Go-DoSomething Blog

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-13T03:20:00.009-06:00

Absolute anarchy. That is what all of Haiti will be for weeks, perhaps months. Even after the chaos and choking cement dust has settled and the bodies have been cleared, the country of "Mountains Beyond Mountains" will never be the same.

I visited Haiti in 2006 and if you have not been there I don't know if I can describe the sense of darkness and hopelessness that smothers the country. There is very little infrastructure and much of the leadership there have become corrupt so the people are extremely distrustful of one another. It is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, AIDS has ravaged the country, the average Haitian eats 3-5 times a week, and mothers frequently make mud pies to feed their children just to fill their bellies for a little while. The capital city of any country is usually the richest and most beautiful a country has to offer, but Port-au-Prince would be described as "desperate" at best. That was before the earthquake that hit January 12th, 2010.

You may remember that two schools collapsed due to shoddy construction in Haiti in 2008 killing at least 93 children and injuring another 150+. After the first school disintegrated, the government assessed the housing and estimated that 60% or more of the structures in Haiti were in danger of the same type of collapse. The schools that came down, fell on still, quiet days. One collapsed was accredited in part to, "some students (that) were jumping and dancing in a musical." Dancing brought down the school.

The 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince was the worst on record for Haiti and it is estimated to be the strongest earthquake that has hit the area in over 200 years. They have had over twenty-three, earthquake sized, aftershocks as I am writing this.

The earthquake destroyed everything from corrugated tin shanties and cement block buildings to the National Palace, which crumbled in on it's self, to the headquarters for the U.N. and at least one embassy.

Haiti is a country of 9 million people used to disaster in one form or another, but this is unprecedented and according to all reports, the loss of life is vast. People are wandering the streets injured, pleading for doctors in a country where there are few emergency services and the hospitals themselves are either collapsing or overcrowded.

One missionary who was in Port-au-Prince called CNN and said that, "All power is down, Port-au-Prince is in blackness and cries for help can be heard coming from the dark." I talked with a contact at ABC NEWS Tuesday night and the little information that they are receiving is heart wrenching.

This will not be the end. In the past, even the smallest glitch or political disagreement has left my aunt and uncle with out food to feed the orphans at Haiti Mercy Mission for days (www.HaitiMercyMission.com). I fear for their safety and health in the coming months as dead bodies pile up and disease sweeps the country. Looting and robbery is common at the best of times and anarchy is not something that takes long to develop in Haiti.

PLEASE PRAY that what seems like a tragedy will be used of God to break the bonds of Vodou that are so entrenched in the lives of the people of Haiti and that in their desperation, people will turn to the only God who can save, both from present circumstances and from an eternity infinitely worse than anyone can imagine. Even in Haiti. One spent eternaly apart from Christ.

Quick Facts from my aunt & uncle (Jeanette and Frank McLaughlin) in Haiti:

Dr. Acene Jean Pierre and his wife Anne are the Haitian nationals that run the orphanage in Pignon, Haiti. The orphanage is up in the mountains, but they felt the earthquake.

Anne Jean Pierre and one of the oldest orphans Saisette (who is in nursing school in Port-au-Prince) were both IN Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. We have not heard from them yet and are praying for their safety.

My aunt and uncle, who are at the orphanage now, spoke with my cousin and his wife via SKYPE and they are fine right now but are experiencing many strong aftershocks.

If you feel so led, you can donate to Haiti Mercy Mission at "ChipIn". ALL donations go towards aid and are tax-deductible!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Tavia Pitkanen

ST. NICK RESCUES POTENTIAL SEX SLAVES

2009-12-26T01:26:00.005-06:00

We all know the famous commercialized Santa Claus, a big jolly man with a white beard, velvet red suit who comes on Christmas Eve to adorn the Christmas tree with presents.

Do you remember as a child when you found out that he wasn't real, how upset you were? I remember figuring it out...and being a little upset with my parents.

I laugh now when I look back, but still have fond memories of looking out the window late into Christmas Eve looking for the reindeer to come and land on our roof! Haha I can admit this...it was mysterious, exciting and FUN.

Of course the REAL reason of Christmas is Jesus birthday, we all know this.

But did any of us KNOW what started many of our fascination/following of the famous bearded man in the white suit?

He was a REAL man, YES REAL, and considered by many a SAINT.

St. Nicholas, whose feast day is December 6, is considered the patron of seafarers, scholars, bankers, pawnbrokers, jurists, brewers, coopers, travelers, perfumers, unmarried girls, brides, and - robbers. He is also the very special saint of children.

St. Nicholas was quite young when his parents died of the plague leaving him the sole heir of their vast possessions. He determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity.

BUT what intrigued me YEARS ago when I read that St. Nick, AKA, SANTA CLAUS saved some women from HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING...I was floored!

A most popular legend concerns the three unwed daughters of an impoverished nobleman who lived in a small town on the coast of Turkey. The maidens could not attract husbands because their father could not afford to provide dowries for them. So late one night the holy Nicholas dropped a small bag of gold in the maidens' window so that the eldest girl could be married. Some time later he dropped in a second bag of gold, then a third. On one of the nights, the gold landed in a stocking hung up to dry, and the tradition of leaving gifts in stockings was born. The nobleman had become so poor that he had contemplated allowing his daughters to become sold into prostitution until they were rescued by St. Nicholas. Nicholas was thereafter honored as patron saint of unwed maidens. Thus, God rewarded St. Nicholas and gave him permission to walk the streets on the eve of his feast, bringing gifts to all good children. This particular story was told for so many generations until the theme of the three bags of gold, or gold balls was adopted as a symbol by bankers and moneylenders.

YES it is true. St. Nicolas cared about girls that were almost sold into sex slavery. And I am sure of it that there were many more instances that were un-reported, where he was used to help keep/set many other girls free.

Can I be honest with you? When I became a real Christian again years ago, I was a little angry at the following of Santa Claus. After all, HE wasn't the REAL meaning of Christmas, was he? I didn't like the fact that our parents had to lie to us to make Christmas more "fun".

I am a curious person by nature, so I decided to investigate this "Santa Claus". And I am very pleased to write that I am so glad that I did.

He was a man that followed what the bible teaches, what Jesus teaches....to "go about and do good".

And, Nick's mother and father were devote Christians who taught him about Jesus.

"God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Acts 10:38

So what is "doing good.?"

I can tell you what it's NOT!

It's NOT going to and emotional church service and promising change in your life but not doing anything. Most people walk out of a service like this and live like HELL the rest of the week!

It's NOT staying at home, praying for the world to change, praying for a miracle to happen for you.

It's NOT pointing the finger at the negative things in the world just SAYING that's got to change.

NO....it's DOING something about it.

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:26-27 Message

Do you read this? Reaching OUT to the homeless-the LOVELESS in their plight!

Most Christians don't "get" this. They simply come to church, quote scriptures, or make excuses they are too busy, or not "called."

That is not love.

Real love DOES something. It BECOMES the change it wants to see.

I believe and see that St. Nick did exactly this. In other words, he put his money where his mouth was...went about doing GOOD.

This Christmas is so different for me. I don't know about you, but as a Christian I refuse to get angry at how Santa is "pushed" in our face commercially everywhere we go during the season.

St. Nick LOVED. He fed and clothed the children, he helped those who might have been considered "unlovely". The poor girls that were about to be sold into prostitution. His life was a life truly lived with charity, like JESUS.

I know it may sound funny to some of you...and even some of you will get mad at me for giving St. Nick any credit.

St. Nick is now an inspiration to me. I cannot help have huge admiration and love for a person that does what he knows is right/good out of the love of his heart.

I hope this year that you too, have a new appreciation for good old Santa Claus.

May this year the true love of Jesus come alive for you, and may you be found going about doing good!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for all of your continued support as we rescue girls/teens/women that most would consider unlovely out of human sex trafficking.

Love

Annie Lobert

President, Hookers For Jesus

www.hookersforjesus.net

Worship = Adoration + Action

2009-11-10T12:24:00.001-06:00

A Prayer of Moses

2009-11-10T09:19:00.002-06:00

Psalm 90:10,12

The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away...

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

BBC Disability Ministry Blog

2009-09-04T11:00:00.004-05:00

Today at GDS we wanted to highlight the BBC Disability Ministry Blog.

"We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.
We joyfully live with a hard and glorious truth: God purposes disability in his creation for his glory and for our good."

The BBC Disability Ministry Blog is a ministry that we have been personally blessed and encouraged by. We have had the pleasure of meeting the writter of this blog, Mr. John Knight, who is also the Director for Development at Desiring God Ministries, and he speaks and writes about the topic of disability with a heartfelt compassion, wisdom, grace and humility that only comes from many years of dependence on God and His mercy's. We also like Mr. Knight because he has one of the most honest, open and joyfull personalities that we have met and his writting reflects that.

Mr. Knight's blog posts deal with everything from personal experiences (his son was born with disabilities and his wife has experienced cancer) to national and international law and the ramifications of those laws on the disabled and ill. However, every post is Christ saturated and God glorifying.

Every trial is viewed through the lens of the cross and the Gospel.

Every victory is through acquired strength given by Christ.

Please take a moment to read a few of of the posts on the BBC Disability Blog. Also, we would love it if you shared the web addresses of any disability ministries that have blessed you in the comments!

Grace and Peace in Christ - Tavia Pitkanen

A Grand Design

2009-09-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe God knows what He is doing after all.

LiveScience.com has posted an article on the human Appendix.

Turns out that it is not in fact a "vestigial" organ. It is part of a grand design and an important organ in the immune system. However it is a testament to God's mercy and wisdom that we can live without our Appendix. He designed our bodies to function even when we are born with out certain parts or need to have them removed.

Sadly, one of the researchers had this to say, "We're not saying that Darwin's idea of evolution is wrong — that would be absurd, as we're using his ideas on evolution to do this work," Parker told LiveScience. "It's just that Darwin simply didn't have the information we have now."

Perhaps if they did their research based on how God said that the human body was made they would make larger strides in medical and scientific research as Blaise Pascal, Sir Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur and many others did.

One organisation that we really love and recommend is Answers In Genesis. They provide scientifically sound, thought provoking articles from a Biblical perspective. Please check out their website!

1000 Reasons To Follow @GoDoSomething on Twitter!

2009-09-01T12:46:00.008-05:00

Today we have reached our 1000th post on the @GoDoSomething Twitter account!

Thank you to the many people and organisations who follow us and frequently re-tweet us! We appreciate the many kind and encouraging comments so many of you send us and we covet your prayers.

We are very blessed to be able to connect with and learn from all of you.

If you have a Twitter account we would be honored if you followed us and if you don't have one, you really should! It's fun, mildly addicting and a wonderful way to connect with people and ministries.

Grace and Peace in Christ. - The G.D.S. Team

Native American Awareness Conference

2009-08-30T21:33:00.017-05:00

This conference is especially interesting to me because my grandparents, Frank and Edna McLaughlin, were missionaries for seven years to the Ojibwe. They lived on reservations in Minnesota and South Dakota and ministered faithfully until their missions agency asked them to move. I know that it was a blessed time for them and that they loved being able to minister one-on-one with the people there.

Here is Bethlehem Baptist's information on the Conference. Hope to see you there! - Tavia Pitkanen

Did you know that though Native Americans have been exposed to the gospel for more than 500 years, only 5% of them have become believers? This conference is designed to inspire and equip Christians for Native American outreach. Guest speakers are: Pastor John Piper, Greg Mott, and Huron Claus.

Our theme is "Maajiigin," the Ojibwe word meaning "beginning" or "begin to grow." We pray that God would use this conference to plant his Word deep in us, water it, and grow our love for and awareness of the Native American community. The conference sessions will better equip us to effectively reach out to Native Americans with the gospel.

You can get more information about the Native American Awareness Conference here.

The Singular Advantages of Poverty

2009-08-26T01:03:00.005-05:00

This is a section taken from the Puritan writer James Meikle's book Solitude Sweetended.

"In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

Poverty calls to the exercise of certain graces, which Christians in opulence cannot so properly be actually engaged in; though every saint has the essence of every grace. The rich cannot depend on God for their daily bread, in the same manner that the needy do. And when the poor, in their pinching straits, and repeated trials and disappointments—are enabled to let patience have her perfect work, to a full resignation to, and approbation of the disposal of providence in their lot, and have a sweet recumbency on the faithfulness and kindness of a reconciled God; thereby he is glorified, and their souls enriched for a world to come.

Again, the saints in poverty have a sweet display of a special providence towards them, and the small things, and petty sums they receive, have a relish to them, above the vast and yearly incomes of the rich; because these come as it were from the immediate hand of God, are the answer of their prayers, and the fruit of their faith. As in an indigent state needs daily return, so faith is daily necessary; and the daily actings of faith on an all-sufficient God, of all Christian graces glorifies God most, putting honor on all his perfections, on his truth and faithfulness, his power and immutability, his wisdom and mercy! And the soul that in the highest degree glorifies God in time, shall be glorified in a higher degree in heaven; for the seeds now sown with weeping, shall yield sheaves of comfort then, and the happy reapers shall rejoice forever.

It matters not how much we suffer here—if God may thereby be more glorified on earth, and we more glorified in heaven. If, then, poverty with the divine blessing, promotes this noble end, can any deny its singular advantages? If the soul goes out towards God, has the world crucified to him, and is crucified to the world; if he esteems the heavenly bliss a sufficient portion, and looks not at the things that are seen; if he commits all to God; if he welcomes every cross that comes from God; if he approves of that lot which God appoints, and in everything depends, confides on God, for himself and his children; and if he has his little allowance, (for he does not wish for much,) insured in the bank of heaven—while the great sums amassed by worldly-minded men and misers, are often in a short time so entirely consumed—is he a loser by poverty?

Finally, though God leads me through a terrible wilderness, and feeds me in the wilderness in a manner which the rich know not, since it is to humble me, and prove me, and do me good at my latter end, even to do me good world without end—why should I complain?

Courage

2009-08-24T20:24:00.006-05:00

"Courage is not about knowing the path.

It is about taking the first step.

It is about Peter, getting out of the boat.

I do not know my five year plan; even tomorrow will probably not go as I have planned.

I am thrilled and I am terrified, in a ...good way.

So some call it courage,

some call it foolish,

I call it Faith.

I choose to get out of the boat.

To take the next step..." - Katie Davis

Chivalry Is Not Dead

2009-08-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

We would like to salute the Mayor of Milwaukee Tom Barrett for his bravery.

On 8.15.09 Mayor Barrett, while leaving the state fair without his security detail because he was not on duty as Mayor, came to the defense of a Grandmother screaming for help while defending her one-year-old grandchild from a man wielding a pipe in a domestic dispute. Mayor Barrett was hit several times in the head and torso, and broke his hand as he stood his ground.

Thankfully the the Grandmother and the child were unharmed and Mayor Barrett is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries and the assailant has been arrested.

Read the whole story here from the Chicago Tribune.

