "callings." Rob: The problem goes back to how you read the Bible. Secondly, we have to embrace our desires. Describe how you discerned God's calling to leave Mars Hill to pursue new ideas? It was a vast array of factors, beginning deep in the heart with the awareness that Jesus was calling, inviting, tugging, doing that thing he does when it's time to take a leap into the unknown. Nope.
NoseFrida the Snot Sucker! | FridaBaby Overview It’s smart.It’s Swedish.It’s maybe a little strange.It’s doctor invented & recommended.It’s 100% hygienic due to the included filters (4).It’s fabulously reviewed (Rachel Ray, Parenting, & more).It’s a nasal aspirator that ACTUALLY WORKS!It’s NoseFrida. The Snotsucker. Instructions The disposable filter should be in place to prevent mucus or bacterial transfer.Place the large tube against the child’s nostril, creating a seal.Use the red mouthpiece to SUCK out the snot. Warning NoseFrida is not a toy – keep all parts out of reach of children.Only use NoseFrida for nasal aspiration.Do not blow air into the red mouthpiece while tube is placed at child’s nostril.Never attached NoseFrida to a machine. FAQ’s Why is NoseFrida better than other aspirators? NoseFrida is non-invasive – instead of going inside the nose like the bulb, it forms a seal with the outside of the baby’s nostril (creating a vacuum). Will Nosefrida make me sick? No. Can I suck too hard? No.
Sex And The City Set On A Hill « Diary of a Christian Universagnosticostal When I hear the word “fornication,” I am immediately reminded of how big an issue premarital sex was during my early Christian years. Back then, nearly every unmarried woman I knew was a devotee of prosperity gospel giant Juanita Bynum. She had skyrocketed to popularity on the African American Christian conference circuit when her book No More Sheets: The Truth About Sex (a follow-up to her viral video sermon of the same name) hit the shelves. No More Sheets was a call to sexual purity with an interesting theological twist. According to Bynum, each premarital sexual encounter is actually an unwitting consummation of marriage. Because marriage is supposed to be a powerful bond between two people, those who participate in sex outside marriage create an unholy “soul tie”. Armed with scripture and some very powerful rhetoric, Bynum taught that premarital sex (including masturbation) was a “tool” of Satan. I remember the overwhelming power her books and sermons had on me. I supported t Lust?
The Barna Group - How Many People Really Attend a House Church? Barna Study Finds It Depends on the Definition August 31, 2009 – Numerous shifts are occurring among church-goers in the U.S. as they choose from many new forms and formats of the local church. One of the least understood forms is the house church, and one of the fundamental questions is exactly how many people are attending house churches. According to a new report from The Barna Group, it depends on how such involvement is described to survey respondents. The California-based research firm has explored people’s involvement in non-traditional ministry settings in a dozen nationwide studies it has conducted in the past five years. Measuring House Church Involvement George Barna, who has overseen the process of studying house churches and how to best measure participation rates in organic forms of ministry such as house churches, noted that there are several components in the measurement process that affect the survey outcomes. Why Are There Differences? Why Are House and Organic Churches Important? About the Research
Thoughts About Rob Bell, John Piper, and Justin Taylor - O Me of Little Faith I’m not sure what Rob Bell was doing on Saturday, but I wonder how long it took for him to realize that he had blown up the Internet. At least, the Christian twitterverse and blogosphere. Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids and the author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God, has a fascinating new book releasing in March — at least, the title is fascinating. It’s called Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. From the publisher’s copy about the book: In Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith–the afterlife–arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. Sound controversial? While he admitted that he hadn’t read the book yet (!) It is unspeakably sad when those called to be ministers of the Word distort the gospel and deceive the people of God with false doctrine. Farewell, Rob Bell. {Audible sigh.} Thoughts: 1. 2.
