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Disappointment and Two Comforting Promises from God Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:04 AM PDT Where is God when tragedy strikes? Christine Caine shares two biblical truths that comforted her in the wake of a soul-crushing disappointment — a miscarriage. I recommend this excerpt from Undaunted to anyone who feels drained and discouraged by disappointments. -Adam Forrest Stuck in disappointment Learn More Disappointment is a sad and terribly lonely place. We all land there at some point in life. Your children move away and never call. Colleagues betray you. The company to which you’ve devoted your years “downsizes,” and you’re on the list right along with the newcomer and the slacker. The man you love doesn’t love you back. The perfect child you dream over and tend in pregnancy is born with defects that will make the rest of your life, and all your family members’ lives, nothing less than challenging. You get a disease or suffer an injury for which there is no relief or cure. Your investments dwindle. Friends disappear. The one you’ve prayed to find Jesus never does. Your dreams shatter. Best-laid plans go astray. Other Christians fail you. People disappoint you. You even disappoint yourself. Any one of these things can introduce sadness, discouragement, and dismay into your life; any of these things can daunt you. And the long series of disappointments you accumulate in a lifetime can stop you from moving forward into all the goodness God has planned for you — and that means they’ll be stopping not only you, but also all those God has destined you to reach along your life journey. After all, how can anyone stuck in their own disappointment help others out of theirs? How can you convince others of the wonder of God’s promises if you doubt them yourself? How can you share how God has saved you when you don’t feel saved at all? The miscarriage I had to resolve my own heartache if I expected to keep ministering to others in theirs. But [this miscarriage] would be a hard one to move beyond. Why is it that you can know in your head that God has your good in mind and can redeem any and every circumstance, and yet you can still feel hugely disappointed and deeply despondent? Your head tells you God is trustworthy — but in a moment of aching disappointment, your heart tells you he’s not even there. In my world and Nick’s, after the miscarriage, everything was not okay. If we were going to get through this without developing bitterness of spirit, we had to process our disappointment in a healthy way. We had to conclude for ourselves that the valley of death we were walking through isn’t, to borrow an image from Pilgrim’s Progress, a Slough of Despond from which we would never emerge, but simply a shadow, and that shadow would not define our lives. Christ does. And yet — this was not a job loss, or a financial reversal, or a wrecked car. This was the death of a long-awaited child, a child much-loved though I never had the chance to hold him in my arms or kiss his head or feel his breath on my face. This would be so hard to triumph over. If I were to move beyond the daunting disappointment of this moment, I would have to remind myself of things about God that I knew to be true, though they might not feel true at the moment. There was so much I did not know, yet I was determined to cling to what I did know. I turned to the only place I could in such grief. I turned to God’s Word. Let me share with you the truths that brought me deep comfort and helped me begin to accept the disappointments that we cannot escape in life. Two comforting promises from God 1. God is not unfair, silent, or hidden. God knows things we don’t know, and does things in ways we could never predict. He is infinite and we are finite. After all, God reminds us: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9) … We will never understand, this side of heaven, why bad things happen to us and those we love. Nor will we understand so many unexplainable tragedies in this world, from war to famine to earthquake. But just because we do not understand these things doesn’t mean we must stop trusting God, who has proven again and again that he loves us… 2. Jesus is with us through our heartache and leads us to something better ahead. Luke 24:13–35 tells of two disciples leaving Jerusalem after Jesus’ burial. On the road to a town called Emmaus, they were heartbroken and bitterly disappointed... They had hoped and believed that Jesus was the one sent to redeem Israel. But those hopes were shattered just as his body was shattered, and then beaten, bruised, crucified, and buried. Their dreams died on the cross with Jesus… A man met them on the road and walked along with them as they talked of these things. But they were so downcast, so crushed, they never took a good look at their fellow traveler. Their heads, like their hearts, were bent in despair. “What are you discussing?” the man asked. Amazed, they stopped. “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” one of the men, Cleopas, said. “What things?” the man asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” the men replied… It was then, when they looked up, that the man began explaining to them how Israel was going to be redeemed. He knew the promises of God by heart, and explained how those promises would be fulfilled in such a way that they would change the world. A new kingdom was at hand. Walking alongside him, the disciples listened. Before they knew it, they reached Emmaus, their destination… “Stay with us,” the disciples urged. He did, and when they all sat down to eat that night, at the table, he “took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.” Jesus! Their