Becoming the 'Others': Christianity in the Media

"In modern secular American culture, believers in Jesus Christ are increasingly being painted as 'the other.'

'The other' is any individual or group defined as being different in some fundamental way and therefore not belonging. In literature and in history this 'otherness' is often based on race, gender, religion, behavior, or appearance."

For more on Mark Earley's commentary, click here.

The weight of the world can't stop this 76-year-old powerlifter

"At 76 years old, Ray Curtis might be expected to take it slow, devote his days to beachcombing or reading or other quiet hobbies.

But the New Orleanian devotes his days to barbells at the Jewish Community Center on St. Charles Avenue. And countless hours spent working out are paying off."

Click here to learn more about this amazing senior citizen.

The Desert Shall Rejoice: The Legacy of Norman Borlaug

"One of the most influential and important figures of the 20th century recently died—Norman Borlaug. If you never heard of Borlaug, you are not alone. His face never appeared on the cover of People magazine, and the cable networks didn’t cover the story of his passing 24/7.

If Borlaug actually had been famous, his claim to fame would have been that, as the father of the 'Green Revolution,' he saved hundreds of millions, perhaps even a billion, lives. As one writer put it, Borlaug’s work is why 'food today is cheap and widely available, and why famines have become relatively rare events.'

Click here for more of Mark Earley's tribute to Norman Borlaug.

'Signature in the Cell': Information and Intelligence

"In recent years, there have been several important books about intelligent design that go to the debate about evolution and the origins of life. Bill Dembski’s The Design Inference was first. Then along came Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe, showing the irreducible complexity of the cell, which casts grave doubts on Darwinian evolution as an explanation for life and higher life forms."

Click here for more on this topic.

You May Have Been Injured: The Need for Tort Reform

"I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I had an 'Aha!' moment watching the news!

Just a week or so ago I was watching the news and, of course, the topic was health care reform. All of a sudden, I realized one thing that needed to be fixed when it comes to health care. It wasn’t anything the talking heads were talking about that convinced me. It was a commercial."

Click here for more on Chuck Colson's commentary.

Fifth Round of the ABC’s Children’s Picture Book Competition

"Christian author Michelle Medlock Adams is among the finalists of the 5th annual ABC's Children's Picture Book Competition.

The competition began with 175 entries from across the nation. View the competitors and vote for your favorite among the finalists."

To read the finalists and cast your vote, click here.

Hey sailor! Tattooed food may be next

"According to FoodProductionDaily.com, a daily online news service aimed at food and beverage makers, the Food and Drug Adminstration’s decision on food tattoos is 'imminent.'”

Click here for the rest of the story.

Can your family live without television this week?

"Today begins TV Turnoff Week. The idea is to keep your television off through Saturday.

Do you think you could do it? Do you even want to live a life that doesn't include morning cartoons and evening news?"

High schooler with Down Syndrome scores TD

A freshman at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Mo., is being treated like a VIP after scoring the only touchdown for his team in a losing game.

Matt Ziesel, 15, has Down Syndrome.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

10 most valuable brands in 2009

"Each year, branding industry group Interbrand ranks companies by the amount of revenue that is attributable to their brands, using a formula that takes into account the brand's future strength and its role in creating demand. The firm assigns a monetary value to each brand and measures annual growth, in this case from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009."

Click here for the Top Ten.

Free software can pay off in savings and performance

"If there's one price everyone can get behind, it's free. While you sometimes get what you pay for, that's not always true with computer software. Some free programs are very high quality and even superior to paid software.

Students on a budget or users looking to take advantage of new operating systems by Microsoft and Apple can find free substitutes for pricey programs that fit their needs."


For more on free software, click here.

Become Like a Little Child

"On more than one occasion, Jesus tells his disciples to become like little children.

The most famous is when the young mothers try to get near Jesus so he can bless their infants. When the disciples block them, Jesus rebukes his disciples sharply."

Click here to read more.

Swann Galleries to Auction Virginia Man's Rare Bibles

In 1782, during the waning days of the American Revolution, Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken obtained the authorization of Congress to print a rather patriotic Bible. The tome would be printed in the Colonies, independent of the authority of the King of England, who had slapped an embargo on Bibles (and almost everything else) to the rebellious New World.

