Thought Quotient

Here are some thoughts by Heather Payne of Point of Grace:

This coming November Point of Grace will have been together for 15 years. This blows my mind. Seriously, where does the time go? Time is one of life’s greatest mysteries. It can bring us the greatest joy and the deepest grief. It can pass like the blink of an eye, or it can seem to stand still. We can wish for time back or we can wish it away. I’ve come to learn that it’s more than just the ticking of a clock that gives us seconds, minutes and hours. It is a precious gift from God. One to be guarded as a treasure.
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Time is ticking. Enjoy it, savor it, make the most of it because it goes fast. The bible tells us not to “boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Time isn’t about seeing how much money we can make or how successful we can be. Time is about storing up treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy it. “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

Think of it this way, with each moment passing moment we are closer to Jesus’ homecoming. This should bring a healthy urgency to share Christ with all of the time we have left.

- Heather Payne

As read on BBC News:

I really don’t know what to say about this. War is bad. But, the Smurfs?

The UN children’s agency has launched a hard-hitting ad campaign, involving cartoon legends the Smurfs being blown away in a sudden air strike. The film, which aims to raise money for former child soldiers in Africa, is being shown on Belgian TV. A spokesman for Unicef Belgium said it had departed from previous policies on advertising in order to shock people (editors note: yep, its working), and that this tactic was working (editors note: yep, its working).

Unicef said the ad should only run late at night to avoid scaring children. (editors note: thank goodness.) The 20-second clip opens with the Smurfs happily dancing and singing their theme song accompanied by birds and butterflies. But then planes appear which drop bombs on the idyllic scene, setting fire to the blue-skinned characters’ houses. One character, Smurfette, is killed and others run for cover while a baby is left crying in the middle.

There’s lots of Bethany Dillon news to report:

She was at the recent L.A. premiere of the Dreamer movie…

More info can be found in her online journal.

Look for her on CNN this Sunday morning on the ‘Faces of Faith’ program. Also, she’s featured in this week’s TIME magazine…

Dillon, 16, who wrote songs for Dreamer, starring Dakota Fanning, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, picked up the guitar at 10 and a record contract at 13 when a producer heard a CD she cut at home in Ohio. The Christian singer remains unaffected. “I come home from touring, and my parents are like, ‘Hey, Beth, how was it? Can you unload the dishwasher?’”

Related links:

• Official movie site
• Free DREAMER Activity Guide
• Bethany Dillon Dreamer music video
• An interview with Bethany Dillon shortly after the release of her debut album back in April of ‘04.