How to be a Patriotic Christian

Today Americans celebrate the 235th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. It's a time for citizens to express our patriotism, our love for our country and its people.

Recognizing that many of my blog's readers live in different nations around the globe (some of which are hostile to the Christian faith), I have been thinking about how the Bible gives us some guidance in expressing our love for our countries and their people.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Pray. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4). If we have a fair, decent, competent, and honest government, we are more likely to be able to live peaceful and quiet lives. We will be able to spread the good news of Christ with fewer obstacles in our way. Perhaps more people, even leaders within our governments, will be able to hear God's message more clearly. Perhaps they will respond favorably and join with us in following Jesus.

2. Submit. "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities..." (Titus 3:1). "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God...for he is God's servant for your good" (Romans 13:1, 4). Generally, when we follow the rules, we help our societies to function better. Anarchy and rebellious attitudes can bring societies to ruin. Our neighbors could suffer harm when we are rebellious against authority.

3. Go Beyond the Legal Requirements in Order to Do Good to Others. "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people" (Titus 3:1-2). A person can treat people horribly and not violate a single law in my country. The law tends to set minimal standards of behavior in a society. A Christian can stand out in a community by going beyond the requirements of the law, by being "ready for every good work," by refusing to slander others (especially the government's leaders), by avoiding quarrels (especially concerning relatively unimportant political preferences), and by being gentle and courteous toward everyone.

Whether a Christian lives in the USA, Russia, China, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, or anywhere else on the planet, he can love his country and its people by adhering to these principles.

How to Have a Good Life

"Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
let him turn away from evil and do
good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those
who do evil" (1 Peter 3:10-12).

The National Day of Prayer

President Obama and Congress have asked Americans to pray for them and for the nation today during the National Day of Prayer.

This is an excerpt from President Obama's proclamation:

"Let us pray for the men and women of our Armed Forces and the many selfless sacrifices they and their families make on behalf of our Nation. Let us pray for the police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect their fellow citizens. And let us ask God for the sustenance and guidance for all of us to meet the great challenges we face as a Nation.

"Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those who have been affected by natural disasters at home and abroad in recent months, as well as those working tirelessly to render assistance. And, at a time when many around the world face uncertainty and unrest, but also hold resurgent hope for freedom and justice, let our prayers be with men and women everywhere who seek peace, human dignity, and the same rights we treasure here in America."

Let's honor their request. As the apostle Paul wrote,

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NLT).

Sincerity as Evidence for the Christian Faith

A few nights ago, I was reading a portion of the Gospel of Luke to my son Christopher before bedtime. In that portion of the Scriptures, Jesus was healing men and women of various illnesses and afflictions.

At a break in the reading, my son asked, "How do you know that's true?" Puzzled, I responded, "What do you mean?"

Christopher said, "Those miracles. How do you know they happened? It sounds like someone's lying to us."

At that moment, I realized that our son was taking a huge step in his development. He was not believing something merely because his parents believed it. He was questioning it.

My wife Janet and I assured him that it was proper to question us and the Bible. He needed to know that he was not alone in his doubts; he needed to know that it was a part of spiritual growth to raise questions. After all, those kinds of miracles do not happen every day in our lives. We have seen some remarkable answers to prayers for healing, but we have not seen anything like someone walking on water or someone being raised from the dead. In fact, even the apostle Thomas did not accept the resurrection of Jesus until he saw the Lord for himself.

We explained to Christopher that we have not seen the miracles recorded in the Bible firsthand, but eyewitnesses to those miracles preserved a record of them for us.

A few nights later, we returned to the subject. I let my son know that those eyewitnesses spread the word about Jesus and his miracles to everyone they encountered for the rest of their lives. Even though they faced severe persecution and death for telling people about the resurrection of Christ, they never stopped spreading the good news that Jesus had died for their sins and had risen from the dead in order to save them.

If the apostles had not honestly believed what they were saying and what they were writing in the Scriptures, they could have changed their story very easily in the face of death. But they remained committed to their account of Christ's message.

Sincerity does not necessarily prove one's testimony to be true. However, when a man remains committed to his eyewitness testimony in the face of death, it's a strong indication that he truly believes his message. Something happened in his life that he cannot deny.

