The Mwamba children’s choir of Uganda Africa is planning its first tour to Los Angeles and they need your help.

If you are part of a church, school or organization that would enjoy hosting the choir, including a live band specializing in traditional and contemporary African sounds, then give them a call (805-380-5873) or visit their website at mwambachildrenschoir.com/latour/ .

These children have been orphaned or abandoned by their parents are and coming to America to perform their music and make lasting friendships.

This has become a bright spot in their lives and in the lives of those who have hosted them. The World has become small enough that we don’t have to travel beyond our own community to effectively help those in need outside of America. Please, consider hosting the choir and helping them achieve their dreams through musical expression.

To help, please call(805-380-5873) or visit their website at:mwambachildrenschoir.com/latour/

SHOW NOTES:

A story on CNN.com this past Wednesday said that car owners who replaced their airbags in the past three years should know that their new airbags might be counterfeits and therefore be unsafe.

Federal officials went on to warn auto shops and drivers that these counterfeit airbags pose a huge danger to the public as the often will fail to deploy rendering them completely useless.

The article went on to quote director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Morton, who stated, “These seemingly genuine airbags are in fact shoddy fakes.” The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently seized 2,500 counterfeit airbags during the fiscal 2012.

David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said they are “good fakes” and that they look like the “real thing”.

The agency also said some of the people at risk for having one of these counterfeit airbags are “those who have purchased replacement airbags over the Internet, especially at unusually low prices, such as less than $400.”

What does all this have to do with your spirituality? Well, you too often look for the quick fix and this will certainly put you in danger of settling for spiritual counterfeits rather then the real deal.

The purpose of a counterfeit is to appear as something genuine. Sometimes it is so close to the original it’s difficult to tell which is which.
But in every case, there is something that is large enough that will stand out so you can tell the difference between what is real versus what is counterfeit.
Sometimes when you’re desperate for something you’ll justify the wrong path, the counterfeit, because it looks close enough.
2 Corinthians 11:14
“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
The enemy is the ultimate counterfeit. He loves that you blow him off, that he’s like a cartoon in your head, because when you’re not concerned and alert then he has free reign. He searches out every possible area looking for where he can deceive.
1 Thessalonians 5:12
“Test all things. Hold fast to that which is good.”
Most people, including believers, don’t test to see if something’s counterfeit if it seems real enough. People stay in relationships that they know are bad but they make excuses.
Banks teach their employees what’s counterfeit by giving them real money to handle and count for hours so that when a fake comes across their hands they recognize it. Likewise, spending time in scripture will help you determine what is of God because you’ll spend so much time in the truth that you will recognize when something is not.
The enemy cannot read your thoughts but he can read your actions. He brings something you think you need, disguised as a counterfeit. Be in the habit of spending so much time with God – in His word, with His people, at church – that you will know a counterfeit when you see it simply because you have spent so much time with what is true.

From CNN.com:

If motorists suspect they may have a counterfeit airbag, they should contact call centers established by car manufacturers to have their vehicles inspected. A list of call centers is available at www.SaferCar.gov.