International

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things, in short if anything increases the authority and the power of the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself.” Susanna Wesley (mother of John Wesley)

SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. -- Philippians 4:8

TIME FOR PRAISE AND PRAYER

Ashley: We have an old friend in Atlanta, who is just 63 years old and who had a massive stroke a couple of months ago. Because he lived alone, nobody found him for about 20 hours. He's a musician from England and had no health insurance. The hospital staff pretty much had given up and gave him little hope for recovery.  My husband and I went to see him and his sister, who has become quite an advocate for him.  I shared some of your remarkable story with them, Shelley, told him about pool therapy and encouraged him to try it. I am happy to report that little by little he is recovering. He is able to speak now and has movement on one side.  His name is Ashley and I know you'll say a prayer for him.

[Friends: For those of you who do not know this, I had a stroke before I was 50 years old. It was a significant health event. My speech was barely understandable, my right side greatly affected, balance was a GREAT challenge, and my memory was very impaired. A wonderful friend continued to press me to get into a pool. She had read how it was good for stroke victims. I am so thankful she finally convinced me for that changed my life. My speech began to improve, my balance became much more stable and my motor skills were just about completely restored. If you know of someone who has had a stroke, encourage them to get into a swimming pool (with help of course) and get them to move their hands and legs. The nerve endings will be stimulated, new paths will be formed, and those brain synapse restored. If you have questions or need more information, call me at the office. Shelley]

Anna: Anna is an elderly woman who has macular degeneration and consequently, has very limited vision. She tripped the other day and in doing so, fell very hard. She was take to the hospital and has a severely sprained ankle, not to mention being very sore.  Please pray for rapid healing.

Sandy: Sandy (57) has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as kidney disease.  She is no longer able to care for herself.  Please keep Sandy in your prayers as her family attempts to find just the right place for her to live.

 NEWS

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE WEB SITE!

For those of you who may be wondering, WUAS’ web site is basically down.  You can go to the web site and still read material or do a search, BUT if you want to place an order, watch videos, or request a free book, that will not be possible for awhile.  A malicious hacker deleted the original files and the backup files of hundreds of web pages who use this server. Unfortunately, our files were among those “deleted.” This means we will need to upload all of our videos again. This will take weeks of work.  Please be patient. We are doing the best we can. We will give updates on the main web site page about our progress.

 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

RELIGIOUS NEWS and RELATED ISSUES

John Cusack (Movie Star) Calls for 'Satanic Death' of Fox News and GOP Leaders

Kidnapped Christian Relief Worker from Samaritan’s Purse is Released after 105 Days in Sudan

Pakistani Taliban Kill 3 Christian Aid Workers

100^th Anniversary of Her Birth – Mother Theresa Remembered

More Teens Becoming “Fake” Christians

SCIENCE NEWS

Here's a view from space looking down on the Sun.  You will see the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars rotate about the Sun.  As you watch, you will see more and more dots added into the picture.  The dots represent man's discovery of asteroids over the last 30 years. Click on link below.

Video Depicting the Discovery of Asteroids from 1980 to Present

Getting to Know Your Asteroid Foes

The Big One? Earl Churns Toward the Northeast as a Category 4 Hurricane

Hurricane Earl’s Path May Cross Long Island and Cape Cod before Labor Day

Typhoon Approaching Japan – Some Large Airports Closed

Southern California Residents Warned to Prepare NOW for a Major Earthquake

Red Alert for Columbian Volcano

Indonesian Volcano Erupts

Ring of Fire: Ancient Circle of Volcanoes Comes Calling Again

Three Typhoon Warnings for China’s Coastal Cities

Antarctic Cold Snap Kills An Estimated 6 Million Fish And Thousands Of Alligators, Turtles And River Dolphins

Extreme Dry Weather Helps Archeologists Find New Historical Sites

5-Day Expected Path of Hurricane Earl

HEALTH NEWS

Brisk Walks to Prevent Cancer

FDA Finds Filth, Rodents, Manure Piles at Two Large Egg Farms

Brand Named Drugs Prices Increased 8.3% in 2009

Migraines up Risk of Fatal Heart Attacks and Strokes

Teens and Texting Addiction – Health Experts Liken It to Drug Addiction

Healthy Eating Choices Directly Linked to Avoiding Depression

GENERAL NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Canadian Jets Intercept Russian Jets Ready to Fly into Canadian Air Space

Bancor: The Name Of The Global Currency That A Shocking IMF Report Is Proposing

US Imposing Sanctions on North Korea

Russian Subs Stalking British Subs Caring Trident Nuclear War Heads – Reminiscent of Cold War Days

Mexico Sacks 10% of Police Force as Result of Corruption Investigation

One out of Six Americans Accept Financial Aid from Government

Big Incentive for Kids to Stay in School in St Louis, MO – CASH!

Social Security: The Futile Fight for What Has Been Promised

China’s Banking System Shows Disturbing US Type Cracks

India’s Growth Rate – 8.8%

Russia’s Economy Grows 4% after Recovery

US Auto Sales Hit 28 Year Low

7,000 High School Students Drop of School Every Day – That’s 1 every 26 Seconds!

Homelessness up 50% in New York City

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU THINK!

My mom added fabric softener to the laundry the old-fashioned way: standing over the washer as its rinse cycle began, and pouring bright blue liquid into the rising water from the cap of the softener bottle. When I began doing laundry on my own, the method had gotten a lot neater: you simply tore a small softener sheet from a roll and tossed it with your wet clothes into the dryer.

These days the sheets are folded and packaged pre-cut, not perforated, and a sheet or two in the dryer leaves your clothes smelling fresh and clean. The top of the box flips up to make them easy to grab - no heavy bottles, drips, or bottle caps lost in the "soup." It's a snap.

This week as I plucked two softener sheets from the box and tossed them into the dryer after my damp clothes, I remembered the "old" way, and how much trouble it seemed to be. Listening for the washer's "rinse cycle sounds" demanded attentiveness, and pouring the liquid into the pre-measured cap did, too. Screwing the cap back on to the bottle usually required wiping up the blue liquid that dribbled down the side. It was at least a three-step process; now it's only one. But the result (presumably) is much the same.

So somewhere between the washer and the dryer, I wondered what unexamined efficiencies I've worked in to my spiritual life. What three-step processes I've collapsed to a single toss for the sake of time-saving or user-friendliness, or both? And I wondered whether pre-packaged five minute devotions or handy prayer acronyms or five-fingered discipleship strategies have made me any softer, or sharper, or deeper - or any more trusting, or caring or wise.

Maybe they've just made me faster at what actually begs more time and attention.

I'm not knocking efficiency. I'm all for it (especially where my laundry is concerned).  But I don't want to be fooled into thinking the laundry "advances" apply more widely than they should. Conditioning a heart (as opposed to a pair of scratchy Levis) takes time. Lots of it. And putting the Word of God into my life requires standing over countless "cycles" with the book in hand, waiting for its Author to show me what it means and why it matters deeply.

Changed lives don't result from an offhand application of holiness. A quick tumble with the Word is not the same as being steeped in it. And where my heart is concerned, it's the process - messy, inconvenient and time-consuming as it sometimes is - that makes me more like Jesus.

-- Leigh McLeroy, 2010

PURPOSE OF THIS NEWS WATCH
New Zealand places articles in the News Watch for basically one purpose – to keep you informed. We do not necessarily endorse the comments, but we do want to make you aware of all the news that comes to, so you can make Spirit-filled decision in your own life. May God bless all of us with His wisdom and guidance.