Notice God's unutterable waste of saints, according to the judgment of the world. God plants His saints in the most useless places. We say - God intends me to be here because I am so useful. Jesus never estimated His life along the line of the greatest use. God puts His saints where they will glorify Him, and we are no judges at all of where that is. ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, August 10
Showing posts with label Persecuted Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Persecuted Church. Show all posts
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Valedictorian Under Fire
From One News Now:
A student's free-speech rights are being defended in federal court.
Liberty Counsel is pursuing the case at the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. General counsel Steve Crampton is defending Colorado high school valedictorian Erica Corder. Along with 14 others, Corder was permitted to make a 30-second statement at the graduation ceremony.
"And because she mentioned Jesus Christ, she was told immediately after the service that she would not be receiving her diploma along with the other students, but had to meet the principal who then required that she sign an apology, with which she did not agree, as a condition for receiving her diploma," Crampton explains.
Corder wrote the apology under compulsion, and Liberty Counsel then sued the school on her behalf. Crampton says it is unconstitutional to restrict public speech, especially since it was student-initiated.
Evidently, says the attorney, "there's basically no such thing as private speech at a graduation ceremony -- even for a valedictorian who earned the right to address her classmates."
Crampton calls it a clear case of viewpoint discrimination.
A student's free-speech rights are being defended in federal court.
Liberty Counsel is pursuing the case at the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. General counsel Steve Crampton is defending Colorado high school valedictorian Erica Corder. Along with 14 others, Corder was permitted to make a 30-second statement at the graduation ceremony.
"And because she mentioned Jesus Christ, she was told immediately after the service that she would not be receiving her diploma along with the other students, but had to meet the principal who then required that she sign an apology, with which she did not agree, as a condition for receiving her diploma," Crampton explains.
Corder wrote the apology under compulsion, and Liberty Counsel then sued the school on her behalf. Crampton says it is unconstitutional to restrict public speech, especially since it was student-initiated.
Evidently, says the attorney, "there's basically no such thing as private speech at a graduation ceremony -- even for a valedictorian who earned the right to address her classmates."
Crampton calls it a clear case of viewpoint discrimination.
*************************************
Signing an apology to get a diploma? Sounds more like a communist country than a republic that respects free speech! Hang onto your personal liberties, y'all or they just might be yanked away!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
Remembering Those in Bounds....
...as if we are bound with them.
Hebrews 13:3
Our family's collective statement for the
Persecuted Church.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Pray Today!
It's the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church!
For IDOP ideas please visit yesterday's post.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:18-20
Saturday, November 08, 2008
November 9th, Pray for the Persecuted Church!
Tomorrow is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. For more information you can visit VOM's Persecutiong Blog. There are also some downloadable resources here. Last year my sister planned some inspiring ideas for her church. I blogged about it last November, read it here.
Here are some ideas for how you can observe IDOP with your family, friends, small group, Sunday School Class, etc.
1. Wear ropes tied around your wrists to remind you to be "Bound with them."
2. Read storied aloud of Christians who have been persecuted or martyred. Kids of Courage website has great stories for even your little children.
3. Write to a Christian in prison for his/her faith. Go to Prisoner Alert and read their stories, get their addresses, and translations of useful phrases. This is a great ministry! From their website: Your involvement is evidence to our persecuted family that they are not forgotten. Often the oppressors try to brainwash these Christians into believing that they are forgotten, that they are not loved and that no one knows about them. Through this isolation and loneliness the devil can prey upon their faith. When a prisoner learns others are protesting on their behalf or when they receive your letter, they know that someone cares. You involvement can result in better treatment for a prisoner. The authorities in many nations are very sensitive about their image abroad. When they realize that outsiders are monitoring a prisoner’s situation, conditions may be improved.
4. Fast a meal and spend the time in prayer for the persecuted.
5. Spread the word about IDOP. There are probably man in your church or religious community who have never heard of a day dedicated to pray for the persecuted.
6. Send Bibles to the Persecuted Church through Bibles UnBound.
7. Take this quiz with your family or small group. See how much you really know about the Persecuted Church.
8. Consider becoming a Persecution Blogger. Use a little of that blog space you would have used to rant about the U.S. Government to show solidarity with your brothers and sisters who are standing for their faith!
Whatever you do, just do something!
Don't forget!
If you have any other ideas or are planning an observance, please leave a comment and let us know what you are doing!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
International Religious Freedom
It's been TOO long since we've blogged about one of our passions, which is the Persecuted Church.
The U.S. Department of State has just released their report for 2008 on International Religious Freedom. You can read the report here. What's helpful is that there is a link to every country where you can read about their religious freedom or lack thereof and find out exactly where they stand! Would make a great prayer tool or homeschooling resource. You can watch a video, beginning with Secretary Rice's introduction and then Ambassador Hanford as they present the 10th annual report.
From the summary of the report: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) requires an annual review of the status of religious freedom worldwide and the designation of countries that have "engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom" during the reporting period as "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPCs). Following the designation, a period of negotiation may ensue, in which the United States seeks to work with a designated country to bring about change. Subsequently, depending upon the results of these discussions, one or more actions are chosen by the Secretary of State, pursuant to the IRF Act. Options for CPC actions include application of sanctions or negotiation of a bilateral agreement. The Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and his office take actions to promote religious freedom in each CPC throughout the year. This section highlights actions by other U.S. Government officials to promote religious freedom and to encourage the governments to take positive steps to improve conditions for religious believers. Currently, the countries that have been designated as CPCs are: Burma, China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
What I find interesting about this is the involvement of the U.S. in caring for the religious freedom of countries that are not our allies. When we hear people balk about the U.S. getting involved in the affairs of other countries, Gana gets serious. We heard some guy on TV say, "What makes us think democracy would even work in Iraq? Maybe they don't want it." When he has a chance he schools people a little in international affairs.
See, in 1990 Mongolia had what they call a "peaceful revolution." That is to say that no blood was shed. Protesters for democracy were in Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar. The military surrounded those protesters with loaded guns. The soldiers only waited on the word from the government to open fire on their own citizens--for simply requesting the freedoms we take for granted.
Why was no blood shed? Because First World countries, the U.S. included, intervened. They called the leaders of Mongolia and demanded that this atrocity not take place. They threatened further intervention and sanctions if it did.