eyes were opened. The one walking with them through their disappointment, the one who gave them hope that God had a plan, a plan so big that even a crucifixion couldn’t stop it, a plan that would in fact use the crucifixion to redeem the world — was Jesus himself. He was not only alive but here, right in front of them, blessing them, feeding them, walking them through their deepest disappointment. He had not left them; he had not forsaken them. How blinded we become by disappointment! Sometimes, like the disciples, we’re so blind that we can’t see Jesus walking with us through our heartache, leading us to something better ahead. He wants to show us that God has made a way for us that leads far beyond disappointment. God has big plans for us — things to do, people to see, places to go… Christ promises us that, beyond disappointment, something better awaits us. Some mission God designed just for us, custom tailored — something that takes us not on a road to nowhere but to a place where we can feed others just as he has fed us. “Go,” he told his disciples in Matthew 28:16–20. Go into all the world. Keep going past disappointment. Go and share everything I’ve shared with you. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Just as he blessed the disciples at the end of the hard road to Emmaus with the yeasty goodness of fresh-baked bread, he blesses us so that we can bless others — and then he invites us to accompany him further down that road, looking for others knocked off their feet by hurt and heartache. -From Undaunted by Christine Caine (@ChristineCaine)   Learn More Learn more about Christine Caine’s new book Undaunted: Daring to Do what God Calls You to Do   (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

4 Things Girls Should Know About Talking to Guys Online Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:01 PM PDT   This post has been adapted from an excerpt of The Whole Guy Thing: What Every Girl Needs to Know about Crushes, Friendship, Relating, and Dating, by Nancy Rue.  Is it okay to chat with a guy online? Girls frequently confide in me that it's so much easier for them to establish a friendship with a guy on Facebook or via e-mail or even texting. Here's what they've said: “I've been talking to a guy I know on Facebook for the last few nights and he's very interesting. He's eighteen and I'm fifteen, but I like that he actually uses intelligent-sounding words and is smart. I wouldn't want to go out with him, but as a friend he seems cool. And yet, do I really know him?” and: “I usually start my friendships with guys on Facebook, like this new guy in our class. I didn't talk to him because I'm shy around people I don't know well. But on Facebook we talked for like an hour. It just helps to break the ice.” Social networking can be a total blast, and it eliminates that awkward "what do I do with my arms?" and "I bet my face looks red as a beefsteak tomato right now." If both you and a guy you're chatting with on Facebook are being real, it can be a way to start getting to know each other. And if he lives far away, you've taken your friendships global. There are benefits to online friendships, but the issue with the Internet is that it can also be used in the wrong way as well. It was created to give everybody a voice, but there are some voices you don't need to hear. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use the social network to develop friendships. You just have to be super careful. 4 Helpful Hints: 1. If you have never actually met the guy you're chatting with (as in, you haven't seen each other's real faces!)… …don't give away any personal or contact information. (Which means keep all of that out of your profile too.) Let your conversations be light and focused on interests you share, rather than on your virtual feelings for each other. Not to make you paranoid, but you really don't know who this guy is and whether anything he's saying is the truth. Definitely do NOT agree to meet with him, and if he asks, make sure you tell an adult you trust. 2. If you have met the guy and you're keeping in touch because he lives someplace else… …take the same approach as if you'd never seen him in person. Unless you know you're going to get together again, under safe circumstances, there's really no point in going for deep soul-sharing. Becoming emotionally involved with someone you've barely met is never a good idea. 3. If your text/email/Facebook guy friend is somebody you see often (church, school, sports, that kind of thing)… …talking via the Internet can indeed help you get past the initial shyness and keep you from turning into a sweaty mess the minute he looks at you. It will be like picking up the conversation where you left it when you signed off. 4. No matter what the situation is with an Internet friend… …remember that everything you post is potentially public. That's actually a good thing. It makes you think before you hit Enter: Is this something I'd want my mom and dad to see? Do I actually want the entire world to know this? One girl sums it up beautifully: "I used to have all these guy friends on Facebook. But then I realized it was kind of a problem for me because, like . . . I didn't know who they truly were. They could say all this stuff about themselves and then not act like it in person. And you'll say stuff you never would to someone's face. People are so different on them computer than in real life — they' ll say nasty or intimate things they would never say in person. So now I don't do involved talking over the Internet because it has ruined a lot of friendships." Learn More What will that look like? That depends on your personality and his, though God does give us some basics to go on. The most important thing to remember is that your relationships should be based on love, whether online or in the real world. