By Rev Chris Sparks

MILLIONS of books. Millions of sermons. That's how comprehensively the message of Easter has been dealt with over the centuries.

It's enough to make this scribe break out into a cold sweat as a glance at the calendar confirms this week's reflection should focus on Easter.

Anxiety sets in. What can I say that hasn't already been said? How can I convey the incredible, life-changing story of Easter in a way that will connect with people where they're at in their contemporary lives? How can I present something that will be fresh and relevant through the relatively few words I'm privileged to share here?

A PowerPoint slide-show erupts inside my head. My mind begins to focus on memories of Easters celebrated in earlier years. Scenes flash by of poignant moments of solemn reflection as I participate with others in re-enactments of Jesus washing the disciples' feet on the night of his arrest. Then there are the slides of Good Friday services - of deeply loved hymns sung passionately in remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross. Hard on the heels of these come the brightest slides yet, showing incredible scenes of celebration as the tomb in which Jesus' body was interred stands empty and desolate, testifying to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Joyful singing and eyes shiny with laughter and hope characterise these happy occasions.

Most of the slides are set in conventional, churchy places. But not all. Many show how we've celebrated Easter with simple, outdoor, sunrise services at places like Pilot Hill in Yamba and local lookouts at Orange and Broken Hill. Then there are the very special Easter celebrations on sheep and cattle properties embedded within outback areas where there are few ecclesiastical trimmings - just good, honest, hard-working families who suspend their daily routines just long enough to acknowledge the power of difference the life of that one man, Jesus, has made to the world.

This colourful and joyful PowerPoint presentation within my head eases my anxiety somewhat. But I'm still grappling with the challenge of how I convey the deep, deep significance of Easter through this column.

I know what it means to me. But its significance is truly mind-boggling and difficult to summarise without resorting to well-worn clichs and churchy language.

And then it happens. I realise I don't really need to spell out the significance of the events of that first Easter. Many more eloquent than I have done that over the years. Instead, I'll simply announce the glorious, pivotal Easter message - "Christ is Risen" - and invite everyone to run their own PowerPoint presentation of bygone Easters. And even if, for many people in more recent times, Easter has been largely about having a break from work, eating Easter eggs and travelling to enjoy some special event, there will probably be some slides, somewhere, that bring to mind aspects of the Easter story we have learned in the past - truths that have touched our spirits and caused us to respond. And when that happens, I pray that God will use that recollection to bless and challenge us so that we are once more re-energised by the hope that springs from Easter-biased faith.

Here is the original post:
OPINION: Re-energised by Easter Faith

Lowest Price Guarantee!

Michelin Power Cup replaced Michelin Power One Competition as our DOT track competition range. Power Cup was developed over the last 2 years and is a direct declination of the latest technologies from our championship winning competition activities from around the world.

Our on-track testing confirmed the superiority of Power Cup over our two key competitors, Dunlop and Pirelli, in terms of lap time, handling, feeling, braking behavior, sustained performance and bike set-up, regardless of the pilots experience level, amateur or professional.

Power Cup Competition, VA & VB front tires have a more open belt ply angle, thus a more rigid carcass, which gives the front tire:

Better stability when braking, which increases the ability to delay braking Better trajectory hold while on-angle, thus higher cornering speeds and earlier re-acceleration on corner exit

Power Cup Competition A, B, and C rear tires having a more flexible carcass increases the contact patch, which results in less tread wear (larger surface to be worn) and better overall grip potential.

Tread

See more here:
Michelin Power Cup Rear - Sportbike Tire Service

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's historic bathhouses, where patrons are rinsed and massaged beneath graceful archways and tiled walls, may soon disappear as interest in them wanes.

Some of the bathhouses, known as "hammams" in Persian, are centuries old. But business has declined as modern conveniences now allow showers and baths in most homes across the Islamic Republic. The few that remain, mostly in old neighborhoods, largely draw day laborers and travelers.

"Nowadays, there are only three or four public bathhouses in Tehran," says Mahdi Sajjadi, head of the Tehran bathhouse owners' association.

In the old days, the bathhouses were more than just a place to clean up, shave or get a massage from a "dallak," who uses a mitt to scrub and exfoliate a client's back. Then, people gathered in the humid air to discuss current events and debate ideas.

Now, bathhouse owners like Gholam Ali Amirian, 70, who has spent four decades working in a hammam that is some 850 years old, fear the institution will dissipate like the steam from its heated pool.

