tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756034693378783052012-02-16T22:05:24.236-06:00Supporting Underground Believers/Martyrs In TrialsS.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-34391947494970546282012-02-01T20:30:00.007-06:002012-02-04T17:22:52.252-06:00

"True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord."-David WilkersonFor many years Libya has been a place of fear. Fear of a dictator and the amount of control he had over his people. Secret police who could take you away, never to be seen by your family again. Now that the people of Libya have thrown off their chains, a different fear is mounting in the

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'The holy heart can be hurt. But it answers injury with love and prayer and forgiveness." -W. E. McCumberTurkey is often thought of as a bridge between two cultures. Even though Turkey is an Islamic state, it is also secular and has great tourist appeal. Many people see Turkey as the answer to bridging the differences between the East and the West, but is it also a country who is at war with

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-11529623302314413292011-12-03T20:14:00.014-06:002011-12-04T14:49:02.788-06:00

"Even the weak become strong when they are united." -Johann Friedrich Von Schiller "Necessity unites." -German Proverb Now that Sudan's civil war has come to an end, the south will be building a new nation and what they need most of all is unity. While the South was united in its campaign against the North, now that the battle is over fighting has started to erupt in the south among the tribal

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-59637201782828209682011-11-14T21:27:00.003-06:002011-11-14T22:14:54.784-06:00

"Faith faces everything that makes the world uncomfortable- pain, fear, loneliness, shame, death- and acts with a compassion by which these things are transformed, even exalted." -Samuel H. MillerThis month we met together to remember and pray for the persecuted church, but as what happens so often, we are changed in the process. As we meet to pray, we are strengthened and encouraged by the

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-64553956085730786232011-10-03T20:02:00.006-05:002011-10-03T20:31:23.932-05:00

"The past is never completely lost, however extensive the devastation. Your sorrows are the bricks and mortar of a magnificent temple. What you are today and what you will be tomorrow are because of what you have been. Your faith of yesterday is built into your faith today." -Gordon WrightNigeria is a country that has known its share of sorrows. Political instability, corruption, widespread

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"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.' -Matthew 9:37-38In Bangladesh, there is an evangelist named Andrew. He has seen great success; his ministry has baptized 749 Muslim converts,distributed more than 3,000 Bibles and New Testaments, and over 137,000 gospel tracts.

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"God allows everything to happen for a reason. Circumstances will either direct you, correct you, or perfect you." -Unknown As we focus on Syria this month, we find a country in the midst of revolution. How long will the conflict last? Who will be in charge when it is all over? What laws will be changed as a direct result of these protests? What groups will come to power and how will they use

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-60561039328641526222011-07-05T14:15:00.013-05:002011-07-09T23:31:27.484-05:00

“Anyone can devise a plan by which good people may go to Heaven. Only God can devise a plan whereby sinners, who are His enemies, can go to Heaven.” -Lewis Sperry ChaferLebanon is home to Hezbollah, the Party of God (Allah), and Hezbollah is the sworn enemy of Israel, God’s chosen people. These two groups have been at war with each other for almost three decades, and there seems to be no end in

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“Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.” -George SorosFreedom Fighters or Terrorists? That is one of the questions we must look at this month as we travel to the Philippines. Whenever tourists visit the Philippines, they travel to the northern islands, not the southern. Why is that you ask?

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"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." ~Leo Nikolaevich TolstoyMany people would admit that before this year they had never even heard of Tunisia, let alone know where to find it on a map. But now our eyes have been rivited on this country in Northern Africa as we watch the events unfolding there. This one small country was the catalyst to a chain reaction

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-28683506743338861752011-04-02T11:18:00.024-05:002011-04-03T22:53:24.331-05:00

"Christian agility, when fully developed, enables a person to walk in two worlds- his heart in heaven and his feet in the dust of this earth." -Marvin BaarmanAs Christians we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. We can understand how difficult it can be at times to maintain that balance, and sometimes those two worlds collide! In which case, something has to give. That is where

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"The hero is the one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light." ~Felix AdlerAlgeria has been a place of great darkness, marred with corruption and the violence of a ten year civil war. But hope is dawning in this country, and a light is

