Suppose you could envision taking your kids on a meaningful vacation this June? Would you imagine taking them to Asia to talk to Christians and to learn about balloon launches into North Korea? Perhaps you would dream of stopping by Bangladesh and talking to the director of a secret camp for persecuted Christians. Would you think about stopping by Colombia, too, and talking to a Christian who witnesses to terrorists in the jungle?
Would you picture your family crisscrossing the country when you got back to the U.S., visiting Michael Wurmbrand, son of VOM’s founders; Tom White, who was imprisoned in communist Cuba; Gracia Burnham, kidnapped by Muslim terrorists in the Philippines; and the VOM Martyrs Monument, a tribute to Christians throughout the centuries?
Maybe you would think about helping your kids write a letter to a Christian in prison for his faith, visiting a jail cell and a shipping container like those used to hold Christian prisoners around the world, making a bracelet for Bangladeshi Christians, watching skits about bold believers, talking to a youth who appeared on Underground Reality: Vietnam, and studying five restricted nations.
Or, you could take your kids to VOM’s Kids Conference where they could experience all of the above in one place on one weekend. Click here for more information.
The news for the devastation in Burma continues to roll in, some experts are saying that the death toll may top 250,000. Christian aid agencies and others are doing their best to get to the scene of devastation with relief supplies, however some are saying that the aid coming in is too slow.
Please keep this horrible situation in your prayers.
I would like to personally invite all of our readers to follow us on Twitter. If you don't have a Twitter account, it is very easy to make one, simply go to www.twitter.com and set up an account for yourself.
We'll be sharing thoughts and scriptures and other things regarding the persecuted church. Please join us!
Today I read an article where a conservative attorney is saying that President Bush should boycott the Olympics, because of human rights abuses and persecution. He feels that the Olympics is a money making enterprise and that it will hinder progress for human rights in China. Here's part of the article...
Attorney John Whitehead believes the rampant greed of
large corporations has turned the Olympic Games into a moneymaking
enterprise, making it difficult for human-rights activists to call
attention to the continued persecution and abuses in the communist
Chinese dictatorship.
Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute,
says that millions of dollars have already been spent by various
companies for the right to sponsor the Beijing Olympics this August.
Some of the contributing corporations include Adidas, Anheuser-Busch,
Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Microsoft.
The constitutional
attorney says the latest tensions in Tibet illustrate that pouring
capitalism into the communist dictatorship has not helped reduce the
human-rights violations in that country. "The argument I always heard
was that the more [the U.S.] interacted with China, the more they would
become like America and revere freedom," he contends. "[But] the
opposite has happened. In fact, China is not getting better; they're
getting worse."
When was the last time you had a garage sale and went through your belongings in order to sell them because you needed to get rid of them? Or how about this, when was the last time you took a load of clothes to The Salvation Army or Good Will because you didn't want to have a garage sale?
For me, I tend to do the later at least once a year, EXCEPT then I realized that I could take some of my clothes and give them to The Voice of the Martyrs via their Action Pack program.
In fact, VOM has made their action pack program very easy. All you have to do first is decide what country you want to send Action Packs to. Right now you can pick either Pakistan or Sudanand for only $7.00 you can purchase one of the special bags from VOM and have them sent to you.
Once you receive your action pack bag, you will get a list of things you can fill the bags with. For example, for the Sudan you can put the following in your action pack bag.
Towel
Blanket
Writing pad
Paper
Pens
Colored Pencils
Hand Soap
T-shirt
Light sweater
Flip-flops
A note or photo from you (optional)
And if you choose to pick Pakistan to send things to, then you can find the following things and add them to your action pack...
Blanket
Jacket/windbreaker - Adult or child
Sweater - Adult or child
Gloves or mittens - Adult or child
Knit hat - Adult or child
(anything warm for winter)
Socks - any child or adult size
Solid color T-shirt - any child size
Bed sheet - Queen size flat
Towel
Bar of soap
Sponge or foam ball
Family photo (optional)
Pretty cool right? What are you waiting for....go and buy a few action packs today and make a difference in the persecuted countries.
I've been waiting to write this post all day because I wanted to share with you some time I spent visiting a prisoner in jail today. It was quite an experience. I showed up at about 9 AM to find a line with around 100 people in it and was told that the wait could be up to four hours. Four hours...that's a long time to wait.
Then I found out that I couldn't bring my cell phone in the jail and since I had it on me, I decided to leave and come back later. So I went home and then around 3:30 PM I went back to the jail and waited only two hours to get in to see my friend from church.
While I was waiting I met many women who were also there to visit husbands, boyfriends or brothers. I heard many stories about wrong doing and also, including my friend, people who were in there due to lies and slander.
And all of this got me thinking about my suffering brothers and sisters in Christ who are often thrown in prison without serious cause. In reality, our suffering brothers and sisters are often put in prison due to hatred - hatred of Christ Jesus and hatred of the love that Jesus brings and offers. It really is quite amazing.
Yet today, while I waited with hundreds of others, I had the opportunity to play with a little 4 year old girl. As we played "hide and seek", "horsey" and "hopscotch" in the waiting room, all I could think of was the children of those left behind in other countries where Christians are in prison for no crime. I know this little girl had no idea why her father was in jail, and her joy was definitely contagious as she ran and played around in the waiting room. She made me laugh and she made others laugh too.
