30 TH ANNIVERSARY OF N.I.V BIBLE;COPYING THE BIBLE BY HAND , ONE PERSON PER VERSE

Reading the Bible aloud start to finish takes about 77 hours. Writing by hand the entire holy book? Try six months.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New International Version of the Bible, the publishing house Zondervan is inviting people across the U.S. to copy a verse in their own hand."What better way than to let everyone participate?" said Moe Girkins, chief executive of Zondervan, the North American publisher of the NIV Bible, as it's commonly known. "Anywhere people love the Bible, we want to go."The six-month Bible Across America tour is visiting 90 cities and will include contributions from all 50 states. When the tour ends next month in Dallas, more than 31,000 people will have written a verse.

With about 14,000 verses transcribed, the tour visited Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., recently, offering churchgoers a chance to write verses from Mark, John and 1 and 2 Chronicles.After attending a Sunday morning service with her husband, Larry, and their 3-year-old son, John, Heidi Fritz chose to write a verse from John. The book appealed to her, she said, because it includes many passages of Jesus speaking in the first person and offers "lots of practical advice."Chronological order left her with John 8:3: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group." It wasn't exactly the kind of passage she had hoped for, but she said she was still glad to participate."It's an opportunity to re-create history," she said, comparing the project to early Bibles that were copied by hand.

Still, the Fritzes said they have no intention of handwriting all 31,173 verses of the Bible. "One verse is enough," they said.Inevitably, with limited leeway in choosing a verse, some participants are dealt less memorable or unsavory passages. So far, such verses have not deterred participants, said Tara Powers, a tour spokeswoman."People who love the Bible love the whole story," she said. "The tough stories need to be put in context."Angela Fish, whose husband and two daughters joined her in each writing a verse, agreed."It's a terrific opportunity to be part of God's word," she said. "Isn't every word of the Bible important?"For Fish, transcribing a verse reinforced messages of the Bible.

"Whenever you write something down, you take your time, kind of ingest it," she said.Lisa Duncan, 46, said writing 2 Chronicles 10:9 inspired her to revisit the Bible. "I want to go home and read this story and know the whole story of it," she said.Angela Fish's 8-year-old daughter, Emma Sandeman, said it was just "cool to write something in the book."Participants write each verse twice, producing two originals of the book. When complete, one copy will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution, the other to the International Bible Society, which holds the copyright to the NIV Bible. Zondervan will scan and format the handwritten pages for a textbook-sized Bible, to be published as "America's NIV."Many contributors said they looked forward to reading the completed handwritten Bible."It really touches me, being able to read it in other people's hand," Larry Fritz said.That's assuming, of course, that everyone's handwriting is legible.Ron Mitori, 62, said he initially thought his penmanship would be too difficult for others to read. But wanting to contribute, he decided to write a passage in print instead of his usual cursive."It makes me feel like I'm part of something that's bigger than me," he said after carefully inking each letter in John 7:46.To ensure the accuracy and legibility of each passage, tour volunteers provide the text of each verse on a small piece of paper and stand ready with white correction tape. A clear, illuminated box with black ruled lines sits underneath the 11-by-17-inch pages as participants write.After transcribing a passage, participants each receive a card listing the verse they wrote. When the Bible is published, an index will include every writer's name and corresponding verse.

PASTOR AWAITS PRISON IN CALIFORNIA FOR SAYING ' JESUS LOVES YOU' OUTSIDE AN ABORTION CLINIC ; PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

For holding up a poster that reads, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help you," outside an Oakland abortion clinic, a pastor in California now awaits a judge's sentencing that could send him to prison for harassment.
In May of 2008, Rev. Walter B. Hoye II of the Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley, Calif., filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, arguing that an Oakland city ordinance banning counselors or protesters from approaching within eight feet of people entering an abortion clinic is a violation of constitutional free speech rights.
Twelve days later, Hoye was arrested for allegedly violating the law he was seeking to overturn.
Hoye was charged with "unlawful approach" and "harassment."
In court, however, evidence showed that as Hoye stood outside the clinic with his "Jesus loves you" poster, rather than approaching or harassing women seeking to enter the facility, Hoye was hounded by clinic employees in orange jackets called "escorts." The escorts followed Hoye's quiet march along the sidewalk with large blank cards to block the view of his "Jesus loves you" poster.
Court proceedings further discredited clinic employee testimony when hidden camera footage showed their accusations to be highly suspect. The escorts in the case even admitted that Hoye neither threatened nor physically intimidated them.
Dana Cody, executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to the sanctity of human life, told WND that the video tape evidence should have clearly exonerated Hoye of the charges against him.
"I sat in the courtroom when the videotape was shown," Cody told WND. "And pastor Hoye wasn't blocking; he was being blocked. He wasn't harassing, he was being harassed."
Nonetheless, Hoye was found guilty and on Thursday could be sentenced with up to 2 years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

