180° Forward

I'm ready !! Now where do you want me Lord?

2008-01-13T18:58:00.000-05:00

As most of you are aware, I'm a relatively new Christian. I've only come to true faith a few years ago and since that day my faith has grown considerably in depth and substance. Different people grow in different ways and at different speeds.

I've now reached a point where I'm at a crossroad in my growth. I need to "get off my hands" and into service for the Lord in His earthly church. How and what I do is the problem. See I've watched over the years as people close to me find amazing strength and fulfillment through their service to others. I've become kind of .... jealous... of them and now I really want to change. The Lord has done so much for me and it seems that in all my studies, they all point to service. True depth and intimacy with the Lord seems to come through service for Him.

I'm not suggesting that my relationship with God is not deep or intimate. I sincerely have a deep relationship with God and He has genuinely taken good care of me and my family. Since I've come to faith my entire life has changed for the better. In every way and in every aspect of my life - if I grew no more in my faith and I died tomorrow - I would still say that I'm happy with how He has changed me (from the inside out). I just want...more.

So here I am. Ready to commit and truly give to God what is His (me). I want and need to find a way to use the gifts that He had given me to but I don't know what they are. So I've been patiently praying and asking Him for guidance and direction. Around the middle of 2007 I took on the responsibility of changing and updating the sign outside our church every other week. Although this is a necessary job - its not quite all I had intended - but it was a good first step.

God has been listening. He prompted my pastor to start a series last week on how to serve the church. The timing couldn't be more perfect!! I've planted some seeds with my pastor that I'm ready for more. We'll see where this goes. Most importantly I trust God to push me out of my comfort zone.

It is time for more change. I see it and the Lord has allowed me to come to this conclusion on my own. I will ensure that I let all of you know where this goes.

Lord,
I am prepared to give You more of myself and ask that You guide me where You
desire me to serve You.
I sincerely love and appreciate You.
Please protect me and keep me close.
I will be close too.
In Jesus Name -
Amen.

Tragic: Chinese women forced to have abortion at 9 months !!

2008-01-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

This is so terrifying and immensely sad - I was utterly speechless. An unmarried women in China was arrested and forced to have an abortion at 9 months because she was 20 years old and unmarried. According to Chinese law, it is unlawful for a women to become pregnant out of wedlock.

Reading the article you find out that the women was engaged to be married, but that wasn't good enough. They seized her and forcibly injected her with a chemical that murdered her child. Now because of the forced abortion, the victim is now infertile. This is particularly heartbreaking because this couple wanted to keep the baby so badly that the husband even flew to wine and dine government officials. The mother even pleaded on her hands and knees to be allowed to keep her baby when officials seized her.

They named their baby Yang Yin. Although the article does not mention whether or not the family was Christian, I am drawn to the verses from Revelation in which the saints who were killed because of their faith cry out to the Lord to avenge the injustices of the this world.

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Revelation 6:9-11

Click here to read the original news story.

My son teaches me a lesson on the simplicity of genuine worship

2007-12-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

I grew up outside of the Church. I didn't come to faith until a few years ago as an adult. As a result, I have promised the Lord that my son and daughter will both know Him. I missed having a relationship with Him my whole life until I was a grown man with children of my own. I see in my son, what I didn't have, and it brings me great joy that my oldest of two is drawing his heart so close to God's.

You can imagine how happy I was when my son drew me a picture yesterday. My son, Joshua, really is a "big picture" thinker - yet he is so very young. Many of his drawings reflect these thoughts. He will routinely ask me questions about God when we're alone. Most of the time the questions are tough to answer and require a lot of thought on my part. I really cherish our time together and our deep discussions.

Joshua's drawing reminded me of a nun I once caught on TV while channel flipping years before I was Saved. She was talking about how during her day she will just make up songs in her head and sing them to God. What a wonderful expression of love !! When Joshua gave me this drawing, it reminded me of what this nun had said and what my own worship was missing.

God must find so much joy from our spontaneous expressions of love to Him because these expressions - whether in writing, drawings, paintings, song, music, prayer or simple thought - all originate in our heart.

Just like the happiness I found in the loving and simple gesture from my son - so will God find great joy in these expressions from us too.

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9: 1-2

Merry Christmas Eve !!

A Prayer for The Lost

2007-12-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

God of Love

God of Light

My God

My Love

I pray

I fight

Feeling lost

trapped in time

pain in learning and past in tow

lead me from this place below

into the love of Eternity's Face

Your mercy and glory - Your Son I chase

Sin on leaf

decay with time

destroy the tree

inside I find

Your love Divine

Blessed I know

My Lord

My God

Who forgives my soul

All my Love to you Lord,
Christian

December 24th 2007

God and the Underdogs

2007-12-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

This is truly a GREAT story of an autistic boy who for years helped his high school basketball team on the sidelines as a towel boy and primarily helping the coach whenever and with whatever he could do.

Then as a token of appreciation, his coach allows him to put on a team jersey for the first time ever and calls him into the game to allow him to feel what it's like to be on the team.

The rest is a tear-jerker and by the way a true story. See it for yourself.

This boys story truly reminds me how God always seems to pick the "underdogs" in life. The people we least expect. Just look in the bible if you don't believe me !! The bible is full of stories where God saw something in someone that most people would never look at.

We judge a "book" by its cover - but God judges the "book" by it's heart.

Now watch a great story.

My Family Tradition: Cutting Down Our Christmas Tree

2007-11-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

Every year since I was 19 years old and living on my own - my (now) wife and I began a tradition each year the day after Thanksgiving. While most people are out shopping, we travel to a farm about a hour or more away and park out in the field and walk around till we find a live "Christmas" tree and we cut it down with a hand saw - drag it back to our vehicle and head home to put it up and decorate it. Usually the tree sits in our home till the week after Christmas Day.

The above picture is from our trip this year. It's me and my two biggest fans after we cut the tree down and were dragging it back to our truck. It was long walk and it's tempting to go drive my truck down to the place where we cut down the tree - but to me - dragging a large tree back to to our truck is part of the experience that I hope the kids will remember when they are adults.

After loading the tree, I usually will sit my son on my lap and let him "drive" the truck back to the barn where we pay for the tree, we head into a renovated barn to enjoy Christmas music , some hot cocoa and each of us get a free bag of ultra-salty popcorn. Before we leave we usually get pictures of the kids riding a pony and also try to pet some of the animals on the farm.

It's a great experience (and true blessing from my Lord) and I honestly don't know what I'll do when/if the kids ever grow out of it.

We took the long way home this year and ended up driving into a beautiful view of the sun getting ready to set on the horizon (pictured above). I pulled off to the side of the road to get this picture as well as a few more.

Thank you Lord for another wonderful trip to cut down our Christmas tree. Of all the blessings that flow from Your love - I really appreciate the time You give me with my family. I also love getting pictures of Your Creation - in motion. I can't wait to see it fully restored.

Thank you Father. I really love You !!

My Travels - Part II: Learning to Trust God All Over Again

2007-11-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

The months of October and November have been really hard months. October took me back to Europe for work in the UK and Germany. November took me to Asia for the first time in my life as I spent close to 2 weeks in China and Japan.

While I prepared to complete the tasks I needed to do on these business trips, the Enemy was preparing too. What was the purpose of my trips beyond the obvious work-related reasons?

Since coming to faith - I no longer take the "obvious" for granted. There is to much that God is involved in that is outside of our view. I question all things now and "obvious" is no longer obvious.

My flight arrived in London at 10am local time. I was simply exhausted from my flight (see "My Travels - Part I: Beware Of The Troubles That May Fly Into Your Life")and now I needed to catch a cab and find my way to the office to begin working.

The British are so kind and warm. I love to hear them speak. We speak the same language but when they speak - it somehow sounds magical. God bless North Americans - but somehow over the years of our shared history with the English and great distance between us, we flattened out the English language and in my opinion - we inadvertently removed its warmth and character (with the exception of the southern US States). I arrived at the office and was greeted by colleagues that I had really only known by voice. It was so great to meet everyone face to face. As expected - no one looked as I had imagined.

I spent Friday getting organized and finding my way through the mess of the London office. I'm the global manager of Information Technology for the company I work with and came to London to join this office to my global network that would soon span North America, Europe and Asia. This project had taken me over a year to plan and pull together. Well - it was "GO" time and I was now well beyond the "point of no return". I would have to work with my vendors alone in an office 1/2 way across the globe and 6 hours ahead of the States. When I arrived I found that my British colleagues who are known for their hospitality were unusually cold and uncharacteristically unfocused.

I should have smelled trouble in the air. All the signs were hanging in the air like thick cigar smoke.

By the end of my first day in London the office Director offered me a ride to my hotel. I really appreciated the ride but everyone went to lunch without me and I was starving. I really wanted some companionship and tried desperately to strike up conversation interesting enough to hold him over for dinner. I wasn't successful. He did however escort me into my hotel and helped me get the keys to my hotel room.

I stayed at "The Oatlands Chaser" hotel just on the outskirts of London. It is a rather historic old inn that was completely renovated on the first floor and somewhat renovated in the floors above. I stayed in a third level attic room. The hotel has a lot of great history that I can't fully remember now (I wish I had written it down). However one of the kings of England had an affair for many years in this inn. I LOVE history and was very excited to think that I could have been staying in the very room that the king would liaise with his former-lover so long ago. My room key was a skeleton key that I inserted into a heavy wooden door (required both to enter the room or to lock the door at night from inside the room). One strange event happened in this room while I was turning in for the evening. I couldn't get to sleep because I heard what sounded like a large party going on in the hotel with what sounded like hundreds of people dancing to the sounds of classical music - and lots of giggling and occasional uproarious laughter by this rather rude group. It was really getting late and I needed my rest. I shrugged it off to a guests TV or a party on first floor, however, I found out that I was only one of 6 guests in the hotel and when I arrived late from the office to the inn - there was no party in-progress either inside or outside. It is likely an over-active imagination - but I think the Enemy was trying to tire me... and it was working.

Saturday was an uncomfortable day. I arrived to the office early and was the only one in the office this day. I made my way through the building and disarmed the alarm as instructed. The day progressed well and had completed just about everything I had intended to complete after about 12 hours of work with only a light convenience store lunch. I caught a cab to the inn that I was staying at and ended up eating rather late (10:30pm).

I woke on Sunday and after a quick breakfast downstairs I headed into the office via a cab to complete my work. The morning started out good. I brought my iPod with my full library of music since I was alone. I listened to a variety of Christian music since I could not worship as I had wanted on this Sunday morning.

By mid-day I discovered several problems with the way the network was architected and spent hours upon hours on the phone trying to resolve these issues I discovered. I truly think that the Enemy was throwing road-block after road-block in my way. Just as I'd navigate around one - another would pop-up. I had vendors on the phone in the States trying to fix issues and reprogram my network to ensure everything could work come Monday but it wasn't looking good. There was just so much going wrong.

What I found was that it is in these moments when I was hungry, all alone, in a foreign country, working late into the evening, under intense pressure and stressed out - that I began to finally reach out to God for help. Why did I wait so long to call upon You, Lord?

Working with my vendors on the phone - I found myself putting my phone down and just praying out loud for assistance in a quiet whisper. Usually within minutes of praying - the issue at hand would be resolved and I would find myself thrusting my fist into air with a "Thank you Jesus!!". This was very encouraging for me. However the Lord's presence was no more obvious than when I was on the phone (again) with a really serious issue and we were close to our last option to resolve the issue. Time had progressed and nothing was working - and I could physically feel my blood pressure rising under the pressure. I calmly set the phone down and asked God to step into my problem and take it from me to solve. My actual prayer was more passionate and lengthy (and honest). After all we were failing and I was seriously running out of time. Literally just as the words "Amen" rolled off of my lips - did I hear my engineer on the phone shout with joy as he was able to resolve the problem on his end. Another "Thank you" to my Lord and Savior. I was so stressed out and seriously feeling the strain of exhaustion setting in - but I was literally wired with joy from watching each and every prayer I prayed - find an answer with Him. It was great !! All our testing completed successfully. It was time to call it a day and get some sleep. Monday was only a few short hours away.

