Have You Done Your Job Lately?

We know that our primary responsibility is to spread the Gospel, but one of the most powerful tools we have to do this job is to pray for those who we witness to who haven't yet trusted Christ.  Hey ladies - we've got a job to do! One of our own has been witnessing to a friend (is it you?!). Would you stop and pray right now that this person would be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and trust Christ for salvation?

School's In Session! Do Your Homework!

I caught this in the SacBee on September 10, 2010: "Sacramento Interfaith Leaders Plan 9/11 'Blessing of Peace' on Quran."   I'm going to post the whole article at the end of this post, just in case it gets taken off the SacBee website, but I do want you to read it.   

After you've read the article, here's your homework: The article mentions that in addition to reading from the Quran, several passages from the Old and New Testaments will be read (or were read, since this happened yesterday).  From the NT a verse from Matthew 5, and from the OT a verse from Isaiah 2.  Come on - do I even need to TELL you what I want you to do?  Okay - I haven't blogged for a while, so you have forgotten how this works. :-)  Look up those passages (and their contexts), and tell me what's wrong with using them for this purpose (other than the obvious "blessing the Quran" thing!).  

Here, I'll make it easier for you: Matthew 5:9 and Isaiah 2:4. 

Here's the article:

More than 50 members of Sacramento's interfaith community - including Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Quakers, Muslims and Druids - will meet at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of 9/11, for a "blessing of peace on the Quran."

The 7 p.m. event, on the steps of the cathedral at 11th and K streets, is designed to blunt the threats of Florida Pastor Terry Jones to burn the Quran.

Jones' associates said today that no Qurans will be burned, but organizers of Saturday's event "wanted to send an alternative vision from America - placing roses on the Quran as a symbol of peace and tolerance. The World Peace Garden in Capitol Park has agreed to supply us with three dozen roses," said the Rev. David Thompson, president of the Interfaith Service Bureau.

"Afterwards the roses will be given to Muslim families," Thompson said. "Whether or not the Florida pastor goes through with his scheme to burn copies of the Quran, we in Sacramento are hopeful of bringing cooperation and peace here as we try to undo the damage already done, to protect our troops and to affirm our Muslim brothers and sisters here in America and around the world."

Non-Muslims will give seven readings from the Quran.

"The passages are chosen to show there are peaceful, wonderful passages from the Quran," Thompson said.

Each reader will then place a rose on the Quran.

There will also be reading from Hebrew and Christian scriptures - "correctives from the faiths Terry Jones is supposed to be representing," Thompson said.

Father Michael Kiernan of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament will read from Matthew 5: "Blessed are the peacemakers. They shall be called sons and daughters of God."

The Hebrew scripture, from the second chapter of the prophet Isaiah, declares, "God will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many people; these will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war."

The seven blessings from the Quran each carry the message, "Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me," Thompson said. "Everyone in Sacramento who cares about this issue and wants peace and to show kindness to Muslims is encouraged to bring the gift of a rose and place it on the Quran. Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with us."

Don't let your brains get rusty, ladies..."Renew your mind..."

I await your comments. :-)

Rudderless Faith!

This is short and sweet, ladies!

I recently read an excerpt of a sermon by the late Pastor Dan Rodgers entitled "Noah's Ark Had No Rudder." Think about the implications: Noah's Ark - that big honkin' ark - had NO rudder. No steering mechanism!? Talk about faith! Of course, the Ark didn't NEED a rudder - it was guided by the Lord. Noah had faith that the Lord would take that Ark wherever He wanted it to go.  And here's the part that really gets me: not only was its DIRECTION guided by the Lord...its SPEED was also guided by Him.

Are you struggling with the Lord's timing right now?  Next time you start to wonder about the "speed" with which things are (or are not) happening in your life, remember Noah's Rudderless Ark and have faith in the One Who is guiding your direction AND your speed. :-)

Quit trying to steer the boat (excuse me -- ship)!

"Designer Babies" - The Next Stage

Saw this blog post by Al Mohler the other day and it has really been on my mind.  The whole idea of aborting the "wrong baby" is appalling to begin with, but Mohler brings up the "bigger" issue here: the idea of using abortions as a "search and destroy" mission for babies who are somehow not what the parents want them to be.  Now it's Down syndrome babies...next up: babies who carry the markers for Autism...after that, what?  "This baby is going to have blue eyes and we want a brown eyed baby..."?

The implications are horrifying.

One more reason to continue in prayer for our unsaved (and saved) friends who are still struggling with the lie that abortion is okay...

A Little "Light" Reading...

March was crazy! Between working on another Salvation video for BCM, prepping the house for sale/finding a new place to live, and trying to get all of Professional Development hours in at work, the time just FLEW by! Thankfully, we had Spring Break to allow us some time to settle down and get our heads back on straight.  And while I don't have time to write the long, enlightening blog post that I'd originally planned to write, I did want to pop in, swap howdies, and give you a little "light reading" for your free time. :-)  I'm nice like that!

We're going through Romans in our Wednesday night Bible Study, and it has been great. One of the great things we are constantly being reminded of is the amazing POSITION we have in Christ! Yes, we fight with our old nature, and yes we struggle, but isn't it comforting to remember that we are safe and secure in our salvation?!

Like I said - I'd planned on writing a long post on this, but I feel compelled to share ANOTHER blog post with you instead.  This post was written by the man who teaches our Wednesday night study, and I think you'll find it interesting, to say the least.  I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on it -- VERY. But I warn you - you may want to save it to your iPod, or print it out and read it on the bus or something - because it does require some "thinking." (gasp!)  So, click the link and get reading -- then come back here and holler-back!

In the meantime...Happy Easter!