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8 and see if you can envision the picture as it applies to you. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (NIV) What Do You Think? Do you have any advice about talking to guys on Facebook, e-mail, or texting? Is your relationship based on real love (not necessarily romantic love) and respect like 1 Corinthians suggests? Are you a parent who has experience on this topic or found this post helpful? Tell us your thoughts! About Nancy Rue Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee. To learn more about Nancy, visit: NancyRue.com   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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Pray for the Persecuted Posted: 27 Sep 2012 11:00 PM PDT In “the Mountains” of North Korea In a two-part prayer update from Open Doors, a little bit of light has been shed on the dark and painful lives of North Koreans suffering in labor camps. Especially Christians. And this is not just due to the fact that Open Doors is a ministry devoted to supporting persecuted Christians around the world. The reality is that believers actually suffer more because of their faith in Jesus. In one firsthand account, Christians are individually and regularly brought before the other 6,000 prisoners of a particular camp and asked to deny their faith. Former prisoner Kim Tae-Jin said of the requests, “If not, they were beaten or stabbed with a sharp bamboo stick. I was amazed the Christians chose to suffer and did not betray their God. Often they just sang songs or said 'Amen.' The guards became furious and frequently killed Christians. The Christians also had to do the most dangerous and hardest work, like working in the rubbery factory. If a guard managed to force a Christian to denounce God, he or she would receive a promotion. Sometimes we had to walk over the Christian until he died." There are two types of prison camps in North Korea – smaller, penitentiary-type “reeducation” camps, and larger, political  camps.  Being “sent to the mountains” is bad news for anyone, but more so for Christians, who are automatically put in “the larger political camps [that] resemble the infamous camps of Hitler, Stalin and Mao. These ‘political prisoners’ work from 18 to 20 hours a day on little or no food.” These are called “total control zones” and are almost always a permanent sentence – often a death one.  The scene here is evil and gruesome.  The “walking dead” go about in rags, overworked and underfed.  Some suffer from injuries that have faded into permanent deformities. The starving die. Minds are crushed. Girls are abused. People are tortured. Babies are killed. And Christians are targeted. Pray… … for believers suffering in these horrible conditions to remain steadfast in their faith, unwavering in their conviction, and unrelenting in their love for God.  May they not fear man above Him, their Creator, Sovereign Lord, and Savior. … for comfort, endurance, love, and wisdom for believers, both those single and those in families, who are tempted to despair. … for the light of their witness to shine forth to those suffering around them, including the harsh prison guards who are no more lost than any nonbeliever. … for many to “see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:3). To read more about the labor camps in the mountains of North Korea, read the Open Doors prayer updates entitled “Here Is Where We Live, Work and Die,” part one and part two – “Voices from the Prison Camps.”

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Weekly Prayer Updates Update 09/28/2012

vom groups weekly prayer updates "Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18 VOM-USA Prayer Update for September 28, 2012 On Thu. Sep 27 2012 at 03:17 PM Moderator wrote: Sierra Leone--More Muslims Converting to Christianity Source: VOM Contacts Psalm 22:22–24 In the past year, more Muslim leaders in Sierra Leone have converted to Christianity than ever before, according to a VOM partner. "My heart is overflowing with joy, by taking a brief reflection on what the Lord has accomplished," he said. Evangelists in the area, all of whom are converts from Islam, have received support and tools that enable them to go farther for ministry and to visit converts more often. They are using motorcycles and bicycles to reach new communities, and they are providing the communities with solar and crank radios that broadcast Christian radio programs. "Most evenings brings a group of new converts together to listen," the VOM partner said. "The result and outcome of these tools cannot be overemphasized." Praise God for these new Christian converts in Sierra Leone. Kazakhstan--Uzbek Pastor Facing Extradition Sources: VOM Canada, Forum 18 News Revelation 2:10 An Uzbek pastor who fled Uzbekistan in 2007 has been arrested in Kazakhstan and faces extradition to his home country on charges of illegally teaching religion and distributing literature. Makset Djabbarbergenov, whose wife is expecting their fifth child, was arrested after police held his sister-in-law for two weeks in an effort to discover his whereabouts. The 32-year-old pastor faces up to three years in prison on each charge. A court in Kazakhstan has ordered that Makset be detained until the General Prosecutor's Office decides whether to extradite him to Uzbekistan. Please pray that Makset will not be turned over to Uzbek authorities. Pray that his growing family will not be fearful but will continue to trust God. Laos--Five Christian Leaders Arrested Source: VOM Contacts