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April, 2009:

Christian Carnival 274

christian_carnival_lion.jpgThe carnival is back in town and we’ve had another great response this week. It’s always wonderful to see some first timers joining the carnival as well as some of the regulars at their thought provoking best.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify.

As always it’s a real honour to be able to present such a diverse range of great posts.

Please take the time to read through each post … it’s worth it. You might also like to link to this week’s carnival so that your blog readers can enjoy the variety of styles and thought.

andriel was first in this week posting A Coming One-World Religious System over at ReturningKing.com.

Annette at Fish and Cans presents a post titled True Woman – a lasting kindness.

Have you wondered about how God does and doesn’t use money? Read what FMF has to say in the post How God Uses and Doesn’t Use Money posted at Free Money Finance.

Yvette Nietzen posted about Having a ready mind at her blog Fresh Wind Ministries.

What’s on at the movies? Shot presents Conservative Movie Reviews | Conunderground.com at Conunderground.com.

Head over to at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God to read Tiffany Partin‘s post Ladybug and the Great Doodlebug Relocation Project.

According to the Parable of the Talents, we have a responsibility to wisely use the money with which we have been entrusted. With that in mind, ChristianPF asks a tough question. Are you a good steward of God’s money? That post is at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog.

april rose presents like a scarlet letter posted at little april rose.

Dave Quinn wants to article is to encourage Christians with the surety that we carry the same story and power that Peter and John displayed in Acts 4. We carry the story and the power is a powerful read at The PASSION Blog.

Gabe Lopez has written GabeLopezBlog.com: Potential Essentials and posted it at GabeLopezBlog.com.

“I think Solzhenitsyn’s editors have read him carelessly, and have convicted him of a superficial and satanic defense of war and government that he was mocking in the mouth of one of his characters, an Orthodox priest.” That’s what David Gross has to say in his post, Reading Solzhenitsyn at The Picket Line.

Martin Roth presents an exclusive interview with a prominent online Christian dating service that is completely free. ChristianDatingForFree.com – interview with Christian Counseling Services is posted at Christian Counseling Services.

Ken Brown has been, “Thinking about my “terrible two” year old daughter, Jesus’ parables, and justice.” Find out how it all fits together at A Gracious Father or an Unjust Judge? posted at C. Orthodoxy.

Diane R presents a very short post on what Jesus would really do if He walked the earth today asking, What Would Jesus Really Do? over at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet.
Barry Wallace’s pastor’s wife participated in a panel interview on the topic of infertility and adoption. Barry has written Adoption and Infertility: An interview with my pastor’s wife posted at who am i?.

Richard H. Anderson presents The Word of God in Song posted at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos. Richard is wondering if Luther was the first person to use music as a teaching device for religious instruction and/or the first person to use music as a teaching device for any purpose. Richard would appreciate your knowledge or thoughts on the matter.

A Sower presents Anticipation posted at A Sower’s Heart, asking, “Are we like children?”

Shannon Christman has written a post that is not specifically about Christianity, but which raises some questions that Christians should consider in A Child’s Best Friends: The Wonderpets? at The Minority Thinker.

How should we think about parenting responsibilities in terms of the principles that underlie the biblical Sabbath? Jeremy Pierce asks the question and provides some guidance in Parental Responsibilities and the Sabbath posted at Parableman.

At Light Along the Journey John has penned a parable about disappointment, acceptance, & walking with God in his post A Road Trip With Jesus.
michelle presents Joel 2:25-26 posted at Thoughts and Confessions of a Girl Who Loves Jesus….

And finally, Rey presents You Believe That ‘Cause… posted at The Bible Archive, saying the post goes over the genetic fallacy and offering some examples of how it’s been used.

If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to spread the word.

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Moments for Mum

The book ‘Moments for Mum’ is a collection of 61 of daily devotions, covering topics such as grief, anger, enjoying our children, joy, jealousy, and a whole lot more. It was compiled by Perth mum, Narelle Nettlebeck from thoughts that she had shared through her blog Moments for Mum.

Narelle recently joined me in the studio to tell 98.5 Sonshine FM listeners a little bit more about the journey to produce the book.

If you’re a mum who needs some time out or you’re looking for a great Mother’s Day gift, check out the details at Moments for Mum.

To listen to our conversation simply press the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

If you live around Perth you might be interested in the official launch for the book which is being held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. this Saturday, the 2nd of May at Morley Baptist Church in Vera Street, Morley.

There’ll be book sales and signings, children’s activities and light refreshments. Everyone’s welcome.

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Compassion Bloggers in India

Hope in CalcuttaOK … I admit it … I’m jealous.

A bunch of bloggers is getting to combine two things that I’m passionate about – India and Compassion.

From tomorrow until the 2nd of May a group of five bloggers will leave their comfortable lives behind to witness firsthand the ministry of Compassion International to the poor of East India. I imagine that the trip will be similar to the one that I took just over a year ago to Haiti and Dominican Republic where we saw how Compassion is making a difference in the lives of those who live in desperate poverty.

I was travelling with Compassion Australia, part of the worldwide Compassion family. What I saw absolutely convinced me that not only can we make a difference, but that Compassion is an organisation that can use our money wisely to see the greatest benefit delivered to each child in their projects. Working alongside the local churches in the areas they serve, Compassion can absolutely guarantee that they won’t use a one size fits all solution. The partnership with the local church ensures that Compassion is dealing with specific local issues and tackling problems in the best possible way for the local people of any area.

As well as loving the work that Compassion does, I have a real love of India.

I’ve been to India twice, once in 2003 and once in 2005. Both times I was there to serve the local Bible Society through Bike for Bibles. I’d jump on a plane tomorrow if I was given the opportunity to visit India again. It’s a country that assaults all of your senses from the moment you step off the plane. It’s full of colour, smells, tastes and incredible experiences. It’s also a place where many are living desperate lives. My visit to one of the slums near Delhi will stay with me forever. I’ll never forget the pride on the face of the man who was showing us around as he pointed out his home to us. It was just metres away from a wide open sewer. The stench was disgusting. He was so pleased that we could see his home.

If you want to follow the Compassion Bloggers over the coming days either click the banner in this post or click here. One of the bloggers I read regularly is Anne Jackson of Flower Dust. She’s one of the bloggers on the tour and you can follow her account of the trip by clicking here.

You may never have the opportunity or the desire to visit a developing country but I beg you to follow these bloggers and try to put yourself in their shoes in the coming days. Let your heart break with the things that break their hearts and let your heart rise as they discover the hope that Compassion is offering in desperate situations.

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The Carnival Returns

christian_carnival_lion.jpgI’m having some friends drop in next week. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us. The next Christian Carnival is being hosted here at RodneyOlsen.net.

The most recent edition is posted at The Limitless.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify. You may wish to consider that the readership of the Christian Carnival will be more varied than your usual readership, and you might do better contributing a post with broad appeal.

I’ve already received a number of contributions and I’m looking forward to offering readers of this blog some great links when the carnival is published.

If you’re a Christian and you’ve never contributed before, or if it’s been a while since you have, how about having a look through your posts for this week and choosing something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. (EST is GMT minus five hours.) That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.

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Freeform Friday

Seen a good blog post recently? Wnat to spruik your own blog? Have you spotted an article online that got you thinking?

I know that many of the people that read my blog have blogs of their own so today I want you to have the opportunity to tell other readers about your blog or a blog you’ve been enjoying.

Leave a link in the comments section. It can be a general promotion of your blog or a particular post. You may even choose to tell us about two or three blogs you enjoy reading regularly.

It’s over to you. Go for it.

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