Author: Anna Lee

For we are God’s workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

TODAY’S PRAYER
INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD
APRIL 21, 2010

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth,

to show Himself strong

on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

~2 Chronicles 16:9a~

WORLD LEADERS. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Please pray today for Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro (southeastern Europe between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia).

AIDS. Paper, scissors and glue bottles clutter the table as laughter lifts the spirits of those gathered around. HIV/AIDS victims are making paper beads! It is slow going, but inexpensive and reproducible. Everyone has learned the process and is now making beautiful necklaces and earrings for sale. These HIV/AIDS victims are at various stages of health, and some more able to do the work than others. S is very thin, using crutches to walk here. He has not missed a single day, but he cannot make a bead! He sits quietly, laughing and joking, fiddling with the paper in his hands. Today, however, even S has found a productive task: glazing the beads made by others in the group. His smile is bigger than ever! Give thanks that HIV/AIDS victims at Bophelong Community Center in Tembisa, South Africa, are able to work with their hands, but most of all, that they are able to hear stories about God’s love. Pray that they will come to know the Savior personally and experience the difference between ritual and relationship with Jesus.

CHEMNITZ, LEIPZIG, AND DRESDEN, GERMANY (KEM-nitz, LIPE-tzik, DREHZ-din). As the weather warms up and people begin to spend more time outside, members of the Hope for Saxony Team will be out and about, trying to build relationships with young people, “punkers” and others. Pray for new relationships, open hearts and minds, and the deepening of already-established relationships. http://www.hope4saxony.blogspot.com/

Maggie Allen has had surgery at Tulane.  Pray for her and for her family as she recovers from the surgery.

CaringBridge

• http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/larkindorris
• http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kathyjothompson
• http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/micah_tolleson

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

EACH OF US lives some of our days in the war zone…

We face battles, challenges, and shock. When we see the missles whizzing by overhead, we need someone who will encourage us. Encouragement is transfusing some of your courage into another life. The Bible says, “In the last days perilous times will come” ( 2 Timothy 3:1). The book of Hebrews says we ought to be more and more involved in encouragement as those days approach. When the perilous times increase and the battles intensify, we will need encouragement more than ever.

One of the motivations behind Paul’s letters to the New Testament churches was his desire to encourage his friends. These early believers were members of churches scattered throughout the ancient Roman Empire, a time ruled by cruely and persecution. These persecuted, isolated followers of Christ, trying to make their way in the world, often met in caves and catacombs of Rome for mutual encouragement. They faced life-threatening challenges every day. Paul, who founded most of these churches, wrote to communicate his heart to them. In the beginning verses of almost every one of his letters, Paul labors to deliver a word of hope and affirmation:

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the world world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of HIs Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers” ( Romans 1:8-9).

If you received a letter like that from Paul, wouldn’t you be encouraged? To know that he put you on his prayer list and prayed for you every day and night? David Jeremiah in The Joy of Encouragement

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,

as is the manner of some,

but exhorting one another,

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10;25

I hope you will take time to read this Baptist Press article on Tebow.  He has used his great athletic ability to share his strong faith.  Thank God for  young people like Tebow who gladly stand up for their faith.  Pray he continues to do so.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32751

Have a great day.

Anna Lee

Forgive us the wrongs we have done,

as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

~Matthew 6:12 (TEV)~

Continue to pray for Jesse Dean.  Pray for Majel and the rest of the family too.

Micah Tolleson got to go home yesterday.  Please continue to pray for him and his family.

CaringBridge

• http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/micah_tolleson/journal
• http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/larkindorris

Baptist Press:http://www.bpnews.net/

MIST

AS WE SAT at the supper table, it was The Maiden who first heard the ominous hum from the next street over…

She sat at attention, caught ours, and about the moment we all heard it, she pronounced, “The mosquito truck!” Up we jumped, all three of us, to close windows and The Missus, in the voice of General Patton, sent me running to rescue items off the clothesline in the back yard.

Not that we weren’t glad to hear it and let the truck spray its cloud of poison to free us of pests. Just last week a health official from the city knocked on our door to warn us that an unconfirmed case of dengue had occurred in our quadrant. She also wormed her way in to check for possible breeding spots in standing water.

But we didn’t want the foul-smelling, mosquito-killing mist in our house and on clothing.

Our defensive operation of clockwork skill comes from long experience of trucks that regularly spray the area.

Would to God our response was as prompt and energetic when the clouds of immorality and doctrinal departures waft our way.

But we prefer last-minute swerves and faith in contrary winds to avoid the inevitable visit that temptation regularly makes up our street.

After all, we persuade ourselves, it’s impossible to avoid everything. A little bit of tolerance shows we’re not radicals. And, you never know, the individuals showing bad signs may straighten up.

But when sin is seeping its way toward them, people don’t often straighten up by themselves. They succumb.

And the creeping of immorality and lessening standards doesn’t find an automatic correction, as if they were airplanes drifting off course. They slide into ditches of ruin.

Departures of doctrine and morals must be met with prompt, energetic responses. When prevention doesn’t knock them in the head, every doctor knows that the earlier the signs are treated, the better the chance of saving the soul.

Every mechanic knows that the knocking sounds in a car won’t go away by themselves. The longer it’s left, the higher the bill.

In the church, these departures are everybody’s business. The New Testament doesn’t leave it to elders or preachers. The order is for every saint, “you who are spiritual” ( Galatians 6:1NET). Here, “spiritual” is a synonym for “Christian.”

It’s everybody’s business because departures of doctrine and morals are never restricted to a single person. They spread. They cause direct hits and collateral damage.

The old saw that we’re either part of the solution or part of the problem applies here.

So next time you hear the faraway hum of the mosquito truck, jump up and run for the windows. J. Randal Matheny at http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/the_mosquito_truck.html. Randal is a missionary in Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil and is editor of http://www.forthright.net.

“Flee also youthful lusts;

but pursue righteousness,

faith,

love,

peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

1 Timothy 2:22

Posted by Mike Benson at April 19, 2010

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Anna Lee