There were extraordinary scenes on the final day of a Christian medical conference when a famed heart doctor produced evidence of how, after he had prayed for a patient who had died and was being prepared for the morgue, “he was brought back to life after prayer.”
      Dr Chauncey W Crandall IV, who serves at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, made his dramatic presentation on 15th June, 2013, on the final day the 10th annual World Christian Doctors Network conference in Toluca City, Mexico, which brought together some 350 doctors and medical professionals from 24 countries.

     Dr Crandall began by saying that the dramatic incident took place on 29th October, 2006, when an auto mechanic, Jeff Markin, walked into the Emergency Room at the Palm Beach Gardens Hospital and collapsed from a massive heart attack.

     “We had a 53-year-old man who came to the emergency room with a massive heart attack and actually his heart had stopped,” he said. “The medical people had worked on him for over 40 minutes in the emergency room and then declared him dead.

      DAN WOODING, of ASSIST News Service, reports on the recent 10th annual World Christian Doctors Network conference in Mexico...  | more...|

CHRISTIANS URGED TO MARK WORLD REFUGEE SUNDAY THIS MONTH 5th June, 2013 Churches around the world have been asked to observe World Refugee Sunday later this month, setting it aside as a day to remember and pray for those who are "persecuted and oppressed around the world". The World Evangelical Alliance and the Refugee Highway Partnership - a global network of Christians committed to welcoming and serving refugees - have joined in calling for Christians to take part in the day which is held on either the 16th or 23rd of June - the Sundays to either side of World Refugee Day on 20th June. DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

THE STATISTIC:

Age of the world's oldest person, Jiroemon Kimura, who died in Japan on 12th June, 2013:

116

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SIGHT SOAPBOX...  |  more... |
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SIGHT'S YEAR IN REVIEW

Sight's annual 'Year in Review' is back. See some of the stories which helped define our 2012. Of course, this is a selection of just some of our feature articles - chosen to reflect the range of issues we've covered...  | more...|

Plans to continue the fight against global poverty after 2015 - the expiry date for the Millennium Development Goals - have been broadly welcomed by aid and humanitarian groups.

     A panel of 27 world leaders chaired by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Indonesian President Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handed down a report in late May in which they proposed a range of new benchmarks aimed at ending poverty and promoting development around the globe.

     They have recommended that the eight Millennium Development Goals and 21 accompanying targets set in 2000 – which called for a halving of extreme poverty by 2015 - be replaced with 12 goals and 54 targets covering issues ranging from poverty to the empowerment of women, food security to the role of sustainable energy and creating stable and peaceful societies.

      DAVID ADAMS reports on the response to a new report aiming to tackle development issues after the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015...  | more...|

Recent independent research verifies that Compassion’s child sponsorship program is highly effective as a long-term solution to help release children from poverty. From June 2008 to August 2010, independent, empirical research was conducted by Dr Bruce Wydick and a team of researchers from the University of San Francisco, University of Minnesota and University of Washington into Compassion's child sponsorship and its effectiveness. Substantial funding for the study came from BASIS/USAID.

     The research focused on six countries (Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, the Philippines and Uganda) and involved interviewing more than 10,000 people, including 1,860 adults who were registered in Compassion’s child sponsorship program between 1980 and 1992. It took two years to gather all the data, and when the results were published last month in the Journal of Political Economy - one of the world’s most prestigious economic journals- they were overwhelmingly positive.

      In the second of a special monthly series of essays, CHOE BRERETON, writing for Compassion Australia, looks at what newly released research into the organisation's child sponsorship program shows and how it's impacted people like Haitian politician Beguens Theus...  | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS IN THIS SERIES...

    In the first of a new monthly series of articles surrounding the launch of Compassion Australia's new campaign - Compassion Child Sponsorship. IT WORKS - LINA ALARCO and CHOE BRERETON report on the difference child sponsorship in making in one Colombian neighbourhood…  | more...|

Life had been something of a rollercoaster ride for singer Naomi Striemer when God presented her with a choice. Twice on the cusp of  ‘making it’ in the music industry - including signing a million dollar record contract with Sony/Epic at the age of just 18 - she had come away disappointed both times.

    Ms Striemer was in New York, chasing up an invitation to collaborate with one of the hip-hop industry’s best known names, when she was approached by a stranger – the chauffeur who had been driving her around the city – in the hallway of a studio. He told her about a dream he’d had in which an angel had come to him with a message for her from God: she could either keep pursuing her dreams her way and face more disappointment or could surrender all to God and watch them come true. It was to prove a pivotal moment in her life.

     “I just realised how intimately involved God is with each of our lives,” Ms Striemer, now 30, recalls. “And I remember just getting back to my hotel room and bursting into tears and really having a heart-to-heart with God, so humbled and so taken aback that it had happened.”

      DAVID ADAMS speaks with Canadian singer Naomi Striemer about her challenging - and inspirational - walk with God...  | more...|

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains unapologetic to protestors. He labels them as “looters,” “bums,” “extremists,” and social media liars.

