Fri Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

I believe there is one kind of love that will help people to stay in love after they fall in love. It is the kind of love that I believe is given by God and comes from God. It is found in what is known as, “The love chapter.” - I Corinthians 13. In that chapter, God weighs in on what loves, how love acts, and when love is real.

I am convinced that what a lot of people call “love” has nothing to do with love. You are going to see that in this most beautiful chapter on love ever written in human history.

There are actually three Greek words in scripture for the word “love.” One word is the word, “eros.” As you can imagine we get the word “erotic” from that. It was one of the two most common terms used in the culture in Paul’s day who wrote this thirteenth chapter. It refers to expressing your feelings for someone through the act of sex. Let me emphasize there is nothing morally wrong with eros in the right context. As we are going to talk about later this year, every marriage needs a very healthy dose of eros - a passionate, emotional, every lusty appetite for the one you are married to. As too many couples find out, eros love doesn’t last forever.

There is another word used for love, which is “philos.” We get the word “Philadelphia” from that which means “brotherly love.” That love stands for the kind of warm affection that is shared between family or close friends. That word is not as emotionally charged as the word “eros.” It has more character to it. This was the word that would have been more commonly used in that day to refer to “loving family or people which whom you were close.” Again, your spouse ought to be your best friend, but if you only love your spouse as a friend that is not the kind of love that will hold a marriage together.

The word that Paul uses no fewer than nine times in this chapter is the word “agape.” It is a word that is rarely found outside of scripture, because the meaning is so unique to the kind of love that we are to have that comes directly from the heart of God. This is the kind of love that always seeks to give and never to get. This is the kind of love that always puts the other person first. As you are going to see, unlike the erotic kind of love or the philo kind of love this is the kind of love that never fails.

What we are going to find from this chapter is real love stays in love.

Never Depend on Our Circumstances

Why Joy is Never Dependent on Our Circumstances 

Why Joy Is Never Dependent on Our CircumstancesBy Debbie McDaniel, Crosswalk.com Writer

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Ps. 118:24

Many of us may have heard this verse over long years. But what's interesting to know is that it's set right within a Psalm where the author is writing about huge adversity. It's not written about when times are good, but when times are hard. Situations were changing. The Psalmist cried out to God in anguish, he was surrounded on all sides by the enemy, he felt pushed back, and about to fall. Yet right in the midst of huge struggles shared, this chapter both starts and ends with the same verse, of giving thanks and praise unto God.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever." v. 1,29

Such a powerful reminder to us: True joy is never dependent on our circumstances. We can still choose to give thanks. We can still believe in God’s goodness and love, for that’s what carries us through all difficult seasons.

We might be facing the toughest of times, but the truth is this, He's still given us today. He's with us, and will never leave or fail us. His love covers us, His peace sustains us, and His joy gives us the strength to face every trial and obstacle with courage and grace. We can rest in the security that Truth brings.

May His blessings overwhelm you today as you look to Him and choose joy.

Give thanks.

For He is good.

His love endures.

Forever.

Intersecting Faith & Life: No matter what you’re facing today, be confident in God’s unchanging love for you. If He’s given us today, then we still have breath left within us to bring honor to Him. Choosing joy in hard times takes effort and action on our part; it requires our hearts to be set on Him. May He help us this day, to choose well.

Further Reading: Psalm 118: 1-29, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 28:7

Salvation & Service

Salvation and Service

By Touching Lives

“For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Ephesians 2:10

A first-grade teacher asked her class the question: “What do you do to help at home?” One by one the answers came back. One little girl said, “I dry the dishes.” One little boy said, “I feed the dog.” Another child said, “I sweep the floor.” Everybody gave an answer except one little boy sitting in the back. He didn’t say a word. The teacher looked at him and said, “Billy, what do you do to help out at home?” He answered, “I stay out of the way.”

In the Kingdom of God, no one is supposed to “stay out of the way.” We were all created for service according to Ephesians 2:10. Everything created by God was created for a purpose. Birds were created to sing, bees were created to give honey, cows were created to give milk, fish were created to swim, and you were created for ministry. God designed you to make a difference. God made you the way you are so you could do what He wants you to do. You are unique because you have a unique ministry to fulfill and a unique service to perform.

Not only are we created for service but we are also called to service. The call to salvation brings with it a call to serve Christ. Not every Christian is called to full-time ministry as a career but every Christian is called to minister full time. Romans 7:4 says, “Now you belong to Him…in order that we might be useful in the service of God.” Think about this…why doesn’t God take us to heaven the moment we are saved? There can only be one explanation. It is because salvation involves more than just going to heaven. God has a ministry for each of us to do while we are alive on this earth.

Do you see the purpose of your salvation as ministry to others? God wants you to share the grace He has given you with others today.