Psalm 69:33 On Sept. 11, three Laotian pastors and two other Christian leaders were arrested by district police. The three pastors were bound with chains and sent to the Phin distric prison, while the two others were turned over to provincial leaders and released two days later. The three pastors are enduring harsh conditions in prison -- all remain in handcuffs and one is in stocks, bound by the ankles. District police have visited the pastors' homes and churches, asking members where their churches obtain funds, why they became Christians and whom the pastors have led to Christ. All three pastors remain in prison, and two are seriously ill. Pray that God will grant these pastors strength and endurance. Pray that authorities will provide them with needed medical treatment. North Africa VOM Project Pray for a team of teachers working in a "Mobile Bible School." The teachers travel across the country in a van, teaching in underground Bible schools. ************* • Printer-Friendly Format • Add the PrisonerAlert application on Facebook • Download the prayer application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Download the photo issue application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Digital versions of our books are available on the Amazon.com Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK bookstores: search for Living Sacrifice Book Company Suggested Links Persecution.com The Voice of the Martyrs official homepage. Find links to our programs, read news about recent events, and learn more about the organization. VOMBooks.com Order books, videos, and other materials related to the persecuted church through our secure online store. Like us on Facebook Become a fan of VOM on Facebook! Connect with other fans and discuss recent events. PrisonerAlert.com Write to a Christian Prisoner in their own language! Use our letter-writing template online to build your letter, and send it by mail to a needy Christian. Follow us on Twitter Follow VOM-USA on Twitter for updates and prayer requests. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Weekly Prayer Updates topic at www.vomgroups.com. If you have received this email in error or if you wish to unsubscribe, click here.

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On Parenting and Praying for Your Children: Bad News, Good News, and Great News Posted: 27 Sep 2012 09:01 AM PDT Parents: Here’s some empowering news for your parenting journey, courtesy of Mark Batterson (parent, pastor, author of The Circle Maker). This post is an excerpt of Praying Circles around Your Children, which is free to download for a limited time — find out where you can download it after the jump. My deepest desire and greatest challenge Learn More I want to be famous in my home… Parenting our three children is far more difficult and far more important than pastoring thousands of people. Just the other day, I said to Lora, "I feel like we'll finally figure out this parenting thing the same day our kids leave home!" The truth is, we'll never figure it out, because children are moving targets. Just when you think you have them pegged, they become toddlers or teenagers or twenty-somethings, and you're right back at square one. All you can do is learn a few lessons along the way and enjoy the journey. I have discovered one thing, however, that makes all the difference in the world. Make sure the heavenly Father hears about your kids daily! The Bad News, Good News, and Great News Right at the outset, let me give you some bad news, some good news, and some great news about parenting and praying for your children. The bad news first: You'll make a lot of mistakes. You'll lose your patience. You'll lose your temper. You might even lose your mind a time or two. If you feel like a failure at the end of most days, welcome to my world. My parenting ineptitude is epitomized by one shining moment when our oldest son, Parker, was a toddler. He had a fitful night full of tears, and I couldn't understand why. Then he crawled into our room in the middle of the night. I was too tired to take him back to his bed, so I reached down to pull him into ours. That's when I realized why he had been crying. A bare butt was the tip-off that I had forgotten to put a diaper on him when I put him to bed. It's amazing our kids even survive our parenting, isn't it? …. Now here's the good news: Your worst mistakes double as your greatest opportunities. How will your kids learn to apologize unless you model it for them, to them? Your mistakes give you the opportunity to teach them one of the most important lessons they'll ever learn — how to say "I'm sorry." I have a very simple parenting philosophy that boils down to just three words: please, sorry, and thanks. If all else fails, I want to teach my kids to be really good at saying these words. And then doing them. If they master these three words, they're well on their way to great marriages, great friendships, or great relationships with God. Finally, here's the great news: Prayer covers a multitude of sins. You don't have to do everything right as a parent, but there is one thing you cannot afford to get wrong. That one thing is prayer. You'll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent. Prayer is your highest privilege as a parent. There is nothing you can do that will have a higher return on investment. In fact, the dividends are eternal. Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren, and every generation that follows… -From Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson (@MarkBatterson) For a limited time – download Praying Circles around Your Children for free. Download the eBook from your favorite etailer: • on amazon.com • on barnesandnoble.com • on christianbook.com • on gospelebooks.com • on iTunes We recommend you download it today — the offer could disappear any day!   Learn More Learn more about Praying Circles around Your Children: Find the Answers for Your Whole Life   (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

