Daniel - more than taming a Lion

The bible prophet Daniel is best known for surviving the lions den but his role as a prophet far surpasses this well known story. In fact, he first comes on the scene during the fulfilment of Jerimiahs 100 yr old prophecy (in Chapter 25) in which the people of the North, and King Nebuchadnezzar (who is specifically mentioned in the prophecy), put Israel into captivity for 70 years. Sure enough, King Neb DOES EXACTLY THAT and Daniel along with 3 friends (we'll come to these guys later) gets put into his service as trainee administrators.
Up to the age of 18, Daniel attended the school of the prophets in Jerusalem under Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Nahum, but now he has to carry the prophetic torch in the dark time to come. Sure enough, some 3 years later, King Neb has a dream which haunts him and he challenges all his wise men, sourcers and astrologers to interpret the dream on pain of death! But to make matters worse, he won't even tell them the dream - he says 'Tell me what dream I had' to which the wise men reply 'no king has ever asked something this hard!'.
Well, the kings sends out orders to kill all the wise men and Daniel decides to do something about it. He and his 3 friends pray and ask God to reveal to them the dream and give an interpretation. Sure enough, during the night, Daniel sees a vision and in the morning goes to see the king.
He tells the King that he saw a huge statue with a Gold head, silver breast and arms, Bronze belly and thighs, legs of Iron and feet of partly baked iron and clay. Out of the statue is cut a rock by hands which are not human and this rock smashes the statue to pieces from the feet and them forms a mountain larger than any thing else around! King Neb is amazed!
Then Daniel explains that the Head is King Neb and after him other great nations will rise us. King Neb's capital Babaylon was full of Gold and unlike any kingdom before him - he was the head of Gold. A Kingdom after him would come next and this is known to be that of the Medo- Persians from 539Bc to 332BC(known for their silver wealth) and they in turn would be replaced by another kingdom - this time Alexander the Great who controlled most of the known world within 10 years and whose soldiers wore bronze helmets, breastplates, bronze shields and bronze swords. Alexander died some 10 years later at the age of 33 and his kingdom was divided into 4 shortly afterwards. These 4 sections were overrun in 168BC at the battle of Pynda by the mighty kingdom of Rome and it's Iron weaponry.
So we have Gold, Siler, Bronze and Iron which in turn directly represent the world powers for the next 450 years namely King Neb, Medo Persians (Cyrus, Darius etc), Alexander the Great and the Romans. So far, Daniels is doing pretty well!
The prophecy however shows no single fifth kingdom rising up in power, rather a more fragile one with some strength in the iron but also weakness in the clay. Future attempts to create a world government would fail and would always result in division. Sure enough, since the downfall of ther Roman empire, numerous attempts to form /create a fifth world power have been made, for example all attempts to form a single united Europe have failed. Charlemagne in 8th Century, Charles IV in 14th Century, Loius XIV in 17th century, Napoleon in 19th Century and Hitler in 20th Century. After the world wars there was the League of Nations which has become the UN which in turn began the Common Market. This has resulted in the loss of many currencies and the introduction of the Euro in an attempt to bring Europe under one Government. But it is all in vain and current economic circumstances would appear to be the next weak point in the chain with Greece, Ireland and Spain all being bailed out by an increasingly weakened Europe! Daniels prophecy says it will not be successful so don't be surprised if Britian never joins the Euro!
God did however cut the rock from the statue which outlasted all these kingdoms, He has established His kingdom and it will not be overcome. Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone/ the capstone, the stone the builders rejected is that King of Kings! The prophecy says he will hit the feet of the staue - that's the bit which represents modern times - today, the world we live in! His Kingdom will not be overcome and it will remain forever.
So, Daniel is more than the Prophet who survived the Lions den! In this one interpretation, he reveals through the Holy Spirit all the kingdoms which will rule the earth for the next 2,500 years - and guess what - he was right! Now that is some coincidence isn't it?
This single thing is enough to show that Gods word is true but what must still happen is the return of Jesus Christ and the establishing of His kingdom. It will happen, just as everything else in Daniels prophecy has happened! The great news is this, anyone who repents of his sins and believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ and speaks with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and then repents of his sin will be born again into Christs Kingdom! Think about it and decide for yourself if Daniel was lucky! The alternative is that God revealed to Daniel what would happen over the next 2,500 years and it was right - which would mean that God is real and you have to do something about that!