Mongolian leaders bowed to the pressure. And that was the peaceful revolution. It didn't happen by joining hands and singing, "We are the world." It happened because America and other First World countries were willing to "put their money where their mouth is." I'm grateful that the U.S. cares about the affairs of the world and isn't all talk.
I'm especially grateful because my Gana was in Sukhbaatar Square that day, protesting for freedom.
(Visit the VOM Persecution Blog for more on the Persecuted Church.)
The U.S. Department of State has just released their report for 2008 on International Religious Freedom. You can read the report here. What's helpful is that there is a link to every country where you can read about their religious freedom or lack thereof and find out exactly where they stand! Would make a great prayer tool or homeschooling resource. You can watch a video, beginning with Secretary Rice's introduction and then Ambassador Hanford as they present the 10th annual report.
From the summary of the report: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) requires an annual review of the status of religious freedom worldwide and the designation of countries that have "engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom" during the reporting period as "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPCs). Following the designation, a period of negotiation may ensue, in which the United States seeks to work with a designated country to bring about change. Subsequently, depending upon the results of these discussions, one or more actions are chosen by the Secretary of State, pursuant to the IRF Act. Options for CPC actions include application of sanctions or negotiation of a bilateral agreement. The Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and his office take actions to promote religious freedom in each CPC throughout the year. This section highlights actions by other U.S. Government officials to promote religious freedom and to encourage the governments to take positive steps to improve conditions for religious believers. Currently, the countries that have been designated as CPCs are: Burma, China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
What I find interesting about this is the involvement of the U.S. in caring for the religious freedom of countries that are not our allies. When we hear people balk about the U.S. getting involved in the affairs of other countries, Gana gets serious. We heard some guy on TV say, "What makes us think democracy would even work in Iraq? Maybe they don't want it." When he has a chance he schools people a little in international affairs.
See, in 1990 Mongolia had what they call a "peaceful revolution." That is to say that no blood was shed. Protesters for democracy were in Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar. The military surrounded those protesters with loaded guns. The soldiers only waited on the word from the government to open fire on their own citizens--for simply requesting the freedoms we take for granted.
Why was no blood shed? Because First World countries, the U.S. included, intervened. They called the leaders of Mongolia and demanded that this atrocity not take place. They threatened further intervention and sanctions if it did.
Mongolian leaders bowed to the pressure. And that was the peaceful revolution. It didn't happen by joining hands and singing, "We are the world." It happened because America and other First World countries were willing to "put their money where their mouth is." I'm grateful that the U.S. cares about the affairs of the world and isn't all talk.
I'm especially grateful because my Gana was in Sukhbaatar Square that day, protesting for freedom.
(Visit the VOM Persecution Blog for more on the Persecuted Church.)
Monday, September 08, 2008
How Would You Handle Persecution?
From the VOM Blog.
Upon hearing about persecuted believers around the world, Christians living in the West often say that they would not be sure if they could go through persecution and suffering for their faith and persevere. Enduring suffering for righteousness, however, is not dependent upon one’s courage or strength.
There is an important catch, however; you and I are likely to respond to persecution in a manner consistent with how we are living out our Christian life today. If we are currently walking in faith and responding to God’s grace, we can be assured of God’s presence and grace if and when we are called to suffer for his sake. If we are walking in compromise and lukewarmness before the Lord, however, then we are also likely to deny him in the time of testing. Obedience is the result of practice built through responding to God’s grace in our daily life. -Glenn Penner and Bernie Daniel
And one more interesting story....
The Olympics are finished, but we are still praying for China. Here is a story of an Olympic coach who was not afraid to bring his faith to Beijing and into the Olympics.
Upon hearing about persecuted believers around the world, Christians living in the West often say that they would not be sure if they could go through persecution and suffering for their faith and persevere. Enduring suffering for righteousness, however, is not dependent upon one’s courage or strength.
There is an important catch, however; you and I are likely to respond to persecution in a manner consistent with how we are living out our Christian life today. If we are currently walking in faith and responding to God’s grace, we can be assured of God’s presence and grace if and when we are called to suffer for his sake. If we are walking in compromise and lukewarmness before the Lord, however, then we are also likely to deny him in the time of testing. Obedience is the result of practice built through responding to God’s grace in our daily life. -Glenn Penner and Bernie Daniel
And one more interesting story....
The Olympics are finished, but we are still praying for China. Here is a story of an Olympic coach who was not afraid to bring his faith to Beijing and into the Olympics.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Violent Attack on Pro-lifer
From Operation Rescue.
Santa Ana, CA – A pro-life man was violently attacked by an abortionist on a public sidewalk outside a Santa Ana abortion clinic on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The man, who wants only to be known as Tim, was first shoved, then battered, punched and choked by the abortionist who objected to his attempts to photograph him. Tim sustained lacerations and muscle pain that impaired his ability to conduct his normal activities as a result of the attack.
Tim went to the clinic because he had been told there was a possibility that the abortionist at the Clinica Medica Para La Mujer, located at 120 W. 5th St. in Santa Ana, was operating illegally. He decided to go to the abortion mill to photograph the abortionist and offer help to abortion-bound women.
When the abortionist, who was later identified as Howard Pfupajena, entered the building, he covered his head with his lab coat and told Tim that he had no right to photograph him. Tim later asked a police officer that was ticketing a nearby vehicle if he had the right to take pictures of the abortionist, and he was advised by that officer that he did. Tim then decided to wait until Pfupajena left for the day to try to get a better photograph....
“He got me to the ground and, seeking to jar the camera loose from my hand, was hitting me and, not finding success, he put his knee in my throat and was choking me,” said Tim. “At this point I began to yell for help and for someone to call the police.”
You can read the full story here.
As we pray today for the Persecuted Church in China, let's not forget to stand up in prayer for freedom here, in our homeland. For some Persecution hits very close to home.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
In the Footsteps of Margaret Fell
This year two Quaker teachers have been let go from California State University jobs (one teaching American Studies, the other teaching Math) for refusing to sign an oath of loyalty to the State. Making oaths and swearing are against the faith of the Quakers as was the oath itself which says one will defend the country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Quakers are pacifists.I didn't know one had to sign a loyalty oath to teach at a Cal State. But, as it turns out in 1952 the requirement to take this oath was added to the State Constitution in order to weed out communists. According to the LA Times article, the oath now weeds out religious people (namely Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses).
