In this holiday season, the diversity of deities fills me with joy and awe. So many to worship, so little time in our short lives. If anyone wants to sing their praises, please do so now. Post a link to an audio file of your song or your favorite recording.

Goddess Amoeba Divine
Favorite hymn: “Thy Genome is Huge”

Flying Spaghetti Monster
Favorite hymn: “Flying Spaghetti Monster Hymn #1″

The Hypnotoad
Favorite hymn: “Electric Eye”

Master Nashwan
Favorite hymn: “My Cup of Used Bathwater Runneth Over”

“Bob” Dobbs
Favorite hymn: “We All Come Out Overmen“
(song starts at about 1 minute, 20 seconds into tape)

The awakening has shifted not only the course of my school schedule, but also the basketball league.  Just before the awakening began we were about to play in the playoffs.  It would have been a three round single elimination tournament.  I was eagerly anticipating the playoffs and the chance to redeem our regular season losses.  However, the awakening’s continuance led to the cancellation of the playoffs.  Now that the season is finished I want to share a few things I learned from playing in my first basketball league.

1. Have fun – When I get too focused on playing well or winning I sometimes lose the enjoyment of the game.  It is important to just have fun playing.
2. Confidence – This is one of the biggest things I learned.  When I am grounded in my identity in God I am able to have the confidence to play well.
3. Teamwork – Working together with the other team members is an integral part to basketball.  Each person has a part to play and finding one’s role is important to a good basketball team.

Orange team’s record (my team) was 6-3.  My stats for the season – appg – 6 points; avg. min/game – 18 min.; arpg – 2 rbs.

Tuesday, 24 November 2009 03:32 PM EST Karen Tom

Thousands of Christians from across the U.S. have been flocking to Kansas City, Mo., where a Bible college class at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) has sparked nightly revival services.

More than 1,600 people have been packing into IHOP’s ministry school auditorium to pray, worship and experience what many are describing as spiritual renewal.

(Photo: Scott Townsley, courtesy of the IHOP–KC Missions Base)

At services held last weekend, participants shared testimonies of healing from chronic back pain and migraines, deliverance from shame and self-hatred, and experiencing God’s love for the first time. Similar testimonies have been sent from around the world, where the services are being viewed via live Web stream.

Wesley Hall, provost of IHOP’s Bible school, said several people have been saved and 80 people baptized since Nov. 11, when students in his 9 a.m. class started breaking into small groups and praying for one another.  

“Some were lying on the floor, others were weeping, and some were laughing,” said Hall, who led the class with Allen Hood, president of the ministry school. “So I asked the Lord for a release of Pentecost, and it just snowballed. Other teachers brought their classes in, and the Holy Spirit moved for 15 hours, with reports of physical healings and deliverance.”

Almost 2,000 people from the Kansas City area heard about the “awakening” and came to the campus to participate. Since then the meetings, held nightly from 6 p.m. until midnight, have been drawing capacity crowds to the ministry school’s sanctuary.

College students are also gathering across the country to watch the services online. Testimonies have poured in from such schools as Georgia Tech, Wheaton College, Asbury College and the University of California-Berkeley, where students reportedly are experiencing great joy, deep peace, and emotional and physical healing.

“We will continue these nightly meetings as the Holy Spirit leads us,” IHOP founder Mike Bickle co-wrote in a letter with prayer leader Lou Engle, founder of TheCall, which has offices in Kansas City. “We earnestly pray that this awakening will continue, as our nation is in desperate need of another great awakening in this hour.”

Hall said the younger generation is very broken and looking for authenticity. “It’s the students who used to make fun of the manifestations who are now being hit with the power of God,” he said. “Those students don’t want to fake anything or create a culture. Rather, they want to experience God.”

And while Hall said he is grateful for the renewal, he and Hood are praying for more. He said most of the people being touched by the meetings are Christians.

“We want to see the lost saved and the culture changed,” Hall said. “We want this to grow and expand. We want an anointing where no known disease would stand against the people of God. We want to see this on the body of Christ worldwide, the third Great Awakening.”

Bickle said IHOP is not the next place of revival, but “one of many places that the Lord is visiting in our nation.”

“We believe that many other places are soon to receive a visitation of the Holy Spirit,” he told Charisma.

Bickle says the meetings will continue in the run up to IHOP’s One Thing conference Dec. 28-31 in Kansas City. Leaders expect some 20,000 students to attend, and seek to mobilize them to evangelize their cities and campuses in partnership with area houses of prayer.

Bickle and Engle said the conference would also address “a new wave of confusion that is systematically seducing many young adults into deception.”

“Sincere young people whose hearts were once ablaze for Jesus are being lured into compromise on foundational biblical truths and practices, while at the same time they are increasing in works of compassion and justice,” the ministers said.

They believe the renewal meetings are a sign that the Holy Spirit will release His power at the conference.

“We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington,” they wrote. “It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying, and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power.”

