Credit Card Debt In The United States Is Approaching A Trillion Dollars - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Credit Card Debt In The United States Is Approaching A Trillion Dollars

Mar 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

For the first time ever, total credit card debt in the United States is approaching a trillion dollars.  Instead of learning painful lessons from the last recession, Americans continue to make the same horrendous financial mistakes over and over again.  In fact, U.S. consumers accumulated more new credit card debt during the 4th quarter of 2015 than they did during the years of 2009, 2010 and 2011 combined.

That is absolutely insanity, because other than payday loans, credit card debt is just about the worst kind of debt that consumers could possibly go into.  Extremely high rates of interest, combined with severe penalties and fees, can choke the financial life out of almost any family in no time at all.

These days, most Americans use credit cards for various purposes, and they can be very convenient.

And if you pay them off every single month, they don’t become a problem.

Unfortunately, a lot of people are not doing this.  According to CNBC, total U.S. credit card debt rose by an astounding 71 billion dollars last year alone…

Last year, credit card debt in the U.S. surged by approximately $71 billion to $917.7 billion, according to a new study from CardHub.com. The research also found that most of the debt accrued in 2015 came in the fourth quarter, when Americans tacked on more than $52 billion.
“With 7 of the past 10 quarters reflecting year-over-year regression in consumer performance, evidence is mounting to support the notion that credit card users are reverting to pre-downturn bad habits,” CardHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou said in a statement.

And as noted above, things were particularly gruesome during the 4th quarter of last year.
According to Alternet, Americans added more credit card debt during those three months than during the entire years of 2009, 2010 and 2011 combined…

Not since we headed into the Great Recession of 2008 have we been quite so loosey-goosey with our credit cards, racking up debt with stunning speed. Of our 4Q totals, CardHub notes, “during this one quarter, we added more debt than in 2009, 2010 and 2011 put together.” That brings dollars owed to credit card companies by each debt-saddled American family up to $7,879, the highest since the Great Recession.

I can’t even begin to describe how unwise this is.  When I was in my twenties, I made the same mistakes that so many other Americans are making right now.  I very foolishly racked up large balances on my credit cards, and it took years of extremely painful payments to fix those mistakes.

In America today, 37 percent of all households maintain credit card balances from month to month, and the average level of credit card debt for those households is $15,700.  The following comes from CBS Minnesota…

According to NerdWallet, 37 percent of American households have credit card debt, which is defined as not paying off the full balance every month. Using data from the Federal Reserve of New York, U.S. Census and its own poll, NerdWallet found the average balance for those in credit debt is $15,700.

What most people don’t realize is that by letting balances run from month to month, you can end up paying just about as much in interest as you did for the original purchases.

Here is one credit card repayment scenario that comes from NerdWallet…

For the sake of simplicity in calculating the cost of the average credit card debt, let’s assume an APR of 16% and a fixed payment. We’ll also assume a minimum payment of 2% of the principal balance of $15,762, the average as of the end of 2015, or $315.
Based on those terms — and assuming you don’t add any more to your credit card balance — it would take 84 months, or seven years, to pay off the balance in full. During that time, you’ll pay $10,402 in interest — about two-thirds of the original balance — for a total of $26,164. This averages out to about $124 in interest per month.

The scenario above assumes that all payments are made on time.  But a single late payment can trigger higher interest rates, penalties and fees that can be absolutely suffocating. In fact, some people end up paying back three, four or five times as much as they originally borrowed to the credit card companies.

If you use credit cards for convenience or to buy things online or to automatically pay bills, that is fine.  Just don’t let balances accumulate.  As you can see, that can be financial suicide.
And as we head into a new global recession, you definitely don’t want to be saddled with high levels of debt.  All of us have little luxuries that we can cut back on, and now is not the time to be living on the financial edge.

Just look at some of the troubling signs that we have seen in the news in recent days…

-The U.S. oil and rig count just dropped to the lowest level ever recorded

-One Houston CEO told employees that he was laying off that we have entered a “depression”

-It is being reported that 35 percent of all oil and gas companies around the world are at risk of falling into bankruptcy

-Unemployment in Canada just hit a three year high

-The number of job cuts in the United States skyrocketed 218 percent during the month of January according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas

-U.S. manufacturing activity has been in contraction for four months in a row

-U.S. factory orders have now fallen for 15 months in a row

-Subprime auto loan delinquencies have hit their highest level since the last recession

-Orders for Class 8 trucks in the United States dropped by 48 percent on a year over year basis in January

-The Restaurant Performance Index in the United States has dropped to the lowest level that we have seen since 2008

-Major retailers all over America are shutting down hundreds of stores

And this list does not even include all of the signs of severe economic trouble from around the rest of the planet that I have been writing about lately.

