I decided to watch a video that has been sitting around in my bedroom for some days now. I picked it up at the library in the DVD section and its title is "Beyond the Gates" with John Hurt and Hugh Dancy. After I got it home I read the back cover and when I realized it was a story about the genocide in Rwanda, it took me a while to get to the place where I determined I would view it. I had seen Hotel Rwanda many years ago and wasn't even sure I could watch yet another story about the Rwanda genocide. But, I did. And yes, I wept. And wept. And prayed. And thought about the overall message the film so tragically yet so aptly portrayed. Then I watched the Special Features. Among the cast and crew, the credits tell us, were many survivors of that 100 day genocide the world played footsy with in April through July 1994. No one wanted to admit it was really what it was. Especially the people who could have done something about it.
On the metal gates at the entrance to a dusty cemetery near the ETO school near Kigali, where 2,500 Tutsi's fled to the school for safety, and where 2,500 Tutsi refugees were left abandoned by the U.N. forces sent there to 'monitor the peace,' and where the same 2,500 Tutsi's were subsequently massacred, is an inscription:
"Qui ne repondrait en ce monde a la terrible obstination du crime si ce n'est l'obstination du temoignage."
The last lines in the special features section translated this inscription thusly:
"You cannot respond to such a determined and terrible crime,,,,except with an equal determination to bear witness."
Subsequent to viewing the film and the special features (I highly recommend when viewing any film of import to watch the special features....you will learn a great deal doing so) I did some googling about the Rwandan genocide. Mind you, the reports tell us that some 800,000 people were killed in those 100 days in Rwanda. It is unthinkable and inconceivable to even imagine such a thing.
Consider this.
The extermination of Jews during the holocaust lasted from January 30, 1933 when Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, to V.E. day, May 8,1945.
The figure used by most authorities to state the number of Jews that were murdered during the holocaust is 6 million.
12 years 3 months or 4,480 days
6 million people
Imagine this.
Had the genocide/holocaust of the Jews been kept up with the same pace as the 100 day Rwandan genocide of the Tutsi's by the Hutu's,,,,the Nazi's would have had to kill nearly 36,000,000 people.
Or....consider it this way.
If 800,000 people were killed in 100 days,,,,then the killings had to be an average of 8,000 per day.
In 1994 the population of Rwanda stood at about 7 million. Estimates of the death toll have ranged from 500,000–1,000,000, or as much as 20% of the country's total population.
Consider this also.
The cast and crew of the film who were survivors of the killings, some having hidden themselves under the bodies of their slain relatives, were re-living events that were only 10 years prior. Members of the crew even had to strongly explain to the extras that this was NOT REAL, and they were only pretending,,,,,mind you, they did not understand and were begging that no one hurt them!
I started writing here as I began to come to the end of my reading and thinking about what happened there.....and how it all translates to what can happen -- anywhere -- and in fact, by the very words of some of the survivors who spoke in the special features to this film,,,,,IS happening in the Sudan.
I found myself reading a paper that described other mass massacres that took place during the 100 days in Rwanda. A mass killing occurred when Tutsi were told to go to a particular stadium in Kibuye, Rwanda. Tens of thousands gathered there, thinking it was to be safe, then were given no food, no water. They ended up eating grass, and in the end, they were slaughtered. Between April 15th and April 18th, more than 25,000 were killed every day in Rwanda. From April 15th to April 22nd nearly a quarter of a million Tutsi's were killed. They were massacred in stadiums, churches, schools, anywhere large numbers of them could be manipulated to gather.
The writer of the paper made this comment: "It seems that only escaping or hiding really improved one’s chances [of survival]. From this, one can derive a behavioral guideline for persons targetted for extermination in the future: do not go where the crowd goes."
And THAT is why I am blogging this.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Voodoo Donuts
My church has done some nutty things but this one took the 'cake' -- cake donuts, that is!
Our pastor loves incentive contests to bring new people in.
I have to say a lot of us don't care for them. And that is not to say that our church is not a Holy-Ghost filled, Pentecostal church that needeth not to be ashamed,,,,, (IT IS!) ,,,,,,
,,,,,most of the time.
Recently we had one of these incentive contests during a "revival" time, and they were handing out little slips of paper to everyone who came through the doors; if you had a slip with a special stamp or word or picture on the back, you won a $5 gift certificate. I actually won 3 times.
The first two times I won, they gave me each time, a $5 gift certificate to Cold Stone Creamery. I went to Cold Stone once and it was realllllly good. But I sent those two gift certificates off to my daughter's S.O. for his birthday. He's skinny. ;o) I'm not.
The last time I won was just about the last night of the incentive contest, and the gal who usually gave out the gift certificates handed me an envelope, saying it was a gift certificate to "Voodoo Donuts."
