text:
WASHINGTON, DC—The biggest roadblock to meaningful postal reform in 2005 appears to have been removed. According to Ben Cooper, executive vice president of public policy for the PIA/GATF and chairman of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, the Bush Administration has told Congressional leaders that it will allow postal reform to move forward while the bigger points of contention are ironed out. And the best possible news for mailers came in the Administration's willingness to seek alternative sources to fund the military service portion of postal retirees, as opposed to making rate payers foot the bill. Cooper, who has been tirelessly banging the reform
Business Management - Government/Governmental
By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Postal reform is the rally cry for 2005 in the commercial printing industry. Though it seems the cries are strong only from a select group, as opposed to a unison shout from the industry collective. In other words, a relatively small amount of people are making a big stink to Congress about the need for reform of the United States Postal Service (USPS), an entity that is still operating under guidelines set in 1971. Guidelines, mind you, established before the onslaught of private sector parcel delivery options and well before the invention of the Internet, both of which have
WASHINGTON, DC—Several of the major label stock vendors are reportedly under investigation for price fixing by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Under investigation are Avery Dennison, Bemis, Morgan Adhesives (MACtac), Raflatac and UPM-Kymmene. The DOJ is trying to determine if the companies raised, fixed and maintained the prices of self-adhesive label stock from January 1, 1999, to the present. News of the investigation and suit began back in April when Avery announced that the DOJ had begun a criminal investigation into competitive prices in the label stock industry and would shortly subpoena the company in connection with that investigation. Bemis followed Avery and announced that
WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has turned its attention to increasing efficiencies in how flat mail is processed. "To meet the pledge of keeping mail service affordable for flats, we are committed to replicating the breakthrough productivity we achieved with letter mail," explains John Rapp, USPS senior vice president of operations. "Productivity in our letter operations increased 83 percent from 1993 to 2001. We expect similar results as we implement our Corporate Flat Plan." The Corporate Flat Plan is an efficiency-based strategy of the USPS' Transformation Plan—a short- and long-term blueprint for the future. Flat mail, which includes Periodicals and Standard Mail, is a valuable source
WASHINGTON, DC—A future postage rate increase could be delayed until at least 2006 thanks to a review of the United States Postal Service (USPS) employees' retirement plan, says Post Master General John E. Potter. This revelation comes after a review of the USPS' pension liabilities by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The review found that the current formula contained overly conservative interest assumptions under which the USPS contributes for its employees' retirement, creating an overpayment of pension liabilities. Changes in the payment schedule will require a modification of the current law by Congress. This necessary change in the law would mean a reduction of postal


text:
Kenya romance kiss research
2019-12-06 13:25
Is there a scientific reason that explains why humans kiss? Yes, says Emer Maguire, winner of the Northern Irish instalment of the international science communication competition FameLab. Whats in a kiss? The science of smooching. By Emer Maguire 11 March 2015 10: 52 so get out there and research in the name of science! (As if youMore videos like this one at Club Seventeen One of the largest and most exclusive collection of teen porn on the net! Browse through our extensive galleries of high res pictures, visit our Cinema where you can find the unique Seventeen movies or have a chat with one of our teens. kenya romance kiss research
When women fall in love, they experience physiological changes similar to those seen in people fighting a virus, research shows. A new romance can cause women to produce a specific kind of protein
Public display of affection is regarded as unacceptable in India if it disturbs others or creates nuisance. same sex physical contact is allowed. Under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, causing annoyance to others through obscene acts is a criminal offense with a punishment of imprisonment up to 3 months or a fine, or both. [49 Kenya's beach tourism has spawned prostitution, crime, and corruption along the coast. Inland, tourists visit cultural villages semidressed, kiss and caress, and offend traditional sensibilitieskenya romance kiss research Sheila Mwanyigha was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya where she graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Master of Arts in Sociology (Medical Psychology). She is a media personality, hosting different Radio and TV stations in Kenya and other African countries. Nikki first appeared in Kenyan music industry in 1997 and 1999.
There is obviously some degree of overlap between the genders. Nevertheless, this research indicates that there are proportional gender differences with more of the women being motivated toward the romance end of the tourism continuum and more of the men motivated toward the sex part of it. kenya romance kiss research Children Learn Rules for Romance in Preschool. Allison Nobles on January 25, 2018 In the United States we tend to think children develop sexuality in adolescence, but new research by teachers witnessed a boy kiss a girl on the cheek without permission. While teachers in some schools enforced what the author calls kissing consent Love& Romance; Communications; Advertise. TV, K24, QTV are the biggest TV stations in Kenya in terms of coverage and number of viewers but the introduction of Kiss and music has stiffened the competition and the fight for audience. The Kenya Advertising Research Foundation provides a report on the most viewed TV stations in Kenya XVideos. com the best free porn videos on internet, 100 free.Rating: 4.53 / Views: 316

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Even though we're not quite sure how to pronounce the Danish design duo Baum Und Pferdgarten 's name, one thing's for sure—their clothes definitely speak our language! In their new spring '10 collection, peachy pinks mix with purples and laces for a light and airy collection of dresses, tailored pants, and cozy cardigans. With an outfit for pretty much every occasion, this collection is just what we've been craving for summer, and offers some styling tips that's like a punch of inspiration. Even though the name has us lost in translation, after looking through this collection, you can rest assured that we fully comprehend! Contact their website to find out where it's stocked in the US.
This Tank Top With Shoulder Pads Is Haunting Me
Maybe I first saw it on an influencer, perfectly tucked into her billowy trousers while she turned her face towards the sun. Or, it was a targeted Instagra


text:
We currently have no dogs ready for rehoming but do have a couple being assessed at the moment. When they become ready, we will put up their details on this page. However, please don't wait to submit a potential owner's form
If you would like to rehome any of our dogs, or if you would just like to be added to our Potential Owner's List so we already have your details if the right dog comes in to fit your needs, then please fill out a potential owner's form with all your information and if your circumstances are a match for what one of our dogs requirements, we will be in touch … we are I suppose merely glorified match-makers and it's our aim to get each of our dogs the right home, first time around. Thank you so much for considering adoption of one of our hounds as a possibility for your family.
To download a potential owner's form, please click on the Adoption tab at the top of the page.


text:
...but your activity and behavior on this site made us think that you are a bot.
Note: A number of things could be going on here.
Please solve this CAPTCHA to request unblock to the website
You reached this page when trying to access
https://www.mywedding.com/shop/astoria-grand-lang-gray-beige-black-area-rug-astoria-grand-rug-size-round-53-p22ef5e066b90ab87594658a92893d8cf.html from
18.104.22.168 on
December 06 2019, 03:42:51 UTC


text: Uncategorized Affiliate Marketing Q and A: Ask Me ANYTHING By PocketMoney 4 weeks ago Tags: Make Money Online Continue Reading Previous Facebook Ads Affiliate Marketing Case Study | How To Turn $5 Dollars To $1000 DollarsNext Earn $1000 Per Week For FREE! (Step By Step) – Make Money Online 2019 Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


text:
Trogir to Nuremberg
Trogir to Nuremberg Nuremberg to Trogir
Between Trogir and Nuremberg we found up to 1 bus departure, including 1 night bus. The earliest departure from Trogir is at 14:30 arriving to Nuremberg at 07:00. The latest departure is at 14:30 arriving at 07:00. Prices for a one way adult ticket range from 55 € to 55 €.
Most popular departures between Trogir and Nuremberg
Traveling by bus from Trogir to Nuremberg
The shortest travel distance between Trogir (HR) and Nuremberg (DE) is 1038 km. The fastest bus which departs at 14:30 has a travel time of 16:30h. The longest travel time on the route is 16:30h. Some of the busses going from Trogir to Nuremberg have stops in Sibenik, Vodice, Biograd na Moru and Zadar. Specific information about each route can be found by clicking the route in the search results.
Overnight bus Trogir to Nuremberg
If you want to travel overnight, there is 1 night bus from Trogir to Nuremberg. The overnight buses depart between 14:30 and 14:30 and arrive between 07:00 and 07:00 in the morning.
|Bus departures on this route are operated by the following bus companies:
|Company name
|Croatia bus-Globtour-Salinea-Jadran ekspres
Departure and arrival station
Summary of the ticket price from Trogir to Nuremberg
|Cheapest single adult ticket:
|55 €
|Return adult ticket price from:
|99 €
|Cheapest single child ticket:
|39 €
|Return child ticket price from:
|70 €
|Cheapest single student ticket:
|Return student ticket price from:
|Cheapest single pensioner ticket:
|Return pensioner ticket price from:
Other popular destinations from Trogir
Trogir to Old STG (Not in use)


text:
HEALTHY, Vegan Banana, Strawberry, Blueberry Smoothie! This easy recipe uses fresh fruit to make a smoothie for breakfast, for kids and for weight loss! It's dairy free and vegan.
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Recipe makes (2) 12 ounce cups. I like to drink one and put the other in the refrigerator for the next day.
Each smoothie is 140 calories. Servings: 2.


