NewsDuJour – Page 6 – The Welcome Home

Pray……..

bcz not everyone is going to bed in comfort tonight. Not everyone has a safe place to call home. Not everyone has had a meal today. Not everyone has a pair of shoes, a suit of clothes, a source of shelter and comfort. Not everyone has a drink of water. Not everyone will shut off the lights in the dry, secure and comfortable home… where they pull up the blankets, fluff up the pillow and lie down to rest in peace with a full stomach and and soft music to lull them to sleep.

Pray for the widows, of the three martyred in Turkey, pray for the Christians there — and surely, pray for the persecutors of Christians… they need Jesus.

VOM News and Prayer Update: May 1, 2007

“There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”(I Corinthians 12:5-7)

NIGERIA
Christians Fear New Muslim President Will Erode Religious Liberty – Compass Direct News
Christians worry persecution in mostly Islamic northern Nigeria will increase following the election of Musa Yar’ Adua, a Muslim, as president. Church leaders are concerned Yar’ Adua will aggravate existing problems for Christians in the region. “The election of Yar’ Adua will aggravate the problems of Christians in northern Nigeria. Our fear is that under a Muslim president, religious liberty will be eroded,” Rev. Polit told Compass. “As governor of Katsina state in northern Nigeria, Yar’Aduna imposed Shariah (Islamic) law and presided over a system of deliberate denial of land for building churches, as well as government agencies that arbitrarily closed some churches,” Compass reported. Pray God encourages Christians to continue standing for him in the midst of persecution and uncertainty. Psalm 32:7, Psalms 91:14

CHINA
Chinese and American Christian Leaders in Xinjiang – China Aid Association
On April 19, 2007, more than 30 house-church leaders and four American Christians were arrested in Xinjiang province. China Aid Association (CAA) reports the four Americans are still in an undisclosed hotel for questioning and the PSB confiscated their luggage. Eight Chinese pastors received criminal detention papers for 30 days detention and were accused of being “suspects involved in evil cult activities.” Eye witnesses told CAA that at least two of the arrested were seen with bleeding noses and bruises on their faces because of torture during interrogations. Pray for the pastors in prison and for their families. Ask God to protect them as they face pending charges. II Timothy 4: 16-18

TURKEY
UPDATE – Turkish church requests prayer after three Christians martyred in Malatya – VOM Sources
The Protestant Church in Smyrna is requesting Christians to pray for the families of the three believers killed on April 18, 2007, in Malatya, Turkey. According to a press release, the church urged Christians to pray that someday the perpetrators of the gruesome murders would receive Christ and for God to use the testimonies of the martyred brothers to draw others in the knowledge of Him. II Corinthians 1:3-7

INDIA
Christians Arrested and Beaten – VOM Sources

ORISSA – On April 17, four pastors were arrested by local police in the Cuttack district after Hindu extremists saw them distributing Christian literature and accused them of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. The pastors were released on bail the following day.
TAMIL NADU – On April 22, two pastors were beaten and jailed after more than 20 members of a Hindu extremist group disrupted a prayer meeting. The extremists surrounded the house where the Christians were meeting and verbally abused the pastors. When the police arrived the pastors were ordered to accompany them to the police station. On the way, the extremists attacked again, beating the pastors and four believers who accompanied them. The extremists accused the pastors of forced conversions and are being held in the central prison. Pray for God to speedily heal those who were injured and that Christians in India will trust Him in the midst of great persecution.

Psalm 103:1-3, Psalm 5: 11-12

Pray… Jesus *is* the only answer.

school phobia?

The enemy’s tactics (to undermine and destroy families) are astonishing. I’ve paid attention to an ongoing story in Germany bcz of the implications here in the States. Young Melissa Busekros was removed from her home bcz her parents were homeschooling her (and her siblings). Consider: Fifteen officers were sent to her home for her removal, and the reason? – “school phobia.” The solution? institutionalize her and evaluate her condition—and another suggestion? remove the remaining five children from the home.

