Exloring Life Eternal

In the sunset of his sojourn
he came, bearing gifts,
wearied with unworthiness
and all the myriad "ifs."

"If I had known what I know now
would all have been the same?
If I had loved as love demands
could I have brought such pain?

"If I could return to former times
and cross the bygone years
could I kiss away the sordid sins
and wipe the wasted tears?"

"What's done is done," she says,
the stars left from her eyes.
And I still care! Yet, though I try,
my heart is filled with "Whys?"

"Why did you hurt me once again
after we were old?
I tried so many, many times
and thought the tale was told.

"Why was it simply not enough
to crush my youthful heart,
to rip my children from the nest
and tear us all apart?

"Why did it need to be that lust
could drive you to such sin?
Why make me fight that awful thing?
How could I hope to win?"

He sags into a tattered chair,
the gifts slip to the floor.
"I'm so ashamed," he weeps.
"But it¹s not true any more."

The addiction is done, the craving controlled,
God knows I've tried.
I'd like to spend our remaining years
close by your side.

"Is it too late? Can it never be?
Has the story been too long?
Have the struggles of the recent years
been altogether wrong?"

And I get a picture of Another Love,
rejected yet utterly spent -
a Man out of God still giving His all
for a world not innocent.

I have taken His love and squandered His gifts
and spit on His beautiful scars.
Now I come near in the evening of life
and ask Him to lower the bars.

She says,
"Let's try again! What's there to lose?"
And a twinkle returns to her eyes.
"None else would do it," he says,
and he bows his old head and cries.

Yet Another has done and continues to do
all this and much, much more.
He forgives it all and puts it away
and opens wide the door.

"But," He says, "it's not the same. You are different now
and I want your life to show
that you are changed, that you are Mine!
I want them all to know!"

So man and God have tried to love
and necessity, in each case,
insists on and provides a
tremendous extension of grace!

- Bill Hawkins
February 12, 2006

02/13/2006

"Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. ... I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever." - The LORD God (1 Samuel 2:30, 35)

PRAISE:
We are thankful that an expatriate MBB living in our country has returned from an intense time with his family in a neighboring Arabian Peninsula country. He has been through a tough time of questioning and pressure from his family regarding his Christian faith. Pray that he would find an entry-level job in his profession that would give him more independence to pursue his relationship with God more aggressively away from their watchful eyes.

PETITION:
Another university friend came over to read different prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. He was amazed at how specific they were! He is from a very religious community, and he had never touched the Bible before. Pray for the Seed of Truth to take deep root & bear fruit.

Pray for local people to be in contact with Christian teaching through the internet. Pray for the publicity of various Arabic websites - that those with internet access would become aware of them and visit them. Pray for God to reach out to people through this media.

Pray also that amid the current controversy in the world about some depictions of Muhammed, that the Lord would protect those who are not directly involved. In times like this, sometimes Western cultural values of "freedom" can cause more harm than good. Pray that the gentleness & kindness & honest balance of the Lord's servants would cause many to hunger intensely for the Lord Jesus.

Pray for “Kevin,” an expatriate MBB that we have brought before the PTAP network previously. He has been in hiding from his family who has threatened to kill him unless he comes back to Islam. He was recently seen by his family in one of our major cities and is now in another hiding place. Pray that he would continue to hunger for God, to draw close to him, to learn in greater ways to trust him with all aspect of his life – including his life itself.

Pray for the ministry of the MV Doulos in Qatar beginning 20 February for several weeks. There have been some difficulties with the government authorities complicating the coordination work of the line-up team. Pray for God’s way to be found over these hurdles.


TESTIMONY:
H.A. is doing well. He is a young man that I have been relating to for several months. We studied John 4 together last night, and he was struck by how the village didn’t believe in Jesus based on the woman’s testimony. They had to see for themselves.

He wondered out loud how different people come to aith. “I pray every night about the obstacles here to people believing in Isa al Messih,” he said. “And I think about how those obstacles might be removed.” How cool is that!

Please pray for him – he has been falsely accused at work of poor communication and lack of team work. He cares about restoring his good name so that Jesus would not be defamed.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Praying Thru the Arabian Peninsula
www.pray-ap.info
USA #: 800-376-5876 (Eastern Time)
Encouraging & equipping believers & churches everywhere to pray through the heart of the Muslim world so that church planting movements will spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and beyond for the Lord's glory.

