• Day of Purity Gains International Attention with Video Clip

    For sexually active teens facts show that boys are four times more likely to suffer with severe depression and girls are more than three times more likely to be depressed most or all of the time, according to the Center for Data Analysis Report on Sex Education and Abstinence. The consequences of sex before marriage can be as far reaching as they are devastating, and making teens aware of those potential pitfalls should be of paramount importance. The cost of treating STDs in one year alone is $16.5 billion dollars. More than two thirds of teens who had sexual relations before marriage regretted doing so, according to the Family Research Council. According to Hamilton County, Tennessee Health Department, teen pregnancy in Chattanooga has decreased by 72%, which was attributed in part to an abstinence program. Ultimately, the cultivation of interests and concerns in young people’s lives outside of sex is the driving thought behind the Day of Purity.

  • Petition Delivered: Please Pray for Veronica and other Children Hurt by ICWA -

    Please pray for both these families. …Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18:16

  • Save Veronica Rose

    According to the 2000 census, approximately 75% of people claiming to have American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry live outside the reservation. Further, interracial marriages are a fact of life. It is must be recognized that most children of heritage live off the reservation and have extended family that are non-tribal. Though supporters of the Indian Child Welfare Act say it has safeguards to prevent misuse, Veronica and numerous other multi-racial children across the U.S have been hurt by it. Children who have never been near a reservation nor involved in tribal customs are affected. The Cherokee Nation alone is currently tied up in about 1,100 active Indian Child Welfare cases involving some 1,500 children.

  • Onward Christian Soldiers

    Along with their ideological Tea Party cousins – many of whom are one and the same – tens of millions of potential Bible-believing voters are being encouraged – to the extent they need encouragement – to vote their values in 2012. The catalyst? President Obama’s discredited secular-socialist push to “fundamentally transform America.”

  • The Dominionist Manifesto

    No, seriously; we intend to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and we’re scheming to deliberately defy the ACLU, leaving our potluck dinners to grow cold while we impetuously wander off church grounds to do it.

  • Ray Comfort’s Blog: “The Soap Box”

    READ RAY COMFORT’S DAILY BLOG for solid apologetics and encouragment. The vision of Ray Comfort’s ministry is to” inspire in every Christian a God-glorifying passion to fulfill the Great Commission.” The ministry’s earnest prayer is that God would raise up laborers as never before. Their desire is for those laborers to embrace biblical evangelism, and their aim is to equip them with tools to make the task easy and effective.

  • Has God Told You NOT to do Mission Work?

    “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s people and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse: and all people’s on earth will be blessed through you.”

  • Consider Living Faith Bible College This Next September

    the amazing thing about that is that LFBC is one of the smallest Bible Colleges you’ll find. Small, with a family atmosphere, at the same time wonderfully international. Students the opportunity to get to know each other on more than a superficial basis. All of this occurs in a beautiful environment set apart from the hustle and bustle of the city, surrounded by wildlife, rivers, trees and mountains

Scripture

The Birth of Jesus Christ – Luke 2:1-20

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Dec 242011
 
Jesus Christ is Born

The Birth of Jesus
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2: 1-20 (NIV)

Holding on to that Memory: Ronald’s Incredible Vision

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Mar 192011
 
p_afterStreetEvangelism_000

We were practicing music, and I asked Natasha to play the song she played for Roland at his funeral. In the midst of difficult times for the family, it helps to remember the Blessings we’ve had. To be reminded that they were real…
She hadn’t played it for a long time, so she hesitated, and then began to slowly play that familiar melody that always moves me. Ronald began to work in a delicate accompaniment with the drum. I closed my eyes and just felt the music, swayng where I stood. I almost imagined Roland listening along. When I opened my eyes, Ronald had stopped, and Natasha, following his lead, was finishing up. Then Ronald grimaced with his face, and wiped at a tear. I thought he was joking like he usually does, so I laughed. Then I realized he was really crying, and hard. I’ve never heard him sob like that, hardly able to get his breath. I went over and held him for a little while, until the heavy sobbing subsided. Then I sat down, and we all waited for him, as he continued to cry silently for about another ten or fifteen minutes.

When he could finally talk, he told us that he could feel Roland’s presence in the room while we were playing, and when he looked up, he saw Roland standing next to me with his arms around my shoulders.

—– Original Message —–
October, 2005
From: Pastor Jeff

Way Cool! Hold on to that memory.

From: Cal
> Lisa Dear, As I read your e-mail, I immediately began to cry…even from a > computer screen the spirit> overwhelmed me. What a glorious vision and comfort. What a comfort and a > hope for Ronald. As we try to sort out so many things, rights and wrongs, > misunderstandings, etc. they seem to encompass and overwhelm us at times. > The whispers from the Lord like Ronald’s vision remind us that it’s about > God’s perfect love and grace for each of us, that He cares about us and it > means everything to Him to let us know His comfort and perfect love. What a > precious gift, especially after the difficult weekend you’ve had. Thank you > Jesus. Love, Cal

—– Original Message —–
From: Jenny

Oh my God

—– Original Message —–
From: Leslie

O Lisa. How very, very special. Thank you for sharing this lovely thing the Lord did for you all.

