Exloring Life Eternal

Robert has been an encouragement over the years as I read emails from him. He has set an excellent example of loving as Jesus did, even in a very tough environment & against the "certainties" the world offers. Recently, the Lord has been gathering together again some of the "least" in this area as well. Seeing the mentally ill & the despondent & discouraged find hope in Jesus is always a great blessing to me!

Peace in Christ,
Mert the blogger

Please visit our updated AGAPE REHAB SOCIETY webpage:
AGAPE REHAB SOCIETY is www.agape-biblia.org/rehab.
We're now seeing 800++ visits per day to our whole website! ...

We just learned that Valerii Petrovich, a client whom we rehabilitated two years ago from a stroke, is now dying from throat cancer. ...

Thursday morning Cheryl and Elena were going to visit Valerii Borisovich. At breakfast we heard on the news about the domed roof collapsing on a huge market, with about 12 people being killed. Cheryl and Elena travelled right past the subway station where the market is located on the way to and from visiting Valerii Borisovich, and while at his place they heard the full details. By today the death toll has reached 64, with more people very likely still buried beneath the rubble. This is the third roof collapse on a public building in Europe this winter, with the heavy snows. The others were in Germany and Poland.

Yesterday I reached a huge milestone: I finished writing and submitted the first draft of my doctoral dissertation, entitled "The Ministry Driven Church." Now I'm waiting for my academic mentor to review it and provide feedback, so I can prepare the final draft. Here's one of the sources that I quoted:

Eternal life has to do with the total man. It concerns not only my soul but also my body. When we finally inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50), that which is mortal - our physical, frail body - will be swallowed up in life. Eternal life includes the redemption of our bodies. The inheritance of the Kingdom of God means the transformation of these bodies of flesh and blood (1 Cor 15:50). All of us, even though we have received the gift of life, are dying. With some, the descent to the grave will be a long, gradual, painful one. With others, it occurs with shocking suddenness. Some will enjoy a large measure of vigour until the very end. But we are all on our way to the grave, for we are dying, mortal creatures. (George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom, p. 69.)

Some people ask us, "Why do you work with disabled and dying people?" Our simple answer is: "Because Jesus did, and commanded His followers to do the same." The truth is, we're all in that category, and the people who think they aren't, are actually the most disabled and deluded. We have all been disabled by sin and are dying. Although when we work with stroke victims, amputees, etc., we often see significant improvement in their physical health, these physical healings are just a foretaste of the redemption and transformation of our bodies. When our clients, their families and friends see Christ's agape-love changing lives, they want the eternal life He can give!

Prayer and Praise:
1. Pray that the new law for an alternative to military service in Armenia will meet international standards.
2. Pray for positive results from the World Summit of Religious Leaders to take place this July in Moscow.
3. Intercede for Pastor Ernst Sabilo of the Belarusian Evangelical Church in Minsk, a veteran of Soviet labour camps for his faith.
4. Ask the Lord to preserve religious freedom in Russia, as the new law on NGOs may now reach all religious groups.
5. Praise God for a huge 16% increase in our website traffic this month, and pray that it will keep growing.
6. Pray that our clients Valerii Petrovich and Valerii Borisovich will be assured of eternal life as their bodies wear out.
7. Thank the Lord that the first draft of my doctoral dissertation, "The Ministry Driven Church," is finished.

Please remember to pray for Russia, and for...
Your fellow-servants,
Bob & Cheryl
http://www.agape-biblia.org/hosken-news

Agape-Biblia: www.agape-biblia.org
Agape Rehab Society: www.agape-biblia.org/rehab

Here are some possible acronyms for PACT:

Pursuing
All of
Christ ...
Together


Participating
As
Christ's
Team


Prayerful
Action for
Community
Translation
(Translation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.)

http://www.rc.net/org/wps/
http://www.thewordofgodcommunity.org/page12.html

From time to time, people misspell my name:
Mark - that is my brother.
Not me.
Martin - that was Luther's first name & is a bird.
Not me.
Mary - (i.e. Mery) the name of Jesus' mother and many other women.
Not me.

