Give Thanks to the Lord

A Flower for the Graves

2012-01-02T13:36:00.002-05:00

By Eugene Patterson
Atlanta Constitution, September 16, 1963

A Negro mother wept in the street Sunday morning in front of a Baptist Church in Birmingham. In her hand she held a shoe, one shoe, from the foot of her dead child. We hold that shoe with her.

Every one of us in the white South holds that small shoe in his hand.

It is too late to blame the sick criminals who handled the dynamite. The FBI and the police can deal with that kind. The charge against them is simple. They killed four children.

Only we can trace the truth, Southerner — you and I. We broke those children’s bodies.

We watched the stage set without staying it. We listened to the prologue unbestirred. We saw the curtain opening with disinterest. We have heard the play.

We — who go on electing politicians who heat the kettles of hate.

We — who raise no hand to silence the mean and little men who have their nigger jokes.

We — who stand aside in imagined rectitude and let the mad dogs that run in every society slide their leashes from our hand, and spring.

We — the heirs of a proud South, who protest its worth and demand it recognition — we are the ones who have ducked the difficult, skirted the uncomfortable, caviled at the challenge, resented the necessary, rationalized the unacceptable, and created the day surely when these children would die.

This is no time to load our anguish onto the murderous scapegoat who set the cap in dynamite of our own manufacture.

He didn’t know any better.

Somewhere in the dim and fevered recess of an evil mind he feels right now that he has been a hero. He is only guilty of murder. He thinks he has pleased us.

We of the white South who know better are the ones who must take a harsher judgment.

We, who know better, created a climate for child-killing by those who don’t.

We hold that shoe in our hand, Southerner. We hold that shoe in our hand, Southerner. Let us see it straight, and look at the blood on it. Let us compare it with the unworthy speeches of Southern public men who have traduced the Negro; match it with the spectacle of shrilling children whose parents and teachers turned them free to spit epithets at small huddles of Negro school children for a week before this Sunday in Birmingham; hold up the shoe and look beyond it to the state house in Montgomery where the official attitudes of Alabama have been spoken in heat and anger.

Let us not lay the blame on some brutal fool who didn’t know any better.

We know better. We created the day. We bear the judgment. May God have mercy on the poor South that has so been led. May what has happened hasten the day when the good South, which does live and has great being, will rise to this challenge of racial understanding and common humanity, and in the full power of its unasserted courage, assert itself.

The Sunday school play at Birmingham is ended. With a weeping Negro mother, we stand in the bitter smoke and hold a shoe. If our South is ever to be what we wish it to be, we will plant a flower of nobler resolve for the South now upon these four small graves that we dug.

The Return of the Gilgal Girls

2011-10-22T08:37:00.004-04:00

God’s been good
In my life
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams
When I go to sleep each night

Somehow those words have much more meaning when sung by an orphan who grew up in deep poverty in a home shared with 100+ other orphans. Contemporary Christian Music is now a big industry where people that could have been fashion models sing canned praise songs all engineered and packaged to sell to a mass audience for profit. But it’s not hard to find true faith expressing itself in song. The latest is a CD of music performed by two young women who grew up in an orphanage in India.

It all started in 2003 when Judy Lalruotmawi, a gifted Christian soloist, began serving at an orphanage in Manipur, India, called Gilgal Children’s Home. She had sung at revival meetings and churches throughout India. At Gilgal Children’s Home, she passed on her gift teaching all the children to sing God’s praises. Some of the kids took an interest, and four stood out: Mercy, Rebecca, Maggie and Elizabeth.

They originally called themselves “Gilgal Vibration”. Some of their earlier work can be seen on You Tube. Mercy and Maggie sing a duet “Four Days Late”, and all the kids get together to sing “We’ve Got Something So Good”. All the singers are very, very young. As teenagers in 2006 the four girls were calling themselves “Gilgal Praise” as they toured the United States for several months. They recorded a CD of praise songs and sang in churches throughout the country raising awareness for the plight of world orphans as well as raising funds for orphanage ministries worldwide.

After their tour it was in question whether we’d ever hear from them again. Those fortunate enough to have their CD would be able to enjoy their angelic voices for years. Mercy actually decided to stay in the United States. She attended classes for a couple of years at Central Piedmont Community College where she got straight A’s.

Now five years after their last CD, Rebecca and Mercy have produced a new CD “Forever Praise”. They’re not teenagers anymore. Mercy is 20 and Rebecca is 21, and their voices are much more mature, not that the angelic voices of the teenage Gilgal Girls weren’t beautiful. Mercy’s voice is very refined with no hint of her previous accent. Rebecca always had the cutest accent, and remnants of it can still be heard in her voice on the CD.

One person heard the music and commented that it sounds just like all the other contemporary Christian music. That hurt, but it is partially true. Most of the songs are little different than some of the popular American Christian music being produced these days. But I like these girls, and I like the music, and the lyrics are much more meaningful coming from them.

Cry Your Tears

2011-09-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

We saw that empty early morning skyline.
3,000 dead; more wounded; and millions terrified.
And you want us to cry your tears for you

But we’re still crying tears of our own.
In response to 3,000 dead you killed over 100,000 civilians.
How can you justify that? You didn't mean to.
Didn't mean to? You dropped bombs on their heads.
Destroyed homes, schools and clinics; millions without homes.
An entire generation lost.
And you want us to cry your tears for you

On your Wall you list each soldier by name
Each individual is counted 58,178
You’d count the hairs on their heads if you could
We count our dead in the millions
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laos – millions dead – mostly civilians
And you want us to cry your tears for you
We’re short on tears to cry for you with all these tears to cry of our own

You place high tariffs and trade restrictions on rice, sugar and other items we make.
Yet you demand that we eliminate trade barriers to your products.
You poison a generation of minds with your video games
Stuff a weeks’ worth of sugar into one serving of cereal
Your kids are so high on sugar you have to medicate them
You use television as a babysitter
Making the innocent the new virgin offerings to the new gods of profit
Now you want us to cry your tears for you.

In your uncontrolled hedonism you emptied your wallets
52” TVs; cars; boats; vacations; homes you can’t afford
You spend more on cosmetic surgery than entire nations spend on pediatric care
You accumulated as much debt as you could
And then you borrowed more with the bill going to your children and grandchildren
And you want us to cry your tears for you.

Our past is your future
The way the story is unfolding we may end up crying together
As in crying at the same time

God Revives a Sleeping Church

2011-04-15T06:06:00.002-04:00

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A church in Balang, Cambodia, has suffered because the original pastor, angered because they wouldn't let him make a profit off the rice mill, decided to quit being a Christian and go back to Buddhism. Many members quit with him. Peter, the national coordinator went to church service, and since it was peak rice harvest there were only about 45 people there, mostly orphans, older women, and children; everyone else was working. Peter doesn't get there often so the new pastor asked him to speak. He rose and went to the front of the church when a teen aged girl walked up to him and kneed him squarely in the groin. Peter gasped, leaned forward, and stopped breathing. Everyone was so shocked and embarrassed that there was total silence. The mother of the girl came, grabbed her, and dragged her to the rear of the church. Peter took a deep breath and with a grimaced red face began his sermon. It was a good sermon.

After service, Peter, the new pastor, and several of the older women were gathered around the girl praying for her. An elder walked over to where the group was praying for the girl. They were praying nice religious prayers, "God, please heal this girl!" "Please help this girl!" etc. The man said, "This looks like a demon spirit." They were silent. He moved in front of the girl. She was staring at the ground. "Look at me!" He commanded. She lifted her head, but all you could see where the whites of her eyes. "Do you want to be free of this demon?" He asked. She growled, "No!" The man was convinced that the girl was demon possessed. She was looking at the ground again. The man commanded that the spirit come out of her. "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you! You foul spirit! Come out of her!" She belched. She stood straight and seemed normal. "Can you read?" he asked her. "Yes, I'm in the 8th grade", she responded. "Then go home and read the Bible, fill yourself with God's word and this devil can never come back." She's been fine ever since.

What they didn't know was that this girl was famous throughout the town for being possessed. So, when Christmas service was held, despite the fact that harvest was not complete, virtually the whole town showed up. The church was packed. People were crammed in the cafeteria and were standing in front of the church. You’ve heard of standing room only, but this church was packed full with a large crowd extending out the door into the front yard.

They estimate 600 were in attendance, including the former pastor who had gone back to Buddhism. Peter had come back to preach the Christmas message. He taught; "How Jesus came to set us free!" At the end of his message he asked, "Who wants to receive Jesus Christ in their hearts? More than 500 hands shot up including that of the former pastor. Peter, feeling he must have been misunderstood, asked again. Again, more than 500 hands shot up. They prayed. 500 people were saved that day.

This picture is of the church the week later. The church building is full, and the crowd extends out the door!!

On the Other Side

2011-04-15T06:05:00.002-04:00

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” So says Hebrews 10:31.

I remember one time I was on the receiving end of a prayer.

His name was Curt. He was a cool guy. He was quarterback of his high school football team or something like that. What was such a cool guy doing hanging out with me? He needed something.

I could type, and in exchange for being my friend, he would have me type his papers for class. It was pathetic. I know. I actually thought he was a true genuine friend. I didn’t know that the only reason he hung out with me was to get his papers typed.

He was ministry bound. It was his intention to, after college, go into the ministry starting as a campus minister preaching the gospel to college kids and discipling and teaching them. He was cut out for it. He was a cool guy. People liked him. He had a way with people. He was a people person. I think he had many qualities that would make a good minister. As someone who read most of his college papers I can tell you that he wasn’t necessarily incredibly intelligent, but he did have gifts suitable for ministry to young Americans.

After a while I started catching on. He would only come to visit when he needed a paper typed. One time he said he was coming over, and I made a point to be sure that I would not be there. I went to the library.

After the time of his schedule arrival, I started feeling tired. I was sleepy. The library chairs weren’t comfortable. I didn’t want to be there. I thought about going to the gym, but that wouldn’t have been very comfortable either. The only place I wanted to be was laying on my bed. I knew that Curt guy would be lurking around so I tried to delay. I stayed as long as I could bear it and then went home thinking that he would have noticed my absence and given up.

When I got there, he was there. I typed his paper, and then he took off. He told me later that he made it to class just in time to hand in his typed paper. Then he told me something else. He said that he had been praying the whole time he was waiting for me. He had been praying that I would show up.

I really think that Curt’s prayer was answered. I really think that my strong desire to go back to my room was put on me by God himself spurring me to go back where I would help this guy. It’s a pretty cool feeling thinking that I was touched by God even though it might not have been a pleasant feeling at the time.

God Uses Sinners

2011-01-09T05:49:00.000-05:00

In December 2010, Jenelle Embrey of Northern Virginia Atheists put up a letter from "Jesus" on a giant poster board on the grounds before the Leesburg, Virginia, annual Christmas parade. The letter had 10 genuinely positive suggestions, including writing letters to our military, forgiving people who have hurt you, and doing something instead of complaining, and it ends with: “I love you, Jesus.”

When interviewed, Embrey commented, "I wanted to try to promote peace and civility. Because it seems that the Christian group was the most defensive during the debate, I specifically addressed them in my letter, using some of the positive things out of their religion to try to appeal to them."

Conservative columnist Robert Knight considers this the work of the “devil”. In a column posted at the website townhall.com, http://tinyurl.com/2vyn7c3 Knight describes this as “diabolically shrewd!”

“The devil’s best work is done with an unseen hand, when people don’t realize they are being manipulated,“ writes Knight. Evidently Robert Knight objects to “genuinely positive suggestions” simply because of the messenger. But is this Biblical?

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote about some people who preached out of envy and rivalry, out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for Paul. Evidently some people were preaching Christ not out of a sincere heart but to cause trouble for Paul. What was his reaction?

“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

That’s right. Paul rejoiced.

Back in the Old Testament, God was using the Assyrians to punish Israel. The objection was raised that, hey, the Assyrians are worse than we are. Why don’t you punish the Assyrians instead of us? Indeed the Assyrians were worse than Israel. But God used the Assyrians to accomplish His will. When He was finished, he took care of the Assyrians too. God even used a donkey at one point to accomplish His will.

Why Didn't God Save My Brother

2010-09-23T17:35:00.005-04:00

The September 2010 edition of Christianity Today, in an article entitled “In the Shadow of Mount Hood”, Frank James, III, provost of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, discusses his feelings regarding the death of his brother, Kelly James. In the article, he asks some questions of God.

Losing a sibling is tough. I know. My brother died as a result of reckless behavior when he was 24 years old. It’s not possible to understand the sorrow one feels unless you’ve lived it.

In 2006, Kelly James died while climbing Mt. Hood in Oregon to prepare for an expedition to climb Mt. Everest. Frank James describes how he prayed for his brother’s rescue and trusted and believed that God would rescue his brother. Frank publicly declared his faith and confidence in God on CNN. Unfortunately, by the time the rescue party reached him, Kelly had already died.

Frank James asks the question, “Where was God when Kelly was freezing to death on Mount Hood?” Frank says that he is trying to make sense of Kelly’s death. He does not know why God did not rescue Kelly.

So here’s what happens. A guy wants to climb Mt. Everest. You don’t just go climb Mt. Everest. You need a permit that costs tens of thousands of dollars. After travel expenses and hiring an expedition, we’re talking $50,000 to $100,000 which is enough to support an entire Cambodian orphanage for years. So to prepare for the expensive expedition, he climbs Mount Hood in Oregon in December. And while he’s seeking his own interests he runs into problems.

Frank James questions God because God didn’t save Kelly from his folly. He doesn’t understand why God wouldn’t rescue his brother. He’s questioning. He pondering. He’s contemplating why God didn’t rescue HIS brother.

You’ve got children being aborted, killed before they take a single breath. You’ve got millions of orphans due to AIDS, war and other maladies. You’ve got Christians being persecuted in India, China, the Middle East and other parts of the world being harassed, beaten and thrown in jail. You have mass poverty in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. You’re hearing about floods in Pakistan, earthquakes in Chile, Haiti and other places. Starving orphans. Millions of people dying without ever having heard the name “Jesus”.

But Frank James questions God about why He didn’t save his brother who was recklessly climbing a mountain for fun. The question that we should ask is: Why has God blessed us so much? Why did Jesus die for us? What does he see in us that is so valuable? And then for those of us in the United States, perhaps we should ask why he has blessed us so much with wealth and knowledge while so many others suffer in hunger, persecution, natural disasters and other maladies?

Years ago Betty Nguyen, a CNN anchor now a correspondent for CBS news, visited the place of her birth Vietnam with a camera crew. Getting off the beaten path, they went to the Mekong Delta. Many of the homes were on stilts, and because it was the rainy season, many of the homes stood over several feet of brown water. The news crew came upon one such house. It was about half the size of my bedroom. Three children lived there, the oldest no more than 15 years old. Their parents had died of an unknown illness. They had captured a bull frog which was all they had to eat that day. The news crew left them with some rice and other food after they got the footage they needed.

On September 14th 2010 as he was giving humanitarian assistance to people in need in Shan State, Burma, a member of the Free Burma Rangers was shot in the back and killed by Burma Army troops. He was the team camera man as well as one of the Good Life Club team members who focused on helping children. He was a kind and smiling man who loved to help others, endured hardship without complaint and loved children. He was a hard worker, tough, and never surrendered.

But Frank James asks a question. Where was God when Frank’s brother was freezing to death on Mount Hood? Children in Haiti, orphans in Cambodia, a man killed while helping others, but Frank James asks why God didn't save HIS rich brother while he was out enjoying himself. Even though it doesn’t deserve a response, I will provide a response to Frank James:

Go fuck yourself!

Watered Down Christianity

2010-08-21T16:55:00.001-04:00

I became a Christian on a college campus. I got involved in the campus ministry and studied the materials produced by a national campus ministry organization. I learned salvation by grace through faith, faith that was evidenced by repeating a pre-written prayer. We were taught a lot. We learned about the Great Commission, and we were trained and encouraged to share the gospel with other spoiled, rich, white, American college kids. Pamphlets and booklets taught us everything we needed to know.

Everything we needed to know was packaged and delivered in small pamphlets and booklets. You almost expect to get a cheap plastic toy with every pamphlet. They paid lip service to personal Bible study, and they had pre-prepared Bible study guides to assist you in understanding the Bible. This type of McChristianity is prevalent not just on college campuses and in youth groups but in churches and parachurch ministries.

Christian doctrine (i.e. what they want you to believe) is predetermined. They present this in little pamphlets and study guides. Every belief is supported by a verse or several verses taken out of context. It’s a very close-knit group so most participants stay close. Not many stray very far to hear arguments against the pre-packaged belief system.

Lip service is paid to studying the Bible, but their way of using the Bible consists of little more than using verses taken out of context to support their pre-determined set of beliefs. Rather than teaching and studying Paul’s epistle to the Romans, a topic is taught, for example, salvation, and verses are carefully picked to support the topic.

One particular issue is losing salvation. Can one lose one’s salvation once one becomes saved? They cite John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” What they won’t cite are verses like Romans 11:21 or Hebrews 6: 4-8 or John 15:6. When someone brings up those verses, they’re told that they’re not really addressing Christians who are cut from the vine but people who never truly were genuine Christians. They say that because they already “know” that you can’t lose your salvation. The interpretation of the Bible molds itself around the pre-determined beliefs rather than their beliefs molding around the Bible.

Can one lose one’s salvation? That’s a legitimate debate. Some truly believe that a Christian cannot lose his or her salvation. Others truly believe that they can. My point is that the participant is taught to base their beliefs on the teaching of the pamphlets and booklets rather than through Biblical study.

The subject that is watered down the most is the degree of commitment that is required to become a Christian. An easy to read booklet is prepared for people to present the gospel to people. In the end all that is required for salvation is to believe in Jesus and repeat a pre-written prayer. As one reads through the New Testament several times with an open mind, one questions the simplicity of this contemporary suburban American “formula” for salvation. But they have answers for concerns.

In answering any question, the first premise is that the Bible must conform to their pre-determined easy salvation formula. In Matthew 19 Jesus has an encounter with a wealthy fellow. Jesus had said to the wealthy fellow, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The question arises: does Jesus want us to do that? Does he want us to sell our possessions and give the money to the poor?