This ought to give great pause to those of us in the States who treasure our responsibilities as parents and the blessing to train them up and educate them at home. For our “right” to homeschool is often threatened by government officials who seek to follow after that pattern set in Germany and the socialist foundation of our own government schools. Think this is a stretch? The German Ministry of Education was instituted by Hitler for the purpose of socialist agenda and to avoid or eradicate parallel societies. Oooooo, could this happen in the States? Consider the foundation of the American public education system and you will have your answer.

Now, today, this brave girl has fled from the “foster home” and has returned to her family… see a Worldnet Daily article.

Wolfgang Drautz, consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany, has commented on the issue on a blog, noting the government “has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies that are based on religion or motivated by different world views and in integrating minorities into the population as a whole.”

Drautz said homeschool students’ test results may be as good as for those in school, but “school teaches not only knowledge but also social conduct, encourages dialogue among people of different beliefs and cultures, and helps students to become responsible citizens.”

Remember… that’s in Germany. Isn’t that a description of the NEA’s goals here in the States? The same dialectic praxis occurs in classrooms around this nation every day. Consider text books that begin (say it with me, now): Millions of years ago… Think of the dialectic praxis of daily indoctrinating children against the Truth in history, in science, in social studies etc., etc. Consider a common practice utilized in schools: group studies, community thought – read: socialism. Consider the indoctrination of “diversity” or “feminism” or “choice.” Ooooooooooo, that’s legalistic… Consider that last week around the country, students at thousands of schools participated in the national “day of silence” (and wore t-shirts to prove it).

And by the way… our family doesn’t protest to have prayer or special privileges be mandated in government schools, or have special rights for Christians or what have you. No… we see those protests as sort of self defeating. Instead, we seek to have our rights as parents secure and maintain the right to home educate.

We believe this is the surest and best way for the liberty of Americans to remain secure. We see the fighting for “rights” in the government school as the door by which all the different “anti Christian” groups have entered along with others more salacious worldly teachings. It’s really why we started homeschooling in the first place, for we knew that there was no way to work around the vain philosophies and indoctrination/teaching of the government schools.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Colossians 2.8

Will it be long before homeschooling families fall under the same law and scrutiny label “School phobia” as is the case in Germany? As a family, in our 18th year of homeschooling, we’ve seen numerous times where homeschoolers were/have been/are being persecuted in this country and we’ve often commented that it is, in part, the NEA homeschool-phobia – that, and a threat to the agenda and a socialized workforce.

Could it be that they know the truth? In part, I believe so—and they hate it. For there is a pervasive rejection (or phobia, if you will) in this country for the things of the Word, the Truths it contains, for moral absolutes, for historical accuracy and for true faith in God and, more specifically, in the Lord Jesus Christ. But Jesus said this would happen, that the world would hate (believers) us. (John 7.7, 15.18, & 1John 3.13)

Homeschoolers have read The [nea] Emperor’s New Clothes.

massacre in news today

Pray.

In what already is the nation’s worst campus shooting, 32 people were killed and at least 15 were wounded in a rampage at Virginia Tech today. “

new crusaders

Okay… I must say that I was ~~outraged~~ discouraged by that mock drill in the Burlington, NJ high school the other day. And, I admit, I was particularly offended by the inferences that Christians are gun-toting rebels who are propelled to hysteria if they can’t (or as in this case, their children can’t) pray in school. I hate the hijacking of the Constitution, the smearing of the Bible and mocking believers and the faith.

But I also hate some of the stupid things that are going on in the “church,” too. I put quotes around that bcz I know that not all believers are part of the circus and things like Giving Kiosks in church building foyers. And, pretty soon, Al Gore won’t be the only one nicknamed the Shaman of Global doom and gloom or the shaman of global goofiness…. I won’t be surprised if many well known preachers get slapped with such a label. But… it won’t be the kinder-gentler contemplative, emergent types who’ve on purpose made themselves as inoffensive and fluid as Cool-aid. I was purpose driven in spelling Kool-aid that way, btw.