Merq - that is a drug company.
Not me.
Merle - that sounds like curl & is sort of feminine sounding to me.
Not me.
Myrtle - that is a plant or a woman's name, older style.
Not me.
Merlin - that is a legendary name, associated with magic, & sorcery.
Not me. (Various spellings)
Mervyn - that is a store, a TV producer & a fellow I knew in the South.
Not me.
Mertis - ?? (A woman's name.)
Not me.
Murderer - Nope. I preach peace.

"M e r t o n" is my full first name.
It rhymes with "certain" & means "sea-side town." Sort of like Bethsaida: a house of nets from which disciples were called out. Likewise, I have a desire to see the Lord Jesus cast out the Net to Fish for Men."

Mert or Merton is my given name, inheritted from my maternal grandfather.
Joseph is my middle name, inheritted from my paternal grandfather.
(My mother chose the order of the names.)

One of the first three colleges @ Oxford was called "Merton College" - a practical college for engineering & farming. Theology was banned from the college curriculum. ... I wouldn't fit in.

Thomas Merton was a catholic writer of some fame, but no kin. He took a vow of silence & then wrote volumes. ... I tend to be vocal & disagree with his method of "dialogue" with buddhists since he seemed to have given no call to repentance. He did not come to a pretty end.

I guess you could call me, "Beachcomber Joe" without offending me.

Beachcomber:
1. One who scavenges along beaches or in wharf areas.
2. A seaside vacationer.
from http://www.yourdictionary.com

A longer description:
"Walk the beaches along the sea searching for shells, seafans from reefs and occasional pieces of driftwood, the product of nature's work, the tides, winds and waves, depositing treasures from the elemental forces of life. Yes, beachcombing is an attitude, an expressive metaphor for reality, an attraction and adventure, that ranges from the eager inquistiveness of youth to the more philosophical approach that comes from gaining and spending, and being spent, by the fortunes of life, like the flotsam and jetsam along the shore. Sea fans, sponges, sea urchins and other oddities can be found washed up on the beach. Flotsam, debris that floats, especially driftwood that is well weathered in sculptural shapes, adds to the imagination. Jetsam actually denotes part of a ship, or its cargo, thrown overboard in distress, that then floats ashore. ... A good time to go is after a blow or storm. Rocky outcroppings can be explored for marine life ... Seabirds and beach plants add to the ambiance."
http://www.b-v-i.com/Nature/beaches.htm#Beachcombing

MJH: I don't entirely agree with that philosophy: it is sort of a random, purposeless philosophy. Alas, many in the postmodern world subscribe to it!! I do believe in the Lord who sends the storms & can also bring good out of what was meant for evil.

==
What does a beachcomber do is a gleaner at the sea-side.
http://www.seashells.org/beachcombing.htm

A poem on beachcombing:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9908/poetry.html

Of course, one would be foolish to ignore an encyclopedia reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachcombing

Oddly, some Michiganders would like to make gleaning at the shore illegal. In the process, it is likely that the state will lose some ground in the future. What ever happened to freedom?
http://mlui.org/landwater/fullarticle.asp?fileid=16733
==> Update:
"The Michigan Supreme Court struck down the ban on beachwalking late last summer. The ban was only in existence for a few months, due to a Michigan Appeals Court ruling reversing a district court. But the beachwalker won out with the Surpremes, to our great relief (we filed an amicus brief in favor of overturning the court ban). And last week the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up the case, so it’s a dead doornail and our beachwalking rights are now secure."
- Jim from the Michigan Land Use Institute.
[MJH: Yeah!!]

Here is the book on Beachcombing:
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 11, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN: 0525471049

=====

SHARPEN YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS -- International Training Partners
offers Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills Workshops in different
parts of the world. These five-day, highly interactive workshops focus
on biblical application of skills in relating to one another and to the
host people. A workshop hosted by International TEAM will be held in
Dubai, UAE April 22-27, 2006.