I was beginning to see that the Lord was leading me - trying perhaps to teach me that I needed to learn how to praise Him in my "storms" too - not just my dedicated time of prayer or worship. Putting this concept into practice was embarrassingly new to me. Since I wasn't hearing His audible voice - I had to learn this through the experiences that He was truly carrying me through and try to make sense of it all. It did not all come together for me until I was in Germany a few days later.

Well, I returned to my room Sunday night fairly late but relatively confident in my weekend's worth of work. Monday arrived in our London office and I gave an early presentation to all of my colleagues about what to expect as they were new "netizens" on our global network, etc.

Everyone poured into their offices eager to begin working - when literally - everything fell apart and the network began to fail. The worse part about it was that I was helpless for the first 6 hours of the day as my vendors and colleagues in the States were still sleeping because of the time difference and the fact that we worked through the weekend together.

To make matters worse - I was scheduled to fly to my German office the next morning and repeat the same process to join Germany to the global network. UUUGGHH !!! I felt like the Apostle Paul after his shipwreck.

I placed some frantic calls to my management team in the States with a very sobering status report on the network integration in London and complained that I was seriously under-staffed (as I had warned earlier) and requested to delay Germany and Asia until I was able to resolve the problems in London. The answer that came back was "we hear you and we're sorry - but no". I had to fly in a few hours whether my problems in London were resolved or not.

Wait a minute !?!?! Lord ,Can't You step in and help me change their minds? I will surely fail if I continue as planned.

I prayed that I could change the situation to be much different - but I see now that He needed me to continue with everything as planned. It was "Germany or Bust"

To be continued in "My Travels - Part III"

My Travels - Part I: Beware Of The Troubles That May Fly Into Your Life

2007-11-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

I was departing for my first return trip to Europe in 3-4 years - and with a different company. Everything was new on this trip. This trip was expected to be relatively calm and predictable - or at least I had hoped it would be. Instead my trip to Europe would herald into my somewhat quiet life - turmoil, turbulence and tribulation. It also ushered in a glaring real possibility that God needed me to make this trip for more than the business reasons I was so narrowly perceiving.

It all started on my flight from the United States to London England a few weeks back.

This flight was bizarre to say the least. Perhaps it was the Enemy showing me what it had in store for me on this trip and I didn't see it for what it was. Thank God He was also with me.

It started when I boarded my flight and I was asked if I wouldn't mind being reassigned to an exit door seat - which I happily accepted because of the extra leg room (I was in coach). Upon accepting this reassignment I met my seat mate who was a 30-something gentleman soldier who was on "leave" from 3 or 4 tours through Afghanistan and Iraq. What an interesting individual. I wonder where God was leading this young man. I dropped some "seeds" about my faith but he didn't pick up on them. I would have loved to see how faith plays a role or doesn't play a role in the life of a soldier.

Lord, please protect this gentle and humble infantry-man in all Your wonderful ways.

We were provided a glass of champagne by an overly attentive flight attendant who couldn't resist sharing his opinions of George W Bush and the war in Iraq to the soldier (all of which were not flattering for the President). The soldier nor I offered our opinions back. We sat respectfully quiet and listened. Also - we were sitting in coach and everyone was beginning to stair at us wondering why we were being served champagne in real wine glasses and being made a fuss of by this flight attendant. Well the glass ended up not being just a glass - but we were brought over a full bottle of champagne to share together. My seat mate said he didn't drink but was going to make an exception since this flight attendant was being so kind. I love wine and eagerly accepted the first glass offered since I have a serious problem with sleeping on airplanes and hoped the wine would help calm my nerves on a long 11 hour flight.

Well it didn't.

Half way through the flight I experienced extreme dizziness to the likes that I had never experienced from any wine and I only consumed 3 very normal glasses of wine on a relatively full stomach. During the dizziness I experienced intense heat flashes and a temporary near loss of hearing. It was all very troubling. I didn't let on to my symptoms out of respect for my seat mate who was sleeping.

I was also beginning to feel a sense of panic setting in and had to get up and escort myself (in an out of body sense) to the rest room to get my bearings to avoid making a scene if I had gotten sick from the dizziness that had overcome me or my feelings of panic because I was losing my hearing.

After my urgent cry for help asking for instant relief - God heard my prayers and quickly brought the help I needed. All my symptoms had retreated as quickly as they arrived. All in all that experience lasted about 20 minutes.

Thank you Lord for helping me. I'm so sorry for putting myself into this position.

I was going to find out that this flight was not the only time I would call upon the Lord to personally help me (as you'll read in my next post).

A Theory of Relativity

2007-10-29T20:15:00.000-04:00

Since the dawn of our fallen human conscience, man-kind has traveled down a path seeking to redefine and eliminate truth as given to us by our Creator. Our souls desire to deny moral law (hence any pending judgment) in place of a relative truth that can easily change to the will of man.

This “epistemology” is historical and Post-Modern as the study of truth and knowledge seek to analyze and question belief, specifically in a Creator, based on human perspective and experience. The Post-Modernists of today question absolute truth by adopting elements of epistemological thought from many philosophical theories such as Humanism, Empiricism, Rationalism, Relativism and Skepticism.

Relativism, the “underpinning” of Post-Modern thought believes in the absence of absolute truth. A Relativist holds to the belief that any truth a person may perceive to be true, is not necessarily true for someone else and therefore truth is in a constant state of change. Truth itself is relative to the beholder.

I have a very good friend who in conversation once stated “there is no such thing as absolute truth because no one can be absolutely sure of anything”. This is understandably perplexing, but nonetheless a self-defeating argument. If nothing can be absolutely true then one cannot be absolutely sure of anything, especially that absolute truth does not exist. Furthermore one cannot declare anything absolutely and believe it; especially that absolute truth does not exist.

I conclude that truth does exist, and that the opposite of truth is – untruth. If truth exists then absolute truths must also exist. The very words you are reading at this moment are proof of many absolute truths concerning space, matter and time. Is it absolutely true that nothing comes from nothing? The possibility of debate is not evidence that an absolute truth does not exist. Anything and everything can be debated; including the relative argument that nothing that is debatable can be absolute. The problem is what we declare to be true and absolute. Steven Robiner summed this up well by stating "What is absolutely true is always correct, everywhere, all the time, under any condition. An entity's ability to discern these things is irrelevant to that state of truth."

Our problem is that we are trapped in one sphere of perspective – a limited and fallen human perspective. We cannot see beyond ourselves, our own space, our own time and our own matter. It’s the classic “if I can’t see it I won’t believe it” argument. Limited by our perspective we “can’t see the forest through the trees”. After all, it makes more sense to an ant to determine that there is no such thing as humans or human civilization, and to convince their fellow ants of the same conclusion than to confront the possibility that the ant could be wrong and that “natural” explanations may not be adequate to explain the events that impact their lives and colonies on a daily basis. To confront the possibility that there is something bigger than the ant and his world, is to invite radical re-examination to the ant’s life and world. The ant is limited because it simply cannot comprehend the human world, it’s unfathomable. These thoughts are troubling and uncomfortable for the “ant”. We, like the ant in my analogy, error on the side of easy and choose the path of least intellectual resistance. Like the ant, we humans are immeasurable small in comparison to our infinitely larger world and universe both seen and unseen and our knowledge and understanding is equally infinitesimal and diminutive at best.

Epistemological philosophies that question our simple and God given understanding of truth, knowledge and wisdom have coagulated into a single post-modern world-view rooted in naturalism and humanism. These Post-Modernist’s deny the existence God first, then slowly dismantle, deconstruct and re-explain the world according to their world-view. It makes sense to them because, like the ant, it’s all they can see.

Ultimately we are all children of a loving and compassionate Creator, whether we acknowledge Him or not. We creatively attempt to repaint the canvass of this reality as it was created and given to us. Since truth requires belief in an absolute moral law, hence the existence of a Moral Law Giver, we deny Him, hide our faces and pretend He cannot see our souls and carry on with our own flawed attempts to explain the human condition.

14For this reason it says,
"Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you."
Ephesians 5:14 (NASB)

God vs the World: World's Tiniest Baby Born - 10 Amazing Ounces & 15 weeks early

2007-09-29T10:01:00.000-04:00

God is constantly at work to prove to the masses that although seemingly silent to most (or non-existent as some believe) - He is in control and much beyond the reach or hard work of any doctor, surgeon or nurse.

Baby Kimberly was born at an amazing 15 weeks early - weighing in at only a mere 10 ounces. The doctors gave baby Kimberly very poor odds of survival (at 1000:1).

Reading the story you'll see that the doctors are quick to credit luck and of course ...their work that saved the young child. I don't doubt that the good work by skilled doctors were one of the factors - but I see the very hand of God at work. What the world does not understand is that God works through His Holy Spirit, His mighty angels, through His Will and through people (whether His or not). God does not work in the ways of this world but He moves the world to His ways.

In reading this article I'm inspired and moved because people abort babies this young. Perhaps this is God trying to get our attention. The trouble is that people are led to believe by our world systems that babies are just fleshy tissue of the mother until fully developed and delivered full term. To the world - anything less than full-term is not human. This does not make sense. This is similar to the argument used by slave traders and owners 200 years ago who enslaved Africans and shipped them all over the world as "property"? African slaves were no more "property" of any human than the unborn today are just a lifeless mass of tissue growing in a host. In the past our societies have been deadly WRONG about what qualifies as human life and what doesn't - all with great consequence. I thank God that He saved baby Kimberly. Baby Kimberly's life is a testamony of what is human life in God's eyes (EVERYONE).

God Bless Baby Kimberly.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EXCITING STORY AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.

The Lords work in Africa: Step Into Africa - WorldVision

2007-09-16T10:06:00.001-04:00

I have a Christian friend who has been working tirelessly on a project sponsored by WorldVision, called Step into Africa. It is similar to the Holocaust memorial in that you progress through a tour with the ID of a real person. At the end of the tour you find out what happened to the person which you walked through the tour as.

The purpose of the tour is to bring attention to a humanitarian crisis in Africa, with regard to AIDs and starvation. Also it is to generate public outcry and donations to save these souls. To provide them with medication, food, love and prayer. I pray the Lord's desires into your heart and encourage you to visit the exhibit as it travels the U.S.

WorldVision:Step Into Africa

Book Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

2007-09-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

I recently completed reading "Night"

I was utterly speechless after I completed reading Elie's personal narrative of his life as a young 12 year old boy during World War II in Nazi occupied Europe - as a survivor of The Holocaust. The story begins at his family home in a old-world remote medieval Jewish village in Romania. Elie's autobiographical account of these years begin in the safety of his family home with war in Europe being waged seemingly far away-but the rumors start to filter in through an old man that most in town believe to be crazy. The rumors seem absolutely unbelievable (the round-up of the Jews in other villages, the trains, the confiscation of their property and businesses, the rumored death camps far away, furnaces, etc). All this seems so foreign to life in this old safe village but as Elie is about to find out - it is all true - and that the truth was far worse than the rumors and beyond anything he could have ever imagined. The rest of the story is his personal account of his walk through Hell, how he watched his family die, how he watched infant babies thrown into the air and machine-gunned. He retells his time in multiple Nazi concentration camps, how he lost his faith and belief in God, and his eventual conclusion that God must be dead. The book is not a book with a happy ending - except in the fact that God has carried Elie through The Holocaust - despite his eventual unbelief.

One is left wondering if their own faith would survive such an event. I was troubled by many of the events that Elie retells. It is hard to believe that this type of evil exists and has been unleashed in our world. It is an evil that has so great a hatred for God and his people that there is no length too great for it to go to destroy the people of the Lord. For me, this book echoed how great the evil is in our presence(seen and unseen) - and how much we really need our Father - our God who is alive and is the Light of the World. How much we need a savior...

I couldn't help but think of the verses in Revelation about those who are persecuted because of the Word of God. Revelation 6 shows us a loving God who asks us to be patient as the souls of those who love Him cry out in grief. He asks us to wait "a little while longer" until all our fellow servants and brothers who are to be killed because of their faith in the Word of God is complete.

Then the waiting is over.... Those that perpetuated such pure hatred, those who murdered our Jewish brothers, sisters, their children and infants with such inhumanity will one day face the living God that will show no mercy on their souls - if they do not repent (only God can know the content of ones heart) and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord. If they die in their sin they will face a fate that the human mind and soul cannot comprehend - eternal conscience punishment. I highly recommend this book, especially for followers of Jesus Christ.

