Be Thankful

Earlier this morning, surrounded by the standard Thanksgiving gourd-and-corn-husk decor in the White House Rose Garden and in keeping with a fabled tradition started by President Truman sixty years ago, George W. Bush give his Presidential word to May the turkey that he would not be dished up with a side of yams and cornbread on Thanksgiving Day. May’s feathered crony Flower was also promised clemency.

The President joked that the names May and Flower were certainly better than the names Vice-President Cheney suggested, which were ‘Lunch’ and ‘Dinner’.

Chortles and chuckles arose from the audience. Gobble Gobble Gobble emanated from May the turkey. It was such a grand day for all.

Remember to be thankful. Only a turkey is not thankful.

To The Sudan

Zac and Shelley are going to the Sudan next month. They were at church Sunday night telling about their journey. Not so much their journey to the Sudan as much as their journey to decide to go to the Sudan. There were three things that Zac said that I want to pass on to you.

First, as a missionary, you must expect him to say this: "Every Christian has a role to play in the Great Commission." Yes, we do know this to be truth. Yet we also need to be reminded and re-challenged with this nugget. Please consider yourself reminded. I have.

Second. He and Shelley were both school teachers. Zac mentioned that he was praying several years ago and he was telling the Lord all about the plans he had for his life (like you and I do sometimes). The Lord spoke to him (not audibly, but clearly) and asked Zac, "What about the plans that I have for your life?" Wow, good question for all of us. What about the plans that God has for your life? Has He asked something of you that you have yet to do?

Third, as school teachers for six years they were preparing to run a school in the Sudan. Understand that they were not consciously preparing to run this school (they did not as yet know they were going to the Sudan), yet the skills and experiences they were picking up in the school systems where they worked were giving them great advantages for what the Lord knew they would be doing in 2008 and beyond.

This third point is powerful. What are you and I doing right now that we may or may not enjoy or like? Yet can we grasp that this experience (that we sometimes fight against) is possibly preparing us for some work that the Lord has for us to do in 3 or 5 or 7 years.

Don't quit now. See you in the Sudan.

Window Wednesday

On Wednesday I ask that you pray for one nation in the 10/40 Window. Today we lift up the people of Eritrea. I am not making any political statements or judgments, I am simply asking for prayer for some people in need. Join us if you can.

Eritrea, East Africa

Population: 4,906,585

Political Leader: President Isaias Afworki
Religions: Islam 48%, Christianity 47.4%, Other 4.6%
Persecution Ranking: No. 13
Number of Terrorist Groups: 4
Acts of Terrorism: 5; Casualties: 16
Percent of Corruption: 71%
% of People in Poverty: 50%

Location:
Eritrea is a country situated in northern East Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south and Djibouti in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country have an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands are part of Eritrea. The country is virtually bisected by one of the world's longest mountain ranges, the Great Rift Valley, with fertile lands to the west and the descent to desert in the East.

Terrorism:
The United States said in August 2007 that it was considering putting Eritrea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism for allegedly funneling weapons to insurgents fighting the Ethiopian-backed government in Somalia. A U.N. monitoring group said in July 2007 that large quantities of arms, including surface-to-air missiles, were flowing from Eritrea to Somalia. Eritrea has denied sending the weapons. Diplomats say Eritrea and Ethiopia have been waging a proxy war in Somalia since last year, when Eritrea backed a hard-line Islamist movement against the country's government.

Religion:
The religious population of Eritrea is comprised of 48% Muslims and just over 47% of the population are Christians. Following a 2002 government decree that religious groups must register, the government closed all religious facilities not belonging to the country’s four principal religious groups: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of Eritrea, Islam and the Roman Catholic Church.

Challenges for Christians:
Eritrea is ranked No. 13 among nations that are the worst persecutors of Christians based on Open Doors 2007 “World Watch List.” On August 19, 2007, 10 members of the Full Gospel Church were arrested as they worshipped in a house in Asmara. Some 2,000 Eritrean Protestants are presently suffering for their faith under appalling conditions in prison. Recently, a group of 10 single Christian women who had been in prison for some 18 months were separated from other prisoners and taken to the Weaa Military Training Centre. The women were then ordered to recant their faith and were tortured when they refused. On September 5, 2007, Nigsti Haile, 33, was tortured to death. She is the fourth Christian to die in custody due to torture. The systematic persecution of Protestants began in mid-2002. Some Eritrean Catholic and Orthodox churches also have since come under attack for resisting the government's attempts to control them. On August 16, 2007, the government ordered that all schools, clinics, orphanages and women's vocational training centers of Eritrea's Catholic Church be turned over to the government's Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor. The government routinely dismissed U.S. government concerns, citing the absence of conflict between Christians and Muslims within the country and its concerns about disruptive practices of some religious groups that it feared would disrupt the country's “social harmony.” In November 2006, the U.S. Secretary of State again designated Eritrea as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

