text:
Although we've noticed the steady, pebble-by-pebble crumbling of the family for decades, we're now watching the landslide. We live in an age where society is no longer content to simply ignore the sanctity of marriage and the family—it attacks it with a vengeance. God's established order for life has become a threat to this culture's pursuit of sexual freedom.
Consider the global range of attacks on the family within the last decade. Back in 2000, Dutch parliament passed the first legislation in history that granted same-sex couples the right to marry. Following the Netherland's lead were Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), and Norway (2008). Although traditional marriage was challenged much earlier in the U.S. (1993), social conservatives and moral majority leaders quickly enacted protective measures, prompting Congress to adopt same-sex marriage bans nationwide. The bans didn't last long. Conservative "victories" were short-lived as judges began lifting bans and pushing Congress to amend the constitution. Since 2008, opposition against marriage and the family has intensified in America, taking many unsuspecting Christians by surprise.
The most recent example happened in California last week. On August 4, elected U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, himself a homosexual, carried out his own attack against the family. He used his judicial powers to overturn the will of California's voters regarding Proposition 8, which proposed an amendment to California's constitution, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Judge Walker declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Period. At this point, Judge Walker has won a temporary victory for the pro-homosexual agenda to redefine the fundamental concept of marriage according to their preferred sin.
Brace yourself, believer. You're going to keep seeing this fire-storm of opposition against the family. Soon, many people will consign Christians who uphold a biblical view of marriage and family to the same moral category as white supremacy groups, and they'll consider any effort to oppose homosexuality as a hate crime. In fact, it won't be long before this blog post becomes a violation of law, under "hate speech" legislation.
Take another example: Carrie Prejean, one of the contestants in the 2009 Miss USA pageant, made public statements against same-sex marriage. The media demanded her head on a platter. One of the judges, a homosexual, asked whether she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage. Prejean responded, "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman." Officials of the pageant immediately expressed outrage and open hostility toward her convictions. Prejean is no model of biblical Christianity, but the hostile reactions to her simple confession is a sample of what's to come.
With mounting intensity, society continues to wage war on the traditional, biblical view of the family. Another key player in this war is Hollywood. Whenever Hollywood portrays families in modern films, television dramas, and sitcoms, they nearly always caricature them as a grossly dysfunctional unit. Not only is there a noted absence of any male leadership in most instances, but oftentimes there's no authority figure present at all, creating a scenario where anything goes. But not only is dad absent, so is mom. She's either working outside the home, or working on an adulterous relationship. Even the titles of many mainline television programs betray their outrageous content. Programs such as 'Sex in the City' and 'Desperate Housewives' have turned marital infidelity into a laughing matter. It's prime-time "entertainment," and Americans eat it up.
Such portrayals of the American family were once rare for Hollywood, but now they literally dominate the big-screen. And here's why: they are accurate reflections of our fallen culture, a culture that systematically undermines love, order, authority, and righteousness. Commenting on the epidemic absence of morality within society, John MacArthur writes:
Casual sex is expected. Divorce is epidemic. Marriage itself is in decline, as multitudes of men and women have decided it's preferable to live together without making a covenant or formally constituting a family. Abortion is a worldwide plague. Juvenile delinquency is rampant, and many parents have deliberately abandoned their roles of authority in the family. On the other hand, child abuse in many forms is escalating.
Casual sex is expected. Divorce is epidemic. Marriage itself is in decline, as multitudes of men and women have decided it's preferable to live together without making a covenant or formally constituting a family. Abortion is a worldwide plague. Juvenile delinquency is rampant, and many parents have deliberately abandoned their roles of authority in the family. On the other hand, child abuse in many forms is escalating.
All those elements prevail in our society and resonate with our fallen flesh. Therefore, they dominate the entertainment industry. It's the law of supply and demand in action. Hollywood gives people what they want—corruption.
Trying to find a traditional, structured family anywhere on television is nearly impossible. While lamenting Hollywood's sick portrayal of families,someone made the following observation:
The only television "family" who regularly attend church together are the Simpsons—and they are cartoon exaggerations deliberately saddled with the worst imaginable traits, designed mainly to mock and malign both church and family. It's no joke, though. A relentless parade of similarly dysfunctional assortments of people assaults us on television and in the movies. Hollywood has given a broad new meaning to the word family. Meanwhile, traditional nuclear families with a strong, reliable father and a mother whose priorities are in the home have been banished from popular culture, made to feel as if they were the caricature.
The only television "family" who regularly attend church together are the Simpsons—and they are cartoon exaggerations deliberately saddled with the worst imaginable traits, designed mainly to mock and malign both church and family. It's no joke, though. A relentless parade of similarly dysfunctional assortments of people assaults us on television and in the movies. Hollywood has given a broad new meaning to the word family. Meanwhile, traditional nuclear families with a strong, reliable father and a mother whose priorities are in the home have been banished from popular culture, made to feel as if they were the caricature.
Such examples may seem subtle and harmless to some Christians. But over time, like water erosion on the face of rock, these secular ideas at first influence then control the thinking of many unsuspecting Christians who expose their families to such corrupting ideas.
Take Lot, for example. Lot "pitched his tent as far as Sodom." Why is that significant? Because "the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord." The next time we find Lot in the inspired record, he is no longer a stranger to the wicked inhabitants of Sodom—he's one of their leading citizens. Further, he calls them his "brothers," chooses one of their citizens as his wife, and raises his two daughters in a pagan environment. Apparently, Lot acclimatized himself to the wicked lifestyle of the Sodomites. When God sent two angels to rescue His family, the entire male population of Sodom sought to assault the angelic visitors sexually, who had lodged with Lot's family for the night. What was Lot's solution to the problem? He quickly offered his two virgin daughters to satisfy their sexual cravings. During the angelic rescue, Lot was reluctant to abandon his residence in Sodom, and when he finally realized the danger he and his family were in, his sons-in-law mocked his warnings to flee. Apparently, the citizens of Sodom didn't take Lot too seriously when it came to discussions about God.
In the New Testament, Peter uses the story of Lot as an example of how God can rescue His people from the jaws of temptation. In the process, he sheds additional light on the severity of Sodom's corrupting influence when he writes that God, "delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day be seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)." After God rescued Lot's family and sent judgment upon Sodom, Lot's wife, longing to return to her sinful pattern of life was turned into a pillar of salt. Following that tragedy, Lot's two daughters got their father drunk and committed sexual incest with him in order to preserve their family lineage. The record of Lot closes on a bitter note—he was a tormented soul who jeopardized himself and his family with a compromised way of life. For his legacy, he spawned two cursed people groups—the Ammorites and the Moabites.
If God hadn't told us Lot was "righteous" (2 Peter 2:7, 8), it would be very difficult to identify Him as a citizen of God's kingdom. The story of Lot is a classic example of how easily the world is able to pollute and corrupt a righteous mind.
Christian, how close have you pitched your tent to Sodom? Have you taken a close look at your family lately?
Think about this: How are today's Christians indifferent or asleep in the cultural battle for the family? How is the enemy infiltrating Christian homes (e.g., immersion in modern technology, exposure to secular entertainment)? Enjoy the thread.
Tommy ClaytonWeb Content Developer
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My first impulse is to bristle and get defensive about modern technology. After all, if it weren't for modern tech, we wouldn't be here right now having this discussion. It has made it possible for men of God to be trained and equipped with works that I never would have imagined before. Unfortunately, (as I've experienced myself), that training isn't often guided personally by wise leaders and so the armchair theologian runs the risk of living with some pretty erroneous theology until the Spirit leads Him otherwise. It also is undeniable that modern tech makes the most vile evil possible with very little to no effort on the part of the errant sinner. I remember the B.I. days (before internet), when it took some pretty massive effort on the part of myself to dive into filth...now it is an instantaneous monster that devours men and ministries whole.
But even with those shortcomings, we must place the blame squarely on our own shoulders. James is pretty clear that sin comes from within us, and we choose to bring it out. My wife and I haven't been yet blessed with a child, but I pray that when we are, we will be faithful not to do like so many I've seen (many in leadership!) who allow music, television, movies, and loose morality to run roughshod over their sons and daughters. I pray that we all would wake up and be more diligent in our pursuit of holiness for ourselves and our families. We need it now more than ever!
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I see many from my own flock who have not forsaken the key aggressor in this war, namely, the media and Hollywood. Christian liberty is used to justify the viewing of material that was once banned from prime-time television.
Christian families need to be prayerfully brought to the place where they truly desire to honor God rather than satisfy their own comfort and desires. Only when they cherish His glory over their pleasure will they forsake the culture's demands on their attention. And as they do, they will be blessed with contentment.
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Thank you once again for starting another superb topic on the GTY website! I have a problem that as been on my mind for some time regarding the current status of homosexuality. Nearly all the people I interact with that view homosexuality as an acceptable unison believe that the current homophobic trend is another form of racism. They believe that the current suppression of homosexuality run parallel to how different races were treated before the civil rights movement in America. I understand this is an incorrect view, but I cannot seem to explain how exactly it's incorrect. To make matters worse, people used the bible to support slavery and racial discrimination before, and I'm afraid people will accuse me of doing the same thing when presenting what the bible says about homosexuality.
