Exodus International supporters praise apology to gays - Los Angeles Times

People gathered in Irvine at the annual conference for "gay cure" group Exodus International seemed to embrace the organization's change of course after its leader apologized to gays and said the church needs to be more embracing of homosexuals.

Julie Rodgers, youth leader for Mercy Street Ministries in Dallas, said she and her organization still believe that "God only blesses sexual unions between a man and a woman," but she said it's time for the church to become a more welcoming place.

'The culture has changed, so it's not surprising that people within the church are changing," Rodgers said. adding that Christians "need to enter into a conversation with those who think differently.'

'This is definitely a sign that the church is becoming more compassionate, more gracious and more loving,' she said.

Linda and Rob Robertson, who spoke at the Exodus International conference in Irvine, said their lives were turned upside-down when their 12-year-old son came out to his parents as gay.

'If you follow Jesus, you will have to make hard choices. You will have to live a celibate life,' Linda told her son Ryan.

She said she and her husband forced him to choose between God and being a gay man, and for the next six years he tried everything possible. He went to reparative therapy with Exodus, but nothing worked.

At 18, with no answers, he became addicted to drugs, his mother said.

'We didn't intentionally, but we taught Ryan to hate himself,' Robertson said.

When Ryan hit rock bottom after his drug experimentation, his parents realized they would lose him and tried to form a more accepting relationship with him.

He went to rehab and was welcomed back into the family. But he relapsed and died of a drug overdose in his father's arms in 2009, his parents said.

Since then, the Robertsons have become advocates for gay and lesbian young adults who feel shut out by the church.

'We have to stop warring. We've got to stop fighting,' Rob Robertson said.

Aaron Harris, who works with Northpoint Ministries in Atlanta, said that he has often thought of the church as "teaching truth based on fear."

He thinks that the Exodus announcement will allow Christians to feel more comforted and loved.

'It's no longer 'I either have to choose to be a Christian or to be gay.' Before you couldn't be both and the truth is, you can be both,'� Harris said.

Exodus International President Alan Chambers apologized on Wednesday to members of the gay community for "years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.' He also said the organization would be closing.

'Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we've ceased to be a living, breathing organism,' Chambers said in announcing the church's closure. 'For quite some time we've been imprisoned in a worldview that's neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.'

ALSO:

FBI insists Michael Hastings was not under investigation

Exodus International says its anti-gay view was not 'biblical'

Hospital's ban on abortion tied to deal with Catholic provider�

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGefPJiJonw5jMIF_T6Jawzmm6ClQ&url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exodus-reaction-20130620,0,1249818.story

Zuo Lider Plus Armless Office Chair (White) Shopper Reviews

I live in office My previous light grey leather office chair i've had for 11 Decided to get a new one, within 3 days the white leather is all stained black from my I own 4 belts, they all seem to do Great chair, its just going to have a blackened smudge across the back of Nothing seems to clean this off well Bummer train to bummer
- Jarrett Hunter Taylor

I originally bought a similar office chair with an armrest and it won't go under my Fortunately, I found this Lider Plus Armless Office Chair from Amazon and it fits perfectly under my desk It is a very stylish & comfortable chair with a very affordable I like it very much and that's why I am buying a second shipment is very quick and I received it earlier than I I can't be any Thanks, Contemporary Warehouse!!
- EP

With its ergonomic shape, padded back and seat cushions, the Lider Plus White Armless Office Chair by Zuo Modern works in comfort. It has a chromed steel frame with soft neoprene arm pads.

Source: Zuo Lider Plus Armless Office Chair (White) Online Store

Flash Furniture AM-9410-4110-GG Contemporary Thomas Mahogany Leather Swivel Glider Recliner

• High quality leggett and platt mechanisms
• Minimal assembly required
• Back comes detached for easier h and ling
• Dacron wrapped 1.8 resiliency foam
• Stylish and comfortable swivel glider recliner

Contemporary Thomas Mahogany Leather Swivel Glider Recliner [AM-9410-4110-GG], 36-inch Width by 39-inch - 62-inch Depth by 37-inch Height.

