By Barbara LardinaisAugust 19, 2009 | 01:39:27 Adonai means LORD and was often used as a substitute for God's name 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah' (these are interchangeable) in the Old Testament. The Hebrews felt that God's name was too sacred to pronounce so they eliminated the vowels and used YHWH which was unpronounceable. Still, they had to be clear about whom they meant so they often spoke of Adonai - the LORD who is GOD. If this name was used to mean someone other than God, 'Adoni' was used which was a common word for one who was a master and…

Forbes magazine (USA) has just a Special Report listing "The 100 Most Powerful Women".According to this, the most powerful woman in the world is Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. This is possibly true. The 2nd most powerful woman is Sheila Bair, the Chairman of the United States' Federal Deposit Insurance Corp - also possibly true.However, the 3rd most powerful woman - hold on to your seat! - is Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo. This too might be true, except that, down at number 13 on the list, BELOW Cristina Fernandez, President of Argentina, is our own Sonia Gandhi!Well, Forbes…

In relation to my review of Dr Willi Brammertz's book, a friend draws my attention to last week's Newsletter of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), which had a stunning bit of news: GARP has now moved to accepting that standard contract types need to be defined for credit derivatives. It also now accepts that higher capital charges need to be made if standards are not followed. You may recollect that these are two key proposals made in Dr Brammertz's book.The new GARP view is a bit of a revolution for the organisation - even if, in light of…

Well, to be precise, what is being signalled is women members of the Cabinet:Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, said he would nominate at least three female ministers to his cabinet, reaching out to the women who have been particularly active in post-election protests against his government:http://preview.tinyurl.com/q2b5adEven if it is a result of mere politics of the most cynical sort, the move should be welcomed by all people of goodwill as a dilution of Islamism (which, by the way, is a heady but contradictory mixture of Koranic, traditional and reactionary views).Most importantly, it should be welcomed as signalling a change in the…

In response to one of my posts, a friend writes: "All religions are the same. It is the belief which counts. Believe in Him and you can never fail".I could respond with material to fill a book, but I'll confine myself to the following: Dear AYour sort of comment is often heard nowadays, but it doesn't bear examination. First, not all "religions" accept that there is a "Him" (or "Her" or "Her/Him"). Buddhism, Jainism and Vedanta (if you consider them "religions") believe either in an "It" or finally in nothing, depending on which version of these you accept.Then, it is…

Having been a vigorous atheist from the age of 8, I became a follower of Jesus at the age of 14. Ever since then I have tried in my feeble and failing way to invest at least some energy in making the world a little better. That had huge consequences for my family, including having to leave the country I love. However, even in the more congenial West, one is always conscious of how deeply unfashionable and unrewarded it is to be engaged even partially in something so quixotic. From time to time, one gets discouraged.Then I call to mind…

What is the basic problem with the global economy today? I have made my view quite clear in this blog: unfashionably, I maintain that the fundamental problem is still toxic assets - and, while a temporary reprieve has been provided by governments being persuaded by our elites to spend an unprecedented amount of tax money, the result is the economic decline is merely slowed or halted, at the expense of massive public liabilities that will haunt the relevant countries for decades to come.And "slowing down or halting the decline" is not the same thing as an economy that is growing…

There is a world in need of people who would bear Christ and his kingdom to the ends of the earth. To furthest corner of the nations of our world, to the forgotten corners of our cities and towns, Jesus is looking for a disciple willing to believe the unbelievable, attempt the unattainable, and achieve the unachievable. The Christ we follow is one of infinite, imaginative potential. His work, his Cross bears us up to go further than we’ve ever gone before. We can believe beyond a shadow of a doubt because it is the Maker of all Creation we’re…

WE live in uncertain times, when the daily news plays out the truth of Matthew 24:7: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Everyday, we read or hear about one or more signs of the end times: earthquakes, floods, diseases, wars and rumors of wars …  This is especially true in the strife-torn island nation of Sri Lanka. Her people have lived through 30 years of war and know its sadness and suffering, its pain and anxiety. Everyday, bitterness and revenge rear their ugly heads; brother turns against brother,…

IF you know the Lord, nothing will shake your faith. It is true that the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. Take for example a little boy who is looking at a heater. His father warns him that it's hot. The child says, “OK. I believe it’s hot.” At that point, he has an intellectual belief that the heater is hot. When his Dad leaves the room, he says, “I wonder if it really is hot?” He then reaches out his little hand and grabs the heater bar with his fingers.…