I looked at her and shook my head, saying, "I don't want that. Good grief, they do same-sex marriages there."
She said, "Hmmmm....all I know is they have good donuts."
Really? That's all you know? Did you run it by Pastor where you were sending folks? Did you get his approval? Have you done any research? Didn't the name Voodoo give you pause?
Here's the thing.
I watched a segment on TV once and they described their "cock n' balls" donut, their "Gay Bar", their "tex-ass" and their "old dirty bastard" donut, and talked about how they married "same-sex" couples, under the Black Velvet Elvis painting, and yes, they made the gay and lesbian travel guide:
http://gaytravel.about.com/od/
...so I just couldn't get excited about that $5 gift certificate. If this place is reviewed as one of the great Portland Hot-Spots for gay and lesbian travelers, ,,,,,well, in my humble opinion, the LAST thing we should ever even THINK about doing is handing out $5 gift certificates to this place.
If we are thinking about sending a team there to minister the gospel, street witness to the gay and lesbian sidewalk traffic, ok, that's yet another story.
BUT ---------- ok, nuff said.
I get my Sunday School class a box of donuts every Sunday at a nummy donut shop called "Heavenly Donuts" at 102nd and Glisan. The workers there are sweet Hispanic ladies, and the one that runs the place that I always see and deal with knows the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh,,,,and their donuts? They are pretty cotton-pickin' good. Maybe next time.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
K J B: The Book That Changed The World
I have picked out and previewed a new film to show at my Young Adults Sunday School class at my church.
The movie is entitled "K J B: The Book That Changed The World, the amazing tale of the birth of the King James Bible." And amazing it is indeed. The film is a combination of documentary-style, and story-telling style with actors playing the various parts; King James, the Bishops, the Puritans, et al. John Rhys-Davies is the narrator and he made the story come alive. King James, it turns out, is not anything like I would ever have imagined him to be. I probably had some stuffy Henry VIII-type king envisioned, and King James was actually a very young, extremely brilliant, and did I know, no, a Scottish King to begin with. He inherited the throne as the King of England after Queen Elizabeth died via the order of succession as well as personal choice, which lay within the power of the Queen. As soon as he took the throne both the Puritans and the Bishops began to press him to authorize THEIR bible; the Puritans, the Geneva Bible and the Bishops, the Bishops Bible. Fortunately King James knew them both well, and, frankly, despised both translations, knowing they were both full of error. Well, the rest of the story is better told by watching the aforementioned video. I can't wait to share it with my class. And when you come to the end of the video, you will have the truth of the words that Paul the Apostle spoke when he said, "He must increase; while I must decrease," pierce your heart like a sword - the beauty of the truth of those words made me cry as I realized how King James fulfilled exactly the purpose for which our Lord God Almighty intended him, and when that purpose was done, those words were indeed - truth. Beautiful.
The movie is entitled "K J B: The Book That Changed The World, the amazing tale of the birth of the King James Bible." And amazing it is indeed. The film is a combination of documentary-style, and story-telling style with actors playing the various parts; King James, the Bishops, the Puritans, et al. John Rhys-Davies is the narrator and he made the story come alive. King James, it turns out, is not anything like I would ever have imagined him to be. I probably had some stuffy Henry VIII-type king envisioned, and King James was actually a very young, extremely brilliant, and did I know, no, a Scottish King to begin with. He inherited the throne as the King of England after Queen Elizabeth died via the order of succession as well as personal choice, which lay within the power of the Queen. As soon as he took the throne both the Puritans and the Bishops began to press him to authorize THEIR bible; the Puritans, the Geneva Bible and the Bishops, the Bishops Bible. Fortunately King James knew them both well, and, frankly, despised both translations, knowing they were both full of error. Well, the rest of the story is better told by watching the aforementioned video. I can't wait to share it with my class. And when you come to the end of the video, you will have the truth of the words that Paul the Apostle spoke when he said, "He must increase; while I must decrease," pierce your heart like a sword - the beauty of the truth of those words made me cry as I realized how King James fulfilled exactly the purpose for which our Lord God Almighty intended him, and when that purpose was done, those words were indeed - truth. Beautiful.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
From A Study in the Word
Actually I just want to remember this for my own reference....