Source: Flash Furniture AM-9410-4110-GG Contemporary Thomas Online Store

Handy Living Washington Chair and Ottoman, Cabana Crimson Buyer Reviews

The fabric on this chair is very pretty and The design is more subdued than in this Oddly when bright sunlight shines on the chair it looks more tannish, but with incandescent room lighting or a darker room, its deep lush reds come Sitting upright the chair it's very If you're 5'11" like me and want to rest your head while reclining, you'll have to slump down For someone 5'4" or less this chair and ottoman would be
- Night Sky

I would have never dreamed I would order furniture on I saw this chair and ottoman and it looked like just what I I was pleased when it The colors of the paisley are perfect in my The chair cushion is VERY firm and not as comfortable as I would like, but it looks
- Barbara Coan

I've had my chair for a few months now and it's I did think the colors would be richer but they're Also, the legs slip on hardwood floor so I had to buy The ottoman still slips on the area I mean, it's not hard to build the chair with grips on the foot of it, and the ottoman too is it? However, like I said, all in all, it's very nice chair especially after I put a deep red throw pillow on (Had to change to 5 stars because I have waisted everything on the chair from eggs, to coffee, to chocolate, and it all cleans off so easily and leaves NO stains That deserves 5 stars!
- NightOwl

We bought this chair and another one that matches and are very They are very nice looking and true to The packaging was great (my son loved playing in the HUGE box), and all it took was screwing the feet on and they were ready to I only gave this four stars because I must say they aren't all that comfortable, but not uncomfortable for I have to say that overall we are very very If I had it to do over I would definitely purchase them
- Chandler

This chair and ottoman seem to be very well made with nice I am hoping that it wears well with little dogs sitting in it! The color is very subdued and looks lovely with a pale gold Like the ad says, it is a bit down scaled in size, which is what I Easy to put legs on and you are
- louiesmom

• Easy assembly required
• Sturdy construction includes hardwood frames, high-quality foam cushions, and durable 100% cotton upholstery
• Innovative Engineering And Design Enables Upholstery To Fit Through Any Size Doorway
• Chair measures 35 inches long by 34-1/2 inches wide by 34 inches high; ottoman measures 22 inches long by 24 inches wide by 17 inches high
• Versatile transitional chair and ottoman set features crisp tailoring and scaled-down size

This updated transitional armchair includes a high-end 8-way hand-tied seat cushion and matching ottoman with a hardwood frame and tapered wood legs. The coordinating ottoman has a firm foam cushion, which is perfect as a footrest or as an extra seat. Th

Source: Handy Living Washington Chair and Ottoman, Cabana Online Store

Praise 'Yeezus': Kanye West's New Album is an Eclectic Tour de Force - Daily Beast

Kanye West's latest album, Yeezus, is bizarre, brilliant, and like nothing you've heard before.

DefJam;Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic

In Paul Edwards' comprehensive tome How to Rap, the author surveyed a plethora of rap emcees'�104, to be exact'�in order to demystify the rap process. The second chapter of the book, titled 'Content Forms,' explores the role of braggadocio in rap; or more specifically, why boasting and dick-measuring is so prevalent in the genre.�

'When you're a young black male in America, you feel powerless'�you feel like you don't have a voice, you're disenfranchised'�so when you get the microphone, you wanna just pump yourself up,' claims the rapper Murs. 'I think that's where all the bravado comes from, where all the braggadocio comes from.'

Now, Kanye West is far from powerless. In a much-ballyhooed recent interview with The New York Times' Jon Caramanica, West opined that he emanated 'complete awesomeness at all times,' is 'so credible and so influential and so relevant' that he can inspire change, and is the cultural heir apparent to Steve Jobs (an odd comparison, given West's history of abusing Apple products). But West still feels powerless. He's never satisfied. And the celebrity-industrial complex is completely anathema to him. It's this queasily symbiotic relationship between celebrities and corporations that fuels much of West's ire on his sixth solo album, Yeezus, which will be released on June 18. It's a sonically audacious, fascinating work of art. And if you think his interviews are unfettered, well, you ain't heard nothing yet.