(Picture was borrowed from Polutlas' Photostream on Flicker. Thank you!)

The Love We Trust

2009-08-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

Have we told you how much we love the "Of First Importance" Blog? We love it. Very, very much. You should really go subscribe to their daily e-mails right now!

Here is another amazing post from them that we wanted to share with you. Enjoy.

The Love We Trust

Posted: 08 Aug 2009 10:19 PM PDT

“It is an item of faith that we are children of God; there is plenty of evidence in us against it. The faith that surmounts this evidence and that is able to warm itself at the fire of God’s love, instead of having to steal love and self-acceptance from other sources, is actually the root of holiness. . . . We are not saved by the love we exercise, but by the love we trust.”

- Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 213.

Jesus Has Forever Identified Himself With Us

2009-08-04T11:00:00.006-05:00

I found this beautiful post on the "Of First Importance" blog. A good meditation for your morning. Enjoy!

He Has Permanently Identified With Us

“Since His resurrection, Jesus has kept His physical body, in a glorified form. Jesus did not have a body before He came to earth; He took on a physical body for one purpose only — so that He could die. He became a man to live the perfect life for us and then to die in our place. But even when all that was over, He kept a physical body for eternity in heaven, with the scars on His hands and feet and side now part of His glory. He has permanently identified with us. This is amazing love.”

- Susan Lutz, “Love One Another As I Have Loved You” Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring 2003), 10.

YOU Can Fight Slavery At the Grocery Store!

2009-08-03T15:47:00.005-05:00

Amanda Kloer has a great blog, "End Human Trafficking" at the website: Change.org!

Yesterday she posted a wonderful article: "7 Ways to Fight Slavery at the Grocery Store"

Here is a re-post of the article. You can help to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking and slavery just by paying attention to which grocery products you buy. Read on for great advice on which products to be vigilant about.

I am a bit of a foodie (and more than a bit of a nerd), so grocery shopping for me is a fun, relaxing activity. Handling the fruit, smelling the cheese counter, ogling the wine section- it can be quite a nice outing. But when you're trying to pay attention to what you buy, sometimes grocery shopping can feel overwhelming! To make things a little easier, here are seven items at a grocery store to pay special attention to if you're looking to shop slavery-free.

1. Coffee: Coffee might be the most famous food product for having a high incidence of slavery involved in its production. Luckily, most grocery stores carry Fair Trade and ethically-produced brands of coffee which are a better choice for workers.

2. Chocolate: As more and more chocolate companies begin to introduce greater responsibility into their production, finding slave-free chocolate is getting easier. However, the candy isle at the grocery store is still covered with chocolate from companies like Hershey and Nestle who have no supply chain transparency.

3. Seafood: Fishing industries, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa, are growing as destinations for trafficked children. Don't think Thai seafood will make it to your supermarket in the U.S.? Think again. Always check where in the world your seafood comes from and how it is produced.

4. Strawberries: Strawberries are a valuable crop which is difficult to harvest, making migrant workers in the strawberry industry extremely vulnerable to exploitation and slavery. When strawberries are in season, you may be able to find them picked near you. It doesn't guarantee a slave-free berry, but it avoids feeding the industry in California and Central America where much of the trafficking has been found.

5. Tea: Like coffee, the tea industry has seen a lot of slavery. And because tea is the most popular beverage in the world, the profits from exploiting tea growers and harvesters are high. Many teas now are coming out with better labels indicating how they were produced.

6. Poultry: Processing poultry is a gross and dirty job, which means it is often left to undocumented workers. And lack of oversight of poultry factories puts these workers at risk of trafficking. There was even a recent case of disabled workers being enslaved in a turkey processing plant for years.

7. Sugar:The slavery on sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean never quite went away. Slaves grow and harvest sugar in Caribbean, Africa, and Central America. Some grocery stores may carry Fair Trade or ethically-sourced sugar, but you might have to seek out a specialty store in some areas.

Remember. slavery can be found in any industry, but these are a few of the common offenders. Knowing where to look for slavery is the first step toward being a conscious consumer of slave-free goods.

He Holds the Keys to Death and Hades

2009-07-20T09:42:00.003-05:00

Found this on the blog "Of First Importance" and had to re-blog it!

“The descent of Christ could be no lower. He fathomed the fathomless, and met sin’s consequences at its last dark frontiers. He tasted death to its limits and tasted it for every man. There is nothing in death or judgement He has not borne. In all its vast extent and utmost extremity, our Lord has answered it. There is no area in the vast abyss left unexplored. He holds the keys to death and hades.”

- Geoffrey T. Bull, The City and the Sign (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Book House, 1970), 95.

Death Is Not Dying!

2009-07-08T10:03:00.007-05:00

"Rachel's story is not unlike what thousands of women around the world have experienced. A diagnosis that changes a woman's life and inevitably takes from her what we consider to be most precious.

After four and a half years of vigilantly fighting breast cancer, the 37 year old wife and mother of two was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

But for Rachel the essence of life is found in her relationship with God through Jesus. And that's why Rachel is convinced that death is not dying." Listen to her powerful testimony here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rachel Barkey (nee Sawer) went home to her Lord on July 2, 2009 at 37 years of age.

Rachel is survived by her husband Neil and her children Quinn and Kate, parents Ben and Cathy Sawer, brother David (Johanna) Sawer and sister Andrea Sawer.

Rachel was born in London, Ontario and her life travels included years spent in Africa, growing up in Chilliwack (BC), university in London (ON) and working in Dallas (TX) before settling in Vancouver (BC). Rachel had a long career in politics and has many friends from her time working for the Conservative Party of Canada and the BC Liberal Party. A long list of career highlights do not compare to Rachel's accomplishments as a loving wife, mother and servant of Jesus. Rachel had a full and blessed life. She was a loving wife and mother who delighted in serving others, throwing parties, helping friends and spending days at the cabin with her family. She loved everyone selflessly and her passions were evident in everything she did. Rachel adored her children - Quinn and Kate were her greatest gifts.

She will be greatly missed by her family, her friends and everyone whose life she has touched.The family would like to extend a very special thanks to Dr. Will Johnston and Dr. Bev Spring as well as the community palliative care nurses for their excellent care these last months.

Her funeral service will be held on Wednesday, July 8, at 1 p.m. at St. John's Shaughnessy Church in Vancouver, BC. A private family interment service will be held at Valley View Cemetery in Agassiz, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Child of Mine (www.childofmine.ca) or World Vision (www.worldvision.ca).

Thank you to all the visitors of DeathisnotDying.com for the support and prayers for Rachel, Neil, Quinn, and Kate.

Strong in Another's Strength

2009-06-17T10:39:00.001-05:00

June 14, 2009 By: David Mathis
Re-post from Desiring God Blog

Laziness is not the alternative to living in your own strength. Paul talks about being strong in the strength of another.

Ephesians 6:10: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
Colossians 1:29: “I toil [to present everyone mature in Christ], struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
2 Timothy 2:1: “Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 15:10: “By the grace of God I am what I am.... I worked harder than any of [the other apostles], though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Romans 15:18: “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”

And it’s not only Paul who has this category for being strong in
another’s strength. Peter and Hebrews join in as well.

1 Peter 4:11: “Whoever serves [do so] as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Hebrews 13:20-21: “Now may the God of peace...equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight., through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Both Peter and Hebrews move directly from being strong in another’s strength to praising Jesus. When we forsake the sinful alternatives of passivity and mustering up our own strength, and instead pursue power in another’s power, that Other is mightily honored.

RESOLVED 09

2009-06-16T10:56:00.005-05:00

The RESOLVED 09 Conference is going on now. We were not able to make this conference (Just like the Advance09 Conference - sad.) but here are the links to all of this years talks and sermons, as well as the 2007 and 2008 RESOLVED Conferences!

In a strange and wonderful irony, the greatest problem on Earth is resolved by the greatest reality in Heaven.

Sin—it is the poisonous nature of humanity. The depth and breadth of sin is evident everywhere in our world. It is the fundamental principle in every person and the driving momentum of every society. From our first parents in Eden to infants drawing their first breath this day, every human is infected with sin's rebellion against God and His Word. As the Christmas carol languishes, "long lay the world in sin and error pining."

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). This is the reality from Heaven that resolves sin. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s amazing and solitary resolution for sin and sinners. The death of Jesus stands forever as God's most glorious act. And it was for the purpose of defeating sin.Resolved 2009 will focus on sin. What is sin? How bad is it? Where did it come from? How can I be saved from it and its consequences? Is it possible to stop? Our 5th Resolved Conference will explore these questions and provide biblical answers.

John Owen wrote, "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." Join us at Resolved '09 as we rally to understand and battle sin.

Advance09 - Resurgence of the Local Church

2009-06-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

Resurgence of the Local Church: A conference about God's gift to his people - the Church!

For those of you who were not able to make it out to North Carolina, (Like us) and missed the Advance09 conference, or maybe you hadn't even heard about it, here is there vision.

Vision:
Christ promises to build the Church, and that no force will prevail against it. Yet, the local church has been heavily battered in battle. Sadly, churches in America are in steady decline, with over 4000 closing their doors and 500,000 members leaving each year--never to return. This is not what the Lord desires. The Apostle Paul tells us that " . . . through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places". The local church is called to lift-up Jesus so that all the world might see Him. The local church is called to make known the Gospel and to be the vehicle of redemption for the world. Led by local churches, Advance09 is a conference committed to the resurgence of the local church for the glory of God. Our aim is to equip attendees with the Gospel so that the local church might become all that Jesus calls it to be. At this conference, we hope to ensure that on our watch and in our time we honor Jesus and see the resurgence of the local church.

Here are ALL the messages and talks for you to listen to in case you missed the conference:

Advand09 Messages Posted by Desiring God

Enjoy!

Twitter: Summations

2009-06-08T11:00:00.003-05:00

Coming soon on the GDS Twitter account, we will be doing summations of the Bible, the Gospel and Theology in 140 characters or less!

We were hanging out, surfing the net, listening to Tedashii, discussing life and a post from John Piper, when we came up with this challenge for ourselves; could we sum up the Bible in 140 characters of less? How about the Old Testament? Or Salvation?

We are sure that our Summation Tweets will not fully be able to sum up any of these topics, because it's the Bible, and who can fully sum up something that an infinite God wrote and inspired?!

We are doing this partly as a fun challenge for ourselves and as something interesting and fun for our followers, but know that we are not trying to be flippant with the text or disrespectfully handle the Bible or any of it's content.

We are definitely in love with Twitter, in case you didn't know, and while we are not sure how this challenge will work out, it might inspire you or another reader to make their Twitter God centered and Christ exalting!

Do you have a topic you would like us to try to sum up on Twitter? Put it in the comments or if you have a Twitter account, send us a DM. Feel free to try your own too!

R.I.P., Aung San Suu Kyi, The World Doesn’t Care

2009-06-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

I found this great post on: The European Weekly, New Europe It is very insightful and direct.

Author: Andy Dabilis
31 May 2009 - Issue : 836

Just mention Darfur and George Clooney, Mia Farrow and the A-list of Hollywood celebrities will jump in front of cameras faster than a politician can put his hand in someone else’s pocket. Say Tibet, and Richard Gere and the rest of the has-beens trying to salvage their careers will prostrate themselves before the Dalai Lama and the world will rally ‘round the flag, as it did when protesters in Europe and the United States tried to disrupt the Olympic flame on its way to the Olympics in China, where there is no translation for “human rights.”

Mention Aung San Suu Kyi, the brave pro-democracy leader in Burma - the world’s most corrupt country which the illiterate high-school drop-out military leaders there call Myanmar - and you’ll get a brief flurry of press releases from activists everywhere, full-page ads, letters dripping in sincerity and politicians jumping on the bandwagon, but only until lunch. And she won’t he saved.

At least Clooney and Farrow care, which is more than you can say about the alleged leaders of the US and the European Union, because she’s been allowed to rot in the jail of her house arrest for 13 years. The 63-year-old Suu Kyi – a Nobel Peace Prize winner – has had the courage to withstand isolation and the certainty she will never be released, proved when she was tried on trumped-charges she violated the terms of her house detention by allowing an uninvited American guest, who had to swim a lake past guards around her house, to get there. Fortunately for the government, he was caught swimming back and arrested by the guards who let him go there, so do the math on that set-up. The charges came as she was due to be released from a six-year stretch in house arrest, but that would have come as Burma’s leaders say they are moving toward democratisation and elections in 2010. Maybe they forgot she won the last elections in 1990 with 80 percent of the vote, and is the rightful ruler, but hasn’t been allowed to take power. Guess what will happen in the next election? If she lives, of course.

The biggest diplomatic disgrace – that’s saying a lot in a profession that gorges itself on cowardice – has been the consent of the world, especially the US, EU and eunuchs of the United Nations, in not getting her released, and the failure of Europeans to take to the streets to demonstrate. It’s not that hard. The EU just has to tell China, which really rules Myanmar and its energy potential, to get it done, or trade will be cut off, or maybe the China can be flooded with pirated Paris Hilton movies or the UN can warn it will hold a Security Council meeting in Yangon and bore everyone to death.

After French President Nicolas Sarkozy was spanked by China for meeting with the Dalai Lama, it’s been left to his wife Carla Bruni to be the EU president, writing a letter asking for Suu Kyi’s release, pointing out that “To imprison (Suu Kyi,) and all of the regime’s opponents, is to smother any hope for democracy in Burma.” It was a nice, naïve bit of thinking since the world doesn’t really want democracy in Burma because it’s more profitable to have slaves mining the rubies that Burma is famous for and are smuggled into the EU and the US to be worn on the fingers of women protesting inhumanity. So despite some Hollywood parties and weak sanctions, nothing will happen to Myanmar, no protesters will take to the streets of Paris, London, Madrid, Rome or New York to demand Suu Kyi’s release and she will remain locked up for telling the truth, because that’s also a crime in Brussels and Washington.

ADabilis@NEurope.eu

Travel the Road Vlog

2009-06-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Tim Scott and Will Decker from "Travel The Road" have a Vlog?! I didn't until just today. One of our staff members found it online.

Click here to watch some of their newest adventures.

Will is hilarious and a great photographer (check out their website) and on their DVDs Tim does some of the best narration work I've ever heard. Not to mention that they boldly go all over the world doing front line mission work to places, people and countries that most of us would never even dream of trying to reach, all for the name of Christ and the glory of God. They have partnered with Overland Missions to go to more than twenty-five countries with the specific mission of preaching the gospel to unreached people groups and encouraging the church to be active in their faith and to share the Gospel.

The episode of Travel the Road that I have been permanently impacted by was in Season 2, Episode 9. (Click the link to watch!)

Tim and Will visited the Reindeer Tribe on the steppes of Siberia by divine appointment. They had heard about this people group and wanted to go share the Gospel with them, uncertain if anyone ever had. The roads were far too rough for their vehicle to travel, so they and their interpreters rode horses for six hours up into the mountains to the area where the Reindeer Tribe was thought to be camping. Night was fast approaching and the weather was turning colder, they needed shelter. They stumbled across an empty tent belonging to one of the outlying Reindeer families and decided to take shelter, hoping that the owners would not be angry for their imposition when they returned.