Father, Open my eyes to the opportunities around me to serve others today. Help me to show them Your goodness and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Breaking News - Sec of Defense

 BREAKING: Trump Has Just Chosen His Secretary of Defense

There have been several names floating around in regards to President Elect Donald Trump’s possible Secretary of Defense. However, none have carried as much weight with both members of the military as well as America’s enemies – Retired Four Star Marine General James Mattis.

According to a recently published report by The Washington Post: “President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be secretary of defense, according to people familiar with the decision, nominating a former senior military officer who led operations across the Middle East to run the Pentagon less than four years after he hung up his uniform.”



The report continues: Mattis, 66, retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in spring 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. He is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, serving as a strategic thinker while occasionally drawing rebukes for his aggressive talk. Since retiring, he has served as a consultant and as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University.

Like Trump, Mattis favors a tougher stance against U.S. adversaries abroad, especially Iran. The general, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in April, said that while security discussions often focus on terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, the Iranian regime is “the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East.”



Mattis would require a waiver from Congress because he has not been out of military service for more than seven years which is a Title 10 requirement.



“In terms of strengthening America’s global standing among European and Mideastern nations alike, the sense is that America has become somewhat irrelevant in the Middle East, and we certainly have the least influence in 40 years,” Mattis said.



According to his Wikipedia page:

James N. Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who last served as the 11th commander of United States Central Command. Mattis is known for implementing the COIN strategy. Before President Barack Obama appointed him to replace David Petraeus on August 11, 2010, he previously commanded United States Joint Forces Command from November 9, 2007 to August 2010 and served concurrently as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation from November 9, 2007 to September 8, 2009. Prior to that, he commanded I Marine Expeditionary Force, United States Marine Forces Central Command, and 1st Marine Division during the Iraq War.[4] Mattis retired on May 22, 2013, after 44 years of service.



By Tribunist Staff

System Volume Info Folder

What Is the “System Volume Information” Folder, and Can I Delete It?

On every Windows drive—even external USB drives—you’ll find a “System Volume Information” folder. You’ll only see it if you have Windows set to show hidden files and folders, but it’s always there. So what is it for?

Why Can’t I Open the Folder?

On drives formatted with the NTFS file system, this folder’s permissions are set to prevent everyone from accessing the folder, even users with Administrator permissions. Double-click the folder and you’ll see an error message saying the “location is not available” and “access is denied.” This is normal.

That’s because Windows uses this folder for certain system-level features. The permissions are set to prevent users—and programs without the appropriate permissions—from tampering with the files inside and interfering with important system functions.

What Is It For?

Among other things, Windows stores System Restore points in the System Volume Information folder.

If you need to shrink the size of the System Volume Information folder, you can do so from the Control Panel. Head to Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection. Under Protection Settings, you can choose whether System Restore is enabled and control how much disk space Windows uses for System Restore points.



Just disabling System Protection for a drive won’t actually delete the System Volume Information folder. Windows stores more than just restore points here.

For example, the System Volume Information folder also contains information used by the content indexing service databases that speed up your file searches, the Volume Shadow Copy service for backups, and the Distributed Link Tracking Service databases used to repair shortcuts and links.



If you have a drive formatted with the exFAT or FAT32 file systems—an external USB drive, for example—you can open the System Volume Information folder and look inside.

For example, on one of our USB drives, we saw two files inside: IndexerVolumeGuid and WPSettings.dat.

The IndexerVolumeGuid file assigns a unique identifier to this drive. The Windows indexing service examines the files on the drive and indexes them. When you connect the drive to the computer in the future, Windows checks the identifier and knows which search database to associate with the drive. You can then use Windows search features, such as the search box in the Start menu, Cortana on Windows 10, or the search box in the File Explorer or Windows Explorer, to quickly search for files on the drive.

WPSettings.dat is another file created by a Windows service, but we’re not sure exactly what it’s for. There’s no official documentation on this file.

Can I Delete the Folder?

You shouldn’t delete the System Volume Information folder. On NTFS-formatted drives, Windows won’t normally let you access this folder, much less delete it. On exFAT or FAT32-formatted drives, you can choose to delete the folder—but Windows will just recreate it in the future, since it needs it.

Windows stores important system data here, and you should leave the folder alone. Don’t attempt to change the permissions on the folder to delete it.

If the System Volume Information folder is using a lot of space, reduce the space allocated to System Restore in Windows. If seeing the folder bothers you, just set Windows to hide hidden files and folders.

Business News

The OPEC deal is done. Here's what to expect from oil markets next

 The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Wednesday committed its fractious members to their first oil production limits in eight years. Now comes the hard part.

