#512 (5/5) SUNDAY SPECIAL - "Our Weakness, His Strength"

[Dear friends, You may have noticed that I have not posted anything since last Wed.  Beginning last Sunday, and as the week has gone on, I’ve experienced physical exhaustion that I have not had in awhile. Maybe it’s related to the “processing” I’ve had to do for over 2 weeks now; I’m not really sure. But I do thank you for your continued prayers. I have found comfort in God’s Word, and in particular Psalm 25:15-21 (NIV). I do hope you enjoy today’s post that continues to look at  “7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness.- Stan}

REMINDER: "Truth That Transforms" broadcast - (Cen. FL - Sun., 5 pm, ch. 55.1; Mon. 7 pm. ch. 52.2; www.truthinaction.org, this week’s episode is entitled “Absolutes in a Relativistic Age.” The special feature is a special video about the pressure on the Boy Scouts to abandon their moral code Don’t miss another great broadcast

URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS: 

Same -Sex "Marriage"- PLEASE PRAY WITH ME (every day untill the decision is revealed around mid-June) THAT THE SUPREME COURT WILL VOTE TO UPHOLD THE 2 LAWS REVIEWED SUPPORTING A TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is. PRAY! -  for the sake of possibly millions of children, and for our country if it is to continue to be shown any more favor by our Heavenly Father, who I promise you will be very displeased if homosexual marriage is legalized; "GOD IS NOT [TO BE] MOCKED..." - (Gal. 6:7)  - Stan [Be sure to check out my brief essay at post #478.]

CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR SAEED (Iranian-born AMERICAN pastor) who just started an 8 year sentence for helping the underground churches in Iran)  If you have not already, please join over 500,000 (was recently250,000) who have signed the petition  for Pastor Saeed's release and tell your friends about it.  http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-from-iranian-prison-sentence  As the Lord leads, please pray: *For Pastor Abedini as he endures one of Iran’s most deadly prisons, potentially beaten and abused regularly, simply because of his Christian faith. *For the pastor’s wife and family and the Holy Spirit’s comfort upon them. * For God to visit his tormenters and all in his cell with him with supernatural dreams of the risen Christ, and use the pastor's actions and words to draw them to repent and turn to Christ; that God would use the pastor's time in that prison to spark a genuine spiritual revival that will bring scores of Iranians to Christ..*For the growing world pressure to finally obtain the pastor’s release.

LATEST Update - April  15 - 1)".. During the weekly prison visit today, Pastor Saeed's family reported that his physical condition is worsening - seeing first-hand the marks and symptoms left by the recent beating. These beatings and the internal injuries are causing Pastor Saeed frequent fainting spells.  Iranian officials are telling Pastor Saeed it could be an additional two months before he will receive medical treatment. Such a delay is inhumane and a gross violation of Iran’s international obligations. ...In addition to refusing to give Pastor Saeed the medical care he needs, it now appears authorities are stepping up their physical abuse and psychological torture. Pastor Saeed reported that cellmates, who appear to have connections to the Iranian intelligence police, recently threatened they would suffocate Pastor Saeed in his sleep, making his death look like an accident.  The daily threat that his life could be taken by his internal injuries or by the hands of cellmates, weighs heavily on Pastor Saeed. .."(http://aclj.org/iran/beatings-intensify-american-pastor-saeed-condition-worsens-in-iranian-prison    PRAY that Pastor Saeed might finally receive the medical  treatment he needs. 2) More than 550,000 people  from 180 countries have signed the petition to Save Saeed. Your voice has moved the U.S., the European Union, and many others to call for his release. But as Pastor Saeed's May 7th 33rd birthday approaches, it's time to encourage him directly. At the ACLJ, they've obtained the address of Evin Prison, and their goal is to flood the prison with thousands of messages of encouragement for Pastor Saeed. Just write a letter (or simply sign your name to one proposed greeting) and they will be sure that its delivered. These messages will let Pastor Saeed know that we're praying for him and his  release, as well as send a signal to the Iranian leaders that Americans will not give up standing up for him. Go to Save Saeed.org and add your name to those sending letters to him.

"Our Weakness, His Strength - The Legacy of John Paul II," By: Eric Metaxas|Breakpoint.org: April 29, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/22075

A few weeks ago millions of Americans were mesmerized watching the solemn election of a new pope—Francis I—the first pope to hail from the New World. Watching it reminded me of being fifteen years old and watching the election of Karol Wojtyla, a Polish cardinal who became Pope John Paul II.That new pope seemed so young, fun, and full of optimism. And while JP2, as he was nicknamed, did many things that the world found admirable—such as standing up to the Communists—what impressed me most was something he did at the end of his life.

The man who would become Pope John Paul II was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children born to an army clerk and a teacher.

In 1939, when he was nineteen, German tanks rolled into Poland. During the war years under Nazi occupation, Wojtyla worked as a delivery boy, feeding mind and soul through reading, praying, and clandestine theatrical activities. He was greatly helped by Jan Tyranowski, a spiritual layman who taught him about the nature of suffering and how it can draw us closer to God.

The suffering in his own life—especially the loss of his parents and a brother—led Wojtyla to the priesthood and in 1946, he was ordained. As a priest, he worked in parishes, led youth groups, began to write books, and earned two doctorates. He also began a meteoric rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church that brought him into direct conflict with the communists who ruled Poland. During the 1960s, Wojtyla, by then a cardinal, became known for his promotion of religious freedom for all.

Elected pope in 1978, Wojtyla’s focus continued to be with “the least of these”—the weak, the helpless, and the needy. In 1981, John Paul II nearly died when an assassin pumped four bullets into him. But he thanked God for allowing him to join in the community of the sick and visited his assailant in prison, offering forgiveness and reconciliation—a terrific example of thanking God in every circumstance.

This incredible man had not sought prestige and power, never mind greatness, but these came to him as he focused on those who were least able to reciprocate. Meanwhile through his preaching Christ and demands for religious liberty, he became one of the key figures in the collapse of communism in Europe.

As the twentieth century drew to a close, John Paul II showed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. And while Hollywood celebrities and much of the media supported research that destroyed human embryos, the pope took a firm stand against it. Once again, he identified with the weakest and most helpless—in this case, the unborn. They should not be sacrificed for the benefit of others.

By Good Friday, 2005, John Paul II was too sick to lead the walk marking the Stations of the Cross and went before the whole world weakened and debilitated by Parkinson’s. In doing so, he showed in his own life what he professed with his words: that all human life is sacred in God’s eyes, even and especially the old, sick, disabled, and helpless. Even in a weakened state, we are children of God.

In his illness and subsequent death, John Paul II was a picture of courage and heroic consistency, a man who practiced what he preached.

I write about John Paul II in my new book, titled 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. I hope you'll read it. You'll discover how, through the paradoxes of his life, John Paul II exemplified Christ’s radical and revolutionary teaching that whoever loses his life shall find it.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Further Reading and Information

Our Weakness, His Strength: The Legacy of John Paul II - Next Steps

Read about Pope John Paul II in Eric's book, 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. This book looks at the Christian worldviews of seven men who changed the world. Even more importantly, it shows us how to work out that same worldview in OUR spheres of influence, just as these men did.