Go to http://www.itpartners.org
for details on all of the workshops and information on ITP.
If your mission is interested in sponsoring a SYIS workshop, contact Paul:
plere(at)itpartners(dot)org.

INTENSIVE CROSS-CULTURAL INTERNSHIP IN NORTH AFRICA -- Live with a
Muslim family, study Arabic, and learn "how-to" study another culture
May 20 - June 3 in North Africa. The program is led by a professor with
20 years of experience in the region, and is an excellent way to
experience what it would be like to work long-term among Muslims.
Participants include potential missionaries, current missionaries who
want to improve their cross-cultural skills, and any who need a first-
hand experience with Muslims in order to increase their effectiveness
and missionary vision. The internship can be taken for academic credit
or noncredit and is sponsored by The Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies,
based at Columbia International University (CIU) in South Carolina.
Registration deadline is April 1. For more information please email
eurocourse(at)hotmail(dot)com

Take part in a getaway for those in ministry.
See it at:
http://www.pastorsretreatnetwork.org/
Free meals, room, and more ... if you'll rest and enjoy life in a laid back sort of way. They want to take care of missionaries!

ZWEMER -- What is currently taking place around the world as a
result of cartoons about Muhammad suggests we in the West need to focus
more on Muslims! This is the 10th Summer Institute in Islam, July 3-28,
2006 on the campus of Columbia International University in South
Carolina. In the four, one-week courses, the focus in on understanding
Islam, building healthy relationships with Muslims and training workers
to effectively present the gospel. With over 35 hours of class
instruction for each course, Zwemer's distinctive over other similar
programs is that it provides in-depth training for the Church's
greatest challenge in the 21st century. Material can be taken for
credit or as a seminar (non-credit).

Please follow the link to Zwemer:
http://www.ciu.edu/summerstudies

You can register on line or e-mail
muslimstudies(at)ciu (dot) edu
You may also call 1-800-777-2227, Ext. 3325.

Beggars are ignored if they curse those who bless them.
Beggars will never go hungry if they beg from the King.

Just a line or two to let you hear from us. We both are well and hope this finds you the same. My grandmother used to begin all of her letters to us with those sentences, to us, her family. To you, who are part of our Christian family, I write today.

Mr. came in late last week intent on sharing an event with me. He prefaced it with, “You have to tell them, they have to KNOW what their prayers are doing, how they are opening up hearts, SO here goes:

By Mr. (by Mrs.):
Friday I visited the offices of the water dept. I normally work closely with them on any number of projects. Through the head of this government dept we have made entry to many villages. She has always been very interested in what we have to share from the word when we visit and has even helped with interpreting and expounding on some trips. I wanted to discuss an upcoming project in the Wakhan with her and see about other things that may be needed. I took along a couple of calendars that I printed up for distribution from our office. Each includes a picture of some project or person that we know in common, along with the first three verses of I Cor. 13 in a national langauge. [Which is our motto for our office here.] We did talk about projects but most of the time was spent on explaining what I thought about the meaning of the verses. Several quotes to note from this include:

1. “I like to talk about spiritual things with you. Can we do this more?”
[Would you pray that we do have many opportunities to talk about spiritual things with her?]

2. “Every cabinet in my department needs one of these calendars because of the words on them.”

3. "Is it ok if I give one to the Governor and maybe other department heads?"
[Also pray that others will be struck to the heart by these verses.]

So I’m busy printing Before I left she shared this story.

“When God handed out land the Pamiri people were lazy and didn’t come for theirs until He had handed out everything. So He said that the only land left was part of His place and not really designed for humans. So that is how they got here and anyone who is allowed to come here and stay is special to God.”