I understand that this was not the main point of this blog, so please forgive me for hi-jacking this thread for my own purposes.
What you encounter is a typical propaganda ploy by homosexual advocates. They are arguing that homosexual orientation is genetic, and hence any person who denies the homosexual's orientation and attempts to tell him or her to change it to "normal," is like telling a black person to be white. Obviously such a thing is impossible.
But there is no proof of such a genetic link in homosexual orientation. That is not to say such orientation isn't real, just that other factors may be contributing to the cause; not genetics.
The Master's Seminary faculty did a series of lecture on homosexuality a couple of years ago that was published in the fall 2008 TMS journal. You can find the journal articles here:
I also have written on the subject of homosexual revisionist apologetics and the Bible at my own personal blog:
Dear Fred,
Thank you for such a quick reply! I will check out the links in a bit. I too have heard claims about homosexuality being related to genetics, but the problem I have encountered was not that of it being a genetics issue, but a political one. Perhaps the genetic issue might be the underlying cause for this reasoning, but most of the homosexual marriage advocates I have encountered seemed to believe that homosexuals are being persecuted and treated as second-class citizens because they are different- much like how African-Americans were treated before the civil rights movement. What I am basically seeing now is this new movement in homosexual equality is being equated to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And to fight against this dawning of a new age means that I am no better than the racists to tried to keep African-Americans under their control.
Piggybacking on what Mr. Butler has said (and I almost hate to say this), most people who say that opposition to homosexuality is like racism a generation or two ago have no idea what racism was like. They speak out of ignorance. As Mr. Butler pointed out, they try to draw a connection between the two ideas by saying both race and homosexuality are genetic, that you can't choose either. However, a) race is a myth, at least how we use the word today (go ask Thabiti Anyabwile); and b) even if it weren't a myth, it's not a moral issue. There is nothing "wrong" with being any particular "race." Homosexuality, along with any other deviant sexual behavior, IS a moral issue.
IOW, what these proponents do is try to justify homosexuality by taking it out of the "moral" category and put it in the "genetics" category. They know that, to an extent, morals can be "helped." If you're born that way, then you can't help it.
It's sneaky and it almost sounds right, and it sounds like you've experienced that. However, the bottom line is that argument is contradictory to Scripture, which is God's revealed moral will.
Hi Folks: Thanks Fred for the web sites (I have to go to work soon so I'll view them when I get home.) Great discussion here!
Don't you find it odd how folks equate sexual orientation in ways we would never do for other mental health issues? We would never give a sociopath the right to murder folks because that is his orientation or genetic predisposition. We do not treat physical disorders any different, if a person has a deformity we don't call that "normal" and make everyone treat it as normal. People that are not able to ambulate without some form of prosthetic limb or vehicle are not ask to act like they are able to walk up stairs normally. That is why we have ramps for those folks. Form function follows form, form follows function. To allow the homosexual the "right" to his/her orientation is oblique to the real issue.(Next we will allow bestiality, S&M, etc as "normal" behaviors.) The real issue is defining what "normal sexual behavior" is... even if homosexuality were genetic... not that I believe it for one moment, but if it were... it would only be an aboration of normal. "The exception confirms the rule".
In addition, one of the marks of the sexual aborant is that of markedly aggressive proselytism, which is the only way they can gain followers. Just a thought
James writes,
Perhaps the genetic issue might be the underlying cause for this reasoning, but most of the homosexual marriage advocates I have encountered seemed to believe that homosexuals are being persecuted and treated as second-class citizens because they are different- much like how African-Americans were treated before the civil rights movement.
Well. The reality is is that homosexuals ARE NOT being treated like blacks in the pre-civil rights era. This is just dishonest rhetoric. They are not being treated as 2nd class citizen and have the same rights afford to them as anyone else in the United States. What is happening is that they are being pushed back on their efforts to redefine the historical understanding of marriage as societies have defined it for thousands of years. This is not prejudice in any way related to civil rights for ethnic groups.
I agree with Fred. The homosexual movement seems to be attempting to turn the debate into a classic struggle consistent with and comparable to the black-white racism issue. The reality is that it's nothing of the sort. The issues of the racism debate and the homosexual debate are not just different, but largely unrelated to each other. Any attempt to draw parallels between the two will prove, therefore, to be logically fallible.
This blog was a good read, Mr. Clayton. Thank you for this. I look forward to reading and participating in the rest of the series.
Today's Christians, for the most part, will not put God as top priority. How can a person know how to live for Christ and protect themselves from the enemy, if they are not reading the Bible, and trying to understand and apply God's principles to our everyday life. Families are so "busy" and the battles are soooo everywhere that it is completely overwhelming trying to counter the bad influences, even if you are a student of the Bible and trying to live it.
I recognize and acknowledge that technology and communication has been a tremendous blessing in many ways. I love using the web to learn more about the Bible, especially through the Grace To You Archives.
Yet, look at how technology and communication are being used by people who love their sin and want others to participate. These bad influences (some just blatant sin) are open ***no-accountability*** avenues of temptation that are easily turned into sin and include:
-Ads that come in our newspapers and magazines would qualify as pornography 20 years ago
-Walking down the mall is the same, both with ads and the way many people dress
-Magazines at checkout counters
-Video games
-Basic-station TV (not even cable)
-Many things that pass for art/theater
-Social networks
-Cell Phone/Texting/Web Surfing/Picture sharing
-Web content and much more
It is not enough that I, as an adult, have to deal with these constant battles; but now add kids to the mix! It is nearly impossible to completely monitor what a young teen is looking at and participating in because of technology. Even if they don't have cable TV, a cell phone or IPOD, the next kid does and shows them everything we are trying to avoid. Next, the school shows them movies that would not be shown in our home and teaches things that contradict what we have taught them. It is brutal already. I cannot imagine what is around the corner. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Your blog article was like a breath of fresh air in a polluted environment of distortions and indifference concerning same-sex marriage. Thank you for writing about it. Since marriage is God's idea, as Christians, we ought to stand for nothing less than His plan for marriage. We are the Bride of Christ and Paul tells us our marriages should be example's of His relationship with us. We want to glorify God by standing firm on the concept of one man-one woman marriage, come what may.
If this issue was about the "rights" of the downtrodden, why aren't these same pro-gay lawyers also defending the cause of the most neglected, helpless among us - the unborn child? Because they want to redefine marriage, not defend "rights."
Dear Greg:
I'm so sorry that your family is going through this. I understand. It's difficult not to get angry when you consider these "user friendly" churches are essentially accomplices to the spiritual degradation of millions. Keep speaking up, with gentleness and love, and keep taking your kids to God's word. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit can bring sense to their minds.
If a son or daughter became a homosexual in a godly family. Should a their father reject him or her? Just thinking of a question I heard.
Why because I heard one christian lady accepted her son homosexuality
and don't do a thing about it. Sad. Reason was her husband divorced him.
A kid going through divorce, death, and wrong crowd can lead him to
homosexuality. Just to let you know some things can hurt a kid emotionally and even spiritually too.
We need to read God's Word to kids when they are born to when they leave
the household, so they can stand strong.
# 4 - Greg. I am sorry to hear about your family. I know how you feel, it's frustrating sometimes. I have to constantly remind myself that I am not in control, God is. I will pray for your family.
# 11 - Connie. I am happy to know that I am not the only one bothered by mall signs and ads. It's getting worse and worse. At times like these I remind myself that we are not of this world, but we are in this world, we are in it, but we won't be contaminated with it as long as we keep God's Word in our hearts and minds. It's not easy. It's very hard. Especially because the more we grow in the faith and knowledge of Jesus, more and more wordly things bother us and make us uncomfortable.
I make mine your words: "Come quickly Lord Jesus!"
Dear 52 year old Greg;
Be of good cheer my friend. The Bible says, "Seek Me and ye shall find Me". No matter what the circumstances in a persons life, each and every one of us have a day of visitation. I was born again after walking in a false salvation for 2 years. The Holy Spirit led me out of a Charismatic Church filled with error and Heresy. There is no human condition or circumstance capable of resisting God's Grace and Will for "His" people. Unless a person is willfully ignorant of Gods Word, "With God, all things are possible" . Be sure your doctrine is rock solid my friend and I suggest you examine the opportunities you have to witness to your family in a manner that our faith instructs us to.
God Bless, and do not lose heart, for Jesus has overcome the world.
The Bible says to hate that which is evil and love that which is good. I can't help but notice the darkness that is encroaching across the globe with each waking day and it makes my stomach turn. I definitely understand what Paul meant when he said, "Fight the good fight". I am not ashamed of Christ.
# 15 Dan:
If a son or daughter forsakes the truth and embraces a sinful lifestyle of any variety—including homosexuality—our first duty is clear. Love them.
