Friday 28 February 2014

Oscar Weekend 2014

For Belgium the Oscar Weekend is going to be special.


The Belgians are looking forward to the fourth feature-length film by Felix van Groeningen. After Steve+Sky (2004), With Friends Like These (2007)van Groeningen received international recognition after The Misfortunates (2009) was selected in Cannes (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, 2009).

The Broken Circle Breakdown is based on the stage play with the same name by Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels, with which they filled all manner of theaters, church halls, public houses and cultural centres.
The film was the indigenous hit movie of the 2009/10 season (465,000 admissions) and won several awards and nominations, both nationally and internationally. The admission figures in France and the Netherlands were particularly noteworthy and the producer Dirk Impens and Menuet may be looking forward not only to much Belgian press ineterest, but also lots of American interest.

Christians in America hope many people will turn up for two totally different films, which they would like to see produced more.

Followers of Christ are asked to make Twentieth Century Fox’s Son of God which opens in the American theatres nationwide this Friday. This movie is about the life of Christ and the American Christians would love to see it having a resounding success, sending the strong message to Hollywood that we want more of this kind of entertainment.
They think Son of God is their best opportunity to date to prove that Christians aren’t a niche market but a full-fledged movement of moviegoers.
 
The 22nd Annual Movieguide Awards will air on Reelz on Saturday, March 1, at 2pm ET/ 11am PT, with an additional broadcast on Oscar Day, Sunday, March 2 at 2pm ET/ 11am PT. This ceremony, known throughout the industry as “the Christian Oscars,” celebrates the studio executives, producers, directors, actors and writers who make values-affirming movies and television shows. Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are among those who will appear on the show, along with Andy Garcia, James Denton, Ali Landry, Kevin Sorbo, John Ratzenberger and Corbin Bernsen. Richie Sambora and AJ Michalka will perform. Set your DVR and make sure you tune in.
EP 2013 LUX Film Prize winner is Felix van Gro...
EP 2013 LUX Film Prize winner is Felix van Groeningen’s The Broken Circle Breakdown (Photo credit: European Parliament)
 
Paramount Pictures will release NOAH, starring Oscar-winner Russell Crowe in the title role on March 28. You may have seen some news stories about the film in recent weeks alleging wild deviations from biblical truth rooted in extreme environmentalism and political statements about overpopulation. These allegations have all come from people who haven’t even seen the film!  To help balance the discussion, I thought you’d like to see this recent piece from The Christian Post by John Snowden, NOAH’s biblical adviser.
And he’s not alone in being excited about the opportunities NOAH offers us to have discussions about God in the culture. Ted Baehr, the founder of Movieguide, was interviewed by Yahoo! News about NOAH. Here’s a snippet of that story.

Son Of God | "Prepare" TV Spot

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Wednesday 26 February 2014

Reflect on how much idolizing happens

In several countries people go mad about their stars. In certain countries, like in Belgium, on television they may talk about people who are called "wereldberoemd" ("world-famous") though they might be just some ordinary people who had some more screening on one of the commercial television stations or be spoken of in the gossip magazines.

Today we have the modern equivalents of the feasting in Corinth on the food that had been offered to the idols, especially in prosperous countries in the things that the masses idolize. In Corinth athletic sports were idolized, it is no different today – people call them ‘Stars’ or 'gods' . We better reflect on how much idolizing happens!

The apostle Paul also look at those athletes and recognised
“Every athlete exercises self control …they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable”(1 Corinthians 9:25).
He tells believers,
 “So run that you may obtain it …I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”(1 Corinthians 9:24,27).
When we look at those athletes and film icons, how do we appreciate their work. How much recognition do we give to the television star or to a footballer, and to the doctor who saves many lives. When we look at the wages the footballer earns and than look at what a doctor or a nurse receives monthly, it show how much life has become worth in our society. A very good barometer to get to know what a human person is worth is looking at the prizes of hitman. the prizes of contract killers have gone down enormously the last few years.
The prize of surrogate mothers kept about the same for the last 5 years.

The policy of looking at human beings has worsened the last few years. Most people got more interested in the car or electric gadgets the neighbour has than in the person himself. World has become so commercialised and so materialistic that there is no place for the common man and certainly not for the Creator of all things.