text:
scs 2, 1 (2011) out now
Filed under: Africa, Ancient History, art, Asia, Australia, Éire, Call for papers, Canada, Empire, Europe, gender, Genocide, Hawaii, Israel/Palestine, Latin America, law, literature, media, middle east, New Zealand, outer space, Pacific, Political developments, postcolonialism, public lecture, Quote, Scholarship and insights, Science, Seminar, Southern Africa, Sovereignty, Uncategorized, United States, wacky, Website | Closed
- If you're a scholar, and you find some of your work featured on the blog, then chances are that we want it for our journal.
what's new
- Normalising settler colonalism begins early: Brian Rouleau, 'How the West Was Fun: Children's Literature and Frontier Mythmaking toward the Turn of the Twentieth Century', Western Historical Quarterly, 2019
- Refusal as strategy: Erez Tzfadia, Avinoam Meir, Batya Roded, EliAtzmon, 'Gray local governance and Israeli Indigenous Bedouin: Credibility, functionality and the politics of refusal', Cities, 97, 2020
- Settler genocide in the form of a pageant: Andrea Lynn Smith, 'Settler Colonialism and the Revolutionary War" New York's 1929 "Pageant of Decision"', The Public Historian, 41, 4, 2019, pp. 7-35
- Violence and identity: Alexander Rotard, 'Settler Identity and Colonial Violence in French Algeria 1945-1962: An Exploration of the Relationship between Settler Identity Formation and the Justification of Violence in Settler Colonies', Hitotsubashi Bulletin of Social Sciences, 11, 2019
- Mormon settler colonialism: Elise Boxer, 'The Book of Mormon as Mormon Settler Colonialism', in P. Jane Hafen, Brenden W. Rensink (eds), Essays on American Indian and Mormon History, University of Utah Press, 2019, pp. 3-22
- Camus as primarily a settler colonist: Gina Marie Breen, 'Neither Algerian, nor French: Albert Camus's Pied-Noir Identity', Mediterranean Studies, 27, 2, 2019, pp. 210-233
- Indigenising theology: Allen G. Jorgenson, 'Decolonizing and Indigenizing Liberation Theology', in Hussam S. Timani, Loye Sekihata Ashton (eds), Post-Christian Interreligious Liberation Theology, Palgave, 2019, pp. 159-183
- Environmental protection and the logic of elimination: Erin Willahan, 'Narratives of the North: Contested geographic imaginaries and the case of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge', Arctic Yearbook, 2019
- Promoting settler 'ready made' farms: Shona Gourlay, 'CPR's Ready Made Farms', Alberta History, 2019
- A settler's dream (i.e., deporting indigenous people): Helen Davidson, 'Citizenship test: court to decide whether Indigenous people can be deported from Australia', Guardian, 04/12/19
- Minecraft is a settler-colonial game: Bennett Brazelton, 'On the 10-year anniversary of minecraft: two interventions in extractive colonialism', Cultural Geographies, 2019
- The 'settler-not': Tryon P. Woods, 'Marronage, Here and There: Liberia, Enslavement's Conversion, and the Settler-Not', International Labor and Working Class History, 96, 2019, pp. 38-59
- The archaeology of settlers: Alfredo González-Ruibal, 'Ethical Issues in Indigenous Archaeology: Problems with Difference and Collaboration', Canadian Journal of Bioethics, 2, 3, 2019, pp. 34-43
- Criminal by design: Emma Rose Kauffman, After this, Therefore, Because of This: Refusing Settler Immunity & Abolishing Indigenous Criminality, MA dissertation, University of Alberta
- You can't build an indigenous state under settler colonialism: S. Abdel Latif, The EU and Palestine: The Role of EU Financial Aid in Statebuilding in Palestine, PhD dissertation, University of Exeter, 2019


text:
IF you're in search of the proper Christmas current for an engaged pal, pay attention up.
A bride-to-be subscription field exists and it's jam-packed with treats, necessities, low cost codes and prime ideas from marriage ceremony specialists.
It's the perfect reward for an engaged mate[/caption]
Blushing Bride Field is a month-to-month subscription designed to take brides from "Miss to Mrs".
Accessible as a one-off field, a three-month and a six-month subscription, every is stuffed to the brim with bridal goodies, necessities for a "bridal emergency equipment" on the large day in addition to knowledgeable recommendation and low cost codes for suppliers.
It additionally contains treats to make use of for the "one thing previous, one thing new, one thing borrowed and one thing blue" custom.
Whereas the one-off field is priced at £22.99, three-months will set you again £64.99 whereas a six-month sign-up prices £128.99.
Costs begin at £22.99 for a one-off field[/caption]
- Bridal subscription field, from £22.99, Blushing Bride Field – purchase now
Postage and packaging is £three per field, with the contents of every having a mean worth of over £40.
Earlier treats embody a bride make-up bag, balloons, sashes, marriage ceremony recommendation, magnificence merchandise, "group bride" bracelets and a "Fortunately Ever After Begins Right here" plaque.
Different gadgets embody a ebook of prime marriage ceremony ideas, face masks, a helpful planner to assist create your seating plan, a reusable "bride" espresso mug and hen celebration balloons.
The subscription containers have been receiving rave critiques on-line, with one individual writing: "It's the cutest factor ever! I'm so in love with the entire concept. I already can't watch for subsequent month, completely superb!"
Whereas one other stated: "They've been so useful to me and have impressed concepts for my marriage ceremony!"
One bride-to-be defined: "I've been getting these containers for a 12 months now and I'm tremendous impressed with them. Some nice issues so as to add to my huge day!"
Will you be snapping one up?
Most learn in Fabulous
I wed in a £20 costume which I discovered stained on the store flooring – a wash sorted it
December 2: Perception in love might be restored by somebody who has a beneficiant coronary heart
In different marriage ceremony information, we advised you the way a marriage visitor was blasted for sporting a white lace costume and standing in the course of the pictures.
We additionally revealed one girl places engagement ring up on the market for £5 after providing it to ex's girlfriend at no cost as 'she likes what's mine'.
And we confirmed you newlyweds pose for cringey garter photograph with a really confused little boy subsequent to them however all folks discover are her socks.


text:
8 fashion styles: These beautiful clips are suitable for all most all hairstyles of girls and women. Different styles to meet your various needs
Handmade Crafts: Design inspired from the alligator, beads on the clips are manually connected by durable fishing lines, totally free of glue, safety and harmless
Wide Applications: These elegant hair pins can be used in the various occasion, fully set off your beauty in parties, wedding wearing, proms, evening, daily life, work, school, holiday etc
High Quality: Onlyesh hair styling clips are made of artificial pearls and metal alloy, durable and sturdy with gold-tone plating make them bright and attractive
Customer Service: Any questions please feel free to contact us, we would deal with it in a 24 hour time. And we provide a 100% guarantee with 3 years warranty
Imported from USA
Full description not available
Shop the largest choice of Hair Accessories online in the UAE. Browse thousands of great deals on onlyesh products with fast, free delivery.


text:
Show More
Location: 594 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Area: 8, 968.23 sqf
Year: TBD
Project Description:
This project is a modernized apartment building located in a community friendly residential area in Brooklyn, NYC. Not only is it a short drive to Manhattan, there are multiple public schools, local parks, playgrounds and authentic restaurants that are walking distance away from this location making it suitable for families with kids. It's also at the epicenter of many popular location such as Williamsburg, Botanical garden, and Prospect Park Zoo.


text:
Best 10 Way To Earn Money Playing Games Online
Best 10 way to earn money playing games online. here are the best 10 ways to earn money playing games online: swagbucks. this is a legit website that pays people to do certain tasks including playing games. the website offers several tasks, for example, watching videos, shopping, searching for products, watching videos, and playing games. If you are trying to earn money by playing games, you should avoid online casinos altogether. i hope you never have to face this issue, but if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please use these resources to get help. summary. there are so many ways that you can get paid to play games online for free. It is genuinely possible for anybody to make money by playing games online. whether it is playing bingo or solitaire, downloading featured mobile apps, or joining high stakes casino games, people make money each day by playing games online, and you can make money in your spare time too. Getting paid to play online games is a dream for avid gamers. thanks to the requirement of various gaming websites, today there are many online game sites that do pay you to play games on their site. 5 websites to earn money by playing games online: game show network(gsn): game show network is a good site that rewards you for playing games. It started as an online rewards program that gave members rewards for using the swagbucks search engine. now the company has transfigured itself into an gpt site. at swagbucks, you can earn money for the things that you are already doing online. obviously playing games is one of the best ways to earn money on this website.
How To Earn Money By Playing Games On Android Mobile
Playing games on getpaidto is an easy way to earn money online and get paid for your time. with a wide selection of games including sudoku, cross word, word search, pool, jigsaw, arcade games and more, if you have some spare time and enjoy online games, play them on getpaidto to earn gpt points. But we found ways you can actually make money playing games online. play games, make money. we're probably not talking about a ton of money. but it's possible to scratch up a little cash and/or save some money playing games online. especially if you're just sitting there, waiting at the doctor's office or the dmv trying to pass the time. Yes, you can earn money playing games online and even on your phone. and there are real money earning games that pay. this article shows you exactly how it all works. it answers many of the questions you probably have about how to make money online from just playing games. Paidgameplayer.com is a fun place to play free online games, download games and win cash and prizes. Play free online games or compete for cash over $500,000 prized out daily! card games, arcade games, word games and fan favorites like wheel of fortune. play online games for money worldwinner.
Earn Money By Playing Android Games With Live Payment
Earn money games is a blog website which discusses the opportunities to earn money from playing games such as skilled games, puzzles, riddle book, lotto, lottery, casinos, quiz games and other websites which gives you dollars and real cash for winning contests. Second life is the most popular game to earn money online for a reason. a chinese girl anshe chung became the first lady to earn one million dollars when she converted her 250 million l$ (linden dollars) not everyone can repeat such kind of success, but many people earn money from this game. But if you start to enjoy online games then you can play real money earning games. but the most attractive thing is most of the online games site are free to use. so you don't have to spend any money on start playing games. i have listed 11 sites of real money earning games that you can play to earn money. Playing games that can earn you real money is everybody's dream and while there are some very skilled gamers who can actually make a living out of this, for the casual people there is yet. Tags: earn money online by playing games earn money playing games free free online games win real money no deposit get paid to play games online for free get paid to play games sites get paid to play video games at home for free get paid to test video games how to earn money by playing games online online games that pay you to play play game and earn money android win real money playing games.
Earn $50 Per Day Playing Games On Your Phone Make Money Online
Most of them like to play games and few of them will be really mad at games. the best part is you can earn money by playing online games. online games are not fps games like battleground, far cry, grand theft auto etc. instead, they are simple games like racing, puzzle, arcade etc. Make money playing trivia games online. although playing trivia games online isn't going to make you enough money. however, it can be a great way to get started. swagbucks. other than paying for clicking ads, watching videos and taking surveys swagbucks also pays for playing games online. This app is made by the same company and allows you to not only make money from playing games, but also from surveys, referrals (10% extra cashback on friends' earnings) and shopping online. 4. appkarma. this app is one of the most highly rated on the list at 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 300,000 reviews. you earn money for playing games, taking. Aside from free game websites that you can earn cash from, there are other ways to make money playing games, and they're definitely worth a try. sell accounts or virtual property this is where big money comes in, like those who earn thousands by selling virtual property on second life. Today we are talking about "how to earn money by playing games online",yes you can actually earn money while playing online games.game lovers love to play online games like rummy,candy crush saga and others.candy crush saga is a very famous game and millions of peoples play candy crush saga and share their performance on facebook.