The prodigal son's father is a great example of the attitude we should exhibit toward sinners, especially our own children. Love, wait, watch, and pray.
Of course, loving sinners includes communicating the gospel to them and pointing out their sin. But here's the reality: unless they are regenerate and repentant, your words will fall on deaf ears.
We should always be ready to give a defense of the faith (1 Pet. 3:15), but we must do so with gentleness and reverence. There's no exemption in that verse for parents with lost children, or children with lost parents.
Tks Tom,
It's been on my mind. I agree with you. God bless.
Re "How are today's Christians indifferent or asleep in the cultural battle for the family?"
Maybe being indifferent or asleep is not the only conclusion we can come to in this battle. I think "overwhelmed" would be more accurate.
We have so many "fronts" to battle. The internal attacks (in the church) alone are enough to debilitate the strongest christian.
When we have (as some have pointed out) people believing it is the job of the church to keep us "safe" from the world; That just believing in Jesus would magically "fix" everything; or, more importantly, that our enemy is "the immoral" in society, we have more of an uphill battle.
No doubt the world takes care of it's own. Everything in TV, film and print media is meant, by design, to appeal to whatever sells. It only reflects what the majority accepts. It doesn't take much to realize what we see in entertainment is a poorly disguised attempt to make anything "moral" something that has to be fought. Even Disney, for crying out loud, portrays parents and adults as know nothing nincompoops who are so "out of it" they can easily be ignored. Not to mentioned some of their company policies that show clear acceptance of immoral lifestyles, all in the name of P.C inclusion, that now most companies have made a part of their company creed.
Let's just remember, and take to heart
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
All we can really do is keep ourselves, and our families, anchored in the many teachings of scripture, like
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
When you hear or have been told those that are practicing homosexuals have no choice in their sexuality because they are born that way, they are saying that they were born with a DNA that makes them be attracked to the same sex. Let the question be asked (in love) what do you do with those people that lived in decades of the gay life and then came to Christ and became a healthy happy husband or wife of the other sex? Its like saying that you have been created with a certain set of fingerprints (DNA) and then ten, twenty years later you look down and notice that you have a differnt set of prints or the color of your eyes have changed from blue to pink. The DNA claim cannot hold to the truth of those redeemed men and women who have been rescuded from the lie and have been found in the truth which has set them free.Jeremiah 5:1 [Jerusalem's Godlessness] "Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, Then I will pardon her.
This is true. I have been convicted by God and have tried to purge our home with the filth we've collected. Oh may God, reveal our sins, may He be praised and not us for the good He can do. Lot's life was sad. He was deceived, but God showed him mercy. May be learn from this example and never be a "Lot's wife" and keep our hand to the plow of doing God's will
I am going to read the Tale of Two Sons by JM. It relates to this blog.
Just letting you know.
Brilliant Article!
Think about this: How are today's Christians indifferent or asleep in the cultural battle for the family? How is the enemy infiltrating Christian homes (e.g., immersion in modern technology, exposure to secular entertainment)?
I would say the Church just doesnt esteems the Word of God high enough.
One thing that has come to my attention is the child idol thing and the books that parents allow their children to read. I think many suffer from a popularity or fame syndrome (I am talking about the Church here). We see a young "innocent" Hannah Montannah and then she grows up and starts to behave in a lose manner. By this time our children are addicted to her. I have a young daughter and I have made up in my mind that as much as the LORD will give me strength she will have no idols in her life, no teen stars. I pray that I will be an exmaple of Christ before her and that she will grow to love Christ with all her heart.
I have a question regarding the child that chooses homosexuality. If the child lives at home with you, do you allow him/her to stay at home? what about if there are younger siblings who can be influenced?
Love them, I agree however as in the prodigal son, the son was not at home sinning it up, he went about his own business.
Good observation, Paul.
The prodigal son illustrates (among other things) the kind of attitude we should adopt toward sinners. That's the purpose I had in mind. True, the son abandoned his father; but the father never left his son. That's the point.
There's no "one answer fits all" to your question. There are so many factors to consider in that scenario, such as the child's: age, influence on other siblings as you pointed out, whether or not he (or she) is brazenly flaunting his sinful lifestyle, relationship with parents, and most importantly, whether or not the child is truly seeking help. Those are just a few factors, and they all vary.
I think parents facing that situation would be foolish not to consult their pastor for counsel, prayer, wisdom and encouragement. Flippant decisions are both foolish and dangerous in those kinds of situations, and they often compound the problem by ostracizing the sinner and removing him further away from spiritual help.
I think this topic will be dealt with more fully when we address the scriptural duty of parents toward their children.
There is a sobering editorial in today's Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/opinion/) by Alan Wisdom of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. In referring to the recent ruling of Judge Walker striking down California's Proposition 8, he quotes Judge Walker who stated as "fact" that "religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians." Alan Wisdom concludes that this "will escalate the culture wars by officially labeling traditional religious believers and bodies as enemies of the core constitutional value of 'equal protection.'"
It is clear that those who uphold a biblical view of marriage are in for turbulent waters ahead but we can not deny God's Word. God is our Rock and our Shield. We must speak the truth in love without flinching and uphold one another in prayer.
Thanks Tommy.
I agree regarding the fathers love for his child, amazing! What I find all too often is an inbalance as to where the parent is condoning the childs ways and calling it the Love of God. What I have witnessed is the Child reaching adulthood and they are worse.
The fathers love in the story is representative of Gods love for us and we know that whom The LORD loves he chastens. Its not a love thats void of discipline and correction.
Proverbs 13:24He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
I would say that this is a place where the world is invading the Church. Children are taught to be rebellious through the music, TV and even school.
I look forward to the upcoming teachings.
This is really good stuff that the church needs but too many are busy trying to "speak things into being" and waiting for their "Season" to come.
Thanks again!
This just in . . .
Jennifer Aniston stars in an upcoming movie, 'The Switch.' She plays Kassie, a single woman desperate for a baby who decides to have artificial insemination in order to raise a child.
It seems that this movie is much more than a paycheck for Aniston—it's her own personal campaign against the traditional family.
People magazine quoted Aniston as saying, "the point of the movie is what it is that defines family? It isn't necessarily the traditional mother, father, two children and a dog named Spot." She went on to say, "Love is love and family is what is around you and who is in your immediate sphere. That is what I love about this movie. It is saying it is not the traditional sort of stereotype of what we have been taught as a society of what family is."
At a press conference for her upcoming film, she said: "Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child . . . Times have changed and what is amazing is that we do have so many options these days, as opposed to our parents' days when you can't have children because you have waited too long."
Get ready for more of this from Hollywood. The influence this movie will have upon young minds is incalculable. It serves as yet another example of the world's relentless campaign of hatred against God's Word.
1 John 1;15-17-
Do not love the world or things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that
is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world. And
the world is passing away and the lust of it: but he who does the
will of God abides forever.
The opening statement of this blog subject is a great example of the thinking that dispensationalism brings.
The landslide of oppressing opposition culture tears away at the poor little Christian church, maybe we should just all cower in some dark subculture and hope God takes us all out in the rapture, hopefully before the big bad antichrist comes and picks on us. The modern church is so pessimistic because of its eschatology. When the modern dispensational church talks about the power of the gospel Rom 1, or the great commission Matt 28, what does it really mean? Until the church changes its future outlook to a positive Biblical one the Church will not have a strong voice in culture. Before 1830 the Church took the lead in music, art, science, cultural thought in general now the Church leads in none of these, the church is crying and wining about society because it's only reacting and has lost it's ability to be proactive.
Hi Donavan,
You have made an important point, namely, that our theology has an impact on our outlook on life, culture, and society.
Based on previous discussions I think you would agree with the standard doctrines of grace and God's sovereignty in salvation. If that is the case, is the state of our culture the result of God's failed election of more people because the church hasn't done it's job, or has the church failed to convince the mass of morally depraved people and leaders?
It sounds to me like you're blaming the church for where the culture is, but that is inconsistent with a view of God's sovereignty, the depravity of man, and the doctrine of election.
You're almost certainly aware of ministries like Focus on the Family and the ACLJ and many others that have sought through various means, including political, to influence the culture. Surely, you're aware of the millions of dollars that spent by Christians attempting to defend biblical morality through judicial and legislative means. The recent decision to overturn Prop. 8 in California is an example where many Christians fought long and hard, and ultimately were overruled by one man whose sinful lifestyle was implicated by the case. The constant battles over abortion have massive support by Christians and non-Christians alike--yet they are repeatedly defeated.
The Church (more often para-church ministries) isn't absent from the fight, they are simply using the wrong weapons.
Dispensationalism does not cause anyone to hide in a dark corner waiting for the rapture--that is a misleading representation. What dispensationalism does is help us not be surprised at the situation we find ourselves in, regardless of efforts to sustain biblical morality in the culture. Postmillenialism and some forms of Ammillenialism, on the other hand, cause many to fight against their own theology thinking they can overturn depraved societies apart from the gospel.
