Raul Castro Says Private Meeting With Pope Francis Has Inspired Him to Return to Catholic Faith, Resume Praying

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Raul Castro Says Private Meeting With Pope Francis Has Inspired Him to Return to Catholic Faith, Resume Praying

Raul Castro (Photo: Reuters/Gregorio Borgia/pool)

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis meets Cuban President Raul Castro during a private audience at the Vatican, May 10, 2015. Pope Francis, who helped broker a historic thaw between the United States and Cuba, held talks with Cuban President Raul Castro on Sunday ahead of the pontiff’s trip to both countries in September.

Cuban President Raul Castro has suggested that a meeting with Pope Francis has inspired him to “resume praying” and return to the Roman Catholic faith.

“I will resume praying and turn to the Church again if the Pope continues in this vein,” Castro said after a 50-minute private audience with Francis at the Vatican on Sunday.

Following the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s, a great deal of Catholic activity was suppressed in the country, with the government viewing the Vatican as part of the world capitalist system it opposed.

Francis has played a crucial role in mending relationships over the past year, however, and assisted in historic negotiations between Cuba and the U.S. in 2014 that renewed diplomatic ties and lifted a trade embargo between the two countries for the first time in decades.

Several publications, such as BBC News, have pointed out it is difficult to know for sure to what extent Castro’s comments are to be taken seriously, but the former Cuban leader has insisted he is not joking.

“The fact that the man who helped lead the Cuban Revolution would even joke about returning to the Catholic Church shows just how far the relationship between Havana and the Vatican has moved forward recently,” offered BBC correspondent Will Grant from Havana.

When asked by reporters to clarify his comments about joining the Catholic Church, Castro said: “I mean what I say.”

He added: “The pontiff is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too. I studied at Jesuit schools.”

Castro said that he has been following Francis’ ministry closely and reading his speeches.

“As I’ve already told my council of advisers, I read all of the Pope’s speeches,” he added, according to CNN. “I promise that I will go to all of his Masses — and with satisfaction. I left the meeting this morning impressed, very impressed by his knowledge, his wisdom, modesty, and by all the virtues that we know he has.”

Francis is due to visit Cuba in September, and will become the third pope to do so following the visits of John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

The Roman Catholic Church leader has criticized the world’s economic system on several occasions throughout his ministry, but has insisted his comments are not political in nature.

“Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth,” Francis said in an interview back in January about the Vatican report titled “This Economy Kills.”

“Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel,” he added.

“Jesus tells us that it is the ‘protocol’ on the basis of which we will be judged, it is what we read in Chapter 25 of Matthew: I had hunger, I had thirst, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me: dressed me, visited me, you took care of me,” Francis argued.

“This attention to the poor is in the Gospel, and in the tradition of the church, it is not an invention of Communism and [we] need not ideologize it, like sometimes happened in the course of history.”

Source : Christian Post

Why Aren’t Young People Getting Married in Church?

CM Editor
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Why Aren’t Young People Getting Married in Church?
After June, October is the most popular month for weddings. However, only thirty-nine percent of young adults are getting married in churches. (For more, see Nick Pitts’s Going to the courthouse? Millennials gonna get married?.) Researchers tie this fact directly to the growing number of non-religious millennials in America.
Does it seem that the Christian worldview is under assault on every side? As you watch the culture change regarding marriage, euthanasia, pornography, drug abuse, and other social issues, does the news seem uniformly bad?
The fault is not with the gospel. As Eric Metaxas noted in his address at Dallas Baptist University last week, God is still God. He is still King of the universe and Lord of all that is. Everything is his. There is no such thing as a “Christian” tree, for instance. Every tree belongs to God. There is no “secular” space outside his sovereignty.
If the gospel is not advancing, the problem is with those called to advance it. I believe Western Christians must deal with a pervasive failing, one that undermines all we seek to do for the Kingdom. It is Satan’s last resort, and often his most effective lie. If he cannot lead us into sin and away from God’s work, here’s his temptation: to do God’s work in our ability. Why? Because he knows we will fail.
In John 15, Jesus made this dramatic statement to his followers: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). If we “abide” in him, connected to our Lord through Scripture and prayer (v. 7), we will bear “much fruit.” Fruit is the inevitable, natural product of a healthy tree. But if we do not abide in him, we can do “nothing.”
Human words cannot change human hearts. You and I can do nothing eternal, spiritual, or God-glorifying in our natural capacity. Only the Lord can draw people to the Lord. Only he can save souls and change lives. This he does through us, but only when he can work through us. Self-sufficiency is the spiritual cancer of our age. When we admit our need of God and submit to his Spirit, he uses us to advance his Kingdom and change our world. (Tweet this)
Leonard Ravenhill wrote these convicting words years ago. Are they still true today?
The church has many organizers, but few agonizers; many who pay, but few who pray; many resters, but few wrestlers; many who are enterprising, but few who are interceding. People who are not praying are playing.
Two prerequisites of dynamic Christian living are vision and passion. Both of these are generated by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to a few. The ministry of praying is open to every child of God.
ithes may build the church, but tears will give it life. That is the difference between the modern church and the early church. Our emphasis is on paying, theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken. When they have prayed, the place was shaken (Acts 4:31).
In the matter of effective praying, never have so many left so much to so few. Brethren, let us pray.
What if your present significance and eternal legacy depended entirely on the vitality of your communion with Christ? In fact, they do.
Publication date: October 26, 2015

