- 45% say family is the most important

- 20% say health/leisure/balanced lifestyle is the most important

- 17% say wealth/profession/making money/success/finances

- Only 12% say faith is the most important

David Kinnaman says, “People are not turning to God in the face of economic stress…but instead, they are focusing more on themselves. They are simply working harder and trying to make more money”. This is in contrast to nearly 90% of Americans who say they believe in God and 3 out of 4 who describe themselves as Christians. Kinnaman says, “So much of American religion seems only skin-deep. And economic trials have revealed Americans’ fixation with individualism and their illusions of being self-made”.

When Steve Saint asked the Waodani Indians of Ecuador — the same tribe that killed his missionary father in 1956 — how he could help them some years ago, they mentioned the concept of a flying machine.

He never forgot the idea and earlier this week drove through Chattanooga with the Maverick Sport Flying Car he helped engineer and which he intends the South American tribe will have one day.

The tech site GizmoWatch has more:

A result of 7 years of research and development by the Indigenous People’s technology and Education center – The Maverick is a car which “transforms automatically into an ATV when the roads are primitive and rough, float when the bridge is out or the river has flooded its banks and inundated the roads – and fly when it is impractical to drive or float.” See the Maverick Sport flying car at Oshkosh AirVenture 2010 in the video below.

I-Tech, the company behind the Maverick, states that its mission is to “support the Great Commission by assisting the ‘hidden’ church in its journey toward independence under the lordship of Jesus Christ.” They hope to have the car for sale by the end of the year for $80,000.

Look for more pictures and videos at I-Tech’s website and YouTube Channel.

(image via I-Tech.com)

Learn more about Compassion International and sponsoring a child at Compassion’s website.

Learn more at michchallenge.us

In a House floor speech, Republican Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia cited apparent U.S. indifference to violations of human rights in Sudan, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco.

He said Iraq’s ancient Christian community faces extinction unless the government protects churches and prevents attacks that have driven hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians into exile.

Wolf said the U.S. also should demand that Egypt protect its Coptic Christians from growing persecution, and that Morocco stop deporting American Christians for alleged proselytizing.

He said oppressed believers need the Obama administration to “find its voice” for human rights.

For now, the city of Manchester is telling its citizens to conserve water:

Due to the flooding, the City of Manchester is requesting all residents to conserve water and sewer and urges citizens to watch and listen for continued news media announcements.  Please minimize water usage by refraining from laundry, flushing stools, washing dishes, etc. for the duration of the flooding event or until the City is back to normal operations.

And the Red Cross is assisting flood victims – more information can be found at the Grant Wood Chapter’s website.

KCRG, channel 9 in nearby Cedar Rapids/Waterloo (also home of our own Faith 1090) has more information:

LAKE DELHI – Everywhere you go along Lake Delhi in Delaware County, you see busted boats and all kinds of debris.

About 300 to 700 homes got damaged when the dam broke on Saturday. No one knows how long it’s going to take to clean up the mess.

A chance to see the broken Lake Delhi dam attracted plenty of people looking to snap a photo.

But, downstream, homeowners cried out for attention.

“We need help. We need help down here,” homeowner Tammy Gorman said.

Volunteer Andrew Bacon said, “They need more people out here. That’s for sure.”

If you can give time or money, please contact the Red Cross as the website listed above.

(image source)

Warren spokeswoman Kristin Cole says the sap of a firestick plant got into Warren’s eyes when he wiped his brow while gardening at home on Monday. The sap can cause temporary blindness, but Cole says Warren can see and is expected to make a full recovery.

The 56-year-old pastor was treated overnight and released Tuesday from a hospital in Mission Viejo.

On Thursday, he sent a message to his Twitter followers asking for their prayers. Warren wrote that his “eyes were severely burned” and he was suffering “excruciating pain.” He later wrote, “May God use this pain for His glory.”

Warren is the author of “The Purpose Driven Life” and the founder of California’s Saddleback Church.