Quakers refuse to make oaths based on Matt. 5:36-37 "And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one." Also, James 5:12 "Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation."
I found this story a little shocking, a little sad and a good bit inspirational.
Shocking because of all the oafs that teach at State Universities to weed out a religious pacifist seems like straining a gnat and swallowing a camel. Sad because some anarchist without any smidgen of conscience may very well sign the oath of loyalty with no intention of actually keeping the oath. And this woman simply wanted it on record that she was a pacifist, but they wouldn't let her submit her own statement. It's as if they are purposely trying to honor dishonesty. It's a double standard that hurts people of faith. Persecution is at our back door. Wake up, take a deep breath. That's the coffee you're smelling.
And yet inspirational. Gana recently wrote a paper on Margaret Fell, the "Mother of Quakerism." She, too, was asked to sign an oath of loyalty to her government. Margaret's answer was "...this I shall say, as for my allegiance, I love, own, and honor the King and desire his peace and welfare; and that we may live a peaceable, a quiet and a godly life under his government, according to the Scriptures; and this is my allegiance to the King. And as for the oath itself, Christ Jesus, the King of Kings, hath commanded me not to swear at all, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other Oath." For this she was put on trial in September 1664. She was given a life sentence in prison and was forced to forfeit her property. When given this outrageous sentence she replied, "Although I am out of the King's protection, yet I am not out of the protection of the Almighty God." Thankfully, 4 1/2 years later she was released on the command of the King. However, in 1669 she was imprisoned again for a year.
When she died in 1702 it is said her last words were, "I am in Peace."
My thinking is that when one has lived faithfully her faith in Jesus, even if that meant imprisonment, separation from family, and forfeiture of property, one can die in peace. Dying in peace rests solely on living in faith.
These teachers giving up their jobs at Cal State know where their treasure lies. It would be easy to just sign it and then ask the Lord for forgiveness, or sign it and just not mean it. But, they've chosen to take their faith very literally. They are faithfully walking in the steps of the founders of their faith. Like Mother (of Quakerism), like daughter.
While, I'm not a Quaker, I have to say, I respect this. It's what Christians do all over the world--stand up for their faith despite the consequences.
For more see my friend's Wess' blog: Gathering In Light.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Meg explains missions
Last week Meg had to give a persuasive speech at our homeschool co-op's speech class. She chose the topic and wrote the following speech on her own. She's a wee bit passionate. Don't know where she gets that....
Missionaries know God and read their Bibles. Missionaries obey God. Missionaries help people through hard times in difficult places. Most importantly they tell people about Jesus and they love people.
Eighty percent of India is Hindu. Many Christians in India are mistreated because of their faith in Christ. Hindus believe in many gods. But, the Bible says "The Lord our God is one!" Hindus believe in reincarnation. But, the Bible says that if you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven. Jesus is the only way!
Why should you be a missionary? Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
Here is a video from VOM. I have an additional reason to pray for India. Meg might live there some day!
Keep praying for India and remember the Persecuted Church.
Why You Should Be A Missionary To India
By Meg, Age 6
Missionaries know God and read their Bibles. Missionaries obey God. Missionaries help people through hard times in difficult places. Most importantly they tell people about Jesus and they love people.
Eighty percent of India is Hindu. Many Christians in India are mistreated because of their faith in Christ. Hindus believe in many gods. But, the Bible says "The Lord our God is one!" Hindus believe in reincarnation. But, the Bible says that if you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven. Jesus is the only way!
Why should you be a missionary? Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
Here is a video from VOM. I have an additional reason to pray for India. Meg might live there some day!
Keep praying for India and remember the Persecuted Church.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Blog o' the Week
From the Persecuted Church Weblog:
Yesterday, at a reception in Washington to introduce America's first special envoy to the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the appointment will help to promote principles that Muslims and non-Muslims alike "hold dear," such as human rights and human dignity, social justice and equal opportunity, liberty and the rule of law. She told the OIC ambassadors, "These are not American values or Western values. They are universal values, values that are lived and practiced by the majority of Muslims in the world, many of whom are citizens of democracies."
Read a well-reasoned response here.
Yesterday, at a reception in Washington to introduce America's first special envoy to the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the appointment will help to promote principles that Muslims and non-Muslims alike "hold dear," such as human rights and human dignity, social justice and equal opportunity, liberty and the rule of law. She told the OIC ambassadors, "These are not American values or Western values. They are universal values, values that are lived and practiced by the majority of Muslims in the world, many of whom are citizens of democracies."
Read a well-reasoned response here.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Yes, that's the coffee you're smellin'
Californians got a wake up call recently when the LA County Courts ruled that homeschooling is illegal. This is not just a homeschooling issue. This is not just an issue for Californians. Wake up and smell the coffee! The government wants to interfere with the family. The desires of the State are more important than the rights of individuals. The government does not trust parents to decided what is best for their children, be that educationally, medically, socially or religiously.
Although not all, most homeschoolers are religious, if not Christian. This ruling is not just a slap in the face of parental rights, but for all those who homeschool for religious reasons, it is a violation of religious freedom as well.
If the government is allowed to encroach on our religious and personal freedom in this matter, do not be surprised if soon they tell us we cannot "brainwash" our children by requiring church attendance or baptism or communion. The secular state will always take more then we meant to give them.
Yes, that is the coffee you are smelling. I hope you are awake.
If we do not stand up for parental rights we will see a slippery slope of governmental interference in private lives!
Read the court opinion here.
Sign a petition here.
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) responds to the court's decision here.
The bottom line is that God gave ME and MY HUSBAND these children. It is our right and responsibility to look after them and to decide how and where we want them educated.
Although not all, most homeschoolers are religious, if not Christian. This ruling is not just a slap in the face of parental rights, but for all those who homeschool for religious reasons, it is a violation of religious freedom as well.
If the government is allowed to encroach on our religious and personal freedom in this matter, do not be surprised if soon they tell us we cannot "brainwash" our children by requiring church attendance or baptism or communion. The secular state will always take more then we meant to give them.
Yes, that is the coffee you are smelling. I hope you are awake.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Blog o' the Week
By now you know my feelings about the Beijing Olympics. If not, click here and here.