In the middle of the night a father, named Holston, and his son returned to the tent. They were very gracious and were happy to share their tent with these strangers. They even made them food and hot tea to help warm them from their long journey. Holston told Tim and Will that a group of missionaries visited them two years ago and showed them the Jesus movie and then gave a picture book about the gospel to his son. Since then, his son had been reading the book every day and kept telling his father that Jesus would come again.

Then Holston told them where he and his son had just come back from. Early this morning he had taken his son farther up the mountain because he thought that they should offer sacrifices to their land. But, his son told him that he would only worship Jesus. Holston replied to his son sarcasticly, "You pray to Jesus, and if He appears, I will believe also." The father and son had been walking all day, up the mountain and then back down to their encampment, only to find these missionaries, sent by God, in their tent waiting for them! Needless to say, Holston was surprised but he also grasped the weight of this moment. He remembered what he had said to his son only that morning.

Tim and Will, along with their translator, shared the Gospel with Holston again. In this visit, Holston saw a God who was bigger than the gods he worshiped, he saw a God of impeccable timing and wisdom. He saw a God who was faithful in His promises, even to one small boy who believed in the hope of Christ on the steppes of Siberia. That night, Holston said that he would worship Jesus as God. The next morning, the rest of Holston's family came home. He explained to them that these missionaries had come to tell them about God. He wanted to hear every story they could tell him about Jesus, his life, work and ministry.

"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.)" (Psalm 145:13)

Can a Christian Commit Suicide?

2009-06-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you to The Fools Gold, I found the inspiration for this post at his blog. I've been thinking about this topic for a while (because at times I've worked with suicidal youth), so I was very glad when I stumbled across the John Piper quote he had on his site.

The question is, can a Christian commit suicide and still be a Christian? Or to put it another way, can a person who professes faith take their own life and then go on to Heaven?
This wonderful, Christ exalting answer comes from a funeral message John Piper preached over a year ago for a young man at Bethlehem who committed suicide. He addresses this issue in the following excerpt from the online manuscript:

The stake is this: True Christians can commit suicide. Or to put it another way:There is nothing unique or peculiar about the final act of life that makes it determinative in validating or nullifying our salvation. Or let me say it another way: The final season of faith with all its battles and failures is not the only season of faith that will bear witness in the Last Day that we were born again.

For example, suppose tonight, in my physical weariness, the remaining corruption in my born-again, Christian heart were to get the upper hand, and pride and self-pity and anger were to lash out verbally at my wife. And then suppose that in a great self-justifying huff, I stormed out of the door, got in the car, bolted carelessly through the stop sign on 18th Avenue and was broadsided by a truck and killed in an instant? Would I go to heaven?

Unless I have been a hypocrite through all these last fifty-five years of my Christian life, the answer is yes. For these reasons: 1) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for my sins and bore the wrath of God in my place so that all my sins might be forgiven. 2) Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of obedience so that by his obedience many sinners could be counted righteous, including me. 3) This sacrifice and this righteousness become mine by faith alone when I trust Jesus as the Lord and Savior and Treasure of my life. 4) This trust is embattled till the day I die, with seasons of strength and seasons of weakness, seasons of darkness and seasons of light. 5) If the last season is so dark that I die by my own sin, that season is not the only season that God takes into account when he presents the evidence that my faith was real.

The scripture that came to my mind after reading the article above was this: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

The power of Christ's blood cannot be rendered ineffective by any force; not by sin or even death. In fact, sin and death are the very reasons that Christ came into the world. The very things that most people believe repels God is why he came.

While it is true that God is repelled by sin, (His nature is infinitely perfect and no sin can exist in His presence), God ordained a way from the beginning of time to fulfill both his wrath and his mercy by taking on our sin and enduring God's wrath. The power of His blood arcs over all of time, it reaches back into the past and justifies the saints of the Old Testament who had faith and into the future for sins we (and our grandchildren) have not yet committed.

If God were not sovereign over these things, He would be no God at all. However, Him being sovereign over death and sin prove Him to be God. "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18)

God is also merciful, He knows that we are dust and He cares for us. God is all powerful, but unlike pagan gods, he is not a god who is constantly angry and demanding. He is a God who has come to provide for us by and through His own death. I recently found this beautiful quote by Tozer:

"When through the blood of the everlasting covenant we children of the shadows reach at last our home in the light, we shall have a thousand strings to our harps, but the sweetest may well be the one tuned to sound forth most perfectly the mercy of God. ... Mercy is an attribute of God, an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes God to be actively compassionate. Both the Old and the New Testaments proclaim the mercy of God, but the Old has more than four times as much to say about it as the New." ~ A.W. Tozer

By: Tavia Pitkanen

For Christians Fear and Faith Are Not Compatible

2009-06-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I found this commentary by Mark Larson at Christian Examiner Online and wanted to share it with you. Did you know that worry can be a sin? Why? Because oftentimes when we worry we are not trusting God and His promises. I hope you read the article below and are encouraged to to find your peace in Him.

We are living in a nervous nation. Not since the terror attacks of 9/11 has the country been immersed in such constant anxiety.

Even signs of progress are tempered with an underlying sense of insecurity. There are many reasons for the increasing fear factor in America (and the world), but one thing is very clear: If we don’t get out of this mode we will be destined to stay in the rut, inactive and emotionally paralyzed. That’s when Satan does his best work.

In recent months an endless stream of news stories has made the situation worse. First we were told that the recession was happening, even back when it wasn’t. In the midst of a seemingly endless political campaign there were people almost gleeful about the prospects of a financial downturn. When the country was hammered by a very real mortgage meltdown, bank failures and stock slides, we were told it was going to get worse… maybe a return to The Great Depression. Other disasters such as the Bernie Madoff scandal didn’t help our confidence, while Uncle Sam’s bailouts added more stress due to huge mounting American debts.

As a longtime member of the media, I am embarrassed by the behavior of colleagues who relish the opportunity to fan the flames of fear. Frustrating, yes, but it’s the nature of the business to highlight disasters, frayed nerves and apprehension. There’s a saying in the news business: If it bleeds, it leads. In other words, the top story is always that which is most shocking. And in today’s non-stop information world, no single news source wants to be the first to get off of a story. There’s too much competition for the most “compelling” items. So the problem feeds on itself.

After a nearly two year, steady drumbeat of, “The economy’s awful, job losses are increasing and there’s assorted misery” accounts, we saw the emphasis shift to health scares. “Swine Flu” (or “H1N1,” so as not to offend actual swine) became the hottest item on daily newscasts. Words like “pandemic” and comparisons to the epidemic of 1918 became commonplace. (No matter that just plain-ole’ basic flu kills more than 35,000 annually, way more than the Pig Virus.) The Swine Flu drama also unfolded just as the “May Sweeps” were underway… the hottest month for TV ratings. Hype equals big numbers and bucks. As a bonus, Newsweek released a cover story on a new survey trumpeting how the country is giving up on religion. Everything added up to a non-stop media message: You have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. It’s coming for you. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Americans aren’t economic gurus or medical professionals. So if we hear something often enough it becomes reality. The economy has plenty of critical, real challenges, but we’ve now talked ourselves into believing there’s no way out of our problems and this is as good as it gets. Unfortunately this is when government bureaucrats step up and offer to “fix” everything. Too often we’re willing to give them too much power, hoping for instant gratification.

Yes, the whole world is in sick-and-nervous mode and we may be in this for some time. So what do we do about it? We fight fear through faith. Someone has said the acronym for fear is F-E-A-R… “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Research has shown that a very small percentage of things that worry us become evident. FDR was right: Most times we have “nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Christians should already have this figured out. But since we’re human, it’s very easy to get caught up in negative moods like everyone else. Maybe it’s time to check our spiritual compass and see if we truly believe what we say we believe, starting with the hundreds of “fear nots” in the Bible. Then do a study on references to being “strong and courageous” and how God is ready to “fight our battles.” Remember, the daily battles we experience are often in our heads and hearts … it’s internal. In other words, we must choose to rise above it all and plug into the power source.

C.S. Lewis said, “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted … in spite of changing moods.” Oswald Chambers wrote this about anxiety: “If your heart is troubled, you are not living up to your belief.” Ouch. He also noted this: “It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God is in our hearts is when we do not get into panics.”

There’s been panic-a-plenty in recent times and always more on the horizon. Fighting the fear factor requires courage and persistence, and staying constantly connected to God.

Doing nothing allows the enemy to win … but perfect love casts out
fear.

“I Am His”

2009-06-02T11:00:00.003-05:00

“I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.

Once I was a slave but now I am a son; once I was dead but now I am alive; once I was darkness but now I am light in the Lord; once I was a child of wrath, an heir of hell, but now I am an heir of heaven; once I was Satan’s bond-servant but now I am God’s freeman; once I was under the spirit of bondage but now I am under the Spirit of adoption that seals up to me the remission of my sins, the justification of my person and the salvation of my soul.”

- Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth
From the blog: Of First Importance

Don't Waste Your Life Tour Review

2009-06-01T00:31:00.033-05:00

The Don’t Waste Your Life Tour from Reach Records features: Lecrae, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, Tedashii, and FLAME (click on the links to follow them on Twitter, sadly FLAME does not have one). I wanted to start by saying that this was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The entire concert was centered around praising God and preaching the gospel. With each performance these young men spoke with a beautiful passion, about God, not wasting our lives, and Lecrae even stopped the music at one point so he could speak to the audience about something that was on his heart. They also took a few breaks inbetween sets to preach.

The music was amazing; you could see that the Lord was working there. Their theology is solid in every song, and they are passionate about spreading the Word of God throughout the earth. All of the G.D.S. staff members recommend attending this concert, because it isn’t just a concert, it is four talented believers preaching the Gospel to a beat!
On top of a great concert Saturday night, the next day two of us were able to meet Lecrae, and FLAME, after Lecrae gave everything he had left of his voice for the Lord for the offertory song in church, (he performed Don’t Waste Your Life). They are very sincere believers and were very gracious. It was a joy to get to meet them.

As I sit here writing down my thought’s I am praying that the Lord will bless this tour, revive hearts, and save souls while using these men as vessels to give Him glory and further His kingdom. Buy your tickets soon, the concert we went to was sold out!

Extras:

1) You know how sometimes you get an album that you love and then when you go to the concert it's just not the same? The bass is turned up to far, or the music is way louder than the vocals, or the band really doesn't know the music and they are totally out of sync? Well this tour is the exact opposite of that!!! The music at the concert is album quality people!

2) The club that we went to see the show at was giving away the new "Don't Waste Your Life Sermon Jams" CD so we were really excited to our hands on copies of that.

3) Did you know that Reach Records has a division called "Reach Life"? It's the ministry side to there music. Check it out!

Review By: Ian Pitkanen

The "Don't Waste Your Life" Tour 2009!

2009-05-31T15:40:00.019-05:00

Hi everyone! We got to go to the "Don't Waste Your Life" concert last night and it was an awesome show! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment, and a review of the concert is coming soon.

The concert we went to was a sold-out affair so if you want to go, buy your tickets ASAP. Find out if they are coming to your town at www.ReachRecords.com.

P.S. ~ The Reach Records Crew were at our church this morning and two of our staff got to meet them!

And of course, they preached the Gospel, several times they stopped the music to speak to the crowd about Christ, sharing our faith and missions!

How to Spark Substantive Conversations with Your Spouse

2009-05-29T20:30:00.004-05:00

Found this at Justin Taylor's Blog: Between Two Worlds and thought that it was great!

Tony Reinke:

[David] Powlison suggested three categories of questions to ask your husband or wife. Each of these categories can be asked on a daily basis. And each of these categories are simple and broad, but certainly provide helpful reminders. Here are the three:

1. What are your present burdens?The Bible tells us that we are born for trouble (Job 5:7). So what is the trouble? A sin? A responsibility? An issue at work? A particular conflict? What weighs you down? What was your lowlight of this day? These burdens are the “heat of life.”

2. What are your present joys?
What were your highlights from the day? These joys are the “dew of blessing.”

3. What is your calling?
This could include the mundane tasks, or broader life-purpose questions. What are your duties for this day? What do you need to do? What are your goals for this day? For example, a parent could say, “Today, I don’t want to lose my temper with the kids.” It could be as simple as this.

For more on this, see Powlison's very helpful little booklet on Renewing Marital Intimacy.

Love146 Safe House: A Place of Dreams

2009-05-19T11:00:00.004-05:00

"Love Protects, Defends, Restores, Empowers"

Love146 has opened a new safe house for young women and children rescued from the Human Trafficking industry. Not as many children and young women are being rescued as could be because the safe houses simply do not have enough room. This is such a tragedy.

Children cannot be liberated from bondage only to end up at risk of starvation, homelessness, or being re-trafficked and exploited. At this very moment, children in brothels around the world could be set free if additional safe homes and trained caregivers existed.
In 2009, Love146 has also initiated these Aftercare programs:
Love146 Round Home: The first thing a child needs after being liberated from sexual slavery is a safe place. Love146 is committed to increasing the number of safe homes worldwide for survivors of child sexual exploitation and trafficking.
“My idea of a safe home is where we nurse the bird’s broken wing. If we do well with our nursing, then the bird should be able to fly again and out of the safe home, and soar to the heights it was meant to reach. If it casts a glance at the safe home again, then it should be from above, among the clouds of its achievements.” -Dr. Gundelina Velazco Director of Aftercare Love146
Love146 Aftercare Training: Children need trained caregivers to help in their healing and restoration. Love146 has devised training programs to be used to train participants at several levels. The programs aim at developing knowledge and skills for working with victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE). Through these training programs, caregivers learn to help CSE survivors by facilitating restorative experiences, teaching life skills, and providing hope for a better future.
Love146 Boys Aftercare Curriculum: This curriculum will be developed in Cambodia. Currently, no training exists for managers, social workers, supervisors and caregivers who work with male survivors. This results in the majority of boys’ needs being unmet – they are often ignored and frequently discriminated against in a variety of settings. Instead they require proper information, skills, confidence and effective support mechanisms to develop responses that meet the physical, psychosocial and social welfare needs of boys.

Click here for 146 ways to help Love146!

Please prayerfully consider how you can help these children and young women. Not just with a donation, but with your own life and actions. I have a friend who is going on the mission field in Asia to work with an Anti-Human Trafficking organisation and she reminded me that, "If something is on God's heart, it should be on mine as well."

If this issue and these girls are not breaking your heart, why? Go Do Something.

- Tavia Pitkanen

Star Trek v. Africa

2009-05-18T11:00:00.003-05:00

Star Trek topped out at a $75.2 million opening weekend in the U.S. alone, per final numbers as of May 11th from Exhibitor Relations. And according to Comcast.net entertainment the movie was estimated to make $100 million this weekend. (And these numbers are just the price of the ticket for the movie, this does not take into consideration the price of gas to travel to and from the movie and all of the overpriced concessions bought in the theater).

