The Bulletin Board:(Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)
PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
U.S. Supreme Court has Reconvened: Let's be praying WHENEVER the Court is in session as their decisions can have impact on GENERATIONS to come. The fact that they may have an opportunity this session to actually vote on same-sex "marriage" where it has the same impact on this country that Roe v. Wade did should be motivating enough!
ELECTION DAY, NOV. 4th. Let's begin praying that the American people will have wisdom in voting into office those who will lead our communities and nation with integrity and wisdom from God and DO NO HARM!.
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
Friday, Sept. 26th - Two Year Anniversary of Pastor Saeed Abedini's Imprisonment in Iran! - [NOTE TODAY'S POST!]
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
"Not Everyone Happy with Religious Ambassador Pick," Caitlin Burke,July 29, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/July/Obama-Taps-Rabbi-for-Religious-Freedom-Ambassador/ "..An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States must take a strong stand against those violations. "Around the world repressive governments and extremists groups have been crystal clear about what they stand against, so we have to be equally clear about what we must stand for," Kerry said. "We stand for greater freedom, for greater tolerance, greater respect, for rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience," he said A key development in the 2013 report is the large number of displaced members of religious communities, including entire Christian communities in Syria and Iraq that have been forced to flee their homes because of persecution."
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
UPDATE: "Second US Doctor Sick with Ebola; Crisis 'Out of Control'" - CBNNews.com, Sept. 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/September/A-Losing-Battle-Ebola-Going-to-Get-Worse-CDC-Says/ "Another American doctor in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus, according to the international Christian mission organization, SIM. SIM leaders report the American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at the organization's ELWA Hospital in Monrovia and not treating Ebola patients..."The epidemic is going faster than we are," he warned. 'We need to scale up our response. We can hope for new tools and maybe they'll come, but we can't count on them.' So far, the West African outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria."
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)
LATEST:"Christians in the Middle East Arm Themselves As Genocide Comes to Their Front Door" - Katie Pavlich | Sep 05, 2014;
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/09/05/christians-in-the-middle-east-arm-themselves-as-violence-rages-around-them-n1887849" Earlier this week the BBC and Al Jazeera both reported on armed Iraqi citizen volunteers who helped government forces fight off ISIS in Amerli. Today, the AP is out with a story about Christians in the Middle East who are arming themselves, carrying weapons with them during daily tasks and heading to the hills at night to defend their communities as violence continues to rage around them. Genocide is at their front door and they're doing everything they can to stop it from coming in... So far, the terror army ISIS has slaughtered and tortured thousands of Christians in Iraq and Syria."
/PRAYER ALERT- UKRAINE: As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
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.]
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"There is No Such Thing as a ‘Dignified Death’" - Steve Deace | Oct 11, 2014; http://townhall.com/columnists/stevedeace/2014/10/11/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-dignified-death-n1902580/page/full [NOTE: I refer you back to the previous post #1025 for another well written commentary about the person highlighted below.]
By all accounts Brittany Maynard’s is a life well lived. Sure, we’re not God, so we have no idea where she stands eternally. We don’t know if she’s sought the forgiveness for her sins that is found only in Jesus Christ, but we can pray that she has before it’s too late.
However, from what we can humanly see, Maynard has lived a life of courage and adventure—even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Sadly, though, it now seems she may not live to see her 30th birthday. In April, the 29-year old Maynard was diagnosed with a stage four malignant brain tumor. She was given six months to live. “I’ve discussed with many experts how I would die from it and it’s a terrible way to die,” Maynard told People Magazine. “Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”
Seeking that dignified death, Maynard plans to end her own life on November 1st with prescribed medication. So much for that Hippocratic Oath. For thousands of years the taking of one’s own life has been commonly referred to as “suicide.” But nowadays even suicide is a post-modern construct, so Maynard maintains she’s not committing suicide by committing suicide.“There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or wants to die,” Maynard says. “I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there is not.”
I cannot imagine what Maynard and her family are facing and urge everyone reading this to pray for them during this difficult time. Her desire to avoid this suffering for her, and her husband and loved ones as well, is very human and understandable.
However, what she ultimately seeks cannot be found, because there is no such thing as a dignified death.
Death is indignity by its very nature. We were originally created to live forever, but we chose to go our own way, thus death entered into the world. Death is the result of the suffering we have caused this world, not some idle occurrence that is merely the natural way of things. This is why St. Paul writes that Christ, by rising from the grave, has “conquered the last enemy” and destroyed death. There is no death, indignity, or suffering to fear once we acknowledge the death and suffering Christ endured on our behalf to give us eternal life.
Remember when the story of a limited time to live meant going out with a bang, making your way through your bucket list, or giving inspiring speeches to those you’ll leave behind to make sure they make every moment count? Sadly, Maynard has instead decided to spend what she’s convinced are her final moments of life becoming a political cause célèbre for death.
