Ham said a high-profile evolution debate he had with "Science Guy" Bill Nye on Feb. 4 helped boost support for the project.
Creation Museum founder Ken Ham announced Thursday that a municipal bond offering has raised enough money to begin construction on the Ark Encounter project, estimated to cost about $73 million. Groundbreaking is planned for May and the ark is expected to be finished by the summer of 2016.
Ham said a high-profile evolution debate he had with "Science Guy" Bill Nye on Feb. 4 helped boost support for the project.
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A Baptist preacher has been elected as Ukraine's interim president, prompting calls for Christians to pray for the beleaguered nation and its new leader. New interim president Oleksandr Turchynov was the right-hand man of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister imprisoned by Viktor Yanukovych when Yanukovych became president in 2010. The former prime minister was released immediately following Yanukovych's removal from office Feb. 23, an ousting that came on the heels of a three-month-long protest movement in Kiev, the nation's capital. Pastor Rick and Kay Warren of Saddleback Church, the Most Reverend Kevin Vann, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County (NAMI-OC) are joining together to host The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church on March 28 at Saddleback Church in Southern California. Open to everyone, The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church is designed to encourage individuals living with mental illness, educate family members, and equip church leaders to provide effective and compassionate care to any who face the challenges of mental illness. Anne Schleper, a defenseman on the United States women's Olympic hockey team, is an Olympian with a plan. Schleper, 24, said she approaches her team's quest for a gold medal in Sochi, Russia, as a Christ follower who invites Him onto the ice with her. The U.S. will play Thursday (Feb. 20) in the finals. "I'm a Christian and nothing happens in my life that isn't filtered through God's hands first," she wrote Feb. 6 on her Twitter account. The other day I was listening to a preacher close a sermon about pain. The preacher preached about the very real struggle with pain and suffering that we all have to encounter in this life. In typical African-American style, the preacher closed the sermon with a celebration. Here the preacher resolved the pain by pointing to being “hooked up.” U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark knows some of the trappings that come with athletic success. A four-time Olympian, she has seen those temptations herself. That's one reason she decided four years ago to start the Kelly Clark Foundation to help others compete in the sport that she loves so much. "As a competitive athlete, sometimes you're required to prioritize yourself and think about yourself all the time," Clark, who won the bronze medal on Feb. 12 in the women's halfpipe competition, said. "I thought it might be better if I didn't spend so much time thinking about myself. That's kind of where my inspiration came from to start the foundation." It seems simple. Do you want to have a good relationship with Christ? Then read the Bible and pray. And be disciplined about it. For some men this comes very naturally, for most men it takes work, and for a few it remains a stubborn source of shame and defeat. We absolutely need to continue to encourage more men to read the Bible every day and to spend time in prayer with God. And it's great if they have the discipline to do it at the same place and same time every day. But some men may also need to hear that they can stay connected to Christ and keep growing by using a variety of strategies to read God’s Word and pray. Solar-powered audio Bibles, helped the Boko Haram come to Christ. The rebel terrorist group known as Boko Haram has done it again. This time they killed more than 70. Reports indicate 52 people were killed in a Kawuri village in Borno state. Twenty-two more died in an attack on a church service in Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa state. World Mission supports partners working there on the ground with unreached people groups. The organization’s executive director, Greg Kelley says, “The people that we work with in northern Nigeria are stationed in the vicinity of where Boko Haram is, so it’s made it very difficult for our partners to operate. They literally have one eye open at night because people are being killed and kidnapped.” Today as the percentage of single women continues to grow, so do the questions, "Lord, You said you would give me the desires of my heart. Why am I still single?" It seems that singleness to some is like an invisible cloud that denotes a sense of failure. It is like some type of plague. In our society it seems that a cloak of negativity blankets those who are not in relationships. Even at church so much emphasis is put on strengthening marriages and families-which is needed-that many singles are left feeling like something's missing until they are married and have a family of their own. It is like they're in a holding pattern, walking around with question marks over their heads. “So, you’re going to be a pastor.” Have you heard that before—perhaps from a co-worker, family member or long-time friend? Even more, have you wondered what they mean? What is the underlying meaning of their question? Before you get frustrated by everyone’s questions and concerns, take some time to understand why they are concerned. Pastoring is the greatest privilege to which a human could be called. The position is a humbling honor. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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