text:
Monika Fleischmann (* 1950 in Karlsruhe) und Wolfgang Strauss (* 1951 bei Nürnberg), kurz Fleischmann & Strauss, sind ein deutsches Künstler- und Wissenschaftlerpaar, das sich seit 1987 mit New Media / Digitalen Medien als Verbindung von Kunst und Technik unter dem Schwerpunkt Mixed Reality befasst. Mit ihren international ausgestellten interaktiven Inszenierungen gelten sie als Pioniere der Medienkunst.

Leben
Monika Fleischmann wuchs als Tochter des Direktors einer Genossenschaft, die aus der Blumen-Dynastie der Mutter hervorging, in Donaueschingen auf. Nach einer Ausbildung zur Modedesignerin in Zürich studierte sie Bildende Kunst und Schauspiel an der Universität der Künste Berlin.

Wolfgang Strauss wuchs in einer Missionarsfamilie auf. Nach einer Lehre als Kunsttischler studierte er Architektur an der Universität der Künste Berlin, an der er später auch als Gastprofessor lehrte.

Seit 1987 arbeiten Fleischmann & Strauss gemeinsam auf dem Gebiet von Kunst und computervermittelter Kommunikation als neue Kulturtechnik und künstlerisch-wissenschaftliche Grundlagenforschung mit dem Schwerpunkt Visualisierung, Sonifizierung und Interface zunächst bei ART+COM, seit 1997 auch unter dem Acronym MARS (Media Arts Research Studies) bei GMD und Fraunhofer Forschungseinrichtungen. Seit Beginn ihrer künstlerisch-wissenschaftlichen Tätigkeit beschäftigen sie sich mit dem Computer als Werkzeug und Medium. Mit ihren Arbeiten haben sie die digitalen Medien und die interaktive Medienkunst entscheidend mitgeprägt. Zu ihren bekanntesten künstlerischen Virtual-Reality- und Mixed-Reality-Installationen zählen "Berlin – Cyber City" (1989), "Home of the Brain" (1990–92), "Liquid Views" (1992/93), "Rigid Waves" (1993), "Energie-Passagen" (2004) oder die "Medienfluss"-Installation (2006), die das Medienkunst-Archiv von Netzspannung.org in Bild- und Textströmen von Schlagworten repräsentiert.

1988 gründeten Monika Fleischmann und Wolfgang Strauss zusammen mit Edouard Bannwart, Wolfgang Krüger, Joachim Sauter, Dirk Lüsebrink und weiteren Architekten, Künstlern, Designern, Physikern und Hackern das erste deutsche Forschungslabor für Kunst und Technologie ART+COM in Berlin und leiteten dort das "Raumlabor" von 1988 bis 1992. Ziel war, das Medium Computer im Bereich Architektur, Kunst, Gestaltung und wissenschaftlicher Visualisierung zu erforschen.

Parallel dazu gründeten sie 1990 den Verein "La Première Rue", zur Rekonstruktion der Première Rue in Le Corbusiers "Unité d'Habitation" in Briey-en-Forêt mit 24 Maisonette-Wohnungen und Ateliers zusammen mit Architekten wie Pascal Schöning, Fritz und Lukas Schwarz, Hans Kolhoff und Philosophen wie Herbert Lachmayr. Peter Doig malte als Gastkünstler des Vereins eines seiner bekanntesten Bilder von der Cité radieuse de Briey-en-Forêt.

1992/93 waren Fleischmann & Strauss Fellows an der Kunsthochschule für Medien in Köln und Gastwissenschaftler am GMD-Forschungszentrum Informationstechnik in Sankt Augustin. Nach dem Tod von Wolfgang Krüger führte Fleischmann die GMD-Forschungsgruppe VizWiz weiter, in der die Responsive Workbench maßgeblich entwickelt wird als Weiterentwicklung der interaktiven Tisch-Echtzeit-Installation "Berlin, Cyber City" von Fleischmann & Strauss. Später gründete und leitete Fleischmann zunächst beim GMD-Institut für Medienkommunikation die Abteilung MARS - Media Arts & Research Studies und beim Fraunhofer Research Institut für Intelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS) die Abteilung eCulture. Strauss übernahm Gastprofessuren für Digitale Medien und Medienkunst in Saarbrücken, Kassel und Siegen. Fleischmann lehrte in Zürich, Basel, Krems, Siegen und als Honorarprofessorin in Bremen.

Von 1997 bis 2014 leiteten beide die künstlerisch-wissenschaftliche Forschung der Mensch-Computer-Interaktion des MARS Exploratory Media Lab am ehemaligen GMD-Institut für Medienkommunikation – später unter dem Dach der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In interdisziplinären Teams entstanden hier einflussreiche, künstlerisch-wissenschaftliche Projekte wie die Online-Medienkunst-Plattform "netzspannung.org" und seine "Knowledge Discovery Tools" sowie "Interfaces für den Körper" wie das bio-sensorische Interface PointScreen für berührungslose Interaktion. Als Talent-Scout zur Förderung des künstlerischen Nachwuchses und zur Kartographierung der Lehre an deutschsprachigen Hochschulen initiierte Fleischmann den Digital Sparks Award. In zahlreichen EU- und BMBF-geförderten Forschungsprojekten konzipierten und realisierten Fleischmann & Strauss neue wissenschaftliche Instrumente im Bereich der Architektur, der Medienkunst, der Medieninformatik und Neue Medien. Digitale Kunst verstanden sie als Mittel zur Erweiterung des Raumes – zu einer Mixed Reality. Mit dem Begriff der Interaktivität untersuchten sie die digitale Inszenierung als Ausdruck von Inhalt, Form und Erzählung mit digitalen Mitteln. Dabei galt ihnen das Interface, die Benutzerschnittstelle, als evokatives Informations-Objekt und die Interaktion bzw. das Interaktionsdesign als Prozess einer Denkbewegung.

Seit 2014 leben Fleischmann & Strauss in Berlin und Gargnano und forschen als unabhängige Research Artists.

2018 werden sie für ihr künstlerisches Lebenswerk mit dem ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art ausgezeichnet und in die SIGGRAPH Academy aufgenommen. Die Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) der Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference (SIGGRAPH) ist das Forschungsnetzwerk zur Entwicklung von Computer Graphik und interaktiven Medien und bildet die weltweit größte Gemeinschaft von Forschern, Künstlern, Entwicklern, Filmemachern und Wissenschaftlern, die zur Entwicklung der Neuen Technologien beigetragen haben.

Werke

Einzelausstellungen
 1988 "Kreisläufe - Stationen der Annäherung", Reichstag, Berlin
 1990 "Fleischmann & Strauss", Werkbund-Galerie, Berlin
 1991 "Corbusier Digital - die Ästhetik der Implosion", Architektur-Forum, Zürich
 1992 "A Vision of Virtuality", Schloss Birlinghoven, St Augustin
 1999 "Fidena, Figurentheater", Kunstmuseum Bochum
 2003 "Info-Jukebox - Make your choice", MediaLab, Madrid, Spanien
 2004 "Energie-Passagen", Salvatorplatz, Literaturhaus München
 2006 "Wissenskünste / eCulture Factory", Neues Museum Weserburg, Bremen
 2008 "Wissensarchive", Edith-Ruß-Haus für Medienkunst, Oldenburg
 2011 "Performing Data - Monika Fleischmann & Wolfgang Strauss", Laznia - Centre for Contemporary Art, Danzig, Polen
 2012 "Inter-Facing the Archive. The Media Art Portal netzspannung.org", ZKM Medialounge, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe

Auszeichnungen
 1992 Goldene Nica für Interaktive Kunst, Prix Ars Electronica, Österreich: "Home of the Brain"
 1993 Prix Pixel Ina of Imagina, Monte Carlo: "Home of the Brain" Video (nominated)
 1993 Unesco Award, Paris: "Rigid Waves" (nominated)
 1995 Sparky Award of Interactive Media Festival, Los Angeles: "Liquid Views" (nominated)
 1996 Grand Prix for Artists in NRW/Germany: "Monika Fleischmann" (nominated)
 2002 Grimme Online - Media Competence / Professional: "netzspannung.org" (nominated)
 2002 Prix Ars Electronica - Net Vision/Net Excellence: "netzspannung.org" (nominated)
 2002 Dieter Baacke Preis für Medienpädagogik für Workshop: "I see, what you hear" (PhD MARS)
 2002 Europrix Quality Seal: "Knowledge, Discovery and Culture for netzspannung.org"
 2003 Grimme Online - Web Media: "netzspannung.org" (nominated)
 2005 Grimme Online - Knowledge & Education: "netzspannung.org" (nominated)
 2005 International Media Award for Art & Science of SWR and ZKM: "Semantic Map"
 2005 Medida-Prix, Publikumspreis, Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz: "netzspannung.org"
 2005 IF Award Communication Design: "Energie-Passagen"
 2006 New Media Award of Stuttgarter Filmwinter: "Stadtkörper" (MA MARS)
 2007 Deutschland – Land der Ideen: "eCulture Factory"
 2007 ITK Innovation Award – Communication: "PointScreen"
 2007 IF Award Communication Design: "Medienfluss" | "Media Flow" Installation
 2007 Groundbreaking Products of 21 Century: ausgezeichnet für "wegweisende Produkte der Zukunft" von Nobelpreisträger Theodor Hänsch: "Semantic Map", "PointScreen", "Interactive Poster"
 2009 Design Award of Federal Republic of Germany: "Medienfluss Installation" (nominated)
 2010 Art of Engineering: "Medienfluss Browser" (Finalist)
 2010 File Prix Lux, Electronic Language Festival, São Paulo: "Medienfluss Browser" (nominated)
 2010 Deutschland – Land der Ideen, Landmark Winner: "netzspannung.org"
 2013 Arte Laguna Prize - Venice, Italy: "Liquid Views" (Finalist)
 2014 Visionary Pioneers of Media Art, Goldene Nica, Prix Ars Electronica, Linz, Österreich: Fleischmann & Strauss (nominated)
 2017 Women Inventors Award, "Monika Fleischmann" wird als einzige Künstlerin mit dem Frauen Erfinderinnen Preis von Edition-F, Berlin ausgezeichnet
 2018 SIGGRAPH Lifetime Achievement Award in Digital Art: "Monika Fleischmann", Vancouver advance program,

Patent
 2007 US-Patent 7312788 für die PointScreen-Technik: ECCO.