And that's one good reason to take seriously the message of the apostles and other early Christians who wrote the New Testament. We know that they were not lying.

"And they have conquered (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death" (Revelation 12:11).

(The picture above portrays the crucifixion of the apostle Peter)

Build Me a Son, O Lord

BUILD ME A SON, O LORD by General Douglas MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee….Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

Ordinary Christians

Sometimes it's good to notice the extraordinary impact of ordinary Christians around me.

These are the Christians who serve God faithfully without knowing how much of a difference they are making in the world around them.

They love and respect their husbands and wives. They honor their parents. They nurture, discipline, and instruct their children.

They show up to work on time and ready for the day. They approach their jobs with good attitudes. They care about their co-workers, employees, and customers. They take the time to listen to the concerns of others, sometimes offering helpful advice and sometimes offering a prayer. They are sincere in their gratitude when they are helped; and they are willing to help others whenever possible.

They spend time reading their Bibles and praying. They want to be close to their Lord. They want to know him better. They believe what they read in their Bibles; and they trust that God is listening to their pleas on behalf of the people for whom they pray.

They enjoy worshipping with their local churches. They participate in and teach Bible classes. They clean the church buildings. They mow the grass and shovel the snow on the church's property. They serve food when the church shares meals. They drive the vans to pick up people who want to worship with them.

They volunteer to help teachers at their local schools. They coach and support their children's sports teams. They are involved in their children's scouting programs. They e-mail and meet with their political leaders in support of just legislation or in opposition to unjust legislation. They raise money to fight diseases. They recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum products to help the environment. They get their pets from the local animal shelter.

They share the good news of Christ whenever an opportunity arises. They adopt children, volunteer for pro-life ministries, and sponsor children around the world through Christian relief organizations. They send money to organizations that fight global poverty and others that translate the Scriptures into native languages around the world.

They are ordinary Christians, but they are intentionally committed to doing good so that others are blessed and God is glorified.

"...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

People Who Inspire Me: George Muller

George Muller (sometimes spelled Mueller) was a preacher in England during the 1800s. Born in modern Germany, Muller came to Christ from a background of lying, stealing, and drunkenness. Although raised as a Lutheran, he had no real faith in Christ until he came into contact with a small group of committed believers who met in a home. After turning to follow Jesus Christ and receiving an education in his native Germany, he immigrated to Great Britain where he became a preacher.

Why does George Muller inspire me?

1. He loved the Bible. As a seminary student, he had a strong preference for theological books. However, after seminary, Muller wrote, "God began to show me that His Word alone is our standard of judgment; that it can be explained only by the Holy Spirit; and that in our day, as well as in former times, He is the teacher of the people...The Lord enabled me to put it to the test of experience, by laying aside commentaries, and almost every other book, and simply reading the Word of God and studying it. The result of this was that the first evening I shut myself into my room to give myself to prayer and meditation over the Scriptures, I learned more in a few hours than I had done during a period of several months previously."

His love for the Bible and his dependence upon the Holy Spirit led him to adjust his practices as he discovered truth from its pages. For example, through reading the Scriptures, he came to the conclusion that believers should be baptized and that baptism meant immersion. After studying Acts 8:36-38 and Romans 6:3-6, Muller wrote, "I saw that believers only are the proper subjects of baptism, and that immersion is the only true Scriptural mode in which it ought to be attended to." Prompted by his faith and his new understanding of the Scriptures, Muller submitted to immersion as a believer.

2. He was compassionate. He saw the needs of the world and sought to meet them. His heart broke for the thousands of vulnerable orphans on the streets of England in those days. As a result, he started a small orphanage in which he and his wife worked to care for and to educate the children. At first, he and his wife cared for 30 orphaned girls. Eventually, they were able to build enough houses and hire enough workers to care for up to 2,050 at a time. By the end of his life, Muller had cared for 10,024 English orphans.

In addition, he sought to meet the spiritual needs of the world. During his lifetime, he distributed 285,407 Bibles and 1,459,506 New Testaments around the globe through his Scripture Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad. He also supported a number of missionaries, including the well-known Hudson Taylor.

