Exloring Life Eternal

For some it is old hat to hear about God's faithfulness & they have Him all figured out: Go to work in the morning. Pay the church 10%. Pay your taxes. Give at the office once in a while. Greet people on holidays & drop spare change in the Salvation Army buckets.

Such folks don't really need God's amazing mercy. I do. Daily. All to many times, I have been late to work. I forget to put $ in the plate at church or I put a check in the wrong box. I don't earn enough to pay taxes most years. Office? Nobody collects from me there! Every day is a holiday with me (Mert). Rarely do I have change when I stop by the Salvation Army buckets, but we often have good chats as I must daily report to the Captain of all the captains in the Salvation Army.

Well, the past few days, God decided to one-up Himself in this whole matter of supplying what Lydia & I need.

The Lord's day (popularly known as Christmas this year) came ... & off I marched to visit the friend with whom I have been meeting to "be the church" as we worshipped together. I was a little late due to the weather & the distance, but he was still there. We visitted rather briefly before I headed off to meet some other folks at a building dedicated to the Lord's worship.

The few coins I had picked up on the streets & a little cash ended up in the "poor box" which a dear friend uses to minister among the homeless in the area. Of course, I would also give X amount to keep a promise to the Lord. However, I had little $. As I walked back to the house, I did what I usually do & carried my backpack. Along the way, a fellow halted me & wanted to shake my hand. I hesitated as it had $ in it & I had trash in my own. He persisted, so I relented & accepted the little gift. I turned & asked the guy a little about his life & shared a little about my own. He professed faith, & so we fellowshipped.

I tried giving the $ to a fellow who was walking down the road a little later, but it didn't stick to his hand. So I picked it up off the ground & gave it to Sheila.

After one day of bill-paying & filling out reimbursement info, I headed home & slept a _long_time_ yesterday after many long days & long nights. Finally, Sheila woke me to shouts of, "Hurry up, I need your help, we have a futon." A Christian brother who attends Detroit World Outreach helped us put in a slightly used futon. As I set about cleaning it & stuff up, I discovered a wad of cash I though I had long lost & had forgotten about. It helped pay a substantial portion on a new mattress that will be much more comfy than sleeping on bars.

Should kin folk come, it will be a MUCH better place for them. The Living room now has room for living people to come in & sit down. WHAT A BLESSING!! Who gives these things? God.

The snow falls on the just & the unjust.
The snow on both their yards also melts.

Can we outgive God?
NEVER!!
Why?
God gave His One&Only Son, Jesus, so that all who believe in Him would become children as well. That is love, that is grace, that is mercy. If you know mercy, you will show mercy.

Hope that you also have a 200% blessed year in 2006!!

Mert
(Why 200%? Because if you give God all you have ... He will give you twice as much in return!)

Monday, December 19, 2005

"Everybody who heard was amazed at what the shepherds said!" - Luke 2:18

PRAISE:
God is so gracious! Recently, one of the PTAP requests was that more financial resources would be made available for a national worker in the AP. A church within the region heard of the need and responded in large measure. Added to this blessings, was the opportunity for the national worker to meet a new Muslim Background Believer from his own country living in a neighboring AP country.

PETITION:
Please pray for some seasoned workers who are quietly being deported from our country – 5 families in total. Pray for the many lives of Muslim Nationals that they have touched over the years. Pray that their transition back to their home countries as God supplies all their needs in His perfect timing.

Pray for the National Muslim Background Believers. Some of them are not able to celebrate Christmas to any extent due to family pressures and the inability to attend any events. Pray for Christ's love and joy to be with them. Pray for those who disciple them that they together would be able to celebrate, even in twos and threes.

Pray against the use of Qatt in the Yemeni culture. It is a drug that has made the workforce highly ineffective. This drug also affects the young, scattered and immature Yemeni church. Pray that Muslim National believers would break free of the use of this drug.

Pray for the upcoming Asian Games 2006 to be held in Qatar. Pray that sports ministries would be able to partner with the expatriate churches – of all ethnicity, to be able to reach out to the many Muslim athletes and supports attending the games.

Pray for G, a middle aged single lady who is seeking. She has rejected her Muslim roots but is groping for truth. She recently met with several Christian ladies – one she worked with several years ago. She initiated contact because of the joy she saw in this woman’s life. Pray that G would meet Jesus during this holiday time.