Mama Says is equally peeved with the Olympics. She writes a thought-provoking piece called Chinese Dislocation.
"The recalls and dangerous food, toys, toiletries, and medicines coming out of China are a symptom of the real disease: the Chinese government sees people as a commodity. The do not believe each individual is endowed by their Creator with inherent dignity; rather, humans are are pawns to be pushed, pulled, or fooled in order to gain money and power....
....Justice and liberty are hallmarks of the American Way. Do we love sports so much that we will stand by silently, being entertained on the backs of our brothers and sisters who were tortured, starved, imprisoned and killed? Reminds me of another culture that loved to be entertained..."
Please check out her post. And tell me, do you plan to watch the Beijing Olympics?
Mama Says is equally peeved with the Olympics. She writes a thought-provoking piece called Chinese Dislocation.
"The recalls and dangerous food, toys, toiletries, and medicines coming out of China are a symptom of the real disease: the Chinese government sees people as a commodity. The do not believe each individual is endowed by their Creator with inherent dignity; rather, humans are are pawns to be pushed, pulled, or fooled in order to gain money and power....
....Justice and liberty are hallmarks of the American Way. Do we love sports so much that we will stand by silently, being entertained on the backs of our brothers and sisters who were tortured, starved, imprisoned and killed? Reminds me of another culture that loved to be entertained..."
Please check out her post. And tell me, do you plan to watch the Beijing Olympics?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Dangerous Christian
Years ago, Mario Murillo wrote a book called, I Am the Christian the Devil Warned You About.
I couldn't help but think of that when I read a special report from Voice of the Martyrs about Pastor Hua Huiqi. In 2007, just ten minutes from the Olympic Village in Beijing, Hua was arrested and spent six months in prison. While in prison his 77-year old mother was harrassed, arrested and is still serving a two-year prison sentence for allegedly damaging government property.
Hua was released from prison on July 25, 2007, 20 pounds lighter than when he went in.
Now, here's the part that made me think "I am the Christian the devil warned you about":
On October 1, Hua was arrested again and threatened. This time he was not left in the jail. Instead he was taken to his father's house and welded in. Yes, that's right. The police welded the door shut with Hua, his wife and his father inside. As if this was not enough security to keep an ailing pastor inside, the police also posted 30 policemen on the roof, courtyard and surrounding areas of the house. Hua and his family was kept this way for seven days.
(This reminds me of when they laid Jesus in the tomb, sealed it with the stone and then set guards in front of it. (Matthew 27))
What manner of dangerous Christian is this? How the devil must quake at the name of Hua! The devil knows who is advancing the Kingdom of God. And yet the devil's worst tools do nothing to overcome the Light!
Hua said, "From my flesh, I hate. They have beaten me. They have taken all my possessions from me and from my family. But I don't want to live in the flesh. I don't want to hate. With God's help, I continue to pray for the salvation of those people and that they will understand Christianity more."
I couldn't help but think of that when I read a special report from Voice of the Martyrs about Pastor Hua Huiqi. In 2007, just ten minutes from the Olympic Village in Beijing, Hua was arrested and spent six months in prison. While in prison his 77-year old mother was harrassed, arrested and is still serving a two-year prison sentence for allegedly damaging government property.
Hua was released from prison on July 25, 2007, 20 pounds lighter than when he went in.
Now, here's the part that made me think "I am the Christian the devil warned you about":
On October 1, Hua was arrested again and threatened. This time he was not left in the jail. Instead he was taken to his father's house and welded in. Yes, that's right. The police welded the door shut with Hua, his wife and his father inside. As if this was not enough security to keep an ailing pastor inside, the police also posted 30 policemen on the roof, courtyard and surrounding areas of the house. Hua and his family was kept this way for seven days.
(This reminds me of when they laid Jesus in the tomb, sealed it with the stone and then set guards in front of it. (Matthew 27))
What manner of dangerous Christian is this? How the devil must quake at the name of Hua! The devil knows who is advancing the Kingdom of God. And yet the devil's worst tools do nothing to overcome the Light!
Hua said, "From my flesh, I hate. They have beaten me. They have taken all my possessions from me and from my family. But I don't want to live in the flesh. I don't want to hate. With God's help, I continue to pray for the salvation of those people and that they will understand Christianity more."
"The light shines through the darkness, and the
darkness can never extinguish it." I John 1:5
Friday, January 11, 2008
Why Are We Having The Olympics Here? Part II
Part I, click here.
How's this for irony? According to FaithMouse, "China is now the world's #1 publisher of Bibles, even though private printing and distribution of bibles and underground house churches remain illegal, and many Chinese Christians, priests and pastors remain jailed for their faith."
From USA Today...
How's this for irony? According to FaithMouse, "China is now the world's #1 publisher of Bibles, even though private printing and distribution of bibles and underground house churches remain illegal, and many Chinese Christians, priests and pastors remain jailed for their faith."From USA Today...
BEIJING — The owner of a Christian bookstore here, held in secret detention since Nov. 28, broke no laws and sold only legally sanctioned religious material, his wife says.
Businessman Shi Weihan was arrested because of his faith and refusal to register their unapproved "house church" with authorities, says Zhang Jing, 37.
Shi's case has attracted international attention and drawn condemnation from overseas Christian groups. His arrest comes as the Chinese government is struggling to convince critics that it has expanded religious freedom and tolerance.
China is officially atheist and restricts religious practice to state-sanctioned churches and places of worship regulated by authorities. The government, military and ruling Communist Party discourage officeholders and members from practicing any faith.
Read the rest here.
As always, please support the Persecuted Church and visit VOM to learn how.Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
When Iraqi Women Get Gussied Up
I was recently fascinated by this article.
"BAGHDAD, Iraq - Umm Doha cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhood. Hardline Muslim extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians to move their trade underground."
Who would have thought that Christian pastors, bartenders, beauticians, and barbers would have so much in common? They all traffic in a healthy dose of rebellion against the domination of the human spirit.
"To those outside of Iraq, the prospect of being killed just for frequenting a hair salon might seem a convincing reason not to go. But despite being targeted by militants, stylists say women here still want to look good — and stylish. Refusing to get a haircut or having their makeup done would be giving in to the violence and despair surrounding them."