Ehrung
 2008 Monika Fleischmann wird von der Hochschule Bremen zur Honorar-Professorin für Medienkunst / Medientheorie berufen.
 2008 – 2012 Monika Fleischmann - Member of the International Advisory Board: Bringing Great Ideas to Life of the ERC European Research Council Panel "Cultures and cultural production: literature, visual & performing arts, music, cultural and comparative studies".
 2010 Monika Fleischmann - Member of European Expert Network on Culture - the EENC platform
 2010 netzspannung.org - the first platform for interactive art and media education (online since 2001) initiated in 1998 with the CAT study by Fleischmann & Strauss is hosted permanently at ZKM - the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe
 2013 Monika Fleischmann - Member of MIMA University Art Board | Munich Institute of Media + Musical Arts
 2014 Momentum: Women/Art/Technology - the work of Fleischmann & Strauss is added to this platform that introduces a global community of female artists.

Veröffentlichungen

Schriften und publizierte Datenbanken (Auswahl)
 "Digitale Kultur Bd. 1", Machbarkeitsstudie für ein Kompetenzzentrum Kunst, Kultur und Neue Medien. GMD, Sankt Augustin 1998,
 "Digitale Kultur Bd. 2", Befragung und Stellungnahmen. GMD, Sankt Augustin 1999
 "Aktuelle Themen der Medienkunst", netzspannung.org Print/Online Journal 01. New Media Art Journals GMD, Sankt Augustin 2001
 "Digitale Transformationen: Medienkunst als Schnittstelle von Kunst, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft", 2004
 "Tastbar, Hörbar, Sichtbar, das Digitale in den Raum bringen." Digital Sparks Award 06, Fraunhofer IAIS, Sankt Augustin 2006
 "Digitale Geschichten, Interaktive Räume und Intelligente Objekte." Digital Sparks Award 08, Fraunhofer IAIS, Sankt Augustin 2008
 "Netzspannung.org", Media Art Archive & eTeaching Platform, 2001–2010

Herausgeberschaften (Auswahl)
 "CAST01//Living in Mixed Realities." Artistic, Cultural and Scientific Aspects of Experimental Media Spaces. Conference Proceedings. Fraunhofer IMK 2001
 "Digitale Transformationen."" Medienkunst als Schnittstelle von Kunst, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Buch & CD-ROM mit 54 Beiträgen zur Medienkunst. Whois, Heidelberg 2004

Kunstkataloge (Auswahl)
 "Performing Data - Monika Fleischmann + Wolfgang Strauss". Laznia, Danzig 2011. Mit Beiträgen von Ryszard Kluszczyński, Derrick de Kerckhove, Luca Farulli, Monika Fleischmann & Wolfgang Strauss. pl / en
 "Liquid Views", in: Hans Peter Schwarz (Hrsg.): Medien Kunst Geschichte. / Media Art History. Prestel München New York 1997, de / en
 "Liquid Views", in: Ingrid Schaffner, Matthias Winzen (Hrsg.): Deep Storage. Arsenale der Erinnerung. Sammeln, Speichern, Archivieren in der Kunst. Prestel München 1997, de / en

Weblinks
 Internetseite von Monika Fleischmann und Wolfgang Strauss
 Publikationen von Monika Fleischmann bei Fraunhofer Publica
 Publikationen von Wolfgang Strauss bei Fraunhofer Publica
 2018 ACM SIGGRAPH Lifetime Achievement Award in Digital Art: Monika Fleischmann

Literatur
 Peter Zorn: Sind wir noch im Spiel? – eine Anthologie zur virtuellen Realität. Goethe-Institut e. V., Online-Redaktion, März 2010
 Literatur von und über Monika Fleischmann und Wolfgang Strauss
 Artikel zur Medienkunst/Medienwissenschaft über die Arbeiten von Monika Fleischmann & Wolfgang Strauss
 Wissenschaftliche und künstlerische Evaluierung der Arbeit von Monika Fleischmann & Wolfgang Strauss
 Wissenschaftliche Literatur von Monika Fleischmann und Wolfgang Strauss bei Google Scholar
 Michael Weisser: neugierig:denken! - Interviews und Dialoge zum künstlerisch-kreativen und non-linearen Denken mit Persönlichkeiten aus Kultur, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Politik. Die|QR|Edition, Murnau 2016, Interview mit den Pionieren der Computerkunst Monika Fleischmann und Wolfgang Strauss, S. 69, ISBN 978-3-95765-070-2

Einzelnachweise

Künstlerduo
Medienkünstler (Deutschland)
Autor
Medienwissenschaftler

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Found: The first ever animal trails
Life 4 February 2010
By James O'Donoghue
Smears in 565 million year old rocks are the first signs of mobile life forms that have been found; they are up to 13 millimetres wide
(Image: Oxford University)
The tracks were found at Missing Point, in Newfoundland, Canada – a site which is famous among palaeontologists for harbouring the remains of the first large complex life forms to evolve, known as Ediacarans.
Ediacarans had fern-like or disc-shaped bodies, which were anchored to the seabed – sometimes by long stalks, as seen here
More like a slug-trail than footsteps, the tracks smear through the 565-million-year-old rock overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They were left by what may have been the first mobile organism to live on Earth.
Alex Liu of the University of Oxford, UK and his colleagues discovered them etched in the rock at Mistaken Point in Newfoundland, Canada.
The site is famous among palaeontologists for harbouring the remains of the first large complex life forms to evolve, known as Ediacarans.
"This is the earliest evidence for controlled locomotion by animals in the fossil record," says Liu.
He estimates that the animals that made the trail, which have not been preserved, were up to 13 millimetres wide. They left behind 70 trails, each between 5 and 17 centimetres long (see picture, right).
"The markings we've found clearly indicate that these organisms could exert some sort of muscular control during locomotion," says Liu. "It is the first evidence that creatures from this early period of Earth's history had muscles to allow them to move around, enabling them to hunt for food or escape adverse local conditions and, importantly, indicating that they were probably animals."
The researchers compared the fossil tracks to those left by sea urchins, sea anemones, marine snails and marine worms, and found they were similar to tracks left by sea anemones. They say the early movers may have also had a muscular disc-shaped foot, as sea anemones do.
Early feet
The tracks are etched in rocks 565 million years old. This means they date from some 20 million years before the Cambrian explosion, when a huge diversity of animal life suddenly evolved.
At the time, Mistaken Point was at the bottom of the ocean, and the trace fossils are unlike anything found in the region from that time. In particular, the Ediacarans generally had fern-like or disc-shaped bodies, which were anchored to the seabed.
However, the trace fossils are similar to tracks seen in shallow waters early in the Cambrian period – which were previously thought to be the world's oldest tracks.
Liu suggests that the animals may have been displaced from shallower waters by submarine landslides, which are known to have happened frequently.
Locomotion is more likely to have evolved in shallow seas, where sunlight fostered more life and therefore more competition for resources. The finding suggests that life before the Cambrian explosion may have been more diverse than previously thought.
Journal reference: Geology, DOI: 10.1130/G30368.1 (in press)
Magazine issue 2747 , published 13 February 2010
A gene for Alzheimer's makes you smarter
The secret of a sperm's wiggle
540-million-year-old worm was first segmented animal that could move
The best way to detect aliens may be by finding their footprints
Fossils, islands and forests added to UNESCO World Heritage List
Last days of Earth: Timeline to the end of everything

