Will You Speak Up?

"They came first for the Communists..
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Unionists...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist.
Then they came for the Catholic...
but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me...
and by that time...
there was no-one left to speak up for me."

Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939

This quote, from a book I randomly picked up, stuck out to me so much that I had to read it through several times. The first thing that popped into my head was- what in the world is that supposed to mean?  

It fascinated me.  The second thought was- where is the rest of it? 

Without context it is hard to know what Rev. Martin Niemoller meant. To me though, the implications of last line are still powerful- "Then they came for me... and by that time...  there was no-one left to speak up for me." 

I can't count how many times I have thought things like- 

So and so is finally getting what they deserve.  
Why should I help so and so if they never help me?

I'm so glad Mommy is making so and so do their chores for once.  

Or, That's not my job so I don't need to take care of it. 
Similar to the quote above, the root of thoughts like these is selfishness. It is insane to think that your friends will forgive, and help you, when you hold grudges and refuse to help them. If you don't stand up for others, when you need someone, no one will be around.
(Proverbs 18:24) Instead of selfishly thinking of only ourselves, let's speak up for those around us today, and put others before ourselves! (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12)

Oh, to Long!

You have seen a dog after a long run; how he stands with opened mouth panting for life and breath. Oh, that we had desires after God and divine things strong enough to make us thus open our mouth and pant! We may never have seen a stag in extremis, but I dare say David had. He had seen it in the fierce hunt, when it longed to have its smoking sides in the water brooks and to drink long draughts, and he said, “As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” 

Nothing puts such energy into prayer as intense anguish of desire. Desire comes out of a sense of want; and in proportion as the necessity is overwhelming, the fervency of the desire will be vehement. My brethren, we have not, because, although we ask, we use a kind of asking which is as though we asked not.

An old Puritan says, “He that prays to God without fervor asks to be denied.” There is a way of asking for a thing in which the person to whom the request is made finds it very easy to decline the request, but persons in dire necessity understand how to put the case, so that only a very hard-hearted person could say “no.” They know how to place their petition in such a way that the request wins, not merely because of the rightness of the petition, but also because of the very style in which it is put. We must learn how to pray with strong crying and tears, for there are mercies which cannot be gained by any other mode of supplicating. 
From a sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon entitled "Opening The Mouth."

Watch this Video

(If you can't see the video click HERE)

This man is being used by God to do amazing things, to find out more visit Gospel for Asia. 

I am giving away a copy of his book that describes his ministry and what God is doing HERE! 

Spread Smiles

Hello Everyone! Today we wanted to share a little something to put a smile on your face!

Timothy: (eating an orange) “Mommy! You forgot to warn me about the nuts!”

David: "Dear Lord, please help the bills come in....."

Thomas: (holding the Wordless Book open to the gold page) “Lissa, don’t the bad guys want to steal all the gold from heaven?" 

Heather: (Looking at a pile of uneaten cauliflower) "It's white! must be unhealthy." 

Timothy: (running in to tell about a scooter crash)
"Beth! We have an Engineer out here!"
Beth: "An Engineer?"
Timothy: "Yes! an Injured-Knee-er. David injured his (knees) all up!"

Thomas: "Rachel there is a black widow under my bed!"
Rachel (going to look): "A black widow spider?"
Thomas: "Yes, but it's ok, it's a Christian black widow, so it won't be bad."

Timothy: You are still here? Inconceivable!

Heather: "It's Ok."
Melissa: "Why is THAT ok?"
Heather: "Because we can't do anything about it."

 
Laura: "Daniel, you don't want to watch this with us, its a mushy girl movie."
Rachel: "LAURA! It is not, and besides, that part isn't what we watch it for anyway...  uh  ...  is it?"

Beth: "Timothy don't eat that dough, it has yeast and it will make your tummy grumpy."
Timothy: "Yay! I like grumpy tummies!"
Beth:"You do? Why?"
Timothy:"Because grumpy tummies means it's time to eat, and that is GOOD!!!" 

Laura: "I know! He's famous for..... Playing the violin?... No, no, no, I mean playing the chandelier!" 

