Should Christians Smoke?

Which killed more people in the U.S. this year?

Hurricanes or Smoking?

You don't have to smoke like this to die from it

LONDON (Reuters) - Smokers who believe a few cigarettes a day don't do any harm will need to think again.

Norwegian scientists who studied the health records of 43,000 men and women have shown that even light smoking -- less than five cigarettes daily -- triples the risk of dying of heart disease or lung cancer.

"In both sexes, smoking 1-4 cigarettes per day was associated with a significantly higher risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease and from all causes, and from lung cancer in women," said Dr Aage Tverdal of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo.

The study was published in the journal Tobacco Control. The researchers tracked the health and death records and smoking habits of the men and women, who had been screened for heart disease at the start of the study, from the 1970s to the 2002.

They found very little difference in the risk of dying from cancer, apart from lung cancer. Men who were light smokers were about three times more likely to die of lung cancer than non-smokers.

In women the risk rose to five times higher. The dangers of smoking are well documented. Previous research has shown that smokers die on average 10 years earlier than non-smokers but stopping, even in middle age, can halve the risk.

It is also a risk factor for heart disease and stroke and raises the odds of developing age-related macular degeneration which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Tverdal and his colleague Dr Kjell Bjartveit, of the National Health Screening Service in Oslo and a co-author of the study, said health officials must emphasize more strongly that light smokers are also endangering their health.

1 Corinthains 10:23 "Everything is permissible"— but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"— but not everything is constructive.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

1 Corinthians 3:17 "If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple."

1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me"— but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"— but I will not be mastered by anything."

Psalms 69:1-36 (Katrina Pics)

To Hear More About Hurricane Rita click here for NOAA Report: http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/weather/noaaradio.ram

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.

For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.

May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.

May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

The theories about the Hurricanes are geting more and more wacked. Was it global warming, Russian Military, Japanese Mafia getting even for Pearl Harbor, George Bush, or Aliens? All the wacked theories abound. Read more here:

http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/local/news05.txt

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article314510.ece

http://www.weatherwars.info/

www.journalnet.com/articles/2005/03/06/opinion/opinion04.txt

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/ap_on_sc/rita_wishful_thinking

Do not forget to take time to pray for Rita to not hit the cost of the United States. Let's pray this storm away.

A message from Crowley, LA

Those of you have been reading our blog daily are familiar with Forest Park Church of Christ in Crowley, LA (www.forestparkchurch.org) which has been instrumental in helping the displaced evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. Though untouched by Katrina themselves they feed hundreds of evacuees and given out supplies to untold numbers of victims. Above is a map of all the locations they have sent help to as they coordinated efforts in two states.

Now they themselves are in danger from Hurricane Rita. Please be in prayer for their safety. I am praying that Rita will downgrade and totally dissipate. Please join me in that prayer. Below is a letter from Michelle Corder the preacher’s wife. Take a few minutes and hold them up in prayer.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be sending e-mails until after Hurricane Rita passes. I don't know how many of you are following the news but we are supposed to be on the west side of where it hits, which is the worst side, and they are predicting it to be a level 4 in our area. I'm not sure if we will be evacuating out of the town but we are for sure leaving our home as it is a trailer house and is also in a high risk flooding area.

Jason and I might go to the church and wait it out there. We might also be able to stay in the Bell South storm shelter if they have room for us. A couple of members in the church work there so they are checking into it for us. I might head north to stay with family but have not decided yet. Jason will more than likely stay here. Right now I'm going to pack up things that cannot be replaced and pack up clothes to take. At least I know how to kind of prepare for it after helping all theevacueesees from the last hurricane.

The only thing I'm truly worried about is my piano because we don't have insurance on any of our belongings and it would be hard to replace. I just keep telling myself it's only a material object and even if I can't get one as nice I'll someday have another piano.

To all of you who may be wondering what we're doing with the supplies we haven't dispersed yet, especially from the truck we received yesterday. We have everything stored in the fellowship hall and have closed until after the storm.

All of the volunteers wanted to get home and get things packed up. Some of them live in the areas that are being mandatory evacuated. As soon as this storm is over and I am able I will send an e-mail to let ya'll know how we all fared.

God Bless,
Michelle Corder
(Jason's wife/secretary)

Everyone Needs To Repent Not Just New Orleans

Was This Person A Worse Sinner Than You?

There was the idea in Jesus day that if something bad happened to you it had to be a curse from God because of some sin that you or your parents committed (See John 9:2) They would look down their nose on anyone on whom a disaster fell, and believe that they were better than the person who had experienced the tragedy because nothing had happened to them.

