Pastors Say Shoot Me, Instead of Convicts

Wow. What powerful tweets and statements made by pastors and Christian Church leaders around the world!

Last month, when it was discovered that officers in Miami were using mug shots of convicts for target practice,
Pastors across the globe responded by posting photos of themselves
using the hashtag #UseMeInstead in target practice.

Here's an example of a picture one pastor took of herself and tweeted:

It really brings home some strong messages from the Bible:

"The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
- Psalm 9:9

And..

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
- John 15:13

The officers who had used the photos of the convicts probably thought that it was 'ok',
assuming that people-in-jail deserve the worst for their crimes,
and should lose their dignity anyways.

But as the pastors' proved: there's something so forgiving about the grace of Christ.

And its humbling to see that these pastors would post a picture of themselves,
asking officers to shoot their picture,
instead of shooting pictures of murderers, criminals, terrorists, fraudsters, crooks,
rapists, and burglars.

What a profound message of Christ's love and forgiveness, portrayed by these pastors.

Kudos for showing a GREAT example of the Christian heart and God's unconditional love.

Where does God live?

A teacher asked her young students: "Where does God live?",
to hear their insights.

Student 1: God lives in Heaven.

Student 2: God lives with Jesus.

Student 3: God lives with the Holy Spirit.

Student 4: God lives in my bathroom at home.

Teacher: Huh?! Why do you think that?

Student 4: Because every morning before going to school,
My sister knocks on the bathroom door going:
"My God, are you still in there?"  :)

Christian Juno Award 2015 Nominees (Mar 15 '15 at First Ontario Center in Hamilton)

Last night (Feb 8), Lecrae and For King and Country took home some Grammy Awards!

Well, next month, the Canadian version of the Grammy's (The Juno's) will be presented
in Hamilton on March 15th.  Let's see which Canadian Christians were nominated...


CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR JUNO NOMINEES 2015


Introducing Chelsea Amber - Chelsea Amber - Independent*David C. Cook

 

 

Analog Love in Digital Times - Drew Brown - Independent

The Moment - Manafest - Manafest Productions*Fontana North

VIP - Manic Drive - Bema Media*David C. Cook

The Joy - Tim Neufeld - Independent*David C. Cook

We'll see who wins next month at the First Ontario Center in Hamilton! :)

Source: http://junoawards.ca/2015-juno-awards/

Finding Out Family History on Google- WOW! Try it!

I am super amazed at how the internet can trace our family roots.

Absolutely. Amazed.

Here's a classic example of how it served me well this week.

I decided to do a Google Search of my great grandfather's name,
and Ta-da!  It appeared on ancestor.com.

My Great Grandfather is William Fred Mueller, an American Soldier who
served in the Philippines during the War with Spain in 1900-1902.

I found his certificate ONLINE this past week:

Ok... so you're probably wondering.... how do you know if this is REALLY your great grandfather, and not some random guy..? (who just-so-happens to have the exact same name as your great grandpa in the Philippines)? 

Coz it lists my GRANDMA as his daughter... that's how I know.

His daughter is My Great Grandma Louisa Mueller Ocampo (passed away in Philippines).
Louisa's daughter is My Grandma Mimi Ocampo Barrera (lives in Vancouver now)
And then comes my Mom, Lia Barrera, (who also lives in BC today)
And then me:  Maria Barrera Lopez (here in Barrie!)

If you look closely at the certificate, it says that my Great Grandpa was born in
Quincy Illinois 1897,  but passed away in Manila, Philippines in 1955. 
(I had no idea my grandpa was American!!!)

My great grandma Louisa was living with him at the time of his death,
and had to send telegrams to his brothers living in Morocco, Virginia, and California. (Really?!)

Pretty interesting stuff... to me anyways.

AMAZED at the family history we can dig up from Google!

As soon as I found this out, I texted my Mom and Grandma in Vancouver and asked if all this stuff was true, and they said YES it was, and immediately after, they told me about the "love story" of how my great great grandpa and great great grandma met, and how they got married...

Maybe YOU should try google'ing your Grandparents names sometime,
and perhaps you too, can find a little bit more about your family's history! :)