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All, Mission To The World, the PCA's international ministry, has issued an appeal for funds to aid in the relief of Myanmar cyclone victims. I know that most of us have heard stories about countries and large relief agencies having their hands tied, but God will provide a way for His church to break through manmade barriers. _________________________________________________________________ Horrifying and harrowing stories are emerging in the aftermath of the catastrophic tropical cyclone that devastated much of already poverty-striken Myanmar. Reuters News is reporting as many as one million people left homeless. No one really knows how high the death toll...

Feeling the need to "get out and around", I attended a Wednesday night supper,sponsored by a church I sometimes attend...and saw a modern version of the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes.

Many Americans were startled to learn that the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, whose campaign is built on an uplifting message of national unity and racial reconciliation, belongs to a church in Chicago where a very different view of America is preached by its longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Mr. Wright, who just retired after decades in the pulpit, has argued that the "United States of White America" is still sharply divided between an oppressive white power structure and oppressed African-Americans, that God should "damn America for treating our citizens as less than human," and that the 2001 terrorist...

Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr is known in America for heading the Mahdi Army militia, but his followers also see him as someone who can provide them with things their government can't. BAGHDAD -- When Ali Ateya was killed last month at the age of 23 -- a victim of an American airstrike on a block of concrete tenements in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, according to his family -- there was no money for his burial. Within days, two officials from Sadr City's main humanitarian organization showed up at the family home. Unsolicited, they offered to pay for Ateya's Shiite...

Good evening. Tonight the scripture passages "As ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40) and "Remember in all things the poor and the needy" (D&C 52:40) take on special meaning as we review highlights of humanitarian endeavors during the past year. A briefing on humanitarian assistance was recently given to the General Welfare Committee of the Church. The committee chair, then President Gordon B. Hinckley, expressed profound gratitude for the generosity of members and those not of our faith who have made this outreach possible. In...

STUART — In an effort to bring in more donations, longtime Martin County charity Jesus House of Hope decided to drop the word Jesus from its name. Patrick Slattery, executive director of the 24-year-old nonprofit, said the change will help the organization fulfill what Jesus commanded in the Gospel of Matthew: Help the needy. Slattery said many private foundations could not donate to the charity because it includes Jesus in the name, and people are often reluctant to give to what appears to be a house of worship if they already donate to their own church. So the organization’s board...

The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since 1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least-appreciated people in all the world. As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtse. Well, Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans did, that's who. They have helped...

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor April 9, 2008 Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new report from a Planned Parenthood watchdog finds chapters of the Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer group gave affiliates of the national abortion business over $700,000 last fiscal year. The enormous amount should be a red flag to pro-life advocates, one leading activist says. Figures from STOPP International show Komen chapters giving $711,485 from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006 to Planned Parenthood affiliates.

A new report from a Planned Parenthood watchdog finds chapters of the Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer group gave affiliates of the national abortion business over $700,000 last fiscal year. The enormous amount should be a red flag to pro-life advocates, one leading activist says. Figures from STOPP International show Komen chapters giving $711,485 from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006 to Planned Parenthood affiliates. Jim Sedlak, a representative of the watchdog group says the numbers are concerning given than millions of pro-life Americans will participate in Komen events during the month. "More and more people are...

The former, and perhaps future, first couple earned $109 million over the past eight years, putting them among the top .01% of taxpayers. Apparently the Bush years haven't been a Depression era for everyone. The bulk of the Clintons' income came from speech-making ($51.9 million) and book-writing ($29.6 million), and it's hard to begrudge their desire to cash in on the Presidency after toiling for so many years in public service. The Clintons are hardly unique in showing that in today's Washington you can do very, very well after you've done good....Mr. Clinton raked in as much as $15 million...

Funny clip of Conan figuring out why the Clinton's donated so much to..."Charity"

italics/bold mine:Yesterday the news was full of accounts of the Clintons' 2000-2006 tax returns. At the top of the stories -- as in the "deep background" report by Andrea Mitchell and the NBC investigative unit -- reporting their total income of $108 million over the past eight years (including 2007) was their $10 million in contributions to charity. The stories appear to be based in large part on the summary provided by the Clinton campaign, rather than on the returns themselves. Here is the summary's description of the Clintons' charitable contributions: CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: $10,256,741 The Clintons donated $10,256,741 to charity...

