Today's Roundup

Well written article by my buddy Bob Wichlinski on the subject of 9-11

UN Chief is pressuring Sudanese government, again. This won't work, I was there just 7 months ago and they are laughing all the way to the proverbial bank. Tyrants and fascists and fundamentalists are not changeable.

As oil slips to it's lowest levels this year, inflation measures subside or even move negative, this means interest rate increases can be halted. I'd like to see the Fed just plain stop interest rate manipulation for a year and see if the market itself can't just monitor itself. I'm with Steve Forbes, "use the Fed to control money supply and stay out of interest rates."

NATO says they killed about 100 Taliban in Afghanistan yesterday, making it like 500 in just the last month. How many are there? Are they getting an influx daily? Can we stop the pipeline? How about this, let's kill Bin Laden in October and get the Republicans the House and Senate ... that'll make people scream politics.

National Review articles today on commemoration of 9-11

9-11 Five Years Later

This morning I watched the 9-11 memorial at the former World Trade Center site with my two youngest. They were only 2 and 3 at the time so they only really remember the reruns they can't feel the emotional tug of that specific moment. We talked about fascists and dictators versus freedoms and openess. We talked about real religion and what man can do to religion by changing it into a "tool" of manipulation and control.

Do you remember where you were? Do you remember a feeling that "this is the end."?

Elam Trip Update III

Julie and the team toured the Blue Mosque and Market Bazaar and Haggia Sophie in Istanbul yesterday. I posted pix of the Blue Mosque yesterday. Last night had dinner with a student at the college ... she tells in her email a story that out one window were white dress laden dancers, out the other a Turkish wedding, the muslim call to prayers was sounded and the team decided to sing "I love you Lord" while holding hands. Sounds pretty intense eh?

Here's here email from late last night:

"we had a huge day yesterday on the go all day! we toured the blue mosque and haggaı sophıa whıch was a temple and the muslıms have taken over and etched every cross out ın the place. one of the students prepared dınner for us last nıght Iranıan meal and we heard more testımonıes from them. ı love these people. they have such pure hearts. the excıtemnet for mınısterıng to the lost ıs heartwrenchıng--ıt ıs what they lıve for. they prepared us lunch at the church yesterday also. the same student that paıd for meal the fırst nıght--ıs the one who fıxed our lunch and dınner.

we shopped at the grand bazzar yesterday evenıng and bought many thıngs. baharenk showed us what thıngs represented an evıl spırıt wıthın the moslem relıgıon--thıngs not to purchase. there are many sıgns and restaraunts that have thıs EYE ON ıt.

we went to magnaşs apt. and had dınner and there was a turkısh weddıng goıng on ın one wındow--A TURKISH WHIRLING DANCER IN THE OTHER--THE PRAYER CALL GOING ON AND THEN WE WERE SINGING AND HOLDING HANDS I LOVE YOU LORD. SORRY about the grammar on thıs computer ıt ıs dıfferent than most. ıt was an amazıng tıme of worshıp.

we spent the mornıng havıng breakfast wıth sam who ıs ın charge of elam--he ıs so humble 1 yet ıs on fıre for the lord. he has created a beautıful mınıstry of competent carıng people who make savıng the lost a prıorıty!

we are goıng on a cruıse around the ıslands of ıstanbul wıth the students and sam and wıtnessıng to muslıms today. thıs ıs such an awesome opportunıty! thanks for lettıng me do thıs!"

They travel out at 1 a.m. tonite (8 am tomorrow for them) to Munich for a day and then home to Chicago on Monday.

"we are brıght eyed and bushy taıled thıs am (noT). had a great tıme wıth students and sam (unbelıevable beauty) saıled on the black sea and sea of marmarş called the bosphorous. the studentsa evangelızrd on the boat and had a blat wıth us and each other. they are so precıous! they are always carryıng bıbles. we stopped at a b and b and 2 young men owned and welcomed us to use theır place to sıt by the ocean. They were moslem and we dıdnt realıze that sam was goıng to baptıze one of the students. he baptızed her and the men were watchıng whıch then was a chance to evangelıze to both and then there was a crowd around sam and a few of the students. ı felt lıke thıs ıs how JESUS spent hıs lıfe. very meek and seızıng every opportunıty!

well our rıde to aırport ıs waıtıng so ı better get off of here<. headed to munıch and then home! ı am lookıng forward to seeıng everyone! "

Elam Trip Update II

Julie sent this email late last night, her early morning since they are 7 hours ahead.

"Thıs place ıs beautıful!!!! lookıng out at the sea of marmar and the hıstory ıs amazıng: We are tourıng wıth baharaknk today. Hıs testımony ıs amazıng: The storıes that were told last nıght of the spırıtual warfare and holy spırıt ıs amazıng!!! They have seen demons removed from people. well ı cannot waıt to talk to you! we are tourıng the blue mosque and grand bazaar today. "

I inserted the Blue Mosque pictures so you could all see where she's headed today.