TESTIMONY:
Sitting in my apartment studying, I heard a knock at the door. It was my downstairs neighbor, Latifa. She needed me to help her with her sister’s homework. Happily, I agreed to help and we started reviewing parts of speech (thankfully now I know them in Arabic). After we finished with the homework, we started chatting and somehow she started asking me spiritual questions. Then she asked, “How are you clean before God?” To her, there are certain things you do to be clean: wash, pray, and follow various laws. I was able to explain stories from the Scriptures about what it means to be clean before God. I explained that Jesus alone makes our hearts clean. At the end of our conversation, she walked away wondering what it all meant. Please pray for Latifa. Pray that she would realize that Jesus alone cleanses her. Pray for more opportunities to share Christ with Latifa, her sisters and her family during this festive season – Christmas, New Years and Eid Al Adha happening over the next 4 weeks.


<>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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

RE: August 31, 2005

Someone who does not know me & only recently met my wife urged me to quit the ministry of sharing the need to pray because of my lack of insurance & benefits. I have insurance, thank you very much. My Boss has my life insured for centuries, even eternity. As far as benefits, let's just say that my retirement plan is beyond imagination!! The friend also urged me to seek deliverance ... from the very thing [a need for sleep] which God has used repeatedly to keep me dependant upon & resting in His grace.

It was not an easy moment, but God has provided a means for strength in times of immense opposition & discouragement. As the dishes were washed, our Father & i had a heart to heart. While our hosts were away, the house was cleaned up, cleaner than when we had come. A tree was freed of some pests. During our time there, the driveway was freed of weeds. The yard/garden was cleaned of some thistles. The old oven was out & a new oven was in & working, in answer to prayer!! The fridge was also taken out & a new one brought in. The frige had been a puzzle for the moving team to bring in, but the Lord gave us wisdom how to bring it in.

That evening I took my wife to a hotel since we had to leave to make room for the family & their plans. At the hotel, we asked for the lowest priced room: 1 bed, 1 night, non-smoking. They couldn't meet the request with non-smoking (a must for a good night's sleep), so they took $20-30 off of a hotel-room that had a hot-tub that was $20 more than a regular room.

Apparently, there were few hotel rooms available: 100,000 people were going to be crowded into a stadium this coming weekend. The desk clerk told me that they could take in few comforts with them: no food, water, umbrellas, etc. Instead they would have to pay top dollar for basic things we usually take for granted in the outside world. The fellow at the desk said that it was all because of 9/11, "But, if we have to have these things for security, it is worth it." He grinned, "But they are gonna feel they like they are in hell."

Why, what is the reason for all this, I had asked, "What is the game?"

"No mercy."

I have a better game: Happy are those who are merciful, for they will receive mercy!! So when he said that that was how those folks were going to feel, I burst out, "I am so glad I'm going to heaven instead!!" The odd thing about all this is that the people are choosing to go there. They are not being persecuted & forced to suffer. They are not going to hear good news, but to watch a bunch of guys beat up on each other.

This weekend is a time called, "Escapade." My wife "Lydia" has noted as I took her too & from work each day & evening: The girls hardly wear any clothes & they all dress "like a bunch of cheap girls." The streets are lined with folks until late at night. For many, it is a time when they can break free from parents, from restraint, from authority, and rebel. Some 130+ years ago, the University of Michigan was founded on a basis of free-thinking (i.e. not tethered by any authority, most especially not the Bible.)

Now, there are lots of thistles in the area, literally. There are witch gatherings regularly. There are security hastles. There are morality problems. There are wealth problems in this state. There are wars & rumors of wars. etc. Hmmm ... Is there a connection between these things?

In the midst of all this, as I visited my wife at work, a fellow offered me a candy in exchange for $ on the way into get a bite to eat with my wife. I cheerfully said, "I don't have any cash," because I don't carry any as a general rule. He looked at me, as though he wanted what I have, and gave me some candy anyways. I tried to refuse, but he would not let me. So I took it, gave the treat to my wife & used the restroom while she waited on other customers. There, I found 2 small copper coins, picked them up & knew just who to give them to. I washed my hands, went out, & my "Lydia" had a snack ready for me. Off I headed. The Lord provided another gift to return to the man, exactly the same kind as he had given me. I reached in my pocket & was able to return to the man not only a candy stick, but also $0.12. (Surely, the apostle's are worth more than a penny each! But if you asked them for their 2 cents worth, I'm sure they would have overflowed with words about Jesus & His goodness to us.)

That evening, I was able to get 2 Azaleas for us for around $1.50 total + some for others!! But God's grace, my "Lydia" had the money for this month's food, we had $ for rent, & a pleasant evening. As I walked with the Lord in the cool of the evening, I saw 3 little stinkers leaving the area.

What a blessing!

It was indeed a refreshing day!! Today is the day of the Lord's salvation.

Will we look up, look around, & see the goodness of our God?