Which brings me to my final thought on this today. The Lord knows those who are His and He sees every wrong conviction and every broken heart. He sees the lack of justice and mercy in the cases where that exists and He also sees the sacrifice of those who love Him and the prisoners.
And it would be very easy to say that I felt inconvenienced spending half my day waiting to get in to see my friend. Yet, I wonder...how long does our Lord wait for those He died for to come to Him. Years...decades....until the death bed...
Why not consider the sacrifice of Jesus and then if you know of someone in prison, visit them. Write them letters. We invite you here at The Voice of the Martyrs to check out our Prisoner Alert page and invest some time sacrificing yourself to write a letter or send an email. It will make all the difference in eternity, and in the process you will be conformed to the image of Jesus Himself, because you will learn what sacrificial love is. I know I did today.
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you that I had the opportunity to speak to a local Christian school about the Bibles Unbound program...well, this past weekend I received some very exciting news that I have to share with you.
My friend Sandi, who is the teacher of the class, decided to use the idea I brought to her about having the children take a week to copy all of the bible they could and then read only that portion of the bible for a limited time. But Sandi went one step further with the assignment. Instead of leaving the assignment there, Sandi assigned her class to write a paper about their experience copying the bible and reading only that portion of scripture.
And I can't wait to share the papers with you because Sandi is going to make copies and share them with me.
So, if you're looking for a great exercise that can help you identify with the persecuted church and their need for bibles, why not do what Sandi did. I think it could greatly impact you. And while you're at it, why not visit Bibles Unbound and sign up in if you haven't yet.
There is a little bit of news to share with you concerning Matthew Murray, deemed the killer of the missionaries at Youth with a Mission and New LIfe Church. New reports are saying that there was 1300 cartridges of ammunition, a knife, a homicide textbook and Xanax found in the home of Murray. Authorities are declining what this may have meant regarding a greater attack.
Meanwhile, David Works, the father of two of the girls who were killed at New Life Church, spoke at his daughters memorial service yesterday. The Works sisters were survived by their mother Marie, and their two sisters Grace and Laurie.
I was in Indianapolis, IN this week on the way to a television interview, and had the great privilege of visiting the offices of Crescent Project.This organization works to train Christians in how to reach out to Muslims and share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ with them. And their focus isn’t necessarily on people who are going to barge into Mecca and hand out tracts, but on people RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA!You can reach your neighbor…your doctor…the exchange student at the university in your town.Crescent Projectreminds us that you don’t have to GO to be a missionary…God is bringing the mission field onto our own soil!
While I was there I got a sneak peak at CP’s latest project, a small-group curriculum called BRIDGES.It is a six-week small-group study that trains American Christians how to start the discussion with a Muslim, how to find common ground and how to dispel some of the misinformation about Christianity that is commonly taught in Muslim households. The curriculum includes DVD teaching material and study guides, as well as a leader’s guide. There will also be an online component to get additional information and to share stories of what worked (and what didn’t).
The sneak peak got me VERY excited about this incredible tool!CP’s goal is to train one million American Christians to reach out to Muslims with the gospel.The curriculum is available for pre-order now (at a discount!), and you can get a sneak peak at the web site, www.bridgesstudy.com(they have even posted some of the video segments). If you know people who care about reaching Muslims for Christ, CP and BRIDGES provide excellent, unique training resources (CP also has one-day and one-week training seminars held around the country).
My hope is that a million on-fire American Christians trained, equipped and passionate about sharing the gospel with Muslims is only the beginning!
Todd Nettleton is the Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs—USA.
Egypt Jails Christian Woman for Her Father's Conversion
I saw this story last week, written by Ethan Cole on the Christian Post website, and I wanted to share it with you because it's just another example of how hard it is to "officially" leave Islam and embrace Christianity publicly.
An Egyptian Christian woman has been jailed for her father’s brief
conversion to Islam over 40 years ago which made her legally a Muslim
despite her official papers stating that she is a Christian, her lawyer
said Thursday.
Shadia
Nagui Ibrahim, 47, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in jail on
the charge of fraud for stating she is a Christian on her marriage certificate, according to Agence France-Presse.
Under Egyptian law, a person’s official religion is based on the father’s religion.
Nagui Ibrahim’s father converted to Islam in 1962 after leaving home
when she was two years old. Three years later he reconciled with her
mother and returned home, re-converting back to Christianity. He had
someone forge his document to say he was Christian. (MORE)
Yesterday I had the opportunity to share with my church about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church that many churches have participated in this month, and all I can say is it was amazing!
I am especially thankful for my pastor who was willing to let me share about the persecuted church, but even more cool is the response that I received from many in my church who don't know much about our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
One friend asked me if I would be willing to teach her junior high class that she teaches during the week. And of course I said Yes! What an awesome opportunity to share with the younger generation not only what persecuted Christians go through, but also about The Voice of the Martyrs Kids of Courage program. It really is amazing.
But here's the other thing I told my church. The persecuted church is JOYFUL and we need not mourn or weep for them because they have a joy that we here in America, can't even come close to. I shared that the two things the persecuted request all the time are prayer and bibles. Which to most of us seems so simple, and yet, for those who are suffering in Communist countries or under Islamic governments, it could be their very lives.
After I shared I had a number of people ask me how they can send bibles to the persecuted church. And once again I told them about VOM's awesome Bibles Unbound program.