OPEC has agreed to cut production by about 1.2 million barrels per day, or about 4.5 percent of current production, to 32.5 million barrels per day.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia faces the unenviable tasks of policing cartel members and keeping crude prices within a range that will relieve pressure on oil-producing countries' economies, but which will dissuade non-OPEC producers from increasing output.

Analysts broadly expect an agreement to boost oil prices above $50 a barrel and keep them there. Prices have wavered between about $40 and $54 since the spring.

Commodity watchers also believe the deal will set up a long-awaited balance between oil supply and demand in the first half of next year. The market has been oversupplied for more than two years, by as much as 2 million barrels a day.

But OPEC now has a difficult needle to thread. Oil rigs began popping up in U.S. oil fields when prices approached $50 a barrel, and analysts believe high-cost producers outside OPEC will further ramp up production if crude prices rise above $55 a barrel.

That includes U.S. shale drillers, which have built a backlog of partially completed wells in anticipation of a price recovery. Once prices rise, they could switch on that production-in-waiting.

While many see oil prices averaging between $50 and $55 next year, analysts are not united on the path to that level. Goldman Sachs believes the deal will cause crude prices to spike in the first half of 2017, and then moderate in the second half as both OPEC and U.S. shale producers capitalize on the rally.

But JPMorgan sees prices rising slowly but steadily quarter after quarter. The bank cautioned that the deal is essentially aimed at preventing an even larger buildup of oil stockpiles. The world's storage facilities are brimming with crude and refined fuels.

Accommodations the cartel offered to Iran , Libya and Nigeria would mean that total OPEC production will likely increase next year, even as other members cut output in the first part of 2017, JPMorgan said.

Libya and Nigeria were granted exemptions because they have experienced significant supply outages due to internal conflicts. Iran agreed to freeze production near current levels rather than cut as it rebuilds its market share following the lifting of sanctions earlier this year.

Skeptics have long warned that OPEC members are notorious cheaters and may not stick to quotas agreed to on Wednesday in Vienna. But RBC Capital Markets said adherence may not matter so much this time for a simple reason: OPEC members are near full-tilt, and they don't have much more capacity to pump.

"The OPEC producers are close to being capped out, and the ones that do have significant spare capacity continue to face security problems that will likely imperil any ramp-up plans in the near term," RBC wrote in a note.

"Libya and Nigeria collectively have more than one and a half million barrels that are currently off the market, but neither of these countries is close to resolving the political and security problems that have shut in output."

Beyond OPEC, other countries aren't helping out those who hope for higher prices, the International Energy Agency said in its latest oil market report. Demand for oil around the world is expected to increase by 1.2 million barrels a day in 2017, a rate of growth that would match this year.

The IEA also projects Russia , the world's largest oil producer, to increase its crude output by 230,000 barrels a day this year. The agency says Russia could boost production by another 200,000 barrels a day next year.

OPEC said it is seeking to secure 600,000 barrels per day of cuts from non-OPEC producers, and that Russia has committed to temporarily cut production by about 300,000 barrels per day.

But implementing the cuts will be difficult for Russia, said Chris Weafer, co-founder of consulting agency Macro Advisory Partners, prior to the announcement.

The Russian government, which owns a majority share in that country's big oil companies, would face a revolt from minority shareholders if it sought to limit production, he said. From a technical perspective, Russia can't turn off the taps, because much of the production comes from areas with freezing temperatures where drillers must keep oil flowing, he added.

"Russia cannot agree to a production cut because it cannot deliver on that," Weafer told CNBC.
Prior to OPEC's announcement, the IEA said it also expects Brazil , Canada and Kazakhstan to pump more in 2017. That would push total non-OPEC output growth to 500,000 barrels a day next year, compared with a projected decline of 900,000 barrels a day this year.

"This means that 2017 could be another year of relentless global supply growth similar to that seen in 2016," IEA said.

Tom DiChristopher,CNBC

Windows Shut Down Faster

How to Make Windows Shut Down Faster

Windows PCs should shut down fairly quickly—unless there’s a problem causing a shutdown delay. Here’s how to make your computer shut down faster.

Ensure Windows Isn’t Clearing Your Page File at Shutdown

Windows uses a paging file, also known as a page file, as additional virtual memory. Windows has a hidden option—disabled by default—to clear the paging file at shutdown. This erases everything in the page file, ensuring no sensitive data is stored where someone could access it by removing the computer’s hard drive and examining the paging file.

Your computer may take several minutes to shut down while Windows erases the page file, if this option is enabled. How long it takes depends how large the page file is and how fast your hard drive is. However, you don’t need this option if your hard drive is encrypted (which you should do if you haven’t already). The encryption will prevent an attacker from examining your page file while the computer is shut down.

If your computer is managed by an IT department, they may have enabled this option for a reason. In that case, there’s not much you can do besides shrinking the size of the page file.