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
LEAK: Docs regarding Greensboro, NC FBI shut down of perjury case, Wikileaks letter
Stanley Bolten,
This contains a lot of RAW information so it may be difficult to understand without researching, meant for investigators and journalists willing to break the information down!
Note: It won't take me long to look through the documents since I am already aware of what to look for after Brian had called into the radio show Clarity After Dark on Freedomizer Radio in an last hour guest appearance describing the evidence he has of the FBI committing high treason by protecting the criminal behavior of federal government employees and not faithfully executing their duties of the law enforcement office they serve inside the United States, essentially they're oaths of office. I will skim through it and try to get an article out as quick as I can. I know that Brian is likely afraid for his life which was why he had his mother email me such material.
Evidence has surfaced from Brian's mother, that Brian had informed U.S. Congress and filed a FOIA request proving that the U.S. FBI has intentionally shut down a criminal case complaint involving perjury by U.S. Probation Officer Kristy Burton and cover up by Asst. U.S. Attorney Anand P. Ramaswamy.
I have received an email, from Brian's mother (Source: Email screenshots [ #1] and [ #2], redactions of part of her email for her privacy), with documents, audio files, and voicemail files pertaining to voicemails that were left by FBI duty agent Jerry Pickford of the Greensboro, North Carolina, FBI office. Brian D. Hill was the news reporter of the defunct USWGO Alternative News. After he got framed with child porn and the FBI did absolutely nothing about it, no matter how many letters and faxes he had written them, it is evidence that the FBI is corrupt and don't care about the criminal activity inside the "deep state" aka the SWAMP that Donald Trump had forewarned about. The FBI should have done something about Brian's claims, as making even one lie to the FBI is a federal offense, even lying to his Probation Officer is also an offense to itself. So when Brian kept saying that he was innocent, over and over again, for years, sending them evidence and proof, should the Greensboro FBI have been ignoring him for years? The same FBI that ignored the crimes of Hillary Rodham Clinton. The FBI in high up positions in every city is officially corrupt all over America. There needs top be Inspector General investigations or even Congressional investigations of all local regional FBI offices, and people need to be placed quickly to stop further criminal behavior otherwise more and more innocent people become political prisoners.
They didn't even get a statement from Brian and not even the three witnesses, and they didn't ask for the authentic emails as further proof. They asked for no evidence, but instead shut down a case as "merit-less" which is wrong. When anybody else is accused of making a false statement to the FBI, they will come down hard on that person as a hardened criminal when it boils down to going after U.S. President Donald John Trump, yet they avoid multiple false statements that was made by a government employee under oath (penalty of perjury) at a court hearing. There is a double standard at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Shame on them!
These documents and audio leaks prove that Brian did indeed mail records to Wikileaks, that Brian had filed a complaint with the FBI against Kristy L. Burton and AUSA Anand Prakash Ramaswamy for trying to protect and cover up her criminal misconduct to protect his successful prosecutions reputation, that Brian had mailed condensed evidence to the FBI, that Brian had left voicemails with the FBI, that the FBI had left voicemails with Brian without realizing that each voicemail has been produced as audio files, that Brian had filed a FOIA request with the FBI to buck their cover up of the matter, and reported the Greensboro FBI to Congress before having his mother email those evidence records to me.
Declaration of records regarding Brian's phone call exchanges between himself and the FBI – Archive.org, this blog
March, 24, 2018: Brian had "called and left a voicemail with the Greensboro, North Carolina
Resident agency of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") approximately 11:56 PM (from my Desktop computer clock) and recorded that voicemail using VentaFax call recording function with the phone call recording record under file-name "1340.wav"."
Recording is only at Internet Archive (MP3 format also available) until any mirror websites can be established. Download these before they may disappear. You can read more details by reading his "Declaration of records regarding Brian's phone call exchanges between himself and the FBI – Archive.org, this blog".
April 25, 2018: One exchange said that after Brian had mailed proof of perjury to the FBI, that the FBI duty agent Jerry had asked for Brian to come down to the FBI and give a statement. That document is linked below:
Internet Archive main uploads directory
Certified mail receipt and mailing envelope before it was mailed out to FBI – Archive.org, this blog
Certified mail receipt stamped and customs declaration form piece, proving that there was mailing to FBI duty agent Jerry Pickford and Wikileaks in Australia – Archive.org, this blog – This other document contains the same thing – Archive.org and this blog
Kristy Burton false statement #1 of what had appeared to have been mailed to FBI – Archive.org, this blog
May 2, 2018: Brian had "received a Xfinity (Comcast) voicemail message and its automated
voice-to-text said Voicemail from (336) 855-7770"
"Mr. Hill Mr. Hill this is Jerry with the FBI. Give me a call back we're gonna have to have you
come down here and give a statement. My number is 336-855-2671. Bye."
Internet Archive link to WAVE format recording
May 3, 2018: "at approximately 12:54PM (from my Desktop computer clock), I had
called and left a voicemail with Jerry the Duty Agent of the Greensboro, North Carolina
Resident agency of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") and recorded that
partial voicemail using VentaFax call recording function with the phone call recording record
under file-name "1346.wav".
This message really shows that the FBI made a 360 degree turn from wanting him to make a statement and the lines of communication between Brian and the FBI was reduced from wanting for him to make a statement to just having a talk with him over the telephone which of course were all in white noise. If anybody has any audio tool to revert the white noise or make the audio files understandable, I am ready to receive any emails, even from Government whistleblowers.
May 3, 2018: "I received a Xfinity (Comcast) voicemail message and its automated
"Yeah hey Brian or Mr. Hill this is Jerry Pickford with the FBI again. Please give me a call do
not come down here on Monday I need to talk to you first. So give me a call back 336-855-
2671 thank you." "I was puzzled about that and had wondered why they had wanted me to come down and give a statement, I leave a voicemail, then a voicemail is left by Duty Agent Jerry aborting a chance to schedule an appointment for me and the three witnesses to give any
statements and answer any questions that the FBI might have had."
So all of the sudden the FBI duty agent didn't want Brian to come down to testify before the FBI and answer questions or even disclose more evidence or records he had in his possession, hmmmmmm. Wonder why pressure behind the scenes was done to prevent this duty agent from doing his duty.
May 4, 2018: "at approximately 4:25PM (from my Desktop computer clock), I had called and left a voicemail with Jerry the Duty Agent of the Greensboro, North Carolina Resident agency of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") and recorded that voicemail using VentaFax call recording function with the phone call recording record under file-name "1348.wav". The voicemail was left with " Hello, this is Brian Hill calling around May 4, 2018, 4:26PM, I guess I missed you, uh, I guess I missed your call because I was in Roanoke, but umm I was hoping I could have catched you before you left the office but anyways I'll see if I can call back on Monday or Tuesday and whatever questions you have for me I'm willing to answer because you know that's why I got all this information to you in the first place. I mean you know I got three witnesses, you know Roberta Hill, Kenneth Forinash, Stella Forinash, you know I got, you know I got a lot of evidence, so you know whatever questions you have I am willing to answer. I have Autism and OCD and, you know, um so you know if you need more documents or if you need any more records, you know just ask me and I am willing to give it. Umm hopefully I'll be able to still, come down and make a statement. Call me back as soon as you can. Thank You.""
May 14, 2018: "I received a Xfinity (Comcast) voicemail message and its automated
voice-to-text said Voicemail from (336) 855-7770 "Yeah this message for Brian hale(?) hey this is Jerry with the FBI. Give me a call 336-855-2671. Alright thanks bye." "I think the automated system mistook "Brian Hill" as "Brian Hale"."
"Declaration of phone conversation with Jerry at the Greensboro FBI, NC" (PDF files at Internet Archive and this blog) shows that since the phone call recordings between him and the duty agent was laced in nothing but white noise, that he typed up a declaration about what had happened on the date of May 17, 2018.
Sourced from Declaration of phone conversation with Jerry at the Greensboro FBI(5)..pdf: "I called Jerry, a FBI Duty Agent, Greensboro, North Carolina, FBI office around approximately 3:46PM. I was able to talk to him and I told him that "this is Brian" and he asked if it was Hill. I told him yes and then he spoke with me about the stuff I had provided to him about my complaint (I believe he was referring to my complaint on United States Probation Office Kristy Burton committing perjury).
He said that he took what I had given him, to his boss, and he said "my boss told me that it was meritless." I think the way he said it was that he ran it by his boss. I then argued with him that "If I made false statements in court, I would go to prison," then he interrupted with "I don't want to argue with you." and continuing on with "this is what my boss said, I can't do anything more" and told me that I cannot (or did not have authority) file a charge against her. He then told me that I can get a lawyer to pursue this."
What was surprising was that Brian had the guts to call out the FBI by saying that Wikileaks will investigate his claims since the FBI will do nothing about it. Brian may risk being secretly abducted just by saying that he will get "Wikileaks" involved. However I guess he has nothing to lose when an innocent man is sitting on the sex offender registry. I guess he is willing to get killed over this. His suicide statements may not be merit-less, he definitely is bucking the establishment swamp at such a noticeable rate, the establishment will start likely find a way to kill him or detain him for a very long time. He definitely needs backup as this point. The swamp will not continue tolerating his sharp attack remarks against the people in corrupt places of Government. He is like Jesus bashing the Pharisees as well as the money changers and they eventually yelled at Governor Pilot to kill Jesus without mercy. Martin Luther King Jr. was also killed because he was unifying the nation which is what the establishment Swamp doesn't want. Brian is continuing to stir up a lot of hornets nests. Hopefully Trump will come to his aid before he ends up killed one way or another for his consistent going on the war path against the federal government.
Brian definitely wasn't lying when he told the FBI that he got the evidence mailed to Wikileaks. Both the customs declaration and the letter both prove it.
Letter to Wikileaks – PDF at both this blog and Internet Archive
Letter to Matt Drudge of Drudge Report – PDF at both this blog and Internet Archive
From what these records showed, he filed joint letters with the U.S. Congress requesting an inquiry into the Greensboro FBI office:
Constituent Joint Request to Representatives to help with FBI(10) – Unsigned – PDF at both this blog and Internet Archive
Constituent Joint Request to Representatives to help with FBI(10)(All pages attached)(Signed, READY to FAX)_Redacted(2) – PDF at both this blog and Internet Archive
FOIA Request to FBI 2(4)(Signed, READY to FAX)_Redacted – PDF at both this blog and Internet Archive
Brian also provided a statement (PDF: this blog or Internet Archive) in regards to getting his mother to send me these interest piece of evidence documentation.
Blogs that link to this post:
https://nalert.blogspot.com/2018/06/leak-docs-regarding-greensboro-nc-fbi.html
https://slantedright2.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-plight-of-brian-david-hill.html
Published by justiceforuswgo
View all posts by justiceforuswgo
Analysis, Evidence, News
corruption, Drain the Swamp, FBI, FBI boss, Greensboro, leak, leaked, perjury, shutdown, Wikileaks
USWGO news reporter reveals Greensboro FBI throws perjury under the rug (COVER UP AGAIN!))
Against the Grain (90mins), host Known as Sam w/ guest speaker Journalist Brian Hill – 05/30/2018
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justiceforuswgo says:
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dalefitz says:
Good luck! https://trumpussolini.wordpress.com/2018/06/08/leak-docs-regarding-greensboro-nc-fbi-shut-down-of-perjury-case-wikileaks-letter-justice-for-brian-d-hill-of-uswgo-alternative-news/
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Thanks! The truth is getting out, one blog at a time. Time for the Congress to hold a oversight hearing and ask the FBI why they ignore evidence of perjury while the US Attorney threatens a perjury charge over a false guilty plea that is forced on every defendant with a Federal Public Defender even when the case shows facts of actual innocence that could have been brought up at the jury trial but the Public Defender refuses to bring anything up. That is the opposite of justice. Convict every single person charged no matter what evidence was ever used. What ever happened to Innocent until proven guilty? Now it is guilty and your not allowed to prove your innocence. Well Brian is defying that standard. Guilty, and not allowed to prove innocence goes far beyond just simply guilty until proven innocent and even innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of your peers.
Thanks for covering this! Justice dies in darkness.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in North Carolina showcased their frustration Wednesday with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper administration's handling of Hurricane Matthew relief and expressed scorn for his side agreement involving a proposed natural gas pipeline.
GOP leaders used the General Assembly's chief government oversight committee to give party colleagues the platform to sound off on slow-moving housing funds nearly two years after Matthew struck the state.
They also revived arguments Cooper acted unconstitutionally in reaching a $58 million deal in January in which builders of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would provide the money and deciding generally how to spend those funds. GOP lawmakers stepped in weeks later and passed a law to intercept the funds — whenever they arrive — for public schools in the counties along the pipeline's projected path.
"By what authority did Gov. Cooper believe he had the right to obtain these funds and retain nearly unfettered discretion over how to appropriate the funds?" asked Sen. Paul Newton, a Cabarrus County Republican.
The committee's debate plowed little new ground, and lawmakers agreed to form subcommittees to examine the two topics and report at an undetermined date. A House panel already has been scrutinizing the hurricane recovery. Lawmakers leading the discussions Wednesday sounded earnest in helping displaced residents and probing whether Cooper overstepped his boundaries set in the constitution with the pipeline's memorandum of understanding.
Still, the committee meeting gave Republicans easy opportunity to bludgeon Cooper verbally entering a fall election season where the governor has made it his goal to end the GOP's veto-proof House and Senate majorities.
"It's apparent that the governor's office has dropped the ball," said Sen. Jerry Tillman, a Randolph County Republican, about the Matthew recovery. Lawmakers even got in a few licks complaining about recent long lines at the DMV, another Cooper agency.
Cooper administration members were present but essentially prevented from answering questions, apparently leaving the specifics for the subcommittee to examine. Cooper spokesman Ford Porter called it a "sham hearing." Democrats on the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations suggested the legislative campaigns were one reason the pipeline issue had returned.
"We're in late August, campaign season is getting geared up and now we're here doing this today," House Minority Leader Darren Jackson said.
While the Cooper administration says $740 million in federal, state and local funds have been spent after floods and damage caused by Matthew in October 2016, barely $2 million of $236 million allocated by the federal government last year to help reimburse or pay for extensive home repairs actually have been distributed.
The Division of Emergency Management attributes the slowness to extensive federal application requirements for both the state and the recipients. The division also hasn't taken on a federal block grant of this scope before. It announced this week clearing big environmental hurdles for Cumberland, Edgecombe and Wayne counties.
"Let me promise you that more help is on the way," said Cooper chief of staff Kristi Jones. She was allowed to make a statement to the committee later.
Jones also rejected accusations the $58 million fund was linked to approval of state regulatory permits, saying they were separate. The state ethics board in May dismissed a formal complaint filed against Cooper by the head of the conservative Civitas Institute, who made similar accusations.
"There are so many other things we could be talking about today, and I urge you not to let politics get in the way of progress," Jones said.


