Red Bull drops Jesus ad

Red Bull drops Jesus ad: Energy-drink maker Red Bull says it has dropped an advertisement after an outcry from Christians for its portrayal of Jesus Christ walking on water.

Reponse: Open letter to Red Bull

Referring to my previous post  Open letter to Red Bull (Re: Jesus and disciples ad)

This was Red Bull's response:

Thank you for contacting us, we appreciate how strongly you feel about this. For over twenty years, Red Bull cartoons have looked at well known themes with a twinkle in the eye. It is never our intention to offend. This advertisement is part of a series and has now been followed by another.

My Reply:

Thank you for your response. Your reply however is neither an apology nor an admittance of offensive advertising on your part. I assume that future offensive advertisements are possible, and that Red Bull does not intend to withdraw the advertisement. I am sure had this advert depicted another religious icon, such as Muhammad, the Muslim community would take drastic action against Red Bull and a public outcry would follow.

As a Christian, I feel the same sense of injustice and offense. I urge Red Bull to take their customers seriously and not offend them. Do not be surprised if sales figures drop due to this. It is never a good idea to step on toes of religious institutions and beliefs for the sake of having giggle or "twinkle in the eye" as you would call it.

Once again, thank you for the quick response. I trust that Red Bull will listen to their customers, the life blood of any company.

Sincerely,
Francois Coeries

You can make up your own mind as to what Red Bull is saying with their response...

Comments welcomed.

Open letter to Red Bull (re: Jesus and disciples ad)

This is the letter I wrote to Red Bull, via their Facebook page:

This is a formal request to end the Jesus and disciples ad. As a Christian, I find it very offensive and blasphemous. I'm sure I am one of many thousands of people who want the add cancelled. There is no need for Red Bull to confront Christians in this way. It is uncalled for and certainly speaks of Red Bull's desperation to get people talking about their product. There are many ways to promote a product without having to overstep boundaries. 

The creators of this ad are obviously not Christian or of any other religious belief system, hence the unsympathetic and confrontational approach. I expect Red Bull to formally apologize to the Christian community. I look forward to your response regarding this matter.

Sincerely,
Francois Coeries (Cape Town, South Africa)

I urge all Bible believing Christians to do the same. We cannot allow our Saviour's name to be turned into a joke, suggesting that the miracles described in the Bible are a joke and brought down to the level of fools.

You can view the ad here

Cloud on the mountain

Traffic is hectic this morning. Guess its because I left later than usual. And no mountain to look at. Here's to hoping for good day.

Youth/Church & Technology

Technology is taking over the world, but one place that I feel is taking way too long in adopting technology is the Church.


Well, some churches might be ahead of others in terms of how much and to what extent technology is used. I guess it all comes down to the culture, vision, finances and leadership in the church.


For starters, all members can now have the Bible with them wherever they go. Almost everyone (except for those who are afraid of Big Brother) carry a mobile phone with us, and more often than not, we can access the internet using the device. We use chat applications such as mxit or facebook etc. What about the times when we are sitting in a coffee shop and wanting to read the Bible, or share with the world a revelation experienced while doing Bible study?


YouVersion allows you to do just that. The site allows you to read the Bible at your own pace, or you can follow the daily reading plan. You can even setup groups that allows a group of people to follow a particular reading plan. The mobile web application is an ongoing development with improvements added regularly. You can also make contributions based on scripture passages and share it with the world.


It also has mobile Bible applications that you can download and read the Bible, on your phone.


So go ahead, give it a try and be blessed by this awesome application.

Pay, pay, pay

I pay way too much for everything. Car insurance, retirement annuities, fuel, premiums, and I struggle to breath... And I dont even have a bond yet. *sigh*

I just need relief. 

Please Lord, give me wisdom in so I can gain financial freedom. Open avenues for me, lead me to the right people that can show me the way. Protect me. Please Lord, Amen.

Reflective thoughts...

While driving home after a long day's work and stress, sitting in traffic is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the day gone by.

The other day I found myself in that very situation. Traffic was packed (as usual), people were stressing on the roads, some looking to cut in front of others, others just moving along...

I was thinking about the stress of the day, the unfairness of life, how I wish someone in the office would just leave me alone (did I say leave all together?), then I looked up at the mountain and wondered at the beauty of God's creation and suddenly my problems and stresses seem to just disappear into nothingness...

Then I thought of Psalm 121 

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that my help comes from you and that nothing in this life can take the place of your awesomeness! Amen

My war hero

These are medals that were awarded to my late grandfather for services rendered during WWII.

He never spoke about the war really. All we know is what my grandma told us; that apparently his best friend during that time was shot right next to him and died in his arms during a fierce battle with the Nazis in Egypt.
 
The only thing I can ever remember my grandfather say about the war was: "War is not good." I guess this summed up his experiences. This must have been the most difficult time in his life. Because when he returned from Egypt, he arrived in his home town of Alexandra in the Easter Cape (RSA), he discovered that during the time that he was away to fight for his country, both his parents have passed away and his family have moved to a different town. He never received any news. How bad is that? No news? I feel sad just thinking about it.

But he started a new life, a successful one at that. I appreciate his contribution to our country and our family. Well, he's the reason I'm here to tell you the story. 


His memory lives on in our hearts.


May these medals serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made for our sake.


:In loving memory:

Garlic And Sapphires

Garlic And Sapphires

from: Our Daily Bread