Jars of Clay For a Second Novel

“Diversity” is the word coined to best describe the remarkable creativity of Matt Bronleewe who will speak this week at Saddleback Church’s much anticipated Worship Conference and Festival in Lake Forest, California. Bronleewe will co-spearhead panels at the mega-church event on subjects that include studio production, song critique, vocal productions  and  a recording panel Q&A session for an anticipated registration of more than 1,500 worship pastors, senior pastors, and worship team members from across the U.S. and overseas. An award winning record producer to an impressive list of top names in both pop and Christian music, Bronleewe’s creativity both behind the control board as well as his creditability as a hit songwriter has to date produced multi-platinum successes and sales of more than 20 million units.

McCain Meets Billy Graham

Republican presidential nominee John McCain had the chance to pray with an old acquaintance of his family on Sunday. He met privately with Billy Graham and his son Franklin at Graham’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The three men met for almost an hour. It was McCain’s first time to meet the evangelist. The elder Graham had prayed with McCain’s parents twice while John was being held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Franklin Graham said his father “expressed gratitude for the senator’s long and brave service” to the country. McCain has been trying to court the religious and conservative vote, but he insists the meeting wasn’t a political one. “They have known my family and me for many years, and the great leaders of this nation,” McCain said. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit with him and am very grateful for the time they spent with me.”

The Governors Seek Energy

TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. – Governors from several Western states voted Sunday to form a council that will study ways to protect wildlife habitat in the face of ever-increasing demand for energy development in their region. The governors were attending the first day of the annual Western Governors’ Association conference, held this year in the valley of Jackson Hole in Wyoming’s northwestern corner. The task of the Western Wildlife Habitat Council will be to identify key wildlife corridors and habitats for animals such as pronghorn antelope, sage grouse and bear. It is also considering the potential impact of energy development, both in the form of oil and gas drilling and new construction of solar and wind generation plants, as well as the matter of infrastructure for the rising population in the region and the effects of climate change.

U.S. Ship Arrives in N Korea

SEOUL, South Korea – A U.S. ship carrying thousands of tons of food aid has arrived in North Korea, after the communist nation agreed to expanded international assistance for its impoverished people, the U.N. food agency said Monday. The World Food Program said the American ship that arrived Sunday carried 37,000 tons of wheat, the first installment of 500,000 tons in promised U.S. aid that will be distributed by the United Nations. The aid was not directly related to the ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as the U.S. says it does not use food as a means of diplomatic coercion. However, the shipment came just days after the North handed over its delayed atomic declaration and blew up the cooling tower at its main reactor site. In exchange, Washington has removed some economic sanctions against the North and said it would remove the country from a U.S. State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism.