Zondervan Blog

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Bringing Scripture to life… one illustration at a time Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:51 PM PST Richard Jesse Watson writes about how the scriptures inspire him to create beautiful illustrations that convey God’s word and inspire us to think of God as bigger than we could have ever imagine. God is so much more than we can fathom. And yet, He reveals Himself to us little by little as we are able to receive it. I think it is so cool, and so unlike the human bent toward power-grasping, that Jesus said, "Unless you become as a little child, you cannot even see the Kingdom of God. Wow. Psalm 23 speaks to a child so clearly: You are like a little lamb, and God, The Good Shepherd, will take care of you.  But it also speaks comfort to the been-around-the-block adult as well. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…" Throughout my life I have found comfort in this elegant, relevant Psalm. When our kids were young, we used to read Psalm 23 to them and draw pictures together to illustrate the imagery of the psalm. Here is a painting that I did with my son, Jesse, dreaming of being a brave shepherd like the psalm's author, David, tending his sheep. I gave Jesse permanent marker pens and let him finish the painting. I left the room to keep from art directing. When I returned he had drawn David with his sling and lots of swords and arrows, battling the giant, Goliath. He also added a Boy Scout tent to suggest to me that we go camping. When I was illustrating this new version of Psalm 23, I asked Jesse again to pose as a shepherd. He now has "little lambs" of his own, and is also a children's book author and illustrator. Jesse's book, Hope For Haiti, is an example of his ongoing love of God's little lambs. And here's a photo of Jesse with Haitian children: It is clear to me that goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life.  No kidding.   (Photo credit: Sonya Sones) Richard Jesse Watson has been making books for children since 1984. He collaborated with Ruth Bell Graham on One Wintry Night, and his version of The Night Before Christmas was a New York Times bestseller. Watson won the Golden Kite Award for his picture book, Tom Thumb, and his illustrations have also been selected for the Society of Illustrator's Annual Exhibits. Richard and his wife, Susi, live in Port Townsend, Washington. Their children are following in his footsteps as writers and illustrators of children's books. www.RichardJesseWatson.com

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Secret Church

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Why pray for Chinese Muslims? Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:00 AM PST Throughout the month of March, we will be posting daily about Chinese Muslims, the prayer focus for our upcoming Secret Church gathering. We invite you to learn about Chinese Muslims and pray with us for God’s glory to be made known among them. Photo Courtesy of Pray4Hui.com Today in China, three people groups—the Hui, Salar, and Dongxiang—share a common characteristic distinct from the rest of China: they are Muslim. Though they trace different ancestry, speak different languages and often look like different ethnicities, they all carry the same weight of being minorities in their own country. Moreover, these peoples also share another trait: they have been all but forgotten by the rest of society. They are not radical Muslims, and they are rarely in the news, even inside of China. They may seem small in view of 1.3 billion Chinese, yet the vast majority of their 14 million have never heard the gospel. The Salar and Dongxiang do not yet have Bibles in their own languages, and out of the three groups combined, less than 1,000 follow Jesus and only a few small house churches exist. Many people think there is no longer a need to send missionaries to China, with liberal estimates putting the Chinese church near 100 million strong. After all, Chinese believers are taking the gospel throughout Central Asia and the Middle East back to Jerusalem. But with the Chinese believers' zeal to reach the rest of the world with the gospel, it often seems they have forgotten the Muslims inside their own country. Or, perhaps, the racial barriers between the Han and the Muslim Hui, Salar and Dongxiang are too great. We believe God is calling missionaries to China and that He can use them to build His church among the Hui, Salar and Dongxiang. Will you join us in praying for Muslims in China? Please Pray Pray for God to open the eyes of these Muslim people to see and their ears to hear the gospel. Pray that they will repent and follow Jesus. Pray for God to send thousands of harvesters (missionaries) who will boldly proclaim the gospel into His harvest among the Hui, Salar and Dongxiang. This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com. For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, please visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.

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Weekly Prayer Updates Update 03/01/2013

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 March 1, 2013 On Thu. Feb 28 2013 at 02:46 PM Moderator wrote: Tanzania--Pastor Killed in Clash over Islamic Food Laws Source: VOM Sources 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Muslim extremists killed a pastor on Feb. 11 during an attack on a group of Christians who had violated Islamic law by opening their own slaughterhouse. Pastor Mathayo Kachili of the Tanzania Assemblies of God church was beheaded, and two Muslims also died from injuries sustained in the fighting, according to a VOM contact. Christians in the mainland village of Buseresere were attacked after they slaughtered several animals to sell in a local market. In Tanzania, animals killed for human consumption must be processed at an approved slaughterhouse according to Islamic law. Christians have long complained of being shut out of the industry. A freelance journalist told a VOM contact that fighting between the Muslims and Christians lasted all day. At least two pastors were arrested, and police were searching for several other pastors. Syria--Christians Face Increasing Violence Source: VOM Sources Jeremiah 33:3 VOM contacts in Syria report an increase in violence with a corresponding decrease in basic services, all under the ominous "promise" from opposition fighters of a new Islamic regime. "They are dreaming and planning to make Syria like Afghanistan," wrote a VOM contact. "Threatening Christians of killing them or of the Islamic law is now daily in the opposition news. [They are] advising Christians to prepare themselves for the new Islamic regime." The VOM contact said three families from his church have had to relocate because of the violence and that while attempting to check on them, he was nearly hit by a sniper's bullet. He canceled his own plans to leave the city because of rampant kidnapping, especially of Christians, along the way. Two priests were kidnapped on Feb. 11. Our contact, who has been without electricity for four days, closed his letter by saying, "Thank you for your prayers; they are key to our resistance." Saudi Arabia--Ethiopian Christians Arrested in Private Worship Service Source: World Evangelical Alliance James 5:16 On Feb. 8, Saudi authorities in Dammam, capital of the Eastern Province, arrested 53 Ethiopian Christians who were attending a worship service in the private home of a fellow believer. Three church leaders were among those arrested. During a hearing in an Islamic court, authorities alleged that the church leaders were converting Muslims to Christianity. Two of the Ethiopian Christians, who have residence permits, are likely to be released, while the others will probably be deported. Iran--VOM Project Pray for those involved in distributing Farsi Bibles in Iran via smuggling and clandestine printing operations. ************* • 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.