Wrap Up on How to Pray for ISIS

Well it's been a rough couple of weeks for me, mostly because I've been so self absorbed. So, needless to say I've been playing catch up on the How to Pray for ISIS emails.

Like I've shared in the past couple of followup posts, these emails didn't affect me the same way the How to Pray for Muslims during Ramadan did.  Did my heart change?  I don't think so, I think like a lot of things I tend to empathize better when there is a specific story that links me to someone.  

I have learned a lot about a culture that I knew little about, and prayed in ways I never thought I would ever need to pray.  So I've grown quite a bit in those areas.  

Would I do it again?   ABSOLUTELY.

So, if you haven't signed up for these emails yet and are still hesitant, ask yourself why? Drill down deep and find what's holding you back.

It is never too late to start.  Here is the link to my original post with all the links for signing up for emails.  I encourage you to see how it changes your life and those around you.  Not to mention changing your world view a little, or a lot, to help you focus on something other than yourself for awhile.  When it's finished and you look back at the experience I think you'll be glad you did it.  I am.

Are you resistant to change like me?  Here's a good article that talks about change and how to overcome that resistance.

So, what's next for me?

Well after a couple of weeks of slacking off, I was celebrating my birthday mostly, it's time to get back on track.  

I have a book I need to read and review for Moody Publishers, and a ton of ideas floating around to share.  

Until I write again, here's food for thought....

I'd be in big trouble people. How about you?

Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Movie Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

In an effort to watch better entertainment I've been going through Netflix looking for wholesome movies. Seriously, it is so hard to find movies that are wholesome, entertaining and good at the same time. 

I had seen the previews for this movie awhile ago when it game to the theaters and put it on my DVD queue but it was at the bottom. Well I moved it up the other day and when it came in I watched it with anticipation. 

Result, it was predictable but still really good. It was your typical bad boy forced to do community service who then likes a girl and pretends to be a Christian to get a role in their Easter play, in a mega church setting. It was clean, funny, silly and full of Christian themes but not over the top. Of course some of the acting was not so great, however, I figured with the main role being played by someone I have seen and liked before (Brett Dalton, who I enjoyed watching as Grant Ward in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) that it would be good enough to watch.

I would give it a 7 overall but not a movie I would add to my collection. That being said this is a movie I would allow my kids to watch, although I doubt they would want to watch it since it has a dramatic theme.

It's all about second chances and forgiveness.

Well, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this one. I am planning on trying Pureflix soon and I'll let you know how that goes. 

Oh and the guy who plays the pastor is the guy who was the main lead in The Cutting Edge, does anyone besides me remember that one? TOE PICK 😁

Followup 2 How to Pray for ISIS

So for the past couple of weeks I've been sharing Frontier's emails on How to Pray for ISIS on my Facebook page  You can still sign up here at anytime if you want to get the emails.

These emails don't affect me the same way the other Frontier's emails did.  I think it's because of the way that it is less about a specific person's life and how they are affected but more about the story of Paul and his journey showing the relevant parallel with him and people that are part of ISIS.  If God can change Paul's heart he can change anyone in the world, including members of ISIS.

But, they do have a link to more of a person specific journey at the bottom of each day that you can learn about a specific person and that does help connect for me.

I have learned a few things about the culture and ISIS that I didn't know before.  Like I've said in my previous posts, I used to have anger for ISIS, but now I just feel pity for those who don't understand what they are missing.

It has helped me focus on prayer for others in ways I would never think to pray.

It has also helped me see my struggles in a new light.  If I am struggling with something and I read the next email I notice things in my life I need to pray about so I can get right with God.

Summer time is hard for me.  Mostly because it is such a disruption of schedule for me, and I know that is something I need to work on.  I am stuck at the house with my kiddos dealing with conflict more during the day than I would like.  It shows me how selfish I am as an individual and that I allow these things to steal my joy, when I know that my Joy should be through Jesus and his saving grace.  I need to look more to eternal matters and not let earthly ones get me down.  It's a struggle day to day, sometimes hour to hour, but I need to rely on God to get me through.

Where do you find your Joy?

This article on the Joy of the Lord is an interesting read.

This article on How can we experience Joy in our Christian life is a really good short read as well.

So I'll leave you with this, are you filled with Joy?  If not, pray, center yourself on the Lord and ask for Joy. We all experience things in our lives that we let steal our Joy, let's all ask Him to help us focus on eternity and not our earthly struggles.