     Protesters are upset with Mr Erdogan’s government decisions to restrict alcohol sales and his declarations about appropriate rates of reproduction. It’s grown beyond what started the protests--a sit-down demonstration at Istanbul’s Gezi Park when it was scheduled for demolition.

     They see Mr Erdogan as imposing the values of his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP). The party was voted into power two years ago by around half the vote.

     Mr Erdogan stated, “This is a protest organised by extremist elements...We will not give away anything to those who live arm-in-arm with terrorism.”

      A report from Mission Network News...  | more...|

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NEW! MYSTORY

Looking to encourage or inspire others or simply share how meeting God has changed your life? We're looking for your story - perhaps the inspiring story of how you came to know Jesus or an incident in your life in which you saw God's hand at work. MyStory - an addition to our existing LifeStory column - is a new regular feature where we'll publish your story for the benefit of others.

    Simply write your story in 200 words or less and email it to editor@sightmagazine.com.au and we'll post it here under our MyStory banner. We're looking forward to hearing from you!

POSTCARDS: SHARING THE GOSPEL IN ABKHAZIA

Do you know where Abkhazia is? It might be hard to find on a map.

     Abkhazia is nestled between Russia and Georgia and struggles with an international identity crisis.
  “(Abkhazia is) just a totally war-torn country. The entire infrastructure was pretty much destroyed, and people are living basically in poverty there.”
Basically, the Slavic nation of Georgia wants to claim Abkhazia as one of their regions. Abkhazia wants to be a formally recognised country but isn’t given independent status yet by the UN.

     Abkhazia self-declared independence in 1999. They’ve tried to be really friendly with Russia and have a lot of connections between their citizens across the border. It seemed to work since the former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recognised Abkhazia as a sovereign nation in 2008.

     But it really doesn’t mean much if the UN doesn’t give Abkhazia formal recognition.

     Mission Network News reports on a mission to take the Gospel to Abkhazia... | more... |

OPEN BOOK SPECIAL - HUNCHES ABOUT JESUS: CROWD MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS, PART 1

Remember, just after Jesus started teaching? His mother and family were worried about the catering. Many were coming to His school, but it seems Jesus had already organised some women to provide meals, and His mother and family weren't involved. They hadn't known about it. They knew He wasn't asking His disciples to fast, but He hadn't asked them to do the catering. He hadn't told them what was arranged. By doing it in this way, Jesus taught His disciples that He wanted women and girls and children in His school and He accepted their help. He also told His disciples off when they ignored children and women.

     At the end of his Gospel, Mark tells us that the women standing around the cross with His mother were the ones who had provided for Him and His disciples in Galilee. It is as if Mark writes knowing that his first readers will understand. My hunch is that Jesus had taken care of the catering long before His mother and family realised it was going to be needed. But now I wonder. Does this help us understand something about the catering for that famous event when the 5000 were fed? It might.

     In his series on Hunches about Jesus, BRUCE C WEARNE takes a look at what Mark says about the miracle involving the loaves and the fishes...  | more... |

SIGHT-SEEING: WHY "OLD" ETHICS AND MORALITY MATTER TO THE FUTURE

Hardly a week goes by in which we don't learn of some new psychological condition.

     Consult almost any Sunday newspaper and you'll read about some previously unrecognised malady of the mind which needs attention or cure.

     The American Psychiatric Association publishes a regularly updated manual which is used worldwide as a key guide for diagnosing disorders. More than a few of the most recent additions can be attributed to our reliance upon new technologies.

     Alongside recognised disorders we seem to be developing a growing list of unofficial pseudo-conditions. In the spirit of this often maddening yet ubiquitous trend, I venture to suggest the introduction into mainstream thought of a malady called historophobia.

     The term already has a somewhat limited meaning and recognition within tight academic circles, but I'd like to broaden its application to mean the fear of all things traditional.

Writing from London, MAL FLETCHER explains why, when it comes to morality, we shouldn't fear all things traditional...  | more... |

LIFE'S TOUGH QUESTIONS: DOES THE BIBLE CONDONE SLAVERY?

A common objection to the Bible is that it portrays a God who condones slavery. Considering there about 27 million slaves in the world today, it is a major issue that many Christians are involved in try to abolish. The abolitionist movement made famous by William Wilberforce was almost overwhelmingly Christian. So why would Christians fight so hard to abolish slavery if the Bible condones it?

     With any issue like this, when we want to look at what the Bible says, context is everything. To paraphrase real estate agents: context, context, context. It can’t be emphasised enough. We can’t just take an issue that we can do things about now and transport it back 2000 years into a completely different culture and context.

      The main thing that I see when I read the Bible, particularly the New Testament, is that it is written in a context of suffering. Jesus was a suffering Messiah, and the epistles were generally written to communities which were experiencing some sort of oppression and persecution.

       NILS VON KALM takes a look at what the Bible says about slavery... | more...|

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FUTUREME

What, if you could, would you say to your future self? FutureMe gives you the chance to do so by presenting the opportunity to write a letter to yourself which can be delivered to your selected email address at a nominated date in the next 50 years (although most letters we saw are to be delivered within the next few years). You can choose to make the letter either private or public (while this means it will be available for anyone visiting the site to see, it will be anonymous).

