David sighed, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest” (Ps. 55:6). As for me, I’d build a cabin in the Sawtooths, or take a permanent post in a fire-lookout tower. When life weighs on me, I too yearn to fly away and be at rest.
David wrote freely about his circumstances: Violence, oppression, and strife surrounded him on all sides, stirred up by the disloyalty of an old friend (55:8-14). Fear and terror, pain and trembling, anxiety and restlessness overwhelmed him (vv.4-5). Is it any wonder he longed to fly away?
But escape was impossible. He could not evade his lot. He could only give his circumstances to God: “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (vv.16-17).
Whatever our circumstances—a burdensome ministry, a difficult marriage, joblessness, or a deep loneliness—we can give them to God. He has lifted the burden of our sins; will He not lift the weight of our sorrows? We have trusted Him with our eternal souls; can we not entrust our present circumstances to Him? “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (55:22).
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by. —Oatman
Because God cares about us, we can leave our cares with Him.
Becoming a Victoria’s Secret “angel” is a big deal in the modeling industry — but it wasn’t enough for Kylie Bisutti to forget her Heavenly Father.
The 21-year-old model recently decided to leave one of America’s most well-known lingerie companies because showing off her body left her feeling convicted.
“I’m definitely going to pursue modeling, I just want to be more wholesome about it,” Bisutti said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America. The jobs that I choose are going to be honoring the Lord,” she added.
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.
The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.
Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.
According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.
Houston, whose hits included "The Greatest Love of All," died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.
Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday's night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly -- including a tribute to the singer.
The entertainer recently returned to a movie set for "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It is scheduled be released nationwide in August, according to Sony Pictures. It was her first movie role since 1996's "The Preacher's Wife."
News of her death elicited a flood of reaction from fans and fellow celebrities alike.
Singer Aretha Franklin said, "I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston's mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown)."
Dolly Parton, who wrote "I Will Always Love You," said, "mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"
Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was "absolutely heartbroken" by the news. "She was a true original and a talent beyond compare," he said.
Houston's body of work included a string of Billboard No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "The Greatest Love of All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."
Billboard put her soundtrack to the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard" as one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time. She also starred in the film with Kevin Costner. The soundtrack included the hit,"I Will Always Love You."
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey.
Famed music producer Clive Davis reportedly spotted Houston 20 years later in a New York nightclub, signing her on the spot, according to her website. Davis steered Houston's career for more than 25 years, also serving as a mentor.
Just Thursday, Davis told CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" that, with Houston, "I saw a depth and a range and soul ... that rarely ranks at the top level. And that's why we've been working together ever since."
The singer's rendition of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, days into the first Persian Gulf War, earned raves and cemented her place in the American musical landscape.
After "The Bodyguard," Houston went on to appear in several more films in the 1990s, including "Waiting to Exhale."
In 2000, Houston earned her sixth Grammy for best female R&B performance and, a month later, she was named female artist of the decade at the "Soul Train" Music Awards.
Her career stalled, however, in subsequent years as she entered rehab for addiction problems.
Houston took a hiatus for several years before releasing her first album in seven years, "I Look to You," in 2009.
"I just took a break, which sometimes you have to," said Houston. "You have to know when to slow that train down and kind of just sit back and relax for a minute."
In May 2011, Houston got help for her much-publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol, her representative said at the time.
In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston recalled how her mother arrived one day at her doorstep at her daughter's house with sheriff's officers and a court order in a drug intervention. She talked about doing cocaine and smoking marijuana.
"(My mother) says, 'I have a court (injunction) here,'" Houston said. "Either you do it my way, or we're just not going to do this at all. We are both going to go on TV, and you're going to retire.'"
Houston had a high-profile and tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, a former "New Edition" star who has had multiple brushes with the law.
The couple appeared together in the mid-2000s on the reality show "Being Bobby Brown." They had one child together, Bobbi Kristina.
Houston was the cousin of Dionne Warwick, another acclaimed performer.
Singer Lionel Richie told CNN that Houston was one of the best.
"She had that voice that could just turn a story, a melody into magical notes," Richie said.
CNN's Denise Quan and Alan Duke contributed to this report.
Loudoun County Public Schools are making headlines with their policy against excessive tardiness and absences after a Loudoun County mother was arrested and charged with three counts of contributing to the delinquency to a minor.
Maureen Blake, 42, of Purcellville, was served a warrant on Jan. 21, informing her to appear in court on Jan. 25. She was released on a $3,000 bond the same day.
Her children attend an unidentified western Loudoun school close to where the much-publicized Denicore family’s children attend and have been cited for excessive tardies.
Mark and Amy Denicore appeared in court on Feb. 6 after they were summoned for their daughter Sophie’s excessive tardies to school. The Denicore’s three children have been tardy 85 times since September, but have only missed less than three hours each of school.
