A Tanzania baptism, by George Jensen

Back in mid-October last year, a man named Eliya heard our radio annoucement. He desired to attend the Bible classes. On one particular class day, by the time he found his way to the assembly place, the class had already concluded. He had traveled from the village of Tanangozi, which is about a 40 minute drive (depending on the road construction delays).Contact with Eliya led to setting up a class in that village.
A Tanzania story reminds us of the power of God's gospel to reach others. With several great pics of a baptism. Question: Are African waters always muddy? #baptisms #Africa #providence
via Friendica

Acquisition FAQ – Posterous Spaces

What happens to my Space? Will Posterous eventually shut down?
You can use your Space(s) exactly as you have in the past. We’ll give you ample notice before any changes or disruptions to the service and we’ll provide specific instructions for exporting your content to another service.

Can I still post to my Space?
Yes, you can continue to post via email the Web or our iPhone or Android apps. We’ll give you ample notice before any changes or disruptions to the service.

How can I backup or export the content of my Space(s)?
We’ll share instructions on how you can backup the content of your Space soon.

What happens to my content if I don’t do anything to my Posterous account?
We’ll give you ample notice before any changes to the service and we’ll share clear instructions about how to move your content to other services. In the meantime, your Spaces will remain up and running without disruption.

I bought a custom domain from Posterous – what happens to it?
Our domain partner, eNom, will take over domain management. Over the next several days, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing your new domain account.

I am redirecting my domain/subdomain to Posterous – what do I need to do?
Your domain or subdomain will continue to point to your Posterous Space. You do not need to change anything.

Can I export my Space’s to Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger, or another service?
Over the coming weeks we’ll provide you with specific instructions for exporting your content to other services.

via posterous.uservoice.com

Was this meant to calm us?

Redheads feel less pain

... redheads are less sensitive to certain types of pain such as needle pricks or applied pressure. It seems that the pain resulting from exposure to cold or heat is processed differently by the body than pressure, pricks and scratches. Redheads are less sensitive to the latter, and more to the former.
via worldcrunch.com

That explains a few things in our family. Son no. 2 tends toward redheadedness and has a high tolerance to pain. His daughter, ditto.

If I exhibit strange behavior ...

... in my emails, it's because I'm experimenting with my email server's beta interface. I'm already addicted to it. The old was already excellent, and the service itself is beyond any other I've used, including gmail. Try it out.

Disclosure: If you sign up through this link and ever decide to pay for the service later on, I'll get a few pennies. But even if I didn't, I'd recommend it. I've been a paying customer since 2002.

I said I'd never pay for something that you could get for free. But after using this service, boy, did I change my mind. In 10-plus years I have yet to max out any of the limits, including storage. And while there have been a few bumps along the way, this one has given me far fewer problems than any other service I've used, including WordPress (speaking broadly of services besides email), which is also an excellent option.

Someone may think that email is on the way out, since many are turning more to texting and social media, but in the foreseeable future there's no better option to secure communication than email.

This company is one of the big boys. They know what they're doing. And they don't mine your information for advertising. They also know how to cull the junk out of your email as well. The features are nigh to endless.

They offer a choice of domains for your email address, much like flavors of ice cream. Once you sign up, try the beta interface. (Though I don't know if the freebie accounts have access to it yet. I assume so.) One friend told me today that he has signed on, and I didn't even say anything to him about it. Why not try it yourself?

Discipline doesn't always imply wrong-doing, says Mounce

Sometimes παιδεία is painful because we have done something wrong and our loving heavenly Father would not dream of allowing us to live in our sin. At other times παιδεία is painful because we need to learn and grow, but not because we have done anything wrong.

Please don’t read the negative part of the semantic range of “discipline” into παιδεία as if it is always there. Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn’t. But God is our loving Father who treats us as his true children, and that means he cares enough to use the situations of life to change us.

via koinoniablog.net

Wm. Mounce seems to suggest that the Greek term παιδεία in Hebrews 12 doesn't include the idea of chastening or punishment. What say you?

Evangelism is persuasion, says Mike Riley

Our Lord is not interested in forced service or bribed obedience. He is interested in people being persuaded to “obey from the heart” (Romans 6:17). God desires a transformation of the whole man which begins with “the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).
via preachersfiles.com

Of course, with that persuasion when we preach the Word of God enters the power of the Spirit to convince. But Mike's point is valid. We don't force or bribe or manipulate. We urge people to make their own decisions.

Great day today because ...

 

It was a great day today, in part, because
  1. Some non-Christians heard the plan of salvation in both congregations;
  2. Christians commented how encouraged and charged they were from hearing Ron Jackson's lessons;
  3. I was privileged to translate Ron's two dynamic sermons on "Let Go and Let God" and "Can These Dry Bones Live Again?";
  4. Two new children of God's family ate the Lord's supper for the first time as his people, and we ate with them;
  5. The Maiden is back home after visiting with a sister in Christ last night;
  6. We had a great class discussion tonight in Taubaté about salvation by grace;
  7. We spent the whole day with fellow Christians, from the time we awoke (had a family spend the night with us) until we dropped Ron off at his hotel around 7 p.m. or later.
How was your day?

Singing not a competition, says Steve Preston

Untitled by bibletalk on Posterous

Singing as a part of worship to God is not a competition. We do not have to worry about how bad or how good we sing. The opportunity to strengthen our brethren is something that every Christian should look forward to doing. When we gather to worship our God it is also an opportunity for us to encourage one another. ... it also happens during the worship as we sing. If all you are doing is moving your lips then you are neglecting a command of God to teach and admonish your brethren. Concern yourself with pleasing God and not with how your voice might sound to others.
Steve Preston is now putting his devotionals on Posterous, making it easy to follow, along with his email list. He has a good thought on today's meditation. Read the entire piece at the link above.

#devotionals #worship #singing
via Friendica