How to Be a Faithful Stumbler Posted: 27 Sep 2012 06:45 AM PDT When you’ve failed, what comes more naturally to you — to deny your failure, or to claim it? Find out what Peter’s example shows us about how we can grow from failure. (This is an excerpt from the NIV Life Journey Bible by doctors John Townsend and Henry Cloud.) -Adam Forrest While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. -Mark 14:66-72 Mistakes are not the end Learn More Peter had failed profoundly. Rather than stand up and publicly state his allegiance for his endangered Lord and friend, Peter denied knowing Jesus. And though this failure was significant, it was not final. Peter grew from his mistakes, and Jesus reinstated him [see John 21:15-19]. By all Biblical and historical accounts, the restored Peter was a tremendous leader in the early church. We need to embrace failure when it occurs. People who spend their lives trying to avoid or deny failure are also eluding maturity. The Bible is full of examples of faithful stumblers who through perseverance and love of God became mature people… Perhaps that is why God decided to include people who failed as examples to us of faith. When we are growing, we are drawn to individuals who bear battle scars, worry furrows and tear marks on their faces. Their lessons can be trusted much more than the unlined faces of those who have never failed — and so have never truly lived. -From The NIV Life Journey Bible with notes by Dr. Henry Cloud (@DrHenryCloud) and Dr. John Townsend (@DrJohnTownsend)   Learn More Learn more about The NIV Life Journey Bible: Find the Answers for Your Whole Life Postscript: It strikes me that when Christ offers forgiveness to Peter, Peter had the option of rejecting it. Peter could have said, “No Lord, I don’t deserve to be forgiven or to be a part of your church.” But Peter did accept Christ’s grace… Is there an area of your life where you need to ask for and accept Christ’s grace? -AF (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

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2 Opposing Pictures of Greatness: Herod the Great vs. Jesus the Child Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:23 AM PDT Does it seem strange to you that Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, entered the world as a helpless infant? What are we to make of this? John Ortberg reflects on the crucial differences between Jesus and his contemporary, King Herod, in this excerpt from Who Is This Man. -Adam Forrest The friend of Romans and the friend of sinners Learn More He entered the world with no dignity. He would have been known as a mamzer, a child whose parents were not married. All languages have a word for mamzer, and all of them are ugly. His cradle was a feeding trough. His nursery mates had four legs. He was wrapped in rags. He was born in a cave, targeted for death, raised on the run. He would die with even less dignity: convicted, beaten, bleeding, abandoned, naked, shamed. He had no status. Dignity on the level of a king is the last word you would associate with Jesus. There is a king in the story, though. Jesus was born “during the time of King Herod.” To an ancient reader, Herod — not Jesus — would have been the picture of greatness. Born of noble birth, leader of armies, Herod was so highly regarded by the Roman Senate that they gave him the title “King of the Jews” when he was only thirty-three years old. He was so politically skilled that he held on to his throne for forty years, even persuading Caesar Augustus to retain him after he had backed Caesar’s mortal enemy, Mark Antony. He was the greatest builder of his day. “No one in Herod’s period built so extensively with projects that shed such a bright light on that world.” The massive stones of the temple he built are visible two thousand years later. Jesus was a builder. A carpenter. He likely did construction in a town called Sepphoris for one of Herod’s sons. Nothing he built is known to endure. In the ancient world, all sympathies would have rested with Herod. He was nearer to the gods, guardian of the Pax Romana, adviser to Caesar. The definitive biography of him is called: Herod: King of the Jews, Friend of the Romans. The two phrases are connected: if Herod were not a friend of the Romans, he would not be king of the Jews. Jesus would be called “friend of sinners.” It was not a compliment. He would be arrested as an enemy of the Romans. Herod ruled in a time when only the ruthless survived. He cowered before no one. He had ten or eleven wives. He suspected the ambitions of the only one he ever truly loved, so he had her executed. He also had his mother-in-law, two of his brothers-in-law, and two of his own sons by his favorite wife executed. When his old barber tried to stick up for his sons, he had his barber executed. Caesar remarked that (given the Jewish refusal to eat pork) it was better to be Herod’s pig than his son. Herod rewarded his friends and punished his enemies, the sign of a greatsouled man in his day. Jesus, when he was a man, would be nearly as silent and passive before Herod’s successor as he was when he was a baby before Herod. Herod clung to his title to the end. While he was dying, he had a group of protestors arrested, the ringleaders burned alive, and the rest executed. Five days before his death, he had another son executed for trying to grab power prematurely. His will instructed