And what did I learn about all of this today.....simple - Christians in America care about our suffering brothers and sisters, but someone has to educate them. I want to encourage those of you who do know and love the persecuted and joyful church, to share that with those who don't yet have the blessing of this ministry.
This week as I have been reading through literature and some books on Christian persecution, because I will be presenting this information on Sunday, as my church observes the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, I found this wonderful song in a book called China's Christian Martyrs by Paul Hattaway. Read this song and compare it to the songs you sing in church.
Martyrs for the Lord
Chorus:
To be a martyr for the Lord, to be a martyr for the Lord
I am willing to die gloriously for the Lord
Those apostles who loved the Lord to the end
Willingly followed the Lord down the path of suffering
John was exiled to the lonely isle of Patmos
Stephen was stoned to death by an angry crowd
Matthew was stabbed to death in Persia by a mob
Mark died as horses pulled his two legs apart
Doctor Luke was cruelly hanged
Peter, Philip and Simon were crucified on a cross
bartholoew was skinned alive by the heathen
Thomas died in India as five horses pulled his body apart
The apostle James was beheaded by King Herod
Little James was cut in half by a sharp saw
James the brother of the Lord was stoned to death
Judas was tied to a pillar and shot by arrows
Matthias had his head cut off in Jerusalem
Paul was a martyr under Emperor Nero
I am willing to take up the cross and go forward
To follow the apostles down the road to sacrifice
That tens of thousands of precious souls can be saved
I am willing to leave all and be a martyr for the Lord.
One of the things I love about The Voice of the Martyrs is that there is always something we can do to help minister to those less fortunate than we are. VOM Action Packs are one such thing you can participate in, and I have to tell you, on a very personal note, that I have enjoyed using the Action Pack program myself. About five years ago my mom died and I took a lot of her clothes and instead of giving them to my local Salvation Army or Goodwill, I decided to ship them overseas using VOM's Action Pack program.
It's really simple to do too! All you have to do is Click Here to sign up and start to participate.
Our Action Pack program has been a proven success in Pakistan. To send an action pack to Pakistan, simply click here to order.
Once you have ordered an Action Pack, The Voice of the Martyrs will
send you a special preprinted vacuum bag to be filled with items you
select from the list to the right. Then, you will ship your Action Pack
back to The Voice of the Martyrs and we will distribute your Action
Pack along with a color Gospel storybok, He Lived Among Us.
Or if you have a heart for the Sudan, you can order an Action Pack and send items there.
Bless our Sudanese family today. Action
Packs are large zip-lock, vacuum bags you can fill with everyday items
in your home, such as those listed to the right.
To order an action pack designated for Sudan, you can click here or you can browse all donation opportunites at www.vombooks.com!
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
BARTLESVILLE – On November 11, The Voice of the Martyrs will join Christians in more than 130 countries in prayer for the persecuted church.
VOM is participating in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) and encourages Christians to pray for believers around the world, living under the threat of persecution. These believers risk discrimination, imprisonment, and even death because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Todd Nettleton, Director of Media Development at The Voice of the Martyrs, said, “This is an important time for Christians around the world to follow the scriptural mandate to ‘Remember those in bonds…’ (Hebrews 13:3). Our hope is that this one special day of prayer will lead to many more days of prayer in the coming weeks and months.”
Christians are encouraged to pray for continued boldness and courage for believers as they share the gospel and for hearts to be softened to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“The interesting thing is that our brothers and sisters who are suffering aren’t asking us to pray that their suffering will end,” said Nettleton, “but to pray that they will be faithful to Christ even in the midst of that suffering.”
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister pledged Saturday to protect and support the Christian minority that has been fleeing the chaos and sectarian violence in the country.
After receiving the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel III Delly, Nouri al-Maliki affirmed his government's readiness and determination to defend the small community and to stop the outflow of Iraqi Christians, according to a statement released by al-Maliki's office.
Delly, who is the head of Chaldean Church in Iraq and spiritual leader to all Chaldeans, has been outspoken about the need to protect minority Christians from Iraq's spiraling violence.
A few days ago I challenged you to blog about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church that will be held this year on November 11th.
As a result, I have been contacted by a few people who are so committed to the persecuted church that they made a special banner that all of us can use. And I would like to thank Nanna's Reflections for sharing this with me, and Sparrow's Song for designing a beautiful banner so that we can remember and pray for the persecuted church and promote the International Day of Prayer.
There are two sizes of the banner you see below. All you have to do is click here and then you will see two banners and their html code that you just need to cut and paste into your blog.
Let's All Blog for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Hello Blog Readers!
Hey, I have a challenge for you, and it's two-fold. First, if you are one of our Persecution bloggers or you happen to be a blogger who just loves to promote great events, I want you to write a post about the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church which will take place on November 11th.
November 11th is only a few days away, and so time is short.
And our second challenge for you is that we would love for you to write your local paper and tell the Editor about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
It is vital that we get the word out about this issue, and we want you to be involved and active.
So if you plan on joining us in spreading the word, please comment below or email me at stacyharp@gmail.com
Did you know that this week is Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week?
Well, I wanted to alert you to this event this week because as you know, militant Muslims, are famous for killing Christians. And while the purpose of this week is to get students to hear the truth, I think it's important for you to know what's happening.
The following is a description and following with links so you can find more information.
