About Advent

http://christianity.about.com/od/christmas/tp/allaboutadvent.htm

Advent!

http://www.accuradio.com/holidays/

pro-life

"Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it."
Henry David Thoreau

Peter & Sashenka at Kristi & Michael's wedding in August 2008

what was read at the pastors' prayer breakfast this morning

1CO 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:
1CO 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1CO 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1CO 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."
1CO 1:13 Is Christ divided?

SA in Estonia

I just read this, "In Estonia, the Salvation Army will have been in operation for 14 years next year (1927-1940 and 1995-)" and it really blew me away! We are basically at the point now, where we have been here in Estonia this second time longer than we were the first time!

Hercule Poirot is a Christian!

"There is nothing in the world so damaged, that it cannot be repaired by the hand of Almighty God." -- Hercule Poirot

winter

Winter has *finally* come to Estonia! We usually have had our first snowfall by now:

http://tartu.blogspot.com/2004/10/first-snow.html

http://tartu.blogspot.com/2005/10/first-snow.html

http://chrischronicles.blogspot.com/2006/11/snow.html

http://kopli8.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanksgiving.html

We're still waiting for the snow that we keep hearing predicted. But today it was literally freezing -- 0 degrees (that's 32 for you folks in America) -- and so I declare that winter is officially here!

Christopher has been enjoying snow at Houghton College already, and we are getting quite jealous!

Susan says that it's 65 degrees in New Jersey, and that's just wrong. Very weird.

Have I told you lately that I love it here?

Evelyn

international, interactive quiz

http://www.santamariadelpueblito.org/saintpaul.htm

Advent calendar

http://www.smmp.com/Advent/Advent.php

hat tip: http://www.ismckenzie.com/

what I mean when I say "natukene"!!!

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/11/09/115-promising-to-learn-a-new-language/

is this what it looks like at Houghton today?

today is Fathers' Day in Estonia! Head Isadepäeva!

http://persecutedchurch.blogspot.com/2007/06/faith-of-our-fathers.html

friendship gives a glimpse of the kind of love that Christ has for us

“You and I are separated by a great distance, but I appreciate your friendship. And I don’t see you as often as I would like to. I would rather be just sitting here … and just talking to you, but I know, in our friendship, that there’s great love there. And I can make a list of people around the world that, by God’s mercy, I’ve become friends with. But we’re separated in distance. See, there’s that distinction. I know that those friends would be there for me, and I’m there for you, because of our friendship. And that’s an analogy of this love of Christ…. All my best friends are way away; they’re all separated by miles from me…. We’ll be separated by distance, but I know that that friendship is real. And I can be affirmed by that friendship, knowing that even though we’re separated by distance, in reality I’m uplifted by the love of that friendship…. There’s such great value in that. And if you can realize and appreciate that friendship, and what that means and how strong that should be, then you can get a glimpse of the kind of love that Christ has for us.”

Marcus Grodi,
speaking with Dr. Thomas Howard
about Romans 8:35-39,
on the October 29th, 2008,
“Deep in Scripture” radio program

thoughts for Election Day

Romans 8:35-39

35 What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or the sword?

36 As it is written: "For your sake we are being slain
all the day; we are looked upon as
sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor
present things, nor future things, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be
able to separate us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tartu, ma igetsen Sind ikka!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/europe/article5036732.ece

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Mt 5:43-46
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your
enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his
sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on
the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you,
what recompense will you have?”

Reflection
Who are my enemies? How do I love them?
How do I live up to the definition Jesus provides for living
a Christian lifestyle, a life of Christian love?

Prayer
God of peace,
Give us the courage
to be reconciled with our neighbors, our enemies.
Give us the vision
to truly see what it means to be a Christian
so that peace and justice may rule in our world.
Amen.

science and faith

Two of the greatest geniuses of our time: Stephen Hawking and Pope Benedict.