Good News From Mary Feb. 4, 2009

The President, the Passengers, & the Patience of God

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed at being treated better than we deserve that we must exult in the all-sovereign God—the God of birds' flight and Obama’s rise. When King David pondered how many were God’s “wondrous deeds,” he said, “I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told” (Psalm 40:5). That’s the way I feel watching God’s public mercies in the last few days.

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Closer Than I Knew

A year studying abroad. I should have been thrilled. But I missed my family and longed for something familiar.

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Exercising etiquette: Don’t be a gym diva

Heading to the gym to blow off some steam? Good idea, as long as you don’t take out your stress on everyone around you.

It’s likely that anyone who’s spent time at a health club has seen some bad behavior, including the equipment hogs, the slobs who leave cardio machines dripping with sweat and the muscle men who grunt loudly as they lift oh-so-heavy weights that they have no intention of putting away.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Obama signs children's healthcare bill

President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a law expanding a health program to include 3.5 million uninsured children, advancing an overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system despite the embarrassing withdrawal of his nominee to lead the initiative.

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January may mark new low for retail salesA drop in gift-card use and a reliance on post-holiday clearance sales are likely to be the main culprits when major U.S. retailers report lower January sales results this week.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Wednesday, February 4 is a Good News Day (posted by Mary Beth)

The Planet vs. the Poor?: A False Choice

"Yesterday, I told you that the science surrounding man-made global warming was hardly 'settled.' I noted the skepticism of respected scientists and said that, given these doubts, we ought to resist being panicked into taking drastic and costly measures."

Read more of Chuck Colson's commentary here.


What are you studying? - a devotion

"What are you studying? Where are you focused? Those are the things that will color your thinking and your actions."

Click here to learn what the apostle Paul suggests.

This devotion is part of a series. Click here for the entire series.


A mystery portrait of Obama as a young man?

"Sure, President Obama's busy trying to solve the nation's problems.

But Megan McCluer and her husband, Michael Heffner, would like just a minute of his time to settle a mystery: As a young man, did he sit for a portrait painted by an obscure Los Angeles artist? And what's up with the shirt?"

More on this Presidential mystery here.


Fresh breath or fish breath? Seal gets a brushing

"Thirteen-year-old Chuck’s breath may not be exactly minty fresh, but he is a little more pleasant to be around because of his daily toothbrushing."

Check out the video of Chuck's daily adventure here.


Ghost town’s final days

"A little known ghost town slated for demolition and development will get one last public hurrah thanks to members of the town’s historical society."

Click here for more of Clarksville's legacy.


Ghost town hunters looking for next subject

"Don Chaddock, editor of the Folsom Telegraph, and photographer Philip Wood have investigated and reported on three California ghost towns. They are looking for other subjects."

Click here for more on their exploits or to suggest their next adventure.


Zatarain's starts its own petition to make Mardi Gras a national holiday

"To many New Orleanians, Mardi Gras is a much-deserved gift that eases the pain of living in a high-crime city with political shenanigans, mega-potholes and piles of trash. Local company Zatarain's Inc. wants everyone in the country to have this gift, so the Gretna-based food producer has launched a petition to make Mardi Gras a national holiday."

Click here to get the full story.

Have a Good News Day!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

How Much to Plant Per Person in the Vegetable Garden

I am ready for Spring and gardening and I guess it is showing in the articles I have been posting. Here is one that will help you know how much to plant per person.

Click here to read this article.


Maintaining body temperature important in cold

"How cold weather affects the body when exercising outdoors depends on what activity is being performed, as well as how cold it is outside. But the primary focus should be on maintaining as normal a body temperature (98.6 degrees) as possible."

Click here to read more.


Earlham professor shares sabbatical experiences

"Tim Seid, associate dean and assistant professor of New Testament Studies for the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Ind., has recently completed an six-month sabbatical.

He participated in a five-week study seminar at the American Academy in Rome during which he studied the material culture of the lower classes of people in the early Roman Empire. His research focused on the role of the household philosophical adviser as a way of understanding the Apostle Paul's function within households and his writing of letters of moral exhortation to those groups."

Click to read more and for information on Tim Seid's blog.


VeggieTales World TV Premiere on GMC Sat. Feb. 7

"Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and their VeggieTales® friends make their Gospel Music Channel (GMC) television network debut when GMC (http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com) presents the world television premiere of the new VeggieTales® DVD, Abe and the Amazing Promise on Sat. Feb 7 at 9:00 a.m. ET (Also 10a, 11a, 2p, 3p, 4p.) "

Click here to read more about the premiere.


Playing hide-and-seek with God

"So much of our lives are spent hiding from others. We're afraid they may not like what they see.

Our solution is to construct 'fronts' and defenses to hide behind. True, that permits us to hide but it also penalizes us by making intimacy with other people difficult.