Not many are interested in getting to know the other human beings and being ready to come to their help. To get to know a Spirit, Which they can not see or hear, is even worse... Why should they show any interest in Such an unreachable Bearing?

Those who love the God of gods, should come out and show the world their love for the Most High of all. They should show the world that That eternal Spirit is One of a kind. In Him they should put all their trust and come forwards to tell people about all His Works and promises.

Being aware of the particular love they received, believers in the Only One God, should be willing to share that love with others.
Love is, above all, an active quality; genuine love causes us to do things: it motivates our heart. Now, the things love causes us to do are not things we do out of a sense of obligation, there should not be occasions when we say,
 “I suppose I had better do …”
especially when it comes to serving the Lord.

Time is at hand that we come in to the public to serve the Most High Almighty.

When Jehovah God, who sees all things through his spirit (Psalm 139:1-6) knows that our professions of love for him come right from our hearts – we are “known by God”. But this is more than a one sided sense of knowing, to truly know God results in a two-way relationship, David’s Psalms show this, we read this morning,
 “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his”(100:3).
We are the ones who belong to God and are willing to show that to the world.

We read a few days ago in Exodus,
 “Moses said to the LORD …you have said, ‘I know you by name …therefore if I have found favour in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you…””(33:12,13).

Knowing God comes through knowing his ways; leading to the realization that we are “working together with him”(2 Corinthians 6:1).

One of the wonders of this, Paul told the Corinthians, is to realize that
 “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it”(1 Corinthians 10:13).
Let us endure all tribulation which may come over us because we our lovers of God. Let us be brightened by His Glory and pronounce His Name with full dignity.

Not the idols and stars of this world should receive all honour, but title should be given to the Most High, Divine Creator, Jehovah God.



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Please do find additional reading:

  1. The business of this life
  2. Materialism, would be life, and aspirations
  3. Christian values and voting not just a game
  4. Idolatry or idol worship
  5. Worship and worshipping
  6. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God 
  7. A God between many gods 
  8. Finding God amid all the religious externals
  9. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
  10. People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
  11. People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
  12. People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
  13. People Seeking for God 4 Biblical terms
  14. People Seeking for God 5 Bread of life 
  15. Only worship the Creator of all things
  16. Praise the God with His Name
  17. Jehovah Yahweh Gods Name
  18. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name
  19. “If anyone loves God, he is known by God” (February 25 thought)
  20. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker
  21. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God
  22. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition
  23. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
  24. In the death of Christ, the son of God, is glorification

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Friday 21 February 2014

God-Spell - The Bible Story Retold

God-Spell free eBook...
Now available for Kindle and other eBook readers!!
God-Spell -
T
he Bible Story Retold

by W.H. Boulton
In a very real sense the story told in the Bible is God’s Spell, or story. No one else could have told it, for it begins at a time when there was no man to write it down, and it finishes in a future which none but God could foresee.
You can now download this free eBook to read on your Kindle or other e-Reader such as iPad and Kobo.
http://biblequizzes.org.uk/god-spell.php

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Why baptism really matters - e-book

WHY BAPTISM REALLY MATTERS
BaptismWhat must we do to be saved.... how important is baptism and what does it involve?
Here is a free eBook to download on the subject of baptism.
Go to:

http://thebiblestudy.co.uk/ebooks/


to download.




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Blinkered minds

What causes real conviction? It depends what you want or what you need to believe!

If someone cries ‘Fire’, you lose no time in verifying the cry is genuine but see how you can put it out.
Mark 15 says that “the chief priests and scribes mocked [Jesus] … saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe’” (verses 31,32).
These men had witnessed his remarkable miracles! When he raised Lazarus they had “made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were … believing in Jesus” (John 12:10,11). Their minds were blinkered. It the same today.
 More and more wonders of nature are discovered – but they still say that all exists by pure chance – given enough ‘endless’ time!

Verse 39 tells us that “the centurion who stood facing him” witnessing the incredible events at his death, said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God’”. Several Centurions had contact with Jesus and his miracles. History shows that there were so many Christians in Rome by AD 64 that Nero put hundreds to death. Perhaps Centurions and soldiers returning with a new belief in Jesus were a factor in this.

