7th October 1985: Achille Lauro hijacking

Four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists hijack an Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, off the coast of Egypt. Calling themselves the Palestine Liberation Front, the gunmen demanded the release of 50 Palestinian militants imprisoned in Israel. Lacking support from mainstream Palestinian groups, the hijackers surrendered to Egyptian authorities on October 9 in exchange for a pledge of safe passage to an undisclosed destination. However, when an Egyptian jet tried to fly the hijackers to freedom on October 10, U.S. Navy fighters intercepted the plane and forced it to land at a U.S. Navy base in Sicily early the next morning. U.S. and Italian troops surrounded the plane, and the terrorists were taken into Italian custody. The sole casualty of the hostage crisis was an elderly Jewish-American, Leon Klinghoffer, who was shot to death and thrown overboard with his wheelchair. An Italian court later convicted the four terrorists and sentenced them to prison terms ranging up to 30 years.

Jean Eudes

There are some favors the Almighty does not grant either the first, or the second, or the third time you ask him, because he wishes you to pray for a long time and often he wills this delay to keep you in a state of humility — and to make you realize the value of his grace.—

Jean Eudes

Kingdom of Heaven

How interesting, we had just watched the "Kingdom fo Heaven" and now the Vatican is releasing a book about that very subject.

The Vatican is to publish a book which is expected to shed light on the demise of the Knights Templar, a Christian military order from the Middle Ages. The book is based on a document known as the Chinon parchment, found in the Vatican Secret Archives six years ago after years of being incorrectly filed. The document is a record of the heresy hearings of the Templars before Pope Clement V in the 14th Century. The official who found the paper says it exonerates the knights entirely.
Prof Barbara Frale, who stumbled across the parchment by mistake, says that it lays bare the rituals and ceremonies over which the Templars were accused of heresy. In the hearings before Clement V, the knights reportedly admitted spitting on the cross, denying Jesus and kissing the lower back of the man proposing them during initiation ceremonies. The Pope was obliged to ask for pardons from the knights - the document absolves them

Prof Barbara Frale
Vatican Secret Archives official

However, many of the confessions were obtained under torture and knights later recanted or tried to claim that their initiation ceremony merely mimicked the humiliation the knights would suffer if they fell into the hands of the Muslim leader Saladin. The leader of the order, Jacques de Moley, was one of those who confessed to heresy, but later recanted. He was burned at the stake in Paris in 1314, the same year that the Pope dissolved the order. However, according to Prof Frale, study of the document shows that the knights were not heretics as had been believed for 700 years.
In fact she says "the Pope was obliged to ask for pardons from the knights... the document we have found absolves them".

Details of the parchment will be published as part of Processus contra Templarios, a book that will be released by the Vatican's Secret Archive on 25 October.

but.... aren't kids great?!

Children

Remember children are born with a decided bias toward evil, and therefore if you let them choose for themselves, they are certain to choose wrong. The mother cannot tell what her tender infant may grow up to be - tall or short, weak or strong, wise or foolish; he may or may not be any of these it is all uncertain. But one thing the mother can say with certainty: he will have a corrupt and sinful heart. It is natural for us to do wrong... Our hearts are like the earth on which we tread; let it alone, and it is sure to bear weeds.

John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 - June 10, 1900) was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool.
Ryle was born at Macclesfield, and was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he was Craven Scholar in 1836.
After holding a curacy at Exbury in Hampshire, he became rector of St Thomas's, Winchester (1843), rector of Helmingham, Suffolk (1844), vicar of Stradbroke (1861), honorary canon of Norwich (1872), and dean of Salisbury (1880). However before taking the latter office, he was advanced to the new see of Liverpool, where he remained until his resignation, which took place three months before his death at Lowestoft. His appointment to Liverpool was at the recommendation of the outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
Ryle was a strong supporter of the evangelical school and a critic of Ritualism. Among his longer works are Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century (1869), Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (7 vols, 1856-69), Principles for Churchmen (1884).
His second son, Herbert Edward Ryle was also a bishop.

