Does God Love Muslims Too?

Seventh-day Adventist pastor Dwight Nelson shared 2 sermons in the Fall of 2006 at Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University that messed with my head.

He highlighted how Genesis 16 is the first time in the Bible where "the angel of the LORD" shows up in person [verse 7]. Used interchangeably for Jesus in the Scriptures [verse 13], this means that Jesus shows up first not to Isaac but to Ishmael to name and bless the father of all modern day Arabs promising to make his nation great.
Quoting the book by Stephen Dickie above, Nelson traces the history of Islam and "The Children of the East" all the way through the Bible leading the listener to some startling conclusions about how God used Islam in the past and how God just might be using them in the present.
What if the "Children of the East" aren't all fanatic terrorists? Does God love the 1.4 billion Muslims in the world too? Does the Biblical book of Revelation chapters 8-11 reveal a secret about God's forgotten blessing on the prophetic rise of Islam too many Christians are quick to criticize?
Listen to each of Pastor Dwight's sermons entitled "Rumors From The East: Star Rising Over Islam" [SEPT 30, 2006] and "Wisemen From The East: Star Still Rising Over Islam" [DEC 2, 2006] by clicking either of the graphics above or by visiting his website: www.pmchurch.tv
FYI, the book "Islam: God's Forgotten Blessing" is only available by request with a money order for $13 shipping included by writing to: Strawberry Meadow Association, PO Box 385, Kasson, MN 55944

Vacation With Purpose December 16-23, 2007

Cruise with a Mission is a one of a kind experience. Imagine the combination of an exciting vacation, a series of fulfilling outreach projects, and a meaningful spiritual retreat. Cruise with a Mission is all three rolled into one amazing journey for young adults ages 18 to 35 [and up]. This is the perfect opportunity to get away from the noise and confusion of everyday life and step out into a encounter with God, service, and other people.

Every part of this project is aiming for excellence - from the hundreds of cabins reserved aboard the lovely Holland America cruise ship to the growing list of service projects awaiting in Belize City, Costa Maya, and Santo Tomas De Castilla. Behind the gloss of these tourist filled cities are deep and lingering needs. Our mission is to engage those needs in a wave of service involving dozens of organizations at locations throughout the cities.

The Cruise with a Mission team is putting together a dynamite group of speakers, musicians, worship leaders, event planners, and programming experts. This is going to be a time of awsome spiritual renewal and fellowship. Young adults from all over the world are excited and getting involved.

Cruise with a Mission is a project of the Center for Youth Evangelism in cooperation with the North American Division Youth Ministries Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Cost is $787/person plus travel to/from Tampa, Florida.

21st Century Fulfillment of Joel 2?

A 12 year old girl named Akiane Kramarik who though born to an atheist mother, has since introduced her entire family [and many more she doesn’t know of] to God.

Selected as 1 of 20 most accomplished visual artists in the world by Tribute Entertainment (London) and ABI (United States), she has been featured on Oprah and in Time magazine and has had solo art exhibitions at the age of 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Idaho, North Carolina, Iowa, California, Washington and Virginia.

Akiane says, “I have been blessed by God. And if I’m blessed, there is one reason and one reason only, and that is to help others.” You can see more of her artwork on her website at: http://www.artakiane.com/home.htm

Joel 2:28-29 [KJV] says, “28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”

Faith Comes From HEARING -- Don't Read Your Bible, Listen To It!!!

A cast of more than 200 stars including Blair Underwood, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, and Cuba Gooding Jr. bring their talents to create a one-of-a-kind dramatized audio recording of the Bible, complete with an outstanding original musical underscore. Hear the words of the NIV Bible brought to life like never before. Available new and used at Amazon for as little as $24.79!!! Copy and paste this URL into your browser for more info:

Quiet Christians

When David fought Goliath, everyone assumed he would wear King Saul’s armor. But when he tried it on, it didn’t fit. It was only when he used his unique set of skills that he found victory, even though it didn’t fit the pattern that worked for everyone else.

Most books on evangelism focus on witnessing methods more suited for extroverts. There’s nothing wrong with those methods. But for an introvert, those methods don’t usually fit. Reading them, I always felt like a turtle being taught by birds the best way to walk. But that wasn’t how God made me.

And while I’m capable of standing up in front of a bunch of people and extending extra ordinary invitations full of risks and sacrificial living, I have a feeling that many more of us than we care to admit were designed for quiet persuasion and reaching people who will never respond to such a public approach.

And that’s okay. Because God hasn’t designed introverts to be aggressive in evangelism. He made them sensitive, patient, and thoughtful. Which are characteristics that are extremely effective when we’re prepared to care for the lives of others. Colossians 4:6 [NIV] says, "6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

If God created introverts, doesn’t it make sense that He would want them to do His work through that personality?

Mike Bechtle is the author of Evangelism for the Rest of Us: Sharing Christ Within Your Personality Style. For more benefits of being a “quiet Christian”, you can read his entire article by clicking on his book to the left on which this post is based.