By Selcuk Uluagac, Florida International University You probably know better than to click on links that download unknown files onto your computer. It turns out...Be careful where you upload files! Experts reveal new ransomware threat

By Selcuk Uluagac, Florida International University You probably know better than to click on links that download unknown files onto your computer. It turns out...Be careful where you upload files! Experts reveal new ransomware threat

By Melissa Dykes So I can't upload the 30-min video I just did breaking down what I feel is an oft overlooked theme linking Matrix...Short Film: I Wanna Show You Something…

Today's category: MothersYou're a Mom When? ? ? ? ? ? You know you're a mom when you're up each night until 10 PM vacuuming, dusting, wiping, washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking, driving, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework, paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes, putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing, buckling, feeding (them, Not you), PLUS swinging, playing baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls, rollerblading, basketball, football, catch, bubbles, sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing, gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at 5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go to the bathroom, and yet ... you still managed to gain 10 pounds.View hundreds more jokes online.Email this joke to a friend

 For Black Friday everything at Musicademy is currently half price and everything at Worship Backing Band is 20% off. This is in addition to our usual discounts. Simply use the coupon code BLACK at the checkout to get the discount applied. Go to Musicademy or Worship Backing Band to order either downloads, DVDs or CDs and […]Please visit Musicademy for the full article.The post Black Friday Sale appeared first on Musicademy.

Four Challenges Missionaries Face and How Your Church Can HelpAdam FridenstineMon, 11/06/2023 - 01:11 We read in Philippians 4:10–19 that the Philippian church greatly encouraged Paul. What was it that was so meaningful to him? It wasn't just their financial support, but it was also their continued care for him and their desire to be part of his work.As missionaries, Esther and I have often been incredibly blessed by churches who encourage us in our work here in El Salvador. The prayers, support, and communication from state-side churches has often come at just the right moment to lift our spirits and strengthen our hands in the work of the Lord. Churches who support missionaries want to be a blessing. But sometimes well-meaning people in those churches don't know how specifically to do that. Life on a foreign field is full of challenges many Christians back home never face. Understanding these challenges can help supporting churches know how to help their missionaries.Cultural Adjustments Learning a new language and culture is more challenging than anyone who has not experienced it can comprehend. At the same time a missionary family is struggling to learn a foreign language, they are usually working through complicated legalities and often spending 20–40 hours per week navigating paperwork, foreign bank transactions, immigration, paying bills, and more. It's frustrating for them to have so much time eaten up by these necessities that would be non-existent or far simpler in their home country. Especially at the beginning, the missionary will often feel as if they are not fulfilling the Great Commission due to all the time these needs require. Pray diligently for your missionaries during this time, and communicate that to them. Be patient with them, as they would rather be doing other things as well. Recognize that it may take months or even years to see an established work, depending on the language and culture.Balancing many rolesAs missionaries strive to make a difference in the place that God has called them, they are often involved in many outreach ministries as well as building the church. Depending on the situation, they may have no trained help for several years, and there are no Bible colleges from which to hire help. There is a constant pressure to always be ready for the next church service, the next event, the next witnessing opportunity. Did they know this was part of what they signed up for? Absolutely! But it is still a lot on one's plate!You can help by initiating communication with the missionary, even when you are not asking something from them. Reach out with love and encouragement. Ask direct and love-loaded questions about the missionary and his family, marriage, health, etc. Give time and reminders when you are asking for a special update or personal communication.Discouragement and emotional needsThough not exclusive to foreign ministry, your missionaries will undoubtedly experience a multitude of discouragements and emotional needs on the field. The difference for missionaries is that there is likely a greater lack of a support team on the foreign field. Sometimes there are no other mature Christians nearby to help through their valleys. A missionary should never come off the field feeling lonely or unloved.Purpose to be a support team for your missionaries. Ask your church members to adopt a missionary family. (We have had many churches do this, rotating missionaries each year. Through the years, the missionary family has been loved by several families, and eventually the whole church feels as though they know the missionaries personally.)Financial BurdensMissionaries will spend many months on deputation raising funds to go to the field. They try to anticipate all financial needs for the foreseeable future in a place they have never previously lived. Although it is true that the income of a foreign missionary will often be higher than the nationals living in that same area, there are also many ministry expenses that a national would not have. Even with the best laid plans, good stewardship and constant support, things like inflation can make a huge difference in the monthly budget of a missionary. And even when churches always support on time and faithfully send the same amount for many years, those support dollars do not go as far as they used to depending on the economy in that particular country. The cost of living continually rises, while the missionary's support generally remains unchanged. How can your church help with the financial burdens of missionaries? Be sensitive to the economic challenges of living internationally on a fixed income. We have been blessed on a couple of occasions when a church reached out and purchased a new appliance to replace a broken one we were not able to replace at the time. Washing machines and refrigerators are luxuries, but they sure are blessings! You can also plan for occasional unannounced offerings for special projects. Communicate with your missionaries about their needs, and evaluate adjusting your support levels according to those needs.Without the financial support of churches, missionaries couldn't go. Without the prayer support, emotional support, and encouragement, missionaries will seldom go as far as they could. Category Missions Tags Missions

We’re having an end of summer sale. Everything at Musicademy is currently half price and everything at Worship Backing Band is 20% off. This is in addition to our usual discounts. Simply use the coupon code SUMMER SALE at the checkout to get the discount applied. Go to Musicademy or Worship Backing Band to order either downloads, […]Please visit Musicademy for the full article.The post End of Summer Sale: everything at Musicademy half price, 20% off at Worship Backing Band appeared first on Musicademy.