Standard warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and misusing it can render your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a pretty simple hack and as long as you stick to the instructions, you shouldn’t have any problems. That said, if you’ve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. And definitely back up the Registry (and your computer!) before making changes.

You can check if your computer is clearing its page file at shut down by examining the Windows registry. Press Windows+R, type “regedit” into the Run dialog, and press Enter to open it.

Navigate to the following key in the Registry Editor window:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Look in the right pane for the “ClearPageFileAtShutdown” setting. If the data is set to “0x00000000 (0)”, Windows is not clearing the page file at shut down. If it’s set to “0x00000001 (1)”, Windows is clearing the page file at shutdown.

If you don’t see any “ClearPageFileAtShutdown” setting here, that’s fine—Windows isn’t clearing the page file at shutdown.



If it’s set to “1”, you can prevent Windows from clearing the page file at shutdown by double-clicking the “ClearPageFileAtShudown” setting and setting it to “0”. Your shutdown process should become much faster.

Locate Services Causing Shutdown Delays

Rather than guess if a service running in the background on your computer is slowing your shutdown process, you can actually check which ones are guilty.

To do this, you’ll need to use the Event Viewer. Either right-click the Start button on Windows 10 or 8 and select “Event Viewer” or press Windows+R, type “eventvwr” into the Run dialog, and press Enter.



Navigate to the following section in the Event Viewer:

Applications And Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\Diagnostics-Performance\Operational

Right-click the “Operational” log and select “Filter Current Log”.



Type “203” into the “Event IDs” field and click “OK”. This will filter the log to show only shutdown events.



Look through the list, which will now only show events that read “This service caused a delay in the system shutdown process”. You’ll see the name of the service slowing things down in the General box. Look next to “File Name” and “Friendly Name”.



The information you see here will point you at any services taking a long time to shut down. For example, VPN software might take a long time to shut down and may be causing a long delay. If you have the software installed but don’t actively use it, you can uninstall it. Search the web for the name of any software you see here to see what it is and whether you can uninstall it. Some services here are system software you can’t do anything about, however.

Check Your WaitToKillServiceTimeout Value

Windows doesn’t shut down immediately when you click “Shut Down”. Instead, it sends a “the system is shutting down” signal to any open applications and background services. Windows waits for a period of time to allow these services to finish up and save their data before it closes them and shuts down the computer.

By default, Windows waits five seconds after you click “Shut Down” before it closes any background services and shuts down the computer. However, if all background services shut down successfully before the five second timer expires, the computer will shut down immediately.

There are a few different values that manage how long your computer waits, and we discussed them in this guide. But there’s one in particular you may want to check if your computer is taking a while to shut down: the “WaitToKillServiceTimeout” value. Some applications increase the value to more than 5 seconds when you install them, as they might want extra time to clean things up at shut down. If this value has been changed, your computer will take longer to shut down than normal.

Open a registry editor window by pressing Windows+R, typing “regedit”, and pressing Enter. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

Look in the right pane for the “WaitToKillServiceTimeout” and read the value in the Data column. The value is displayed in milliseconds. For example, if WaitToKillServiceTimeout is set to 5000, Windows will wait 5 seconds. If the value is set to 20000, Windows will wait 20 seconds.



We don’t recommend setting this value to less than 5000. Some services may not be able to shut down properly if you don’t give them enough time.

However, if an application has increased the value to a larger number, you might want to set it back to “5000”. Just double-click “WaitToKillServiceTimeout” and enter a value of “5000”.

There isn’t a ton you can do to make your computer shut down faster, but hopefully with these tricks in hand, you can ensure it’s shutting down as fast as possible.

Stop WhatsApp Read Receipts

How to Stop Your WhatsApp Friends from Knowing You’ve Read Their Messages

WhatsApp is a really popular, Facebook-owned messaging service, although most of its users are outside the US. While it’s encrypted end-to-end to protect you from spying, WhatsApp shares read receipts by default—so people can see if you’ve read their message—as well as sharing the last time you were online.

If you’re concerned about your privacy, or just want to be able to respond to messages in your own time without offending people, you should turn both of these features off.

I’m using iOS screenshots as examples but the process is the same on Android. Here’s how to do it.

Open WhatsApp and head to Settings > Account > Privacy.



To keep people from knowing you read their message, tap the Read Receipts switch to turn it off. This means you won’t be able to see whether or not they’ve read yours either, though.



To stop WhatsApp showing your last online time, tap Last Seen and then select Nobody. You also won’t be able to see other people’s last online time if you have it turned off.



WhatsApp is a great messaging app and, although it is secure, by default, it shares more information than many people like with their contacts. I personally leave read receipts and my last online time switched off; I recommend you do too.

