Happy, Happy Friday

Be Careful What You Pray For by Pastor Bill Scripture: Nehemiah 1:11 "Lord, listen carefully to the prayer of your servant and the prayers of your servants who love to honor you" NCV First Prayer: At a garage sale for the youth mission trip all the "stuff" left over was placed in a large sturdy box. The box was marked with very bold letters "Free Box." The box was strategically placed at the end of the driveway so it was in the sights of every passing car. The garage sale team all gathered together and held hands as a short payer was said, "Lord please have someone take this box." A few minutes later a pickup truck pulled up to the box --- a man stepped out of the pickup smartly dressed. He walked up to the box --- looked around while determining what to do next. He picked up the box with all the contents in it and held it waist high. All the while looking around intensely, like a hunter sure there is prey just beyond the horizon. Then suddenly he glanced down, flipped the box over and allowed all the contents to spill over the driveway. Then as quick as a young buck dashing through the woods he threw the free box into the back of his pick up --- jumped into the cab and drove away with his "Free Box". Second Prayer: A Local TV News photographer was fairly new on the job and wanted to cover a big story to move his career along. He prayed diligently daily for his big break. Then it happened --- a wild fire was burning in a wilderness. He said a quick prayer and called his boss and asked, "May I cover the wild fire in a valley a few hundred miles away. His request approved and his prayer answered, the Local TV News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport. He chartered an immediate flight and was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.  Arriving at the airport, the Local TV News Photographer spotted a twin-engine plane warming up outside the hanger. The photographer jumped into the plane with his bag of video and still cameras, slammed the door shut, and shouted over the whine of the motors, "Let's go, we must leave immediately or we'll be grounded." The pilot taxied out on to the runway --- swung the plane into the wind --- pushed the throttle down and quickly took off. Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, "Fly over the valley and make several low passes while I take pictures for the news tonight. I'd like to get some great pictures of the fires burning out in the wilderness". "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I'm a Local TV News photographer," he responded, "And I need to get some really good close up shots to enhance our news report this evening." The pilot was strangely silent for a few moments. Then with a look of horror on his face finally stammers, "So, what you're telling me, is --- You're NOT my flight instructor?" Be careful what you pray for and be specific. As the youth mission team above found out when the box was removed without the contents. And the TV News photographer found that he was on the way to cover his big story to further his career with an unqualified pilot! Prayer: Father thank you for revealing what in my life needs prayer so I can understand what to pray for and how. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Daily Smile:

A Second Wife

When our second child was on the way, my wife and I attended a pre-birth class aimed at couples who had already had at least one child.

The instructor raised the issue of breaking the news to the older child.

It went like this:

"Some parents," she said, "tell the older child, 'We love you so much we decided to bring another child into this family.' But think about that. Ladies, what if your husband came home one day and said, 'Honey, I love you so much I decided to bring home another wife.'"

One of the women spoke up immediately. "Does she cook???"

In The News:

The Gospel of Jesus' Wife': Ancient Fragment Stirs Debate
Karen King, a historian from Harvard Divinity School, revealed on Tuesday what she claims to be a fourth-century fragment of papyrus containing the phrase, in Coptic, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife ... '" According to King, the text, referred to as the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, suggests some early Christians might have held the view that Jesus was married, but she stressed that it could not prove Jesus had a wife. Darrell L. Bock, senior research professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, said if this papyrus was authentic, it would be the only text among many to suggest that Jesus had a wife. It represents "a very small minority in a much later period than original Christianity," Bock said. "It is a fourth-century text in a fringe gnostic group that is not representative of the larger groups that are [part of] Christianity." Dr. Joel B. Green, professor of New Testament interpretation at Fuller Seminary, echoed Bock: "We have no evidence at all of any debate among the earliest followers of Jesus regarding Jesus' martial status. This debate surfaced later. It's important to put this in context. Popular literature (say, from the third and fourth centuries) made all sorts of claims about Jesus ... These claims really don't tell us anything about Jesus of Nazareth, the historical person who lived in the first third of the first century. They do tell us about how some people in later centuries worked out their own beliefs and practices." Green also expressed concern over the "hype" often surrounding such discoveries, adding that "any claims that might be put forward about what it means will be guesses." Nothing is known about the circumstances of the fragment's discovery; King believes it may have been excavated from an area in Upper Egypt.

Pastors Sue Kenyan Government Over Lack of Protection
Protestant churches in Kenya are suing the country's federal government, alleging a lack of help and protection following recent attacks by Islamic extremists, Christianity Today reports. The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), which filed suit after Muslim riots in Mombasa in August destroyed four local churches, is claiming the violence was politically and religiously motivated, led by the Somalia-based al Shabaab extremist group. "The government bears full responsibility for the violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the victims who are under its care," said Peter Karanja, general secretary of the NCCK. The NCCK is also seeking response from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Kazakhstan Jails Pastor, Considers Extradition to Uzbekistan
A former Uzbek house church pastor is in prison in Kazakhstan, awaiting a ruling whether he will be returned to his native country, Open Doors News reports.  Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court considers whether to declare him a refugee in the face of almost-certain persecution. Makset Djabbarbergenov was arrested Sept. 5 in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s financial center. He was detained by authorities who have frowned on his leadership in unregistered Christian communities. Djabbarbergenov was at one point an active church leader in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, the autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. At present, Protestant churches in Karakalpakstan are illegal. After appearing before court six different times, Djabbarbergenov and his family fled to Kazakhstan in 2007, where they are considered refugees by the United Nations, although the Kazakh government disagrees. Uzbekistan now wants him back to face charges that he practiced religion outside state regulation. He faces two charges; each carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison. Uzbekistan is ranked No. 7 on the World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Netanyahu: U.S. Voters Should Consider 'Red Line' with Iran
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to American voters on Sunday, urging them to elect a president willing to draw a line on when Iran would face military attack over its nuclear weapons program, Fox News reports. After Obama refused to set specific boundaries on Iran last week, the Israeli leader took to CNN’s “State of the Union” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” to express his frustration. He compared Tehran’s nuclear program to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to appeal to his American audience. “It’s like Timothy McVeigh walking into a shop in Oklahoma City and saying, 'I’d like to tend my garden. I’d like to buy some fertilizer.' … Come on. We know that they’re working on a weapon,” Netanyahu said. Obama’s Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, has said he is willing to take a tougher stance than Obama against Iran, although his campaign has declined to provide specifics. Meanwhile, Obama continues to insist that the U.S. will not allow Iran to produce a nuclear weapon.