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign released their tax forms from 2000-2007 Thursday, which showed the Clintons earned more than $100 million in that time period and donated $10 million of that to their own charity. The Clinton campaign reports donating $10,256,741 to the CFF between 2000 and 2006. During that time, CFF dispersed $2,530,100 in money to other charities and causes. The names of other persons who donated to the CFF are not required to be disclosed. Over the years, the CFF gave $80,000 to the Clinton Birthplace Foundation Inc., $20,000 to the Shakespeare Theatre, $40,000 to the School of the...

I have Miami Heat season tickets for the remainder of this year and all of next year. I can't make it to many of the games so I wanted to donate most of them to military veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I would love some recommendations on good charities. Thanx FReepers. :-p

Residents of Austin, Texas, home of the state's government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind bumpers proclaiming "Better a Bleeding Heart Than None at All," "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty," "The Moral High Ground Is Built on Compassion," "Arms Are For Hugging," "Will Work (When the Jobs Come Back From India)," "Jesus Is a Liberal," "G-d Wants Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts," "The Road to Hell Is...

Residents of Austin, home of Texas's government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind bumpers proclaiming "Better a Bleeding Heart Than None at All," "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty," "The Moral High Ground Is Built on Compassion," "Arms Are For Hugging," "Will Work (When the Jobs Come Back From India)," "Jesus Is a Liberal," "God Wants Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts," "The Road to Hell Is Paved With...

This is why politicians don't like to release their tax returns! Bloomberg News crunches the numbers on Sen. Barack and Michelle Obama's newly-released tax returns and finds: "The Obamas' donations to all recipients totaled $2,350 in 2000, $1,470 in 2001, $1,050 in 2002, $3,400 in 2003, and $2,500 in 2004. They also paid federal taxes totaling $311,044 during the same period on their $1.2 million of income."

Tight-wads.

MOSUL — Iraqi citizens treated Coalition force Soldiers observing the Islamic celebration of Mawlid in the Mosul neighborhood of al-Habda. The Islamic celebration of Mawlid is held in recognition of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The residents were practicing the tradition of charity as part of the celebration’s activities. “Muslims all over the world are celebrating. They cook food and offer it to friends, or exchange chocolates,” said Ibrahim Shahd, a Muslim and interpreter for Coalition forces. “We do this to share our joy at receiving God’s messenger. In the Mosques, there will be singing and poetry recited, telling the story...

FORT HOOD – Five-year-old Gaven Cox was given one wish to do anything he wanted. Instead of asking to go to Sea World or to meet Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Gaven modestly asked for some McDonald's food. The child's parents laughed and told him to make another choice. "He told us he wanted to be an Army soldier," said Melissa Heminger, Gaven's mom. "I was a little bit surprised that he asked for McDonald's, but in reality, he wanted to be a soldier since he was 3." Gaven, who is diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was granted one wish by...

RCA Band supports Make-A-Wish FoundationEDMONTON, Alberta — Band holds second annual holiday hold concert to raise funds for foundation.

SAN DIEGO — The American Red Cross acknowledged that it lacks safeguards against paying for unused hotel rooms during natural disasters, a gap that may have cost it tens of thousands of dollars during Southern California's wildfires last year. The acknowledgment Friday came a day after the charity disclosed that blocks of rooms booked to accommodate volunteers in San Diego County went empty. "Our job was to be reviewing who we had in hotels every night and making sure the reservations matched who was coming and who was going," said Joe Becker, who oversees disaster services. "We had instances where...

Ric Weiland, who helped his friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen launch Microsoft, was a quiet philanthropist. But his final gift has provided one of the most powerful financial boosts ever to the gay-rights movement. Weiland has left $65 million to the Pride Foundation in Seattle and 10 nonprofit organizations, believed to be the largest estate gift ever given to the gay and lesbian community in the U.S. His generosity didn't stop there. Weiland left $160 million, the majority of his estate, to charity. That includes a gift to Stanford University estimated to be worth $60 million, which the university...