Todays HaHa

Entertainment News

Ranking the awards shows — from first to farce

Oscars: Martin Scorsese wasn't the only one with a big smile on his face after winning the director trophy for "The Departed" in 2007. For fans, his first statuette was a long time in coming. The film also won best picture and two other awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)


We’re just turning the calendar to December, and already awards shows are popping up fast and furious, keeping statue assembly line elves working long into the nights. The Gotham Awards were Monday. Something called the National Board of Review announced its nominees Tuesday. The New York Film Critics Circle and Broadcast Film Critics Assn. will reveal their slates Thursday.

And on Friday they rested. Because even God probably can’t keep up with awards season.

Which is why we decided to rank the awards shows, letting you know which groups to watch and which to ignore. No need to thank us … unless you win one of these things someday. Then you damn well better mention us in your acceptance speech. (Except if it’s a Hollywood Film Award, that is.)

1) OSCARS

Established: 1929

Ranking rationale: Everything else owes its existence and advertising to this show, which began its life as an afterthought to studio mogul Louis B. Mayer’s desire to scuttle guilds and labor unions. Hooray for Hollywood!

High point: From the show: Cher’s Bob Mackie era, David Niven’s improv reaction to a streaker in 1974. From the awards: How about Martin Scorsese finally winning the director Oscar for “The Departed” in 2007?

Low point: From the show: “We Saw Your Boobs” in 2013. From the awards: “The King’s Speech” winning best picture over “The Social Network” in 2011.

2) GOLDEN GLOBES

Golden Globes: Dick Clark gives a tipsy Elizabeth Taylor a hand during the presentation of the best picture winner in 2001. (Chris Haston / NBC)

Established: 1944

Ranking rationale: Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. membership remains as sketchy as ever, even if its voters aren’t making wacky choices as often as they used to. But network ratings legitimize the group and its awards — sort of. Anyway, it’s usually a fun night and much better television than the Oscars.

High point: For a classic Globes mixture of star power and inebriation,  it doesn't get better than a plastered Elizabeth Taylor presenting best picture drama in 2001.

Low point: And the 1982 award for New Star of the Year … Pia Zadora!

3) SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS

Screen actors Guild: Idris Elba won two awards in January in the awards that honor film and TV work. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Established: 1995

Ranking rationale: Actors! The world revolves around them — or so they think. The winners here often go on to win Oscars. Also, the cast award is always a fun way to see a film’s entire ensemble together — though if Jennifer Lawrence is involved, there should be a rule that she must give the speech.

High point: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV," Idris Elba quipped in January after Viola Davis’ win for “How to Get Away With Murder.” Elba won two SAG awards, including an honor for his work in the movie “Beasts of No Nation,” just weeks after the Oscars took a PR hit for failing to nominate any actors of color for a second straight year.

Low point: Nominees on the television side are more typically two years behind the curve.

4) DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS

Directors Guild Awards: Adrien Brody stars in Roman Polanski's movie, "The Pianist." (Guy Ferrandis / Focus Features)

Established: 1938

Ranking rationale: Auteurs! The world actually does revolve around them. Plus, it’s almost an ironclad Oscar predictor.  Only seven DGA winners have not gone on to win the Academy Award, most recently (and famously) Ben Affleck.

High point: Martin Scorsese and Joel and Ethan Coen on the same stage, as the former presented the brothers top honors for “No Country for Old Men” in 2008. (Judging from the way he gave the envelope a second look, we think Scorsese might have believed Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” should have won.)

Low point: Rob Marshall’s “Chicago” prevailing over Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” in 2003. Plus too many actors winning for movies that haven’t held up particularly well. (C’mon, directors! Close your ranks!)

5) PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS

Established: 1990

Ranking rationale: The PGA uses the same preferential voting ballot that the academy employs, meaning its winner usually goes on to take best picture. Except when it doesn’t, as was the case last year with “The Big Short” taking the PGA and “Spotlight” winning the Oscar.

High point: The top-prize tie between “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” in 2014 made pundits’ heads explode.

Low point: “The King’s Speech” won here too.

6) FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

––Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation." (Focus Features)

Established: 1984

Ranking rationale: Loose ceremony held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica the day before the Oscars. Could stand to be looser with choices, though, as winners too often mirror the Oscars.

High point: Bill Murray’s win for “Lost in Translation” in 2004, demonstrating why it would have been awesome if he, and not Sean Penn, had gone on to win the Oscar. “I have no prepared remarks,” Murray began. “I didn’t feel that would be independent.”

Low point: “Silver Linings Playbook,” a borderline indie at best, sweeps the Spirits in 2013, leading many to question the Film Independent show’s mission and/or point.

7) WRITERS GUILD AWARDS

Established: 1949

Ranking rationale: The nominations never include the entirety of the film year’s best as some screenwriters don’t belong to the guild and many movies are not guild signatories.

