Rick Warren Prays for Barrack Obama at the 44th President Inauguration

This must be one of the MOST Watched Presidential Inauguration in the history of the world. It was amazing to see the sea of people cheering at the 44th US Presidential Inauguration.

What stood out for me was the fact that Rick Warren got chosen to do the opening prayer at the inauguration. I loved his opening prayer as he declared in front of millions ....

“Almighty God, Everything we see and everything that we can’t see belongs to you, exist for Your Glory ....!”

Amen... everything is FOR HIS GLORY! Check out the Prayer by Rick Warren in the video below


Check out the video below




[tags : delephant barrack obama rick warren inauguration prayer ]

Focus on the Family eliminating 202 jobs

This is sad to see that Focus on the Family are laying off individuals. But i guess the situation in USA is tough and its affecting all industries across the globe. 

Read on ... 

Because of a weak economy and cash-strapped donors, Focus on the Family said it is eliminating 202 jobs, the deepest cuts in the 32-year history of the Colorado Springs-based Christian nonprofit. The ministry laid off 149 workers, and cut another 53 vacant positions.

The cuts announced Monday slash Focus' local workforce by nearly 18 percent - from about 1,150 to 950. Twenty percent of the cuts are in management.

The layoffs come just weeks after Focus announced it was outsourcing 46 jobs from its distribution department. Focus also laid off 30 workers and reassigned 15 more in September 2007.

The organization also cut its the budget from $160 million in fiscal 2008 to $138 million for fiscal 2009 in anticipation of tough times.

The reason for the layoffs and budget revisions Donations are down, and Focus relies almost entirely on the charity of others.

That problem is reverberating throughout the nonprofit sector, said Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. president Mike Kazmierski.

"It's probably going to get worse," he said. "When people have to cut back, the only place they have to go is their discretionary income."

Glenn Williams, Focus' chief operating officer, said that more than 95 percent of the organization's income comes from donations, with book sales accounting for the remainder. Donations to Focus set a record high in fiscal 2008, he said. But donations began to decline in October, which starts Focus' new fiscal year, and after polling major donors, Focus expects this holiday season - normally the most lucrative time of the year for nonprofits - to be even more painful to the bottom line.

"Looking at October trends and talking to donors who are not in a position where they can give, we thought we'd be facing a more severe decision in January or February if we waited," Williams said.

The cuts are taking place throughout the organization. The most visible change will be the elimination of the print editions of four of its eight magazines.

The content of the magazines - Plugged In, Breakaway, Brio and Brio & Beyond - will remain online.

Plugged In, for example, has seen its print subscriber base dip to 30,000 while its Web site attracts 1 million unique visitors a month, Williams said.

Macroeconomic realities and changing technology - not the political cycle - drove the decisions, said Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger.

A separate political arm, Focus on the Family Action, sees its funding ebb when there are no elections on the horizon, but that's not the case with Focus on the Family.

Although Focus grabs most of its headlines on political topics, it spends only 6 percent of its budget in that arena, such as the roughly $500,000 the organization spent to support the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban in California.

The other 94 percent of its budget is dedicated to its far less sensational mission of dispensing parenting and marital advice via Dobson's radio broadcasts, as well as through books, magazines and Web sites.

Schneeberger said the money earmarked for this year's political battles did not affect the pot of money for employees.

"It's a sign of the times," Kazmierski concluded. "In the case of Focus, we believe it's part of the economy, and as the economy recovers we expect a lot of those jobs to come back."

In the meantime, the 149 laid-off employees will enter a tough job market in the Colorado Springs metro area, where job growth is flat and unemployment has crept up over 6 percent.

Source Gazette

[tags : delephant recession depression ]

Glad Tidings on NST Headlines

Wah.. when i saw the headlines on the NST today, i thought our church Glad Tidings Petaling Jaya was featured for one of our outstanding contribution to the community. :)

And its true its certainly ... Glad Tidings for all consumers that Jesus came to the earth and set us all FREE from sin! :) Or rather that was what i was hoping from the News article today.

Unfortunately ... or perhaps it was some positive news ... but not really "Glad Tidings" in its entirety. Petrol price has come down to RM2.00 per litre.

Here's the FULL page of the NST. :) Check it out!

Source NST

[tags : delephant fun stuff petrol hike fuel increase ]

Why Some Women Should Not Drive?

Haha .. check out the Three Videos below and you'll know Why some Women should use the Bus and not Drive! :) Its hillarious ... especially Video 1 & 3!


Video1 - Women Driver

Video2 - Women Drvier

Video3 - Women Driver

[tags : delephant fun stuff ]

Super Traffic Jam this Weekend at Church - Jalan 13/4

I can imagine how bad and terrible the traffic jam will be in church this weekend. 

There will be so so so so many people and so so so so many cars on Jalan Bersatu 13/4.

WHY? 

Cos there will be TWO major warehousesales happening on that Jalan 13/4. One is directly opposite church - MPH, and the other is just next door - Zara, Massimo Dutti & Pull and Bear!

And to top it there are already 3 churches in that area ... with GTPJ, the Chinese Church next door and DUMC just across the road! 

Wooo Hooo ... everyone should plan early and come in early this week to church, otherwise you may just waste 20-30 minutes on the road trying to get in! 

The good part is that after church . .can go shopping :)

[tags : delephant sale jalan13/4 ]

Healing Encounter Services 28 - 31 August 2008 with Rev Bernard Blessings

We have an amazing Healing Encounter Service starting from 28 August 2008 to our MERDEKA day on 31 August 2008.

