HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS

The picture of this church sign was found on FAIL BLOG.

Biblical advice for parents with teenage children

A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.

His father said he'd make a deal with his son: 'You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car.'

The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks his father said, 'Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut.

The boy said, 'You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair...and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.'

To this his father replied, 'Did you also notice they walked everywhere they went?'

THIS IS WHAT THE FRENCH SOCCER TEAM NEEDS

Even though Bafana Bafana did not make it through to the next round of the Soccer World Cup (Sorrow and Mourning!) we still hold our heads up high - we actually BEAT France.

But the story goes that the French team were in disarray to start with. Rumours about players refusing to be available for games, the coach who refused to shake the Bafana coach's hand after the match, even him being fired .... No wonder we won with such ease!

What they need is the following ...

THE AWESOME INHERITANCE OF A CHRISTIAN

Written by Andries Combrink

Not only have we been adopted into the family of God as his children, but we are given a precious assurance of that fact in our hearts every day.

Rom 8: 16, 17: The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

God’s children have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spends time with us. He testifies that we are God’s children. He leads us and teaches us all we need to know about how to live for God. God’s Spirit will speak to your heart. He will show you things. He will guide you. He will warn you. He will lead you. He will feed you. He will comfort you. He will teach you the truth. Like a mother who wraps her arms around her child everyday, expressing her love, the Spirit of God does the same for us.

But our adoption as children of God does even more. The Bible says we now are wealthy beyond measure.

We have been made the heirs of God. And will anyone dispute the fact that our heavenly Father is wealthy beyond measure? God is able to meet our needs no matter how great they may appear to be. What he has belongs to us now, and eternally.

Not only are we the heirs of God, but we have been made joint-heirs with Jesus. Yes, we do share in his sufferings while we are here on this earth. But we also are given an equal share with Jesus of the wealth of our Father. Under Jewish Law, the eldest son would be given a double portion of the father's wealth. However, under Roman law, all sons were treated equally. In God’s kingdom, we have been placed on the same footing with Jesus. No, we will never be like him: God’s eternal divine Son, - but we have been made like him in the Father's eyes! How glorious is the gospel!

The fullness of our inheritance will not be seen until we arrive at home in our Father's house. But when we go to heaven, we will see just how rich we are and were. One look around there, will tell the tale forever.

Why not bring your needs to your Father, who owns everything, and has given it all to you! Draw on your inheritance in Christ. We are a blessed people and we do not have to live as depraved slaves of sin, but as grateful and blessed children in the presence of God. Speak to your Father now of your neediness and insecurities. Allow the Spirit to show you the wealth of assurance of being God’s child!

FEATURED GUEST POST: THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN MINISTRY IS ...

Written by Rick Warren

"The goal of your ministry isn’t to have the biggest church. It isn’t to have the most followers. It isn’t even to help the most people. It’s not about you. It’s all about God."

We live in an age where celebrity is everything. Celebrity entertainers, celebrity athletes, and celebrity politicians rule the roost.

That’s why the first sentence of The Purpose Driven Life was so counter-cultural–“It’s not about you.” People often forget the second line – “It’s all about God.” Those two sentences go together.

Ministry will never make sense until you understand those two statements. The goal of your ministry isn’t to have the biggest church. It isn’t to have the most followers. It isn’t even to help the most people.

It’s not about you. It isn’t about your church. It’s all about God. It’s all about bringing him glory. That’s the top conviction I’ve built my ministry on.

The Bible says this in Romans 11:36,“For everything comes from God alone, everything lives by His power, and everything is intended for His glory.”(TLB) Everything on the planet and in the universe was created for God’s glory – that includes you and your church.

Pleasing God has to be your first priority. Matthew 22 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (NIV)

That’s harder than it seems on the surface for most pastors. Pleasing God above all else means not seeking the approval others as your first priority. Most people in ministry innately want to please people.