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. It is time to encounter God and to take action. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power. At the same time, the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker. Many of you will have heard of the spiritual awakening at our Bible school. On Wednesday, November 11, the Spirit fell on a class for more than 15 hours. The word spread quickly and over 2,000 people spontaneously gathered in the auditorium from all over Kansas City, as deliverance and physical healings continued to increase. We canceled our classes for the next week so that each one of our 1,000 students and interns could receive from the Spirit in an extended way. We decided to meet nightly from 6:00pm to midnight because His manifest presence continues to increase. Visitors are pouring in from many places across America to partake of this spiritual awakening. We will continue these evening meetings until our onething conference, December 28–31, 2009, when we are expecting 20,000 young adults to gather for worship, teaching, and to participate in the supernatural ministry of the Spirit. Last year, over 16,000 young adults attended this conference. We are still hearing testimonies of lives that were changed. This year, we are expecting to receive even more from the Spirit. We believe that this will be a historic and important conference, and encourage you to attend. The theme for onething’09 is “What is the Spirit saying to the Church?” Our team will proclaim what we believe the Spirit is prophetically speaking to the Church in this hour. We will also share practical ways in which we can “adopt” high schools and colleges across our nation as we envision young people to impact each sphere of society with works of justice and acts of compassion. At the conference, we will have extended ministry times to receive healing, renewal, and impartation from the Spirit. We believe that the Spirit will release His power at this conference, as evidenced by what He is currently doing in our evening meetings. Mark Anderson, a senior international leader in YWAM who also works closely with Campus Crusade for Christ, will host forums for leaders to discuss how we can systematically evangelize entire cities and campuses in partnership with the houses of prayer in their area. Mark has remarkable insight that comes from his 30 years of successful ministry in evangelism. The Lord has given him some bold new strategies for this hour. The crisis in our nation is real. The serpentine stranglehold of abortion continues to squeeze the life out of over 4,000 wombs daily. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, are reaching epic heights of perversity. The number of women and children being trafficked into the dark underbelly of the sex industry in our cities is growing at an alarming rate. Entire school systems are giving way to darkness. The sanctity of marriage is under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation. We will also address the growing crisis that is emerging in many churches across America. A new wave of confusion is systematically seducing many young adults into deception. Sincere young people whose hearts were once ablaze for Jesus are being allured into compromise on foundational biblical truths and practices, while at the same time they are increasing in works of compassion and justice. No amount of increased ministry activity can “balance out” their profound spiritual compromises. In the name of tolerance, they are settling for a humanistic and “politically correct” theology that trivializes the glory of Jesus. Many young adult ministries are falling prey to this as they are seeking “relevance” that dulls the razor’s edge of truth for the sake of man’s approval. It is not enough to mention Jesus’ name if they deny foundational truths about Him. Our works of justice must flow from deep allegiance to Jesus and the Scripture. Our nation has never stood on such a precarious footing as today. The onslaught of spiritual darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power. It is darkest before the dawn. Our hearts are full of faith. We know another historic “Great Awakening” is soon to sweep across our nation. We look with confidence to God’s promise: “In the last days . . . I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17-21). All nations will receive the witness of kingdom with power (Mt. 24:14; Rev. 7:9). What a privilege to live in this awesome hour of history. At this very hour, Jesus is raising up young adults who are being mobilized to cry out in night and day prayer, win the lost, heal the sick, and do works of compassion and justice as they impact the very fabric of our society. Please join us in Kansas City from December 28–31. The onething’09 conference is FREE. You can register at IHOP.org/onething09 With passion for Jesus, Mike Bickle and Lou Engle

Lagunatic made a big step today.

We moved to North Carolina almost 6 years ago  (I’ll tell you the story later, probably sometime in January) not knowing exactly how long we’d be here. Jimmy told me that if at any time I wanted to go home we’d do just that. Now, there were plenty of times I could have tested him on this, but I wanted to be a good wife/partner and so instead of acting like a petulant child I just drank copious amounts of vodka – straight – instead……. it didn’t even have to be cold (which should illustrate the severity of my pain). As time went on, and his work suffered some ups and downs, there were many conversations about moving to London, or Hong Kong, or Miami, or Atlanta, or Dubai, or back to New York. I was always looking for salvation in the form of a transfer…..alas, it never came.

Anyway, neither of us had ever owned a car before (we had always lived in places where they were more of a hinderance than a help) but upon moving to Charlotte it became a necessity so we each got one. My driver’s license was still out of Florida. I never saw the point of switching it to New York since I didn’t drive there – it was really just for identification. Luckily, my birthday is in December so whenever my license was about to expire I’d just re-new it while I was down visiting my parents for Christmas.

In North Carolina you are supposed to get a new license within sixty days of moving. Well, today, just a couple of days in excess of the requisite sixty, I finally went for my license. I was nervous about it! I know a lot of people who have failed the test and since I suffer from an acute case of babybrainitis I didn’t trust my memory or ability to retain the information presented in the North Carolina Driver’s Manual. EEK! On top of this, I have a cold that has rendered me thick headed.

So, in I go to the local DMV…..for the third time this week, mind you. Monday I went in to pick up the manual. Tuesday I was planning to do the test but got caught up with my other errands and then realized I had forgotten to bring all my paperwork. Today I remembered the paperwork (after almost forgetting it again…babybrainitis, you bitch) and raced out the door as soon as Jimmy walked in from work. I was about five minutes out of my garage when I remembered that I’d forgotten the checkbook. They don’t take credit cards at the DMV. Of course, as soon as I pull into the parking lot of the DMV I realize I’d forgotten to go to an ATM. HOW CAN YOU FORGET SOMETHING TWICE IN TEN MINUTES?? No Darwin Award for me today, apparently. Off I sped, spinning tires and plowing curbs, to find a Green Machine. Back I came, breaking the sound barrier, ready to test my driving knowledge.

The wait was relatively short. I spent some time interacting with the other people in the waiting room. One woman covered the ears of her sixteen year old son….I guess she found me inappropriate. Or maybe I should remember that saying, “Holy Fuck I can’t fucking believe I forgot my fucking money on the fucking way over here! I’m going to eat some pasta tonight to thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster that I was able to find that ATM in time!!” tends to upset the locals……they don’t like it when you thank someone other than Jesus. Anyway, I was happy to find the other stray New York Ex-pat – a truck driver who’s wife hadn’t spoken one single word to him since he dragged her ass here back in 2002. I exchanged phone numbers with her (she was sitting there all seething and mute) and we’re going to get together one weekend… our plans are to don some camo and go bagel hunting – we’ll know we’ve hit pay dirt if we find someone who knows what a schmear is. Silver lining, people!!!