This endorsement by the secular of the spiritual would have been a flagrant violation of the church/state divide -- but it was nine years before that concept would be codified and ratified in the First Amendment. So Aitken printed 10,000 copies of his pocket-size Scripture, with the congressional plug on the very first page (Congress "recommend[s] this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States.")

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Toy wars are for stores

"Forget price wars. When it comes to selling toys this holiday, it's real estate that matters.

Just look at Toys 'R' Us.

The Wayne, N.J.-based toy seller is barreling into the holiday season by adding 1 million square feet of toy-selling space from October to January under the name Holiday Express."

10 New Ways to Eat Zucchini

"Abundant in the fall, but available year round, zucchini is a fantastic vegetable that can stand on its own in any dish. But if you have picky eaters to feed, these recipes make it easy to sneak all the fantastic nutrients of zucchini into these tasty dishes."

Dive in to these delicious ideas by clicking here.

Recycled glass used to make eco-friendly pavement

"Drink beer. Help the environment.

That could be the message of a Wisconsin-based company that manufactures eco-friendly pavement from recycled beer bottles and other glass. The pavement, known as FilterPave, is about 40 percent porous, so it can trap pollutants that would normally be swept away into drains and streams."

Click here for more about this exciting development.

Medal of Honor recipients say you can be hero too

"They were all dead men who refused to die.

Outnumbered by the enemy, they risked everything to save the soldiers around them -- and they succeeded.

They are heroes, and they have the hardware to prove it. When more than 50 of the 95 living recipients of the Medal of Honor meet in Chicago this week for their annual convention, they'll form one of the nobler gatherings this city has seen. Never before have the Medal of Honor recipients convened here."


To read more about these special people, click here.

Book Review - 'Breach of Trust' by DiAnn Mills

"When DiAnn Mills takes on the CIA as a subject, her promise to 'Expect an Adventure' takes on a completely new dimension.

In 'Breach of Trust,' Mills recounts the story of Mikaela Olsson, survivor of a failed CIA mission. She has left the CIA, her old identity and the world she knew. Now a small town librarian known as Paige Rogers, she is trying to build a new life and protect those she left behind."

Click here to read more.

At 53, I’ve finally reached the age of reason

"A paper presented yesterday at the Brookings Institution contains some ego-bolstering news for 53-year-old financial bloggers like yours truly: People make better financial decisions at my age than at any other."

For more on the subject,click here.

Ark. baby born 9-9-09 has sibling born on 8-8-08

"At least it will be easy to remember their birthdays.

An Arkansas couple welcomed a new baby girl into their lives Wednesday -- giving her the birthdate of 9-9-09. Andy and Alison Miller's newest daughter Molly Reid will come home to sister Campbell, who was born on August 8, 2008, or 8-8-08."

Click here for more on this interesting family.

Harvard unleashes a historic sacred cow

"The skinny beast with the enormous ears and bell around its neck served three purposes this afternoon as it roamed about a cordoned-off patch of grass on Harvard Yard.

It allowed retiring Harvard professor Harvey Cox, who for 44 years has held the oldest endowed chair at a US university, to finally lay claim to the Hollis Professor of Divinity’s centuries-old right to graze his cow in Harvard Yard, which a colleague of his said was the equivalent of parking privileges in the 1700s."

Click here for more on this bovine event.

NEVs, low-speed cars dubbed 'neighborhood electric vehicles' get ready for life in the fast lane

"Move over hybrids; modified golf carts are headed from the fairways to the roadways in Illinois, offering an incongruous yet eco-friendly alternative for those satisfied with more leisurely travel.Dubbed 'neighborhood electric vehicles' and retrofitted with safety features, the new category of mini-cars will be street-legal beginning Jan. 1. Operating for pennies per mile, limited to 25 m.p.h. and restricted to local roads, the battery-powered buggies are quietly generating buzz."

For more on these amazing little vehicles, click here.

Paving the Way: Worldview and Evangelism

"This week, we launched a major and exciting initiative: the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Its purpose is to teach and pass on what I’ve learned through my 36 years as a Christian, and 33 years working in prisons and teaching worldview.

Through this project, we hope to both revitalize the American church and see the Center become a long-term resource for people coming along after me."