I agree with your post that our theology has an impact on our outlook. But more accurately stated our poor theology has an impact on our outlook culturally. Gods sovereignty is certainly the cause of our salvation, no doubt there, but it is the means that God blesses, that's why calvinists have always been missionary minded.
What I'm saying is that dispensationalism paints a pessimistic view of the future (Antichrist, millions of Jews dying, Armageddon, Seas of Blood) and all this is constantly coming soon soon soon. Jay Vernon McGee said it best "Why polish brass on a sinking ship". Think this idea through, it makes the church impotent. The Gates of Hell will not prevail against us doesn't mean the church withstanding the attack of Hell it means the Gates of Hell will not stand against the attack of the church, this is a huge difference in meaning and it makes a difference when combating sin on a cultural level.
I didn't see a response to my comment there. I'm not arguing about McGee, I'm saying the system of dispensationalism doesn't necessitate the passivism you ascribe to it. This blog post/series is not about dispensationalism, so I don't want to get side-tracked, only to say that the pessimistic view you described comes straight from Revelation, not a theological system.
Nevertheless, let me ask you this: what is the task of the church? Are we to evangelize the lost, or transform culture? My guess is you'd say something like, "both". In response I would ask, where in Scripture are we commanded to transform culture? Where does Jesus seek to combat anything that was wrong in the culture in which He lived? If we are to imitate Jesus, I think we are, what did Jesus do regarding culture that we are to imitate?
The battle for culture is to be fought at the level of our own hearts. We are to ensure that we and our families are products of Scripture, not culture. The question this post asked is not "how are you fighting culture?" but rather "how are you fighting the effects of culture in your own life and family?"
Here is a response to your post you said:
"what is the task of the church? Are we to evangelize the lost, or transform culture? My guess is you'd say something like, "both"
The answer is in Matt: 28 The Great Commission.
Yes it is the Churches fault, dispensationalism does make a difference, just like other poor trends in theology made a difference in their culture.
I wrote a piece for Rapture Ready called A story with in a Story! I was posted today.
Its too long to post excerpts here but the theme presented here of living in Sodom is woven through it. Please take a look at it.
Egregious behavior is common place today; a glance at the head lines on any given day brings 2nd Timothy 3 to mind. The slippery slope that we were warned about decades ago is no longer the issue. The slope has turned to precipice! American is plunging headlong into the abyss of moral decadence, filth, and debauchery.
If this alone were not bad enough, we are asked not only to tolerate it, but applaud it as well!
The story of Noah and the Ark come to mind. It was God himself who closed the door of the Ark. So it shall be once more.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
(1Th 4:16-18 NASB)
We are to be salt and light in this world for God's glory and in the hope that those who walk in darkness might desire to know the hope that is within us. Knowing that a judgment day is coming should make us all the more vigilant to let our lights shine and to proclaim His truth.
As Gabe said, our primary purpose is not to change the culture, but I think it is natural to desire to affect the culture for good in the hope that it will be less of a corruptive influence. As a parent, it is easy to be fearful of the culture's influence but we must remember that Jesus said He was leaving us in the world but praying for our safety from the evil one (John 17:16).
We must be diligent to screen our children's influences and train them to guard their hearts. I pointed my boys to the example of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who withstood pressure to forsake God and adopt the culture they found themselves in. I talked constantly to my sons about whatever show or movie they wanted to watch, game they wanted to play, or music they wanted to listen to. Together we would look at reviews to see what they contained. It is also critical to make use of parental control options on TVs, Ipods, and computers.
Above all, we must pray without ceasing for our children. Samuel considered it a sin against the Lord if he should fail to pray for the Israelites (1 Samuel 12:23). This should be our attitude. Paul wrote to the Galatians that he labored in birth again until Christ was formed in them (Gal 4:19). I can so relate to this sentiment as I long to see Christlikeness formed in my children. For the twenty- one years I have been a parent, I have endeavored to not rise in the morning or go to bed at night without first praying for my children as well as in the day as the need or urge arose. God gave me my children and the love I have for them. I know He hears my prayers.
Re # 34, Donovan Wrote
"The Gates of Hell will not prevail against us doesn't mean the church withstanding the attack of Hell it means the Gates of Hell will not stand against the attack of the church, this is a huge difference in meaning and it makes a difference when combating sin on a cultural level."
I don't think the statement refers to what the gates of hell will do. Jesus, in saying to Peter that the would build HIS church on what Peter stated, rendered the kingdom of satan defeated.
In Jesus, we are more than conquerors in a spiritual sense. The church is not "impotent". The world going downhill as it has for many years now WAS spoken of in scripture. We have not yet seen the end of it. The battles we fight against "the world" are not fought against flesh and blood. There is no need to hide and wait for Jesus to come. We must occupy until Jesus returns, and that entails speaking His truths to a dying world, so we might save some.
Hi Donovan and Gabriel :
(He He) It is interesting how you would bring up eschatology in a blog such as this. Dispensational theology really has nothing to do with the discussion. What we are talking about is the effect that the hellish doctrine of "free" love has been having on the family. And more to the point, the reason that Post-Mill theology hit the skids is due to the fact that we are not "bringing in the kingdom", the world is getting worse not better. This realization broke in on the thinking of most theologians after world war I,( Loraine Betner is the only modern scholar to present post-mill views that I know of). And I do not see the world getting better because the world is stepping into the church and trying to legislate religious teaching and our views on normal sexual behavior, child rearing, marriage, family, the role of men and women. Even the government of the church is being harassed for suggesting that the women should not act as a pastor or elder. The world system is actively trying to conform the morality,theology, practice of the church, and it appears to have been working. We have homosexuals being ordained in main line denominations, lesbians who are ordained as priest and pastors. This is an abomination to God, and perverts the image of God in man. I could say a lot more but should probably let someone else have a turn. just thinking.
Hi Tommy: Great blog, good statement and I agree with you. We hate the sin and love the sinner- seeking to honor God and doing what is best for the individual who sins. Only God can change a heart... evil influences often plague a person for years. Think of how many have been effected by alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and pornography. Some of the roots run deep, only the Spirit of God can root out these sinful habits. Only the Spirit and the Blood can find a remedy for the lost soul caught in the web of homosexual behavior. (They would laugh at such a statement not knowing their plight- may God open their eyes to their need, and provide a way of escape.)Just a thought
This really baffles me. I have a cloudy image of path God has set before me. In my life time a lot will change. Reading about the past hero's of our faith like early American history and even before that i find a common centrality that consumes me. Our goal is to glorify God. One way we do that is to spread the Gospel. Watch this; we are to give a reason to the hope that is in us right? well why would anyone ask about a hope that is not interesting at all. I'm talking about a lack of pleasure in God. The faith of our fathers provoke questions like " why on earth did he not denounce the name of Christ?" These questions lead people to salvation. My pleasure in God is greater, no it is complete, there is no greater pleasure. Drugs, alcohol, sex, cars, even the last of them to chip off the old block pornography have no measure to the pleasure i get in the glory of God.
Here is what I am hinting at- our pleasures we are arguing for as a people are too small. Real happiness is in Christ. All i want to do is get a degree in theology because its all that is worth studying, I want to go street preaching, I want to raise my kids to know their sinful state but know God more importantly. We should be proactive in glorifying God. We grumble... I grumble. CNN makes me sick, but my co-workers say 'Let it be' until they see how much more happy a christian is than a homosexual, we all seem to be " post-dated dinosaurs."
Another topic would be how can we get the government back to simply being a state of military, and the church can be the moral store house...
being saved and having God is far better than a simple pleasure to gratify myself for a minute. Families seek the pleasure in knowing you are giving God what He wants when you obey Him and He will bless you with a great feeling of pleasure far more than those of the world.
Grace to you, Glory to God
Even though your eschatological rant is off topic—can't say I saw a discussion of (accusation against) dispensationalism coming from that post on the family—I'm actually glad you brought it up. Gabe did a superb job of pointing out the theological fallacies in your thinking.
I had to grin when I read your J. Vernon McGee quote about polishing the brass on the sinking ship. Maybe his point was that we should concern ourselves with rescuing the people on the ship rather than the ship itself. The ship of fallen culture is sinking. That's not pessimism—it's realism. Broad is the path to destruction. God plucks brands from the fire, but the fire burns on.
In one of your posts, it was interesting that you (perhaps inadvertently) quoted Scripture and attributed such "bleak outlooks" to dispensationalism. You said, dispensationalism paints a pessimistic view of the future (Antichrist, millions of Jews dying, Armageddon, Seas of Blood)
No, actually the Apostle John painted that view of the future. By the way, if you read all the way to the end of his book, we come out OK.
But John's not the only doomsday prophet. Here's what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3 about the times in which we live:
" . . . people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power."
He goes on in that chapter to deal a death blow to those who think Christians can sway the tide of society:
" . . . Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Paul is saying society will not improve, it will implode, and then the end will come. It's going to get worse.