From - A Study in the Word - recorded on the Sonlife Broadcasting Network in September 2011
1. Jesus Christ is the Source: (Jn. 14:6)
2. The Cross is the Means (Rom.6:3,5)
3. Our Faith Must be in the (1 Cor.1:7,18,23)
Cross of Christ Exclusively
4. The Holy Spirit will work (Rom. 8:1-2,11)
Mightily within our Lives
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Rom. 8:10
It is important the we have an:
1. Understanding the Sin Nature
2. How the Cross of Christ as a Solution to that Problem, and
3. How the Holy Spirit Works in all of this
"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the Cross ceased." Gal. 5:11
and in the New Living Translation (NLT) this verse reads:
Any thing in which we have faith that is not the Cross of
Christ (and what Jesus there did) results in self-righteousness. It was self-righteousness
that nailed Christ to the Cross.” ~Jimmy Swaggart
"The Cross does away with self-effort." ~Donnie Swaggart
Romans 6:14-18 "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin , because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid . Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you . Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
When Paul says "the law" what is he talking about? He's talking about the Law of Moses. What part of the Law of Moses? The Law of Moses came in 3 parts: 1) the Ceremonial part; 2) the Ritualistic part; and, 3) the Moral part. The Moral part is found in Exodus 20, and is called the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words. Exodus 20:3-17
Every unsaved person in the world is under that law, even though they don't understand it, never heard about it in their life. When they stand before God one day they will give account for breaking that law.
Let's look at Colossians 2 [I have taken these quotes directly from Bro. Swaggart's Expositor's Study Bible.]
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, (pertains to the Law of Moses, which was God's Standard of Righteousness that man could not reach), which was contrary to us (Law is against us, simply because we are unable to keep its precepts, no matter how hard we try), and took it out of the way (refers to the penalty of the Law being removed), nailing it to his cross (the Law with its decrees was abolished in Christ's Death, as if Crucified with Him); 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers (Satan and all of his henchmen were defeated at the Cross by Christ Atoning for all sin; sin was the legal right Stan had to hold man in captivity; with all sin atoned, he has no more legal right to hold anyone in bondage), He (Christ) made a shew of them openly (what Jesus did at the Cross was in the face of the whole universe), triumphing over them in it. (The triumph is complete and it was all done for us, meaning we can walk in power and perpetual victory due to the Cross.)
Here then is Bro. Swaggart outline for - God's Prescribed Order of Victory:
1) Focus:
The Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6)
2) Object of Faith:
The Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5)
3) Power Source:
The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-2, 11)
4) Results:
Victory (Rom. 6:14)
From - A Study in the Word - recorded on the Sonlife Broadcasting Network in September 2011
1. Jesus Christ is the Source: (Jn. 14:6)
2. The Cross is the Means (Rom.6:3,5)
3. Our Faith Must be in the (1 Cor.1:7,18,23)
Cross of Christ Exclusively
4. The Holy Spirit will work (Rom. 8:1-2,11)
Mightily within our Lives
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Rom. 8:10
It is important the we have an:
1. Understanding the Sin Nature
2. How the Cross of Christ as a Solution to that Problem, and
3. How the Holy Spirit Works in all of this
"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the Cross ceased." Gal. 5:11
and in the New Living Translation (NLT) this verse reads:
"Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be
circumcised -- as some say I do -- why would the Jews persecute me? The fact that I am still being persecuted proves that I am
still preaching salvation through the cross of Christ alone."
"The Cross does away with self-effort." ~Donnie Swaggart
Romans 6:14-18 "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin , because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid . Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you . Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
When Paul says "the law" what is he talking about? He's talking about the Law of Moses. What part of the Law of Moses? The Law of Moses came in 3 parts: 1) the Ceremonial part; 2) the Ritualistic part; and, 3) the Moral part. The Moral part is found in Exodus 20, and is called the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words. Exodus 20:3-17
Every unsaved person in the world is under that law, even though they don't understand it, never heard about it in their life. When they stand before God one day they will give account for breaking that law.
Let's look at Colossians 2 [I have taken these quotes directly from Bro. Swaggart's Expositor's Study Bible.]
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, (pertains to the Law of Moses, which was God's Standard of Righteousness that man could not reach), which was contrary to us (Law is against us, simply because we are unable to keep its precepts, no matter how hard we try), and took it out of the way (refers to the penalty of the Law being removed), nailing it to his cross (the Law with its decrees was abolished in Christ's Death, as if Crucified with Him); 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers (Satan and all of his henchmen were defeated at the Cross by Christ Atoning for all sin; sin was the legal right Stan had to hold man in captivity; with all sin atoned, he has no more legal right to hold anyone in bondage), He (Christ) made a shew of them openly (what Jesus did at the Cross was in the face of the whole universe), triumphing over them in it. (The triumph is complete and it was all done for us, meaning we can walk in power and perpetual victory due to the Cross.)
Here then is Bro. Swaggart outline for - God's Prescribed Order of Victory:
1) Focus:
The Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6)
2) Object of Faith:
The Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5)
3) Power Source:
The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-2, 11)
4) Results:
Victory (Rom. 6:14)
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