Credit card debt truly is financial poison, and it is not something that you want to have during the hard times that are coming.

Unfortunately, most Americans never learn, and they continue to rack up credit card debt as if there is no tomorrow even as the global economy starts to spiral downhill all around them.

Held By Your Love Lord - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Held By Your Love Lord

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, Complete Jewish Bible)

There was a time, with so many great memories, when I was completely inspired by Integrity Music’s Hosanna! Music series. Every other month, beginning in 1987, they came out with a worship cassette (and then it was CDs) with music that just captured my heart, and my listening ear, every time. As many of you may have done yourself at times, like I did with these, you would wear out your favorite cassette, just by playing it over and over again. (But now with MP3, that won’t happen!)

In 2001 Integrity published a CD by Bob Fitts, a worship leader whom I had heard before, on previous albums. This one was entitled I Will Bow To You. The 11^th song was “I’m Held By Your Love”, written by Karen Lim. For this song Bob is joined by his wife Kathy as they sang it live at their home church, New Creation Church, in Singapore.  What an amazing song! (The lyrics can be found below, and a link to the song itself is added, so you can listen to it on our ministry blog.)

The opening verse clearly speaks of our Lord’s love for us. If ever you have doubted this, just keep listening over and over to these words, and let them swell up in your heart.

I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength. On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand. Cherished by You Lord, treasured in Your sight, so close to Your heart, held firm in Your hand.”

Every now and then, more now than “then”, you need to be reminded of the simple fact that our Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, loves you more than you can comprehend. The very fact that He came, lived the life on earth to be as us, suffered a cruel torture, was crucified in death, and then rose again from the grave that could never hold Him, to prove that He alone is the Awesome God we serve. Because of that historical fact, we can know His love for us will be eternally upheld.

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand — out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary — we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!” (Romans 5:1-11, THE MESSAGE)

Drawing near to Him, in quiet meditation and a time set apart to experience this love, will enable you to experience His strength, goodness, and lovingkindness daily in your walk with Him.

Read the lyrics. Listen to the song. Let the love of the Father draw you close to Him.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

  

I’m Held By Your Love

- written by Karen Kim

I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength
On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand
Cherished by You Lord, treasured in Your sight
So close to Your heart, held firm in Your hand [Repeat once]

So awesome is Your love
So mighty is Your hand
On eagle’s wings You carry me
Your grace shall be my strength
So perfect is Your love
You sacrificed Your Son
Amazing love reached out to me
With joy to You I come

Not by my wisdom, not by my strength
Gently You guide me, lead me by hand
Total surrender, Jesus I am Yours
Now and forever, in Christ I now stand

So awesome is Your love
So mighty is Your hand
On eagle’s wings You carry me
Your grace shall be my strength
So perfect is Your love
You sacrificed Your son
Amazing love reached out to me
With joy to You I come [repeat 2x]

I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength
On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand

Author: Karen Lim, © 2001 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI)) , Integrity's Hosanna! Music, Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI)

I'M HELD BY YOUR LOVE 

by Karen Lim and Bob Fitts

- worship video

Listen here: I'm Held By Your Love with Bob & Kathy Fitts

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  

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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 03.12.16 - #250 –“Held By Your Love Lord” – Saturday at 8:30 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Morris Ruddick - THE MODEL (SIGN)

