Rapper Emmanuel Jal enlists global stars to work on south Sudan

"South Sudan's most famous export, rapper Emmanuel Jal, hopes a little help from friends Alicia Keys, George Clooney and Kofi Annan will shine a light on Sudan's north-south civil war and prevent further atrocities.

Jal, a former child soldier who was rescued and smuggled out of the south by a British aid worker, has since dedicated his life and music to one target: a future for his people."

Click here for the rest of the story.

Casino throws wedding for military couple

"They're a military couple with no money for a fancy wedding. He's about to deploy to Iraq, she's set to return to Afghanistan but they both had leave at the same time, so they decided to come to Placerville so she could meet his parents."

Click here for more on how these two young soldiers got a wedding together on one day's notice.

Kids From Save the Children’s U.S. Programs to Ride On Uno® Parade Float New Year’s Day

"Seven kids from Save the Children’s U.S. Programs will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride on the UNO® float in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. UNO®, a Mattel brand, has invited the kids to take part in the parade festivities and ride on the float as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration. They are also providing support for Save the Children’s work to help children living in poverty in the U.S."

For more on this special event, click here.

Oprah Gets One Right: Dickens Makes the Book Club

"I always tell people that when they read a book to keep their eyes open for Christian themes. But I never thought I’d say they could find them on Oprah’s book list."

Click here for more on Chuck Colson's commentary.

Dying One Day at a Time: Living for God, Not for Me

"Looking forward to the New Year, what topic comes to my mind? Dying. And dying daily.

One of the most powerful lines of Christian writing I’ve ever read was in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s magnificent classic The Cost of Discipleship. 'When Christ calls a man,' Bonhoeffer wrote, 'He bids him to come and die.'"

To read more of Chuck Colson's insights, click here.

All first-class postage to be ‘forever’ stamps

"Beginning in January, all new postage stamps good for 1 ounce of first-class mail will be marked as 'forever.'

The U.S. Postal Service is doing away with issuing first-class stamps with denominations."

Click here for more on this decision.

Here's how to stay safe in snow -- on sidewalks or on the slopes

"The blizzard that has shut down the East Coast calls for some warnings about playing in or even walking on snow and ice. The American Assn. of Orthopedic Surgeons (and really, those docs should know) has some advice to share with the hundreds of thousands of Americans who will get injured this year."

Click here for tips on staying safe in snow.

Sailing on the Dawn Treader: Lessons a'Plenty

"C. S. Lewis never missed a chance to teach a moral lesson. And the Voyage of the Dawn Treader is no exception.

Millions of fans of C. S. Lewis’s books are lining up to see the film adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—the third movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series."

For more on Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.

Legacy of a life lived right

"Thurmon Perry was never one to marvel much about his age. He was 100-plus years old, feisty, and he posted up each morning in the lobby of his West Side public housing high-rise and went about the business of keeping watch."

Click here for more on this amazing gentleman.

'Freedom Riders' filmmaker says ordinary citizens can bring about change

"Filmmaker Stanley Nelson says his new documentary about the courageous activists who defiantly opposed the 1960s segregation of the South may help inspire a new generation of youth."

Click here for more on this filmmaker's vision.

Dancing Deer helps make Christmas bright

"One of the best-kept secrets in Boston is in a nondescript industrial park in Hyde Park. At the risk of leaking classified Christmas intelligence, the Globe has learned that Santa Claus may be operating a secret satellite workshop, in addition to his North Pole headquarters."

Click here for more on this Christmas discovery.

The Christmas Pageant

"The Christmas pageant was the big event of the Christmas season every year in this little Heartland town, and every parent wanted their son or daughter to get a part in the play. The year they’ll never forget was the year that little Harold wanted to be in the play. He was a little slow and, to be honest, a risk to put on stage."

For more on this Christmas pageant, click here.

Many Affordable, Meaningful Gift Ideas Still Available For Last-Minute Shoppers

"According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, the average American has completed less than half (49.5%) of their holiday shopping by mid-December and about 37 million Americans (16.9%) have not even started their shopping yet."

Click here for tips to beat the mob at the mall while giving something special.

Christmas Light: The Birth of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew, Luke...and John?

"Light is quite an interesting word. It carries dozens of different and distinct meanings and is used hundreds of times in scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus described himself as 'the Light of the World,' which certainly seems most appropriate."

For more insight into Christmas Light, click here.

Save the Children Teams Up with Video Bloggers to Spread Word that Simple Actions Can Save Children’s Lives

"Save the Children is partnering with some of the nation’s top young video bloggers — or vloggers — to let Americans know about simple actions they can take to directly help save children’s lives."

Click here for more on this new program.

Taking the muumuu out of maternity fashion

"In the olden days, a pregnant woman’s due date was obliquely referred to has her 'estimated date of confinement.' And no wonder, you wouldn’t want to leave the house in the maternity muumuus of old."

For more on the changing look of maternity, click here.

God's Inconvenient Call

"Of all the miracles recorded in the Bible, none has been derided as much as the virgin birth. The skeptic who turns a cool ear to stories about walking on water, healing the sick, and raising the dead will, more often than not, sneer at the very mention of the virgin birth. For many folks it is a difficult doctrine, one that has caused them to stop short of faith, or so they claim."