Mark Denicore, a lawyer, said he could potentially lose his license to practice law if he loses the case and paying up to $3,000 in fines for his children’s tardiness. They will go to trial March 14.
“The warrants were obtained by a Loudoun County [Attendance Officer] via a magistrate on the afternoon of Jan. 19,” Liz Mills, public information officer for Loudoun County Sheriff’s office said. “The sheriff’s office didn’t initiate the arrest and we didn’t determine probable cause. That’s up to the school.”
The warrant was served by a Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputy and a Purcellville Police Officer.
According to Wayde Byard, Loudoun County Schools public information officer, Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relation judges have asked the school system to report excessive absences or tardies to them. The judges’ have asked for the reports from the schools for a year. But, according to Byard, the school system tries to work out constant absence and tardy problems with the parents directly before taking the next step.
“This is not a position we want parents to be in,” Byard said.
The schools do everything in their power to help families who encounter difficulties in getting their children to school, Byard said. But if the family isn’t receptive, the schools need to take it to the next level.
“All we do is report to the court intake officer and from there it’s the legal system,” Byard said. “The judges ask to see all of the excessive absences of tardiness. We don’t issue summons, we don’t send out deputies. That’s up to the court to do that.”
Byard also said that in the beginning of each year, parents sign a Student Rights and Responsibilities packet that addresses their attendance policy.
Under the Students Rights and Responsibilities, after 15 or more consecutive absences or excessive tardies the Virginia Administrative Code requires the student be dropped from the attendance rolls. It’s then up to the principal to discipline the child.
If any student gets a minimum of five unexcused absences, a parent or guardian is required to provide the school with documentation from a licensed physician in regards to their absence.
According to the Student Rights and Responsibilities “a student is truant any time he or she willfully absents himself or herself from school or from any assigned class or activity. Excessive unexcused tardies may result in a truancy referral. Truancy is a serious offense that requires a stern correction action on the part of the school and the parents.”
On March 6, 1857, in a small room in the Capitol basement, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories. In 1846, a Missouri slave, Dred Scott, sued for his freedom. Scott argued that while he had been the slave of an army surgeon, he had lived for four years in Illinois, a free state, and Wisconsin, a free territory, and that his residence on free soil had erased his slave status. In 1850 a Missouri court gave Scott his freedom, but two years later, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed this decision and returned Scott to slavery. Scott then appealed to the federal courts. For five years, the case proceeded through the federal courts. For more than a year, the Court withheld its decision. Many thought that the Court delayed its ruling to ensure a Democratic victory in the 1856 elections. Then, in March 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney announced the Court's decision. By a 7-2 margin, the Court ruled that Dred Scott had no right to sue in federal court, that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, and that Congress had no right to exclude slavery from the territories. All nine justices rendered separate opinions, but Chief Justice Taney delivered the opinion that expressed the position of the Court's majority. His opinion represented a judicial defense of the most extreme proslavery position. The chief justice made two sweeping rulings. The first was that Dred Scott had no right to sue in federal court because neither slaves nor free blacks were citizens of the United States. At the time the Constitution was adopted, the chief justice wrote, blacks had been "regarded as beings of an inferior order" with "no rights which the white man was bound to respect." Second, Taney declared that Congress had no right to exclude slavery from the federal territories since any law excluding slavery property from the territories was a violation of the Fifth Amendment prohibition against the seizure of property without due process of law. For the first time since Marbury v. Madison in 1803, the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional. Newspaper headlines summarized the Court's rulings:
SLAVERY ALONE NATIONAL--THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE UNCONSTITUTIONAL--NEGROES CANNOT BE CITIZENS--THE TRIUMPH OF SLAVERY COMPLETE.
In a single decision, the Court sought to resolve all the major constitutional questions raised by slavery. It declared that the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights were not intended to apply to black Americans. It stated that the Republican Party platform--barring slavery from the western territories--was unconstitutional. And it ruled that Stephen Douglas's doctrine of "popular sovereignty"--which stated that territorial governments had the power to prohibit slavery--was also unconstitutional. Republicans reacted with scorn. The decision, said the New York Tribune, carried as much moral weight as "the judgment of a majority of those congregated in any Washington barroom." Many Republicans--including an Illinois politician named Abraham Lincoln--regarded the decision as part of a slave power conspiracy to legalize slavery throughout the United States. The Dred Scott decision was a major political miscalculation. In its ruling, the Supreme Court sought to solve the slavery controversy once and for all. Instead the Court intensified sectional strife, undercut possible compromise solutions to the divisive issue of the expansion of slavery, and weakened the moral authority of the judiciary.
Senate Candidate Pete Hoekstra’s Racist Super Bowl Ad
Pete Hoekstra, Senate candidate and tweeting disaster Twitter Pete, aired a campaign ad during the Super Bowl targeted at his happily married opponent, Debbie Stabenow. The ad features a Chinese woman biking through a backdrop of rice fields and uh, recognizable music, thanking "Debbie Spenditnow" for giving all the money to "us."