Morris Ruddick

THE MODEL   (c) Morris E. Ruddick     In early 1999, my friend Dr. Bob Winer sent me to Ethiopia. My mission was to evaluate potential business opportunity for members of a group of very poor Black Ethiopian Jewish believers.   Bob had long had a burden for the Falash Mura, an Ethiopian ethnic community of Jewish heritage. They were not accepted by the Ethiopian Coptic Church because of being Jews. On the other hand, when Operation Solomon took place and Ethiopian Jews were emigrated to Israel, they didn't qualify because they believed in their Jewish Messiah.   Bob, is a leader in the Messianic Jewish community, a psychiatrist and neurologist by profession, but more importantly a big-picture guy. No doubt he asked me to take on this task because I had at the time almost 30 years experience as a problem-solving market planning consultant.   Having at that point traveled internationally to over 30 nations I had seen business opportunity gleaned and created from within a range of economically-deprived cultural settings. However, the poverty I was exposed to while evaluating opportunity for these Ethiopian brethren assaulted my sensibilities. I found myself crying out in prayer: "Lord, their condition should not be. These are Your people. I know You must have an answer and I know it is not a Western MBA business model."   Within a month following this heart-cry prayer, during my daily Bible reading, I was preparing to again plow my way through the book of Deuteronomy. Since the early days of my walking with the Lord, I've proactively saturated myself with biblical truth and maintained a rigorous Bible-reading program. This Bible-reading program has taken me through the Old Covenant scripture twice a year and the New Covenant five times a year.   Admittedly however, truly understanding Deuteronomy had been a challenge. While I had absorbed many truths from my more than roughly 50 readings of this segment of scripture, I frankly stumbled over what seemed to me as a lot of do's and don'ts.   However, following this prayer, I began reading again through this foundational book of Jewish principles. As I did, it was like scales fell off my eyes and I realized what I was reading were the principles on how to run a God-centered, entrepreneurial community. I became aware of the role of the truths contained in this book alone, which have made the Jewish people so successful in business over the years. I took over 50 pages of notes.   I also realized that God was answering my question on His solution for people living in conditions like these poor Ethiopian brethren. From that time, truths I had previously seen in many others sections of the Bible began having greater relevance as I began putting together the first steps for the entrepreneurial program I now take around the world. In my late fifties in age at the time, this illumination of the truths of biblical business secrets turned my three decades role as a business consultant into one of putting on business seminars in critical needy areas, based on these truths.    Building on the Foundations This is the second in a series on Jewish business secrets. During the first session we talked about the foundations lost that represent a vital dimension of our faith. I expressed my personal belief that it is the loss of these foundations that have resulted in people like Ghandi being drawn by the teachings of Jesus, but repelled by the lives of His followers. Our focus on Jewish business secrets are not all, but represent a key part of these lost foundations.   Historical Purposes of Business A century ago, in the West, business ownership was a means to take care of your family. That's the way it is today in many Asian countries, a bottom-up model.   Over the centuries, business ownership for the Jewish people not only has been the means to provide for their families, but it has represented a level of protection against the fickle response of employers and communities easily swayed by the fears. anger and misperceptions associated with Antisemitism.   In feudal societies, in which the very wealthy land-owners ruled over the majority serving as poor peasants working the owner's land, Jews served necessary functions such as being merchants, brokers, bankers and peddlers. Where there was no middle class, their role in their communities served to create this new economic class of people. They were expert in business. So societies in need of the functions they served, sought them out.   Business ownership for the Jewish people began as a God-thing. Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish people. Abraham was extremely prophetic and sensitive to spiritual things. Abraham had a progressive sequence of God-encounters that shaped his destiny and the course of his life and that of his descendants.   In this process, Abraham became the head of an economic community of more 300 people. What Abraham operated was the model. It combined the spiritual and community with the economic means of being self-sufficient and self-sustaining. In short, Abraham ran a God-centered, entrepreneurial community.   Globally today, two thirds of the world has little to no middle class. These are people who live on less than $2 a day. Well-intended humanitarian efforts, as well as the efforts of many church-related groups to alleviate poverty and hunger have simply not changed things. However, within the Orthodox Jewish community there exists a social system to care for their own. Ancient scripture says that there should be no poor among us. Yet, when there is, there are strategies for addressing it. We'll talk more about that during this series.   An Operational Model I shared with you how, beginning with a more complete understanding of the principles outlined in Deuteronomy, that the Lord began to answer my heart-cry to the dilemma of the brethren in Ethiopia. His answer didn't stop there.   Roughly two months after my very challenging trip to Ethiopia, I attended a conference of Christian business leaders in Singapore. Two weeks before leaving for that conference I received an email from a missionary in Singapore named Bill.   Bill had somehow gotten a copy of a talk I had given two years prior on the example of the biblical Patriarch Joseph and how Joseph's strategies merging the spiritual and natural averted disaster for the society of which he was a part. Bill wanted to know if I had any other materials on the topic and then concluded his email by asking if I would be coming to Singapore any time soon. I knew this was more than just a "chance" encounter and that God was orchestrating meeting together with this man.   Taking time from my conference, I met with Bill on several occasions. He shared with me a most unusual set of circumstances defining his life. These represented the developments that had led to him to contacting me. Bill had a PhD in geophysics. That was his profession when he had an encounter with the Lord. That encounter refocused his priorities and he moved from his home in Great Britain to a base in Singapore, where he began operating as a missionary in regions of Southeast Asia.   He was in prayer one morning after about ten years in his role as a missionary. The Lord spoke to him and told him to begin praying for someone to give him a business. Bill shared with me that he was startled by such instructions. He told me that at the time, he really knew nothing about business. He was a scientist. He related that he had never been in business and he really had no desire to be in business. However, as a man of prayer, he had come to recognize the voice of God, so he began praying in this way, with the caveat that with the business he was to have, that the Lord would include a business partner to show him the ways of business.   Then nine months later, Bill met a Singaporean Christian businessman. This man had been praying for a whole year that the Lord would bring him someone who could show him how to run a genuine Kingdom business. Bill and his new friend Tuan Seng quickly realized that the Lord had brought them together to do something new and special.   They soon launched a franchise consulting firm (Tuan Seng's expertise). The timing for opportunity with franchises in that part of the world was perfect. Their clients loved what they did for them and they grew and prospered. They hired and trained competent and honorable young Christians to keep up with the growth. They expanded to Jakarta to do the same thing in Indonesia. The caliber of their clients became such that they soon moved their offices to the prestigious financial district in Singapore.   