Are You An Alien?

My nine year old son seems to think his three year old sister is an alien. Last week he took a green marker and wrote "I am an alien." on top of her foot. My family had a good laugh over the latest episode of childhood mischief, but it caused me to think about the fact that we should all aspire to be aliens. 1 Peter 2:11-12 urges us as Christians to live as aliens in this world. We need to let go of earthly desires and aspirations and base everything on eternity. Our treasures can't be stored here because they can be destroyed easily, but whatever is stored in heaven won't spoil or fade.

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. ~ 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV 1984)

A Contribution in Eternity

How can $4.00 make a difference in eternity? Because of the increase in the cost of gas these days $4.00 can barely buy a gallon of gas. BUT $4.00 supports one minute of World Mission Broadcast (WMB) airtime through radio, the Internet, or television. On the air since 1951, WMB reaches even the remotest parts of the world, with words of hope and holiness... Each year millions of people hear WMB programs and lives are changed because of what they’ve heard.

As of April 22, 2008, World Mission Broadcast is reaching the unreached in:

30 Languages
73 Countries
94 Programs
7,012 Broadcasts

Last year was the first year I was truly challenged to make a sacrifice to give to WMB. Previous years I just gave a token offering that didn’t require sacrifice on my part. The challenge came through a work of fiction based on real life – Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. His novel shares how radio broadcasts encourage persecuted Christians who can’t openly attend church and reaches those who don’t know of Jesus. Randy’s book made the plight of those who haven’t heard of Jesus very real to me – so real that it hurt and made me want to do something that mattered, something that made a difference.

Excerpt from Safely Home:

“They have been praying for three hours before we arrived.”
“So the meeting must be nearly done?”
“No. Just starting. Chinese believers have motto: ‘Little prayer, little power. No prayer, no power.’” (p. 289)

Join with me in prayer for persecuted Christians and for those who are yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and HIS gift of unconditional love and salvation through World Mission Broadcast. Consider what amount you will share to reach the unreached with the good news of Jesus.

From WMB Website:

Giving to World Mission Broadcast provides the means to reach millions around the world for Christ, providing the funding for program production, airtime, and follow-up materials. Holiness programming, delivered by radio, television and the Internet, is reaching into the far corners of the world with the message of Jesus and his redeeming love and helping to disciple those who respond. The prayer and financial support of individuals and local churches are vital to this broadcast ministry.


Gifts to World Mission Broadcast can be given through the following methods:

Online – World Mission Broadcast

Send a check made out to:

World Mission Broadcast
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64131

To learn more about the work of World Mission Broadcast sign up for the newsletter here.

Or

Contact WMB online or call 816-333-7000 ext. 2745


If you have a few moments, I encourage you to read through these requests and pray for the listeners they represent. Nothing will support the work of World Mission Broadcast (WMB) globally, like your prayers. Feel free to pass these requests on to your church’s prayer groups. Thank you for your support of WMB, and especially for supporting the listeners.

Rick Guilfoil, Director,
World Mission Broadcast


Responses from South America
www.Esperanza.net—October 2006

Below is just a small sampling of the prayer requests sent in by WMB listeners in October 2006:


“I need strength and hope to keep going in this world.”
Margarita, 41 (Venezuela)


“I want to know more about God.”
Gabriel, 42 (Argentina)


“I want to know Jesus.”
Felix, 20 (Peru)


“I need spiritual peace.”
Daniel, 45 (Colombia -Listening to the radio in a taxi)


“I want to know how to be a ‘valuable woman.’ I want to learn to be a woman of wisdom. I have low selfesteem.”
Carmen, 45 (Chile)


“I need to leave this spiritual poverty.”
Luis, 25 (Bolivia)


“How can I know the will of God?”
Islene, 32 (Colombia)



Please pray for these individuals and the families they represent and consider once again what you might do to make an investment in eternity! Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

What Are You Doing with Jesus?

Flower of the Family shared a post that brought this situation back to my memory...

Christmas 2006

My in-laws gave us a $300 Sears gift card to buy whatever we wanted for Christmas. We were thrilled. My husband loses things easily, so he asked me to keep the gift card. I'm a thrifty person and I try to use things as long as I can and maybe a tad bit longer. Well my wallet was falling apart, so I put the gift card in the front pocket of my jeans for safe keeping. I was traveling sick (antibiotics that didn't agree with me) and we had to stop 3 times with one time in the dark and rain. We woke up the youngest to go to the bathroom and as he got out of the car he stepped into a 6" pot hole full of rain water. It was so cold and the wind was blowing the rain. When we got home we unloaded the car and let the kids unwrap their gifts from my family and then went to bed.

Fast forward to January 10th

My husband asked me for the Sears Gift Card because he wanted to buy something with it and I realized that I had no idea where it was - aughh. They told us NOT to lose it because they bought it with cash and of course the receipt was with it. I was SICK! I could have lost it at any of our stops and I wouldn't have noticed it, especially the wind, rain, and crying stop. I spent the week praying I would find the card to no avail. We prayed that it would turn up, but were afraid that it probably wouldn't because I had no recollection of the gift card after stuffing it into my jeans pocket. I was so upset with myself because I'm supposed to be the responsible one...

Back then I wrote, I'm hoping that I can just rest in God's peace since there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to change what is done, but I have been beating myself up something awful. I'm hoping that it will turn up when we least expect it... I've been praying that God would teach me something through this yucky experience beyond the "Be careful with gift cards..." speech.

My friend, Karen helped to turn my mind with one of her emails. God spoke to me and asked me what I'm doing with the biggest and best gift I've ever received? My salvation and the gift of HIS Son Jesus Christ. I'm always concerned with being a good steward of money/gift cards, etc... and using coupons and getting the best price... But when you get right down to it - you don't take any of that with you when you die... You either have Jesus or you don't and then the question is what did you do with Jesus? Did you say thanks and stick Him in a closet or did you commune with HIM constantly? Did you ask what do YOU think, Jesus before doing anything? Did you seek HIM and HIS will? So if I had to lose $300 to get me thinking, then it was worth it...

Shortly after realizing the gift card was missing, I rushed out to the store and bought a wallet for $9.88. So now, I have my wallet worth $309.88 - for that price it better last 200 years (haha). In all seriousness, I hope the lessons learned here have eternal value beyond anything money could buy.

May 7, 2007

I'm so excited! The other day, my four year son got some books down from the bookshelf and messed it up a bit, so I decided I needed to straighten it up... I noticed a pack of batteries that didn't belong and a couple receipts and a little red piece of cardboard... Guess what I found? You're right - the $300 SEARS gift card. I immediately called my in-laws and shared the good news. They were overjoyed and as you can imagine so was I.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:8-10

How should being a Christian effect the way we live...

How should being a Christian effect the way we live during our short visit to earth?

I just finished reading "50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light" by Randy Alcorn that tackles that question. Below is a quote from the book...

What are your thoughts?

"Heaven should affect our activities and ambitions, our recreations and friendships, and the way we spend our money and time. If I believe I'll spend eternity in a world of unending beauty and adventure, will I be content to spend all my evenings playing video games or staring at games shows, sitcoms, and ball games? Even if I keep my eyes away from impurities, how much time will I want to invest in what ultimately doesn't matter?" page 270