scores of prominent Israelites be executed on the day he died so there would be weeping in Israel. Herod was considered by Rome the most effective ruler over Israel the empire ever had. No one would bear that title “King of the Jews” again, except for a crucifixion victim impaled for a few hours one Friday afternoon. We are used to thinking of Herod as the cardboard villain of the Christmas pageant, but he would have been considered great by many in his day, especially those whose opinion would have mattered most. How greatness came to look different to the world is part of what this story is about. No one knew it yet, but an ancient system of Dignity was about to collapse. Human dignity itself would descend from its Herod-protecting perch and go universal… When Herod heard of Jesus The lives of Herod and Jesus intersected when magi from the East asked where they could find the one born (notice the title) “king of the Jews.” Herod claimed to follow the religion of Israel, but it was the pagan magi who sought truth with respect and humility. There is something about this Jesus, even on his first day, that had a way of forcing people to declare where they stand. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed” (major understatement here), “…and all Jerusalem with him.” Now it’s clear why. Herod “was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under… Jesus’ parents would flee to Egypt. “The Great” vs. “the child” Meanwhile, Jesus lay helpless and unaware. Herod, who built cities and ruled armies, was called Herod the Great. No one called Jesus “the Great.” Jesus is repeatedly given a different title by Matthew: ” 'Go and search carefully for the child' … the place where the child was … they saw the child with his mother … 'take the child … and escape to Egypt' … 'take the child … and go to the land of Israel' … so he got up, took the child.” The title “child,” especially in that day, would be a vivid contrast with “king” or “great.” In the ancient, status-ordered world, children were at the bottom of the ladder. In both Greek and Latin, the words for children meant “not speaking'; children lacked the dignity of reason. Plato wrote about the “mob of motley appetites pains and pleasures” one would find in children, along with slaves and women. Children were noted for fear, weakness, and helplessness. “None among all the animals is so prone to tears,” wrote Pliny the Elder. To be a child was to be dependent, defenseless, fragile, vulnerable, at risk… The greatest in the kingdom of heaven One day Jesus was asked the question, “Who … is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew wrote, “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them… And he said: ‘…Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Jesus said it wasn’t the child’s job to become like Herod. It was Herod’s job to become like the child. Greatness comes to people who die to appearing great. No one else in the ancient world — not even the rabbis — used children as an example of conversion. Then Jesus said the kind of thing that would literally never enter the mind of another human being to say: “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” … The child in Bethlehem would grow up to be a friend of sinners, not a friend of Rome. He would spend his life with the ordinary and the unimpressive. He would pay deep attention to lepers and cripples, to the blind and the beggar, to prostitutes and fishermen, to women and children. He would announce the availability of a kingdom different from Herod’s, a kingdom where blessing — of full value and worth with God — was now conferred on the poor in spirit and the meek and the persecuted. People would not understand what all this meant. We still do not. But a revolution was starting — a slow, quiet movement that began at the bottom of society and would undermine the pretensions of the Herods. It was a movement that was largely underground, like a cave around Bethlehem where a dangerous baby might be born and hidden from a king. -John Ortberg (@johnortberg) Learn More Learn more in John Orberg’s new book Who Is This Man: Daring to Do what God Calls You to Do (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

When Life Turns You Upside-Down Posted: 25 Sep 2012 01:11 PM PDT Life will turn you upside-down, writes Christine Caine in this excerpt from Undaunted. We can’t control when life-changing news hits, but when it does, we (and God) can still do something about what happens next. I was inspired by Christine’s insights and I hope you’ll enjoy this too. -Adam Forrest “What are you going to do?” Learn More Life will eventually turn every person upside down, inside out. No one is immune. Not the mom in the suburbs who finds out her teen daughter is pregnant. Not the husband who is entangled in an affair with a woman not his wife. Not the kid whose parents are strung out on drugs. Not the girl entrenched in human trafficking. Not the boy with HIV or his brother hungry and without any prospect of enough to eat. Not the woman who finds out her whole sense of identity is based on a family connection that turns out to be a lie. Not you. Not me. But just as life will upend you, so will love. Love has the power to undo you for fear of losing it, as it did my parents over the thought of George and me discovering our adoption. Love has the power to bewilder, as it does when a baby, new life, comes to you. Love like Christ’s God’s love, which knows you and claimed you before you were even born, can take you beyond yourself, as it did Jesus, who left heaven to go to the cross and pass through the grave in order to bring us back home. His love can bring you through emotional earthquakes, as it did me the