Those numbers are so big I have a hard time wrapping my mind around them, but I got out my calculator and did a little math.

Did you know that for $35.00 a month ($420.00 for a year) you can support a child through World Vision? I did a little more math and discovered that if the money that was spent by America alone, in one weekend, to go sit in a dark theater for two hours watching Star Trek had been given to World Vision, over 179,048 children could have been supported for a an entire year!

Did you know that World Vision has programs in place for: Africa Food Aid (Every seven seconds, a child dies at the hand of a silent killer. Hunger...), Disaster Response (Cyclone-ravaged Myanmar, Western China, Darfur, Sudan...), Lifesaving Medicines and Supplies (your gift will multiply in impact to help children in the world's poorest countries.), Seeds, Tools, and Training in Africa (Millions of children all over the world are desperately hungry. Everyday is a fight for survival.) Water and Sanitation (Unsafe water kills 5,700 children a day. Start saving them with one small act.)?

Now, take into consideration that according to Yahoo movies, to date: X-Men Origins has grossed $129,032,435.00, at the U.S. Box Office, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past has grossed $30,054,386.00, Obsessed has grossed $56,207,576.00, 17 Again has grossed $53,994,515.00, Monsters v. Aliens has grossed $186,774,092.00, The Soloist has grossed $23,845,177.00, Earth has grossed $26,264,242.00, and the numbers for Angels and Demons are not in yet, but are predicted to surpass $70,000,000.00!

I am not criticising any of these movies specifically, but I am criticising our laps in judgment as a nation. The numbers above are absolutely staggering and I have only listed nine movies in their opening weeks. How can we possibly believe that it's alright to go and watch a mind numbing movie that does nothing for our souls, and for an already obese nation to gorge itself on soda and over-priced, extra buttered popcorn when according to World Vision (see quote above) every seven seconds a child dies of hunger! While you sat in a theater watching Captain Kirk and Spock "Save the Galaxy" for two hours, over 1,080 children died because they did not have enough to eat. What could you have accomplished in those two hours that you spent in a theater? You can't get that time back.

Next time, why don't you "Boldly go where none of your friends have gone before." Pick a cause to get behind: Poverty, hunger, AIDS, Human Trafficking, Child Solders, Prison Ministry...etc. and pour your money, time and heart into that.

I promise that it will be far more rewarding than seeing a fictional character save a fictional world. Go Do Something! - Tavia Pitkanen

John Piper and the Prosperity Gospel

2009-05-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama on Abortion

2009-05-15T11:00:00.007-05:00

The Real You Has to Meet the Real God

2009-05-14T11:44:00.029-05:00

A friend found this on the Of First Importance blog and I decided to re-post it. (Thank you Andrew C.!)

The only way to come to God is by taking off any spiritual mask.
The real you has to meet the real God. He is a person.

Your heart could be, and often is, askew. That’s okay. You have to begin with what is real. Jesus didn’t come for the righteous. He came for sinners. All of us qualify. The very things we try to get rid of—our weariness, our distractedness, our messiness—are what get us in the front door! That’s how the gospel works. That’s how prayer works.

In bringing your real self to Jesus, you give him the opportunity to work on the real you, and you will slowly change. The kingdom comes when Jesus becomes king of your life. But is has to be your life. You can’t create a kingdom that doesn’t exist, where you try to be better than you really are. Jesus calls that hypocrisy—putting on a mask to cover the real you.

So instead of being paralyzed by who you are, begin with who you are. That’s how the gospel works. God begins with you.

—Paul Miller, A Praying Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress 2009), 33-34

This is such a brilliant post because it cuts right to the core of our fallen hearts. It identifies our "Religion" and then moves us to our need for Christ, His provision for us and what our response should be. "For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:14)

Some verses for your contemplation:
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Be sure to go subscribe to the Of First Importance Blog to read more edifying posts.

Barabbas

2009-05-03T21:48:00.009-05:00

From Caleb&Sol's Debut Album "Afloat" - Written and spoken by Sol Rexius, "Barabbas" is a unique and powerful deliverance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Video Production by Caleb Rexius. Audio Production by Jesiah.

You can check out more from Caleb and Sol at: http://www.myspace.com/calebandsol

Travel the Road's Notes

2009-05-01T20:13:00.003-05:00

I found this amazing story on Travel The Road's facebook fan page, and it was just too good not to post it on our blog!

Bowling Alley Salvation

Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 3:35pm

Late last night after a full day of meetings we came back to our hotel in Lima. Joseph, our Peruvian man on the ground who has set everything up and translated for us digs into his pocket and pulls out his cell. He starts talking Spanish and the laughs and hangs up. He looks at us and says, “That was a friend of mine who asked me if my uncle in Pucallpa was still a shaman.” We look at Joseph puzzled and ask, “Why does your friend need a shaman?” Joseph then sucks in air in preparation to tell the story in one breath.

“Well my friend has a friend who owns a bowling alley near by and she found some witchcraft at her business. When I say witchcraft, I mean there was a mutilated cat and some other things arrange around in obvious ways that someone has cursed her. Since she found these things her business has closed. She has taken ill. And most of her friends have abandoned her. She went to a local witchdoctor and they say there is nothing anyone can do for her… and that she will probably die this week. She is very afraid. So they want to go to Pucallpa and see my uncle who is a shaman.”
“How far away is this bowling alley?” we ask inquisitively.

“About 1-minute walk.” Joseph already knows what we are thinking and says, “I’ll make the call.”

Within a minute we are on our way to the alley, not knowing what we are walking into, but confident that God is going to do something great. (This is where your prayers have helped so much. We could certainly feel the prayers of many as covering us and preparing the way as we set off for the bowling alley. This all occurred at 7:40PM-9:20PM EST on 2-10-09.)

A larger man meets us on a corner and Joseph introduces us. We are lead down a dark parking ramp and to a small opening in the steel bars. We climb through. Faint neon lights illuminate the parking garage then it opens up into a bar and we see the bowling alley. It is empty and quiet. A young woman sits in a chair and walks about nervously trying not to show it. Joseph introduces us. “This is Jen. Jen, this is Tim and Will.”

“Mucho Gusto.” We respond.

After a quick greeting we walk slowly to the bowling lanes. The lanes are old and dilapidated. Bowling balls lay loosely around and haphazard construction make the place feel condemned. We are sure Jen feels the same way.

We ask Jen if we can pray for her. She agrees, not know what will happen. But before we pray we explain to her we do not pray in the name of a little demon, or a god of the forest, or sun, or anything that is of the earth, but that we pray in the name above all names. The name of the King of Kings. The name of the Son of God. The name of Jesus. She understands and nods her head. We begin to pray. We rebuke the demonic spirits and they flee. We rebuke all fear and worry from her mind and it goes. The Lord gives words of knowledge over Jen and she weeps. We finish and then we ask. “Do you see that the Lord is real?”

“Si….Si”

We then tell Jen about forgiveness of sins in Him. The cross, the blood, the new life. More tears. Then we ask if she is ready to believe in Christ and invite Him to live inside of her. She is ready. A new birth happens right there in the pale lights of the bowling alley.

Jen speaks in Spanish and Joseph translates. “She says she can feel no more weight or worry. She feels peace and she could feel it as we prayed for her. She says it’s like a light has come inside of her.” Jen is shocked and overjoyed. Happy to be rid of the witchcraft. Happy to have healing. Happy to have Jesus as her Lord.
We share more about church and Joseph tells her the next steps that he will help her with. Life has begun in Him.

We have all experienced the power of God in similar ways and it is marvelous to see the power of the Holy Spirit work. Please pray for our next journeys to the south and may the Lord bring more opportunities everyday.

In Him,

Tim and Will

Be a Fan of Travel the Road on Facebook: TTR Fan Page

Posted by: Tana

TOMS shoes

2009-04-29T22:45:00.011-05:00

Have you heard about TOMS shoes? You may have seen an AT&T commercial featuring this organisation. You may have never heard about them. Here is their story.

"Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie, a true AT&T customer since 1997, operates his entire business from his phone and needs a reliable network that works around the world. TOMS was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One." http://www.youtube.com/user/tomsshoes

"What We Do:
Since our beginning in May 2006, TOMS has given over 140,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the purchases of caring customers. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.
*As of April 2009

Why Shoes?:
Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.
Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.
Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.**
Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.
There is one simple solution...SHOES.
Four of the planet's six billion people live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow. " - TOMS shoes **Emphasis mine.

How awesome is that!? We LOVE this idea. It's bold, imaginative, brilliant, caring and beautiful. Oh yeah, and the shoes? They are canvas, vegan and very, very cute! Go show them some love.

www.Twitter.com/TOMSshoes

www.Facebook.com/TOMSshoes

www.TOMSshoesBlog.com

The Gospel Coalition 2009

2009-04-26T19:01:00.005-05:00

During April 21-23, 2009, The Gospel Coalition held its second National Conference on the theme, "Entrusted with the Gospel: Living the Vision of Second Timothy." This year's conference focused on the call to imitate Paul's dual practice of show and tell to present the Gospel.

"The best of gospel-faithful ministry is not only taught, it is also caught. This was the practice of the Apostle Paul -- the great missionary of the early church -- who not only had much to say regarding what constitutes gospel-faithful ministry, but also had much to show of what it looked like in an individual life and in the life of the church."

You can checkout the free audio and video of the conference online: The Gospel Coalition

United Nations' World Digital Library

2009-04-22T16:07:00.005-05:00

World Digital Library

PARIS, April 20 -- A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the wealth of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.

James H. Billington, the librarian of Congress who launched the project four years ago, said the ambition was to make available on an easy-to-navigate site, free for scholars and other curious people anywhere, a collection of primary documents and authoritative explanations from the planet's leading libraries.

The site (www.wdl.org) has put up the Japanese work that is considered the first novel in history, for instance, along with the Aztecs' first mention of the Christ child in the New World and the works of ancient Arab scholars piercing the mysteries of algebra, each entry flanked by learned commentary. "There are many one-of-a-kind documents," Billington said in an interview...

Digital Library Program, which has been in operation at the Library of Congress since the mid-1990s. That program, at its American Memory site, has made available 15 million U.S. historical records, including recorded interviews with former slaves, the first moving pictures and the Declaration of Independence...

In addition to UNESCO and the Library of Congress, 26 other libraries and institutions in 19 countries have contributed to the project. Their offerings include rubbings of oracle bones from the National Library of China, delicate drawings of court life from the National Diet Library of Japan and a 13th-century "Devil's Bible" from the National Library of Sweden. Each is accompanied by a brief explanation of its content and significance. The documents have been scanned onto the site directly, in their original languages, but the explanations appear in all seven of the site's official languages...

Users can sort through the information in several ways. They can ask what was going on anywhere in the world in, say, science or literature during the 4th century B.C., for instance. They can look up the history of a certain topic over the centuries in China alone, or in China and North America. By cross-referencing, a user can see how one area of the world compared with another at any given time.

Read the Full Article at: The Washington Post

By Edward Cody
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Book Review: Death By Love

2009-04-15T16:25:00.015-05:00

Death by Love is a book that contains a series of letters written by Pastor Mark Driscoll to various people struggling with many life issues. This book is thoroughly saturated with scripture, and Biblical ideas. Anyone who is a young believer should read this book I think it would benefit them greatly. However, I think that this book would especially help older Christians who struggle with evangelism to learn how to speak, with Biblical support, to people in many different circumstances and show them that there is hope in Christ. - Ian D.P.

Go to Re:lit to buy Death By Love for yourself, then don't forget to check out the video, read a chapter and join the Facebook Group!

Voice of the Martyrs: Prisioner Alert

2009-04-14T17:06:00.007-05:00

"Marzieh & Maryam

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Arrested: March 2009

Days Imprisoned: 41

On March 5, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor were arrested by Iranian security forces and labeled "anti-government activists," according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). 30-old Marzieh and 27-year-old Maryam are being held at Evin Prison, which is notorious for treating women badly. "Both women are allowed just a one-minute telephone call everyday to their immediate families. Both are unwell and in need of urgent medical attention," FCNN reported. During their last call on March 28, Mazieh said that she was suffering from an infection and high fever. She said, "I am dying."

Marzieh and Maryam's apartment was searched and their belongings were confiscated. "Their only crime is that they are committed Christians who follow the teachings of Jesus," FCNN added. “They are being unfairly labeled as 'anti government activists' because of the hostility of the government towards practicing Christians."The women have reportedly been interrogated numerous times and were held in three different police detention centers before being sent to Evin Prison. FCNN reported an exorbitant bail amount of US$ 400,000 has been set even though Marzieh and Maryam's families have been told on numerous occasions that a judge is not available to discuss the case.Marzieh and Maryam's arrest is the latest incident highlighting increased government intimidation of Christians in Iran. Believers are subjected to surveillance, arrests, imprisonment, and sometimes torture. "

Click here to see the original artical and see how you can help by writting a letter and praying.

Ministry Highlight: Why Hunger - National Hunger Hotline

2009-04-14T16:25:00.008-05:00

The organisation WHY had put up a national hunger hotline. Anyone in the U.S.A. can call and receive assistance with finding : "Emergency food in their community, government assistance programs, and various social services. In addition to assisting individuals in need, the Hotline also fields hundreds of calls from organizations, donors, and volunteers looking for information on emergency food distribution, gleaning, nutrition, funding sources, and other related topics. The majority of the Hotline calls, however, are from individuals in need of assistance. Walking the middle ground between referral service and crisis counseling, the Hotline makes every effort to provide its callers with whatever it is they may need, be it the phone number to a food stamp office, a listing of local food pantries, or simply a compassionate ear."

The Hotline is open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm E.S.T.
Call: 1-866-3-HUNGRY
Or check them out online at: Whyhunger.org

We called the number listed to make sure that it is legit and received a very polite voicemail from the WHY staff asking for our name and number and said that they would contact us as soon as possible.

Volunteer for WHY - If you live in NY click here, they need you!
If you live outside of New York call this number: 1-866-348-6479
and they will hook you up with some one in your area that is fighting local and global hunger.

WHY was co-founded by Harry Chapin and according to Wikipedia, "Chapin donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, often performing alone with his guitar to reduce costs... He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away."

The Offical Don't Waste Your Life Music Video!

2009-04-13T15:33:00.005-05:00

It's finally here boys and girls! The official music video for "Don't Waste Your Life".

Click here to check out Reach Records official home page: look up tour dates, buy tee-shirts, read their blog etc.

Click here to check out Desiring God. The video team at DG helped with the production and editing of this project.

Matt Chandler on Engaging the Culture

2009-04-07T16:47:00.004-05:00

Pastor Matt Chandler talks about engaging the culture where you are.

Go Do Something is on YouTube!

