Brothers building Brothers - 12/20/10

Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  Colossians 3:12-13

Interesting thing about forgiveness, there are no alternatives for the believer.  There is no choice but to act toward our offender as Christ acted toward us.  Why is that so difficult for us?  Why do we insist on nursing our feelings of hurt and indignation?  I’m sure you have your reasons and they are just as foolish as mine.  The great thing about God’s word is that it does not leave us without resource.  It never asks of us what we are not or cannot be equipped to do.

Should not the fact that I was chosen by God before time and without any merit I was given the righteousness of Christ and loved supremely by the God of the universe, be enough to overcome any wrong that any person could ever do to me?  Say yes.  But of course, seldom do we respond correctly when the hurt comes.

I believe my problem is that I revel in my standing before God and then shirk my responsibility.  Verse 12 continues by saying “put on”; a command, a call to Christ likeness. (See verse 16 for how to get dressed)  The list of things to put on includes all that I will need, to go to the person who has wronged me and to forgive them, or to go to the person I have wronged and either be forgiven or ripped on as I ask for forgiveness.  My failure is putting on the robe of humility and imitating Christ in his crucifixion.

Without an alternative,

Your brother Jack

December 13 - GOD'S THOUGHT OF ME

"Thou art a God that seeth me."-- Gen_16:13 (R.V. marg.).
"How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God."-- Psa_139:17.

HAGAR WAS an Egyptian slave-girl, who had been brought up amid the idolatries of Egypt, and had no sort of idea that the gods had any personal interest in so insignificant a human atom as she was. Probably in Abraham's encampment she had heard of Jehovah, but would doubtless think of Him as being equally outside the limits of her little life. What care should the God of her master and mistress have for her, as she fled from the harsh treatment of Sarah, and was in danger of perishing in the lonely desert! Then, suddenly, in her despair, she heard the voice of the Angel-Jehovah speaking to her, and she called Him "The Living One who seeth me".
To her the thought was an inspiration and comfort, enabling her to return and submit herself to Sarah. But to many these words have been a note of fear and judgment. They have thought of God as spying upon their evil ways, and have shrunk from the thought of His eye seeing them. That thought, however, is not the significance of these inspiring words, but that we can never wander into the far country, or take one weary step in loneliness without the tender notice of God our Father, who notices even the sparrow that falls to the ground.
The Psalmist had the same thought when he wrote the 139th Psalm. When he says that God knows his downsitting and uprising, that his thoughts and ways are all open to His Almighty Friend, it is in a tone of rapturous gladness. It is the prerogative of friendship to love the presence and thought of a friend, and the crowning characteristic of Christianity is that we are admitted into personal friendship with our Lord. He knows our thoughts afar off. With an instant sympathy He enters into our anxieties and discouragements. Wherever we go He precedes and brings up the rear; we are beset by His care behind and before. Let every reader open the door to this great Friend, remembering that His one test is obedience: "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." Thus you will find His presence the delight of your life (Rev_3:20).

PRAYER
We thank Thee, O God, that Thou hast been about our path, considering all our ways, and encompassing us with blessing. Thine eye has been upon us to deliver our soul from death, and to be our help and shield. For all Thy gracious care we thank Thee. AMEN.

Christmas Poem

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE  LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND  STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO  GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID  LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID  SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A  TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH  SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT  LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL  KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY  MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND  DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE  CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT,  ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM  HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH  DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES  SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST  READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A  BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS  NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING  TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD  PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS  DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE  YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING  HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY  ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM  HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY  EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO  CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH  VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY  CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR  MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY  CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO  SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO  WEEP.

I WEPT FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
AND  WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T  WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF  HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED  OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON  SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT  MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY  FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

Brothers building Brothers - 11/29/10

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said:  “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:12-15

Beware is a word designed to get our attention.  Most of us are tuned to words like, CAUTION, ALERT and DANGER.  In the bible, “beware” is one of those words.  Caution, there is something dangerous that you need to (be aware) of; beware!  So what is it that is so important that we need to be startled to attention?  The writer of Hebrews is warning us about the dreaded heart of unbelief.

I fear that most of us are not as keenly aware of this problem in our lives as we should be.  Being bombarded by media as we are in this generation, our minds are constantly at work accepting and rejecting information as worthy or unworthy of belief.  The news media, education, religion and even science have proven to be unreliable and even, it seems, deliberately skewed to distort the truth.  So when we come to the bible many times we are still picking and choosing what we will believe and what we will reject.