So, my number pops up rudely interupting the conversation I was having with the local cattle rancher cum teetering-on-broke commercial real estate titan cum ex-Christmas Parade organiser. He said his cattle cost more to keep than to sell. I told him to look into soy. He said if it worked out he’d give me a cut. I gave him my number. He hid it from his wife. And, off I went, filled with feelings of impending doom, to the examiner’s chair. I passed her my paperwork. She asked me I was worthy of being a Southener. I meekly replied that I sometimes enjoyed a slice of pecan pie. She nodded and administered the vision test. I was happy I could read the first line. So was she. Next, she gave me the road sign test. I got ten out of eleven. She admonished me for messing up the school zone sign. I told her about the time I pulled up to a guy in a corvette who’d been speeding in a school zone (he was speeding, it pissed me off so I caught up to him at the next light and honked my horn. He looked over and I gave him my sweetest smile. He, excitedly, rolled down his window. I asked him if he realized he was going forty-five miles an hour in a twenty mile zone and if he’d seen the school light flashing. He got red in the face and quickly rolled up his window. Jackass) and she softened. Like buttah. All of a sudden it was like I was having tea (cold and sweet) with Paula Deen.

Finally, I was sent to do the written (actually, you tap a computer screen) portion. I messed up two questions that I KNEW the answers to and was very annoyed with myself. After pulling myself together I completed the test with a passing grade of 80%. Jimmy says that if passing grade is 70% anything over 71% means you wasted too much time studying….I guess I wasted 9% of my time. I wonder who I can bill for it.

‘Paula Deen’ asked me if I’d passed I answered in the affirmative and she took my picture. I paid my $32 and left the building with a hot little certificate of authenticity in my trembling hands.

Getting into my car I quickly called home to tell Jimmy. When he answered I could barely hear him over Julian  screaming, “MOMMY!!! DID YOU WIN, DID YOU WIN???????”

Yes, baby…..Mommy won the battle.

(but, I think I’m losing the war).

If you read this blog, I imagine you have been keeping up with the awakening meetings taking place at IHOP-KC. If by some remarkable chance you haven’t heard, the Holy Spirit has been moving on us (especially on our student body) in an unusual way lately. You can watch live meetings Wednesday-Sunday, starting at 6pm (Central), as well as watch some amazing archives and testimonies, at www.ihop.org/watch.

You can read the explanation of what is going on at the IHOP website. Plus, you can go read a couple of great posts by Zack Hensley and Randy Bohlender  with some further thoughts on the meetings. As I consider what has already been said, along with what could be said, and how much I’m still trying to get my own bearings on things right now, it is hard to decide how to write about this. At one level, I have to say something — we are having healings, deliverances, and salvations breaking out after all — but at another level, what can I say? (Except for: ”Seriously folks, if you haven’t tuned in to any of it yet, get on www.ihop.org/watch sometime this Wed-Sunday.”)

This has something to do with the pronounced lack of blog posts so far this month.

Yet as I was reading through the book of Luke recently, I was struck with two passages that exactly speak to what I’ve been feeling about this season of awakening.

I was reading in Luke 17, and ran across this in verses 7-10:

And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’

If I may venture an interpretation of this analogy, I think of “plowing” as laboring in the place of prayer, and “tending sheep” as taking care of the daily pastoral needs of the people of God (taken from the ABCOSTOTMOTS… Amanda Beattie’s Commentary of Stuff That Occured to Me on the Spot).  From a distance, these may sound like rather glamorous things — “Ooh, I want to be an intercessor”, or “I want to be a pastor”. But in the day to day, there is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, mostly worked out in the mundaneness of life with little recognition and frequent opposition.

Praying in a focused way is hard work, kind of like plowing — long hours pushing something through stubborn terrain, encountering all kinds of obstacles on the way, preparing for a yet-future harvest you wonder if you’ll ever see. Pastoring people is hard work, kind of like tending sheep — long hours caring for, feeding, protecting, and keeping track of creatures who may or may not have much desire or appreciation for being led.

It’s no accident that Jesus chose these two jobs for His illustration. Surely if anyone deserved a break and a few kudos after their job, it was the servant-plowman and the servant-shepherd.

Not so, according to this.

Now of course, the point is not that God actually looks down His nose at us and works us to the bone. The point is that God does not owe us anything, no matter how awesome we think we are (or are not) or how awesome anyone else thinks we are (or are not). Our biggest efforts and most dedicated labors are, in reality, nothing more than our debt to the One who has given us everything. We are not entitled to so much as a pat on the back. If He chose, He could work us into the ground without ever saying a single “thank you”, simply because we are obligated to honor and serve Him as God.

He is the Creator. We are the created. We were the fallen. He is the Redeemer. We have zero leverage to begin haggling for our fair share of the pie, because we are just “unprofitable servants”. We brought nothing to the relationship, so we can demand nothing of it. Entitlement has no place. Prideful self-aggrandizing has no place. We obey God, not because we are building credit and earning favor from Him, but because it is right for us to do so.

As I read this passage, it gave me pause. I understood all right what Jesus was saying, but I was sure I had read a parable with a much different angle just a few chapters earlier…

I flipped back in my Bible a page or two and found it in Luke 12:36-37:

…and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

There is something very important to notice about this passge: This is not normal. What’s normal is what we see Jesus talking about in chapter 17 (the passage I cited above). Servants do their master’s bidding because it’s their job. The master doesn’t fall all over himself to reward the servants for doing what he hired/bought them to do in the first place. Especially in the ancient Near East, no one would ever expect otherwise.