While there is no such thing as a dignified death, there is such a thing as a meaningful death. How, why, where, or when someone dies can testify to the meaning (worth/dignity) of that person’s life. This is why we commemorate sacrificial love, because there is no greater love than a willingness to give one’s life for another. We can give no more than our own self.
By making the decision to end her own life on November 1st, Maynard is assuming she has nothing more to offer this world or her loved ones beyond that point. That is to say in essence she is playing God and making decisions as if she alone knows the future.
How does she know a loved one wasn’t going to need a comforting word from her on November 2nd? How does she know her husband might not need her support on November 3rd? How does she know she wasn’t intended to be the one that was going to play a key part in saving someone’s life on November 4th? How does she know a miraculous cure wouldn’t be discovered on November 5th? Perhaps Christ returns on November 6th and fulfills his promise to wipe away every tear from our eyes.
And why choose November 1st when she was given six months to live back in April? By making it to November at all Maynard has already defied her original diagnosis if you do the math.
I write this not to criticize Maynard, but to provoke her to move beyond her fear of suffering, and see the world as it really is and her life as it was really intended to be. We are supposed to share one another’s burdens, not see ourselves as a burden. We are to live every day as if it may be our last, not seek after and even schedule our last day.
People Magazine described Maynard as “fearless,” but ironically it seems as if her decision to commit suicide is based solely out of fear. The fear of physical torment. The fear of how it will negatively impact her loved ones. The fear of becoming undignified as a result of a terrible affliction.
These are all fears most of us cannot possibly understand, but I know someone who does. His name is Jesus Christ. He was brutally beaten beyond recognition for wrongs he didn’t commit. He carried a cross he couldn’t bear. He was nailed to a tree and died a death he didn’t deserve.
He knows what you’re going through, Brittany, and has already suffered what you fear happening to you—but even worse. For his willingness to lay down his life for you (us), he has been given all power under heaven and earth. That means he has you alive right now for a reason. He has a purpose for you to inspire and love others, and he wants them to inspire and love on you as well.
And he wants you to know that perfect love casts out all fear.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Steve Deace's has a nationally-syndicated radio show ... In addition to being a contributor for Town Hall.com, Deace is also a columnist for The Washington Times. He is also the author of the new book "Rules for Patriots: How Conservatives Can Win Again," which includes a foreword by David Limbaugh and is endorsed by a who's who of conservative leaders.
PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
U.S. Supreme Court has Reconvened: Let's be praying WHENEVER the Court is in session as their decisions can have impact on GENERATIONS to come. The fact that they may have an opportunity this session to actually vote on same-sex "marriage" where it has the same impact on this country that Roe v. Wade did should be motivating enough!
ELECTION DAY, NOV. 4th. Let's begin praying that the American people will have wisdom in voting into office those who will lead our communities and nation with integrity and wisdom from God and DO NO HARM!.
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
Friday, Sept. 26th - Two Year Anniversary of Pastor Saeed Abedini's Imprisonment in Iran! - [NOTE TODAY'S POST!]
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - 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
- 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
"Not Everyone Happy with Religious Ambassador Pick," Caitlin Burke,July 29, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/July/Obama-Taps-Rabbi-for-Religious-Freedom-Ambassador/ "..An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States must take a strong stand against those violations. "Around the world repressive governments and extremists groups have been crystal clear about what they stand against, so we have to be equally clear about what we must stand for," Kerry said. "We stand for greater freedom, for greater tolerance, greater respect, for rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience," he said A key development in the 2013 report is the large number of displaced members of religious communities, including entire Christian communities in Syria and Iraq that have been forced to flee their homes because of persecution."
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
UPDATE: "Second US Doctor Sick with Ebola; Crisis 'Out of Control'" - CBNNews.com, Sept. 02, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2014/September/A-Losing-Battle-Ebola-Going-to-Get-Worse-CDC-Says/ "Another American doctor in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus, according to the international Christian mission organization, SIM. SIM leaders report the American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at the organization's ELWA Hospital in Monrovia and not treating Ebola patients..."The epidemic is going faster than we are," he warned. 'We need to scale up our response. We can hope for new tools and maybe they'll come, but we can't count on them.' So far, the West African outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria."
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)
LATEST:"Christians in the Middle East Arm Themselves As Genocide Comes to Their Front Door" - Katie Pavlich | Sep 05, 2014;
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/09/05/christians-in-the-middle-east-arm-themselves-as-violence-rages-around-them-n1887849" Earlier this week the BBC and Al Jazeera both reported on armed Iraqi citizen volunteers who helped government forces fight off ISIS in Amerli. Today, the AP is out with a story about Christians in the Middle East who are arming themselves, carrying weapons with them during daily tasks and heading to the hills at night to defend their communities as violence continues to rage around them. Genocide is at their front door and they're doing everything they can to stop it from coming in... So far, the terror army ISIS has slaughtered and tortured thousands of Christians in Iraq and Syria."