2009-03-14T16:32:00.009-05:00

Did you know that Go Do Something has a YouTube Channel? We do!
We constantly surf YouTube to find the best devotionals, interviews,
sermons, music videos, testimonies, lectures and encouraging videos.

Click here to take a look at what we've collected in our Favorites so far,
add us as a Friend, or if you've found a great video, share it with us!

We will be putting up some of our own videos soon so keep checking back.

Go Do Something.

"Go Into All the World..." Desiring God Translates Their Resources

2009-03-14T15:17:00.010-05:00

Did you know that Desiring God has translated many of their resources into nineteen languages besides English? If you or someone you know uses: American Sign Language, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese-Simplified, Chinese-Traditional, Dutch, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Thai, or Urdu you can watch, read online or download resources from DG here.

If you would like to purchase books from the Desiring God Store in: Arabic, Chinese-Traditional, French, Russian, or Spanish click here.

Do you love Desiring God's resources? Do you have a heart to fulfill God's desire for every tribe and tongue to worship before his throne? Do you speak a language besides English? You can help translate for DG!

If you are interested in helping to turn the tide in the "Theological Famine" by translating Desiring God material click here.

Go Do Something.

Persecution

2009-03-13T21:32:00.009-05:00

Location: Vietnam
Arrested: March 2007
Days Imprisoned: 743

"In May 2007, Le Thi Cong Nhan, a Vietnamese Christian and lawyer, was sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of house arrest. Nhan was arrested and sentenced alongside Nguyen Van Dai, a Protestant church leader and lawyer. They are accused of a wide range of crimes; such as “conspiring with terrorists, in their efforts to promote human rights efforts, including religious rights and democracy.” They are also accused of compiling “evidence of Vietnam’s suppression of the Protestant religion and providing it to the U.S.-based Committee for Religious Freedom in Vietnam and the U.S. embassy.” Following Nhan and Dai’s sentencing, the Vietnamese state news agency accused the lawyers of “posting information on the internet … [and] painting biased and distorted pictures of the country and its internal affairs."

"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." - Hebrews 13:1-3

Find out how you can Do Something by visiting:

Prisoner Alert
Persecution

Organization Highlight: Love146

2009-03-10T19:45:00.004-05:00

THE FACTS:

2 CHILDREN PER MINUTE are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

1.2 MILLION CHILDREN are trafficked annually (estimate).

32 BILLION DOLLARS is generated from human trafficking each year.

28 BILLION DOLLARS is generated from commercial sexual exploitation.

IN JUST THE TIME THAT IT TOOK FOR YOU TO WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE...5 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SOLD AND PURCHASED IN THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING MARKET.

"Love Protects, Defends, Restores, Empowers"

Visit this Organization at: http://www.love146.org

Vain Service

2009-03-07T00:55:00.007-06:00

Our ministry is focused on helping people have a passion for service. But, we want to make it very clear that God glorifying action is the fruit of true faith, and that does not come any other way. Good actions that are not God glorifying are of no value. What does not last for the purpose of eternity is of no real value. Ultimately, what is not done to glorify God is done to glorify ourself. But, when we die what has been done for our own glory dies with us.

Sadly, when we look at the majority of the christian community and the church (using those terms loosely) we do not see very much Christ like service going on. We see a lot of busy people, but not a lot of God glorifying action. It seems people are too busy doing "good works" to have time to do God's work. Yet, at the same time we see many in the chruch who profess faith and produce no works.

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

- James 2:17-26

It is faith and our relationship with God that is at the root of both problems. So, let us examine our hearts by His Holy Word, and seek to do His will in all things for His glory in all things. For it is our heart that steers our actions; may our hearts be wholly and completely His.

© 2009 Go-dosomething.com

VAIN SERVICE

O my Lord,

Forgive me for serving thee in sinful ways –

by glorying in my own strength,

by forcing myself to minister through

necessity,

by accepting the applause of others,

by trusting in assumed grace

and spiritual affection,

by a faith that rests upon my hold on Christ,

not on him alone,

by having another foundation to stand upon

beside thee;

for thus I make flesh my arm.

Help me to see

that it is faith stirred by grace that does the deed,

that faith brings a man nearer to thee,

raising him above mere man,

that thou dost act upon the soul

when thus elevated and lifted out of itself,

that faith centres in thee as God all-sufficient,

Father, Son, Holy Spirit,

as God efficient,

mediately, as in thy commands and promises,

immediately, in all the hidden power

that faith sees and knows to be in thee,

abundantly, with omnipotent effect,

in the revelation of thy will.

If I have not such faith I am nothing.

It is my duty to set thee above all others

in mind and eye;

But it is my sin that I place myself above thee.

Lord, it is the special evil of sin

that every breach of thy law arises

from contempt of thy Person,

from despising thee and thy glory,

from preferring things before thee.

Help me to abhor myself in comparison of thee,

And keep me in a faith that works by love,

and serves by grace.

(The Valley of Vision, p 182)

The Don't Waste Your Life Tour 2009!

2009-02-25T20:01:00.011-06:00

Reach Records presents the Don't Waste Your Life tour 2009! Featuring Sho Baraka, Tedashii, Trip Lee, Flame, and Lecrae. Go to the official site here to see if they will be visiting your city or to volunteer to be a host for the tour.

Click here to buy the album (Rebel) by Lecrae that features the song, "Don't Waste Your Life" feat. Cam & Dwayne Tryumf, plus lots of other cool 116 Clique merchandise.

Click here to buy the book by Pastor John Piper, "Don't Waste Your Life" that was the inspiration for the song.

"Your Money, Your Singleness, Marriage, Talents, Your Time,
They belong to you to show the world that Christ is divine.
That's why its Christ in my rhyme,
That's why its Christ all the time,
See my whole world is built around Him, He's the life in my line."
- from the song Don't Waste Your Life

"China cracks down on human rights lawyers" - The Christian Science Monitor

2009-02-25T16:28:00.006-06:00

"A Beijing firm known for defending famous activists is told to close. Attorneys elsewhere have been detained or tried.

One of China's most prominent human rights law firms is fighting a government closure order, as authorities here step up a crackdown on troublesome lawyers."

Read the rest of the artical here

Won Over Through Acts of Love, Grace and Peace: Thoughts on Abortion - Part 3

2009-02-25T15:30:00.003-06:00

I propose that corporately, we try mass acts of love, grace and peace.

The next time you see a young girl who is pregnant, rather than looking at her disapprovingly and shaking your head, why don’t you ask her what she needs? Does she need maternity cloths? A ride to a doctor’s appointment? Does she need money? A safe place to stay? Maybe she needs friend who will walk with her through this hard time in her life. The next time you stand in front of an abortion clinic, rather than holding a sign or hurling insults, talk to some of the women. Get to know them as people. Ask if there is some way you can help. Maybe the baby is an inconvenience, maybe it is going to be born with a physical defect. Maybe they do not want the baby and do not know of anyone who would.

Maybe you should offer to adopt it if she will carry it to full term.

That sounds extreme to you, doesn’t it?

That is precisely the problem.

What is stopping us from overturning abortion is not politicians, it is our own selfish hearts. We see the vision, but don’t have the ambition to grasp it.

What it would take to stop abortion outside of politics would be far more costly than standing outside a building for a couple of hours or signing a petition. It would take personal investment in another human being. It would take us getting our hands a little dirty while keeping our hearts and actions pure and peaceful. It might cost us money. It will cost us time and it will be hard work. It will mean many, many hours spent in prayer and fasting. It might cost us our pride. It might even cost us our lives.

However, that is the way that Jesus conquered. Changing the world through servant-hood and sacrifice was not the way that the Jewish people expected, was it? He did not come as a king, to overthrow the corrupt government of his day. He did not petition or bargain with the politicians. In fact, he did not even speak with them very much. He did not raise up a mob of followers to do his bidding.

What he did was wash his disciples’ feet. He fed crowds of people who were hungry. He healed people from their illnesses and freed them from demons. He hung out with poor and diseased people, tax collectors, crooks, fishermen and prostitutes. Christ never expected anyone to be perfect, but was angry when they pretended to be. He came for the lost, the hurting, the sinners, the broken and the dead. When he died, he conquered sin and death and when he rose again, he told his disciples to, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Jesus told us to bring the good news to sinners, not to ostracize them. He told us to pour our lives out for them in his name, not to look down on them. Not just the convenient or easy people to love, not just the white ones, the pretty ones, the clean ones, the honest, intelligent, healthy, whole ones. He said to love people as you have been loved. (You, who were at enmity with God and dead in your sin, you who did not deserve grace but had it given freely anyway.) Christ did whatever it cost to overcome sin and to glorify God the Father. It cost him his life and his father looking away from him because he took on our sin. Are you willing to follow Christ’s model, his form of love?

Reaching out and touching people’s hearts in honest, tangible, Christ centered love is ultimately the only way that the abortion crisis will be stopped. Why? Because, until people see Christ, and his glory rightly, they will never be moved to repentance and faith in him. If we continue down the path that we have been on with the anti-abortion movement, at best we will only see behavior modification in the form of a few less abortions. We will not see eradication of abortion forever because people’s hearts have changed.

The point of ending abortion often becomes obscured. It is not just about social justice, or racism, or human rights, although all of those things are important. Ending abortion is about God. It is about his glory, and his will. It is about the fact that we were created by him, made in his image and have been bought with a price, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

My prayer is that souls would be won over by the beauty of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the sacrifice of his saints in the form of love, grace and peace. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Go Do Something. - Tavia Pitkanen

Also, see James 1:22-27, 2:14-26.

Copyright – 2009 Go Do Something Inc. Please feel free to reproduce this article as long as Go-DoSomething.com is accredited, the format and wording is not changed in any way, or it is made clear that it is an excerpt.

Won Over Through Acts of Love, Grace and Peace: Thoughts on Abortion - Part 2

2009-02-23T21:48:00.008-06:00

My small-group leader told me a story a couple of months ago that I have not been able to get out of my mind. He had read a story about a “Christian” family who lived not too far from our town. This family’s daughter made some mistakes in her life and one of them resulted in pregnancy. Her “Christian” parents were so angry with her, and so prideful that they did not want anyone in their church to know that she was pregnant, so they kicked their sixteen-year old daughter out of their home.

However, there was a woman who went to their church who found out that the young, pregnant girl was homeless and took her in. The girl was pro-life and wanted to give her child a chance at life. The woman provided the young girl with food, shelter, clothing and most importantly, friendship and support. Some months later, the girl’s baby was born. You would think that the woman who took the girl in was a strong pro-life advocate.

You would think that she would attend all the rallies.

However, if you were at your capital on Sanctity of Life Sunday, you did not see her there.

She is pro-choice.

This woman really believed that a woman should have the right to keep or not keep her baby. The girl’s choice was life for her child and this woman supported her in that. The fact that it was a pro-choice woman who took this girl in surprised me. Not because I believe that pro-choice people are heartless, but because there were no pro-life people helping this young girl who wanted to keep her baby. Where were they all?

I think that they were, metaphorically, down at the capital building holding signs and listening to speeches. I think that it is far easier to attend an event, falsely believing that something has been accomplished and then leave, feeling free to point to politicians and lawmakers when nothing changes. It becomes easy to unload the burden on someone else and then walk away. We have, for the most part, abandoned personal responsibility for the genocide that is abortion. We like to believe that since we are doing something that it is better than doing nothing. But it is not enough! If it were, abortion would no longer exist.

Will the Roe v. Wade decision ever be overturned? Personally, I do not think so.

However, I believe that there is a better way, a more effective way to change the tide in our country. (Please do not hear me wrong here. If, one day, our government repeals Roe v. Wade I will be on my knees thanking God.) That does not mean that we should stop trying to go through political channels, it just means that there is more than one way to win a battle.
If the tactics that you have been trying do not work, then it is time to change your tactics.

Copyright – 2009 Go Do Something Inc. Please feel free to reproduce this article as long as Go-DoSomething.com is accredited, the format and wording is not changed in any way, or it is made clear that it is an excerpt.

Won Over Through Acts of Love, Grace and Peace: Thoughts on Abortion - Part 1

2009-02-17T16:42:00.007-06:00

In the month of January, thousands of people left their homes to attend rallies all across the country at their state capitals, asking local representatives to end abortion in their state. Some travelled for hours to participate. Some stood for hours in sub-zero temperatures once they were there. They had signs and posters to wave and they sang songs. Speeches were made and emotions were elevated.

Throughout the rest of the year, there are numerous protests outside of abortion clinics nationwide. People often become angry. People from both sides. Sometimes violence has broken out. Injury and even death have resulted.

Since the Supreme Court upheld the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, abortion in the United States has become a much-politicized issue.
· People who are pro-choice believe that not being able to have an abortion infringes on their rights as a person to be in control of their own body (I could say much on this issue but won’t because Scott Klusendorf says it far better than I ever could).
· People who are pro-life believe that a person is fully human with every right endowed to humanity from the moment of conception until their natural death and so abortion affects two people, not one.

Now, why do the two sides have such different opinions since we have the same medical research and information available to both groups? It is because they have different worldviews.
· Many pro-choice people do not believe that an un-born baby is “human” until it has been born. Some pro-choice people are atheists; they do not believe that God has given each of us a life and a soul, a purpose and a plan. They believe that aborting a baby is no less of a crime than putting down an animal or removing a tumor from someone’s body, so it does not seem wrong to them.
· Most pro-life people believe in the God of the Bible. They believe that he is holy and sovereign. They believe that he is the giver of life and that he has ordained every life that there is. Most pro-life people believe that God chose to make people in his own image and so human life is sacred and that to destroy something that God himself has ordained and created is one of the most rebellious and heinous crimes.

This year, Barack Obama became president of the United States and because he is pro-choice (even though he says that he believes in God); I wonder if more people will attend the anti-abortion rallies throughout the coming year. In one sense, my heart is with those at the rallies. They are speaking out boldly against a huge injustice. Many have endured insults, harassment, and even being sent to jail to stand up for what they believe is right, and I thank them for their courage.

However, here is the problem with the rallies: after everyone waves their signs, sings their songs, and listens to all the speeches, in the end, they all load back onto their buses and go home. It is an event. After it is over, no one is speaking out until the next event, when everyone will stand outside with their signs, again asking politicians to change the law for us.

I think that most pro-life people believe that since Roe v. Wade was politicized and legalized that the anti-abortion battle must be fought on a political plane. By politicizing abortion in our hearts, we are actually addressing the issue from a far weaker standpoint. By politicizing abortion in our minds, and by only challenging abortion through political channels (in a country thoroughly saturated by evolutionary teaching that gives no thought to a divine creator), we have created a nearly insurmountable wall for ourselves. Our strength does not lie in well-attended rallies or eloquent speeches. Our strength does not lie in which governor or president is or is not pro-life.

Our strength in the pro-life movement lies in Christ, and will only succeed when we follow his example.

Copyright – 2009 Go Do Something Inc. Please feel free to reproduce this article as long as Go-DoSomething.com is accredited, the format and wording is not changed in any way, or it is made clear that it is an excerpt.

