Richard
Do you have peace in the decisions you’re making?
“ And let peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ
rule ( act as umpire continually) in your hearts ( deciding and settling with
finality all questions that arise in your minds in that peaceful state)....” —
Colossians 3:15 (AMP)
Batter up! It’s that season again, when baseball enthusiasts grab their padded mitts and start swinging their bats. Colorful uniforms with team emblems cover the baseball fields identifying each fan’s favorite team.
A man with a peculiar uniform stands behind the batter’s mound. The cage on his
face and the turtle-like shell on his chest identify him as the umpire. All ears
are attentive, as his mighty voice shout’s, “Strike!, Ball!, Safe!” His call
renders screams of victory, or the hiss of defeat from the fanatical
crowd. But, regardless of the shouts from disgruntled fans, the umpire has
the final say. Without his wise discernment the score might not be settled, and
foul play may abound.
Every sport has an umpire of some sort. He’s the one who settles the score
between the two teams. Although not everyone is happy with his call, you might
say, he is like the peace keeper of the game. Without a final decision, the game
could not go on.
Every day we are struggling to make decisions. Big or small each decision we
make could be critical to our well-being. A wrong move could destroy us. Like
the other games of life, we need an umpire. Someone who can help us settle the
score of our personal decisions.
God tells us that peace should be the umpire of our souls, settling with
finality decisions that trouble our minds.
Have you ever lacked peace about a decision and gone ahead and done it anyway? I
have.
I once signed a loan contract I didn’t have peace about. I found out months later that I wasn’t told all the terms. I had to suffer the consequences because I didn’t follow my gut peace not to do it.
I once signed a loan contract I didn’t have peace about. I found out months later that I wasn’t told all the terms. I had to suffer the consequences because I didn’t follow my gut peace not to do it.
That inner peace is the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit directing us. Following
peace will lead us to blessing. I think God may have given us umpires for our
favorite games as an example to let peace be our umpire in the game of
life.
Annettee Budzban is a newspaper religion columnist, freelance
writer and author. She has been published in Christian magazines such as
guideposts Angels on Earth, Stewardship, Standard, and
many more. Her writings have also been many popular anthologies such
as a Cup of Comfort, Chicken Soup,God's Way books and others. Her books
when Heaven Whispers and Inspirations to Restore Your Soul can be
ordered on -line or in any bookstore. Her e-mail is ahrtwrites2u@aol.com From April, 2007
Kid's Daily Smile:
Why was the Math Book unhappy?
Because it had too many problems!
- submitted by Owen
In The News:
| Christians in Eritrea Punished for Their Faith
LOS ANGELES (Morning Star News)
– Eritrean authorities are punishing 39 high school students for their
Christian faith, excluding them from a graduation ceremony and
subjecting them to beatings and hard labor, according to Christian
support organization Open Doors.
After completing a four-month military training required in Eritrea,
the students, including 11 girls, have been arrested for their
“Christian beliefs and for their commitment to Christ,” sources told
Open Doors.
“The youths are now enduring beating, forced hard labor and
insufficient food and water” at the SAWA military training center, the
organization reported in a press statement. “Sources said authorities
are also threatening the students with long imprisonment and exclusion
from university should they ‘fail to renounce Christ.’”
After completing school, all Eritreans are required to participate in
national service. The 39 students were selected out from 17,000 students
of the 26th national service intake who graduated on July 13, according
to Open Doors. Graduating students then continue to Senior Secondary
School to complete grade 12.
Since 2002, worship outside the government-sanctioned Sunni Muslim,
Eritrean Orthodox Church (EOC), Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Eritrea has been forbidden, with Protestant worship a criminal
offense. In 2005, authorities also began persecuting the EOC,
particularly those in the church’s renewal movement.
The government began a widespread crackdown on Christians outside the
state-approved churches early this year, according to Open Doors,
detaining them in harsh conditions. Christians make up 47 percent of
Eritrea’s population of 5.2 million, and Muslims 50 percent, according
to Operation World.
The Marxist-leaning architect of repression of religion and free speech
in Eritrea, President Isaias Afewerki, has been in power since
Eritrea’s liberation from Ethiopia in 1991; the National Assembly
elected him as president 1993.
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| After 12 Years, Turkey Closes Door on American Church Volunteer
After 12 years serving a church in Diyarbakir, Turkey, voluntarily and
peacefully, Jerry Mattix suddenly is on the country's blacklist, World
Watch Monitor reports.
In the past two years, the Mattix family and at least six other
foreign-born families have either been deported from Turkey or denied
renewals of their residency permits. "Sadly, this is not just a personal
vendetta on the part of the government," Mattix said. "Several other
Christian workers in our region and connected to our church have been
forced to leave in the last year." Diyarbakir is near the epicenter of
ongoing clashes between Turkish military and Kurdish rebels, and not far
from Turkey's border with Syria, over which thousands of Syrian
refugees have fled, overwhelming local authorities. These issues have
made the region politically sensitive for Turkey's ruling AK Party,
which is trying to marry democratic principles with modern Islam. For
their part, churches in southeastern Turkey say they have been deprived
of their right to obtain help and support from foreigners. "There is a
discomfort with foreign Christians here, and slowly they will clean them
out," said Ahmet Guvener, pastor of the Diyarbakir Protestant Church,
where Mattix had been a volunteer. "In the end the churches in the east
will become weak and scattered, because there are no mature Christian
workers among us."
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Somali Extremists Step Up Attack
Somali and international leaders condemned a July 27 suicide attack at a
compound housing Turkish embassy staff in Mogadishu that killed a
Turkish guard and a Somali bystander while wounding others, Open Doors USA
reports. The Somali rebel group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for
the attack in which a car laden with explosives crashed into the gates
of the Turkish residence. Three al Shabaab militants, including the car
bomber, were also killed. Just prior to the attack, al Shabaab promised
in a series of Twitter messages to step up what they called their
"Ramadan Offensive" in the second half of the Muslim month of fasting
that ends Aug. 7. "Ramadan is a month of Jihad and sacrifice," one
message said. "It's time for observing the most righteous deeds &
offering gratitude to Allah for His blessings. And what better way to
observe Ramadan and offer gratitude to Allah than striking the necks of
the invaders and destroying their might!" The group said in the first
half of Ramadan its fighters carried out over 100 attacks, mostly in and
around the capital Mogadishu. These allegedly included 57 explosions
and grenade attacks, 41 direct confrontations and ambushes, nine
targeted assassinations and a suicide attack against an African Union
Mission in Somalia convoy in Mogadishu on July 12 in which they claim to
have wounded American intelligence officials. "Please remember to pray
for the handful of secret Christians in Somalia," said an Open Doors
worker. "Although al Shabaab threatens the society in general, these
secret Christians are at particular risk.
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