The problem in our lives that causes us to reject those difficult parts of the bible is sin.  The text calls it deceitful and warns us of a hardening effect that it can have on our heart.  It’s a gradual thing that can start with something as simple as hurt feelings at church.  It is amazing how unfulfilling the worship experience can become when someone has rubbed you the wrong way; or how dry and long those sermons can get when the pastor hasn’t lived up to your expectations.  Sin is deceitful and it is the source of the evil heart of unbelief.

So what does the writer say is the solution?   Because sin is so deceitful and because our hearts are desperately wicked; (so wicked in fact that sometimes we can’t even know them), God has given us each other.  The unclouded eye of a brother is sometime all that stands between us and shipwreck.  “Exhort one another daily while it is called “Today”.  Of course if we would do it daily we wouldn’t find so many of our brothers broken on the rocks of unbelief and despair.  Exhort someone today in love and, O yes, remember to accept exhortation humbly yourself.

Your needy brother,

Jack

-James Madison, Federalist No. 57, 1788

The house of representatives ... can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interest, and sympathy of sentiments, of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny. -

What is the cost?

“If there existed only one man or woman who did not love the Saviour, and if that person lived among the wilds of Siberia, and if it were necessary that all the millions of believers on the face of the earth should journey there, and every one of them plead with him to come to Jesus before he could be converted, it would be well worth all the zeal, labour, and expense. If we had to preach to thousands year after year, and never rescued but one soul, that one soul would be full reward for all our labour, for a soul is of countless price.” 

~Charles Spurgeon~

Brothers building Brothers - 11/12/10

A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.         Proverbs 25:26

How many times I have faltered in the middle of the battle.  Solomon, through the leading of the Spirit of God captures in one line of type the perfect picture of me when God gives me an opportunity and I falter.

Having begun my cowboy career in the Sonoran Desert of Southeastern Arizona, I know what it is to be dry.  There is a keen disappointment one feels when you ride miles out of your way to get a drink at a seep you know about a few canyons away only to find that the cattle have been there first and tromped it to oblivion.  You get off your horse, get down on your knees and begin to look for where the water is exiting the earth.  There is muddy water everywhere but if you lucky somewhere in the brown soup you find this little rivulet of clear water making its way to the surface.  Hopefully there is enough so that you can position you lips carefully over the opening that the clear water makes in the murky muddy slop, and while avoiding the other things the cattle have dropped in your way, you carefully suck in the thirst quenching, life giving water.

As a righteous individual, I have the privilege of being a source of God’s fresh, pure water of life.  When the moment comes to speak a word for my Lord I must be clear and precise and without hesitation or the water becomes murky and polluted and without benefit for the thirsty soul. 

Lord, how many times I have faltered before the wicked.  I pray that today I will be prepared and alert and a source of the pure water of life.

Brothers let me encourage you to do whatever it takes to be prepared for the battle today; the water you have to offer is precious, don’t falter!

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 11/11/10

Then he arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them. “Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?”  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and sea obey Him!”  Mark 4:39-41

Even though I have God the Holy Spirit living inside me I, like the disciples often prefer to believe my circumstances instead of the truth of God’s word.  Father, forgive me for looking at the storm around me rather than looking to you who brings me peace.  Why am I so fearful? Jesus nails it, it is lack of faith.  I am unwilling; not just to believe God’s promises but to believe in such a way that I can act in accordance with His promises.

Well did Isaiah prophesy of me, this guy honors Me with his lips but his heart is far from me. Mark 7:6b (Jack’s personal version)

Brother or sister, if you are struggling with a fearful heart today remember the truth of God’s word and believe it.

Sometimes trembling, Sometimes believing, Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 11/1/10

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”  And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even unto death!”  But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.  And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left – and much livestock?”  Jonah 4:9-11

Too many times I have placed more value on things than on the souls of the lost.  I don’t remember ever being angry because God saved someone but that is small consolation when my concern for the lost is so often eclipsed by my desire for personal comfort.  I look at Jonah’s reaction to Nineveh’s redemption and I am shocked and dismayed and yet at the same time there is a glaring inconsistency in my life.

I do not consistently value the lost above my job or my reputation or my physical comfort. 

Immediately I hear someone say, (or was it my own sinful heart), “You don’t really expect me to risk my job for some person’s eternal soul do you?  After all I must keep food on the table for my children.”  Or, “If I become known as a religious freak, no one will listen to me; I can’t risk my reputation.” Or, “You know, pointing out to someone that they are a sinner makes me so uncomfortable I don’t see how it can possibly be what God has called me to do.”

