The Red Envelope Project (due the 31st of March)

Have you ever wanted to write to the president of the United States? Well here is your chance. My mom (how cool is that!) just pointed out a website that I thought worthwhile to send to you.

We live in France, so we cannot participate in the Red Envelope Project, but you can. So use the freedom you have to write to Barack Obama and send your letter before the end of March (tomorrow).

Red Envelope Project FAQ

God's Wonderful Plan for Your Life

Someone just pointed this out to me, so I'm passing it on:


"Many people like to talk about “God’s Wonderful Plan forYour Life.” I think that’s a great thing! Yes! God has a Wonderful Plan for your life! I was recently granted an interview with the Apostle Paul and asked him about just that very thing.
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ME: Paul, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this blog interview. I know you have a lot going on so I’ll cut to the chase: Can you tell us about God’s Wonderful Plan for your life so far?"

Continue reading…

Source:  Berry

Semantics for a New Ager

I'm still listening to the Nightline Face-off "Existence of Satan" debate.

I'm getting very frustrated with Deepak Chopra's new age semantics. He tries to use words that we know, but in fact, he does not mean what we think him to mean. When he says "god", he could very well mean "energy force", "evolution" is "good", "entropy" is "evil" and the list of such words goes on.

Friends, lets not argue too quickly with non-believers. If you do feel the need to set someone right, define the terms first. Otherwise, check their motivation. If they are truly seeking the truth, help them. However, if they are just looking for a fight, just move on and go to the hungry. Time is short.

What is the Prosperity Pseudo Gospel?

This video is a beautiful work to describe an ugly face of "Christianity". Just in case you're wondering, prosperity gospel is NOT the Gospel.

Would We Argue If We Defined the Terms?

I've just been listening to the Nightline Face-off "Existence of Satan" debate. I get so frustrated listening to the debaters. Deepak Chopra is getting on my nerves right now. He should have no right to say "God is love" because his "god" is not God. I wish someone had asked him to define the term or not use it.

Does Satan Exist? Bonus question: Who is Jesus Christ?

ABC's Nightline is hosting a debate on the existence of Satan. Nightline Face-Off opposes Mark Driscoll and Jenny Lobert to New Age guru Deepack Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson.  

You can watch a preview here.

You can watch the whole thing here.

Extreme Shepherding Video

Haha, I thought this video might interest you.

What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like?

This is something you've got to see.

Some More Spurgeon Treasures!

Most Spurgeon fans would kill to get the books I just received as a gift. My grandfather is clearing out his attic and found Spurgeon's Autobiography in 4 volumes. I have a hard time believing that they could be as old as the title page says. They are all late 1890's!

You've got to feel sorry for the person who gave the books to my grandfather as a gift. They've collected dust and I may be the first to read them. For such old books, they're in great condition! That is why I'm still dubious on their age. 

I like biographies and I like the originals, more so when they're about men like Charles Spurgeon! I just don't know when I'll get around to reading the books. Until I do, you can all be jealous of me…

Can We Pray for Crazy Things?

Duh! Of course! If we ask God to do things that are just beyond our grasp, he gets ALL the glory for the answered prayer. We don't have to second-guess him and think, "well maybe it would have happened anyways." Like I do when I'm looking for parking or my wallet.

So please pray for the mayor of the town of our church. He and his wife have a good relationship with a couple from the church. This couple therefore invited the mayor to come for dinner at their house and he's accepted the invitation. I just catch myself imagining God working that man's heart and bringing him to know Jesus. Our relationship with the town hall has always been very friendly (unlike many churches in France), but imagine what a witness this man would be!

So join me in asking God to soften the mayors heart, to open his eyes and give him a desire for life and to know Jesus.

Obama on Reducing and Raising Abortions

Christianity Today has an article on recent statements Obama made regarding abortion. He's also passed some laws that contradict (or do they?) his statements. Read it for yourself here.

HT: JT

The Prodigal Sons a Tim Keller Sermon

I listened to a sermon by Tim Keller this weekend. Its entitled, The Prodigal Sons. I was on the train returning home from the TV interview. Its really good, simple yet profoundly gospel-centered. I recommend it. I'd never heard of Tim Keller until a few weeks ago but I will be listening to more. He's a pastor of Redeemer Church in New York.

So I suggest you right click here and download the sermon, listen to it and tell me what you think. I'm definitely the Older Brother, how about you?

Blogging The Institutes

In the English-speaking web there is an abundance of great Christian resources and blogs. One that I've just subscribed to is Blogging The Institutes. A group of Christian leaders are reading John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion.

Would you believe that Calvin is no big deal in France? Yes, we're celebrating his 500th birthday, but I don't know if many people actually know anything about the man. I think the Catholic influence here never took kindly to Calvin's strong criticism. He's just known for two clichés: condemning people to be burned to the stake and founding a strict religion where people are predestined to hell.

I don't have the theological savvy of all the English bloggers out there, nor do I have the time. But I'm working my way through The Institutes and enjoying myself. Did you know that The Institutes are the first theological work published in the French language? In Calvin's day, every serious book was published in Latin. In fact his first edition was in Latin, but he then translated his book into French so that it could be read by a larger number. It became one of the greatest books in the French language.