Mark 16 tells of three women who came to the tomb to anoint  the body of Jesus “very early on the first day of the week”. Those who sought to do something for Jesus were the first to believe.
 Do we really believe? Jesus told his disciples to “proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved” (verses 15,16). May we have an unshakeable belief in the Gospel  and demonstrate it by being baptised.
 http://www.thechristadelphian.com/thought_for_the_day.htm
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Ignorance of Today's Youth (and Adults)

The Bible
The Ignorance of Today's Youth (and Adults)!
A recent survey by the Bible Society has highlighted the lack of Bible knowledge, and even awareness of some of the basic Bible accounts among both children and their parents.
The Story Bible
The Story Bible (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Worryingly, almost one in three Britons did not know where the story of the birth of Jesus could be found, which is even more worrying when you consider the survey was conducted just after Christmas. 9% thought that King Midas and Icarus featured in the Bible and 6% thought it contained the story of Hercules.
Other troubling statistics that don't bode well for Christianity in future generations include 23% of children having never heard of Noah's ark, 38% didn't know anything about Adam and Eve, 43% were ignorant of the Crucifixion, 66% knew nothing of the Creation and 75% lacked any knowledge of Daniel in the Lions' den.
The parents didn't know any better, with nearly half failing to recognise Noah's ark as a Bible story, while there was a significant amount of confusion between whether something appears in the Bible, Harry Potter or the Hunger Games.
Yet nearly half of adults think Bible stories provide ‘good values for life’ and 40 per cent say they are important to our history and culture.
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Friday 14 February 2014

Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech

This early morning I was very surprised to find my blog Christadelphian World blocked for public viewing because of a complaint to Google for inappropriate postings.

I am convinced this action against my writings and also taking away others to react on my writings is a breech of freedom of speech, plus a childish and cowardly action undertaken by a person living in a country which was part of the Soviet Union.  Though that person living it that country up North came originally from the United Kingdom he might have taken over dictatorial ideas of the previous oppressors.

He took care that my defence on the accusations he had made publicly were placed on my own website and where supplemented by other people who have seen the same atrocious action that person undertook in the Christian community.

His behaviour and managing to censure other people calls for the question how it is possible that one person can get so much power that he can silence those he does not like! This is bringing democracy and the freedom of speech in danger.

First of all I apologise to those people who made a comment on my articles:Duncan Heaster en Carelinks onverbiddelijke verhinderaars and No reconciliation possible between CBM and Duncan Heaster from Carelinks and could not find their remarks published. it sincerely is not my fault, and I find it strrange that I do not have any control over the texts that are written and comments that are made on the writing on thise platform. Very scary!
 I did send a request to Google to reconsider the accusation of inappropriate writing.

Either it was one person on his own who wants to silence me, or it is an organisation which backs their dictatorial leader and is prepared to do anything to please him, not considering if it is right and justified. The organisation which has the element "care" in in its name as such did not proof until know that it wants to care for those who want to share the love of God.  it also has the element "link" in its name, though since years our small community wants to link with other baptised Christadelphians which reside in Belgium. We also would have loved to give people who ask us for an address to meet, an address of a meeting place where they could find like-minded people.

It is because that person and his organisation do not want their members to meet with CBM members that it is impossible for us those who are in need of fellowship.

In the past we always have made advertisement for a book written and edited by the person who is against us. We also still said the last weeks, to people who phoned us to take contact with that organisation which refuses to arrange contacts with us. We did not mind to send them forwards to an organisation who did not want to share brotherhood with us. But for us it was more important that the people interested to learn about God and his Son could have regular fellowship and Bible study with people who believed in the same things we do.

For the same reason I also ask people when we can not reach them are they are unable to come to us, that they would take up a Bible study with the Jehovah Witnesses, and ask them to come to us if they have further questions. We also ask anybody interested to pose their questions on the internet itself.

Naturally when an other organisation seems to be able to stem the course of our replies, we have entered a very dangerous situation of an outsider bringing censorship on our own, and not their site.