text:
Un Grado es un título universitario que puede obtenerse en universidades o centros de educación superior en todo el mundo. Se imparten programas de Grado en muchas especializaciones diferentes, para que los estudiantes puedan adaptar su educación a sus metas de futuro.
Título de Grado en Medicina General
Preparatory courses for the study of Medicine and Science take place in our Pre-University Centre is designed for the students holding O-level or any equivalent.
Collaboration étroite des deux grandes universités du Kivu. Les Département de Chirurgie, de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, de Médecine Interne & Imagerie, et de Pédiatrie des u ... +
During the studies students learn the science and methods of medicine based on human morphology (structure), functions (physiology), psychology, basic clinical practice (anamn ... +
The University of Edinburgh provides high quality postgraduate medical education in through an online distance learning format. Students are from a variety of countries across ... +
The Bachelor program in General Medicine aims at providing students with sound theoretical and practical knowledge which enables them to think medically and deepen his/her edu ... +
University life in Medicine and Surgery takes place in a campus-like environment with a strong integration of support, education, and research. A wide network of structures (t ... +
El plan de estudios del programa de estudios de Medicina general es idéntico a los contemplados en los estudiantes de medicina Checa, además de ser enseñado en Inglés. Se ajus ... +
Graduates of the General Medicine study program completed complex education in all theoretical and clinical medical disciplines for obtaining knowledge and manual skills enabl ... +
The range of MD of General Medicine at 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague is comparable to other Medical Faculties in the Czech Republic and also abroad. Th ... +
The Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen offers courses in General Medicine (six years) and Dentistry (five years) in both Czech and in English languages. For medical students, the f ... +
The standard duration of study is six years. The form of study is full-time. Graduates of the program receive a complete medical education and are awarded the title MUDr. (M.D ... +
The 6-year curriculum leads to the Master degree MUDr. - "Medicinae Universae Doctor" = Doctor of General Medicine. To the effect of the second sentence of Article 3 Subsectio ... +
Through its curriculum, AICASA provides all the necessary resources for prospective MDs and other health science professionals to get their education on track.
At the very outset, the University realized that the current pace of development and the specificity of the present-day medicine (introduction of molecular and personalized me ... +
The goal of the integrated undergraduate and graduate course of Medicine is to train students, future physicians, to independently practice health care. Study course also prov ... +


text:
BRUSSELS — Despite pleas to set aside bickering over military spending so the issue doesn't dominate a third NATO summit in a row, the United States is almost certain to demand again this week that its 28 NATO partners respect their pledges to boost defense budgets.
NATO countries slashed spending as tensions eased after the Cold War. But Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula was a wake-up call. The allies agreed then to halt cuts, boost budgets and move toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense by 2024.
The 2% figure is perhaps too simplistic in that its value fluctuates depending on how economies perform. Moreover, countries calculate their defense budgets differently; some want veterans pensions included, for example.
Correct spending levels don't guarantee that adequate forces can be deployed into battle in a timely way and sustained by efficient supply lines. Nor do they have a relationship to any real security threat assessment.
Importantly, this is about national military budgets, not NATO funding. No one owes the United States money, even though Washington spends more on defense than all the other allies combined.


text:
Renal ossicles are ossified structures developed after the implantation of a bone marrow (BM) plug beneath the kidney capsule. The authors have investigated the origin of the hematopoietic cells in murine renal ossicles by conducting sex-mismatched implants into Ly-5 congenic mice. BM plugs from transgenic mice provided additional genotypic tracers. Flow cytometry analyses on nonadherent cells from long-term cultures established with ossicles excised at 17 to 40 weeks postimplantation evidenced the presence of 5% to 70% of donor-derived myeloid cells. The genetic analysis of the day 12 colony-forming unit (CFU-S12) population in ossicles excised at 10 to 40 weeks postimplantation revealed that 16% to 93% of the colonies were of donor origin. Moreover, we describe for the first time the presence of long-term repopulating cells of donor origin in ossicles excised at 10 to 19 weeks postimplantation.
The implantation of bone marrow (BM) plugs beneath the murine renal capsule results in the generation of ossicles with active hematopoiesis.1-3 The origin of the hematopoietic and stromal cells in renal ossicles and in subcutaneously implanted BM plugs and femurs has been investigated by means of chromosomal markers2,4-8 and immunological techniques.8-10These studies evidenced the donor origin of the stromal cells in these transplantation models.8-10 On the other hand, the pluripotent progenitors and differentiated cells lodged in these ectopic hematopoietic foci have been shown to be predominantly of host origin.2,7-9 In some instances, donor hematopoietic cells have been detected longer than 6 months postimplantation,4,7,8 with an increasing ratio of donor versus host-derived contribution as the analysis period was shortened.8
We have further investigated the nature of the hematopoietic progenitors and repopulating cells (RCs) present in renal ossicles by establishing long-term cultures (LTCs) and conducting spleen colony-forming unit (CFU-S) and repopulating assays. The origin of these precursors was unequivocally identified by the use of several genetic (zfy-1 male and neomycin phosphotransferase [neor] gene sequences) and phenotypic (panleukocyte Ly-5 antigen) markers.
Study design
We used 12- to 15-week-old C57Bl/6 (Ly-5.2) and C57Bl/6-Ly 5.1-Pep3b (Ly-5.1) mice. Silent neorgene sequences of 624 base pairs (bp) and 1200 bp were used to generate the N1 and N2 transgenic Ly-5.2 mouse lines (Ly-5.2/neo) according to standard procedures.11
Long-term hematopoietic cultures
Long-term BM cultures12 were initiated by flushing the marrow of one hind limb into a 25-cm2 culture flask (Nunc, Roskilde, Denmark) with 10 mL Fischer's medium (GIBCO, Grand Island, NY) supplemented with 20% horse serum (Flow, ICN Biomedicals, Costa Mesa, CA) and 10−5mol/L hydrocortisone sodium succinate (Sigma, St Louis, MO). To establish LTCs from renal ossicles, a single bony ossicle was directly crushed inside the flask. Cultures were grown at 33°C with 5% CO2 in air, and half of the media was replaced weekly.
CFU-S and repopulating assays
Cell suspensions from ground ossicles were intravenously injected into x-ray–conditioned recipients receiving a 24-hour split dose of 9.5 Gy for the CFU-S assay13 and 10 Gy for the repopulating assay. Irradiation was delivered at 1.03 Gy/min, 300 kV, and 12.8 mA (Philips MG324 equipment, Hamburg, Germany) (half-value layer: 3.2 mm Cu).
Flow cytometry
Samples were analyzed on an Epics ELITE ESP flow cytometer (Coulter, Hialeah, FL) after erythrocyte lysis with ammonium chloride and exclusion of nonviable cells by propidium iodide. The monoclonal antibodies (PharMingen, San Diego, CA) used included the phycoerythrin-coupled anti-CD45.1 (anti–Ly-5.1) and the fluorescein-conjugated anti–Ly-6G (anti–Gr-1).
Results and discussion
Experimental model
BM plugs from 2 femurs of transgenic Ly-5.2 female mice (F/Ly-5.2/neo) were implanted beneath the renal capsule of normal congenic male mice (M/Ly-5.1). The resulting ossicles were excised at periods longer than 10 weeks postimplantation. Each renal ossicle is coded with a number indicating the age (days postimplantation) followed by the transgenic strain (N1 or N2) used as BM donor. The origin of the hematopoietic progenitors lodged in renal ossicles was first investigated by anti–Ly-5.1 staining on supernatant cells from LTCs. These almost exclusively include myeloid cells (Gr-1+) in which the detection of Ly-5.1+ cells should result from ossicle-host–derived progenitors. On the other hand, the presence of Ly-5.1− cells in the supernatants should result from donor-derived progenitors. The origin of the CFU-S12 population and RCs was also investigated by transplanting ossicle marrow cells into irradiated female recipients (F/Ly-5.2). The spleen colonies and lymphohematopoietic organs from the reconstituted recipients were processed for DNA extraction and hybridization analysis.14 Cells derived from BM donors should give rise to DNA samples hybridizing with a probe for theneor gene but not with a male probe (zfy-1 gene probe). On the contrary, ossicle-host–derived cells should hybridize with the zfy-1 gene probe but not with the neor gene probe. Residual endogenous hematopoietic cells in the transplanted recipient should not contribute DNA hybridizing with either the neor or thezfy-1 gene probes.
Origin of nonadherent cells in LTCs established with renal ossicles
We used 125d-N1 and 132d-N1 ossicles to establish LTCs. LTCs were also initiated with BM from the 125d-N1 ossicle host and from Ly-5.1 and Ly-5.2 control mice (Figure 1A). As expected, most nonadherent myeloid cells from the Ly-5.1 and Ly-5.2 control cultures were Ly-5.1+ and Ly-5.1−, respectively. No significant numbers of Ly-5.1− cells (phenotype of the implanted BM) were detected in the LTC supernatants from the 125d-N1 ossicle host BM. However, ossicle-derived LTC supernatants always contained a significant proportion of myeloid cells from BM donor (7.3% to 64.9% of Ly-5.1− cells).
We analyzed 3 further ossicle-derived LTCs (198d-N1, 281d-N2, and 282d-N2 ossicles). In all instances, chimeric supernatants bearing 5% to 33% of Ly-5.1− cells were observed. As referred to above, fewer than 5% of Ly-5.1− cells were detected in the supernatants of the LTCs established with 198d-N1 and 281d-N2 ossicle host BMs (not shown). These results revealed the presence of BM-donor–derived progenitors in renal ossicles even at periods longer than 9 months postimplantation.
Orgin of the CFU-S12 population in renal ossicles
Hybridization analyses on CFU-S12 from 77d-N2, 133d-N1, 136d-N1, and 281d-N2 ossicles are summarized in Table1. This table also shows the proportion of hematopoietic cells from BM-donor and ossicle-host origin in the ossicle marrow as deduced by Ly-5.1 staining. Only 3 of 144 spleen colonies analyzed were of endogenous origin. Between 16% and 93% of the exogenous CFU-S12 in the ossicle marrow were of donor origin. Interestingly, even when the ossicle marrow cells were predominantly of host origin, a large proportion of donor-derived CFU-S12 was detected. We presume that the intense vascularization of the ossicles may account for this observation.1 Taken together, these data are consistent with studies detecting donor-derived CFU-S9 in subcutaneous femurs at 2 to 40 weeks postimplantation.5,8
|Origin of marrow cells from renal ossicles
|Hematopoietic cells
|Donor (Ly-5.1−)
|Host (Ly-5.1+)
|19/28 (67.86%)
|9/28 (32.14%)
|14/15 (93.33%)
|1/15 (6.67%)
|61/74 (83.56%)
|12/74 (16.44%)
|4/27 (16%)
|21/27 (84%)
|Origin of marrow cells from renal ossicles
|Hematopoietic cells
|Donor (Ly-5.1−)
|Host (Ly-5.1+)
|19/28 (67.86%)
|9/28 (32.14%)
|14/15 (93.33%)
|1/15 (6.67%)
|61/74 (83.56%)
|12/74 (16.44%)
|4/27 (16%)
|21/27 (84%)
The contribution of BM-donor–derived (Ly-5.1−) and ossicle-host–derived (Ly-5.1+) hematopoietic cells was quantified in the bulk of the ossicle marrow by flow cytometry. The origin of the CFU-S12 population was determined on individually excised colonies by DNA hybridization with aneor gene probe (1200-bp EcoRI/SalI fragment from pXT1 plasmid DNA)15 and a male probe from thezfy-1 gene (1400-bp EcoRI/SalI fragment from pY2 plasmid).16 A probe for the single copy M-CSFgene (1100-bp EcoRI/HindIII fragment of plasmid pSPmM1)17was used as a DNA load control. Data are presented as the ratio of colonies of the respective origin versus the total number of CFU-S12 analyzed per ossicle. The percentage of donor and host-derived colonies with respect to the total number of exogenous colonies is shown in brackets.
CFU-S indicates spleen colony-forming unit; ND, not determined.
Origin of the RCs in renal ossicles
Marrow cells from the 77d-N2 ossicle were transplanted into myeloablated F/Ly-5.2 mice. The origin of the RCs in the lymphohematopoietic organs from these recipients was investigated by means of hybridization analyses performed at the third (R1), fourth (R2-R3), and sixth month (R4-R10) posttransplantation (Figure 1B). Although the exogenous RCs in some recipients were predominantly from ossicle hosts (zfy-1+, ie, R1, R5, and R9), the remaining recipients were predominantly repopulated by BM-donor–derived cells (neo+). Similar results were obtained when marrow grafts from 78d-N1 and 133d-N1 ossicles were transplanted and recipients analyzed at 3 to 7 months posttransplantation (not shown).
Long-term RCs (LTRCs) had been previously reported in ossicles generated following the subcutaneous implantation of gelatin capsules containing recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2.18 Our study, however, reports for the first time the presence of LTRCs in mouse renal ossicles. Moreover, we demonstrate a significant repopulating contribution from donor origin. Given that we could not detect donor-derived progenitors in any ossicle host BM, we propose that donor RCs have been preserved at the implantation site. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out the possibility that donor RCs reached these organoids as a secondary process after the engraftment and subsequent mobilization from the host BM.
Our observations suggest the relevance of testing the origin of the hematopoietic populations in experimental models of heterotopic BM transplantation aiming to dissect the contribution of donor precursors to particular hematopoietic deficiencies.3,19 In addition, our data open new possibilities regarding the stable transplantation of donor hematopoietic stem cells in nonconditioned recipients.
The authors thank Thomas Graf for discussion on the manuscript, Antonio Bernad for collaboration to establish the N1 transgenic mouse line, Sergio Garcı́a for technical assistance, and J. Martı́nez for careful maintenance of the animals.
Departamento de Biologı́a Molecular y Celular y Terapia Génica, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Madrid, Spain.
Submitted December 1, 1999; accepted May 25, 2000.
Supported by grant SAF 98-0008-C04-01 from the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologı́a.
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. Therefore, and solely to indicate this fact, this article is hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. section 1734.
Author notes
Florencio Varas, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Departamento de Biologı́a Molecular y Celular y Terapia Génica, Edificio 7, Avenida Complutense 22, 28040-Madrid, Spain; e-mail: email@example.com.