"This is a miscarriage of justice and we will appeal this verdict," said Allison Aranda, an LLDF staff attorney who is representing Hoye. "After speaking with several jurors after the verdict was read, it is clear that the court's failure and outright refusal to instruct the jury regarding the key elements of the crime led to the erroneous conviction of Rev. Hoye."
Witnesses in the trial claimed Hoy harassed and threatened patients, the escorts and even the clinic director.
According to an LLDF statement, clinic director Jackie Barbic testified that she saw Hoye hounding patients and went out to the street to confront him. With a tape measure, Barbic claimed, she demonstrated the distance of the 8-foot barrier, only be physically intimidated by Hoye until she was compelled to defend herself, shouting, "Stay away from me! Back down! Back away!"
Unbeknownst to witnesses and the district attorney, however, an associate of Rev. Hoye had been videotaping him from across the street on both the days on which the pastor was accused of violating the law.

Cody told WND that the video is an accurate representation of Hoye's demeanor, and that while some abortion protesters may scream and threaten, Hoye is not a man to use intimidation or "harassment."
"I have never met a man whose character and demeanor is so perfect for him to stand out in front of these clinics," Cody said. "He is the consummate gentleman. He's not intimidating at all. In fact, on the record there's witness testimony that part of the reason they're afraid of him is that he is so 'nice.'
"The man, he will tell you, 'I am an ambassador for Christ,'" Cody said.
On cross-examination, the court watched the video of two confrontations between Barbic and Hoye on the days in question. According to the LLDF, the video includes the tape measure and Barbic approaching Hoye. The video also showed, however, that the pastor calmly walked away from Barbic and showed no evidence of her fending him off and screaming.
Barbic then testified that the surprise videos must have been taken earlier in the day and that the intimidating confrontation happened later. Hoye's attorneys dismiss the testimony as bogus.
The jury nonetheless convicted Hoye of "unlawful approach."
"We think his conviction," Cody told WND, "was a failure of the judge to give instructions to the jury on what 'approach' meant."
The LLDF now intends to appeal Hoye's case as well as resume his original lawsuit – put on hold during Hoye's trial – within the next few months.
Cody told WND that Hoye filed the original lawsuit because the wording of city's ordinance prohibits even street counseling, a law that goes beyond protecting people from harassment to the point of censoring free speech.
"We live in America," Cody said. "The fact that this can happen because someone has the audacity to stand out on the street and try to help women is just unbelievable to me."

SADDLEBACK ( RICK WARREN ) TEACHES FAITH LESSON USING 10,000 GROCERY BAGS

Trust in God and fill 10,000 grocery bags with food was the challenge heard by attendees of Saddleback Church this past weekend.

