Focus On The Family, a Christian non-profit group, has purchased ad time during Sunday’s Super Bowl. The 30-second ad will feature Tim Tebow, a former quarterback with the University of Florida’s Gators and 2007 winner of the Heisman Trophy, along with his mother Pam.

It’s expected that the Tebows will give a personal message against abortion in the ad. 
Pam went against a doctor’s advice and decided to keep Tim despite medical risks.

“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Jim Daly, president of Focus of the Family, said in a written statement on Jan. 15.

CBS is running into controversy regarding the ad, and it’s not the first time. In 2004 CBS rejected an ad buy from the “liberal-leaning United Church of Christ highlighting the UCCs welcoming stance toward gays and others who might fee shunned by more conservative churches.”

CBS is trying to figure out what to do. What do you think they will do? What should they do?

The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950 and its personnel who were affected by the earthquake are now working to assist others in need. The Salvation Army in Haiti operates three medical facilities, schools that serve at least 10,000 children, feeding programs, children’s homes and church-related activities.

Please support The Salvation Army’s relief effort in Haiti. Financial contributions can be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769), by visiting our website, www.SalvationArmy.ca, or by texting HAITI to 45678 for most carriers in Canada, to make $5 donation. You can also give by mailing donations to The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, Ontario M4H 1P4, or dropping off financial donations at the closest Salvation Army unit in your area. Donors should specify their gift to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund.

For newly orphaned children wandering the streets of Haiti’s capital begging for food, new life sounds like a dream come true. But agencies trying to evacuate children whose parents died in last week’s earthquake have been criticised for bypassing proper adoption processes to rush them to families abroad.

Children’s advocacy groups warn against new procedures in the face of an emergency. They say disasters create a free-for-all in which thousands of children are airlifted to nations without their family background being properly checked. Aid groups worry about children whose parents or other relatives still may be alive.

Your thoughts? Is bypassing proper adoption processes the right thing to do?

Words cannot begin to describe the devastation that has taken place in Port au Prince, Haiti.

I am the Director of Disaster Services for The Salvation Army in Haiti, and I am from the United States. My wife and I have been in Port au Prince since April, and have fallen deeply in love with the country and its people.

When the earthquake struck, I was driving down the mountain from Petionville. Our truck was being tossed to and fro like a toy, and when it stopped, I looked out the windows to see buildings “pancaking” down, like I have never witnessed before. Traffic, of course, came to a stand-still, while thousands of people poured out into the streets, crying, carrying bloody bodies, looking for anyone who could help them. We piled as many bodies into the back of our truck, and took them down the hill with us, hoping to find medical attention. All of them were older, scared, bleeding, and terrified. It took about 2 hours to go less than 1 mile. Traffic was horrible, devastation was everywhere, and suffering humanity was front and center.

When we could drive no further, we left the truck parked on the side of the street, and walked the remaining 2 miles to get back to the Army compound. What I found was very sad! All of the security walls were down. The Children’s Home itself seems pretty intact, but our quarters, which is attached, are destroyed. Unliveable. The walls and ceiling are still standing – but so badly compromised that I wouldn’t even think of trying to stay there. All of the children, and hundreds of neighbors, are sleeping in our playground area tonight. Occasionally, there is another tremor – another reminder that we are not yet finished with this calamity. And when it comes, all of the people cry out and the children are terrified.

As I am sitting outside now, with most people trying to get a little sleep, I can hear the moans and crys of the neighbors. One of our staff went to a home in the neighborhood, to try to be of assistance to the woman who lived there. But she was too late.
The scene will be repeated over and over again. Tomorrow, we will begin the process of assessing damage, learning about casualties, and preparing for the future.

God bless Haiti.

Bob Poff
Divisional Director of Disaster Services in Haiti
The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is rapidly mobilizing and responding to the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti yesterday. To better understand the tragedy this country is facing, please take a moment to read the letter at the end of this post from Bob Poff, the Salvation Army’s Divisional Director of Disaster Services in Haiti, regarding his account when the earthquake hit.

With many people missing, injured, or killed, and much of Haiti’s infrastructure damaged, the Salvation Army needs your help to provide much needed aid.

The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations to assist in the effort via:
• Online Donations
• 1-800-SAL-ARMY

In order to keep you updated regarding the situation in Haiti and The Salvation Army’s aid efforts, we will update SalvationArmy.ca regularly as new information comes in.

Teens are becoming more moral but less religious, according to a new study released by one of Canada’s most respected sociologists. The Emerging Millennials: How Canada’s Newest Generation is Responding to Change and Choice is the title of the latest book by Reginald Bibby, a sociologist with the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. It is based on a survey of 4,746 high-school students, ages 15 to 19, that he conducted in 2008 in approximately 200 schools across the country.
For more information visit http://ptc08.com/english.html

Do you feel teens are more moral and less religious? Why?

For many, the New Year is a time for personal resolutions. We look forward to the coming year and reflect on changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on them.

Here are seven simple steps to help us keep them:

Pick one thing - don’t put pressure on yourself by making more than one change in your life at a time.

Plan ahead - Plan for success and get everything ready so things will run smoothly.

Anticipate problems - There will be problems, so make a list of what they will be.

Pick a start date - You don’t have to make your changes on New Year’s Day.

Go for it - Make a commitment and write it down on a card. Keep it in your wallet, in your car or by your bed. It will give you an extra dose of positive reinforcement.

Accept failure - Don’t hate yourself if you miss a walk for a day. Try again. Perseverance is the key to success.

Plan rewards – You’ll deserve them and will have earned them.

What are you planning to do in 2010?

Second-hand stores are becoming more popular. With a slumping economy, resale is getting a boost.

Those who would never put a second-hand gift under a tree are now cash-strapped customers who are purchasing items in consignment stores and thrift shops for less than half their regular retail price.

Buying second-hand gifts is a great way to keep holiday costs down, but how do you feel about it? Is it acceptable? Is it unacceptable? Is it just plain tacky?