3. He was a man of prayer. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Muller's life was his prayer life. He had a deep trust in God. In fact, his ministry was completely dependant on prayer. He never asked anyone but God for the resources needed to care for the orphans or to support his ministry in any way. He wanted the Lord to receive all the glory for anything good that came through his ministry. Therefore, he asked no one else for support. Of course, the Lord provided the support through other people, but those people never received a request of support from him or his co-workers. (They did receive notes of gratitude and financial reports to let them know how the money was spent.)

George Muller was an incredible man of faith in Christ.

Praying for the Missing Fathers

In his sermon today, one of our ministers, Joel Osborn, mentioned helping to teach our congregation's first and second grade Sunday school class with his wife Rhonda. At one point during the class, the children took turns praying. He noticed that three of the children prayed for fathers. One boy prayed for his father who was in prison. Two others prayed that they would simply have fathers.

This is a common source of heartache for many children.

In this video, former NFL coach Tony Dungy recognizes the problem of fatherlessness in America and offers a little advice to help solve the problem:



"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers..." (Malachi 4:6).

Remember Those Who Are in Prison

Christian prisoner Said Musa in Afghanistan

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body" (Hebrews 13:3).

"On May 24 (2010), Said Musa was arrested by government authorities in Afghanistan following a television broadcast that showed Christian baptisms and worship, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts.

"Musa has openly professed his faith, and he was interrogated about his conversion to Christianity on national television in June" (www.prisoneralert.com).

Said Musa is one among many Christians worldwide who are in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ. Like Mr. Musa, they are being abused and mistreated simply for believing in Christ and refusing to deny their faith. Like Mr. Musa, they are facing the death penalty for their faith.

Recently, I discovered that free Christians can write letters of encouragement to some of these persecuted believers in their own languages. If you would like to write to some of these fellow followers of Christ, check out www.prisoneralert.com.

Please let them know that they are appreciated. Let them know that they have not been forgotten. Keep them in your prayers. Life is difficult for them. And they could use a little encouragement.

A Birthday Letter to My Son

Dear Christopher,

Tomorrow will mark your 8th birthday. With that in mind, I would like to share a few thoughts about your birth and adoption. You may not completely understand everything that I am writing today, but someday you will.

First, I want you to know that God answers prayers. Your birth and adoption were the answer to 9 years of prayer by your mother and myself. We had hoped and prayed for a long time for your arrival. God was preparing us to become your parents, while teaching us patience and perseverance during those years of waiting. Then God answered our prayers with the son of our dreams.

Second, your birth and adoption crossed racial barriers. You were born on the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2003 to a young black woman who chose a childless white husband and wife to be your parents. It was appropriate that you came into our lives on the day after a day set apart in our country to honor the memory of the man who had dreamed of racial barriers being broken.

Third, your birth and adoption signified the value of choosing life over abortion. You were born the day before the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing all abortions in the United States. Your birthmother made a brave decision in choosing adoption over abortion in her situation. We have been honored to have been entrusted with protecting, nurturing, and helping to shape your life ever since.

Finally, I want you to know that Christopher means Christ-bearer. We were unaware of the meaning of your name when we chose it, but we look forward to seeing how you will live out its meaning. We pray that you will follow Christ closely all the days of your life, and take him with you wherever you go.

Christopher, you are a special child. You are loved. You are blessed and a blessing.

Love,
Daddy

Why Do You Want Me to be Surrounded by Poor People?

As we were preparing to go to our regular Tuesday evening prayer meeting tonight, our son Christopher asked me, "Why do you want me to be surrounded by poor people?"

In some ways, it struck me as an odd question. When did he discover that most of the people in our congregation were poor? He has been attending the Contact Church all of his life, but only recently has he mentioned the poverty of our members. How does he understand poverty? Has he noticed the condition of the apartment complexes that we visit? Does he remember the homeless man that we used to pick up and bring to church with us when he was younger? Have his friends at church mentioned the violence that they have witnessed and experienced? Has he noticed the prayer requests dealing with drug abuse, gang violence, and suicidal thoughts? Does he feel inferior to his friends at school because he worships with an urban ministry? Does he feel superior to his friends at church because he lives more of a middle class lifestyle?

I plan on exploring those questions with my son over the next few days, but I thought it would be good to answer his question about why we are raising our son in an urban ministry.