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-61833312281988501052011-02-02T13:42:00.017-06:002011-02-06T14:26:58.106-06:00

"Here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often." -John Henry Newman There is something inside all of us that knows we are less than what we were meant to be. Perhaps that is part of the reason why our culture is constantly reaching toward that goal of bettering one's self. We have seen hundred's of self help books and tapes that promise you change in your life if

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"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." -Martin Luther King, Jr.There is a story behind every story. For every act of progress, there is a story of oppression that came before it. As we look at Morocco this month, we can see the remarkable strides that this country has taken on behalf of women in a Muslim country. They have about 10% of the seats in their House of

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"The world wants to see demonstrators of the faith rather than defenders of the faith." -UnknownWhat is your reaction when Christianity is attacked? How do you feel when you hear that someone would be willing to burn the Bible but not the Quran? What do you think about people who take Christ's name in vain but won't dare to say anything negative about Muhammed? Some Christians feel angry.

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"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go." -- Abraham LincolnThis month on November 14th is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). IDOP is a global day of intercession for persecuted Christians worldwide. Its primary focus is the work of intercessory prayer and citizen action on behalf of

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"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." -Martin Luther King, Jr.When Americans think of the Middle East, Oman is not usually one of the countries they picture. Instead, we might picture Iraq or Iran or Afghanistan; probably because those are the countries that the media most often portrays. But when we look at Iraq or Iran or Afghanistan, we see religious turmoil

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“There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free.” -Walter CronkiteWhen we here in the United States hear the words 'freedom of religion' we get a picture in our minds of what that means. We have certain expectations of what freedoms go along with those words. The United Arab Emirates claim to have freedom of religion, and I suppose it's true depending

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"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" -Matthew 16:26aAt first glance, Qatar might appear to be paradise on earth. Imagine New York City in the middle of a desert, but right by the ocean. Education is free, hospitals are free, housing is free, there are no taxes, and the country is not in debt. The majority of people can even speak English...sounds

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"This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing?" Isaiah 44:6,10If one thing stands out about Nepal, it is the fact that they are known for having the "Living Goddess." In a very real sense, they 'shape' their god. They take a young girl who

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"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

S.U.B.M.I.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14562160113249393481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2275603469337878305.post-2496357848807388962010-05-02T13:18:00.016-05:002010-05-02T18:04:51.929-05:00

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." -Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5Most Americans today are skeptics. We've surrounded ourselves with science and tell ourselves that everything has a reasonable, logical explanation. And if we are presented with something that doesn't seem to have a rational explanation, then it must be a superstitious hoax or the

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"Buddha never claimed to be God. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, 'I am a teacher in search of the truth.' Jesus said, 'I am the Truth.' " -UnknownWhat are people looking for in this life? For a Buddhist, the ultimate salvation is to reach nirvana, the state of finally escaping the unending cycle of life and death, sorrow and happiness, health and

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"He who is the Bread of Life began His ministry hungering. He who is the Water of Life ended His ministry thirsting. Christ hungered as a man, yet fed the hungry as God. He was weary, yet He is our rest. He paid tribute, yet He is the King. He was called a devil, but He cast out demons. He prayed, yet He hears prayer. He wept, and He dries our tears. He was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet

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"Uneasy is the heart until it rests in thee." -St. AugustineEveryone longs for peace, but where do we find it? How do we get it? These are questions that people have obsessed over for generations. Many people believe that life is a balance between good and evil, and a lot of people just hope that their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. But is there real peace in this? Just hoping that when all

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"We occassionally stumble over the truth, but most of us pick ourselves up and hurry on as if nothing happened." -UnknownThis quote might seem at first to be an unusual choice for this month's focus, but it resonated with me when I read it for a number of reasons. This month, instead of focusing on one or two countries, we did a recap of the past year and the 12 countries we already covered. At

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"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." -Billy Graham"Well done, good and faithful servant" are words that every Christian hopes to one day hear from their LORD. What would this Christian look like, I wonder? Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike, no two followers of Christ will be exactly the same and lead the same lives. Though just as

