Well, I am not a big fan of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s politics (as you can see by the results of my MPR Select a Candidate Quiz), but she got a good laugh out of me with these “in-flight announcements” she made to the guests and reporters on her new campaign plane as it made its first journey on Wednesday.

“My name is Hillary, and I’m so pleased to have most of you on board.”

“FAA regulations prohibit the use of cell phones, blackberries or other wireless devices that may be used to transmit negative stories about me.”

She warned her guests — a couple of dozen reporters, members of her Secret Service detail and several aides — to keep their seatbelts on even after the light had been turned off. “Things can get awfully bumpy when you least expect it.”

“In the event of an unexpected drop in poll numbers this plane will be diverted to New Hampshire.”

Clinton then promised to deliver her “stump speech, in its many variations,” as in-flight entertainment. “We know you have choices when you fly, so we are grateful you chose the plane with the most experienced candidate.”

Related posts:

• Hillary Godmother (shorter version)
• Cinderella Meets Hillary Godmother (longer version)
• Hillary Godmother Reader Poll
• The Hillary Clinton Cookie Attack Ad
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz

Albert Einstein’s response when asked by an interviewer if he was an atheist:

“I’m not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.” (First published as “What Life Means to Einstein,” Saturday Evening Post, October 26, 1929. Quoted in Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe; New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, p. 386.)

Source: Kairos Journal (subscription required)

The Economist recently ran an article on the Bible versus the Koran. The article focused mostly on the business side of marketing the two books but had some interesting things to say along the way. Here are some excerpts from the article.

CHRISTIANS and Muslims have one striking thing in common: they are both “people of the book”. And they both have an obligation to spread the Word—to get those Holy Books into the hands and hearts of as many people as they can …

Spreading the Word is hard. The Bible is almost 800,000 words long [while] … the Koran is a mere four-fifths of the length of the New Testament … Yet over 100m copies of the Bible are sold or given away every year. Annual Bible sales in America are worth between $425m and $650m; Gideon’s International gives away a Bible every second. The Bible is available all or in part in 2,426 languages, covering 95% of the world’s population.

The Koran is not only the most widely read book in the Islamic world but also the most widely recited (“Koran” means “recitation”). There is no higher goal in Muslim life than to become a human repository of the Holy Book; there is no more common sound in the Muslim world than the sound of Koranic recitation.

Reciting the Koran is the backbone of Muslim education. One of the most prized honorifics in Islamic society is “hafiz” or “one who has the entire scripture off by heart”. Do so in Iran and you get an automatic university degree. The great recitors compete in tournaments that can attract audiences in the hundreds of thousands—the world cups of the Islamic world. The winners’ CDs become instant bestsellers …

There is a difference, however, between getting and understanding a Holy Book. Here both Christianity and Islam suffer from serious problems. Americans buy more than 20m new Bibles every year to add to the four that the average American has at home. Yet the state of American biblical knowledge is abysmal. A Gallup survey found that less than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible (Genesis), only a third know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Billy Graham is a popular answer) and a quarter do not know what is celebrated at Easter (the resurrection, the foundational event of Christianity). Sixty per cent cannot name half the ten commandments; 12% think Noah was married to Joan of Arc. George Gallup, a leading Evangelical as well as a premier pollster, describes America as “a nation of biblical illiterates”.

Muslims greatly prefer to read the Koran in the original Arabic. Yet the archaic language and high-flown verse, while inspiring, can also be difficult to understand even for educated Arabic speakers. And only 20% of Muslims speak Arabic as their first language. Illiteracy rates are high across the Muslim world. Many students of the Holy Book do not understand much of what they are memorizing.

What are your thoughts on the article?

HT: Evangelical Outpost

Mean mom. An Iowa mom sold her 19-year-old son’s car after she discovered alcohol in the vehicle. The newspaper ad read as follows: “OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don’t love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.”

Stuck in bed. A Mexican boy glued his hand to his bed in order to avoid going back to school after Christmas vacation. When he didn’t get up in the morning, his mother found him lying in bed watching TV with his hand glued to the bed. She called the paramedics who were able to get him unstuck in time for class. “I didn’t want to go to school because vacation was so much fun,” the ten-year-old boy told the newspaper.

Never tempt a hacker. Hoping to calm people’s fears over two missing discs containing personal information for over 25 million people, British TV host Jeremy Clarkson published his own bank account numbers in the newspaper. “All you’ll be able to do with them is put money into my account. Not take it out,” he told his readers. Imagine his surprise when his account was hacked later in the week. Clarkson wrote in his column, “I opened my bank statement this morning to find out that someone has set up a direct debit which automatically takes £500 from my account. The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again. I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake.” The money taken from Clarkson’s account had been donated to charity.

