Google Earth now has a feature that lets you explore ancient Rome as it looked in 320 AD and even fly down to see famous buildings and monuments in 3D. Just select the “Ancient Rome 3D” layer under Gallery in Google Earth.

(Video length: 1:50)

For more information, visit Google Earth Rome.

Nicole at 168 Hours has posted an excellent series on Christian faith and the environment:

I think the answer to how we should view God’s world as Christians can be found in looking at two ways that the Bible teaches us to love the world, and two ways that we are not to love the world (depending on what you mean by ‘world’ and what you mean by ‘love’).

You can read the four articles in the series at the links below.

Two ways we are not to love the world:

1. The Idolatry of Nature Worship
2. The Idolatry of Greed

Two ways we are to love the world:

1. Sharing God’s Delight in the Creation
2. Loving the People Who Share the Earth with Us

__________________________________

Related posts: God’s Good Creation Series

From New Zealand: Church wants to set up self-contained city.

The leader of Destiny Church says plans are underway to create a self-contained “Destiny City” for its followers in the middle of South Auckland … Plans for the city include a 5000-seat church, maraes, medical centres and schools – eliminating the need for residents to ever leave. “Every child of every member of this church will never go to a state school again,” Mr Tamaki said. He urged the church’s 7000-plus members to sell their homes and move to his city “for the purpose of God”. (HT: MMI)

Even beyond the obvious financial abuse and manipulation, there is just so much wrong with this picture. As believers we are called not to isolate ourselves from the world but to reach out to the world. We are to be in the world but not of the world. (John 17:14-15). Jesus himself set the example when he left the glories of heaven in order to walk this planet with us.

Listen to this short cut from the following song and then consider:  In what ways do we sometimes isolate ourselves from the world as Christians? In what ways could we do a better job of engaging the world for Christ?

Click “►” button to play | Length: 0:47

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Sara Groves; “To the Moon” (from the album Add to the Beauty)

“TO THE MOON” – by Sara Groves

It was there in the bulletin
We’re leaving soon
After the bake sale to raise funds for fuel
The rocket is ready and we’re going to
Take our church to the moon

There’ll be no one there to tell us we’re odd
No one to change our opinions of God
Just lots of rocks and this dusty sod
Here in our church on the moon

We know our liberties we know our rights
We know how to fight a very good fight
Just grab that last bag there and turn out the light
We’re taking our church to the moon
We’re taking our church to the moon
We’ll be leaving soon

Here’s a first look at the new Star Trek Enterprise.

[Director] Abrams wanted to take the original TV-series Enterprise and the movie-franchise Enterprise and fuse them together into a new yet familiar Enterprise. His ambition was a ship that felt very realistic, that could stand up to today’s F/X standards — and beyond.

Originally slated for a December 2008 release, the new Star Trek movie is now scheduled to release in the United States on May 8, 2009. The first trailer will arrive this Friday, attached to the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

HT: FilmChat (which posts pictures of the Enterprise all the way from the TV’s pilot episode right up to the new movie)

I learned a new word yesterday over at the Theological Word of the Day website: “Abecedarians.”

A 16th century German sect of Anabaptists led by Nicholas Storch who believed that all knowledge, even knowledge of the alphabet, prevents people from a true knowledge of God. Abecedarians believed that God would provide all necessary understanding through divine means such as visions and ecstatic experiences. According to them, all theology and “academic” learning amounted to an idolatrous abandonment of the Christian faith. Their name, Abecedarians, comes from their denial of the ABCs.

Sing with me: “Now I know my ABC’s, I guess God will not speak with me.”

Gov. Sarah Palin talked with Matt Lauer yesterday at her home in Wasilla, AL. This is an interesting set of interviews in which Palin addresses matters concerning the campaign, her record and the various rumors spread by the press.

Today Show: “Never Any Tension” with McCain

Among the reports that Palin said were false were those involving her wardrobe, which was reported to cost the Republican campaign $150,000. She said no lawyers have been sent to retrieve the clothes, which she said she never asked for. A third of the garments were returned as not suitable to wear, she said; another third remained in the belly of her campaign plane, while the rest have been returned. Palin said she was happy to be wearing her own clothes again.

Today Show: At Home with the Family

Todd Palin told Lauer that the attacks on his wife during the campaign didn’t really filter through to them. “We were so busy with the campaign, there wasn’t much TV time,” he said, adding that the family wasn’t really fazed by it all anyway. “We’ve been in this long enough to understand it’s just part of the business,” he said. “It’s all a part of this beast called politics in America,” the governor added as she prepared food on her countertop.

Here’s a fun poem I shared as part of a message on prayer on Sunday. (A big thanks to Thelma Campbell at Plantation Community Church who first introduced me to the poem.)

“PRAYER ROCK” (Author Unknown)

I’m your little prayer rock
and this is what I’ll do.
Just put me on your pillow
’til the day is through.

Then turn back the covers
and climb into your bed,
and, whack! your little prayer rock
will bump you on the head.

Then you will remember
as the day is through,
to kneel and say your prayers
as you intended to.

Then when you are finished
dump me on the floor.
I’ll stay there through the nighttime
to give you help once more.

When you get up next morning,
clunk! I stub your toe,
so that you will remember
your prayers before you go.

Put me back upon your pillow
when your bed is made,
and your clever little prayer rock
will continue in your aid.

Because your Heavenly Father
cares and loves you so,
He wants you to remember
to talk to Him, you know.

In discussion class after the service, we asked if anyone had actually used a prayer rock before. One woman said she used to but she didn’t need it anymore. Her husband joked, “Yeah, now she puts it on my pillow!” Do you use any types of “reminders” to help you remember to pray?