 

For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.

Do you want to live a life in whole-hearted pursuit of loving God and others? 

Read today’s First15 at www.first15.org.

Latino-Owned Colorado BBQ Restaurant Criticized for Its Plan to Host ‘White Appreciation Day’

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Latino-Owned Colorado BBQ Restaurant Criticized for Its Plan to Host ‘White Appreciation Day’

White Screenshot from NBC News

Christian Post Report – Edgar Antillon of Rubbin Buttz BBQ

A barbecue restaurant in Colorado is drawing criticism after its Hispanic owners announced they plan to hold “White Appreciation Day” honoring white people with a 10 percent discount.

“We have a whole month for Black History Month,” Edgar Antillon, one of the two owners of Rubbin Buttz BBQ in Milliken, told 9NEWS. “We have a whole month for Hispanic Heritage Month, so we thought the least we could do was offer one day to appreciate white Americans.”

It started as a joke but Antillon and the other owner Miguel Jimenez made it real by announcing they’ll host “White Appreciation Day” on June 11 by offer a 10-percent discount only to white customers.

“White Appreciation Day! June 11th. Because all Americans should be celebrated!!” reads a sign at the restaurant.

Many have not liked the idea and see it as a kind of racism.

It’s “wrong” and “a perpetuation of racism,” Ricardo Romero, a civil rights activist in northern Colorado, told KUSA. “If you’re going to give a discount, give it to the whole community.”

Jennifer McPherson at the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies also warned of possible legal repercussions.

“If someone felt like they were being discriminated against, they could come to the civil rights division and file a complaint with our office, and we would investigate that,” she was quoted as saying.

Antillon and Jimenez said they expected criticism because there’s a history of racism in the America.

Antillon, who was born to Mexican parents, doesn’t agree with the critics. “We’re all American, whether you came from a different country, or you were born here,” he said. “We’re all American.”

The move by the owners has resulted in publicity. The restaurant’s website was down early Saturday due to traffic overload. “Due to a high volume of traffic, our website is down,” read the message.

Source : Christian Post

How Do You Honor Your Mother?

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Christian Post Report – Exodus 20:12

  • Dr. Charles F. Stanley
    (Photo: In Touch Ministries)
    Dr. Charles F. Stanley (File).

The command to “honor . . . your mother” isn’t a suggestion, and nobody is exempt. Her character or effectiveness as a parent is not the issue. God established this guideline for Israel because a respectful home was crucial to the nation’s future success. The same is true for us today. God blesses our homes when we respect our mothers with words, attitudes, and actions.

LOVE HER UNCONDITIONALLY. We’re called to love our moms as God does. He didn’t qualify His love with expectations or conditions to be met first. He lavished affection on us “while we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8).

FORGIVE HER COMPASSIONATELY. Since there are no perfect mothers, at times we’ll have to forgive them. If your mom seems harsh or unloving, show compassion. As a child, she may have experienced hardships that wounded her spirit.