At the end of the exchange, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

The explanation given is that Jesus’ comment about being difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven is not necessarily exclusive to rich men. Sure, it’s difficult for a rich man to enter the king of heaven. That is true. But, they say, it’s also difficult for everyone, rich or poor. But with God, one can enter the kingdom of heaven by repeating this pre-written prayer. So don’t worry about the specific warning for rich people. He doesn’t really mean it.

In Matthew 10, Jesus says that “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”. The image comes to mind of Jesus carrying his cross up the hill with his followers behind him carrying their crosses. But hey, they say, no one is worthy of Jesus. We’re all sinners. But you can receive forgiveness of sins by repeating this short prayer. The implied obligation to leave your riches, leave your life, leave everything and take up your cross and follow Jesus is not necessary.

In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” This seems like Jesus is asking for a very serious commitment. But it’s not really necessary. You see, they say, he’s talking about being a disciple. You can become saved through this simple short prayer, but becoming a disciple is the next step. You don’t have to become a disciple to become saved, they say.

In this way, they’ve managed to water it down. Total commitment is not necessary. You say the pre-written prayer, and that’s it. You have eternal life. You can’t lose it no matter what you do. There is no requirement to be transformed by a renewing of your mind or become a living sacrifice. But if you want, you can become a disciple and pick up a cross and follow Jesus. You don’t have to do that, but you can if you want to.

Blessing in Rattanakiri

2010-08-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

I love it when God does wonderful, marvelous things. And He does it with such grace almost making it look easy. When something like this happens, I am even more encouraged to pray knowing that God is capable and willing to do wonderful things.

Rattanakri is one of the most remote parts of Cambodia. It's like the West Virginia of Cambodia. It is located in the far northeast of Cambodia. To the north is Laos. To the east is Vietnam. Most of the land is undeveloped, mountainous jungle with a few farming villages. Sometimes monkeys come into the villages at night to search for food.

Christians have been spreading the gospel in the area, planting seeds, with some success. A few small churches have been established among the Kavet Tribe, a small ethnic minority group. In July 2010, God used a horrible tragedy to bring over 500 of those precious people into the Kingdom.

In July 2010 several healthy young men suddenly up and died along the Voen Sai River in a remote region of Rattanakiri, Cambodia. The Kavet Tribe claimed the deaths were due to spiritual attacks, and that the victims had two small holes in their necks where the spirits sucked out their blood. Medical examiners claimed that the three young men they performed autopsies on died of strokes, but they cannot explain the holes in the neck. "Maybe they fell on nails?" is about the best they can do.

According to village elders the spirits were angry because of land clearing by a mining company in their mountainous region. One of the elders, in the community of around 500 people, said in an interview, "We saw the spirits coming down from the mountain."

A leader of a mission organization heard about this while eating lunch and listening to a Cambodian news broadcast. The organization supports a church/home there. He called the District Supervisor to confirm the news. In fact the entire surrounding community was gathered at the church. Puzzled, and totally unaware of this news, the leader queried "Why?" The district supervisor responded, "Because it's the only place people are safe from the spirits. We could use some help! They don't have much food."

The "Young Tigers", a group of Cambodian pastors raised in church/homes, were looking for something to do, and a five ton truck load of food, Manna Pack Rice, Bibles, ‘Proclaimers' (an audio player with two versions of the Cambodian Bible) and three more vehicles with medical supplies, and bottled water were ready to go. The caravan was organized. http://www.missionreports.com/rattanakiri_trip_olalai Within an hour 28 young pastors were on the road.

The next night news reports started coming back. There were 551 of the tribal people gathered at the church. They all received Christ! All 551 accepted Jesus as Lord, they reported.

Later, details emerged. First they cast the evil spirits out of the people that were possessed, then they prayed for the sick and got them healed, then they gave them some food, and then told them about Jesus Christ destroying the power of Satan and rising from the dead, and they all wanted Jesus in their lives. All 551.

A horrible tragedy, the deaths of healthy young men, was used by God to bring over 500 people to salvation. But the battle isn't over. I pray that these people will now be steadfast in trusting in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for protection against what they perceive as evil spirits and for their salvation. I pray that the church and the Little Tigers will continue to minister to and disciple these new believers and that they will mature in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Supplies Being Loaded on the Truck

People Gathering at the Church

New Believers

The Healing of Don Juan

2010-06-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

Don Juan believes that God healed him. Not only that, but he believes that God healed him in response to my prayers. He has twice expressed his love for me over the past few months.

On Friday February 26, 2010, Pilar Cruz (a.k.a. Don Juan) was in a traffic accident. His truck veered off the road, went down an embankment and collided with a very large tree. The truck had no safety belts. He had a minor cut on the forehead, but the major injury was to his spine. Supposedly an x-ray was taken and later an MRI, and I was told that Don Juan needed surgery to place a pin in his vertebrate to facilitate healing.

I saw him in the hospital after his accident. He was pitiful. He was in so much pain. He couldn't get up. He cried as he reached out and grabbed my hands. The first day I told him that I would be praying for him. The day of his accident and the two days following I prayed almost constantly. Sure, I prayed that he would get better, but more than that I prayed that God would use the situation to draw Don Juan to himself for the salvation of his soul which I thought was more important than his body.

This was in Honduras. I returned to the United States two days after his accident so I did not witness his improvement over the months. I just heard bits and pieces from family members. At first I heard how his son and daughter were trying to get a doctor and a pin and arrange for surgery as well as raise funds. Then I heard they moved him out of the hospital into his son's house. He hated the hospital.

I'll never forget the day I heard that he was walking. Wow! At first I heard that he was walking with crutches. Then a few weeks later I heard that he went home. To get to his house he would have had to walk up a couple of dozen stone stairs because his house is on a little hill. Then one day his wife sent him into town to sell some eggs. They have a lot of chickens. Then I heard he was riding a bike. Today he's not quite back to normal, but he's much much better.

And I had prayed. O how I had prayed. I prayed for everything. I had prayed that God would work in this situation for the good of Don Juan and his family. I prayed that he would get better. I prayed that God would use this near death experience to get Don Juan's attention. His son's wife is a Christian, and his daughter who is also a Christian was living in his son's house to take care of Don Juan so I know that they were talking a lot about Jesus. There was also a rift in the family. Some siblings weren't talking to each other. I prayed that God would use this situation to bring them back together.

More than anything I prayed for the glory of God. Don Juan is healed, and he gives thanks to God for that. Just last week a brother who hadn't spoken to a sister in four years just brought a plate of food to the sister, and the two spent some time talking on the front porch. Don Juan has gone to church since he's recovered. One of his daughters says that he's religious but is not certain whether it's genuine faith and a firm commitment.

Did God heal Don Juan in some miraculous way? I don't know. All I know is that I thought he might die, and now he's better and gives thanks to God for it.

The Joke Is On Us

2010-04-20T06:59:00.000-04:00

A recent column by a conservative religious writer includes the following joke:

Did you hear the one about New York Times and Washington Post reporters having lunch and betting on who knows more about Christianity? Mr. NYT says, 'I'll bet you $20 that you can't say the Lord's Prayer.' Ms. WaPo says, 'You're on.' She bows her head and says, 'Now I lay me down to sleep. . . .' Mr. NYT hands her $20, saying, 'That's impressive. I didn't think you knew it.'

The columnist thinks he's making a joke about the liberal press. But it's a joke about Christians. Christians have never done anything to make those two fictitious reporters interested enough to crack open a Bible. We should be ashamed.

Reading conservative religious columns and even listening to some sermons in churches one often hears criticism of the “world” or “liberals”. The reports of the liberal media are not complimentary of Christianity, they say, and liberal politicians do not embrace family values. Hollywood movies portray Christian characters in a negative light, they whine. Of course one of the most often heard judgments against the world is that gay people are gay.

But when we make these criticisms, we are actually judging ourselves.

The Keith Green song “Open Your Eyes” starts off with Keith Green saying, “This generation of believers that you and me are a part of, we are responsible for this generation of souls, all over the world, we’re responsible for them. We’re responsible to pray daily for the needs of ministries around the world.”

When we criticize the media for being liberal and not reporting from a Christian perspective, we are criticizing ourselves for not having influenced the media and not having shown them how great our God is and how wonderful He is. When we criticize gay people for being gay, we are criticizing ourselves for not having shown gay people the love of God. When we make a joke about how liberals don’t even know what the Lord’s Prayer is, then we are making a not-so-funny joke about ourselves because we neither taught them the Lord’s Prayer nor gave them a reason to want to know it.

Imagine

2010-04-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Imagine if Christians were known for visiting low-budget nursing homes and befriending and singing to the patients. Imagine if Christians were known for befriending, tutoring, mentoring and playing softball with troubled youth. Imagine if Christians were known for teaching English to immigrants and helping them find low-cost dental care when they have a toothache. Imagine if Christians were known for initiating public beautification projects by cleaning up trash in inner city neighborhoods and public parks. Imagine if Christians were known for loving their neighbor.

In many countries, that's exactly what Christians are known for. In China Christians have been helping the poor and helping victims of the 2008 earthquake in the Wenchuan region. In Cambodia Christians are known for caring for orphans. There are dozens of church homes caring for orphans throughout the entire country. In Burma Christians are known for providing assistance to ethnic minorities who were attacked by the military.

Throughout the world, Christians are known for loving the unlovable. In the Philippines Christians are known for setting up medical clinics and schools for the Aeta ethnic group, the poorest and most primitive people group in the country. In India Christians are known for loving the Dalits, the untouchables, the lowest caste whose employment is often cleaning the toilets of the upper caste people. In many places Christians are known for loving and caring for the disabled and the mentally retarded, even for caring for and adopting infants who have been abandoned by their families.

Sadly, in the United States, it's not so. So-called Christians are known for little more than protesting abortion clinics and trying to prevent gay people from getting married. I remember one time I had a friend who was a single mother. She had just given birth. She was alone. She had become a Christian and was attending a local church. One time the church went downtown to an anti-abortion rally. They must have taken the road to go right by her apartment building. They never stopped in to see her baby. Not once did anyone offer love to the single mom. Many people attend anti-abortion rallies. Once a kid is born, they stop caring about it.

It's been said that most gay people will never step inside a church because they think that Christians despise them. The reason they think that Christians despise them is because most Christians despise them.

What better praise can we offer God than to do things that invite others to praise Him?

I was in Honduras one time, and I talking to a Christian couple. I told them how it seems like there is a church on almost every corner in the United States. They marveled saying how wonderful it must be that so many people are Christians. I told them that most of the buildings were empty of both people and faith. They didn't understand. How could this be? But if Christians were known in this country for loving their neighbor, then we'd have to build more churches because people would want to come in a worship our God.

One of the Worst Ideas of the Decade

2009-12-20T06:22:00.002-05:00

http://tinyurl.com/ye5jqrm
The Washington Post has chosen The Prosperity Gospel as one of the worst ideas of the decade.

Nevermind that the prosperity gospel [sic] was an idea that started thousands of years ago. Paul wrote to Timothy about men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But in this time of economic turmoil, following the prosperity gospel has caused some people a lot of pain that they otherwise wouldn't have suffered.

One thing that can provide some comfort is that, while false teachers exist in many parts of the world, God knows how to rescue godly people.

From the Washington Post:

In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, we are told that Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money" and, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The "prosperity gospel," an insipid heresy whose popularity among American Christians has boomed in recent years, teaches that God blesses those God favors most with material wealth.

The ministries of three televangelists commonly viewed as founders of the prosperity gospel movement - Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and Frederick K.C. Price - took hold in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the oldest and best-known proponents of prosperity theology, Oral Roberts - the television faith-healer who in 1987 told his flock that God would call him home if he didn't raise $8 million in a matter of weeks - died at 91 last week.

But the past decade has seen this pernicious doctrine proliferate in more mainstream circles. Joel Osteen, the 46-year-old head of Lakewood Church in Houston, has a TV ministry that reaches more than 7 million viewers, and his 2004 book "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential," has sold millions of copies. "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us," Osteen wrote in a 2005 letter to his flock.

As crass as that may sound, Osteen's version of the prosperity gospel is more gentle (and decidedly less sweaty) than those preached by such co-religionists as Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes and the appropriately named Creflo Dollar.

Few theological ideas ring more dissonant with the harmony of orthodox Christianity than a focus on storing up treasures on Earth as a primary goal of faithful living. The gospel of prosperity turns Christianity into a vapid bless-me club, with a doctrine that amounts to little more than spiritual magical thinking: If you pray the right way, God will make you rich.

But if you're not rich, then what? Are the poor cursed by God because of their unfaithfulness? And if God were so concerned about 401(k)s and Mercedes, why would God's son have been born into poverty?

Nowhere has the prosperity gospel flourished more than among the poor and the working class. Told that wealth is a sign of God's grace and favor, followers strive for trappings of luxury they can little afford in an effort to prove that they are blessed spiritually. Some critics have gone so far as to place part of the blame for the past decade's spending binge and foreclosure crisis at the foot of the prosperity gospel's altar.

Jesus was born poor, and he died poor. During his earthly tenure, he spoke time and again about the importance of spiritual wealth and health. When he talked about material wealth, it was usually part of a cautionary tale.

Cathleen Falsani is the religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and the author of "The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers."

Christian Love

2009-12-19T06:57:00.001-05:00

Ted Olbrich has been a minister in Cambodia for decades. He started his ministry in Phnom Penh shortly after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. He had a small church at first. Not a whole lot of people were coming. But there were the orphans. A lot of orphans came, and soon they had more orphans than church members. So they were caring for orphans. People were so impressed with the love that they showed with the orphans that many people came around to find out what this church was all about. Some came to the Lord. Others didn't. But today that organization is one of the most respected organizations in the country with church homes in every province.

While Christianity is growing in places like China, Cambodia and Central America, it is truth be told struggling in the United States. When we hear about Evangelical Christians, it's mostly about trying to prevent same sex marriages. This time of year is the war on Christmas when Evangelicals whine and moan because a courthouse or library won't permit a x-mas tree or Frosty the Snowman on its front lawn. Not very often do we hear about Christian teenagers going on two week vacations in Mexico to paint the same wall for the 34th time or a guy giving five bucks to his church.

Blame it on the liberal media. The liberal media's policy of "if it bleeds, it leads" negative reporting refuses to report on the good things that Christians are doing. Let me ask you then, since when is it the liberal media's responsibility to report that Christians are doing good things? The fact is that Christianity in this country is suffering because Christianity in this country is suffering. Most Christians practice Moral Therapeutic Deism, not true Christianity. Many people go to church only so that little Chauncey will grow up to be a good boy and not get drunk and wreck the car or act up. Someone once told me that U.S. Christians spend more on dog food than on world missions. Christians are more concerned about two gay people getting married than they are about the exploding divorce rate and adultery among Christians. The fact is that if Christians were out there acting like Christians, then we wouldn't need to liberal media to publicize it.

Some complain that President Obama is not a true Christian, that he doesn't truly believe in what Jesus said. That may be true. Some complain that Hollywood liberals are anti-Christian. The younger generation is less likely to believe in Jesus than older generations. Sex, violence an non-family values on TV and in theatres. A larger and larger percentage of children being born out of wedlock and even more growing up in single parent households.

Do you know who is to blame for this? The liberal media? Liberal politicians? Gay people? No. CHRISTIANS ARE TO BLAME FOR THIS!!! Christians in the U.S. are an embarrassment to God. They bring shame on God. Ghandi has been quoted as saying “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Christianity in this country is in a downward spiral, and it's taking the rest of the country with it.

My prayer is that God would rescue this country from itself. Only by the grace of God and the movement of the Holy Spirit can this nation be saved.

God Calls Another Angel Home

2009-12-12T05:54:00.009-05:00

She had beautiful, brown, puppy dog eyes, long, straight silky black hair and golden brown skin. You’ve heard of a girl’s smile that could light up a room. This girl’s smile could light up Candlestick Park at midnight on a cloudy day. Her name was Chheng Ngeam, or more affectionately Srey Neang. She was about eight years old.

On November 30, 2009, this beautiful creature passed away from Japanese Encephalitis. Srey Neang passed away while in a hospital in Phnom Penh. Her pastor took her back to her home where they had a funeral for her on December 2. Her entire school showed up for her funeral, which was held only 24 hours after her death. With no funeral homes, embalming, or graveyards, the kids in the home helped wash her tiny body, and laid her to rest on their property.

Srey Neang spent the last years of her short life at the Tluk Yule Church Orphan Home located in the Kompong Chhnang province of Cambodia. It’s a ruggedly beautiful rural area of Cambodia that is unfortunately still beleaguered with landmines and also has one of the highest HIV infection rate in Asia. Death due to AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among orphans in Cambodia.

We can have consolation in the fact that she is in a better place now – her suffering is over – and also in the fact that someday her brothers and sisters in Christ will meet her again. Even at the tender age of eight she was one of the oldest children at her orphanage and had some responsibilities like cleaning and taking care of some of the younger children. She was also a dearly loved big sister for the kids (there are about a dozen kids at that home).

Many tears have been shed and she will be missed.

Ted Olbrich, creator and head of an organization that helps fund the Tluk Yule Church Orphan Home remembered her with these words:

I don’t cry much, but this one broke me. I still can’t look at the picture of her lying in her casket and not get emotional. She was so cheerful and full of life, always the first one through the gate to greet us; an orphan girl that the world forgot, but God remembered.

Protesting China

2009-11-27T19:38:00.000-05:00

Last year during the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, some American Christians had Chinese Bibles confiscated at the airport. Other protestors were arrested. Some were deported. Some were denied entry into the country. A debate arose about these foreign protestors.

One right wing radio host/columnist applauded the protestors. I questioned what about the protestors’ conduct merited praise. He said that China oppresses Christians and that therefore protesting is necessary. I questioned what does protesting accomplish?

It was at this point that the rant started. He never addressed my question. The answer is that going to China to identify yourself as a Christian and protest the treatment of Christians in the country is counterproductive. What are the leaders going to think? “O gee, these guys are protesting. I guess we won’t oppress Christians anymore.” Or might this give Christians a reputation as troublemakers?