      DAVID ADAMS looks at a website that gives a future glimpse of your past... | more... |

READ

THE 'STORY' OF A REVELATION SCROLL

One of my favourite and most inspiring places in the world is Patmos. It is a small and beautiful Greek Island and was lovely to visit on holiday. But the highlight was to see the cave where John the Apostle was said to have received his Revelation, which he transcribed through a scribe and which became the final book in the Bible. It helped the Bible come alive for me, and inspired me as a writer to be receptive to “what the Spirit is saying to the churches”.

     Ben Chenoweth is passionate about helping his readers get in touch with the Bible and its original writers and context. His latest book The Ephesus Scroll is an entertaining historical novel about a scroll of Revelation. It alternates from the world of the early church to the contemporary church, from persecution in Asia Minor to a growing church in modern-day post-communist Russia. So the book takes the reader on a journey following the scroll from Patmos to Ephesus and it being read in the seven churches of Asia Minor.

     DARREN CRONSHAW finds Ben Chenoweth's novel, The Ephesus Scroll, an entertaining and informative read...  | more... |

LISTEN

NEW! TRAA NEWS

This week, Jade Diary’s Cold Hearted gets a work-over, and a little know US worship leader works with some of the biggest names in Christian and pop music on his latest worship project.

     The latest music news, brought to you by The Rock Across Australia...  | more... |

GRAVITY - LECRAE

American hip-hop/rap artist Lecrae is one of a handful of Christian musicians generating mainstream success. What’s unusual is that Lecrae is doing this with overt Christian lyrics. He’s not holding back just for popularity. On Walk With Me he raps: "Ah, I'm on a mission, they probably think I'm missing some screws, but it's these three nails that keep me driven. If God ain't with me I know that I'm gonna fail..."

     WES JAY on Lecrae's latest, Gravity...  | more... |

WATCH

ABRAMS' STAR TREK REMAKE (PART II) CONTINUES TO PLEASE

After director JJ Abrams revived Star Trek with the 2009 reboot, new life was given to the franchise that has been around in various films, TV series as well as numerous novels, comics and videogames.

     With so much rich material to draw from, Abrams could’ve taken the film anywhere. It was always going to be a difficult task, with the previous 10 films that ran from 1979 to 2002 fondly remembered (well, most of them), and fans of the series being both loyal and vocal. However, Abrams and his talented team managed to inject a renewed sense of zeal to the adventures of the starship Enterprise.

     Now, four years later, comes the sequel with the original cast. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the usual team have to match wits and fists with John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a former Starfleet officer now turned rogue with talk of vengeance on his mind, and impressive fighting skills at his command.

     KRIS BATHER takes a look at the latest Star Trek film, Star Trek Into Darkness...  | more...|

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TRENDSPOTTER: 3D PRINTING TO CHANGE THE FACE OF MANUFACTURING

Described as a development which is potentially "bigger than the internet", the emerging field of 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) potentially promises the creation of everything from food to car components, all at the touch of a button. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes which strip away material to create an object, 3D printers - or 'fabricators' - use an additive process in which material is progressively added to the object being constructed, building it from the ground up, so to speak. The technology is already used in a range of industries for both building prototypes and manufacturing some components but experts say the uses so far are only scratching the surface of what could be built (one project currently on the drawing board is the building of an entire house using a 3D fabricator; another the printing of moon bases).

     DAVID ADAMS takes a quick look at the emerging technology of 3D printing... | more...|

ORIGINS: THE NATION'S CAPITAL TURNS 100

Australia's capital city, Canberra, this month celebrated 100 years since its official founding. But what are its origins?

     Canberra was born out of the need for the new Federation of Australia - created in 1901 when six separate British colonies on the continent of Australia united in the formation of a new nation - to have an official capital city.

     While eyes initially turned to the existing state capitals of Sydney and Melbourne, it was soon realised that neither would be acceptable to the inhabitants of the other. And so a compromise was reached - Melbourne would serve as the temporary capital until a new city was built, located between Melbourne and its northern neighbour Sydney.

    DAVID ADAMS gives a brief overview of the founding of Australia's capital city, Canberra...  | more...|

SIGHT HELPDESK: "HAVE YOU RESTARTED YOUR COMPUTER?"

"Have you restarted your computer?”
      The phrase can make the most patient of computer users cringe, but it is the one that is used the most. In fact, a British sitcom called The IT Crowd was created in which one of the lines frequently used was "Have you tried turning it off and back on again?"

     It added comedic value to the series, however, while working on a busy service desk, I heard it being used like clockwork; usually around one minute into the call. The caller had just explained their problem and with the regularity of a Swiss timepiece, the question would be asked: “Have you restarted your computer?”
      And the conversation would continue: “No, no I haven’t.”
  “Well if you could do that and call us back if the problem persists,” the call taker would say. For the inexperienced staff, you could hear the desperation in their voices that the caller would do exactly that. They’d hope the caller got someone else next time.

      Despite being the butt of many jokes, ALAN TAYLOR says advice relating to restarting the computer is often a good place to start when addressing problems... | more...|

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