afternoon I was told news that could have flattened me but was carried by God’s promises. Love like Christ’s can lift you out of betrayal and hurt. It can deliver you from any mess. Love like that can release you from every prison of fear and confusion. And love like God’s can fill you up till it spills out of you, and you have to speak about it, share it, spread it around. "What are you going to do?" my coworkers asked. Well, I had definitely been affected by the news of my adoption. Despite my resolute (or was it desperate?) clinging to God’s Word and his promises, I’d have been something other than human if I hadn’t been emotionally stunned by what I’d learned that day. But I was not going to allow myself to be daunted by it. I had watched so many people allow life-changing news like this drive them into anger, resentment, and depression, to push them to question their identity and self-worth and value. I knew how potentially daunting this news could be if I did not choose, on that day and for all days ahead, to bring each of my thoughts and feelings into compliance with what I knew of God. I chose to trust that, in ways I could not yet see, God would use this. God would not only uphold me as I worked through it, but he would honor it by pointing out ways in which this totally unexpected and life-changing revelation could be used for his glory. I had no idea yet what those ways would be. But I had faith that they would come. And as you will see, they did. What was I going to do? I thought as my meeting with my team turned from my own concerns to those of others, those our group had been called to serve. Love, I thought. I am going to love others like I never had before.   -From Undaunted by Christine Caine (@ChristineCaine) Learn More Learn more about Christine Caine’s story in her new book Undaunted: Daring to Do what God Calls You to Do (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

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Secret Church 13: Simulcast Registration Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:12 PM PDT Secret Church is coming! On Good Friday, March 29, 2013 from 6pm until midnight (CDT), we will gather together again to dive into the Word and spend time praying for Christians experiencing persecution around the world. Once again we are partnering with LifeWay Christian Resources to simulcast Secret Church, and we would love for you to join us! Registration for simulcast hosts will begin on Monday, October 1. If you’ve never joined us for a simulcast before, it’s super easy. You can join us from home, school, work, church, or practically anywhere else in the world. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. To learn more about Secret Church, go here. To learn more about the Secret Church simulcast or to register, go here.

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Can You Change Someone Else? Posted: 24 Sep 2012 09:32 AM PDT Can you change someone through prayer, good advice, and lots of elbow grease? Find out what doctors Henry Cloud and John Townsend have to say in this devotion from the NIV Life Journey Bible. -Adam Forrest Influence vs. Control Learn More Moses did what he could, but he did not try to change things outside of his domain. He changed himself by mustering his own courage, appearing before Pharaoh and delivering God’s message. But he could not change Pharaoh’s heart, nor did he try. Yes, he worked to influence Pharaoh, but he did not have the power to make Pharaoh follow his wishes. Though Pharaoh was clearly in the wrong, it was not Moses’ job to change him. It was his job to deliver the message. Like Moses, our boundaries help define what we do not have power over: everything outside of them! As the “Serenity Prayer” reminds us [see below the jump], we need the courage to change the things we can and the peace to accept the things we can’t change. In other words, “God, clarify my boundaries!” We can work on submitting ourselves to the process and work with God to change us. We cannot change anything else: not the weather, the past, the economy — and especially not other people. We cannot change others. We can only give them love, help, truth and consequences and hope that they will choose to use those things. Moses had no confidence in his own words to change Pharaoh’s mind, but he did give the warning. Then God provided plagues as a sign of his power and protection for Israel. In the same way, God does not judge us when we are at the end of our abilities in a troubled relationship or situation. He just asks us to be faithful, and then, as we ask him to help us, he will provide a new way. The Serenity Prayer The “Serenity Prayer” is of uncertain origin, although it has been attributed to various persons, including an eighteenth-century theologian named Friedrich Oetinger and the well-known twentieth-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The prayer reads, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. -From The NIV Life Journey Bible with notes by Dr. Henry Cloud (@DrHenryCloud) and Dr. John Townsend (@DrJohnTownsend)   Learn More Learn more about The NIV Life Journey Bible: Find the Answers for Your Whole Life Q: I’m especially struck by these words: “Though Pharaoh was clearly in the wrong, it was not Moses’ job to change him. It was his job to deliver the message.” How about you — In your life, are you expecting yourself to change someone or something — when the best and most faithful thing you can do is simply tell the truth? -AF (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