From the daily archives: "Tuesday, April 2, 2019"
Drumroll please . . . The Greatest Day of the Year is almost here! The annual Rose Charities Street Hockey Tournament will be held on Saturday, April 27th and registration is officially open. Game day registration is also available and begins at 9 am, but in this digital age ain't nobody got time for lines.


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Brown spots occur commonly on the face and hands. They are unattractive and produce a blotchy complexion.
Although called 'age spots' or 'liver spots' they are in fact caused by sun damage. Prior to laser, brown spots were difficult to remove with conventional skin treatments.
The introduction of the Q switched pigment laser and Pulsed Light skin treatments, has enabled these spots to be removed without leaving white spots on the skin. Anywhere from I to 4 treatments may be needed depending on the darkness of the spots.
The laser is a safe instrument if used by operators specifically trained in laser surgery.
Brown moles that are benign can be improved with lasers. Your doctor must first confirm that the mole is benign before having laser treatment. Laser may make the mole lighter and less raised, but may not always completely disappear. On some cases moles may recur. Some moles may require more than one treatment session.
1. Incomplete removal of brown spots Some spots are relatively resistant. although some improvement is expected.
2. Recurrence of brown spots Brown spots may recur with sun exposure. It is essential to wear sunscreen, preferably forever.
4. Loss of pigment This is rare and usually minimal.
5. Pigmentation As the skin heals, pigmentation may occur, but usually disappears. To help prevent this, people with darker skin should use a bleaching cream.
6. Infection Very rare. If it does occur antibiotics may be needed.
How many skin treatments will I need?
This varies, depending on how dark the spots are. Light brown spots usually need only I or 2 treatments. Darker spots may need 3 or 4. It is best to wait at least 4 weeks between treatments as fading may continue for this period.
Nothing. There are no special precautions. The treated lesions peel off in their own good time. You may wash, shower, apply make up and resume normal activities immediately. In some cases a depigmenting lotion is needed to prevent post treatment darkening of the skin.
What does it look like after treatment?
After treatment, the treated area appears darker. This lasts for 5-7 days until the dark area peels off.
How are the skin treatments performed?
Most often, the skin treatments are performed in the surgery as an outpatient. Usually an anesthetic cream is used so the discomfort is fairly minimal. It feels like you are being lucked by a rubber band, and most people tolerate this very well. People with darker skin, who have darker spots, need a high energy laser and may need local anaesthetic injections. Most patients are able to drive in and drive home without any discomfort. These skin treatments take approximately 1 hour. Some deeper brown marks are deeper in the skin. These need a stronger treatment, and may need the use of a dressing after the treatment.
Are all lasers suitable to remove brown spots?
No. Some lasers destroy skin non selectively and may cause scarring. The best lasers are those which are specifically absorbed by brown/black pigment and are pulsed. Pulsed lasers prevent heat from being transferred to normal tissue. The result is removal of the brown spots, leaving the skin with normal pigment and texture.
Laser is a strong light beam which is selectively absorbed by brown or black pigment. The light energy is converted to heat which destroys the pigment.


This category contains functions to set and get configuration hints, as well as listing each of them alphabetically.
The convention for naming hints is SDL_HINT_X, where "SDL_X" is the environment variable that can be used to override the default.
In general these hints are just that - they may or may not be supported or applicable on any given platform, but they provide a way for an application or user to give the library a hint as to how they would like the library to work.


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We use quality Eureka twin tube heavy duty frame systems. Our tents are six times stronger to accommodate our ever changing weather conditions. They have no center poles to permit maximum use of interior space and are suitable for installation on most surfaces and require fewer than half the poles of other frame tents. The perimeter legs of our Eureka Frame Tents are spaced 20' apart on 20' and 40' widths and 15' apart on 30' widths. Other systems require legs every 10'.
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Australians. The pictures above are; from left to right: Samuel Ramsden; Founder of the company. Botany Paper Mill; Circa 1900. Amcor was the first company to collect paper for recycling with a horse and cart. The former Australian Paper Manufacturer's logo and letterhead. In the 1970s and 1980s the company added a range of diverse packaging interests to its traditional papermaking activities. This was achieved through creating new business partnerships and making strategic acquisitions in order to expand and diversify the company's activities. With the focus gradually changing and as the company moved towards the future; the company name did not quite fit with the new focus of this young; energetic Australian company. It was decided that the company name should be changed. On May 1; 1986 APM became Amcor Limited; a name that has become increasingly well known throughout the world for its packaging innovation and its global reach.