The woman, wearing a straw hat (because, you know, Chinapeople and their little hats), rides up on her bicycle and delivers the following in broken English :
Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie spend so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow.
Hoekestra continues on to say that you, the good Super Bowl-watching people of Michigan, should refrain from voting Debbie Spenditnow and instead vote for Pete "Spend It Not." Oh, perfect. Yep, no problems here. Nothing to see but a pretty ad that is in no way offensive to a group and/or groups of people whatsoever. The video is also available at Hoekstra's website,along with the image of Stabenow's face printed on a fan, Chinese characters, dragons, yen, and a pot of tea preceded by the words, "Debbie's pouring American dollars into the Chinese economy."
The ad is insensitive, racist, xenophobic, and fundamentally incorrect in every way. It is offensive for so many reasons, but perhaps it is just the sheer dumbness of it that offends me the most. Pete Spend It Not? Get your head in the game, Pete. What does that even mean? It means that you should think about who you pay to helm your ad campaigns before you can even begin to discuss others' spending. Also, we're pretty sure you are racist now. Why not go the easy route and attack Stabenow's creepy husband?
I hope Ricky Gervais comes to Pete Hoekstra's house, knocks on his door, thrusts him from the cover of his Midwestern comfort zone and forces him to experience the horrors of strange and foreign lands at the cost of his own dignity and humiliation.
Moms Mabley was born on March 19, 1894 in Brevard, North Carolina. She moved to Cleveland, Ohio and entered the “chitlin circuit” of African American entertainment venues. She later performed in Harlem's Cotton Club and was the first female comedian to appear at the Apollo Theater. Mabley appeared in films, on television and recorded two dozen comedy albums. She died in 1975.
(born March 19, 1894, Brevard, North Carolina, U.S.—died May 23, 1975, White Plains, New York) American comedian who was one of the most successful black vaudeville performers. She modeled her stage persona largely on her grandmother, who had been a slave. Wise, clever, and often ribald, Mabley dressed in frumpy clothes and used her deep voice and elastic face (and, in later years, her toothlessness) to great effect.
Loretta Aiken was one of 12 children. Her father died when she was 11 years old. By age 15 she had borne two children. To escape a despised stepfather, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio. There she was first exposed to performers and their lives, and she soon chose show business as a career and entered the “chitlin circuit” of venues that catered to African American audiences. After a brother objected to her career choice, she took a stage name, borrowing that of a boyfriend and fellow entertainer, Jack Mabley. She is said to have been given the nickname Moms because of her compassion for other performers. Discovered by the vaudeville team known as Butterbeans and Susie, she went to New York City with them and made her debut at Connie's Inn. She later performed in such noted venues as Harlem's Cotton Club. She was the first female comedian to appear at the Apollo Theater, and she became a regular there, appearing more often than any other act in that theatre's history.
Mabley, for many years the only female African American comic, was sometimes underestimated because of her standard jokes about old men and her use of sexual innuendo. Nonetheless, she possessed great comic timing and a remarkable ability to ad lib. She was also a sly and astute social commentator, as she revealed in comments such as “There ain't nothing wrong with young people. Jus' quit lyin' to 'em.” In addition to live stand-up comedy, Mabley appeared in a number of films—including Boarding House Blues (1948) andAmazing Grace (1974)—and on television programs such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Several of her comedy performances were recorded live, including Moms Mabley, the Funniest Woman in the World (1960), her first of some two dozen comedy albums.
A Jewish group on Sunday accepted Bishop Eddie Long’s written apology over a ceremony last month during which a rabbi from the Messianic Judaism movement crowned him a “king.”
Bill Nigut from the Jewish Anti-Defamation League said he believed Long had sincerely apologized for the Jan. 29 ceremony at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., in which the senior pastor was wrapped in a sacred Torah scroll and his chair was lifted up by four men as Rabbi Ralph Messer fromColorado declared him a “king.”
Bishop Eddie Long addressed his actions as follows:
“The ceremony was not my suggestion, nor was it my intent, to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community, or any group. Furthermore, I sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a King, for I am merely just a servant of the Lord. The Rabbi had good intentions” but acknowledged that the ceremony caused harm to the Jewish community, for which I am deeply sorry.”
Do you buy it? Do you think for one minute he did not know what was going to happen in HIS church, on HIS altar?
Many businesses have “points programs” that offer rewards to loyal customers. You can stack up these rewards by using their companies’ services, like eating at local restaurants, staying at certain hotels, or flying on particular airlines. Choosing to spend your money this way makes a lot of sense.