We have an awesome event coming up in our church. This is a great opportunity to bring any of your family or friends that you know of who are unwell and need a Miracle Healing!!

The speaker for the entire event is Rev Dr Bernard Blessing.

The evening sessions & weekend church services are opened to the Public and its FREE.

So take this opportunity and come on any of the dates below!!

STAR Newspaper Advertisement

Rev Dr Bernard Blessing is back in Glad Tidings PJ for another great time of teaching and ministry. ENCOUNTER CONFERENCE and the HEALING ENCOUNTER are going to be awesome times of teaching and trainings as well as a time to witness the awesome supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

The ENCOUNTER CONFERENCE sessions have been planned to equip pastors and leaders (Friday) as well as every believer (Saturday) on teachings to move in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Conference details are found in the above pages.

The HEALING ENCOUNTER rallies are OPEN TO PUBLIC - FREE OF CHARGE. Bring your friends and loved ones who need to experience God and His supernatural healing touch. RALLY times and details as follows.

Healing Encounter Services - FREE & Open to Public

28 Aug : Thursday - 8.00pm
29 Aug : Friday - 8.00pm
30 Aug : Saturday – 5.00pm
31 Aug : Sunday – 8am & 10.30am


SPEAKER
Rev Dr Bernard Blessing is pioneer and president of Rescue Life International. This ministry based in Accra, Ghana, West Africa provides mentoring leadership and support to over 700 Christian leaders, churches and Christian ministries worldwide. He has ministered in over 100 nations in leadership summits, church conferences and is regularly sought by world leaders for godly wisdom and prophetic insights. Dr Blessing’s forthright yet simplistic presentation of the message of Christ Jesus is validated by miraculous healings and accurate prophetic directives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Healing Encounter : http://gtpjencounterconference08.wordpress.com/

Glad Tidings Petaling Jaya : http://www.gtpj.com

[tags : delephant fun gtpj healing bernard blessing ]

Petrol Prices Cut by 15 cents 10 Days Early

This is an amazing change!

The petrol prices came down by 15 Cents today, which is a 10 days earlier than what the Govt was supposedly to do. The last we read was that petrol prices will only be reviewed by September!!

Decision driven politically (Permatang Pauh Elections)?

Govt claim its not!

But honestly even if the Petrol Prices decrease, how would that effect the elections at Permatang Pauh? So why did the prices drop? Let's wait and see the news next week.


Meanwhile, read more from the article below ....

The prices of diesel and petrol have been reduced by between eight and 22 sen a litre from today, 10 days earlier than expected.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said RON97 petrol now costs RM2.55 a litre, a drop of 15 sen from RM2.70 a litre while the price of RON92 went down by 22 sen to RM2.40 a litre.

A petrol station in Petaling Jaya is almost empty as customers delayed fuelling up their vehicles during the few hours before petrol and diesel prices went down at midnight yesterday. Similar scenes were repeated throughout the country. — SHAARI CHEMAT / The Star

Diesel will cost eight sen less at RM2.50 a litre.

Abdullah said in a statement yesterday the Cabinet decided to bring forward the “floating” price mechanism for fuel after considering the drop in global oil prices over the past few weeks as well as higher inflation in July.

He hoped the reduced fuel prices would lighten the people’s burden and ease the inflationary pressure on the lower and middle-income groups.

The new prices were set after considering fuel prices between Aug 1 and Aug 21, and in view of the Government’s decision to set the subsidy at 30 sen a litre for RON97 and RON92, and 50 sen a litre for diesel.

On June 4, the Government announced a 78-sen increase in petrol to RM2.70 a litre and a RM1 increase in diesel to RM2.58 a litre, stating that it could no longer continue to subsidise fuel.

On Aug 1, Abdullah said the petrol price would be reviewed monthly from Sept 1 based on the average global market price and the subsidy will be fixed at 30 sen a litre.

Valuable fibre: Symphony Advance Sdn Bhd technical director Burhanuddin Ahmad (left) showing Abdullah some kenaf fibre at the centre in Bachok yesterday.

He gave an assurance that the petrol price would not exceed RM2.70 a litre for this year, even if the global market price went up.

In Bachok later, Abdullah said the decision to lower the retail petrol and diesel prices was made as the Government wanted the people to benefit from the current global market depreciation of crude oil prices.

Apart from that, the Government also wanted to rein in inflation as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shot up to 8.5% last month compared to a year ago.

“There is a possibility that the prices may go up so it would be a waste if we do not lower our prices now. This is to take advantage of the current lower global prices,” he said after opening a kenaf plant centre.

Abdullah said if there was a need to increase the fuel price again this year, the Government would cap it at RM2.70.

“We did it for the entire country and not just for the folks in Permatang Pauh,” he said.

Abdullah also expects the prices of goods to fall.

In PUTRAJAYA, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said the Government’s decision to lower fuel prices earlier than expected was due to the rising inflation rate and not because it wanted to win the votes of the Permatang Pauh constituents.

“Permatang Pauh is not going to change the Government but reviewing the prices is something that we had planned earlier,” he told a press conference.

“It is a strong indicator of the burden that the rakyat is forced to bear. There is nothing wrong for us to pass the benefit of lower fuel prices to the consumers and it is the duty of a responsible government to do so,” Shahrir added.

News Source

[tags : delephant fun stuff petrol hike fuel increase ]