During the week of October 22-26, 2007, the nation will be rocked by
the biggest conservative campus protest ever – Islamo-Fascism Awareness
Week, a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college
campuses.
For more information please see the following links:
We Pause to Remember Dr. D. James Kennedy As He Has Now Entered Glory
Earlier today Janet Parshall and Todd Nettleton discussed the passing of Dr. D. James Kennedy early this morning.
We here, at the blog, also want to take a moment to honor a man who was dearly loved and who passionately loved Christ, people, America and the persecuted church.
For me personally, even though I never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Kennedy in person, I have watched his broadcast for years on a weekly basis. His preaching was biblical, and his knowledge of history and about America's founding is remarkable. He accomplished so much in his life, and I am proud to say that his life has impacted me in a very passionate way. I will miss him dearly, as I know his wife, family and congregation will also.
Please remember them all in your prayers at this time.
The following is other news covering Dr. Kennedy's passing and also some direct links to his ministry so that you can learn more about his legacy and his memorial.
Imagine being shocked because you just found out that God loves you. Read on...
Children selling the Koran on the streets of a large Iranian city
recently heard about the Bible and Jesus Christ for the first time.
According to underground house church leaders in Iran, “When we saw
them (the boys) and they tried to sell us the Koran, we talked to them
about Christ and asked them if they had read the Bible before. They
asked, ‘What is the Bible?’ We explained who Christ was and shared the
gospel with them.”
“When we told them God is love and that He loves them very much,
they were shocked. We gave them a few Bibles and told them to read it.
One of the children got the Bible, ran to a corner building, opened it
and quickly read it. The rest of the children made a circle around him
and also started reading,” the house church leaders added.
The children later received Christ. Pray the seeds sown in the
lives of these children will grow. Ask God to protect and provide for
Christians in Iran, who are not allowed to worship God freely.
Recently, Randy Alcorn, wonderful Christian author of many great books, including Heaven, wrote in his monthly ministry newsletter about seeing The Voice of the Marytrs Monument at the recent International Christian Retail Show. He writes concerning the monument,
“In that huge convention center with hundreds of displays, the one that sticks in my mind was done by Voice of Martyrs. It centered around a glass tomb with a shrouded figure representing the body of a martyr. Above it were the names of martyrs from all over the world, some going back to the early church, some who died in 2007 in different parts of the world.” The display included Ron DiCianni's painting Safely Home (used as an inside cover in Randy's book by the same title).
...
More than 70 million Christians have been martyred for their faith since 33 AD. This year an estimated 160,000 believers will die at the hands of their oppressors and over 200 million will be persecuted, arrested, tortured, beaten or jailed. In many nations it is illegal to own a Bible, share your faith, change your faith or allow children under 18 to attend a religious service.
Nations where Christians are frequently persecuted include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Colombia, Iran, Laos, China, Nepal, Syria, Turkey, and many more. "
If you want to learn more about the monument, please visit www.martyrsmonument.com and tell a friend.
And we would like to thank Randy for sharing his experience with his ministry and blessing us as a result. Amen!
The Heavenly Man: A dramatic autobiography of one of China's dedicated, courageous, and intensely persecuted house church leaders. Have you read this book?
In the last three days I have heard about this book three times. The first two times were as I was listening to Kay Arthur teach on her daily program, Precepts for Life. Kay used this book to illustrate how God uses persecution to refine us and draw us closer to Him.
The story of Brother Yun has not only inspired multitudes of Christians, but also his story also won Book of the Year. The last time I heard about Brother Yun was over at the China Aid website where there is video of him sharing a little bit of his testimony. To see the video click here.
To read the 112 reviews of this book at Amazon.com click here. Note also that this has received 5 stars with all of those reviews.
I hope you're all having a great day and I just wanted to remind you that our persecution blogger, Cindy, over at Inspiration Korner, will be blogging for 24 hours so she can raise money for The Voice of the Martyrs.
The blogothon is TOMORROW, so if you can help her out and support her, that would be awesome!
One of our wonderful persecution blog team, Cindy over at Inspiration Korner, is going to be blogging all night and all day for her ministry of choice - The Voice of the Martyrs.
This is what Cindy writes on her blog, and not only do I want to thank her again, but I would humbly ask that you support her in her ministry. Here's how she explains the mission...
With the Blogathon, we have to blog
every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight! It will begin this year on July
28th at 6:00 am and end on the 29th at 6:00 am! Each blogget gets to
pick their own charity to try and raise money for. My charity of choice
is the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM)!
This is the charity that I chose last year as well. My blog was not
that well known and I did not raise a lot, but I pray that this year we
can help the VOM a great amount. The best part is that you do not give
the donations to me, but straight to the VOM after it is all over and
done with and you choose how the VOM will use the money!
UPDATED SATURDAY, APRIL 28 - Today I received the actual mailing address where you can send help if you are moved to. I hope you are.
Please note that gifts on behalf of the wives
and children of these martyrs for Christ may be sent to: Turkish World
Outreach, 508 Fruitvale Court, Grand Junction CO 81504, USA. Please
designate such gifts for "the Survivors Fund."
If you've been moved by all of the stories this week about the martyrdom of our brothers in Turkey, then I have some good news.
You can participate in ministering to the widows and the orphaned children by supporting Operation Esther.