That is my contention. American Christians going to China and boldly protesting the Chinese government’s treatment of Christians causes the Chinese leadership to identify Christians as troublemakers thereby trusting them less and giving them fewer freedoms than they otherwise would have.

But over the past few years China has lessened its oppression of Christians. They’ve done this because Christians in China have been following the instructions of Jesus. It’s not in the Bible that Christians should protest government policies with which we disagree. Christians love their neighbors. They look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep themselves from being polluted by the world. They feed the hungry. They submit to authorities.

These actions have resulted in the Chinese government having a more favorable view of Christians and Christianity. They’re seeing that it’s not really the threat that they had originally thought it was. As a result, China has been slowly lightening up the pressure on the practice of Christianity.

The actions of Christians have not only affected the Chinese government but also the Chinese people. People see what good Christians are doing which results in a favorable view of Christians. They’re more likely to attend a church meeting and are more receptive to the gospel.

No, the protests of American Christians didn’t do any good at all. But Christians’ obedience to the commands of Christ have had a powerful effect on both the government and citizens.

Maryam and Marzieh Have Been Released

2009-11-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

Two Iranian women who have been in jail since last spring have been released. Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh were arrested in Iran for converting to Christianity. They were held at the infamous Evin Prison. Over the past 200+ days their health had deteriorated. They have been released for now, but the charges have not been dropped.

The two women, whose health deteriorated while in detention at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, are at their homes recovering from their nine-month ordeal. They still could face charges of proselytizing and "apostasy," or leaving Islam.

The women were released at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 18.

‘Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to his people who have prayed and worked for our release,’ they said.

‘But it’s not over yet,’ warns Andy Dipper of Release International, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide. ‘Maryam and Marzieh are under surveillance and still face trial. Pray that the charges would be dropped.’

The Iranian Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly in favor a mandatory death sentence for any man who leaves the Islamic faith. The Islamic Penal Code Bill would have imposed a life sentence on women leaving Islam – such as Maryam and Marzieh.

Nin Tong

2009-11-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

On October 20, it was reported by Stung Somrong Church/Orphan Home in Cambodia that Nin Tong, a five year old orphan boy, died the night before at the Kuntabopha Hospital. He had shown no signs of illness, but on examination at the hospital, it was discovered that he was HIV positive and died due to a sudden onset of meningitis. I pray that God will comfort the hearts of his brothers and sisters in the orphan home, and brings them a peace and understand that all of God's works are filled with grace and mercy.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received form God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. This poor boy was HIV positive. He was probably born that way. Maybe his parents died which is why he ended up in the orphan home. The little guy was only five years old.

If there's any comfort in this, it's that he at least spent some amount of time in a home with people that cared about him where he got good meals, medical and dental care and a warm place to sleep. Tong lived at the Steung Somrong Orphan Home in Koh Kong province in Western Cambodia. They seem to take good care of the children there. I read a report of a dentist that visited a few orphan homes in that area, and he said that the orphans are much healthier than the children in the surrounding neighborhoods. They get better nutrition and better health care.

Here he is with some of his buddies shortly before his untimely death.

Unconditional Love

2009-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Someone had a greeting card. It said, “Jesus Loves You,” on the front accompanied by a pair of praying hands. Inside is says, “Everyone else thinks you’re a jerk.” The once praying hands were giving the finger.

When I saw that I thought that Jesus might think the guy is a jerk too but loves him anyway. That’s unconditional love, I thought. The lover loves the loved unconditionally not based on the actions of the loved or characteristics. The person could still be a first class jerk but still be loved. I may think you’re a jerk, but I love you anyway. I thought that way for years.

I was wrong.

It took an entire family to show me the definition of true unconditional love. In 1996 I went to Honduras. I met a nice family. They took me in. Mom and dad, two sons and two daughters. I married the older daughter. But they all seemed to like me.

I had heard through the grapevine that the younger daughter, about 12 years old at the time, used to brag about me to her friends telling them how wonderful I am. Nobody had ever said or thought that I was wonderful. “I have a brother-in-law. He’s nice. He bought me this dress.” Then someone told me they overheard the younger sister and younger brother arguing over which one of them I liked best.

I always lose the badmouth wars. If I tick someone off, they are certain to go around badmouthing me to other people. People listen to that and take it as gospel truth and believe whole-heartedly. Not with them. I had a dispute with one of the brothers, and after that I thought, “O well, the good times are over.” They understood the dispute, but they didn’t just write me off. They continued to love me for the good they saw in me.

Am I a jerk? Yes, I am a jerk, and they love me anyway. But that’s not all there is to it. They were able to see good things in me. They saw the good in me. He’s nice. He gave me this. He’s funny. The unconditional love they had spurred them to see good things in me.

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. But he saw something in us. There is something about us that is valuable to him. He didn’t just say, “O you’re all depraved sinners unworthy of my love, but I’ll die for you anyway just cuz I’m a nice guy.” No. God sees something in us, something in every one of us that benefits him or that pleases him.

It’s Great to Be a Loser

2009-10-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

I’m a loser. I’ve known that for a long time. But just now I’m finding out how great it is.

Last weekend I went to an event honoring the outstanding athletes on our high school track team. It wasn’t a high school reunion, but it was close. I can run really, really fast (BFD) so I was one of those honored. These people were the school’s all-time top athletes. They were all well-rounded individuals. One guy was valedictorian. Without exception they all grew up to be well-rounded happy suburban Americans.

I quickly realized that the best friends I had weren’t among this elite group. The skinny little guys who weren’t gifted athletes, the refugee, the abused girl living with foster parents, the gay guy who invited me to be part of his group of friends when I didn’t know anybody. Those were my friends. We had a lot of fun, too.

I had a friend who had one eye. He was so in love with this cute little girl that he couldn’t sleep some nights. He had no chance with her. Poor guy. A skinny guy with a big nose named Batson who they all called “Batweed” and Joe who had more back hair than a gorilla. Greg was so stupid he used a strong chemical to get paint out of his hair. It fried the roots, and the entire back of his head is bald for life.

I’m weird to, and I no longer apologize for it. None of these people are ever going to look down on me. They’re never going to be ashamed of me. They’re never going to make me feel like I’m not wanted because I’m wanted.

I have a friend Natalie. She is the second youngest of six children. The only two that have the same father are the twins, and her mother is already with another guy. Natalie is a chubby little thing. Her father who only visited sporadically doesn’t even call on her birthday anymore. They move from apartment to apartment. They spent one Christmas in a homeless shelter. Her little sister is known as “The Little Monster” by her Sunday school teacher. It’s not a term of endearment. Nobody likes her. But when I visit them they are so happy to see me. It makes me feel like to most popular kid in school. One time I was scheduled to visit them. Their mom called and asked if I could come early because they were so excited that I was coming.

But being a loser also brings a great responsibility. The Bible says that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. Losers have been given much. One thing that losers have been given is the knowledge of what it’s like to be a loser. A loser knows what it’s like to sit at a table by yourself while everyone else is happily chatting away all around you. A loser knows what it’s like to not be invited to the party.

When a popular person sees a loser sitting awkwardly alone at a social function and just walks on by, he knows not what he does. He doesn’t know how it feels to be left out. But a fellow loser should know better. There’s no excuse.

I confess that I’ve done that a couple of times. I’ve walked past a fellow loser who was by himself while I was with friends. I remember every time I’ve done it, and I feel bad about it because I know how it feels. I endeavor to never do it again. Being a loser is a big responsibility.

Latin American Churches

2009-10-03T05:40:00.001-04:00

An article in the August issue of Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/august/11.40.html paints a bleak picture of evangelical Christianity found in Latin America. Milton Acosta, a professor of Old Testament at Biblical Seminary of Colombia, refers to Latin American Christianity as “Protestant Shamanism” and suggests that it is likely some sort of “post-, neo-Christianity” whatever that is.

Acosta’s main concern is false teaching. What is being taught is not the central message of the gospel, but a gospel of prosperity. Acosta laments that it is hard to imagine how these churches could be of any significant influence in preaching the message of the kingdom of God and the practice of justice. Many pastors have no formal theological education, he writes. Acosta even suggests that these people might not actually be Christians “no matter what they do with Scripture, what theology they hold, or how they live.” Of course he adds the obligatory caveat that not all evangelical churches have these characteristics, but he nevertheless expresses grave concern and doubts about the future of Christianity in Latin America.

Acosta is right, but he’s dead wrong. Are there false teachers, divisions and abuses? Yes, there are. I’ve been praying for a decade about this. One common tactic is to preach tithing and tack on the prosperity gospel. Give your money to me, and God will make you rich. That’s a very common tactic. However, it’s not unique to Latin America. One can hear this teaching probably on every continent. It’s very common, and it’s very serious.

There are also a lot of false healers and false prophets and other phonies, as Holden Caulfield would say. People go to one of these false apostles and think they’re going to get some sort of supernatural blessing or worse have their financial and/or health problems solved with a quick prayer and contribution. At the end they get discouraged and have a bad taste in their mouth regarding organized religion.

There have always been false teachers. You can read about them in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Peter and other epistles. It’s frightening what the Bible says will happen to these false teachers. 2 Peter chapter 2 says that these people will bring swift destruction upon themselves.

Verse 13 says that they will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Verse 21 says that it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. To me that’s pretty scary. God says that he is going to punish these people.

But 2 Peter Chapter 2 also says that God knows how to rescue godly men. It’s God’s church. Ephesians Chapter 5 says that Christ feeds and cares for the church. Jesus “gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians Chapter 2 says “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We are Gods church. Paul explains how God waters the church like a seed so it will bring forth fruit. God causes the church to grow. It’s God’s project that He’s working on. And he accomplishes what he sets out to do.

Remember Isaiah 46:
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.

The Latin American church is rampaging. People are coming to Christ all over Latin America. And a great number of churches are not as described by Milton Acosta. There are churches that not only preach and teach sound Biblical doctrine, but instruct and encourage people how to put it into practice.

After Hurricane Mitch the Great Commission churches sent teams to provide relief to the victims. Many stayed and planted churches. To this day they are teaching people sound doctrine in churches in every major city and in many smaller towns in Honduras. One of these churches even sent a church planting team to Mexico.

Another church is Sala Evangelica. It’s a domestic grass roots church that has churches throughout Honduras. I’ve had the pleasure to meet someone who spent only a couple of years attending a Sala Evangelica church in their little town. She knew the gospel and the basic Christian creed as well as any college student involved in Campus Crusade for Christ or any other group.

I’m getting excited as I write this. God is doing great things in Latin America. May God continue to bless those people. Is there cause for concern in Latin American churhes? Yes. There is. Is there more reason to be excited about what God is doing in Latin America. O YEAH!

The Rise and Fall of an Apostle

2009-10-01T17:59:00.001-04:00

We had been going to a church that met in the basement of an English speaking United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia. I don’t remember the name or the name of the pastor. Although I do remember that the pastor had a loud voice so when we talk about that church we refer to the pastor’s loud speaking voice.

The pastor’s wife claimed to be a profit. She would lay her hands on people and then make predictions about events that would happen to them in the future. She told my wife that someday she would have twins. My wife believed it whole-heartedly. I wasn’t sure. She hasn’t had twins yet. To this day I’m still hoping.

It brought to mind the phrase “Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit”. In Matthew 12 some Pharisees claimed that Jesus casts out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus responded by saying,

“And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

I’ve heard some suggest that doubting a certain minister’s prophecy constitutes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That’s not the case. The Pharisees didn’t just doubt the authenticity of Jesus’ miracles. They could not deny that Jesus cast out demons. But they thought the power He used to do so was evil. When a preacher claims to have healed a man as the man limps away in obvious pain and you doubt that the man was healed, this does not constitute blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

I wanted to believe that my wife would have twins some day. However, I had no reason to believe that this woman was a prophet.

Ministerios Unidos

After the pastor’s death a friend of ours had recommended another church that was meeting in an elementary school in nearby Annandale, Virginia. We saw a lot of familiar faces there as well as many, many new faces. I’d say there were about 200 people there on our first visit, but my ability to estimate large crowds is untested.

At that time I wasn’t particularly interested in going to church. I came up with what I thought were good excuses some times, but other times I just said that I didn’t want to go. But they wanted me to come. I was invited every Sunday. People were praying for me. They even got an interpreter so I could understand better what the preacher was saying. Eventually I started going for the people.

There were a lot of beautiful people at that church. Young people, old people, men women, boys, girls… They were legitimate. People complain about hypocrites in churches. Many church goers seek “family values”. They hope the church will influence little Chauncey to grow up to be a good boy. Others go to church because they’ve been going to church ever since they were young and just keep going out of habit. Not at this church. Evangelical Christianity was new to most Spanish speaking immigrants, and they came to church because they believed in Jesus. They wanted to know more. They wanted to worship. They wanted to give thanks and praise.

I liked it because there were not codes of conduct. People came from probably a dozen or more countries in the Americas all with different cultures and different customs. People wouldn’t think that you’re weird if you don’t greet them in a specific way. Or if someone is shy they let them be shy. As long as you’re friendly you’d get a warm reception.

One of the most noticeable people was Guadalupe. She was very emotional, and she would shout out “AMEN!” or “Gloria a DIOS!” and from time to time “Santoooooo!” She was an older lady who went out of her way to greet me the first time she saw me. I used to make my sister-in-law laugh by telling her that Guadalupe pinched me on the behind one time.

Then there was "Carly Shay". She was in charge of the children’s program. I don’t think there was ever a time when the church doors opened that Carly didn’t show up.

There were so many other wonderful people. Claudia was a chubby little ten year old. Sister Ana was the church secretary and the grandmother of an adorable little girl named Jennifer. Karla and Oliver were a young couple who had the cutest baby Karlita. Sister Samantha was a tiny little lady with a big smile who helped Carly in the children’s ministry. Alex was only 14 but was at least 6 feet tall. He was very gentle and humble for a guy that big.

This was by all definitions a church. Some times they’d ask people to bring groceries so they could help out others in need. One time a guy came in. Someone helped him get a job. Someone else gave him a car. Another person paid to have the car repaired. A young woman had a baby. People helped carry the baby to her car. People helped her out financially and invited her to their homes. People were going around spreading the gospel whether in a restaurant kitchen, on the street to strangers or at poolside with teenage girls in bikinis.

The Junta

In the early days the church had no form. It wasn’t a legal entity. It was ruled by the “Junta”. They met in the basement of a townhouse not too far from where the church met. The Junta was a group of people who had started the church. Sister Ana was there although I think she was in her role as church secretary and not part of the governing junta. Guadalupe was there. Bernice was there. Marvin was the owner of the house where they met. There were about 8 to 10 people there. Pastor Rafael Ramirez was also there.

Pastor Rafael Ramirez

Rafael Ramirez was about average height with black hair. He was about 30 years old with glasses, short hair and a nice suit but not too fancy. He was from Costa Rica. He claimed that God told him to come to the United States to start this church. He started out working as a painter, but God told him to stop. “I didn’t bring you here to be a painter,” God told him. At least that’s what I heard that he claimed. He had no formal theological education that I knew about.

He was married to Fanny Porras. They had four girls: Priscila the oldest, Berenice and the twins. The twins were about 6 years old at the time. I think it was around 2001. Berenice was about 10. She had beautiful brown eyes and black hair. Priscila was a little older maybe 15, and she had so many freckles. She was very quiet and would sit by herself in church and not really talk to anybody.

A few years later I visited their office. By that time they were renting office space. They had an office for Pastor Ramirez, an office for Fanny, a larger room with some desks in it, and in the back was a prayer room. They had internet service but no virus protection, and the computer was seriously messed up. They called a professional geek who couldn’t fix it. I don't know what became of that.

While I was there a group of people came in and went into the prayer room. You could hear them praying back there. Priscila came in after school to do some homework on the computer. By this time Priscila was a bit older and more mature. She wasn’t the solemn girl that used to sit by herself in church. She was a bouncy energetic young teenager who smiled and greeted people enthusiastically. She kept singing a song “Brinca la Tablita”. It was a song that kids sing when they’re skipping rope. And she still had those adorable freckles.

I loved going to that church. I always looked for the opportunity to meet a new person or hang out with people I already knew. The worship was fantastic. They got a guy to lead the worship team. He had a sky blue Gibson ES-137 that he played every Sunday. He also had a Gibson Les Paul Studio that was played by a younger guy who looked like he was just learning to play guitar. They also had a drummer and a keyboard player. People just loved to sing alabanzas and dance and laugh and smile.

One thing I didn’t like was the supposed healing. Towards the end of the meetings Pastor Ramirez would go around and pray for people. They would praise God and then fall to the ground. Then someone would throw a white sheet on them I guess to cover them up so their underwear doesn’t show while they’re laying on the ground. I didn't object. To each his own.

But it started getting wacky. I don’t know what happened, but it happened very slowly and very gradual. The church didn’t have any ministries of its own. The people on their own were going out spreading the gospel and being the light of the world. The church itself didn’t have any formal outreach. They even stopped asking people to bring in groceries to share with their brothers and sisters in need.

Then I started noticing a little bit of the prosperity gospel in there. Pastor Ramirez was inspired by televangelist and prosperity preacher Benny Hinn. I read that Benny Hinn would blow on a crowd supposedly to spread the Holy Spirit to them. I saw Pastor Ramirez doing this on occasion. Pastor Ramirez started calling himself “Apostol Rafael Ramirez”, and Fanny was being called a profeta.

Then the fake healings really started. One time he claimed to heal this boy of asthma. Of course you couldn’t see it. I hope the boy didn’t stop taking his medicine. Then he claimed to heal a man. The old man had crutches and went down to the pastor. A big crowd of people were down there praying. One of the pastor’s flunkies held the crutches in the air as the man hobbled back up the stairs. That poor man was in obvious pain. Then they showed a woman in a wheelchair who had been healed. The woman got up, took a few very painful steps and then got back in the wheelchair. The pastor claimed it was a healing in process.

My wife appeared on a church flyer. It had her picture there with Rafael Ramirez praying for her. It had what were purportedly quotes from my wife saying that Apostol Rafael Ramirez healed her of something. My wife had never said those things, and she hadn’t been healed of anything. I was already getting suspicious, but after seeing this my wife started paying attention to what I was saying.

