Verse of the Day for Thursday November 5th, 2015:

Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. — Acts 15:35


Thoughts on Today's Verse....

Antioch was a great church in the first century. This church was blessed with both Jewish and Gentile disciples of Jesus who were very talented. These disciples were the first followers of Jesus called Christians. Many of these new Christians taught and evangelized others in their community. These "many others" remind us that the power of the early Church was not limited to its well-known leaders, but also involved the widespread dedication of its members to minister and to use the gifts that God had given them to serve others.

My Prayer...

Almighty and powerful God, please raise up an army of committed people who will serve, pray, evangelize, and teach so that others may know the grace you have given us in your Son Jesus. Renew the power of everyday Christians in our day just as it was in the early Church! I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/03/young-americans-shift-religious-landscape-less-devout



Declining levels of religious belief and practice among the generation of Americans born in the last two decades of the 20th century is shifting the US towards becoming a less devout nation, a major new survey has found.

The growing proportion of “millennials” – young adults now in their 20s and 30s – who do not belong to any organised faith is changing America’s religious landscape, says a report by the respected Pew Research Center, based on a survey of 35,000 people.

The religiously unaffiliated or “nones”, who include atheists and those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular”, have grown to 23% of the US population, compared to 16% at the time of the last comparable survey in 2007.

But three out of four Americans still have some religious faith, mainly Protestant denominations, Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. And 89% of US adults say they believe in God – including a significant proportion of “nones” – making America more religiously inclined than other advanced industrial nations.

Youth largely equates with a lack of religious activity, says the report. One in four millennials attend religious services on a weekly basis, compared with more than half of those adults born before or during the second world war. Only 38% of adults born after 1990 say religion is very important in their lives, compared with 67% of those born before 1945.

Overall, 55% of American adults say they pray daily, 53% say religion is very important in their lives and 50% attend a religious service at least once a month. Significantly, more women (64%) pray on a daily basis than men (46%).

The 2014 Religious Landscape Study follows an analysis in May which looked more broadly at the changing religious composition of the US public. The report released on Tuesday examines beliefs and practices.

In general, it says, “as older cohorts of adults (comprised mainly of self-identified Christians) pass away, they are being replaced by a new cohort of young adults who display far lower levels of attachment to organised religion than their parents’ and grandparents’ generations did when they were the same age”. However, the report also points out that “there is a tendency for people to become more religious as they get older”.

The changes are reflected in support for the two main political parties, with “nones” now forming the largest single religious group among Democrats, while evangelical Protestants make up the largest religious bloc among Republicans.



Nearly all major religious groups have become significantly more accepting of homosexuality, the report says. A majority of all Christians now say homosexuality should be accepted by society, up from 44% in 2007 to 54% in 2014, with the proportion of Catholics up from 58% in 2007 to 70% in 2014.

There has been little change in attitudes to a******n, with 53% of all adults saying it should be legal in all or most cases.

Almost half of those questioned said they felt a “deep sense of wonder about the universe” on a weekly basis, an increase of seven percentage points since 2007, with little difference between the religiously affiliated and the “nones”.

11% of all US Christians say they speak or pray in tongues at least once a week. Only 40% of Jews never eat pork, compared with 90% of Muslims who never eat it.

"They" are attempting to shape the world as they please now.
Obama laying down for another nap....like he even cares.

Just peachy...

Merkel threatens WAR if countries oppose Muslim invasion and close borders
By Pamela Geller on November 4, 2015

Der Chancellor Merkel is warning of war to those countries that do no lay down and surrender to the Muslim invasion. Ironically Merkel invoked the Balkan wars in the 90s, where the NATO and the US took the wrong side in that conflict.

Referencing the bloody conflicts in the former state of Yugoslavia, Merkel said: “I do not want military conflicts to become necessary there again.” That’s a threat.

“Refugee crisis could spark WAR if Austria closes border with Germany, Merkel warns,” By Tom Batchelor, Express.co GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of fresh conflicts in Eastern Europe if countries fail to properly manage the refugee crisis. Ms Merkel said Balkan states could be plunged back into war – the first time since the 1990s – if Germany closed it border with Austria.
Full story:
http://pamelageller.com/2015/11/merkel-threatens-war-if-countries-oppose-muslim-invasion-and-close-borders.html/

This is an open reply to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s letter. My responses will be bracketed at the end of each statement. I believe I could have written this letter for Paul that would have disarmed, or soften my comebacks.

Huck – This is a pivotal time in our nation’s history. [Yes Paul, and I’ve written a hundred or more letters to that fact]

Americans firmly believe our country is headed down the wrong path, and we no longer see the promise for the future generations that we once did. [That is true.]

It’s our responsibility in Congress to change that [I’ve always recognized that responsibility, when do you and Congress plan to start?]

That’s why when I agreed to become the next Speaker of the House, I did it for the sole purpose of unifying our great nation and helping preserve it for our children. [You could have voiced much of this during your time in Congress along with other Congressmen and by your ACTION convinced your constituency that you were sincere.]

Republicans in Congress can provide a vision to lead us towards a brighter tomorrow – but we need your help. [What makes me and other conservatives think you’ll start listening now. You and your colleagues have not been listening to what we have been saying for the past twenty years. It has always been our v**es and our money that you heard]

While House Republicans are hard at work trying to fix the many problems that plague our nation, we also need grassroots support to maintain and grow our majority. [You’ve had the grass root support for years now, but you wouldn’t listen to them.]

Will you chip in $20 right now to support and help grow our majority [No! Not Yet! First you prove there is going to be a major overhaul and sincere change in how you do business with Democrats. You’re on a Honeymoon now.]

Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have their eyes set on retaking the house and the senate. If their able to do that, then our great nation will continue down the path of d******e politics and out-of-control spending. [I don’t mean to appear sarcastic here Paul, but thanks for the news. However, if you and other members of the Congress had been listening to your constituency you would know that that’s what we have been telling you for years and you just haven’t paid attention.]

We can’t allow that to happen. [We conservative as always will do all possible to see that doesn’t happen – like v****g for conservative Congressmen. but our concern now is WILL YOU?]

God Bless
Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House