text:
Editors' note: CNET is currently transitioning to a new battery testing regimen for phones. We'll update this article soon with details and fresh results.
Now that the end of 2019 is nearing and phone companies have finished launching their flagship phones for the year, it's time to examine some of the best phones so far in terms of battery life. Usually, a phone lasts a full workday with moderate use. But if you use it heavily, you'll need to recharge it more often. Batteries also lose steam over time, running down faster the longer you've owned the phone. The possibility of losing battery -- and therefore losing your communication hub -- is frightening and real.
In an industry where 5G, folding displays, pop-up cameras and in-screen fingerprint scanners trend as desirable features, one feature consistently ranks at the top of the must-have list: long battery life. Even as something as highly anticipated as the Pixel 4 can disappoint with a surprisingly mediocre battery life.
If you feel your phone's battery seems to be stuck in the '90s and doesn't last as long as you'd like, you're not alone. So if a long-life battery tops your list of needs, check out these top scorers -- they lasted impressively long during our lab tests for continuous video playback in Airplane mode.
With a run time of 21 hours, the Note 10 Plus has enough juice to power that huge 6.8-inch display all day. Like its Note 10 counterpart, it has a single front-facing camera but in addition to its three rear cameras, it has a fourth depth-sensing camera. And while it doesn't have a headphone jack, it does have expandable memory, unlike the Note 10. Read our Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus review.
Packed with four cameras and flaunting a beautiful design, the pricey P30 Pro has one of the best cameras around. Its big, 4,200-mAh battery lasted 22 hours and 57 minutes. The smaller Huawei P30 also has a great battery life, lasting 21 hours and 31 minutes. The phones are not available in the US, however. Read our Huawei P30 Pro review.
Topping our list is the Moto G7 Power. Though it doesn't have dual rear cameras like Motorola's current flagship, the Moto G7, the G7 Power has a monster battery. Its 5,000-mAh battery lasted 23 hours and 10 minutes, making it the longest-lasting phone we've tested this year so far. Read the Moto G7 Power review.
The Galaxy S10 Plus has a phenomenal AMOLED screen, loads of useful camera tools and the option to wirelessly charge other devices. Its monster battery life lasted an excellent 21 hours. If the phone is too pricey or too big for you, however, consider its smaller counterpart, the S10, which lasted an impressive 18 hours during our battery tests. Read our Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review.
Though it launched last year, the iPhone XR still has a great battery. It clocked in the longest result of all 2018 iPhones at 19 hours and 53 minutes, and it beat out this year's iPhone 11, which only lasted 15 hours and 24 minutes. It also delivers many desirable iPhone features, including an excellent big screen in a comfortable body, fast performance, Face ID and wireless charging. Read our Apple iPhone XR review.
We haven't finished battery testing for the LG G8X ThinQ when both of its two screens are turned on and active yet. But we conducted tests for just the phone's single 6.4-inch display and it ran for a solid 17 hours and 49 minutes. Besides its dual-screen accessory, the phone also features a headphone jack, expandable memory and wireless charging. Read our LG G8X ThinQ review.
True, the Note 9 launched in 2018, but its battery lasted 19 hours and 20 minutes and that's still excellent even in 2019. In addition, it has a big, bright screen, an embedded S Pen stylus that can trigger the phone's camera shutter and lots of internal storage. Read our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review.
Originally published Oct. 31, 2011, and updated as new developments occur.B:
2017管家婆最新传密"【出】【什】【么】【事】【了】?" 【邱】【索】【大】【声】【问】【道】。 【一】【个】【传】【令】【兵】【慌】【里】【慌】【张】【地】【跑】【过】【来】,【说】【道】:"【报】【告】【总】【指】【挥】【官】【大】【人】,【后】【营】【出】【现】【敌】【情】,【有】【敌】【偷】【袭】!" 【邱】【索】【大】【惊】,【来】【不】【及】【细】【问】,【便】【飞】【身】【往】【后】【营】【赶】【去】。 【他】【一】【边】【飞】【奔】,【一】【边】【大】【声】【喊】【道】:"【中】【军】【团】【全】【体】【士】【兵】【集】【合】,【速】【速】【增】【援】【后】【营】,【要】【快】!" 【他】【的】【声】【音】【由】【内】【力】【加】【持】,【因】【此】【非】【常】【洪】【亮】,
【太】【掖】【池】【畔】【的】【枫】【叶】【林】【快】【红】【了】,【林】【间】【小】【路】【上】【散】【落】【着】【半】【个】【巴】【掌】【大】【的】【或】【蜷】【缩】【着】【的】【或】【舒】【展】【开】【来】【的】【枫】【树】【叶】,【那】【男】【子】【不】【过】【三】【十】【几】【许】,【身】【形】【颀】【长】、【面】【容】【清】【俊】,【两】【鬓】【长】【眉】【似】【剑】,【一】【双】【星】【目】【就】【好】【像】【那】【把】【剑】【在】【阳】【光】【下】【折】【闪】【的】【光】。 【檀】【生】【下】【意】【识】【往】【后】【一】【退】,【官】【妈】【妈】【跨】【步】【上】【前】,【怒】【目】【而】【视】,"【你】【是】【哪】【个】!" 【突】【然】【在】【宫】【里】【见】【了】【个】【除】【了】【皇】【帝】【以】【外】【的】【非】
【路】【上】,【云】【溪】【将】【早】【就】【准】【备】【好】【的】【解】【释】【告】【诉】【了】【张】【明】,【说】【是】【自】【己】【被】【老】【板】【看】【中】,【马】【上】【就】【要】【升】【职】【加】【薪】【了】,【所】【以】【动】【用】【了】【些】【存】【款】【重】【新】【租】【了】【房】.. 【巴】【拉】【巴】【拉】,【总】【算】【将】【张】【明】【哄】【骗】【住】【了】。 【也】【没】【有】【蹦】【人】【设】,【完】【美】! 【接】【着】【云】【溪】【带】【着】【张】【明】【去】【了】【一】【家】【快】【餐】【店】,【这】【家】【快】【餐】【店】【生】【意】【很】【好】,【价】【格】【也】【很】【高】。 【但】【是】【云】【溪】【也】
"【你】【敢】!" 【愣】【了】【一】【下】,【随】【即】【反】【应】【过】【来】,【欧】【阳】【岫】【顿】【时】【气】【愤】【的】【叫】【嚷】【起】【来】,【漆】【黑】【的】【眼】【眸】【里】【闪】【过】【惊】【慌】。 "【欧】【阳】【家】【主】,【不】【如】【拭】【目】【以】【待】?" 【眉】【头】【轻】【挑】,【季】【夜】【凝】【冷】【笑】【连】【连】,【挑】【衅】【的】【开】【口】。 【别】【的】【不】【说】,【想】【要】【斩】【断】【欧】【阳】【家】【族】【的】【钻】【石】【来】【源】,【这】【件】【事】【对】【她】【来】【说】,【还】【不】【难】。 "【你】【不】【能】【这】【么】【做】!" 【紧】【抿】【着】【嘴】【唇】,【欧】【阳】【岫】【脸】【色】2017管家婆最新传密"【哈】【伯】【德】【公】【爵】【还】【真】【挑】【了】【教】【会】【当】【盟】【友】?"【听】【说】【了】【这】【件】【事】【的】【西】【蒙】【看】【上】【去】【很】【惊】【讶】,"【他】【这】【是】【不】【惜】【一】【切】【代】【价】【都】【要】【保】【住】【自】【己】【的】【地】【位】【啊】。" "【我】【觉】【得】【他】【根】【本】【就】【不】【知】【道】【教】【会】【的】【势】【力】【到】【底】【是】【怎】【么】【一】【回】【事】,【希】【尔】【把】【他】【逼】【得】【太】【紧】【了】,【他】【没】【有】【别】【的】【选】【择】,"【阿】【诺】【德】【也】【说】【不】【清】【哈】【伯】【德】【公】【爵】【到】【底】【为】【什】【么】【会】【做】【出】【那】【样】【的】【选】【择】,【在】【那】【天】【的】【晚】【宴】【上】,【他】【一】
【写】【这】【一】【卷】【最】【主】【要】【的】【目】【的】【就】【是】【因】【为】【喜】【欢】【颍】【宝】【了】,【很】【萌】,【很】【可】【爱】。 【当】【时】【看】【花】【千】【骨】【的】【时】【候】,【感】【觉】【实】【在】【太】【虐】【了】。 【东】【方】【彧】【卿】,【白】【子】【画】,【杀】【阡】【陌】【三】【个】【世】【间】【武】【力】【最】【强】,【智】【力】【最】【好】【的】【人】【都】【是】【喜】【欢】【小】【骨】【的】。 【但】【是】【却】【没】【有】【保】【护】【好】【她】,【真】【是】【没】【用】。 【所】【以】【他】【们】【都】【配】【不】【上】【小】【骨】,【然】【后】【这】【一】【卷】【我】【就】【没】【给】【小】【骨】【安】【排】【一】【个】cp。 【颍】【宝】【为】
【红】【石】【头】【山】【现】【在】【已】【经】【变】【成】【了】【土】【坡】,【而】【生】【活】【在】【上】【面】【的】【蛇】【头】【人】【部】【落】【也】【毁】【于】【一】【旦】,【看】【着】【矮】【了】【不】【知】【道】【多】【少】【倍】【的】【红】【石】【头】【山】,【元】【斗】【不】【由】【得】【想】【起】【了】【那】【些】【棘】【手】【的】【蛇】【头】【人】。"【话】【说】【你】【们】【知】【道】【那】【些】【蛇】【头】【人】【跑】【哪】【去】【了】【吗】,【会】【不】【会】【还】【在】【山】【上】?" "【应】【该】【都】【死】【了】【吧】,【不】【然】【的】【话】,【巨】【人】【和】【蚂】【蚁】【大】【战】【怎】【么】【着】【也】【该】【出】【现】【才】【是】【吧】?"【连】【嫣】【说】。 "【应】【该】【没】【这】
"【原】【来】【如】【此】,【老】【大】【是】【要】【用】【我】【们】【给】【萱】【萱】【建】【立】【信】【心】,【将】【萱】【萱】【培】【养】【成】【才】……"【哼】【哼】【哈】【哈】【与】【小】【晨】【三】【人】【一】【副】【恍】【然】【大】【悟】【的】【模】【样】。 "【对】【对】【对】……"【柱】【子】【小】【鸡】【啄】【米】【般】【点】【头】! 【心】【中】【却】【窃】【笑】【道】,【三】【位】【兄】【弟】,【对】【不】【住】【了】,【我】【吃】【了】【一】【个】【亏】,【你】【们】【也】【要】【吃】【个】【亏】,【如】【此】【我】【的】【心】【中】【才】【能】【够】【平】【衡】【啊】! "【你】【们】【赶】【紧】【些】,【来】【个】【强】【一】【点】【的】【来】【打】【我】。"【萱】