It will certainly deepen your prayer life and I hope will open up great respect for our Jewish brothers and sisters. Judaism and Christianity share so much in common. I hope the book will inspire Christians into solidarity with our Jewish roots and allow us Christians to reach out to all Jews with respect and in the name of Jesus Christ

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

Revelation 6: 9-11

Biblical "Land of milk and honey" Found !!

2007-09-04T20:37:00.000-04:00

This article is interesting because it made me think about how God ensured that we could trace every element of what was written to real life, culture and history - further proving the bibles reliability. The bible is 100% truth from the very mind of God, penned by His chosen human authors - under divine inspiration of His Holy Spirit.

Praise the Lord !! This story is easily overlooked but is very interesting.

Click here to read more about the "Land of Milk & Honey"

Book Review: Save Me From Myself - The Story of Brian "Head" Welch

2007-09-01T09:45:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading Save Me From Myself by Brian "Head" Welch. Here is my review of the book.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is life changing. The story of Brian Welch is nonetheless a validation that the Lord changes lives - even lives that most Christians step over and around on a daily basis. Its difficult as a non-Christian to understand how someone can be making millions of dollars a year, have fame and fortune the world over - and leave it all because one found the love of God.

The story of Brian "Head" Welch is inspirational to say the least. Brian starts out the book in high school and then slowly advances through the post-high school years, into stardom and then into faith. Throughout the years of his life there is always one constant - drugs, drugs and more drugs and with all drugs comes dark slide into darkness that they bring. The book is very simply written. As you read the book you'll find that Brian has not been writing for the New York Times all these years. His writing style is very simple - but the simplicity of his writing adds to the sincerity of his testimony. He doesn't try to "Wow" you with a lot of large words or poetic sentences. I think this is the result of the Holy Spirit that is now living in Brian. Brian isn't a writer, he's a musician. The Apostles of Jesus Christ were also not writers. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to communicate the events of those days in their own words.

I must add that for a man who just came into his Christian faith a few years ago - he has grown by leaps and bounds in his understanding of our shared faith and does an excellent job of articulating his faith to the potential unbelieving reader.

His story is a view into the seductive life of living a life as a rock star - but not just living life as a rock star - but living life period. Life in our fallen world is dark but most don't recognize the darkness for what it is. The evil one seeks to tempt us with the material things of this world. For all of us the tempations are different. The evil one intends to lead you to death (of your soul) by drawing you away from your Father in Heaven - the only true Lover of Your Soul. Brian found this out before it was to late.

I recommend this book for all adults who love to read testimonies of faith. I - like Brian - was of this world until I found the love of God through Jesus Christ as an adult. I don't recommend this book for your children (of course) because of the content that has vivid descriptions of drug use, sex and violence. I do cautiously recommend it for the wayward teenager who is already trapped in this lifestyle or hanging out with the wrong crowd.

I hope you enjoy the book and find Brian's story as inspirational as I did .

Possible remains of second temple found in Jerusalem

2007-09-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

It's amazing to me how archeology continues to validate the bible. The bible is reliable - because it was written under the inspiration of the Living God. I wasn't always a Christian. I didn't always believe.

So now I really treasure my faith and in everything - I see the fingerprint of God and am comforted to know that I am saved by my faith in Jesus Christ.

Click here to read about the latest news that again validates the holy bible.
Possible remains of second temple found in Jerusalem.

Akiane Kramarik: CNN Interview

2007-08-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

Akiane Kramarik was recently interviewed by CNN. Here is the interview that was posted on YouTube.

Lord, thank You for sharing so much with Akiane. I know why you choose a little
girl to reveal so much. I understand and wish I too could know you so
intimately.

I love you Jesus. Thank you for loving me too.

Akiane Kramarik: Dream Child Interview

2007-08-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

ChristianityToday.com and this recent interview with Akiane. I thought I would post it here for those of you who also enjoy her art, poetry and life story.

"It all began to happen when she started to share her dreams and visions."Prior to that time, Forelli had been raised as an unbeliever, in an atheistic family from Lithuania."And my husband was a former Catholic and did not share in the family beliefs. We didn't pray together, there was no discussion about God, and we didn't go to church. Then all of a sudden, Akiane was starting to talk about God."

Follow the link below to the interview and then check back and see the YouTube interview I posted a few months ago.

Follow this hyperlink to the Akiane Interview at ChristianityToday.

Save Me From Myself

2007-08-13T22:07:00.000-04:00

I am deeply drawn to the stories of those that find their faith late in life. Probably because I am one of them. I love to read a persons testimony for Jesus Christ and read about the total transformation that we all live through when we come to faith and are baptised. Brian Welch is one of them.

I just picked up a book over the weekend that is the testimony of faith from the Lead Guitarist of metal band Korn. It is a great story written by Brian himself. Brian gave up his life making millions of dollars, being in one of the most successful metal bands in the world - the fame, fortune and the life that most want - to follow Jesus Christ. He gave it all up !!

Often times us Christians write-off people like Brian as Lost. However - the Holy Spirit doesn't write anyone off until the moment of their death when the person cannot change any longer and has sealed their fate - for all eternity.

In a world where people like Brian are spit on - I thank the Lord for Brian and pray for his growth and strength. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in mind for Brian. He could be another "Paul" in the making.

I'll let you know what I think of the book.

A Wolf In Sheeps Clothing

2007-08-13T21:26:00.000-04:00

Its tough to admit this, but the Lord knows what was swirling around in my heart over the weekend.

Anger.

Disappointment.

The Seed of Doubt.

Since becoming a Christian as an adult, I decided that to be close to God was to know His Word deeply. Since His Word became flesh - knowing His Word will lead me directly to Him. I'm not talking about verse memorization. Although I value and look up to people who memorize verses - I desire to know the Word. To know the context of text (historical and cultural) so that I can cut through the man-made rules and hang-ups to grow close to Jesus in a deep and pure relationship based on simplicity, honesty and understanding.

This path has led me to study books on how to interpret the Bible correctly. The books I have are pretty good - slightly dry - but I'm still working through the initial tough chapters at the beginning.

Over the weekend I picked up a magazine that I really thought I'd enjoy. The magazine is named Biblical Archeology Review. The name seemed to emcompass the elements I've been looking for - so I picked it up. I began reading some of the pieces on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ancient kings of Judeaism. It was really interesting until I noticed that whenever the author of the article referenced Christianity, the author never referenced the resurrection or elements of His diety as fact - but instead referenced only the historical elements concerning Jesus's life and the founding of His Church following the resurrection. There was no spiritual life in this magazines pages. Later in the magazine I encountered several articles about how not one, but many of the authors were not Christians or even practicing Jews and that many in their studies had lost their faith and now were either non-Christian or were atheist.

How if these scholars could lose their faith so close the Word and their studies - how could I stand up to reasons for unbelief? Would this happen to me?

Their testimonies sent me into a depressing series of thoughts, interlaced with doubt that made me feel worse. I hate doubt because it does not come from Him, but from the Darkness that hates me and all Christians who love Him.

This darkness worked on my heart most of the weekend. On Sunday morning I woke early to pray alone before the household awoke. I slightly prayed and could almost feel the Lord reading the content of my heart. So I in my thoughts began to speak to God and confess my doubt. It turned out to be the best thing I could have done because for the rest of day - I believe He showered me in answers to address my doubts. It started in Church and went all day until I lay in bed Sunday night - as I thanked Him for freeing me from my troubled heart.

He restored me with calm and with answers. Thank you Jesus !!

Usually I am very good at discerning secular works and preparing my heart before I enter their pages, but in this rare case - one secular magazine that seemed to be perfect for me was actually a "Wolf in Sheeps Clothing".

Be careful what you read - you may find a wolf hiding under the covers. The darkness in this world hates us, because Jesus loves us. There is no plan of salvation for the principalities of darkness that aim to swallow up every last Christian. Because of this - we are feared and hated to very moment of our death.

Be strong in the Holy Spirit and pray for strength. Please pray a short prayer for my understanding and strength too.

South Korea 2nd to USA - In Number of Christian Missionaries Sent Abroad !!

2007-08-04T23:39:00.000-04:00

This is exciting news and recently made me think of the 24 South Korean Christian missionaries who left the comfort of 21st century South Korea to travel to a dangerous, war-torn land to plant the seeds of Life - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember that all Christians are of the same family. There are no Jews or Gentiles, slave or free, male or female. We must pray for our South Korean brothers and sisters being held hostage in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is a really interesting article at the Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118611077167387122.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Dead Sea Keeps Missing Boy Alive

2007-08-04T23:34:00.000-04:00

Here is a great story of a 8 year old boy who was swept away in the tide of the Dead Sea. God certainly had a hand in delivering him back into the arms of his parents.

(IsraelNN.com) A massive manhunt and rescue operation ended in joy around
midnight between Thursday and Friday, after a missing child was found alive,
floating in the Dead Sea. The high salt and mineral content of the water, while
extremely dangerous to ingest, kept the child afloat...
...The rescue workers, both religious and not, broke out into spontaneous
dance upon finding the boy. The words "miracle from Heaven" were a
constant refrain. The boy's family thanked the many volunteers and
security personnel who took part in the search.

Hope Springs Eternal

2007-05-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

I take pictures year round but I recently went out into my backyard to take some spring photos. God created so much but we just miss so much in our day to day.

I love photography and hope that one day I'll be able to buy a real camera. I love close-up photos like this because I love to photograph the smallest of things that possess considerable beauty. Look at the spray of red on just one of the petals of the flower. The full size shot reveals great detail that I could not include in this smaller photo.

I stumbled across this toad (below) in my backyard after I had finished cutting the grass. You can see the fresh cut blades of grass - with the toad sitting uncomfortably on top of the blades of grass. I swore he was going to jump at me while I was taking this photo of him. Thankfully he didn't. I picked him up and took him to my daughter waiting nearby to show her what I found.

Thank you Lord for all of the beauty of Your creation

for every detail

seen and unseen,

it is all a testament to Your glory and majesty.

Amen.

National Geographic King Herod Tomb Photos

2007-05-14T21:19:00.000-04:00

I thought that some of you would be interested in seeing some of the photos of King Herod's tomb from National Geographic. Here is the link

King Herod's tomb discovered

2007-05-13T21:06:00.000-04:00

Once again we see that the bible is proven to be the most historically accurate book ever written (in my opinion). Year after year we find that the great book is not just fairy tales - but is actual history. See the article below.

"The archeologist who located King Herod's tomb at Herodium said Tuesday that the grave had been desecrated, apparently shortly after his death, but called the discovery a "high point." The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has uncovered the grave and tomb of Herod, who
ruled Judea for the Roman empire from circa 37 BCE... "

"The majority of researchers had believed that Herod was in fact buried at Herodium, based on the writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, but multiple excavations at the site failed to locate the grave... "

By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Staff

Click here to read the entire story.

A Testimony: "Timinator15" - A Touching Story of Salvation and Deliverance

2007-05-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you encounter a person who's faith is inspiring beyond the depth and capability of human words. I encountered this counter-argument video testimony on YouTube while watching video recorded rejections of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as requested by the Blasphemy Challenge.

This video couldn't have been more moving and more appropriately placed. I thank God for it and for Tim aka "Timinator15". Tim, I am in awe of your testamony.

Self Proclaimed "Antichrist" Cult Leader Claims to be "Greater Than Jesus" in Inteview on CNN

2007-05-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

Here is an interview with the self-proclaimed "Antichrist" found on YouTube that was recorded from CNN. It is an interview with Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda.

Cult: Faithful come to hear 'Antichrist'

2007-05-07T20:04:00.000-04:00

More on the Antichrist preacher Dr. Miranda of Growing in Grace Ministries (aka a cult). According to the article below Miranda himself has branded himself the "Antichrist", the man who has "upstaged" Jesus Christ (in Dr. Miranda's own words).