God has a rewards program as well. Jesus often spoke of His desire to reward us for loyally serving Him. When we are persecuted for His sake, for example, He says to “rejoice . . . for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:12). In contrast to the Pharisees’ pious habit of giving, praying, and fasting in public, Jesus instructed us to do these things privately, because “your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (6:4,6,18). When it comes to living for Jesus, faithfulness never ultimately puts your life in a deficit position, regardless of what it costs.
But we don’t serve Jesus for the rewards. When He died for us on the cross, He did far more for us than we deserve. Loyalty to Him is an act of worship that expresses our loving gratitude for His love toward us. In return, He delights to encourage us with the assurance that ultimately His rewards will outweigh whatever we have given up for Him.
Live for Jesus—regardless of the cost.
Our service for the Lord will be
Rewarded one day openly,
By God who sees in secrecy
All sacrifice for Him. —Sper
What is done for Christ in this life
will be rewarded in the life to come.
Football pioneer: Andrew Watson - the first black international
By Tom McGowan, CNN
December 22, 2011 -- Updated 1931 GMT (0331 HKT)
(CNN) -- Modern football is a melting pot of cultures, as players from a variety of ethnic backgrounds share top billing as superstars.
It is not always a comfortable mix, as can be seen by the recent racism rows involving John Terry and Luis Suarez.
But football's pantheon of stars has not always been such a rich multicultural tapestry. Far from it.
Back in the sport's infancy in the late 1800s, in its homeland of white-dominated Britain, there were no official leagues and only a handful of domestic cup competitions.
International matches were the pinnacle of competition, with England and Scotland contesting the first in 1872 -- and few were played outside the UK and Ireland until the formation of FIFA in 1904 .
And it was Scotland which, in 1881, provided football with its first black international player -- British Guiana-born Andrew Watson.
"He was the son of a Glasgow merchant who traded out in the West Indies and parts of South America as well," curator of the Scottish Football Museum Richard McBrearty told CNN.
"It's a story of the time, I suppose. Andrew would've been born out of wedlock to a wealthy white merchant and his mother who was native to British Guiana."
He is a hugely important figure within football. He captained Scotland against England, which was absolutely the highest accolade you could have at the time Richard McBrearty
Social attitudes of the time meant that Watson, while enjoying financial support and a good education, was never truly recognized and acknowledged by his father.
"Anything that had to be signed, due to school or education, was usually done through an intermediary," McBrearty explained. "So he was recognized as being of the blood, but there was a distance."
Early records of Watson show him joining Glasgow team Parkgrove -- which at the time enjoyed a higher profile than now-famous neighbors Glasgow Rangers -- in both a playing and off-pitch capacity.
In his role as match secretary, Watson created history by becoming the first black football administrator. In 1880 he joined Queen's Park, the biggest of the Glasgow clubs and Scotland's preeminent football power.
The following year he represented Scotland in his first of three international outings, captaining the country in a landmark 6-1 victory over England at London's Oval ground -- now an international cricket venue.
"Even to this day with some of the fantastic teams England have played over the years, such as the Hungarians of 1953 and Pele's Brazil, that victory for Scotland remains England's heaviest defeat on home soil," said McBrearty.
The Scotland team led by Watson pioneered a revolutionary passing game at a time when football was played in a very individual manner.
He's massively important to global football, not just Scottish football, not just British football Richard McBrearty
"He is a hugely important figure within football. He captained Scotland against England, which was absolutely the highest accolade you could have at the time. It was also at a time when Scotland were very successful in international football," McBrearty said.
"The way the game was played at that time, Scotland were devising a short passing game. The margin of victory was because Scotland were the first to promote a real team-based passing ethos. Watson was right at the forefront of that."
Despite his prominent role in the national team, Watson still occasionally encountered abuse which was symbolic of a less enlightened age.
"What we come across in a very polite article about Watson is that he encountered 'splenetic players' on the field. Now that suggests to me that the color of his skin was a subject of attack," McBrearty said.
"That's an insight into the fact that, even in that time, this was clearly happening and Watson had to rise above that as a footballer and more widely as a human being."
Watson's demeanor off the pitch is something McBrearty believes is also of note, saying he had a reputation as a gentleman.
"Certainly there is widespread praise that he wins. The adoration that he has is clearly because he manages to rise above the difficulties that he encounters on the field of play."
After leaving Queen's Park, Watson headed to England to play for the now-defunct Swifts club in London.
McBrearty believes Watson became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup during the 1882-83 season.
Watson passed away in Sydney, Australia in 1902 aged 44, but McBrearty thinks the contribution he made to football has paved the way for the big-name black players we see in the game today.
"He's massively important to global football, not just Scottish football, not just British football. He's one of the first few pioneers. He played international football, he captained the international team and they happened to be the best there was at that time.
"As football spreads across the globe with black players who are now among the best in the world, and you look at the legacy of fantastic Brazilian players like Pele and Garrincha, it really stems back to guys like Watson."