Clearly someone of their organisation is taking much care to follow everything I am writing; Either there is a mole by my subscribers or there is someone taking much time to follow the many websites I present to the general public. In case there is a spy under my subscribers we do find it a pity such a person comes to us with such bad intentions and to cause such nuisance.

I do hope by Google would be people with more sense, than those childish persons who are fighting against such a small fly like me.

Though I must confess the Australian organisation of the above so called Christian and Christadelphian organisation seem to have weird ideas of my power. (See about that lower concerning taking somebody in fellowship and putting him out of fellowship)


In Belgium, we always have been open to the man who accuse me now of slander and who is trying to block me from writing. He even asked Facebook to withdraw me. Probably it is also him who asked Google to withdraw the writings on Blogger. (For that part I must say I do not know if it is him, so it could also have been somebody else who this time managed to do what the leader or the man living in Riga could not do).

We would have loved to welcome Mr. D.H. and people he had baptised in our midst and we did not want otherwise that those baptised Christadelphians in Belgium and Holland, would come together in unity. Our world is to small and we are not with enough to go into small units which would have no voice as such. Combined forces could do so much more.

Because in May 2012 we still had not come to a conclusion and could not have the so called caring Christadelphians meeting with us because the sir of the North refused us to fellowship with them, I called him Mr. ('mister') in the term of address, instead of 'brother', so the organisation took it as I had disfellowshipped him.


In October last year having seen that the person also was on a Christadelphians Unite Group and he himself asked for addresses of other Christadelphians I thought the time was ripe to come to reconciliation and offered him to join forces again. He kept refusing and coming back on my old writing.


We (the Belgian Christadelphians) let the person know that for us it would be best if we could bury the previous period of conflict as one to forget and make steps to rebuild trustworthy contacts. We wanted and still want unity and respect for all members in the Body of Christ.

After months of trying to come to reconciliation I at last went into the pen publicly and defended myself in front of those who questioned me. It was no intention of me to make false statements that could damage a person his reputation. The things brought forward in the Dutch and the English articles can be crosschecked for their viability. (In the comments I also had given a translation of the Dutch text in English and told the Flemish readers the part I forgot to write in the Dutch article but wrote in the English article.)

To Christadelphians we can show the files from the CBM and our discussions with D.H. and C.H. his wife, so that the readers of my articles can make up their mind and see if I did tell lies or that I reacted on facts which did really happen and where said by D. H..

After I had written the articles on this platform I got to know from a member of the Belgian Christadelphians that the organisation from Australia, with the C from Care in their name, would be willing to continue talks in case I re-installed Mr. D.H.

So in Australia they consider my talking to the person of the North by not calling him brother any more, would have included a worldwide taking away of his fellowship in the Christadelphian community. I would never have thought that I would ever be considered to be so powerful to be able to decide who can fellowship or can not fellowship in the worldwide community of Christadelphians.

So it was a strange reaction of that organisation. For my part there was no reason at all we would not take in Mr.D.H. as our brother.

! But what he has done now, after still refusing to have brethren and sisters in the faith meeting with each other, continuing to blame me and to assault me, accusing me of slander, plus him trying to block everything I bring into my defence, so that I could have the right to speak, makes reconciliation impossible.

I can only sincerely state that the whole situation of Mr. D.H. not allowing baptised C.l. members to have fellowship with our CBM baptised Christadelphians, in my eyes him not willing to have us meet together in Belgium, is an unchristian act, which after many trials to come to reconciliation got us nowhere further, except much more agitation and extra difficulties for our members with the CBM now too.

A person being able to stop having published reactions on what I placed in my articles, is a very dangerous person and also a very dangerous situation for the freedom of speech. It is a real infringement of what people should be able to share ideas and communicate with each other. Taking away such a possibility to communicate and to exchange ideas is going into the law of democracy and liberty.

I also do not know how it comes that I can have no control myself of what is written on my own webpages, and why I myself am not able to judge what can, may or could be added as comments to what I have written.

I wonder what organisation is behind such censorship and why they do not have to come those matters with the people involved.

All bloggers should be aware of such a dangerous situation of censorship by somebody, out of our control.

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Please do find the concerned articles where the comments disappeared:
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