"See this salon?" said the stylist Kifah, as she deftly lopped off a woman's dark hair into smart layers in her east Baghdad establishment. "It's never been empty, not through the Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf war or this war. Women are women, they always want to look good."
Women. We have our priorities. Leonard Lauder, the chairman of Estee Lauder claims, “When things get tough, women buy lipstick.”
Lipstick sales when UP during the Great Depression. Lipstick sales doubled after the 9-11 attacks. There is something innate in women that knows what's important.
"One of those women lay back in Kifah's chair. She asked not to be named, fearing identification by the extremists her family had fled. But the woman said the strife made her want to look her best. She said she could not stop the war, but she could boost her morale by looking good. Iraq's violence, she said, was like a person suffering from a high fever. "The fever will break and Iraq will return to normal. But until then, we want to be stylish and look good," she said.
"Here, we give women hope," Kifah said. "They feel like women, even during the worst tragedy."
"If we give some hope here, it helps us carry on," she said, dusting off the salon chair to prepare for her next customer."
This bears witness to something I have believed for a long time. It's a husband's job to make the living and a wife's job to make life worth living.
This reminds me of a play that brings me to tears every time I read it. It's called When Queens Ride By. Here it is for your enjoyment and consideration:
When Queens Ride By
John and Jennie Mangrave had eager plans when they married and took over the old farm. But their great faith dwindled as the first years passed. John worked later and later in the evenings. Jennie took more and more of the heavy tasks upon her own shoulders and had no time for the home and children. They were no further on, and life had degenerated into a straining, hopeless struggle.
One hot afternoon, Jennie was loading baskets of tomatoes to take to town when the children came running to tell her there was a dressed-up lady at the kitchen door. Wearily she followed the children back and saw a woman in a gray tweed coat that seemed somehow to be a part of her brownish hair. She was not young, but she was beautiful! An aura of eager youth clung to her, a clean and exquisite freshness. The stranger in turn saw a young woman, haggard and weary. Her eyes looked hard and haunted. Her calico dress was shapeless and begrimed from her work.
Stranger (smiling): How do you do? We ran our car into the shade of your lane to have our lunch and rest for a while. And I walked on up to buy a few apples, if you have them.
Jennie (grudgingly): Won't you go in and sit down? I'll go and pick the apples.
Stranger: May I go with you? I'd love to help pick them.
Jennie: Why, I s'pose so. If you can get out there through the dirt.
(She led the way along the unkempt path toward the orchard. She had never been so acutely conscious of the disorder about her. She reached the orchard and began to drag a long ladder from the fence to the apple tree.)
Stranger (crying out): Oh, but you can't do that! It's too heavy. Please let me pick a few from the ground.
Jennie: Heavy? This ladder? I wish I didn't ever lift anything heavier than this. After hoistin' bushel baskets of tomatoes onto a wagon, this feels light to me.
Stranger: But do you think you should? Do you think it's right...? Why, that's a man's work!
Jennie (furiously): Right! Who are you to be askin' me whether I'm right or not? A person like you don't know what work is!
Stranger (soothingly): I'm sorry I annoyed you by saying that. If you were to tell me all about it--because I'm only a stranger--perhaps it would help. Why can't we sit down here and rest a minute?
Jennie: Rest? Me sit down to rest, an' the wagon loaded to go to town? It'll hurry me now to get back before dark.
Stranger: Just take the time you would have spent picking the apples. I wish I could help you. Won't you tell me why you have to work so hard?
Jennie (half sullenly): There ain't much to tell, only that we ain't gettin' ahead. Henry Davis is talkin' about foreclosin' on us if we don't soon pay some principal. The time of the mortgage is out this year, an' mebbe he won't renew it. And it ain't that I haven't done my part. I'm barely thirty, an' I might be fifty, I'm so weatherbeaten. That's the way I've worked.
Stranger: And you think that has helped your husband?
Jennie (sharply): Helped him? Why wouldn't it help him?
Stranger: Men are such queer things, husbands especially. For instance, they want us to be economical, and yet they love to see us in pretty clothes. They need our work, and yet they want us to keep our youth and beauty. And sometimes they don't know themselves which they really want most. So we have to choose. That's what makes it so hard. Just after we were married, my husband decided to have his own business, so he started a very tiny one. I helped my husband in the store, but we would both be tired and discouraged after a hard day at the office and we didn't seem to be having any great success. The house got run down and dinner was always a hasty affair, and soon we both started complaining and bickering with each other. Finally, we decided that maybe I should stay at home and let him take care of his work at the office as best he could. And then I worked in my house to make it a clean, shining, happy place. My husband would come home dead-tired and discouraged, ready to give up the whole thing. But after he had eaten and sat in our bright little living room, and I had told him all the funny things I could invent about my day, I could see him change. By bedtime, he had his courage back, and by morning, he was all ready to go out and fight again. And at last he won.
(Jennie did not speak. She only regarded her guest with a half-resentful understanding.)
Stranger: There was a queen once, who reigned in troubled days. And every time the country was on the brink of war and the people ready to fly into a panic, she would put on her showiest dress and take her court with her, and go hunting. And when the people would see her riding by, they were sure all was well with the government. So she tided over many a danger. And I've tried to be like her. Whenever a big crisis comes in my husband's business, or when he's discouraged, I put on my prettiest dress and get the best dinner I know how, or give a party! And somehow it seems to work. That's the woman's part, you know....to play the queen..."
(A faint "honk honk" came from the lane. The stranger started to her feet.) That's my husband. I must go. Please don't bother about the apples. I'll just take a few from under the tree.
(Takingsome coins from her purse) And give these to the children.
Jennie's thoughts were too confused for speech, but, as she watched the stranger's erect figure hurrying toward the lane, she remembered her words with the pain of anger.
Jennie: Easy enough for her to set talkin' about queens! She never felt the work at her throat like a wolf. Talk about choosin! I haven't got no choice, I just got to keep on goin', like I always have....
She stopped suddenly and picked up a fairy-like hanky of white linen that the stranger had dropped. Its faint, delicious fragrance made her think wistfully of strange, sweet things. Of gardens in the early summer dusk; of wide, fair rooms with the moonlight shining in them; of pretty women in beautiful dresses dancing, and men admiring them. She, Jennie, had nothing of that. Everything about their lives, her's and John's was coarseness, soiled somehow by the dragging, endless labor of the days. Suppose....suppose...suppose she were to try doing what the stranger had said, suppose she spent her time on the house and let the outside work go....