Apostol Rafael Ramirez also claimed that God spoke to him. He said that God spoke to him all the time not just while he was praying but while he was in the shower and while he was driving. Then one Sunday he said he had a very special sermon. Only a limited number tapes of the sermon would be made for resale. In that sermon he claimed that God hadn’t spoken to him in several weeks. He pleaded and pleaded for God to end his silence. Finally, God spoke. He said, “I just wanted a place where I can rest.” The Prince of Peace stands up and says, “Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” But Jesus goes to Apostol Rafael Ramirez to seek rest and peace.

The lack of theological knowledge was more and more evident as the Apostle and the Prophet continued to inflate their egos. One time Acts 15 was read, the part about where the real apostle James quotes from the real prophet Amos.

The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
" 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages.

Then the Apostol Ramirez said that this prophecy could only be fulfulled by the apostles and prophets. He thought that James was making a prophecy. He didn't understand that James was citing a prophecy made hundreds of years earlier and that was already being fulfilled.

To me a church is a group of people, not a building with a weekly show. I loved those people, and I was going to keep going to that church. It had gotten to the point where I hadn’t heard the gospel in literally years. One time Fanny preached on John 3:16, and even then she didn’t even present the gospel. If I hadn’t have been there I wouldn’t have believed it was possible to preach on that verse and leave out the gospel message.

I started praying. I prayed for the people in that church to receive wisdom to discern sound teaching from false teaching. I also prayed that God would stop this man. I wrote down people’s names so I would never forget them: Jessie, Johnathan, Sister Mercedes, Sister Ana, … I still have the list of names, and I still pray for them wherever they are.

We weren’t the first to leave. People were talking. Just like in any church in Anytown, USA, most of the people did not have a very good knowledge of the New Testament or basic Biblical doctrine, but there were many who read their Bibles and began to question the teachings. Some people expressed their concerns to Pastor Ramirez, and a lot of people quit.

Eventually my wife stopped going to this church. She was very discouraged. After a few months of not going to church, she received a telephone call from Apostol Rafael Ramirez. My wife is not a silent objector. She told him without reservation exactly why she stopped going to that church. The issue she picked was tithing. The church taught that everyone should give 10% of their income to the church.

The Fall of Apostol Rafael Ramirez

After we left we’d hear things. Carly has been a friend for over a decade, and she was one of the last to leave the church. Carly told us that such and such a person doesn’t come anymore. Sister Mercedes left. What did it for Carly was totally whacked. From time to time guest musicians and guest speakers came to the church. Evidently one time this guy came and proclaimed that Apostol Rafael Ramirez was the new David, the modern day David. “Come and adore the new David,” he said. The Pastor didn’t object. Carly walked out. That was the last time she went to that church, she said.

We’ve kept in contact with a lot of people. There was a rumor that Profeta Fanny was having an affair. A member of the church was coming late, and they saw the Profesta Fanny in a car with man other than Apostol Ramirez engaging in an amorous activity. The details were not specified by my friend. We had heard rumors that Apostol Rafael Ramirez was having an affair also. We didn't know. These people were not prone to gossip. People didn't gossip much so we had a hard time finding out what was happening.

This is what we've been able to piece together. In 2007 Fanny called 911 after Rafael gave her a beating. Rafael was arrested and deported. The twins stayed with Fanny in the United States. That information I believe is true. We also heard that Berenice (now probably in her late teens) rebuked her mother and went to Costa Rica with her father. Priscila is supposedly studying to be a doctor in Costa Rica.

The Apostol Rafael Ramirez is reported to be living in Costa Rica. He is attending a church there. He had requested to be sent to Bolivia as a missionary, but the pastor of his church refused to send him. He is reportedly currently living with a 16 year old wife.

Epilogue

II Peter says that false teachers will bring swift destruction to themselves and that they will be paid back for the harm that they have done. For now God has removed him. The guy is definitely removed from the United States. They’ll never let him back in again. But I still pray that he will be restrained from preaching in Costa Rica or anywhere else where he can cause damage. It’s frightening the type of punishment that II Peter describes for people like this.

II Peter also says that God knows how to rescue righteous men. And this I pray. Rafael Ramirez did a lot of damage. There is no question in my mind that many, many people in that church were sincere Jesus-loving Christians. A lot of them were deceived by this man’s preaching. A lot of people, my wife included, are still discouraged and loathe setting foot in another church.

Count the Cost

2009-09-12T10:07:00.001-04:00

Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirzadeh, 30, are currently being held in the notorious Evin prison. These women are both converts to Christianity from Islam, and have been imprisoned without charge since 5 March, when police officers searched their home. Maryam and Marzieh suffered sleep deprivation as part of the police interrogation process and are now sharing a cell with 27 other women.

An email alert sent September 9, 2009 reports that the health of the two women has deteriorated significantly since their imprisonment five months ago.

“Both women are suffering from sore throats, irregular painful stomach aches and often intense head aches. Both have lost much weight during their ordeal, because of their sicknesses and lack of nutrition. Marzieh's tooth infection is only being treated by painkillers and if the infection spreads could become critical.

“Due to the overcrowding in the prison and the limited medical facilities, they have not received adequate treatment. There are also many other sick inmates and so there is a constant risk of picking up other viruses.”

Normal punishment for female “apostates” is that they are kept imprisoned until they recant.

On September 12, 2009 in London, England, a vigil will be held outside the Iranian embassy from 12.30 pm till 9.30 pm (That would be 7:30 am to 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time). A group called Iranian Christian Women are asking for women to join them in silent prayer for Maryam and Marzieh. Participants are asked to dress in white so there can be a powerful image sent to Iran's leaders about the need for justice in this case.

God Uses All Things For Good

2009-08-06T17:47:00.001-04:00

In 1998 Hurricane Mitch slowly moved through Central America. It’s high winds destroyed trees and homes along the coast, and it’s heavy rainfall destroyed homes, roads and bridges throughout Central America. Thousands died. An entire village was buried in a mud slide caused by the heavy rains. It took years to recover. In fact, some of the ravaged areas still haven’t been fully rebuilt.

Foreign governments such as Ireland, France, Japan, United States, Canada, Spain and others contributed in the form of financial assistance or sent teams to distribute temporary aid or build bridges, houses and schools.

One of the groups that sent aid in response to Hurricane Mitch was the Great Commission Churches organization. Working hand in hand with Samaritan’s Purse, they brought aid, but unlike others, they stayed. In addition to temporary aid, they brought the gospel, and they started planting churches. Ten years later there are Great Commission churches in every major city in Honduras as well as smaller groups that meet in more remote areas. Honduras has even sent missionaries to other countries to plant churches.

Hurricane Mitch was a horrible disaster, but in its wake God was able to use the disaster to the furtherance of the gospel in Honduras for His glory.

At the end of June a political crisis began in Honduras. The President of the nation was arrested by the military and exiled. Small pockets or protests erupted in some violence, but worse was the threat of violence. For a while people worried whether the country would explode in violence.

This has had at least one positive result. Christians throughout the country have been inspired to trust God. People are gathering to have prayer vigils praying for peace in Honduras. People are putting their faith in God more than ever. May this be a second revival in Honduras, and may faith in God spread and strengthen throughout the entire country.

The Church in Burma is Growing Despite Obstacles

2009-07-14T19:49:00.000-04:00

“. . .upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Devastating cyclones, bitter ethnic wars, and human rights abuses have all had a part in contributing to the poverty and spiritual darkness that characterizes Burma today. Despite this opposition, the church in Burma is gaining ground against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12).

Christian Aid assists a number of ministries* in Burma which give the following reports concerning their various strategies for spreading the gospel:

Faith with Works
“I am conducting meetings with the churches, pastors, and workers, exhorting them to stand firm in the faith. These are fiery times for testing their faith. The government has put high restrictions on work among the cyclone victims. They presume that what we are doing is for political purposes. (Even Buddhist monks and laymen, interested in helping victims, are being persecuted. Some were caught and sentenced to very long jail terms – 45 to 65 years!)

“Because of your faithful and consistent support, my workers and I were able to reach 300 Buddhists. We shared about the last days and distributed tracts among them. In another area we were able to distribute rice and used clothing, as well as medicine for the elderly and ailing. This particular tribe lives in a secluded area, so we were able to preach the gospel.

“The mobile clinic you helped open allowed us to treat 1130 patients. Many of them were elderly, who shed tears of joy. They were so grateful for this display of Christian love.”

Bible Teaching and TrainingAnother brother, who leads a teaching ministry, remembers a time when confusion arose among the churches in Burma due to a lack of theological training. “This was in the 70’s and even though a revival swept through the country, there were no reputable Bible schools. Church leaders of that era left the country and enrolled in schools in other areas of the world. When they completed their studies, they returned to Burma to launch an indigenous ministry.”

He said, “We began with only four faculty members and 77 students our first year. But despite opposition to the Bible, the Lord, and Christians in general, this ministry is going forward. With help received from Christian Aid recently, we were able to assist 20 more Bible students from the scholarship fund. We also have a Bible correspondence course available for those wanting to learn more about Jesus, or who find it difficult to leave their current ministry for an extended period.”

Church Planting“Week-long evangelistic camp meetings in remote towns and villages are held wherever the Lord opens the door. Relationships are built by providing for some of their needs, such as food, medicine, and nursing care. The Word is preached and Bibles are given out. When our evangelistic team leaves the village, we leave behind a church planter. In time he will disciple a vessel chosen from the tribe to become the church leader. This new disciple is then brought back to our training center for three months of training. When he returns to his village, he will take over as pastor. Our original worker is then “rotated” into another unreached area,” explains another Burmese leader.

While much has been accomplished, much needs to be done. Many people who survived the cyclone are still without adequate shelter or other basic necessities. More follow-up is needed in the remote villages where the gospel has been heard for the first time. Income generating projects, such as raising pigs or ducks, will help the people re-establish their lives. (Businesses that were destroyed during the cyclone are no longer a source of income.)

“Please continue to pray for our ministry,” writes Brother G. “My most pressing goal is to witness in every nook and corner of our country before the imminent return of our Lord Jesus.” Amen!

If I Be Lifted Up

2009-04-24T19:14:00.000-04:00

Years ago I heard a preacher lament that most homosexuals will never step inside a church because they think that Christians despise them. The reason they think that Christians despise them, he went on, is because Christians despise them.

Someone on a street corner screaming or speaking through a megaphone calling people “sinners”. A televangelist blaming a terrorist attack on homosexuals. A conservative columnist or talk show host claiming that permitting homosexual marriages will erode the sanctity of marriage.

Does pointing a finger and telling someone that they’re a sinner constitute Christian love? Some argue that criticizing someone is telling the truth and therefore constitutes Christian love. A conservative Christian columnist, blogger and radio talk show host explains that telling people that they’re sinners constitutes genuine “Christian love”. But does it? In his own words he writes:

It certainly would be unbiblical to claim that "love" should be defined as only saying those things that make other people feel good. Jesus didn't only say kind things. He spoke truth to the leaders when he was a child. And on occasion he was so worked up about the leaders and what they had allowed His Father's house to become that he called them names and performed acts of violence against them.

Sometimes loving people involves telling them things they do not wish to hear. For instance if my baby son was to lurch for the handle of a hot pot of soup on the stove simply because he wanted it, I have two choices. I can speak softly and happy goo goo voice to him and try to convince him not to grab it. Or (and especially if I sense he's going to lurch for it no matter what) I can assert his name, fly across the room, and tell him "NO", all while clutching him up in my arms. Now he may not care to hear that, he may fight and struggle with me to be let down. And he would probably still want to pull the handle of the soup and possibly spill it all over himself, scalding him mercilessly in the process. The LOVING thing for me to do is protect him first, soothe his feelings later.

As believers we have an obligation to speak truth.

Unfortunately the things that some say are not said lovingly, including the author of the above who has referred to a slightly plump mother of two as having a “beer belly” and often calls people “trolls” just because they disagree with him. To make comments with the intention to insult, even though true, do not constitute Christian love.

The Christian talk show host references the example of Jesus. What did Jesus do? The talk show host is right in that Jesus did criticize some people for their behavior, but it wasn’t the Roman guards who beat him and mocked him. Instead, he plead, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” When Jesus met Zacchaeus, what did he do? Did he inform Zacchaeus of his sinful behavior? Did he poke fun at his height? No. Instead, he invited himself to his house. Only after that gesture of friendship did Zacchaeus repent.

Most of his criticism was directed at the pious, religious people like the Pharisees. And boy did he ever give it to them. In 1Corinthians 5 Paul suggests that it is not our responsibility to judge those outside the church, but rather, those inside. In fact, the entire first epistle to the Corinthians was a rebuke of their behavior. Some people had been misbehaving, and Saint Paul wrote to them to criticize their behavior and encourage them to correct it. The book of Revelations has some stern criticisms of some of the churches. Many New Testament epistles include exhortations for Christians to behave better. Identifying ungodly behavior among Christians and encouraging them to correct it is sound biblical practice.

Telling someone that being gay is bad is not the same as telling a child not to grab a hot pot handle. If a child refrains from touching a hot pot handle, then the child is spared pain and injury. What good does it do to tell a non-believing homosexual person that being gay is bad? If a person stops being gay, will that result in his salvation? Will he be any better off? The answer is “No.” If one reviewed the early sermons of Peter and Paul and read Galatians and Romans, never is it suggested that merely following a code of behavior will lead to salvation.

The Christian conservative talk show host blatantly fails to mention the gospel. The propitiation of sins through Christ’s death on the cross. How can he leave that out? I mean come on.

Neither does telling someone that being gay is bad provide them with some new information they didn’t already know. Saint Paul wrote that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts. Deep down in their hearts, people know what’s right and wrong. What helps them to see that is Christian love.

When Jesus showed love to Zaccheus, it was sufficient for him to realize his sin and cause him to repent. He didn’t have to point out each sin. Neither did he have to explain her sin to the woman caught in adultery. The expression of Christ’s love was sufficient to shed light in their hearts so that they could see their own sin for themselves.

Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Ghandi has been quoted as saying, “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.” Christ, living through us, will draw all men to himself. St. Francis of Assissi is quoted as having said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” If Christians lived as Christ did and loved as Christ loved, then who could possibly complain? Like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I’ve always considered Jesus to be an attractive figure. He was a nice guy. He healed the sick. He fed hungry people. He liked children. He rebuked bullies. I think there is something to what Ghandi said. Christians should be more like Jesus.

“Now I Understand God’s Will”

2009-02-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

Melyi Yaneth Cruz Aguilar was born a couple of months prematurely in a house that consisted of little more than cinderblock walls, a tin roof and a dirt floor. In a small town in the foothills in a third world country the chances of survival are slim. But Mel hung on. She survived. I met Mel when she was eleven years old. She was just a tiny, skinny little thing. She was so skinny you could see her ribs even through a dress or t-shirt.

Mel’s mom, Elsa, also had a tough life. In fact, it was much tougher. She started working at the age of 3 and never stopped. She somehow managed to get enough education to obtain a rudimentary ability to read and write. She was determined to make a better life for her children. She worked. She went days without food and months without shoes so that her children could go to school.

Elsa’s sacrifices paid off. Her oldest son, Oscar, worked and attended school. He graduated from a university and became a loan officer at a national bank. He taught at a university in the evenings. He gave a lot of money to his mother to build a better house and provide for his younger siblings, including Mel. All of Elsa’s children graduated high school.

Elsa’s sacrifices didn’t go unnoticed either. I’ve never seen children with so much respect for their mother. But time and stress have taken their toll. Elsa is now well into her sixties. Her feet hurt. She has ulcers. Some of her behavior indicates that she may even be suffering from early stages of dementia. We have been praying for years that God would always provide for someone to take care of Elsa.

It is believed that Mel falls into God’s plan. It has been speculated – we can’t be certain – that God is using Mel to take care of Elsa. Meanwhile Mel has other plans. She wants to live her life as well. Mel has been looking for love. She’s been praying for God to provide her a good husband. Mel’s older sister got married when she was 18 years old. Mel is pushing 25, and there are no prospects on the horizon. She has become more than a little frustrated with her situation.

Last week Mel took her mom to see a doctor. Several tests led the doctor to conclude that Elsa is suffering from advanced stages of cirrhosis of the liver. The doctor explained that Elsa has about two years to live. No one expects it to be a pleasant two years. Mel is determined to make her mother as comfortable as possible during the last couple years of her life and show her the respect and love that she has earned.

On the phone to her older sister she said that now she understands God’s will.

No One Cared

2008-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I was in the Chicago O’Hare airport. I’ve never been through that airport without being delayed. My flight was delayed three hours that day. I was number 219 on standby for another flight. I was tired and bumming.

I was on my way to try to get on another flight when I saw a cute brown eyed girl holding a baby. She looked right at me and said, “Help me.” She was with a group of about half a dozen older people. None of those people spoke, and this girl could barely speak English. And I certainly couldn’t speak whatever language she was speaking. I couldn’t even pronounce her name. She showed me her boarding pass. There was no gate listed on it.

While I was checking the board to see where their gate was, I found out that they were Karen refugees from Burma. They were on their way to be settled in Connecticut. They had left a refugee camp in Thailand and had just arrived in the U.S. that day. I asked if she was Christian. I’ve been praying for the Karen for years, and I knew that many of them are Christians.

Their flight was scheduled to leave in just a few minutes. I had to take them to their gate. When we got there, the plane was already boarding. Without me they may very well have missed that flight.

It was such a privilege to be able to help God’s people on their way. I’d never met a Karen before. I couldn’t wait to tell somebody. I got home at 2 a.m. It was too late to tell anybody. The next day I told a few people at my job. Not only had I met some Karen refugees, but they were Christians, and I was used by God to help them on their way. But nobody seemed to care.