Easter comes early this year, which means many churches are also preparing for an early Lenten season. (Ash Wednesday is on February 6, 2008, only several weeks away!) Unless you were around for Easter back in 1913, this will be the earliest Easter in your lifetime. This year Easter falls on March 23, which is the second earliest date possible. The last time Easter fell this early in the year was March 23, 1913; the next time won’t be until March 23, 2160.

Easter can take place as early as March 22 but no later than April 25. The last time Easter fell on the earliest possible date was March 22, 1818. That will not happen again until March 22, 2285. The most common date for Easter to occur is April 19. Here is a list of the nearest past and future occurrences of Easter falling on either March 22/23 or April 24/25:

• March 22, 1818
• April 24, 1859
• March 23, 1913
• April 25, 1943
• March 23, 2008
• April 24, 2011
• April 25, 2038
• March 22, 2285

Calculating the date of Easter is no simple task. The cycle of Easter dates does not repeat until after exactly 5,700,000 years! For more information on how the date of Easter is determined, see the brief article: Determining the Dates for Easter and Passover.

Related posts:

• Why Are Easter and Passover a Month Apart This Year?
• Determining the Dates for Easter and Passover
• Easter (A Poem)

“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” (Proverbs 24:26)

Okay, this TV ad featuring an honest referee is my new favorite football commercial, at least until the Super Bowl gets here! This is part of Subway’s “Fresh Moment” advertising campaign. And you have to admit, such honesty really is refreshing!

(Video length: 0:30)

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

“I totally blew that call. In fact, I wasn’t even close. But don’t worry. I’ll penalize the other team … for no good reason … in the second half … to even things up.”

Have you ever wondered why Easter and Passover do not always fall together on the calendar? Some years they happen in the same week, but then other years they are a whole month apart. For example, this year Easter is on March 23, 2008, but the Passover does not begin until April 20, 2008.

It all has to do with solar years, lunar months and the Jewish leap year! You can read all about it in the following article: Determining the Dates for Easter and Passover.

Related posts:

• The Earliest Easter in Your Lifetime
• Determining the Dates for Easter and Passover
• Easter (A Poem)

Here are some great pictures showing the size of the earth in comparison to other objects in space. I shared these in church yesterday as part of a sermon on Psalm 8. You can click on the pictures to see a larger version.

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)

1. Earth compared to the smaller planets (Venus, Mars, Mercury and Pluto):

2. Earth compared to the larger planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune):

3. The larger planets compared to the Sun:

4. Our Sun compared to Sirius, Pollux and Arcturus:

5. Sirius, Pollux and Arcturus compared to Rigel, Aldebaran, Antares
    and Betelgeuse:

                     Recommended Books on Astronomy

Order the all New Kindle Fire here!

Privacy

Related posts:

• Powers of 10 Video
• Relative Size and Distances of Planets in the Solar System
• Our Place in God’s Creation (Psalm 8:1-8)
• Sunday Morning SoundBytes – 1/13/2008

____________________________________________________________

Did you find this post helpful? Click to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don’t miss any future posts.

Yesterday’s message in the God’s Good Creation Series was called Our Place in God’s Creation, taken from Psalm 8.

Psalm 8:1-8 – “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (NIV)

The main idea of the message was that we must first understand man’s place in the universe before we can understand our own individual place in the world. Here is the outline of the message:

What does Palm 8 teach us about our place in God’s creation?

I. God is greater than all (1-2)

    A. God’s name is majestic in all the earth.

    B. God has set his glory above the heavens.

    C. God can silence his enemies even through the praises of little children.

II. The universe is big; we are small (3-4)

    A. The beauty of God’s creation should cause us to worship the Creator.

    B. The vastness of God’s creation should cause us to consider our
        place in the universe.

    C. God’s gracious concern for tiny man in the universe should humble
        and amaze us.

III. God gave us a special place of honor in creation (5-9)

    A. God made man a little lower than the heavenly beings.

    B. God crowned man with glory and honor.

    C. God made man ruler over all creation.

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.

Related post: The Size of the Earth Compared to Other Objects in Space

Evangelist Luis Palau shares a list of his favorite evangelistic websites.

Children’s Minister Tony Kummer has a great article on How To Choose The Right Vacation Bible School Curriculum. “Vacation Bible School curriculum options are getting better every year. With the host of excellent VBS themes comes a problem – which one is right for your church? Here are the top elements I look at when choosing a Vacation Bible School curriculum.”