As part of his current sermon series on prayer, Saddleback’s founding pastor Rick Warren gave a message on “The Prayer of Dependence” where he urged attendees to pray and depend on God for their daily bread.
The sermon was especially timely because of heightened anxiety over the economy as well as concerns over whether the stimulus package passed by Congress last week will work.
But Warren reminded his congregation that depending on God means seeing God as the source for everything.
“Whatever your need is – physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, whether it is the need in your body, in your mind, or a need in your soul or a need in your spirit – God says ‘I will take care of that need if you will depend on me,” Warren preached on Sunday, according to an audio file posted on the church’s Web site.
Christians need to trust in Him to provide the necessities they need in life, and also share whatever He gives, the California pastor noted.
“There’s nothing I need that God can’t supply,” Warren told his congregation. “It means that as a child of God, as a follower of Christ I should never, and you should never, have a scarcity mentality."
“What is the scarcity mentality? Scarcity mentality says, ‘I’m afraid there isn’t enough. There isn’t enough to go around. So I’m going to panic, I’m going to worry. I’m going to get anxious, I’m going to be afraid.' There’s more than enough to go around friends,” the megachurch pastor assured.
To apply the lesson, the church distributed more than 10,000 empty shopping bags at the end of the services and challenged its congregants to overcome their economic fear with faith and take care of their neighbors’ need.
"The number one way that God tests your faith? Money," Warren said. "God wants to know: Are you going to worry, or are you going to trust me? … When I meet others' needs, God takes care of mine."
Saddleback Church encouraged participants to give the bag filled with nonperishable food to friends and family in need, but most of the parishioners said they'd rather bring the bags back to the church for it to distribute, according to The Orange County Register.
The southern California megachurch is expected to in turn donate the bags to local food banks that are desperately in need of supply.
Operation Blessing International, a Christian relief and humanitarian ministry, reported, for example, a 343 percent increase in partner applications from food pantries across the country for provision recently.
But despite the economic depression, Saddleback parishioners after the service appeared enthusiastic to help put food on the table for needy locals.
Ruthie Daniel expressed willingness to participate in the food drive despite identifying herself as a “person in need.”
"This is my way of giving to God, because I know he'll supply my needs," she said, according to The Orange County Register. "This sermon was just perfect for me today, because I'm going to trust him and not worry. … I think this is going to be a really great week for me."
Across the country, food banks have been reporting a drastic rise in demand for assistance as the economic depression deepens. The Maryland Food Bank, for instance, saw an increase in demand of 25 to 50 percent since last summer, according to WBAL-TV. Meanwhile, food banks in Gulfport, Miss., say they’ve experienced about a 30 percent increase in families needing food, according to WLOX-TV.

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN GAMBIA GOT ARRESTED FOR A COMMENT E-MAILED TO A PRAYER LIST; PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Longtime missionaries David and Fiona Fulton were sentenced by a Gambian court to a year of hard labor last December after pleading guilty — in hopes of a lenient sentence — to sedition charges stemming from a wry comment e-mailed to a prayer list.
After nearly a decade of service in the West African Muslim nation, the Fultons, missionaries from an Assemblies of God church in Britain, experienced a string of difficulties, including a disagreement that led them to part with their local church. At about the same time, David reduced his role as an army chaplain and was assaulted by a man he described as a Muslim fundamentalist.
"Now how [a growing extremist element] should be dealt with, I don't know," David wrote in an e-mail to supporters. "(I have suggested that we arm the Muslims with sticks and the Christians with machine guns and let them fight it out.) [B]ut seriously, while I will defend myself and my family I don't believe that I will or should take any part in a physical proactive role against them, that's the government's job."
Someone on the Fultons' prayer list forwarded the e-mail to Gambian authorities. "This unfortunate comment did not go down well with the authorities, who saw it as incitement," said Khataza Gondwe, the officer for sub-Saharan Africa at Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The e-mail became the basis for the sedition charges. Other charges have followed.
Gondwe said the Gambian prison system is particularly harsh, and the couple appeared quite weak in court. The Fultons are expected to serve their year-long sentence by doing plantation work and paying an $8,600 fine.
The Fultons are not the only missionaries whose e-mails have been used against them. Wycliffe Bible Translators president Bob Creson said unauthorized use of support letters is a risk for many missionaries.
The Fultons weren't in danger because of the e-mail per se, said Pete Holzmann, executive director of the International Christian Technologists Association. "This is a people issue more than a technology issue."
Missionaries can avoid drawing attention to themselves by using common methods — such as Gmail or FedEx — or sending secure messages through encryption or Web anonymizers, but Holzmann said the real risk is what happens after their messages arrive. Prayer letters published on church websites, photos posted on blogs, and stories told in public can all be used against missionaries.
One way missionaries can lessen risk is simply to not be as candid in writing as they would be speaking in their home country.
"You want people praying for the circumstances," said Creson, but not at the risk of the ministry. Wycliffe and other sending agencies point missionaries to supervisors and other staff when they need to share thoughts too sensitive for writing.
Steve Knight, international communication coordinator at Serving in Mission, said he cautions missionaries to ask themselves how their next-door neighbors would feel about the content of their prayer letters.
Wheaton professor Scott Moreau said most governments are aware of missionaries and are usually less concerned about mentions of God than about stances on politically charged issues — as in the case of the Fultons.
Another good tactic for missionaries is to remind recipients that e-mail content must go no further. Holzmann recommends sending sensitive material in an encrypted e-mail as a pdf with security settings that prevent copying or printing. "It's easy to break that security system, but they can only break it knowing that they are not respecting your wishes," he said.
The most important tactic, agreed Holzmann, Creson, and Knight, is for missionaries to live a consistent life in such a way that they are respected and integrated. In Holzmann's words, "If at all possible — and it is possible in amazing places — live your life and do your ministry in such a way that the local people and the government love you and like what you're doing."