First, Janet and I want Christopher to be exposed to modern heroes of the faith. Many members of the Contact Church (including many poor members) are true heroes. They run to help people whom others would rather avoid. They are willing to cross the yellow tape of a crime scene in order to take the good news to people who need it. They will deal patiently with the struggling drunk or drug addict. They will comfort the victim of childhood sexual abuse. They will counsel a struggling couple to remain committed to each other. They will keep showing up for the woman with emotional problems. They will provide the food, clothing, and furniture needed by someone who is struggling financially. They will tell the hard truths of the gospel in a gracious manner to someone who would rather not hear them. They will encourage others to do good while quickly forgiving them for doing wrong. They do not give up. We want our son to see such men and women in action. We want him to admire their good qualities and to try to emulate them.

Second, we want our son to be exposed to the ugly side of sin. If he learns about alcohol, drugs, and sex outside of marriage from the media alone, he may never see the consequences of living outside of God's standards until it is too late. In urban ministry, he can see the consequences all the time. He can see how difficult it can be to be controlled by alcohol or drugs. He can hear the prayers of the men and women who cry out in despair. He can see some of the problems faced by our members who have not adhered to biblical sexual ethics, from emotional problems to single parenthood to incurable and deadly diseases. While he will see God's love and forgiveness extended, he will see how sin can take its toll on men and women even after they have been forgiven. We want our son to learn to see beyond the temptations of sin to see the consequences of sin.

I understand that risks are involved in our strategy. We could fail. But we could fail by avoiding the poor also.

I pray that we succeed. I want nothing more than to see my son become a genuine follower of Christ. I want to be able to echo the words of the apostle John someday: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 4).

Why Should I Pray "Lead Us Not Into Temptation"?

"And lead us not into temptation" (Luke 11:4).

When I pray for God to lead me not into temptation, I am reminded of my potential for failure. Based on past experiences, I'm aware that I can place myself in situations in which I am likely to be proud, to boast, to lie, to lust, to slander, to mistreat others, and to commit other sins that dishonor my Savior. I can hurt the people I should be loving. I can harm myself.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 16:25).

I need to pray for the Lord to lead me not into temptation, because I can destroy myself by going my own way. I am prone to find the destructive temptations around me.

I need to humble myself and seek the leading of the Lord. Then I can avoid temptations and honor my God.

"He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:3, 6).

A Quiet Life of Courage and Faith

In 1962, for the first time in American history, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against prayer in public schools in the Engel v. Vitale case.

However, I had no knowledge of the prohibition against prayer in public schools when I entered first grade at Catoosa (Oklahoma) Elementary School in 1973. Each day, my teacher opened the school day with a prayer. She would ask a student to lead the prayer. If one declined, she would ask the next student in line until one wanted to say a prayer.

My first grade teacher wanted her students to have the opportunity to seek God each morning. Without fanfare, she defied the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings because she had always allowed her students to pray, and it was a matter of conviction with her. She wanted her students to have a chance to know the Lord. More than 10 years after it became illegal, my teacher continued to allow her students to seek God in a public school classroom.

At the time, I did not know enough to appreciate what she was doing. I did not know that she was engaging in civil disobedience. But I knew that she was a woman of faith and conviction. She may not have been an activist, but she was active and courageous in living out her faith in Christ.

She was a "Daniel" in government service who continued the habit of prayer after it had been forbidden by the highest authority in the land. She was my teacher. She was my role model. And, most importantly, she was my grandmother.

Thank you, Granny Laudett. You have been gone for a decade now, but I still appreciate your life of quiet courage and faith. In my own way and in my own circumstances, I want to follow your example.

What About People Who Have Never Heard?

My friend on my job asked another good question today: What happens to people who have never heard the gospel?

It's an uncomfortable question on many levels. On the surface, it calls into question the justice of God. On another level, it calls into question the commitment of Christians to fulfill the Great Commission and to love their neighbors.

Some churchgoing people have adopted universalism in response to such questions. They believe that eventually all people will be saved. Others have adopted inclusivism, the belief that a sinner does not necessarily need to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved as long as he or she has never heard of Jesus Christ.

I can't accept either view. Jesus warned about the dangers of hell far too often for his followers to dismiss those warnings for universalism. Christ and his apostles emphasized the need for faith in Christ far too often to dismiss it for inclusivism.

