Announcement, World Vision Trip

Announcing A World Vision Giveaway

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The World Vision Bloggers are leaving for Sri Lanka one week from today!

To celebrate this coming journey, we’re doing something that has only happened on SFL one other time in four years: having a little contest/giveaway. We’ve put together four identical prize packages, a collection of  books, music, and World Vision apparel. To each of those four prize packs we will add something from Sri Lanka, a unique prize made by the people of Sri Lanka.

Our hope and prayer is that you’ll follow our journey, find hope and inspiration in the stories we share, and perhaps be moved to join the story by sponsoring a child from Sri Lanka through World Vision.

This is what each of the four winners will receive:

-A copy of World Vision’s Faith in Action Study Bible
-A copy of The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, World Vision’s president
-An autographed copy of Love Story: The Hand That Holds Us from the Cradle to the Grave by Nichole Nordeman
-A copy of Praying for Strangers: An Adventure of the Human Spirit by River Jordan
-A copy of Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life by Nick Vujicic
-A copy of From the Library of C.S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey by James Stuart Bell and Anthony P. Dawson
-A copy of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp (as well as a copy of Ann’s “gift book” called Selections from One Thousand Gifts: Finding Joy in What Really Matters (this book features Ann’s words and photography)

-A copy of Music Inspired By the Story, a compilation CD that includes music by Amy Grant, Nichole Nordeman, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, Jeremy Camp and many more.
-A copy of Hurt & the Healer by MercyMe
-A copy of As Long As it Takes by Meredith Andrews
-A copy of Who I Am from American Idol alum Jason Castro
-A copy of The Reckoning by Needtobreathe
-A copy of Hundred More Years by Francesca Battistelli

-A World Vision t-shirt from its GIVEN apparel line
-An official World Vision track jacket

-And a handmade item from Sri Lanka…

To enter for your chance to win, simply “like” World Vision’s Facebook page and each of the bloggers’ Facebook pages using the handy Rafflecopter tool (Note: you will need to be signed into your Facebook account for it to work) and you will automatically be entered to win one of the FOUR amazing prize packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest begins on Thursday, August 16, 2012 and will end at midnight (PST) on Wednesday August 22, 2012. Winners will be selected at random. One winner per household. You must be 18 years or older and have a valid United States address to enter. No purchase is necessary. Winners will be contacted by email on or before September 10, 2012.

Current Events

Silence (Giving Consent)

355 Comments

"Loose lips might sink ships" - NARA - 513543

I have a message for you all from the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana and their associated staff, members, fans, toadies, lackeys, and hangers-on: they would like for all of you to shut up now. Stop talking about Jack Schaap’s sin. Stop feeling sympathy for his victim. Stop recalling the sins of Jack and David Hyles. Stop bringing up all the many others just like them that have walked the halls of that church and school. Cease and desist. Just shut up.

You’re hurting the cause of Christ by letting the world know that (yet another!) fundamentalist pastor is a hypocrite. You’re hurting all the church members who sat and watched his shenanigans in silence and didn’t move to stop him. You’re vindictively hurting a good man who only made one little mistake and who has probably already suffered enough and should be back in another pulpit any time now.

Besides all that, you can’t possibly know the whole story. This seventeen-year old was just as guilty as the pastor who preyed on her. I heard from a very reliable source that he read on the Internet that she was a seductress trained by the Communists at the Vatican to ensnare fundamentalists preachers. And I like that story a lot better than the one you’re telling so it must be true. If there’s any victim here is that man of God who has lost his ministry. He’s all that matters, not some little tramp.

Is Schaap’s offense really all that great? He slightly stumbled. He merely tripped. He slipped a little, lost his balance and inadvertently penetrated a seventeen-year-old. It could happen to anybody. There’s no reason for all this fuss. After all, we can all agree that he’s still a wonderful man with a powerful ministry. Who cares what happens to one floozy? Is she more important than all the souls we’re trying to save?

All you have to do is be quiet. Sit silent. Do nothing.

Silence gives consent.

World Vision Trip

Sri Lanka Sunday: Spice

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Cinnamon-other

Did you know you have a little bit of Sri Lanka in your kitchen? Cinnamon trees are only native to the island of Sri Lanka and every cinnamon tree in the world is a descendant of one there! Go ahead, open up that spice canister and take a whiff. A few hundred years ago that spice was so rare it was considered and appropriate gift for royalty.

These days cinnamon is so common that we barely even think about it as we sprinkle it our oatmeal or lavish it on our baked goods. But for the next week or so I’d like you to do something for me: whenever you smell cinnamon think of Sri Lanka and if you pray, say a prayer for the kids there waiting for someone to change their lives through sponsorship.

It’s less than two weeks now until we head out! I can’t wait to get there and start sharing the stories of Sri Lanka with you all.

A silly blog dedicated to Independent Fundamental Baptists, their standards, their beliefs, and their craziness.