"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothren." 1 John 3:16

....we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren...
we are to love the brethren. We are also called to love our enemies and those who hate us (Matthew 5:44), but John calls us to easier test - if we can’t even love our brothers and sisters, what kind of Christians are we?

...Lay down our lives...
this verse reminds us that love, often involves sacrifice. I think I can lay down my life in one great, heroic gesture; but God calls us to lay down our lives piece by piece, little by little in small, but important ways every day.

Like Stars Forever

The Bible says, "Those . . . who turn many to righteousness shine like the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) If we are wise, we will want to turn many to the righteousness that's in Christ, because it is righteousness that delivers us from death. It saves us from God's terrible wrath. Jesus said, "Blessed are they who thirst for righteousness," (Matthew 5:6) but how can we help sin-loving sinners to thirst for righteousness? The answer is that we can use the Law to help them to see their sin in its true light. Remember that it's the Holy Spirit that reproves the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. (John 16:8) Using the Law helps the world to understand that they need righteousness, because of the judgment to come. Without perfect righteousness, they will perish under God's wrath.
There goes another minute. Gone forever.
Go share your faith while you still have time.

http://www.wayofthemasterminute.com/

Cyd Mizell

I found out some very sad news the other day. Some very good friends told me that our friend Cyd who had been teaching in Afghanistan and was Kidnapped a month ago on January 27th with her driver by 6 gunmen. On the 27th of February the Aid group she worked for reported that she was killed by her kidnappers. I have had a hard time with this, as I have thought about it all day. Cyd's driver Abdul Hadi was kidnapped also and killed.

We are deeply grieved to report the apparent deaths of Adul Hadi and Cyd Mizell, Asian Rural Life Development Foundation workers who were kidnapped by gunmen Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Although we have no confirmation of their deaths, we have received information over the past few days indicating that our two aid workers have been killed. . Hadi, a resident of Kandahar, had served as an ARLDF driver for two years. Known by colleagues as a
“kind, loving man,” he was the father of five children, ages 6 to 15. Mizell, 50, a native of Eureka, Calif., dedicated her life to serving the people of Afghanistan. Since 2005
she had lived in Kandahar,I am the resurrection and the life. He whobeliev

es in Me, though he may die, he shall live. -Jesus

Cyd Mizell

Cyd Mizell, an American woman teaching in Afghanistan,was kidnapped on her way to work on January 26, 2008.
Fast Facts:
1. Age:49
2. Wearinga burqa
3. No one has claimed responsibility
4. Works for: Asian Rural Life Development Foundation
5. Taught English at Kandahar University
6. Six gunmen seen
7. Driver,Abdul Hadi, also kidnapped

CydMizell’s Condition Unknown
Filed under: Afghanistan, Feature, Pakistan, Terrorism — marc moore on January28, 2008 @ 7:14 pm CET From ABC: On Monday, the police chief of Kandahar province, Sayed Agha Saqib,said police had not turned up any new information about the kidnapping.“All of our security forces and intelligence agents are trying to find them,”he said… “Nobody really knows” who the kidnappers are, [foundation director Jeff] Palmersaid, adding that the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation had takenprecautionary measures for other staff members in Kandahar. He declined to givefurther details.Mizell, who taught English at Kandahar University and gave embroidery lessonsat a girl’s school, speaks the local Pashtu language well, colleagues said. Shehas worked for ARLDF in Kandahar for the last three years, Palmer said.…Kidnappings of Afghans have been on the rise in the last year, including theabduction of dozens of Afghans. Rumors persist of foreign governments payinglarge ransoms to win the freedom of their citizens.2 South Korean kidnap victims were killed last year while in the custody ofterrorists, so Ms. Mizell’s safety is by no means certain, particularly if theU.S. is contacted and is unwilling to cooperate, as per policy.As Claudia described earlier, terrorists armed with rocket launchers andexplosives also held than 300 school children hostage and threatened to blowthem up after failing to kidnap a local government official.Happily, this standoff has come to an end, apparently without any of theyoungsters being harmed.
Please pray for Cyd Mizell’s safety.

Hell is a Good Reason

It's unwise to give an unrepentant sinner the message of God's forgiveness unless he shows some evident concern about his salvation. For example, lust is such a blinding and powerful sin, a man will not want to let it go unless he becomes convinced that it's in his best interest to do so. Hell is a very good reason to do so. So, use the analogy of lust being like a sparkling stick of dynamite in a child's hand. He loves the sparkle and holds it close with great delight. He doesn't realize that it will kill him. Lust sparkles before the face of the unsaved, but it will brings terrible destruction. The Bible says "it brings forth death." Without the understanding that he is in danger, sin will damn him. There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time.

www.wayofthemasterminute.com

Pray for Cyd she

Pray for Cyd she is a friend

The abduction on Saturday of a female US aid worker in one of Afghanistan's most

dangerous cities may signal increased risk for foreign aid workers.