As God was prospering them, the Lord spoke again to Bill and Tuan Seng while in prayer. He told them it was time for an added dimension, a Kingdom dimension to the work they were doing. With the profits being generated by their firm, they began identifying and fostering business opportunity in villages in poor regions of Southeast Asia.   Bill then began to relate a most unusual story of what took place in a poor, rural village in Cambodia. When Bill first went to visit this village he learned that it was so poor that the average family was eating only one meal a day. With the exception of three Christian families this was otherwise a Buddhist village. It seemed there was a problem with the soil in that village. Nothing would grow. In one of the most fertile regions of the world, the most basic vegetable seeds that were planted would die! Some even suggested that the village might be cursed!   It is written in scripture to do good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of faith. So Bill began things by addressing this problem together with the Christian families. They all prayed and asked the Lord what they might do to reverse the "curse." One of the wonderful things about prayer, when we learn to discern the voice of the Lord is that God will not only give us an answer to our questions, He'll also give us a strategy.   What the Lord told Bill and these three families was that the problem with growing things was because of the high clay content in the soil. The Lord then gave them the idea of using the abundance of clay to create decorative clay pots, wall-hangers to market to the West. Bill had a friend in the UK with a gift shop. After packaging up a box of prototypes of these flat-backed clay pots that would hang on a wall, Bill shipped them off to his friend with a note asking if he would try to sell them in his shop.   Finally, the response came from Bill's friend with the gift shop: "Please send me 25 more boxes of these clay pots as soon as possible. Everything you sent sold out in one day. Everyone wants one!" So, the three Christian families were now in business.   Their business grew quickly. In a matter of three months, the Christian families were all eating three meals a day and to keep up with the growth of their business they were starting to hire other villagers to work for their new company.   Their business continued expanding. In a little over two years, almost every adult in that village was working for this business. Every family in that village was eating three meals a day. Also, without any proselytizing other than sharing how God had given them this strategy, the members of the village saw the reality of God demonstrated and had come to faith.   Enduring Dynamics This brings us back to the life of Abraham. This example of the village in Cambodia includes a number of key principles that are seen in the life of Abraham. These are principles we will be explaining more fully as this series continues. They are principles that are at the core of Jewish business secrets.   It begins with the fact that Abraham heard from God. In this series, we're going to address the matter of learning to progressively discern the voice of God. Likewise, Abraham responded to what He heard from God with reverence and action, with obedience. It is written in Scripture: "Teach me Your ways, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your Name." This short scripture is central to bridging the natural and spiritual, to our response to God and to hearing His voice.   It begins with the an overwhelming need to know the Lord, a desire that is more important than anything else in life. The biblical story of Abraham has its beginnings in Abraham radically adhering to God's instruction to leave everything familiar to him and go to a land the Lord promised to give him and his descendants. Abraham viewed things beyond the realm of his own life. He was an incredible big-picture individual.   Abraham took God at His word and he acted on it. He responded to what God told him with an awe, or the reverence we describe as the fear of God. He likewise responded with an undivided heart. Nothing else was more important than to take the steps toward what the Lord was laying out before him.   Yet Abraham's response to God was a two-way street. God, who knows the end from the beginning had a purpose in His plans for Abraham, just like He has a purpose, a destiny for each of us who come to Him. Scripture indicates that God chose Abraham because he would instruct his children and his household after him to keep the ways of the Lord. So it has been, amazingly so, over the generations of Abraham's descendants. The Jewish people have one of the most amazing histories of any people on the face of the earth.   In the beginning of Abraham's encounters with God, God convinced Abraham to follow Him with the promise that Abraham and his descendants would be blessed by God and in turn would bring God's blessings to all those around them. God specifically told Abraham that He would bless those who blessed Abraham and his descendants, but also would curse those who tried to curse or do harm to Abraham and his descendants.   All these factors were at play in the story of the Cambodian village. Scripture tells us that as followers of Jesus that we are grafted into the family of God generated from Abraham. So in summarizing the focus on the model for Jewish secrets, we have two levels. The first is that Abraham operated the model that is at the core of Jewish business secrets. Abraham ran a God-centered entrepreneurial community.   However, the other dimension of the model is how Abraham walked out his life. His life was a journey with God. He had no greater priority than knowing God and His ways. He reverenced God with an undivided heart. The result was that God was his shield and God blessed  and multiplied Abraham far beyond what he might have accomplished through his own efforts.   Through God, Abraham bridged the realm between the natural and the spiritual. Abraham had a destiny and he was wise enough to know that his destiny was only going to be fulfilled and exceeded, through God.   In conclusion, the degree to which this ancient model is followed is critical to an economy's ability to withstand the rigors of change over time. It forms the basis of the strategy of an entrepreneurial-based middle class; the economic independence that nurtures the good and the growth of the society. This premise is the thread that begins forming the economic tapestry that endures. The model that combines the spiritual, the entrepreneurial and community is the pathway that gives entrance to new dimensions, higher dimensions.   As I've previously noted, what I'm outlining is a way of thinking. It enhances the creative and taps deeply the true nature of our gifts. True entrepreneurship is based on the development of a gift that becomes commercialized. Ancient Jewish writings uphold that "a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men."  We next will take a closer look at when vital combinations of these gifts are nurtured within a trust society to provide ripples of opportunity and the dimension of the dynamic comprising Jewish business secrets. As it is written: "Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are Your wondrous thoughts and deeds toward us; for with You, there is none to compare." Ps 40:4-5 ___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the higher dimensions of business leadership since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders to be blessed to be a blessing where God's light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" "Leadership by Anointing;" and "Mantle of Fire," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks andwww.BarnesandNoble.com.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/   Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your group's gathering on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.   2016 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org   Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercesson.org Global Initiatives is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Global Initiatives Foundation, PO Box 370291, Denver, CO 80237