Quotes about Doubt - O Me of Little Faith I get asked occasionally if I’ve heard this or that quote about doubt and faith from such-and-such famous person. In most (but not all) cases, yes, I’m aware of the quote. This is due to two reasons: 1) Because I’m a big philosophers-and-theologians-and-writers nerd. Actually, the “nerd” tag explains a lot of things about me. 2) Because collecting doubt-quotes has been something of a hobby of mine for several years. Because they make me exhale in relief. Because they help me remember I’m not alone.Not all of these quotes ended up in my book, but some did. But these thoughts are comforting to me, and whether you agree entirely with them or not, I think they can be informative to any discussion about religious doubt and uncertainty. Anyway, I figured this was as good a time as any to gather them up into a single place. • “Doubt is but another element of faith.” • “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” • “Don’t expect faith to clear things up for you. Your thoughts?
When the Formula Fails When the Formula Fails The Wall Imagine yourself in a tunnel facing a wall that appears to seal off the tunnel. Soon you reach the place where the wall no longer moves. About this time you see a television screen on the side of the tunnel. Finally, there seems to be nothing more you can do. Formula Spirituality This seems to describe the Christian life for many people. I have come to call this "formula spirituality". A "spiritual formula" is much the same. But why use a formula? Using a formula in our spiritual life is desirable to many people because of the "cause and effect" rule. In a sense, the formula is designed to control even God. Do Spiritual Formulas Work? All of this begs the question: Do the spiritual formulas work? It may be important to note a distinction. Spiritual formulas are another matter. There are several reasons these formulas seem to work. Notice that there is no particular evidence that the result was actually caused by eating suppers together. So What Do We Do?
Where Else Could We Go? A young lady whose blog I read has wondered where she stands in her faith now that she has left the legalistic environment of her upbringing. A mother’s entry on another blog states that she has abandoned the Christian faith in spite of being strong and active in years past. A former pastor wrote on a discussion group that he has left the ministry and the faith because of all the "unfulfilled promises." He had worked hard and believed that his faithfulness entitled him to something more than the disappointment and frustration he received. When the Christian faith is defined, whether openly or covertly, by the various sets of rules and standards provided by teachers and organizations, there is little or nothing left for those who leave that definition. It is not natural for us to draw near to someone who is angry with us. Those who live in the shadow of an angry God find it difficult to relate to Him in any way other than fear. This is the Christian life for many people.
Neil Gaiman: Hanukkah with bells on - Features - Books My parents objected. "We're Jewish," they said. "We don't do Christmas. This did nothing to stop the lobbying. We were surrounded by Christmas, after all. Christmas presents, that was a battle we had already won, my sisters and me. We were not jealous of friends who got Christmas presents. I was a precocious child, and I had read widely, and I struck. "I think you'll find it is, dear," said my mother. "They are actually," I told her, proudly, and precociously, "a pagan relic. I'm not sure why it was better to be a pagan relic, but I hoped it was, and it seemed to shake my mother's certainty. Whether it was, as I thought at the time, my precocious argument or (more probably in retrospect), my sisters' huge, pleading eyes and trembling lower lips, I do not know, but my father went to the local market and picked out a Christmas tree for us and brought it home. We pretended to be as asleep as we could. "What was that about?" "It was just Dad," she whispered. "Are you sure?"
The Collision of Faith & Creativity: Interview with Gary Molander This summer I met Gary Molander at the Echo Conference. He’d just put out a new book, Pursuing Christ. Creating Art.: Exploring Faith at the Intersection of Faith and Creativity (read our review), that was right up our alley. Gary is a former pastor and currently creates church media. That’s right—he’s smack in the middle of the pastor/artist debate, which means he brings a unique insight. Gary is the founder of the church media company Floodgate Productions. We sat down with Gary to talk about his new book, and stick around for the end because we’re going to give away some free copies of Gary’s book! In the book you make the claim that pastors are artists. I’ve read that line a million times, and even debated whether or not I should leave it in the final manuscript. But in the book, I continue to suggest that we’ve too tightly defined what an “artist” is. I invite you to take a deep breath, and read this paragraph without breaking. I think that’s an art. And to be wrecked by it. I agree.