Thursday, October 30, 2008

Is it just me?

“Feed your pet like you feed your family,” trumpets the colorful two-page ad in this month’s Reader’s Digest. “If you consider your pets to be furry family members then a certain dog or cat food is the perfect choice.”

Made with the finest natural ingredients, this holistic pet food—[whatever that means], has high quality protein, whole grains, garden vegetables, and fruit-- [grains, vegetables and fruit? Cats are carnivores!]. This “all natural” food also has vitamins added—[hmm… that doesn't sound very natural.] And it contains no animal byproducts**

You can feed the feline members of your family “all this wholesome goodness for less than $1* a day (*more depending on their size and number, a lot more if you have 40+ cats like one family I know of. It doesn’t say how much to feed the dog…if you need to know maybe it’s too much.)

Not so long ago, if someone was said to feed their pets as well as they do their family, people would shake their heads in disgust and assume they were either abusing their family or overindulging their pet.

I was also struck by the number of ads and images in the magazine of people food that could be called “junk food”: chocolate pudding; jumbo sized candy bars; cereal made into chocolate caramel crunch; cookies; blueberry muffin flavored cereal; Bologna--maybe that's where the animal byproducts went; and not to be left out, a picture of the Democrat donkey wooing a “super voter” with a box of chocolates.

Maybe, I thought, we are feeding our pets better than we feed our families. It’s no wonder we need the products that are advertised to help with weight loss, heartburn and diabetes.

Then I saw a tiny black-and-white ad for Children Incorporated, “Third World poverty in America. Children are deprived of basic necessities right here in America. For less than $1 a day, you can change that. Your help is desperately needed.”

Yes, I think we are feeding our pets better than our family.

**“animal byproducts” according to
their website are: "lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, blood and more." --[Dogs and cats would happily eat these if given the chance and so do hungry people in many places. Of course in many places hungry people happily eat dogs and cats too!]

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Seed Company on GodTube.com

I just heard about a new page on GodTube.com that features the work of The Seed Company.

Follow this link to see these inspiring videos: http://www.godtube.com/theseedcompany

The Seed Company was formed by Wycliffe Bible Translators back in the 1990s to help accelerate Bible translation around the world. The Seed Company connects financial donors and prayer partners with national translators who are translating the Bible into their own or another language in their own country.

Nearly 2oo million people still have no part of God's Word in a language they can understand.

To learn more and see how you can get involved check out the above link or go to their website: http://www.theseedcompany.org/

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pray for India

Violence continues to escalate in India, according to Mission Network News (MNN), and is not expected to end any time soon.

According to The Voice Of the Martyrs , "On August 23 in Orissa State, widespread violence erupted against Christians following the assassination of World Hindu Council leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. Despite evidence indicating that Maoists are responsible for Saraswati’s murder, several Hindu militant groups have blamed Christians," contacts said. "As a result, Hindu militants have launched attacks on Christians throughout the state, setting buildings on fire and beating and killing believers in at least 12 districts."

The MNN article, posted yesterday, states: "Remarkably these attacks have not swayed the faith of Indian Christians." They are ready to die for their faith and are confident that God will use these attacks to bring more people to Christ.

Please intercede in prayer for our brothers and sisters in India.

For the complete articles go to:
http://www.persecution.com/topStory_indiaOrissaState.html
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/11737

Monday, October 6, 2008

God's Word having an impact

I got this notice in my email today. I am a bit snowed under with about 100 emails after being away for a couple of weeks, so I almost filed it without watching the video. But I'm glad I changed my mind and watched it. It is really moving and inspiring:

"The Seed Company [an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible Translators] has recently added a new video to their website. It's a bit long, 8 minutes, but it's really FANTASTIC! I can guarantee that you'll be moved, and it will reaffirm how important it is to be a part of bringing God's Word to the ends of the earth. If you have a few minutes free, check it out at http://www.theseedcompany.org/media/gamo-partnership
(once there, click on either the black window or the little "play" button below the black window). What an amazing thing to see the Word of God changing people's lives!"