Last monday I took the car and drove to Reims where I started a new Long Distance Trail called the ‘Via Francigena‘. Walked from Reims to Châlons-en-Champagne through the vineyards of the famous ‘Champagne’.
The history of the Via Francigena pilgrim route dates back to the Middle Ages. The full Via Francigena pilgrimage is from Canturbery to Rome, covering 1,700 km, passing through France and Switzerland along the way.
This time a short episode of two days of hiking. Next time I hope to spend some more time on the trail. Below the route and the pictures I made of this trip.
Singer and songwriter Don Moen interviews New York Times Bestselling Author Stephen Mansfield to talk about his childhood, faith, career and the current state of manhood.
Manhood in decline
True manhood is in decline in our generation. Our society has deformed masculinity, leaving most men unfulfilled and far from the impact they were made for. GreatMan will help you fight the battles of your life, the battles you must fight to be the man you are meant to be.
Former years
Stephen grew up as the son of a US Army officer, and spent many formative years living in Berlin during the dark days of the Cold War. Returning to the US, he attended college, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and later a master’s in history and public policy and a doctorate in history and literature.
He also began acquiring a reputation as a speaker of both depth and humor. During this season of his life, he wrote books, hosted a radio show, spoke widely, and led a number of social-service organizations.
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“Buckle your chinstrap”
This book for men was birthed out of both a passion and an anger. I felt anger over how men are usually portrayed on television as fools or as dogs hanging out at the pole shoving $20 bills into some woman’s underwear.
My passion came from listening to young men on university campuses demand, “Look, I know we’re all screwed up, but just tell me what to do. No one has ever told us what a man is. Just tell us what we are supposed to do to be men.”
In response, I wrote this book. I intend it as a hard-hitting, raw, path for men who want to become great men. I have filled the book with clear principles, historical vignettes, quotes, questions for men to challenge each other with, and even book and movie recommendations.
This book is not everything a man needs to be a great man, but it is more than a start.
“Buckle your chinstrap before you pick up this book because it is truth and its challenge will hit you as you’ve never been hit. A must read for every man!” – Mark Brunell, former NFL quarterback
GreatMan Toolbox
Or why not order the GreatMan Toolbox which includes:
Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men – $19.99
Building Your Band of Brothers – $10.00
GreatMan Video Course – $19.95
Band of Brothers Audio Course – $19.95
GreatMan Wristband – $5.00
BONUS Manly Men Discussion Guide – $10.00 value
BONUS Building Your Band of Brothers Discussion Guide – $10.00 value
Our lives have value until the very end of them. In this one day Focus on the Family broadcast Jim Daly & John Fuller talk with Joni Eareckson Tada over her book, When is it Right to Die?
Hope
Joni powerfully shares what she has learned about joy in the midst of chronic pain and suffering; and how no one can determine either the quality or the quantity of your life—that is in God’s hands.
She shares on the dangerous ramifications of the “Right to Die” movement and “Mercy killing” and how as a society we need to rise up and love those with disabilities and end of life challenges with compassion.
She offers hope to families facing end of life decisions and reminds that in the book of James we are told to ask God for wisdom and He will lead and guide us.
I’ll Push You is a story of friendship and love, a story of hope and sacrifice, a story that explores the raw, deep human condition and the connections we all long for.
Overcoming limitations
The Camino de Santiago serves as a backdrop to the lives of Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray. I’ll Push You provides insight into what it means to live for one another, what it means to overcome limitations, and what it means to push one another toward who we each long to be.
Perspective
At first glance, this story appears to be an adventure tackling a physical challenge in order to fulfill the dream of a man who lives life from a wheelchair. The reality of I’ll Push You is there are many ways we can push one another.
Justin’s perspective on life and the way in which he lives it pushes Patrick beyond his fears and doubts. Join us as we discover what it means to let go of safety and what it means to rest completely in faith.
On my recent trip I ended the long distance trail called the ‘Via Campaniensis’. Winter has finally arrived. It was the first time on my journey that frost hit the trail. It always results in nice pictures. But I also had to battle a serious cold despite the clothes I wore.
Next episode I will start a new Pilgrim’s route. It means a complete new direction from now on. In stead of heading south my new direction will be south-east which means the trail will take me directly to Switzerland and Italy.
I wish all my blog readers and visitors a Merry Christmas and the Lord’s Blessings for the coming New Year!
Below the route and the pictures I made of this trip.
As many of you know, Dr. Hovind was falsely convicted of structuring charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served 9 years and was under “supervision” for 3 years. He was finally released in August of this year.
Besides falsely imprisoning Dr. Hovind, the government also seized ministry property and monies illegally. A petition has been created to bring this matter before The President. Would you please sign the petition to grant Dr. Hovind a full pardon and encourage your friends to do likewise?
The link for the petition is on the website of the person who started the petition. Click here to go to the website. We have 30 days to raise almost 100,000 signatures. Thank you for taking the time to help right this wrong!