Don Surber provides a lighter look at this election year’s presidential candidates with his clever “Cartoonidates.” My three favorites were Hillary Clinton as Velma, Barack Obama as Snagglepuss, and Fred Thompson as Fred Flintstone. But Mitt Romney as Mr. Ranger (from Yogi Bear), John McCain as Papa Smurf, Rudy Guiliani as Scooby Doo and Mike Huckabee as Huckleberry Hound are also priceless!

Jodi Benson, the voice of Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid, talks about her role in the recent Disney film Enchanted. “I love to sing. It’s an extension of who I am as a person, and it’s a great way for me to worship. I’m so happy that I can use my opportunities to get out and encourage people. When I’m onstage singing and sharing songs, it’s an extension of the joy I feel. I try to lift people up and give them a happy moment with my music.”

English professor Devin Brown offers some suggestions to Andrew Adamson, director of the upcoming Prince Caspian movie. “My wish list actually represents a genuine concern about the film. Why get so anxious about what, to many people, will be just a movie? The answer is that for me—and a good number of people like me—these books are on that list of special things in life that have become a part of us and have helped make us who we are.”

C. Michael Patton gives a thoughtful answer to the question: Are all sins really equal in God’s sight? “I think that it is biblical and necessary to say that some sins are more grievous in the sight of God than others … There are many instances in the Scriptures where degrees of sin are distinguished. 1. Christ tells Pilate that the Jewish leaders have committed a worse sin than him, saying “he who has handed me over to you has committed the greater sin” (Jn. 19:11).”

Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer talks about lessons learned in this interview at TheHigherCalling.org. “At age 21, Phil Vischer had created VeggieTales to make cartoons with content. To staff the work, he incorporated Big Idea. By his early 30s, he was helmsman of the biggest animation enterprise between New York and L.A. By his mid-30s, he was in bankruptcy court. In his new book, Me, Myself and Bob, the man who left his ocean-liner sized dream by life raft turns and looks back with hard-won wisdom.”

Robert P. George, co-author with Christopher Tollefsen of Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, argues for the dignity of human life at all stages of development. “At all stages of our lives — from the embryonic through the fetal, infant, child, and adolescent stages and into adulthood — we are human beings with dignity and the right to life. Our dignity does not come from having achieved a certain level of intellectual proficiency or even conscious awareness. … We have our dignity in virtue of the kind of entity we are: that is human being, a creature with a rational nature. And we became that when we came to be.”

For well over a year now two different formats have been competing for the high-definition DVD market. Sony has been pushing its Blu-Ray format in competition against the HD-DVD format. Remembering the old VHS vs. Betamax battles, wary consumers have been waiting to see which format will emerge as the standard. Sony lost the Beta battle back in the 1980′s, but with the help of their PlayStation 3, it looks like they may have won the battle for Blu-Ray.

Two news stories this week seem to point the way forward for Blu-Ray over HD-DVD.

First off, Warner Home Video anounced last Friday that they will begin to support the Blu-Ray Disc format exclusively starting in May. That leaves only Universal Home Video and Paramount Home Video in the HD-DVD only camp. Warner now joins Sony Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Lionsgate in the Blu-Ray camp.

Then, yesterday, New Line Home Entertainment and HBO Home Video also declared their support for Blu-Ray, dropping HD-DVD support for their titles. That, coupled with the Warner announcement, could mean the beginning of the end for HD-DVD.

I know there are some people who feel passionately about one format over the other. I am not one of them. I have just been curiously watching to see which side will eventually win out. The momentum definitely just turned in the favor of Blu-Ray this week.

Grace Community Church recently put free Gospel presentations in 25 different languages on their website.

Grace Community Church has several different approaches for the kind of cross-language evangelism that Los Angeles requires. We have evangelistic Bible studies taught in nine different languages. We have teach ESL (English as a second language) classes that serve as a connection for people in our community. The idea is that they join our ESL class, and then get connected to the appropriate Bible study.

We also offer Gospel presentations on CD in the 40 most common languages in our area. We give these away Sunday mornings from a table at our church. We have found they are popular and helpful, as people take them to give to neighbors and co-workers that don’t speak the same language.

We have recently put those gospel presentations on-line, for free. So, if you know someone who is more comfortable in another language, and you are looking for a way to present them the Gospel, see if their language is on our site. You can make your own CD for them, or you can email them the link. (Source: Pulpit Magazine)

This sounds like a great resource. A big thanks to the good people at Grace Church for making these available online.