A Widow's Forgiveness

On December 5, Ronnie Smith, a teacher and dedicated Christian, was killed while jogging in Bengazi, Libya. Ronnie and his wife, Anita, were members of Austin Stone Church in Austin Texas, where Ronnie was previously a staff member. Anita posted this open letter to the people of Libya on Dec 12, 2014. Words fail me to say more. Please read and meditate on this example.

My husband and best friend Ronnie Smith loved the Libyan people. For more than a year, Ronnie served as a chemistry teacher in a school in Benghazi, and he would gladly have given more years to Libya if unknown gunmen had not cut his life short on December 5, 2013.

Ronnie and I came to Libya because we saw the suffering of the Libyan people, but we also saw your hope, and we wanted to partner with you to build a better future. Libya was very different from what we had experienced before, but we were excited to learn about Libyan culture. Ronnie grew to love you and your way of life, as did I. Ronnie really was "Libya's best friend."

Friends and family from home were concerned about our safety, as were some of you. We talked about this more times than I can count. But we stayed because we believed the Libyan people were worth the risk. Even knowing what I know now, I have no doubt that we would both make the same decision all over again.

Ronnie loved you all so much, especially his students. He loved to joke with you, tell stories about you, help you with your lives and challenge you to be all that you could be. He did his best to live out his faith humbly and respectfully within a community of people with a different faith.

To his attackers: I love you and I forgive you.

How could I not? For Jesus taught us to "Love our enemies" – not to kill them or seek revenge. Jesus sacrificed His life out of love for the very people who killed him, as well as for us today. His death and resurrection opened the door for us to walk on the straight path to God in peace and forgiveness. Because of what Jesus did, Ronnie is with Jesus in paradise now. Jesus did not come only to take us to paradise when we die, but also to bring peace and healing on this earth. Ronnie loved you because God loves you. Ronnie loved you because God loved him – not because Ronnie was so great, but because God is so great.

To the Libyan people: I always expected that God would give us a heart to love you, but I never expected you to love us so much. We came to bless you, but you have blessed us much more. Thank you. Thank you for your support and love for Ronnie and our son Hosea and me. Since Ronnie's death my love for you has increased in ways that I never imagined. I feel closer to you now than ever before.

I hear people speaking with hate, anger and blame over Ronnie's death, but that's not what Ronnie would want. Ronnie would want his death to be an opportunity for us to show one another love and forgiveness, because that's what God has shown us.

I want all of you – all of the people of Libya – to know I am praying for the peace and prosperity of Libya. May Ronnie's blood, shed on Libyan soil, encourage peace and reconciliation between the Libyan people and God.

Sincerely,
Anita Smith
@anita_austintx

Read More:
Statement by Austin Stone Church
Comments from John Piper
Coverage in World Magazine

Pray for Oklahoma

I HATE TORNADOES!!!!

Truth Wins

From LifeSite News - Truth wins out in the end.

May 8, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-choice reporter who has been present in the courtroom listening to testimony in the Gosnell trial has changed his mind on abortion, according to one of his fellow reporters.

“That's the power of the Gosnell trial,” reporter JD Mullane told former Gov. Mike Huckabee during a recent appearance on the Huckabee Show.

Mullane, a pro-life columnist for the Bucks County Courier Times, has been present in the courtroom from the very beginning of the Gosnell trial. His regularly-updated Twitter account has become the go-to place for breaking updates on the case.

“There is one journalist sitting in that courtroom who writes for a local publication who has told me that he is very liberal, very pro-choice,” Mullane told Huckabee, “but after sitting through the testimony in the Gosnell trial, he's reconsidered. He's changed his mind.”

Testimony in the case has featured former employees of Gosnell describing how “hundreds” of babies, many of them past viability, were born alive in the clinic only to have their spinal cords snipped by Gosnell or one of his assistants. Employees described babies moving, breathing, screaming, and even "swimming" in a toilet after being born alive.

“For 40 years abortion in this country has been waged in the court of public opinion. This is a court of law. And the testimony that comes out of there is under oath,” said Mullane. “None of the evidence is doctored. It's for real. It's a capital case. And the testimony of one witness is far heavier than all the pro-choice editorials and op-eds that have ever appeared in, say, the New York Times.”

Pro-life activists have charged the mainstream media with ignoring the Gosnell trial over fears that publicity will hurt the cause of legal abortion. Mullane suggested that their fears are well-founded. 

Nine Things You Should Know About Gosnell Infanticide & Abortion Trial

From Joe Carter (Warning: Not for the squeamish)

Kermit Gosnell, 69, is an abortionist on trial in Pennsylvania for murder and infanticide. Here are 9 things you should know about the Gosnell case:

1. Gosnell was arrested in January 2011, charged with eight counts of murder: one patient who allegedly died under his care after a botched abortion, and seven infants supposedly born alive whose spinal cords Gosnell allegedly severed with scissors.