But as much as I was irritated by that school drill and another such drill a few years ago… I don’t think Christians ought to stoop to that abysmal level of immaturity and attempt to retaliate with some new crusade. Now that name’s taken from the mock drill and the label given to the terrorists who entered the school armed and dangerous in revenge over a daughters’ being denied the right to pray at school. Okay… so we know that it was a hit on Christians, and we know that some unbelievers, pagans, atheists… yada, yada, yada are hostel toward Believers—those whom they see as a threat to their “rights” and activities. Okay… fine. But you know… to it’s incumbent on us to behave rationally and to see these attacks for what they are. And to stir our hearts to pray and then, obviously, to live according to the Word.
The New Crusaders site does this quite well—showing first the absurdity of possible retaliation and also cleverly points out, by way of hypothetical questions, what *truly* would happened if the “gunmen” were, say… homosexual, or say… ah: Muslim, or say… any defined ethnicity and if the reason was any thing other than the stupid oppressive fundamental Christian activities. And then, finally, to shed true light on the situation.
These sorts of news pieces should not cause us furor, but rather should truly be a wake-up call to believers. I share some of these sorts of things to show one thing: the apathy of believers and what’s happening in the wake of the church today.

He *I*S* Risen… just as HE said. It is good news. It is The Good News.

Hey… watch out for those Christians…

And those fundamentalist wackos who actually read the Bible and History books that haven’t been revised or combed for anything offensive to any particular ethnic group… and who don’t “believe in” the so-called separation of Church and State.
This sort of thing goes on in media from time to time and I usually ‘turn the other cheek,’ so to speak, and attempt to forgettaboutit. However, the barbs from those who shape the minds and decisions of students around the country are getting increasingly antagonistic and mean-spirited. It will not be surprising then, if one day, in the not so distant future, our schools teach that Christians and Christianity is at the center of all that ails this nation and that both should be completely eradicated. In in the tradition of revisionist history, it would also not be surprising if textbooks cite an entirely different “founding” of this country and completely deny what’s been preserved by genuine historians. It would also not be surprising if the owning of Bibles and original history books became outlawed as well.
So, should Christians and should homeschoolers sound the alarm over being likened to terrorists because they, in general, know, support and proclaim the truth of the Constitution and the Amendments? Should Christians homeschoolers protest the antagonistic terrorist characterization? Would that be of great value or would it, in fact, further fuel the fire and bolster the misconceptions?

I wonder… and I wonder when will it be that believers in this country stand up for the Truth and against the lies.

Read the following excerpt regarding a recent mock-drill that played out in a Burlington, NJ high school. Note who the perpetrators were and the reasoning behind the terrorist attack. Then sit back and think about the implications of such future problem solving exercises and the subtle nuances being conditioned in the minds of these high school students.

Hostage Drill Prepares School for Crisis

The purpose of the drill was to test the reactions of police, faculty and administration.

“You perform as you practice,” Superintendent Chris Manno said prior to the exercise. “We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they’re as effective as possible.”

The mock terror attack involved two irate men armed with handguns who invaded the high school through the front door. They pretended to shoot several students in the hallway and then barricaded themselves in the media center with 10 student hostages.

Two Burlington Township police detectives portrayed the gunmen. Investigators described them as members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the “New Crusaders” who don’t believe in separation of church and state. The mock gunmen went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of one had been expelled for praying before class.

To make the drill more realistic, about 10 students volunteered to act as hostages or wounded victims. Several faculty members helped simulate a complete school lockdown, followed by an evacuation.”

This isn’t the first time such a scenario has been used as an exercise to prepare” students for an attack and hostage crisis. I remember reading a WorldNet Daily article a few years ago about Homeschoolers being portrayed as terrorists. I blogged about it at the time in my old blog. Homeschoolers across the nation are at risk of a very sickening and unfounded profiling. Is it because public education is at risk that homeschoolers are characterized as terroristas? And… how long will it be before Christians in this country are all labeled terroristas for believing in absolutes, in the Bible and the foundational truths of this nation?