The Conversion of Mu Cu Bani

2007-12-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Mu Cu Bani’s father, Samuel Bani is President of the Kerenni tribe located in eastern Burma. Samuel Bani speaks English. He's about eighty years old and fought as a soldier in the British army against the Japanese in world war two. He always remembers that the British promised freedom when the Karenni fought for them against the Japanese, but they kind of forgot their promise, he says. Mr. Bani is also a very devout Christian and one of the Christian leaders as well as a political leader

His son, Mu Cu, is a born soldier. He is the only of several children who went into the soldier business. And Mu Cu, who is called The Mad Dog, is a small man, but very hard and definitely the wrong guy to get into a fight with. One way or the other, he's going to win. If you happen to be a better boxer, he'll just knife you. He has lots of combat experience and is known to be very good as a guerilla.

It’s said that you can send him into the jungle by himself and he will case an objective for weeks, say a Burmese army outpost. Then he'll just start picking off people one by one as they go for water or go through their daily routines. He likes a .22 caliber rifle because he is a very good shot and he can make a kill without a lot of noise and he can carry a lot of ammo. He uses other weapons too, but he prefers the .22. And then he just begins chopping up the enemy until they are pinned down. He just keeps working his way in until he can go in and stab the last one. He liked doing that because it was more fun for him.

One day a missionary showed up at his father's house with a Karen missionary, and Mu Cu started hanging around and told them that he was tired of fighting and killing. He said he had become a hardened killer and that he had got to where he was enjoying killing. He knew he was on the right side, but that didn't make him a person who was in the right. He said he believed in God his whole life, but he did not like to listen to God. Praying to God and following God was for wimps, and he wasn't into that.

It was the blackness of his heart that encouraged him to want to change. He began listening to Christians. All the Karen Christians who were showing love and living for love and trying to do something good were a big influence on Mu Cu.

All that was working at him when he was on a mission as a scout alone on a trail when he encountered a group of five or six Burmese soldiers face to face. He is very fast and he raised his M-16 and fired, but it jammed. Theirs didn't. They brought theirs up a second later and opened up on him. As soon as his weapon jammed, Mu Cu turned and ran. There were rounds flying all around him and he began to pray. He said, "God if you save me, I'll give my life to you because I will know you are real." And he says today he really thinks God saved him. It wasn't just luck. It was so close. He says he's has been shot at many times in the past and he never cared about making any deals with anyone. He's very fast and always depended on his own ability to save himself.

What changed him was the disgust he had for the way his life was going and the positive influence of many other believers. He saw them and knew they weren't wimps. And of course his father was a great influence on him as well.

He joined the Free Burma Rangers as assistant medic and an all around lookout. He's a hard man, but the amazing thing is that he is the gentlest with the patients and the best with the babies. Sometimes team members start getting tired after a few days of hiking through the jungle carrying heavy supplies. Mu Cu is always the guy in the back with them, talking with them, slowing, and waiting. Sometimes, the rest of the team members don’t have the patience for them. But he's a very softhearted guy. And these are all unofficial duties. He just sees something that needs doing and he does it. He's just kind of the assistant to everybody.

Mu Cu Bani gave his heart to the Lord.

Invisible People

2007-10-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm invisible.

For a long time I didn't know what to call us. I used to call us "People Like Me" for lack of anything else. Then I started calling us "People That Nobody Cares About", but I realized that doesn't fit because some of us have people that care about us (almost always another member of our group). For now I think "The Invisible People" fits.

You know us, but you might not realize that you know us. You've seen us, but you don't realize that you've seen us. We were the kids who were always picked last for teams. Girls were never attracted to us even though we are as attractive as anyone else. We're the ones who weren't invited to the parties. We weren't picked on or teased anymore than any other kid. We were just ignored. We're the ones who people walk right by at church.

Did you ever see the movie "Fire Down Below"? After attending church, the main character goes to the church picnic. He sat there at a picnic table all by himself eating his fried chicken and mashed potatoes. That's who we are! In "Fire Down Below" the main character got up and found another invisible person to talk to, but for the most part invisible people think they're all alone. They don't realize that there are many of us.

The only thing that invisible people have in common is that they're invisible. Some are selfish. Some are generous. Some are shy. Some are very outgoing. Some are tall. Some are short. Some are unattractive. Others are breathtakingly beautiful. We are red, yellow, black, white and brown. We are young and old. Some are rich. Some are poor. Some are well educated. Some are not. Some are sad and bitter about their invisibility. Some accept it as a gift from God and appreciate the perception they have.

The other day I found out that my wife is invisible. I think maybe she'd been hiding her invisibility out of shame. She told me that she is invisible. Then I remembered all the events of the past. Whenver she had a party, not many people came. Her friends would sometimes make appointments and show up late or not show up at all. My wife wasn't even worth a phone call.

Invisibility has its advantages. It has permitted me to see things that others can't. For years I thought that since nobody cares about me, then I shouldn't care about me. My focus was pointed outward. The Karen in Burma. The children in Uganda kidnapped by Joseph Kony. The Aeta in the Philippines. The orphans in third world countries. Children of single mothers abandoned by their fathers. Illegal immigrants.

You saw "Revenge of the Nerds". But I am not calling people to revenge. I am calling invisible people to maximize the gift that they have, to put to use the advantages of being invisible. First, thank God that you are invisible, and ask him to help you to use the gift that he has given you. Then, open your eyes. Take your eyes off yourself. Look around. See your brother. See your sister. There are a lot of invisible people out there. Find them. Then love them. No one else is going to love us. We have to love each other.

If you want to start small, then start small. If you see an immigrant, look them in the eye and greet them. Write a letter to an orphan in a third world country. Or start big. Volunteer at your church's ESL school. Visit an orphanage. Support an orphanage at warmblankets.org. Reach out and touch a hand. Make a friend if you can.

Hostages Released

2007-09-01T07:04:00.000-04:00

On July 19, the Taliban kidnapped 23 Korean Christians as they were traveling on a highway on a bus for volunteer work sponsored by a church. The Taliban had killed two hostages and released two female hostages. This past week, after negotiations with South Korea, they released the remaining hostages.

Regardless of the terms of the agreement, I am thankful to God that these faithful servants have been released and that their families have been spared the sorrow that would have come had the Taliban executed them.

After Peter and John were detained, beaten and threatened by the Sanhedrin, the disciples raised their voices together in prayer to God.

"Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in ain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and
enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

My prayer now is that same prayer. That believers in Afghanistan, Burma and all over the world would not be timid because of this incident of other persecution.

But according to Korea World Missions Association general secretary Paul Han, my prayer is already answer. "Our missionaries are ready to die (to spread the faith)," he said.

Taking a Stand for the Disadvantaged

2007-06-30T05:47:00.000-04:00

I have been praying for years that God's people in America would stand up and show God's love for the immigrants in our land. Not only is it a great evangelistic opportunity, but it is a way to glorify God by displaying his love. More and more, amidst the growing resentment of poor immigrants in our land, God's children are standing up and shining a light of love in this darkness to the glory of God.

On June 21, about 30 worshippers from a church in Dallas, Texas, confronted an anti-illegal-immigration group that had rented a church classroom for a meeting. After an ugly confrontation, the Christians stood up and loudly sang Amazing Grace.

Northhaven United Methodist Church, which supports "mercy and justice" for illegal immigrants, opened its doors to a meeting of Citizens for Immigration Reform, a group demanding hard-line enforcement. The anti-immigration group was not interested when a church member used the question-and-answer session to talk about the church's mission trip experience in Guatemala. Suddenly, the church member was interrupted by a member of the Latino-bashing Texas Minutemen, based in Wise County.

As if on cue, church members who filled about half the room sprang to their feet and began singing "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that sav'd a wretch like me. ..." Before the choir could get to the second stanza, the Citizens for Immigration Reform meeting broke up. Some members started migrating toward the door.

Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

2007-05-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have been praying for years that God would move the hearts of Christians to show his love for the immigrants of this nation. I consider this just a first step. I am still praying for an overwhelming expression of God's love by Christians for immigrants.

This month Evangelical Christians from across the ideological spectrum launched a national grassroots and ad campaign calling for comprehensive immigration reform that is consistent with biblical values.

"We are coming together today because the bible tells us again and again about the need to care for the stranger in our midst," said Jim Wallis, Founder and President of Sojourners.

"Despite differing theological and doctrinal perspectives, groups sharing a common Judeo-Christian heritage are uniting to challenge our lawmakers to create an immigration policy characteristic of a faithful people: compassionate, just, respectful of human dignity and valuing family bonds," said Rev. Dan Soliday, CEO, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Inc.

The organizations and individuals that make up Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform are uniting around a shared set of common moral and theological principles, including:
All people, regardless of national origin, are made in the "image of God" and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6).
There is an undeniable biblical responsibility to love and show compassion for the stranger among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-46).
Immigrants are our neighbors, both literally and figuratively, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and show mercy to neighbors in need (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37).
Respect for the rule of law, but also an obligation to oppose unjust laws and systems that harm and oppress people made in God’s image, especially the vulnerable (Isaiah 10:1-4, Jeremiah 7:1-7, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7).

I pray that God would be glorified by the continuous outpouring of his love.

Chinese Americans

2006-12-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post printed an article about how Chinese people throughout the Washington area are becomming Christians. Mostly the children of Chinese immigrants are being reached by the increasing number of Chinese churches in the area. Below are excerpts from the article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/24/AR2006122400708.html

This fall, like many children of families trying to make ends meet, Xiao Li wound up in a church-run social program. It took him ice skating and swimming on the weekends while his family worked at restaurants in Chinatown. Saturday outings quickly led to Sunday school, and this weekend he went to a Christmas party and Christmas church services for the first time. He even learned "Deck the Hall," which he had only heard in snippets on television.
Xiao Li is part of a group of young Chinese Americans who are celebrating independently of their non-Christian families. The young people are part of a national wave of Chinese Americans exploring Christianity. Nearly one-third of Chinese Americans attend church, compared with the fraction who did 50 years ago. The number of Chinese Christian churches in the Washington region has risen dramatically to at least 30
Many Chinese immigrants came to the United States with bias against Christianity. But in the United States today, Chinese Christian churches make proselytizing a priority. Some of the church club kids were steered there by parents eager for support.
"I've noticed that a lot of the kids who go to church come back better behaved," said one mother.
Garrett Wong is a 21-year-old pied-piper-type who packs the kids into his dilapidated 1991 white Nissan Sentra and ferries them to parks and ice-skating rinks and to church. A University of Maryland graduate who grew up on Capitol Hill, Wong has gone to the church on and off since he was a boy. Wong was the one who took five of them to the church one night last week for a noodle dinner, where they giggled as they gave their impressions of Christmas.
On Saturday, the meaning of Christmas was 25 youngsters running around Wong's father's Fairfax townhouse, playing cards and eating piles of chicken and fried noodles at a holiday party Wong and peers hosted. The house was quiet for about a minute, just before dinner, when Wong said grace.
"God, I hope this house isn't in ruins at the end of the night and that none of these kids spill," he said with a big grin. "We thank you for this time and this food. And we thank you for sending us your son and for bringing us together. Praise in Jesus' name."
And then dozens of little voices replied: "Amen."

Praise Jesus for reaching out to these people.

Will Orphans Have Significant Influence Over Cambodia?

2006-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Iowa orthodontist Michael Callan was one of the many Americans who volunteered their time for short-term mission trips. He spent a week performing routine dental work. He noted that the children at the orphanage were clean and well fed and generally had "pretty good" teeth. When he worked on children of the neighborhood outside the orphanage, he found they had more serious dental problems, and their problems weren't just limited to the children's teeth.

In fact, the orphans are receiving such good life-skill training that they are being looked upon as the future of the country and will be relied upon to rebuild a nation.

There are tens of thousands of orphans in Cambodia and many thousands are being cared for in the hundreds of orphan homes many of which provide not just food, clothing, health care and education but also the gospel, spiritual discipleship and Biblical teaching and training. Some kids go on to attend Bible school and become pastors, evangelists or, like the "Crocodile", directors of other orphanages. These children are among the best educated in the country and are poised to influence the country for Jesus when they become adults.

The Future of Cambodia
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Stories abound about an unwanted child or an orphan adopted and loved by missionaries who later becomes a pastor or influential evangelist. An influential pastor among the Miskito indians of Honduras is a man with cerebral palsy who was abandoned by his parents. He was adopted by missionaries and now serves God. The girls of Gilgal Praise, orphans, have aspirations of furthering their education and becomming servants of God. These children, thanks to the love of Jesus expressed through their caretakers and many supporters, are on the verge of doing great things to bring praise and honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Crocodile

2006-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Mean Somnang is his name. He is from Cambodia. At age 12 he joined the Khmer Rouge and was a child soldier in the killing fields for several years. He earned the nickname "Crocodile". He was taught that it was brave to be a soldier.

He had no peace in his life until someone told him about Jesus. He became a Christian and gave his heart to the Lord. Jesus has changed him. He finished Bible School and is now married and the head pastor of the Puok Orphan Home in Cambodia.

The Puok home is located in the Puok commune and district in Cambodia's Siem Reab Province. The majority of the villagers in the Puok village are very poor. Many of the children lost one or both parents to AIDS. Childbirth complications and diseases like TB are also frequent causes of children being orphaned in this district.

The children in the home start each day at 5 oclock with a morning devotional. Then they finish the day with evening worship and devotions before going to sleep.

PBS Frontline Burma: State of Fear

2006-10-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight on PBS (check your local listings) Frontline will include a feature entitled Burma: State of Fear. In the feature Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar) is described as the world's worst current dictatorship.

The feature starts out reporting on the military's war on the Karen people. The field crew crosses the border from Thailand into Burma at night where they join a crew of that Karen National Liberation Arms (KNLA). The KNLA does more rescuing of displaced villagers than combat fighting.

In one scene the Free Burma Rangers are introduced. The camera shows a group of men in fatigues gathered in a circle singing a hymn. The FBR is described as a group of mostly Christians who provide assistance to the internally displaced peoples in Burma. One of the men in the circle appears to be a white man. His face is blotted out. Could it be The Father of the White Monkey? I don't know.

The report describes a walk of two weeks to find a group of people whose village was just destroyed by the military. A man fights back the tears and then openly weeps as he describes finding his son's hand in the ashes of is former home.

Then the team says goodbye to the villagers as they are escorted to a refugee camp. The report continues in the cities of Yangoon and Mandalay talking about the democracy movement, the dictatorship's brutality and of course The Lady Aun San Suu Kyi.

Must See TV

Gilgal Praise

2006-10-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Four teenage girls from Gilgal Children’s Home in Manipur, India, all with beautiful voices, have been sharing a message of hope from their native India to the United States the past few months — a two-fold message about how their needs are being met and about the unmet needs of thousands of others throughout the world.

The teens, known as Gilgal Praise, say God has changed their lives through New Life Ministries, India. New Life Ministries opened the first children’s home in 1979 not only to help meet the physical needs of the parentless, but to introduce them to the love of Christ and challenge them to take the news to others in their own communities and to more remote areas.

Now there are five Gilgal homes across India , which have served more than 1,000 needy children, many of whom are adults now and working as church planters, pastors, missionaries, doctors, engineers and administrators. In the last 20 years, New Life Ministries has planted 300 churches, supports 300 indigenous missionaries, cares for more than 800 children in five homes and has established two schools and a Bible college.

Traveling with Gilgal Praise is one way to spread the word and give people a chance to join the work of New Life Ministries. The four teens, along with Judy Lalruotmawi, a well-known Christian singer from Manipur , India , have been in the United States on their Operation Child Hope Tour since mid-July, singing in churches and at home fellowship events and sharing their hope that other orphans would find support. All four girls plan careers in mission work or children’s ministry.

Their U.S. tour included a stop in Nashville where they recorded a CD. While some of their songs are sung in native Indian languages (Hmar, Kuki and Hindi), they all speak English and sing many songs in English, including “Orphans of God,” released by contemporary Christian artists Avalon this year. The 10-song CD also includes their testimonies. The soon to be released CD can be ordered at the Advancing Native Missions website http://www.adnamis.org/gilgalitems.cfm

Leading the girls on their tour are missionaries John and Lynn Parker, who lived in the Charlotte area for a number of years and served a stint with N.C.-based Operation Warm-up. Lynn Parker said traveling with the girls has been tiring, but also very inspiring. She said the girls take every opportunity to share their message.

“They want you to see from their lives what God has done and want you to know you can bring that same hope to another child’s life,” Parker said. She said the response so far has been overwhelming and more than 55 children have been sponsored.

Proceeds from Gilgal Praise CD sales will benefit needy children around the world. To find out more about Gilgal Praise, see the Advancing Native Ministries Web site http://web.mac.com/mindysmusic/iWeb/Gilgal%20Praise/Welcome.html.

Gilgal Praise
Elizabeth, Mercy, Maggie and Rebecca

Helping the Poor

2006-10-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Decades ago Muhammad Yunus, an economist in Bangladesh, created Grameen Bank. It's not an ordinary bank. It was created primarily to make business loans to the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh. Today the bank has over 6 million borrowers, mostly women, who run small businesses.

Many others have followed in Yunus' footsteps and created similar organizations. Finca International www.villagebanking.org and Accion International www.accion.org are well known. Millions of the poorest of the poor in third world countries are obtaining small loans in amounts of only a couple of hundred bucks to start small businesses. These lending organizations are providing capital to people who otherwise would have no way of obtaining it.

No, it's not a handout. Most organizations give their loans along with counseling courses as well as basic instructions on business and management. The loans are bonafide loans and are expected to be paid back. Most organizations report that the default rate is less than 5%.

And yes, it's effective. Studies have been conducted by prestigious organizations such as Stanford University and have found that microlending is an effective poverty reduction tool.

Korean Missionaries

2006-10-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

The first Christian missionaries came to Korea in the mid-1880s. Horace Allen arrived in 1884 followed by Horace Underwood in 1885. By then missions had been sent to more than a few Asian countries with varying success. The missionaries didn't know what to expect in Korea but knew that medical missions and educational missions had the highest chance of success. Horace Allen was a medical doctor. Underwood started a school. Yonsei University today is among the best schools in Korea.

Like many missions projects, their efforts failed to produce a big harvest immediately. But now over a century later souls are being saved left and right and people are praising God all over South Korea. In fact today South Korea is second only to the United States in the number of missionaries sent to foreign countries.