Prayer Points:
Pray Eritrea to stop supporting hardline Islamist numerous terrorist groups.
Eritrea is one of the world's most violently repressive states and religious liberty continues to deteriorate. Pray that God will bring change to Eritrea.
Pray that even amidst their suffering, Eritrea’s Christian prisoners may experience the presence and love of Christ and be strengthened and enabled by the Spirit of God to both endure suffering and radiate grace. Pray that God would bless and comfort the Church in Eritrea.
Pray for Christian solidarity, empathy and brotherly love to take root in the Eritrean Church across denominational lines so that spiritual unity may be a fruit of this persecution.
Pray that God will awaken more European leaders to the great need for religious liberty advocacy in Eritrea.
Pray that there will a genuine end to the hostility between Eritrea and Ethiopia and humility and trust between the two countries’ leaders.
Government restrictions have stopped Christian organizations from bringing help and aid into Eritrea and made it hard for any Christians to go and live or work there. Pray that these restrictions would be lifted.
A third of the population are Tigre, who are almost entirely Muslim. Pray for the few Tigre who are Christians that they can be a powerful witness in their lives.

Sources: 24-7 Prayer, Operation World, Wikipedia, Country Reports on Terrorism 2006, International Religious Freedom Report 2007, Open Doors, Reuters, World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty.

Window Wednesday

Today we focus our thoughts on the area of the West Bank located in the Middle East in the 10/40 Window and request your prayers for the people of this region. As always, nothing political, just a request to lift up to God some prayers for some folks in need. Thanks for your help.

West Bank, Middle East

Population: 2,535,927
Political Leader: President Mahmoud Abbas
Religions: Islam 75%, Judaism 17%, Other 8%
Persecution Ranking: Not Ranked
Number of Known Terrorist Groups: 35 (Includes both Gaza Strip & West Bank)
Acts of Terrorism: 2,032; Casualties: 560 (Includes both Gaza Strip & West Bank)
Percent of People in Poverty: 45.7%

Location:
The West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria, is a landlocked territory on the west bank of the Jordan River in the Middle East. Since 1967, most of the West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation. Most of the residents are Palestinians, although large numbers of Israeli settlements have also been built in the region.

Terrorism:
Israeli security sources expressed concern that Al Qaeda and other external Sunni extremists were attempting to infiltrate the West Bank and Gaza Strip. On March 21, 2006, an Israeli military court in the West Bank charged two Palestinians with conspiracy to cause death, active membership in Al Qaeda, illegal assembly, and other charges. According to the charges, the two men created an Al Qaeda cell in the West Bank city of Nablus, were recruiting to form other Al Qaeda cells in the West Bank, were preparing to carry out large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel, and were receiving funds and instructions from Al Qaeda in Jordan. One of the two men had also been a member of Hamas and Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

In response to continuing threat information, Israeli security forces have launched frequent arrest and detention raids throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, conducted targeted killings of suspected Palestinian terrorists, imposed strict and widespread closures and curfews in Palestinian areas, conducted aerial attacks on buildings affiliated with designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations in the Gaza Strip, and continued the construction of an extensive security fence in the West Bank. Israeli security forces arrested and held without trial or charges Hamas and other Palestinian lawmakers and Palestinian Authority ministers from the West Bank.

On numerous occasions in 2006, Israeli security forces raided the West Bank offices of Hamas' Dawaa organization, charging that the offices were providing financial support to families of suicide bombers and imprisoned terrorists under the guise of charity. Israeli security forces also raided foreign exchange bureaus in the West Bank, confiscating millions of counterfeit shekels that Israeli security sources suspected originated in Iran, were transferred by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hizballah offices in Syria and Lebanon, and were earmarked for terrorist acts.

Religion:
75% Muslims and 17% Jewish. A small percentage are Christian.

Prayer Points:
Pray that God would defeat the work of terrorist groups Hamas, Al Qaeda, Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hizballah in the West Bank.
Pray that the Lord will contend with those who contend with non-combatants Hizballah in the West Bank, and that the Lord will fight against those who fight against the innocent. (Exodus 14:21-31)
Ask the Lord to overrule decisions which may divide Israel. Pray that decisions may be taken out of man’s hands. (Proverbs 19:21)
Ask the Lord to give the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria) settlers wisdom and strength to present their case to the nation, and give the rest of the nation a heart for the settlers.

Sources: 24-7 Prayer, Operation World, Country Reports on Terrorism 2006, International Religious Freedom Report 2007, Open Doors, WorldNetDaily.com, Wall Street Journal, Intercessors for Israel.