text:
Panel discusses how churches should address issue of homosexuality
FORT WORTH—Baptist educators, a Texas pastor, an expert on the law and the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's ethical and moral concerns entity shared their perspectives on the church's response to the issue of homosexuality during a panel discussion following the close of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting, Nov. 11. The panel was held in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
The panel, moderated by SBTC Director of Communications and Ministry Relationships Gary Ledbetter, agreed the church's failure to speak both to the culture and its members has contributed to the normalization of homosexuality and the rapid acceptance of same-sex marriage in the culture.
Criswell College President Barry Creamer said the trajectory of this issue at this moment has the Bible-believing church judged to be on the wrong side of history rather than the "wrong side of truth."
Nonetheless, said Creamer, "we have to make absolutely certain the basis of all we do in responding to the government or being obedient to proclaiming the gospel is rooted in my love of God and my love for my neighbor."
While the gap between the church and culture is well acknowledged, there is a similar gap between the pulpit and the pew on this issue, noted Nathan Lino, senior pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church.
"Our people are desperate for teaching on these matters. We do not have to convince them to want to talk about these things," Lino said.
"I think we pastors live in such a bubble based on our vocation that we are out of touch with the reality in which people live. They are immersed in these matters. … Yet no one is speaking truth to them in these matters nor teaching how to do truth well."
Lino said homosexuality is personal for most young people: "They have homosexual friends. When we address the issue, they're not hearing an issue, they're thinking of their friend."
"We haven't done a good job training younger generations how to think biblically about sexuality," asserted Evan Lenow, assistant professor of ethics and director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary. He said the church has failed to give young people a scriptural foundation for human sexuality.
Russell Moore, president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission in Nashville, said the church has been caught flat-footed with the rapid shift in opinion on the homosexual issue in part because of its mishandling of the Bible's teachings on sexuality.
For a long time, Moore said, the church's preaching on divorce was unbiblical, given that it was condemnatory. Divorced persons were viewed as "social pariahs," he said. Then, he continued, the church "over-corrected" on the issue when divorce became normalized in the culture.
"The problem with divorce is not that it is shocking but that divorce is destroying a picture of the union of the church and Jesus Christ," Moore said.
"The culture around us has changed its views on sexuality where sexuality becomes the highest good and the highest end of who someone is. When you add to it a narrative that views the sexual revolution in the same terms as the civil rights movement, you don't have a church that is able to stand up and say, 'Here is what marriage and sexuality are.'"
Lino agreed, saying the disconnect between the church and the culture has been building for a number of years.
"The gap between our people understanding where culture is and being able to appropriately address culture comes from a lack of proper teaching on the matter over the last 10 to 20 years," Lino said.
Pastors need to give a more full understanding of the gospel as it relates to human sexuality, Lino said.
"It's not just homosexuality that we need to be addressing. Homosexuality is a piece of a bigger pie," Lino said.
"We speak against homosexuality just like we are supposed to be speaking against heterosexual premarital sex. We're also supposed to be speaking against heterosexual extramarital sex. We're supposed to be speaking about gender roles. All of these are the same matter. All of these are the picture of Christ and the church.
"Our people are unprepared to deal with these issues in the culture because they don't think of it along these lines. Until we start equipping them with a more robust gospel they're not going to be able to address this in culture, and we are just going to fall more behind."
Creamer noted that for a time the church was "supporting and undergirding cultural norms as if that were the communication of our Christian message and the gospel," and as a result, many were treated as outcasts by the church.
"It wasn't that they couldn't be saved and come into the gospel; it was because they were outside of the norms of American behavior," he said, noting the church needs to clean up its act when seeking to minister to individuals who are in some ways different than those traditionally served by the church.
"Our presentation of the gospel has in some ways been marginalized in this culture because we held on to some of those stereotypes and language in the same way we held on to racist language," Creamer said, quickly noting, "Racism and gender identity are totally different issues morally in the world."
There were those elements of the faith community that "attached their conservatism to the society instead of to the gospel," Creamer said, insisting those in the church need to be more careful in their choice of words.
"It's not a compromise of our commitment to the gospel to be more considerate about the way we speak about people in the culture who need to come to the gospel."
Ledbetter asked the panel how pastors should respond when their religious liberty rights are threatened, as in the recent case in Houston when the city's mayor subpoenaed pastors' sermons and notes related to the city's statute extending certain rights to gay and transgender residents.
Moore said church leaders would be wise in heeding the model set by the Apostles Peter and John, as recorded in Acts 4, who when they were told to cease preaching, refused.
"That's necessary because the only way they could be obedient to Christ is to refuse to submit to that decree," he said, explaining at times the state will ask Christ-followers to do things they might not agree with but that are within the "rightful authority" of the government to require.
"But then there are going to be those things that to obey the government is to disobey God," Moore added, citing instances in which the government tries to dictate what is to be preached or asserts what is and what isn't sin.
"We have to say to the government, 'There's a law higher than your law,' and refuse to obey," Moore said.
Moore said one of the more immediate issues in the area of religious liberty doesn't concern churches but instead children's homes, adoption agencies and colleges and universities.
"One of the biggest problems we are going to have is those agencies simply laying down, not even fighting for their religious liberty rights, which will then consign everybody else and future generations to a violation of conscience," Moore said. These institutions need to be willing to face "some cost and some hurt," he added.
Lino said he grew up in South Africa during apartheid as the son of a pastor. He recalled his father preaching against racism on Sunday mornings. Government agents would record his father's sermons, even going so far as to come to his house and bully him because of his stance against the government's racist policies.
"When we left South Africa," Lino said. "I thought we left that behind."
"The reaction of pastors to the government in those situations has to be very different than our reaction to culture. When culture is opposing us, it's a lot different."
Anticipating a day to come when legal protection for religious rights will no longer prevail, Lino said, "We have to resolve in our hearts that we are men of God, that when we surrendered to the call, we died to ourselves."
"The government might think we are mercenaries, that we are in this for money, fame and power and that if they bully us we don't want to lose those things, so we will give in.
"We are citizens of a Kingdom. The day is going to come that we will pay a price. And it's going to get here a lot sooner than we expected."
This tidal change in the culture will also impact the legal environment the church finds itself in, attorney Jim Guenther said.
"The constitution simply will not allow the government to interfere with the free choice of religious bodies in the selection of their religious leaders," Guenther, who has served as general counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention for 40 years, told those gathered.
Yet Guenther noted the ongoing cultural confusion over gender roles and the societal redefinition of marriage complicates laws regarding discrimination.
"We've got a lot of untangling to do in this area. All the laws pertaining to marriage were rooted in the traditional notion that marriage was a relationship between one man and one woman. As its fundamental basis erodes, those laws are going to be in transition," he warned.
Guenther prepared a question-and-answer document on the law, churches and same-sex attraction that was handed out during the event and is also available online.
When examining the church's responsibility to stand for truth and also offer grace, Lino said, "To Jesus, absolute truth and loving your neighbor are not mutually exclusive," adding there is not a third way.
"Silence is not an option; you have to stand on truth. We have to proclaim the gospel with courage from our pulpits," Lino said, adding that pastors must proclaim a biblical gospel.
"The issue with homosexuals isn't that they are homosexual," Lino said. "The issue with homosexuals is that they are in need of Jesus Christ.
"The right gospel is not that the road to salvation for a homosexual goes through becoming heterosexual. The road to salvation for anyone from anywhere is to go directly to Jesus Christ."
To watch the entire panel discussion, go to sbtexas.com/panel.
Can We Talk? Conversational, pastor-led evangelism effort sparks surge in gospel fervor, transforms church culture
One hundred and twenty football players in a locker room. One hundred and seventy mourners at a funeral. Two young women wandering in a parking lot. A classroom full of students in a secular college philosophy class.Not soliciting spiritual answers or seeking out a preacher, these people were simply going about their business—playing sports, grieving the dead,waiting for a ride and earning class credit.
But, because of one North Texas pastor following the Lord's instruction to lead out in evangelism in his church, each of these people heard the gospel clearly and confidently explained. It wasn't the pastor, though, who shared with them but members of an ever-growing gospel army rising up at First Baptist Church of Euless.
Last year as pastor John Meador was preparing his message for the Southern Baptist Convention's 2014 annual meeting to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, the Lord guided him not to select a text or write a message. Instead, he would live the message, and that is what he would share with Baptists in Baltimore. Meador says he certainly did not know what the Lord meant or intended by that all those months ago. Looking back, it is pristinely clear.
Before he was ever invited to preach at the annual meeting, the Lord had already begun working on the substance of that message.
"We needed an evangelism ministry here," Meador said. "I'd been involved in evangelism ministries over the years, but since I became a senior pastor here… most of that's delegated to a staff member. But the Lord began to convict me, 'No, you as a senior pastor need to step up and lead the way. It's never going to get into the DNA of the church unless you do it.' So I really began to be convicted in that."
Meanwhile, the pastor continued his patterns for evangelism and ministry at Euless. In addition to giving clear presentations of the gospel and extending invitations to salvation in each worship service, Meador was and is personally committed to meeting visitors at the church's guest reception each week following the service. At the reception, known as Guest Central, he tells the two or eight or 20 people who gather that he wants to share with them the one conversation he would have with each of them if he could only have one. In just a few minutes, Meador conveys in a concise and conversational way that faith in Christ—not works or church attendance or good behavior—is the only reason God will ever let anyone into heaven. Hundreds who have listened to Meador's brief presentation over the years have trusted Christ for salvation.
Somewhere along the way, a church member suggested to Meador that he put the presentation on paper so others could emulate the message and share with people who don't come to Guest Central. So, he did just that and began training church members to share, resulting in a ministry that now bears the name Can We Talk?, which Meador leads each week. The pastor and his church had found God's answer to the need for a pastor-led evangelism ministry, and Meador had the message he needed to share and did share at the 2014 annual meeting.
"We saw God raise up a community of people in the church that believed the gospel was going to change the world and that he was going to do it from right here," Meador said.
Nearly 600 church members—from teenagers to senior citizens—have been trained to share the gospel with confidence and are now qualified as Can We Talk? trainers. Each semester, Meador casts the vision, equips the people and then leads them in going out in groups of three to share the gospel in the community. Meanwhile, prayer partners gather to pray the entire time the groups are sharing, directed by live requests sent via Twitter feed to a television screen at the church.
When tweets come in showing real-time answers to those prayers, the prayer team celebrates.
"When [the Tweet] came through and said [Sofia] had accepted Christ, it was like someone scored a touchdown at a football game," said John Briere, a deacon at First Euless and a Can We Talk? team leader.
Briere says Can We Talk? has revolutionized his life by equipping him to confidently engage lost people—both strangers and those he knows well—with the truth of the gospel. Watching his pastor's evangelistic example and repeatedly listening to a Can We Talk? CD has significantly helped Briere feel prepared to strike up conversations that he can direct toward the gospel.
"In the beginning I was fumbling my way through it," Briere said. "Now [I'm] sensitive to when God is putting those opportunities in front of [me]. I've had countless conversations with colleagues that I never would have before."
Briere even used what he learned through Can We Talk? to share the gospel with about 170 people at his father's funeral—something he says he never would have done before the training.
Jenna Milleson, Meador's executive assistant, and college student Morgan Wilson—both active in Can We Talk?—led a young woman to Christ in the church's parking lot just a day before talking to the TEXAN. Milleson said two weeks prior to their sharing with the woman in the parking lot, their pastor also led someone to the Lord in the same parking lot. She said Meador's involvement and accessibility has helped make evangelism at First Euless not just a top priority at the church but a pervading culture.
Meador says he, too, is immensely grateful for the increased church member interaction afforded him by Can We Talk? each week.
"I get to know these people. I get to love on them and laugh with them and communicate passion to them and watch them grow," Meador said. "I get to know the John Briers who are out there sharing the gospel at their dads' funerals."
Wilson also had the opportunity to share with her college philosophy class when she disagreed with the professor's appraisal of Jesus and Christianity and was ready to defend her beliefs with grace and confidence. Wilson says Can We Talk? has shown her that God has given her a mission field in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Another unexpected blessing, Wilson said, is seeing all ages from across the church catch a passion for sharing the gospel.
Meador said a 13-year-old boy who had been through the class multiple times with his dad approached him at church to say he is ready to be a team leader. Milleson said a 13-year-old girl from Can We Talk? pulls her teachers out into the hallway during free periods and study halls to share with them at the Spirit's prompting. A football coach asked another student involved with Can We Talk? if he had anything inspirational he could share with the football team before they ended their practice on Good Friday. The student jumped right in and shared with the team the record book of sin illustration that Meador taught him.
"These are just normal kids that have gotten excited about the gospel," Meador said.
Meador said other churches and pastors are beginning to catch the excitement and model their own evangelism efforts after Euless'. In 2015 First Euless will offer 10 conferences across the state of Texas to equip pastors. Information is available at johnmeador.com/canwetalk.
Briere and Meador agreed that the conversational approach of Can We Talk? equips and emboldens church members to share throughout the course of their day-to-day lives, often with people they already know well. From locker rooms and funerals to parking lots and classes, daily life provides many divine appointments just waiting to be kept by believers, they said.
"Can We Talk? is not a program where we enlist more and more people to go out together to share the gospel one night a week," Meador said in a July 2014 blog post. "Can We Talk? is about equipping people to share the gospel in their everyday lives."
Evangelicals, Southern Baptists react to President Obama"s executive order on immigration reform
President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration reform, including granting legal status to millions of people currently in the country illegally, was detrimental to the efforts of Southern Baptists who for years have championed comprehensive and compassionate immigration legislation. SBC leaders in the church and Congress said the president's unilateral, and arguably unconstitutional, action hurts those he claims to be helping and alienates those who echoed his calls for reform.
In a presidential address Thursday evening, Nov. 20, Obama highlighted his three steps for addressing immigration reform: more security personnel on the borders, simplification of visa applications for high tech workers, and legalization of undocumented immigrants already in the country. The president officially signed the order Friday during a visit to Las Vegas.
Since 2012 a collaborative effort among ministry leaders representing about 68 million American evangelicals, including Southern Baptists, has been pressing Congress for immigration legislation grounded in biblical principles. Although representing socio-political ideological extremes, the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) coalesced on this one issue. But Obama's actions could jeopardize that tenuous relationship.
"Acting unilaterally threatens that consensus, and is the wrong thing to do," wrote Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in an op-ed for TIME magazine posted Thursday afternoon. "Even those who support broad executive action (including many friends of mine) acknowledge that the actions won't solve the problem, only a legislative solution will."
Tim Moore, pastor of Walk Worthy Baptist Church in Austin and Texas Mobilizer for EIT, is also frustrated, telling the TEXAN Thursday before the president's address, "Am I eager for the president to do something? Yes and no."
The failure of the House of Representatives to take up a bipartisan bill passed last year by the Senate concerned Tim Moore. He believed Obama, impatient with Congressional inaction, was acting out of conviction but said an executive order only provides a temporary and insufficiently comprehensive solution and shifts undocumented immigrants from one state of limbo to another.
"It's unconscionable that Congress won't act," he said.
U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-TX, said the frustration is understandable but criticized the Senate bill for its lack of border security and appropriation mechanisms that can only be initiated by the House. He said Congress will be in a better position to pass legislation in January when the new legislators are sworn in, but Obama's executive order interferes with that process. Both houses will have Republican majorities.
"The Republicans have said that they want to demonstrate that they can govern and that they want to find areas where they can work together with the White House," Russell Moore wrote. "Why not give them the opportunity to do so?"
In an interview with the TEXAN before Obama's speech, Flores admitted "hypertension" over the subject of amnesty causes some Republican House members to reject sound legislation, especially since "amnesty" means different things to different people. To some, Flores explained, anything short of "rounding up" the undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their home countries is amnesty.
But that, Flores said, is not a practical solution. The reforms he would outline in legislation include: a secure border certified as such by an agency not affiliated with the federal government; an enforced visa entry/exit tracking system (40 percent of all illegal immigrants are people who overstayed their visa); a guest worker program; full implementation of E-verify for employers and stiff fines for those who fail to use it to verify legal status of potential employees; a long and rigorous path to legal residency—not citizenship—for those willing to meet the standards; and similar standards for those brought to the U.S. as minors by their parents. The latter group could earn citizenship, Flores said, because he feels it inappropriate to hold the children responsible for "the sins of the fathers," adding, "That's not amnesty."
But if Obama grants immediate legal status to the estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants in the country, the act would not only be unlawful but unfair, critics contend. And the battle over the constitutionality of his action could stymie the legislative progress.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Texas Attorney General and Governor-elect Greg Abbott said, "Following tonight's pronouncement, I am prepared to immediately challenge President Obama in court, securing our state's sovereignty and guaranteeing the rule of law as it was intended under the Constitution."
Texas Governor Rick Perry called the president's decision a bad policy that will only encourage more illegal immigration.
Flores, who was elected Nov. 18 to head the Republican Survey Committee, said the executive order complicates the process of creating immigration reform legislation, something the 114th Congress is sure to take up. By granting legal status to people who entered or stayed in the country illegally, Flores said, the president disregards the efforts of those who came here through lawful channels.
Additionally, a sudden influx of millions of new workers competing for jobs in a sluggish economy hurts U.S. citizens, which is problematic in its own right.
Thus, Christians face a tension between offering mercy to lawbreakers and demanding their accountability, but SBC pastors and policy makers affiliated with the EIT and lawmakers in Congress argue the two ideas are not diametrically opposed and can work for the good of all involved.