There are two baseless assumptions people often make:

#1 That all bad things were punishment for sin. The book of Job proves that wrong. Sometimes hardships are allowed to demonstrate God's power and work in our lives (See John 9:3). Sometimes it is discipline to train us to be better people (see Hebrews 12:10). Sometimes it is punishment for sin from God.

#2 That other people are worse than us and deserve punishment and we don't. But the Bible teaches that we all have sinned (see Romans 3:23) and we all deserve death (see Romans 6:23). Therefore, we will all be judged for what we have done while in our bodies (see 2 Corinthians 5:10) and we all need to repent to be saved from our sins (see Acts 17:30).

Jesus addressed this ignorant attitude in Luke Chapter 13. There were people assuming that some others were worse sinners because some bad things had befallen them. Jesus warned them of their misunderstanding.

Luke 13:2-5 "Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

There are people pointing out today how wicked and perverse New Orleans was and inferring that God destroyed them because they were worse than us. They believe Biloxi was flattened for it's Casinos but that they are safe. I think that attitude flies in the face of what Jesus taught in Luke 13. Yes, New Orleans may have been destoryed for her many sins. Many a city and nation in the Bible was destroyed for such sins as New Orleans commits. However, are we any better in the midwest?

My guess is that if Jesus were to preach to those today who are tempted to feel more righteous than those suffering from disasters he might say something like:

Do you think that these people in New Orleans were worse sinners than all the other American's because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those 3000 who died when the twin towers fell on them, do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in New York? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

We all need to repent of our sins and prepare ourselves to stand before the judgment of God. We have sinned to and need to turn to Jesus to find salvation and forgiveness.

Go here to learn more: http://christiancontender.org/what_must.htm

For more pictures of Katrina Damage go here: http://scripturist.org/2005_08_28_archive.html

Have You Been Praying?

James 4:2 "You do not have, because you do not ask God."

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."

Pray for the people in the path of Rita

The Exodus From Texas

We need to be praying for the people in the path of Hurricane Rita. Meanwhile, this is a letter from a preacher in Crowley, LA with an update on helping victims of Katrina.

Hello from LA, Sept. 20, 2005


Your alarm clock rings out a piercing squeal as you open your eyes to another day; you roll over and pick yourself off the floor where you spent your night of rest. You walk to the window pull up the blinds and throw some morning light on your dwelling. Four freshly painted walls stare back at you, a few clothes and a sleeping bag your only possessions lie in a heap on the floor. Yet you are very thankful because you’re out of the shelter and somewhat on your own. This is the scenario in which we are currently working. The phase “I lost everything” is heard hundreds of times a day as pictures and stories bear witness to the real loss many people are experiencing. Their desperation reignites our desire to do as much as we can to help these displaced people. This disaster knows no cultural or economic barriers as the media might like for us to believe. A few days ago I visited with a lady who owns three homes in the New Orleans area and was forced to sign up for food stamps. Her local banks assets were frozen until such time as sufficient records were recovered from their flooded systems to satisfy the regulatory agencies. People who were working three good jobs in the area now have none and are attempting to start again, without tools, paperwork, and other necessities we often take for granted.
I believe I am currently experiencing four of the busiest weeks of my entire life. The Church members here at Forest Park are all working together to pull this relief effort off, and with your generous help we’ve been able to brighten many lives that were devastated. As of this afternoon we have helped nearly fifty families with the necessities they needed to start housekeeping in their new homes. They are financially exhausted trying to secure housing, paying the startup costs, not to mention replacing vehicles lost in the widespread flooding. In addition to these few families hundreds have come to get basic supplies they need for themselves as well as their families.

I cannot thank you enough for all your generous efforts in helping us to assist those in this time of great need. As time permits we are updating the website, http://www.forestparkchurch.org/ , to include more info on our relief efforts. Slideshows of the people we are helping as well as pictures of some of you who made the trek to LA are available as well as new links every day.

Please continue to pray for God’s work here that his name might be praised, and a great work spiritually can be done among these people as well.

Working together for our Lord,
Jason Corder
Forest Park Church of Christ
www.forestparkchurch.org

The Bible For Dummies

Have you heard about what the Anglican Church is doing to the Bible?

"LONDON (AFP) - Business folk are used to reading executive summaries of important documents, and now would-be Christians are to have the same privilege, in the form of a chopped-down Bible that can be read in under two hours.