But if you serve in ministry for any other reason than to please God, you’ve wasted your life. You’ve missed the entire point of your ministry.

What can seep into our lives that may encourage us to put something else above God?

* Materialism: Jesus said in Luke 18, “You cannot serve both God and money.” You can’t make pleasing God your top priority if your focus is trying to acquire stuff. Materialism can make its way into our lives very subtly. Avoid it. Run from it. Never, ever let it rule you.

* Immorality: Making God the priority of your life and your ministry means not living like everyone else does. It means not trying to serve the “lusts of the flesh” rather than Jesus. On a regular basis you need to be asking God whether there’s anything in your life that doesn’t please God. You also need people in your life who’ll tell you the truth when you start sliding toward immorality.

* Peer pressure: You can’t love being popular more than you love God. If you chase after the applause of others, you’ll never have the kind of ministry God wants for you.

Pastor, who has first place in your life and ministry? If it’s not Jesus, who are you living for?

DECLARE A DAY OF MOURNING

When you support a sports team, you know the risks involved: individual players under performing; teams losing; biased referees; etc. None of these leads to a supporter's decision to not support his/her team in tough times, however.

This is why we, as South Africans, unanimously and unequivocally still back Bafana Bafana after the thrashing they received from Urugay last night. We agree with coach Perreira in blasting the ref's decision to send Khune from the field. We wipe our tears for the goals we couldn't score and this we couldn't prevent.

Hopefully, if we can do something against France, we still have a sporting chance to reach the next level of SWC 2010. I just hope the French team isn't so intent on revenging our Springboks' victory against their national rugby team over the weekend that they achieve a rugby score against Bafana ... !

SOCCER 101 FOR DUMMIES LIKE ME

If you live in South Africa you'll know this country has three major sports: soccer, rugby and cricket. Normally those supporting soccer isn't quite that interested in the other sports, as we tend to religiously support our teams and our sports brand. This is probably a remnant of the apartheid days when white people watched rugby and black people watched soccer. Luckily this era has passed and we are building a united country where everyone is accepted, regardless of race or culture. In 1995 the first Rugby World Cup helped this sport to become a true South African game. Now, with SWC 2010, soccer is becoming exactly that as well.

I have to admit I know almost nothing about soccer. This is why I gladly share my discoveries of the game and its rules with you. I found this website, soccer-fans-info.com, and it is a treasure trove of information about soccer.

Here are some basics about the game:

The 17 Rules for Soccer from the Laws of the Game

This soccer constitution that was the Laws of the Game now holds 17 specific key points that determine the rules of soccer. Let's go through each and explain them in more detail.

1. The Field of Play - The field of play is the surface on which the game of soccer is played on. This law regulates everything regarding line markings, soccer pitch dimensions and how to use them properly. For example, a soccer pitch must be between 90 and 120 meters long and 45 to 90 meters wide. However, it must also have a rectangular shape, so you can't have a square field with a length and width of 90 at the same time.

Other basic rules of soccer and field measurements are specified in this law, such as the dimensions of each goal (7.32 meters long and 2.44 meters high), the diameter of the centre circle (18.30 meters) or the distance between the penalty spot and the goal (11 meters, perpendicularly on the goal).

Click here for more details on soccer field layout...

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2. The Ball - Throughout the time, the rules for soccer regarding the football remained the same, but the way in which they were applied was on a constant change. The rules state that the soccer bull must have a circumference between 68 and 70 centimeters and a weight between 410 and 450 grams but they also state that the ball can be made out of "leather or any similar material".

Well that "any similar material" bit constantly improved over time and nowadays soccer balls reached near-perfection. Almost each World Cup brought a new type of soccer ball, with improved characteristics, although all of them stayed inside the official soccer rules stated in the Laws.

