Tag: children

  • Africa: Faith in a House of Cards

    Africa: Faith in a House of Cards

    Americans, Europeans, many South Americans, South Africans, Australians, upper class Indians and upper class Asians of countries like China and Japan are very blessed.

    Even though we may be poor compared to most of our own countrymen, most ‘relatively rich’ Christians (like us) do NOT see and hear the great need of many brothers and sisters in Christ, let alone the great needs of Christian missions to others in countries and states hostile to Christ Jesus.

    How often do you hear of Christian Missions in places like Cameroon and Central African Republic?

    Central African RepublicThe MAP of our world changes continually, nowhere more radically than Africa. The reasons do not change: greed, power and control by religion (especially Islam, but also others).

    Here is a better current perspective to ‘world history’ than a schooling from ancient textbooks of the 20th century. Visit any continent (courtesy BBC country profiles) like this one for Africa. Facts & History will reveal an ongoing battle of Islamist radicals and others to displace and defeat Christians.

    As you may know from Sudan and other troubled places in Africa, greed and radical religious beliefs know NO boundaries. Patient authoritarian Islamist leaders aggravate and stir the hatreds of hot spots from their comfortable places in Saudi Arabia, Iran and many other countries.

    Persecuted Christians on all continents and the Christian missions which bring the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the unsaved have been on my heart for many months now.  Many fine missionary organizations support these through our many small contributions though our local churches.

    Check with your own church and you can often find ways to contribute even more to these MANY needs.  Just one example of our church is Operation Christmas Child.

    I know you know John 3:16; do you know 1 John 3:16? (& 17 & 18)?

    For truth we do not hear and in deed we have no charity (agapē).

    The Middle East typically receives the most press. As a reminder, many of the troubled countries are part of N. Africa.

    On occasion we will hear of troubles of Somalia, Kenya, or other African peoples in struggles against the tyranny of evil, greed, military force,  rebels, anarchists, Islamists,  forces of  ‘nature’, famine, war… etc. etc… while mention of the daily struggles and needs of the poor remain rare.

    MISSIONARIES NARROWLY ESCAPE COUP IN AFRICA

    Posted by  on Friday, May 10, 2013

    Here is the full story you never hear from just five months ago. Please pray for and support the missions of these faithful Christians.

    ghana

    One might be shocked to learn that some areas of Africa have become mighty fortresses for Christ, but great need persists for these faithful Christian brothers and sisters, especially for many abandoned children who would have no hope were it not for the love of these faithful Christians.

    Ghana, a country once known as a place where Portuguese and British ruled and exported slaves into other parts of the world has now become a place where the freedom of Christianity is sent into other parts of Africa.

    Never-the-less, Americans, Europeans and others do not realize the extent of poverty in nations such as Ghana, where the average annual income is only $1,410, compared to $48,620 in the US or $36,010 USD in Hong Kong or $80,440 in Qutar, a place for Arabian princes and World Capitalists to shelter their considerable wealth.

    2013-09-26 Saida's children

    Refugees from war-torn African nations and abandoned aids babies of immoral powerful men depend on the support, love and charity of Christian community and even homes of many compassionate Christians in places like Ghana.

    They depend on the financial support of Christian missions and a few individual Christian churches and missions.

    Please consider support and prayer for one of these welcomed into the love of Christ Jesus.

    These are the faces of orphans living in a Christian home in Ghana and provided for by a poor worker in a nearby home for other orphans.

    These are the faces of Christian love.  These little ones are also the faces of Christian need for a Christian sister with barely enough to keep food on their table.

    I will close with a personal story of Christian love from this beloved sister in Christ from just last SUNDAY, 6 OCTOBER, 2013 (a day our church feasts every month after first Sunday communion.)

    Ghana-Tracywe met Tracy last Sunday when she was at church Alone!

    She didn’t want to go back home because she was denied from eating food for the last four days as punishment for the not carrying her auntie’s baby!

    she preferred sleeping at church than going back home, so we went with her and talked to her auntie about it!

    she is now living a happy and hopeful life! Thank You for your prayers!!

    Who else will intervene for Jesus when others turn away the little children?

    If you can help in any small way, in addition to prayer, please visit the link behind  “Child Passion Children’s Home, with Patti Crabtree Brown and 22 others. we follow the biblical directive to rescue, love and care for orphans. We believe that when we do, we are following Christ’s commandment and are acting as His hands and feet.”

    Jesus said: And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” – Matthew 10:42

     

  • Hansel and Gretel – 2

    Hansel and Gretel – 2

    IF you have NOT already taken time to watch the Hosea Movie of a previous post, it is related to this series and I recommend it. Watch it as a family, if possible (80 min.); especially your teens.

    Roger Harned

    HANSEL & GRETEL – Chapter 2

    DIVORCE! in the Bible is more a picture of our broken relationship with God, than a contemporary image of broken vows between broken people with broken hopes and broken families.

    The truth of christian divorce remains a picture of our broken relationships with God.

    Where is your commitment to your vow in the Name of God?

    Where is your commitment to your Lord?

    Where is your commitment to your husband and lord of your family?

    Where is your commitment to the children of your bowels (to borrow from a  KJV lesser-known depiction of a deeper nature of the womb or compassion)?

    Jesus said: “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

    Pretty harsh words from our Lord.

    And what follows Jesus’ caution against divorce in Matthew 19?

    A lesson on the importance of children.

    My wife is a christian. She is NOT an unbeliever. I need not go into the difficult detail of our not-so-fabled pasts to say how our children of another husband or wife became step-children in our crumbling houses of gingerbread.

    The lesson for our Christian family relationships remains the same regardless of past circumstance:

    God is Father and Jesus IS Lord over every family.

    Rebellion of husband, wife or child is rebellion against Christ as LORD.

    The fear of a child, even in a house of faith, is well warranted.  Fear of our children as orphans as in the story of Hansel and Gretel is real.  Fear of our children as orphans as in Jesus’ mention of children immediately after His caution against divorce is real enough in our broken homes of this 21st century.

    Fear of separation from God for eternity ought to be the underlying motivation for ANY of our rebellion against a loving Father God and the blood of our redemption in Christ Jesus, His Son of the Cross.

    To be continued…

  • Barbara Ann Derksen – Christian Author

    Barbara Ann Derksen – Christian Author

    We are pleased to welcome Barbara Ann Derksen, Christian Author.  We look forward to her posts and reviews of her books for Christians, including her children’s stories.

    Roger Harned

    Barbara wrote on our Author site:

    I am the author of 18 books from a Christian worldview. I write mystery, devotionals, and children’s stories.

    She and her husband live in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada and travel by motorcycle throughout Canada and the US.

    Barbara’s devotionals are sought after each year when she publishes a new one that reflects what God has placed on her heart.