According to Candelin one way to show love for the five children that now have lost their fathers is to give a love gift for their future education. This love gift operation is called "Operation Esther" after the five year old daughter of one of the murdered Christians.
Gifts will be distributed via the Protestant Church in Turkey and anyone interested can contact Johan Candelin, Executive Director Religious Liberty Commission, E-mail: candelin@kilumbus.fi
Have you visited VOM Groups lately? If not, I really want to encourage you to click on over and join the conversation. Right now a conversation that is taking place is about handwriting bibles as a way of remembering the persecuted church. It's an amazing idea and also one that everyone can do.
Cynthia wrote the following and I wanted to share it with you.
As I have read about the many Christians who live in countries where Bibles are forbidden... I began last month to hand write the books of Paul. ...I think of the many brothers and sisters around the world hiding in dark rooms or underground caves to do what I am doing, copying God's word, and I pray for them. ... the persecuted church continues to inspire me day after day. I only wish I could tell them what their lives have done to radicalize my own spiritual journey. I am certain that there are days they question the purpose of suffering. In heaven it will all become clear!
Isn't that cool! Jon thought so, and he wrote the following which is a wonderful testimony of commitment...and well, lack of commitment when you think about it.
Dear Cynthia,
I was so happy to see your letter! I was also moved by those in the persecuted church who have to hand-copy the Scripture. When it was my turn to lead our home fellowship, I asked everyone to assume our Bibles were going to be confiscated the following week and we had two hours to copy any scripture we could by hand (no electronic copying, printing, pa sting or scanning). In the spirit of remembering those in chains, for two months or so, we used only the Scripture we had written down as our source for Bible reading and study. We used the honor system - we were not allowed to peek into our Bibles.
Many of us take for granted free speech in the West. However, some troubling legislation has recently touched many free nations including England, Canada and Australia which has threatened to limit that right and awakened citizens to the need for action. Christian World News recently conducted an interview with an Australian pastor who was adversely affected by such legislation. Click below to watch this report on Australian Pastor Danny Nalliah.
At the end of the clip, Pastor Nalliah discussed H.R.254, the hate-crimes bill that has been introduced in Congress. What are your opinions on this bill? How do you feel it would negatively or positively affect speech in this country?
My husband and I are passionate about bible distribution. My husband is a Gideon and I am an Auxillary for the Gideon's International and we just love being able to go out and give away bibles. We also love knowing about ministries like VOM and others who have programs specifically set up to purchase and then send bibles to people who need them.
Last week I had the opportunity to go out on a distribution with a friend of mine from the Gideons. We went and distributed bibles in dental offices and also some medical offices and a few chiropractic offices. We also had the opportunity to hand out medical testaments to the nurses and secretarial staff in these medical offices and I have to be honest and tell you that it can be nerve wracking going in and offering the bible to complete strangers. But I love to do it because when I consider what persecuted saints go through to get the Word of God and to distribute it to others what little rejection we receive - and there is always someone - is nothing compared to what Jesus did for me by dying on the cross in my place.
I read this quote from Richard Wurmbrand this morning and it made me smile because he was obviously a man just as passionate about spreading the Word of God as I am....well, he's probably way more passionate than I! But I'm working on it!
If you are not willing to die for what is in the Bible, you should not give money for Bibles. Because if you give, we will smuggle more Bibles. And if we smuggle more Bibles, there will be more martyrs.
So my question for you today is this - how passionate are you concerning the distribution of God's word? Do you purchase bibles through VOM's great Bibles Unbound Program? How about other ministries...?
Why? or Why Not?
Feel free to share if you'd like. I always love to hear the testimonies of others.
Earlier this week I was writing a column for my newsletter and I wrote about asking. I was trying to convey that for Christians to be active Christians one of the things we need to do is ask God for things and also ask others for help or information or whatever it is we need. I then shared a story about how God answered my prayer and awarded me a grand prize at an event I was invited to. And not because I asked to win the prize, but because I had asked God to "pick me" to do something great for Him.
Which brings me to the title of this post - When Was the Last Time You Gave to VOM? Seriously...when was it? I'm wondering because I've found in the few years I've worked with people and especially many ministries people often say they pray, but I rarely hear people say they actually donated also. In fact, I was talking to a friend of mine who has another persecution ministry and they told me that usually what happens is that people who pray are the ones who give.
I know for me, the Lord has really convicted me about blessing the ministries that bless me. And I highly recommend you give to your local church first, and then to the ministries that you know and love. Personally, I hope VOM is one of them, because I can assure you the blessings you give, are directly used to minister to our family who is suffering. They need bibles, clothes, and many other things that we have and they don't. Would you give something today to help out? You will be blessed because you gave, and those who will benefit will also be blessed. To me, that's the best investment.
You can donate online through the VOM bookstore. Check it out, I think you may even find something you like.
Last week we had the privilege to highlight India for most of the week. This week I'd like us to focus on the Christians in China. They need our prayers, and dare I say we need theirs! Christians in China are very bold and I am personally thankful for that witness. It challenges me and inspires me to be more bold in my faith. Have you ever found that to be the case with you?
Christians in China are becoming bolder and more eager to share the gospel of Jesus Christ despite the risk of being beaten, tortured and imprisoned. The Voice of the Martyrs recently received information from a contact working inside China that in the midst of persecution, believers are keen to read the Bible and share about Jesus Christ. How often do we read the bible?