"Some 35 years ago, before the revolution, we had lots of customers," Amirian says. "At 4 a.m., when I wanted to open the hammam, there were people already in a queue. Five people worked here and we had over 50 customers a day. But now we have three customers a day on average."

Sajjadi suggests the government could turn the bathhouses into tourist attractions by offering low-interest loans to owners to renovate their aging interiors. But so far, there's been no move to do that as the economic pressure grows.

Here are a series of images by Associated Press photographer Ebrahim Noroozi from inside some of Iran's remaining bathhouses.

___

Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

Visit link:
AP PHOTOS: Time slowly washing away Iran's public bathhouses

After a steady two-year drizzle of Chromebook releases, Google and its partners are preparing a flood of new hardware to sway consumers away from cheap Windows laptops. Chromebooks from HiSense and Haier go on sale today at $149 each, followed by the Asus Chromebook Flip, a 360-degree convertible, in the coming months.

And if a Chromebook itself is too big and bulky, then you might consider the Asus Chromebit, a Chromebook-on-a-stick that will cost less than $100. In all, 10 Chrome products will launch over the next two months, Google executives said. Besides the HiSense and Haier laptops highlighted here, youll see models from Acer, AOPEN, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and LG ranging from $149 to $499.

Were very happy in that weve played a part in moving computing a little bit further, said Caesar Sengupta, the vice president of product management for Google.

The Asus Chromebook Flip will be available later this spring, executives said.

The secret behind these low-cost Chromebooks is the RK3288, a very inexpensive ARM processor from Rockchip, a Chinese chip maker thats little known outside of industry circles.

The Rockchip RK3288 is one of the first chips based on the quad-core ARM Cortex-A17architecture, which was launched in mid-2014. Because the chip can draw as little as 3 watts of power, the Chromebooks based on it are designed without fans, and can last all day on a single chargeup to 13 hours in the Asus Chromebook Flip, according to Gayathri Rajan, director of product management at Google.

The story behind the story: The essential Chromebook concept relies on the premise that a huge cross-section of users will be happy with good enough computing, especially at rock-bottom prices. The systems arent powerful enough to play hardcore games and Windows applications, but theyre good enough to browse the web and tap into Googles extensive suite of cloud servicesGmail, Drive, Maps, and so on.

However, you could argue that with fewer than25 million Chromebook sales last year (opposed to more than 302 million PC sales), Google still has work to do. And thus todays announcement. Google and its partners are lowering prices further while chasing the one commodity laptop users value most: battery life.

The basic hardware specs of the Asus Chromebook Flip, the two Chromebooks from Haier and HiSense, and the Chromebit Chromebook-on-a-stick are all nearly identical. You get the aforementioned Rockchip chip, 2GB of storage, and a 16GB SSD.

Our general belief is that you cant get to lower-priced devices by just dropping specs, Sengupta said. Users see through that. But if you keep the performance bar the same, but bring the price down, thats really how you need to go through it.

See the article here:
New Chromebooks and Chromebit stick start at $100 thanks to lower-power chips

With Easter just a few days away, Christian churches all over the south side are winding down their Lenten activities and preparing for the holiest day on the Christian calendar, Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Holy Week began last Sunday with the celebration of Palm Sunday, remembering Jesuss triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As the week wears on, events get more somber, leading to Good Friday and the Crucifixion, and eventually the glory and joyous celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The following churches in the Fayette-Coweta area have announced their Holy Week and Easter activities:

All Saints Anglican Church will continue Holy Week with Stations of the Cross Wednesday, April 1, at 6 p.m.

Tomorrow evening, the Maundy Thursday service at 7 p.m. will feature foot washing and Holy Communion. Following the service, a 12-hour prayer vigil will be held from 8:30 p.m. Thursday until 8:30 a.m. Friday morning.

The Good Friday service will be held at 7 p.m. that evening.

Holy Saturday, April 4, will begin with morning prayer at 9 a.m., followed by an Easter egg hunt and family picnic from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Easter Sunday will begin with a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. and conclude with the Easter Sunday worship service at 10:30 a.m.

All Saints is at 149 Ebenezer Rd., Fayetteville, just east of Peachtree City. For More Information call 770-486-5374 or http://www.ptcanglican.org

Brooks Methodist Church Women will present The Seven Stations of the Cross, a time of prayer and meditation, on Saturday, April 4, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., in the church sanctuary.