text:
Presently, there are actually this type of essential quantity of registration residences online which it enough might be a unpredicted errand to take into consideration within these are guaranteed, which see online game players, and returning to the primary benchmarks, men and women contain the best online amusements. Online Casinos made just like a genuine sort of vitality online with lots of administrator starting their site admittance doors in 1995. Decisions in the past are actually obligated on the long haul now you will discover boundless to view. For players in the united states, this rundown modifications into noticeably a lot more small by small amounts of your laws and controls affected by the UIGEA Unlawful Online casino Enforcement Respond to every little thing deemed would not body weight, you will find as no matter what situation an enormous amount places to carry out.
Inspiration driving a vehicle this existing real truth, all-around 98Percent of online gambling nighttime night clubs remains safe and secure in every celebration inside the standard belief fairly pretty furthermore with any phoning; you can find several annihilated sorts. In virtually any occasion, you must ensure the way the on the web internet casino team is assured some place on this planet along with on the apart worthiness they may be desired; they will probable expose to your or all of just you internet site. You besides need to assure how the on the net regular membership maintains doing work in advance-degrees development like Rival Online games or Are living On the internet movie gaming. Foe gambling qualities are completely certain and maintained track of the Govt of Curacao even though RTG gambling membership properties have at any time-changing attestations.
Totally exactly what is a lot continually, inspite of this digital web wagering club can be reported some region on the earth and keep an efficient made company, the employment would not by any broaden inside the impressive strength draw in it to function within its stops. Understand that it needs to be not unlawful for every one of us individuals to carry out at world wide web gambling groups regardless of it sincerely is dependably difficult to produce a store inside the online registration. In difficulties where the internet site casino membership delivers web games to US Athletics sportsmen, rest distinct they have got received found a education program alongside the goal that you can retail outlet 먹튀검증. An shocking portion about actively playing on the web is you will enjoy out a crucial measure of their amusements like accessible entryways for actually. You can find a pressure of tactics this can raise. One particular show is definitely the online account will provide a totally free gambling establishment group expression to authorization to understand with no other individual site.


text:
Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
- Shannon Duty Free kick starts entrepreneurial excellence - December 5, 2019
- Saluting some of the best in the business - December 3, 2019
- A Muddly Medley and a tale of Lindor chocolate – 'The Heaven I was waiting to see' - November 30, 2019
I am writing this from the British Airways lounge at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, en route to Iceland for the ACI Airport Commercial & Retail Conference. But my thoughts are not of what lies ahead but of my hometown in Christchurch, some 12,000 miles away.
The city is in shock and mourning for the victims of Friday's terrorist attacks on two city mosques that have left 50 dead and injured dozens more, many critically.
Today, long-time duty free confectionery supplier Stuart Bull, who is visiting Christchurch, sent me the photos below. They lend a new twist, at once both beautiful and appalling, on Christchurch's long-time sobriquet of 'the garden city'. As the pictures show, a new kind of garden is taking shape there, one borne from hate but blooming with love.


