Entrecard 60k Giveaway Contest

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Entrecard contest banner

Purpose – promote my blog and its contents and have a little fun in the Entrecard community.

Prizes – 50,000 ec + sponsorships

  1. 30,000 ec + 100 RSS via email subscriptions
  2. 10,000 ec + 50 RSS via email subscriptions
  3. 5,000 ec + 25 RSS via email subscriptions
  4. 3,000 ec + 10 RSS via email subscriptions
  5. 2,000 ec + 10 RSS via email subscriptions

Awards for 6-10 based on sponsorships at 1,000 each. Additional sponsorships spread over the 10 places.

Entries:

  1. Post your entry in the comment section below with a working email – 0 points. Required for entry.
  2. 10 points – Post an announcement on your site about this contest with a link to this page.  (Required)
  3. 10 points – Post a short review of Faith and Facts with a link using my blog title as the anchor text.
  4. 10 points – Post a blurb, using part of the title as the anchor text for the link, for any post on this page – https://www.faithandfacts.com/faith-and-facts-promotion/
  5. 10 points – Add Faith and Facts to your blogroll
  6. 5 points – Post a comment on any blog post
  7. 5 points – Subscribe to RSS via email and confirm the subscription.
  8. 2 points – Fave me on Technorati.
  9. 1 point – for each social bookmark that I can confirm, up to a max of 50.

If you have additional suggestions for entries that will promote my blog and be fun for the EC community, send me an email and I will consider it.

Email your entries to faithandfacts [at] gmail.com. Give me the link to your review or bookmark so I can confirm the entry. If you compile all your entries in a single document or spreadsheet (for easy confirmation) I will give you an additional 10 entry points.

Drawing – A points list will be compiled in Excel and winners will be chosen with the assistance of a site like Random.org.

Sponsorships – 1000 EC and you get a permanent dofollow link with a brief description of your site. This page will like gain PR of 2 or 3 and will become a quality link for the sponsor. If you wish to donate a product or service for sponsorship, please contact me for approval.

FAQ:

  1. Sponsors are eligible for all prizes and have no advantage or disadvantage over anyone else.
  2. Twitter counts as a social bookmark. Can someone suggest an easy way to confirm this? Twit any post on the site.
  3. Fine to leave questions or suggestions in the comments below.
  4. You may qualify as a Sponsor and receive a sponsors listing if you offer a qualifying service or product. I have seen sites where sponsors donate cash, web hosting, advertising, premium templates, etc. These require approval by me.

Lithuania’s Hill of Crosses

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Hill of CrossesThere are tens of thousands of crosses planted on a hillside in Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses (Kryžiu Kalnas) is located in northern Lithuania near Šiauliai – the fourth largest city in the country. No one knows for sure why the custom started, but the crosses began appearing in the 14th century. Over the years, pilgrims journeyed there to place their own cross on the hill.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and controlled by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses seems to date from this period and may have risen as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance toward foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression. In 1795, Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914, 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

crosses on a hillAfter being captured by Germany in World War II, the city suffered even more damage when Soviet Russia retook it at the war’s end. From 1944 until Lithuania’s independence in 1991, Siauliai was a part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Soviet era, the pilgrimage to the Hill of Crosses became expression of Lithuanian nationalism. The Soviets repeatedly removed the crosses placed on the hill by Lithuanians.

The hill was leveled three times: during 1961, 1973 and 1975. The crosses were burned or turned into scrap metal, and the area was covered with waste and sewage. Following each of these agonizing experiences local inhabitants and pilgrims from all over Lithuania rapidly replaced crosses upon the sacred hill. In 1985, the Hill of Crosses finally found peace. The reputation of the hill has since spread all over the world and every year it is visited by many thousands of visitors.

The size and variety of crosses is as amazing as their number. Beautifully carved out of wood or sculpted from metal, the crosses range from three meters tall to the countless tiny examples hanging profusely upon the larger crosses.

It is a wonder that the instrument of torture on which Jesus died has become the greatest symbol of Christian hope.

