In the News
Editor’s Note: This will be the final installment of Lunchtime Links in its present form. Future posts will feature links with a stronger focus on Christian discipleship.
Economic growth in the second quarter trudged along at a weak 1.6 percent pace. In related news, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated the central bank was willing to purchase additional long-term debts to spark growth.
Earlier this year Robert Park made worldwide headlines when he was released from a North Korean prison. Operating on faith, Park crossed over from South Korea to North Korea in a effort to bring greater attention to the North’s oppressive human rights record. Now, Park is breathing a sigh of relief for answered prayers. Former President Jimmy Carter travelled to North Korea and won the release of a friend and fellow American Christian , Aijalon Mahli Gomes.
A newly-released video appears to show that 33 miners trapped deep underground in Chile are in good spirits.
Blockbuster Video is set to file for bankruptcy, having been pushed out of the DVD rental and purchase market by Netflix and Redbox.
St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols reached a significant milestone, hitting his 400th career home run against the Washington Nationals.
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Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald raise funds for Haiti churches
Two of the country’s most well-known evangelical pastors have created a group to help churches rebuild in the wake of disasters. Mark Driscoll of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church and James MacDonald of Chicago’s Harvest Bible … Read more
Latest Blogs
Stephen Hawking or God: Who Do You Believe?
In my post Stephen Hawking: Brilliant But Foolish, I shared what God thinks of Stephen Hawking. In his upcoming book, The Grand Design, Hawking tells what he thinks of God. So, in today’s post, … Read more
Glenn Beck Rallies for God
When you hear the name Glenn Beck what do you think? Crazy man? Radical? Defender of our country? Conservative? No matter what labels you put on the man, there is no doubt that he … Read more
Sanitation a Major Roadblock to Haiti Recovery
One of the under the radar problems to Haiti’s recovery from the Jan. 12 earthquake is sanitation. Without proper sewage management, obviously, the risk of disease and illness rises significantly, exacerbating an already difficult … Read more
Going to the Dogs - Dogs Gone Wild
Dog attacks are on the rise. And generally, the rise is not due to domestic dog attacks where a dog bites a family member or neighbor. There is a rising menace growing in rural … Read more
Americans Increasingly Unsure of President’s Faith
A new national survey by the Pew Research Center reveals a substantial and growing number of Americans (18 %) say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while only 34% believe he is a Christian, … Read more
Latest News
Hurricane Earl Losing Its Steam
Residents of the New York and Massachusetts coasts may be able to breathe a sigh of relief soon as Hurricane Earl weakens in strength.
Earl is now a Category 1 storm and it may be below hurricane force wind levels when it nears Cape Cod due to the cooler waters on the North Atlantic.
The Outer Banks of North Carolina felt the biggest impact from Earl, but much of the damage reported was relatively minor.
Read morePittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s Suspension Reduced
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had his NFL-imposed suspension reduced by two games today by league commissioner Roger Goodell. Roethlisberger, who has been the signal caller for two Steelers’ Super Bowl title in the past five years, will sit out the first four games of the season.
He will be able to play Oct. 17 against the Cleveland Browns.
Roethlisberger’s suspension stems from sexual advances and abusive behavior he allegedly directed toward a college student at a Georgia bar in March. Formal charges in the case were ultimately dropped by local police.
An injury Thursday to the likely starter during Roethlisberger’s suspension, Byron Leftwich, will the Steelers with either veteran Charlie Batch or second-year player Dennis Dixon at the controls of the offense.
Read moreJerry Lewis Takes Heat For Harsh Comments About Lindsay Lohan
Jerry Lewis often goes hand-in-hand with Labor Day weekend because of the long-running Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon he sponsors. But the eve of this holiday sojourn is peppered with comments the 84-year-old comedian made about actress Lindsay Lohan and her drug and alcohol abuse problem.
'I'd smack her in the mouth if I saw her,' Lewis said in an interview on Inside Edition. 'I would smack her in the mouth and be arrested for abusing a woman.'
The insensitive remark has seen Lewis drawing a lot of flak, including from at least one Christian prison minister who said Lewis’ remark was disingenuous based on the history of drinking and carousing he was once know for as a member of the “Rat Pack” with Dean Martin and other entertainers.
"Sin is the root problem and Jerry Lewis has proven through his ridiculous remarks, that he does not know how to properly identify and deal with it." Marty Angelo said. "It is no wonder the entertainment business is the way it is today. Their leaders are lost.
"When Jerry Lewis' drunkard generation was gulping down all those cocktails they forgot they were setting an example to those following after them. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.... including Mr. Jerry Lewis."
Young Professional Women Out-Earning Men
In an interesting reversal of long-standing trends, young professional women are out-earning men, in some cities by as much as 20 percent.
These income figures are common in cities of various cities ranging from Los Angeles to Raleigh.
There are, however, some important catches.
The figures apply only to single women under 30, and only in areas with significant populations. Married women or older women still more often than not are paid less than their male counterparts for similar work.
Read moreLifeWay Study Shows 60 Percent Of Young Adults Approve Of Gay Marriage
“Milliennials” – people born between 1980 and 1991 – are divided over gay marriage, but a clear majority of them support it according to figures complied by LifeWay Research.