REMEMBER HER GRATEFULLY. This Mother’s Day, thank Mom for all she did for you when you were young. But don’t let it end there. Nothing is more hurtful than feeling forgotten. Make room for her in your busy schedule. After all, she made countless sacrifices for you.

TREAT HER KINDLY. Let your mother know she’s valued. Take time to listen attentively to her words, and help her out when she is in need.

Does your mother feel loved and honored? What can you do to bring a big smile to her face? In our adult years, it’s easy to distance ourselves from our moms because life gets hectic and multiple demands steal our time. Make it a habit to pray for her daily and contact her regularly.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

After 4,700 Dead, Liberia Now Declared Ebola-Free; ‘Pain and Grief Will Take a Generation to Heal,’ Says President Sirleaf

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After 4,700 Dead, Liberia Now Declared Ebola-Free; ‘Pain and Grief Will Take a Generation to Heal,’ Says President Sirleaf

Ebola (Photo: Reuters/Tony Gentile)

Christian Post Report – An ambulance carrying an Italian doctor, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, arrives at the Lazzaro Spallanzani infectious diseases institute in Rome, Italy, November 25, 2014.

The World Health Organization has finally declared Liberia free from one of the world’s deadliest viruses, but after this West African nation lost at least 4,700 people to Ebola. The risk still remains as the epidemic persists in other countries in the region.

“The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over,” WHO representative Dr. Alex Gasasira said at a press conference in the capital city of Monrovia on Saturday, reading his group’s statement.

The official announcement comes 42 days after the country had its last Ebola case, as per the benchmark, which requires two incubation periods of 21 days for new cases to emerge, for declaring the end of the outbreak.

“Interruption of transmission is a monumental achievement for a country that reported the highest number of deaths in the largest, longest, and most complex outbreak since Ebola first emerged in 1976,” WHO said in the statement.

Ebola – which can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhea – spreads through contact with bodily fluids such as blood or saliva. Liberia had at least 3,000 confirmed Ebola cases, and more than 4,700 people, including 189 health care workers, died of the disease since March 2014.

At the peak of transmission in Liberia, which occurred during August and September 2014, the country was reporting from 300 to 400 new cases every week.

“During those 2 months, the capital city Monrovia was the setting for some of the most tragic scenes from West Africa’s outbreak: gates locked at overflowing treatment centers, patients dying on the hospital grounds, and bodies that were sometimes not collected for days,” WHO said. “Flights were cancelled. Fuel and food ran low. Schools, businesses, borders, markets, and most health facilities were closed. Fear and uncertainty about the future, for families, communities, and the country and its economy, dominated the national mood.”

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf criticized the slow initial response to the outbreak in the region.

“This Ebola outbreak is a scar on the conscience of the world. For some the pain and grief will take a generation to heal,” Fox News quoted her as saying Saturday. “Therefore, let today’s announcement be a call to arms that we will build a better world for those Ebola could not reach … It is the least the memories of our dearly departed deserve.”

WHO said while it is confident that Liberia has interrupted transmission, “outbreaks persist in neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone, creating a high risk that infected people may cross into Liberia over the region’s exceptionally porous borders.”

In late September, Thomas Eric Duncan, a man from Liberia, tested positive for the virus in the United States during his visit to relatives in Texas, sparking fears in the U.S. and elsewhere.

“We went through just a horrific epidemic,” CNN quoted Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as saying. “It’s a searing memory that many of us will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

Source : Christian Post

Greg Laurie Says America’s Hope Lies in God’s House, Not White House

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Greg Laurie Says America’s Hope Lies in God’s House, Not White House

GregLaurie Screenshot

Christian Post Report – Pastor Greg Laurie speaking on National Day of Prayer at Harvest DC

Pastor Greg Laurie of California’s Harvest Church told a gathering of pastors and church leaders earlier this week that the Unites States has many external threats like terrorism but it also has a greater internal threat from those attacking religious freedom and the family, and that can be dealt with only through a spiritual revival in God’s House.

Laurie said he still believes that the United States is the greatest country on earth, “but our country needs help.”

In a special message, “America, This Is Your Wake-up Call!” on National Day of Prayer at Harvest D.C., Laurie acknowledged there are many threats to America, including terrorism and nuclear weapons from nations like North Korea and Iran. “But they are enemies on the outside.”