CHINESE CHRISTIAN ACTIVISTS HUA ZAICHEN DIES AT 91

BEIJING, CHINA -- Chinese Christian activist Hua Zaichen, who became known for helping reportedly persecuted Christians, has died in a Beijing hospital, shortly after his wife was released from prison, his supporters confirmed . Hua was 91 years old."Hua Zaichen, went Home to the Lord," last week, said advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA), which has been in close contact with the family.He died Monday, February 9, a day after his 79-year-old wife Shuang Shuying was released from prison where she was held for two years on what CAA described as "fabricated charges," because of her Christian work."She went immediately to the hospital to see her husband...Though he did not regainconsciousness, Shuang Shuying sat at his bedside holding his hand. The following day,Shuang Shuying’s husband passed away," CAA said.

COUPLE'S "WITNESS"

"We are grateful for the witness of this elderly couple who have laid down their lives for the Truth and for religious freedom in China," the group added. It stressed that, "Shuang Shuying and her family continue to suffer persecution from Chinese officials."Despite the setbacks, Shuang Shuying, said she felt "greatly strengthened" that "brothers and sisters from all over the world had been praying for me."In a letter written hours after her release and monitored by BosNewsLife, she said she was put in jail, in part to pressure her son and house church pastor Hua Huiqi to become a spy. She claimed they detained her, "In order to force my son to compromise his faith and betray brothers and sisters."Chinese officials have denied wrongdoing. The Chinese government charged her with "willfully damaging public and private property," including using her cane to destroy the hood of a police car and electronic equipment. But Shuang's supporters have always maintained that incident happened when she tried to protect herself with a cane against a police car trying to run over her in February 2007.

MISTREATMENT ALLEGED

Shuang said she was often mistreated by representatives of the Public Security Bureau (PSB), one of China's main law enforcement agencies, and fellow prisoners."During my imprisonment, the PSBs of Beijing came to my prison interrogating, threatening and harassing me numerous times. They even directed other prisoners to take off all of my clothes and forced me stand alone outside in the evening without letting me sleep," the elderly woman wrote.She said that seven prisoners kept watching her in turn. "I was not allowed to move even when the mosquitoes bit me or I would be slapped on my face and poked in the veins on my hands. I still had wounds that were unhealed on my hands."In addition, "PSB officers even forced me to drink my own urine." Writing and publishing the letter is risky. "They threatened me not to tell anyone about the tortures I experienced," she explained.However Shuang made clear she wants the world to know what happened to her and the Christian faith. "During these terrible circumstances, I prayed without ceasing. I asked God to give me strength.

"VERY "ENCOURAGED"

She said she was very encouraged that her case was apparently closely monitored by fellow Christians around the world. "Every time when my son came to visit me and shared with me that brothers and and sisters from all over the world had been praying for me, I felt greatly strengthened and empowered which has enabled me to continue to live."She said that she also experienced the power of "continuous prayers, care and support formy husband, Hua Zaichen," before he died.CAA said is has asked Christians to write "an encouraging letter" to Shuang Shuying"as she rebuilds her life." It identified her address as Mrs. Shuang Shuying, Room#107,Building #23. Tai Ping Qiao Xi Li, Fengtai District, Beijing, China 100076.The reported persecution comes amid reported attempts by China's Communist authoritiesto control the spread of Christianity. Most of China's estimated 130 million Christians prefer to worship outside the state denominations in underground 'house churches' often organized in homes of believers.

PASTOR T.D.JAKES OFFERS SUPPORT TO HIS ACCUSED STEPSON

DALLAS — Megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes told his congregation Sunday that he would provide “help, support and restorative grace” to his stepson, who was accused of exposing himself to two undercover detectives last month.
Police accused Jermaine Jakes, 29, of exposing himself Jan. 3 in a public park near the Dallas megachurch that his stepfather leads. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure.
If convicted, he faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. His attorney, Faith Johnson, did not immediately return a phone message left at her office Sunday afternoon.
The pastor on Sunday read a statement to his congregation, saying parents of children who don’t live up to ideals do not “diminish our love for them as recompense for our disapproval.”
The elder Jakes gave a sermon at the prayer service for Barack Obama on the morning he was sworn in as president.