This week’s Wednesday News & Views is dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press. With Gutenberg’s development of the printing press in 1450, mass production of written materials became a reality. Books could now be produced and sold by the multiple thousands, a radical departure from what had been the norm. By 1500, printing presses in Europe had produced more than 20 million volumes. Interestingly, the first book to be printed was a Latin language of the Bible in Germany. In the century to come the Bible would be translated into the languages of common people and the printing press would make copies of those translations available on a scale never previously imagined. This phenomenon unleashed a reformation that changed the world…and the church. Believers were no longer dependent on ritual, stained glass windows, and often corrupt priests to know what God had revealed. They could now read it for themselves…in their own copy of the Bible. Move forward 500 years and the Bible is now available in nearly 2,500 languages. About 100 million copies are sold in America each year. Those of you reading this blog likely own more than one copy. The key is not how many copies you own, but how often you read it and do you pattern your life after it. I fear that with access to God’s word being so easy, there is a tendency to take it for granted. Yet I am thankful for its availability and dedicate today’s blog to the German goldsmith and business man who invented the printing press…Johannes Gutenberg.
Now to the News & Views:
President Obama recognizes Baltimore Ravens for winning Super Bowl. Here is the rest of the story. Teams that win major sports championships (World Series, Super Bowl, NCAA Basketball, etc.) in America each year are traditionally honored at the White House. So on June 5 the Ravens attended a White House ceremony. However one key player did not attend…by choice. Six-time Pro Bowl center Matt Birk chose not to attend the ceremony because of comments made by President Obama in support of Planned Parenthood. A pro-life Roman Catholic and father of six, Birk said his decision stemmed from the president’s speech to Planned Parenthood’s national conference in April. At the close of his remarks, Obama said, “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America.” Planned Parenthood is the country’s leading abortion provider, performing nearly 334,000 abortions in the most recent year for which statistics are available. “I would say that I have great respect for the office of the presidency, but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood,'” Birk told radio station KFAN-FM, according to The Baltimore Sun. Birk continued, “I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way. I’m very confused by [Obama’s] statement. For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”
“I can’t keep track of all the people you hate anymore!” While vacationing at the beach, my daughter Jacqueline and I were buying groceries when we overheard two young ladies talking. One of them was upset and complaining loudly enough to be heard by anyone nearby. After a moment, her friend responded sternly with the statement that starts this paragraph. I breathed a prayer for this young adult because I’ve seen way too many people waste their life being mad and holding grudges. It even happens at church and in supposedly Christian families. If you happen to be one of those persons, I would remind you that love and forgiveness make for a much better life. I think Jesus said a few things about this subject.
Missionaries from around the world are coming to FBC. Our Impact Missions Conference is scheduled for September 25-29, so put the dates on your calendar and plan to attend. A special time of praying for the conference and our guest missionaries will happen Sunday evening, August 25 @ 5:00 pm in the worship center. Join us for the powerful evening of seeking God and His anointing.
If you like to laugh, this is for you. We’ve all misspoken before, sometimes in a way that was pretty funny. So I think you’ll get kick out of this list I came across. Here are some humorous and not-so-intelligent comments made by well-known athletes. Read and laugh.
- ”Left hand, right hand, it doesn’t matter. I’m amphibious.” – former NC State basketball player Charles Shackleford.
- ”I enjoyed the Luge.” – Michael Jordan on his visit to Paris.
- ”We’re not attempting to circumcise rules.” – former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
- “Don’t say I don’t get along with my teammates. I just don’t get along with some of the guys on the team.” – NFL, IFL player Terrell Owens.
- ”Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” – sportscaster and former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann.
- ”My career was sputtering until I did a 360 and got headed in the right direction.” – NBA basketball star Tracy McGrady.
- ”Sure we make a lot of money, but we spend a lot, too.” – Patrick Ewing during the 1988-89 NBA lockout.
Pastor Steve Hogg
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