But when Jesus is telling us what He is like, we see that He is not the kind of master who sets us to work without a nod of thanks. He is the kind of Master who serves us. He owes us nothing, and we owe Him unceasing gifts of our time and energy. But He actually stoops down to feed us and strengthen us, even though we have absolutely zero entitlement to such treatment. He doesn’t just provide the meal, either — He Himself gets His hands dirty, so to speak, going above and beyond any expectation to serve us and lavish affection on us. He is not distant, only concerned with preserving His rank; He is meek and lowly (Matt 11:29), and He joyfully sets about serving His “unprofitable servants”.

This is what has been overwhelming me so much with the IHOPU Student Awakening meetings. At one level, I can look back at the ten-year history this place has in night and day prayer, and say: “This is the kind of thing we’ve been praying for! God is answering our prayers!” But on another level, I can’t say: “Well it’s about time! I wondered when God was going to get His act in gear and do something in this city, for crying out loud.”

God isn’t answering prayers because He is obligated to. He is answering them becuase He is mind-blowingly generous and kind. He is no more obligated to release healing than a master is obligated to wait on his servants’ tables — or wash their feet. But Jesus does both.

Every time I get to take a good look across that FSM auditorium and drink in the sights and sounds, I am profoundly overwhelmed. I see students who were mired in depression two weeks ago, now laughing hysterically. I see men and women who hobbled with pain into the building and danced out the door a few hours later. I see a couple thousand people really engaging in worship and prayer for six solid hours, not because they’re simply toughing it out, but because they actually want to be there. I see hundreds of young (and not-so-young) people giving their lives in wholearted surrender to God’s calling on their life. I see dozens of people a night getting baptized, declaring themselves dead to sin and rising to newness of life in Christ. I feel how my own heart has been disentangled from some real emotional burdens and confirmed in the Lord’s affection and calling on my life.

And the thing that brings tears to my eyes as I see this is: God is so kind to us. We don’t deserve any of this. And He’s giving it to us anyway.

There is much that could be said about these meetings. Much has been said. I’m sure I will have more to say in the days and weeks to come. But above all I am floored by the gentle kindness of the God who serves His servants. I am astounded by the generous God who gives freely of Himself to those He has purchased. I am grateful for all He has done for us and excited to see where He is leading us next.

I’m sure by now that it has reached KY that there has been an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on IHOP. It started in the school and has rapidly spread to the entire family here. God is restoring hearts and minds. There are many testimonies coming forth of emotional healings as well as physical. The focus in the beginning was primarily on emotional healing but God has also begin to touch physical bodies. Through the free webstream of these meetings, we have gotten countless testimonies of people being delivered and set free and God pouring out His Spirit on college campuses and churches and individuals. We have gotten reports of the Holy Spirit breaking out on Asbury college. This is their testimony in their words:

A group of us at Asbury met to watch the live webstream. We thought that only 5 or 6 would show up, but at times, there were over 30 students present. God poured out His Spirit in such amazing ways.  The Spirit filled people on campus used to be quiet, almost embarrassed. But God has removed that spirit of meekness and replaced it with one of power. We’ve broken out of the Asbury House of Prayer. Tonight there’s singing and rejoicing in the streets. One person was healed of life-long blood clots, another of knee pain and another of a stomach virus. There’s so much more. I can’t even begin to describe it all in words.

There are so many more testimonies just like this. There is even one from an Iraqi soldier! I encourage you all to watch the webstream from 6-midnight Wednesday-Saturday and to check out all the testimonies!

http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000060205

That is the link. Check it out! God will meet you even through a computer screen. Just look at the testimonies! Better yet, get out here and experience it firsthand!

God has done such a work in my own heart. I am not even entirely sure all He has done  or is doing yet, but I know it is good and He is changing me.

The best part about this whole thing was it broke out on my birthday! It was the best birthday yet! It was prophesied over me that this is prophetic of how my year is going to be! Wow! God is so good! What a birthday gift!

The “largest gathering of skeptics in the Midwest” will descend on Missouri State University this weekend for Skepticon 2. Yes, a gathering of vociferous, diehard atheists, right here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. Should be a good show.

More on the event here, which evidently is being put on by the local chapter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, one of this author’s personal favorite internet/outronet sensations of recent years.

It’s finally happening. The Holy Spirit is moving in our community. We have prayed and prayed for years, many longer than i. It’s something that i have prayed to see and experience for years. Now something is happening.

Would i call it revival?

No.

There are things that i am still praying for, believing for, that i am not seeing. Yet. I believe that God is working us toward that. When people are getting saved in the stores, falling out in their homes and at the mall, and tremble under the conviction, fear, and love of God in the salvation of Jesus Christ, that is when i’ll call it revival.

I don’t mean to argue semantics. If you want to call it revival that is completely okay with me.

This is a dream come true. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve believed in it from the beginning. There has never been a time when i thought that maybe God doesn’t heal anymore, that he doesn’t deliver anymore, that he doesn’t speak to people through prophets or a prophetic gift. I have seen seen some healings. Things like colds and headaches, a sore shoulder, and i know of a woman who was in a wheelchair one sunday and not the next (though i didn’t actually see that one). But i have never actually been acquainted in intimate ways with people who are getting healed.

Eyes
Ears
Broken ankles
Emotional deliverance
Deliverance from demons
Repentance that causes people to change everything

There are so many things we, as a community, are learning and that we need to learn. I have so many thoughts.

I don’t know what to say.
Thank you, Father, for giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit through the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you so much. I’ve never seen anything like this, I’ve never been apart of anything like this. You are so so so so good. Keep coming. Keep coming. We want more. Oh! We want so much more. I love you. I love you. I love you. Come! Come! Come!

He’s so good. He is so good. He is so faithful. He is so faithful to his word and his promises. What else is there to say, really? He loves us. He loves us so much. He’s here. He’s going to do more.