But what about enemies from the inside, he asked.

America was founded on Judeo-Christian values. “But what started as freedom of religion is now turning into freedom from religion,” the pastor said, explaining that many want “God out of our courtrooms, out of our classrooms, out of our culture.”

Then, there’s breakdown of the family and absence of leadership by men in it, he said, and added that most social problems America is facing today are rooted in it.

Laurie noted that the U.S. Supreme Court now looks ready to redefine family although God has defined it and “that’s the right definition.”

A family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family, he said.

“There’s only one hope for America today, and I think it’s not a political solution … though there’s a place for politics.” Godly influence is needed in the country’s politics, he went on to say, but added that what the United States needs the most is a spiritual awakening. “America needs a revival,” he said.

He quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads, “And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

This principle and promise, he said, applies to any nation, including America. “God doesn’t point the finger at the White House, he points the finger at His House. It’s us, folks,” he explained.

“Do we need spiritual revival today?” he asked the pastors and church leaders, suggesting it starts with individuals. “Are we being the godly persons we’re meant to be?”

Laurie also mentioned American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is in a jail in Iran due to his Christian faith. Laurie read out a letter Abedini wrote from his prison cell on the National Day of Prayer saying America needs revival.

The California pastor urged churches to pray for Abedini, quoting Acts 12:5: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

The megachurch leader said prayers are answered when they are in accordance with God’s desire.

He encouraged listeners to offer prayers to God, explaining we can possibly pray for various reasons, including, to impress others. We should pray earnestly and specifically, with agony, putting our hearts into it, he advised.

Pastors and others also need to pray in unity with other believers, without a sense of competition or theological conflict.

Laurie encouraged all pastors to preach the Gospel more, to everyone. “Build an evangelistic culture in your church… Wrap up all your messages with the Gospel,” he said. “This is your wake-up call.”

Source : Christian Post

‘For the Love of Ruth’ Film Brings Modern Biblical Story of Ruth to TV (Interview)

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  • 'For The Love Of Ruth'
    (Photo: TV One)
    ‘For The Love Of Ruth’ Premieres on TV One Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET.

Christian Post Report – Denise Boutte was praying for a breakout film role after starring in a number of Tyler Perry productions, but she did not expect portraying a well known biblical character in “For the Love of Ruth” would impact more than just her acting career.

Boutte, the 33-year-old actress who has proven her comedic timing and acting abilities in screenwriter and producer Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns” and “Why Did I Get Married” will debut on small screens as the biblical character Ruth in a modern retelling of the Old Testament story.

“In my professional career, I had been waiting and praying for a project that would allow me to show a different side of my acting. It wasn’t about the hair or the makeup, it was about the heart,” Boutte told The Christian Post. “So when this project was presented to me, I was like, this is the project I’ve been having on my dream board for some time now, waiting for that wonderful opportunity.”

“For the Love of Ruth” will premiere on TV One just in time for Mother’s Day, featuring an all-star cast of Loretta Devine portraying Naomi, James Pickens Jr. playing her brother-in-law, Stephen Marachond, and Gary Dourdan appearing as Braxton Marachond.

While there are some slight differences in the televised modern retelling of the biblical story of Ruth that features Braxton in place of the Bible’s Boaz, writer Rhonda Baraka kept many elements presented in the Bible. Ruth, a hard working woman who hasn’t had an easy life, forms a bond with her mother-in-law, Naomi.

However, when Ruth’s husband and Naomi’s son dies, faith and love prove to be important for the characters’ whose lives are transformed throughout the film. Boutte described playing Ruth as a humbling experience that allowed the actress to explore a range of different emotions.

“Ruth’s journey, she actually did have faith. She wouldn’t have actually identified it as such in the beginning until she meets Loretta Divine’s character, Naomi, and Angie Stone’s character who tries to reel her in because she’s had a hard life,” Boutte said, describing her character. “But she’s a survivor. She’s always had the glass half full perspective. But until she meets Naomi, played by Loretta Divine, she really doesn’t know what that is.”

Viewers will witness Ruth drawing closer to her Bible and faith as her bond with Naomi gets stronger, which is something that stood out to Boutte.