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3. The Number of Players - According to the official soccer rules, a team can bring in 10 outfield players and one goalkeeper on the pitch and can have several substitutes on the bench. The numbers of benched subs as well as the actual number of substitutions that are allowed in a single match vary with the type of the game played. For example, in official matches only 3 substitutions are allowed, with 5, 7 or 9 players on the bench.

In friendlies however, a coach can fit in as many players as he wants on the bench and usually he can also make as many substitutions as he needs. In the past, the official soccer rules regarding substitutions were a lot stricter than this.

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4. The Player's Equipment - Just like with the soccer ball, soccer equipment maintained most of the original rules in the Laws of the Game, but the way people interpret them today is quite different from how they did back in 1863. Basically the rules of soccer say that a player must wear a shirt or jersey, footwear, shin pads, shorts and socks and the two teams must have different equipment so that they can be differentiated on the pitch.

Back then however, a soccer jersey was a largely uncomfortable one and it was very simple, without too many details strapped on it. Today's jerseys are very light and comfortable and on many occasions they have the club's sponsors imprinted on them, they have the number of the player (and the name in some cases) on the back and the club's badge on the chest. These are not enforced by the soccer rules, but they have become common standards in today's game.

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5. The Referee - Well the man in black (or more recently phosphorus green) is probably the biggest "invention" that came with the initial soccer rules constitution and his role is to enforce these official rules of soccer "in connection to the match he has been appointed to".

The center referee is accompanied and helped by two assistant referees (one on each side of the pitch) and a fourth one that handles small issues like showing injury time duration, checking a substitute player's equipment and replacing one of the three main referees if they can't continue the game.

Click here for more details on soccer referees...

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6. The Assistant Referees - As I explained above, the assistant referees are placed on the sides of the pitch (one each) and their main role is to help the main referee with some decisions. Actually, the assistant referee has no decision power, he can only signal a game issue (an offside, a foul, handball and so forth) but it's up to the central ref if he's or she is going to take up the assistant's advice.

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7. The Duration of the Match - Standard adult games are limited by the official soccer rules to two halves of 45 minutes each, separated by a 15 minutes break. This is not the actual time of play, since this 90 minute clock ticks even when the ball is out of play, during substitutions and so forth. In order to try to balance this timing a bit, the end of each half also brings a few minutes of "injury time" on the table.

In some cases, when the match must have a winner (a knockout match for example), two extra mini-periods of 15 minutes each, with no break between them are added. If the match is tied at the end of extra time as well, the players go on for a penalty-shootout that will eventually decide the winner.

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8. The Start and Restart of Play - There are 8 reasons for which the game can be stopped and similarly, 8 ways to restart it. Each period of time starts with a kick-off (1) and the game is also restarted with a kick-off if a team scores a goal. If the ball goes out on the side lines, the player who last touched the ball conceded a throw-in (2). The game is restarted with the other team throwing the ball back into play.

The goal kick (3) is awarded to the defending team, if the attacking team took the ball out of play on the defending team's goal line. The game is restarted with the goalkeeper kicking it from within the safety box. If the defending team touches the ball last and it goes over their own goal line, outside of the goal itself, then the opposing team earns a corner kick (4) and they will be required to restart the game from the corner nearest to where the ball went out.

An indirect free kick (5) is awarded when a team produces a non-penal foul (dangerous play or offside for example) and the game is restarted with a ground kick that cannot be taken towards goal (if a player scores directly from an indirect free kick, without another player touching the ball, the goal won't stand). A direct free kick (6) is caused by a foul or handball and unlike the indirect free kick it can be struck directly towards the goal.

A penalty kick (7) is similar to a direct free kick in that it is caused by a foul or handball, but the offence occurs inside the defending team's penalty area. The game is restarted with one of the attacking team's players shooting for goal from the penalty spot (11 meters, perpendicularly on goal), with nothing but a goalkeeper to beat.

The last of these eight soccer rules is rarer and it's called the dropped ball (8). The dropped ball occurs when the referee stops the game for a special reason (an injured player, ball becoming defective or the interference of an external factor) and the game is restarted with him dropping the ball from shoulder height in front of two players who will battle for possession (sort of how basketball matches decide initial possession).