What do your kids watch on TV?

If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. PHILIPPIANS 4:8

This post came through from Cross walk - to get your own daily devotional Visit the FamilyLife® Website

Some time ago, I was working at home during a weekday and flipped on the television to check the weather. What popped on instead was one of those midday talk shows about some sleazy topic.

It shocked me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

In fact, I dropped what I was doing and called the director of the local station that was airing the program. I was careful to be very kind and not beat the guy up verbally. He listened to me for a few minutes but gave me little in the way of a satisfactory answer for why he would promote such questionable content. So I followed up my telephone complaint with a letter, challenging him to do the right thing as a business leader, as a father, as a man morally responsible for what he broadcast into the community.

Here's some of what he wrote back:
Many of the programs aired on television are not to the taste of my family either, and we, like you, choose not to watch them. However, one of the things I fear most of all in any form of communication is censorship, and the Nielsen ratings are a true test of what most viewers want or do not want to watch.

As weak (and utterly predictable) as his response was, I fear that too many of us are no different. We may disagree with the shows our teenagers like to watch or the music they listen to or the movies they enjoy. But we don't want to cause too much of a fuss or appear too overbearing. We're not sure it's a good way to spend our parental capital.

But the shows that reach out to our kids through the television or computer screens are shaping their minds, defining what's normal, deceiving their hearts. It's you—not Nielsen—who knows what's right.

The Eternal Light of Hope

In the year 2000, the churches of Bournemouth were donated (by a local businessman) a 15ft high gas burning torch (like the Olympic Torch) in the Town Centre as a memorial marking the birth of Jesus Christ. Around the bottom was inscribed - Jesus, the Light of the World.

It was really cool and burnt a gas flame all day and all night. However gas prices shot up and it ended up costing over £15,000 a year to run and the local environmentalists got a little concerned at the CO2 emissions.

In 2008 I helped to change the eternal flame for an environmentally friendly alternative called THE LIGHT OF HOPE. It comprised of the latest LED electrical technology with a Globe which sat on top of the existing structure and rotated through all the colours of the rainbow changing about every 5 seconds.

The prophetic symbol of Hope remained in the town centre and as far as I'm concerned, shone out and reminded people that Jesus died for them. Quite a reminder for the nightclubbers and late night revellers of the town.

However, it was stolen earlier this week when Two men removed the illuminated globe from its 15ft tall pole in the square at 2.40am. Bournemouth Council CCTV staff spotted the men removing it and called the Police but it is gone for now!

We hope that the Police find them and can get the £1,000 globe back so we can repair the light and put Jesus back where He belongs. Either way, watch this space, the light will be back even if we need to buy another light.

Living below the Poverty Line (Compassion Article)

Living on a Dollar a Day
In many of the 26 countries where Compassion works, families barely survive on a dollar or two every day. Some may say that it costs so much less to live in those countries, but the reality is that living on a dollar a day simply isn’t enough.

Most people will agree that poverty goes far deeper than just not having enough money. When organisations like UNICEF and the World Bank began to recognise poverty as more than a financial condition, they also began to question absolute poverty standards.

Absolute poverty means that a person's basic survival needs such as food, water and shelter are not being met. As a result, ‘$1 a day’ was chosen by the World Bank as the international poverty line to represent the average poverty lines of the poorest countries. In 2005, this number was revised so that anything under $1.25, which equates to about 75p, a day is considered extreme poverty.

So what does $1 buy?
In Bolivia $1 would buy you about a litre of milk, while in Brazil you could get a kilogram of sugar. In Ecuador you would be able to buy about two kilograms of mangoes and in Peru you would get 10 bananas. In Honduras it would just get you a small box of cereal and in Mexico you could buy 12 ears of corn.