text:
Islam's Image Problem
The post-9/11 idea of Islam in America is lot of things, none of them very positive... I have been asked with a straight face why I would want to talk to a Muslim. This question was asked by a Christian. I don't know what kind of Christian has so little love for people that they can't see the value in nearly 25% of the entire world population (an immature one?). I talked to a minister who was on deputation to raise money to go to the Middle East as a missionary to a predominately Muslim country and he couldn't get a single church in his district to even schedule him for a presentation. This was after he was commissioned by the international headquarters of the organization and given their stamp of approval. He told me that several churches in his district held to the belief that there was no hope of salvation for Muslims. In their mind, they are the enemies of God, of America, of Christianity, and of everyone in the Western world.
Why is this idea of Islam prevalent among many Christians in some areas of the U.S. and other Western countries, especially given this is such a clearly anti-Christian attitude? What do these people really think about Muslims?
Is this really what Islam and Muslims are all about?
The short answer is no.
The more technically correct answer is sometimes...
This is an undeniably complicated issue and I won't pretend that we can even begin to scratch the surface in this short blog post. We will, however, have a better understanding of the issue than we did when we began.
How Should We React to Islam?
In light of the current strained relationship between Christianity and Islam (some of which is based on fact, but most of which is based on misinformation), it is of utmost importance that Christians maintain a Christlike attitude both in our dealings with the Muslim community and in the way we talk about Islam, whether publicly or privately. Unfortunately, the reactions I have seen most often from the Christian community, especially the religious right, is not healthy, well-informed, or aligned with the mission of the cross. The tendency is to:
I have three serious issues with these reactions:
As Christians, our number one concern should be that our actions and reactions are aligned with the Great Commission and grounded firmly in the Greatest Commandment.
The People of the Book
There are three distinct groups of people who Muhammed considered to be "The People of the Book". Let's take a look at his beliefs regarding those religious groups and how they relate to one another. (These general beliefs began to change after the death of Muhammed and vary wildly to this day, although the majority of the world's 2 billion Muslims are not hostile to Christianity or Judaism.)
Common Ground with Muslims
There are many commonalities shared between Christians and Muslims, both in social values and religious beliefs. This is where we can truly connect with those of the Muslim faith. Here are just a few of those values/beliefs.
Commonly Misunderstood Terms
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding Islam in the US. Ever since 9/11, anything related to Islam is emotionally charged and therefore prone to exploitation and a lot of hype by the media and politically minded individuals who don't care about the accuracy of information... Let's do our part to correct that by looking at a couple of these often misunderstood terms objectively.
(Un)Common Ground - Week 1: (Un)Comfortable Christianity
(Un)Common Ground - Week 2: The Wolves and the Sheep
(Un)Common Ground - Week 3: Connecting with the Unchurched and Non-Religious
(Un)Common Ground - Week 4: Connecting with Atheists, Agnostics, and Anti-Theists
(Un)Common Ground - Week 4: Connecting with Atheists, Agnostics, & Anti-Theists
What does that even mean?
It's important that we start with an understanding of the terminology. What exactly does "atheist", "agnostic", and "anti-theist" mean? What makes each unique and where is the overlap?
While there are some major differences in these three sets of beliefs, there is often significant overlap of two or more of these ideals. Most atheists I've talked to, for example, will admit that they cannot be 100% sure that God doesn't exist, which makes them somewhat agnostic. They choose to believe there is no God, however, which is what makes them atheists. They may also believe that belief in God is dangerous and detrimental to society. This would classify them as anti-theists, at least to a degree.
In my experience, I would say most people who identify as atheists, agnostics, or anti-theists actually believe in all three ideals to varying degrees.
Give credit where it is due.
Don't be afraid to admit when someone you disagree with is right. It seems that, as Christians, we see atheists as the enemy and we want to win some type of competition against them. There is no competition. There is no winning an argument.
Let me follow that up by saying this: We can't change our message to make them more happy, but we can find a method that is more effective. Let's start with where we agree.
Agreeing with an atheist on one point is not paramount to conceding all other points. Unfortunately, that is how we often approach discussions with certain groups of people. Conservative Christian movements often take this approach with atheists, Muslims, pro-choice advocates, and the LGBT+ community. I would argue that openly admitting agreement with someone of a different religious or political persuasion on one issue will break down walls for more productive discussions on other issues.
Here are some examples of things on which we can agree with atheists, agnostics, and anti-theists.
Admitting agreement on issues like these will bring down walls and show others that we are not simply trying to be confrontational or argumentative.
What not to say to an atheist...
Author, blogger, and atheist apologist, Hemant Mehta appeared in a YouTube video entitled "15 things to NEVER say to an atheist" from The Atheist Voice, in which he gives advice to Christians on what not to say to an atheist. Here are a few of the highlights:
As a Christian, you may be saying, "Those all seem like perfectly logical/effective arguments!" The good news is, you are right. The bad news is, you are wrong.
Those are all sound arguments from a Christian perspective, but from the perspective of an atheist, they are completely illogical. Let's take a look at each point and the atheist counterpoints provided by Mr. Mehta (I am paraphrasing, but the point is the same).
Christian: "Where do you get your morality?"
Atheist: "I have values and a conscience. My values aren't based on the Bible, though. I hope the Bible isn't the only reason you're not going around murdering people."
Christian: "Your life must be so empty."
Atheist: "My life is full. I believe in many things, just not God."
Christian: "Why are you mad at God?"
Atheist: "I'm not mad at God. I don't believe in God. I can't be mad at someone/something I don't believe in."
Christian: "What if you're wrong?"
Atheist: "What if I am wrong? If there really is a God, I would hope that he is not a vengeful God who would punish me for not believing in him. If he really existed and demanded that I believe in him, wouldn't he provide some evidence?"
Christian: "You just have to have faith."
Atheist: "Uh... no... I need to have evidence. I don't think you understand how this whole atheist thing works...."
So what can I say?
The previous list of things not to say to an atheist is not a list of hard and fast rules. I included this list to give us a better understanding of the difference in values and logic of the Christian and the atheist. We all need to have the self-awareness to know when to speak and when to shut up, as well as what to say. Talking to a good friend will be a different conversation than talking to a complete stranger.
The key is to not be intentionally offensive or argumentative. Our goal is to love people. Period. Once we get that part down, we can start to think about our secondary goal, which is to share the Gospel with those people. The reason I describe sharing the Gospel as a "secondary" goal (for which I know I will catch some flak) is that we simply cannot do the Great Commission without first fulfilling the Greatest Commandment.
If our intentions are pure, then I believe we will take the time to try to understand the perspective of others. If we truly love other people, we will put effort into empathizing with them. Empathy goes a long way when connecting with anyone who differs in opinion, politically, theologically, or otherwise.
Questions to ask before engaging with an atheist, agnostic, etc.
Follow the links to catch up on this series:
(Un)Common Ground - Week 1: (Un)Comfortable Christianity
(Un)Common Ground - Week 2: The Wolves and the Sheep
(Un)Common Ground - Week 3: Connecting with the Unchurched and Non-Religious
Accidental Evangelism on the Chicken Farm
*Note: I asked Bobby for permission to use his name in this story. To the best of my recollection it is accurate. If there are any discrepancies, I will post a correction.
I first met Bobby in the break room of an industrial chicken farm. If you've never been in an industrial chicken farm, there's no way I can describe it that will do it justice, but here's my best shot: Imagine a strong stench of ammonia punching you in the face. Now multiply that by 3 million (the number of chickens housed on said farm). If I'm exaggerating, it's ever so slightly. The parking lot would take your breath away. I can't imagine what the actual chicken houses were like. The break room was isolated from the houses, which tempered the stench somewhat. It was still there, but it wasn't quite so violent.
Anyway, Bobby worked as a foreman (or some such thing) in the department that produced liquid egg. There were tanker trucks of this stuff leaving every day. This isn't the stuff that restaurants buy in cartons for making omelettes, this is the stuff that is used to coat candy bars. This is what gives your Snickers or 3 Musketeer that inviting sheen that says, "Eat me!"
I worked for an outside contractor as a vending attendant. My job was to fill the vending machines in three break rooms, on two different farms, every day. I also inventoried product and counted the money for the route drivers to pick up.
There were a few guys that I went out of my way to make small talk with on a daily basis. At first, Bobby wasn't one of them. It wasn't that I didn't like him, but I mistook his California swagger for arrogance or aloofness or something. Maybe it was the accent, but I just assumed he was a jerk.
One day, as I was sitting in the corner counting a dozen stacks of one dollar bills, Bobby walked up and struck up a conversation. I don't remember what this conversation was about, but it became a regular thing. "How's the kid?" "Any plans for the weekend?" That type of thing.
One Monday morning, Bobby asked if I had been at the Fall Festival at the "Christian Academy" on Friday evening. I told him that he had and that I thought I saw him there, but he was across the room and wore black rimmed glasses instead of his usual safety glasses, so I wasn't sure if it was him. He proceeded to tell me that his daughter attended Seymour Christian Academy, the school that was operated by my church. This was also where my wife worked and my son went to preschool. I was surprised to learn that he had a connection with my church, but that's about as far as the conversation went.
The following week, my church was in revival and I was planning to invite a few people who I thought would be interested. As a matter of fact I was praying that God would give me an opportunity to connect with someone. I had a few people in mind.
Bobby wasn't on that list.
I had no reason to believe that he would be interested. We had never breached the topic of faith. To be honest, he seemed to be the least likely to care about our revival. Call it a vibe that I got. Boy, was I wrong… What happened next shocked me.
Bobby walked up and seemingly out of the blue said something along the lines of, "Would you mind if I came to church with you sometime?"
Would I mind? I rolled the words around in my head, which suddenly felt empty and grossly under-equipped to decipher what he had said. What I wanted to say was… Actually, I'm not sure what it was I wanted to say. I think I wanted to explain why I hadn't invited him already and apologize for being an idiot, but what came out was something like, "Sure, that would be great! How is this week? We're having revival."
He looked at me in much the same way that a deer looks at headlights. It didn't register with me at the time that he had no clue what I meant by "revival". He shrugged and said, "Sure!"
Bobby's first service was fairly typical of a Pentecostal revival service. Bro. Mike Easter, a fiery evangelist was preaching with his usual enthusiasm and flair for the dramatic. The worship service was high octane. None of this was unusual to me, but I was fairly certain this was Bobby's first experience in a Pentecostal church. I was a little worried about how he would respond. Would it freak him out? Would he be back? Would he talk to me again?
My fears intensified when he basically just sat back and watched the service without any perceivable expression or reaction. When it was over he still didn't have much to say. He unceremoniously got up and walked out. No feedback. No compliments. No complaints. No comments. Nothing.
My fears were short lived. He came back the next night. And the next night. And Sunday. He just kept coming back. Still sitting back and watching. Still basically expressionless. But he was there. He would have made an excellent poker player.
We invited Bobby and his daughter to our home friendship group and we soon became good friends. There were cookouts, game nights, and group discussions, but still no real reaction.
One night, during the altar call, Bobby lifted his hands and began to pray. When he did, he his legs buckled and I caught him and broke his fall before the floor did. He just couldn't believe how intensely he felt the presence of God and how amazing it all was.
This scene continued every time he would lift his hands in worship. His legs would just give out. There was no drama to it. No flailing. No yelling. He would just pass out (or almost pass out) and someone would help him to a pew.
It was strangely beautiful to see someone so heavily impacted by the Spirit, without any presumption of what was supposed to happen. God was undeniably moving. Bobby wasn't prepared to feel something that was actually palpable and powerful. My faith was strengthened by watching what God was doing in Bobby's life.
Eventually Bobby was baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. But first, he had some questions that he needed answered. I have had some tough questions (and some weird questions) over the years, but none caught me off guard like the list of questions Bobby had. Questions like:
The list went on and on.
Then it dawned on me that Bobby had no clue what I was saying when I spoke in "Christianese". None of the words that we use to communicate our faith had any meaning to him. He couldn't even process what I was saying in a simple discussion of baptism because I was so used to explaining it through a framework that he couldn't comprehend. The language I used when I talked about God wasn't even in his vocabulary.
Now, Bobby wasn't stupid. He wasn't even uneducated, traditionally speaking. In fact, he was really sharp. He had been to college. He had been a police officer in the City of Riverside, California. He spent several years as a store manager for a grocery store chain. Now he was a foreman at an industrial farm. No, intelligence wasn't the issue; he just didn't seem to have a point of reference.
Looking for answers, I asked him about his past experience with religion. To my utter shock, he informed me that he had never been in a church building in his life.
He was 37 years old.
Most people I know had been to church before they were 37 days old! I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that someone had never been inside of a church for any reason. So, I began to interrogate him. Surely he had been in a church at some point.
I proceeded with my list of questions.
Me: "You didn't go to church on Easter or Christmas as a kid?"
Bobby: "No, my mom was raised Catholic, but hated religion and refused to go."
Me: "Ok, I'm sure you've been to a wedding in a church."
Bobby: "No, everyone I know either got married by the JP or on the beach. I've never been to a church wedding."
Me: "What about funerals?"
Bobby: "Ok, maybe for a funeral. Never for a service, though..."
It was true. This 37 year old man had never been inside a church, at least not during a service. Ever. That was almost more than my brain could handle. My head didn't explode, but I'm pretty sure I heard something short out.
*Pffft…. smoke rolls out the ears.*
We decided to do the only thing I knew to do. We had to bring him up to speed. This wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't going to be quick, but we had to start with the foundation.
We started with the concept of "God". Using a tool called "Bible Study in a Bag", we talked about who God is (as best as we can understand an infinite God with our infinitely finite minds) and why that matters. We talked about Jesus and his basic doctrines. We discussed baptism and the Holy Ghost. Then, after about four sessions of the highlights, we started in the very beginning and began to work our way from Genesis to Revelation.
Over the next year, we would meet every Tuesday and discuss a section of the scripture. Of course, it's impossible to really cover everything in a year, but we managed the highlights. We covered the major recurring themes, important principles, and popular stories and characters.
Bobby was like a sponge. I have never seen someone so hungry to learn the scripture. He needed to know God. It was a refreshing change of pace from trying to convince comfortable Christians that just maybe this whole thing wasn't about their comfort.
We connected. Really connected. Bobby became a good friend. Not too long after our year-long Bible study, Bobby began dating a lady in our church who had lost her husband a few years earlier. They were both single parents. They had mutual friends. They clicked almost immediately. It almost seemed like God had orchestrated their budding romance.
When the time came for the wedding came, our entire family was involved. I was his groomsman. My wife and I sang a song during the ceremony. Our son was the ring bearer.
I'll be the first to tell you that I have a love/hate relationship with weddings. I love the romance of the whole thing (I'm a hopeless romantic). I wouldn't say I love to cry (it's inevitable), but I also wouldn't say that I hate it. I've come to terms with the fact that it's going to happen and I just embrace it. What I hate is getting dressed up and sitting still for an hour. (My wife would say it's more about my not being able to talk for an hour, but I digress…)
This was one wedding (tux or not) that I wouldn't have missed for the world.
We are not as close now as I would like, victims of busy and conflicting schedules, but through this process, Bobby and I both gained a lifelong friendship. When I see him worshipping God or quietly praying, I still feel a connection that cannot exist with anyone with whom you have not been a close companion on a long spiritual journey.
What I Learned from My "Accidental Evangelism"
There are a few major lessons that learned from Bobby. Hopefully these are lessons you can avoid having to learn first hand.
If we can be more sensitive to the Spirit and more open to others, we can avoid many of my mistakes that resulted in "accidental evangelism". We can and should be intentional. When we allow God to use us and follow his lead, it is amazing what he will do with our efforts.
The FORD Method
Connecting with people who are unchurched or non-religious presents some unique challenges. When connecting with people of differing religious backgrounds, there is nearly always some common ground in those various religions, which we will get into in later chapters. When talking to someone of a non-religious background, however, the common ground maybe much less obvious. The FORD method is invaluable in these situations. You can (and should) also use the FORD method as a jumping off point for talking to anyone of any
religious background.
No doubt here are many ways to connect with someone who is non-religious, but in my opinion, the FORD method is by far the most defined and effective, especially as a launching point. This method is surprisingly simple, easy to remember, and effective. FORD is an acronym for four topics that you can use to maximize your effectiveness in developing a real connection with anyone:
Depending on the setting, you will want to start with one of first three. Number four is a little more difficult to get people to open up about, but it can provide the deepest level of connection.
When engaging someone in conversation about family, it is always good to open up somewhat about your own family before asking about theirs. Family is a fairly common topic of conversation in any setting, so it should be easy to make small talk with most people on this subject.
For better or worse, we are often defined by what we do. Therefore, occupation can be a non-threatening subject for a low key conversation starter or carrier. Even if we work in different fields, with little in common, most people like to talk about what they do. We also enjoy comparing and contrasting work experiences. This is equally true of people who love or hate their jobs.