High point: The great Harold Ramis receives a posthumous career honor in 2014, continuing a welcome willingness on the part of the guild to acknowledge that superb comic writing deserves recognition too.

Low point: Simultaneous ceremonies in New York and L.A. can ruin the suspense when the West Coast show lags behind.

8) LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSN., NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AND NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Established: 1975, 1935, 1966, respectively

Ranking rationale: LAFCA and NYFCC, early December voters, can establish an outsider movie’s awards legitimacy. The L.A. group’s recognition of George Miller last year helped propel “Mad Max: Fury Road” to 10 Oscar nominations.

High point: L.A. critics group gives Terry Gilliam’s then-unreleased “Brazil” best picture, director and screenplay in 1985, prompting Universal studio head Sidney Sheinberg to put Gilliam’s cut of the movie in theaters.

Low point: New York critics opt for insanely early voting date beginning in 2011, putting a priority on “First!” rather than best.

9) BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS AWARDS

Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and Mason (Ellar Coltrane) in the movie "Boyhood," directed by Richard Linklater. (IFC Films)

Established: 1948

Ranking rationale: Oscars equivalent for the tea-and-crumpet crowd. In 2001, BAFTA moved its ceremony date so it’d take place before the Oscars. Because there’s a small overlap between BAFTA and Oscar voters, pundits strain to parse meaning from the winners. It’s minimal.

High point: Picking “Boyhood” over “Birdman” in 2015.

Low point: “The King’s Speech” won here too.

10) CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Established: 1996

Ranking rationale: Broadcast Film Critics Assn. event that prides itself on predicting the Oscars. Never met a category it couldn’t engrave — there’s a best action movie, a best comedy and a best picture, along with animated feature and foreign film prizes. (Let’s hope westerns don’t make a comeback.)

High point: TV deal with A&E.

Low point: Just this year: Ridiculously early vote date precludes consideration of late-breaking movies like Scorsese’s "Silence.” Prominent members resign after group announces marketing partnership with Entertainment Weekly.

11) OTHER GUILD AWARDS

Established: Various and sundry times

Ranking rationale: All the guilds comprising the gifted people responsible for making movies truly special — cinematographers, costume and production designers, editors, sound, makeup, visual effects  (Have I forgotten to thank anybody? Sorry!) — host their own awards shows too, keeping the chicken-dinner industry hopping through the winter.

High point: Depends on which justifiably proud parents you ask.

Low point: Depends on which justifiably upset parents you ask.

12) ANNIE AWARDS

Annie awards: Giant panda Po (Jack Black) in DreamWorks 2008 movie "Kung Fu Panda." (DreamWorks Animation)

Established: 1972

Ranking rationale: From the Annies website: “Each year we dress up and get together like the other academies to honor our stars.” Wait … animators dress up???

High point: The murderers’ row of animators —  Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Art Babbitt, Winsor McCay — honored for their careers in 1974.

Low point: Animators accuse DreamWorks exec Jeffrey Katzenberg of rigging the vote after his studio’s “Kung Fu Panda” beats Pixar’s demonstrably superior “WALL-E” in 2009.

13) GOTHAM AWARDS

Established: 1991

Ranking rationale: Originally formed to honor movies made in the Northeast, the Gothams capitulated to recognizing Hollywood in 2004. Now it’s basically an early Spirit Awards held in the dead of New York winter, as opposed to the Spirits’ sunny Saturday on the Santa Monica beach. Guess which event is more fun.

High point: Trumpets itself as the first event of the awards season.

Low point: Not really the first event of the awards season. (See below: Hollywood Film Awards)

14) NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

Established: 1909

Ranking rationale: Who these “film enthusiasts” are and how they vote have always remained a secret. But they have a tradition of being the first to announce their slate, guaranteeing coverage for a day until actual, legitimate groups begin to weigh in.

High point: None. (See below.)

Low point: Showing a suspicious amount of love recently toward Clint Eastwood. Best actor for “Gran Torino”? Best director for “Invictus”?

15) HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS

Hollywood Film Awards: Host James Corden pokes fun at the event's insignificance at the ceremony in early November. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Established: 1997

Ranking rationale: The show that CBS called the “greatest-kept secret in Hollywood” has gone back to being just that, with prizes going to anyone willing to show up. That they continue to do so is a testament to Hollywood’s desperate need for approval, no matter what form it takes.

High point: The annual mocking of these fake prizes, even as A-list talent regularly turns up to accept them. "If you haven't won an award tonight and you're here, you should fire your publicist," host James Corden joked this year.

Low point: “Multi-year broadcast agreement” with CBS ends after just one year when 2014 ceremony draws infomercial-level ratings.

Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times

Trivia

The Ration Of Rum Given To English Sailors Was Known As?

