Happy Tuesday - ELECTION DAY

Relating to Those Different From Us

by Os Hillman

"The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?'" (John 4:9).

Do you find it difficult to relate to others who are different than you? Do you shy away from interacting with those who may have a different belief?

Jesus interacted with his culture and especially those who thought differently than He. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well it was much like a Christian speaking to a Muslim or a Jew speaking to a Palestinian. Jesus built a relationship with the woman instead of taking an adversarial position.

In order to influence our culture it is vital believers engage with those unlike us. We often assume others who come from other cultures do not want to engage with us. This is a deception from Satan. Many who grow up in other faiths do so as a cultural tradition, not because they have strongly held beliefs. For instance, many Muslims do not know what is in the Quran and simply believe what they are taught based on tradition.

Every person is looking for a genuine relationship with God. Jesus operated based on that assumption. Notice how Jesus engaged with the woman.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet (John 4: 13-19).

Once Jesus established a rapport with the woman He began to engage with her. He spoke supernaturally into her life which broke through the religious spirit which prevented a theological debate. This led to faith in Christ and even the city being impacted.

Why not seek out a relationship with someone different from yourself. You'll be surprised how God might use you.



Daily Smile:

From Lauren, 11 years old, Canada

Where do people with allergies go on vacation?

Lu-WEEZE-iana!


In The News:

Poll: 29 Percent of Pastors Discuss Candidates in Pulpit
A majority of regular churchgoers say their pastor has discussed the importance of voting, while 29 percent say their pastor has taken sides, in sermons, in the presidential race, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, Baptist Press reports. The Oct. 24-28 poll shows that among all churchgoers -- Protestants and Catholics who attend church at least monthly -- 15 percent say their pastor's message has been more supportive of President Obama while 14 percent say their pastor's sermon has been more supportive of Mitt Romney. However, what "people are hearing" from their pastor "varies greatly by race," the survey shows. For example, among black Protestants, 45 percent say their pastor has supported Obama, with none in the sample saying their pastor backed Romney. Among white evangelicals, 26 percent say their pastor has been more supportive of Romney but only 5 percent say the pastor has been more supportive of Obama. Among white Catholics, 21 percent say the pastor has supported Romney and 4 percent say the pastor has backed Obama, and white mainline churchgoers say the pastor also was more likely to support Romney (13 percent to Obama's 7 percent). Still, though, "most regular churchgoers say the messages they are hearing at church are neutral" when it comes to the election -- whether or not the pastor mentions the candidates directly. Meanwhile, 52 percent of regular churchgoers say their pastor has discussed the importance of voting. Black Protestant pastors (79 percent) are the most likely to mention it, followed by white evangelical pastors (52 percent), white Catholic clergy (46 percent) and white mainline pastors (32 percent).

Egypt: Trouble for Christians as Muslim Brotherhood-Majority Government Drafts Sharia Law
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-majority government continues to debate the phrasing used while drafting its new constitution, which will more than likely have sharia (Islamic law) as its foundation, the Christian Post reports. According to Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors USA, the implementation of such a constitution is expected and can only mean deepening trouble for Egyptian Christians. "It is hardly a surprise that the Muslim Brotherhood is now pushing sharia as the law of the land in Egypt," Dykstra said. "Strict Islamic law has always been its main agenda for Egypt. President Morsi attempted to disguise this before the election, saying his government would be moderate. Now the true face of extreme Islam is being unveiled to the world. The high hopes of the revolution and overthrow of Mubarak have now been replaced by the reality of another form of extremist government -- an Islamist one." Islamists have dominated every election since the ousting of Mubarak, and ultra-conservative Salafis are pressuring the new government to make sure sharia is followed. Last week, the Associated Press reported that the Brotherhood was "committed to enshrining Islamic sharia law as the main source of a new constitution."

Israeli Jews Would Prefer a Romney Victory, 57 to 22 Percent
In contrast to a recent survey finding respondents in 21 countries around the world favor President Obama over Mitt Romney by a significant margin, a new opinion poll in Israel suggests that Jews in that country would be much happier to see the Republican candidate win, according to CNSNews.com. Fifty-seven percent of Jewish respondents said that "when it comes to Israel's interests," they would prefer Romney as the next U.S. president, compared to 22 percent who said the same of Obama. Among Israeli Arab respondents, Obama was favored by a 45-to-15-point margin. Last week, an exit poll of Americans who voted absentee in Israel found Romney beating Obama by 85 percent to 14 percent.

Pro-Life Student Sues LSU for Restricting Free Speech
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of a student who found her right to distribute pro-life literature restricted by Louisiana State University, WORLD News Service reports. The student wanted to distribute material as part of October’s Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, but LSU officials said she could do so only in the school’s "Free Speech Alley" -- an approximately 1,000-square-foot area of the 650-acre campus. According to ADP legal counsel Matt Sharp, "By limiting the distribution of material and free speech to less than 1 percent of the campus, Louisiana State University is violating the constitutionally protected freedoms of students who should be free to express themselves on the sidewalks and open spaces at the university." Many colleges have these so-called "free speech" areas, so if Sharp and his client win this case, it could have implications for free speech areas on campuses all across the country.


Killed for eyeing boy: Pakistani couple accused of killing daughter by pouring acid on her 
ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani couple accused of killing their 15-year-old daughter by pouring acid on her carried out the attack because she sullied the family's honor by looking at a boy, the couple said in an interview broadcast Monday by the BBC.
The girl's death underlines the problem of so-called "honor killings" in Pakistan where women are often killed for marrying or having relationships not approved by their families or because they are perceived to have somehow dishonored their family.

The girl's parents, Mohammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen, recounted the Oct. 29 incident from jail. The father said the girl had turned to look at a boy who drove by on a motorcycle, and he told her it was wrong.

"She said 'I didn't do it on purpose. I won't look again.' By then I had already thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way," the girl's mother told the British broadcaster.

Television footage of the couple showed them standing behind bars in separate, but adjoining jail cells.

The father said the family had already come under public censure because of their older daughter's behavior, but he did not detail what exactly he meant.

Pakistani officials initially said the attack occurred because the girl supposedly had an affair with a boy.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 943 women were killed in the name of honor last year. Only 20 of the women were reported to have been given medical care before they died, the report said. The real toll is believed to be higher because many of the crimes go unreported.

"Throughout the year, women were callously killed in the name of honor when they went against family wishes in any way, or even on the basis of suspicion that they did so. Women were sometimes killed in the name of honor over property disputes and inheritance rights," the report said.

Interesting Fact: 

Turnout for the November 2008 Election
     In the 2008 presidential election, 64 percent of voting-age citizens voted, an estimate not statistically different from the percent that turned out in 2004, but higher than the presidential elections of 2000 and 1996...

 GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY!!!