REMINDER: Check out this week's broadcast of ''Truth ThatTransforms'' (http://www.truthinaction.org/index.php/tr/uth-that-transforms This week’s sermon is entitled “Life An Inalienable Right.” The special feature this weeks speaks of “Adoption A Better Choice.” PLEASE take time to check this program out!
[THANK YOU for your prayers for my friend David. He ended up not having that opportunity to share with his Mom as he had hoped recently. Pray that he might have such an opportunity very soon. – Stan]
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
[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.]
“Abandoned” For Christ" - Graham Calls On White House To Support Abedini - By Dr. Tom Askew, Aug.8, http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/opinion
Franklin Graham is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling for U.S. State Department and White House officials to take a more vocal role in protesting the Iranian imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini. September 26 will mark the one year anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment for allegedly “endangering the national security” of Iran.
Graham pointed out that, in contrast to Iranian accusations, “Pastor Saeed was in Iran trying to help children. With the permission of Iran’s government, he was working to build an orphanage. But his humanitarian mission led to an arrest on bogus charges and nearly a year of inhumane treatment, simply because he loves Jesus Christ.”...
Behind the scenes, more than 600,000 people around the world have signed a petition sponsored by ACLJ in support of pastor Abedini. A concerted movement this past May brought together Christians from many nations to set aside Pentecost to pray for Abedini. On June 13, demonstrations were held at Iranian embassies in at least six countries to protest Abedini’s treatment. And, on July 29, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks spoke on the floor of the House to urge other Congressmen to join him in “adopting” Pastor Abedini through the bipartisan Defending Freedoms Project.
Saeed’s response…and yours - Through his family living in Iran, Pastor Abedini has been made aware of these efforts on his behalf, and is grateful. “I heard that the persecution, my arrest and imprisonment has united churches from different denominations, from different cities and countries. That the churches have united together in prayer to put one request (my freedom) on one day (Pentecost) before God,” he wrote in a letter.
The story of Saeed Abedini, the jihad against Syrian Christians, the attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the ongoing desecration of churches in Nigeria and India should cause every American to reflect on the blessings of freedom still enjoyed in this nation.
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.
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"Oregon Bakery in Gay Wedding Cake Controversy Closes," - CBNNews.com; September 03, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2013/September/Oregon-Bakery-in-Gay-Wedding-Cake-Controversy-Closes-/ [AS I SEE IT: This story points out the danger we all face in the new world of "my rights trump your religious rights." Today it is businesses; don't be surprised if we are not far from the church pulpit or just the ordinary citizen being targeted for voicing a "politically in-correct" view. Are we, are YOU, ready to make a stand as this couple did? Talk about "drawing a red line" that shouldn't be crossed. - Stan]
The Oregon bakery that refused to make a same-sex wedding cake because of the owner's religious beliefs has closed. Sweet Cakes by Melissa was under state investigation to determine if it had violated the Oregon Equality Act by refusing to serve a gay couple.
According to KGW in Portland, the bakery announced on its Facebook page they would be moving their business to an in-home bakery.Those who visited the bakery on Sunday found only empty counters and displays, and on the window, a sign from the Oregon Family Council that read "Religious Freedom is Under Attack in Gresham."
Many of the comments on the bakery's Facebook were supportive of the owner, according to KGW."I'm sorry to hear this. Its very frustrating to have people do all they can to cause others strife just because they don't agree with a lifestyle. I will keep you all in my prayers. Don't let them get you down. You will survive this and all other tests through your faith. God bless Melissa," one woman wrote.
"Military Guide Lumps Christians, Jews with 'Extremists'," - CBNNews.com; August 30, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/August/Military-Lumps-Christians-Jews-with-Extremists/ [AS I SEE IT - The Biblical view is now the extremist view? If you hold such views, you are now regarded as terrorists, as a danger to your own country? Very Scary. - Stan]
The Department of Defense classified Catholics, evangelicals, Jews and Mormons as religious "extremists" in military training materials, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. More than 1,500 pages of documents were just released to the chaplain group under the Freedom of Information Act. "Many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states' rights, and how to make the world a better place," Newsmax quotes the study guide.Trainees are warned that involvement with "extremist" organizations is "incompatible with military service and is, therefore, prohibited."
The documents also show that the military considered the Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate group" list as a "reliable source." "The U.S. military violated its appropriate apolitical stance and engaged in a dishonorable mischaracterization of multiple faith groups," Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance, told Fox News.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, shared Crews' sentiments."It's disturbing insight into what's happening inside Obama's Pentagon," Fitton said. "The Obama administration has a nasty habit of equating basic conservative values with terrorism."
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
"Why Do Public School Teachers Send Their Kids to Private Schools?," - 08/28/2012 http://setourchildrenfree.com/1/post/2012/08/why-do-public-teachers-send-their-kids-to-private-schools.html [AS I SEE IT: When teachers are trying to protect their own loved ones from others like themselves, we need to REALLY be scared. - Stan]
Suppose you went to eat at a strange restaurant and, upon asking the waitress what was good on the menu, she told you that she didn’t know because she never ate there. When you ask why, she explains that the food and atmosphere are much better at her favorite place, and even though the food costs more, it’s worth it. You would naturally attribute a great deal of credibility to this waitress because she was honest enough to point you away from the place where she has a personal stake in its success. In other words, you would trust her word more than another employee, because she is working against her own interest by recommending you go elsewhere to eat.
The debate about public vs. private schools is similar to the restaurant analogy. According to a study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, public school teachers are almost twice as likely (1 in 5 overall) as other parents to choose private schools for their own children. You know there’s something wrong when those who know the public school system best, and have a vested financial interest in keeping their own kids there, send them to private schools instead. The figure would actually be higher if many of these same teachers could afford private schools, as the study showed that the lower the teacher’s salary, the less likely they were to choose private schools. In many cities, one third to one half of public school teachers chose private schools for their kids. I’ve taught in public schools, and trust me, no teacher I know would be surprised at these statistics. And this study was done eight years ago. Does anyone think our schools have gotten better since then?
The question is why? Well, just like the restaurant analogy, the top three reasons given for the switch to private schools were: 1) higher academic achievement, 2) greater discipline, and 3) better atmosphere. The two largest teachers’ unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), declined to comment on the report, thus lending a great deal of credibility to it. I mean, what can you say when a substantial number of your own employees don’t believe in how you run your business? Kind of reminds you of that Pepsi commercial where the Coke delivery guy keeps getting caught drinking Pepsi.
The unions’ response to failing schools, along with their allies in the Democrat party and the rest of the government educational establishment, has been to fight school choice tooth and nail. In Louisiana, they have gone so far as to threaten private schools who accept vouchers. School choice is an idea whose time has finally come. Unfortunately, it came at a steep price - several generations of young people whose education was sacrificed at the altar of governmental monopoly. And the battle has just begun. We look back and wonder how we ever let our education bureaucrats take our money and give us no choice in how they spend it to educate our kids. It happened at a time in our history when we trusted government to be responsive to we, the people, and make the right decisions. That time has passed. The government’s own employees’ choices have told us all we need to know.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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