Remember This Kid! - Video

We have all heard "One person can make a difference." While we give mental assent to it, it usually does not inspire us to BE that person. So the story of this KID - yes, I said KID - is unbelievable. Remember this kid!

Austin Gutwein started “Hoops for Hope” at age 9 when he learned there are million of AIDS orphans in Zambia. Austin has raised over $2 million with a high school and clinic being built in Zambia. This from a kid!

Let's watch Austin talk about "Hoops for Hope".





Perhaps we should change the saying to, "One KID can make a difference"?

April Lorier Perspective

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Video Praise Sunday

Today is The LORD's Day. Here are some of my favorite praise videos to help you come into the Presence of The LORD.

Feel free to sing along and praise God, yourself! It is what this day was made for!

Gaither Vocals "The Love of God"

Sandi Patty/ Larnelle Harris: I've Just Seen Jesus

There Is a River Gaither Vocal Band

April Lorier Perspective

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A Forgotten Life

His was a forgotten life. Who really cared? His was a routine admission to busy Bellevue Hospital. A charity case, one among hundreds. A drunken bum from the Bowery with a slashed throat. The Bowery . . . last stop before the morgue.

The derelict's name was misspelled on the hospital form, but then what good is a name when the guy's a bum? The age was also incorrect. He was thirty-eight, not thirty-nine, and looked twice that. Somebody might have remarked, "What a shame for one so young," but no one did. Because no one cared.

His health was gone and he was starving. He had been found lying in a heap, bleeding from a deep gash in his throat. A doctor used black sewing thread to suture the wound. Then the man was dumped in a paddy wagon and dropped off at Bellevue Hospital, where he languished and died. But nobody really cared.

A friend seeking him was directed to the local morgue. There, among dozens of other nameless corpses, he was identified. When they scraped together his belongings, they found a ragged, dirty coat with thirty-eight cents in one pocket and a scrap of paper in the other. All his earthly goods. Enough coins for another night in the Bowery and five words, "Dear friends and gentle hearts." Almost like the words of a song, someone may have thought.

Which would have been correct, for once upon a time that man had written the songs that literally made the whole world sing. Songs like "Camptown Races," "Oh! Susanna," "Beautiful Dreamer," "I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair," "Old Folks at Home (Way Down Upon the Swanee River - Florida's State Song -)," "My Old Kentucky Home," and two hundred more that have become deeply rooted in our rich American heritage.

Thanks to Stephen Collins Foster.




Today, some of these forgotten souls are in prison. Some in hospitals. Some in nursing homes. And some silently slip into church on Sunday morning, confused and afraid.

Do you care enough "to show hospitality to strangers," as Hebrews 13:2 puts it? It also says that in doing so, we occasionally "entertain angels without knowing it."

Angels who don't look anything like angels. Some might even look like bums from the Bowery, but they may have a song dying in their hearts because nobody knows and nobody cares.

Deep within many a forgotten life is a scrap of hope,
a lonely melody trying hard to return.

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:1-3

2010-2012 April Lorier Perspective

Author April Lorier shares her Christian perspective on NEWS, current events, books, child abuse, divorce, issues for women, psychology, counseling, ministries, and her journey with God.

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Clooney Arrested in DC - Video

Actor George Clooney was handcuffed and arrested Friday, during a protest at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Clooney has been very outspoken about the humanitarian crisis in northern Africa, and was in the nation's capital this week to raise awareness.

The superstar led a protest outside the embassy, calling on Sudan President Omar al-Bashir to stop the violence against his nation's people. He was with his father, several members of Congress, and other human rights activists.

Police asked the group three times not to cross the police line in front of the embassy.

When they didn't comply, police took Clooney and other protestors into custody.

Also arrested were Clooney's father Nick Clooney, Martin Luther King III, NAACP President Ben Jealous, Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast, former Rep. Tom Andrews, and Reps. Jim McGovern, D-MA, Al Green, D-TX, Jim Moran, D-VA., and John Olver D-MA.

Clooney's Efforts

They're a world away from the glitz and glamor of Tinsel Town, and yet for Clooney, the Nuban people living near the border of Sudan and South Sudan have become near and dear to his heart.

The region is caught in the middle of violence by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum against a mostly black Christian population.
Clooney traveled there to document what he calls "war crimes," which include bombing attacks, burned-down villages, and ethnic killings. 

"For every one of those innocent people that are hurt, it's us that's hurt," he said.

U.S. officials warn the situation could worsen within months, leaving about a half million people at risk of starvation.

But the conflict also has global implications. China relies on imported oil from South Sudan, which has shut off supplies to the region.

"China, who has a $20 billion oil infrastructure built in Sudan, is now not getting a dime," Clooney said. "So they're having to go out on the open market and buy more oil, which costs them money, costs us money, raises the price of gas."

International Outcry

Clooney is calling on the international community, and Washington in particular, to act now to save potentially hundreds of thousands of lives

CBN News asked the actor whether he thought President Obama was doing enough, in light of his predecessor former President George W. Bush's record on African aid and programs.

"He's been amazing when he's been able to get himself to get in and roll up his sleeves," Clooney said.

"Listen, there's an Arab Spring, there's Iran, there's a lot of stuff going on in the world. It's hard to keep the focus for a long period of time on this, but that's what our job is - to keep reminding people of this," he added.