“She is pretty fearless; until Naomi shows her exactly what faith is she really doesn’t have the ability to take it to the next level. For me personally, it was just a very humbling experience living with this character the time I portrayed her,” Boutte told CP. “She had a hard life and I can say thank you God I was blessed not to have been in a lot of the situations she was in.”

In the film, Naomi has to deal with a cancer battle, which Boutte admits was not easy for her. The actress’ mother faced a similar battle two years prior, after the loss of Boutte’s father.

However, she believes others may be able to look to this film for inspiration if they can identify with similar circumstances.

“Here is this woman that nothing can shake her faith. Even in having cancer that was in remission and came back, it’s not going to shake her because she’s like, ‘I need something and if I don’t have this in my life to make this journey as peaceful as possible, I have nothing,'” an emotional Boutte told CP. “So just to see that unchanging, unwavering faith in the midst of a storm, I think that all of us can take something from that.”

No matter where people are on their spiritual journey, Boutte insists there is something special for them in “For the Love of Ruth.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not the most religious person out there, the point is that it’s nourishing and nurturing for the soul. (The film) is not quoting every Bible verse known to man,” the actress said. “There are some quotes that are in there, but for the most part you don’t have to think that you’re going to be beat over the head. If you are human, there’s a story in there that you can relate to with regard to your life journey.”

“For the Love of Ruth,” produced by Swirl Films will premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 9.

Source : Christian Post

Satanic Ties or Godly Signs? Fans Question Use of ‘Occult’ Symbols By Christian Artists Toby Mac, Lecrae, Andy Mineo

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Satanic Ties or Godly Signs? Fans Question Use of ‘Occult’ Symbols By Christian Artists Toby Mac, Lecrae, Andy Mineo

Lecrae Makes Triangular Hand Gesture (Photo: Screengrab)

Christian Post Report – Christian rapper Lecrae makes triangular hand gesture in KB’s “Sideways” music video. Fans accuse him of swearing allegiance to the occult.

Skulls, triangle-shaped hand signs sometimes depicting the all-seeing eye of Egyptian god Horus and other symbolic gestures which many conspiracy theorists interpret as occult imagery, have been showing up in the music videos and artwork of prominent Christian artists such as Toby Mac, Lecrae and Andy Mineo and fans are concerned that they might be affiliated with a secret society popularly known as the Illuminati – a shadow group they believe runs the world behind closed doors.

Lecrae triggered a frenzy online among Christian fans last month when he posed the triangular hand sign in KB’s “Sideways” music video that resembled Jay Z’s infamous Roc gesture. Conspiracy theorists such as YouTube’s The Vigilant Christian say this is a Freemason and occult hand signal and some fans says Lecrae has connections to the dark side.

“Why is Lecrae throwing that kinda symbolism???? @ 2:32. This is no coincidence anymore [because] he did the same thing in his album ‘Anomaly’,” said Bax Storm in the YouTube comments section for “Sideways.” “All these symbols are believed to be of satanism which they are. I’m not hating on Lecrae. I’m just concerned”

“I think it’s time to start questioning [Reach Records and Lecrae] even though they have Christian lyrics here and there,” said user Kevin Smith. “This one’s revealing of the wolf in sheep’s clothing”

Lecrae however laughed off the accusations in a recent Rapzilla interview.

“We’re always laughing because [we wonder what fans] are going to find in this to think it’s Illuminati. I was thinking [I was representing a] steeple [with my hands],” said Lecrae in an interview. “But I guess triangles represent secret society. So I’ve got to talk to my kids because they’ve been doing a lot of geometry lately. I wonder if the teachers are inducting them into some kind of Illuminati activity.”

The rapper also addressed the use of the symbols in a 2014 interview with CP Voice.

“[Symbols] either represent something or they don’t. What they represent is really in the heart and the mind and the eye of each individual beholder. So where as in one country [I can hold up the peace sign] and that means peace, but in another country this is a derogatory symbol. So for me, when I see art, I see art and if it doesn’t have a meaning it doesn’t. I don’t take it to mean some kind of cultish symbol. And maybe that was the creator’s intention, but that doesn’t have any weigh-in on my life,” he said. “I believe the Earth is the Lord’s and everything there in. God made everything. It’s ours for the taking to use however we want to use it as long as it honors him.”

