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There were two extraordinary men living in the city of Jerusalem when Christ was on earth. One of them has come down through history nameless--we do not know who he was; the name of the other is given. One was not only a beggar, but blind from his birth; the other was one of the rich men of Jerusalem. Yet in the Gospel of John, there is more space given to this blind beggar than to any other character. The reason why so much has been recorded of this man is because he took his stand for Jesus Christ. Look...

If some one had told me a few years ago that he thought Herod at one time came near the kingdom of God, I should have been inclined to doubt it. I would have said, "I do not believe that the bloodthirsty wretch who took the life of John the Baptist ever had a serious thought in his life about his soul's welfare." I held that opinion because there is one scene recorded in Herod's life that I had overlooked. But some years ago, when I was going through the gospel of Mark, making a careful study of the book,...

I should like to call your attention to the prophet Nehemiah. We may gain some help from that distinguished man who accomplished a great work. He was one of the last of the prophets, was supposed to be contemporary with Malachi, and perhaps his book was one of the last of the Old Testament books that was written. He might have known Daniel, for he was a young man in the declining years of that very eminent and godly statesman. We are sure of one thing at least--he was a man of sterling worth. Although he was brought up in...

I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to honor. He stood high in position; he was captain of the host of the King of Syria; but he was a leper, and that threw a blight over his whole life. As Bishop Hall quaintly puts it, "The meanest slave in Syria would not have changed skins with him." Now you cannot have a better type of a sinner than Naaman was. I don't care who or what he is, or what position he...

THE CALL OF MOSES There is a great deal more room given in Scripture to the _call_ of men to God's work than there is to their _end_. For instance, we don't know where Isaiah died, or how he died, but we know a great deal about the call God gave him, when he saw God on high and lifted up on His throne. I suppose that it is true to-day that hundreds of young men and women who are listening for a call and really want to know what their life's mission is, perhaps find it the greatest problem...

A great many people are afraid of the will of God, and yet I believe that one of the sweetest lessons that we can learn in the school of Christ is the surrender of our wills to God, letting Him plan for us and rule our lives. If I know my own mind, if an angel should come from the throne of God and tell me that I could have my will done the rest of my days on earth, and that everything I wished should be carried out, or that I might refer it back to God, and let...

A LIGHT HEART On one occasion, after I had been talking this way, a woman came forward, and said, "Oh, Mr. Moody, it's all very well for you to talk like that, about a light heart. But you are a young man, and if you had a heavy burden like me you would talk differently. I could not talk in that way, my burden is too great." I replied, "But it's not too great for Jesus." "Oh," she said, "I cannot cast it on Him." "Why not? surely it is not too great for Him. It is not that He...

Detroit's looming bankruptcy is making news again, this time focusing on current restructuring plans aimed to wipe out $18 billion in debt by axing pension checks of city retirees, including police and fire. Massive long-term retirement and healthcare promises were by no means solely responsible for the city's fall, but these massive pensions coupled with a tax base weakened by high unemployment and housing vacancies caused the budget to bleed out quicker. The Michigan city may be the most recent victim of bankruptcy, but many of the 61 largest U.S. cities have adopted the same retirement legacy leading to $118...

America is now run by the best and brightest of Chicago. What they did to Chicago, they’re doing to America. Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Chicago’s credit rating, citing the city’s unfunded pension liabilities.The agency announced Tuesday it’s lowering the rating on $8.3 billion in debt from A3 to Baa1, putting it only three notches above junk-bond status.Moody’s Investor Service rated the city’s upcoming $388 million bond issuance at Baa1, down from A3, a level set last year after an unusual triple downgrade.Chicago will test the bond market for the first time since its bond rating dropped three notches, thanks...

1. Shake off the vipers that are in the Church, formalism, pride, and self-importance, etc. 2. It is the only happy life to live for the salvation of souls. 3. We must be willing to do little things for Christ. 4. Must be of good courage. 5. Must be cheerful. God had no children too weak, but a great many too strong to make use of. God stands in no need of our strength or wisdom, but of our ignorance, of our weakness; let us but give these to Him, and He can make use of us in winning souls....