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9. Ball In and Out of Play - According to the official soccer rules, the ball is in play all throughout the match duration, except when it passes a bounding line (goal lines and touch lines), when an offence occurs or when play is stopped by the referee. In these particular cases, the ball is out of play and the soccer players cannot score goals or interact with the ball. In addition, substitutions can only occur when the ball is out of play according to the rules for the game of soccer.

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10. The Methods of Scoring - As long as the ball is in play and no infringements of any soccer rules are being made, the players can score goals. A goal is considered when the ball crosses one of the goal areas with its entire circumference. Goals can be scored from action, from penalty spots and direct free kicks.

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11. The Offside - Since this is one of the trickiest rules of soccer today, I've decided to explain it in detail in a separate article on offside soccer rules.

Click here for more details on offside rules...

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12. Fouls and Misconduct - There's a difference between fouls and misconduct that many people fail to understand. A foul can occur when a player tries to get the ball from his opponent and kicks him or pushes him away accidentally, whereas misconduct means that a player willfully targets his opponent and punches, kicks or pushes him away.

Fouls can only occur when the ball is in play, but misconduct can occur when it's out of play as well. Depending on the seriousness of the foul or misconduct, the referee can penalize it with a yellow or red card in addition to a free kick or penalty kick.

Click here for more details on soccer fouls...

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13. Free Kicks - I've explained most of the soccer rules regarding free kicks in "Soccer Rule Number 8 – The Start and Restart of Play". One additional soccer rule worth mentioning is that players from the opposing team must be at least 9.15 meters away from the position where the free kick will be struck. Also, the player that kicks the ball initially on a free kick cannot touch it again until a teammate or opposing player touches it.

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14. Penalty Kicks - Penalty kicks are conceded when a defended player fouls or commits handball inside the 18 yard box (commonly known as the penalty box). It's important to know that not all offences inside the penalty box are punished with a penalty kick. For example, if a player commits dangerous play inside his own penalty box, the referee will award an indirect free kick from the place that the offence occurred.

When the penalty kick is taken, the only two players in the 18 yard box are the penalty taker and the defending team's goalkeeper. Everyone else must sit outside the box and can only move towards the ball once it is kicked. So if the penalty is saved by the goalkeeper or strikes the bar, a player could run from the edge of the box and gain possession.

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15. The Throw In - When the ball goes out of play on the side lines, the opponent of the player who last touched the ball will take a throw in. The throwing method has to follow some rather strict rules; otherwise the referee might dictate a throw in for the other team. The player taking the throw must keep his feet outside the side line, with the sole on the ground and the actual throw must be executed with the ball over the thrower's head.

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16. The Goal Kick - The goal kick is a means of restarting play after the attacking team took the ball over the defending team's byline. The goal kick acts as a direct free kick, so if a player would kick the ball so hard that it would reach the opposing team's goal and score, the goal would count.

One extra soccer rule regarding the goal kick states that the kick must be powerful enough to pass the penalty area. So in case the goalkeeper executes the goal kick and passes the ball to a teammate in his own penalty box, the goal kick is re-taken.

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17. The Corner Kick - The last of the 17 rules of soccer refers to the corner kick, which occurs when the ball passes over the defending player's goal line, with a defender having touched the ball last. The corner kick acts as a direct free kick taken from the corner of the pitch (if the ball passes the line on the left of the goal, the corner is taken from the left corner and if it passes on the right, the corner is taken from the right corner).

The same rules as for a direct free kick apply, in that opposing players must be at least 9.15 meters away from the corner, the corner taker may score directly from the corner kick and the kicker can't play the ball a second time until it's touched by another player. The only additional rule is that the ball be placed in the corner arc.