'

West may be the Marie Antoinette of hip-hop.

'

There's a line on the Yeezus track 'I Am a God' that will be quoted ad nauseum in the coming months. The track opens with glitchy lo-fi distortion and reggae crooning. Scratchy synths follow, accompanied by a resounding CLANG! and pulsing bass line. He raps about massages, Porsche's, ménage à trois', and 'pink-ass Polo's with a fuckin' backpack,' and then it comes: 'HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANTS!' It's the 'Let them eat cake' of rap lyrics'�fitting, since West may be the Marie Antoinette of hip-hop. The line captures the intriguing paradox that is West, a mélange of petulance, bombast, unintentional'�or intentional?'�hilarity, and relentless ambition. Later in the record, there are ear-shattering synth shrieks accompanied by moments of deafening silence, as well as exasperated screaming. It is'�to borrow a West line'�the album's nucleus, and has the cumulative effect of aural stigmata.

West has described Yeezus' musical style as 'trap and drill and house,' but it sounds more like a mixture of '90s industrial rock'�think Nine Inch Nails'�and ambient-electronica, e.g. Aphex Twin. The French electronic duo Daft Punk produced four tracks on the album and if their latest LP, Random Access Memories'�a breezy ode to the funky '70s'�goes down like a smooth daiquiri, Yeezus is like jungle juice.

Opening track 'On Sight' kicks things off with a bang. Over thrashing sonic beats'�that sound eerily similar to LFO's 'Freak,' which played during the opening credits of Gaspar Noe's film Enter the Void (West had previously copied that film's title sequence in his music video for 'All of the Lights'), West raps, 'Real nigga back in the house again / Black Tim's all on your couch again / Black dick all in your spouse again.' A hazy choral interlude follows, followed by more nasty beats and acerbic lyrics. 'On Sight' is the only potential club banger on an otherwise avant garde album.

Unlike his previous solo effort, 2011's My Beautiful Dark Twisty Fantasy, this LP is devoid of radio-friendly anthems like 'All of the Lights'; there are no coquettish hooks sung by Rihanna or any other chanteuses. They've been supplanted by, say, samples of Nina Simone crooning about lynching, as on the mesmerizing six-minute track 'Blood on the Leaves,' which transforms the politically charged ballad 'Strange Fruit' from an anti-lynching tune into a vitriolic ode to a star-fucking mistress.

Yeezus sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. West started out as a producer, crafting songs like Jay-Z's 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' and Talib Kweli's 'Get By' before, by his own admission, becoming an overnight celebrity with Twista's 'Slow Jamz,' which he raps very slowly'�and hesitantly'�on. The production on Yeezus blows Random Access Memories out of the water. By assembling several mega-producers, including Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter, Skrillex, RZA, Rick Rubin'�who did some last-minute tinkering, West's mentor No I.D., and, of course, himself, each track is imbued with it's own thrillingly unique sonic identity, yet all ten tracks still flow together to form a cohesive whole. In an era of singles, this is an album, and must be listened to all the way through.

'Black Skinhead' contains a galloping beat layered with heavy breathing, tribal drums, CAW! sounds, and lyrics tackling racism in Middle America. It's last twenty seconds feature West grunting 'God!' The influence of Rubin is most evident on 'New Slaves.' It's a lo-fi, minimalist track that sees West going 'Bobby Boucher' on the corporate goons that have sought to exploit him, offering 'Maybach keys' in exchange for a piece of his soul. 'Fuck you and your Hampton house / I'll fuck your Hampton spouse / Came on her Hampton blouse / And in her Hampton mouth,' he shouts. The song closes with an outro sung by West and R&B crooner Frank Ocean. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, who sang on much of MBDTF, croons in auto-tune on 'Hold My Liquor,' which also features a muffled chorus by Chief Keef, and ends in a bizarre maelstrom of crescendoing guitars, thumping bass, and more nifty synth work. 'Guilt Trip,' like the majority of the album's second half, sees West sing-rapping in auto-tune, and contains the album's other most quotable line: 'Star Wars fur, yeah / I'm rockin' Chewbacca.'

