Filed under: News — josh @ 7:10 pm
I wish all of you a great, happy, fun-filled Christmas. May God bless all of you as you spend quality time with your relatives and friends, and celebrate the wonder of our Lord. Take this special time to relax and have fun. Remembering to think about the glorious birth of Jesus Christ and to be thankful that we still have the right to celebrate and proclaim “Merry Christmas!” to anyone within reach. And hopefully you will also take this special time to bless someone above and beyond normal, for this truly is a time of giving, and we know that the love of God is simply that of compassion and love for our fellow man, and especially those whom are less fortunate than ourselves.
‘But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously– take God seriously. ‘
Micah 6:8 - The Message Bible
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Filed under: News — josh @ 3:44 am
On my birthday I was able to track down a copy of P.O.D.’s latest release, which is an EP (preview) of their upcoming album Testify, which will hit stores on Jan. 24, 2006. The EP is entitled, The Warriors EP, Volume 2, and it’s a tribute to their fans that have stuck with them since the beginning, as is suggested by the name, as their first EP before their album The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, was called The Warriors EP.
The Warriors EP, Volume 2 is definitely worth tracking down, not least of which is because they will only be making 40,000 copies, which means it will be a collector’s item for sure.
There are 7 tracks on the album, they are:
1) If It Wasn’t For You
2) Teachers (Palm Springs Demo)
3) Ya Mama (Palm Springs Demo)
4) Why Wait?
5) Eyes of a Stranger
6) Boom (Live at Cornerstone)
7) Wildfire (Live at Corerstone)
My favorite track by far is If It Wasn’t For You, which is a totally awesome song that reaffirms P.O.D.’s Christian faith for anyone who had doubted since they gained mainstream appeal with their super successful Satellite album. The two demos are cool songs but need some tweaking IMO, the words are hard to hear and kinda drowned out by the music, here’s hoping they improve for the Testify album. Why Wait? is a really fun song done in Reggae, and Eyes of a Stranger also contains those reggae elements, and it’s a slow-moving song which is unusual for P.O.D., but done very nicely. The two live tracks aren’t that great IMO. Unfortuneatly, there are no bonuses included with the disc, outside of a letter to fans from Sonny, which is a little disappointing. However the disc is only $4.99, which means EVERYONE should buy it if they can. It’s worth it.
I also have recently been getting into the band Pillar. I had heard songs from them before, but was never much of a fan, until I recently listened to their most recent album, Where Do We Go From Here?, the whole way through. And found it to be awesome. I am now a fan and interested in going back to check out their previous albums. I like every single song on Where Do We Go From Here?, which is a rare thing.
Check out the official sites: http://www.payableondeath.com/
www.pillar.com
And their myspace sites:
www.myspace.com/payableondeath
www.myspace.com/pillar
And check here for reviews of both albums from www.jesusfreakhideout.com (Which is an awesome site to check out for updates in the world of Christian music. News, reviews, release dates, intereviews and more are available!):
The Warriors EP, Volume 2 - P.O.D.
Where Do We Go From Here? - Pillar
Where Do We Go From Here? (Limited Edition) - Pillar
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Filed under: News — josh @ 3:06 am
Welcome to ChristianityandMe.com. This site is my own personal blog, where I will post about whatever interesting topics come to mind, while trying to keep it informative yet entertaining. First off, some basic info about myself. I just recently turned 21 years old, I attend Church on Fire in Phoenix, AZ USA, and my name is Josh.
The first thing I would like to do is to point everyone over to this site: www.persecution.com.
This is the official site for a ministry known as “The Voice of the Martyrs”. I believe that every Christian needs to know about these people and what they do. Their newsletter is free to sign up to, and inside each issue they write about persecuted Christians all over the world (the newsletter is an actual magazine they’ll send to your house). They ask that believers pray for these people, many of whom are in prison simply for sharing the gospel. This goes on in many nations throughout the world that are hostile to Christians, such as China, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Vietnam, Cuba and many more, VOM covers the stories of the horrible persecution that goes on in these countries and others, and I think every Christian has a duty to support this great ministry.
Matter of fact, the name “Voice of the Martys” might lead you to believe that all they are is a “voice”, that isn’t the case however. VOM supports Christians in these areas in many ways. They help to plant churches and to support the widows and families of these persecuted Christians, with everything from basic necessities like food and clothing, to gifts and ministry tools, like Bibles, books, magazines, etc., to more permanent things like digging wells for Christians in Muslim villages who are not allowed to use Muslim wells, and helping to do construction work on buildings or whatever else it may be.