Bob Fitts- I Stand In Awe (Medley) - Hosanna! Music

Bob Fitts- I Stand In Awe (Medley) - Hosanna! Music

Published on Feb 10, 2013

SONG # 666

MEDLEY INCLUDES:

- I Stand In Awe

- I Will Magnify

WORSHIP LEADER: BOB FITTS

ALBUM: THE LORD REIGNS

HMD023

(c) 1989 Integrity's Hosanna! Music Inc.

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  • Music

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Bob Fitts - He Will Come And Save You (Hosanna! Music)

Bob Fitts

Published on Aug 22, 2013

SONG # 1071

WORSHIP LEADER: BOB FITTS

LYRICS BY: BOB FITTS, GARY SADLER

RECORDED LIVE AT: PACU-YWAM (UNIVERSITY FOR NATIONS, KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII

ALBUM: HE WILL SAVE YOU

HMD071

(c) 1996 Integrity's Hosanna! Music Inc.

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  • Standard YouTube License

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  • "He Will Come and Save You" by Bob Fitts

Pew Poll Finds That Israelis and American Jews Share Strong Bonds - Alexander Apfel BIN

Pew Poll Finds That Israelis and American Jews Share Strong Bonds

By Alexander Apfel March 11, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity; better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.” Proverbs 27:10 (The Israel Bible™)

A new Pew poll shows that Israelis and American Jews share strong bonds and that most Israeli Jews feel they share a common destiny with US Jews.