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Watch Over 100 Full Bible Study Sessions for Free Posted: 21 Sep 2012 11:35 AM PDT Watch the entire first lesson for many of Zondervan’s DVD based Bible studies. No more guessing on the content, instead you get the full video experience by being able to see and evaluate the complete first lesson of each multi-lesson Bible study. Each video is easy to share with your friends, small group or Bible study. Just hit the ‘share’ button under the video and send it via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Watch Bible study sessions from bestselling authors like Timothy Keller, Andy Stanley, Anne Graham Lotz , Bill Hybels, Craig Groeschel, Jim Cymbala, John Ortberg, Lysa TerKeurst , and many more. Zondervan video-based group Bible studies are available on DVD, and many are available for download. These video Bible studies feature a variety of topics from many authors, and are available wherever small group resources and curriculum are sold including Christianbook.com, Amazon.com and many others. Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube playlist, because more sessions are coming. www.Zondervan.com/BibleStudy

How to Become Undaunted Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:17 AM PDT This is the second in a 2-part story from Christine Caine’s Undaunted. In part one Christine sets the stage for her encounter with recently-freed sex slaves and their challenging questions. -Adam Forrest “Why didn’t you come sooner?” They asked… Learn More “I don’t know,” I stammered at last. “I don’t know why I didn’t come sooner.” Such weak, small, light words for such a weighty question. “I am sorry. I am so sorry. Please forgive me.” The silence became even more pronounced. Time seemed to have stopped. Nothing else mattered to me at that moment but these girls, their despair — and what healing God could bring to them. Though the silence seemed to last for an eternity, I felt so clearly present, so tuned into the now. “I want you to know,” I said with new conviction, “that I have now heard your cries. I have seen you. I see you now.” I turned to Mary. “I see you, Mary…” I turned to Sonia. “I see you, Sonia.” I looked intently at each girl seated at the table. “I see each of you. I hear you. I know you by name. I have come for each of you.” I wanted to see these girls as Jesus saw them — not as a sea of needs, but as individuals he had called by name and chosen one by one and loved. I heard his words before I spoke my own: Tell them I have their names written in my book. That I came to give the good news to the poor. To heal the brokenhearted. To set the captives free. Tell them these promises are for here. Now. As well as for eternity. [Psalm 69:28; 139:16; Isaiah 49:1; Revelation 3:5; 17:8; 20:12-15; Luke 4:18]. “You will no longer be hidden,” I told Sonia. “From now on, wherever I go, I will tell people you exist.” I focused on each girl, one at a time. “I will ask them the very same question you've asked me. I will not sit back waiting, hoping, wishing, for someone else to do something. I promise you: I will be the someone. Now that I have found you, I will find other girls like you. I will do everything I can to stop this.” … Why we often avoid God’s work Long after leaving that meeting, Sonia’s question rang in my ears, shook my mind, unsettled my heart. Why didn’t you come sooner? I offered them no excuses that day, but I did know that there were reasons. Reasons that, when we hear God's call, when we feel that gentle (or not so gentle) urging of God’s Spirit for us to make a bold step, take a risk, serve others, save a life, commit — we so often hold back. It’s because we don’t feel empowered. We don’t feel qualified. We think we lack the courage, the strength, the wisdom, the money, the experience, the education, the organization, the backing. We feel like Moses when, from out of the burning bush, God called him to speak for him before Pharaoh. And Moses answered, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and tongue… Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:10–13). Not me, God. I’m afraid. Weak. Poor. Stupid. Unqualified. Daunted. Not long ago, that is exactly how I would have responded. But it has never been my desire to be daunted, to be afraid, to be unable to respond to God's call. Is it yours? I doubt it. I think that you, like me, want to be able to say instead, “Here am I, Lord — send me.” We don’t want to sound like Moses, stammering around in search of excuses. And we don’t need to. Because, just as God gave Moses exactly what he needed to accomplish great things for God, he will equip us in just the same way. If he calls us to slay giants, he will make us into giant slayers. God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. And that is what this book Undaunted is about. It is about what I call the “normal Christian life” — living boldly and courageously in the face of great difficulty, and amazing the world by beating the odds, for God’s glory. It is what the apostle Paul meant when he told Timothy, “The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). There is no shortage of ways life tries to daunt us, to render us incapable of following the bold and valiant plan God has for us. This book is about how to move past that — how to become undaunted. And as I traveled away from that meeting that day, I thought of my own story. If anyone ever had a reason to feel unqualified, to feel daunted, it was me. And the reasons for that went back to things that happened before I was even born… -From Undaunted by Christine Caine (@ChristineCaine)   Learn More Learn more about Christine Caine’s story in her new book Undaunted: Daring to Do what God Calls You to Do (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

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