And yet…..
I am still longing. I am still hungry, i am still thirst for living water. I want new wine. I like the new wine of the Holy Spirit. But i want living water, not that i think that you really have to choose between one or the other. My heart just longs for intimacy with the Lord Jesus. I need an encounter with the Risen Lord, I need an encounter with Jesus.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Leteće špageti čudovište spremno za konzumaciju tijela Njegovog

Leteće špageti čudovište (engl. Flying Spaghetti Monster, skraćeno FSM) božanstvo je oko kojeg se (o)kreće poznata pastafarijanska religija. Više o pastafarijanizmu i FSMu možete pročitati ovdje.

Na Dabbledu se pojavio recept pomoću kojega možete skuhati svoje poštovano božanstvo, kako biste lakše konzumirali tijelo Njegovo. Prenosimo recept preveden na hrvatski jezik.

Sastojci:

1. zamrznute švedske mesne kuglice (mljevena govedina i svinjetina, s komadima kruha natopljenog u mlijeku i sitno sjeckanim lukom), 2 komada po čudovištu,
2. tanki špageti, suhi,
3. nekoliko komada širih makarona ili slične “cjevaste” tjestenine,
4. zeleni grašak (za oči)

Upute (za jedno čudovište):

1. Napunite veliki lonac s vodom, te ga stavite na peć dok voda zakipi,
2. Probodite dvije mesne kuglice dugačkim špagetom,
3. Pobrinite se da su kuglice dobro spojene špagetima,
4. Načičkajte svaku kuglicu špagetima duljine između 1/2 i 1/3 običnog špageta; ostavite ponegdje dovoljno mjesta da se vide mesne kuglice,
5. Dodajte makarone kao stalke za oči,
6. Stavite u uzavrelu vodu i kuhajte dok tjestenina ne omekša,
7. Dodajte oči.

Kad je gotovo, složite na tanjur(e).

Autor kaže da je imao problema s “očima koje ispadaju”, pa pripazite da su stalci za oči dovoljno široki.

Dobar tek!

There is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on an unusual level at International House of Prayer right now. Every night at 6 pm there will be a special service with testimonies given of what the Lord is doing.

Webstream is free right now ’cause of the move of the Spirit, and man, let me tell you, watching the webstream the presence of God comes through the testimony and seeing others set free. I’m being hit with wave after wave right now.

Just watch this and see: http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000051963

Today I went to class at 2:30pm to discover that something unusual was happening.  Upon entering the auditorium, I saw multitudes of students laughing, praying for one another and being filled with the joy of the LORD.  The class that started at 9 am that day was continuing because the Spirit broke out during the lecture.  The presence of the LORD was so thick that I soon began to weep.   After a few moments, one of the leaders explained that God was releasing the joy of the LORD to break people free from self-hatred and depression.  Many testimonies were given by young women who declared that they were delivered from eating disorders and poor self-image related to their bodies.  These women helped to release faith and gratitude in the congregation. As the hours passed, the crowds began to grow till it nearly filled the 1,000 seat capacity auditorium.  There were times of great celebration and also deep adoration of Jesus.

I ended up staying at this gathering for a total of 13 hours.  I was touched by God’s deep love for me and my uniqueness before him.  I wept many times as I felt God’s presence and gazed upon his beautiful face.  As the day drew to a close, I found myself looking around the auditorium thanking God for who he was.  I was so grateful that he brought me to Kansas City and that I get to adore Jesus as my occupation.  He is truly worthy of all worship and praise.

O trabalho prático de monografia que reúne a visão de de um quase jornalista sobre o FSM2009, além da história de 13 personagens!

“Christianity appears to be the Rambo of religions, with the Crusades, the Inquisition, various bloody rebellions, the Conquistadors… the list seems nearly endless.  Suffice it to say that when Jesus Christ stated, in his bewitching and Yoda-like manner, “But those enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me (Luke 19:27).”

- The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

O Fórum Social Mundial de 2010 vai acontecer na Grande Porto Alegre. Quando eu fiquei sabendo, faz um tempo já, fiquei muito feliz. Era uma oportunidade de ter de volta a vida dos fóruns anteriores que aconteceram aqui. Aquilo movimentou a cidade de um jeito incrível.

Mas agora ando meio desanimada. Primeiro porque esse próximo FSM me parece muito desorganizado. Estamos entrando em novembro e a página oficial do Fórum ainda mostra no cabeçalho a inscrição “Belém do Pará (Brasil), de 27 jan a 1º fev 2009″. Não tem para o público nenhuma previsão do que vai acontecer no ano que vem, daqui a pouco mais de dois meses.

Fora isso, a proposta é fazer um evento descentralizado. Teoricamente, isso parece muito bacana, porque ampliaria as possibilidades de mais pessoas participarem. Mas pensando friamente eu acho que na prática diminui a participação, tem um efeito contrário. Lembro das edições das quais eu participei. Eu ainda era muito nova – e por isso fiquei muito contente por ter o Fórum de volta e poder aproveitar melhor o que ele tem para oferecer -, mas fui em diversas atividades. A gente tinha um guia enorme com a programação, que era variadíssima, com trocentas opções. Muitas, muitas mesmo. Milhões de coisas acontecendo ao mesmo tempo.

Era tudo no centro de Porto Alegre. No Gasômetro, no Cais, no MARGS, no Memorial, onde tivesse espaço. Um calor infernal, bem janeiro portoalegrense. A gente marcava diversas coisas que tinha vontade de ver e saía de uma correndo pra outra. Como fazer isso se uma for em Canoas, outra em Guaíba e outra em Viamão? Ainda não sei onde vão ser as atividades, em quais cidades – aliás, a essa altura do campeonato já deveríamos ter essa informação – mas mesmo que sejam só as dali de perto de Canoas. Não dá pra ir de Canoas a Gravataí e voltar a Esteio tudo no mesmo dia.