“In the past year, we received more requests for Bibles and Christian books from Chinese believers because they wanted to share the gospel with others. The Communist government of China does not see Christ as the most important person in an individual’s life. Christians count it a privilege to believe in and suffer for Jesus Christ. They know there is no alternative to Him,” the VOM contact said.
He added that while the Chinese government continues demolishing church buildings, Christians are resilient. “God always gives them wisdom and great ideas on how to evangelize,” he said.
VOM is helping believers in China. We supply Bibles, copies of Extreme Devotion, He Lived Among Us, Tortured for Christ and other Christian books in the Mandarin language. American Christians have also mailed more than 107,310 New Testaments to China through Bibles Unbound (www.BiblesUnbound.com). Pray God will protect believers in China and give them strength and courage to continue their faith in him, and if you haven't joined Bibles Unbound yet, please do! I love it and it's easy and fun.
Yesterday I highlighed the Voice of the Martyrs Kids of Courage ministry and some very cool ways the kids have raised money and blessed the persecuted church. Today I wanted to highlight a few of the very bold believers, that just happen to be KIDS. My prayer is that the courage of these children will inspire you to be bold and courageous as an adult.
Here are only a few of the bold believers and their stories. The full list can be read in its entirety here.
#9- India: Only Jesus
India is a country where Hindus are already in the majority. But militant Hindus would like their country to be even more Hindu. They attack pastors and Christian ministries that help poor and needy people.
In March 2006, a group of radical Hindus attacked a training center where Christians were learning more about the Bible. The Hindus destroyed furniture and office equipment.
When the attackers discovered the 8-year-old daughter of the center’s director, they ordered her to recite a prayer to a Hindu god. According to a Pakistan newspaper, the girl refused, saying she would worship only Jesus. The Hindus threw her to the floor. God protected her from further harm.
This next story is amazing. Imagine how YOU would respond.
#8- Eritrea: Kids Singing in Jail
A group of kids in the African country of Eritrea were attending a Saturday morning Bible study when the police showed up. They arrested all the children, who ranged in age from 2 to 18.
The Eritrean government is suspicious of anyone who takes their faith seriously.Leaders seem to want the citizens to put the government first in their lives instead of God.
At the police station, the children began to sing a song with these words: “I am not afraid of persecution, hardships, and even death. Nobody can separate me from the love of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross and gave me new life.”
According to some sources, the police told the children to “shut up.” The youngest children were released that day, but the oldest were kept for a longer time. (Sources include: Compass Direct and VOM contacts)
Now I don't know about you, but I wish with all of my heart I could meet these kids in person. I know this, they will remain in my prayers. I hope you add them to your prayer lists also. What faith...amazing.
It's almost December and what better time for you and me to take action with a Voice of the Martyr's Action Pack! I think Christmas time is an awesome time to step up and take part in one of VOM's greatest programs - Action Packs.
Let me remind you what you get and have to do in order to share. For only $5 you can take part in the fun and become a great blessing to the persecuted church.
Each Action Pack includes:
• A special preprinted vacuum bag with a zip-lock closure that allows air to be pushed out by simply rolling the vacuum bag.
• Instructions on what items to put in the vacuum bag.
• Instructions on sending the bag back to The Voice of the Martyrs.
• Five additional brochures for you to share with your church or family and friends.
(larger quantities available upon request)
Each special vacuum bag is ready to be filled by you personally. For the many who have been displaced by events in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, or ostracized by their family or village because of their faith, these items will be a welcome expression of our love.
Hey...what are you waiting for? Click here and order your Action Pack today.
This morning CBN News covered the story of a church in Belarus that has suspended their hunger strike as a way to protest their government's attempt to take away their church.
The pastor of New Life Church says that he has heard from the Belarus Supreme Court who said they will hear the churches case sometime this month.
Do you like to write letters? I don't mean send an email or call someone on the phone, I mean sitting down with an old fashioned pen and paper and letting your best handwriting pour forth to a loved one somewhere not close to you. I have the best husband in the world because every single week, without fail, he sends me a card in the mail and it is always hand written inside. In fact, that is one of the things I treasure the most about my 16 years with him - from the very beginning of our relationship while we were dating he sent me cards with his love notes written inside.
I think letter writing really is a lost art in our culture which is why I wanted to encourage you to maybe step out of your comfortzone and take the time to write someone - a prisoner for Christ.
Did you know that the main VOM website has an example of a letter you can send to a prisoner? Click here to see the page and then click on "click here for a sample letter to a prisoner". Here's what you'll see...
Dear (Name),
We have heard about your time in prison and are greatly encouraged by what you are willing to endure to remain true to our Lord Jesus. I am praying today that God will strengthen and encourage you. I also pray that your guards will come to understand that God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that we might spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Love from your Sister (or Brother).
(Signed)
Pretty cool isn't it? The Basic Fellowship site also shows you ways that you can write letters to government officials, embassies and the United Nations.
The other thing I really like is that you can pick the country you'd like to find a prisoner in and write to them. I plan on writing a letter to the three teachers in Indonesia this week. Click here to see how to write to them also.
I also want to just encourage you, especially if you're a blogger. We often spend so much time online writing things that do not make a world of difference and I want to encourage you to begin writing letters to prisoners because that WILL make a HUGE difference. It will encourage you in your faith, it will build up the prisoners and for some it will actually help get them set free from their prison cells.