Valentines Series: Part 3

2009-02-13T11:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some great Valentine videos for our married readers, or those who would like to be one day. For more from these speakers, click on the links! Pastor John Piper, Pastor Mark Driscoll, Pastor Tommy Nelson.

Valentines Series: Part 2

2009-02-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

How Should Singleness Be Different For Christians?

By John Piper August 18, 2008

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

How should singleness be different for Christians?

I don't think that a lot of the singleness that we see happening today is designed to increase devotedness to the Lord. That's what Paul said it should be. He said that the problem with marriage in crisis situations that he found himself in was that it would distract a person from full devotion to the Lord.

Well, when I look around at the kind of secular singleness we see today, that's the last thing on many singles' minds. "I'm keeping myself free from the entanglements of marriage in order that there might be a more radical focus on and devotion to Jesus Christ"—that kind of thinking is not what is dictating the change of statistics in our culture.

No, it's probably almost the reverse. Many people are afraid of commitments and relationships, and many people are eager to stretch their wings and do their own thing. And then maybe later, when they've traveled the world and done lots of things that satisfied them, then maybe they will lock in to somebody...maybe.

So there's a lot of the independence and a lot of desire to satisfy their own immediate desires, which has nothing to do with what Paul was talking about, namely, increased devotion to the Lord.

How would you challenge a Christian who has these selfish desires?

I would say that singleness is a gift for as long as you have it. Some people God means to have it for a lifetime, and some people God means to have it for a season. But while you have it, consult the Scriptures to see how you can maximize the freedoms of singleness for the glory of Christ, because there are advantages to being married, and there are advantages to singleness when it comes to serving Jesus.

And I would just encourage Christian single people to ask, "For this chapter in my life, while I am single, what is it about my singleness that could make me especially fruitful for Christ?" And then I would encourage them to give themselves to that.

We would also encourage you to read: Single in Christ: A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters

Valentines Series: Part 1

2009-02-11T16:45:00.001-06:00

Knowledge Of The Holy
by A.W. Tozer

CHAPTER 20: The Love of God

Our Father which art in heaven, we Thy children are often troubled in mind, hearing within us at once the affirmations of faith and the accusations of conscience. We are sure that there is in us nothing that could attract the love of One as holy and as just as Thou art. Yet Thou hast declared Thine unchanging love for us in Christ Jesus. If nothing in us can win Thy love, nothing in the universe can prevent Thee from loving us.

Thy love is uncaused and undeserved. Thou art Thyself the reason for the love wherewith we are loved. Help us to believe the intensity, the eternity of the love that has found us. Then love will cast out fear; and our troubled hearts will be at peace, trusting not in what we are but in what Thou hast declared Thyself to be. Amen.

The apostle John, by the Spirit, wrote, “God is love,” and some have taken his words to be a definitive statement concerning the essential nature of God. This is a great error. John was by those words stating a fact, hut he was not offering a definition.
Equating love with God is a major mistake which has produced much unsound religious philosophy and has brought forth a spate of vaporous poetry completely out of accord with the Holy Scriptures and altogether of another climate from that of historic Christianity.

Had the apostle declared that love is what God is, we would be forced to infer that God is what love is. If literally God is love, then literally love is God, and we are in all duty bound to worship love as the only God there is. If love is equal to God then God is only equal to love, and God and love are identical. Thus we destroy the concept of personality in God and deny outright all His attributes save one, and that one we substitute for God.

The God we have left is not the God of Israel; He is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; He is not the God of the prophets and the apostles; He is not the God of the saints and reformers and martyrs, nor yet the God of the theologians and hymnists of the church.

For our souls’ sake we must learn to understand the Scriptures. We must escape the slavery of words and give loyal adherence to meanings instead. Words should express ideas, not originate them. We say that God is love; we say that God is light; we say that Christ is truth; and we mean the words to be understood in much the same way that words are understood when we say of a man, “He is kindness itself.” By so saying we are not stating that kindness and the man are identical, and no one understands our words in that sense.

The words “God is love” mean that love is an essential attribute of God. Love is something true of God but it is not God. It expresses the way God is in His unitary being, as do the words holiness, justice, faithfulness and truth. Because God is immutable He always acts like Himself, and because He is a unity He never suspends one of His attributes in order to exercise another.

From God’s other known attributes we may learn much about His love. We can know, for instance, that because God is self-existent, His love had no beginning; because He is eternal, His love can have no end; because He is infinite, it has no limit; because He is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity; because He is immense, His love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea before which we kneel in joyful silence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed.

Yet if we would know God and for other’s sake tell what we know, we must try to speak of His love. All Christians have tried, but none has ever done it very well. I can no more do justice to that awesome and wonder-filled theme than a child can grasp a star. Still, by reaching toward the star the child may call attention to it and even indicate the direction one must look to see it. So, as I stretch my heart toward the high, shilling love of God, someone who has not before known about it may be encouraged to look up and have hope.

We do not know, and we may never know, what love is, but we can know how it manifests itself, and that is enough for us here. First we see it showing itself as good will. Love wills the good of all and never wills harm or evil to any. This explains the words of the apostle John: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.”

Fear is the painful emotion that arises at the thought that we may be harmed or made to suffer. This fear persists while we are subject to the will of someone who does not desire our well-being. The moment we come under the protection of one of good will, fear is cast out. A child lost in a crowded store is full of fear because it sees the strangers around it as enemies. In its mother’s arms a moment later all the terror subsides. The known good will of the mother casts out fear.

The world is full of enemies, and as long as we are subject to the possibility of harm from these enemies, fear is inevitable. The effort to conquer fear without removing the causes is altogether futile. The heart is wiser than the apostles of tranquillity. As long as we are in the hands of chance, as long as we look for hope to the law of averages, as long as we must trust for survival to our ability to outthink or outmaneuver the enemy, we have every good reason to be afraid. And fear hath torment.

To know that love is of God and to enter into the secret place leaning upon the arm of the Beloved - this and only this can cast out fear. Let a man become convinced that nothing can harm him and instantly for him all fear goes out of the universe. The nervous reflex, the natural revulsion to physical pain may be felt sometimes, but the deep torment of fear is gone forever.

God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it. Nothing can hurt a good man.

The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still
His kingdom is forever.
Martin Luther

God’s love tells us that He is friendly and His Word assures us that He is our friend and wants us to be His friends. No man with a trace of humility would first think that he is a friend of God; but the idea did not originate with men. Abraham would never have said, “I am God’s friend,” but God Himself said that Abraham was His friend. The disciples might well have hesitated to claim friendship with Christ, but Christ said to them, “Ye re my friends.”

Modesty may demur at so rash a thought, but audacious faith dares to believe the Word and claim friendship with God. We do God more honor by believing what He has said about Himself and having the courage to come boldly to the throne of grace than by hiding in self-conscious humility among the trees of the garden.

Love is also an emotional identification. It considers nothing its own but gives all freely to the object of its affection. We see this constantly in our world of men and women. A young mother, thin and tired, nurses at her breast a plump and healthy baby, and far from complaining, the mother gazes down at her child with eyes shining with happiness and pride. Acts of self-sacrifice are common to love. Christ said of Himself, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. Self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. Free as He is, He has let His heart be bound to us forever. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. “For our soul is so specially loved of Him that is highest,” says Julian of Norwich, “that it overpasseth the knowing of all creatures: that is to say, there is no creature that is made that may know how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our Maker loveth us. And therefore we may with grace and His help stand in spiritual beholding, with everlasting marvel of this high, overpassing, inestimable Love that Almighty God hath to us of His Goodness.”

Another characteristic of love is that it takes pleasure in its object. God enjoys His creation. The apostle John says frankly that God’s purpose in creation was His own pleasure. God is happy in His love for all that He has made. We cannot miss the feeling of pleasure in God’s delighted references to His handiwork. Psalm 104 is a divinely inspired nature poem almost rhapsodic in its happiness, and the delight of God is felt throughout it.

“The glory of the Lord shall endure forever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.”

The Lord takes peculiar pleasure in His saints. Many think of God as far removed, gloomy and mightily displeased with everything, gazing down in a mood of fixed apathy upon a world in which He has long ago lost interest; but this is to think erroneously. True, God hates sin and can never look with pleasure upon iniquity, but where men seek to do God’s will He responds in genuine affection.
Christ in His atonement has removed the bar to the divine fellowship. Now in Christ all believing souls are objects of God’s delight. “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

According to the Book of Job, God’s work of creation was done to musical accompaniment. “Where wast thou,” God asks, “when I laid the foundations of the earth. . . when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” John Dryden carried the idea a bit further than this, but not, perhaps, too far to be true:

From harmony, from heavenly harmony,
This universal frame began:
When nature underneath a heap
Of jarring atoms lay,
And could not heave her head,
The tuneful voice was heard from high,
“Arise, ye more than dead!”
Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry,
In order to their stations leap,
And Music’s power obey.
From harmony, from heavenly harmony,
This universal frame began:
From harmony to harmony
Through all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in Man.
From “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day”

Music is both an expression and a source of pleasure, and the pleasure that is purest and nearest to God is the pleasure of love.
Hell is a place of no pleasure because there is no love there. Heaven is full of music because it is the place where the pleasures of holy love abound. Earth is the place where the pleasures of love are mixed with pain, for sin is here, and hate and ill will. In such a world as ours love must sometimes suffer, as Christ suffered in giving Himself for His own. But we have the certain promise that the causes of sorrow will finally be abolished and the new face enjoy forever a world of selfless, perfect love.

It is of the nature of love that it cannot lie quiescent. It is active, creative, and benign. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” So it must be where love is; love must ever give to its own, whatever the cost. The apostles rebuked the young churches sharply because a few of their members had forgotten this and had allowed their love to spend itself in personal enjoyment while their brethren were in need. “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” So wrote that John who has been known to the centuries as “the Beloved.”

The love of God is one of the great realities of the universe, a pillar upon which the hope of the world rests. But it is a personal, intimate thing, too. God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men. He loves us all with a mighty love that has no beginning and can have no end.

In Christian experience there is a highly satisfying love content that distinguishes it from all other religions and elevates it to heights far beyond even the purest and noblest philosophy. This love content is more than a thing; it is God Himself in the midst of His Church singing over His people. True Christian joy is the heart’s harmonious response to the Lord’s song of love.

Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth unfathomed, no man knows,
I see from far Thy beauteous light,
Inly I sigh for Thy repose;
My heart is pained, nor can it be
At rest till it finds rest in Thee.
Gerhard Tersteegen

Knowledge Of The Holy
by A.W. Tozer

GDS Valentines Series Intro

2009-02-11T16:10:00.002-06:00

The rest of this week we will be posting a series of articles exploring what Love should look like in light of the gospel.

To really understand Love, we must understand the greatest kind of Love--the Love God has for his children. Through the articles we will be posting for the series, we will be showing the different ways God displays his Love towards his children, and how we should relate to others in light of that kind of Love.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." - John 13:34

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another."
- John 15:12-17

- Go-DoSomething.com

Dwayne Tryumf - 777 Intro

2009-02-10T16:23:00.007-06:00

This is the intro for Dwayne Tryumf's new CD, "777". The album drops soon! Keep an eye on his MySpace page for updates and to listen to some of his music from his first release, "Ghetto Scriptures".

Desiring God Pastors Conference 2009: Things We Bought There!

2009-02-06T02:09:00.036-06:00

The Pastors Conference took place at the Minneapolis Convention Center and Desiring God set up a book store inside with the following exhibitors: 9Marks, ACTION International, Banner of Truth, Bethlehem College & Seminary, Children Desiring God, Christian Focus Publications, Crossway Books, Desiring God, Desiring God International Outreach, Good Book Company, Logos Bible Software, Matthias Media, P&R Publishing, Reformation Heritage Books, TCT Church Planting Residency Program.

All of the staff at Go Do Something love books, so we had almost as much fun spending time in the book store as we did listening to the speakers. We thought that we would share with you some of the great things that we selected...

1. A "Don't Waste Your Life" Tee-Shirt! 2."Death by Love" By Mark Driscoll

3. "The Great Gain of Godliness" 4. "The Valley of Vision"
By Thomas Watson

5. A "Don't Waste Your Life" Poster!

"The greatest cause in the world is joyfully rescuing people from hell, meeting their earthly needs, making them glad in God, and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure that makes Christ look like the Treasure he is."

Desiring God Pastors Conference 2009: Day 3

2009-02-05T22:59:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was the third and last day of the Desiring God Pastor's Conference. Here are the links so you can enjoy the messages.

Pastor Michael Oh's message, "Missions as Fasting" was incredible! Please take time to listen to it.

The last event was a, "Conference Q & A" where Pastor Mark Dever, Pastor Michael Oh, Pastor Matt Chandler and Pastor John Piper answered questions submitted during the course of the conference from the pastors that attended.

We enjoyed the pastors conference very much. We felt welcomed, encouraged and re-energised by all the messages and everyone there and our hope is that all the pastors left feeling that way as well.

Desiring God Pastors Conference 2009: Days 1 & 2

2009-02-03T17:41:00.008-06:00

Today was the second day of the Desiring God Pastors Conference! Over 1,500 people attended and we feel very blessed to have been able to serve there. We are also thankful that the staff was kind enough to let us sit in on some of the sessions! Matt Chandler's message was one of our favorite.

Here are links to talks for the first two days:
2.3.09

Pastor Matt Chandler's message, "Shepherds and Unregenerate Sheep"

Pastor Mark Dever's message, "5 Things That Aren't Evangelism"

Pastor John Piper's message, "Piper's Message on Whitefield"

Pastor Mark Dever's message, "The Church and Evangelism"

2.2.09:

Pastor Mark Dever's message, "3 Reasons to Share the Gospel"

Plus: Get Your Book Bearings - A list of several recommended books to pick up at the pastor's conference bookstore or to order online later.

Spurgeon Speaks to Modern Readers

2009-02-01T13:59:00.008-06:00

Answers in Genesis is working on a new project to update Spurgeon's sermons into modern-day language. Their aim, is to make the richness of Spurgeon's sermons more accessible to the modern reader, through updating the text into current language.

"Larry Pierce—who’s behind the Online Bible software, the translation of James Ussher’s The Annals of the World into modern English, and the upcoming translation of Isaac Newton’s works—along with his wife, Marion, want to give Spurgeon’s sermons new life. Thanks to the Electronic Bible Society (EBS) in Texas, Larry was able to update these sermons, not to change the meaning, but to make them more easily understood by modern readers."-AIG

Read the whole article at: answersingenesis.org

And don't forget to check out the updated sermons at: Get Answers

Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors

2009-01-31T22:11:00.013-06:00

Desiring God has asked Go Do Something to come to the 2009 Pastors Conference!

Um, well, Okay. In reality we have friends that work for Desiring God, and they asked us if we would like to volunteer during the conference, February 2nd - 4th. So, hopefully we will see some of you there in Minneapolis!