2. According to prosecutors in Philadelphia, Gosnell catered to minorities, immigrants, and poor women, and made millions of dollars over 30 years performing illegal and late-term abortions in squalid and barbaric conditions. Gosnell took extra precautions with white women from the suburbs, according to the grand jury report. He allegedly ushered them into a slightly cleaner area because he thought they would be more likely to file a complaint.

3. Women paid $325 for first-trimester abortions and $1,600 to $3,000 for abortions up to 30 weeks. The clinic took in up to $15,000 a day, said authorities. Although abortions after the 24th week are illegal, Gosnell allegedly aborted and killed babies in the sixth and seventh months of pregnancy and charged more for bigger babies.

4. According to the grand jury report, the clinic reeked of animal urine and the furniture and blankets were stained with blood. Medical instruments found in the practice had not been properly sterilized. State officials have failed to visit or inspect his abortion clinic since 1993. Prosecutors also claim that Gosnell is not certified in either gynecology or obstetrics.

5. Prosecutors say that none of Gosnell's staff, including his wife, were licensed nurses or doctors and that a 15-year-old student performed anesthesia with potentially lethal narcotics.

Prayers for Newtown

Pray and Vote

To my American readers:

No matter what happens in today's elections, Jesus Christ will still be Lord, God will still be sovereign, and he will reign forever. The Kingdom of God is neither coming nor failing through whatever happens in this election. The gospel is the news that matters most, and it tells me Jesus will be Lord tomorrow, same as yesterday and ever after

Pray, and vote, and pray some more. Exercise your right to vote. Then, let God exercise His right to be God.

Revival in Iran

Quotes below are from Michael at Charismatica

Iran is in the news as a country developing nuclear weapons and preparing for war against Israel and ultimately the USA. However, regular folks in the country do not necessarily support their leaders particularly when it comes to Christianity.

A full blown revival is going on in the country and government officials are trying everything they can to stop it. Authorities continue to arrest pastors and persecute Christians to no avail. Recently the government issued a decree forbidding churches from meeting on Fridays. Friday is the traditional ‘day off’ and the time to worship in the Iranian culture and most of the Middle East for that matter. This decree is only going to affect the ‘official’ churches however since most Iranian Christians meet in illegal house churches in secret.

The Iranian revival continues to expand through dreams, visions, and healing. Some put numbers now at 500,000. This article estimates 370,000 have converted to Christianity through the recent revival. There is no way to get an accurate account since it is all underground......

More confirmation from Open Doors (Brother Andrew's group)

Open Doors staff members recently reported that church growth is “explosive” in Iran; they even speak of a revival.

Iran is the fifth country in the world on Open Doors’ World Watch List for the persecution of believers. The president and the supreme leader of the country openly speak against the growth of house churches, and persecution against Christian converts is highly prevalent.

Interestingly, though, these two government leaders are nearly alone in their disdain for Christianity as a “Western religion,” says one Open Doors staff member. “In the past, Christianity wasn’t popular; it was seen as a Western religion. Now only the government sees it as a Western product, or better: a Western political system,” says the staff member....

 Pray! Pray! pray!

Pray for North Korea

The horrible dictator of North Korea is dead. Let us all now pray for the people of North Korea, that their nation will open up to the gospel, that churches will be allowed to operate and that God will be worshiped and glorified in that very dark land.

RIP John Stott

John Stott, World Famous Evangelical Leader, Dies at 90:

World-renowned evangelist and Biblical scholar John Stott died Wednesday at 3.15 p.m. local time in London (10.15 a.m. EST), according to John Stott Ministries President Benjamin Homan.

Homan has reported that Stott’s death has come following a few weeks of discomfort, and that the death was simply related to complications related to old age.

Stott, who died at 90, retired from public ministry in 2007 when he was 86 years old. He spent his retirement in the College of St. Barnabas, Lingfield, which is a residence for retired Anglican clergy.

The English Anglican leader is revered for his ministry life. The world famous evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham, described him as "the most respected clergyman in the world today."

RIP, Brother. You will be greatly missed.

It's In His Hands

It's in His Hands.

Americans More “Pro-Life”

Here's some good news from the Gallup Poll organization:  The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More “Pro-Life”

The conservative shift in Americans' views on abortion that Gallup first recorded a year ago has carried over into 2010. Slightly more Americans call themselves "pro-life" than "pro-choice," 47% vs. 45%, according to a May 3-6 Gallup poll. This is nearly identical to the 47% to 46% division found last July following a more strongly pro-life advantage of 51% to 42% last May.

PETRA - Reunion Of Original Band Members Set For 2010

Fans of early Christian rock music from the 1970's certainly remember Petra, probably the first "hard rock" Christina band.  If that is you, you will be overjoyed to hear about the Reunion Of Original Petra Band Members in 2010, including original lead vocalist Greg X. Volz.

"With a new album and the Back To The Rock worldwide tour set to launch this Autumn, the official website of the reunited classic line-up of Petra has now gone live.