Jennie (with sudden resolution): Mebbe I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it.
Jennie brushed her hair, changed her shoes, and put on her one good dress. Then with something of the burning zeal of a fanatic, she attacked the confusion in the kitchen. Buy half-past four the room was clean. Now for supper! she decided upon fried ham and browned potatoes and apple sauce with hot biscuits and pie. With a spirit of daring recklessness, she spread the one white table cloth on the table.
The first pan of the flaky brown mounds had been withdrawn from the oven when Henry Davis' car came up the lane. Cold fear struck Jennie. He could be coming for only one thing. As she stood shaken, wondering how she would live through what the next hour would bring, she heard the words again, "There was a queen once..."
Jennie (cordially): Well, howd' you do, Mr. Davis? Come right in. I'm real glad to see you. Been quite a while since you was over.
Henry (embarrassed): Why no, now , I won't go in. I just stopped to see John on a little matter of business. I'll just....
Jennie: You'll come right in. John will be in from milkin' in a few minutes an' you can talk while you eat, both of you. I've supper just ready.
Henry: Why, now I reckoned I'd just speak to John, an' then be gettin on.
Jennie: They'll see you at home when you get there. You never tasted my hot biscuits with butter an' quince honey or you wouldn't take so much coaxin!
(Henry Davis came in and sat down in the big, clean kitchen. His eyes took in every homely detail of the orderly room.)
Jennie: And how are things goin' with you, Mr. Davis?
Henry: Oh, so so. How are they with you?
Jennie: Why, just fine, Mr. Davis! It's been hard sleddin', but I sort of think the worst is over. We'll be 'round to pay that mortgage so fast come another year that you'll be surprised.
Henry: Well, now, that's fine. I always wanted to see John make a success of the old place, but a man has to sort of watch his investments... Well, now, I'm glad things are pickin' up a little.
Jennie felt as though a tight band at her throat had relaxed. At the kitchen door John stopped, staring blankly at the scene before him...at Jennie's moving about the bright table, chatting happily with Henry Davis! At Henry himself,his sharp features softened by an air of great satisfaction. At the sixth plate on the white cloth--Henry was staying for supper! But the silent depths of John's nature served him well. He made no comment. He merely shook hands with Henry Davis and then washed his face at the sink. Jennie arranged the savory dishes, and they sat down to supper. Henry seemed to grow more and more genial and expansive as he ate. So did John. By the time the pie was set before them, they were laughing over a joke Henry had heard at Grange meeting. As they rose from the table, Henry brought the conversation awkwardly around to his errand.
Jennie (quickly): I told him, John, that the worst's over now, and we're gettin' on fine! I told him we'd be swampin' him pretty soon with payments. Ain't that right, John?
John's mind was not analytical. He had been host at a delicious supper with his ancient adversary, whose sharp face was marvelously softened. Jennie's eyes were shining with a new and amazing confidence. It was a natural moment for unreasoning optimism.
John: Why, that's right, Mr. Davis. I believe we can start clearin' this off now pretty soon. If you could just see your way clear to renew the mortgage.
It was done. The papers were back in Davis' pocket. They had bid him a cordial good-bye from the door. Jennie cleared off the table and began to wash the dishes. John was fumbling through the papers on a hanging shelf. He finally sat down with an old tablet and pencil.
John: I believe I'll do a little figurin' since I've got time tonight. It just struck me if I used my head a little more, I'll get on faster.
Jennie: Well, now you might.
(She polished two big apples and placed them on a saucer beside him.)
John (pleased): Now that's what I like. Say, you look sort of pretty tonight.
Jennie (smiling): Go along with you.
But a wave of color swept up in her sallow cheeks. John had looked more grateful over her setting those two apples beside him now than he had the day last fall when she had lifted all the potatoes herself! Maybe even John had been needing something else more than he had needed the hard, back-breaking work she had beengiving him!Jennie walked to the doorway and stood looking off through the darkness. A thin, haunting breath of sweetness rose from the the bosom of her dress where she had tucked the scrap of white linen. She wished that she could somehow tell the beautiful stranger that her words had been true...that she, Jennie, was going to fulfill her woman's part. She had read the real needs of John's soul from his eyes that evening. Yes, wives had to choose for their husbands sometimes.
At that very moment, speeding along the sleek macadam highway, a woman in a gray coat with a soft gray hat and a rose quill leaned suddenly close to her husband.
Husband: Tired?
Wife: I'm all right. Only, only I can't get that poor woman at the farm out of my mind. It, it was so hopeless.
Husband (smiling tenderly): Well, I'm sorry too, but you mustn't worry. Good gracious, darling, you're not weeping over it, I hope!
Wife: No, truly, just two little tears. I know it's silly, but I did so want to help her and I know that what I said sounded insane. She wouldn't know what I was talking about. She just looked up with that blank, tired face. And it all seemed so impossible. No...I'm not going to cry. Of course, I'm not...but...lend me your handkerchief, will you dear? I've lost mine somehow....
© Copyright 2002-2007 by LAF/BeautifulWomanhood.org
"BAGHDAD, Iraq - Umm Doha cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhood. Hardline Muslim extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians to move their trade underground."
"Besides beauty salons, militants have also targeted liquor stores, barber shops and Christian churches."
Who would have thought that Christian pastors, bartenders, beauticians, and barbers would have so much in common? They all traffic in a healthy dose of rebellion against the domination of the human spirit.
"To those outside of Iraq, the prospect of being killed just for frequenting a hair salon might seem a convincing reason not to go. But despite being targeted by militants, stylists say women here still want to look good — and stylish. Refusing to get a haircut or having their makeup done would be giving in to the violence and despair surrounding them."
"See this salon?" said the stylist Kifah, as she deftly lopped off a woman's dark hair into smart layers in her east Baghdad establishment. "It's never been empty, not through the Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf war or this war. Women are women, they always want to look good."
Women. We have our priorities. Leonard Lauder, the chairman of Estee Lauder claims, “When things get tough, women buy lipstick.”
Lipstick sales when UP during the Great Depression. Lipstick sales doubled after the 9-11 attacks. There is something innate in women that knows what's important.