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To learn how you can support this & other work in the Middle East, visit:
http://www.srginc.org

Or write:
ptap@srginc.org

Or:
PTAP
c/o Strategic Resource Group
P.O. Box 1809
Easton, MD 21601
USA

UAE - Pray for the Emirate of Dubai following the death of its ruler on January 4, 2006. We pray that the new ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, would rule justly and wisely for the benefit of all who live in his emirate.

Morocco - Pray that the national Church would gain full acceptance within Moroccan society.

Iraq - Pray for the emergence of a government that will govern wisely for the benefit of all Iraqis.

Israel - Pray that the fellowship whose Christmas Eve baptismal service was disrupted by 300 ultra-orthodox Jews would continue to respond with love and courage.

Djibouti - Nearly 150,000 people, almost a fifth of the nation's population, are facing severe food shortages brought on by drought conditions. We ask that God would provide for them and that aid would quickly reach those who need it most.

Yemen - Pray that those who choose to follow Jesus would find fellowship and be discipled.

Bahrain - Pray for greater acceptance of religious choice in society, particularly of Christianity.

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See Window International Network for more: http://www.win1040.com .
(c) 2006.

To realize
The value of a sister
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.

List your living family members & friends.
Be thankful for them & pray for the LORD to bless them.

List those people you need to forgive or reconcile with.
Do just that. Pray for the LORD to bless them & be thankful for them.

List those who you need to tell about Jesus.
Pray for their salvation. Love them. Tell them about Jesus.

List those peoples & places where few have ever heard of God's love.
Pray that the LORD would send out laborers & support the missionaries helping to get the Good News to them.

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This is an editted FWD.

Yes, I have prayed for you and continue to do so. ...
Love you,
J.H.

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... If we have peace, we do not need to be afraid of "stepping on toes." We simply speak the truth in a loving way. Some people will try to avoid the truth. But if they are hungry, eventually they will taste & see. When they really start to digest the truth, they will be changed, as we are: from glory to glory. Kind words crush cruelty till kindness returns.

Peace,
Mert H.

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I wanted to reply to your e-mail to say it was very interested reading. You asked a question about the Muslims. I believe (this is me talking,
67 yrs. old and serving God in my own ministry of prayer warrior's.) the reason they are hard to receive Our Lord is they get under condemnation when they see the peace we have with Jesus. They have been taught all their life to hate us and yet eventually with much prayer and perseverance they eventually come to the light; as they watch you and I.

In the USA, I worked in an office and a Muslim worked there. He was an
American with high intellect. Yet, I talked to him about Christ as that
is my life and he finally had to quit and go somewhere else. Later, I knew what was wrong.

When we think we aren't touching other's for Christ, eventually we see
them wanting to know more. A little each time. We love you and are praying for you.

Sincerely,
J.H.

Here are some links to sites on various types of travel in Europe.
No endorsement is indicated by these or any other link on this blog.

===
U.K. CASTLES & OTHER HISTORIC BUILDINGS:

http://www.historic-uk.com
70+ castles. Search & reservations. Description of amenities.

http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk
180 listsings of restored buildings (some castles) available for those who will cater their own feasts.

http://www.celticcastles.com
45 U.K. castles. Clear descriptions.

http://www.discovernorthernireland.com
Castles & more.

http://www.castles.org/chatelaine
Scottish castles only, but easy to search.

http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
320 places to stay in the U.K., including 1 castle.

Cheapest castle stay:
http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/hostelpages/233.html
Reserve well in advance. It is a Norman castle with a moat.

Costliest castle stay:
http://www.carnegieclub.co.uk
Lots of activities for those with money to burn.

Castle Cluster tour:
http://www.specialgrouptours.com
Several packages to choose from.

Old saying: A man's home is his castle.
New truth: The Lord is our refuge & strength. (Psalm 46)

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EUROPEAN RIVER TOURS (esp. the Danube):

Highly recommended:
http://www.tauck.com

Others:
http://www.deilmann-cruises.com

http://www.vikingrivers.com

http://www.amadeuswaterways.com

http://www.worldwaterways.com

For those who search the internet & need info relatively quickly:

http://www.google.com
My main search engine: variables can be specified. Scholarly searches possible. Product searches possible. News searches also available.

http://www.isbn.nu
Books in print that can be purchased. Price comparison.


NEW sites (to me) that I want to try for certain info in the future. Let me know if they work well for you. (email: mertaka@everybody.org)

http://www.rollyo.com
Specify sites for searches that can be saved for future reference.

http://www.pubsub.com
Ongoing term searches. New matches to your search will pop in your browser bar.