Click here for more poems.
Click here for poems by Ray Fowler.

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. White House photo by Eric Draper.

From Reuters: “After 12 years at Fox News Channel and four decades in the news business, Washington managing editor Brit Hume will leave ‘Special Report’ and daily journalism for a quieter life, spending time with his grandchildren and following his Christian faith (the anchor still will contribute to the network as a political analyst).”

Hume made the following coments about his faith in Christ:

I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I’m not claiming it’s impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it’s a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you’re not really living it.

And from a separate interview interview with The Insider:

The Insider: How do you envision life being different on a day-to-day basis? What will you do?

Mr. Hume: I thought about the three G’s: God, granddaughters, golf. That’s not comprehensive, because obviously I have a chance to spend more time with my dear wife, who worked with me here for so many years and was a vice president and bureau chief. She retired two years ago. … And since my son died, I have been, really, I felt rescued by God and by Christ. I have an intense desire to pursue that more ardently and have it be a bigger part of my life than it has been.

The Insider: How will that translate?

Mr. Hume: It’ll translate into Bible study. It’ll translate, I think, in the fullness of time, into work that I might be able to do, like to find the right cause, and so on. It’s a big world out there. A lot can be done.

HT: Between Two Worlds

You know it’s Monday when …

the tag says, “No turkeys were destroyed to make this product.”

_________________________________________________________

Click on a month for more Garfield Mondays:  January, February, March,
    April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Click here for Real Life Garfield.
Click here for Garfield Monday Extra.
Click here for more Thanksgiving related posts.

Check back the first Monday of each month for more Garfield Mondays.

Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Pray. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Prayer is a privilege.
    A. We enter God’s presence. (Psalm 84:1-2; Hebrews 4:16)
    B. We address him as Father. (Matthew 6:9)
    C. We are invited to ask. (John 16:24)

II. Prayer is a discipline.
    A. Our sin nature gets in the way. (Romans 7:18-20)
    B. We don’t always see results. (Luke 18:1)
    C. We are called to persevere. (Matthew 7:7)

III. Prayer is a responsibility.
    A. Prayerlessness is sin. (1 Samuel 12:23)
    B. People depend on our prayers. (Romans 15:30)
    C. God works through our prayers. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

POST-ELECTION EDITION.

President-elect Barack Obama in his acceptance speech Tuesday night: “What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other … If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

Senator John McCain in his concession speech Tuesday night: “Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited … I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength … Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone.”

Anthony Carter writes eloquently about the poetic providence of God. “Forty-five years ago a terrorist bomb ripped through the walls of a church in Birmingham, AL, killing four young blacks girls (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins) just getting out of Sunday School. This bomb not only ripped through the church, but it also ripped through the heart of America. It tore a wound in the fabric of our country that has been a long time healing. Since then, laws have been passed, schools have been desegregated, and in 2000 the court system finally brought to justice some of the racist men who were responsible for the demonic act. Yet, our nation still grieved for those little girls because we knew that justice still had not been done and healing could not take place. Redemption for this heinous act has been hard coming – until now. God has taken forty-five years to bring some level of redemption and healing to our hearts. Someone has said that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. God’s redemptive purposes sometimes ripen slowly in our estimation, but they do ripen nonetheless. You see, with the election of Barack Obama, we will soon see two little black girls, Malia and Sasha Obama, running the hallways and playing on the lawn of the White House. Hearts that were broken with the tragic murder of little black girls in a house of worship will be somewhat mended by the playful laughter of two beautiful young black girls in the White House.” (Carter goes on to share his thoughts about abortion in relation to the election.)

James Howell writes about the morning after the election (written before election day). “The election is over. For the Oval Office, one winner, one loser. But neither is a loser. Both are people who offered themselves for public service, and have lived under a microscope, under intense scrutiny, with a schedule that would exhaust the most energetic of us … If you believe that the election of Candidate X will be catastrophic, if you think Candidate Y’s policies are faulty, then you would be wise to begin to pray, today, that you turn out to be wrong. The morning after an election – and every morning for the believer, prayer is in order.”

Daddypundit describes Obama as our first post-modern president. “President-elect Obama is our first post-modern president. By that I mean that he successfully tapped into people’s emotions and won over people’s hearts more so than their minds. This was an election about style over substance. Obama has a tremendous presence and is an incredibly gifted speaker. But there was very little meat in terms of policy proposals in his campaign. Thus, it’s not clear how he will govern. Democrats will feel emboldened to enact a liberal legislative agenda. But the fact remains that America is still a center-right country. Obama himself understood this and positioned himself as a center-right candidate … He’s also got the problem of extremely high expectations. People want change. They are worried about problems that the country faces. He’s going to have to have some quick successes or the honeymoon may be over before it starts.”

Hugh Hewitt writes about Obama’s first CIA briefing as President-elect. “President-elect Obama is receiving his first full CIA brief this morning, the same one President Bush is receiving. While I am certain President-elect Obama and his team have been studying up on the Islamist threats around the world, today begins his certain responsibility for protecting the U.S. against it, and with that responsibility I expect to see a significant change in the president-elect and his team. I have long thought that President Bush’s lack of partisan response to many partisan attacks has been rooted in his deep awareness of the conditions in the world, and I expect that awareness will change President-elect Obama quickly and towards the same sort of anti-partisanship that Bush has displayed except in the very last months of the electron cycles of ’02, ’04, and ’06.”

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro (former legal intern for John Kerry) says the treatment of Bush has been a disgrace. “The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time. Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.”