They also allow Christians to write to people who have been imprisoned in these hostile countries via their web-site: www.prisonalert.com. (and the letters will be sent in their native language). These letters are making a big difference, prisoners have been freed due to all the mail and publicity the site and this organization has generated regarding these governments treatment of Christians. And these people need all the help they can get!
Via their newsletter and web-site, you can order different packages, including Christmas ones, to be send to persecuted Christians. So be sure to check all that’s available and help out!
Here is some info from their most recent newsletter:
‘ “Many people believe a Christian must die to be a martyr. However, this is not the case. According to the original Greek, “martyr” means “witness”. Today VOM defines a Christian martyr as “one who chooses to suffer death rather than deny Christ or His work . . . sacrifices something very important to further the Kingdom of God . . . endures great suffering for Christian witness.”
The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in October 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. Pastor Wurmbrand was imprisoned for 14 years in Romania by the communist government. He even managed to lead one of his interrogators to Christ by not only refusing to reject Jesus as Lord, but by showing love to his imprisoners even after being tortured. In one such decleration of love, he wrote to his interrogator, “I am a disciple of Christ, who has given us love for our enemies. I pray for their conversion so that they will become my brothers in the Faith”. He told them that he himself had developed a loving character when he came to Christ and that, as water flows from a spring, love for one’s enemies can only come from a loving heart. Pastor Wurmbrand eventually formed his ministry when he arrived in America with only $100 and a single sheet of paper, serving as the first issue of VOM, typed up with his typewriter. As you can see, it has grown into a huge worldwide ministry, matter of fact, Richard even founded a Christian college in Iasi, Romania. The school provides both religious and academic education to 400 children and employs 83 workers. The college is committed to equipping young people (K-12) with the gospel.
Since VOM launched “www.prisonalert.com”, 20 prisoners have been featured, and more than 36,000 letters have been composed. Eight of the featured prisoners have been released, most before they completed their sentence.
VOM staff will conduct more than 150 media interviews this year. Director Tom White recently appeared on TBN, and our stories regularly run on CBN and other TV broadcasters. I am [the author of the article, Todd Nettleton] regularly interviewed by Moody Radio, Mission Network News, USA Radio News and other outlets and have been quoted from the Los Angelos Times to the Eritrean Ministry of Information web site. VOM press releases go to more than 200 media outlets, sharing breaking news of persecution around the world. More than 150 trained representatives-most being part of our Voice Volunteer Network- speak in churches, Christian schools and other venues (You can be notified when one will be in your area through www.vommeetings.com). Our radio feature, The Overcomers, is heard daily across the US.’
Eventually I will have a page devoted to VOM where you can find out more information about it and I can post updates relating to VOM from there. For now, check out the two web-sites: www.persecution.com and www.prisonalert.com and remember that any help you bring is going towards a very good cause.
I leave with these facts about VOM, which are published on the back cover of every issue:
‘The Voice of the Martyrs is published 12 times a year. Serving the persecuted church, the mission works in over 50 countries through its own International Christian Association of mission offices.
Our main purposes are based on Hebrews 13:3:
1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commision in areas of the world where they are persecuted for their involvement in propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by providing Bibles, literature, radio broadcasts, medical assistence and other forms of aid.
2. To give relief to the families of Christian martyrs in these areas of the world.
3. To equip local Christians to win to Christ those persecutors who are opposed to the gospel in countries where believers are actively persecuted for their Christian witness.
4. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping believers rebuild their lives and Christian witness in countries that have formely suffered communist oppresion.
5. To emphasize the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of atrocities committed against Christians by remembering their courage and faith.’
- For a free subscription to the VOM newsletter, book and video information, and ways to help the suffering church, contact:
The Voice of the Martyrs
Headquarters in Bartlesvill, OK
tel: (918) 337-8015
fax: (918) 338-0189
orders and contributions: (800) 747-0085
information: (877) 337-0302
e-mail: thevoice@vom-usa.org
web-site: www.persecution.com
children’s web-site: www.linkingup.com
All Correspondence/Contributions:
The Voice of the Martyrs
P.O. Box 54
Caney, KS 67333
*Contributions are tax deductible
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