Maybe I should say one more thing to help you in the future as you read similar articles on the impact society has on Christianity. When writing, it's important to establish a need in the reader you intend to reach. For example, a non-dispensational writer—just this week on a blog—began his article like so:
"Let's face it; evangelicalism has seen better days. God is at work in many places and in many ways, but on the whole, the news is not good. Our numbers are dwindling; our theology is unraveling; our zeal for Christ is dissipating. Now more than ever, we need seminaries to give the church leaders who are empowered by the Spirit for radical, sacrificial devotion to Christ and his kingdom. And they'd better do it quickly."
Now, should we immediately try and discern his eschatological outlook, then level accusations about how dispensational, bleak and hopeless his article sounds. No. I commend that gentleman's effective method of writing. He immediately established a point of interest with his readers. We can immediately identify with his topic because it presents an accurate view of reality with which all of our lives intersect. That's not being dispensational—it's being a good writer. Now, can we get back to the family? :)
Donavan Dear,
I appreciate some of your posts. You mention about the society. Yes,
Sodomy is quite popular today. Churches that teaches it is from someone outside of the church and sneaks in. You said about church's fault but it not really always the church fault. It's the false teachers whom crept in like Paul mention in the Bible.
Did you know when I was growing up. I look outside of churches, not
inside of them. I meant spiritually.
What translation are you quoting 2 Timothy 3 with? I hate to see God or his goodness or power referred to as "it". I still love my King James.
2Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness,but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Notice "the power" is not referred to as "it", in the King James.
I have noticed that darkness is referred to as "it" all over the place in the Bible.
Just an interesting side note.
I apologize, that last post was for Tommy.
You said: I hate to see God or his goodness or power referred to as "it". I still love my King James. 2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Notice "the power" is not referred to as "it", in the King James.
I'm having a hard time understanding your concern. I used the ESV, which says, "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." That translation is faithful to the Greek text, which literally reads:
"Having a form of godliness but the power of it denying."
"it" is a singular personal pronoun in the third person and genitive case. That's a fancy way to say the pronoun is possessive in this instance, and refers to "godliness," which is also a singular, feminine noun in the genitive case.
In other words, "it" doesn't even refer to "power" in the first place. It goes with "godliness." I don't see how a translation could render that phrase more faithfully than the ESV has done.
I think the King James rendering of "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" is choppy and hard to apprehend for modern readers . . . which is why I laid it aside years ago.
I guess I am really sensitive to certain words and how they are applied as I attended a Charismatic Church long enough for the Lord to walk me right out of "it". The Church was everything a body of believers should not be and the term "it" was constantly thrown around in reference to the Holy Spirit, Tongue's, Prophecy, Anointing, etc. Come and get "it" kinda stuff.
No offense meant, just cautious is all.
Sincerely, Michael
No problem Michael. I thought you were coming from the KJV only camp. Glad that was not the case.
I'm right with you brother. I have experienced some horrible incidents just recently and it's only getting worse, much, much worse. I own three car wash's and just in the last two years it has gone from a tough business to run to a down right scary one. A month and a half ago, I was woken by the police knocking on my door. A Dentist had been murdered at one of my car washes in the process of being robbed. The next day I found out that a similar situation had occurred the week before at my same business only the victim escaped with his life and the very next week another customer was mugged at another location. I also found out recently that the reason why things had been getting so bad at a couple of my car washes was because 6 apartment complex's just down the road from my business's had starting housing Section 8 tenants because the government pays more than what they were able to rent the apartments for to the general public. I'm cussed at on a regular basis for trying to protect my business's and the law abiding customers that use my facilities. I constantly have to ask people to turn down or off their foul music, pull up their pants, or leave my business because they are waiting for their drug dealers to arrive. I now spend 2 hours every morning reviewing video footage just to be able to let the police know what is going on at my business's. I could go on and on and on but what good would it do. It is getting harder and harder to not let the sin around me effect my attitude towards these people who are destroying themselves and our country. In one way I am exposed to a lifestyle that very few people understand even exists, and on the other hand, the Lord has strengthened my faith more than he ever would have if I didn't have to deal with these daily battles. I know God is getting ready to do something soon, I don't see how it can get any worse than it is now.
To Michael, I just deleted the post you commented on. I didn't like the way I wrote it. Thank you though.Good point. We can thank the liberal agenda's influence on the FCC for allowing the abundance of hate based entertainment like gangster rap with the fear based attitude at it's core. I was assaulted by three High School aged boys in front of my family and neighbors twelve years ago. When the Snohomish County Sheriff arrived, they approached the kids first. They then approached me and offered no recourse since they were under 18. They said to me that if I had fought back,they would have had to take me to jail. These kids saw that and they laughed. They continued to harrass me and threaten me in the days that followed. The cops did nothing. I believe the liberals have gained so much ground in politics that it seems impossible to turn America around. God only knows. Like the long list Connie Dennis wrote above, We must do all we can with prayer to practice our faith with our mouth as would be proper according to scripture. I have been guilty of knowing the truth and not sharing it. What happened to my boldness?. Conservative people as well as Christians are now considered racist,homophobic idiots for believing in decency and moral standards even when we don't even talk about it. If the parents in America do not take the time to consider what temptations are in the home when they are gone, then we are part of the problem. Then we have the neighbors house after school. Mom and dad both working is a bad deal. What a mess.
I have been doing alot of research in scripture. Someone told me that The fearful expectation of judgement mentioned in Hebrews 10 was designed to keep people away from seeking God. Something I have had for twenty years. It is that fear that kept me from reading scripture. I think I may have heard pastor macarthur say that. I coulb wrong. I fell into much debauchery and I now want out.
Dear Greg, You are in the right place here!
Whom ever told you that did you a great disservice!
'Fearing' God has more than one definition.
Fear here means; respect, as one has for his own father. If a father is a good one he will instill a healthy fear in his children for doing wrong. The child knows that their father loves them but they 'fear' the results of their doing wrong and getting caught!
God revealed Himself to us in a Father-Child relationship. He did this so that we would understand what he meant and where we stood in relationship with him. We respect, reverence God, and obey him out of fear of the results of doing what is wrong.
Another aspect of 'Godly fear' is that compared to God, we are pond scum when it comes to being holy. The bible tells many stories about people quaking in 'fear' when in the presence of a Holy God! Until I realized just how putrid my best efforts were for getting holy and staying that way, I didn't understand the vast difference between God and me.
The good news is that Jesus cleans us up and when Father God looks at us, he has to look through the blood of his son to view us. When he does that he sees the righteousness of Christ, and not our own filthiness.
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
(Isa 64:6 NASB)
The word 'Filthy Garment' here is mild compared to other translations. I used the NASB to tone it down, but it is a very filthy, disgusting to look at, rag!
Do not despair, I was a card carrying pagan before I got saved. I don't do that stuff anymore. I find that what I used to do for fun, I now find disgusting, dirty and vile. Looking back on my previous life, (the pagan portion) I see it as a bad dream and I have a hard time looking back and thinking, "I really did that stuff!"
Satan, and some times even church members like to throw our past sins in our face. Don't be discouraged, the Apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was a mass murderer!
There is peace for everyone at the foot of the cross!
Hi, Greg, in # 55 you wrote:
"Someone told me that The fearful expectation of judgement mentioned in Hebrews 10 was designed to keep people away from seeking God."
I'm not positive what you mean. Does it have something to do with:
Heb 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. (??)
If it is, I can tell you that you were misled.
The "sinning deliberately" has to do with matters of the heart, not necessarily with what you do or don't do.
The fact that you still "want out" speaks volumes. As long as you keep Jesus as the primary focus of your life, you can believe the following:
"Rom 8:38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
Rom 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor ANYTHING ELSE in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Re "I may have heard pastor macarthur say that."
You may have taken that out of context.
Keep reading scripture. Only then will you understand God more and know for sure what He has in store for you. Hope this helps.
Hi Greg,
Were you talking about fear?
One cool thing in the Bible that Jesus told Peter to walk to him on
the water. Only thing Peter look back and started to fear. He started
to sink and Jesus got a hold of him. Jesus brought him back to the boat where the disciples were. Jesus ask him why did he had lack of faith. Peter learned to trust Jesus and not to be afraid.
I do agree it's a tough world out there. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, we need to be careful and pray asking God to whom God wants us
to tell about Jesus. Read Psalms 1.
Keep reading His Word and God will teach you something new. That's
is awesome!! Smiles.
When I read about fear.
I look at it like
Fear- some is good, like Fearing God means humble before Him cause He is holy and good.
Some is bad which it's sin, like afraid of world and afraid of everything.
God reminds us not to be afraid of people at times, why cause no one
can hurt our soul. In the bible says that God said do not fear those
who can kill the body ,but they can't kill the soul. God also said
Fear God who can both destroy body and soul. He means the unbeliever
and those who hates Him. He is showing that how powerful and awesome
He is. Does it help? I can pray for you.
God bless.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
There are a number of skin issues that can plague our canine companions. VCA Animal Hospitals reports that hot spots are a condition that causes a dog to intensely chew and lick an area on its skin. Many times this behavior starts after a dog has been bitten by insects like ticks, fleas, biting flies or mosquitoes.