"Miranda teaches that the devil no longer exists and that Jesus, like him,
was also God incarnate but that his message is no longer current. Nevertheless,
Miranda also believes, like mainstream Christians, that Jesus died for the
world's sins. Unlike them, Miranda preaches sin no longer exists.His followers,
some of whom had the 666 or the letters SSS tattooed on their arms, ankles and
necks, laughed and applauded during his sermon."
"Later, at a news conference, Miranda said the 666 is a number that represents him as the Antichrist but said it is not the devil's mark since he does not believe there is a devil."

Posted by Jeannette Rivera-Lyles Sentinel Staff Writer

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Antichrist Alert: Millions Being Misled by Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda!!!

2007-05-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

Christians beware:

A crowd has packed an amphitheater in Orlando Florida to worship a man that the crowd believes is Jesus Christ incarnate. According to this news report "millions" of people believe this man is Jesus Christ incarnate and have tattoed "666" on their bodies as a sign of their belief that he is the Son of God. Apparently the false prophet's name is Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda.

Dr. Miranda is 61 and confesses that he is a recovering heorin addict and convicted felon. (scratching head)

... and this happened in Orlando Florida !!! Please pray for these foolish people. They are being misled and are lost. Their only hope is prayer and lots of it.

Click here to link to the news report.

Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opens

2007-04-29T19:25:00.000-04:00

By TOBY STERLING
AP

SCHAGEN, Netherlands (April 28) - The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday - you could say it was the first time in 4,000 years - drawing a crowd of curious pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

2007-04-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

LORD,

On this day, Resurrection Sunday, when I was able to gather with my family - my good friend and his family gathered in the hospital to honor their very ill father and family patriarch. I pray for my friend Tom, his father and their family tonight.

I recall how hard it was when my own dad was sick through the holidays not so long ago. I remember the trips to the hospital after work. Thanksgiving in a hospital room. We had to get a Christmas Tree without him that year too. I remember the really hard trips that I didn't want to make. The arguments with my dad that really hurt but also the wonderful talks we had. I really miss him. My dad wasn't always the most cheerful in the those hospital rooms struggling in a life and death battle with cancer. It was so sad to watch my dad who was once so strong - become so weak and frail.

So tonight I pray to You my Lord and my God because I love and trust You. Please wrap Your loving hands around Tom's dad, like You did for me and my dad not so long ago.

This time in Tom's life must be especially hard since he not only is dealing with the aftermath of a painful divorce, being a single dad with two great sons, the trials and struggles with work and the burdens of a profession - but also this... There is nothing like a son watching a wounded parent struggle for life. It's truly humbling.

The process of death is really something I will never forget watching. Visiting it once with my first son, then again with my own father. I never knew I would lose my dad so soon. I wish I had more time here with him. Yet I'm so thankful for all the memories.

What do I do with the phone call I received from Tom tonight? I have nothing to offer him or his family but my prayers. I feel so bad that on this Easter when I celebrate the resurrection of Your only Son surrounded by healthy family; Tom is chin deep in grief and pain as he watches his dad pass.

Please won't You please tend to him with Your angels. Can You have them waiting for his arrival? Can they illuminate his passage to Your Son? Can they expedite his way and guard his travel to You?

I am so sad for Tom. I feel like my friend is drowning and I have no way to reach him. I have no advice worthy of giving.

Thank you for Jesus. Remembering You and what You did for me. For us. Forever.

In the name of my Lord. My Messiah. My Shepard. My Light - Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Happy Easter 2007

2007-04-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

Baby: Dead for 30 minutes comes back to life

2007-02-27T19:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a great story of God's love in our lost and fallen world. A small 2 week old baby named Baby Woody who died and was gone for 30 minutes before he just coughed and began to move again. There is no sign of any brain damage - after 30 minutes. Any parent can know the enormous sense of loss - and great joy - at the life renewed through God's will for this little baby.

Reading this can certainly cause lots of questions. Why Woody? Why not my baby? These answers are only for God to address. Don't get lost in grief and doubt, take a moment to pray and recognize God's divine and perfect love as evidenced in this great act for Woody and his family.

"After trying for 30 minutes to bring two-week-old Woody Lander back to life, doctors decided there was nothing more they could do and called in his parents to say their tearful farewells. A nurse passed Woody to his heartbroken father and gently pulled a tube from his mouth so they could kiss him goodbye.

It was then that the miracle happened.
The lifeless baby suddenly coughed and moved. "

Click here to read the article in its entirety.
Original story in Daily Mail by CHRIS BROOKE

A War in Heaven?

2007-02-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine a war in heaven? A war between Good (God and His mighty angels) and Evil (The Beast and evil angels) that was so broad and so violent that it swept 1/3 of all the angels in Heaven - out.

These angels that were thrown out of Heaven were possessed of great evil and hatred for God. Where do they all dwell now? According to the book of Revelation they all dwell here on Earth and are not happy about it either. If you believe and are faithful to God and His only Son Jesus Christ - you are their target. The Beast hates you.

Remember that as you walk in Christ, you are forever being hunted by The Beast. He will stand in your way, he will fall your friends and family to get to you. He will spare nothing to destroy you because you belong to God and worship His noble and great Son - Jesus. This is a sobering read below. I had to read it several times and am still in awe. Let it sink in.

Revelation 12 (NASB)

The Woman, Israel
1A great (A)sign appeared (B)in heaven: (C)a woman (D)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she (E)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The Red Dragon, Satan
3Then (F)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red (G)dragon having (H)seven heads and (I)ten horns, and on his heads were (J)seven diadems.

4And his tail swept away a (K)third of the stars of heaven and (L)threw them to the earth And the (M)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth (N)he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ
5And (O)she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to (P)rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was (Q)caught up to God and to His throne.

6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for (R)one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Angel, Michael
7And there was war in heaven, (S)Michael and his angels waging war with the (T)dragon The dragon and (U)his angels waged war,

8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

9And the great (V)dragon was thrown down, the (W)serpent of old who is called the devil and (X)Satan, who (Y)deceives the whole world; he was (Z)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

10Then I heard (AA)a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the (AB)salvation, and the power, and the (AC)kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the (AD)accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

11"And they (AE)overcame him because of (AF)the blood of the Lamb and because of (AG)the word of their testimony, and they (AH)did not love their life even when faced with death.

12"For this reason, (AI)rejoice, O heavens and (AJ)you who dwell in them (AK)Woe to the earth and the sea, because (AL)the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only (AM)a short time."

13And when the (AN)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted (AO)the woman who gave birth to the male child.

14But the (AP)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly (AQ)into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for (AR)a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

15And the (AS)serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.

16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.

17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to (AT)make war with the rest of her (AU)children, who (AV)keep the commandments of God and (AW)hold to the testimony of Jesus.

When

2007-02-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

God -

When I pray You here me

When I worry You ease my concern

When I fear You are there to protect me

When I want to curl up and want to cry You comfort me

When I call You

You come to me

I know You love me because You are always showing me

Reminding me

I want to tell You that I Love You and really am thankful

for all that You do for me

and what You are -

My God.

Descendant of Muhammad converts to Christianity

2007-02-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

This is one of those irony of faith stories. Kind of like Saul (The Apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus. I am breathless at what this means for this mans life (eternally speaking). God is alive and working in this world. He is not the absentee landlord that some claim.

Pray for Dedeoglu. He will need it.

"For Muslims, he said, it is undeniable Dedeoglu descends from Muhammad's daughter Fatima and her husband Ali. In Dedeoglu's hometown, Elazig, in eastern Turkey they used to be revered as a holy family. According to Seitter, the apostasy of a family member is regarded as an insult of the prophet himself.
Dedeoglu's case has become so widely known in Turkey that his life is in real and imminent danger, the lawyer said. "
Click here to read the entire story

A Troubled Heart

2007-01-18T19:09:00.000-05:00

My Dear Father in Heaven -

Lord, thank You for being so patient with me. I am consumed with problems. Each day I think it will be different and try to find the "silver lining" in the clouds but each day I feel like I've accomplished nothing.

I am bewildered, overwhelmed and need You...

I need You to make this all right for me.

This morning on my way to work I was listening to a preacher on the radio. I felt like You were answering my prayers from only a few hours earlier. If that is the case, then thank You. The message spoke to my prayers.

I know I need to fully give You my problems. I need to let go and trust You.

Chase the Enemy far away from me and clear a path for me so that I may walk in the peace of Your warm light. Rescue my mind from it's dark ways and prepare my heart for Your will.

I love You and am so thankful that You have never given up on me.

Have I let You down again? Please forgive me for the wrong that I have let occupy my mind and heart lately. How many prayers You have answered for me? So many, yet I am so selfish.

Lord won't You bless me with deep rejuvinating sleep tonight? Perhaps You could send me an angel to sing to me in sweet song.

I need You. Please come to me.

I pray this prayer tonight in the name of Your only Son, Jesus.

Amen.

Bathed in Light

2007-01-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

"You'll take delight in God, the Mighty One, and look to him joyfully, boldly. You'll pray to him and he'll listen; he'll help you do what you've promised. You'll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light."
-Job 22:26

A Glimpse of Heaven? Lion Affectionately Hugs Rescuer

2007-01-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

This is a great news story with remarkable video of a majestic lion giving it's rescuer a hug and kiss. It immediately reminded me of Isaiah and the promises of Heaven that are contained in it's pages. See the verses below the photo.

Story & Video: Lion Gives Bear Hug, Kiss

6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with
the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
Isaiah 11:6-7 (New American Standard Bible)

25"The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD."
Isaiah 65:25 (New American Standard Bible)

China: Authorities Arrest Three Christian Church Leaders in Post-Christmas Raid

2007-01-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight as you head off to bed, our brothers and sisters in Christ in China are being imprisoned for worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ outside of the state sponsored church. This is very similar to life for 1st century Christians under Roman persecution.

Please - I beg you - please pray for the Church in China this evening. They desperately need your prayers.

Associated Press
SHANGHAI, China — Police arrested three Christian church leaders in a raid on a gathering at a private home in northeastern China, a U.S.-based monitoring group reported Wednesday. About 30 policemen and officials from the local government's Religious Affairs Bureau took part in the Dec. 29 raid on the home in Duolun, in Inner Mongolia 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Beijing, the China Aid Association reported. The officials declared the service an "illegal gathering," the association said, a reflection of China's policy of permitting worship only in official churches whose clergy and activities are tightly controlled by the officially atheistic communist government.

India: Indian State Passes Anti-Conversion Bill

2007-01-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

From Voice of the Martyrs:

On December 30, 2006, the congress party passed the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, where only 8,000 of the more than 6 million people are Christian. Under the anti-conversion bill, any person found forcibly converting another person could be imprisoned for up to two years and/or fined up to 25,000 rupees ($565 US). Meanwhile on January 2, 2007, an evangelist and three Christian brothers were beaten by Hindu radicals after being falsely charged with forced conversion. They all sustained internal injuries. Pray God would give Christians in India boldness to stand for Him in the midst of persecution. Pray for protection and that publicity from these laws will cause Christians worldwide to lift the country of India before God's throne.

From Pakistan Christian Post:

The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill 2006 bans force conversion. Anyone found involved in force conversion will be imprisoned up to 2 years and/or fined Rs. 25,000 (US$ 565). Anyone wants to convert from one religion to another will required to give 30 days prior notice to district authorities. Violating this will be fined up to Rs. 1,000 (US$ 23).

Akiane Interview

2007-01-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

For those of you who know me or read this blog, you are probably well aware that I love the artwork and faith story of a young 11 year old girl named Akiane. For more information on Akiane, please read my post from October 18, 2006 titled "What if God invited you to Heaven for a night?".

I found this short but interesting video interview with Akiane on YouTube.

I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Feet - A Testimony

2007-01-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

"Happy Feet" (a.k.a Dean) is a remarkable person who's personal life was transformed by the the Lord's Holy Spirit. He left his home in Australia, moved to Hong Kong and now carries bibles across the border into China. His work and the work of others give "living water" to those who are thirsty. Without Dean's work many would go without the very Word of God. His testimony is inspiring and I am excited to share this with you.

I hope his testimony will inspire you the way it has truly touched and inspired me.

Below is Dean's testimony unedited and presented with his permission.