I can imagine that some or all of these arguments might have been in Jonah’s mind as he fled toward Tarshish.  We need to take whatever fear, or “logical” argument we are making to ourselves that is keeping us from opening our mouth for Jesus, and place it beside the specter of an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  That trumps all the excuses.  What value do we place on a soul? 

For His Glory

Your brother Jack

Harvest Festival

Had a wonderful time at the harvest festival last night.  The RA booth was able to hand out hundreds of magazines and mission information to the kids and their parents.  Looking forward to the Thanksgiving / Christmas season.

What is a blog?

Stardate 64112.1 . . . . I Think,

I'm trying to understand what a blog is . . . and isn't. I don't want it to be a "facebook" page that puts way too much personal information out there and eats up too much time. A personal journal is a little uncomfortable, don't know if I want all that on the web. According to wordnetweb.princeton.edu a blog is a "web log: a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies". My main focuses are family, Bible, RA's, church, outdoors . . . oh yeah, and work. lol. Guess I'll make these my main focuses. Let's see how that works.

I'm Back

Ok, I'm going to try to keep this blog up a little better than I have in the past.

Brothers building Brothers - 4/26/10

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by your out-stretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. Jeremiah 32:17

The life of Jeremiah is a study in hard. As I read through his experience during the great siege of Babylon I am amazed at what God called him to do and the extremes to which God expected this man to go to in declaring His word. I wonder if I could be faithful like Jeremiah. The question crosses my mind; “What kept Jeremiah on track, what kept him focused, what kept him faithful?” I believe we get a glimpse of what it is in chapter 32:17-25. Here Jeremiah makes a statement of God’s sovereign power and glory.

The thesis statement in verse 17 is classic and serves us well in the uncertain times in which we live. It is comforting to remember that the God I serve is the creator of the universe. If He was the energy behind the creation, and as Paul says in Colossians, the power that sustains it then what an extreme lack of faith is required to doubt His ability to see us through our present crisis.

The unequivocal statement; “There is nothing too hard for You”, puts my struggles and perceived needs in an entirely different light. How can I doubt that my God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus? I’m not a fortune teller and do not have a crystal ball but it doesn’t take much of a seer to realize that we are approaching a very similar situation as Jeremiah was in. If we are to be found faithful in declaring the word of God during hard times we must stay grounded in the truth that the God we serve “made the heavens and the earth by his great power and out-stretched arm”.

There is nothing too hard for your God!

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 3-22-10

So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said is all well? And he said, all is well. My master has sent me, saying, behold, even now there have come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: please give them a talent of silver, and two changes of clothes. 2 Kings 5:21-22

I remember this story being told from the time I was a child in Sunday School and as with all the adventures of Elijah and Elisha it fascinated me. The relationship these two men had with God was unique in that they seem to know the thoughts and actions of certain individuals who were not in their presence. Undoubtedly these were revealed to them by God for His purposes. As I was reading this morning, I realized just how much Gehazi is an illustration of me in my daily walk with God.

Gehazi had been with Elisha for some time and he had seen his master in action; what made him think that he could get this little plot past Elisha. I'm thinking as I read that Gehazi sure is foolish to try and slip one past a guy like Elisha, and yet I try the same thing over and over. Every time I make a deliberate decision to sin I'm basically trying to slip one past God. Maybe he'll overlook it this time or maybe he's too busy to notice.

I believe the key to why this happens to me is found in the text. When Naaman asked Gehazi "Is all well"; Gehazi's answer reveals that he has lost focus on reality; "All is well", he said. His focus is on himself and his covetousness and he is blind to truth. The moment that I, in my mind surrender to sin my focus leaves the truth of God's word and I begin to operate in my own little world of sin in which I make up all the rules that govern reality. That allows me to sin and think God won't notice.

Father I pray I will be sensitive to Your Spirit's conviction and that I will stay focused on Jesus today.

Praying the same for you,

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 3/15/10

And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way O God is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God. Psalm 77:10-13

The writer of this psalm is in a desperate situation. In verse two we read, “My soul refused to be comforted”. There is a little note here for me and I believe for all of us who from time to time wallow in depression and self pity. There is a choice we make to not be comforted. I know it is hard to hear but I reject the notion that is so prevalent in the Christian community that “mental illness” is somehow beyond the bounds of sin and God’s remedy for it. What struck me this morning was that the psalmist made a second choice.

“This is my anguish; but”. This is the same choice I have been forced to make so many times. “These are my circumstances; they do not seem to be changing but I now choose not to allow them to dictate my attitude.” Instead: “I will remember”, “I will remember”, “I will remember”, “I will also meditate . . . and talk”. His choice was to shift his focus from his circumstances to his God.