Assim, acredito que as pessoas vão participar de menos atividades. O Fórum Social Mundial de 2010 não vai ter a mesma magnitude dos anteriores. Já tive a impressão de que isso aconteceria com a saída de Porto Alegre, em 2004, mas não sei se os posteriores foram efetivamente mais fracos ou se a nossa mídia simplesmente ignorou-os, o que é bem provável.

Quando me dei conta disso, fiquei chateada. Mas ainda torço para que o Fórum aconteça da melhor forma, movimente o maior número de pessoas e contribua para a construção de um outro mundo possível.

Bursa Nilüfer Belediyesi Tarafından Geleneksel Olarak Düzenlenen Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşü, Türk Bayrakları, Meşaleler ve Marşlar Eşliğinde Gerçekleştirilip, Kubat’ın Vereceği Konserler Tamamlanacak.

Bursa Nilüfer Belediyesi tarafından geleneksel olarak düzenlenen Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşü, Türk bayrakları, meşaleler ve marşlar eşliğinde gerçekleştirilip, Kubat’ın vereceği konserler tamamlanacak.
Her yıl 29 Ekim Cumhuriyet Bayramı’nı, onbinlerce kişinin katıldığı Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşleri ile kutlayan Nilüfer Belediyesi, bu yıl da coşkulu bir kutlamaya hazırlanıyor. 29 Ekim 2009 Perşembe günü saat 19.00′da Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bulvarı Acıbadem Kavşağı’ndan başlayacak Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşü, Çevre ve Orman İl Müdürlüğü yanındaki alanda sona erecek.

Türk bayrakları, meşaleler ve marşlar eşliğinde yapılacak yürüyüşün ardından, bu alanda ünlü sanatçı Kubat’ın katılımıyla bir konser verilecek. Lazer ve havai fişek gösterileriyle de renklenecek olan Cumhuriyet kutlamalarına tüm büyük bir katılımını olması bekleniyor.

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Article du blog Ouvalacgt àcette adresse:

http://ouvalacgt.over-blog.com/article-22-octobre-deux-manifs-imbriquees-l-une-dans-l-autre-38006879.html

Jeudi 22 octobre 2009

Du monde, pas mal de monde aujourd’hui. Peut-être pas les 30 000 revendiqués par la Conf’, mais pas mal de monde.

Du monde des quatre coins de la France, de toutes les usines. Un cortège ouvrier, populaire. Une multitude de banderoles d’entreprises, touchées le plus souvent par un plan de restructuration. Mais pas vraiment de gros cortège significatif. Les cortèges sortaient du cadre habituel des délégués, mais quelques dizaines de personnes au plus par entreprise. Les Freescale étaient une trentaine, un peu comme les Ford, les diverses entreprises de Renault etc. Seuls les Conti étaient assez nombreux, avec deux autocollants de lutte, l’un contre la répression, l’autre pour l’interdiction des licenciements… et ils ont aussi retapissé le lion de Denfert d’autocollants des pneus dont ils ont manifestement récupéré le stock, très joli pelage jaune et noir pour la bestiole qui avait pris une nouvelle jeunesse ! [on espère vous mettre bientôt une photo en ligne..]

Mais une impression bizarre dans cette manif, surtout si on la compare à celle du 17 septembre. Ce jour-là, c’était clair et net, une manifestation de lutte de classe, dure, offensive, optimiste.
Aujourd’hui, bien différent. D’un côté, le volet traditionnel des journées bidon de la CGT. Le cortège qui avance par régions, bien calibré par les voitures sonos éparpillées au fil de la manif pour scander les mots d’ordre confédéraux (défense de l’industrie etc…) mots d’ordre que personne ne reprend. Et qui va permettre à la direction confédérale de plastronner dans les médias.

De l’autre B. Thibault qui se fait huer, siffler, couvrir par les pétards en rafale, une véritable bronca pendant son discours [et pas seulement du fait des Conti comme le rapporte la presse, on ne citera pas de nom, mais on était là !], à tel point que le service d’ordre (la quarantaine de gros bras et petites têtes habituels, tous en noir crâne rasés – carrément style mafieux) doit littéralement “l’exfiltrer” à la fin du discours pour éviter la rencontre avec des manifestants particulièrement remontés… On a bien entendu “Thibault démission” haut et fort repris par tous les premiers rangs !
Et puis dans tous les cortèges, entre les voitures sono confédérales, les cortèges d’entreprise avec banderoles “interdiction des licenciements”, “non aux licenciements” et toutes les variantes qui expriment au fond la haine croissante de la classe ouvrière contre la règle du jeu du capital, alors que les milliards coulent à flot pour les banques et les patrons.

On sentait de manière palpable le décalage croissant entre la base militante et la direction confédérale, mais aussi que ce décalage ne produisait pas encore de rupture nette.
Par exemple, le projet de banderole unique pour regrouper tous les secteurs en lutte et combatifs autour du mot d’ordre “Interdiction des licenciements”, proposé initialement par les camarades de la CGT GM Strasbourg n’a pas pu se faire.
Pourquoi ? A notre avis, parce qu’il aurait fallu assumer ouvertement “d’aller au baston” contre la direction confédérale. Si une telle banderole reste “tolérable” pour une entreprise isolée, le fait d’apparaître regroupés, en opposition ouverte avec la direction confédérale est encore impossible pour nombre de camarades.

Alors, bien sûr tout au long de la manif, on a vu la répétition du mot d’ordre. Mais éparpillés, isolés, les uns à côté des autres.

Et l’heure est au regroupement, à marcher au combat en rangs serrés et organisés contre la direction réformiste qui nous fait tant de mal.