Tim Moore's role with the EIT has given him the opportunity to hear and be heard on the matter of immigration in congregations across the state. Most evangelicals admit Congress needs to enact reform, he said, but their ideas on what should be done are informed more by emotion and politics than Scripture.
As a pastor and EIT spokesman, his message is the same—Scripture demands Christians treat all people with the dignity afforded them as image bearers of God. That is manifested in government policies that offer assistance to those who merit consideration for a visa, permanent residency or citizenship while deporting everyone else.
Although sympathetic with the plight of undocumented immigrants, Flores and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-TX, both members of SBC churches, said the roles of the church and government are distinct and not interchangeable.
"There is a common mistake being made by caring Christians who think the duty of a government and the duty of a Christian individual are the same. They are exceedingly different," Gohmert wrote in a statement about the role of Christians in the immigration debate.
"The Bible says we are to help those in need," Flores said. "The question is, "Who is the 'we'?"
While Christians and churches should assist "the least of these," including undocumented immigrants, the institutions established to create and enforce law are bound by their pledge to uphold the law even if it seems unpopular at the time to do so, Flores said. Without the enforcement of the law, all citizens would suffer.
Gohmert agrees.
"The government must follow its own laws fairly and impartially so lawlessness is not encouraged," he wrote. "A Christian should love his neighbor. A government should require neighbors to comply with its laws."
Russell Moore emphasized the need for Christians to rise above the political fray.
"I pray that our churches will transcend all of this posing and maneuvering that we see in Washington," he wrote. "Whatever our political disagreements, we ought to continue to stand with [immigrants], and to see to it that the immigrants among us are welcomed and loved. Whatever happens in the White House, our churches must press on with ministry and mission."
LifeWay Among Stores Remaining Closed on Thanksgiving Day
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—While the War on Christmas generates more headlines, Thanksgiving has been taking a beating, but some customers and stores are fighting back.
In contrast to many major retailers who have decided to open on Thanksgiving Day, others, like LifeWay Christian Stores, are maintaining their commitment to give employees—and customers—the day off.
"Just as we do every Sunday, we believe it is important to set aside Thanksgiving for our employees to spend time with family and friends thanking God," said Tim Vineyard, the vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources Stores.
Apparently at least half of Americans agree. A nationwide survey of U.S. consumers found 50 percent say shopping hours on Thanksgiving Day are a bad idea that detracts from the traditional celebration. The research from LoyaltyOne, a customer analytics firm, found only 33 percent believe open stores are beneficial.
A growing number of those Americans opposed to shopping starting on Thursday are making their feelings known. An online petition started by a Target employee asking the fourth largest U.S. retailer to give employees the day off has garnered over 90,000 signatures. Over 100,000 people have liked the Facebook group "Boycott Black Thursday.
Vineyard believes LifeWay customers will appreciate the stance to remain closed and could give them another reason to spend time with loved ones. "We hope our being closed will encourage families to enjoy Thanksgiving together and find respite from the busyness of the holiday season," he said.
Instead of opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day, LifeWay Christian Stores' 186 locations will have three sales surrounding the holiday, including a traditional Black Friday sale on November 28 beginning at 6 a.m. and continuing Saturday, November 29, with stores opening at 9 a.m.
That seems to work just fine for most shoppers. Despite the push to start the sales earlier and open on Thanksgiving, most do the bulk of their purchases later. Deloitte University's annual holiday survey found 65 percent of consumers plan to do the bulk of their shopping after Thanksgiving.
For more information of LifeWay Christian Stores holiday hours and sales, visit LifeWay.com.
Gratitude and grumbling
Numbers 14:26-27—And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
The Lord takes gratitude, and grumbling, pretty seriously. Sure, sure, we're grateful for Jesus, and we're grateful for our families and for our health. Maybe we're not grateful in detail but toss out a generic "thanks for everything." It seems that gratitude, thankfulness, is more difficult and vague when we are prosperous and comfortable. Ironically, grumbling is easier.
Look at Israel's situation in Numbers 14. The Lord had brought them out of Egypt, defeated their enemies, fed them, fed them something better, watered them and now brought them to the borders of the land he'd promised to give them. But they were afraid to occupy the land because of the challenges ahead. Behind this fear is the outrageous idea that God would not or could not deliver on his promises, as if he had not brought them out of Egypt, defeated their enemies and so on. A lack of trust was here a lack of gratitude—a grumble. The Lord judged it harshly.
I recently heard the testimony of a prayerful mother who thanked God that her homosexual, drug dealer son was, while serving a term in prison, safe in a place where she could find him. That's humble gratitude from a lady who had learned that God answers prayer with good things we might not have specifically sought. He saved her son while he was in prison, by the way.
How do you think of gratitude during a holiday season (Thanksgiving) when the word is used to market nearly everything? Is there anything you desperately need from God? Has God done anything for you, big or small? Yes, you do need something from God, and yes, he has done great and "small" things for you this year. Bringing those things to the front of our minds is an exercise of gratitude and an antidote to grumbling.
Grumbling comes naturally, though. Our lives have not turned out the way we might have wanted. There are disappointments and even tragedies that dot our own journeys out of Egypt. It's easy to concentrate on those things, to be bitter that we didn't get our own way. We forget that if we always get our own way, we'll never leave Egypt—we'll never be saved from sin. When Israel grumbled they asked to go back into cruel slavery under a pagan king. That's what we do when we are bitter about the way things have turned out.
We had a brief family upset a few weeks back, a bad car wreck, just a week after a glorious evening wedding for our daughter. It cost them money; it was several days of stress and worry; and it was a harsh lesson to a young family. Woe is us! I wish it hadn't happened! But, we have a list of passersby, neighbors, friends, EMTs, a state trooper, the skeleton crew of a blacked-out small-town hospital, a kindly wrecker company owner and a local church—all that came out of the woodwork to minister to our kids and to us. These servants of God helped in ways ranging from cutting a tree off our fence (all this happened during a violent storm) to distracting our grandson while Grammy took the initial call from our daughter to two college freshman prying my daughter out of their wrecked car. I am humbled to see the way God worked to save our kids from nearly every harm and to provide for every need that arose during a crazy week. We are richer for the experience because we know not only our own fragility but also the expanse of God's provision. I can make a list to cover this page of things and people for whom I'm grateful. I wouldn't grumble over the money or the car or the inconvenience. I wouldn't think of it. But what now?
If I've learned anything from God, if I truly am richer for the experience, will I trust God for the next bigger thing without fear, faithlessness or grumbling? How do I inoculate myself from the temptation to gripe about every upward step of faith?
I think the answer is based on a discipline, a habit of counting blessings great and small. The drug dealer convict son I mentioned earlier posed for a photo with his mother and her list of things for which she thanked God as she prayed each day. It looked like an adding machine tape covered with handwriting. I find it easy, when I stop, listen and think to see any number of things that God has provided to me each hour of the day. And I confess that I don't stop, listen and think about those things often enough.
Don't let our cultural cluelessness about giving thanks ruin Thanksgiving. While others are flippant about "Turkey Day" or speak of giving thanks without any object of our gratitude, we know that the God who holds our future is the one who has brought us through many "dangers, toils and snares." He is the one who makes turkeys and then makes the food available for our tables. He's the one who allows us a place to sit and eat the food and so on. Give thanks, but not just generally, and certainly not on only one day. If you do, I expect you'll be tempted to grumble for the other 364 days of the year.
Did you vote?
Politics in Texas grew to a fever pitch in recent months in the wake of the ongoing saga over Houston Mayor Annise Parker's subpoena of pastors' sermons and mid-term elections that produced a new governor, new lieutenant governor and new attorney general for the Lone Star State.
The political involvement of Christians ranges across the intensity spectrum from fanatic to oblivious. Regardless of which political party you align with, the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility that every Christian should take seriously.
I'll admit, I considered skipping long lines at the polls on Election Day. However, something I heard regarding last year's Houston mayoral election prompted me to reconsider.
As more than 6,000 gathered Nov. 2 for the I Stand Sunday rally in support of the five Houston-area pastors subpoenaed for their sermons, one of the participants mentioned that only around 10 percent of registered voters in Houston turned out for the 2013 election, where Parker was re-elected.
Even if this number was approximate, it's still telling. Imagine what might have happened if conservative Christians in Houston had exercised their right to vote last November. The outcome of the mayoral election likely would have been different, and the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance likely would have never been on the docket in May.
Yet, now, Christians are up in arms over the city's infringement on religious liberty, and rightfully so. However, there's no doubt that many of them are at least partially to blame because they abstained from the ballot box last November.
Certainly as Christians we realize that our hope is not found in government, and the state of Texas—as glorious as it may be—is not our true home. However, in the United States we have the freedom and obligation to let our voices be heard, which is best done proactively at the polls rather than reactively after elected officials pass legislation we dislike. We should do both, but the latter without the former seems disingenuous.
This article is not meant to make you feel guilty if you didn't vote. Hopefully, it will encourage you to make sure you exercise your right to vote in future elections and to consider how you can be both a good citizen of the state as well as a good citizen of the kingdom of God.
It's growing increasingly apparent what happens when Christians remove themselves from the public square. We must not cower in fear nor should we be obnoxious revelers. There are ways you can be a responsible citizen, maintain your Christian convictions and make a difference. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
Look for ways to be involved in the public sector. This could include running for a position on your local school board, city council or other civil office.
Volunteer in your community. City officials are always looking for individuals to help organize or serve at community events. I know of many church planters who have found serving their city in these ways gives them credibility in the community and opens doors for ministry.
Get to know and pray for elected officials, even if you disagree with their positions. What might it look like if your local city council received consistent notes of encouragement letting them know that you care about them and are praying for them? Who knows, those prayers may go a long way in turning their hearts toward God.
Vote in all elections, not just the "big" ones. You never know what ordinance or decision may have a significant impact down the road.
As much as possible, without violating the Word of God, submit yourself to those in authority over you. Peter's words to fellow sojourners is helpful here: "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." (1 Peter 2:13-17)
Imagine the impact convictional kindness and community involvement can have in your city, in Texas and in the United States. In this way, Christians can be "in the world but not of the world."
Baptisms look like heaven at SBTC annual meeting
FORT WORTH—Messengers and guests at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention witnessed a baptismal service of First Baptist Church of Euless via live video feed from the rotunda of the MacGorman Chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Nov. 11. The baptisms, conducted by First Euless pastor John Meador, looked a bit like heaven and immediately followed the SBTC's Look Like Heaven report.
SBTC president Jimmy Pritchard introduced the baptismal service to those in the chapel auditorium, noting how the baptism of believers pleases the Lord and reminding the audience of the SBTC's involvement in providing funds for the chapel's baptismal pool.
Around 50 gathered in the rotunda as Meador began by defining a "gospel-centered church" as one in which the people are actively engaged in sharing the good news of Christ. Meador stated that since First Euless implemented the Can We Talk? evangelism program 14 months ago, the church has mobilized 600 people to share the gospel and seen hundreds come to faith.
Expressing excitement about his church's involvement with equipping other churches to do the same, Meador proclaimed, "I believe God is getting ready to raise up a massive number of people to share the gospel in communities where people have never heard [it] before."
"We're excited to be partnering with the SBTC in all that," Meador noted, commencing with the baptisms.
"I am Snowflower Dong. Jesus is my Lord, and I am not ashamed," exclaimed a young Chinese woman, the first to be baptized.
Meador explained that Dong, the daughter of a Chinese pastor, had previously accepted Christ and desired to follow the Lord in believer's baptism by immersion. Applause reverberated throughout the rotunda and auditorium as Dong emerged smiling from the baptismal waters.
Meador then introduced Holly Coleman, a young woman who had prayed to receive Jesus Christ after hearing a Can We Talk? presentation a month before. Shortly after, Coleman attended a meeting at First Euless, assuming it to be a class on baptism.
"About an hour into that class, she realized we weren't talking about baptism, we were equipping her to share the gospel," Meador said. "She decided to stay, and she joined an evangelism team and has already been out sharing the gospel."
"That's the way it ought to happen with everybody," Meador remarked before baptizing Coleman, who also joyfully proclaimed her faith in Jesus to resounding applause.
Meador concluded the service with an exhortation to pastors and churches to equip their people to share the gospel in their communities.
"Every one of us ought to lead the way," Meador said.
Moore: Don"t be surprised if your preaching upsets the status quo
FORT WORTH– The issue of religious liberty is one that confronts every single believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, said Russell Moore in an address to the 2014 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting, Nov. 11.
This is a tension seen clearly in the book of Acts, Moore said, drawing the messengers' attention to Paul and Silas' experience in the Philippian jail detailed in Acts 16.
"It is a tension of living in a world with legitimate, rightful state authority but living in another world as the people of God in which we have a greater authority in the Lordship of Jesus Christ," continued Moore, president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
"Paul finds himself in prison because he was on mission for Christ," Moore said, noting religious liberty is a matter of global mission, as well as a matter of gospel witness and public justice.
In casting the spirit out of the slave girl, Paul quickly discovers the town's citizens preferred this girl enslaved physically and spiritually because for them she was a "means of great gain through her fortune telling," Moore said.
Noting this incident was a common theme in Paul's ministry, Moore explained, "The gospel becomes a public threat. The gospel becomes something that must be silenced."
"The gospel of Jesus Christ comes in with a message that if it is understood is always, in every single era, going to seem strange and crazy and freakish and dangerous," Moore said, explaining Paul was not surprised his preaching of the gospel would upset the status quo.
"That has everything to do with religious liberty. If you get the gospel wrong, you will get religious liberty wrong. If you get the mission wrong; you will get religious liberty wrong."
Referencing Houston Mayor Annise Parker's attempt to force a group of pastors in the city to hand over their sermons and other papers, Moore said the mayor's decision to subpoena sermons was "shocking and audacious and reckless."
"But you know what is worse than a mayor audacious enough to subpoena sermons?" Moore asked. "Sermons that aren't worthy of being subpoenaed," he answered.
Moore said to avoid such governmental interference is to become the kind of people "city hall doesn't have to worry about." But that is the wrong direction to go, he insisted.
"It is a terrible thing for the government to put the church in jail," Moore said. "But it is worse if the church isn't willing to go to jail for anything."
For religious liberty protections to remain in place, it is critically important the church raise up a generation that fears God more than they do governmental authorities or any other outside force, including death, Moore concluded.
Ziafat encourages churches to join Look Like Heaven initiative
FORT WORTH—Southern Baptists of Texas Convention President Jimmy Pritchard opened the "Look Like Heaven" report at the 2014 SBTC Annual Meeting by introducing Afshin Ziafat, pastor of Providence Church in Frisco.
Following a Look Like Heaven video, five individuals onstage prayed in five languages: Spanish, Hebrew, Swahili, Korea and English, before Ziafat encouraged the gathering of "fellow church leaders from across the state of Texas" to join the SBTC's Look Like Heaven initiative.
Reminding the audience of the video's emphasis on Revelation 7:9, Ziafat spoke of the "great multitude" from "all tribes and languages" loved by God. He urged pastors to encourage their congregants to get out of their "comfort zones to go out to other tribes, to people who do not talk or look or dress like us."
Citing the examples of Abraham as the founder of a great nation and father of many nations as well as Peter's witness to Cornelius in Acts 10, Ziafat reminded all that the Bible is the story of God's redeeming a people to himself from every tribe, tongue and nation.
Referencing Ephesians 3:10, Ziafat expounded upon the meaning of "manifold" or "multifaced," alluding to a diamond "with many faces that sparkles brightly" as an image of "God's vision for the church" as a place for "every nation."
Ziafat, an Iranian-American, recalled his own childhood experiences during the 1978 Iran hostage crisis, when his family returned to America from Iran and were spurned by others. A second grade tutor befriended him, giving him a New Testament with instructions to keep it and read it later.
"I am so glad that [she] got uncomfortable, loved me, and gave me that New Testament. I read it as a senior in high school," said Ziafat, who trusted Christ afterward.
Ziafat also expressed gratitude to the Baptist church in Houston whose members discipled him after his father and family disowned him following his conversion to Christ.
"There are thousands more Afshin Ziafats all over neighborhoods around our churches," Ziafat admonished listeners. "We must equip our people to get out of their comfort zones and go to the ends of the earth … to go and to love and to get uncomfortable as one person did for me."
Outreach does not necessarily mean travel, Ziafat said.
"The ends of the earth have moved across the street," exclaimed Ziafat, urging the audience to navigate the SBTC's Look Like Heaven website for ways to engage the lost across cultural lines.
Ministry Café panel cites precursors to revival
FORT WORTH – While revival is a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, there are things pastors can do to position their churches for a movement of God, panelists said during a Ministry Café during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Bible Conference, Nov. 10.
"When revival comes, there's always a focus on preaching and teaching the Word of God," Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, said.
Uniting a church in prayer, focus and expectancy are important, panelists said, and obstacles to revival must be removed.
When a church "exalts something as a priority that is not a priority to God according to His Word, that is an idol that must be torn down," Eric Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church in Norfolk, Va., said.
Kie Bowman, pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, said God can use hardships to bring revival.
"Everybody we preach to hurts. Everybody on this platform has experienced intense pain just being obedient, just serving God," Bowman said. "… God is going to do something through a hurting people."
Romans 8 makes clear that believers must suffer, Bowman said.
"If we're not ready to suffer with Him, we will not be raised with Him," he said. "Revival will come out of our hurt and out of our pain and out of our discouragement."
Graham cited Acts 20:19 and how the Apostle Paul served the Lord with "all humility and with tears through trials."
"God uses us when we're most broken," Graham said. "… What I need the most are more tears. We're pretty good at righteous anger and pounding our fists on the pulpit or on the table—and there are some things that we should shout about and get good and angry about—but we're not so good at anguish.
"If we're going to bring people to Christ, if we're going to see our churches revived, we need to try tears. I'm not talking about working something up. I think those of us who are pastors ought to cry privately more than we cry publicly. But if I'm not putting some tears on my carpet on the floor of my house or my office, then I'm not doing it right."
Thomas pointed to Luke 18:1, which says believers "always ought to pray and not give up hope."
"The longer I live in the lap of my Heavenly Father and immerse myself in His love for me and for the church, the more strength, comfort, courage, patience and perseverance I have to press forward in the extravagant things that He calls us to do and to be," Thomas said.
Once a church experiences revival or even a short season of refreshing, Graham said, pastors must be ready to help people grow in their renewed faith.
"We've got to put them in the game," he said. "We've got to give people an opportunity to serve in meaningful ways."