Redbeard	Runner
Grog	Limey

Answer: Grog

Throughout the great age of sea exploration, ship captains were constantly struggling to find a way to easily (and safely) satisfy the demands of sailors for a daily allowance of alcohol and, at the same time, to make the water stored aboard the ship palatable enough to prevent the crew from turning on them over accusations of rotten water and sparse alcohol.

The two concerns became particularly pressing as sea voyages lengthened. Beer didn’t keep long enough to survive long voyages (nor was it easy to store adequate quantities), water barrels would grow quite slimy, and the stored water would take on foul odors. To combat this, British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced a new drink in 1740: a mixture of water and rum.

Why mix them and why did the mixture take on the name “grog”? Mixing the two together was a clever idea. First, it made stale water taste much better. More importantly, however, it would spoil faster than straight rum and thus would prevent crafty sailors from saving their daily ration of rum for days (or even weeks) in order to drink it all at once and enjoy a bit of high seas drunkenness (often coupled with a bit of disorderly conduct).

As for how it came to be called grog, Vice Admiral Vernon wore a coat made of grogram cloth, the sailors called him “Old Grog” in reference to the cloth, and soon they were calling the rum and water mixture he created “grog” in reference to him.

Did You Know/Todays Term

Did You Know?

Edward I, King of England between 1272-1307, was known as “Edward Longshanks” due to his height—although only 6′ 2″ tall and hardly a giant by modern standards, he was extremely tall for his time and towered over many of his subjects.

Today's Tech Term 

Active Archiving

Active Archiving refers to the process of moving infrequently used data to secondary storage where it can still be easily accessed, yet not negatively impact the performance of production databases.

Thur Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

"A local businessman was teaching a Sunday School class of fourth grade boys, and he was really trying to impress the class, because his son was a member. So during the lesson, he asked the class this question: “Why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?” There was dead silence. Not one boy or girl spoke up. He asked the question again: “Boys and girls, why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?” There was still no response.

Finally, the man paused, scratched his chin, and said: “Now come on, think about it. Why do people call me a Christian?” His own son broke the silence and spoke up and said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you!”

Well, why do people call other people Christians? What do they mean by that term? In fact, what do you mean by that term? Today that term is used more than any other term to describe a follower of Christ and to describe so many things. People talk about the Christian church, the Christian faith. They debate whether or not we are a Christian nation. Yet, I believe the average person has no real clue what a Christian really is at least biblically speaking. Many who profess to be Christians really are not Christians at all, and many who use the term don’t even really understand what they’re saying.

I was amazed to learn that even though the term “believers” is used 80 times to describe Christians, “saints” is used 60 times, and “disciples” is used 30 times, the word “Christian” is used only three times. Those referred to as “Christians” by unbelievers were called “disciples” by believers. The two titles were synonymous.

Both words describe the same people. All true disciples were Christians, and all true Christians were disciples. A disciple is simply someone who learns the truth that is found in God’s word, and then lives the truth that is found in God’s word. In fact, the definition Jesus gave the disciples was this one: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

How this world would be changed if every Christian would just simply stand for Christ when the opportunity presented itself. I read something that staggered me the other day. If one Christian won one person to Jesus Christ this year, then next year those two won one person each to Christ, then the next year those four won one person to Christ, and so on, in 33 years, the time Jesus lived on earth, four billion people would be saved.

We don’t need to bring the term Christian down to the way many of us live. We need to raise the way we live up to the level of the name "Christian." Then when people ask, “What is a Christian,” they will have no doubt what a Christian is; they won’t even have to ask the question, “Are you a Christian?” Because by the way we live, walk, and talk they will know it.

Working While Waiting

God is Working While You’re Waiting

God Is Working While You’re Waiting
By Rick Warren

“I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised” (Psalm 130:5 TLB).

God wants you to wait patiently for him to answer your prayer, but he also wants you to wait expectantly. Have faith. Trust God to hear and to answer. When you wait expectantly, you show God that you believe his promises. You believe he’s going to keep his word.

Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman, was once asked, “Have you ever gotten lost in the wilderness?” He said, “No, I’ve never been lost. I’ve been bewildered for weeks at a time, but I’ve never been lost.”

Some of you may feel bewildered right now. You’re bewildered about yourmarriage: “I’m praying for it to get better, but it’s not getting any better.” You’re bewildered about your career: “Do I go up, down, change jobs?” You’re bewildered about relationships. You may feel powerless and hopeless and like you can’t do anything to change your situation on your own. You’re bewildered.

Don’t be discouraged! Don’t give up! Look up. Turn to prayer. I have had many, many requests in my life that I’ve prayed to God that have never been answered. I can think of one prayer that I have prayed almost every day for 24 years, and it hasn’t been answered. I don’t know why God hasn’t chosen to answer that prayer, and I don’t understand it. But I have decided this: Whether or not God ever answers that prayer, I am going to die believing his promises. Because God is a good God, and he knows what’s best, even when I don’t understand it.