Bringing together Bob Hartman (guitars), Louie Weaver (drums), John Lawry (Keys), Mark Kelly (Bass) and Greg X Volz (vocals), the reunion of the classic Petra line-up is certain to the music event of 2010-2011, as the band returns to perform legendary tracks like ‘Bema Seat’, ‘Judas Kiss’, ‘Second Wind’, ‘More Power To Ya’ and many, many more.

The band will also head to the studio this summer for a new album in conjuction with the Back To The Rock tour.

As multi-platinum pioneers of CCM, Petra has released 24 albums, picking up numerous GRAMMY and Dove Awards and induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

dPulse Recordings/2DOT2 Music and Ovrtone Music Group are proud to count Petra frontman Greg X Volz among of family of artists. A complete catalog of Greg’s solo albums and singles, including The River Is Rising, God Only Knows and many others are available at iTunes and all other major digital music retailers.

For more info, keep it here or visit the Classic Petra Official Site."

Christianity's Surge in Muslim Indonesia

From the web site of Time Magazine, there is a very interesting report on Christianity's Surge in Indonesia

"...in the heart of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, Christians held a Pentecostal revival, complete with faith healing and speaking in tongues. As a tropical downpour fell, believers' tears mixed with rain — and a line of sick and disabled took to the stage to claim they had been cured by a God they, like Indonesian Muslims, call Allah. "People think Indonesia is just a Muslim country, but look at all these people," says pastor David Nugroho, whose Gesing church boasts a congregation of 400 worshippers today, up from 30 when it was founded in 1967. "We are not afraid to show our faith.""

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1982223,00.html#ixzz0lIAYiC3T

Truth In Advertising

 From:  Church Numbers - The Sacred Sandwich

FAQ on Abortion and Health Care

Does the just passed health care bill cover abortions? Did the executive order solve the problem? Follow this link for a helpful FAQ from Matthew Anderson on what just happened.

Here are the questions he answers:

• Did the Senate health care bill, which was the bill under consideration, cover abortions initially?
• But isn’t this bill covered by the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortions?
• So Stupak solved this with the Executive Order, right?
• Why did Stupak cave, then?
• Did Stupak get anything for it?
• And pro-lifers?
• Can we be done talking about this now?

Hat Tip: Justin Taylor

If You Want Big Brother....

Some sobering words from Eric Hoffer (Hat Tip: The Anchoress) in light of the actions yesterday in Congress:

“Scratch an intellectual and you find a would-be aristocrat who loathes the sight, the sound, and the smell of common folk.”
***
“Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden. Of what avail is freedom to choose if the self be ineffectual? We join a mass movement to escape individual responsibility, or, in the words of the ardent young Nazi, ‘to be free from freedom.’”
***
“To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.”
***
“Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep.”
***
“To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.”
***
“The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do.”
***
“The aspiration toward freedom is the most essentially human of all human manifestations.”
***
“If you want a Big Brother, you’ll get all that comes with it.”

Super Bowl Commercial Update

Did the Tim Tebow pro-life advertisement during the Super Bowl accomplish anything?

Answer - Yep! See Super Bowl Commercial Update | Boundless Line

Healthcare Reform & Abortion: An Update

The following info on the features of the Senate health care bill (that the Democrats want to "reconcile") that touch on abortion comes from Denny Burk (with reference to an article by Charmaine Yoest article in the Wall Street Journal):

She argues that the Senate’s healthcare reform bill would be the greatest expansion of abortion since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. It would mandate tax-payers to fund abortions and would establish abortion as a fundamental health-care service for the following reasons:

• It would change existing law by allowing federally subsidized health-care plans to pay for abortions and could require private health-insurance plans to cover abortion.

• It would impose a first-ever abortion tax—a separate premium payment that will be used to pay for elective abortions—on enrollees in insurance plans that covers abortions through newly created government health-care exchanges.

• And it would fail to protect the rights of health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions.ee:

Keep Praying!

See Abortion and Healthcare Reform | Denny Burk

Dobson Says Goodbye

Today was Dr. James Dobson's final broadcast as host of the Focus on the Family radio program. He will be missed. From Liveblog | Christianity Today

"After 33 years at Focus on the Family, James Dobson signs off today. This is the final stage of transition for the founder of the organization. Dobson had already stepped down as president of the organization in 2003 and as chairman of the board last year. Focus announced the decision for Dobson to step down last October. Today was his last day as host of the Focus on the Family program.

Speaking to the one million plus listeners, Dobson said, "I love you, and that will not change. And I'm going from here to another responsibility. And please continue to pray for us."

Many listeners returned the sentiment. Over the past two weeks, Focus collected over forty-thousand cards thanking Dobson for his years of service.

Dobson's final broadcast was a chance for him to say good-bye and to receive well-wishes from the Focus leadership. On Monday, Focus on the Family will air a special chapel service where Dobson will say farewell to the minstry's employees."

Goodbye, Dr. Dobson, and thanks for all that you have done for the Christian families of America and the world.

Leaders Must Be Open About Failure

Here's J. Lee Grady's take on the Benny Hinn divorce story - Private Pain, Public Trust: Why Leaders Must Be Open About Failure

I agree.