Click here for more on the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

Cancer awareness project takes flight

"A rainbow of 1,000 lovingly folded paper cranes swings from the ceiling of the outpatient cancer clinic at Akron Children's Hospital.

Strings of colorful beads and buttons from the clothes of Lydia Miyashita link the cranes, along with dozens of pictures of the smiling 5-year-old Orrville girl just months before her death."

Read more here.

Moths as good as mice for many drug tests - study

"Moths, caterpillars and fruit flies could soon take the place of millions of mice used every year by scientists testing drugs, researchers said Tuesday.

Biologists have discovered that certain key cells in mammals and insects react in the same way when attacked by infections and produce similar chemical reactions to fight them off."

Click here to read about this study.

The Great Nine-to-Five Opportunity

"Does your work matter to God? As we answer a phone, as we type a letter for the 18th time for a boss who never seems to make up her mind, as we close a million-dollar deal, as we change a diaper, as we make an arrest, how many of us feel that this is really for God?"

Click here to read the rest of this message.

A Unifying Vocation: Why development work and gospel work cannot be put asunder

"In 2002, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof proclaimed evangelicals the 'new internationalists,' lauding us for engaging such issues as sex trafficking, slavery, and HIV/AIDS. We actually became internationalists with the blossoming of the modern missions movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Wherever missionaries took the Good News, they contributed to development by expanding literacy, promoting public health through sanitation, diet, and medicine, and improving the lot of women, children, and orphans.

But nearly ever since, we have debated the wisdom of faith-driven development work."

For more information, click here.

High-speed rail: Train cars, locomotives may be on track for rebound

"Smack among the vast green and gold farm fields of southern Illinois, a steel graveyard filled with unwanted, broken-down locomotives symbolizes the weak state of the train-manufacturing industry in the United States.

A fertile opportunity lies ahead, however, for entrepreneurs who figure out how to safely, comfortably and economically transport passengers at higher speeds than today's Amtrak service over most of the nation."

For more on the future of rail service, click here.

What goes up: Ind. firefighter skydives 100 times in one day to fight smoke deaths

"An Indianapolis firefighter had a real up-and-down day on Friday by skydiving 100 times in southwest Ohio. Joe Frolick made the jumps Friday at the Warren County Airport near Lebanon. He said he wanted to raise awareness and money to fight fire deaths from smoke inhalation."

Click here for more on Joe's skydiving marathon.

Camping Labor Day weekend? Mosquitoes may invade more than your tent as leading Wi-Fi provider partners with End Malaria campaign

"As campers flock to the outdoors this Labor Day weekend, they may be surprised when mosquitoes show up on their computer screen as well as outside their tent.

Vacationers in 775 campgrounds across 48 states will see a 30-second video prior to accessing the Internet, featuring a buzzing noise, information about malaria, and the opportunity to donate a bed net to protect a child in Africa."

For the buzz on this campaign, click here.

BookTrends: Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps

"A battered cardboard box arrived by mail a few weeks after my grandfather’s death, postmarked from the small West Texas town where he lived most of his years, the town where a crumbling cemetery now cradled his remains.

Inside the box, suspended in weightless drifts of white Styrofoam, a smaller, more pungent box was buried. An old cigar box."


Click here for more on Leigh McLeroy's new book.

Perinatal Hospice: The Value of a Life

"The hospice movement is a wonderful expression of the culture of life. In a very encouraging development, the movement is growing up in an unexpected way."


Click here for more on Chuck Colson's commentary.

How Do Astronauts Check Their Kids' Homework?

When Nicole Stott goes out on her first spacewalk she knows her seven-year-old son Roman will be watching.

Lots of moms have jobs, and lots of moms figure out how to make job and family work. When a parent is an astronaut there are extra challenges. It's a high-risk, high-altitude -- and high-profile -- job.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Tips to Help Family Caregivers Save Both Time and Money

"How often does it occur to you that saving time and saving money are two sides of the same thing -- several times a day, right? The more time we spend caring for our parents and other elderly family members, the more deeply it cuts into our ability to work and earn an income. As summer turns to fall, kids go back to school, and work ramps back up from the August lull, caregivers get stretched even thinner. It's the perfect time to try some relatively simple strategies that could reduce your caregiving burden."

Click here to read more.