In Thailand you could purchase a small bag of rice for $1 while in Guatemala the same amount would buy you eight eggs. In Uganda $1 would be enough to buy soap for a week while in Rwanda you could get 1.5 kilograms of rice and in Tanzania two loaves of bread.

In Kenya you could buy two heads of cabbage for $1 and in Ghana it would buy you enough clean water to last a family just two days, while in Ethiopia you could purchase two litres of kerosene.

Some of the prices may even sound reasonable, but for families living below the poverty line, that $1 not only has to buy food for the day, it also has to cover all other basic necessities like housing, clothes, education, transport and medical care.

Living below the line
Halima Mshana lives below the poverty line in Tanzania, raising her children singlehandedly. She sells fish at the local market in order to support her family, but the income is meagre and on a good day she makes no more than $3.80. Food costs keep rising and basic staples such as beans now cost $1.15, while a kilogram of rice costs $1.50 and a loaf of bread costs $0.50. Her income simply does not stretch to other necessities such as clothes and transport.

The Borus family in Bangladesh rely on a single income of about $1.45 a day. In a country where a kilogram of rice costs $0.58, school books cost $7.25 and a medical check-up costs $1.45, it is impossible for the family to survive on what they earn.

In Colombia, the Munoz family pays $70 a month to rent their home, as well as another $20 for water, gas and electricity. The school fees for the children cost $20 a month and school supplies are an additional $40. A simple meal for the family costs $5 and they are struggling to survive on the little they have.

The difference
All three families have children who are registered in Compassion-assisted projects, where they receive meals and nutritional supplements, which means that the available income can stretch further for food for the rest of the family.

Assistance with school fees and books for the children also alleviates the burden on the families and means that the parents may have enough to send another sibling to school. The regular check-ups and medical care for the children means that if the children fall ill, they will receive the necessary care without plunging their family into debt.

Every child sponsored through Compassion represents hope to their family. Not only does the support they receive through the project lift some of the burden from their parents, but the skills they learn and the hope they receive enables them to break the cycle of deprivation and help lift their family above the line of poverty.

TRUMP THAT: Sunday Express Article Saturday August 8,2009

Old Testament figures have been updated to appeal to today’s youngsters

By James Fielding

THEY started off featuring sports stars and superheroes but now Top Trumps trading cards have been given an almighty revamp.


The playground favourite has a new a religious twist to encourage children to learn more about the characters in the Bible.

Cartoon versions of Old Testament figures such as Moses, Samson and Eve appear in cartoon form on 35 colourful playing cards.

Each character is rated in four special categories – strength, obedience, times mentioned in the Bible and years BC and their cards carry a biblical verse about them.

The deck also has two golden cards which challenge players to name all of the Ten Commandments and the Ten Plagues of Egypt.

The £4.99 game, Testament Trumps, was devised by businessman Steven Strongman.

He said: “They are a bit of fun but have a serious message. I want schoolchildren to enjoy playing the game but also take on board the decent values the cards represent.

“A lot of youngsters are unfamiliar with the Bible and its teachings but are huge fans of Top Trumps so there was no better way of addressing that issue. We launched the cards in May and so far we have had a lot of positive feedback.

“When you make something children enjoy they pick things up much quicker. The real challenge we faced was making stories that are thousands of years old appeal to today’s children.

“We had to find something they would identify with. For example Delilah, who took Samson’s strength by cutting off his long hair, is pictured as a hairdresser and the Pharaoh of Egypt who enslaved God’s people is a gangster.

“As well as providing a fun game, the cards can also teach children the basics of ethics and faith on a level they can understand.”

A spokesman for the Church of England welcomed the idea. He said: “Fresh interpretations like this demonstrate the durability of the Bible’s greatest figures.

“Facing an opponent who has drawn the strength of Samson or the wisdom of Solomon will hopefully encourage new audiences to find out the whole story.”

Testament Trumps is available online and from Christian book shops around the UK.

