SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
NEWS ALERT: Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
NEWS ALERT: Monday, November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
-------------------------------------------------------------------My (Stan's) Journey From Nominal Buddhism -{This is the second year that I have written a personal letter at Christmas to the Mom of a childhood friend. She, like my parents, have a nominal Buddhist background (ie, observing the customs more than necessarily understanding and following the teachings.) I decided to share my journey from nominal Buddhism to Christ. I share it with you here to encourage you to share your journey to faith with others. - Stan)
December 12, 2013
Dear Mrs Teruya,
I do hope you have (had) a very special Christmas. I would have sent this to you sooner but I was impressed to write this and send this to you just late last night.
I grew up “observing” the Buddhist religion, as did the rest of my family. My parents kept a small shrine in their bedroom for my father’s parents who died when he was young. I was reminded it was there esp. at New Year’s each year when my father placed offerings to their “spirits” at the shrine. As the eldest son, I’m sure I attended every funeral my parents attended, which were almost always Buddhist. And of course, each year we attended the O’bon festival at the local Moiliili Community Center, which I never had explained to me as being related to Buddhism. Because I don’t believe they never knew the teachings of Buddhism or thought it important for me to also know any, I never learned anything about the religion and so never considered myself a true Buddhist.
As I thought about it later, I realized that Buddhism had always been just a religion for me but never a personal faith. The difference? “Religion” is just something you observe but don’t really take its teachings to heart; in other words, it doesn’t really affect how you live your every day life. After I became a Christian, I realized that I had always assumed in the back of my head that I must be a Christian because I reasoned that America was a Christian country and so since I was an American I must be Christian. But in our home, the only thing Christian was the inexpensive black covered book an aunt had given us long ago that my Mom had ended up putting on top of the highest bookcase in our house. But the truth was having the Bible in the house (or simply being an American) made me no more a Christian than simply attending the Buddhist events or having my father’s shrine in the house made me a Buddhist. As someone has said, it was the same as thinking that eating at McDonald’s would mean you were a hamburger (though of course, if you eat enough of those you may have the shape of a hamburger, (: )
And so, attending Buddhist functions was just something I did – many times because it was one of the few family activities I remember growing up. But it was something I never stopped to really think about until after I became a Christian 40 years ago. I had been a Christian less than 6 months when my parents told me some relative of a friend of theirs had a relation who had died and as the oldest son I was expected to go with them to the funeral. As I sat in the funeral hall, for the first time in all the Buddhist funerals that I had attended during my life, I noticed how there was such sadness in the room that you could almost feel it. Of course, what made it even more so was the strong smell of incense burning from large bowls at the front of the room. Also, for the first time I noticed several ladies standing to the side near the front seeming to be wailing in grief.
It suddenly hit me that, even without knowing any of the teaching of Buddhism, it was a religion that offered no hope in regards to those who had died. Yes, we all grieve when someone dies but when you have no hope of what has happened to others, your grief is even worse. I didn’t really understand this until over a year later when I attended the memorial service of a friend of mine who had been killed during a sudden flash flood.. I remember how I had carried the sadness of her sudden death with me for the entire week preceding the service. At that service, one of the speakers then spoke of how we could be certain that my friend was in Heaven and how – as much as she might want to be with us and return to us – she was so happy to be with Jesus, to be with God where she was, that she surely preferred to be where she was. Finally understanding that, I felt my grief lift and I was actually able to sing songs of joy because I KNEW then she was with God.
Mrs. Teruya, what I’m trying to say is that Alex and I have learned that being a Christian is not simply having a religion, because all “religion” can do is make you HOPE the religious things you do make a difference. Being a Christian is instead about TRULY KNOWING the God who created each of us. It’s about living forgiven of the guilt we each carry for having done things we know are wrong. We each feel guilty because we ARE guilty, and the only one who can forgive us is the God we have each offended. And knowing God and having a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus (whose birth is what Christmas is all about) is the only way to be SURE of knowing we WILL be with him after we die. Mrs. Teruya, being a Christian is being certain of being in Heaven one day. As I’ve said before, I simply want to be sure that when I finally stand in Heaven, I will see YOU there. And only if you choose to trust in Christ can you be certain of being there. I just don’t want you to live as one who has no hope – as those women I saw at the funeral. And trust me, God loves you way too much to want you to live that way.
Because I want to see you THERE, Stanley [my given name and what she is used to calling me]
Thanks for sharing this letter, Stan. I'm glad you had the boldness to send it to your friend's mother. The hope we have in Christ is such a wonderful gift! I'll pray for Mrs. Teruya's heart to be open and for God to draw her to Himself.
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