Parents Encouraged To Keep Students Home On "Day of Silence"

[By Allie Martin - OneNewsNow]

A coalition of pro-family groups is calling on parents to keep their children home from school one day next month if their school observes a homosexual-sponsored initiative.

On April 25, more than 4,000 schools nationwide will observe the "Day of Silence," an initiative sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an activist homosexual group. The event encourages students to remain quiet throughout the day in order to bring attention to the homosexual lifestyle.

The American Family Association (AFA), along with other family-oriented groups, is urging parents to keep their kids home from school that day -- if the school observes the project. Buddy Smith with the AFA says concerned parents can go online and see if their child's school is observing the Day of Silence. "The first step would be to go to AFA.net, click on the Day of Silence action alert ... [to] see if your child's school is indeed listed," he explains. "And if they are, then we have a suggested letter that you can send to the school ... requesting that they stop this nonsense." If that does not work, Smith says parents should consider keeping their children home from school April 25, or whichever day the Day of Silence is observed.

[The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates OneNewsNow.com.]

What Church Leaders Can Learn From Brett Favre

[From MMI Weblog by Todd Rhoades]

1. He Showed up to Play Every Sunday. Regardless of what was happening in his life (i.e. his father’s death and his wife’s cancer), he still found a way to get to the game on time.
2. He Played Through the Hurts. I’ve watched clobbered, hammered, hamstrung, smashed, and boggled. Yet, Brett kept getting back on his feet again. Remember the year when he played half a season with a broken thumb? Somehow, the desire for victory was far greater than the physical pain.
3. He Took Risks and Made Plenty of Mistakes. Not only does he hold the career touchdown record, he holds the interception record as well. You can’t win big by playing it safe. Consider the turtle, who makes no progress until he sticks his neck out. Brett stuck his neck out all the time. On countless occasions, I’ve seen him do something crazy, and yelled, “NO!! NO!! DON’T DO THAT!!” But then, it’s the crazy passes, completed as touchdowns which will go down in history as the greatest and most memorable.
4. After He Blew It, He Shook it Off. Nothing could rattle his confidence. On the next set of downs after an interception, he’d throw deep (and crazy) again. Favre didn’t allow failure to be final and always believed that setbacks are supposed to be followed by come-backs. He never blamed others for his mistakes, and always took responsibility for losses on the field.
5. He Inspired the Team. Brett always had a good word of encouragement for the younger guys around him. I remember when Ryan Longwell, as a rookie kicker, muffed an easy field goal against the Eagles, and lost the game. The crowd booed. Favre went over to his dejected teammate and said, “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. We lost this thing together.”

Mark has a couple other observations that you’ll want to read here...

A New Celebrate Recovery Website

The new and improved Celebrate Recovery website has just been launched. If you haven't gone to http://www.celebraterecovery.com/ for a while, check it out to see what's new.

They have implemented a new way to find local CR's with our new "Find a Group" page. I think this makes it lots easier to locate groups.

What do you think?

Are You Going Through A Storm?

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: "Fasten Your SeatBelts."

Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive.

Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke ... The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

"Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.

"Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw o ur plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home. Don't worry!