The study of 1,200 Milliennials done in August 2009 showed that 60 percent of them did not have an issue with homosexuals being legally married.
There were, however, differences based on geography, race and gender.
Residents of the Northeast and West both had clear majorities of people approving of gay marriage while only about 33% of Southerners approved.
Women are also much more likely than men to be approving by a 68-55 margin.
African-Americans show a majority – 53 percent – opposed to gay marriage.
Strong adherence to orthodox Christian beliefs also increased disapproval of gay marriage, with only 14 percent strongly agreeing that gay marriage should not be allowed.
Read moreOil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast West Of BP Site
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.
The explosion is about 100 miles west where BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig sank in April triggering a massive oil spill.
All 13 crew members on the rig have been rescued. At this time, leaked oil is not visible on the surface.
Read moreLabor Day Travel Expected To Be Up
If you are heading out on the road for one last summer fling over Labor Day weekend, you might have more company than you expected.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is predicting about 35 million people will travel 60 miles or more over the holiday weekend. That would be almost a 10 percent jump over last year. A slowly improving economy and an increased willingness by consumers to spend is driving the travel.
Read moreNo Explosives Left Behind In Wake Of Discovery Channel Standoff
Police in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Silver Spring, Md., have said James Lee did not leave behind any explosive devices before being shot during a hostage standoff at Discovery Channel headquarters on Wednesday.
Lee was opposed to the network environmental programming, believing that humans needed to be sterilized to prevent population growth crowding out the natural world.
Read moreHurricane Earl Taking Aim At North Carolina Coast
North Carolina’s Outer Banks are preparing from a strong hit from Hurricane Earl as it moves close to the coast later today and tomorrow. The storm may affect New York’s Long Island and the New England coastline over the weekend.
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue urged residents to heed evacuation warnings.
Read moreStephen Hawking: There’s No Way God Created The Universe
Stephen Hawking, the wheelchair-bound British physicist known worldwide for his intellect and observations, has published it is inconceivable that God or any other supernatural force created the universe.
In a new book Hawking distances himself from earlier work which suggested God could not be written off as a possible architect in the creation of human civilization. His new work is aimed, rather, at debunking Isaac Newton’s theory that only God could have shaped Earth out of the chaos of early stages of the universe.
“Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” Hawking said. “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.
Read moreNew iPod Touch Hits The Market
Apple unveiled a thinner, sleeker looking version of the iPod Touch today, available on the market in a few weeks.
The device will include a retina display from the iPhone 4 plus enhanced gaming and HD video functions. Pre-orders are available now. It is available in 8-, 32-, and 64-gigabyte models.
Read moreBad Golf Shot Sets California Course Literally On Fire
Anyone who has played golf knows how frustrating the game can be. Hitting a ball into a pond off the tee or taking a triple bogey on a par-3 are never any fun.
At least, however, few of us can ever claim our bad play actually set a course on fire. That apparently was the case last weekend in California when an so far anonymous golfer’s metal club struck a rock on a backswing, igniting a wildfire which drew in 150 local firefighters.
Read moreSatanic Church To Hold Public Convention In Oklahoma City
When you think of a convention, plenty of images probably come to mind. Perhaps it’s a vacation hot spot, such as Las Vegas or Orlando, where attendees may duck out on a session or two to, respectively, play the slots or go hang out with Mickey Mouse.
Oklahoma City perhaps not be viewed the same way, but it will be a memorable convention destination – at least in the short term – because a convention scheduled at its civic center.
A Satanic church billing itself as Church of the IV Majesties will be holding a meeting at the Civic Center Music Hall on Oct. 21. The center has, ironically, booked Easter pageants and other Christian-related meetings in the past.
"As a public building, we don't discriminate against any group, whether it be religious or nonreligious," said Jennifer McClintock, Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation specialist. "As long as the group comes in and abides by city laws, we will host them."
Read moreHeisman Trophy Winner Mark Ingram Sidelined For Alabama Opener…At Minimum
Defending Heisman Trophy winner and University of Alabama tailback Mark Ingram will miss the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s opener Saturday against San Jose State.
Ingram will be replaced by Trent Richardson and may be available the following week for what figures to be a much tougher matchup with Penn State.
By missing a prime opportunity to roll up gaudy statistics early in the season, Ingram’s chances of repeating as the Heisman winner are in jeopardy.
Read morePaper Or Plastic? Californians Still Have Choice After Environmental Bill Defeated
Paper or plastic?
Californians will still have that option when they check out at the supermarket.
A bill which would have banned plastic grocery bags died in the state’s Assembly. The environmentally-targeted measure would have done the following:
- Ban all single-use bags from supermarkets and large pharmacies in 2012, and from smaller grocery stores, convenience and liquor stores in 2013.
- For customers who did not bring or purchase a reusable bag, the only bag stores would have been able to give to customers is a paper bag made from 40% post-consumer material.
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Stores could charge for each bag they give out, but could only pass on the cost and not profit from it. Those receiving government assistance, such as food stamps, would have received recyclable or reusable bags for free from the stores