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text:
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress places you within 2 miles (3 km) of Disney Springs® and Lake Bryan. This 815-room, 4-star resort has 3 outdoor pools along with a private beach and a golf course. On a lake, the resort is also close to Epcot® and Characters in Flight.
Enjoy the garden views at Cascade American Bistro, one of 5 onsite restaurants. Get a pick-me-up at the coffee shop/café. For your convenience, a full breakfast is served for a fee each morning from 6 AM to 11 AM.
All of Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress's 815 rooms are air-conditioned and have an array of amenities, including balconies, iPod docks, and refrigerators. Guests can expect free WiFi and flat-screen TVs with cable channels and pay movies. Beds sport premium bedding and bathrooms offer hair dryers. Other standard amenities include coffee makers, free newspapers, and ceiling fans.
Property features
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress features a private beach, a golf course, and a marina. Parking is available for USD 17 per night (USD 25 per night for valet parking), and there's also limo/town car service. The front desk has multilingual staff on hand 24/7 to help with dry cleaning/laundry, concierge services, and luggage storage. Other amenities at this beach resort include a full-service spa, 3 outdoor pools, and a 24-hour fitness center.
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Onsite dining
- Marina
- Spa
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
A 2-story indoor waterfall is the focal point at Cascades, the signature restaurant of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Hemingway's, high atop an outdoor grotto, specializes in seafood. Recreation options include tennis, golf, swimming, a fitness center, a marina, boating, and a white sand beach. The hotel provides a concierge desk.
The children's club, Camp Hyatt, provides supervised activities for children 5 to 12, including scavenger hunts and crafts (surcharges apply). This Orlando hotel has a 45-hole Jack Nicklaus Golf Course, 800,000 gallon lagoon-style pool with waterslides and waterfalls, 24-foot rock climbing wall, 5 onsite restaurants, jogging and walking trails, 21-acre private Lake Windsong with watersports and hammocks, Grand Cypress Tennis and Racquet Club, Pitch 'n' putt golf course, and game room.
The hotel offers a complimentary scheduled shuttle service to Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Universal Studios® theme parks, and Sea World® theme parks which is included in the resort service fee. Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress has the Marilyn Monroe Spa with 7 treatment rooms, a beauty salon, and nail salon. The hotel also has Lamont's gift shop, Lombard's Art Gallery and FedEx Business Center. Self and valet parking are available for a fee.
- 24-hour front desk
- On private beach
- Spa services on site
- Hair salon
- Poolside bar
- Arcade/game room
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Express check-out
- Business center
- Conference space
- Multilingual staff
- Porter/bellhop
- Gift shops or newsstand
- ATM/banking
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Coffee shop or café
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Children's club (surcharge)
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Number of floors - 18
- Golf course on site
- Tennis on site
- Number of bars/lounges - 3
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Concierge services
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-in
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Full-service spa
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Number of outdoor pools - 3
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Total number of rooms - 815
- Marina on site
- Spa treatment room(s)
- Meeting rooms 15
- Terrace
- Picnic area
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- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Number of restaurants - 5
- Beach umbrellas
- Beach towels
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- Conference space size (meters) - 6
- Spa tub
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Television in common areas
- Wedding services
- Free theme park shuttle
- Free WiFi
- Pool umbrellas
- Laundry facilities
- Valet parking (surcharge)
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- Number of meeting rooms - 15
- Conference space size (feet) - 65,000
- Outdoor tennis courts - 12
- Snack bar/deli
- Shopping on site
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- On private beach
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- Theme park shuttle (complimentary)
- Snack bar/deli
- Laundry facilities
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- Arcade/game room
- Miniature golf on site
- Refrigerator
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Self parking (surcharge), Valet parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Balcony
- Ceiling fan
- Pay movies
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- Iron/ironing board
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- Hair dryer
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- In-room childcare (surcharge)
- Desk
- Refrigerator
- Free WiFi
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Where to Eat
Cascade American Bistro - A 35-foot bronze mermaid sculpture with waterfall is the focal point in Cascade's two-story lobby overlooking Lake Windsong. Menu includes soups, salads, seafood, steak, and chicken. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hemingway's - Set high atop the grotto overlooking the outdoor pool, this Key West–style restaurant specializes in fresh seafood. Dinner only.
Palm Café - Casual restaurant serving ready-made sandwiches, salads, pastries, and light fare. Open early morning to late evening.
Trellises - Tropical-themed lobby lounge. Starbucks coffee served mornings. Cocktails, wine, and beer later in the day. Open early to late morning and late afternoon to late evening.
On the Rocks - The new pool bar situated along Lake Windsong offers views of the lagoon pool and beach. It is the hub of outdoor activity with four 60" TVs, relaxing, shaded seating with misting fans, bar stools and table seating with full bar and food service options. For guests seeking to linger a little longer, signature cocktails such as the Goombay Smash, Cypress Rum Runner, and Frozen Caribbean Colada provide the perfect concoction to pair with the most popular pool side noshes including Crispy Calamari, Crab Cake Sandwich, and the Florida Mahi-Mahi Taco.
Nearby Things to Do
Swimming and boating: Experience the enhanced lagoon pool, the signature attraction at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, where the new features will make you smile as you enjoy the moments that make memories. Located along the 1,000 feet of white sandy beach of private Lake Windsong, the free-flowing lagoon pool boasts 12 waterfalls, heated and non-heated pools, two whirlpools, new Water Slide Tower Pavilion, new Water Jet Splash Zone, new children's Rock Climbing Stations, rope bridge, walking paths, and expansive, wrap-around sundecks.
These new features complement the resort's favorite recreation activities including; S'mores pit and classic family marshmallow roasting fun; 1,000 feet of white sandy beach at the 21-acre Lake Windsong with beach volleyball, tether ball, lounge seating and hammocks; watersports with paddleboats, kayaks, hydro bikes, canoes, aqua cycles and sailboats; old-fashioned, canopied surrey bikes; and marked jogging, walking, and biking trails, just to name a few!
Golf: Four Jack Nicklaus Signature Design courses include an 18-hole layout and three nine-hole challenges. A golf shop has a full line of equipment, and PGA-level instruction is available at the Grand Cypress Golf Academy. The whole family can enjoy play on the nine-hole, par 3 pitch 'n putt course. Tees, scorecards, and use of clubs and golf balls are complimentary.
Tennis: The Grand Cypress Tennis and Racquet Club has eight Har-Tru and four Deco Turf II tennis courts, five lit for night play. Instruction is available at the Tennis Academy.
Walking, jogging, bicycling: Options include three jogging and walking paths stretching from 1.3 to 4.7 miles. Bicycles of all sizes are available and included in resort service fee.
Fitness center: The Hyatt StayFit™ fitness center expanded features the latest in Life Fitness® Cardio equipment with 8 cross trainers, 11 treadmills, four recumbent and upright LifeCycles, free weights, and strength stations. The integrated LCD television offers guests enhanced interaction, Internet connectivity, and endless entertainment options.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.
- Water skiing nearby
- Free bicycles on site
- Skydiving nearby
- Basketball on site
- Bicycle rentals on site
- Fishing on site
- Golf driving range on site
- Hiking/biking trails on site
- Kayaking on site
- Racquetball/squash on site
- Rowing or canoeing on site
- Volleyball on site
- Rock climbing on site
- Personal motorized watercraft on site
- Sailing on site
- Tennis lessons on site
- Miniature golf on site
- Golf lessons on site
- Golfing on site
Spa Services
- Number of treatment rooms 3
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body scrubs
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Massages
- Body treatments
- Facial treatments
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Children 18 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 50.00 per pet, per night, plus a one-time cleaning fee of USD 100.00
- Dogs only
- 1 per room (up to 50 lb)
- Specific rooms only, restrictions apply
- Pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Minimum Spring Break check-in age is 18 years old.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
Service animals exempt from fees/restrictions
No rollaway/extra beds available
Parking height restrictions apply
- Resort fee: USD 28.12 per accommodation, per night
- Pool access
- Health club access
- Fitness center access
- Sporting facilities or equipment
- Shuttle service
- Internet access
- Phone calls
Optional extras
- Fee for full breakfast: USD 22.95 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: USD 17 per night (in/out privileges)
- Valet parking fee: USD 25 per night (in/out privileges)
- Pet fee: USD 50.00 per pet, per night plus USD 100.00 one-time cleaning fee
- Refrigerator fee: USD 25.00 per night
Hotel Name
- Cypress Grand Hyatt
- Grand Cypress
- Grand Cypress Hyatt
- Grand Cypress Hyatt Regency
- Grand Hyatt Cypress
- Hyatt Regency Grand
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel Orlando
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando
- Grand Hyatt Orlando
- Hyatt Orlando
- Hyatt Grand Cypress
We should mention
Children 18 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property allows pets in specific rooms only and has other pet restrictions (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


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ANA is advocating for health system reform as a member of several coalitions that bring together a broad representation of healthcare organizations to create a united front for change.
