Faith over fear in cancer

My brother-in-law has cancer. He's only about 30 years old. Actually, he first discovered that he had melanoma (skin cancer) in 1998. But the doctors caught it early and he was able to have surgery done to get it removed. He recently noticed a couple of lumps, went to the doctor, and found out that the cancer had metastasized.

My brother-in-law is not a Christian. Often God puts us through very difficult times to help us surrender to Him. That may be the case with my brother-in-law. Hopefully he will find Christ -- please pray for him. . .

God's role in a college choice

Many factors go into choosing which college to attend. . .location, distance from home, excellence in one's area of study, opportunities for fun. . . For Lamarr Houston, his decision about going to Texas for college was heavily based on God:

'I talked and prayed with my family,' said Houston, 'and God spoke to me and told me that I should go there.'

Houston has been very successful at Texas. He plays on the football team, and has started every game at defensive end. (Colorado Springs Gazette)

Growing weary of my warrior journey. . .

In September I wrote about a journey that I'm currently on called "The Heart of a Warrior." When I started "The Heart of the Warrior" curriculum, I knew that it wouldn't be a walk in the park. But I'm growing weary. I really don't like analyzing myself -- especially my shortcomings. I know that this type of analysis is what's needed for me to change, to be more like God, and to get rid of my old self.

I feel like Satan has really stepped up his attacks since I started "The Heart of the Warrior." It's not surprising. Instead of living my life on autopilot and floating along with the wind where Satan has influence, I'm changing to be a firm Christian. And he's putting up resistance.

But I'm not going to give up.

Our real father

As we get together with our families of origin for Christmas, many of us go to those gatherings with too high of expectations. We expect that this time our siblings will finally respect us, people will be rid of their old habits, and that our family will be as harmonious as the Cleavers.

For me, I always seem to go into holiday gatherings with the expectation that my stepdad will finally accept me and love me. I'm always let down. I'm asking too much of him.

Most of us are expecting too much from our earthly fathers and our families of origin. The only perfect father is God. He loves us completely. He is our real father -- the one we have been looking for all along.

The "Merry Christmas" movement

It's almost Christmas. . .and there seems to be a movement underway to get back to "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays".

Wal-Mart is using the word Christmas in advertising and stores again after substituting the word "holiday" for Christmas two years ago.

And a YouTube video of the Go Fish song "Christmas with a Capital C" is getting millions of views. It's great to see people back to understanding (and promoting) the reason for this season.

Using our gifts to further God's kingdom

We are called to use the unique gifts that God gave us to further His kingdom -- whether it's writing about God, playing bass on the church worship team, or constructing powerful radio transmitters. I guess that last gift was pretty specific to John Lin, a civil engineer who, along with his wife Florence, helped the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) broadcast God's Word to China.

According to France's Journal Chretien, even John Lin put up resistance to God's calling:

At the same time, they also met Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) workers on the island constructing a powerful radio transmitter to reach China.

As they got acquainted with their new friends, they learned the FEBC workers had been praying to find a civil engineer. John and Florence started praying as well, until one day God spoke to John’s heart.

'Why are you praying ?' John felt the Lord say. 'Aren’t you a civil engineer ?'

Like Jonah and countless other leaders called by God, John had many excuses to avoid the Lord’s prompting. First, he had the mistaken notion that only Caucasians could be missionaries. He also knew he would face opposition from his family, and he was deterred by the prospect of raising financial support.

As he and Florence began to pray, God answered every one of his objections. And Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, heard about the talented young civil engineer and his wife and arranged for their financial support.

God is persistent. He will find a way for us to continue His path and His will, and we have a responsibility to use our gifts to further His kingdom.

An Oprah-Mother Teresa-Energizer Bunny woman helps the Dallas homeless

The Dallas Morning News describes Susie Jennings, a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center, as "Oprah, Mother Teresa and the Energizer Bunny all fused into one."