While discussing who should eat the cake batter out of the bowl:
Timothy- “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to have the bowl for an hour…..then you can have the bowl for 2 hours!”
Thomas- “No! I want to have it for 4 hours! Let’s do it how old we are!"
 

Rachel: (After bursting out laughing at a comment while gulping sweet tea)"You can say anything you want, just don't talk."

David: (watching an Edison worker)
"Hey! He spit on our land! That's littering!"

Thomas: (talking and making cookies for the committee meeting)
".... And you know, we are making these cookies for the comedian meeting tonight, cause we like cookies, and we want to share with them....."

Ray: (watching a GNC child shiver) " Are you cold? I'm not cold."
Child: "Of course you're not cold. You have fur."
(for those who don't know Daddy... YES, he has a beard!)



Have a day filled to the brim with the joy of the Lord!

A Giveaway!!!

Dear Readers,
I am not sure how many of you have seen Becca-ellen's blog "Books On Trial," but if you haven't been over there recently, I would encourage you to take this opportunity, because there is a wonderful giveaway going on for the next 14 days.
To give you a heads up, these are the titles of the three books that are being given away-

1. The one Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by: Tony Dungy
2. Feminine Threads by: Diana Severance
3. Revolution in World Missions by: K.P. Yahannan

Here is a link if you would like to participate.

Enjoy!

Earnest Prayer [Guest Post]

"Many a prayer is too long by twenty lines. It is smothered under a bed-full of words. There are times when a Christian man can pray from hour to hour; but it is a great mistake when brethren measure their supplications by the clock. The great matter is not how long you pray, but how earnestly you pray. Consider the life of the prayer rather than the length of the prayer. If your prayer reaches to heaven it is long enough. What longer can it need to be? If it does not reach the Lord, though it occupied you for a week, it would not be long enough to be of use." The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.(James 5:16)  
 Charles Spurgeon, "To Souls In Agony." 

{Guest Post} New Beginings

          One quiet Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, I picked up a book called “A Song in Siberia: The True Story of a Russian Church that Could Not Be Silenced.” Often I skip prologues and introductions, but that day I started reading the preface, and the words of a letter from the believers in Siberia seemed to be written just to me. “Our wish before the Lord today,” the church wrote, “is that He will call from our midst and our times such scribes and recorders as in ancient days and in the period of the founding and confirming of the church…in this way, many people in our day also may read and learn of all the wonderful deeds of our Lord, who yesterday, today, and forever is the same (Hebrews 13:8). Thus, dear brothers and sisters, we appeal to those of you who have still not begun to write all the events taking place in your lives and to whom God has revealed the importance of describing His glorious works in your churches. Take your pen and begin to write and describe everything as your life and service passes by.”

          As this New Year begins, may their challenge become yours, as it has become mine. When you see the Lord working, write it down. When you’re fighting doubt and confusion, as I was one night, and open your Bible in desperation to find a verse staring at you that perfectly fits your struggle, and the Lord’s peace fills your heart – write it down. When you’re tired and grumpy doing chores in the back yard on a Saturday evening, and you lift your eyes over the fence to see a glorious sunset painted by your Father who knew you needed encouragement – write it down. When you feel exhausted and sick, and you have to tell a missionary story in front of a hundred children and teachers without having had time to prepare, and then you leave it to the Lord and watch Him tell it through you in a way that holds those children’s attention as you never could have done yourself – write it down. Simple things? Perhaps. But they form a record of the love of a Father, the faithfulness of a Savior, the all-sufficient grace that will provide the strength and ability to do whatever work God sets before us. I forget so quickly, and reading over the stories of the Lord’s work in me is a tremendous encouragement and blessing. Looking back, I see the hand of a God that I can trust with all my heart to lead me, guide me, and bring me at last into His presence, fully pleasing to Him. May He make this year one of seeing and recording His hand at work in your lives, and bring joy to you and glory to Himself as He works His perfect will in His people and His world.

About the Author 

This was written by a friend of mine who hopes the Lord can use it to encourage and bless those that read it.   (I hope that it has challenged each of you as much as it has me.)

             
 May God bless each of you during this new year,