As for God being unjust in requiring faith in Christ, I sympathize with those who find it difficult to accept. However, it remains the way by which we are brought into a right relationship with God. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

The hard truth is: sinners are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one deserves salvation. I wish I did, but I don't. It's to God's glory that anyone is saved at all.

The more disturbing aspect of my friend's question centers on what it says about me. Do I really care about people who don't know about Christ and are heading to an eternity without hope? Do I really care about fulfilling the Great Commission ("Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you"--Matthew 28:19-20)? What am I doing to help people to know Jesus Christ? Am I sharing my faith? Am I praying for those who have never heard the gospel? Am I supporting Christians who are trying to reach unreached people around the world?

In this video, atheistic entertainer Penn Gillette challenges Christians who believe that unbelievers are in danger of hell to love them enough to share their faith with them. It's one of the most convicting videos ever made by an atheist. He "gets it" better than I do sometimes.

Conditional Forgiveness---Unconditional Love

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:12-14).

On my job today, the subject of forgiveness came up. A couple of my co-workers were discussing whether forgiveness is conditional upon a change of heart or whether it is completely unconditional. They were talking about the concept of being like God in forgiving people. Then one of them asked about my thoughts on the subject.

As I understand it, I explained, God loves unconditionally, but he forgives conditionally. God wants what is best for us, but he wants a change of heart before he forgives us.

One of my friends objected. He pointed out that Christ prayed as he was being crucified, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He argued that Jesus was demonstrating unconditional forgiveness on the cross.

However, Christ was actually demonstrating unconditional love rather than unconditional forgiveness in his prayer. Out of love for his killers, Jesus was seeking their forgiveness. He did not want them to suffer hell for their sins, but he was not granting forgiveness to them yet.

A few weeks later, however, many of the people directly responsible for the Lord's crucifixion received God's forgiveness.

When the apostle Peter preached his first sermon after Jesus' resurrection, he addressed people who had crucified Jesus (Acts 2:36). When the people discovered what they had done, "they were cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37). At that point, Peter offered them God's forgiveness: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). On that day, three thousand of them received the forgiveness for which Christ had prayed a few weeks earlier (Acts 2:41).

They were unconditionally loved by Christ; but they were forgiven only after a change of heart. God is "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Inspiring Lives

I am constantly inspired by the lives of fellow members of the Contact Church.

Today, I discovered another example of someone quietly making a difference for Jesus in this world. One of our members volunteers to help children at a local hospital. She shows up to demonstrate a little kindness and compassion to children in need.

Last month, she showed up to hold a 10-month old little girl who had been severely beaten and abandoned by her parents. The baby had broken bones, bruises, and a nasty injury to her head. Even worse, she had no one to care for her.

Our friend from the church held the child gently while praying for her.

This week, she found the little girl in the hospital again. But things were very different this time.

The child was continuing to recover; but beyond that encouraging news, she was in the care of Christian foster parents who were in the process of adopting her.

Our friend and the Christian foster parents are quietly making a real and positive difference in the world...while inspiring me to look for ways to honor God with a similar commitment to doing good for others.

"And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need,and not be unfruitful" (Titus 3:14).

The Contact Church Prays

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

During our Sunday morning worship assemblies, the Contact Church devotes a part of our time together to praising God through prayer. We take 5 to 10 minutes to thank God for what he has done for us and to ask him to help us with our needs. (We also have a Tuesday evening prayer meeting in which we spend some time in a study of the Bible. Then the men and women separate from each other into different groups in order to pray.)

This month, I have been leading the prayer and praise time on Sunday mornings. I stand in front of the congregation while other members let me know their reasons to praise God and the concerns that they want to take to God.

This is a taste of what is on the hearts of members of the Contact Church from this morning's prayer time.