Il ne s’agit pas de faire pression, il s’agit de s’affronter : “des ennemis qui se cachent, pas des amis qui se trompent”, c’est notre formule.

Il ne s’agit pas seulement de siffler Thibault (ce qui ne fait pas de mal par ailleurs !!!), mais de se regrouper pour proposer une orientation syndicale de classe face à la direction confédérale.

C’est ce que font les camarades de Continental.
C’est ce qu’on fait les camarades de la SEVA sur l’emploi industriel.
C’est ce qu’on fait les camarades de Saint-Gobain pour les sans-papiers.
C’est dans ce sens qu’il faut aller, et c’est de cela qu’il faut discuter à la réunion syndicale de ce Samedi 24 Octobre, à 14h, au CICP, 21ter rue Voltaire 75011 PARIS.

In school we are currently taking a Christology course.  It is this course that is currently inspiring my thoughtflow.

When we look at Christology, it should be apparent that there is a lack of revelation on the identity of Christ.  This may seem like a foreign idea to many in the western church because the church is designed to be the guardian and purveryor of the knowledge of Christ.  However, when you see the havoc being wrecked in the church by the “Liberal Tradition”, it becomes obvious that there is something wrong.

Consider this, men like Martin Luther King, Jr. have been writing papers and giving sermons that tell the world that Jesus was either not fully God or that he didn’t actually raise from the dead.  Yet somehow, these people are still considered “Christian”?  Considering that the identity and actions of Christ are the thing that seperates Christianity from, say, Buddhism, you have to question how this can be.  The fact is that if you have no Christology or a even a bad one, you are not actually Christian.

When the church leaders at the council of Chalcedon formally described the identity of Jesus as “Fully God, fully man, two natures, one person” they weren’t just voicing a good idea or a recent innovation to Christian doctrine, but rather they were putting words to the ideas being communicated by the New Testament authors themselves in establishing who Jesus was and is.  Jesus Himself said of his generation that if Abraham, Noah and Daniel were there they would only be righteous enough to save themselves.  If this is true, then Jesus had better have been God or we are all still lost.  Indeed, the very nature of our salvation through Christ is dependent on his divinty and physical resurrection.

However, many would bring up the valid question about how Jesus can be divine and yet Christianity claims to be a monotheistic religion?  In our very western worldview, it seems highly idiosyncratic for a monotheistic religion to claim that God has more than one “part”.  The trinity makes zero sense to our minds because we are approaching it with a Greek view of God.

Arguably, in the Post-Modern and Hellenistic world, the most common theological question posed to us is, “Who is God?”  If you were to ask this question to the average person on the street, they would most likely start to tell you about how God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.  Is God loving?  Absolutely.  Is God all-powerful?  Yes.  Is God all-knowing?  Yes.  However, these things are not God.  In fact, it is this idolatrous worship of intangible ideals that not only formed the foundation for the Roman society (arguably one of the most wicked of all time), but also has led us into most of our theological errors.  Because of the common view of God as this intangible, “out there”, untouchable super-consciousness, most people have rejected God altogether.  Why would we worship a pseudo-being that has no reactions to us whether we worship it or not?  If you have held this view of God, you may as well throw up a salute to loyalty, courage, strength, and honor as well.  Sieg Heil…

By contrast, the Jewish view of God is of a definitive being that is both exalted beyond all of the created order, and yet very near to all of us.  As opposed to the Greek definition of God where God must be in contrast to everything in the created order (and thus whatever is true of nature cannot be true of God), the Jewish definition of God in the Old Testament creates two catagories of beings: divine and natural (meaning that both can share qualities but both have definite differences).  This means that God can have a corporeal form like we see in the theophanies without it being a mere image God creates to allow us to relate to Him.  This means that we have limited ability to share some of the attributes of God, and God can share a number of the attributes of creation.  So how does this affect the Trinity?  Think about this…  If Jesus has attributes that are only applicable to the “divine” side of the line, then he must be divine.  However, how does this account for Monotheism?  What is on the divine side of the line is “God”.  What is not on that side of the line is not God.  So what is left on the divine side of the line?  The Father, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit that proceeds from both.

So for Christology, it should be noted that declaring Jesus as anything less than divine is declaring that God is not God.  If you begin playing that game, the idea that you would still be secure is ludicrous.  While Paul makes the case quite clearly for the necessity of the resurrection, many still have not gotten the picture that if you remove the divinty from Christ, you completely lose the foundation of Christianity.  The highly exalted God that is far above and beyond all of the created order desired humanity to such a degree that He came to the planet and took on our form to work our redemption.  That is the real glory of the Christian faith.  To say less is to lose the importance of our faith and debase the very reason we have to be different.  A lot of people have good reasons to live “morally”, but ours is that God Himself came the earth in human form to tell us how to be with Him… and that is the real issue.

Adam

Bill O’Reilly is a wedge, the simplest of the tools.  Here’s why…

A video from a FOX News interview of Bill O’Reilly & Dr. Richard Dawkins discussing evolutionary science, God, and religious belief is now making the rounds on the Internet, and I wanted to share both it and my thoughts on it here.  First off, here’s the video…

In addition, here’s the full transcript of the obviously edited video (just watch it closely and you can catch the numerous cuts which probably left out most of Dawkins’ best arguments), and a careful read will expose a number of flaws in O’Reilly’s muddled thinking.

Allow me to point out just a few of the biggest loser arguments made by O’Reilly in this exchange:

1. Argument from Ignorance: Essentially, O’Reilly is arguing from ignorance – in this case using the famous “god-of-the-gaps” logical fallacy – when he states that because science hasn’t yet produced an answer on the question of life’s origins then Christianity must be correct…

O’REILLY: Tell me where I’m going wrong here. I believe in creative design. I believe in evolution, but I think it was overseen by a higher power, because as we just stated and you acknowledged, you guys still haven’t figured out how it all began.