A Church of England vicar was on Wednesday unveiling his self-styled "100-Minute Bible", an ultra-condensed edition of the Christian holy book which claims to neatly summarize every teaching from the Creation to the Revelation.

The Reverend Michael Hinton was launching his work at Canterbury Cathedral in southern England, the headquarters of the Anglican Church. Publishers the 100-Minute Press say the book has been written for those who want to know more about Christianity but who do not have the time to read the original in full."

The problem with the 100-minute Bible will be the same as the problems with creeds of old. When ever anyone tries to boil down and condense God's word, they inevitably leave something important out.

When men alter the word, they will "summarize" it until it says what they want. The only way to know the will of God is to read the Bible and understand it in it's entirety. This 100-minute Bible will clearly show the prejudices of the theological beliefs of it's authors rather than be a true representation of the will of God revealed through inspired authors.

If God's will could have be boiled down to 100 minutes, God would have aready done that. Evidently every word in the Bible is important because the Bible ends by saying.....

Revelation 22:18-19 "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

Taking words away from the Bible might not be a good idea in light of the above final warning from Jesus at the end of the Scriptures. Look, if you are to busy to read the Bible, you are just too busy. This is not just some other book. This is the Word of God!

If you don't make time to find out God's will and how to receive the gift of eternal life, you have a serious priority problem. Anyone looking for the "quick and easy way" to build faith and follow God will NEVER find him because he calls us to "pick up your cross daily and follow me." The cross is not quick and easy and neither is the road to spiritual growth. People who need a 100-minute Bible might want to pick up the other book they are sure to need, "A New Comers Guide to Hell."

Three Reasons To Pray For Those In The South

It's a sin not to pray for others

1 Samuel 12:23 "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you."

People of Faith Pray for Others in Danger

Genesis 18:20-33 "Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing— to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

Prayer Is Powerful & Effective

James 5:16-18 "...prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

Three More Reasons To Pray

Find out how you can help by going to these sites

http://www.mcchurricanerelief.org/

http://www.forestparkchurch.org/

www.ides.org

Beauty is Fleeting

Marry a girl for her godliness not her looks because if you marry a woman with only outer beauty and not inner beauty soon you will be bound to a woman with neither.

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

1 Timothy 2:9 "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety"

1 Peter 1:24 "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF."

Ezekiel 16:15 "But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his."

Proverbs 11:22 "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion."

Work Teams Go To Help Clean UP

Click here to know the latest on how you can help vicitms of Katrina.

http://www.mcchurricanerelief.org/

Last week was a very productive week. Men from Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana and West Virginia were here for most of the week and made a lot of people very happy. These men (angels)? were truly amazing. They cleaned trees from at least 15 yards and would hardly stop to eat or sleep. Some had many large trees down. Some still had big trees on roofs of houses. One of the men got our refrig/freezer back into operation and rigged up the aerator on our septic system. Also got generators going at Slidell church so there could be power and water for cleanup there. A special thanks to Kevin and his big WonderValley tree eatin tractor from the camp in Salem, In. Kevin estimates he moved enough trees to have built 24 Habitat Houses. Anybody out there want to set up a portable sawmill.

Seems such a waste of good lumber to cut up all these trees and take them to the landfill.The Crossroads Christian Church in Arlington Texas sent over two busloads of men. They worked eight hours yesterday and accomplished much. Especially notable was the mucking out of the Slidell Church building. Those men were able to remove all of the damaged sheetrock from the lower 4-6 feet of the walls. The elder/minister of the church, Bill Read, is there today putting Chlorox on the studs.

People are coming by the church to say thanks. More and more are coming by and asking "if this is the church that helps people?" The lady who first made that statement is fortunate to be alive. A tree came through her ceiling and spiked her mattress next to her while she was in bed. Finally after three weeks the tree is off her roof and out of her bedroom.

A new group of 15 men have arrived today. Another group of 30 tomorrow. I think these men are from Missouri and Ohio. I think we may also have some supplies being delivered from Tennessee. I must get down to the church and catch up on what is going on!A church in Shreveport is trying to locate and rent for us a storage pod. We can't get any locally. (Thanks Gary)

I understand someone is bringing an ice machine. Ice is available in stores but traffic is gridlocked and it could take hours to get there and back. There are many still without power and it will be helpful to have the machine set up at church for any who needs it.

I hope somehow to properly recognize and thank all these volunteers and all those who want to come and all those who are donating money and supplies. Joe Major is scheduling groups (his cell phone is 985 778-1096)