World Watch List – Christian Persecution

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More than 360m Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.

In the past year, the persecution of Christians has not only increased, but it has also spread to more corners of the globe – with incidents occurring on every continent, according to a new report.

The advocacy group Open Doors USA recently released the latest edition of its annual World Watch List, which ranks countries based on the treatment of their Christian populations. The group said the increase in incidents considered persecution was alarming and only getting worse.

“It is appalling that Open Doors has to report that persecution has increased again in 2016 and we are still at the worst levels of persecution in modern times,” David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, “The spread of persecution has gotten worse, now hitting nearly every continent in the world. There were 23 Christians killed in Mexico specifically because of their faith.”

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My One Year Reading Plan

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I developed my own One Year Bible Reading Plan because most of the plans on the internet were in order of the Holy Bible which finished the year reading Revelation during Advent and Christmas! I somehow thought that after a full year of intense Bible study I couldn’t see myself reading about the apocalypse and Armageddon while reading Matthew. I decided to divide up the themes of the Holy Bible across a 7 day period for 52 weeks. I found an excellent little church in New Zealand called “City” https://city.org.nz. The pastor there worked up a plan that was heavy on theme rather than chronological. Here is a link to that bible reading plan…. https://city.org.nz/pdf/bible-plan.pdf. I discovered the time periods each book was written with help from the ESV Study Bible ,(A Mighty Oak of a study bible!) I then came up with a excel spreadsheet, printable for one page with highlights to show the time periods and themes.

This first download is my plan without color…

Bible Reading Plan in a YearDownload

This download is my original plan that includes color and easier to see the bible themes.

Bible Reading Plan in a Year – ColorDownload

Here is a simple checklist to keep track of your verses when reading throughout the year.

Bible Reading Checkoff SheetDownload

Here is a version that also includes the apocrypha

Bible Reading Checkoff with ApocryphaDownload

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What does the Bible say about cremation?

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Having a proper burial for your recently departed was held with great importance during Biblical times. Most of us are aware of the great lengths ancient Egyptians went through to preserve the dead for their eternal journey, but the ancient Hebrews also took great care in preparing their dead for burial, as evident in John 19:39. In most cases, Jewish families buried their dead in caves and tombs when possible.


39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[a] by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[b] in weight.

John 19:39 – English Standard Version

The practice of cremation is found throughout the Bible. The first-time cremation is referenced as a burial practice is 1Samuel 31: 11-13:


11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.Saul and his sons were cremated because burial was not possible. While ancient Hebrews and Egyptians traditionally buried their dead in tombs of some form, cremation was also an option when necessary. 

1 Samuel 31:11-13 – English Standard Version

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5 Types of Foods That Cause Inflammation

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Inflammation is part of your body’s natural defense against things that adversely affect health, like bacteria, viruses and toxins.

But your immune system is complicated, and its components are sometimes triggered by unexpected things — including certain foods.

“Our diets play an enormous role in what’s happening inside our bodies, much more than most people probably realize,” says Dr. Karla Saint Andre, an endocrinologist at Houston Methodist.

We all know the obvious consequence of making consistently unhealthy food choices: weight gain. What you may not realize is that being overweight is linked to increased levels of inflammation in the body.

The story of how our eating habits can lead to inflammation doesn’t stop there.

“An unbalanced diet means eating a lot of processed foods, which contain ingredients that can activate inflammatory processes directly,” Dr. Saint Andre adds.

This is less noticeable than weight gain, of course, but Dr. Saint Andre emphasizes that it’s still harmful.

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Project 226 and $13,000 bought Harvard University and changed health culture in the Unites States for 50 years

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In a 2015 JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) research paper a shocking revelation was made that contained proof the sugar industry bribed leading doctors to lie about and report on the consumption of sugar was safe when they knew it wasn’t.

In 1965, in fact, the Sugar Association paid two Harvard scientists $6,500 to twist the facts surrounding sugar.

They wanted to blame fat for the health problems sugar seemed to be causing. Why? So they could keep selling you more sugar.

They succeeded, and it led directly to the chronic disease and obesity epidemics we’re facing today. These epidemics have claimed the health and lives of billions of people.

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