This years theme is Commending Christ: The Pastor, the Church, and the Perishing

The featured speakers are: Pastor Mark Dever, Pastor Matt Chandler, Pastor Michael Oh, and Pastor John Piper.

Aims of the Pastors Conference
"Rooted in the Scriptures as God’s infallible Word, and dedicated to revival and reformation in the pastoral ministry, The Desiring God Conference for Pastors is a gathering of church leaders for serious thought, honest discussion, and earnest prayer concerning crucial Biblical teachings in historical and contemporary perspective. The aims of the conference each year are:
Theology: To stir up consideration of the Biblical truths that Puritans liked to call the "doctrines of grace."
Encouragement: To revive the spirit of the downcast and strengthen each other's hands in the work of the gospel.
Preaching: To promote earnest, powerful preaching that inspires in God's people a love for the truth and a life of obedience.
Missions: To advance the cause of frontier missions through the incentives of sovereign grace.
Worship: To promote God-centered, Bible-based, heartfelt worship in the churches. " - Desiring God

Registration is now closed for the 2009 conference, however, you can listen to past conferences here. Enjoy!

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor Speaks

2009-01-31T18:49:00.005-06:00

Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen's Hall, Parliament House, Victoria. Australia - on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna's visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee.

PART 1

PART 2

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak

2009-01-25T15:58:00.005-06:00

By John Piper January 24, 2003

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." - Jesus Christ

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

Here are the places where most abortions are done in the Minnesota. Ask God how the gospel of Christ might be most fruitfully shared with those who work here, with a view to saving life now and for eternity. The one nearest the church (Meadowbrook) advertises on their website that they do abortions up to 21.6 weeks.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Who, Me?

2009-01-23T12:49:00.002-06:00

The Navigators Devotional for Friday, January 16, 2009

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

Moses was raised as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but through a series of circumstances he found himself on the backside of the desert, tending somebody else's sheep. It was there an event occurred that led him to become one of the greatest men the world has ever known. Here's how it happened: God called to Moses out of the midst of a bush that burned but was not consumed. When Moses saw this strange sight, he turned aside for a closer look. And God revealed Himself with these words: "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." Then He told Moses, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them" (Exodus 3:6-8).

Can you imagine the joy that must have flooded Moses' heart? God Himself was going to take action to deliver the children of Israel from the hand of their oppressors. Then God said, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

Moses was dumbfounded. "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" he said. The question was so irrelevant that God didn't even bother to answer it. Instead He said, "I will be with you."

Christian, are you tempted to back out of something, to tell God to get somebody else to do it? Remember in whose power you go, and then launch out and watch the hand of God at work.

Prayer

Lord, I feel inadequate for the task ahead, but I press on, knowing that You will go with me. Amen.

To Ponder

God delights in using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

The text for this devotional comes from the NavPress book Daily Discipleship, which features devotionals taken from radio broadcasts by long-time Navigator LeRoy Eims. For more information or to order a copy, visit the NavPress website.

Jane Roe

2009-01-22T18:04:00.000-06:00

Publish Post

A Greater Dream

2009-01-19T14:47:00.004-06:00

A Greater Dream

by John Piper

[Section taken from Every Race to Reign and Worship]

I was seventeen when, on August 28, 1963, King stood before the Lincoln Memorial and said, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. . . . I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King articulated and symbolized a great dream - and it is not yet realized.

What I want to do this morning is ratchet that dream up to a full-blown Biblical vision of God's purpose for the world, and then call us as a church to consciously be a part of it. The Biblical vision is much bigger than how black and white people relate to each other. King knew that. It's about people from every race and every language and every tribe uniting with a passion for the supremacy of God in all things. One of the ways to see the purposes of God that drive history is to look at the end of the history that God describes in Revelation. This is where he is taking history. This is what history is about. This is what Bethlehem is about and what Minneapolis is about and what the USA and all the nations of the world are about. You can learn your reason for being by looking at the goal of God in Revelation.

In Revelation 5:9, John tells us why Jesus is worthy to open the book of the end of history so that things unfold according to the plan of God. Jesus is worthy because of how his death relates to all the races and tribes of the earth: "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
Read The Full Artical : Every Race to Reign and Worship

Why Fight Racial Prejudice?

2009-01-19T14:38:00.000-06:00

The Death of My Best Friend

2009-01-19T10:21:00.004-06:00

The Death of My Best Friend

by C. H. SPURGEON

[A Brief Autobiographical Excerpt of his Conversion and Subsequent Experiences]

There was a day, as I took my walks abroad, when I came hard by a spot forever engraven upon my memory, for there I saw this friend, my best, my only Friend.... MURDERED.

I stooped down in sad affright, and looked at Him. I saw that His hands had been pierced with rough iron nails, and His feet had been rent in the same way. There was misery in His dead countenance so terrible that I scarcely dared to look upon it. His body was emaciated with hunger, His back was red with bloody scourges, and His brow had a circle of wounds about it: clearly could one see that these had been pierced by thorns.

I shuddered, for I had known this Friend full well. He never had a fault; He was the purest of the pure, the holiest of the holy.

Who could have injured Him? For He never injured any man: all His life long He "went about doing good." He had healed the sick, He had fed the hungry, He had raised the dead: for which of these works did they kill Him? He had never breathed out anything else but love — and as I looked into the poor sorrowful face, so full of agony, and yet so full of love, I wondered who could have been a wretch so vile as to pierce hands like His.

I said within myself, "Where can these traitors live? Who are these that could have smitten such an One as this?"

Had they murdered an oppressor, we might have forgiven them; had they slain one who had indulged in vice or villainy, it might have been his desert; had it been a murderer and a rebel, or one who had committed sedition, we would have said, "Bury his corpse: justice has at last given him his due."

But when Thou wast slain, my best, my only-beloved, where lodged the traitors? Let me seize them, and they shall be put to death! If there be torments that I can devise, surely they shall endure them all. Oh! what jealousy; what revenge I felt! If I might but find these murderers, what would I do with them!

The Criminal Discovered

And as I looked upon that corpse, I heard a footstep, and wondered where it was. I listened, and I clearly perceived that the murderer was close at hand! It was dark, and I groped about to find him. I found that, somehow or other, wherever I put out my hand, I could not meet with him, for he was NEARER to me than my hand would go.

At last I put my hand upon MY BREAST. "I have thee now" said I — for lo! he was IN MY OWN HEART — the murderer was hiding within my own bosom, dwelling in the recesses of my INMOST SOUL.

Ah! then I wept indeed, that I, in the very presence of my murdered Master, should be harboring the murderer — and I felt myself most guilty while I bowed over His Corpse, and sang that plaintive hymn..."Twas you, MY SINS, my cruel sins, His chief tormentors were; Each of my crimes became a nail, and unbelief the spear."

Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations, fit music to accompany that march of woe. When my soul can, in imagination, see the Saviour bearing His cross to Calvary, she joins the godly women, and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief, cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought. They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted, love bleeding, meekness about to die — but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn.

MY SINS were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders,

and crowned with thorns those bleeding brows; my sins cried —

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

— and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders.

His being led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity;

but my having been His murderer, is more,

infinitely more grief than one poor fountain of tears can express.

If Christ has died for me, ungodly as I am, without strength as I am, then I cannot live in sin any longer, but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who hath redeemed me. I cannot trifle with the evil which slew my best Friend. I must be holy for His sake.

HOW CAN I LIVE IN SIN WHEN HE HAS DIED TO SAVE ME FROM IT?

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2009-01-16T16:48:00.005-06:00

Listed below are the GDS top picks for free email subscriptions (that are actually worth signing up for). Click the links and type in your email information to receive these on a daily or weekly basis.

Daily Discipleship
The text for this devotional comes from the NavPress book Daily Discipleship, which features devotionals taken from radio broadcasts by long-time Navigator LeRoy Eims.

C.H. Spurgeon's 'Morning & Evening
If you would like to receive some encouragement in your mailbox each day, they will e-mail to youeach day's reading of C.H. Spurgeon's 'Morning & Evening'.

Answers Weekly email
This informative weekly email will arrive in your inbox every Saturday with a poignant question, a “Quick Look” at News to Note, weekly articles on the website, After Eden, upcoming events, and more.

Unreached People of the Day by email
Get the Unreached People of the Day by email: Receive an HTML formatted email in your in-box featuring the Unreached People of the Day with photo, map, text and basic information. Use it to pray for the Unreached People of the Day and share it with friends.

Mark Driscoll: TRIAL AND SIN Preview

2009-01-13T14:59:00.006-06:00

During January-March, Pastor Mark Driscoll will be doing a sermon series called TRIAL 8 Wittinesses from 1 & 2 Peter. You can keep up with the sermon series at MarsHillChurch.org, and you can also download a PDF study guide from the website to help you follow along.

GDS Update

2009-01-11T00:45:00.003-06:00

This is a new organization, so we are still in the process of getting all of our material up and running for you. There are many things we are working on, but you can look forward to seeing a lot of them on our official website and blog within the next few months.

Currently we are working on:

Finishing up our Statement of Faith.
Making some introductory YouTube videos to GDS.
Adding content to all the sections on our main site.

We hope, through the projects we are currently working on, to help you get a better idea of who we are and the main mission of our organization.

Jonathan Edwards: Digital Collections

2009-01-07T08:25:00.007-06:00

["Controversy Book C" and "Sundries"]
Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758

Through Yale University's online library you can zoom in and look at the original writings of Jonathan Edwards. Although, some of the writing is rather cryptic--it is interesting to be able to read his thoughts in the original writing.

You checkout the collections at:

Yale University: Digital Collections

Jahaziel: My Story

2009-01-03T16:26:00.004-06:00

Jahaziel My Story - Behind the scenes

New Year Thoughts From Dietrich

2008-12-31T19:18:00.003-06:00

by Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
(written in the Gestapo prison, Berlin)

New Year 1945

With every power for good to stay and guide me,
comforted and inspired beyond all fear,
I'll live these days with you in thought beside me,
and pass, with you, into the coming year.

The old year still torments our hearts, unhastening:
the long days of our sorrow still endure.
Father, grant to the soul Thou hast been chastening
that Thou hast promised the healing and the cure.

Should it be ours to drain the cup of grieving
even to the dregs of pain, at Thy command,
we will not falter, thankfully receiving
all that is given by Thy loving hand.

But, should it be Thy will once more to release us
to life's enjoyment and its good sunshine,
that we've learned from sorrow shall increase us
and all our life be dedicate as Thine.

Today, let candles shed their radiant greeting:
lo, on our darkness are they not Thy light,
leading us haply to our longed-for meeting?
Thou canst illumine e'en our darkest night.

When now the silence deepens for our harkening,
grant we may hear Thy children's voices raise
from all the unseen world around us darkening
their universal paean, in Thy praise.

While all the powers of good aid and attend us,
boldly we'll face the future, be it what may.
At even, and at morn, God will befriend us,
and oh, most surely on each new year's day.

The Shy Virtue of Christmas

2008-12-29T13:37:00.001-06:00

By John Piper December 17, 2008

My favorite Christmas text puts humility at the heart of Christmas. So this Christmas I am marveling at Jesus’ humility and wanting more of it myself. I’ll quote the text in a moment.

But first there are two problems. Tim Keller helps us to see one of them in a recent article in Christianity Today. He reminds us, “Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves” (Dec. 2008, p. 51). So an article about humility (like this one, or like his) is self-defeating, it seems. But even shy people peek out sometimes if they are treated well.

The other problem is that Jesus wasn’t humble for the same reasons we are (or should be). So how can looking at Jesus’ Christmas humility help us? Our humility, if there is any at all, is based on our finiteness, our fallibility, and our sinfulness. But the eternal Son of God was not finite. He was not fallible. And he was not sinful. So, unlike our humility, Jesus’ humility originated some other way.

Here’s my favorite Christmas text. Look for Jesus’ humility.

Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

What defines Jesus’ humility is the fact that it is mainly a conscious act of putting himself in a lowly, servant role for the good to others. His humility is defined by phrases like

“he emptied himself [of his divine rights to be free from abuse and suffering]”
“he took the form of a servant”
“he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”

So Jesus’ humility was not a heart disposition of being finite or fallible or sinful. It was a heart of infinite perfection and infallible truthfulness and freedom from all sin, which for that very reason did not need to be served. He was free and full to overflow in serving.

Another Christmas text that says this would be Mark 10:45: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ humility was not a sense of defect in himself, but a sense of fullness in himself put at the disposal of others for their good. It was a voluntary lowering of himself to make the height of his glory available for sinners to enjoy.

Jesus makes the connection between his Christmas lowliness and the good news for us: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

His lowliness makes our relief from burdens possible. If he were not lowly, he would not have been “obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” And if he had not been obedient to die for us, we would be crushed under the weight of our sins. He lowers himself to take our condemnation (Romans 8:3).

Now we have more reason to be humble than before. We are finite, fallible, sinful, and therefore have no ground for boasting at all. But now we see other humbling things: Our salvation is not owing to our work, but his grace. So boasting is excluded (Ephesians 2:8-9). And the way he accomplished that gracious salvation was through voluntary, conscious self-lowering in servant-like obedience to the point of death.

So in addition to finiteness, fallibility, and sinfulness, we now have two other huge impulses at work to humble us: free and undeserved grace underneath all our blessings and a model of self-denying, sacrificial, servanthood that willingly takes the form of a servant.

So we are called to join Jesus in this conscious self-humbling and servanthood. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus . . . .” (Philippians 2:5).

Lord, I pray that this “shy virtue”—this massive ground of our salvation and our servanthood—would peek out from her quiet place and grant us the garments of lowliness. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

This is my Christmas prayer for myself and for our church.

A humble and merry Christmas to you all,

Pastor John

A Leader's Character

2008-12-13T20:52:00.005-06:00

The Navigators Daily Devotional:

Devotional for Saturday, December 13, 2008 / Sunday, December 14, 2008

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. - 1 Peter 5:2-3

Books and articles about leadership written by secular writers often differ from biblical principles. All too often, those who teach leadership are concerned primarily with style. Should the leader simply make the decisions and carry them out, or should he consult with the people to get their input before he acts?

The most important issue in leadership is character. It has always seemed to me that leadership style depends on the circumstances. For instance, I like the idea of consulting with people and receiving their wisdom on the subject. Why do solo thinking when one has a whole group of skilled people to draw from? On the other hand, if I'm in an airplane and the cockpit is filling with smoke, the landing gear is stuck, and an engine is out, I don't want the captain coming back to the passenger section and asking my opinion about what to do. I want him to muster all his expertise, to recall all his training, and to get that airplane safely on the ground. I want him in total control and not asking advice from anybody.

So when the Bible deals with the subject of leadership, it doesn't dwell on the style of the leader, but on the character of the leader. Notice the words of the prophet in Isaiah 32:1: "See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice." The leader's daily walk of righteousness is fundamental. Now look at Isaiah 32:17: "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever."