[Mrs. writes:
To be honest, other than a general request for prayer some time ago for government leaders here, I don’t think I have requested specific prayer for this lady. We have been really drawn to her, I like her personally, and it has been always an enjoyable experience to work with her, partly as she has a great sense of humor. Last summer we were going to a village to begin a canal project, Mr. read from the Word to explain who we are and what we are about. She translated into their dialect and added some comments of her own, that they should PAY ATTENTION to this, God’s Word. On the way to the village we had been talking about times past and what it was like when we were all kids, us in the USA and them here.. It seems that the world around was watching Tarzan movies back in the early ‘60s. She said many boys here broke ankles and legs trying to swing and drop like Tarzan did. Anyway, on our way down the mountain we had to stop for an oncoming truck, as the road was so narrow. A good opportunity for leg stretching, I walked up the road and she walked down. We were a good bit away from one another, standing on the edge of the rough dirt road, the stillness of the sharp walled valley surrounding us, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted HELLOOOO! She looked back up at me and grinned, and thumped her fists to her chest and the Tarzan AAeAAeAA rang through the air!

I’m going to name her Deborah, she is not a judge but she does have position in the government, as head of our region’s water dept. and now a seat in the Senate as well. Deborah is married, and is in her early 50’s. Please pray that we do have many opportunites with Deborah, her husband, and their family as well.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away all that I have and surrender my body so that I may boast but have no love, I get nothing out of it.

Blessings,

From South-Central Asia

February 27, 2006

"Always be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work."
- 1 Corinthians 15:58

PRAISE:
We are so thankful to the Lord that the Doulos is able to be in Doha and be such a blessing to all the peoples here. Many expatriate and local Arabs along with many South Asians, Indians, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Africans and Europeans have visited the ship and taken the Good Book and other Christian literature. This is a direct answer to your PTAP prayers!


PETITION:
Please pray for a local believer with marriage problems that has just found out they are expecting another child. May their worrying be
changed to joy.

A worker will soon share with Abdulatif again. Pray that he would be open to the Gospel and that God would speak through the worker.

Pray that a worker on our team would have the opportunity to meet with Osama again and that he would have a desire and interest for the
Gospel.

Pray for those in the church who have contact with National Muslims through their jobs. Pray for a sense of boldness, cultural understanding and opportunity to share the life of Christ with those around them - both in words and deed.

This past week I just started the second semester of Arabic studies. I feel much more settled in my classes and in my everyday life. Please continue to pray for balancing time between studying my books and speaking with locals friends. I need your prayers and God’s wisdom.


TESTIMONY:
A few weeks ago, we asked the PTAP world to pray for Baraka. I am thrilled to report that Baraka became a believer! The guy on our team that the Lord used to share the Good News with Baraka says:

"Studying Nicodemus’ visit to Jesus with Baraka brought such life into the passage for me. Here was Nicodemus sitting in my living room, asking me about new life and how it all works. I’m glad Jesus gives such awesome answers! We spent an hour talking about the earthly life and the spiritual life. God’s presence was tangible. “What is this sensation?” Baraka asked. “It’s like cold water in my heart!” All of Baraka’s questions and comments showed that he was really getting it: Jesus offers new life to all who put their trust in him.

When we finished, we prayed as we always do. All of a sudden, without any invitation or prompting from me, Baraka starts offering his life to Isa al Messih [Jesus, the Messiah]! It was his sudden overflow of understanding and faith and need and love. “I open my heart to you. Please come in and give me this new life!” We talked about it later. Baraka said, “I’m just so tired ... I really need a new beginning. I need new life!” Baraka has that new life now, evidenced by a joy and confidence that is contagious.

Baraka also has a new zeal in telling others about Jesus. He doesn’t let on that he is a believer. No, that may take a long time… He even said that he probably wouldn’t have told me had I not been there when it happened. But he is unambiguous, even with strangers, that he has found amazing things in the gospel. “Read it for yourself,” he challenges. “Increase your knowledge. And you will see things that you cannot find anywhere else!” Many local people have bought the Injil [Gospel] as a result of their interactions with him. Amazing!"

<>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.

====
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

====
Old PTAP & Related News: http://mertaka.openweblog.com

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in the wrong box. If you have trouble subscribing or unsubscribing,
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