If you make your home in Texas, you can’t escape them. They are everywhere these days, hurriedly promising bounty to all within range of their voices. Even their printed matter is filled with pledges of greater public funding. The Democrat contenders for the Oval Office will GIVE everyone healthcare. They will GIVE everyone a meaningful education. They will GIVE those who are about to lose their homes, protection. They will GIVE those on the border and across the nation security. They will GIVE the illegal alien his or her unearned path to citizenship. The only thing wrong with all these...

One of my fellow Aggie posters on TexAgs.com has an org that helps get wheelchairs to kids in Iraq that need it. Please help get the word out for this great cause. This is a great guy providing very needed blessings for children who have no means to get around. CNN just reported on his activities. Website Story: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/13/iraq.wheelchairs/index.html#cnnSTCTextVideo Story (must see): http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/13/iraq.wheelchairs/index.htmlDonation link - Click HereHere are his recent pictures that he took that he posted on TexAgs. Wheelchairs for Iraqi KidsSupporting Troops blog - Kids' Wheelchair VideoDecember Wheelchairs Distribution storyon Department of Defense websiteDallas' WFAA TV news Report...

Real Valentines by: Samantha Soller, February 08, 2008 Lewisburg, Penn. – The Bucknell University Conservatives Club will be selling carnations and roses to benefit Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The Conservatives Club will take orders for flowers February 11, 12, and 13 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The sale will take place on the ground floor of the Langone Center at Bucknell University. Roses cost $6 each; carnations cost $2 each. The flowers will be delivered by members of the club in suit and tie on Valentine’s Day. Carnations...

The family of Utah inventor and billionaire philanthropist James LeVoy Sorenson said today that he willed his entire personal fortune to charity. Sorenson died of cancer last month at age 86. Last year, Forbes Magazine estimated his wealth to be approximately $4.5 billion. Sorenson was known for his numerous medical inventions and successful business endeavors, in addition to his dedication to charitable causes. His son, James Lee Sorenson, said his father had talked about leaving his vast fortune behind to help various worthy causes. "Over time, particularly the last 10 to 20 years having been successful, he asked himself, 'What...

SACRAMENTO -- A complaint filed with state ethics officials Tuesday accused Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez of using a charity to illegally funnel donations into political activities. The complaint cites more than $270,000 that Nuñez solicited in 2005 and 2006 from corporations, utilities and other interests with a stake in legislation to pay for toy giveaways, scholarships, youth summits and other events that featured Nuñez and were arranged by his staff. The donations were the subject of a Times investigation in November, which showed how a small charity -- Collective Space -- in Nuñez's downtown Los Angeles district wrote checks at...

At a campaign stop attended by a CBS reporter in Lady's Island, S.C., Thompson was asked if he, "as a Christian, as a conservative," supported President Bush's global AIDS initiative. "Christ didn't tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it," Thompson responded. "The government has its role, but we need to keep firmly in mind the role of the government, and the role of us as individuals and as Christians on the other."

Officials of a charity that has raised tens of millions of dollars to help wounded veterans have treated themselves to black-tie dinners, lavish travel and luxury suites at football games while cutting budgets for programs to help the vets, two top officials tell ABC News. "I am outraged that money that was given in a sacred trust may have been spent in ways other than wisely for the service of veterans," said Henry Cook, national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Cook and his top deputy, Joe Palyagi, say they decided to speak out after ABC News...

 A federal grand jury in Kansas City has issued a new indictment against an Islamic charity based in Columbia---and has added a former Michigan congressman to the list of people indicted.The new indictment accuses the Islamic American Relief Agency and several former officers of of engaging in prohibited financial transactions for the benefit of a terrorist. The indictment charges former Michigan Congressman Mark Deli Siljander with money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.Federal officials say the charity sent money to Pakistan to benefit a man designated by the United States as a global terrorist. The prosecutor says the man had...

BOSTON - Three former leaders of an Islamic charity were convicted Friday of duping the U.S. government into getting tax-exempt status by hiding the group's pro-jihad activities. Care International Inc., which is now defunct, described its mission as helping war orphans, widows and refugees in Muslim nations. But prosecutors said the organization also distributed a newsletter promoting jihad and supported Muslim militants involved in armed conflicts around the world. Emadeddin Muntasser, the founder of Care International; Muhammed Mubayyid, the group's former treasurer; and Samir Al-Monla, the president of Care from 1996 to 1998, were charged with tax code violations, making...