Kidnappings of Americans have been rare, and some Kandahar residents say the

abduction of Cyd Mizell and her Afghan driver at gunpoint is a worrying development.

Sarah Chayes, a former journalist who now runs an Afghan cooperative that exports

soap, says the incident "sends a signal. It's like a new chapter in a book."

"They haven't taken an American or a Canadian on the streets like this before. I don't

think this was just bandits because the operation looks like it was too sophisticated for

that."

Ms. Chayes suggests that the abduction could have been payback for US policy on

President Pervez Musharraf.

Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban movement, has been rocked by the

neo-Taliban insurgency that has gained strength in the past three years. The

deterioration of law and order has also made the city considerably more dangerous

for foreign visitors and Afghans alike.

The most recent abduction case involved four members of the International Committee

of the Red Cross in the eastern province of Wardak in September. The two Afghans, a Macedonian, and a Burmese citizen were freed three days later. Perhaps the most

notorious case of 2007 was the abduction of 23 Christian aid workers from South Korea

who attempted to travel from Kabul to Kandahar by bus. Two hostages were shot to

death before the rest were released. An American civilian was briefly abducted in Kabul

in April 2005 but escaped by throwing himself from a moving car.

Analysts fear that terrorists and criminal gangs have been encouraged by the policy of

some foreign governments to pay ransoms.

The few foreigners who still live in the city of Kandahar often use heavy security,

including armed guards and armor-plated vehicles, whenever they ventured out of

their offices. Afghan officials say that Mizell had been wearing a burqa, an

all-encompassing body veil favoured by most Afghan women when they have to go out

of their homes.

Ms. Mizell worked for Asian Life Development Foundation, a little-known

nongovernmental organization . The group said she had been working in Kandahar for

nearly three years with women and on income generation projects.

A speaker of Pashtu, the main language of Afghanistan's south, she taught English at

Kandahar University and gave embroidery lessons at a girls' school.

In response to the abduction, local police increased their presence on the streets of

Kandahar over the weekend and the Ministry of the Interior said it was doing all it

could to find Ms. Mizell. Local police said that they had not been contacted by anyone

claiming responsibility for the kidnapping.

The Taliban have employed kidnapping as a tactic in their battle to erode popular

support for the government of President Hamid Karzai several times before.

Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban's main spokesman, said they did not know if anyone

affiliated with the extremist Sunni group had been responsible for the abduction.

Some things

Some things may be neglected
with but little loss to the spiritual
life, but to neglect communion
with God is to hurt ourselves
where we cannot afford it.
-A.W. Tozer

Lausanne Covenant #2 THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE BIBLE

Please do not feel like you have to comment but if the Holy Spirit lays it on your heart to share something with me I surely would appreciate it. Thanks.

2. THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE BIBLE

We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God's word to accomplish his purpose of salvation. The message of the Bible is addressed to all men and women. For God's revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. He illumines the minds of God's people in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses to the whole Church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God.

(II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21; John 10:35; Isa. 55:11; 1 Cor. 1:21; Rom. 1:16, Matt. 5:17,18; Jude 3; Eph. 1:17,18; 3:10,18)

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

John 10 :35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Matthew 5:17 & 18 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Ephesians 1:17-18 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 3:10, 18 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--

The Lausanne Covenant, Introduction and #1 The Purpose of God

Well here is the first installment on this little journey. Please respond to this if you are so lead and have any thoughts. What encouraged you? Was there anything you identified with? Did this convict you? Do you agree with it or disagree with it?

Thank you for ahead of time for any participation.

The Lausanne Covenant

INTRODUCTION

We, members of the Church of Jesus Christ, from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, praise God for his great salvation and rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with himself and with each other. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the Gospel is God's good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation. We desire, therefore, to affirm our faith and our resolve, and to make public our covenant.

1. THE PURPOSE OF GOD

We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who govern all things according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ's body, and the glory of his name. We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when borne by earthen vessels the gospel is still a precious treasure. To the task of making that treasure known in the power of the Holy Spirit we desire to dedicate ourselves anew.

(Isa. 40:28; Matt. 28:19; Eph. 1:11; Acts 15:14; John 17:6, 18; Eph 4:12; 1 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 12:2; II Cor. 4:7)

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Acts 15:14 "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

John 17:6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

1 Corinthians 5:10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

conflict

In a brothers Blog I was reading this morning he was talking about this war we are in and how hard it is to not be thought well of by freinds and associates, because he has decided to live His life as a believer. I think this is a challenge for all of us, so here are a few words from the WORD to encourage us in our battle....