And that's what she is to the Dallas-area homeless. Four years ago, Jennings started an event called Operation Care Dallas. The event, held at the Dallas Convention Center, attracts thousands of the city's poorest. At Operation Care Dallas, the homeless receive a hot meal plus much, much more -- they also get haircuts, makeovers, medical and dental checkups, legal help and job assistance.

According to The Dallas Morning News, her devotion to helping the homeless stems from God:

Last month, Ms. Jennings elevated her connection with the homeless by disguising herself and spending an entire night in a shelter at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.

She was driven to do so, she said, because God spoke to her. Her calling revealed hardships foreign to most: sleeping on cold concrete, scrounging for cardboard, being propositioned for sex, relying on the church for every meal.

It takes 2,000 volunteers, an estimated $100,000, and a very dedicated Susie Jennings to ensure that Operation Care Dallas takes place.

Is that a miniature Jesus speaking to me?

Apparently one of the hot gifts this Christmas season is a talking Jesus! The 12-inch Jesus Messenger of Faith talking action figure is selling like crazy at retailers across the country.

The doll, manufactured by Valencia, Calif.-based One2believe, is part of the Messengers of Faith series. Other figures in the series include talking Moses, Mary, David, Esther and Noah. The company has sold more than 20,000 dolls in the series. (Jesus is the most popular -- go Jesus!)

According to the Star Tribune, the Jesus Messenger of Faith figure tells stories about David and Goliath or feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes in addition to speaking Bible verses such as John 3:16 and Mark 12:30-31.

Combining faith and commerce

There's a movement underway among businesspeople to combine commerce and faith. Their companies are called Kingdom Companies, and approximately 800 of them exist in the U.S. now.


One such enterprise is The Yeager Kenya Group Inc., which works with Kenyan farmers to provide organic onions to the U.S. The Denver Post recently covered the story of Bill Yeager and his organization:

Bill Yeager was hearing a voice inside his head — and not just anybody's.

'One night I was lying in bed and God spoke to me that I would do business in Africa,' the 28-year-old Montrose computer programmer said. 'At first it seemed like an awfully silly idea.'

Yet it kept coming back.

'Charities have been doing amazing things in Africa for a very long time, but the conditions are getting worse,' Yeager said.

'I believe if we can connect normal, everyday Africans to the global economy, it will finally change their lives,' he said.

Rather than converting people by preaching, the owners of these companies spread God's word by helping the poor and oppressed. A book even has been written about this movement, Great Commission Companies: The Emerging Role of Business in Missions.

Saints and sinners

I find it interesting that so many of us are quick to admit that we're sinners, but reluctant to admit that we're saints. I just overheard a conversation in the elevator at work this week in which two women were talking about how they definitely are sinners.

Could it be that, as Christians (and on top of that, Midwesterners), we consider it inappropriate to say good things about ourselves?

Neil T. Anderson explains what it means to be a saint on page 73 of Victory Over the Darkness:

Being a saint who is alive and free in Christ does not mean spiritual maturity or sinlessness, but it does provide the basis for hope and future growth. Despite God's provision for us in Christ, we are still far less than perfect. We are saints who sin.

Satan wants us to think of ourselves as sinners. He wants us to feel bad about ourselves. We cannot listen to Satan. God has given us spiritual life! It's time to live as the saints that we are!

Could God be responsible for the crime rate decrease in Orlando?

This fall, the Orlando, Fla., police department organized 40 days of praying to end the violence in the city's Parramore district.

Did it work? Well, Orlando police said that the crime rate dropped drastically last month, and Central Florida News 13 reported that many religious leaders credit God.

Coincidence? I think not. It's great that Orlando police recognize the power of prayer.

12-year-old gives -- instead of gets -- toys at Christmas

We know that God wants us to have a giving spirit. Tyler Strasser, age 12, has been giving in a unique way since he was three.

When Tyler was two, God spoke to him. Tyler couldn't speak, but his mom thought that it was interesting that Tyler started stashing away unopened toys that he had bought with his allowance. When Tyler was three, he was able to tell his mom, "They are for the children." He then explained how God spoke to him.