My grandmother recently, and reluctantly, asked if I could give her some money. There's no question my wife, Amy, and I will give her the funds; she raised me and is, by and large, the woman I consider my mom. She has always been kind to Amy. If we have the discretionary cash that can make my grandmother's life happy, shouldn't we hand it over? Yet the request has caused us a lot of angst. Part of our concern is where this will lead. Although my grandmother isn't asking for a lot of money -- just a few hundred dollars...

Mike Huckabee said last Sunday on Meet the Press that his faith was important to him and that it drove his views on everything from the environment to poverty to disease and to hunger. Huckabee then went on to say that he thought the Republican Party needed to take a greater leadership role on these sorts of issues and that, as a Christian, he wanted to make sure that Republicans spoke out more on these issues. Excellent. As a Christian Republican myself, I will express support for protecting God's Creation, fighting sickness, and ending hunger. All are profoundly Christian ideals....

HAGERSTOWN, Md. —  Frustrated by a nationwide housing slump, a western Maryland couple is selling raffle tickets for their $390,000 house and hoping they'll sell enough $100 tickets to get the farmhouse off their hands.Dennis Kelly and Karen Crawford put the four-bedroom house for sale for $425,000 a year and a half ago. But they say the housing slowdown means they haven't had any takers. The house is now valued at $390,000."We had showings every weekend and we couldn't get a buyer," Crawford told The (Hagerstown) Herald Mail. "It's part of what's happening today."Crawford read a story in the newspaper...

Following is the year-end letter that David Petraeus, commanding general of coalition forces in Iraq, sent to the men and women under his command.Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and Civilians of Multinational Force-Iraq: As 2007 draws to a close, you should look back with pride on what you, your fellow troopers, our Iraqi partners and Iraqi coalition civilians have achieved this year. A year ago, Iraq was racked by horrific violence and on the brink of civil war. Now levels of violence and civilian and military casualties are significantly reduced, and hope has been rekindled in many Iraqi communities....

An Army veteran who remembered getting free coffee and doughnuts from the Salvation Army decades ago gave a $10,000 check to a dumbfounded bell-ringer. "The $10,000 is to help pay for my coffee and donuts," he said in a handwritten note signed, "P.F.C." "Seems fair to me after 40+ years, with inflation and everything." The man gave the check to a volunteer outside a department store at the Exton Mall on Friday, said Capt. Gerald Morgan, a spokesman for the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia. The man remembered being given coffee and doughnuts while serving in World War II and...

Over the last decade, former President Bill Clinton has raised more than $500 million for his foundation, allowing him to build a glass-and-steel presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., and burnish his image as an impresario of global philanthropy. The foundation has closely guarded the identities of its donors — including one who gave $31.3 million last year. Now, the secrecy surrounding the William J. Clinton Foundation has become a campaign issue as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks the Democratic presidential nomination with her husband as a prime source of strategy and star power. Some of her rivals argue that...

The stereotype holds that conservatives are mean and don't care about the poor, and that liberals who do care for the poor give more. But in his book, Who Really Cares, economist Arthur Brooks says that's not the case. "The average conservative-headed household gives 30 percent more money to charity than the average liberal-headed household, despite earning six percent less income," Brooks said. Brooks also found that the biggest givers in America are religious people from traditional families. "If there's one question I can ask you that will predict more than any other whether or not you're going to be...

I love the Christmas Holidays as I enjoy spending them with family and friends, but I am painful aware that some children will receive nothing for Christmas and that is where the Marine Corp Reserve Program "Toys for Tots," has always stepped to gift wrap a smile and simple toy for a needy and worthy child in the area. I served in the NAVY for 7 years and it was wonderful to watch as Marine Corp Reserve and their wives would collect and wrap toys in their spare time. One year I even had the chance to drive around several...