  • Andy Mineo "Neverland"
    (Photo: Screengrab)
    The album cover for Andy Mineo’s “Neverland” EP.

Mineo and Toby Mac came under similar criticism for depicting the all-seeing eye on the artwork for their albums “Neverland” and “Eye On It”. The criticism forced a response from Mineo’s label Reach Records which justified the use of the questionable symbols with Scripture.

“The drawing of an eye, a skill, etc. are all good things that God is ultimately responsible for designing and are not made evil because of their association to evil,” Reach Records noted in January 2014 statement. “The world’s perversion of these things does not overcome the good intent of God’s craftsmanship. They work off of borrowed capital and should not have the final say on the things God has made.”

  • Toby Mac "Eye On It" Album Cover
    (Photo: Screengrab)
    The album cover for Toby Mac’s album “Eye On It.”

Mark Dice, a Christian Internet personality with 350,000 YouTube subscribers and author of “Illuminati in the Music Industry” said the accusations against Toby Mac aren’t new.

“I’ve certainly heard the allegations about Toby Mac being affiliated with [the Illuminati] simply because of the artwork on his album ‘Eye on It’, but this is just an example of how out of control this whole Illuminati in pop culture thing has gotten,” said Dice told The Christian Post. “The Bible says to judge people by their fruits, and most of the fruit from most mainstream artists is rotten and covered with maggots. Just because an artist uses a triangle or an eye in their artwork or music video doesn’t mean they’ve sold their soul to the devil or are working with the Illuminati.”

  • Eye of Providence
    (Photo: Screengrab)
    The Eye of Providence seen on the U.S. 262 Bill.

Dice said however that Lecrae’s use of the triangular hand sign “signifies allegiance to the secret society.”

The society, he says, uses rap artists to promote hedonistic and materialistic lifestyles and represents “ultimate power.”

“The more wealthy and powerful the artists appear to the audience, the more the general public are going to put them on a pedestal and see them as virtually divine,” said Dice.

Despite the speculation about the Illuminati group however, there is no concrete evidence that the group even exists.

Brent Morris, director of communications at the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States told CP that conspiracy theorists like Dice, have interpreted the image of the all-seeing eye on the U.S. dollar bill as the eye of ancient Egyptian god Horus but it is an inaccurate interpretation.

“[The Eye of Horus], that’s not what the designers called it, and that’s not what the State Department calls it, that’s what ignorant people call it. The proceedings of the Continental Congress where they debated the design of the dollar bill is public information,” said Morris.

“Now you can assume the people that described it were lying, you can assume that the people wrote it down were lying, but what they said, they said and what was written down – it’s the Eye of Providence. [Its meaning is in the book of] Proverbs. The eye of God is on the wicked and the just. God is overlooking all of our actions,” he said.

Masonic Square and Compasses(Photo: Screengrab)An image that represents the Masonic Square and Compasses.

He explained that the Freemasons do use secret signs and passwords to identify each other, but they are primarily used in Masonic Lodge meetings.

“It looks like, as near as we can tell from history, sometime back in the 1600s the Guild of Freemasons needed to develop a way for their members to identify themselves,” Morris told The Christian Post.

“Because if you were a baker, a brewer or a miller you’d spend your entire working career in one village and never have to leave. If you’re a Mason, when they finished building the church or extension of the town hall or bridge, there’s not any Mason work left for you,” he continued.

“You’ve got to move to another job site. And so the trade guilds particularly in Great Britain seemed to develop [these] secret passwords where I would show up at the job site, you’d be the master Mason at the job site and I’d go up and whisper the secret password in your ear and you’d know I was a member of the guild,” he added.

Morris also clarified the meaning of the Masonic Square and Compasses which many conspiracy theorists believe the hand signal used by Jay Z represents.

“The square reminds us to square our actions by the square of virtue. The compass teaches us to circumscribe our passions. The G in the middle stands for geometry and God,” he said.