Guwahati: The continuing violence affecting innocent people from Dimasa and Zeme Naga tribes in North Cachar Hill district of Assam has raised concern in various quarters in neighbouring Nagaland and Manipur. The Naga Hoho, the apex body of peoples’ organisations in Nagaland, has dashed a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to immediately intervene and demonstrate wisdom to restore peace in the hill district of Assam. The apex body asserted the violence in the hill district was orchestrated by perpetrators who want to drive a wedge and severe the rich traditional relationship between the Dimasas and Nagas living…

New Delhi: Public health, or the lack of it, is a more important determinant of malnutrition than poverty.  The latest government compilation on the incidence of hunger in India and related factors shows that states with the highest incidence of malnutrition  are also those where the lowest percentage of households  have access to toilet facilities and civic amenities like  drinking water.  Madhya Pradesh, for example, with the highest undernourishment rate in the country at 60.3 per cent, has barely 27 per cent households that have access to toilets. In Jharkhand, which follows MP on the hunger index, with 59.2 per…

LAHORE: Brig. Gen. Sajjad Ahmed Bakshi, the commander of Punjab’s anti-narcotics force said July 8 that drug addiction has increased steadily among girls and women."We are living in a country where drug abuse has [become] like a cancer at the heart of our society,” Bakshi said. “Greater attention should be paid to create awareness among the people about the dangers of drug abuse and the ways to avoid it.” Pakistani women, especially young girls belonging to elite backgrounds, are becoming addicts. “It is important that women have the knowledge and skills to be a positive force in confronting this problem,…

PSALM 62:10 says; "If riches increase, do not set your heart on them." Of course we all say we won't. We want riches to increase in our life and we feel sure that, though others may not be able to handle it, we will. I would imagine that setting your heart on riches is a very subtle sort of thing. Kind of like the frog in the water where the temperature increases so gradually the little hopper doesn't know he's being boiled to death. First, if money comes you pay off all debts and maybe splurge on some special toys you've…

THE loss of employment and/or income is one of the most distressing events in life, especially for those supporting a family. Foreclosure on the family home or having to declare bankruptcy due to unemployment adds additional fear, uncertainty, and emotional turmoil. For the Christian man or woman facing unemployment, foreclosure or bankruptcy, there can be additional doubts about God’s goodness and His promises to provide for His children. How is the Christian to react to these catastrophic life events? What biblical principles can we apply to the loss of a home or a job and benefits (health/life insurance, retirement)? First,…

The global economy is still overwhelmingly driven by the USA, Europe and Japan - though you might not think so, given all the noise about the rise of China and India. Even if one uses as the basis of calculation the fashionable but ridiculous idea of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), the US and Europe account for around 45% of world GDP and 60% of global personal consumption spending in 2007. Over half of world exports and imports originate from these countries, as do nearly three-fourths of global outward foreign direct investment and a similar share of global mergers or takeover…

Justin Gottlieb, one of the pastors at 7 Mile Road Boston, read my earlier post about one of the conversations we had at Doubt Night a few weeks back. One of the folks in the group asked this great question about the relationship between justice and mercy. Could there be mercy within justice? Can God be both absolutely just and yet be merciful to sinners through Christ? Is the Cross ultimately unjust? Justin pointed me to a great excerpt from the book Pierced for our Transgressions. The heading for this section is “Is it unjust to punish an innocent man,…

This week, I got to preach about Jesus & His Mission from Ephesians 3:1-13. I have been stunned by verse 10 for about 2 weeks now and its effect is still not lost on me. Ephesians 3:8-10: To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made…

We’re planning to throw a Community Bash to end the summer. On Saturday, August 29 we’re going to be hosting a Free Community BBQ and showing a movie on the front lawn of the church where we meet. We’ve got a couple of acres of grass for folks in the neighborhood to sprawl across. So the plan is to start with a good-ole BBQ at 6pm. We’ll have free food for the folks who show up. A few local vendors may also be donating to the event. We’re looking into having a moonbounce, face-painting,  and games for kids, and a…

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 Appetite for risk seems to have returned - but only, so to speak, for "simple risks" such as equities and bonds. There is a simple reason for the return of the risk appetite, when the fundamentals have not been sorted out: when people are paid to be "active", they HAVE to be "active" if they don't want to lose their jobs.On the other hand, appetite for what might be called "complex risks" is yet to return (and a good thing, too?):Chicago-based Hedge Fund Research claims to have found that hedge fund assets are still on their…