Which leads me to say:
Know History: know Truth. No History: no Truth.

That’s mine, and you can quote it. 😉

truthy stuff

When I open up this program, one of the first things I see is: “Write a Post.” And when I first opened this page I did have something to write, rather, something else to write. But as things were loading and I was checking mail and so on, I browsed an article about the wanna-be-president Obama. I’m not sure exactly what caught my eye, but then I went back through and read the article or the transcript of a talk he gave at a Unity breakfast in Selma, Alabama. Now, this post isn’t going to be about him or really anything in particular about what he shared in Selma, Alabama, or even the contradictions in his speech — well, except one: a series of misinterpretations, really.

In the last few days I’ve been particularly impressed with the glaring contradictions, misinterpretations and reinterpretations or revisions of time honoured documents and Truths. When Timothy came home for the weekend, he shared that one of the teachers at the Bible school has returned from doing a bit of work in Washington DC and shared about the massive reinvention or revision of history being taught there to visitors of the US capitol. I’ve been mulling over all the revisions of the Word of God – volumes that are passing for Bibles, revisionist bibles. Consider… a tour guide at the Capitol called that tablet of stone – “the first Ten Amendments.”
So what did I glean from the Obama speech? It was the sobering reality that there is a dearth of biblical knowledge and understanding. It’s probably most grievous that “spiritual leaders” were present and probably not only allow for the inconsistencies but likely applauded the speech. I know politicians lie and are people pleasers (read: liars) when necessary to be so. And I know that given specific circumstances, they’ll pander to the players and the audience. So, it probably ought to just be expected that these things will occur and that we just do better to accept and move on.

But that’s where perpetrated lies become part of the accepted thinking on a matter – and part of campaign slogans that engender loyal followers. But what we must guard against is taking the slogans and believing them as truths and allowing them to be part of our speech. It’s important to search out when you hear things that don’t quite gel. Maybe others would think such little things are fairly innocuous, but it’s little things that become foundational principles by which people stake their lives. Take the term “separation of church and state;” if you didn’t read further, you might believe that it is part of the original wording of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

So, now, were you to read (or listen to) Obama’s speech, you’d have a very poignant picture of Joshua and of Moses, too, for that matter. You’d consider that it was truly their work, their ambition and original idea to march through the wilderness into the Promised Land. And… you’d think the “Promised Land” is a metaphor for whatever one wants to succeed and achieve in life. And, that he does reference God, you’d think the story is retold with Biblical accuracy. But then, that’d be a wrong assumption. Very wrong assumptions become very big platforms.

Guard the Truth. Know it. Tell it.

a glimpse of things to come

(I know… I’m going to change the colour scheme/image here… it’s just a little Valentine’s day indulgence. It’s actually too much for me.)

So… Bill Gates says the internet will revolutionize television in the next five years. If we all get programing devoid of advertising and commentary, who’s going to show us what to buy, what to wear, how to think, where to shop, alert us of hunger or desires we didn’t even consider contemplating?

But wait… consider the tremendous implications… what if advertising was targeted specifically to a particular user/viewer/potential consumer? What if, through intelligent tracking, a viewer would suddenly only see advertising known to draw him or her in? What if that viewer/user’s online purchases, preferences obtained through marketing research forms, etc., etc., were used to create an acceptable atmosphere to even the most strident opposition to “commercial television” or, those who, today, advocate *no* regular television viewing (and yet browse the net).

Think of the marketing boon — if advertisers would work outside the Hollywood box, they’d see an incredible untapped market… wow, they might even have to consider the half of the country that doesn’t look, think, act like or even want to be like Hollywood. It really wouldn’t be so hard… smart things usually aren’t.