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Hi - First time post so please bare with me.
My question is to replace my windows or ust pull them out of the frame and reinstall. I have several double hung windows that are starting to look like they are leaning in the frame. I had a new house built about 14 years ago and the windows still seem to be in good shape. But with the leaning, they are starting to be drafty. I am thinking the house settled over the years and now the windows are leaning toward the lower corners.
Do you want the bad news or the bad news....?
In all seriousness though, if the home has settled a bit or changed shape (not uncommon with the moisture content in today's framing), the manner in which the window was attached to the home at the time of construction (i.e. nailing flange and via new construction), it is probably infeasible to adjust that window.
What type of material is the window made of? Can you post a picture of the condition of the window and lack of fitment?
There are some tweaks that you can do to some windows to make them fit a bit better but of the walls are moving and the opening is now out of square, there is not much that can be done to refit the square peg into a roundish hole.
Thanks for posting and please post up a picture if you can.
I am not sure how to post a picture, but I could e-mail you one. I was hoping to shim the window back into square. I was around when the windows were installed and it looked like all the installers did was square the window in the frame and then secure using nails driven through a plastic flange that went around the perimeter of the window. Then nailed a cedar trim board over the flange.
If you try to shim the windows without releasing the nailing fin you'll just distort the frame further. You'll need to completely re-set the windows in question to make that right... The thing is, is it worth the time and $$$ to do that on 14yr old builder grade windows? In my experience it typically is not, but that will vary case by case.
Well said HomeSealed. It would be both a waste of time and money. The OP would be much better served by having a professional window company come out and install high quality windows.
You can email me at: info@windowsonwashington.net.
Shoot me the pictures and I will host them for future browsers of the site.
Regardless...the answer is going to be as HomeSealed and Masterxt both stated.