South Korean missionaries are found all over the world: Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North America, South America and even Iraq. On May 30, 2004, terrorists in Iraq kidnapped Kim Sun Il, a Korean interpreter who had a passion for mission work among unreached peoples. The South Korean native had been working for a year with a South Korean firm that supplied goods to the U.S. Army, an opportunity Kim used as a means of gaining entrance into the country. On June 22, 2004, Mr. Kim's beheaded body was found outside of Baghdad.

South Korean missionaries, in particular, are pioneering projects and methods to spread the gospel in these areas. Korea sends 34 percent of its missionaries to unreached peoples; the international average is around 10 percent.

South Korean mission fields are even sending out their own missionaries. In 1973, it was reported that there were 3,411 non-Western, crosscultural missionaries in the world. That number has now exploded to 103,000.

Pray that the efforts of these missionaries would be fruitful.

Whatsoever You Have Done Unto the Least of These...

2006-09-22T08:50:00.000-04:00

The Sheep and the Goats tells about people giving food to hungry people, welcoming strangers and taking care of sick people. It also tells about people going away to eternal punishment. It's a great motivator. To think that Jesus considers you are helping him when you help someone who is in need. What a joy it is to be able to help Jesus!

The other day Einstein was complaining. Someone who just got a new computer didn't know how to send an e-mail so they called her. This person had never used a computer before. It's frustration to give instruction over the phone to someone who has no experience at all. Einstein was annoyed.

Her husband told her that she must be so happy. As Einstein looked at him with a confused look on her face, her husband went on and explained that Einstein had the opportunity that day to help Jesus. Einstein knew what her husband was talking about because they both appreciate Keith Green's song about the Sheep and the Goats.

Before the night was over even before the free evening minutes feature was available on the cell phone, Einstein called her friend. She asked her friend if they could get together some time over the weekend when Einstein could sit down with her and show her how to use the basic computer programs.

When you serve your brother or sister, you are serving the Lord.

God Is Good Even When Times Are Bad

2006-08-24T13:11:00.000-04:00

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The Aetas Bible Study Center is a ministry that is dedicated to providing for the physical and spiritual needs of the Aetas people of the Philippines. The Philippine Aetas have dark skin and curly hair that make them appear more like the Australian aborigine than other Filipinos. They are a semi-nomadic people who live daily with the experience of hunger, malnutrition, intense poverty and being considered "social outcasts."

Last week the Aetas evacuated into the lowlands because of terror in the mountains. Two of them, who were foraging for food, were shot and killed by still unidentified assailants who beheaded their bodies. The Aetas Bible Study Center is now ministering to their spiritual and physical needs.

On one day last week, about 1,000 Aetas from nine villages fled to a church at Balaybay. They received prayer, food, clothing and medicine. Many were hungry and malnourished. A ministry located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is raising funds for their care.

But above all, they heard the Gospel, and "many received the Lord," according to the ministry. Many received the Lord. Many received the Lord. Many received the Lord. If not for this terrible act of terror, they might not have heard the gospel or been responsive to it. God can truly use a tragedy to bring some good out of it.

Koreans Ordered Out of Afghanistan

2006-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

About 600 South Korean Christians are being deported Afghanistan after their presence caused security fears in the Islamic country. The Afghan government put on special flights to transport them from Kabul to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and western Herat from where they would leave the country by land -- the same way they entered, a South Korean official said.

"We are starting to board some Koreans. About 600 will be leaving today," the official said on condition of anonymity. "They will go to Mazar-i-Sharif or Herat so that they exit Afghanistan by ground transportation."

Hundreds more were expected to follow, including some who had flown in from Almaty and New Delhi and would be sent back the same way. The government ordered them out amid fears for their safety, with some Muslim clerics already complaining they were preaching Christianity -- which is illegal in this conservative country where religion is highly sensitive. Despite repeated warnings from the South Korean government, the group began arriving in war-torn Afghanistan over the past few days for what they said was a trip to get to know the country and help with its reconstruction.

The visit, labelled "Rejoice! Afghanistan!", was to have culminated in a now-cancelled "peace festival" in Kabul at the weekend to have showcased sporting and cultural events. The event was being organised by the South Korean-based Institute of Asian Culture and Development (IACD), a humanitarian non-government organisation linked to evangelical Christians which insisted the group was not here to preach.

About 1,500 South Koreans, including 600 children and some with US and Canadian citizenship, had entered on tourist visas, an organiser said. About 700 were in the capital and the rest were in other major centres including Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Bamiyan in the centre.

Afghan authorities had ordered the group to leave because "they said they had some assessment and the risk of them becoming a target is very high," the South Korean official said.
A group of clerics in Mazar-i-Sharif has spoken out against the visitors, accusing them of trying to spread Christianity -- which they deny -- and said the government should deport them. And a South Korean foreign ministry official said in Seoul Thursday a South Korean Red Cross vest planted with explosives was found on July 24 in a village near Kabul, heightening fears of an attack.

The government has not announced that it told the South Koreans to leave, but one high-ranking official said they had appeared to be "misusing their tourist visas", which would be grounds for them to be thrown out.

South Korean Christians are noted for aggressive evangelism, notably in communist China and Islamic nations.

70 Years Is a Long Time to Have the Blues

2006-07-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Buddy Guy turns 70 today.

Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus

2006-07-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

She came from a poor family, dirt poor. And when I say dirt poor I mean dirt poor. She grew up in a house with a dirt floor. No plumbing, to electricity, to phone... They had to walk to the river to get water. When she grew up she got a job and supported her mother and younger siblings. For ten years she sent them money. She lived in a dinky little apartment. For some of that time she didn't even have a car.

She prayed that someday she would have a house too. And she prayed specific. She wanted a nice house with three bedrooms and three full bathrooms, and she mentioned some other specific things she wanted in the house. When she finally went house hunting, the first house the realtor took her to met all the specifications. She didn't waste any time. She put some money down. She believes that God had guided her and that God Himself had led her to this house.

A couple of years later she began to become concerned about the neighborhood. It wasn't that bad; it was just the direction it was taking. A lot of houses were not owner occupied and some were even rented out through Section 8. Vandalism, loud late night parties, speeders, trash, etc... She was concerned about the direction of her neighborhood. Cross that out. She was worried.

But a friend made fun of her. He told her that God had brought her to this neighborhood just so she could watch it crumble and be miserable. Furthermore, her friend told her that God was not capable of stopping the deterioration of the neighborhood.

This clicked. God can do anything, and He can certainly prevent the neighborhood from deteriorating. And surely if she believed that God had brought her to this neighborhood that it was part of His overall plan and that He certainly didn't bring her here so that she would be unhappy. She trusted God. And this trusting in God brought peace in her heart. She trusted God to accomplish His will to glorify Himself. She knew that someday she would thank and praise Him for this. Peace.

Christians and Illegal Immigrants

2006-07-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

A letter to the editor of The Christian Post:

Recently I have heard so many comments f rom people about how illegal immigrants break the law for being here with no papers. I have no problem with this stance because in fact these people are breaking the law. And they are basically placing their needs above the needs of other people and do not recognize a “higher power” in this respect. However, I do have a problem with a group of people who say that they do recognize a higher power, the God of the Bible. I have heard many Christians say: “Jesus would also be against illegal immigrants because they are law breakers.”
It makes me mad to hear these kinds of comments when they come f rom “Christians.” Jesus’ message was to help the ones in need: “if you do it to one of the least of these, you do it unto me.” How can these people believe that our human law is as perfect as God’s law when even God Himself allowed His own law to be broken many times, but why? Because the God of the Bible is a God of justice AND a God of mercy.
Countless times (according to the Bible) He put mercy before His own law. For that reason David was not killed when he and his man entered the temple and ate the holy bread. According with the Law, he should have been killed but God knew that David was driven by need and He forgave him.
And Jesus himself is the perfect example of God favoring mercy over justice by sending His only Son to pay sin’s price for us.
But there was a group of people in Jesus’ time similar to many Christians in our time. They were called the Pharisees and they believed that their man-made law was as perfect as God’s law. Jesus broke the law, according to them, by working on Saturday. Why did he dare to do that? Because he was healing somebody; yet still, the Pharisees said he was a sinner for breaking their law.
It’s so amazing how things have not changed much since Jesus ascended to heaven. Christians in the U.S. are now using the same attitude with all those “heathens” who dare to work in the U.S. with no papers with only the meager excuse of sending money back to their families to “survive.” It’s undeniable that the United States (as a country) has the right to defend their borders, especially in times of war like now. And illegal infiltration into the country is a real security problem that must be solved very soon. But those who prove no threat to this country and have labored here in the U.S. for many years are a completely different story altogether. The real crime would be to criminalize these people who are only here to survive as well as those who dare to help them. I do not like Hilary Clinton but she had a point when she said that: “if the Sensenbrenner (HR 4437) proposal passes in the senate, Jesus himself would be considered a criminal for having mercy on somebody with no papers.” This law contradicts all the Godly principles on which the United States of America has been founded, and if Christians support it they are truly ignorant of the fundamental bases of Christianity, which is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Alejandro Escobar Fort Collins, CO

If Rambo Were a Missionary

2006-07-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

Rambo isn't is real name. He is an American born in Thailand to missionary parents. He grew up on the mission field and later went to school in the United States. He went into the military and joined the special forces. After retiring from the Special Forces, he went to seminary. He's still a major in the Special Forces reserve. The last time he took a vacation, he climbed Mt. McKinley. He ran a marathon. He competed in cross country races. One time in the jungle his daughter came down with malaria, and he bowed his head and prayed to God that somehow he would be able to get the right medicine in time. He's a man.

What type of ministry does a guy like that get involved in? He pondered the same question. Does he become a pastor of a happy suburban American family friendly community church? That was out of the question. It wasn't until after he met with the Lady (Aun San Suu Kyi) that he felt his calling.

He is the founder and leader of the Free Burma Rangers, a crack commando unit that crosses international borders illegally and clandestinely to bring aid to victims of a half century old genocidal war. Not only that but he also brings his wife and kids along on some of the missions. Some ministers wonder if the rain is going to keep people from coming to church today. This guy wonders whether the rain is going to swell the river to the point that it impedes couriers bringing malaria medicine and other medical supplies.

His ministry is primarily among the Karen people of Burma. The Karen make up the largest ethnic minority in Burma and have been oppressed by the Burmese majority for more than half a century. These peaceful people live primarily in the rugged mountainous areas near the border of Thailand and Burma. It's a rich country, and rice grows there like nowhere else. The Karen have prospered in this land for centuries.

But attacks by the Burmese military often force entire villages to run into the jungle while carrying their children and whatever belongings they can grab at a moment's notice meanwhile pray that they don't step on a land mine or get shot in the back. Those that escape the attacks have to deal with hunger and disease. One report read that 80% of people in one group were suffering from malaria.

They are a beautiful people with a beautiful culture. The infrequent visitors to Karen State receive royal treatment, and the Karen have been known to take bullets and give their lives for the foreigners that come to help them.

Some ministers go to spring break and pass out gospel tracts to college students. Some go to Yellowstone and pass out tracts to tourists. Some minister to yuppies in the suburbs in an air conditioned cathedral. The Free Burma Rangers and Rambo the missionary illegally cross an international border, hike through mountainous jungle terrain and bring food, medicine and encouragement to the Karen of Burma. He's a macho tough guy with a tender heart. He's a man.

Report From Casa Alianza

2006-07-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Casa Alianza is the Latin American branch of the New York-based Covenant House. Founded in Guatemala in 1981, and expanded into Honduras and Mexico in 1986, Casa Alianza serves some 4,000 street children a year, most of whom have been orphaned by civil war, abused or rejected by dysfunctional and poverty-stricken families, and further traumatized by the indifference of the societies in which they live. Casa Alianza is dedicated to helping these children off the streets and back on the road to meaningful and productive lives. Below is a story about one of the children that Casa Alianza tried to help.

IN MEMORY OF RITA ESMERALDA GÓMEZ,
A TEENAGER MURDERED TOGETHER WITH HER CHILD OF SIX MONTHS OLD

“The fundamental right to life includes, not only the right of all human beings not to be deprived of life arbitrarily, but also the right to not be impeded in accessing conditions which guarantee a dignified existence”

(Evaluation of the Interamerican Court of Human Rights
in the instance of murdered street children).

Rita Esmeralda Gómez Hernández is a prototype of the hundreds of Guatemalan children and young people excluded by society, who experience at a young age the suffering of life on the streets, and later death. Rita is another victim of the social cleansing that confronts these Guatemalan children and young people, since she was murdered along with her six month old baby, and her partner. These crimes are committed with impunity.

Rita was born on the 12th of May in 1987 in a marginalized area of the City of Guatemala. She grew up in extreme poverty. Her Mother abandoned her when she was a year and six months old, and she stayed under the care of her older sister and Father. At ten years old, she returned to live with her Mother. Her step father tried to rape her, and as Rita refused to allow him, he threw her out of the house. At twelve years old, whilst she was visiting her Mother, she was raped by the Father of her step father. Rita reported him but they did not believe her. It was then that she fled desperately to the streets. There she met other young people who were sleeping in an abandoned house, with whom she lived for a while, and learnt to take drugs.

Her family never concerned themselves as to her whereabouts. She never learnt to read or write. She remained living at the streets. At thirteen years old she was raped by two men. Finally, at the age of fifteen she entered the community of Casa Alianza, where she began to prepare for a technical course, she was enrolled on an accelerated education class, and was offered psychological treatment for the sexual abuse that she had suffered; finally she was prepared in order to achieve an independent life. On leaving Casa Alianza she returned to live with her sister.

Recently she was killed in a marginalized area of Guatemala City by unknown gunmen who shot her to death. She was nineteen years old. At the same time, they shot her six month old son and her partner. All of them died.

Rita was, from a very young age, a child at high social risk. Precisely because she grew up in misery, deprived of the minimal conditions required for a dignified life, she was vulnerable to the possibility of becoming a street child, and ending her life as a victim of violence.

In the case of Rita, as with hundreds of street children, the State failed to fulfill its responsibility to protect and help such children and young people, as much in their right to life as in their rights as children, hindering them from the full and harmonious development of their personalities, in spite of the fact that all children have the right to live and be cared for and supported by public powers in order that they develop to their own benefit and the benefit of the society to which they belong.

For 25 years Casa Alianza has provided integral attention to children such as Rita, offering them the opportunity to have a dignified life. At the same time we work to defend the human rights of all children demanding that the State of Guatemala develops action plans to benefit childhood and youth. We need your help in order to continue our work

The Karen People of Burma and Thailand

2006-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Situated near the border between Burma and Thailand live the Karen people. They settled there thousands of years ago and call their land Kawthoolei, a land free of all evils, famine, misery and strife: Kawthoolei, a pleasant, plentiful and peaceful county.

he Karen people had an interesting history and folklore. The details of the story vary, but basically Karen folklore tells of how the Karen were given by God a golden book. Other peoples were also given this book including the Burmans, black people and white people. The Karen either lost their copy of the book or it was destroyed. The Karen folkloric prophecy predicted that one day their white brother would come to them and give them a copy of the golden book about God and that then the Karen would be reunited with the true God. They waited thousands of years for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Adoniram Judson, the first American missionary to be sent overseas, and George and Sarah Boardman were the first missionaries to the Karens. Judson met a Karen named Ko Tha Byu (today known as the Karen Apostle with a Baptist seminary named after him) who had been a bandit who had participated in an estimated 30 murders. After hearing the gospel and seeing the Bible, he was convinced that this was what his people had been waiting for. He travelled the Karen mountains from village to village preaching the gospel. Thousands of Karens accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

For over half a century the Karen have been the primary target of oppression by the Burmese dictatorial government. The Burmese government has burned villages, tortured, killed raped, burned and displaced millions of Karen people in the cruelest ways imaginable. Nevertheless, many Karens still maintain their faith in Jesus Christ. The Washington Post recently printed a commentary on the plight of the Karen. Excerpts are below:

By Anna Husarska
Saturday, April 22, 2006

THAM HIN CAMP, Thailand -- For the past nine years, this ravine 100 miles west of Bangkok has been "home" to 9,325 ethnic Karens from Burma. All of the huts here are made entirely of bamboo, which gives it a sort of Pier 1 Imports look. It is, however, not for aesthetic but for political reasons that bamboo is used. Anything else would be a "permanent home," and the Thai government insists that Tham Hin, a remote, overcrowded camp near the Burmese border, be only a very temporary shelter.
Late last year the United States decided that the entire population of Tham Hin would be considered for resettlement. There was joy and hope when the news was officially announced. Upon getting the green light from the State Department, staffers from the International Rescue Committee started pre-screening the refugees for the Department of Homeland Security so it would have an easier task when it came to establish that there was "well-founded fear of persecution" and would approve the candidates.
Under the current U.S. immigration and national security laws, a teacher in KNU territory is a person who offers "material support" to a "terrorist group," or more troubling, could even be viewed as a member of a terrorist group. Indeed, the broad definition puts in the same bag those who carry out a legitimate struggle against a repressive regime and those who are terrorists as more narrowly (and more accurately) defined in the U.S. Code: people who engage in "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents."
Karens from Tham Hin camp see their fates sealed when they say things such as, "I once gave food to KNU soldiers in my tea shop," "I helped in sewing uniforms," "I ferried KNU across the river," "My father supported KNU." If the sample of less than a hundred interviews from the beginning of 2006 is any indication, 68 percent of the candidates could be put on hold for reasons of material support. The United States had planned to admit 9,000 Burmese refugees by September of this year. But as of the end of March it had taken just 727.
Why did the State Department offer to screen candidates for resettlement who are exiled from an area with constant fighting (56 years and counting)? The administration could have waived the application of that law for material support under duress or for certain groups of refugees. It has not done so, in spite of a barrage of newspaper editorials attacking the law. Waivers would have given some margin of maneuver to resettlement agencies such as ours and to some refugees, too. Yet, given the fear of being the one who "waives" the first terrorist in, it might be more of a burden because officials would shy away from any waiver that could be tracked back to them.
Congress should amend the definition of terrorism to make it applicable to bona fide terrorists and not applicable to those who until just recently were considered freedom fighters.