Click here for more on how God's call may seem inconvenient to us as humans, but is perfect in His timetable.

A free surgery erases blindness for Casselberry man

"As a teenager, John Wilkinson lost the sight in his left eye. It was, doctors later told his parents, a detached retina — probably the result of playing contact sports as a kid.

That he could live with. But this summer, the 29-year-old tree trimmer began having trouble reading because the print looked blurry. Some days, he would wake up and everything looked foggy."

Click here for more on John Wilkinson's story.

Cleaning up your carb act: Where to begin

"Most Americans eat between 250 and 300 grams of carbohydrates a day, the equivalent of 1,000 to 1,200 calories. The Institute of Medicine, which sets dietary nutrient requirements, recommends 130 grams a day."

For details on how carbs impact your diet, click here.

Veteran gets helping hand to give daughter home

"Lucinda Nash, 5, enveloped herself in her dad's Army sergeant jacket as he held it up and explained the various ribbons and awards he'd earned during eight years in the military."

Click here for more on the Nash family.

Gifts to accessorize books and e-readers

"Giving a gift book to a voracious reader can be scary or deflating as a Father's Day tie or Mother's Day toaster.

Winning strategy? Present the book lover on your list with something that enriches the reading (or toting) experience. Here are some of our favorite gifts to accessorize books and e-readers, plus a few things just for fun."

For more on these gift ideas, click here.

Opportunity for families and groups to volunteer, helping those in need this Holiday Season

"This holiday season, World Vision is providing families and groups an opportunity to get involved with "Santa's Workshop." On Saturday, December 18, World Vision’s Bronx warehouse will host volunteers to help sort "Santa's" toys going to needy families."


Click here for more on this big-hearted effort.

High Value-Low Cost Christmas Ideas

"On this edition of MoneyLife, Chuck Bentley and Dave Ball talk about ways to avoid the materialistic side of Christmas and focus on the things that really matter, sharing the love of Christ with family and friends.

They also talk about great gift giving, decorating and celebrating ideas to make Christmas bright and cheery without breaking your budget."

Listen to the message and check out free resources here.

Mere Entertainment? C. S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles

"Many Christians are eagerly anticipating the third film of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, due in theaters in December. We love the fact that these deeply Christian stories are making their way to a wider audience. But one theologian wonders if the films really are a faithful representation of Lewis’s deeply Christian worldview."

Click here for more on this look at how Hollywood treats Narnia.

Accepting Fibromyalgia and Moving Past It: Patients Share Their Coping Strategies

"The key to coping with fibromyalgia is accepting that the problem is chronic, learning how to minimize the pain, and finding the good things within a painful life. The reality is that the pain will not go away. The challenge is to learn how to lessen it and create a life beyond the pain."

Click here for more on living with fibromyalgia.

More than 2,000 at Dreamforce Conference assemble kits to benefit those living with HIV and AIDS in Africa

"Salesforce.com, in partnership with World Vision, will underwrite and host an HIV/AIDS Caregiver Kit build at the Dreamforce conference this week in San Francisco. More than 2,000 of the conference participants will take time Wednesday afternoon to fill kits with health and hygiene supplies that will be sent to volunteer caregivers in Africa to assist their work caring for those living with HIV and AIDS. The Dreamforce conference volunteerism activity seeks to give participants opportunities to make a difference in their community and across the globe."

For more on this event, click here.

Opera Company of Philadelphia 'Hallelujah!' Random Act of Culture

"The Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation's 'Random Acts of Culture' at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia. Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ - the world's largest pipe organ - the OCP Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's 'Messiah' at 12 noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers."

Click here to experience the event.

Eating right: Cheat your way through the holidays

"Is it possible to party your way through the holidays and still lose weight? Or at least not gain any weight?

Believe it or not, the answer is a resounding 'Yes!'"

For the secrets of success, click here.

'Secret Santas' dole out $100 handshakes in NC

"'Secret Santas' are roaming the streets of North Carolina, handing out $100 handshakes.

The Charlotte Observer reported that crew of donors, who insist on anonymity, handed out the C-notes Friday to anyone who looked like they could use it."

Click here for more on these generous folks.

The True Meaning of Christmas: Thanks, Linus

"Does all the commercialization of Christmas have you down? Well, I’ve got one remedy for you and for the whole family.

Amid the avalanche of TV Christmas specials that hit our screens at this time of year, there’s one little gem that always stands out. It’s a simple, unpretentious cartoon that’s several decades old now, but it still usually manages to earn great ratings and has been loved by many generations."

For more on this inspirational program, click here.

Menorah retrieved from Hurricane Katrina muck in Lakeview is part of White House Hanukkah celebration

"Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of Jewish survival, and on Thursday, President Barack Obama and some 500 notables, mostly Jewish, celebrated the second of the holiday’s eight nights by lighting a menorah fished from the muck of Congregation Beth Israel’s flooded synagogue in Lakeview after Hurricane Katrina."

Click here for more on the celebration.

Gulf seafood to star at White House holiday parties

"From the White House to the Capitol on Wednesday, Washington's political class was consuming lots of Gulf seafood.

White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford plans to serve more than 2,000 pounds of Gulf Coast shrimp and seafood during a series of holiday parties, which began Wednesday night with a reception for volunteers."

Click here for more on the holiday plans.