Nehemiah 8:10

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Followup 1 on How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan

So, did anyone sign up and read through the called to pray emails in my previous posts? How about praying for ISIS? 

It's easy to dismiss this nowadays, I know, I'm like that too. That's one of the reasons I started this blog, to get myself, and hopefully others moving...

It's not too late, check out my original post: How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan and sign up.  Ramadan isn't over yet, and you aren't in need to pray for people during a certain time frame, it's just that Muslims can be more open to hearing the Good News during this time.

How did the called to pray emails affect me?

I am a person who loves historical fiction. I think the main reason is because I can truly empathize with the characters and also learn things about the time period that I never knew before. It helps me connect better.  

After reading Fira's story in the emails, it showed me one side of a particular type of Muslim family and what they go through during Ramadan.  Before I started this journey I didn't know much about Ramadan.  This has opened my eyes a little more to the need we have to understand more.  

I've always been interested in other cultures, I was going to study Anthropology/Archaeology in college, but I made different choices.  It still calls to me though, and so for me this type of story tore into my soul.  I cried a few times reading those short emails, and I cried out for God to have his hand over those that are in the dark.

What now?

Well, now I am going to go through the Pray for ISIS emails, and I am going to be posting links to each day for those on my Facebook page, just like I did for Frontiers' called to pray emails.   

Something clicked last Sunday!

Sunday morning before church my husband and I were talking about the called to pray emails and how I was feeling connected to them.  We went to church and one of the people on our teaching team preached about something spot on.  The story of the Good Samaritan, if you've never read it you can find it here. I've heard this story many times before, but until a few years ago I didn't realize the context of the culture in those days. Why would it be such a big deal to help someone on the side of the road?  Well, it boils down to a few things: fear, discomfort & inconvenience. We think that we wouldn't do something like that these days, but I have to tell you, this happens every day.  We live in a scary world and it's hard to get out of our comfort zone.  Listen here for the full sermon, choose the Who is my neighbor?

At the end of the sermon Hope4Syria was brought to light.  What an amazing coincidence that as I'm in the midst of learning about what a family from Syria could go through during Ramadan, I hear about this?  No, not a coincidence.  

THIS IS WHAT I CALL A GOD MOMENT

Often I feel a soft tapping on my shoulder when I listen to a sermon, sometimes I do something about it and sometimes I don't.  Sometimes, usually when I'm in the midst of a crisis, a problem is weighing me down, or I'm really driven in my walk with the Lord I feel a huge push.  This was my push.

How in the midst of this crisis that we are having in our country can we show other's the love of Jesus?  It will look different for every person, but it requires action.  Action to pray, action to get involved, action to give, action to spread the word...etc.

Luke 10:37

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Book Review- America, Turning a Nation to God. ~Tony Evans

This was a book I received from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger review program. I picked this book because I am trying to stretch myself to read things I wouldn't normally read.  

This one was too much of a stretch for me.

I couldn't finish it.  I tried and tried so hard to read this one.  The information in it is so good.  The problem I had was with the writing I think.  From one chapter to the other I couldn't seem to glean any one concept to hold on to. It's like the works went in through my eyes and out my ears without catching hold.

What did I get from this book?

The above said, I did see the reason he wrote the book. He believes that through prayer and testimonies it only takes 1 person to start a National Revival and we certainly do need that in these days.  I do want to pick it up again in the future and break it down for you and myself chapter by chapter someday, until then, my suggestion would be to read it if you like books chocked full of scripture and information.  For me it showed me how far away from academia I am and what I might need to do to read this in the future.

Until next time....All for the Glory of God!

2 Chronicles 7:14

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan

This is something that has brought to my attention greatly lately. It has been weighing on my heart.  Last week I shared about Voice of the Martyrs(VOM).  This week and over the next month I am going to focus on how Christians can pray for Muslims.  

You might be struggling with this, fearful of those emotions bubbling up inside.  I was you once upon a time. I had hate in my heart, mostly due to ignorance. So here is my attempt to help you understand so those feelings bubbling up can be set at peace.  The peace of Christ.

Let's start with this:  Here's a straight forward article about  Ramadan 2017 and why Muslims fast.  

Here is a cool comparison from a Christian website that I use to reference a lot. What is the difference between Christianity and Islam?

Now that you have this info, what now?

Check out this video 30 Days of Prayer

Here are some websites to help you pray:

Called to Pray  : You can sign up for daily prayer emails that shares a story of one young man and his family and how they are affected by Ramadan

30 Days of Prayer : You can pay a small fee to download a prayer guide. In some parts of the world you can get the booklets.

