“Women of Homecoming, #1 – Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days) (Live). Go to http://www.artistdirect.com/video/the-isaacs-grandpa-tell-me-bout-the-good-old-days-live/163186#o0F8kJpeVquKztMY.99
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
URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
"Missionary in Philippines: 'Bodies Laying Everywhere'- By Dale Hurd and Heather Sells, November 12;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Truckloads-of-Bodies-Filipinos-Plead-for-Help/ - The official death toll from the Philippines typhoon stands at nearly 1,800, but authorities expect it to rise considerably. An estimated 11 million people were impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyen, with it's near 200 mile-per-hour winds and 20 foot storm surge. More than half a million people have been left homeless. In some areas, the survivors are being forced to live among piles of corpses. "It's just really death and devastation everywhere. Bodies laying everywhere. People need help," American missionary and storm survivor John Wynn said. [PRAY that relief supplies will get to the needed area in time to help the tens of thousands who are in great need. PRAY that security can be established in the midst of looters causing problems in the midst of the devastation. - Stan]
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/ Saeed Abedini, an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, is facing life threatening conditions after a recent prison transfer, the America Center for Law and Justice reports. Saeed's family says he has been moved from the brutal Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison, known to be an even more dangerous jail. "Going to Karaj is a severe punishment," Loes Bijnen, a Dutch diplomat from the embassy in Tehran, described the jail in a 2005 report. "Once in there one stops to be a human being," she wrote. "One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence." ... "While there is broad bi-partisan support for a Senate resolution calling for Saeed's release, ... it's crucial President Barack Obama step in "directly and forcefully" to save his life. "[Go to http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign and sign a new petition.][PRAY for President Obama to forcefully speak out against this latest development; for the pastor to be finally released. (See below for more info.)]
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/ "Increased violence in northern Iraq is pushing Christians out of that part of the country. The Kurdish north was considered a safe area for Christians fleeing from violent persecution in the central and southern regions. But bombings in recent months are causing panic and many are fleeing the country. Al qaeda has claimed responsibility for several of those attacks. Some Christians have been told by local police that they "should not be in Iraq because it is Muslim territory." The Christian charity Open Doors International is urging people around the world to pray for Christians in Iraq. They say that if the persecution continues, there may be no Christians left in Iraq by 2020.[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]
"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..."
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.]
Oct. 14, NORTH KOREA -"Kenneth Bae, Mom Meet; Release Not Guaranteed" - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Mother-Visits-Missionary-Jailed-in-North-Korea/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.]
Oct. 14, NORTH KOREA -"Kenneth Bae, Mom Meet; Release Not Guaranteed" - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Mother-Visits-Missionary-Jailed-in-North-Korea/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.]
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
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"Attractions vs. Actions - Homosexuality &; God’s Story"- By: John Stonestreet|Breakpoint.org: November 13, 2013; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/23811?spMailingID=7370500&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=97901834&spReportId=OTc5MDE4MzQS1
How does one with same-sex attraction follow Christ?
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"Attractions vs. Actions - Homosexuality &; God’s Story"- By: John Stonestreet|Breakpoint.org: November 13, 2013; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/23811?spMailingID=7370500&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=97901834&spReportId=OTc5MDE4MzQS1Armed with good intentions, individuals, organizations and outreaches have dedicated themselves to treating homosexuality, often by promising to turn homosexuals “straight.” In other words, “cure” them of their orientation. While many ex-gay success stories exist, not all of them include a change of orientation. The attractions often remain, and not for a lack of trying to lose them.
Gay activists make much of allegedly "cured" individuals who relapse into homosexual lifestyles, and use these stories to strengthen their narrative: “We didn’t choose to be gay,” so many insist. “We’re born this way, and no amount of ‘reparative therapy’ can change that.” But it’s the argument within that argument that’s the most problematic: that unchanged dispositions automatically justify acting on those dispositions.
For most Americans, this one-to-one correlation between same-sex inclinations and same-sex relations has stuck, which explains the shift in public opinion in favor of “gay marriage.” If gay people can’t change their orientation, how can we be against “gay marriage?” We might as well ask a leopard to change his spots—and then penalize him when he can’t.
Author and blogger Rachel Held Evans showcases this reaction in a recent article, [see link below] referring to the story of Rosaria Butterfield, a former lesbian professor who converted to Christianity and is now married with kids. Evans chides fellow believers for setting up ex-gays like Butterfield as examples of what all LGBT people should do.
Evans writes, “Christians used [this story] as an example of what it means to convert to Christianity and as definitive proof that all gay people can change their sexual orientation if they just want to badly enough. [They take] this single story and project it onto all gay and lesbian people, and it’s unfair.” This, she says, forces all members of a group into a uniform story that isn’t theirs, something that’s always wrong to do. Evans cites stories of those who beg God to make them straight, like Justin Lee, who wrote a book on the subject in which he suggests that Christians with same-sex attraction can rightfully enter committed gay relationships.
Well, leopards aside, the elephant in the room is that parties on both sides have for far too long confused homosexual disposition with homosexual acts. The LGBT crowd says same-sex attraction is unchangeable, and therefore same-sex acts are legitimate. Many Christians, meanwhile, realize that being tempted isn’t a sin, but we’ve failed to apply this to the issue of homosexuality.
Many Christians with same-sex attraction will never feel fully freed from it. And in that sense, Evans is right: Everyone’s messy reality doesn’t always fit within neat and tidy success stories. But she’s wrong to conclude that everyone’s story is therefore autonomous.
Wesley Hill is another Christian whose story mirrors that of Justin Lee. He came from a solid family and a church, but has struggled with same-sex attraction since his teen years. The difference, as he writes in his powerful book “Washed and Waiting,” is that he’s concluded that obedience to Christ in light of his sexual orientation means celibacy—neither acting on nor fostering his attractions.
He came to that conclusion because of another story, the story of the Gospel, the only narrative big enough for everyone’s sins and sorrows.His story, like Justin’s and Rosaria’s, is real. But the Gospel story is, to borrow a phrase from Narnia, even more real. It’s a hard path, Wesley admits, and relief doesn’t come right away—maybe not at all until Christ finally makes all things new.
And as we, all of us, struggle with those strong temptations that never seem to go away—same-sex attraction included—let’s remind each other that our identity is even bigger than our own stories. It’s found alone in Christ Jesus who says to us, as He said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
RESOURCES:
Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality - Wesley Hill | Zondervan | October 2010
Homosexuality, Evangelicalism, and The Danger of a Single Story - Rachel Held Evans | blog; http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/single-story-evangelicalism-homosexuality-butterfield-
My Train Wreck Conversion - Rosaria Champagne Butterfield | Christianity Today | February 7, 2013; http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/january-february/my-train-wreck-conversion.html?start=1
The Battle I Face - Vaughan Roberts | Evangelicals Now | October 2012; http://www.e-n.org.uk/p-6
028-A-battle-I-face.htm
Why Does God Forbid Homosexuality? - Ravi Zacharias | GNLi.com; http://gnli.christianpost.com/video/why-does-god-forbid-homosexuality-dr-ravi-zacharias-18731
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