I arrived in Hong Kong on the 2nd of March 2006 after my flight from Melbourne Australia was delayed two hours, finally arriving. For the first time crossing the gates from Melbourne into the duty free area in the middle of the night, now nowing there is no turning back having left my Country, possession, friends and life behind. What will the future be like? Will I have the faith to cross into China from Hong Kong with the restricted Bibles? What happens when I get caught? I remember thinking every step from now on is a step of faith. I will be living in a Community of Christians, how will that be? No family, no familiar friends, leaving everything behind me to see a new life in Hong Kong. How will it be knowing so very little of the language? How long will I be in Hong Kong? I had been asked so many times by people only to reply that I will stay in Hong Kong as long as God asks with no idea what really lay ahead except to know everything was going to be different.

It was around New Year 2005/2006 at a conference called Belgrave Heights Christmas Convention where my life was challenged. A keynote speaker John North that year was preaching out of James Chapter 4, the chapter being revealed verse by verse alongside my true character as the words became life to me. I hadn't come for any of the preachers, I had come in faith that God would speak and that he did. The words You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. How God desires me, we talk about getting the victory over Sin as if we're not effecting anything but ourselves with talk of living in defeat, not realising how much God jealousy desires the Spirit he has made to dwell in us.

Nine months earlier around mid 2005 was yet another conference I had attended. I had been downloading many sermons from http://www.sermonindex.net/ and come across Jackie Pullinger who was the keynote speaker at this conference in my home city of Melbourne. I was working the first day, but that night and the whole weekend I traveled into the city to hear her and others speak on serving the poor for Christ's Glory. My convictions are still from Paul when his desire was "Gospel" but to remember the poor also - not the other way around as many seem to be doing. I had been meeting street preachers in Melbourne and becoming more confident with handing out Gospel tracts, preaching the Gospel open air once and praying for boldness. Really I wanted to give up everything for Christ, I had taken all of my music and sold it because I didn't want to be distracted by this World, I started severely increasing the amount of sermons I was listening to, I was convicted to leave a night club I had fooled myself I was ministering to and convicted about many lust issues I had (which the music no doubt didn't help with either). At the conference at the end a friend of mine Dave had just returned from America, Canada and Hong Kong, he was so moved by God the whole conference, laying there weeping so uncontrollably as people prayed over him at the close of the conference. He crawled to me, laying his hands on my feet rubbing them, looking into my eyes repeating how my feet are beautiful as he continued to rub them, beautiful feet for they will carry the Gospel.

As 2007 commences I thought it would be a good thing to share with you how I came to be here in Hong Kong moving Bibles into China. It had been on my heart for a while, mostly influenced by Brother Andrew's sermons on sermonindex among a great respect for God's Glory in China both now and over the Century as God raised those in weakness, causing great revival while the Missionaries were kicked out of the Country and all Christians put in Prison. With the need for 50 Million Bibles being a great need, I would have liked to take two weeks off work to help. Although it seems God had different plans for me, I was so deeply in despair over my Sin, by the time I came to the Conference at Belgrave Heights and heard the liberating words from John North from James Chapter 4, it seemed like everything had changed from hearing those words and taking them by faith - liberating me from the chains that held me. The very next day was a call to Missions with video footage of Missionaries feet on screens all over the auditorium talking about these beautiful feet - asking if I had beautiful feet. I felt so hot inside, I felt like God was speaking directly to me asking me to do something I didn't think would happen, to go forward and give my life to Christ in Missions. From making that decision door after door opened, I found a new liberty in trusting God's plan for me, and the faith for Reese (my fiance) and I to decide to marry quickly in faith this coming year.

Readying me for the grace to even take those words by faith or desire God's Word for a few days solid at a Convention instead of pleasure with friends, the Spirit of Christ had me behind the wheel of my car weeping bitter tears of sorrow at God's broken heart over Sin. What sin? My sin, my play-acting, my religiosity, the hidden things of my heart. Carrying Bibles through Customs into China has been a lesson in faith and overcoming the fear of man and desiring God over the pain of weight Bibles can be. What of preaching the Gospel of God? Will the tears flow again as I sit convicted with a headphone piece in listening to Spirit and Word taught teachers of the Word of God? May it be as it was.

...As it is written,
"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the
good news!" (Romans 10:15)

If you are interested in sending bibles or a donations to Dean in Hong Kong, please email me. Are you going to be in Hong Kong anytime soon? Dean is always looking for people to make carry bibles across the border.

New Years Reflections

2007-01-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

Directions:

Step 1: Fill in the blank words in the blue sentence below after you complete reading this post.

This post is not a depressing post about how you won't meet your resolutions or goals for the New Year. I've heard all morning from the media about the percentage of people who won't succeed in fulfilling their New Years Resolutions for 2007. I don't need to know about the statistical chance of me not being better than I was yesterday or last year for that matter.

This is not my purpose.

I can't help but to think that New Years is actually a very Christian holiday, even though it technically isn't a religious holiday at all. I can't help but to think when I watch all those people in Times Square, Sydney, Paris, London, etc ringing in the New Year that they are, even once, thinking of their past, present and future all at the same moment.

We celebrate leaving the past in the past which is where it should be.

We all have moments or periods of time in our pasts where we wished we could have made better decisions. We have hurt God, ourselves or others and struggle to forget the seemingly perpetual weakness that swirls around us reminding us of these wrongs. The Enemy is at work wearing you down. Aside from God, we alone know the darkness that truly resides in ourselves. We choose not to show this darkness to others -but what if they knew what you were thinking? What you've done?

When God put on the clothing of human flesh and was born into our world, He did this so that we could now see a human face on our eternal Father. Jesus, God in the flesh, did not come to curse us or judge us, but He came to save us. Is this perhaps contrary to what you've heard or been told? See John 3:17-19 below

17"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

God knows all that you hide in your mind and heart. He calls you to know Him because when you know Him, you will find forgiveness for all of your past, present and future wrongs. He can change your entire life if you trust Him to this task.

If you are puzzled and do not know how to trust Him, you need not worry. Call out to Him (this is prayer) and He will see the genuine nature of your desire for Him and He will open you eyes.

Be patient !! The Enemy seeks to destroy you through deception, distraction, doubt and disappointment. He does not want you to have a relationship with your true Father, but is angered and enraged at the thought that salvation from all your wrongs is available for you - and not him. The Enemy hates God with a fiery passion. The Enemy wants no one to be saved but instead to be lost.

God alone can help you be the person you have always wanted to be. He will exceed your wildest expectations and He renews all that love and seek Him. Go ahead now and fill in the blanks in the sentence below. Let this New Year remind you that in all things, God is willing to forgive and forget - everything. Jesus is the method in which you can truly "clear the slate" and start completely over.

I will / want _____________________ beginning this year.

Happy New Year !!

The Pagen - A Testimony

2006-12-27T10:38:00.000-05:00

My oldest brother bears a wonderful testimony to the redeeming power of God's Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.

Years ago my brother was a pagen. Not in the stereotypical sense of the word, but in reality. He was a practicing Wiccan who was waist deep in the false teachings and promises of a vast rather unknown society globally inter-connected via the Internet. Pagens today are very misunderstood. They don't sacrifice animals or drink the blood of virgins, fly on brooms or court vampires - they live quite lives working, living and shopping in all the places we do but they believe all religions are at one with each other, they pray to their gods of nature, support one another in "fellowship" and intrust their present and eternal lives to the many gods of their faiths (gods of nature) - excluding Christianity. Like most of secularists, Wiccan's generally believe that if you don't hurt others and live a good, fair life - things will work out ok. They find comfort and power in crystals, candles, ritiuals, etc. They are a blend of mysticism with naturalism. They are not fond of Christians because of the judgement most receive from us. They, like most other "all are equal" religions, don't like the exclusivity of Christianity (only those who trust and believe in Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins will find eternal life).

My brother was one of them. He grew more and more withdrawn from his family and in the process became bitter towards Christians. I'm not sure how many years ago things changed, but I'll use the "5 year" number because that seems about right. 5 years ago my brother grudgingly went to see a play that his daughters were involved in at the Christian church his wife attended. It was a Christmas play. This single event literally changed the entire course of my brothers life - much greater than we'd have ever known. It's rather an exciting story but while he was watching the Christmas play, he was overcome by the emptiness of his pagen faith. He was overcome by the human reality that being a good person just isn't enough - we need a Savior. He was overcome and began to cry during the play. I cannot in my words summarize it as well as he does but it is very moving. I was not a Christian at this time and his coversion was interesting to me.

About a year after that play he was baptised. Yes, baptised !! A former pagen who most Christians would rather not associate with - and primarily because of his dislike for Christians.

After his baptism, his life slowly but steadily began to change. The man who I very often didn't associate with much or had little in common with morph into a wonderful warm person who - despite not owning a car and working at resteraunt - gave a minimum of 10% of his income to his church. He began to pray heavily, started working in soup kitchens, donated his time to the Salvation Army, etc.

His entire life changed - forever.

In Acts 2:38 we learn that upon baptism, a Christian receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. This indwelling of God's Spirit is responsible for the changes that take place in a Christian that most of us see happen but just don't grasp or understand. This is why baptism of adults is necessary. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit we are entering a battle with no armor or weapons. We may have our faith but our faith will produce little fruit because the Enemy will work overtime to destroy you.

Now to end this extraordinary testimony. On Tuesday December 26th my brother graduated from college with a degree in ministry. He is now equiped by God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to transform the lives of the lost around him.

God moves in all of our lives and calls us at different times. Usually it is the people we would least expect - but He calls us. When we respond, an extraordinary transformation takes place and it, like a stone in a pond, sends out ripples that effect everyone around them.

O' Little Star of Bethlehem

2006-12-24T14:44:00.000-05:00

Saudi Secondary-School Teacher Jailed for Discussing The Bible in Public

2006-12-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

During this Christmas holiday season, please remember to pray for those who are persecuted for thier faith in countries around the world.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- A court sentenced a teacher to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes for "mocking religion" after he discussed the Bible and praised Jews, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday. Al-Madina newspaper said secondary-school teacher Mohammad al-Harbi, who will be flogged in public, was taken to court by his colleagues and students. He was charged with promoting a
"dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the Gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer," the newspaper said. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, strictly upholds the austere Wahhabi school of Islam and bases its constitution on the Koran and the sayings of the prophet Muhammad. Public practice of any other religion is banned.

Click here to read more.

Show Me A Sign

2006-12-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

About lastnight

2006-12-16T11:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have family who, how do I put it nicely...are not like us. You'll realize that it is hard to get them involved in anything "God" related with some notable exceptions, then you will see how disappointed I was last night.

Last Sunday at service I was invited verbally to join my congregation in a "night of Christmas song". Wow!! I thought, how nice it would be to take the family to a short evening of Christmas cheer with my church. The gentleman quickly had me commit and sign-up to bring a food dish. He could have sold me an insurance policy at that very moment he was so slick. A nice evening of singing and spirit-filled prayer. I have not truly been to a nice Christmas get together in 7 or 8 years when I once attended a church in a small town we had once lived - for a Christmas service. At that event, there was a bell-choir and lots of song and good cheer. It was wonderful!!!

Well, I thought this was it except now I was "one of them". I'm now a Christian so it will truly mean more to me and maybe it will inspire my children to see beyond the gifts and myth often associated with Christmas to see and feel that God is real and loves when we sing to Him.

To no fault of my family, I was sadly disappointed to find that it was not a night of Christmas cheer but a night of well - food (and lots of it), half-hearted song and a "White Elephant" gift exchange that I had no idea was happening so we didn't (gulp...) bring a gift.

Aaggghh!!!

My wife and I fought to pass my overly tired 2 year old daughter back and forth to keep her from the abyss. My son could have fallen asleep at his seat from boredom and to avoid this we kept feeding him dessert. My wife and I really didn't want to be there but I know she went for me. I was tired and really didn't feel like talking, let alone eating. I tried to be a good sport but it wasn't happening. The people who hosted the party did a nice job - they really tried hard and it's not their fault.

We ended up leaving early. I found myself trying to apologetically explain my vision for the evening with no success. My wife was clearly disappointed and I think they all regretted going at all. Heck, who am I kidding. I didn't want to go after I had been there. The worst part is that I invited a friend who does not attend worship anywhere and asked him to bring his kids. He couldn't make it and I can't help to think it may have been a divine act to save him from formulating his opinion of Christians prematurely.