Links to these organizations are below the list.
Coalition for Patients' Rights*
A national coalition of 37 health care professional organizations committed to ensuring comprehensive healthcare choices for all patients and protecting the legally authorized practice rights of its members.
Health Reform Dialogue*
Leaders from national organizations who hold moderated discussions to create a forum outside of the political arena for exchanging views on health policy issues.
Herndon Alliance*
A nationwide non-partisan coalition of more than 100 minority, faith, labor, advocacy, business, and healthcare provider organizations. The alliance's purpose is to seek common ground, expand the base of people supporting guaranteed, high-quality, affordable health care for all, and increase activism on healthcare reform.
National Priorities Partnership
A collaborative effort of 28 major national organizations that collectively influence every part of the heathcare system.
Stand for Quality**
A diverse coalition of more than 165 health care organizations that is advocating for higher standards of performance measurement, data reporting and quality improvement strategies in any health system reform initiative.
Wye River Group on Healthcare/Foundation for American Health Care Leadership
Nonpartisan organizations that serve as catalysts to raise awareness and broaden perspectives to enable constructive healthcare change, engaging a cross-section of healthcare stakeholders committed to advancing common goals.
The Foundation for American Health Care Leadership has created Leading Healthy Communities to empower individuals to change the standard of health care in their community. To see case studies and learn how to change health care at the community level, please visit their Web site (See link below).
Divided We Fail
AARP, Business Roundtable, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) are engaging the American people, businesses, non-profit organizations, and elected officials in finding bi-partisan solutions to ensure affordable, quality health care and long-term financial security.
*ANA is a founding member
**ANA serves on Steering Committee


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The Role of Order Contracts in Shareholder Value Creation
Helminen, Oskari
Permanent address of the item is: http://URN.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201203221086
Publication type: Diplomityö
Issue date: 2012-03-07
University: Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto - Tampere University of Technology
Faculty: Teknis-taloudellinen tiedekunta – Faculty of Business and Technology Management
Department: Teollisuustalouden laitos – Department of Industrial Management
This thesis uses event study method to examine the stock price reaction to announced order contracts. Although numerous event types have been studied with the method over several decades, order contract announcements are rarely analysed but still very important especially in project-based business. The research sample consists of two minerals and metals processing technology companies: Outotec Oyj and FLSmidth Co. A/S. Besides defining the general stock reaction to order contracts, the sources of cross- sectional variation are tested. There are two main objectives in this research. The first one is to identify issues concerning the usage of event study method. This is particularly important because the sample size of two companies creates some methodological challenges. First objective is achieved by conducting a literature review of past researches in the field of event studies. Second objective is to define the general stock market reaction to announced order contracts and seek for explaining variables for cross-sectional variance. The variables that are tested in hypotheses are company net income percentage, order contract value, business area operating margin and inflation level. The hypothesis testing is done with regression analysis. The results show that significant stock price reaction to order contract announcement is found on event day and it is positive as expected. Comparison between companies indicates that higher net income percentage yields higher positive stock price reaction. Order contract value is found to be explaining factor of abnormal return variance to one company and inflation level to the other company. For academics the research brings new information to company fundamental valuation and clears some methodological issues. For managers, the results imply that investors are well aware of order size expectations, so effective investor communication is essential. The abnormal return variance stays unexplained for the most part, meaning that non-systematic factors contribute highly to the stock reaction of order contract announcements.
Copyright: This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.


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Insufficient communication about medication use at the interface between hospital and primary care
- 1Clinic of Internal Medicine I, H:S Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2Unit of Clinical Pharmacology H:S Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 3Department of Clinical Pharmacology Q7642, H:S Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence to: B Glintborg Department of Clinical Pharmacology Q7642, H:S Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; bente.glintborg{at}rh.hosp.dk
- Accepted 19 November 2006
Background: Lack of updated and uniform medication lists poses a problem for the continuity in patient care. The aim of this study was to estimate whether hospitals succeed in making accurate medication lists congruent with patients' actual medication use. Subsequently, the authors evaluated where errors were introduced and the possible implications of incongruent medication lists.
Methods: Patients were visited within one week after discharge from surgical or medical department and interviewed about their use of prescription-only medication (POM). Stored drugs were inspected. Medication lists in hospital files and discharge letters were compared with the list obtained during the interview. The frequency of incorrect medication use and the potential consequences were estimated.
Results: A total of 83 surgical and 117 medical patients were included (n = 200), 139 patients (70%) were women. Median age was 75 years. Six patients stored no POM, 194 patients stored 1189 POM. Among the 955 currently-used POM, 749 POM (78%) were registered at some point during hospitalisation but only 444 (46%) were registered in discharge letters. 66 POM users had no medication list in their discharge letter. Local treatments (skin, eyes, airways) were registered less frequently than drugs administered orally. In total, 179 of the currently-used POM (19%) were not mentioned anywhere in hospital files, probably because of insufficient medication lists made at admission, and the prescribed regimen was unclear. At least 63 POM (7% of currently-used POM) were used in disagreement with the prescribed regimen.
Discussion: Approximately one fifth of used POM is unknown to the hospital and only half of used POM registered in discharge letters. Insufficient medication lists hamper clarifying whether or not patients use medication according to prescription. In order to prevent medication errors a systematic follow-up after discharge focusing on making an updated medication list might be needed.


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Topic: Re: Black Box Abstraction across websites
The MVC philosophy of rails and the url rewriting seem to be the perfect setup for creating mashups. My question is what are the means of doing this in rails? Here are two specific problems that cover a general type of information transfer:
Problem 1: (Getting an HTML response)
Application 1: a wiki like revision/colaboration system of howto's.
Application 2: An issue tracking system for pc support.
Search the howto database based on the keywords of a new issue submitted to the issue tracker and suggest to the technicians what howto they should consult to solve the problem.
Problem two: (Getting Data)
Application 1: An issue tracking system for pc support (all personnel have a tallied effort total)
Application 2: A project management tool for development of new applications (all personnel record their effort in time)
Create a third application that generates reports based on personnel and how much time they are spending in each area using graphs.
Feel free to brag about other related features in rails, or compare and contrast other solutions to these types of problems. References to other sources of information on the subject would be appreciated.
-SICP (Abelson, Sussman)


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Stethoscope a doctor's best friend
It was during a rotation in the Department of Internal Medicine that I realized that our bodies are a confused orchestra, a cacophony of sounds. Early in the mornings, we would make rounds with our professor, Dr. Armon, shadowing her like ducklings following their mother. With each patient we followed the same routine: she would sit on the bed beside a patient, and then gently lean over him, aiming her stethoscope at his heart. "Shhhhhh," she said, putting her finger to her lips, "Quiet! Let' s listen."
Taking turns, we carefully sat next to the patient. Hesitantly, we aimed our new, shining stethoscopes at his chest. Anxiously, we listened. Asked to describe what we had just heard, one student said he heard a systolic murmur. Another said, "It was diastolic, certainly not systolic." Yet another student noticed galloping heart sounds, "Like a horse, running in the meadow." And when my turn came, I listened for what seemed to be a long time. I heard the heart beating, with rhythm and vigor, and perhaps a gentle swooshing sound as well. I tried to peruse, in my mind, through the chapter I read the previous night in DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination, and go over the recordings of heart sounds and murmurs I had listened to, but listening to our patient's chest, I could not decipher the matters of his heart. "The sounds of the heart," I said, "it's beautiful." Dr. Armon looked at me kindly, totally ignoring the jeering smiles of my peers. "It is beautiful," she said, "isn't it?"
Listening to the sounds of the heart, lungs and other organs is an ancient art (called auscultation) that has miraculously withstood the test of time. At first, doctors listened by applying their ear directly (or over a silk handkerchief) to the patient's chest, or lungs. But then, in 1816, a French physician by the name of Ren-Thophile-Hyacinthe Laennec encountered a difficult situation: examining a young woman with symptoms of heart disease, Ren felt that direct auscultation was "inadmissible due to the age and sex of the patient." And since necessity is the mother of invention, he immediately had an idea which he later described: "I rolled a quire of paper into a kind of cylinder and applied one end of it to the region of the heart and the other to my ear, and was not a little surprised and pleased to find that I could thereby perceive the action of the heart in a manner much more clear and distinct than I had ever been able to do by the immediate application of my ear."
Today's stethoscope is a binaural (allowing listening with both ears), flexible, light-weight fine-tuned acoustic instrument. It is mass-produced and reasonably priced. To listen in style I recommend you pamper yourself with a stethoscope such as the Littmann Classic II SE ($76 on Stethoscope.com). Once you have got your hands on this beauty, lie down in bed and turn all electronic devices off. And then: listen to your heart beating; listen to your lungs while you are breathing deeply, in-and-out; place your stethoscope over your abdomen, press gently and wait long enough to hear the sounds of your bowels moving (peristalsis); then move your stethoscope over to your carotid arteries and note your blood rushing, gushing in your arteries. You are alive! And making lots of noise doing so.