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Presidential hopeful John Edwards inadvertently made the late night comedy shows this year when his campaign spending reports included two $400 haircuts. Now Mrs. Edwards has joined other candidates helping a Concord hair stylist who wants to turn the controversy into help for a good cause. David Holden owns Hair Biz on Main Street, a couple of doors away from an Edwards campaign office. After the Democratic former senator's haircut made news last spring, Holden challenged presidential hopefuls to come in for $400 haircuts of their own, promising to donate all of the proceeds to autism...

On the heels of last season’s record-setting Red Kettle Campaign – in which $30 million was raised for The Salvation Army in red kettles outside Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations – the nation’s largest retailer announces today its continued support for the nonprofit organization this holiday season. This year, in addition to inviting red kettles back in front of its stores, Wal-Mart is hosting a flurry of other holiday activities aimed at raising even more money for those in need. These include: •    Bells Ringing Across America – For the second year, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club associates are participating in...

The decision to opt for a system by which the government paid for providers chosen by patients directly, pushed a ready and deep supply of money into the medical market and did so suddenly. It also made it so that a large population - the disabled, elderly and working poor - that had previously been seen largely as deserving recipients of humanitarian aid...now became a cash cow to be made use of by any willing and able to do so.

This year we have decided to give our kids an early Christmas gift. We will be taking $25 of the amount we have set aside for each of them for Christmas gifts and giving it to them on Thanksgiving Day. Along with the money will be a list of different charities. They will get to select a charity to donate the money to. Our kids have big hearts already, but we think this will be a good reminder to them of all they have to be thankful for while giving them an opportunity to bless the lives of others. There...

The author posits these as the necessary 6 conservative principles: A preference for limited government A desire to means-test or otherwise target government benefits A concern about the behavioral consequences of assistance. Conservatives believe that no-strings-attached assistance has often been a catastrophe -- creating even more dependency and a fertile ground for social problems A deference to mediating institutions. Everyone seems eager to harness family, church and other voluntary associations Respect for private choice, often in the form of markets. Humility bred from disappointing experiences -- and the likelihood of unintended consequences. ...When a problem seems bad enough, people often...

...America's far-flung network of emergency food programs -- from Second Harvest to tens of thousands of neighborhood food pantries -- constitutes one of the largest charitable institutions in the nation. Its vast base of volunteers and donors and its ever-expanding distribution infrastructure have made it a powerful force in shaping popular perceptions of domestic hunger and other forms of need. But in the end, one of its most lasting effects has been to sidetrack efforts to eradicate hunger and its root cause, poverty. ...The cutback in federal support for social welfare programs triggered by the Reagan administration in the 1980s...

WASHINGTON - A suspected Hezbollah mole who penetrated who penetrated the ranks of the FBI and CIA pleaded guilty Tuesday to falsely getting U.S. citizenship and snooping in FBI terrorism files. Former waitress Nada Nadim Prouty, 37, of Vienna, Va., admitted arranging a sham marriage with an American in Michigan to win U.S. citizenship. She parlayed that into sensitive jobs as an FBI special agent and a CIA operations officer, sources said. Sources told The News that Prouty is believed to be a double-agent planted in the agencies by Hezbollah or its supporters, though government officials downplayed her ties to...

Three former leaders of a defunct Boston-based Islamic charity are scheduled to go on trial today in federal court, accused of lying to the government to win tax-exempt status for the charity and then using the nonprofit to distribute publications promoting jihad and to support Muslim militants overseas.

The Florida Family Policy Council will be hosting, An evening with… Fred Thompson Friday November 16, 2007 VIP Reception 5:30-6:30pm Dinner 6:30-9:00pm Westin Diplomat Hotel: 3555 South Ocean Drive, Hollywood, Florida http://www.flfamily.org/events_details.php?id=47

In John Bunyan’s 1684 classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, the character Old Honest poses this riddle to the innkeeper Gaius: “A man there was, tho’ some did count him mad, / The more he cast away, the more he had.” Gaius solves the riddle thus: “He that bestows his Goods upon the Poor / Shall have as much again, and ten times more.” Less poetically, the idea is this: Giving makes you rich. A lovely sentiment, to be sure, but quite backward-sounding to an economist. You obviously have to have money before you can give it away, right? Or in the...