I have to keep reminding myself this morning that thankfully its not what we do that gets us to heaven, but what is in our hearts for Him. Thank God for being saved by our faith and not works.

An angel of the Lord appeared...

2006-12-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

Vatican Unearths Apparent Tomb of Apostle Paul

2006-12-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

VATICAN CITY (AP) - A white marble sarcophagus believed to be the final resting place of the Apostle Paul has been unearthed from beneath the altar of Rome's second-largest basilica after centuries hidden from view, but those curious about its contents will have to wait still longer.

Vatican experts, announcing Monday that the coffin had been unearthed, said they hoped to be able to examine it more closely and maybe even look inside.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Ironies of History

2006-12-05T20:36:00.000-05:00

I did not write the following but found it and really thought it rang true to the nature of God. I loved it because I love history and because...

I love irony!!!

I love to see the tables turn - and the triumph of Good over evil.

"God has a way of turning the tables on evil. The French philosopher Voltaire predicted that Christianity would be swept from existence within 100 years. Yet just 50 years after he died in 1779, the German Bible Society had occupied Voltaire's house and was using his printing press to produce stacks of Bibles.

During World War II, Adolf Hitler erected a massive stone structure in Monte Carlo. It was to be a radio station from which to broadcast Nazi propaganda into North Africa. Today from that very building, Trans World Radio beams the gospel of Christ's redeeming love all across Europe and into Russia and Africa.

Could these ironies of history be whispers of the last word Christ will have at the end of this age? The apostle Paul wrote of a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11).

Do you become discouraged when evil prospers and falsehood seems to triumph over truth? Do you feel that you are being unjustly treated, even though you've forgiven the offender and tried to make things right? Leave it with Christ. Let the ironies of history and Paul's words in Philippians 2:1-11 remind you that the God of history will have the final word.

The righteous will one day be vindicated."

- Dennis J. De Haan.

Taken from Our Daily
Bread, © January 29, 1991 by Radio Bible Class

Christians Under Persecution

2006-12-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Persecuted Christians is something most of us in Western nations read about in history books or in the Bible. Well PrisonerAlert (a service of Voice of the Martyrs) detail a small list of Christians who have been imprisoned for their belief in Jesus Christ. They need your prayers - tonight !!

What's really depressing is the stories of these Disciples. It makes me think about what the Apostles of Jesus went through in their day. What is eye opening is that China tops the list. Most people forget that China is a Communist country that seeks to either control the Church there - or eliminate it. With so many Western businesses doing business in China, we forget that they don't believe in Freedom of Worship - or freedom at all.

Read these stories (the numbers only represent the people highlighted by VOM - not all persecuted for their faith in Christ):
China - 8
Cuba - 1
Eritrea - 3
Indonesia - 2
Iran (Islamic Republic of) - 1
Pakistan - 1
Vietnam - 2

Take My Yoke Upon You - Learning to Read His Word Beyond First Glance

2006-11-19T12:15:00.000-05:00

28"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

Matthew 11:27-29

I love these verses. I love them because they speak directly to us. It is an invitation to all who are weary and heavy-laden (certainly referring to me) to come to Him - who can provide rest for our souls.

For long I wondered what He meant when He asks us to "take My Yoke" upon us. I often and long associated His "yoke" in this verse with the yoke of an egg. I often wondered how I could take Christ's Yoke upon myself. Was it referring to the nourishing power of God's love? One evening last week I was doing some research and I found God was not speaking about an egg yoke. He was referring to a device !!

God's Word is alive and is three-dimensional in its meaning, depth and reach into our daily lives. Many times there is much greater depth in His meaning than we take on first glance. Reading, researching and prayer will help to open His Word to you that reveal His nature and desire for us.

A yoke is a device that fits on the head of oxen and horses used for teaching animals to stand quiet and steady. I found yoke's similarly referenced in Isaiah 9:4 and Act 15:10 that is consistent with this meaning. More appropriately, a yoke (was very common and is still used today) was placed on a persons shoulders to lesson and balance the load someone is carrying. It is called a shoulder yoke. See this link for an example of an early English shoulder yoke - most likely similar to yokes used in biblical days since they are simple devices.

Knowing what we now know, God recognizes that you are carrying some very heavy loads on your shoulders. He invites you to take Christ's Yoke upon you, meaning, allow God to balance and ease the burden of the loads you are carrying. He will do so if you invite Him in prayer.

I began a few years ago setting aside early morning time when no one was up and the house is dark - for private conversation time with Him. I confess anything and everything. I hold nothing back because I figure He is already aware of it all but still wants to hear from me. I noticed that the more time I spent in open and totally honest one on one prayer, the more I could recognize God working in my life. I continually invite Him into my problems, disappointments, failures, sin, etc.

When we read through the rest of the verse, God invites us to "learn from Him" just as a oxen yoke is meant to teach an oxen or horse to stand quiet and steady. This was amazing when I read it. Is this starting to make sense?

Tell Him of your mistakes and accept His invitation to "learn from Him" to aid you on those "do over" days. Lastly we find that if we come to Him - we will find that God is "gentle and humble in heart" and will forgive us for of our mistakes, let downs, down right disappointments, sin and/or failures.

Stay the course and you will find the "rest for your soul" that you are looking for.

God Bless, Christian

A Christian Testimony from the North Korean Church

2006-11-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

Imagine living in a country where your faith could literally kill you or your children. This is a scary article about a Christian living in North Korea. I imagine that this is similar conditions that Christians faced during the days of Roman persecution. This is an eye-opener and a must read.

"A slip of the tongue at school, and children could accidentally inform on their own parents," the report said. "The parents could be arrested, or worse. Parents consider very carefully when their children can be trusted to know that their parents are Christians, traitorous outlaws in the eyes of their government."

Click here to read the entire story.

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"

2006-10-29T17:18:00.000-05:00

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Matthew 27:46 NASB

These words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 are cause for much debate amongst Christians and non-Christians today. Non-Christians rally to these words as an example of why He was just a wise teacher and not the Messiah. Others ask why if He were God in the flesh, would He speak such a question to His Father in Heaven? Many Christians struggle to find an answer. I have to admit, that is a good question and one that I once pondered myself. While Jesus walked amongst us, He made every effort to answer the question of who He was.

In many instances Jesus answered these questions directly:

61But He kept silent and did not answer Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Mark 14:61-62 NASB

Jesus made every effort to prove that He was the prophesized Messiah to the skeptical and unbelieving masses. He did this by fulfilling and/or referencing Old Testament prophecies that God, Himself, was fulfilling in the flesh. For example in the verses of Mark quotes above, Jesus calls Himself the "Son of Man". In doing this He was not only saying He was the Christ, but He quotes the prophetic book of Daniel to prove it.

Now to answer the question !! When Jesus spoke the words "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as recorded in Matthew and Mark - Jesus was fufilling a prophecy of the coming Messiah referenced in Psalm 22. This Psalm describes the events which were slowly unfolding (at that time) before everyone's eyes as their Lord and Savior hung on a wooden cross before them. Jesus was boldly pointing us to a Psalm of David written roughly 1000 years earlier. Remarkably, Psalm 22 starts out with the very words that Jesus himself spoke in the famous passages in Matthew and Mark.

1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?Psalm 22:1 NASB

Psalm 22 contains an account of the events of the Crucifixion from the vantage point of the Holy Spirit. This account is also shrouded in a lot of symbolism. As I read this account, I imagined Jesus Himself speaking the words in the Psalm to His Father. As equally inspiring is that this Psalm mentions the form of torture/execution - crucifixion that He would endure, long before crucifixion was invented as a form of torture by the Roman Empire. During the days of King David and perhaps even the days of Jesus, blasphemy (the crime that Jesus was charged with by the Sanhedrin) was punishable only by stoning, not crucifixion. Since the Sanhedrin could not convict Jesus, the Roman's were left to convict Him, which ended up being by crucifixion.

All to often Christians allow others to define for them answers and reasons why Christ did or didn't do events outlined in the Bible. We fall victim to allowing the secular media and "Theologians" from Academia who water down the Word of God with human explanations. We will always fall short in our understanding when we use human explanations for describing truly Godly events.

With all your questions, look to the Bible and pray for understanding and wisdom. He will here your prayers and will answer them in time as you mature in your faith and grow in your Christian wisdom and most importantly, your relationship with Him who freed us.

Now if you haven't already done so, click on here to read Psalm 22 for yourself.

A Prayer Answered: Thank you Lord !!

2006-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

For those of you who may have read my Prayer for Jeff, I wanted to provide an update of a prayer answered.

Jeff as you may have read was in desperate need of two major organ transplants. Both organs had to be transplanted at the exact same time and to make matter worse - no operation of this type is known to have been performed in the United States (...ever). Jeff's body was dying a slow and demoralizing death. His skin took on a dark green color as poisions built up in his cells and could not longer be cleaned.

To complicate the matter worse, when he was pushed to the top of the organ transplant list, he was informed that he was being taken off the list due to a stomach infection he contracted.

Where is the good news you ask? Well last week at church, Jeff and his wife notified me that after a few weeks off the list, Jeff was back on the list. This alone would have been great news (and it was). However for Jeff who was literally in a race against the clock, he needed the new organs or face certain death very soon.

Last night I received a wonderful and unexpected email in which a friend in Christ notified me that both organs had become available and Jeff was in organ transplant surgury. The word this evening is everything was successful.

I am so grateful that God worked so patiently and so purposefully in Jeff's life to sustain and restore his body.

Thank you God !! I love and appreciate Your infinite love and mercy. Your timing is never off or bad. It is always right. In the precious name and blood of Jesus Christ I pray - Amen.

Akiane: A Short Interview on YouTube !!

2006-10-26T20:57:00.001-04:00

Link to Akiane Interview

(I was hosting the video on this site however I am having issues with the video being removed each time this page is archived by Blogger. So in place of the video I placed a link. )

The Light of Men

2006-10-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

Because of our sin we naturally turn away from God and deny Him. We learn that those of us who do not know the Lord (the Light) are lost in darkness. It is established throughout scripture (Old and New Testaments) that men have long preferred living in the darkness as a result of the Fall.

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- Ephesians 6:12 NASB
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sins.
- Colossians 1:13 NASB

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 27:1 NASB

Awake, Sleeper, And arise from the dead

2006-10-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says,

"Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you."

15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise

Ephesians 5:13-15 (NASB)

Photo by: Christian

What if God invited you to Heaven for a night?

2006-10-18T20:14:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of this blog, Akiane's story is quite inspiring. Akiane was raised in a home where both Mother and Father were Atheists. She had no introduction to Christianity by her parents or anyone else close to her, as like people often stick together. She was home schooled by her Mother and her family was very poor. One day God touched this little girl and slowly her gifts began to sprout and blossom. Her gifts, as later explained by Akiane, were gifts given to her by God Himself. You can imagine what her Atheistic parents must have thought as all this began to unravel. Now she is sharing her faith (with her Christian parents) and her gifts with the world.

She claims to paint visions given to her by God himself. Here are some excerpts from her official web-site. I strongly suggest this site for some interesting reading. Her artwork is astounding.