Bernard Madoff: How Are the Mighty Fallen! (by John Piper)

A few months ago he was worth over $800 million. Now, at age 70, he sits in this prison cell, 7.5 by 8 feet, with a sink, a toilet, and a bunk... (Read more)

Source: Desiring God

Thanks for Praying for the TV Interview

I hope you guys didn't blink. I left Maubeuge on the 6:45am train and arrived at Belfort 7 hours later (2pm). The TV team was very warm and welcoming. It was good fun. I hope you didn't blink when you were praying, because the interview felt very short. 15 minutes went by in a flash. I didn't get to say everything I'd hoped to say. I didn't mention very clearly the needs of the Logos Hope, nor did the journalist ask a question about OM in general (and I didn't get to tell him).

I don't think I was too camera shy (thanks for praying). But the stress did definitely muddle my mind as I tried to answer the questions! It will be at least a month before the interview is released. I'll keep you informed as soon as I know more. It will appear on TBN Europe at least twice with English subtitles. I'll make sure to tell you what time. The version without subtitles will be on the TV channel's website, but in either case, you'll have to wait at least a month.

If you have any other questions, just post a comment and let everyone profit from the answer.

May God be made to look great (as he truly is) in our lives.

PS: Sorry for not having any photos. I brought my camera and forgot to have someone take photos.

What Did You Think of The Shack by William Young?

Interview with William Young
You can listen to The Shack author William Young giving an interview. In it he flatly denies the substitutionary atonement (which was one of the questions many people had as they read the book).

Tim Challies

Will the Church be the Church for Homosexual Christians?

This article by Wesley Hill is thought provoking. Wesley is a Christian with same-sex desires and he explains the greatest need of homosexual Christians within our midst. I'm still not sure what to think about it, but I give it to your appreciation.

Source: JT

Things We Don't Know About Our Grandparents

I just got home from another evening spent with my grandfather, Bill Kapitaniuk. It's amazing to hear some of his stories. He's so quiet about them He's a great storyteller, but very humble of what God has led him to do.

But having a Bible-smuggler for a Grandfather makes me aware of the lack of importance I place on the Bible. Papy was willing to suffer to bring a few Bibles into the communist block, I can hardly get out of bed. I will continue recording his stories and picking his brain to know what made my grandfather tick. I've lived around him for 22 years, but I realize today that I've only begun to make his acquaintance.

New Arrivals on the Kapi Farm

Spring is in the air and, as on any farm, great things happen. You can read about the newest inhabitants of the Kapi Farm on the family blog, by clicking here. As you see on the photo, everyone was excited to hear the news...

http://fermekapi.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-arrivals-on-farm.html

 

Flyering in Recquignies, Again...

With the world in such a state of panic, you'd expect people to start behaving differently. In many ways, I think God will bring many people to ask themselves existential questions. Even in a stone-hard country like France, I'm praying that He will save my people.

Yesterday, we did our monthly flyering route. There are 950 mailboxes in my town and each month we distribute a small full color tract. Each month the topic changes, but the aim is always the same: to lead people to Jesus.

This time, we started early and it being Saturday (and sunny), many people were already out and about. That is probably why we faced some real opposition. No stoning or jail, but people tearing up the tract or telling us they don't want it anymore. Supposing that the person who said this was a staunch atheist, I asked her if she didn't believe in God. She answered with the ever-so typical, "it's a private matter!" I wonder who taught her that?

Why Can't Church Be More Like A Football (Soccer) Game?

Every match, the stadium is packed. All decked out in their fan-gear, the crowd cheers as the home team walks on to the field. They stand up and scream with delight when their team scores. When the referee makes a stupid call, everyone boos and curses at him. I don't know what you thought last time you watched a game, but Wednesday, I thought of church.

What if Church stirred as much emotion as a sporting event? All the Christians yelling their praise to God, totally in sync with the others around them. They dance and they shout, they sing songs (British supporters are the best for this) and they are totally in tune to what is happening on the pitch.

I look forward to the day, when I will be able to worship God in his presence like supporters worship in a football game. Only, it's going to be WAY better!

Frenchmen in Exile on a Ship

As much as people hate us, you've got to admit that its because deep down, everyone thinks French people are some of the nicest people around. So if you want a taste of the Logos Hope with a French zang, you can follow my brother Jérémie as he discovers life onboard Logos Hope. Having been on Doulos myself, I listen with fond nostalgia to his stories, his thoughts and his discoveries. What's more, he's finally gotten around to posting photos. For some reason, he chose black and white (very artsy), but they're still photos.

We also have friends from a sister church that have been onboard since September 2008. Their blog is also worth reading. A lot more photos there!

Joshua Project (Defining the unfinished task)

I've been helping out with a condensed French version of their website. I thought you should watch the video and see what the project is all about.

The Awesome Watchmaker

Today is my parent's 24th anniversary. But having been too busy this week to write a tribute to them, I'll have to postpone it until tomorrow. Until then, enjoy this beautiful clip, The Awesome Watchmaker. I saw it tonight for the first time and thought it worth sharing. I don't know who's behind the project, but I congratulate their effort.