"One of those women lay back in Kifah's chair. She asked not to be named, fearing identification by the extremists her family had fled. But the woman said the strife made her want to look her best. She said she could not stop the war, but she could boost her morale by looking good. Iraq's violence, she said, was like a person suffering from a high fever. "The fever will break and Iraq will return to normal. But until then, we want to be stylish and look good," she said.
"Here, we give women hope," Kifah said. "They feel like women, even during the worst tragedy."
"If we give some hope here, it helps us carry on," she said, dusting off the salon chair to prepare for her next customer."
This bears witness to something I have believed for a long time. It's a husband's job to make the living and a wife's job to make life worth living.
This reminds me of a play that brings me to tears every time I read it. It's called When Queens Ride By. Here it is for your enjoyment and consideration:
When Queens Ride By
John and Jennie Mangrave had eager plans when they married and took over the old farm. But their great faith dwindled as the first years passed. John worked later and later in the evenings. Jennie took more and more of the heavy tasks upon her own shoulders and had no time for the home and children. They were no further on, and life had degenerated into a straining, hopeless struggle.
One hot afternoon, Jennie was loading baskets of tomatoes to take to town when the children came running to tell her there was a dressed-up lady at the kitchen door. Wearily she followed the children back and saw a woman in a gray tweed coat that seemed somehow to be a part of her brownish hair. She was not young, but she was beautiful! An aura of eager youth clung to her, a clean and exquisite freshness. The stranger in turn saw a young woman, haggard and weary. Her eyes looked hard and haunted. Her calico dress was shapeless and begrimed from her work.
Stranger (smiling): How do you do? We ran our car into the shade of your lane to have our lunch and rest for a while. And I walked on up to buy a few apples, if you have them.
Jennie (grudgingly): Won't you go in and sit down? I'll go and pick the apples.
Stranger: May I go with you? I'd love to help pick them.
Jennie: Why, I s'pose so. If you can get out there through the dirt.
(She led the way along the unkempt path toward the orchard. She had never been so acutely conscious of the disorder about her. She reached the orchard and began to drag a long ladder from the fence to the apple tree.)
Stranger (crying out): Oh, but you can't do that! It's too heavy. Please let me pick a few from the ground.
Jennie: Heavy? This ladder? I wish I didn't ever lift anything heavier than this. After hoistin' bushel baskets of tomatoes onto a wagon, this feels light to me.
Stranger: But do you think you should? Do you think it's right...? Why, that's a man's work!
Jennie (furiously): Right! Who are you to be askin' me whether I'm right or not? A person like you don't know what work is!
Stranger (soothingly): I'm sorry I annoyed you by saying that. If you were to tell me all about it--because I'm only a stranger--perhaps it would help. Why can't we sit down here and rest a minute?
Jennie: Rest? Me sit down to rest, an' the wagon loaded to go to town? It'll hurry me now to get back before dark.
Stranger: Just take the time you would have spent picking the apples. I wish I could help you. Won't you tell me why you have to work so hard?
Jennie (half sullenly): There ain't much to tell, only that we ain't gettin' ahead. Henry Davis is talkin' about foreclosin' on us if we don't soon pay some principal. The time of the mortgage is out this year, an' mebbe he won't renew it. And it ain't that I haven't done my part. I'm barely thirty, an' I might be fifty, I'm so weatherbeaten. That's the way I've worked.
Stranger: And you think that has helped your husband?
Jennie (sharply): Helped him? Why wouldn't it help him?
Stranger: Men are such queer things, husbands especially. For instance, they want us to be economical, and yet they love to see us in pretty clothes. They need our work, and yet they want us to keep our youth and beauty. And sometimes they don't know themselves which they really want most. So we have to choose. That's what makes it so hard. Just after we were married, my husband decided to have his own business, so he started a very tiny one. I helped my husband in the store, but we would both be tired and discouraged after a hard day at the office and we didn't seem to be having any great success. The house got run down and dinner was always a hasty affair, and soon we both started complaining and bickering with each other. Finally, we decided that maybe I should stay at home and let him take care of his work at the office as best he could. And then I worked in my house to make it a clean, shining, happy place. My husband would come home dead-tired and discouraged, ready to give up the whole thing. But after he had eaten and sat in our bright little living room, and I had told him all the funny things I could invent about my day, I could see him change. By bedtime, he had his courage back, and by morning, he was all ready to go out and fight again. And at last he won.
(Jennie did not speak. She only regarded her guest with a half-resentful understanding.)
Stranger: There was a queen once, who reigned in troubled days. And every time the country was on the brink of war and the people ready to fly into a panic, she would put on her showiest dress and take her court with her, and go hunting. And when the people would see her riding by, they were sure all was well with the government. So she tided over many a danger. And I've tried to be like her. Whenever a big crisis comes in my husband's business, or when he's discouraged, I put on my prettiest dress and get the best dinner I know how, or give a party! And somehow it seems to work. That's the woman's part, you know....to play the queen..."
(A faint "honk honk" came from the lane. The stranger started to her feet.) That's my husband. I must go. Please don't bother about the apples. I'll just take a few from under the tree.
(Takingsome coins from her purse) And give these to the children.
Jennie's thoughts were too confused for speech, but, as she watched the stranger's erect figure hurrying toward the lane, she remembered her words with the pain of anger.
Jennie: Easy enough for her to set talkin' about queens! She never felt the work at her throat like a wolf. Talk about choosin! I haven't got no choice, I just got to keep on goin', like I always have....
She stopped suddenly and picked up a fairy-like hanky of white linen that the stranger had dropped. Its faint, delicious fragrance made her think wistfully of strange, sweet things. Of gardens in the early summer dusk; of wide, fair rooms with the moonlight shining in them; of pretty women in beautiful dresses dancing, and men admiring them. She, Jennie, had nothing of that. Everything about their lives, her's and John's was coarseness, soiled somehow by the dragging, endless labor of the days. Suppose....suppose...suppose she were to try doing what the stranger had said, suppose she spent her time on the house and let the outside work go....
Jennie (with sudden resolution): Mebbe I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it.
Jennie brushed her hair, changed her shoes, and put on her one good dress. Then with something of the burning zeal of a fanatic, she attacked the confusion in the kitchen. Buy half-past four the room was clean. Now for supper! she decided upon fried ham and browned potatoes and apple sauce with hot biscuits and pie. With a spirit of daring recklessness, she spread the one white table cloth on the table.
