Today's Extreme Devotion reminds me of the Apostle Paul's conversion because Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21

Hi Everyone,

Pastor Rick Warren has now officially confirmed that he will go to North Korea to preach the gospel. The Christian Post and a Yahoo news page are saying that Warren will be in North Korea on July 17th, "to meet with church and business leaders, despite the current standoff over recent missile firings by the isolated communist country."

Eighteen-year-old Mohan Masih was working at the brick kilns in Pakistan when he consulted his pastor about other work opportunities. Mohan’s pastor suggested that he sell Christian literature to brick kiln workers as a way to spread the gospel and make a living.

After reading some of the comments on the other entry on Rick Warren going to North Korea I decided to see if there was any other news concerning his visit and I found a few interesting things. I'm sharing this because North Korea oppresses and persecutes Christians and I think some of what is being said about Warren's visit is interesting. So I'm not posting this for controversy sake, but purely for more information on the subject.

Pastor Rick Warren is making news again...well kind of. Most of the mainstream media is not telling you that Pastor Warren was invited to go and preach in North Korea this summer.

Last night I was reading a brand new book I received on the Old Testament, and as I was reading through the first chapter the author shared a few profound statements from people who have a very high opinion of the bible. Since the Old Testament reveals the promise of God to his people, and the New Testament reveals that He has kept His promises through the person of Jesus Christ, I think when we consider praying for the persecuted - to the God who hears all of our prayers - we must also consider the book we receive these truths from and remember it can be trusted.

In today's Extreme Devotion you will learn about William Carey and be inspired. If you aren't familar with this great saint, you may be this saying, "Except great things from God; attempt great things for God". Carey is also the founder of the Baptist Missionary Society.

Welcome back to the blog after the great holiday we just celebrated! Did you all see the space shuttle launch yesterday - AWESOME! I loved it, and it was totally great to see the first launch of a space shuttle on July 4th. We are truly blessed here in America!