Well that's pretty much all you need to know about soccer and soccer rules. Most of these rules seem harder than they actually are on paper and if you watch a couple of matches you'll soon get the hang of them naturally. The only one that requires some special attention is the offside soccer rule, which indeed can be harder to understand without the proper explanation, so check out the offside article on the site for a more detailed clarification on that.

MY WISH FOR YOU FOR THE WEEK

A POST WORLD CUP PRAYER, PART 1

Heavenly Father

With the kick-off of SWC 2010 today, I want to thank you that our country has the opportunity to host such a spectacular event. I want to thank you for the outpouring of pride among all South Africans. And I want to thank you for the unity we are experiencing because of this.

I want to ask, however, that you will grant us the grace of continued goodwill and unity after the teams have left. Grant us the wisdom to break through the constraints of a racially divided nation and truly become one nation of different cultures.

Protect us from racism, and corruption, and corrupt persons who find themselves in positions of power. Protect us from mistrust and fear.

Please, Lord, grant us a true Biblical revival.

Amen

OUR SPECIAL OFFER TO MEXICO

FIFA SOCCER WORLD RANKINGS

FIFA ranked the world's soccer teams in May 2010. South Africa competes in group A, along with France, Uruguay and Mexico. France is ranked 9th in the world. Uruguay is ranked 16th, and Mexico is ranked 17th. South Africa is 83rd. It is safe to assume that Bafana Bafana faces an uphill battle to the second round of the tournament.

Still ... GO BAFANA BAFANA!

The Top 100 teams looks like this:

Ranking Team Pts May ’10

1 Brazil 1611

2 Spain 1565

3 Portugal 1249

4 Netherlands 1231

5 Italy 1184

6 Germany 1082

7 Argentina 1076

8 England 1068

9 France 1044

10 Croatia 1041

11 Russia 1015

12 Egypt 967

13 Greece 964

14 USA 957

15 Serbia 947

16 Uruguay 899

17 Mexico 895

18 Chile 888

19 Cameroon 887

20 Australia 886

21 Nigeria 883

22 Norway 882

23 Ukraine 875

24 Switzerland 866

25 Slovenia 860

26 Israel 857

27 Côte d'Ivoire 856

28 Romania 853

29 Turkey 830

30 Algeria 821

31 Paraguay 820

32 Ghana 800

33 Czech Republic 793

34 Slovakia 777

35 Colombia 776

36 Denmark 767

37 Sweden 761

38 Honduras 734

39 Bulgaria 711

40 Costa Rica 710

41 Republic of Ireland 709

42 Gabon 700

43 Scotland 699

44 Ecuador 694

45 Japan 682

46 Latvia 652

47 Korea Republic 632

48 Burkina Faso 611

49 Venezuela 608

49 Lithuania 608

51 Bosnia-Herzegovina 604

52 Finland 584

53 Peru 578

54 Mali 575

55 Tunisia 574

56 Northern Ireland 566

57 Hungary 565

58 Poland 561

59 Belgium 541

60 Benin 531

61 Iran 521

61 FYR Macedonia 521

63 Canada 516

64 Montenegro 500

65 Bolivia 499

66 Saudi Arabia 498

67 Cyprus 486

68 Austria 479

69 Bahrain 475

70 Morocco 463

71 Zambia 456

72 El Salvador 452

73 Uganda 440

74 Panama 434

75 Senegal 422

76 Togo 418

77 Wales 415

78 New Zealand 410

79 Albania 406

80 Iraq 405

81 Jamaica 399

82 Belarus 397

83 South Africa 392

84 China PR 387

85 Mozambique 383

86 Malawi 382

87 Guinea 381

88 Angola 379

89 Moldova 378

90 Iceland 367

91 Oman 362

91 Haiti 362

93 Gambia 361

94 Uzbekistan 354

95 Trinidad and Tobago 353

96 Qatar 351

97 Kuwait 350

98 Syria 343

99 Estonia 320

100 Armenia 311