Romans 8: 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

1 Peter 4: 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

Right or Left

“The gospel has not been clearly preached
if the hearer doesn’t know that not to make
a decision is a decision.”
Dan Arnold

8,760

To each one fortunate enough to live out [this year], God will have given 365 days broken into 8,760 hours. Of these hours, 2,920 will have been spent in sleep, and about the same number at work. An equal number has been given us to spend in reverent preparation for the moment when days and years shall cease and time shall be no more. What prayer could be more spiritually appropriate than that of Moses, the man of God:
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"
(Psalm 90:12).
- A.W. Tozer

…God has made us for each other, and it is His will and desire that Christian believers should understand and appreciate one another.
- A.W. Tozer Who Put Jesus On The Cross 1975

PUBLICK MINISTRY

Acts 20:20
20 "how I kept back nothing that
was helpful, but proclaimed it to
you, and taught you publicly and
from house to house,

Jer. 11:6
6 Then the LORD said to me, "Proclaim all these
words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem,
saying: 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them.

Luke 14:21-23
21 "So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'
22 "And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'
23 "Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.


Acts 18:28
28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

I affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. I also affirm the power of God's word to accomplish his purpose of salvation. The message of the Bible is addressed to all men and women. For God's revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. He illumines the minds of God's people in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses to the whole Church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God.

Would love to hear you comments on this please tell me what you think.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Matthew 5:17-18 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Ephesians 1:17-18 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 3:10-19 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Please PRAY Delhi, India is a city in crisis — with 500,000 immigrants annually; over half of the population living in slums, massive pollution and related diseases and a crime wave. Pray that in this turmoil many might seek after the Lord Jesus Christ.

GRADUATION!!!

I wanted to post this picture of the first graduating class from VISOM (Victory International School of Ministry).
Praise Jesus, it took 3 years to complete these classes and these students were faithful and showed a great amount of perseverance.
God has big things in store for this group.

Four of Them

We caught the Raccoons. There were 4 of them running around the crawl space. Allison and I did not want to let them go, but we found some wildlife people who take care of such babies so we gave them to them. Aren't they cute.


Pronunciation: ra-'kün also r&-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural raccoon or raccoons
Etymology: Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun, arocoun
1 a : a small nocturnal carnivore (Procyon lotor) of No. America that is chiefly gray, has a black mask and bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees, and has a varied diet including small animals, fruits, and nuts b : the pelt of this animal
2 : any of several animals resembling or related to the raccoon

Raccoons in the news:

Raccoon saves students life
http://www.loomcom.com/raccoons/news/raccoon-saves-life.html

Airborne Rabies Vaccine
http://www.loomcom.com/raccoons/news/vaccine.html


Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
Play his praise on a grand piano!
Invent your own new song to him;
give him a trumpet fanfare.
Psalm 33 The MESSAGE

Remeber to Pray for Afghanistan today.

¿Si el Dios es para nosotros, quién puede estar contra nosotros?

Life is Good

Jesus is so Good to me I am rejoicing in this life and my friends and family. I have my tomatoes Planted and the opportunity to spend time with my daughter playing catch and this afternoon I get to mow the lawn, WOW, life is amazing. The other day I was able to explain the Gospel to a few people, can life get any better. Oh yea, I caught a Raccoon in our attic yesterday and today I get to try and get her babies, do the blessings never end.


We must do something about the cross, and one of two things only we can do
—flee it or die upon it.
-A.W. Tozer "The Root of the RIghteous"

¿Si el Dios es para nosotros, quién puede estar contra nosotros?

if you are a CHRISTian you need to click on this link and read it. If you LOVE
JESUS with more than just your words then you must read this article.
Click on the Link below.
http://www.lastdaysministries.org/nations/whyyoushouldgo.html


Remember to Pray for Afghanistan!!

DaVinci's Code is Cracked

There is much about the DaVinci Code that people are intrigued by and the Fictional Novel raises many questions for some about the authenticity of the Bible. Below are some Links that answer many questions.

Crash goes the DaVinci Code
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/crashdavincicode.html

Josh McDowell Answers Questions about the New Testament
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/mcdowell_davinci.html

Mary, Mary Extraordinary
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/maryandjesus.html

Was Jesus Married?
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/wasjesusmarried.html

Why you should go

I want to post this link, and just say if you are a CHRISTian you need to click on this link and read it. If you LOVE JESUS with more than just your words then you must read this article.

http://www.lastdaysministries.org/nations/whyyoushouldgo.html


Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Psalm 9:11

Remember to Pray for Afghanistan.