Other Karens live in fear of assault by the Burmese military. Many die of starvation and disease. These are our brothers.

Several Evangelical groups and individuals from several countries have been trying to help the Karen for centuries. For more information check out their websites:
Christians Concerned for Burma http://www.prayforburma.org/
Free Burma Rangers http://www.freeburmarangers.org/
Free Burma Coalition http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/

Care packages can be sent to Karen people via the Good Life Club http://www.prayforburma.org/IDX/Get_Involved/good_life_club.html

The good life club comes from John 10:10, where Jesus promises abundant life, and is especially applicable to children who are on the run, hiding with their families in the jungles of Burma.
What to do:
1. Get the following items together:
For mothers and children
For children
Multivitamins (for mom)
Pediatric vitamins (Gerber Vitamin Drops, for example)
Cap, hand mitts and a shirt (not a one-piece) It gets very cold in the mountains of Burma!
A drawing or photo of you or your group
A post card from your town or state
A teether
Small fingernail clippers
Small comb and mirror
One box of children's chewable vitamins
2 child size toothbrushes
A drawing or photo you or your group
Fingernail clippers
A small toy

2. Then, making sure to put everything in a sturdy ziplock bag, send to:
The Good Life ClubBox 14 Mae JoChiangmai, 50290Thailand
Your prayers and contributions can make all the difference!

Working in Karen's Heart

2006-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Karen and Gloria have been friends for years. A few years ago Gloria moved into the home of her brother-in-law's family. Her brother-in-law is a very difficult man as is his entire family. It's no picnic. The only one who cleans is Gloria, and she can't keep up with the family and their dog (the last time I was in there the kitchen reeked of urine). The youngest is on drugs for attention deficit disorder, but the drugs don't help much. The kid is out of control. The 17 year old is in a gang, Vatos Locos, and made headlines a couple of years ago for getting his fingers severed during a machete attack. The entire family treats Gloria with the utmost disrespect.

This has taken its toll on Gloria. Her friends have been extremely understanding of Gloria's mood swings and overall change in personality. They have made efforts to show their affection for Gloria despite her irritability, her constant failure to not keep appointments (and not even make a 30 second phone call to the person she's dissing) and her bad moods. But for Karen the time came late last year when enough was enough. She told Gloria that she didn't care to see her anymore.

When your friend is having a tough time, that's when you really need to love your friend. If you only love those that love you or if you only love lovable, pleasant people, then there is nothing special about that. BFD. Jesus encourages us to love those who don't love us, and He demonstrated to us how to love the unlovable. So I have been praying that Karen would be able to love and show love for Gloria.

For months there didn't seem to be any change in Karen. She maintained firmly that she didn't care to see Gloria ever again. At a birthday party for a mutual friend, the two best friends sat on opposite sides of the room not speaking or even making eye contact. But I kept praying. I knew that God could reconcile the two and show us how wonderful He is.

Karen began to feel God working in her heart a couple of weeks ago. She began to question the logic behind her decision to never have contact with Gloria again. Then at church last week she sensed God speaking to her heart. She knew that she would have to call Gloria and encourage her in her faith. Maybe they won't be best friends again, but Karen knew that God called her to love everyone and do good to everyone.

So she called.

They spoke for about 20 minutes. Gone was the uncomfortable tension that was so evident at the birthday party. They may not be on the road to being as close as they were before. Karen does not want to put herself in the position where she'll be hurt over and over again by Gloria. But as a Christian sister she is now in the position where she can offer encouragement to Gloria.

Finding Jesus at the IHOP

2006-04-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

Katrina has become a mentor to her younger next door neighbor Karen, and they often get together to pray, talk and encourage each other. Katrina was recently dealt a devastating blow by the tragic death of her oldest son in a motorcycle accident. She somehow manages to get out of bed in the mornings. Karen has been a great comfort and source of encouragement for Katrina during these difficult times.

Last week the two Christian ladies decided to have breakfast together at the local IHOP. They went after the morning rush and took their time eating pancakes, drinking coffee and talking. The friendly ladies naturally struck up a conversation with their waitress.

As customers left and the tables emptied, the waitress sat down with the two. She was only recently released from prison, and she was addicted to heroine. Both her parents died of drug overdoses. She had three children in the custody of relatives, and she was pregnant with another. She was homeless and slept on her boyfriend's truck bed. She was miserable.

The ladies asked her if she could take a break. The waitress was able to take a five minute break and met the ladies out in the parking lot. The ladies explained the gospel to her. They explained how Jesus lover her and how He forgives her and accepts her despite her sins and inadequacies. They explained how Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The waitress said that she wanted Jesus in her life so the women led her in prayer to ask Jesus to come into her life. The waitress had to return to work so they exchanged personal information and left.

Her name is Bradi. She is just starting a new life. I pray that she will trust in Jesus with her life and with her situation as well as with her future. And I pray that Jesus will not let her down.

Put Your Treasure in Heaven

2006-04-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Mt. 6:21

Whenever we read about Africa in the news, it is portrayed as a poverty stricken continent rampant with disease, war, crime and death. A Washington Post published an Associated Press article from March 25 shows a community in Africa that is richer than money itself. No, their treasure is not on this earth but in Heaven, and they spend hours and hours rejoicing and worshipping the God that loves them and gives them this great hope. Below are excerpts from the AP article as printed by the Washington Post.

African Christians a Growing Dynamic Force
By BRIAN MURPHYThe Associated
PressSaturday, March 25, 2006
LAGOS, Nigeria -- It's eight hours into the service and the congregation is still dancing. Shout, they're told. Yell out to the Lord. Their cries melt into a muggy night that smells of sweating bodies, jasmine and the tropical musk of the Nigerian bushland.

"Hallelujah!" rumbles the head pastor as the church band kicks into a new number. "Hal-le-luuuuuuu-jah."

Even from the heights of the pulpit, he can't see the far edges of the crowd. More than 300,000 have come for the once-a-month, all-night, Pentecostal-style revival led by a preacher most simply call Daddy.

Given the standards of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, it's just an average turnout. Think big. Then think even bigger.

This is the face of 21st century Christianity: colossal, restless _ and African. There is no better symbol of it than the Redeemed Church, and the insatiable ambitions of its guiding hand, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. The savvy former mathematician leads the fastest-growing Christian movement from a continent that's rapidly putting its stamp on the faith around the world.

The Redeemed Church is a prime lesson in the shifting currents of Christianity. Centuries after the Gospel was brought to sub-Saharan Africa by colonizers and missionaries, the faith is coming back to the West. The forms are passionate and powerful.

They are called by various names _ Pentecostal, afro-evangelical, charismatic, Christian renewal _ and are attached to a wider trend, as similar movements pressure mainline denominations in Latin America, Asia, North America and parts of Europe. But Africa _ by population, energy, youth and other measures _ is widely considered the key. Many theologians say the "African century" of Christianity is already under way.

If so, then populous and English-speaking Nigeria is its spiritual homeland, and churches like Adeboye's are its vanguard. Its driven leadership, loose global oversight and staggering cash flow is precisely the formula that so alarms many traditional denominations.

What began as a living room Bible study in 1952 is now a juggernaut: a university, movie studio, satellite television and a wi-fi Internet provider. Now add to that millions of followers in more than 90 nations, including footholds in China and a more than 600-acre parcel outside Dallas. This month, close to 1 million worshippers turned out during three days of sermons and healing services to coincide with the birthday of Adeboye (A-day-BOY-ye), who turned 64 but maintains an athlete's physique and sports just a few touches of gray.

In a rare interview, Adeboye told The Associated Press where he hopes to go from here: "At least one member of the church in every household in the whole world."
The dream, however improbable-sounding, has some genuine underpinnings.
There's no bigger draw in Christianity at the moment than the century-old Pentecostal movement and its offspring, which can differ in styles of worship but share beliefs in the active presence of the Holy Spirit to heal and bestow other life-altering gifts.

The broad Pentecostal-charismatic-evangelical family currently accounts for about a quarter of the nearly 2.2 billion Christians, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity in South Hamilton, Mass. It could grow to more than a third by 2025.

Africans, meanwhile, also are exerting their influence inside established churches.
The worldwide Anglican Communion is being torn at the seams by conservatives, led by a Nigerian archbishop, outraged over the tolerance in the West of gay clergy and same-sex unions. At the Vatican, there are nine Africans among the 120 cardinals under 80 years old _ the age limit for taking part in a papal election. The African figure has reached as high as 13 papal electors in the past decade.

"You want to see where Christianity is heading?" said Campbell Shittu Momoh, an author on Nigerian religious affairs. "Come look at Nigeria. It's already here." It's impossible to miss.

Banners for revivals, sermons and blessings dot nearly every street in Lagos, a teeming flatland of tin-roof shanties and rain-streaked concrete high rises. The churches carry names such as the Cherubim & Seraphim, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles and the Full Gospel Business Men's Assembly of God. Even graffiti taggers know their Bible.

This religious hothouse has nurtured hundreds _ perhaps thousands _ of new churches among Nigeria's 61 million Christians. (Islam has nearly as many followers). In 1981, Adeboye inherited a church that had grown only modestly from its roots in the parlor of its founder, an illiterate preacher with a gift for dramatic oratory in the native Yoruba language. Adeboye _ tall and stately _ took the title of "general overseer," or G.O., and immediately pushed for expansion. He told followers to plant churches anywhere they could. Adeboye quickly became known as Daddy G.O., sending envoys around Africa and into Nigerian communities in Britain, the United States, Canada and elsewhere.

The church in Nigeria is very, very disciplined and focused," said Dickson Adeyanju, the chief religion correspondent for The Guardian, the largest newspaper in Lagos. "That sets them apart."

"The fire of African evangelism is spreading," Pastor Brown Oyitso said. Then he sketched a map of the continent and turned it 90 degrees. "It's like a revolver," he said. "Nigeria occupies the position of the trigger."

But how effective a weapon will Nigerian missionaries be in spreading the faith over the long term? There are obstacles. The Redeemed Church and other African groups, for instance, still struggle to move past their base of immigrants and attract significant non-African followings off the continent. If the problem cannot be overcome, the Redeemed Church and its smaller brethren will likely remain a powerful _ but fragmented _ voice in global evangelism.

"This church has a tremendous strength and credibility with Nigerians at home and abroad," said Allan Anderson, professor of Pentecostal Studies at the University of Birmingham in Britain. "Can it translate to non-Nigerians? This is the big test."

The old religious mainstays in Nigeria _ the Roman Catholics and Anglicans _ now are overshadowed nearly 2-to-1. And Pentecostals and others keep widening the gap year after year. Just a few minutes at an Adeboye service help explain why. It's faith at full throttle. All afternoon, packed buses pour into the Redemption Camp.

Sadly, the article goes on to report on a downside to this movement, a downside that is unfortunately present in many churches and has sadly been present since the days of the apostles: fase teaching. The prosperity gospel is present in many of the Nigerian churches just as much as it is in western churches and on U.S. television. Give your tithe to God (via my address), and God will make you prosperous.

I've personally seen people fall for this false teaching. When become discouraged because they don't become prosperous, the false teacher tells them it's because they lack faith. Then they become more discouraged. Many abandon their faith. It's a very destructive teaching.

Alex

2006-03-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Alex is 15 years old and about six feet tall. He's often referred to as the gentle giant. His father abandoned him at a young age. Until recently he lived with his mother and two younger sisters. To say that the family is needy is an understatement. The mother is an immigrant from El Salvador with a limited ability to speak English. She is a waitress in a restaurant downtown.

Several people from church have done what they can to help them out. They often get taken out to dinner after church, and sometimes someone will take them to a supermarket and tell them to get whatever they want. One time someone petitioned the church to kick in several hundred dollars to help them make the rent payment. But it was not enough. Alex and his family spent Christmas 2004 in a homeless shelter. 2005 got worse.

In the spring of 2005 Alex was arrested for something I will not address here. He was taken to a juvenile detention facility where only his mother could visit him. He could not have any visits from friends or even his pastor.

O how we prayed for that boy. We were able to write to him, and we sent him a Bible and some reading material along with some brownies from time to time. We got cards and asked all his friends to write encouraging greetings. Often we passed along salutations through his mother. They said that after six months if his performance in school was adequate that he could live in a foster home or group home, but it was made clear that Alex could never go back to live with his family.

Eventually he was relocated to a group home. Unfortunately for us it was located way out past the mountains. It was quite a drive to get there. We went to visit him. We brought him a few gifts. When I shook his hand he apologized that it was wet because it was his turn to wash the dishes for the dozen or so boys that live in the house. Another boy was setting the table for lunch. With us we brought his mother and sisters and a couple of his friends. We spent a few hours hanging out and playing soccer.

At first we thought it was horrible that Alex was in the slammer. His mother was devasted. We prayed to God that he would get out. But we've heard that he is doing much better in school. When we saw him he was very content and at peace. He is obviously getting caring adult supervision that his mother was unable to provide. We trust that God is using this for the good of Alex just as He works in all things for the good of those that love Him.

Patrick

2006-03-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Patrick's life started out on the wrong foot. At birth his lungs were filled with fluid. The doctor stuck an Alabama credit card (a syphoning hose) down his throat and sucked out the fluid. For the first three minutes of his life, Patrick could not breathe. The result was mild brain damage.

As the youngest of three boys, his mother was tired of taking care of babies by the time he was born. When Patrick cried, his mother just stuffed a piece of food in his mouth rather than addressing what his need was (sleep, bathroom, etc...). This increased Patrick's weight. By the time he got to school, his was a slow, chubby boy.

He struggled to get C's, never had success in any sport and was shy. Due to his weight he never had any success with the ladies either. His older brothers were good students, star athletes in several sports, had many friends and success with the ladies was a given. Often they would tease their younger brother. Their parents wrote it off as "Boys will be boys".

Patrick grew bitter especially with his older brothers. After one of his brothers passed away, Patrick focused his bitterness on his older brother Cordell. At college, someone introducd Cordell to Jesus, and Cordell gave his heart to the Lord. After this, Patrick would address him as "Satan" and criticized him for his faith. Eventually the bitterness grew into intense hatred. Patrick refused to talk to Cordell. Cordell eventually gave up. For over a decade the two brothers never talked even when they were in the same room at family functions.

Patrick hated Cordell intensely and constantly bad mouthed him. Eventually Patrick convinced his parents that Cordell was a bad son, a bad brother and a bad person. Cordell just withdrew from the family. He would lie about imaginary business trips that took him out of town for holidays and birthdays just to avoid the situation.

Occassionally a Christian brother or sister would rebuke Cordell. Cordell admitted that his relationship with his family was less than ideal to say the least, but what could he do? Indeed, what could Cordell have done?

Then one time after his wife spoke with him, Cordell finally repented. He still believed that there was nothing he could do, but he believed that God had the ability to do more than we ask or imagine. So Cordell prayed. He prayed for his brother. He prayed for his brother's wife and their new born baby boy, Newman. He prayed for his parents. He prayed that God would glofiy Himself in this situation.

A month after this, Cordell's father gave him hell for not having sent a gift for Newman. Again Cordell withdrew. He put a block on his father's email address. But he agreed with his wife that they should send a gift for Newman and a congratulatory note. Along with the note they asked if they could visit Newman. Cordell's wife also passed on news to his father that Cordell had been praying for Patrick.

About a week later Patrick called and invited Cordell and his wife to visit them. So Cordell went to visit his brother. It was the first time they spoke in over a decade, and both brothers later reported that the usual thick tension was completely gone. Everyone knew that this was about a month after Cordell had started praying. Cordell's mother said it was a miracle. Cordell's wife reminded Cordell's father that this was an answer to a specific prayer and that only God could have accomplished this.

Indeed, only God could have accomplished this. Praise Him!

The Immigration Debate

2006-02-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

A study done a few years ago and a peek into a school auditorium on a Saturday night will tell you that Hispanic immigrants are becoming saved like never before. The Washington Post had an article a couple of weeks ago about the growth of evangelical churches in the metropolitan area and how immigrants were inviting Jesus into their hearts and preaching the gospel like it's going out of style. I've seen this first hand. This could be the beginning of a major revival not just in the USA but throughout the western hemisphere as these immigrants are sharing the gospel with their families back home. The Great Commission is the church's number one goal on earth, and if someone wishes to impede this, then whose side is he on?

But should the church support mass deportation of the illegal immigrants in our society because it is the law of the land? Aren't Christians supposed to submit to authorities? These people are lawbreakers. What part of "illegal" do you not understand?

Both Peter and Paul wrote that believers should submit themselves to the authorities. However, the New Testament does not suggest that believers be involved in or encourage authorities to enforce oppressive laws or any laws for that matter. YOU submit to authorities. But there is no command or even suggestion that believers should be active in enforcing the law against others.

What did Jesus do? When the people came to Jesus and asked what should be done with a woman who had broken a law punishable by death, Jesus forgave the woman and persuaded the accusers not to carry out the terms of the sentence as mandated by the law at that time.

In several places in the New Testament believers are encouraged to remember those in prison (not just the innocent). Nowhere does the New Testament suggest that love and compassion be withheld from someone because he or she is a sinner or law breaker. Heb 13:2 does not suggest that we check the documents of strangers prior to offering hospitality.

With respect to whether immigration harms society, it is clear that the immigration we have today has a net positive effect on society as a whole (in more ways than one) when all factors are considered. The immigrants are more productive. The immigrants benefit financially. The US economy benefits. The families of immigrants in their home countries benefit. All these benefits by far outweigh the miniscule costs to the US.

Being born and raised in the US has many benefits including health care and K-12 education at no cost to the student as well as opportunities for employment and further education. If I had an apple, would I give it to the person who had all those opportunities or would I share it with the person who was born in poverty and had to drop out of school at age 11 to help support his family? But illegal immigrants aren't asking for a handout, only the opportunity to work. By limiting immigration, one further limits the opportunities for the guy with nothing and benefits (perhaps but if so then only a miniscule amount) the guy with much. WWJD?

Showing God's love and compassion to sinners and permitting them to work and live among us does not violate any Christian principles. Not showing God's love and compassion to sinners does not comply with God's commands.