While the origin of the word stethoscope is from Greek (st?thos, chest; and -skopeion, to look at), a slight change in spelling, 'status-scope' may shed light on another role of this fine instrument. Stethoscopes are carried conspicuously, with pride, allowing everyone to associate the person who carries a stethoscope with the status of being a doctor, or other health care professional.
Although I am not a cardiologist, I examine each new patient using a stethoscope. I become a student again, searching for rales, rhonchi and wheezing, for heart sounds, rhythm and murmurs, for bowel sounds and bruits. I then put my stethoscope aside, reminding myself that for me, a stethoscope is not a status symbol nor is it a mere instrument of listening. Rather, it is a note-to-self that says: don't just hear, listen!
Editor's note: Dr. Shahar Madjar is a urologist at Bell Hospital in Ishpeming. Read and comment on prior columns by Dr. Madjar at DrMadjar.com.


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-T / T / +T | Comment(s)
Friday, November 1, 2013
MD Sells Dozen MD530Fs, MD902 Pair to Kurdistan
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has placed orders for a total of 14 new helicopters from MD as the Middle Eastern nation looks to add to its VIP transport and law enforcement fleet of helicopters. The order includes 12 new MD530Fs and a pair of MD902 Explorers. KRG plans to use the 530F fleet for airborne law enforcement and firefighting operations, and the 902 Explorer fleet for transporting senior government officials.


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>> India Hotels
>> Hotels with Coffee Shop Or Cafe
Hotels in Malampuzha, Palakkad with Coffee Shop Or CafeCoffee shop or café in Malampuzha at Palakkad serves an exhausting array of teas and coffee keeping the caffeine lovers engrossed. Grab savories and small bites at the cafe while interacting with friends, working on projects or having a business meet.
We have handpicked the Best 1 hotels in Malampuzha with Coffee Shop Or Cafe See 1 hotel
Featured Hotels with Coffee Shop Or Cafe
Featured Hotels in Malampuzha, Palakkad with Coffee Shop Or Cafe picked by Travelguru
Hotels in Malampuzha, Palakkad with Coffee Shop Or CafeIt is a place which offers a scene of a perfect tête-à -tête where you can really savor the taste of good coffee or tea. It is also being progressively accepted as a place to come together, focusing on providing coffee and tea as well as light snacks. The café has a contemporary styled venue creating a youthful, modern and outward looking place. Coffee shop or café in Malampuzha is a place where one can satiate their taste buds with the aroma of good food and enjoy the tasty treats. There are various hotels in the locality which can brew up a fresh cup of coffee which will go well with your taste. Along with a freshly brewed coffee the hotels also offer top-notch amenities to facilitate the guests.
Nearby Places of Interest :
- Aroma Theatre Hotels
- Bus Stand Coimbatore Road Hotels
- Children Park Hotels
- Dhoni Hills Hotels
- Fantasy Park Hotels
- Heritage Museum Hotels
- Hospital Hotels
- Jain Temple Jainimedu Hotels
- Kanjirapuzha Hotels
- Karuna Hospital Hotels
- Mangalam Dam Hotels
- Masjid Palkkad Hotels
- Meenvallam Vallachal Hotels
- Nelliyampathy Hill Station Hotels
- New Aroma Theatre Hotels
- Olavakkode Hotels
- Palakkad Bus Station Hotels
- Palakkad Fort Hotels
- Palakkad Railway Station Hotels
- Palghat Junction Railway Station Hotels
- Pallassena Kavu Hotels
- Pathrakadavu Waterfalls Hotels
- Priya Theatre Hotels
- Priyadarshini Theatre Hotels
- Railway Station Road Hotels
- Rock Garden Hotels
- Ropeway Hotels
- Sai Nursing Home Hotels
- Silent Valley Hotels
- Silent Valley National Park Hotels
- Siruvani Dam Hotels
- Thirumandam Kunnu Temple Hotels
- Tipu Sultan Fort Hotels
- Tirumittacode Uyyavantha Perumal Temple Hotels
- Vaddakkanthra Bhagwati Temple Hotels
- Victoria College Hotels
- Vishwanatha Swamy Shrine Hotels
- Hotels with Breakfast Services
- Hotels with Laundry Facilities
- Hotels with Medical Services
- Hotels with Restaurant
- Hotels with Travel Counter


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November 15 was Tunisia's Day at the U.S. Department of State. In support of the people who launched the first revolution for dignity, opportunity, and democracy in the Middle East North Africa region, the U.S. Government brought together over 200 participants from the United States and Tunisia for the Tunisia Partnerships Forum. Together, we launched a new era of U.S. investment in Tunisia, based on local priorities and mutually benficial partnerships.
We connected Tunisian companies like Tunivest and Mazars with major U.S. companies like IBM and Intel, as well as new organizations like North American Tunisian Engineers Group. We listened to special pitch sessions from Beth Soloman of the International Franchise Association, and Jerry Sorkin of TunisUSA, and James Eberhard of Mobile Accord. At an afternoon breakout session hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, we introduced Tourism Economics to new partners as they finalize their plans to open a new office in Tunis.
We were inspired to hear from President Obama's Special Assistant and National Security Council Senior Director Gayle Smith, Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides, CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Elizabeth Littlefield, the Ambassador from Tunisia to the United States Mohamed Salah Tekaya, and Director General of Tunisia's Foreign Investment Promotion Agency Noureddine Zekri, among others. As Deputy Secretary Nides stated, "Along with my colleagues across the various parts of the U.S. Government, I want to thank you for being here today as we send a clear and loud message: America will do all we can to ensure that the free and open democracy that has begun to take root in Tunisia will be sustained by new investments in order to create a free and open economy. This a new day for Tunisia, and the opportunities for investment in the U.S.-Tunisian relationship have never been greater."
What the Deputy Secretary was talking about was that after making history last January by ending 23 years of dictatorship, Tunisia made history yet again on October 23 when over 90 percent of registered voters went to the polls to freely choose a Constitutional Assembly that will re-write their country's constitution. In a statement released the same day as Tunisia's elections, President Barack Obama pleadged that the United States is committed to helping Tunisia move "toward a democratic future that offers dignity, justice, freedom of expression, and greater economic opportunity for all."
And so here we were, just three weeks later, hosting the first ever Partnerships Forum, a unique event exclusively for Tunisia. We took an innovative approach to the design of the conference, using what I call "an active convening" to bring together private sector leaders, diaspora investors, top officials from both of our governments, and world-class experts on each of the sectors that Tunisians themselves have selected as ripe for investment. And, as we made clear at the outset, this forum is all about creating revenue-generating deals. This is only the start of our conversations with our partners about how to put all the right pieces in place to foster job creation and economic opportunity.
We believe the history that Tunisians are writing certainly did not end on October 23. The private business and public-private partnerships we will develop together can be profitable and create jobs in both of our countries, based on our mutual interest in deepening trade and investments between Americans and Tunisians.
This is especially important in the context of how much we have in common. Where some have seen these historic moments as crisis and chaos, we see people who have stood on the right side of history, representing values that we share. Tunisia was one of the first countries to recognize the United States' independence, and we were proud to be the first country to congratulate Tunisia for their revolution.
We were inspired by the Ambassador from Tunisia to the United States, who said, "Today is a powerful testimony about America's support of the people of Tunisia. It is truly a historic event." Along with others across the U.S. Government, I look forward to finding ways for the Secretary's Global Partnership Initiative to continue this important work so that U.S. support will be lasting and our partnerships benefit both of our countries.
It is truly Tunisia's day, a new day, with the chance for new sources of foreign direct investment, new incentives for entrepreneurship and job creation, and new opportunities for high-growth businesses. This conversation is just the beginning and I look forward to keeping you apprised of our progress. For starters, I am excited to be traveling to Tunisia in the next few months to continue the conversation, so that Tunisia can now unleash the potential of all of its citizens.
Editor's Note: This is a companion posting to Acting Assistant Secretary of State Mike Hammer's entry Tunisia Partnerships Forum: Delivering on the Arab Spring.


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Time to Fill out your fafsa
We understand that cost is a vital factor in your college choice. Even more important, however, is the consideration of value received in exchange for that cost. With our commitment to making quality affordable, Wayland transforms college cost into an educational investment.
Because of the contributions of so many who believe in Christian higher education, the cost of an education at Wayland is among the lowest of any accredited, private university in the south. The allocation to the university's operating fund by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, gifts from alumni, friends and individual churches, as well as a growing endowment, contribute to the university's ability to reduce the cost of attending Wayland.
In addition, the aggressive approach of Wayland's Financial Aid Office has resulted in financial assistance for over 95% of our full-time students. Through institutional, state, and federal programs, Wayland makes available both merit and need-based assistance.
WBU has adopted the Code of Conduct established by NAFSAA. For further information see NASFAA's Statement of Ethical Principles and code of conduct for Institutional Financial Aid Professionals.
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