Pray for the Arabian Peninsula : You can download a free pdf that shows you countries and their specific need for prayer.

Pray for ISIS :  Yes, I just wrote that.  Did you know that Paul, the author of many of the books of the bible, persecuted Christians for their beliefs before he converted to Christianity?  God can do a miracle with people you would never think to pray for.

It only takes 1 voice, You!

God hears ours prayers.  He might never answer them in the time we would like but he always answers them.  Often times he will do so in a form we don't like right now, but when hind sight hits it is a serious 2 x 4 to the forehead.

Come along side me and so many others during this time.  It only takes a few minutes a day.

Follow me on Facebook where I will be sharing the Called to Pray emails.

Share with me your feelings and thoughts through your journey.

My heart aches for those who don't know Jesus or deny him.  

Voice of the Martyrs-International Non-Profit

What is Voice of the Martyrs?  Who are they?  Voice of the Martyrs

VOM’s Mission Statement
Serving persecuted Christians through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the Body of Christ into fellowship with them.

Their website has a lot of information on it, check it out for yourself and see what tugs at your heart.

How it touches me
I don't remember the first time I heard about VOM. I think it was when I was listening to a broadcast online through either Focus on the Family or some other Christian daily broadcast program, it could have been through my husband who heard something as well. We looked into this program and felt we needed to help, even just a little every month for those who are being persecuted for their beliefs.

As Americans we often take for granted out freedoms. Especially our religious freedoms. All over the world there are countries where it is illegal to believe in anything other than the country's decided faith and the penalty in most of those countries is either prison or sometimes death.

As a Christian myself, I have this struggle with sharing my faith with strangers and even sometimes family, because it often ends up in some kind of argument. The thing is, most of the time I am just telling people my story and hoping that they will somehow come to their own conclusion about what they believe.  

VOM has really helped me grow in my spiritual walk this past few months.  They have this amazing App for smart phones and tablets that is free.  It helps give daily knowledge of places around the globe where people are being persecuted and how to pray for them. They have amazing resources you can sign up to receive, they will send you calendars, maps and newsletters to help you understand what is really happening around the world.

If you are more of a visual person then check out their You Tube Channel, they also have a Facebook Page, Twitter & Pinterest Page.

They have some amazing books that have been written, although they are in my to be read pile, which is getting bigger and bigger.

What does it mean for you?

Well this is a really good question that anything you read should get you to ask yourself. When you read, watch or hear something and don't do anything with that information then it just kind of sits there in the back of your brain and sometimes becomes an after thought or even leaves altogether.  I encourage you to figure out how this type of information truly affects you and DO something about it.

Do you have an extra $10.00 a month you could donate to help people around the world have freedom to their beliefs? Donate Here

Perhaps a one time donation of any amount?  They also have an option to pick certain things to give, action packs, bibles, etc...

Do you have a few extra minutes in your day where you could learn about another country and how to pray for them?  Online Prayer Resource, Android App, iPhone App


What if you aren't a Christian yourself?

I encourage you to ask yourself questions about your beliefs.  Go read the Bible.  Some of you might be saying "yeah right Christie, I'm going to read a book that was made how many hundreds of years ago that I have no understanding of their culture or what they are trying to say"  or "who has time for that?"

If you have time to check Facebook several times a day, or twitter or instagram or pinterest or any other online thing that is a true time sucker then you have a few minutes to dive into your faith and beliefs.  

NO JUDGEMENT HERE

Seriously, I get caught up in the day to day time sucker that is social media. I allow myself leeway on these types of things as long as I am getting the more important things done as well.

Check out the following links to a few website and check out some apps as well for daily encouragement.

Bible Gateway
Got Questions

If you are looking for a free bible app for your devices then You Version is my favorite. They have daily devotionals, so many translations, videos, the bible can be read aloud to you, and they have an amazing kids bible app that my kids absolutely loved.

Wrapping it up

Do something, take the next step.  It amazes me how much grace God has given us as a people.  I am always in awe of the cross and the ultimate sacrifice.

We are called to go and make disciples, Matthew 28:19, we are also called to help those who are persecuted for their beliefs with action.  It has made an amazing impact on my prayer life and opened my eyes up to the world we live in today.  So much suffering can lead to so much pain.  It only takes 1 person to make a change and the rest might follow.    

Will you follow Him?