We in the United States enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving Day with brethren, family and friends. Last Sabbath, Mr. Richard Ames expounded on the meaning of thanksgiving during his sermon at Headquarters. Mr. and Mrs. Rod McNair have returned to Charlotte after visiting brethren and regional offices in the Caribbean. They were delighted with the West Indies. As for Dr. Winnail, he left Charlotte on Tuesday for a two-week trip that will include visits to South Africa and Kenya. He will return home via the United Kingdom, where he will lead a regional ministerial conference. But before leaving, he recorded his last lecture of the semester for his Old Testament Survey Living University class. Today, Mr. Ames likewise recorded his last lecture of the semester. Dr. Meredith continues to encourage us with his hard work; he will soon be starting on this month’s co-worker letter.  This week he also selected, after consulting several of us, the cover for the January-February 2009 issue of the Tomorrow’s World magazine. This issue is going to be impacting. It will grab people’s attention. It deals with current hot-topics relevant to not only the recent American Presidential election, but also to the very serious present world financial crisis and to the prophetic signs for the Middle-East and elsewhere. We all need God’s inspiration and protection during these most trying times.

 

This Sunday, December 7, will mark the start of our four-week trial on the CNBC network in Europe, which will air our Tomorrow’s World telecast across Europe and the Middle East. This could be the biggest door God has opened for us yet outside the United States.

 

 

The Kansas City congregation will be holding its annual Regional Family Weekend on December 27-28.  Among the activities on Saturday will be a Sabbath-morning Bible study, services, a covered-dish meal, and a family social including a dance, card tournament, children’s activities and plenty of opportunities for fellowship.  If you are planning to attend, please register soon on the Kansas City congregation website, www.lcgkc.org.  Once there, click on “Announcements” at the bottom of the page, then on “Event Announcements,” then on “Kansas City Regional Family Weekend.”  Visit the website for information on accommodations, location, times of events, sign-up forms, payment and more. 

 

Because of the costs involved with this weekend and getting a newer, larger facility, participants should pre-pay for the event.  The cost will be $5 per person and $25 maximum per family.  For payment method information, again, visit the website www.lcgkc.org. If you have any other questions concerning the weekend, please contact Michael Keesee at 816-847-5635 or e-mail him at mkeesee@cerner.com. We look forward to hosting you once again for this fun family weekend!

Kenyan Elder Simon Muthama reports: The Work in East Africa continues to bear fruit. We are receiving more and more visit request as time goes on. God is giving us more new members in Kenya and in Tanzania. After the Fall Holy Days, we have received several visit requests in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda than ever before. In Mombasa, we have a “new” family who were members of Worldwide. They learned about us through the Tomorrow’s World magazine, which they got from a friend. As the Work continues to sharpen its focus, five groups in Kenya (i.e., Nairobi, Ndhiwa, Sultan Hamud, Embu, and Kosele) have begun studying the Living Leadership Course every Sabbath…

We all make mistakes, but we often cover them with excuses. Perhaps we didn’t consider our mistakes to be too serious. Perhaps we misunderstood what we were supposed to be doing. Oftentimes we justify ourselves by putting the blame on someone else.  Such reasoning pleases the carnal mind. Blaming others for our own shortcomings is very easy and tempting. We do it at home, we do it at work, we do it in public life, and we sometimes even do it in the Church.

 

This tendency began with Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve, and she blamed the serpent who, actually, is the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 20:10). Throughout the Bible, we can find many such examples. For instance, when Aaron was confronted by Moses for allowing the Israelites to build the golden calf, he put the blame on the people (Exodus 32:22). When King Saul disobeyed God’s order to annihilate the Amalekites, he justified himself by shifting the blame to those under him (1 Samuel 15:21). Esau did not take responsibility for having lost his birthright blessing (Genesis 27:41).

 

As the end of this age approaches, Satan’s influence is becoming stronger. We must resist him. Instead of blaming each other, we need to grow closer and closer to God.  As brethren in Christ, we must work together, hand in hand, without looking for excuses to cover our shortcomings or justifying ourselves. By so doing, we will continue to grow in grace and in knowledge, as the Apostle Peter exhorts us, under God’s inspiration (2 Peter 3:18).

 

Have a wonderful Sabbath,

Dibar Apartian

 

 

United Nations Finance Meeting Calls for International Regulation.This week, the United Nations held an international finance meeting in Doha, Qatar. Held seven years after a similar meeting in Mexico, the Doha Conference focused on stemming the rising world economic storm. The final conference report calls for “accepting international [finance] rules and commitments,” although the recommendation was couched in wording that allows nations to “choose” this course. To combat corruption among developing and developed nations, the Conference called upon all nations to develop “effective legal and judicial systems and enhanced [fiscal] transparency”—allowing international bodies to clearly review domestic financial policy and records. Specifically, the UN wants all nations to adopt their Convention Against Corruption, and align domestic financial policy with this UN document. The UN is also “welcoming the ongoing international discussions on global economic governance structures—bodies that will overlook and regulate international trade and trade laws” ultimately this will direct “domestic” fiscal policy (UN.org, December 2, 2008). As the UN calls for increasing international control of domestic fiscal policy, its increasingly popular ideas will likely impact how we do business in our own nations—slowly eroding our financial sovereignty. God warned Israel, “…Those who hate you shall reign over you…” (Leviticus 26:17). Could financial regulation be one way that the enemies of the Israelite-descended nations rule over them? Time will certainly tell.

 

Global Recession Causing Further Division. “The financial crisis that began with a U.S. housing market collapse last year has already knocked most of Europe and Japan into recession, and the United States officially joined the club on Monday,” according to Nigel Gault, the chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. Japan is lowering lending rates. China, the U.S. and Europe are cutting manufacturing. Not only is the U.S. talking “bailout” and “economic stimulus packages,” but so is all of Europe, except for Germany. In a vitriolic response to her European neighbors’ economic bailout efforts, German Chancellor Merkel recently commented, “We will not take part in a competition to outdo one another with an endless list of new proposals, in a senseless contest over billions [of Euros]… French President Nicolas Sarkozy criticized Merkel’s lukewarm reaction last week, saying: ‘While France is working, Germany is thinking’” (Reuters, December 1, 2008). As stress often brings out the worst in individuals, stressful times can heighten confrontation between nations and leaders. This world financial crisis appears to reinforce God’s prediction about the “iron and clay” of the European Union loosely binding their tenuous relationship—encouraging each other on one hand and criticizing each other on the other hand (see Daniel 2:33, 41-43). Yet one more sign of the end times.

 

Children Are Increasingly Without Ethics. “In the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards.” Soberingly, “The survey found that 35 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls—30 percent overall—acknowledged stealing from a store within the past year. One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23 percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative.” Even with the high rates of cheating and stealing, “93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that ‘when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know,’ highlighting virtual ignorance of foundational moral standards (MSNBC, November 30, 2008). God commanded ancient Israel to teach His righteous ways to their children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 4:7-10) that they would learn to fear Him. Today, children are not being taught. In modern so-called “Christian” nations, the Law is said to have been “nailed to the cross” and analysts are perplexed by plunging moral standards. De Tocqueville once observed that “America is great because America is good.” As America ceases to be good, its greatness is fading—and this is increasingly evident among our generations.—Scott Winnail