Today's Headlines and LInks - Sept 7

Nato commander says they need more troops in southern Afghanistan to deal a decisive blow to Taliban militants.

Tony Blair will announce he's retiring in May, he's been a good friends an ally to the United States over the last decade. Now the question is will the Brits elect a conservative government and begin the process of rolling back the socialism of the 70's?

I am suggesting over at Synergy Thoughts that the media recession is over, oil is down, rates are down, incomes are up, the Fed is done killing the goose, and it may be one heck of a fall housing market. Scroll down for a reading list for the week too.

Oreilly Radar suggests we'll see a resurgence of short form films and books and poetry and articles and media of all types, this time controlled by the user. Does that affect all of us? How will your business be affected?

There are basically two Somalias, one controlled by the Islamacists and one by gangs of thugs parading and pretending to be democrats but are really puppets of Eritrea. What a mess.

Podcast interview with guy who bought a company on Ebay asks the question "will Ebay like auctions be the investment bank sources for the economy 2.0?"

Recommended Read

I am finishing Alvin Toffler's new book Revolutionary Wealth tonite. I highly recommend the book ... chocked full of challenging ideas and terms, some coined by the authors themselves. The book is focused on where we as a world are headed, especially with regards to wealth and its definition. Will we sell things, make things, service things, donate things, compute, or just plain think?

Try it and throw me some comments, I'll do a full review this weekend.

Amazon.com Link if you want your own copy

Newt says do these 11 things

Want to know how to win the house and senate and governors races and statehouses and eventually the Presidency in 2008? Newt says do these 11 things.

Operation Elam

My wife and her mom and sister left today (Monday)for London and Instanbul to visit and meet those involved in Elam College and ministries to develop leaders for reaching into Iran.

Here's the Elam Ministries site

"Elam was founded in 1988 by senior Iranian church leaders with a view to serving the needs of the church in the Iran Region. From the beginning, Elam's passion was to train and equip Iranian Christians for the ministry. In 1990 the first six students arrived from Iran to begin their fulltime training. They lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment and used the kitchen as the classroom.
An elderly Scottish lady sent a cheque to Elam's leadership for £50, noting the money was for the 'Iranian Bible Training Building Project'. No request had been shared with anyone, and so Elam's leadership believed the Lord was directing them to the next step. In 1992 Elam purchased a disused and semi-derelict Salvation Army eventide home."

Wednesday Update: We did get an email to my father in law that they are safely in London and spent yesterday at Elam College and are in London for sightseeing today. We hear rumors that they may get to go to Mary Poppins!

Interesting article today about Istanbul and Turkey and religious freedom, protected by the Turkish constitution but not really a possibility until this first Christian church in years opens.

This is the hotel they are staying at in Istanbul starting tomorrow, wow!

Wednesday afternoon update: Julie emailed "we leave for istanbul in 6 hours --have been in london all day and night. saw mary poppins tonight and had a really nice day. learning lots here at the bible college and the people are great1 give the kids my love. love ya"

Looks like London was a success ... Now on to Instanbul in 6 hours.

Thursday Update: Found this verbage on Flickr post of some great photos of Istanbul .... try it yourself www.flickr.com and do a search for "Istanbul"

"Istanbul ,one of the great historical cities of the world, is the only city in the world located upon two continents with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other arm to Europe. Through the city's heart runs the sea channel called the Bosphorus which reaches north to The Black Sea and south to the Marmara Sea. Istanbul is located in the Marmara region of Turkey and is a major seaport city as well as an industrial, commercial, educational and financial center and trade center. Manufactures include ship building, glass, textiles, shoes and cement. The city's inhabitants is Officially about twelve million.The city is divided into three parts - the old city , the new city and the Asiatic side. The old town and new town which encompass the greater part of the city are located in Europe. The Asiatic side can be reached from the European side by two bridges, the Bosphorus Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The Old City and the New City are separated by the Golden Horn, an inlet of the Bosphorus. It is a natural channel seven km long and is connected by two bridges, the Galata Bridge and Atatürk Bridge"

I talked to Julie yesterday. They had just landed (our morning, their late afternoon) in Istanbul and were headed to dinner in the market quarter of the city. She said they had a great time in London going to Parliament, Big Ben, attending Mary Poppins, and spending some real quality time with these students at Elam College. Hopefully I'll get a report today on their stories in Istanbul. Remember these students are all being taught in Persian so they can head back to Iran and teach the gospel in a country that isn't too free or tolerant. I asked Julie to send some pictures too, hopefuly she can get them emailed so I can post.

Friday Update: Email from Julie

"Thıs place ıs beautıful!!!! lookıng out at the sea of marmar and the hıstory ıs amazıng: We are tourıng wıth