Recreation is pretty self-explanatory. Who doesn't like to talk about their hobbies. Whether it's playing golf, mountain biking, woodworking, quilting, collecting vinyl records, or playing the banjo, we all have something that we love to do in our spare time. Keep in mind that the other person may not enjoy hearing about your hobby as much as you love talking about it, but I know they love talking about theirs. So, be sure to give equal or more time to their hobby in your discussions on recreation.
Dreams are the most difficult subject on the list when it comes to getting people to really open up. It may be easy to get someone to say, "I always wanted to be a nurse" which is responsible, socially acceptable, and pretty innocuous, but it's more difficult to get them to admit that their real dream was to be a firebreather in a traveling circus or a cinematographer or a songwriter (that's my big secret by the way). These real dreams are often hidden because they represent impracticality and failure, two things with which we don't typically like to be associated.
If you can get someone to open up about these deeper dreams, however, you will have connected with them on a deeper level than most of their friends and family. Once you have reached this level of connection, the discussion of a typically off-limits subject like religion will seem completely natural.
Keep in mind, this method is equally effective with people of all different backgrounds. The FORD Method is a great tool for starting or continuing a conversation with anyone in any setting.
We are the sheep, right?
The idea of wolves and sheep as the dichotomy of good and evil is deeply ingrained in Western thought. The metaphor of a "wolf in sheep's clothing" has origins as old as time and is referenced in the Bible and countless times in classical and modern literature, music, and Saturday morning cartoons.
First of all, this idea of wolves vs. sheep just makes logical sense. We all know that sheep are vulnerable and weak. They have little defense against predators. They tend to wander off when unattended. That's why sheep need a shepherd. The shepherd feeds them, keeps them from wandering off the edge of a cliff, and protects them from predators.
Sheep are much easier to take down than cattle and make a much bigger meal than a chicken. They are the perfect size and weight to make them an ideal target for a pack of wolves or coyotes or a big cat. Even a lone wolf can easily take a sheep.
The second reason for the popularity of the wolves vs. sheep narrative in the church is a warning given during the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus tells us to, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
I think we've all seen a "wolf in sheep's clothing" situation unfold. It always looks different, but the end results are the same. I can think of stories ranging from fraud to sexual misconduct to murder.
I'm sure we've all heard the name, Jim Jones. He founded The People's Temple in Indianapolis, where my step-grandfather actually attended services for a time, before Jones moved the congregation to California. Eventually he uprooted the church again and founded "Jonestown" in Guyana, South America. This was to be their paradise. Heaven on earth.
It turned out to be hell for everyone but Jones. Eventually, he would order the murder of U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan and four others at a nearby airstrip. Congressman Ryan had been investigating concerns of abuse and coercion by the cult. This event was followed by a mass-scale murder/suicide at the Jonestown compound. A total of 918 people (304 of which were children) lost their lives, thanks to the misguided passion of a charismatic revival preacher turned nefarious doomsday cult leader.
The wolf in sheep's clothing ordeal isn't always so cut and dried, however. It's easy to look at someone else, especially after their spectacular fall from grace, and say, "I saw that one coming! He always looked like a wolf in sheep's clothing to me…"
We always assume we are the sheep, which is why it's a little more difficult to spot the wolf when he flashes his bloody fangs in the mirror…
It's just like Splatoon...
There is a false dilemma fallacy at work here. Wolves vs. sheep. Us vs. them. The "good guys" vs. the "bad guys". Which brings me to my next point. You are always the "good guy" in Splatoon.
For those who don't have an inkling of what I'm talking about (See what I did there?), Splatoon is a third person shooter style video game on the Nintendo Switch (and the ill-fated Wii U), in which the objective is to cover as much of the play area as possible in your team's color of ink or paint (or whatever it is) and to attack the other team in order to prevent them from doing the same. This is accomplished through the use of a wide array of "weapons" that range from sprayers and rollers to paint bazookas and ink-powered jetpacks.
My son plays this game quite a bit and I usually just watch. I've played a few times and I'm just terrible. At the end of each round, the percentages are displayed on the screen, indicating which team marked the most territory. Here's the funny thing, no matter whether you're on the pink team or the green team, you are labeled as the "good guys" and the other team is designated the "bad guys".
This is how we approach everything in life. We want to shoehorn politics, religion, business, sports, and anything else we can think of, into this model of "good guys" vs. "bad guys". The 2016 election cycle was the most toxic that I can recall and it revolved around this faulty logic. Each side tried their best to paint the other as the "bad guys". There was very little talk of what anyone believed in. Hilary Clinton's entire platform was "I'm not Trump". Donald Trump's entire platform consisted of variations of "at least I'm not crooked Hilary". Not a lot to work with there.
The crazy thing about Splatoon (and many political contests) is that no one knows what they're fighting for. The only reason you are going head to head with the "bad guys" is that you are the "good guys" and that's what you are supposed to do. You fight the other team because they are the other team.
It's completely arbitrary, which is fine when the point is just a few hours of mindless fun. There's one problem, though. This isn't a video game. When people's souls are at stake, the "we're good, so they're bad" logic can't be good enough.
We know this, yet I have seen more Christians bash people of other faiths (by far) than I have seen reach out and actually try to build a connection on common ground. We've been programmed to view everything as a dichotomy, which is just not how the world works.
For many, the convenience of this false dicotomy is bettter than the difficult truth of the all-encompassing love of Christ.
Three Sheep and a Lion
The truth about the wolves and sheep is that it isn't the truth at all. The real story is a story of a lion, a shepherd, and three different sheep.
We are the sheep (even though we sometimes act like wolves) and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We have concluded that this fact doesn't necessarily mean that everyone else is a wolf, but let's go a little deeper.
The Bible tells the story of three types of sheep that are all in need of a shepherd.
The sheep. The other sheep. The lost sheep.
If we are the sheep, who are the "other sheep"? In John 10:16, Jesus speaks of "other sheep" that are "not of this fold". I believe these to be those who believe in God, maybe going so far as to be actively religious, but lacking a personal experience or relationship with Jesus. I will go so far as to suggest that the adherents of the other Abrahamic religions (Judaism and Islam) would be classified as such. They want to know the God of Abraham. I believe that if they are sincerely seeking God and remain open to his leading, they will be drawn into the beautiful truth of a relationship with Jesus Christ. These are the other sheep.
The "lost sheep" are simply unbelievers. Atheists, agnostics, and the "unchurched" may fall into this category, but I would also include Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahá'ís, Occultists, Wiccans, other Pagans, Satanists, etc.
Another thought on "lost sheep"... Jesus said he would leave the 99 to find the one lost sheep. From that statement, it would seem that we should do the same. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't go after the lost sheep, but the problem is we don't know which lost sheep to go after.
Only the shepherd knows.
Many times I've been pretty sure I knew who the lost sheep wasn't. Many times I've been wrong. I would assume that the person in question wasn't "lost" per se, they knew right where they were, but were perfectly happy there. Oftentimes, it turned out that was the person who was desperately searching for God.
There are certain sheep who are longing to hear the Shepherd's voice, but don't know where to look. (They're just sheep after all...) We must pray that God will lead us to these sheep. A connection with a lost sheep who is looking for the Shepherd is going to be 1,000x more effective than simply yelling the message to 1,000 lost sheep who couldn't care less.
Not only must we pray for guidance; we must pray for sensitivity to the Spirit. God can put that one person right in front of your face and not recognize them. Trust me I know. (More on that next week.)
This brings us to the lion.
The lion is Satan. I Peter 5:8 says that Satan is a "roaring lion" who roams the earth "seeking whom he may devour". Forget about the wolves. The wolves aren't wolves, anyway. They're just other sheep.
Be vigilant regarding the lion, but not fearful. If the sheep are under the protection of the shepherd, they need not be afraid.
This is the importance of evangelism. It is our duty to connect with the other sheep. Sheep of a different fold. Lost sheep. As we connect with them, they will be exposed to the love of Christ and drawn under the protection of the Shepherd.
It all starts with common ground. We can't connect with people any other way. It may be a daunting task, but we must rise to the occasion. Time is short. We have to close our mouths and open our hearts.
Common ground is there to be found, but actually taking the time to find it has become extremely uncommon.
1. Which sheep do I tend to treat like wolves?
2. How can we change the attitudes in our church culture that cause us to act like wolves ourselves?
3. When discussing religion and politics, where is the line, that if crossed, will damage or destroy my witness?
Check out the first installment of the (Un)Common Ground series here.
Exploring Your Discomfort Zone
There are many reasons that we give for our reluctance in evangelism, but in the end, they are all excuses for us to bunker down in our comfort zone. The "comfort zone" is the silent killer of evangelism. The average "evangelical" Christian does practically nothing that would be considered "evangelism". Regardless of whether this is due to introversion, fear of rejection, or pure complacency, the culprit is the something we call the "comfort zone".
Before we go any further, let me define "evangelism". I'm not particularly concerned with the dictionary definition, but rather a practical definition of the term in the context of this series. In this context, "evangelism" can be defined as: any activity that is undertaken with the intent of connecting with a person of a different faith or a different variation of the same faith. Connecting is the key and developing a deep connection (not conversion) is the end goal.
Allow me to explain what I mean. We cannot convert anyone, nor should we try (I'm sure some of you will disagree), but we can connect with everyone, if we give it a little effort. Connection is an absolute necessity if you hope to have an impact on the world. If the light of Christ is shining through us, everyone we are connected with will be exposed to it. When we connect with others, we put ourselves in a position to share the love of Christ with them. We sow the seed. God gives the increase.
Unfortunately, the people we connect with naturally are just like us. Christian. Conservative. Liberal. White. Black. Hispanic. Rednecks. Metal-heads. Nerds. Jocks. It's like high school all over again.
Connecting with people who are like us is easy. The more like us they are, the easier the connection. Connecting with people who are different is hard.
Can I let you in on a secret, though?
It's worth it.
Connecting with people of different backgrounds and faiths is not only personally rewarding, it is a key function of any Christian who wants to contribute to the Kingdom.
Connecting isn't a part of evangelism. Connecting is evangelism.
Nothing else related to evangelism can happen unless the person we are talking to has a connection with us. Sometimes this connection happens almost instantaneously. Sometimes it takes time. Whatever the case, a certain level of trust is necessary for the listener to let their guard down and really hear what we have to say.
Now that we've defined our goal, it's time to wave goodbye to our comfort zone. On second thought, let's just go ahead and demolish it. Be sure to "not leave one stone on another", to quote the Book of Luke (albeit completely out of context).
It's time to leave the proverbial nest and explore what I like to call our discomfort zone. This is where we stop putting our comfort first and start putting the mission of the cross first. The mission of the cross is about others. It's about God. It's about us. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is the story of God working and moving in ways that draw us closer and back to Him.
The cross is the epitome of this central mission of Christianity. When we are connecting with others, we are fulfilling the mission of the cross. We are taking the love of Christ into the world and we are channeling that love into the lives of others.
Who exactly do I find in my discomfort zone, you ask? Well, that depends on where your comfort zone is. For most people in my circles, growing up in a Pentecostal church in a small Midwestern town, the "discomfort zone people" were various shades of brown, they were politically or religiously liberal, they were Muslims and Buddhists and Wiccans and Baptists and sometimes they were other Pentecostals.
During much of my youth, there was an unspoken rule that if someone wasn't just like you, they were off limits. They were heretics. They were the enemy. There was no fathomable reason why you would ever want to talk to them.
That attitude is counterproductive and undermines the mission of the cross. It's time for a new approach. Let's start with the mission of the cross and work from there.
Your discomfort zone may look different than mine, but you'll know it when you see it.
For some of the more traditional types it may be people with tattoos or piercings. For the more modern (or post-modern) among us, the opposite may be true. At any rate, it's time to step out of our comfort zone and connect with a world that desperately needs to connect with Christ.
California Dreamin'
All this talk of exploring our discomfort zone reminds me of a couple of trips we took to California several years ago. Keep in mind that my wife and I were born and raised in southern Indiana. I was pretty open-minded, but I was also very sheltered. I didn't realize just how sheltered I was until that first trip to Los Angeles.
One of the most impactful experiences of our time in California was helping with the weekly breakfast that the church provided for the homeless in the community. By "helping", I mean that we broke bread with the homeless. And by "broke bread", I mean that we ate breakfast burritos.
When we showed up, we were told there was plenty of help in preparing and serving the meal, but there was always room for someone to simply sit and eat with the people who had gathered there.
I had honestly looked forward to this experience. What I had envisioned, however, was standing in a line in the parking lot, dipping oatmeal into styrofoam bowls as the people filed through, the safety of the serving tables creating a comfortable buffer for my personal space.
I would do my part. I would feel good about myself. I would come away more grateful. But my personal bubble would remain intact. I would remain safely inside my carefully curated comfort zone.
That's not what happened.
Once I realized that my comfort zone behind the imaginary oatmeal station was a no-go, I had to come to terms with this involuntary foray into my discomfort zone. I grabbed my breakfast burrito and sat down across from a homeless man who I would guess to be in his late 50s, although it was hard to tell, due to the ravages of hard living and years spent out in the elements.
As I sat down, I shook his hand and introduced myself. As I did, I glanced down at his hands. They were covered in sores, some of which were oozing. I hoped that if I flinched it hadn't been noticeable.
None of the discharge had gotten on my hands, but my mind was doing somersaults. I was envisioning myself wasting away from one of the many terrible diseases to which I had undoubtedly just been exposed.
It didn't seem to bother him in the least. A little ooze on the tortilla didn't stop him from wolfing it down in the way that only a truly hungry man wolfs down his food. Everytime he took a bite, I caught a whiff of the alcohol on his breath. His body odor was offensive, but not overwhelming. It increased in intensity each time he shifted in his chair.
I was reminded of a story recounted by a missionary (I believe it was Bro. and Sis. Alvear of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ) that I heard at one church or another as a kid. (I always loved when missionaries would come to make their presentations. They were my childhood heroes.) This couple were somewhere in South America, where the wife visited a leper colony.
Now, you have to understand that leprosy is not just a terrifying disease; the effects of the disease are pretty disturbing. Open sores. Disfigurement. Loss of fingers, toes, and noses. Fortunately, this is very rare in most countries, but in some parts of the world, leprosy is one of the most demoralizing diagnoses one can receive.
While at the leper colony, this lady was invited by the people of the colony to join them in a meal. She was horrified as one of the ladies took a piece of the bread she had baked and handed it to her guest with a disfigured, leprous hand; open sores covering her flesh. This missionary was revolted by the sight, but knew that her chances of reaching these people would quickly diminish to zero with the disrespect of rejecting the bread that was offered. She whispered a prayer for protection and mental fortitude and took the bread with a smile.
If she could eat the bread prepared by those hands, surely I could endure the situation in which I found myself. He hadn't even touched my burrito. That did nothing to stop the squirming in my brain, however...
I swallowed my pride and forced that first bite. We sat and talked as we ate our chorizo and egg burritos. Each bite was a little easier than the last. I don't think I have ever seen someone so happy to eat a burrito. I know I've never seen someone so happy to have a conversation with another human being. He cherished that moment of connection. You could see it on his face and in his demeanor. The human connection was nearly as important as the food.
Neither one of us may have realized it in the moment, but the human connection was more important than the food.
Both the hunger and the loneliness were needs to be met and the people of the Lighthouse were meeting them both. Although both needs were met, the hunger would undoubtedly be back a short time later. The human connection had a more lasting impact.
The love of Christ that was communicated through the actions of the volunteers who prepared and served the food, engaged in conversation, and simply treated their homeless neighbors like human beings was deep and life changing.
That man didn't experience any change in his social status on that Saturday morning. He would sleep another night on a concrete bed. He was still a slave to the bottle. He would be hungry again in a few hours. Nothing had perceptibly changed, but something not entirely imperceptible had shifted. There was something different about the way he walked as he pushed his grocery cart down Tyrone Avenue.
He walked a little quicker. More sure of himself. Shoulders back. Head up. Purpose in his step. I never forgot the impact that a little kindness had on that man or the impact that Saturday morning and the love of the group of volunteers (who gave every Saturday morning to the less fortunate) had on me.
If we are to truly make an impact on the world, these are the kinds of connections we are going to have to make. Uncomfortable connections with people who are not quite like us. People from different religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. People who we have been led to believe are the enemy. People who have been convinced they have no value.
Jesus loves them just as much as he loves you.
During that breakfast in Van Nuys and the outreach in Hollywood and the worship services on Sunday, I saw a love that transcended race, ethnicity, religion, and status.
Sometimes I dream of California. The nightmarish traffic. The weirdness of Hollywood. The beauty of the coastline. The posh life of Beverly Hills. Cruising down Sunset Boulevard. Horchata, churros, and bootleg DVDs in the fashion district. But mostly of the little perfectly imperfect community of believers in Van Nuys that showed me what it means to meet someone from uncommon circumstances on common ground and connect with them through the love of Christ.
1. What is my comfort zone?
2. When was the last time I willingly explored my discomfort zone?
3. Is the mission of the cross more important to me than my own comfort?
4. What uncomfortable thing is Jesus asking me to do to?
5. What can I do this week to try to explore my discomfort zone?
6. Do I know someone who is in need (spiritually or physically) that I can reach out to this week?
Who am I?
I'm a random guy.
January 2019