Only 50 Years Ago - 1957

The Soviet Union fires the starting gun of the space race with its launch of Sputnik, the world's first artificial Earth satellite. Soviet radio reported that the artificial moon, which weighed 184 pounds, was circling Earth once every hour and 36 minutes. From its elliptical orbit hundreds of miles above Earth, Sputnik transmitted signals back to the ground strong enough to be picked up by amateur radio operators. Many Americans feared the Soviet’s new technology, which seemed to be strides ahead of U.S. efforts. Sputnik was 52 times the size of the first planned U.S. satellite, which was not even scheduled to be launched until the next year.

Mobile Phone Bibles

A line of religious mobile phone products has been launched by a Monmouthshire firm - including downloading the Bible for £6. Teimlo launched the service called Ecumen to deliver daily prayers, wallpaper and ring tones. Erik Fok, head of sales and marketing, said he believed young people would appreciate the service.
"The market for Christian content on mobile phones hasn't been well-served," he said.
"There are young Christians out there who want this kind of thing for their phones.

"Christian organisations and churches have been on the back foot in terms of communication, and in terms of getting hold of the current technology and ways of communicating.
The only Bible you can read in the dark Teimlo's promotional message.
"This provides a tremendous opportunity for them." Popular wallpapers available through the Ecumen website include pictures of angels, Noah's Ark, Jesus walking on water and religious messages and symbols.

Ring tones range from the traditional Amazing Grace and Bread of Heaven to modern songs by rock group Delirious, to the distinctly unholy sounds of "burps and laughs" and "pig squeal". Non-violent family-friendly games are also available to download and the Bible can be downloaded, marketed with the phrase: "The only Bible you can read in the dark." Pastor Robbie Howells, of Newport City Church, south Wales, said: "Our mission is to get the good news out there through every medium we can. Some young Christians may not want to use their Bible in school, but now they can have it on their phone and easily read the scriptures to help get them through the day.

Pastor Robbie Howells, of Newport City Church
"Mobile phones are such a great way of telling people about the gospel, and as a pastor it gives me a new way of communicating with members of the church, especially young people. It's getting the message across in a fun, funky way."

He said he was glad people could now access the Bible easily without carrying the book with them.

"Some young Christians may not want to use their Bible in school, but now they can have it on their phone and easily read the scriptures to help get them through the day," he added. "It's one of the things I'm most excited about, encouraging people to use the Bible on a daily basis rather than once a week."

Killing the Fatted Calf

If you're having a party and say that you're going to "kill the fatted calf", it's the same as saying that no expense is being spared.The phrase goes back to a parable of Jesus, where a wayward son comes home after a long time away, and his father is so overjoyed to have him back that he throws a lavish party, fatted calf and all. It seems that killing the fatted calf was the first-century equivalent of cracking open the bubbly...

The father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

Bible

God's book of "grace" is just like his book of nature; it is his thoughts written out. This great book, the Bible, this most precious volume is the heart of God made legible; it is the gold of God's love, beaten out into gold leaf, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good, and holy thoughts concerning Him.
-- John Bunyan

Street Pastors

Pastors are trained in meeting and counselling people Street pastors have begun ministering to revellers in Swindon who are in distress on the streets late at night. The idea has already been successful in tackling drink-fuelled anti-social behaviour Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester and London.

"We're not here to preach heaven and hell at people, we're here just to help people with whatever help they might need," said pastor Paul Rush.
Pastors dress in distinctive blue jackets and baseball caps. They are trained to have skills in meeting and counselling people before starting work on the streets. The eight-week course also tackles anger management and crowd control as well as health and safety, first aid and drug awareness. The Christian volunteers in the Pastor Patrols have all been recruited from local churches, with the support of local police and social service workers. They will walk the streets between 2200 and 0400 BST at the weekends.

2nd October

1953

A photograph of William Pettit, wanted for murder, is shown on BBC TV at the request of the police - the first time in Britain that television is used to help find a wanted man.

1955

American actor James Byron Dean dies in a car crash aged 24. Became an overnight success in the 1955 film 'East of Eden' which was followed several months by 'Rebel Without a Cause' and finally 'Giant', which was released shortly after his death.

Harvest Celebration

What a wonderful service today!! Everyone had a wonderful time and the table was full of cans and dry goods. It was also a new members service, with Sharon and my family, Patti, Cara and Chloe all joining. After the service we sat down to a harvest lunch with all kinds of treats including some wonderful Brazilian treats brought by Delzie.