He has given away gifts since then. He has a charity called Tyler's Mission, and he does special things for Easter, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day in addition to Christmas. He has given toys to "kids" from birth to age 105.

The Charlotte Observer reported on his story and obtained comments from Tyler and his mom, Trish:

Trish Strasser says she feels blessed that her son took the time to listen to God at an early age.

'What I am blessed about is that he stood still long enough to listen to God's plan for his life,' she says. She says that while Tyler is welcome to quit his mission any time he chooses, he refuses to even think about it.

'I plan to do this throughout life,' insists Tyler. In addition to providing toys, food, clothing and toiletries to those in need, Tyler's long-range goals include building a safe place for his kids to come and play, which he says he will call 'Ever Ever Land.'

To donate or volunteer, or for more information contact Tyler or his mom at

P.O. Box 958

Paw Creek, NC 28130

Phone: 704-604-8917

San Francisco Chronicle columnist mocks Richard Roberts

Mark Morford, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote a column today mocking Richard Roberts, the former president and chief executive officer of Oral Roberts University. In the column, Morford talks about God visiting him while he was enjoying some Thanksgiving leftovers.

Enjoy his column with a grain of salt. . .

Joining the Army instead of listening to God

When Shante Roseboro was 22, God told her to open a home for women in need. She ignored His words and decided to go into the U.S. Army.

She wasn't happy in the Army.

But God is persistent. Six years later, Roseboro started the New Beginnings Maternity/Transitional Home for Women outside of Morganton, N.C.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the home is a long-term facility for women and children in need of emergency or transitional housing due to substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy or other circumstances.

Roseboro has worked for the past two years as New Beginnings' executive director without a salary in order to ensure the home's success.

Actor cuts off drinking partners to return to God

A Q&A with actor Larry Koldsweat recently ran in Modern Ghana. In the interview, he talks about how he was a Christian, but ran away from God when his sister died.

Koldsweat described his behavior after that point as "really bad, terrible."

Then his mother died. He hit a low point and decided to return to God:

As we were praying, I prophesied to myself and said God was giving me another chance. After that prayer, Alex [a friend] said that God spoke through me. I then decided to return to God.

The first thing the Holy spirit did for me was to cut off all my drinking partners. A pastor-friend one day phoned me and said people should stop praying for me. Instead, I should be praying for people.

God's hand always is in our lives, even if we distance ourselves from Him.

Evel Knievel finds God

All his life, daredevil Evel Knievel told people that he didn't believe in God. Fortunately, Knievel was saved a few months before his Nov. 30 death, according to his final interview, which was published in Maxim magazine. Ontario Now ran an excerpt:

During the interview Evel opens about how he found God a few months ago, in a hotel room in Daytona Beach. 'All my life I was an atheist,' he says. 'I’d tell people I didn’t believe Jesus could walk on water. Then something happened in Daytona. God spoke to me. He said, ‘Robert, you got to stop tellin’ people you don’t believe in me. I been takin’ care of you for years, watchin’ over you. I done everything for you. And you go tell people you don’t believe in me. You gotta stop it.' Evel puts his hands over his face, then sobs, 'I told God I’d never insult him again.'

There's a daredevil in heaven now.

GOD ROX

On my way to church yesterday, I saw a car with the license plate "GOD ROX". I thought about how great it is that someone would proclaim their faith out loud to the world in this way.

I also thought about how shy I am when it comes to proclaiming my faith and talking to non-believers about God. Could my attitude stem from my dad putting Minnesota Twins player Gary Gaetti down for becoming a born-again Christian, with Gaetti's hitting production decreasing around that time? Or the fact that my mom talks negatively about our relatives who are Christians?

Nonetheless, it is a privilege that God has called us to share His word. And Romans 10:13-14 tells us that it's really difficult for people to get saved unless they have heard about Jesus Christ in the first place. That's where we come in -- it's up to us to spread the word.