"Although her atheistic family rarely talked about spiritual matters, one morning sometime when she was four, Akiane began sharing her visions of heaven. Because Akiane was home-schooled, and hadnever been out of their sight, the parents were certain that no one else could have influenced Akiane's sudden and detailed visions about the spiritual realm.
These dreams and visions, which to Akiane seemed to be actual life experiences, began occurring every week, sometimes every day. She started describing details about life in heaven and the future of the earth. The family knew she was not exaggerating or imagining such events, because she did not like to fantasize like other children her age. She never initiated pretend games or talked with imaginary friends. She always took play and work very seriously, preferring everything to be real. Now she shared her new experiences which were unlike anything the parents were accustomed to hearing: the smallest details, the prophetic speech and the sense that she spent more time away in the spiritual world than with her family were hard to ignore or to be taken lightly. Sometimes she sounded like an older woman--not so much because of her voice, but because of her total sincerity, her strangely compelling comments and her vocabulary. But despite her amazing stories, her family still saw her as a fairly typical little girl.
Around the same time as the visions began, Akiane suddenly began showing an intense interest in drawing. She unscrewed a bookshelf to build an easel for herself, and carved a five-foot “pencil” from a branch so she and her brothers could create pictures together. Then she took to sketching hundreds of figures and portraits with
unusual expressions in whatever medium she found at hand, which mostly happened
to be not paper, but walls, windows, furniture, books, even her own legs or arms. Different poses were drawn mostly from her imagination. Sometimes she sketched with her eyes closed, sometimes with her pencil between her toes or her teeth.
Inspired most by faces, Akiane would sit for hours drawing, erasing and shading their features. For the next two years the walls of her home were filled with sketches of angels, family, her friends, and faces that she dreamed about. At that point she didn't work with colors, though, she only asked for black lead pencils and charcoal. Akiane seemed unusually patient and serious for one so young, and was totally dedicated to her work. She wasn't a perfectionist in any other area of her life, so such focus came as a surprise to all. She might leave her room untidy or hair uncombed, but her portraits always had to be absolutely perfect.
There were few things harder to understand than Akiane's love of music. For her first five years, she would start to cry or complain every time any kind of music was played. No one had the slightest clue why. One evening as her confused mother was sobbing, Akiane apologized, "Mommy, please, don't cry. I'm sorry I act this way, but the music that I hear in heaven is better than here. This music hurts my ears and my head really bad, but heavenly music is always gentle and wonderful.”

Quoted from Akiane's official website and book titled "Akiane: Her Art, Her Poetry, Her Life"

This of course is hard for many to believe. I have bought Akiane's first book, enjoyed it and lent it to a friend (married to an atheist wife) and both thoroughly enjoyed it. Her latest book was just released and I think I will pick a copy of that up as well.

Read more about this gifted little girl who found favor in God's eyes at http://www.artakiane.com/

Life & Death - Statistically Speaking

2006-10-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

This is amazing when you think about it, especially because most of us only think of the births and deaths that affects us personally. Below is what the US Census Bureau predicts just for the month of October in the United States.

One birth every.................................. 7 seconds
One death every.................................. 13 seconds

What does this information say about life and death in the next hour? Your work day? 24 hours? Remember, these are not just numbers, they are real flesh and blood people living and dying. People who have families, are old, young, fathers, mothers, children, grand-parents, etc.

http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html

Ever been in this position?

2006-10-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

Hinduism: Scorn Thy Neighbor !!!

2006-10-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Hinduism teaches that most humans were created from parts of the body of the divinity Purusha. According to which body parts they were created from, humans fall into four basic castes which define their social standing, who they can marry, and what jobs they can do. Dalits(those of lowest value) fall outside this system and are traditionally prevented from doing all but the most menial jobs or even drinking from the same water sources as other castes. Because of the Caste system, Hindu's are taught NOT to help the less fortunate, not to love their neighbors and therefore demean their fellow Indians who are lowest amongst them. What does Christ teach us?

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1
16"So the last shall be first, and the first last." Matthew 20:16

Muslim father murders spouse when daughter converts from Islam to Christianity

2006-10-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

What if you're Christian faith meant your death or the death of your loved ones. Could you still proclaim your love of God and salvation through Jesus Christ?

"From what we understand the daughter decided to tell her father of her radical plan to convert to Christianity which, in the eyes of most Muslims, is totally unacceptable and to be honest, sadly, many would react as he has done," said the source.

"It is the Islamic way that if a son or daughter does or plans to do something that is unacceptable or wrong for a Muslim then it is the mother who is automatically at fault and will bear the brunt of the blame."
Click here to read the entire article

Does the Bible teach the world is flat?

2006-10-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

Grounded in flawed biblical exegesis and supported by the pride of the knowledge of men, an antagonistic separation of faith and science tragically set in motion that belief echoed at the trial of Galileo in 1633, in which Galileo was convicted as a heretic for arguing that the Earth was round and orbited the sun. Galileo's conviction fueled the belief that the Bible teaches that the Earth is flat or square. I'm here to tell you that this is not the case

The Bible in fact teaches that the Earth is round.

Dr. Donald DeYoung, Ph.D. and author of Astronomy and the Bible as well as Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. and author of Science in the Bible did an outstanding job of laying out the truth of what is taught in the Bible for "Answers In Genesis" and once an for all put to rest inaccurate and deceptive argument that the Bible teaches the world is flat.

The following research was paraphrased or direct quotes from their books.

Fact #1: In the Old Testament, Job 26:7 explains that the earth is suspended in space. -Dr. Donald DeYoung, Ph.D "Astronomy and the Bible"
Fact #2: A spherical earth is also described in Isaiah 40:21-22 -"the circle of the Earth." -Dr. Donald DeYoung, Ph.D
Fact #3: Proverbs 8:27 also suggests a round earth by use of the word "circle" -Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. "Science in the Bible"

Fact #4: If you are overlooking the ocean, the horizon appears as a circle. This circle on the horizon is described in Job 26:10. -Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. "Science in the Bible"

The circle on the face of the waters is one of the proofs that the Greeks used for a spherical earth. Yet here it is recorded in Job, ages before the Greeks discovered it. Job 26:10indicates that where light terminates, darkness begins. This suggests day and night on a spherical globe. -Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. "Science in the Bible"
Fact #5: Historians generally [wrongly] credit the Greeks with being the first to suggest a spherical earth. In the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras suggested a spherical earth. -Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. "Science in the Bible"
Fact#6: Eratosthenes of Alexandria (circa 276 to 194 or 192 B.C.) calcuated the circumference of the earth "within 50 miles of the present estimate." Long before Galileo in 1633.

Fact #7: The implication of a round earth is seen in the book of Luke, where Jesus described his return, Luke 17:31. Jesus said, "In that day," then in verse 34, "In that light." This is an allusion to light on one side of the globe and darkness on the other simultaneously. -Dr. Joan Sloat Morton, Ph.D. "Science in the Bible"

Please don't take the words posted on this blog. Please validate these facts by looking them up in your Bible too. I strongly suggest you use the New American Standard Bible (NASB) since it is considered the single most accurate (direct translation) translation of the Bible ever completed. Many other translations are paraphrased or interpreted / rewritten in our languages today. Not so with the NASB.

Sacred artifacts looted from the infamous sacking of the Temple of Jerusalem (AD70) FOUND !!

2006-09-30T15:41:00.000-04:00

I found this great story concerning artifacts looted from the Temple of Jerusalem in the infamous sacking of the temple by the Romans that left no stone unturned. This is a great article if you enjoy the history of these great artifacts of our history.

Treasures looted by Rome 'are back in the Holy Land'
By Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent

A COLLECTION of sacred artefacts looted by the Romans from the Temple of Jerusalem and long suspected of being hidden in the vaults of the Vatican are actually in the Holy Land, according to a British archaeologist.
Sean Kingsley, a specialist in the Holy Land, claims to have discovered what became of the collection, which is widely regarded as the greatest of biblical treasures and includes silver trumpets that would have heralded the Coming of the Messiah.
The trumpets, gold candelabra and the bejewelled Table of the Divine Presence were among pieces shipped to Rome after the looting in AD70 of the Temple, the most sacred building in the ancient Jewish faith.

Click here to read the rest of the story

A Prayer for Nicol

2006-09-28T21:08:00.000-04:00

Lord,

It is with a heavy heart and great concern that I pray for Nicol tonight. Nicol is a young women, mother of one and married that I go to school with. I am troubled that she was diagnosed at such a young age with breast cancer.

Please carry her through this darkness that has envoloped her and her family.

I pray for her husband, that he will be a pillar of strength when she is weak.

I pray that her child is a beacon of hope in the dark hopelessness that cancer patients can sometimes feel

I pray that you are the Light of her life and her hope, where there is only hopelessness.

I pray that she will find daily reminders of your infinate love for her. Perhaps the purpose for why you need her to work through this disease.

Father - please bless Nicol with complete restoration. Please remove this burden from her and lift her spirits.

I love you Father and am thankful for the sustaining faith you have nurtured in me.

I love you and pray this request in the name of Jesus Christ your only Son. Amen.

Troubled? Looking for just ONE grain of peace in a hopeless life?

2006-09-24T08:55:00.000-04:00

We all face hardships, trials and tribulations. Each of us have our own. Some of those tribulations draw us to God and some will turn you away. Where are you this morning?

This quote below is a great perspective on life from someone who is experiencing the sweet and sour.

"People ask me, "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In a
nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever,
and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--
but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of
years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We
were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't
going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just
coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than
your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your
life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life.
The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the
toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark
time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe
that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like
two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good
and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad
that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something
good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which
is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off
yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of
thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for
her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her
character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a
testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For
instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million
copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with
before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or
for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety
and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide
what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our
lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the
church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan
to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and
educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I
started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able
to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or
am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if
I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You
better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's
more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called
uman beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments,
WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD."

-Rick Warren

Turn to Him with all your sorrows. He is the only true lover of your soul.

The pain only a Father could know

2006-09-22T07:49:00.000-04:00

I found this touching poem and thought I'd post it here. It is for all those Fathers who are deeply hurting, remorseful and full of regret and tears.

Just Let Her Know You Love Her

How ever can I explain it? Tell me, where do I begin,
to try and justify the cause of just another sin?
I remember the day she told me, and the fear within her eyes.
I hid my love for you behind ``it's-your-decision'' lies.
How could I fight a verdict that she so quickly made?
All I could do was love her, and try to ease her pain.
I guess I always thought that atonement could be mine--
if we had another child someday, we'd undo this tragic crime.

I wish that I could blame her, to help relieve my guilt,
But I only blame myself, and I know I always will.
I should have protected you, instead of her or me.
But I loved her so much, living for her touch....
That's what I hope you'll see.

Now, I see you up in Heaven, your finger pointing down,
upon the lap of Christ, millions of innocents, gathered `round.
Knowing you are in Heaven, offers some relief to me
because our all-forgiving God has promised to set me free.

I know we'll be joined together, as family once again
when our time on earth is over and our eternity can begin.
So please forgive us both, for such a selfish task.
Just let her know you love her; it's all I'll ever ask.

-- Anonymous

Do you know that God promises to forgive you for all of your wrongs? To be forgotten and never brought up again (true foregiveness). Yes, even of an abortion in your life. Did you know that the apostle Paul (formerly known as Saul), prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus, was hunting Christians. He desired to wipe us off the face of the Earth. He was personally responsible for the death of many followers and apostles of Christ. Yet God forgave him and changed Paul's life forever.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Open your heart and mind to God in honest prayer and the Lord will meet you there. He alone can heal your heart and soul.

A Prayer for Jeff

2006-09-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Father,

I pray this evening for Jeff. You know who he is Lord. Jeff is desperately in a race against time and in need of a double organ transplant or he will die. He disappointingly found out today after a lot of hope-filled weeks that because of a stomach infection he just contracted, his name has been put "on hold".

Jeff is slowly dying as his own body poisons him.

Lord, I have no idea what Your will is for Jeff, but I trust You and pray for Your will to work out in Jeff's life.

Please remind Jeff and his wife that life in this world is so....empty. Help us in our times of need to keep our focus on Jesus. I hope the prayer vigil was pleasing to you tonight. People really care and want the best for him.

Please be with Jeff tonight.

I love you Father and pray in the good name of my Savior and Your only Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Lord Help Me

2006-09-16T22:48:00.000-04:00

Lord,

I really had a bad week last week. Work was simply terrible and I was so happy when you brought Friday into the picture. You know how much I really look forward to my Friday morning trip to Starbucks; However last week I was so depressed by the time Friday rolled around that I just wasn't a happy person and couldn't enjoy it.

Father - please help me to have a good week this coming week. I am really behind in my work and I need you.

I need a break but there is none in sight.

I need another me but there is no one in sight.

I need more time with You but I am so lazy.

Help me to prepare my heart and mind for this coming week. I hope that my worship tomorrow morning is pleasing to You.

Thank you for saving me. I love you.

In the name of Your only Son I pray. Amen.

September 11, 2001: "What We Saw"

2006-09-12T19:11:00.000-04:00

On September 11, 2001 a family only five blocks away from the World Trade Center captured this stunning video with a digital video camera.

This is their story and what they saw.
This is why we must never forget!