Kent Hovind was unlawfully convicted of 58 felonies over 12 years ago. 12 counts were alleged to be for failing to withhold taxes from workers, 45 counts were alleged to be for structuring and 1 count was alleged to be for interference with a tax official.
I researched 15 months, reading over 1500 pages of Federal Statutes, Regulations, Case law and IRS Manuals and found that Kent Hovind (and his then wife Jo) did NOT commit one single crime, and I used the acts of Congress and the unoverturned rulings of the Federal Judges to prove it.
All of my evidence is thoroughly documented and publicly posted in kenthovindisinnocent.com. The Hovinds were falsely charged, maliciously prosecuted, and judged by a biased and prejudiced judge who manipulated the jury and altered the transcript.
On my latest trip I walked from Namur in Belgium to a city called Revin in France. I said farewell to Belgium and the ‘Via Monastica’ long distance trail and started a new trail called ‘Voie verte Trans-Ardennes‘. It runs from Givet to Mouzon and follows the river ‘La Meuse’ southwards.
Next episode I want to return to a new Pilgrim’s route which runs parallel to the Trans-Ardennes track in the direction of the big city Reims.
Below the route and the pictures I made of this trip.
Below you can watch two interesting debates about the identity of Jesus between Dr. Michael Brown and two Rabbis.
The first debate
This debate is between Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Daniel Freitag and is called: “Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah?”. They debate the identity of Jesus and if we can keep the law. It was held at Kennesaw State University, March 3, 2017.
Dr. Michael L. Brown is a conservative radio host, author, professor and a noted proponent of Messianic Judaism and serves as a leader of the Charismatic Movement. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Line of Fire, airs throughout the United States.
Rabbi Daniel Freitag is the director of programming for the Kollel Dome in Dunwoody. His lectures and classes have achieved a significant degree of popularity in a very short time. The Kollel Institute which he teaches and founded has now spread to cities nationwide.
The second debate
The next debate is between Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and is called: “Who Is the Real Kosher Jesus?” Out of their encounter comes surprising revelations on how some Jews can embrace Jesus yet reject him as savior.
Shmuel “Shmuley” Boteach is an American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, author, TV host and public speaker and is known as America’s rabbi. Boteach is the author of 30 books, including Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, published in 1999, and Kosher Jesus, published in 2012.
We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.—Hebrews 10:39Thoughts on Today's Verse...I love this description of God's people that precedes "the faith Hall of Fame" (Hebrews 11). When you look at God's people over the centuries, they are not a bunch of wimps, crybabies, and cowards. Y […]
The man set himself on fire in the same spot at the elevated top of the historic square where Jan Palach set himself ablaze in January 1969 in protest of the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Amid the ongoing Brexit impasse among British lawmakers, a group of prominent German including the woman in line to take over for Angela Merkel as chancellor is urging Britain to stay in the European Union saying they would miss milk with tea and post-work pints.
Zimbabwe has imposed an internet shutdown as demonstrators protesting a steep fuel increase were attacked by security forces, according to reports Friday.
Around 1,000 Central American migrants marched freely through the Guatemala-Mexico border on Friday after the gates were left wide open, with Mexican authorities standing down from confronting the caravan.
Sgt. Cameron Meddock, 26, died in Landstuhl, Germany of injuries sustained from small-arms fire Jan. 13 in Badghis Province, Afghanistan. It was his second deployment.
Before racial reconciliation can happen, says Jemar Tisby, American believers need to reckon honestly with the sins of the past. At the climax of the 1992 classic A Few Good Men, Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) famously screams, “You can’t handle the truth!” Responding to questions from Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) about a military cover-up, […]
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Three tips from my own experience as a church planting leader. Many frequently joke about the turnover rate in church planting leadership. It seems that whenever I’m at a conference or church event, someone new will come up and say, “Hey, Ed. I’m the new leader of church planting at [insert denomination name].” To be fair, this issue happens across denominat […]
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What a failed church plant taught me about divine purpose and provision. In 2015, my husband and I moved from rural Pennsylvania and left a church we loved to do something risky—plant a new church in suburban Texas. Our vision for the church was to welcome people with disabilities. We see special-needs families as an unreached people group, since so many don […]
How a theology of personhood cuts against the mechanical metaphors we use to describe ourselves. As a literature and theology teacher, I train my students to see and hear metaphors, which are not just a matter of language. As George Lakoff and Mark Johnson argue in The Metaphors We Live By, “our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and […]
Ryan Bomberger brings up another controversial speaker, but it just distracts from the real issue. Yesterday, I shared an article entitled “Abortion, Black Lives Matter, and Wheaton.” I was responding to several articles from Ryan Bomberger, who spoke at Wheaton College in November of last year. (Be sure to read the original article before this one.) As I ex […]
Synagogues in Lisbon and Porto are stonewalling a 70-strong community in Belmonte, whose crypto-Jewish ancestors secretly retained their faith since the Inquisition
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