When God doesn’t answer your prayers, you need to remember a couple very important truths. First, God is in control, and you’re not. He knows better what you need than you do. There is no mountain too tall that he can’t move it. There is no problem so big that he can’t solve it. There is no sorrow so deep he cannot soothe it. God is in control, and he has a plan.

The second thing you need to remember is that, whether or not you ever receive your answer, God will honor your patience — if not in this world then in eternity.

“I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised” (Psalm 130:5 TLB).

Intercession Prayers

Why Does God Love our Intercession? by Debbie Przybylski

“Intercession! Would one not say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God’s children? It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our communion with God. It is the power of being used by God as instruments for His great work of making men His habitation and showing forth His glory.” - Andrew Murray Dear intercessors, You may not realize it, but God loves your intercession. You may be right now in the thick of the battle in prayer and may not see any answer or way through. But know this! When you come to God in prayer, it moves His heart deeply. He is seeking for intercessors and for those who will give themselves to prayer. Jesus is the greatest intercessor. He knows what it is to sweat great drops of blood for others. He spent whole nights and long seasons in prayer. And there are others – Daniel, David, and Paul. Today Jesus looks across the whole earth, seeking for intercessors. Are there others who will stand in the gap on behalf of the land? Are there some who will raise their hands and say, “Jesus, let me be your intercessor for such a time as this? I want to be your man or woman of prayer.” If this is the cry of your heart, God is seeking you out. His eye is upon you. We read in Ezekiel 22:30: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” Intercession and prayer is so important to God. It is the primary way that God governs the universe. Through intercession He release His (government) power through Jesus and with His people. This requires cooperation on our part with Him. This is an expression of His desire for intimate partnership with us. He will not do our part and we cannot do His part. If we do not do our part, then God withholds some of the help and blessing He would have given us. We need a deep revelation of the majesty and mystery of intercession. I pray for you: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power" - (Ephesians 1:17-19). I have been involved in prayer for decades in many nations and cities. I know the ups and downs, the perseverance, and the attacks that intercessors face. But I also know of the power and glory of prayer if we will persevere and not give up.  Why God Loves our Intercession “You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways” (Job 22:27-28). God wants us to ask in order to receive (James 4:2). He will answer if we pray and ask (Isaiah 30:18-19). He loves when we verbalize our prayers. I will mention a few reasons why God loves our intercession to help you realize the beauty and power of partnering with Him in prayer: God passionately desires that we partner with Him in prayer and intercession - Prayer draws us into intimacy with God, and at the same time, it humbles and transforms us. When we bring the needs of others to God in prayer, we interact in partnership with His heart. We are in governmental partnership with Him - The governmental center of the universe is in the prayer ministry. We partner with Him or we will not see these blessings. Intercession is God’s brilliant strategy for including the saints in ruling with Him in power. God seeks for those who will stand in the gap in intercession. He opens doors of blessing when we intercede - We have a dynamic role in determining the measure of the quality of our life. It’s marvelous! Charles Finney was a lawyer from New York in the 1800’s whom the Lord used greatly to bring about revival. These amazing results were because of two strong intercessors who prayed earnestly for every meeting. He changes us on the inside as His Word abides in us - The mystery of intercession is in its “weakness”, simplicity, humility, and accessibility to all. We are filled with God's heart as we pray, and our effectiveness in intercession increases. God’s mind then dominates and saturates ours, renewing us as we pursue Him in prayer. He initiates prayer by declaring His will in His Word - We respond by praying His Word. Then He answers us by releasing His blessing because of our prayers. Prayer and intercession cause us to internalize God’s Word because when we speak His ideas back to Him. His Word builds us up in our heart and delivers us (1 Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 20:32, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:21). We then decree God’s decrees with power from on high.  Jesus releases God’s justice in response to intercession - Justice is God making wrong things right. He requires night and day prayer as the condition to release justice. Wrong things are made right, the sick are healed, those bound in sin are freed, and revival is released in geographical areas. “Shall God not avenge (bring about justice for) His elect who cry out day and night to Him? I tell you that He will avenge (bring about justice) them speedily - (Luke 18:7-8). General Robert E. Lee was a United States Army officer for thirty-two years and among the greatest generals in American history.He is best known for fighting in the American Civil War on behalf of the Confederate Army. General Lee saw that prayer and intercession was a mighty weapon in taking back land from the enemy and winning battles. He was one who not only fought for the nation of America, but he also pleaded earnestly that people would pray everywhere. We must likewise fight for nations on our knees in intercession. This is what Robert E. Lee said: “Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray - to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight - all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, ourpastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches... Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”