Prayer

Lord, help me to walk in Your righteousness, so that when I lead, I can do it with quietness and confidence.

To Ponder

In leadership, character is the bottom line.

Underground Reality: Vietnam

2008-12-13T19:55:00.008-06:00

The Voice of the Martyrs invited eight ordinary teenagers from around the United States and Australia to meet the underground church of Vietnam. Their mission was simple-to bring Bibles and other help and learn what it is really like to be a Christian in a restricted nation. See their experience with your own eyes. This mission trip was captured on video and is a great series.- VOMbooks

Sale Price: $24:00 VOMbook.com

Underground Reality: Vietnam

Matthew 10:16-33
Persecution Will Come
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved....

24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

Have No Fear
26 So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."

GDS Book Review: JOB by John Piper

2008-12-09T22:56:00.014-06:00

At first, we weren't sure if we really wanted to do a SECOND blog in a row on a book from John Piper...but then we thought 'why not be monotonous?!' So here it is: we bring to you JOB, by John Piper.

The story of JOB is dramatically illustrated and uniquely written in compassionate poetry. Throughout the book, John Piper reveals the beauty and hope found in suffering at the hand of God's sovereignty. It is a very sobering and uplifting book for any Christian--and at the top of the Christmas list for the staff at GDS!

The book can be purchased for the special price of $19.99 at
the DG book store.

And you can also read, or listen to John Piper read the book at
the DesiringGod website.

"Oh LORD, if this were lost instead and all I had was you...I would be rich and have the greatest good."

desiringgod.org, jobthebook.com

Finally Alive : John Piper's New Book

2008-12-06T18:05:00.007-06:00

Could Finally Alive Become One of John Piper's Most Important Books?

This book will be released in January 2009. And can be pre-ordered from Desiring God on special for $5.

“You must be born again.” This declaration from Jesus is either deluded or devastating to the one who would be captain of his soul. Not many biblical realities are better designed by God to reveal our helplessness in sin. But not everyone today is jealous to esteem this miracle for the wonder that it is.

The term born again is very precious and very crucial in the Bible. So our main concern is to know what God intends when the Bible uses this language, so that by his grace we may experience it and help others do the same. It is of enormous consequence that we know what being born again really means.

God is the great Doer in this miracle of regeneration. And he has not been silent about it. This means that he does not want us to be ignorant of what he does in the new birth. It means that knowing what he has revealed about the new birth is good for us. When Jesus said, “You must be born again,” he was not sharing interesting and unimportant information. He was leading him to eternal life.

Some Endorsements:

“Regeneration, or new birth, meaning simply the new you through, with, in, and under Christ, is a largely neglected theme today, but this fine set of sermons, criss-crossing the New Testament data with great precision, goes far to fill the gap. Highly recommended.”

- J .I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada

"Nothing could be more eternally important than Christian people knowing what the Bible teaches about the new birth and knowing that they have experienced it. One wonders why it’s taken so long for a book on the new birth to be written! But now it has and I pray every reader rejoices in God for the rich beauties of Christ Jesus so compellingly shared in its pages.”

- Thabiti Anyabwile, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

“Classic Piper—crystal clear exposition and a must read.”

- Alistair Begg, Parkside Church

“I cannot too strongly celebrate the publication of this book. Owing in part to several decades of dispute over justification and how a person is set right with God, we have tended to neglect another component of conversion no less important. Conversion under the terms of the new covenant is more than a matter of position and status in Christ, though never less: it includes miraculous Spirit-given transformation, something immeasurably beyond mere human resolution. It is new birth; it makes us new creatures; it demonstrates that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. All the creedal orthodoxy in the world cannot replace it. The reason why “You must be born again” is so important is that you must be born again."

- D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

DesiringGod.org

Also Checkout Adrian Warnock's Review: adrianwarncok.com

Defeating the Fear of Failure

2008-12-04T00:56:00.008-06:00

"Seth Godin, one of today’s best marketing minds, wrote a blog post last week entitled “Is it worthy?”

Godin reflects on whether any of his efforts are worth the investments and sacrifices of others, or whether someone else could have done better with the resources that he has been given.

Godin concludes his reflection:

The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

There is much to affirm here. Yes, we fail and fail often. Yes, we should participate in something unimaginably big. And, no, the fear of failure should not keep us from continuing in this pursuit.

Godin’s remarks also raise two questions for me:

1. Is searching for “something bigger than we can imagine” enough, or do we need to find something, too?

The seeking is essential, but only because what we find is so wonderful. The asking is important and valuable because of the answers.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed….
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:4-6, 10)

2. Can we be set free from the fear of failure by telling ourselves that it is in our nature to fail?

In part, yes, but for the Christian there is far more. The fear of failure is ultimately conquered through Christ. We need to…

…own up to our sin—the real failure. We fall short of and belittle the glory of God by pursuing our own greatness. (Romans 1:18-23;3:23)
…change our goal. In faith, we should pursue the glory of Christ, the perfect one, rather than our own perfection. (Galatians 5:1-5)
…trust in Christ for our perfection, because we are judged according to his righteousness as he intercedes on our behalf continually before God, the Father. (Hebrews 4:14-16)"

June 22, 2008 | By: Lukas Naugle
Desiring God

Guilt, Grace, and the Global AIDS Crisis

2008-12-02T20:19:00.007-06:00

To commemorate Wold AIDS Day (December 1st) we thought that we would bring to your attention this grace filled article by John Piper.

"All sin comes with a price. And many pay the bill who never did the sin. This means that we must speak carefully about the cause of AIDS. If any epidemic ever spread because of disobedience to God’s Word, it is AIDS. But millions are infected because of someone else’s disobedience, not their own.

But be careful here. Even this way of saying it could lead to a simplistic, unbiblical response. The abused are not innocent. And the guilty are not hopeless.

We are all sinners, which means no one does not deserve AIDS. When the Bible says that "the creation was subjected to futility" by God (Romans 8:20), it means that a sin-permeated creation will be a suffering-permeated creation. God ordains that there be suitable signs in the physical world of the moral horror of sin. All of us are sinful. And all of us cry under the fall of creation. All of us groan in this "bondage to decay" as we wait for "the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). Therefore, if we have AIDS because of a blood transfusion or a promiscuous spouse or a drug-using mother, we are not innocent.

But neither are the guilty hopeless. Mercifully, homosexual relations are made illicit by God. Few ancient texts are more stunning with modern relevance to AIDS than Romans 1:27: "Men gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." Mercifully, prostitution and every form of extramarital sex is forbidden by God. "Flee fornication" (1 Corinthians 6:18). "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Mercifully, God warns us against drug abuse. "Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things" (Proverbs 23:31) "I will not be enslaved by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12).

But the mercy does not stop with divine prohibitions. God will hear the cry of the guilty who have brought misery upon themselves. Psalm 107:17-21 is mercifully relevant to AIDS in this regard:

Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of men!

Self-inflicted misery does not put a person beyond hope. That is the only kind of guilt God forgives. It’s the only kind of guilt there is. The fact that any of us is healthy after sinning is owing to Christ’s mercy. Therefore, the fact that some are sick after sinning should bring out Christian mercy. And there is need for extraordinary mercy. Christians should pray and work toward research into cures, medical and hospice care, orphan ministries, education, moral challenges for abstinence and recovery, and above all, the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

According to the Center for Disease Control, "Today, 40 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 37.1 million are adults. 18.5 million are women, and 3 million are children under 15." The cumulative number of AIDS cases reported to the CDC in the USA is 816,149 through December, 2001. The Minneapolis StarTribune reported (12-4-02, A22) that the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemic is in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with up to 90% of the known infections in Russia coming from drug injections. Sub-Sahara Africa is the worst-affected region with 29.4 million people infected. It is breathtaking to read that in Botswana the HIV prevalence is 38.8% of adults and in Zimbabwe 33.7%.

The magnificent message of Christ is that there’s hope—in this life for love, and in the life to come for new pain-free bodies in fellowship with Jesus. My prayer and challenge to the Christian church is: May the Lord raise up researchers, doctors, nurses, and tens of thousands of caring people to make the light of Christ shine through mercy. Freely we have received, O that we might freely give."

By John Piper December 4, 2002

© Desiring God

Music Feature: Dwayne Tryumf

2008-12-01T20:18:00.004-06:00

Dwayne Tryumf is a Christian rap artist from the U.K. We really like him because he is very sincere about his faith and the Gospel is central in his music. Here is his new song "I Don't Pack a Matic"

Check out his website at: http://www.tryumf.co.uk/

Featured Ministry: Monergism.com

2008-12-01T01:44:00.004-06:00

Monergism.com is an Internet based
ministry with the following goals:

"1) To equip Christians in the truth by making available the finest classic articles and resources of historical orthodoxy. This is done in the hope that the church will embrace, and recover the true Biblical doctrines of the historic faith.

2) To encourage the church to always be reforming its thoughts in order to be more God-honoring & consistent with the Word of God. To teach the whole counsel of God and not just aspects we feel comfortable with, that the Gospel would affect and transform all areas of our life. To stress important doctrines that have been lost or set aside in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing evangelicals today - the recovery of the gospel.

3) Bring glory and honor to God by stressing that the Scriptures are a divine Self-disclosure that is Christ-centered, not man-centered and that the work of salvation is a monergistic work of grace; that, prior to grace, man remains hostile, passive, unable and unwilling to turn to Christ until regenerated by the Holy Spirit. That salvation is not based on the fact that God knew which persons would believe of their own natural free will, for there is no person which fits that description (1 Cor 2:14; Rom 3:11; Rom 8:7; John 1:13; Rom 9:16,18;John 10:26). The decision was based in eternity upon God's sovereign good pleasure alone (Eph 1:4-6; 2 Tim 1:9, Titus 1:2) and enacted in time through the redemptive work of Christ and applied to the elect by the Holy Spirit on those He redemptively set His affection on. Affirming these doctrines did not come through philosophical or confessional routes but through the route of biblical exegesis.

To proclaim the truths of Scripture as reiterated in the 16th century Reformation that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone to the glory of God alone."

Where to Begin at Monergism.com

Daily Spurgeon: Walking In The Truth

2008-11-28T21:18:00.003-06:00

Today's Daily Spurgeon is a good reminder that The Truth must be dwelling in us richly first, before we can walk in it.

"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth."—3 John 3.

"THE truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. Doctrines held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth part with it. A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and cannot be torn away without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the center of the lantern through the glass: when, therefore, the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conversation. It is said that the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man's inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity—the natural product of those principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their manifestation in the man's conversation. Be it ours to-day, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men."

Checkout More Spurgeon Articles at: spurgeon.org

Grace and Peace,
Go-DoSomething

Featured Mission: Travel The Road

2008-11-25T20:07:00.007-06:00

Travel The Road has been a great source of inspiration for us at Go Do Something in our outlook on missions. Tim and Will's fearless and joyful attitude towards the great commission is a Christ centered example of mission work for believers to follow.

About TTR:

"Travel the Road, the groundbreaking reality television series that documents the adventurous lives of young missionaries Tim Scott and Will Decker over 18-months, through 25 countries, across 40,000 miles is a unique look into the world of frontline mission work.

The journey is filled with danger, excitement, adventure and epic triumph as Tim and Will undertake unbelievable expeditions into the most remote areas of the world to bring the gospel. From the deserts of Ethiopia to the island villages of Papua New Guinea they travel from country to country with one backpack, a change of clothes, and a message of hope that pushes them deeper into the unknown."

Check them out at:
traveltheroad.com

Book Recommendation: The Valley of Vision

2008-11-25T18:56:00.005-06:00

The Valley of Vision

Description: "A selection of prayers and meditations in the Puritan tradition, widely valued since publication in 1975. MAKES A WONDERFUL GIFT! In this classic volume, edited by Arthur Bennett, the prayers of the Puritans are brought to life. Including prayers of Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, Charles Spurgeon, and others, The Valley of Vision is a selection of petitions and meditations in the Puritan tradition. This compilation of prayers is intended to teach and encourage Christians to be faithful in their private and family worship."

Available at: Monergismbooks.com

John Piper - Behold the Lamb of God

2008-11-19T12:04:00.001-06:00

Brit Hume: Purseuing Faith Instead of Headlines

2008-11-13T10:56:00.003-06:00

Brit Hume, who is one of our favorite anchors at Fox News Network, will soon be leaving his anchor position behind to pursue Christ rather than his job. He is an intelligent and heartfelt newscaster who has been with FNN for over 12 years. Some might ask why, at the prime of ones career, would someone choose to step down? But, we see in the Bible that every accolade that we could ever gain is nothing compared to know Christ's worth and glory.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
Philippian 3:8-11

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?"
Mark 8:35-37

Justin Taylor - artical on Brit Hume
FoxNewsArticle

Thug Jesus

2008-11-09T16:40:00.002-06:00

Haiti School Collapse, Death Toll at 82

2008-11-08T10:11:00.004-06:00

On November 7th a school of about 500 collapsed due to poor construction in the shanty town of Petionville, Haiti located outside of the capital, Port-au-prince. The latest news at the time of this publication is that 82 teachers and students are dead. Many, many more people are physically injured or in the depths of morning the loss of a loved one who died at the Promesse Evangelique school.
Please pray for the injured and for the family's of those who were killed. Also pray for safety and guidance for the rescue workers who are still on the scene of the accident.
Haiti is especially close to our hearts at Go Do Something because we are associated with an orphanage as well as seven churches and schools up in the mountains of Haiti. While we are heartbroken for the people who are affected by this accident, but we are hopeful as well. Hopeful that God will use this incident to bring Haiti to the forefront of peoples prayers and ministries and that it will one day not be a country ensnared in Voodoo and darkness but full of Christians praising the living God.

Follow this link to see photos and stories of the ongoing rescue attempt:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/School-collapses-Haiti/ss/events/wl/110708haitischool;_ylt=AiPcTaO7G46njQ4rgKt7B629IxIF

Grace and Peace - Go Do Something

Be Strong and Courageous and Do It

2008-11-07T19:53:00.017-06:00

And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it. ... Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished."... And David the king said to all the assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God."

-1 Chronicles 28:9-10, 20 and 1 Chronicles 29:1

Being called by God to do something that you alone are not capable of doing is a weighty thing. But, being called by God is not about your ability to do the work, it is about your ability to serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind. God has always promised us that the work He calls us to do, will be accomplished by Him. In starting Go Do Something we have felt the weightiness of our own inabilities. But, we find peace in God's promise to those who are obedient to what He has called them to: He is our strength and our provider, nothing is too difficult for Him. We hope and rejoice in the fact that He can use our uselessness. We were greatly encouraged by reading the verses above because we are young and inexperienced, yet we know that God has called us to serve Him through this ministry.

When we look at the vast majority of Christians, we see a watching and waiting world, trembling to do God's will. Rather than, humble servants ready and passionate to fulfill all His commands. We hope these verses move your heart to action for God's glory,"Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you."

Grace and Peace- Go Do Something