God's Beautiful Squirrel

I'm not much of a photographer, but this little fellow came out really good! (Thanks again, Aunt Linda, for a camera with such a good zoom.)

Thanking God for a Multigenerational Church

We're blessed to be in a church that has bucked the modern trend towards separating people into groups by season of life. I'm glad I had my camera handy yesterday as Michael was pushing Agnes in her wheelchair. If I'd been faster, you would have gotten to see the little girl at right (and her younger brother, who scampered off camera) giving Agnes a hug.

Another "VOMiracle"

It seems that I experience God's hand of blessing more in my work with VOM than in any other area of my life. This is not because there is anything special about VOM itself as an organization. I think it's more because God really cares for His persecuted children, who are joyfully revealing His glory in the middle of circumstances that would crush a non-Christian.

This month, another of these "VOMiracles" arrived unexpectedly.

David Witt of Spirit of Martyrdom forwarded me a speaking opportunity that he was too booked to take. It turned out to be at the Christian K-8 school in Phoenix where I went to preschool (a looooooong time ago). It was an opportunity to give chapel services for a total of about 420 kids. I have never given a VOM presentation to children before and didn’t want to risk an opportunity this large as my “experiment”. Lu, one of the other Arizona reps, volunteered to take it. The event was scheduled for November 12th.

On November 5th, out of the blue, I got this email:

Hi Daniel,

I don't know if you remember me and my sisters but we sang for the VOM conference in Flagstaff AZ in July and then the week after we helped at the Homeschooling convention at the VOM Kids of courage table.

I was just writing because I wanted to see if there was any events coming up that we could help at. I am singing at an Arab Baptist church this weekend and I am in charge of the youth revival meeting. I’m going to sing some of my songs there and I'm going to read Kids of Courage stories to them and pray with them about the persecuted church.

I'm writing, too because I joined “Be-A-Voice" network back in July but I feel like I am not doing enough to help. I need some ideas of how to be a better “Voice":)

The family of the girl who wrote this note (from whom I had not heard since July) happens to live in Phoenix. In fact, they happened to live about 2 minutes away from the school where Lu would be speaking the next week! Needless to say, God worked it out so she was able to come assist Lu at the event and Lu was able to give her some further advice on how she can be ministering. Don’t you love how God put all this together? It started with David’s spirit of generosity. He could have tried to get the school to postpone the event to a date he was able to take. Then, God had Lu in place with her experience speaking to children. And who better to give advice to a young woman seeking God’s direction than an older woman like Lu who has walked with God for many years?

Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine -- in 1961!

This is amazing. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history! See if this message doesn't sound hauntingly relevant for today.



Ronald Reagan recorded this in 1961 to help the American Medical Association in their (unsuccessful) opposition to creation of Medicare.

Thanksgiving: A day to pray for Muslim Pilgrims

On the day when Americans remember the Pilgrims who fled to America to escape religious persecution in England and secularism in Holland, many Muslims will be making pilgrimage to Mecca. This year's Muslim Hajj happens to fall from November 25 to 29. Let's use our Thanksgiving holiday to pray for God to open the eyes of Muslim pilgrims. Here is a short video with details, and here is a PDF.

Mom's Fragile Plateau

It's been a while since I've given you all an update on Mom. She seems to have reached a plateau of sorts, where she is neither getting worse nor getting better. Through the daily combination of oil of oregano, magnesium oxide, back massages, resting in the recliner, and incredible quantity of prunes, dates, and raisins, she's been able to force her reluctant colon to keep moving.

It appears she has developed a painful dental cavity because of eating so much fruit and not being able to brush her teeth often enough. She has a dentist appointment for next Monday. Getting into a dental chair (and staying in it long enough to get a filling) may be tough for her, so your prayers continue to be appreciated!

Some days are worse than others. Nevertheless, we're grateful for each new day with her. By God's grace she's been able to spend some of her strength ministering to others in the middle of her own suffering.

On Sunday at church, I discovered just how well suffering can prepare for ministry. A bubbly older woman with a cane greeted me. I had first met her on Sunday the 8th. I was embarrassed to discover that she remembered my name while I had forgotten hers. Even more impressively, she remembered that I had not been there on the 15th. I explained that Dad and I take turns staying home with Mom.

After the service as she was leaving she said, "I hope your Mom has a good week." I was immediately struck by how perfect these words were and wondered why I had never thought to say something like that to others who are going through times of extended pain. A person unfamiliar with long-term illness would normally say, "I hope your Mom gets well soon." But in these situations, one doesn't normally think ahead more than a week (or even a day, at times). There are good days and bad days and they can change either direction quickly. Her wish for a good week touched us right where we are living.

Then I found out why her words were so appropriate. And why her bubbliness was not fake. She is caring for a man in the final stages of cancer. And the man is her ex-husband.

Free Audiobook: Desiring God

This month I discovered ChristianAudio.com, a site which sells recordings of various Christian books. Each month they offer one title for free, and this month's is John Piper's classic, Desiring God. Although I've read other Piper works, I had never read this one even though I knew it was his first (and most popular) work.



We have been listening to it as a family. The recording quality is surprisingly professional. The content of the book is very thought-provoking. It has already changed my way of thinking, and we're not even done with the book yet. Some things I have learned:

• When we worship God out of duty rather than delight, it exalts us and dishonors God. It basically says, "God is boring, but I'm such a spiritual person that I can worship Him in spite of His shortcomings."
• For the same reason, we should come to God to receive (more of Him) rather than to give. This one you have to kind of think about and define more clearly to understand. But if we try to pay God back, it is actually an act of pride. ("I'm not a total beggar, at least let me give you ten cents for salvation!")
  
• Besides saving us from the penalty, power, and presence of sin, Jesus also saves us from the pleasure of sin.
• Becoming a Christian means not only receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord, but also as Treasure.
  

It really makes you rethink things. Using the word "hedonist" in a positive way is a really hard thing to get your mind around, but Piper does a thorough job explaining and backing up his points with Scripture.