Unless we are truly known we cannot be truly loved."

Click here to read more.

Shot of the Day for February 3, 2009

Coca Cola Red

By Flickr Member Tanakawho

From Now until February 14 we will be posting photos that celebrate the color red!

Good News for Tuesday, February 3 from Mary Beth

Cut-rate campus: Students forgo frills to save thousands

"In this border town where shoppers hunt for tax-free bargains, they can get something else on the cheap: a college education. A private one, at that."

Pursue this story of higher education by clicking here.



Global Warming and the Media: Give Us All the Facts

"You may have noticed that some of President Obama’s most ardent supporters speak of him in almost messianic terms. But there’s one public figure who apparently means it literally: James Hansen of NASA."

Read the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary here.


2009 Brings Revolutionary New Direction for the Gaither Vocal Band

"With mixed emotions and tremendous optimism about the future, Gaither Music Group announced major personnel changes for the Gaither Vocal Band, including the return of some of the group's best-loved alumni."

Click here to learn more about the beloved group's updates.


Mystery of ancient Puebloan jars solved

"For years Patricia Crown puzzled over the cylindrical clay jars found in the ruins at Chaco Canyon, the great complex of multistory masonry dwellings set amid the arid mesas of northwestern New Mexico. They were utterly unlike other pots and pitchers she had seen."

Follow the clues in this mystery by clicking here.


Easy ways to sculpt your arms

"Want to get your arms and upper body in great shape for summer?"

Click here for an exercise plan designed especially for your arms.


Jim Belushi, Bryan Batt and Carlos Mencia to ride in Orpheus

"Actors Jim Belushi, Bryan Batt and Carlos Mencia will ride this year as celebrity guests in the Krewe of Orpheus parade. The superkrewe, founded in 1993 by Harry Connick Jr. and Sonny Borey, is scheduled to parade on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m."

More Mardi Gras 2009 information awaits you here.

Good News From Mary Feb. 3, 2009

Survey Finds God Big in Mississippi, Not So Much in Vermont

Want to be almost certain you'll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi.

Prefer to be in the least religious state? Venture to Vermont.

A new Gallup Poll, based on more than 350,000 interviews, finds that the Magnolia State is the one where the most people -- 85 percent -- say yes when asked "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Faith in Faith or Faith in God?

In 1980 Harvest House published a book by Larry Parker entitled We Let Our Son Die. The book tells the tragic story of how Larry and his wife — after being influenced by one of America's numerous "word of faith" (or "word-faith") teachers — withheld insulin from their diabetic son, Wesley. Predictably, Wesley went into a diabetic coma. The Parkers, warned about the impropriety of making a "negative confession," continued to "positively confess" Wesley's healing until the time of his death.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Telescope sees smallest exoplanet

The smallest planet yet found outside the Solar System has been detected by a French space telescope.

The rocky world is less than twice the size of Earth.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

50 Years Later, Fans Remember 'The Day the Music Died'

It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll.

The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Kentucky Sues Ohio City to Get Rock Back

The fight over a rock that lay for years at the bottom of the Ohio River spilled into federal court Tuesday when Kentucky sued an Ohio city, seeking the boulder's return.

Attorney General Jack Conway sued the city of Portsmouth, Ohio, and three men in federal court Tuesday over the 8-ton boulder known as Indian Head Rock. The lawsuit seeks the rock's return to Kentucky and the cost of damages.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

Higher Education, Lower Alzheimer’s Risk

"Having more education reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease but does not slow memory loss once it starts, says a new study.

Reporting in the Feb. 3 issue of Neurology, scientists say they found that education does not appear to protect against how fast people lose memory once forgetfulness begins."

Click here to read more on this study.


Cut your grocery bill now

"Running into the store to pick up a gallon of milk for tomorrow's breakfast? Don't be surprised if you end up leaving with a lot more than you planned."

Click here to read about seven ways to save at the grocery store.


Pope says fasting in Lent opens hearts to God, hands to the poor

"Fasting from food and detaching oneself from material goods during Lent help believers open their hearts to God and open their hands to the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said."

Click here to read more about the Pope's message.


Bible Marathons encourage faith in Christ

"As Bible marathons become more frequent in Liberia, the Gospel message rises to higher and higher heights.

Bible Reading Marathons have been held through Bible Pathway Ministries since 1990, typically beginning with prayer and concluding with Scripture reading for 80 hours. As a result of these marathons in Liberia, the country is being reached with the Gospel. "

Click here to read more about Bible Reading Marathons.


Witch Hazel - Hamamelis Virginiana

"Most people are familiar with witch hazel because of its use in skin care as an astringent. It is a large shrub that is noteworthy for being one of the last species to flower. Witch hazel also adds winter interest with leaves that turn yellow in the fall, and is moderately drought tolerant."

Click here to learn more about this shrub.