Happy Saturday

Sorry I was late today - Internet connection problems this morning...

God is in charge of the world
What kind of person makes a good leader?
He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the fortified cities, and he gave them these instructions: "Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case that comes before you. Fear the Lord and judge with care, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.

2 Chronicles 19:5-7 NLT

Fit for leadership

When Jehoshaphat appointed leaders for the people of Israel, he told them they would represent God in their decisions—a solemn responsibility.
Second Timothy 2 describes the kind of person fit for leadership. Those who want to become leaders should ask God to develop these traits in them: honesty, kindness, patience, purity, and integrity. Verses 24-25 explain:

The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. They should gently teach those who oppose the truth.

Leaders who teach God's Word have an even greater responsibility to use their authority carefully. Paul urged his friend Titus to model Christian character and to guard his integrity. People watch Christian leaders very carefully—they must be above reproach. Titus 2:7-8 and 15 state:

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Let your teaching be so correct that it can't be criticized.… You have the authority to do this, so don't let anyone ignore or disregard what you say.

Daily Smile: 

In 1940

Teacher: In 1940, what were the Poles doing in Russia ?  Pupil: Holding up the telegraph lines !

 


In The News:

LSU Apologizes for Editing Out Cross in Picture of Students
Administrators at Louisiana State University have apologized for censoring photographs of male students who had painted crosses on their chests at a football game, the Daily Caller reports. "We erred in our judgment and we have communicated our apologies to the group of young men represented in the photo, whose school spirit is second to none," said Ernest Ballard, director of media relations at LSU. Following the football team's Oct. 13 win, school officials sent out a photo of the Painted Posse -- Christian students who paint their bodies with school colors and small crosses for home games -- in a weekly email newsletter, and students were shocked to see that the crosses had been edited out of the otherwise untouched photo. Administrators later admitted to altering the image to prevent other students from being offended -- a decision they now regret, according to Ballard. "We did not intend to offend anyone by the editing of this photograph and in the future we will not make this kind of edit," he said. According to a statement on their Facebook page, the students accepted the apology. "We, the members of the Painted Posse, do not agree with the university's recent decision to airbrush crosses out of the photo of some of our members. We ... acknowledge the efforts of the LSU administration and look forward to serving the university as both fans and students."

Planned Parenthood Spends $12 Million for Obama

Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider, has spent $12 million on this year's presidential election through its political action committees -- the most it has ever spent in an election, Baptist Press reports. About half of the money has gone for TV ads in battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Virginia, according to the Associated Press. Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, said she has "taken a break from [her] day job" to campaign for President Obama. In a video released by the Obama campaign on Oct. 19, Richards said, "Our daughters' and our granddaughters' future depends on" working to re-elect the president. In the second presidential debate, Obama mentioned Planned Parenthood five times, advocating continued federal funding for the organization. Republican candidate Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has called for the de-funding of Planned Parenthood. The abortion provider and its affiliates received $487.4 million in government grants, contracts and reimbursements in 2009-10, the most recent year for which statistics are available, and Planned Parenthood centers reported performing 329,445 abortions in 2010.