He is Risen.

bible reading faith and facts

Cleaning God’s House

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The story of Jesus cleansing the Temple in John 2:13-16 is often cited as the basis and guide for righteous anger. Jesus was offended that the Priests and Rabbis had insulted God’s House with the traffic of animals and unethical business with money. So, appropriately, Jesus displays righteous anger and overturns the tables and sends the vendors away.

If you take some time to reflect on the passage, you will notice in verse 15 that Jesus makes a whip. If I had to make a whip, it might take me weeks. How long did it take Jesus? 2 minutes?   5 minutes? 20 minutes?

This verse tells me that Jesus did not act hastily and in anger. He had “time to cool off” so to speak; though it is hard for me to imagine the need for God Incarnate to cool down. While Jesus is clearly passionate about the events, He is not out of control. He takes time to make a whip. He gathers the materials and assembles them carefully. He knows the mission and purpose of the next few minutes and He carefully acts to deliver the right message about God’s House.

What message?

God’s House has a plan and a purpose. At that time, it was the place of intercession and prayer. The people needed animals for sacrifice and coins for offerings and taxes. The sin was placing the business enterprise above the spiritual enterprise. The goal of assisting people in their pilgrimage to a proper, redeemed relationship with God had been replaced by the objectives of business. Profit was the motive rather than reconciliation.

John also mentions that it is near Passover. Perhaps this is just a calendar reference to let people know something about the date in the same way a news reporter would today. I think there was more however.

Women the world over are familiar with the discipline of Spring Cleaning. It is likely that this tradition has roots in the Jewish preparation for Passover. Each year, Jewish families would clean, scrub, and launder their houses to rid the home of yeast in preparation for Passover. They were meticulous; even fanatical. Only when every cupboard and closet, every drawer and counter had been swept and dusted (multiple times if needed) would Mom allow them to rest from the labor.

What a contrast. Every Jewish home scrubbed and spotless. But the Temple of God dirty and filled with livestock. God’s Temple has literally been turned into a barn. No wonder Jesus throws everybody out. The Temple needed cleaning both physically and spiritually.

Perhaps you would take time to ask Jesus for cleansing in the temple of your life today.

Faith and Facts Promotion

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Here are 10 popular posts:

Girl Selling Virginity Online

The Real Cost of the Bailout

Bar Stool Economics

Born Alive – Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen

The Fannie Mae Five – Key Players Who Broke the System

Automatic Confession

Top 10 Funny Church Signs

Should we keep In God We Trust?

Cleaning God’s House

Denying the Holocaust

Bailout Costs Will Top $10 Trillion

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Bailout cartoonsA quick note to let everyone know that I have updated some financial figures on “The Real cost of the Bailout.” You will be stunned when you see how this thing is spiraling out of control.

Entrecard Offer

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If you will write a review of my blog, Faith and Facts (www.faithandfacts.com), I will exchange your choice of 500 EC credits or 4 days of display for your ad. Ads are currently selling on my site for 256-512 EC so this is a better option for most. The ads display in the sidebar that is on every page of the site and will have a do-follow link to your site. This offer is limited to the first 100 folks as a test to see how it impacts my pagerank. Rules of the Review: 1. Write 100-200 words to describe your (original) impressions of the topics, themes and general view of the site. If you disagree with some things on the site you are free to say that but please don’t be rude. You might want to talk about the worldview of the author, topics, comments section, design, ease of use, author himself (me), content, style, technical issues, etc. Be original and tell others your view of my site. 2. Must include a do-follow link to my website with the anchor text, Faith and Facts.  A second link with anchor text, Dr. Bruce will get you some extra benefits. 3. Should be a standard post that can scroll off page one but should not be deleted. Images are optional but could get you some swag. 4. To get your free ads, I must approve your site in advance. Doesn’t not have to be in the Christian or news category but there are some I want the ability to exclude. Basically, I will approve any site that is still ‘on the charts.’ To get started, leave a comment or send me an email and we can get started. Blessings, Dr.B

Girl Selling Virginity Online

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Natalie Dylan is selling her virginity via online auction.

The Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada, the brothel that is arranging and hosting the deal, is especially gung-ho about Dylan. “Natalie is a virgin and would like to sell this priceless and rare commodity in a very exclusive and private setting,” says Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof.

While any reasonable person should question the commodity’s rarity, more than 10,000 bidders have stepped forward to bid for Dylan’s … ah … purity.  If the Bunny Ranch’s owner is to be believed, someone has offered $3.7 million.

What does the feminist community have to say about this outrageous exploitation of this young girl? Not much so far.  Searching Google yields only the faintest and infrequent article suggesting that a feminist is uncomfortable with this sexploitation. I, for one, am nearly speechless.

My friend Sarah is a reliable monitor of Feminism from a Christian perspective. She writes,

The lack of moral outrage by feminism doesn’t surprise me as contemporary feminism has discarded the good it once represented in order to promote a completely unfettered lifestyle. Women are free to be exploited themselves, and this is somehow empowering. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that by creating a culture where women’s bodies, eggs, and chastity are up for sale, ‘created’ is a pleasant (euphemism) for human trafficking. There is no need for restraint in a world where individuals willingly put a price tag on what is priceless.

What about the FBI? What about the police? Can the FTC do anything? No. No. and No.

Legal experts seem agreed that this is a First Amendment issue. Since prostitution is legal in Nevada, the services may be advertised in areas where it would be illegal so long as the service is performed in a state where it is legal. (I feel a little dirty just writing that sentence.)

One does not have to a prude or a stereotypical Puritan to take offense at this advertisement. Let us call this what it is; Sex for Sale. Whether to pay for college or perform some perverted socialogical experiment, tolerating such behaviour can only harm future generations of young women.

Happy New Year 2009

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Merry Xmas 2008

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Keeping Christ in Xmas

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I have been using my own special shorthand since Middle School. I sign emails as well as letters with just an initial rather than my name. In Seminary, the volume of note-taking became massive and I developed a theological shorthand. Xn = Christian, X = Christ, and Xty = Christianity. God = a Greek theta (which I cannot display on my blog). The list of theological abbreviations grew quite large by the time I completed two degrees.

In the original language of the New Testament, Christ starts with the letter Chi which looks like our X. Early Christians used the symbol of a fish to identify one another. Why a fish? Fish in Greek is Ichthus, which makes a nifty acronym for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” (Iesous Christos, Theou Uios, Soter)

So, I have always written Christmas as Xmas. I tried to shorten it to MC but people kept asking me about a rapper from long ago. Therefore, Merry Xmas still prevails.

This seemingly innocent abbreviation has gotten some really bad press over the years. Folks with too much time (and so-called spirituality) have sounded off on the practice repeatedly. It has always been a bit amusing to me how and why people get so worked up over the practice. Especially given the fact that I had never been the target of such a tirade. Until now that is.

In an online text message with a social networking site that shall remain nameless, I have made an enemy for life. I have left Christ out of Xmas. I should be flogged, disbarred, and ex-communicated. I should immediately return my Seminary degrees and forfeit my ordination papers. Bad preacher. I have left Christ out of Christmas by using Xmas.

Can we be honest for just a second? I have difficulty when someone decries my uses of Xmas while maxing out their credit cards at Christmas. When they wrap their house in lights, erect a tree, sing about the season, bake cookies, have a feast, entertain the children, go on a hayride, skip work and generally have a social orgy while ignoring the birth of Jesus, I get more than a bit steamed.

While I have indeed left Christ out of Xmas linguistically, our family never omits the far more important aspect of Christmas. Christmas is not, “all about the children.” It is more than “Season’s Greetings” we should be discussing. Christmas is not about Santa, Frosty or even Rudolf. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus so that He may deliver us from sin. Increasingly, the festivities of the holidays mask and even displace the true meaning of Christmas. Families are so busy buying more than they can afford for their children, they forget to teach the essential truths of the Christmas Story.

So in our family, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We give gifts to Kingdom causes that are sacrificial and meaningful. We have reduced our own gift giving year after year so that the true meaning of Christmas would not be muffled.

Merry Xmas,

Dr.B