text:
PhD, University of Washington
BS, UC Berkeley
Consequences of accounting standards
Defined benefit pensions
Earnings management
Professor Elizabeth Chuk earned her PhD from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 2010. Prior to joining UCI in 2016, she was on the faculty at the University of Southern California for six years. Her current research interests include earnings management, pension accounting, and economic consequences of accounting standards. Her research has been published in The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting & Economics, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Prior to her doctorate, she was an auditor at Deloitte & Touche.
PhD, University of Washington (2010)
Assistant Professor, USC (2010 to 2016)
Associate Professor, UCI (2016 to Present)
"The economic consequences of accounting standards: Evidence from risk-taking in pension plans"
Co-author: Divya Anantharaman
The Accounting Review, conditionally accepted (link)
"What have we learned about earnings management? Integrating discontinuity evidence"
Co-author: Dave Burgstahler
Contemporary Accounting Research 2017, Vol. 34 (2) Pages 726-749 (link)
"Do scaling and selection explain earnings discontinuities?"
Journal of Accounting & Economics 2015, Vol. 60 Pages 168-186 (link)
"Assessing methods of identifying management forecasts: CIG vs. researcher collected"
Co-authors: Dawn Matsumoto and Greg Miller
Journal of Accounting & Economics 2013, Vol. 55 Issue 1 Pages 23-42 (link)
"Economic consequences of mandated accounting disclosures: Evidence from pension accounting standards"
Dissertation, solo-authored
The Accounting Review 2013, Vol. 88 Issue 2 Pages 395-427 (link)