Lecrae Talks Fan Idol Worship and Occult Imagery

Lecrae Talks Fan Idol Worship and Occult Imagery

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @vinfunaro

Source : Christian Post

Acclaimed Christian Artist Matthew West Recalls How a Moment With a Recovering Drug Addict Validated His Purpose

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Acclaimed Christian Artist Matthew West Recalls How a Moment With a Recovering Drug Addict Validated His Purpose

Matthew West (Photo: The Christian Post/Scott Liu)

Christian Post Report – Four-time Grammy award-nominee Matthew West speaks to The Christian Post about XXXX in New York City on May XX, 2015.

Four-time Grammy Award-nominee Matthew West shared recently that hearing 40,000 stories of human suffering and adversity from around the world inspired his new album Live Forever, which debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Christian & Gospel Albums chart in its first week.

The 11-track project, which marks West’s 6th studio album and the third in which every song was inspired by people’s stories, has been lauded by fans around the world since its debut last week. It features the album’s first radio single, “Day One,” an uptempo song that reminds the American Music Award winner of a memorable moment he once had with a recovering drug addict at one of his concerts.

“Well, every single day Your grace reminds me/That my best days are not behind me/Wherever my yesterday may find me/Well, I don’t have to stay there, no,” West sings on the God-glorifying track.

During a recent interview with The Christian Post, West, who is currently in the midst of his 40-city Live Forever tour, recalled his touching encounter with the troubled teen.

“I get to meet people at every concert and when you read [those lyrics], the picture I have is the picture of a teenage kid who I had invited to [my] concert because he was going through a drug recovery program and we had invited the whole drug recovery program to attend,” West, 38, told CP earlier this week.

He continued: “This teenage kid, he had a nice shirt tucked in that had been given to him by the program and I was just encouraging him. I got to hang with him and I said, ‘Man you’re looking really sharp tonight … you know there’s girls out there [and] they’re probably going to want to get your number.’ I was kind of just joking around with this teenage kid.”

The downcast teen then lowered his head and said with absolute certainty in his voice, “‘Man those girls wouldn’t want anything to do with an addict like me.'”

The young man’s overwhelming sense of defeat and hopelessness saddened West, so in he decided to take the opportunity to uplift and reassure him, much like his lyrics in “Day One.”

“I got a chance to look that guy in the eyes – and here’s a young teenage boy who’s already so discouraged. I mean he’s defeated before he even walks out the door, so [I] said ‘Hey look, that may be who you were but that’s not gonna be who you are … this is just a chapter of your story called addiction and we all have chapters of our stories we wish we didn’t hav,e but those chapters don’t have to own us,'” West recalled.

“‘They don’t have to be the title of our story. They can just be chapters that go from broken to healed.’ And that’s what fires me up, when I see people like that young boy where a light appears in his eyes and he goes ‘alright maybe I’m not just an addict, maybe God put me here for more than that.'”

West, whose career spans over 20 years, began as an independent artist in 1997 and went on to become an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter who is currently signed to Capitol CMG.

Six years ago while recovering from vocal cord surgery, the married father of two launched a campaign to collect true and heartfelt stories from around the world, and 40,000 letters later, Live Forever was created.

“So this song called ‘Day One,’ it’s about the promise of a new beginning every single day. What I was sensing in the stories I was reading from people is that so many of us get so discouraged by the chapters in our stories that are behind us and the ones that have already been written, the ones that if somebody gave us a do-over we might say, ‘yeah I want to do that chapter over again,'” West explained.

The acclaimed Christian singer and actor said that he hopes that his music can help people discover that the present moment is a gift from God.

“I wanted to write an anthem that says, ‘hey, the past is gone and how do I know that?’ Well the Bible tells me so: ‘forgetting what is behind I press on to a new tomorrow,'” West said citing Philippians 3:13. “And so the whole song is about how every morning God’s mercy is new (that’s Lamentations 3:22-23) and so I think that’s why it’s resonating with people because who doesn’t need a reminder? I need a daily reminder that God’s grace is a daily gift, it’s a well that never runs dry, it’s a gift that never stops giving.”

West is the recipient of many prestigious awards including ASCAP Christian Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award and a Primetime Emmy Award-nomination.

“I’m thankful for any recognition. Obviously to me what it points to hopefully is the sign that the music is resonating in people’s lives. You know there’s an interesting thing in my genre of music … you know faith-based music or contemporary music or contemporary Christian music – we don’t have MTV or tabloids and things like that, so there’s a certain anonymity that goes along with it,” said West.