What will you do today for the prisoners? Leave us some feedback in our comments.
One of my new favorite things is reading the blog posts of Glenn Penner and Adele Konyndyk who serve with VOM Canada. This week they both wrote some very powerful entries that I would like to encourage you to take the time to read.
Glenn has also written another provactive post asking the question Arming the Persecuted? Some may think what Glenn writes is controversial, but I don't. Be sure to check it out. And don't forget you can visit their weblog on a daily basis here.
Great news comes to us today from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada as they are reporting that a well-known Eritrean Christian Gospel Singer,
Helen Berhane has been released from prison!
After being incarcerated for thirty months in the Mai-Sirwa military camp just outside the capital city of Asmara, The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada) has learned well-known Eritrean Christian gospel singer, Helen Berhane has just been released from prison.
The 31-year old was admitted to the Halibet Hospital in Asmara recently. She was seen in a wheel-chair in the hospital but was not allowed any visitors. Many Christians in Canada and around the world have been praying for this very committed follower of Christ.
Helen, who is now with her parents in Asmara, is said to be in very good spirits despite her plight for the sake of Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada) joins the chorus of praise to our Lord for this good news which has come in the wake of the martyrdom of two Eritrean Christians three weeks ago in the town of Adi-Quala which is about ninety kilometres south-west of Asmara.
Please continue to pray for the release of more than 2000 Eritrean Christians that include most the leadership of the evangelical churches in the nation. Pray for God's grace to abound in them in prison as they suffer for Christ's sake with love and prayer for their persecutors (Romans 12:14). Also pray for the families of the imprisoned Christians. Pray that God's grace will likewise abound in them and that our gracious Father will provide for their every need (Phil. 4:19). And please join our Eritrean brothers and sisters around the world who are rejoicing and praising God for the release from prison of this faithful believer and servant of Christ, Helen Berhane.
Last weekend I attended the GodBlogCon and while I was there I met a woman who was giving out CD's of Pastor Chuck Obremski's sermons. The cool thing was I had just heard about Pastor Chuck only two days prior when I attended the Mayor's prayer breakfast in the city I live in, and the speaker, Angel's player Tim Salmon shared his testimony and about this guy named Chuck who had impacted his life.
Well, my second day at the conference this lady handed me these CD's of the very same Chuck! So I thought obviously I should listen to a few of these CD's to see what it was the Lord was trying to tell me.
In a nutshell, let me just say that Pastor Chuck was dying of cancer and the Lord used him in a mighty way to share the gospel with his church, the ball teams he chaplained for and now even me since I was handed his CD's. In fact, you can listen to all of his sermons online here, if you're interested.
This morning I listened to one of his sermons on dying well and I was struck as I was listening to him talk about dying as our last act - that being how people will remember us - and how the persecuted saints we think about, write about and pray for daily - die.
I realized that when the persecuted saints I'm reading about are killed that is exactly what is so inspiring about them. They die well. They die well because often when given a chance to recant or deny their faith in Jesus Christ, they don't. Even when they are being tortured and beaten, and treated in ways that no human should have to endure, these saints die well.
Pastor Chuck said that the way we die is what people will remember the most about us. I think he's right. So...how do you plan on dying?
Normally we do our weekend wrap up on Friday's, however, tomorrow I will be attending the Second Annual God Bloggers Conference right here in Southern California at Biola University, so we've moved our event to today. Thank you again to all of you who are participating!
One of the things that always encourages me is when I see believers doing special things for the persecuted church. This week Dean sent me this entry that he wrote for his blog Bibles at the China Border called Autumn Rain 2007 Prayer Calendar which is a calendar he made to raise money for the persecuted church in China. Very cool!
Our next entry is from Michael at Supply the Word called A Call To Love Your Neighbor . Michael writes, Christians need to reach out to everyone, including Muslims, to share the word and the love that Jesus Christ has shown to us. This is the only way. War cannot do it, sanctions cannot do it, no one can bring God's children together but Jesus Christ."
Next we have another wonderful entry from Mick at the Romans 15:4 Project called Pray for the Faithful that Refuse Islam. He describes his entry this way, "Many faithful have suffered the ultimate sacrifice because they have refused to convert to Islam". Powerful!
Jan writes our next entry about two people she recently met. Jan writes,"I recently met two young men at a VOM table: One was willing to go to the most remote regions of a hostile country to spread the gospel, after he became one of the fortunate ones to have made it to America, while the other despairs, because he had never read a Bible and did not know of the hope that we have in Christ." Read her post called An Amazing Contrast.
Next we have a reminder from John who blogs at Bible Truth Online concerning the Persecution in Azerbaijan . Imagine not being able to name your baby a Christian name. This is happening in Azerbaijan.
And our second to last entry is from Barb at Tidbits & Treasures who writes, "A mother got to share the message of salvation with her son, after he witnessed the death of his friend because he was a Christian." Read Barb's entry - Have You Shared Jesus With Someone Today?
Our final entry comes from Hal over at The Great Separation. Hal's post is called Egyptian Muslim Religious Leader Jailed for being Born Again.Hal writes, "A Muslim religious leader who confessed belief in Christ as Lord and Savior was arrested in Egypt. The charge, insulting Islam for being born again."
Please remember all of these brothers and sisters in your prayers.