We praised God for:

*Waking up
*Our homes
*Our clothes
*Our food
*Wisdom to live life
*Being clean and sober
*Being able to be with the church today
*A baby boy to be born in the next few months
*God being a refuge, a shelter, and our help in times of trouble
*Members who are celebrating birthdays

We asked for:

*A co-worker's successful heart surgery
*God to comfort the heart of a member's daughter who is facing difficult times
*Wisdom
*Reconciliation between three girls who were involved in a fight last week
*Healing of a member's injured nose
*Comfort for a member whose friend was murdered last week
*Repentance and conversion of the murderer
*A member's brother to change his life while in jail
*Comfort for a member's friend whose mother died last week

Please Don't Pray for the President's Death

If you are on Facebook, you probably have seen this prayer:

"Dear Lord, this year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze. You took my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett. You took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know, my favorite President is Barack Obama. Amen."

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, please consider these words:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Please do not pray for President Obama's death (even as a joke). God wants us to pray for him "to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." He is a real person with real needs. If you are a Christian, please treat him with respect and concern. That's what God wants from us.

A Potential Leader in the Kingdom

This is a portion of our minister Ron Babbit's February newsletter:

"Every time I show up in the hood, I wonder, 'Where is the family that once lived there? Whatever happened to those kids?' Recently, we had two moving crews on the road to assist a couple of families. Big O took Muscles with him to make a run and I recruited Big Mac, Arler, Trey-bone, and Fox. (I pay big bucks.) This move was in a drizzling rain. We had a trailer and my truck; and Big Mac was driving a minivan. When we showed up, the lady being moved was with her two daughters and their hairy-legged friends. One couple is getting married this spring; the other couple is shacking together. GOD provided a great opportunity for all the moving team. Let me share how GOD was at work.

"One of the clowns, the dude who is shacking with his honey, I met eight years ago on an outside basketball court where he was the 'Cool Dude On Campus' (CDOC). At that time, I told the girls to stay away from that clown. I would always recruit a girl to be on my team, and we would go against the CDOC. This CDOC was a wannabe. He wasn't willing to pay the price to play the great game of basketball at school because he was a CDOC. He has the same struggles that most of us have, that is, not willing to die to self and make the commitment to serve HIM. Every time I would see CDOC, I would throw him candy and a soda to break down the barriers that Satan had built in his bones. I started noticing that CDOC wasn't present in the complex and soon found out that he was in prison. I tried to get an address to write to him, but wasn't successful.

"When we showed up to move this family, the CDOC hoss wanted a ride to go help us move. Amen, church! I loved picking up the CDOC and his honey. Guess what? I witnessed a different attitude. He was very friendly and seemed to be changed. Yes, he is hanging with hooch in his pocket, smoking whatever gets him higher, but GOD is more powerful. Amen, church! I asked him about his brother. He, too, was living with a gal.

"GOD started building this friendship/relationship years ago, and now is the time to step in to share the saving message of HIS love. Please stay in prayer with me as we read, listen, and pray with him. This CDOC is a leader; my prayer is that he becomes a leader in the Kingdom."

Happy Birthday, Christopher

I posted this 3 years ago on the day before Christopher's 4th birthday. I am re-posting it today, a few days before his 7th birthday. I have changed it in order to reflect his 7th birthday instead of his 4th.

Thursday will mark your 7th birthday, Christopher. With that in mind, I would like to share a few thoughts about your birth and adoption. You will not be able to understand everything that I am writing today, but someday you will.

First, I want you to know that God answers prayers. Your birth and adoption were the answer to 9 years of prayer by your mother and myself. We had hoped and prayed for a long time for your arrival. God was preparing us to become your parents, while teaching us patience and perseverance during those years of waiting. Then God answered our prayers with the son of our dreams.

Second, your birth and adoption crossed racial barriers. You were born on the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2003 to a young black woman who chose a childless white husband and wife to be your parents. It was appropriate that you came into our lives on the day after a day set apart in our country to honor the memory of the man who had dreamed of racial barriers being broken.

Third, your birth and adoption signified the value of choosing life over abortion. You were born the day before the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing all abortions in the United States. Your birthmother made a brave decision in choosing adoption over abortion in her situation. We were honored to be entrusted with protecting, nurturing, and helping to shape your life ever since.

Finally, I want you to know that Christopher means Christ-bearer. We were unaware of the meaning of your name when we chose it, but we look forward to seeing how you will live out its meaning. We pray that you will follow Christ closely all the days of your life, and take him with you wherever you go.

Christopher, you are a special child. You are loved. You are blessed and a blessing.

Love,
Daddy