—– Original Message —–
From: Andrea
What a blessing after that rough weekend you just had! I think you are receiving the strength that I was praying for. Roland is there with you, and Ronald saw him. Your family in Canada is bonding more tightly than they ever have before, and that’s exactly what helps everyone be strong in tough times.

—– Original Message —–

A moving story indeed. I hope you all felt comforted by your experience.Tell Ronald that it is okay to cry in a situation like that.What I am worried about is, that there may be times when you do*not* have such experiences. That’s okay, too. It does not mean that God suddenly cares for you less. He doesn’t. He cares for you and for Ronald and for all of you just as much as before. It’s just that He isn’t always so demonstrative about it.Love, Dad

—– Original Message —–
From: My Brother

He’s not done with you guys yet…?

Hijacked and Murdered Sailor was on Christian Mission

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Feb 222011
 
Scott Adams

Four Americans on Yacht Murdered by Pirates –
 
Friend: Hijacked California Sailor Sought to Mix Faith, Adventure

Published February 21, 2011 Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A friend and former professor of a California man whose yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates said Sunday that Scott Adam wanted to combine his love of adventure with his faith by spreading bibles around the world.

Professor Robert K. Johnston of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena told The Associated Press that Adam — who last year earned a master of theology degree from the school — had sent friends emails detailing his international sailing trip. But Adam went silent Feb. 12 to avoid revealing the location of his yacht, the Quest, to pirates.

“He was sailing around the world and serving God, two of his passions,” Johnston said.

Organizers of the Blue Water Rally yacht race said passengers of the sailboat owned by Adam and his wife, Jean, carried them and two other Americans, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, both of Seattle. It was hijacked Friday off the coast of Oman. It is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official told The Associated Press.

Johnston said that despite an adventurous spirit, the Adams were meticulous planners who knew the dangers they faced. The couple had sailed with a large flotilla to stay safe from pirates near Thailand earlier in the trip.

“They knew and we knew they still had to go by the Somalia coast,” he said. “We’re asking people to pray for them.”

Adam, now in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, Johnston said.

“He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind,” he said.

Johnston and Adam worked together to start a film and theology institute. Adam also taught a class on church and media at the school.

Since 2004, the Adams lived on their yacht in Marina Del Rey for about half the year and the rest of the year they sailed around the world, often distributing Bibles in remote parts of the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia, Johnston said.

Is God in Control?

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Jan 092011
 
0249278-R1-042-19A - Copy

.
On facebook, a friend wrote:

“Fear believes the worst is going to happen… faith believes the best is already on its way”

Someone responded:

When your perspective is telling you it’s the worst, that’s when you need your faith to rise. Faith is always needed if we’re going to achieve what we’re called to. Faith allows us to do good despite our less than ideal circumstances because we see what is available to us through Christ.

I still don’t believe that God is in control. I’ll believe otherwise if you can show me in scripture that he is. In the mean time I choose whether or not I get out of bed in the morning. I choose whether to use my words to encourage others or tear them down. I’m pretty sure God has given me a great deal of control over what happens in and around me.

If he were in control there would be no point in us doing anything because God would be taking care of it, there would be no point in relationship with God because we wouldn’t be expected to do anything (there’s the issue: saying God is in control releases us from any responsibility to bring his kingdom to earth).

If God were in control, would there be all the problems there are in the world? Saying God is in control is saying he is not good and that is a fallacy.

Yes, God is all powerful and could take control, but if he did then what would be the point in existing? You have a greater purpose. Start walking in it!

FYI: I can’t take credit for a lot of this. Much of it is just reiterating what Bill Johnson says in Face to Face with God

Then there was this response:

———————————-

Very good points – but here’s a question. If God ISN’T in control, then does that mean His plan might fail – and what is fore-told in Revelations might not happen? Aren’t we assured that in the end, God will defeat the enemy?

Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”
Other ways that is read include, “that all things work together for good to those who love God, who;” or
“that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who.”

Note: this assurance is predicated to those that Love God, and this last version of the verse makes it clearer that we are working with Him to bring about good. Our relationship with Him comes with the expectation of participating in His work. (and striving to not hurt others)

God, as you said, is capable of controlling everything, but allows man free will. Maybe this is all about the big picture – not the small,( re: daily free will choices – getting up from bed, or deciding to commit a crime, etc.) The big picture is our unbreakable relationship and life with God – if we choose it.

If Hell is separation from God – we are assured we will never be separated, and He is working with us through all things for good in that direction. Rom 8:39 “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Some of “those that Love Him” and have purposed to work for Him abbreviate that thought – rightly I think – into our assurance that “God is in control.”