The first pan of the flaky brown mounds had been withdrawn from the oven when Henry Davis' car came up the lane. Cold fear struck Jennie. He could be coming for only one thing. As she stood shaken, wondering how she would live through what the next hour would bring, she heard the words again, "There was a queen once..."
Jennie (cordially): Well, howd' you do, Mr. Davis? Come right in. I'm real glad to see you. Been quite a while since you was over.
Henry (embarrassed): Why no, now , I won't go in. I just stopped to see John on a little matter of business. I'll just....
Jennie: You'll come right in. John will be in from milkin' in a few minutes an' you can talk while you eat, both of you. I've supper just ready.
Henry: Why, now I reckoned I'd just speak to John, an' then be gettin on.
Jennie: They'll see you at home when you get there. You never tasted my hot biscuits with butter an' quince honey or you wouldn't take so much coaxin!
(Henry Davis came in and sat down in the big, clean kitchen. His eyes took in every homely detail of the orderly room.)
Jennie: And how are things goin' with you, Mr. Davis?
Henry: Oh, so so. How are they with you?
Jennie: Why, just fine, Mr. Davis! It's been hard sleddin', but I sort of think the worst is over. We'll be 'round to pay that mortgage so fast come another year that you'll be surprised.
Henry: Well, now, that's fine. I always wanted to see John make a success of the old place, but a man has to sort of watch his investments... Well, now, I'm glad things are pickin' up a little.
Jennie felt as though a tight band at her throat had relaxed. At the kitchen door John stopped, staring blankly at the scene before him...at Jennie's moving about the bright table, chatting happily with Henry Davis! At Henry himself,his sharp features softened by an air of great satisfaction. At the sixth plate on the white cloth--Henry was staying for supper! But the silent depths of John's nature served him well. He made no comment. He merely shook hands with Henry Davis and then washed his face at the sink. Jennie arranged the savory dishes, and they sat down to supper. Henry seemed to grow more and more genial and expansive as he ate. So did John. By the time the pie was set before them, they were laughing over a joke Henry had heard at Grange meeting. As they rose from the table, Henry brought the conversation awkwardly around to his errand.
Jennie (quickly): I told him, John, that the worst's over now, and we're gettin' on fine! I told him we'd be swampin' him pretty soon with payments. Ain't that right, John?
John's mind was not analytical. He had been host at a delicious supper with his ancient adversary, whose sharp face was marvelously softened. Jennie's eyes were shining with a new and amazing confidence. It was a natural moment for unreasoning optimism.
John: Why, that's right, Mr. Davis. I believe we can start clearin' this off now pretty soon. If you could just see your way clear to renew the mortgage.
It was done. The papers were back in Davis' pocket. They had bid him a cordial good-bye from the door. Jennie cleared off the table and began to wash the dishes. John was fumbling through the papers on a hanging shelf. He finally sat down with an old tablet and pencil.
John: I believe I'll do a little figurin' since I've got time tonight. It just struck me if I used my head a little more, I'll get on faster.
Jennie: Well, now you might.
(She polished two big apples and placed them on a saucer beside him.)
John (pleased): Now that's what I like. Say, you look sort of pretty tonight.
Jennie (smiling): Go along with you.
But a wave of color swept up in her sallow cheeks. John had looked more grateful over her setting those two apples beside him now than he had the day last fall when she had lifted all the potatoes herself! Maybe even John had been needing something else more than he had needed the hard, back-breaking work she had beengiving him!Jennie walked to the doorway and stood looking off through the darkness. A thin, haunting breath of sweetness rose from the the bosom of her dress where she had tucked the scrap of white linen. She wished that she could somehow tell the beautiful stranger that her words had been true...that she, Jennie, was going to fulfill her woman's part. She had read the real needs of John's soul from his eyes that evening. Yes, wives had to choose for their husbands sometimes.
At that very moment, speeding along the sleek macadam highway, a woman in a gray coat with a soft gray hat and a rose quill leaned suddenly close to her husband.
Husband: Tired?
Wife: I'm all right. Only, only I can't get that poor woman at the farm out of my mind. It, it was so hopeless.
Husband (smiling tenderly): Well, I'm sorry too, but you mustn't worry. Good gracious, darling, you're not weeping over it, I hope!
Wife: No, truly, just two little tears. I know it's silly, but I did so want to help her and I know that what I said sounded insane. She wouldn't know what I was talking about. She just looked up with that blank, tired face. And it all seemed so impossible. No...I'm not going to cry. Of course, I'm not...but...lend me your handkerchief, will you dear? I've lost mine somehow....
© Copyright 2002-2007 by LAF/BeautifulWomanhood.org
Monday, November 12, 2007
IDOP Observed
I hope you observed the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in some way this past Sunday.I am so grateful and happy that our church leaders let me speak briefly about the Persecuted Church and lead the congregation in prayer. It was powerful to hear so many people lifting up their voices in one accord in prayer for the Persecuted Church. It's such a passion in my life that it moved me greatly to lead them all in prayer!
Also, The Revival Center, pastored by my parents, observed IDOP. And they did so in so many ways! Blessed me to hear about it!
Here are some highlights:
Power Point Presentation from Voice of the Martyrs.
Handouts for children and adults from VOM.
Next is a very creative idea from the heart of my sister. Her whole family wore ropes around their wrists in order to remember those bound as if bound with them! (Hebrews 13:3)
Diego, my cuddles, wore his rope with pride and prayed for the Church, too!
Here's the opening song, led by my sisters, Sarah-Kate:
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Blog o' the Week
Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. So, naturally, our blog of the week is the Persecution Blog from Voice of the Martyrs, written and edited by Stacy Harp.I encourage you, today of all days, to not look away. Read some of the stories of your brothers and sisters, gather your family and friends and pray. Our prayers avail much! Today let's do our part to obey Hebrews 13:3...Remember those in bounds, as if bound with them!
Don't forget to also pray for the persecutors, the oppressors, the jailers, the spies, the informants, the traitors. These are in great need of God's mercy.
Here are some other Scriptures you could read today as well:
2 Timothy 3:12
1 Peter 2:15-17
Hebrews 10:32-39
John 15:18
Matthew 5:43-47
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