Keep It Fresh - Sorry It's Long

If you have hit a snag in your life of prayer, try shaking things up during your personal time with the Lord a bit by altering your style. Here are just a couple very easy changes that might help you get a fresh perspective on your much needed prayer time.

Pray out loud. If your personality is to be quiet and you have a propensity to pray silently, forcing yourself to pray out loud will add a fresh dynamic to your prayer. Don't let the sound of your own voice in prayer intimidate you. There is nothing to fear. You have not been given a spirit of fear. Rather, you have a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind. Nothing less!

Or, you may need to be quiet. "Be still and know that I am God." Let Him tell you that He is God. If you are inclined to talk to God more than you listen, be silent and allow God to speak back to you! [You know the old reminder – two ears and one mouth . . .] Sometimes silence is scary. Don’t be afraid to sit and listen.

Memorize the Scripture. Turn the Word over in your mind. Mull it over. This means to be deliberate about bringing it back into your mind during the day. The more the Word gets into your mind, the more it will be in your heart.

Take memorization of the Bible a step further and meditate on the Word. Moses told Joshua to meditate on the Law day and night. Get a portion of scripture and personalize it. Put your name [or someone else’s name] in there. Allow yourself to spend time thinking about each phrase and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Word.

Use a simple guide or a pattern like A-C-T-S in your prayer time – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Adore the Lord - Worship Him. Confession - Confess your sins, weaknesses, fears, short-comings, etc. Thanksgiving - in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you. Supplication - ask the Lord for those things that you might need. This is merely an often used idea. Make up your own acrostic and keep it fresh.

Youth Convention

My older two kids just returned home from Momentum Youth Convention. They went with 47 others from our church here in town. They also met up with several friends from where we pastored up in the suburbs.

I definitely like these kind of events as they allow the kids a venue to be with thousands of other Jesus loving teenagers. This helps to affirm their faith and encourage them as they walk the walk. My daughter was talking a mile a minute about the different friends she saw. Several kids from camp, a girl from PK retreat, another girl from convention last year, her counselor from camp, etc. She even ran into a boy from her algebra class.

There was great worship, solid seminars, and challenging preaching. I am looking forward to hearing their testimonies in church tomorrow PM. I am thankful.

If they'll give me a picture or two, I will post them here.

Keeping Christmas by Henry Van Dyke

Tonight we change our clocks - fall back. Christmas is seven weeks and two days away. That's not too early to begin to think about how you will keep Christmas. You will remember that Mr. Scrooge did not keep Christmas. The following is a quite old (1924?) writing by Henry Van Dyke about "keeping" Christmas.

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing...

to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you;

to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;

to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;

to see that men and women are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy;

to own up to the fact that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;

to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness.

Are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing...

to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children;

to remember the weakness and loneliness of people growing old;

to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;

to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;

to try to understand what those who live in the same home with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;

to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;

to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open—

Are you willing to do these things, even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing...

to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—

stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—

and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you can keep it for a day, why not always?

But you can never keep it alone.

Just One Will Do

In the twenty-second chapter of Ezekiel, there is a serious accusation leveled against Israel for their sins. The religious leaders were guilty. The people were guilty. The prophets were using their position for personal gain.

God looked for an intercessor. If God could have found an intercessor, the situation would have been turned around. Things could have changed. God didn’t just glance out the window for a quick look. He sought for an intercessor. Nobody could be found.

The history of God’s people in the scriptures and up to the present day, including your history and mine, is the account of many individuals who have made a difference in the Kingdom. We are too slow to take hold of what one prayer can do for the cause of Christ. We live in a time when it seems polls and statistics and approval ratings are very important. Everyone wants to be in the majority. People don’t want to be seen as being against popular opinion.

God is not looking for celebrities, or stars. He is looking for just one man or one woman who is committed to Him. God wants the individual that will give himself or herself to the kind of intercessory prayer that will turn back the influences that are destroying our society. It is time to stand up.

Brothers, Pray For Me

It seems that the ministry of intercession is becoming a lost ministry in the church today. Maybe we are busy. Maybe we do not have time to spend in prayer. We should not and cannot allow admittedly busy schedules to keep us from this important act of kingdom work.

Intercession takes time but it is also rewarding. When we see God answer our prayers for others, we are encouraged all the more to pray and to go before the throne on behalf of another.

God calls and God equips intercessors. Daniel’s life shows us an example of intercessory prayer. Daniel’s example is extraordinary because he lived and prayed in a time that was not safe to be an intercessory pray-er.

He was surrounded by a heathen and pagan people, yet he never let up in his prayer. Intercessory prayer can be a struggle that requires deep commitment and persistence. I pray that we will all see the value of this ministry and allow the example of Daniel to impact us. Pray.