Truth is…

The adage, truth is stranger than fiction, sure rings clear when considering some news stories. I often think nothing could top what’s already been done or said by Cindy Sheehan and then I correct my words and say, I shall never cease to be amazed at what she says or does – but, truly, that she has “followers” or supporters really is astonishing. And, by the way, I do not begrudge a woman grieving the loss of her son. But (to me) her antics or her behaviour is beyond the pale. So now she’s selling and signing books and she’s claiming a stunning feat: that she’s a finalist for a Nobel Peace Prize. If that happens… well… *anything* is possible and nothing shall surprise me in the future. And… wasn’t she going to just go home if the President would talk with her. I still think he should have talked to her… maybe he would have called her bluff. No worries. Her bluff’s been called. Too bad there are so many who don’t know that yet and continue to clamour after the pink smoke. I guess she’ll be the frontrunner in ’08. May the LORD save this nation.

My husband reads books to our family a couple of nights a week and we just fished listening to him read A Table in the Presence by LT Carey Cash. What an incredibly powerful and amazing account of the first days of the war in Iraq. What Cindy Sheehan protests and LT Cash reports are two distinctly different operations, to be sure. Her vitriol and his eyewitness account are dramatically opposite the other. We highly recommend the book… an account of the miraculous work and protection of God in the lives of soldiers in combat –the battle for more than their lives and freedom for the Iraqi people. A story of divine provision and protection that’s likely been repeated countless times in the lives of the soldiers in battle.

Wait when news is shocking

mug A couple of nights ago as some of the sisters in our fellowship gathered, we talked briefly about a sensational and shocking local news story that had just been broadcast that evening. It would have grabbed our attention had we not known the woman—but hearing her name on the news and in the conversation gripped us. And since we had met or talked to her by phone in the past, it was just too unfathomable to take in the story or to believe the allegations. Had we not talked with her in the past, had not shared many of the same ideals for family, children, and missions work, we would immediately believe the report—but this report is staggering: unbelievable.

Now, a woman ― a mother ― is in custody, charged with manslaughter and homicide by abuse of her adopted 8-year-old son. Kimberly Forder is a woman we believe loved her family and children and sought to serve the LORD in helping others and through missionary work in Liberia. So… in the face of unsubstantiated claims or until “proven guilty,” we must stop and wait on the LORD. I simply ask that others be remembering this woman—the whole family—in prayer as the facts and accusations surface or are substantiated.

The papers are reporting different statements or accusations made by the family’s oldest daughter and the additional information is from court reports and probably quite a bit of editorializing. I know this sort of article sparks fear in some homeschooling families. The article in the Seattle Times yesterday regarding this whole matter referenced the family on the night of the death of the little boy: “a group of quiet children dressed conservatively and lined up from tallest to shortest.” And that the family “home-schooled their children and fed them from food grown in their yard.” [This “group” was probably five children, by the way.]

So, I say to families… don’t let the enemy gain a foothold or grip you with gripping fear if you home-school, home-birth, eat home-grown food (horrors!), or have a group(!) of conservatively dressed children, if you “foster care” children, or if you’ve adopted children from Liberia or elsewhere. These are condescending ploys to label and are nothing more than attempts at character assassination.

They teach children to line up in *school* don’t they?

Be careful… pray. These things may come to pass to indeed be true, but until then and even after, the family needs prayer and support. If the allegations are true, this ugly nightmare must serve as a caution, a warning and wake up call to all parents―Christian, pagan, whatever―all children are a precious gift and *must* be treated as such.

quote Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 27.14

pen

ah… famous last words

newscup Browsing our local paper this morning… here’s a new line for you:

quote I regret this and I’m big time sorry.

I guess he ought to be. Rhys Davis is the Republican candidate for Grays Harbor County commissioner — bet he’s big time sorry this morning as news of his soft porn website fills area newspapers. Offering a very flimsy excuse for the creation of the website, and demonstrating great lack of wisdom and character, he comments, “This is something we were playing around with to see how to build a Web page. If you notice, it doesn’t even look good. As soon as we were done, I deleted all of the files on my laptop and I thought that would delete the Web site. But it didn’t. I regret this and I’m big time sorry.” That’s the ugly thing about sin… it doesn’t just bling! Delete!

But a faithful man, who can find?