Yesterday I received a very cool email from Todd Nettleton telling me about a recent story they heard from one of the Voice of the Martyrs constituents. I think this is a pretty cool idea, and we wanted to share it with you so that you can take part should the Lord lead you to do so.
Here's the email:
"One of our constituents phoned in a donation and book order last week. She said she normally buys our books through the bookstores listed above,(Barnes & Noble and Borders books) but this time she wanted to also make a donation so she called us. Then she proceeded to tell me that these bookstores (and perhaps others) always order 2 books whenever they are not carrying the book that you request. Therefore, she usually orders through these bookstores so that there will also be one of “our” books left on their shelves.
What a great idea!"
Have you had a similar experience ? If you have, please share it with us, because we always love to see how the Lord works!
Happy Friday to all of you! I'm very happy that you've stopped by to read the blog today. As usual, we have our carnival this week and I'd like to thank everyone who is participating this week, since I didn't send out a reminder...you guys are totally on top of things!
Today I'd like to begin with a post written by Jan at Counted Worthy, Jan has once again written a compelling post titled Christians Kidnapped in Egypt about the Egyptian girl who was kidnapped recently. She writes, "Link to translated article from El Tareek, Egypt's only Christian newspaper, gives the details behind Egypt's kidnappings.
" And friends, you will want to read the article at that is linked - and then pray.
Our second offering is from from Mick who writes at Romans 15:4 Project, and he writes a post called Islamic Nation of France? . Mick asks the question, "How can we make peace when we are afraid to acknowledge the war crimes for fear of offending our enemy? There is ample evidence of the violence, terror, and persecution, so why the effort to deny it?
"
Our next entry is from Shane who is writing a post called News is Making Me Angryon his blog The High Places.Shane writes about the recent murders of the Amish little girls. If you haven't read Shane's blog yet, you'll really enjoy it. Check it out today.
And that's it! I hope you enjoyed the entries and I would ask that you tell a friend. See you Monday~!
Every week I have the most excellent privilege of reading the posts that are entered in to the carnivals every Friday. This week is no exception. Thank you all for participating and raising awareness on your blogs. The reason this is so important is because with the exception of television media like The 700 Club, who did mention some of the work of The Voice of the Marytrs this week, most mainstream media outlets fail to report about Christian persecution around the world. Thank you for being the voice for millions who suffer for their faith in our precious Lord Jesus Christ.
This week I'd like to begin with an excellent entry from Mick who writes at called simply, Romans 15:4 Project North Korea. Mick writes, "We should take the threat of a nuclear North Korea very seriously. The people of that nation are not humans with rights, but a natural resource to be exploited by Kim Jong Il.
" I agree.
Next, we have another wonderful post from Barb who writes at Tidbits & Treasures. This week Barb brings to our attention an Iranian couple who converted to Christianity and have been arrested for holding meetings in their home after being told not to do so. Barb writes that their fate seems to be unknown. Read more in her post titled Fate of arrested Iranian Christian couple unknown
Our next entry is from Jan who writes at Counted Worthy. This week Jan shares with us about her teeth, but there is a tie in to The Voice of the Martyrs - there really is :). Jan's post is called He Is A Trustworthy Shepherd.
Now we have another wonderful entry from Cindy who writes at Inspiration Korner. This week Cindy writes a post called What About Peter in which she talks about the book of 1 Peter. She lets us know just what Peter went through to spread the word of God!!
And our last entry is from Michael who writes at Supply the Word. Michael writes a post called Help the Persecutedin which he shares about the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs.
I hope you've all been as encouraged and blessed as I have been reading through these posts. Please leave us your thoughts and comments on what we are doing. And next week we will see you right back here on Friday for another carnival. Have a great weekend!
Prisoner Alert has updated their website with a new prisoner that we can all pray for and be an advocate for. All we have to do is take a few minutes to pray and then act. My prayer is that all of you reading this take the time to act. Make it a family event that you can do with your children, or you can involve your bible studies or Sunday School classes. Whatever you do, please try.
The picture you're looking at is Issa Motamedi who was arrested on false charges of drug trafficking. It is suspected that because Issa and his wife, Parvah, attempted to register the birth of their son, Micah, who was born in January, with the civil population bureau. Selecting such a Biblical name may have caused the authorities to begin investigating this Christian family.
At the time of his July 24th arrest the convert was told he must renounce Christianity or face years in jail and possible execution for his apostasy. Under Iran’s judicial system based on Islamic law, anyone who leaves Islam for another religion has committed a capital offense. Lakan Prison officials reportedly tried for days to force him to confess to being involved in illegal drug trafficking.
Using strong psychological pressures, including threats to kill his family and other Christian believers, Issa was interrogated by secret service agents and a professor of Islamic theology, who urged him to recant his Christian faith and return to Islam. Issa refused to do so.
Iranian court authorities in the Northern city of Rasht have released Issa. He was granted bail August 24th, but the judge introduced new accusations against him at this hearing. According to unnamed “confidential witnesses,” the judge said, the convert’s eight-year-old daughter, Martha, allegedly had been trying to lead other children to the Christian faith.
He was reunited with his wife, Parvah, and his two children following his release. He has moved his family to an undisclosed location, but is subject to be recalled to court. Issa converted to Christianity seven years ago. He asks, “Pray for me, that I would be stronger in my faith.” Issa told other believers that the calmness and protection God gave him during his time in prison were miraculous.