The only song that doesn't quite work on the album is 'I'm in It.' With its mix of reggae, West raps, harsh, strident synths, and Vernon singing about 'star-fucking,' it's too busy and doesn't quite gel.

After nine dark, nightmarish tracks, Yeezus closes on a more positive note with the R&B/soul ballad 'Bound 2,' which must be an ode to his very pregnant love, Kim Kardashian. The song contains a sample from The Ponderosa Twins Plus One's 'Bound''�'Bound to fall in loooove''�tethered to an 'Uh-huh honey' sample from Brenda Lee's 1960 hit 'Sweet Nothin's,' along with an occasional injection of Charlie Wilson. 'One good girl is worth a thousand bitches,' West raps. After spending the majority of the album in misogynistic purgatory, it sounds like West has finally seen the light.

That being said, don't expect West to queue up for Cronuts anytime soon.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGhrTfHSfZTCI5q4OatP7MlYRj10Q&url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/15/praise-yeezus-kanye-west-s-latest-album-is-an-eclectic-tour-de-force.html

Homelegance 9722-1PW Upholstered Power Recliner Chair, Dark Brown, 100-Percent Polyester Fabric

• Measures 43-inch w x 41.5-inch d x 40-inch h. Minor assembly is required.
• Covered in dark brown grid-like 100% polyester fabric with contrast stitching.
• Oversized arms, seats and backs upholstered in soft fabric for extra support and comfort.
• 90-days hassle-free replacement warranty
• Modern power reclining mechanism. matching sofa (9722-3pw) and love seat (9722-2pw) are also available.

Power napping is taken to a higher level in the sullivan collection. The power reclining mechanism allows you to effortlessly glide into the proper napping position. The overstuffed cushions are covered in a dark brown grid-like 100% polyester cover adding a luxurious feel to the collection. Matching love seat (9722-2pw) and sofa (9722-3pw) are also available.

Source: Homelegance 9722-1PW Upholstered Power Recliner Chair, Online Store

International Concepts 1CC-2465 Boston Rocker, Unfinished Shopper Reviews

beautiful rocking chair - however it is not full sized or adult - it is a child's this was a gift and I was totally embarrassed! The quality is wonderful but I needed an adult size!
- Linda Diers

This chair feels sturdy and looks beautiful from the My one-year old climbs onto it easily and quickly learned to rock himself in He likes the chair, but does not love After the first week, he now just puts his stuff animals on it (we've had the chair now for about 3 only complaints and concerns about the chair came when we flipped the chair over and saw that it is NOT as well made as it first You can see all the screw heads that hold the legs to the bottom of the They are just sticking out from underneath, metal-colored screw heads just sticking out there, not so far that they are too dangerous, but enough to be ugly and The wooden bars that attach the chair frame to the chair bottom seem to have been carelessly put together, without any concern for aesthetics or good craftsmanship, as they are not even sanded to be These wooden bars looked like they were just hammered into the seat bottom and the end of the bars stick out underneath the chair and since the ends of the bars are not sanded, they are rough and wood chips come off if you touch There is a "MADE IN VIETNAM" sticker on the bottom, but also a "BUILT IN THOMASVILLE, NC" sticker, so I'm not sure where it's made, but I doubt it is US Another minor thing was that a peg that fits behind one of the chair arms fell off when the chair was delivered, but it was easy to hammer For the price, I would expect the chair makers to have taken more care in the craftsmanship of the if you never look at the bottom of the chair, you wouldn't really know that it is not as good as it From the top, the chair looks great, and it feels sturdy and It is certainly NOT worthy of the high price
- Ed Mind "Read, Learn, Share"

It is not listed in the description that this is a CHILD SIZE CHAIR!!!! UGH! I wish I had read the comments before
- LAD408 "LAD"

• Unfinished, finishing kit is available for purchase

Your home is a natural extension of you. Add these innovative designs from International Concepts to spruce up any decor.

Source: International Concepts 1CC-2465 Boston Rocker, Online Store