Clooney credits the work of Christian ministries for offering hope, healing, and relief to those suffering in Sudan.   

"They lead the work a lot of times here," he said. "When we were at the Darfur rally it was ministers, it was a lot of people of faith that had been working very hard on this. So in some ways I'm trying to honor whatever part I can in the hard work that they do."




2012 April Lorier Perspective

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'Better Off Dead Than Disabled?" Joni Says NO!

A disturbing belief is spreading within the hearts of many around the world and within America: that a person is better off dead than disabled. But Joni Eareckson Tada is fighting that notion and looking to educate the world and the church about the precious lives and rights of "those who seem to be weaker."

Joni Eareckson Tada, president of Joni and Friends and a prominent disabilities advocate, expressed a sense of awe and humility at being named to the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

"Some people tend to believe that I'm a strong believer, a strong Christian but that's not true," she said. "I'm not a strong believer. I'm very weak."

Tada, who lives as a quadriplegic after suffering a diving accident at age 17, said she struggles daily with her dependency on others.

"When I wake up in the morning, I'm thinking, 'Oh my goodness 45 years of paralysis.' I just don't know if I can face another day of having someone come into my bedroom and give me a bed bath or do my toiletry routines, get me dressed, sit me up in a wheel chair, push me to the bathroom, brush my teeth, feed me breakfast – oh the routine seems so overwhelming and sometimes I just feel like turning my head on the pillow and closing my eyes on the day," she revealed.

That constant state dependency, she said, often challenges her faith. However, Tada is often encouraged by her relationship with Jesus Christ.

NRB President and CEO Frank Wright explained Tada's induction in a statement.

"I know of no better testimony of how Christ's strength is made perfect through weakness than the life of Joni Eareckson Tada," he said. "Joni has stared suffering in the face and seen the face of Christ. It is our honor and privilege to induct her into NRB's Hall of Fame."

Joni said she is "tickled" to receive the NRB designation.

"It is a prestigious award. We're talking about people like Chuck Colson (of Prison Fellowship Ministries) and Billy Graham," she said. "To be included in their ranks is quite an honor."

Tada and other awardees will be named and recognized during Tuesday's Awards Reception and Dinner. Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship church, will be the speaker for the evening.

Joni has been an example for so many for so long. I'm thrilled for her! God bless you, Joni!

Thank you, Stephanie Samuel of The Christian Post

2010 April Lorier Perspective

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Domino's Pizza Founder a Real Hero!

(San Juan Capistrano, CA)—Speaking at JSerra Catholic High School on March 8, Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, shared his testimony of how wealth almost made him lose.

"The most important thing I [can] do is help people get to Heaven," the pizza mogul said during the meeting, according to Patch.com.

His priorities were not always aligned, however, as they are now, especially when he began coming into large amounts of money with the success of his business – once a small, single pizza place in Ypsilanti, Mich., called DomiNick's Pizza.

Monaghan, a former U.S. Marine who struggled financially for decades before becoming successful in business, said he went overboard in the 1980's when he became wealthy enough to buy fancy cars, yachts, and even the Detroit Tigers baseball team.

Noting that he could have turned into a Hugh Hefner-like person, his life changed when he read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and realized he had become the person he had never wanted to be.

Since then, Monaghan has reportedly sold many of his big possessions, has signed Bill Gates' "Giving Pledge" and now focuses on religious education and other charities.

According to a Christian Post report, he also "sold 93 percent of his share in Domino's to Bain Capital, Inc. in 1998 and dedicated his time to the church and pro-life causes."

"I would not be living out my faith if I did not use the abundant resources God has given me to help others," he said.

Source: Eryn Sun - The Christian Post

2012 April Lorier Perspective

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Annie Moses Band Has New CD - Video

Have you listened to the Annie Moses Band? No? Well, you are missing out on a real treat. They are a family (10) of Julliard trained musicians who, since 2002 have been wowing people with their energetic blend of jazz-pop-classical-country original music called 'chamber pop'. Named after their great-grandmother, Annie Moses, they started their journey as musicians when each child was four years old.

They wanted to begin a music group that would combine a spiritual message with musical excellence. The main vocalist is named after her great-grandmother, Annie.

After 3 years of study at Juilliard, the family moved back to Nashville (from New York) to pursue the AMB as a full-time ministry.  They are in their tenth year as a music group and focus on ministering to families.  

“We are a generation who has forgotten to blush,” says Annie, referring to Jeremiah 6:15, Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

Today AMB performs their unique classical sound of pop, country and jazz in over 100 concerts each year.  Their passion:  to reclaim the world of the arts by musically educating the very young.  They are dedicated to the vision of Psalm 150.  “The important thing is that the concept of music is not an afterthought of God,” says Annie. 

AMB is taping a music video of the song, Blush (video below), with Regent student Sarah Stone.  Sarah contacted AMB and  they were excited to be involved in the production.

“We want to raise a new generation in the arts and want to encourage people to become involved in the arts,” says Annie.  They started the Fine Arts Summer Academy in Nashville.  For more information, please visit anniemosesband or fineartssummeracademy

In the meantime, listen to their glorious "Blush"!

2012 April Lorier Perspective

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