Note: initial time viewing will take a minute or two to download and buffer. The video is worth the wait.

What is your definition of "Baby"?

2006-09-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

Take a look at this picture published in The Irish Independent newspaper in 1999. The tiny hand of a fetus reaches out from a mother's womb to clasp a surgeon's finger. The surgeon is performing a life saving operation on the fetus.

The baby is, by the way, a mere 21 weeks old. When a photo like this is before our eyes, our legal definition of what qualifies as a "Baby" and what doesn't really is lifeless in the bold and blatent face of Creation.

What is your definition of "baby"?

West Texas Reservoirs Overflowing 1 Month After Officials Made Case To God

2006-09-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

There was some snickering in certain parts of the country when city officials in the drought-stricken Texas towns of Lubbock and Rockwall took their case for rain to God in the form of resolutions calling for prayer.

While the votes made national news – sometimes in the "quirky" sections of big-city dailies and news services – the results didn't, until now.

Within seven days of the Lubbock vote, the rains started. And they haven't stopped.
Some three and a half inches of rains fell in the town over the Labor Day Weekend alone, overflowing some reservoirs and spillways.

Click here to read the whole story

The ossuary inscribed "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" is not a forgery !!

2006-09-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

Biblical Archaeology Society
Forgery Bombshell !!!
May 16, 2006

The ossuary inscribed "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has recently been studied by Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein, a world-renowned authority. He has reached startling conclusions that will change the debate over this highly controversial artifact. Printed below is a summary of Professor Krumbein's report;

As this is being written, Israeli antiquities collector Oded Golan is being tried in criminal court for forging the now-famous James ossuary inscription ("James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"). A new report by a leading German scientist, however, may blow the case out of the water.

According to Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein, of Oldenburg University, Germany, a well-known expert in geology, geochemistry and microbiology, "We can state with certainty that a period of 50-100 years, at least, was necessary for the formation of the specific composition of patina whose traces were identified inside the ossuary inscription."
Krumbein also examined the patina on the ossuary far from the inscription. His conclusion:

"Patina sampled from the surface of the ossuary, far away from the
inscription, was found to be identical to the microscopic traces of patina,
which I found inside the ossuary inscription and sites sloping from the surface
into the inscription grooves (and no indication of any kind was found of any
adhesive on this patina). Therefore, we must conclude that the patina formed
over the entire ossuary and the remains of patina in the inscription area were
formed over the same period of time."
Click here to read the entire story

Burial Place Of Apostle Matthew 'Found' In Kyrgyzstan

2006-09-04T20:18:00.000-04:00

RadioFreeEurope
August 30, 2006

A Kyrgyz archaeologist believes he may have located the burial place of the Apostle Matthew.
Vladimir Ploskikh told a news briefing in Bishkek today that his team this summer uncovered on the northeastern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul what he believes are the remains of the Christian monastery that a 14th-century map indicates is the site where the Apostle Matthew was buried.
According to legends, Apostle Matthew died on his way to India and established several Christian communities during the course of his journey.

Click here to read the entire story

----------------------------------------------------
Another story concerning the Apostle Matthew's burial place:

Where is Apostle Mathew buried?
Pravda
August 29, 3006

The archeological expedition, which was organized by the American television company IPV News USA, found an object that looked like a thing to store relics in. As scientists believe, the object could be used for storing the remains of the Biblical monk, Apostle Matthew.

IPV News USA Director Sergey Melnikoff is certain that he found the grave of one of the authors of the Gospel. Ancient legends say that Apostle Matthew died on his way to India. Archbishop of Bishkek and Central Asia Vladimir supported Sergey Melnikoff. Vladimir said that Matthew organized several new Christian communities during his journey, including on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. This journey was a hard one for an old man, he fell ill and eventually died. Specialists say that Matthew was buried on the shore of Issyk-Kul lake in one of Christian monasteries, which was inundated later.

Click here to read the entire story

It only took 19 people...

2006-09-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's September 3rd 2006. In 8 days it will be officially 5 years since the historic terrorist attacks on the United States. I still can't believe it happened. Its all so surreal to me. I'll never forget.

5 years ago on September 11th, I was at work like most people. I recall what a beautiful day it was but don't remember much of that day prior to the attacks, except that I had an early morning meeting with one of my Vice President (his name is Jeff) at the company I had worked at the time. Just to frame the moment, Jeff is always prepared, never inappropriate or caught off guard and always focused on the task at hand. That is with the exception of the morning of September 11th. I had spent the morning preparing to meet with him. After preparing at my desk, I grabbed my print outs and headed for his office. I recall not seeing many people that morning as I walked into Jeff's office. I recall that this very focused man was pacing his office and mumbling something I couldn't make out. Jeff had an office that was shaped like a rectangle. The two longest office walls were all glass (one internal facing and one external). The morning sunshine and rich blue sky of early fall Michigan morning had poured into his office. How beautiful it all was that day. Yet Jeff paced anxiously. Facing away from me he said out loud "I just can't get focused". He sat down at a rather large table shaped in a circle opposite his desk. The table hosted 4 chairs. Jeff looked at me while sitting in the chair immediately to my left and said "a plane just crashed into the a tower of the World Trade Center in New York City". Completely caught off guard I recall thinking if it was a Cessna or a airliner. I asked. Jeff replied "No, an airliner" in an irritated voice. I paused and asked how that could happen accidentally. He shrugged his shoulders and tried very hard to get down to work. We sped through our meeting and I headed back to my desk and found my colleague Robin sitting at her desk. Robin and I usually walked over to the 7-11 convenience store in the parking lot of our office building to get a morning drink or treat. This morning I mentioned to her what Jeff told me. She tried to pull up a website but site after site she received the traditional site busy message. We quickly headed for the lunch room where several TV's hung. When we arrived we found the room was packed with people. We all watched the early footage of the first tower on fire with smoke rising from the upper portion of the building. The images of people waving out of windows on the floors above the impact zone. I recall the commentary of the forecasters. I recall looking over and seeing Jeff in the room watching as well. New reports poured in of missing jets. I really don't recall how much time had passed. It seemed that time stopped or slowed down significantly. Just then - as I watched on the TV screen - a second plane flew into the second tower of the World Trade Center. I recall the silence in the lunch room. I'll never forget the silence. Soon I heard people gasping for breath - in utter shock at what we all had just witnessed. We all knew at that moment that this event was no accident. One of the strongest nations the world has ever witnessed was under attack - from above. How could this be happening?

The next few reports started streaming in that our nations airspace was closing. The Pentagon had just been hit by an airliner too. "The Pentagon !!" I remember thinking. Those bastards got the Pentagon. These planes were all full of unsuspecting people. I flew for work all the time. All the missing plane rumors. A confirmed crash of an airliner in Pennsylvania. The panicked calls from my wife. Our only son was in daycare that morning in Dearborn Michigan where we had lived. My wife was so upset because we had lived so close to the airport. She heard rumors that planes were headed for Detroit. She wanted to go get our son. I tried to calm her down but she was so upset. Could they really be heading for a building in Detroit? I think most of our office had cleared out that morning to go home. Everyone was in absolute shock.

I'll never forget the Presidents speech on the ruins of the World Trade Center a day or two after the attacks. His speech sparked a fire in my very soul and addressed exactly what we all hoped he would say - that those responsible would pay for what they had done. I'll never forget the ruins. The stories of survival. The firefighters. The endless anguish, pain and fear. It never left. For years ever since that day, I've had reoccurring dreams (really nightmares) of planes crashing near me. In my backyard. At airports. It's horrible, especially because I use to travel all the time for my job.

I will never forget what happened. Never. On September 11th 2001 19 men brought the strongest nation in the world - to it's knees. 260 million people. The most accomplished military the world has ever witnessed. It wasn't the powerful armies of the Russians. Nor the armies of China or North Korea.

It only took 19 people...

Race is on to save the Dead Sea

2006-09-03T23:52:00.000-04:00

The Sunday Times - September 3, 2006

LORD FOSTER, the British architect, has been enlisted by the King of Jordan for his most grandiose project yet — a canal carved through the Sinai desert to rescue the Dead Sea from environmental disaster.

He has already held talks with the governments of Israel and Jordan about a $3 billion (£1.57 billion) scheme to transfer water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. His proposal is to carry sea water from the Gulf of Aqaba to replenish the Dead Sea, which has shrunk by a third over the past 50 years and faces total evaporation.

Click here to read the entire article.

The Dead Sea Scolls: What's The Truth Anyway?

2006-09-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

There is a lot of myth surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls. The myths circling the scrolls were recently amplified by roar of the The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception in which I found the assertions of that book to be false. It is SO important to validate the things that people say and write. The problem is that we're intellectually lazy and choose to believe what we're told without fact checking, regurgitate what they're told as truth to sound smart, and in turn perpetuate a lie.

The scrolls were discovered in 1946 by a Shepherd, who threw a rock into a cave to scare a missing sheep from a cave, when instead he heard the breaking of pottery. He went in to examine what he had broke and found 4 scrolls. One of the scrolls happened to be the book of Isaiah. So far this story has not been fully validated, although several Shepard's had been interviewed and all had a similar story of the Shepard that found the scrolls.

I will list only the indisputable facts concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls and will share more as I learn more myself:

It is believed the documents were hidden by a ancient community of Essenes Jews who lived in the Qumran area. Jews revolted against the Romans in AD 66. Before they were massacred by Roman troops, the Essenes hid their scriptures in caves, not to be discovered until 1947

The Dead Sea scrolls comprise roughly 825-870 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible.

The Scrolls can be divided into two categories: biblical and non-biblical. Fragments of every book of the Hebrew canon (Old Testament) have been discovered except for the book of Esther.

Most of the scrolls are written in one of two dialects of Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew or Dead Sea Scroll Hebrew. Some scrolls are also written in Aramaic and a few in Greek.

The biblical texts cited most often in the non-biblical Dead Sea Scrolls are the Psalms, followed by the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Deuteronomy.

The following is a list of the actual number of the biblical manuscripts discovered in the scrolls: Psalms (39 books), Deuteronomy (33 books), 1 Enoch (25 books), Genesis (24 books), Isaiah (22 books), Jubilees (21 books), Exodus (18 books), Leviticus (17 books), Numbers (11 books), Minor Prophets (10 books), Daniel (8 books), Jeremiah (6 books), Ezekiel (6 books), Job (6 books), 1&2 Samuel (4 books)

The Isaiah Scroll, found relatively intact, is 1000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah. In fact, the scrolls are the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found.

The last words of Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, and Amram (the father of Moses) are written down in the Scrolls.

The scrolls are most commonly made of animal skins, but also papyrus and one of copper. They are written with a carbon-based ink, from right to left, using no punctuation except for an occasional paragraph indentation. In fact, in some cases, there are not even spaces between the words.

Although the Qumran community of Essenes Jews existed during the time of the ministry of Jesus, none of the Scrolls refer to Him, nor do they mention any of His follower's described in the New Testament.

The complete publication and dissemination of translations and photographic records of the scrolls in the late 1990s and early 2000s effectively undermined the rumors spread in the book The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, in which the Catholic Church was accused of suppressing the content of the scrolls because they undermined the New Testament teachings of Paul. The Dead Sea Scrolls in fact do not include anything which directly connect the Scrolls to early Christianity and certainly did not contain anything the Catholic Church or any church would want to 'suppress'.

These facts were compiled by me from the written work of one or more of the following sources / authors: Wikipedia: The Dead Sea Scrolls, ScienceDaily, CentryOne Bookstore, Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Reader From the Biblical Archaeology Review, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English.

Macro-Evolution Revisited

2006-08-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

I am so perplexed (really disappointed) at a recent mandatory university "ecology" class I'm enrolled. The author of our text book took the first chapters to first define "Good" and "Bad" science as it fit his personal worldview, and debunks "Bad" science as of course anything that has roots in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Whatever happened to science being non-biased and keeping all theories on a level playing field?

Science has become the new secular religion and it is defining for everyone who subscribes to its worldview what is truth and what isn't. For more information on my thoughts on truth, see "A Theory of Relativity". Anyway, I found this cartoon and it just fit what we're studying at the time (and allowed me to vent my frustration). I hope you can find some humor from it.