Here's a simple way to help online churches reach even more people through YouTube.We’re all doing church online now.If your church is new to this, and you’re putting your church on YouTube, your YouTube URL looks something like this:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3iMLx7Dyfi3T097D7VEnAWhat you want is something like this:https://www.youtube.com/GodsGraceChurchIt makes the church URL easier to remember and find, helping us reach more peopleSo how does a church get there?How To Qualify For A Custom YouTube URLAccording to YouTube, there are four steps to qualify: Be at least 30 days old Have an uploaded photo as a channel icon Have uploaded channel art Have 100 or more subscribersThe first three you can do on your own. The fourth one you need help with. And that’s why I subscribed to over 100 Church YouTube channels in the last few days.Over the weekend, I asked our church members to subscribe. Then, on several social media sites, pastors did a URL exchange. I subscribe to yours, you subscribe to mine.In less than 24 hours, our church’s YouTube site went from 52 subscribers to over 100!Then What?After you qualify, here’s how to change your church’s URL (copied from YouTube). Sign in to YouTube. Click your profile picture in the top right. On the left side, click Settings. Then, also on the left, click Advancedsettings. Under "Channel settings," select the link next to You're eligible for a custom URL. You'll only see this link if your channel is eligible. In the "Get a custom URL" box, you'll see the custom URL(s) you've been approved for. You can't change the part in the gray box, but you may need to add a few letters or numbers to make the URL unique to you. Carefully read and understand the "Custom URL Terms of Use" and select the box to agree to them, then click Change URL.Continue reading...

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by Phil Johnsonhis guy, angry that Grace Community Church yielded to the 9th Circuit Court's ruling banning church meetings in California this weekend, Tweets at me: "An unjust law need not be followed."I'm appalled at how many people who profess to believe Scripture echo that sentiment. Nero was emperor when Paul wrote Romans 13:1-7: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. . . ." First Peter 2:13 was written to people suffering unjustly. ("Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him...")Peter goes on to say: "Be subject . . . also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly" (vv. 18-19). Indeed, "to this [unjust suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." (v. 21). When someone in authority over us treats us unjustly, the example we are to follow was set for us by Christ, who simply "continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly" (v. 23).The only exception to this principle is when the one in authority instructs us to sin. Then "we must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).So does a government-mandated quarantine ask us to violate Hebrews 10:25 ("not neglecting to meet together"), or is the quarantine in keeping with the principle of Leviticus 13-14, where quarantines are expressly mandated?The answer to that question may vary according to where we live. Quarantining people in the midst of a pandemic is a legitimate prerogative of government. How long the quarantine should last and who should be exempted are questions that don't have clear, fixed answers. The severity and duration of the pandemic determines what's reasonable or not. We may or may not agree with how the quarantine is being implemented (I certainly do not), but we have a clear duty to submit unless we are being asked to sin.How long until the government-ordered quarantine is undeniably excessive, or we conclude that it's targeted persecution against our worship and therefore an illegal attempt to make us disobey Hebrews 10:25? That time may come, and when it does, we may have to implement the principle of Acts 5:29. The question of whether we have already passed that point is another subjective issue, but it's clear that among believers—in the church itself—there is not yet consensus on whether the quarantine has gone too far.Nevertheless, if you hang out on Twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed that there are countless people in the evangelical community who refuse to regard any of the above questions as matters of conscience. They believe the answers are perfectly obvious. They are eager to tell you what you and your church ought to be doing. They are locked and loaded with vituperation for anyone who sees matters differently. Two camps of them have squared off against each other—hordes of angry Karens at opposite extremes, all of whom disagree with the position I've outlined above. Some of them are scolding us for thinking Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 actually apply in today's circumstances. The others are berating us for wanting to resume public worship ASAP.Sorry, but in the words of Martin Luther, here I stand. I can do no other. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help us.

I’ve had a crazy response from the email I sent offering our 4-page Profile on The Shack. Over 1,000 people have already downloaded our Profile and I’ve had tons of feedback and shares. With this much buzz, I thought it would be helpful to offer another free resource — this sermon I preached on the […]

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Matthew 18:21 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes sermon on 2nd Kings 6:1-7 you can download the audio here, or if you have a

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on 1st John 4:19 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Revelation 2:19 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Judges 13:11 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you couldn't make it to the revival, or if you want to listen again, you can download the mp3's or stream them from its archive.org page.

Habakkuk 3 2O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercyIf you missed Bro. Mike's sermon on Habakkuk 3 you can down load the mp3, or subscribe to the pod cast in iTunes.

If you missed Bro. Mikes sermon on Matthew 16:13-17 you can download the audio here, or if you have a broadband internet connection you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Exodus 32:26 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Revelation 1:1-3 you can download the audio here, or you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Matthew 26 and the Lords supper, you can download the audio Here, or if you have a broadband internet connection you can stream it from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on Matthew 26 you can download the audio here, or if you have a

If you missed Bro. Mikes sermon on Isaiah 40:28-31 you can download the audio here, or if you have a broadband internet connection you can stream it from this page, or from its archive.org page.

If you missed Bro. Mikes sermon this week you can download the mp3 here, or subscribe to the podcast in itunes.