Leviticus 19: 33-34 When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Finding God in Their Adopted Homeland

2006-02-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

I have been praying for immigrants for a long time: that churches would reach out to the immigrant communities. Well, not many churches have spent a whole lot of energy towards an organized ministry to reach immigrants, but God is doing it anyway. This article from the Washington Post reports on how thousands of immigrants in the Washington, D.C., area are giving their lives to Jesus.

By N.C. AizenmanWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, January 22, 2006
Months after departing El Salvador in search of work, Maura Marquez was jobless, thousands of dollars in debt and living in Arlington with a brother who barely had time to grunt hello as he rushed out to work.
Desperate and lonely, the petite single mother accepted a ride to an evangelical church in Silver Spring -- Iglesia Restauracion Elim -- that ultimately helped her find a job, a husband and "a feeling of incredible peace" through a fervent devotion to God that she'd never known before.
Marquez's conversion put her in the ranks of a growing number of Central Americans who have become active in church life after moving to the Washington area. Nominally Roman Catholic but not particularly involved with the church in their home countries, they have been drawn by the thousands to Catholic and Protestant parishes by the search for a sense of community in a foreign land and a need for guidance through the labyrinth of American culture, area pastors say.
"Maybe I would also have accepted the Lord if I had stayed in El Salvador," mused Marquez, 41, who works as an office cleaner, her voice slightly hoarse from a late-night prayer session. "But it was like He had a plan for me to discover Him here."
David Ulloa, co-pastor of Restauracion Elim, calculates that more than 75 percent of the church's roughly 600 Central American members were not religious before they came to the United States.
In Falls Church, about a third of the 300 young Central Americans who attend weekly prayer meetings and concerts at St. Anthony of Padua were not practicing Catholics before they arrived here, said Manuel Aviles, head of youth ministry.
"It's very primordial," Aviles explained. "They don't have family or friends here. They are looking for a home, a refuge. And what better place to find refuge than the church?"
Local Catholic and Evangelical churches have strived to keep first-timers coming back by transforming themselves into all-inclusive hubs of Latino culture and immigrant life.
At least twice during the week, evangelicals such as Marquez cram into living rooms to pray in groups of 10 to 15. On Saturdays and Sundays, they pile into vans to get to large formal services at church. When they are not attending church functions, members are often preparing for them, patting out dozens of tortillas and roasting countless chickens to feed their fellow faithful. Similarly, many area Catholic parishes hold Masses in Spanish in the effusive "charismatic" style popular in Latin America, celebrate religious holidays of particular significance to Central Americans, host weekly Spanish prayer meetings and concerts for young adults in church basements, and offer a range of legal, financial and recreational services through affiliated charities.
Catholic and Protestant religious leaders suggest that most immigrants are being recruited rather than seeking out the church on their own. Evangelical churches -- which preach that people's souls are doomed to eternal damnation unless they accept Jesus Christ as their savior -- place particular responsibility on members to spread the gospel. Many offer free rides to services and invite as many friends and acquaintances as possible to try to convert them.
Indeed, home worship groups such as those sponsored by Iglesia Restauracion Elim are explicitly intended to serve as entry points for immigrants who might be less inclined to travel all the way to the church, said Ulloa, the co-pastor. Leaders of the home groups are encouraged to try to double their membership from about 10 people to 20 every three months. The group then is split into two, and the process starts again.
On a recent evening, Maura Marquez's husband, Angel, a construction worker who converted to Protestantism in El Salvador, presided over the last meeting of a group that was about to be divided.
"It's kind of emotional, because the people in the group are so nice and you get attached to them," Angel Marquez said just before straightening his tie and walking from his Manassas home to the townhouse where the prayer session was to be held. "But I also feel joy because this is what the Lord wants me to do."
The newfound devotion of previously unreligious immigrants is adding to a heavy influx of Latino worshipers in area Catholic and Protestant churches. The past two decades have seen explosive growth in evangelical churches geared toward Latinos, with hundreds of churches boasting thousands of members established across the region. Similarly, the Arlington Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church is among the fastest-growing in the country, with the number of registered Catholics increasing almost 40 percent to 400,000 during the past decade. The Washington Archdiocese is expanding almost as fast.
Although exact statistics are not available, church leaders in both jurisdictions attribute most of the growth to Central American immigrants. The church leaders point out that more than half of the parishes in the Arlington Diocese and nearly one-fourth of those in the Washington Archdiocese hold popular Spanish-language Masses, compared with only a handful a decade ago. Bishop Paul S. Loverde of the Arlington Diocese, the son of Sicilian immigrants, sees parallels with the boost that the Catholic Church got with earlier waves of newcomers from such predominantly Catholic countries as Ireland and Italy.
"The church was a focal point for those early immigrants," Loverde said. "It was a place to find people of like-minded faith and culture and to preserve what they knew while getting involved in the community. Now, in many ways, it's happening again today."
© 2006 The Washington Post Company

Praise God that He is reaching out to these immigrant souls.

Looking For a Job

2006-02-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Karen was having a tough time in the job department. She had recently moved to a new area, and she had found a job. It was an hour drive through heavy traffic to work for an insurance agent. Her boss had suddenly become very ill and was unable to work. She needed a licensed insurance agent to work for her. Karen was not licensed so she lost the job.

She didn't have much luck finding a new job that she wanted. She could easily get a job cleaning toilets or working a cash register, but that is not what she wanted. She wanted a job in an office where she could enhance her skills. She got a few interviews, but after a few months she was very discouraged.

She mentioned her discouragement to me one night. I told her that maybe God has a job lined up for her that maybe just isn't available yet. I recommended that she trust Him.

Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe that God has a plan for your life? Do you believe that God is capable to carrying out that plan whether it includes working a job or being unemployed? She agreed. She went away encouraged, and she prayed with renewed faith that night. She was going to trust God to carry out His plan, not in her own efforts.

A week late she found a job. It is a five minute drive from home. It is in an office where she can enhance her office skills and computer skills. Her bosses are extremely friendly and easy to work for, and her hard work has been well rewarded. She has received written commendations from her immediate supervisor and is now second in command of the office.

She believes that God had put her in the place where she is now.

The Agnes Story

2006-01-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

By Tony Campolo
If you live on the East Coast and travel to Hawaii, you know that there is a time difference that makes three o'clock in the morning feel like nine. With that in mind, you will understand that whenever I go out to our fiftieth state I find myself wide awake long before dawn. Not only do I find myself up and ready to go while almost everybody else is still asleep, but I find that I want breakfast when almost everything on the island is still closed—which is why I was wandering up and down the streets of Honolulu at three-thirty in the morning, looking for a place to get something to eat.

Up a side street I found a little place that was still open. I went in, took a seat on one of the stools at the counter, and waited to be served. This was one of those sleazy places that deserves the name "greasy spoon." I mean, I did not even touch the menu. I was afraid that if I opened the thing something gruesome would crawl out. But it was the only place I could find.

The fat guy behind the counter came over and asked me, "What d'ya want?"

I told him, "A cup of coffee and a donut."

He poured a cup of coffee, wiped his grimy hand on his smudged apron, then grabbed a donut off the shelf behind him. I'm a realist. I know that in the back room of that restaurant, donuts are probably dropped on the floor and kicked around. But when everything is out front where I could see it, I really would have appreciated it if he had used a pair of tongs and placed the donut on some wax paper.
As I sat there munching on my donut and sipping my coffee at three-thirty m the morning the door of the diner suddenly swung open, and to my discomfort, in marched eight or nine provocative and boisterous prostitutes.

It was a small place and they sat on either side of me. Their talk was loud and crude. I felt completely out of place and was just about to make my getaway when I overheard the woman sitting beside me say, "Tomorrows my birthday. I'm going to be thirty-nine."
Her "friend" responded in a nasty tone, "So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? Ya want me to get you a cake and sing 'Happy Birthday?"
"Come on!" said the woman next to me. "Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you, that's all. Why do you have to put me down? I was just telling you it was my birthday I don't want anything rrom you. I mean, why should you give me a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"

When I heard that, I made a decision. I sat and waited until the women had left. Then I called over the fat guy behind the counter and I asked him, "Do they come in here every night?"
"Yeah!" he answered.

"The one right next to me, does she come here every night?"
"Yeah!" he said. "That's Agnes. Yeah, she comes in here every night. Why d'ya wanna know?"

"Because I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday," I told him. "What do you think about us throwing a birthday party for her—right here—tomorrow night?"

A smile slowly crossed his chubby face and he answered with measured delight. "That's great! I like it! That's a great idea!" Calling to his wife, who did the cooking in the back room, he shouted, "Hey! Come out here! This guy's got a great idea. Tomorrow's Agnes's birthday. This guy wants us to go in with him and throw a birthday party for her— right here—tomorrow night!"

His wife came out of the back room all bright and smiley. She said, "That's wonderful! You know Agnes is one of those people who is really nice and kind, and nobody ever does anything nice and kind for her."

"Look," I told them, "if it's okay with you, I'll get back here tomorrow morning about two-thirty and decorate the place. I'll even get a birthday cake!"

"No way," said Harry (that was his name). "The birthday cake's my thing. I'll make the cake."

At two-thirty the next morning I was back at the diner. I had picked up some crepe paper decorations at the store and had made a sign out of big pieces of cardboard that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" I decorated the diner from one end to the other. I had that diner looking good.
The woman who did the cooking must have gotten the word out on the street, because by 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes . . . and me!

At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I had everybody ready (after all, I was kind of the MC of the affair) and when they came in we all screamed, "Happy Birthday!"

Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted ... so stunned . .. so shaken. Her mouth fell open. Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to one of the stools along the counter we all sang "Happy Birthday' to her. As we came to the end of our singing, "Happy birthday, dear Agnes, Happy birthday to you," her eyes moistened. Then, when the birthday cake with all the candles on it was carried out, she lost it and just openly cried.

Harry gruffly mumbled, "Blow out the candles, Agnes! Come on! Blow out the candles! If you don't blow out the candles, I'm gonna hafta blow out the candles." And, after an endless few seconds, he did. Then he handed her a knife and told her, "Cut the cake, Agnes.Yo, Agnes, we all want some cake."
Agnes looked down at the cake. Then without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, "Look, Harry, is it all right with you if I ... I mean is it okay if I kind of... what I want to ask you is ...is it okay if I keep the cake a little while? I mean is it all right if we don't eat it right away?"

Harry shrugged and answered, "Sure! It's okay. If you want to keep the cake, keep the cake. Take it home if you want to."

"Can I?" she asked. Then looking at me she said, "I live just down the street a couple of doors. I want to take the cake home and show it to my mother, okay? I'll be right back. Honest!"

She got off the stool, picked up the cake, and carrying it like it was the Holy Grail, walked slowly toward the door. As we all stood there motionless, she left. When the door closed there was a stunned silence in the place. Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, "What do you say we pray?" Looking back on it now it seems more than strange for a sociologist to be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at three-thirty in the morning. But it just felt like the right thing to do. I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed and that God would be good to her.

When I finished, Harry leaned over the counter, and said, "Hey! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"
In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at three-thirty in the morning."

Harry waited a moment, then he answered, "No you don't. There's no church like that!"

Too bad.

Finding a New Church

2006-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

We had been going to a church in Annandale for years. It was an excellent church. New people were coming in and giving their hearts to Jesus. We had invited some of our friends and people in our English classes, and some of them gave their hearts to Jesus.

The church cares about people. If someone needed a job, the men at church could surely hook him up. People were encouraged to bring groceries which were distributed to people in need. One guy had just arrived from Colombia. They set him up with a job, gave him some food to hold him over until his first paycheck and even managed to find someone to give him a car - a piece of junk decade old Geo Metro, but it got him to his job.

The church was run by a group of members called the junta. The pastor made it clear that he did not control the church. The pastor was accountable to the junta.

But the pastor did not have a theological education, and slowly he started falling for false teaching. Also slowly he took control of the church until the junta no longer existed. Eventually the false teaching took over. I hadn't heard the gospel in two years. I was talking to three teenagers in the youth program, and they thought that one got to heaven by being good and obeying the commandments. These were not fringe kids but kids who had been in the program for years.

The church stopped encouraging people to bring groceries. Just give your money, and the church (i.e. the pastor) will do the good works. The pastor even at one time prohibited anyone from talking to others about God without his permission. If someone was at your house and the conversation started drifting toward religion, then you were to call the pastor. The pastor would come or he would give you permission to speak to the person.

One day we proposed that the church be involved in supporting orphanages in Central America. Most of the people are from Central America so we were sure they would be interested. The pastor told us that we didn't believe in God. I don't know what that was supposed to mean. He also said he didn't want to be involved with gringos (the orphanage we used as an example was sponsored by white people).

We consulted with another minister who said we should leave the church. We didn't want to leave our friends to hear that false teacher without a dissenting voice. We still pray daily for that church.

So we started looking for another church. We went to one family friendly happy suburban American church. I never saw my wife run so fast than when she ran for the door when that was over. Someone recommended another church. On its website it had a sermon addressing how to deal with stress during Christmas time. Billions of people are at risk of dying without ever hearing the name of Jesus, but the stress of having too many presents to buy and too many parties to go to was more important. Veto.

My wife said that she had no desire to go to any church. This is when I prayed.

A week after she said this we went to a funeral in a church. It was 70 miles away, and it was awesome. An old woman, a friend of the deceased's mother-in-law, got up to address the family. She told them how the deceased knew and loved Jesus and that they too all needed Jesus. The head pastor got up and explained the gospel as well. At one point during the funeral, my wife said to me, "You're the only white guy in this whole place." I looked around, and surely everyone else was black. But it was a great church. Before the day was over my wife had called several of her friends to tell them what a great church she visited.

So I proposed that we go to a black church in our area. She agreed. I am certain that the only church she would have gone anywhere near was a black church. We went to First Baptist Church. The first Sunday the men's choir sang. They were awesome. And the preacher is one of the best preacher's I've ever heard. The next week the children's choir sang. The people were friendly. I thought that they made a special effort to be friendly to us because we were white. The third week Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley of the Lott Carey Foundation gave a guest sermon on world missions. Coming out of church that day, a month after having said she had no desire to go to church, my wife said that she wanted to become a member.

I believe that God led us to that church. My ideas, my pleadings, my arguments to get her to go to this church or that church were unsuccessful. But God had a plan. He effortlessly orchestrated His plan to guide us to that church. I don't know what is in store for us there, but I know that's where He wants us.

Melyi

2006-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Melyi is a young girl who lives in Central America. She is the youngest of four. Her father managed to learn to drive so that skill enabled him to provide at least the basics for his family. She spent the early years of her life living in poverty. At age eleven she was malnourished, small for her age and extremely thin. She lived in a two room house with cement floor, cinder block walls and a tin roof. This was an improvement over the childhoods of her older sublings who grew up when the house merely consisted of sticks and mud.

I Love Honduras !

Melyi's mother did everything she could to make sure that her children went to school. Too many children in Central America drop out of school at a young age to work. Melyi's mom didn't want that to happen. She sacrificed and managed to keep her children in school. Melyi's oldest brother is about 15 years older than she is, and he was able to get a good job in a bank to provide for the family as Melyi was growing up.

About ten years ago, Melyi's older sister became a Christian. She found a good church that taught sound doctrine. She met a Christian man, married and moved to the United States. She often talked about her love for Jesus.

As Melyi got older she too started looking for a man. She sent her picture into one of those mail order bride catalogs. When filling out the application, her sister told her to make sure she put that she was a Christian and that she wanted a Christian man. Melyi said that she wasn't a Christian. This was a surprise to her sister. Mel is a quiet girl. She doesn't speak about her feelings. Her mother is very strict. Not only does she tell Melyi what to do but also what to think. Melyi just learned to keep quiet and conform. But inside she maintained her own thoughts and opinions.

Melyi is very pretty, and she received many letters and a few visits from men. Last spring she was getting serious with one man, and they actually set a wedding date. This man was not a Christian. We prayed that the marriage would not take place. Getting married to a man who was not a Christian was a step away from God.

But God, who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine, did more than that. The engagement ended. In fact it blew up. During the breakup Melyi had done some things that were immature, and she had also experienced negative feelings that she didn't know she had. She was so frustrated not only with the broken relationship but also with herself. She knew she needed Jesus. So one evening she got down on her knees and prayed. She invited Christ to come into her life.

A couple of days later we heard from her. She described how at peace she felt. We got some discipleship books in Spanish for her and a Bible that was easy to read (the Reina Valera version is so difficult that even Spanish speaking people have trouble with it). And of course we continue to pray for Melyi almost every day. We pray that she will grow in knowledge of God's love and that God would guide her.

Pancho

2006-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Uncle Pancho is a taxi driver in Central America. I haven't spent a lot of time with him so I don't know him very well. I remember one time talking with him at a birthday party. I told him and his wife how in the United States there is a church on almost every corner. They smiled and said how wonderful that must be. I told them that unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of faith despite the many buildings erected for a God who doesn't dwell in buildings built by hands.

In Central America there is a lot of faith. One example is the September 19 edition of the magazine "Honduras This Week" in which a reader writes a letter to the editor lamenting all the Christian activity in Honduras. The writer describes walking past churches and hearing people inside praising God so enthusiastically that it can be heard on the street, bus rides where the driver listens to Christian music, a woman boldly preaching the gospel during another bus ride, etc.

Last fall I heard that Pancho had gone blind. He was talking with his brother, and it suddenly hit him. He said to his brother, "Where are you, Juan? I can't see you." As a taxi driver he would be unable to work in that condition. People sent him money. People prayed for him. We sent him the Bible on tape in Spanish. We prayed. We prayed that God would provide for him, that God, who works in all things for the good of those who love Him, would use this to draw him closer to Him, and we prayed for healing.

A couple of weeks ago I heard that Pancho could see again. I talked to my mom last Saturday and asked her to confirm it. Panch can indeed see now. I don't know what caused his temporary blindness. He's not diabetic. He's healthy, not afflicted with any health problems. He's a poor man in a third world country. He doesn't have the money to get examined even if there was a qualified optician to go to.

But I do know that Pancho was blind and now he can see. For this I thank God, and I also thank Him for my own vision because I know that all good and perfect things come from above.