And you are right – Faith is needed if we’re going to achieve what we are called to.

_______________________________________________________________

I need to address the thought that if God is in Control, there is no point for relationship -

Relationship with God, as pointed out in Romans 8:28, involves Him working with us, through us, etc. – to bring about His will and good -
that’s what the Holy Spirit is all about.

We choose relationship with Jesus Christ. There is our free will. But God IS the Master when we do that – he is our LORD – and we are His servants. Therefore, He IS in control.

There is No relationship without accepting His Lordship!

Further, we can NOT do good on our own – we need the Holy Spirit. According to Romans 6, we die – our flesh dies with Jesus Christ – and then we are raised up again new with Jesus Christ – (just as He was raised up again) – to live a New Life, with Him.

Rom 6:22 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

This is the Relationship: we can do nothing without Christ (God/Holy Spirit) in Us:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. [For when we abide in Him -- and He in us -- He shows us His will and that's all we long for!]
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:3-10

Abiding in Him, and He in us – involves letting go of ourselves, and allowing Him – in control – to work through us.

So I think Mr. Johnson, in his book ‘Face to Face with God,” was very wrong about there being no point to relationship if God is in Control. It’s reversed – there would be no point to relationship if he WASN’T in control -

“My Bad” Manute Bol, God gave him “Heart Enough to Look Back”

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Jul 152010
 
Manute Bol: Sudanese, Christian, NBA Basketball Player

Manute Bol, 1962-2010 | Mindy Belz World Magazine  

Convinced that a man who had towered over him in life would not easily go down to death, Tom Prichard made four trips to Virginia to see former NBA basketball player Manute Bol during six weeks of hospitalization. “We thought he was going to make it before he took a sudden turn for the worse,” Prichard told me. Bol died a day later on June 19 at age 47. He suffered from acute kidney failure and a severe skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Prichard, a Kansas pastor and longtime friend, worked alongside Bol to start Sudan Sunrise, building schools and churches in Bol’s native South Sudan. Along with other prominent Sudanese-Americans like Olympic track star Lopez Lomong, Bol aimed through Christian-Muslim efforts to reconcile communities racked by 22 years of civil war. “We need something to symbolize how far we’ve come,” Bol told Prichard.

It was a remarkable undertaking, considering that Bol himself had 250 members of his own extended family killed at the hands of Khartoum’s Islamic government during the war. (His father named him Manute, meaning “special blessing.”). Remarkable also for a 7-foot-7 NBA star drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1985 and later traded to the Golden State Warriors, 76ers, and Miami Heat. He played 10 seasons as the tallest center in the NBA, earning an estimated $6 million that most who know him say was spent on helping Sudanese. “God guided me to America and gave me a good job,” he notably said, “but he also gave me a heart so I would look back.”

Bol’s NBA career was notable also for an expression he invented on the court. In early practices when he missed a shot, Bol—who never had a formal education and knew little English—told teammates, “My bad.” Players repeated the phrase to poke fun at him, until it spread into sports and then mainstream vernacular.

According to Prichard, the same thing that motivated Bol in life drove him to his death: love for his homeland.

He made three trips to Sudan in 2009, the last in November with Prichard and former Reagan national security adviser Bud McFarlane. The trio surveyed progress on the first of 41 schools Sunrise is building—this one in Bol’s home village of Turalei. Nearly complete, it’s being constructed by Christian and Darfuri Muslim laborers.

“He was going to stay a matter of weeks,” Prichard told me. But Bol picked up “a whiff of a plan” to derail elections scheduled for April—the first multiparty elections in Sudan in 24 years. Pro-Khartoum candidates were turning up in Twic County, his county, to run against established locals from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the majority (and largely Christian) party in the south. Bol was someone locals would listen to, and SPLM leaders asked him to stay. Twice he delayed his return to the United States—until early May.

Lacking medication for his kidney ailment, Bol’s health declined. Eventually he became so sick he had to be hospitalized in Nairobi, Kenya, for a week. But when he learned that some candidates were trying to buy votes in Twic, he left the hospital and returned to Sudan: “If they give you money and food, take it,” he told villagers. “But don’t give them your vote in return.”

On election day the candidates Bol favored won. According to Prichard, “he was very pleased but he was also very sick.” When finally he arrived at Dulles airport outside Washington, he was too ill to board his connecting flight to his home in Kansas. Taken by ambulance to a hospital in northern Virginia, he remained there for five weeks before he was transferred to the burn unit at the University of Virginia hospital in nearby Charlottesville. Apparently medication he received in Nairobi for his failing kidneys brought on Stevens-Johnson, a severe skin reaction that burns the tissue from the inside out.

“He lived for his country, and he died for his country,” Prichard said. “He gave his life to try to thwart the plan to manipulate elections and to try to keep plans on track for a [2011 independence] referendum.”

Copyright © 2010 WORLD Magazine July 17, 2010, Vol. 25, No. 14

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