Btw, I really like how O’Reilly tries to slip that phrasing in there… creative design.  It’s not intelligent design – which has become synonymous with creationism – it’s now creative design.  Makes me think that O’Reilly’s hypothetical god is like some kind of basket-weaver or something similarly silly.  I might also point out that one could just as easily use this kind of argument to justify that space aliens or a Flying Spaghetti Monster made the universe via creative design

2. False Dichotomy: O’Reilly very clearly implies through his arguments that this is a question of science versus God, specifically Christianity.  Of course, the fact that he has Dawkins, who is a staunch atheist, on the show plays into this false dichotomy.  O’Reilly completely neglects to mention that numerous religious scientists, including evangelical Christian Dr. Francis Collins, have come out publicly and stated quite clearly that intelligent – oops, I mean creative – design, or creationism, is a bunch of pseudoscientific baloney.

The folks at FOX were cutting out parts of the interview, but they missed a piece, because Dawkins (however briefly) did indeed catch O’Reilly on this particular point:

DAWKINS: Why would you muddle up the question of giving you a moral compass for life, which is important, with the other question, which is explaining the nature of the world, the nature of life, the nature of the universe? That’s what science is about.

Bottom line: you can both accept modern evolutionary science and garner specific moral teachings from your religion (or non-religion, for that matter).  The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as O’Reilly would have the viewer believe.

3. Moving the Goalposts: Notice how O’Reilly not-so-cleverly attempts to change the conditions of “success” on Dawkins in the interview…

O’REILLY: I’m throwing in with Jesus rather than be thrown in with you guys, because you guys can’t tell me how it all got here. You guys don’t know.

RICHARD DAWKINS, AUTHOR, “THE GOD DELUSION”: We’re working on it. Physicists…

O’REILLY: When you get it, then maybe I’ll listen.

DAWKINS: Well, if you look at the history of science over the centuries, the amount that’s gained in knowledge each century is stupendous. In the beginning of the 21st century, we don’t know everything.

O’REILLY: All right. When you guys figure it out, then you come back here and tell me, because until that time I’m sticking with Judeo-Christian philosophy.

Notice that O’Reilly keeps on saying, “When you guys get it, I’ll listen” but he never – on purpose, I think – states exactly what “it” is.  Many creationists & pseudoscientists perform the same logically fallacious sleight-of-hand when attempting to cast doubt upon science – they state that they’ll accept the evidence that science presents, yet they never tell what the nature of that evidence may be.  This allows them to use a tactic called moving the goalposts of the argument, which means that when evidence challenging their beliefs actually is presented to them they can deny the evidence or simply state that “it’s not enough”.  And when more evidence is presented, they simply move the goalposts again, and so on…

4. Present “All” Views: Another trick that O’Reilly pulls out of the creationist hat is that old standby, present “all” views…

O’REILLY: No. You present in the science classroom all the alternatives that are legitimate. Now, Adam and Eve, you don’t have to do that, all right. That’s for the Biblical portion of a theology class. But, as I said, there are more believers than nonbelievers, and that should be presented. I’ll give you the last word.

This is an argument designed to appeal to the notion of fairness inherent in most people in the Western democracies.  In our society, it seems just plain unfair to not allow all sides of a debate to present their point of view, but this particular argument is easily countered.  Note that when discussing science, one must abide by very specific rules – such as following the scientific method and being able to test & potentially falsify your ideas. However, the O’Reillys of the world would much rather circumvent the requirements of science yet still call their religious ideology science, which is unfairly stacking the deck in their favor.

In addition, another thing to note is that when this argument is presented, it is always presented in the context of a specific religious belief vs. evolution – in this case O’Reilly’s view of Christianity vs. evolution.  If they truly do mean teach “all” alternative views, then why don’t they ever advocate for things like Raelianism, $cientology, or Islamic creationism?  The point here is that they’re outright hypocrites, because they whine and moan about “fairness” and teaching “all” views when in reality all they wish to do is stack the deck and give disproportionate time to presenting their personal religious point of view.

5. Blatant Anti-Scientific Stance: In one section of the interview, O’Reilly stoops pretty low claiming that when Dawkins argues against allowing blatantly religious views into science classrooms he is taking a fascist stance.  O’Reilly actually equates defending the teaching of science with fascism!

O’REILLY: Yes, for you to say you cannot, in a public school classroom, a science classroom, talk about brilliant men, and I know brilliant, smarter than you, who do believe in a higher power, who do believe that there was an overseer of the universe, and you insist you can’t even mention it, that is fascism, sir.

What a douchebag.  This is clearly an attempt to make an ad hominem attack on anyone who, like Dawkins, opposes the teaching of religious ideology or pseudoscientific tripe masquerading as science.  It is an extremely slimy and weaseling way of Godwinning the discussion by, in a roundabout way, of implying that your opponent is a Nazi.

I’ve seen this kind of argumentation before when actor Ben Stein made similar arguments and stated that “Science leads you to killing people” in the context of the Holocaust…

Stein: When we just saw that man, I think it was Mr. Myers [biologist P.Z. Myers], talking about how great scientists were, I was thinking to myself the last time any of my relatives saw scientists telling them what to do they were telling them to go to the showers to get gassed … that was horrifying beyond words, and that’s where science — in my opinion, this is just an opinion — that’s where science leads you.Crouch: That’s right.

Stein: …Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people.

Crouch: Good word, good word.

Of course, the irony here is that O’Reilly’s career and lifestyle are wholly dependent upon the very science that he so disparages.  I don’t recall any Bible stories talking about television, radio waves, or the Internet, do you?  Last I saw in the history books, it took good old fashioned science to come up with those things