Illinois' $97 billion pension problem isn't doing any favors for Chicago. Moody's Investors Service late Wednesday downgraded the city's debt rating from Aa3 to A3 because of the city's "very large and growing" pension liability.

Moody police say that a teenage girl who has been missing since Friday has been found safe.

The Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and aftermath could mean a drop in Penn State's bond ratings. Moody's Investors Service announced today that it has put Penn State's bond rating on review for a potential downgrade. The review affects the university's Aa1 rating and applies to about $1 billion in debt. According to an announcement from Moody's, the potential change stems from recent events including the Freeh report, the NCAA sanctions and the Big 10 action, along with uncertainty related to other investigations. The review is expected to be finished in 90 days. It will include assessing the affect...

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the debt ratings of 15 major international banks and securities firms on Thursday, a move that could cost the banks billions of dollars in extra collateral. U.S banks that were downgraded included: ......

Gov. Jerry Brown tangled with a reporter from the conservative Washington Times newspaper after his meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Sunday. At one point Brown, who was defending his earlier tenure as governor and his efforts to bridge the state’s budget gap, asked the reporter: “Are you a Moonie?” The Washington Times was founded in 1982 by Sun Myung Moon, head of the Unification Church, whose followers were often referred to informally as Moonies. The Washington Times is a conservative paper, and Brown, after recognizing his interrogator, gave no ground. Brown’s spokesman Gil Duran joined...

Moody’s Investors Services announced Friday that is is placing Penn State’s Aa1 revenue bond rating on review for possible downgrade as it assess credit risks stemming from the sexual abuse scandal. In light of the criminal charges against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky and two senior university officials, as well as the dismissal of President Graham Spanier and head Coach Joe Paterno, Moody’s said it will, over the next several months, evaluate the “potential scope of reputational and financial risk arising from these events.” While it may take years for the full impact of the events of this week...

The "limited magnitude" of both debt plans put forward by congressional leaders would not put the nation's AAA credit rating back on solid footing, Moody's Investors Service announced Friday. "Reductions of the magnitude now being proposed, if adopted, would likely lead Moody's to adopt a negative outlook on the AAA rating," the credit rating agency said in a new report. "The chances of a significant improvement in the long-term credit profile of the government coming from deficit reductions of the magnitude proposed in either plan are not high." It added that "prolonged debt ceiling deliberations" have increased the odds of...

Moody's 'axe blow' to rating on Spanish debts The debt crisis sweeping southern Europe has deepened after US credit-rating agency Moody's downgraded €112bn (£100m) of Spanish mortgage debt and slashed the ratings of Catalunia and a raft of regions with ballooning state deficits. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor Published: 6:05AM GMT 18 Dec 2009 A deserted buiding site in Spain. The country has been hit hard by the property crash Spain's media called the move an "axe blow", fearing a domino effect through the country's debt markets. Credit default swaps measuring the risk on Spanish sovereign bonds jumped 10...

It had to happen. Less than two weeks before we vote for a new president, a white woman says a black man attacked her, then scarred her face, and says there was a political motive for it. Ashley Todd, a 20-year-old white volunteer for John McCain’s presidential campaign, says she was mugged at an ATM machine in Pittsburgh (my hometown) by a big black man. She further says he threw her down, then disfigured her by carving the letter “B” into her face with a sharp implement when he saw that she supported McCain, not Barack Obama.

CCC rating (That's Credit crunch computer cock-up) Moody's, the ratings agency, is reviewing its computer models and setting up a central monitoring system after admitting that a bug led it to incorrectly grade several European mortgage debt instruments. The agency admits that it incorrectly gave its highest AAA rating to about $1bn worth of European "constant proportion debt obligations". Triple-A ratings are required before many investors like pension funds are allowed to invest. Following a review of its processes Moody's found that its staff had not acted to cover up the error with the modelling. But it found some members...