text:
2019-12-07 08:28
Made to be the most powerful, portable Bluetooth speaker, JBL Boombox delivers monstrous sound along with the hardest hitting bass. Enjoy music for 24 hours without missing a beat. Imagine playing with your favorite beats from sunrise to sunrise on a single charge.Amazon. com: subwoofer frequency response. JBL S SS Series II 1100 WATTS 12 Selectable 2 OR 4 OHM SUBWOOFER Enclosure. 4. 6 out of 5 stars 307. 199. 95 199. 95. FREE Shipping. Only 5 left in stock order soon. BIC America V1220 12Inch 430Watt DownFiring Powered Subwoofer. jbl subwoofer frequency response
JBLs patented Differential Drive Technology ferrite drivers incorporate 3 voice coils with lower mass ferrite magnets for reduced weight, increased power handling, exceptionally low distortion and extended low frequency response. JBLs 2432H is the only neodymium 3 voice coil compression driver in this class, delivering very high power
PRX400 passive speakers were designed to provide the sensitivity, frequency response and power handling needed to address a multitude of demanding audio JBL Control Contractor 60 Series Pendant loudspeakers bring renowned JBL sound and outstanding coverage to rooms and venues with open architecture or highceilings, while providing superior voice and musical clarity for rooms with difficult acoustics. The diverse lineup, coupled with stylish design, is suitable for a wide variety of applications and decors, from convention and exhibit spaces jbl subwoofer frequency response Some background information: The thing here that makes this relevant is that the JBL LSR308 on paper is damn near as good at controlled directivity as anything else on the market. The way to measure controlled directivity is with polar measurements. This is basically a series of frequency response measurements,
For example, the JBL 4688 TCB Subwoofer System, a nowdiscontinued system which was designed for movie theaters, had a frequency response of Hz when measured within a 10decibel boundary (0 dB to 10 dB) and a narrower frequency response of Hz when measured within a sixdecibel boundary (3 dB). jbl subwoofer frequency response The JBL SW10 powered wireless subwoofer adds impactful, deep bass to the JBL LINK BAR to create the ultimate immersive audio experience. Featuring a 10 woofer, tuned bass reflex enclosure and onboard 300watt amplifier, the JBL SW10 delivers rich and thrilling bass without the hassle of wires. 34 (19mm) ultrahighfrequency compression driver for sparkling UHF response The 4429s 34inch (19millimeter), puretitanium diaphragm produces realistic dynamics far beyond the range of human hearing, with ultrasmooth response that is ideal for replaying highresolution audio formats. Aug 09, 2013 Hi, I have a pair of JBL MRV310 floorstanders from the 1990s. I recently had a frequency response graph done by a audio repair shop. This showed a dip in the 1k to 2k hz range. (all else appeared ok) Can someone tell me if this is to be expected from this type of speaker or what sort of problem it suggests. Newegg. com offers the best prices on computer products, laptop computers, LED LCD TVs, digital cameras, electronics, unlocked phones, office supplies, and more with fast shipping and toprated customer service. Newegg shopping upgradedRating: 4.70 / Views: 660


text:
To preorder meats, we ask for a deposit. If we are unable to fulfill your order, we will refund your deposit. Here is what we offer and our prices. To order, Contact Us or visit our online store.
- Duck Eggs: $6.00 per Dozen
- Meat Ducks: $35 per Duck
- Turkey: $3.50 per pound