Read the original:
Fayette gets ready to celebrate Easter

Soft Wash House Washing | Macungie PA | 18062
Safe power washing services for your home in Macungie Pennsylvania, 18062. Our process uses low or "soft" pressure and special detergents. Combined with out specialized equipment, we are able...

By: Revive Power Washing

Visit link:
Soft Wash House Washing | Macungie PA | 18062 - Video

GRAND BLANC, MI -- March 27, 2015: . Looking over your car in the spring is a lot like facing the mirror after a night of insomnia. Thank the winter of 2014-15, when few parts of the country were spared the snow, ice, frigid temps and, now potholes that sap strength from batteries and chew up suspensions.

April, which is spring car care month, is a good time to give your car a thorough vehicle checkup before the summer driving season, said Greg St. Aubin, who leads technician training for ACDelco, General Motors original equipment and independent aftermarket parts brand.

Many services are best left to the pros, while customers can do others themselves, he said.

Before you do anything, give your car a good spring bath.

Regular car washes and waxes protect your car from corrosive debris. In parts of the country where salt is used on the roads, regular washing of the undercarriage is especially important, said Rich White, executive director of the nonprofit Car Care Council in Bethesda, Md.

Along with routine services like an oil and filter change, brake check and fresh wiper blades, ACDelco experts recommend the following:

Go with the pros:

Do it yourself:

Continue reading here:
April Can be the Cruelest Month For Cars

Northern Seasonal Services LLC. Power washing professionals Glenview, IL
Since 2001, our team has proudly provided the communities of northern Chicagoland with comprehensive exterior and interior services. From Snow Removal and Outdoor Holiday Lighting, to Power...

By: Northern Seasonal Services LLC.

Read more:
Northern Seasonal Services LLC. Power washing professionals Glenview, IL - Video

Pro Performance Pressure and Fleet, LLC | Pressure Washing in Tampa, FL
Pro Performance Pressure and Fleet, LLC is a licensed and insured company that has been cleaning the Tampa Bay area since 1999. Offering both commercial and residential power washing services,.

By: cityofcom

Go here to see the original:
Pro Performance Pressure and Fleet, LLC | Pressure Washing in Tampa, FL - Video

On Good Friday, the pulpit at St. Peters Episcopal Church will feature meditations on the seven last words of Jesus by five lay and ordained ministers.

The Rev. Rodney S. Sadler of Union Presbyterian Seminary and Sardis Baptist Church, St. Peters member Elizabeth Richardson and the Revs. Joslyn Ogden Schaefer, L. Murdock Smith, and Ollie V. Rencher will preach during the three-hour service on April 3. St. Peters, established in 1834, is located at 115 W. Seventh St. at in Center City.

Officiated by the Rev. Jonathan E. Soyars, the 12- 3 p.m. Good Friday service will include chanting of the Passion narrative, intentional silence, exceptional music for choir and organ, hymns, and the solemn act of venerating the cross.

This dramatic service reflects one of many ways for our parish church to boldly proclaim the spectacular story about the unconditional love, justice, and reconciling power of Jesus, said Father Ollie Rencher, Rector of St. Peters. It will be a gift to hear brief sermons about the Crucifixion from a variety of voices before we celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Day.

The Good Friday service is a core aspect of Christians observance of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday on March 29. Palm Sunday services typically include the Procession of Palms and reading of the Passion Gospel. St. Peters will offer several services between Holy Week and Eastertide.

Sunday of the Passion, March 29 8 a.m., 10:45 a.m. Procession of Palms, Passion Reading, Holy Communion with music 5 p.m. Agape meal featuring traditional Mediterranean cuisine 6:15 p.m. Passion Reading and Holy Communion with Music

March 30-31, April 1 7:30 a.m. Prayer (30 minute service) 12 p.m. Holy Communion (30 minute service) 5:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross (Monday only)

Maundy Thursday, April 2 7:30 a.m. Prayer (30-minute service) 12 p.m., 7 p.m. Holy Communion, stripping of the altar and foot washing (optional) 8:30 p.m.-7:30 a.m. Prayer vigil in the chapel

Good Friday, April 3 7:30 a.m. Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament (30 minute service) 12-3 p.m. Hourly meditations, prayers, hymns, music for organ, and choir 4-5 p.m. Childrens version of Stations of the Cross. All ages are welcome.

Holy Saturday, April 4 8 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter Day: First Fire of Easter, Incense, baptisms, Holy Communion with music

Read the original:
Life and Religion