The Pew Research Center released a series of polls and findings relating to Israeli society on Tuesday, March 8. The research covered a variety of subjects, including religion, politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

One of the surveys conducted shows that 68% of Israelis say that they have “a lot” or “some” in common with American Jews while 59% said that they think US Jews have a good influence on Israeli affairs. Only 6% said that they believed the influence was negative while the remainder expressed ambivalence.

The poll indicates relative reciprocity by Israelis in comparison with a 2013 survey of US Jews and it even reflects that Israelis have more positive feelings towards American Jews than vice-versa. While the 2013 poll indicated that American Jews also harbor warm feelings toward the State of Israel, only 30% of American Jews polled said that they were “very” emotionally attached to Israel and just 39% said that they were “somewhat” so.

Despite the greater percentages of support by Israelis, American support has proven robust and has not wavered since 2000-2001 despite the increase in the delegitimization campaigns against Israel in recent years.

“Emotional attachment to Israel has not waned discernibly among American Jews in the past decade,” the 2013 Pew survey concluded.

"For the Love of God" - Patti Labelle and Liel Kolet - music video

"For the Love of God" - Patti Labelle and Liel Kolet

Uploaded on Nov 11, 2008

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A duet of Patti Labelle and Liel Kolet

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Thousands Flock to First Christian Event ever Held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas

Thousands Flock to First Christian Event ever Held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas

DALLAS, March 7, 2016 – It was a full house and overflowing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Sunday as Pastor Greg Laurie brought a message of hope for 82,000 individuals gathered locally as well as hundreds of thousands more across the nation, tuning in via radio, television, Internet stream or remote broadcast at over 7,200 host locations in 123 countries. 

More than 750 local churches cooperated to bring Harvest America to Texas.

At a time when the nation is searching and anxious, Laurie addressed the loneliness and emptiness that exists in every heart, encouraging audiences that true peace and fulfillment can only be found in Christ.

"Not a woman, not a man, not a drug, not an experience, not a possession will fill the emptiness inside you," Laurie said.

Referencing research on the top three late-night Internet searches – porn, loneliness and suicide – he said, "You don't need to go to Google for your answers; God has an answer for your loneliness and it is Jesus Christ his son.

"Your religious beliefs are not enough, either; you're not good enough on your own," Laurie continued. "Jesus alone is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity."

More than 6,000 of those gathered responded to the evangelist's invitation to make a faith commitment. Harvest America organizers hope this event will spark a revival that will spread across the nation, as many attended from out of state, and with remote venues participating from all 50 states.

In a first for Harvest America, a 2,500-voice choir composed of local church members performed with artists Chris Tomlin and MercyMe, helping to lead the crowd in worship. They followed the stellar musical line-up of Switchfoot and Lecrae, providing a variety of musical styles for everyone in attendance.

Another 3,400 volunteer counselors, 1,500 ushers and 350 individuals manning the prayer room made this the largest volunteer effort ever for Harvest Crusades, which has been hosting such events since 1990. More than 5.3 million individuals have attended, with over 450,000 having made a faith decision. 

In addition, Harvest Crusades have been webcast online since 1997, and have seen 1.7 million individuals tune in via live stream. Another 90,000 viewed the most recent webcast live onlineSunday evening.

Local pastors providing leadership for the effort included Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas, Dr. Tony Evans of Fellowship Bible Church, Matt Chandler of The Village and Dr. Robert Morris of Gateway. All agreed on the potential impact of the event.

"I am hoping this is a catalyst – not just in the DFW Metroplex, but for churches across the country to rally in a renewed commitment to evangelism," Graham said.

Jeffress echoed the sentiment, remarking that "it was a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God; I believe every Christian and church will be re-energized in sharing the Gospel of Christ with as many people as possible."

About Harvest Crusades

Besides conducting evangelistic outreaches, Harvest Ministries produces "A New Beginning," an international radio program with messages by Laurie. In addition, television specials featuring past Harvest Ministries events air internationally on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and a weekly television program greglaurie.tv is available online at www.harvest.org, and airing on both TBN and the Church Channel, as well as on ROKU and the Harvest app.

Laurie serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, with campuses in Riverside and Irvine, California, which oversees Harvest Ministries. The ministry exists for the sole purpose of presenting the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and to help believers mature in their faith. More information is available at www.harvest.org.

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Note to Editors: For more information or to schedule an interview with a Harvest America representative, please contact Melany Ethridge of A. Larry Ross Communications at 972.267.1111 or viae-mail at melany@alarryross.com.