Who is so great a God as our God? Do I really believe that or do I believe that my “condition” whatever the diagnosis is, is greater than my God? Today, if you’re stuck in a negative choice you’ve made, do what the psalmist did; make another choice!

Choosing to focus on God,

Your brother Jack

Appreciating God's Creation March 10, 2010

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food." (Genesis 2:8-9)

Everything in the garden of Eden was prepared for man's enjoyment. In the time between creation and the curse, Adam and Eve no doubt fully enjoyed the vegetation (Genesis 2:5, 9, 15-16), the animals (vv. 19-20), the atmosphere and the weather (vv. 5-6), the rivers and the raw materials (vv. 10-14), each other (vv. 18, 21-25), and fellowship with God (3:8). But soon they rebelled and were driven from the beautiful garden (3:24), and ever since, mankind's ability to enjoy creation has been shackled somewhat, for creation was distorted by sin, and the eyes of each one of us have become dull. The second verse of the well-loved hymn "I Am His, and He Is Mine" describes a partial reopening of the eyes of a believer upon salvation, as a love gift from our Lord.

Heav'n above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in ev'ry hue Christless eyes have never seen!
Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know, I am His and He is mine.

In His abundant love for His children, our Lord promises to supply all our needs once again. "Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28-29). Creation's beauty waits to thrill us and instruct us. Our loving Father wills it so. But creation will be fully restored soon, and "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing" (Isaiah 35:1-2). He beckons us to join Him in His kingdom. JDM

Brothers building Brothers - 3/8/10

7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her for she is your life. Proverbs 4:7, 13

The bible is clear; anyone who is a child of God will keep His commandments and have a love for the word of God. The two proverbs above indicate that understanding truth and holding onto it for dear life is your life. Many “Christians” in name only do not realize this.

Last night we enjoyed a concert in Eureka, a young lady singing from her heart about her life experiences. During the intermission God opened my mouth to speak to a young man about his eternal destiny. When I asked him if he knew where he would be in eternity his answer indicated that he wasn’t sure. In just a few moments he had agreed with me and the scriptures that he was a sinner doomed to the lake of fire. The interesting thing was, that as I gave him the gospel he agreed with all of it and said that is exactly what he believed. I went on to explain to him that if he really did believe that he could be assured that he would spend eternity with God.

However I knew it would be irresponsible not to challenge his statements so I asked him if he was studying Gods word. He answered that he was not. So I shared with him what Jesus said about being a true disciple, “If you abide in my word you are my disciple indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I did not tell him his faith was false, I’ll let the Holy Spirit do that but I was reminded again just how dangerous a little knowledge can be. We need to be encouraging those we disciple and those we witness to, to get wisdom and take hold of instruction “for she is your life”.

Praying for William, and you

Your brother Jack

Brothers building Brothers - 3/1/10

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteous in Him Psalm 92:12-15

Father, grant me the grace to remain planted in your house and to flourish and bear fruit in my old age.

“But Jack, you’re not old.” Your right but if I do not develop an attitude of expectation and claim this promise now, I feel certain I will be overwhelmed by the sense of entitlement and “woe is me” attitude that so often comes with age. I want nothing more than to finish well.

Seeking to flourish till I die,

Your brother Jack

Brothers Building Brothers - 2/22/10

Dear Brother,

For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, “It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways. Psalm 95:10

I am reminded by this verse that the key to making wise choices in life is not weighing all the options, or putting the positives and negatives on paper, or looking for the ever mysterious and illusive open and closed doors, windows and escape-hatches. I’m always looking for those escape-hatches, their handy when you need to change your mind about what God was saying to you when he opened the door you thought you really wanted and then closed it just before you got through it. If I sound like an expert at manipulating the circumstances your very perceptive.

However I serve a God who is adept at manipulating the manipulator. You remember a guy named Jacob? As good as I am I don’t hold a candle to him and in the end God got him on track. The truth is: knowing and doing the will of God is all about knowing and doing the will of God. Abraham’s servant said it best when searching for Abraham’s old stomping grounds. When he arrived he said, “I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s family.” Basically this guy got on the road, followed what instructions he was given and trusted God for what he did not know.

The text above says that the problem Israel had with knowing God’s ways was a heart problem. When your heart wanders your feet will too. Psalm 139: 23-24 addresses this very thing “Search me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Get the heart right and the feet take care of themselves.