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"Against the persecution of a tyrant, the godly have no remedy but prayer." - John CalvinWe know that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective, so when God's people pray, we know that He hears us. We need to be praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Eritrea. Eritrea is a country where it is possible to totally disappear. You can be arrested and literally removed from all

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"Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man's will done in heaven, but for getting God's will done in earth." Robert Law It has been said that at any given time, day or night, there is a house church in China that is praying. The Spirit of God is alive and powerfully working among the Chinese, and maybe it is because they humble themselves so completely before Him. They trust Him for

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"God doesn’t want to keep changing your circumstances; he wants to change you." -J. Sidlow BaxterIn our modern world today, we can often feel disconnected from Biblical times. Sometimes it’s hard to really picture what it was like back then when Christianity was first getting started. But if we can look anywhere in this world for a modern day picture of the first century church, we would have to

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"If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization, which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilization, compared with his, is only a moment."- C. S. LewisSome times we

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“Faith isn't believing without proof – it's trusting without reservation.”-William Sloane CoffinWhat would trust without reservation look like? No conditions, no compromises, no “If…,then…” statements in our prayers…no holding back…what a genuine, beautiful faith that would be, and I have caught a glimpse of it in my recent study of Vietnam and Laos. Many of the people there are being delivered

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“Love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them,

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There is nothing that is more dangerous to your own salvation, more unworthy of God and more harmful to your own happiness, than that you should be content to remain as you are. -Francois FenelonToday in class we heard an interesting story that is said to perfectly illustrate how different the Belarusian mindset is from an American’s. Here is how it goes:Three men, a Russian, an American, and a

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“This life is all the heaven the worldling has, and all the hell the saint ever sees.” -UnknownAt first glance, the title for this month’s country might seem extreme. To label somewhere as “hell on earth” is a bold statement and I assure you it is not done lightly. In researching for North Korea this month, I have read testimonies of believers and nonbelievers alike. I have watched documentaries,

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Who developed Juche?Kim Il Sung is credited with developing Juche, but it was actually created by Hwang Jang Yop in the late 1960’s. He supported Kim Il Sung and helped establish his totalitarian rule. The President, Kim Jong Il, is considered the final authority of what is Juche. Researchers of Juche look to the President as their teacher.What is Juche?It is a man-centered philosophy that

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“I know I might die here one day. I have already come close many times. I have been stoned, hunted, threatened and arrested. But I am not afraid. If I die today, it will be my day of blessing to see Jesus. If I don’t die, it is because Jesus has more for me to do here. Either way, I am fine.” -Mirah (quote taken from Daughters of Hope)Does this quote sound familiar? It should, because this

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What is sharia?It literally means "path," or "path to water". Religiously it means God’s law that will provide the path to salvation. The law is derived from four main sources:-the Quran, Islam's holy book, considered the literal word of God;-the hadith, or record of the actions and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed, whose life is to be emulated;-ijma, the consensus of Islamic scholars; and-qiyas,

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While India is the country of focus this month, I have just received word of a distressing situation taking place in China right now. To find the information and video links pertaining to India, scroll past this blog and the next one to find the post that says "India: A lesson in forgiveness".I recently received an email from China Aide about Gao Zhisheng. Gao is part of the ChinaAid Legal

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This video is a dramatic re-enactment of Gao's testimony told in his own words. Watch at your own discretion, but know Gao Zhisheng risked everything to challenge the dark system of communism -- he dared to speak the truth. Gao said to his wife that if he should be persecuted for speaking the truth, he believed that people of justice throughout the world would stand with him. Let us stand with

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“The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.” --William BlakePerhaps there is nothing as earth shattering or unfathomable in this world as the concept of forgiveness. It rails against our very nature and often times our heart seems to cry out in denial against it. Yet it is something as Christians we cannot escape. Jesus clearly tells us in Matthew 6 that if we do not forgive others,

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"The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life."-James ChristensenGreat enough for life…that’s a compelling thought, isn’t it? Being able to rise above life’s challenges and heartache because Christ has transformed us…the possibilities are endless

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