/PRAYER ALERT- UKRAINE: As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
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.]
"There is No Such Thing as a ‘Dignified Death’" - Steve Deace | Oct 11, 2014; http://townhall.com/columnists/stevedeace/2014/10/11/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-dignified-death-n1902580/page/full [NOTE: I refer you back to the previous post #1025 for another well written commentary about the person highlighted below.]
By all accounts Brittany Maynard’s is a life well lived. Sure, we’re not God, so we have no idea where she stands eternally. We don’t know if she’s sought the forgiveness for her sins that is found only in Jesus Christ, but we can pray that she has before it’s too late.
However, from what we can humanly see, Maynard has lived a life of courage and adventure—even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Sadly, though, it now seems she may not live to see her 30th birthday. In April, the 29-year old Maynard was diagnosed with a stage four malignant brain tumor. She was given six months to live. “I’ve discussed with many experts how I would die from it and it’s a terrible way to die,” Maynard told People Magazine. “Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”
Seeking that dignified death, Maynard plans to end her own life on November 1st with prescribed medication. So much for that Hippocratic Oath. For thousands of years the taking of one’s own life has been commonly referred to as “suicide.” But nowadays even suicide is a post-modern construct, so Maynard maintains she’s not committing suicide by committing suicide.“There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or wants to die,” Maynard says. “I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there is not.”
I cannot imagine what Maynard and her family are facing and urge everyone reading this to pray for them during this difficult time. Her desire to avoid this suffering for her, and her husband and loved ones as well, is very human and understandable.
However, what she ultimately seeks cannot be found, because there is no such thing as a dignified death.
Death is indignity by its very nature. We were originally created to live forever, but we chose to go our own way, thus death entered into the world. Death is the result of the suffering we have caused this world, not some idle occurrence that is merely the natural way of things. This is why St. Paul writes that Christ, by rising from the grave, has “conquered the last enemy” and destroyed death. There is no death, indignity, or suffering to fear once we acknowledge the death and suffering Christ endured on our behalf to give us eternal life.
Remember when the story of a limited time to live meant going out with a bang, making your way through your bucket list, or giving inspiring speeches to those you’ll leave behind to make sure they make every moment count? Sadly, Maynard has instead decided to spend what she’s convinced are her final moments of life becoming a political cause célèbre for death.
While there is no such thing as a dignified death, there is such a thing as a meaningful death. How, why, where, or when someone dies can testify to the meaning (worth/dignity) of that person’s life. This is why we commemorate sacrificial love, because there is no greater love than a willingness to give one’s life for another. We can give no more than our own self.
By making the decision to end her own life on November 1st, Maynard is assuming she has nothing more to offer this world or her loved ones beyond that point. That is to say in essence she is playing God and making decisions as if she alone knows the future.
How does she know a loved one wasn’t going to need a comforting word from her on November 2nd? How does she know her husband might not need her support on November 3rd? How does she know she wasn’t intended to be the one that was going to play a key part in saving someone’s life on November 4th? How does she know a miraculous cure wouldn’t be discovered on November 5th? Perhaps Christ returns on November 6th and fulfills his promise to wipe away every tear from our eyes.
And why choose November 1st when she was given six months to live back in April? By making it to November at all Maynard has already defied her original diagnosis if you do the math.
I write this not to criticize Maynard, but to provoke her to move beyond her fear of suffering, and see the world as it really is and her life as it was really intended to be. We are supposed to share one another’s burdens, not see ourselves as a burden. We are to live every day as if it may be our last, not seek after and even schedule our last day.
People Magazine described Maynard as “fearless,” but ironically it seems as if her decision to commit suicide is based solely out of fear. The fear of physical torment. The fear of how it will negatively impact her loved ones. The fear of becoming undignified as a result of a terrible affliction.
These are all fears most of us cannot possibly understand, but I know someone who does. His name is Jesus Christ. He was brutally beaten beyond recognition for wrongs he didn’t commit. He carried a cross he couldn’t bear. He was nailed to a tree and died a death he didn’t deserve.
He knows what you’re going through, Brittany, and has already suffered what you fear happening to you—but even worse. For his willingness to lay down his life for you (us), he has been given all power under heaven and earth. That means he has you alive right now for a reason. He has a purpose for you to inspire and love others, and he wants them to inspire and love on you as well.
And he wants you to know that perfect love casts out all fear.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Steve Deace's has a nationally-syndicated radio show ... In addition to being a contributor for Town Hall.com, Deace is also a columnist for The Washington Times. He is also the author of the new book "Rules for Patriots: How Conservatives Can Win Again," which includes a foreword by David Limbaugh and is endorsed by a who's who of conservative leaders.
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