Bible Top trumps - Jesus and 12 Disciples

Apostle Paul wins Olympic Gold

With the Olympic Games coming to London in 2012 and athletes training hard all over the world to clench the coveted prize of the Gold medal; the newly released second Volume of Testament Trumps has confidently depicted the Apostle Paul as a Gold Medal winner alongside other characters including Jesus and the 12 Disciples.

Bringing the New Testament characters to the next generation of children in a fun and engaging way, the most recent pack of cards depicts 34 of the best known New Testament characters in a way they have never been seen before. Steven Strongman, the director and designer of the game stated:

‘We want to present a game which is relevant to children today so we created fun cartoon characters based in the 21st Century. Many children find it difficult to associate with characters wearing long cloaks, sandals and having long beards – I know I do! But the bible brings a firm message of hope that The Lord is the same yesterday, today and Tomorrow and so it is fair to assume that God can use people today in the same way and with the same power as He did in the past’.

Taking the unchanged Word of God, each character has been designed to reflect a modern day person whilst retaining the message of their story in the bible. In addition to Paul being an Olympian ‘pressing on to towards the goal to win the prize’ (Phil 3:14), John the Baptist appears as a sundrenched lifeguard from a beach in California where he can save people through water baptism and the Disciple Thomas as a forensic investigator looking for clues to a possible crime. A number of cards are based around the parables of Jesus (thus making them a fun way to share a bible teaching) whilst the card for Apollos shows scripture references which prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Behind all the fun and colour lies a message that points players to the fact that Jesus is the son of God through memory verses and Golden Trump cards. It is therefore a great resource for parents who want to teach their children about the Bible in a fun and relaxed way - and being pocket sized, it can even be played in the park, on the beach or in the car on a wet day.

This bible version of the playground favourite Top Trumps is available on line, through local Christian bookshops and various Christian catalogues at a retail price of £4.99. It is currently being used by youth pastors across the UK and is being exhibited at most of the Christian camps and conferences this summer. In addition with Volume 1 ‘the Old testament’ there are now over 70 fun characters for children to meet.

‘’It’s a game where everyone is a winner!’ states Steven Strongman. ‘’At the end of the game, if you have all the cards or none of the cards, everyone has learnt a bit more about God and the Bible, and as far as God is concerned, that makes you a winner!’’

Are you a lifesaver?

Image of John The Baptist (copyright of Testament Trumps Ltd 2009)

We are all familiar with the fact that Jesus calls us to be Kings and Priests and we can see this backed up through the scriptures Rev 1:6 and Psalm 82. The bible also records that we will be Sons of God - no longer slaves, no longer of a particular 'race' and even no longer male or female (Galations 3:28).

Clearly Jesus wants us to see ourselves like He does. He doesn't get caught up in the problems of the flesh which are seen, rather He views things in the Spiritual realm where things are unseen but where He is the final authority. That's right, what He says Goes! If Jesus says be Healed, you are healed! If He says be set free from your burdens, then you are! It's hard to imagine, but He broke every yolk when He died on the cross and He paid the costly price to redeem us from them.

The really great news is that Jesus (our life saver) goes on to say that He gives us the same authority as He has! Through the revelation of His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit He enables us to do things today which seem impossible. He works through us in the same way that He worked through the apostles and early believers - what GREAT NEWS.

So if we are in the priviledged position of being pulled out of the water and equipped with everything necessary tool to save others, is it fair to say we are Life savers? The scriptures record that in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven a man must be born again - through water and the Spirit (John 3:3).

John the Baptist said that he would baptise in water but that Jesus would baptise you with the Holy Spirit! Through this process, we are born again and given a new and everlasting life.

In our New Testament Trumps, we portray John the Baptist as a lifeguard with 'Saved on his buoyancy aid. He truely saved people and encouraged them to repent of their sins whilst there was still time!

So, if you are Saved in the name of Jesus, consider yourself like John, the baptiser, the life guard! Encourage others to guard their lives, their ways and their heart. But most of all, use your calling as a priest to act as a life saver and lead those around you to the Lord - while there is still time.