“People might know my songs more than they would know my name. At the beginning of my career I had to come to grips with like ‘hey why am I in this?’ If at the end of my career, if people don’t remember Matthew West the name but they remember a song that impacted their lives, am I ok with that? And now more than ever, after six records, sitting here talking with you here today, I’m ok with that because the messages of those songs resonate in people’s lives and hopefully it helps people get from point A to point B. Whether they remember my name or I win an award or not, that’s not the point … so I’m excited for the recognition but I’m more excited when a song resonates in somebody’s heart.”

For more information on Matthew West CLICK HERE.

Source : Christian Post

Christians ‘Under Bombs Every Day’ in Aleppo; They ‘Have No Weapons and Are Afraid’ Says Bishop

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Christians ‘Under Bombs Every Day’ in Aleppo; They ‘Have No Weapons and Are Afraid’ Says Bishop

Syria (Photo: Reuters/Sultan Kitaz)

Christian Post Report – A civil defence member holds a rescued schoolgirl after what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and hit a school and a residential building in Seif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, May 3, 2015.

The Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo has revealed that Christians are living “under bombs” every day in the war-torn city of Aleppo, Syria, and are among the most defenseless people because they have no weapons to fight back. The bishop warned, however, that factions trying to characterize the conflict as Muslims against Christians are often simply looking to take a hold of territory.

“We are under bombs every day. I think many Christians will flee from Aleppo and seek shelter in the coastal area, but they will do it when schools and universities close, after the exams. In the disaster in which we live, even this year schools and universities remained open in the central districts of Aleppo,” Syrian Jesuit Antoine Audo told Fides News Agency on Friday.

“Many still believe that studying is important for the future although one lives in a city that seems to have no future.”

Aleppo has suffered greatly in the five-year civil war in Syria, which has killed over 220,000 people, according to humanitarian agencies such as Oxfam International.

Last week, Amnesty International released a report detailing the “unthinkable atrocities” and hellish scenes taking place in the city.

A 30-year-old factory worker shared about the aftermath of an attack on the al-Fardous neighborhood in 2014: “After the bombing, I saw children without heads, body parts everywhere. It was how I imagine hell to be.”

Amnesty has accused both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the various rebel groups fighting in Syria of carrying out war crimes, such as using barrel bombs that have decimated the civilian population.

“Civilians in opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo have been bombarded in their homes, hospitals, schools, public markets and places of worship in air attacks launched by government forces. The majority of attacks in this campaign have involved the use of ‘barrel bombs’ — large, improvised explosive devices, which are delivered from helicopters and consist of oil barrels, fuel tanks or gas cylinders that have been packed with explosives, fuel and metal fragments to increase their lethal effect,” the report stated.

Audo warned, however, that those seeking to characterize the conflict as one between Christians and Muslims, or between Shiites and Sunnis, are sometimes seeking to exploit the suffering and justify military presence in the region.

The Syrian bishop offered as an example an incident in April, where “heavy attacks were carried out by armed anti-government groups against targeted districts where Christian Cathedrals are concentrated and then also against Suleimanya district, home to many Christians.”

He said: “Perhaps the intention was just to impress international public opinion and justify military responses.”

Audo added: “Of course, Christians are the most defenseless group, they have no weapons, they are afraid. But certain slogans and certain driven interpretations only serve to hide the real reasons and the real dynamics of the war. There are those who want to divide the whole area into small sectarian entities, as they tried to do in Iraq, in order to continue to dominate everything.”

Aleppo also suffered heavy damage over the Orthodox Easter period, leading Christian leaders in the region to cry out at the ongoing slaughter of men, women and children.

“During the Easter period, our city and our people suffered intense pain, anguish and discomfort during the night when neighborhoods in the city were hit with rocket-propelled grenades, with a destructive capacity that we had never heard and seen before,” the heads of churches and Christian communities in Aleppo said in a statement.

They also asked whether Easter is “the time of the resurrection of the Savior or the funeral of his disciples?” and called on all “people of conscience” to stop the ongoing massacre in Syria.

Source : Christian Post

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