In His will,

Your brother Jack

Missionary prayer requests

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Please pray for these 5 missionaries who are celebrating birthdays today:

Missionary's Name, Place of Service, Type of Work, Home State, Status

Mr Robert W Hale, East Asian Peoples, Church Planting, TN, On Field
Rev Clyde E Schulz Jr., American Peoples, Church Planting, TX, Stateside
Mrs Michelle L Blacksten, European Peoples, Church/Home Outreach Evang'ism, TX, Stateside
Mr Timothy K Moore, Sub-Saharan African Peoples, MK Education, TX, Stateside
Mr John H Hatton, American Peoples, Electronic Media, , On Field

Please remember to pray for Last Frontier Personnel that we are unable to list here.

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* Give thanks to God for providing a visiting group of believers to the Arabian Gulf opportunities to interview people and encourage local believers.

* Pray that coastal cities of Morocco that experienced historic military victories will today experience a different kind of victory: spiritual freedom in Christ.

* Praise our Father for enabling a member of a hill tribe in Thailand who was suffering greatly to be a faithful witness in his last days, expressing the joy of the Lord.

* Pray for people in Cambodia who are seeking unsafe medical treatments to seek the Great Physician for true healing.

*UPPER-CLASS ARABS OF THE ARABIAN GULF. In response to your prayers, the visiting group of believers had a great experience at the festival in December. The weather was great, and they had many opportunities to interview people. They also served to encourage and spur on the local believers with whom they were partnering that week. Please pray for further opportunities to follow up with those interviewed. Ask that these contacts will lead to more openness in the community.

*MOROCCO. “The high-walled fortress will be brought down, thrown to the ground, to the dust. On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. Salvation is established as walls and ramparts. Open the gates so a righteous nation can come in--one that remains faithful. You will keep in perfect peace the mind (that is) dependent (on You), for it is trusting in You. Trust in the LORD forever, because in Yah, the LORD, is an everlasting rock!” (Isaiah 25:12-26:4, HCSB). If you were to travel along the coast of Morocco, you would find a commonality between many of the coastal cities: reminders of battles fought to keep out foreigners and pirates. In many of these former military bases, ancient ramparts, walls, “kasbahs” (fortresses) and cannons still remain in less-than-working condition. During your trip to these different cities, you might think about not only the physical battles that have been fought over the years to claim this strategic land, but the spiritual battles that have been fought here as well. Please pray for these Moroccan cities that were at one time under physical duress. Pray that as they have experienced tangible victory, they may also experience similar spiritual freedom in the Lord’s salvation as written about in Isaiah: “Trust in the LORD forever, because in Yah, the LORD, is an everlasting rock!” May Moroccans turn, trust and begin faith-journeys with the everlasting God through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

*HILL TRIBES OF NORTHERN THAILAND: HMONG, MIEN, LUA (mong, men, loo-ah). In June, you were asked to pray for Mr. U, a believer who was suffering greatly. Give thanks to the Lord for answering your prayers for Mr. U to know the joy of the Lord. The Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand Team reports: “God has since taken Mr. U home to be with Him. We were blessed by his cheerful attitude during his painful last months and are thankful for his faithful witness and the Christian legacy that he left behind for his family and friends.” northernhilltribes@gmail.com

*CAMBODIA. Got a fever, aches and chills? All a Cambodian has to do is send someone to the nearest pharmacy, and soon the patient will get something to make him or her feel better--at least for a little while. Cambodians can get nearly any medication simply by visiting their local pharmacy. But that doesn’t mean that all those capsules they receive are the real thing or exactly what a doctor would prescribe. Sometimes they end up taking only a few doses of an antibiotic--just enough to begin to make some resistant strains of tuberculosis or malaria--and they end up with a malady much worse than they thought. Pray for the healthcare system in Cambodia, and for individual Cambodians to have access to more knowledge of good medical practices. But more than that, pray that local fellowships will become havens of truth and healing for searching Cambodians. Ask that many will seek the Great Physician and find Him faithful and true, just as many people did in Bible times.

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“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

*WORLD LEADERS. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Please pray today for President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy (southern Europe).

*RUSSIAN-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF UFA, RUSSIA (oo-FAH). Continue praying for the dozen Ufa believers who continue to lead out in starting house and cell groups/churches. Some have encountered opposition from fellow believers and some leaders. Pray for clarity in communicating their church-planting vision and for the courage to be obedient to it no matter what the cost. http:// www.hope4ufa.com/

*SWIRL PEOPLE OF EAST ASIA. Praise the Lord for answering your prayers! The workers’ trip to the villages was very successful in seed sowing. Several people heard the Gospel for the first time ever in their mother-tongue, thanks to a new recording of the “Creation to Christ” story in a local language. One young man believed.

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm hoping to write on this blog on a regular basis this year. I appreciate any encouragement I get so If you're following, please feel free to send a note to let me know what you think.