Online Writing Therapy

Writing was invented for expressing, conveying and communicating. Whoever invented writing would have never thought what writing is going to do in future. We write down to learn as student, we type or write in office for office work, writers pour their feelings on paper and convert them into books. As hobby some people write their daily activities in paper diary or online diary on internet. Every one expresses themselves through writing in different ways. Writing is expression which brings out feelings and messages from your mind on paper or on your computer screen.

Doctors from certain parts of the world have been busy in researching about writing since 1970s, according to them; writing has certain advantage which is yet to be known to the world. The use of writing down feelings is "Therapy". It has certain medical advantages associated with it. Doctors have researched for many years and finally concluded that writing down feelings twenty minutes every day can cure many diseases. This technique is know as "Writing Therapy" it is just as if physiotherapy is done for physical exercises, writing therapy is very useful for keeping mind healthy and can help do wonders.

Writing therapy can cure diseases like depression, stress, cancer, asthma, different abuses etc. WT is helpful in developing a sense of recreation and identification. Writing helps in in identifying potential of one self. According to research conducted by Doctors, writing therapy sessions can help in overcoming fears by just writing out feelings on piece of paper, it also helps in identify the inner strengths and inborn sense of one self.

The purpose for writing therapy lies within the writer. Writer can pick different topics, then choose how to express feelings and in what time frame. Twenty minutes a day is a proven remedy. Writing therapy is useful method in re-creativity, self administration and also helps in improving wisdom by exploratory writing methods. Writing can help in get you started and can be launch pad for you. Writing will make you feel more in control of your self, utilizing twenty minutes a day will help you notice positive track records of your vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, stress etc. Writing therapy has been proven very useful for prisoners as well. Now you can have writing therapy sessions on internet by using online journal. Write your feelings and live healthy life.

Conduct Online Writing therapy session through Online journal

Jews to Receive Jesus as Israel's King!

Is there strong indication in the Bible that Israel will have a change of heart and accept Yeshua because of the preaching of two prophets in Jerusalem, the Two Witnesses announced in Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11? Will the Jews grasp Jesus is the Anointed One, the Lamb and Lion of God, and finally convert?

Yes! There is definite proof of such as Yeshua clearly said He wouldn't return to Jerusalem, Judah or the Jews until they have a change of heart and welcome Him. The Two Witnesses, in the power and spirit of Elijah (who is dead and buried and awaits the First Resurrection), will prepare the way by preparing our people to receive our King!

Matthew 23:39

39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Zechariah the prophet foresees such a long-awaited repentance and recognition! The Jews in Jerusalem will perceive that the Pierced One is the Firstborn of Judah and the Firstborn of God -- our King Messiah!

Zechariah 12:10-15

10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David [political establishment] by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi [religious establishment] by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Yeshua, first and foremost, is the King of the Jews, the King of Israel (all Twelve Tribes of Israel). Yeshua is coming back specifically to keep alive God's physical promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and our Israelite forefathers who left Egypt: the iron-clad promise that the Fathers will always have some survivors, some physical remnant, beyond any shadow of a doubt.

The cities of Judah will hear this message loud and clear:

Matthew 24:22

22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened.

Romans 11:28

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Leviticus 26:44-45

44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.

45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

We are the physical elect, the physical Chosen People -- primarily the British-Israelites and Jews, Joseph and Judah -- for whose sakes' those days will be cut short by divine intervention or we would all be history and Satan could say God is a liar. But God's Word is good and true and He will prepare our people by a baptism of repentance by the Two Witnesses, speaking to our captive audience from Jerusalem (having been conquered by the German-Jesuit EU), giving us the GOOD NEWS that our personal lord and NATIONAL SAVIOR, our NATIONAL DELIVERER, is coming soon to save us.

It is this glorious GOOD NEWS that I share within the first chapter of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, appropriately called: "Survival Guaranteed!"

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

Lifestyle Evangelism

There are certainly many references in the Bible to evangelism such as John 4:35-38 and First Corinthians 3:5-9 or the most popular Biblical example towards the end of Matthew 28 where Jesus told his followers "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

However, the means in which to tell other nations about The Lord and teach of the Bible was not specified. One of the more recent popular terms and practices is 'Lifestyle Evangelism' which simply means other ways of spreading the word of the Bible and Jesus (i.e., those of us who are not Ministers or who otherwise are looking for ways of spreading Christianity without necessarily preaching). So it could be interpreted as non-verbal means of spreading God's word by having others seeking to follow your ways (i.e., your lifestyle). Rather than pro-active means, Lifestyle Evangelism can mean reactive means of starting a conversation about Jesus, like wearing a Christian tee shirt certainly can be a conversation starter and lead to a discussion.

There are some who debate whether anything short of preaching or verbal evangelizing is really following God's word, but I think Matthew 28 is the best example in that it doesn't specify the MEANS in which to spread the word to other nations - it just says go out and spread the word.

Not everyone is the Type A personality that can start a conversation with anyone. Others need an ice-breaker and this has been for many the hardest part of fulfilling your need as a Christian to practice evangelism. So for many Christians, Lifestyle Evangelism can fulfill that desire to fulfill Jesus' statement in Matthew 28 by doing rather than by preaching. If others see that you're living a great life, doing good unto others, committing to family, friends, neighbors, people in need, then others will want to ask how you got there, and that's your ice-breaker to start a conversation. No you don't have to start that first discussion with reciting any Biblical text, but as you get to know the person, your beliefs and lifestyle will surely come out. Not by preaching, but in the things you do.

If you would like more about Lifestyle evangelism, we have an entire Blog on our website devoted to this topic and it's fun to see what ideas others have on this topic.

Bryan K. Johnson is the President and Owner of BlueHeavenTees.com

Blue Heaven Tees offers innovative and unique Christian Tee Shirts, Christian Hoodies and Sweatshirts and other great Christian gift ideas. Check out our new fall line now in stock!

http://www.BlueHeavenTees.com

He Walks and He Talks With Us

"...Jesus himself came up and walked along with them" (Luke 24:15).

Jesus consecrates for us our heartbreaking walks and our aching journeys. How significant and wonderful that Jesus came to Cleopas and his friend. What tenderness of heart that Jesus comes to us! Cleopas and his unnamed companion were talking about their sorrow. No one but God knows who these two men were. One wasn't even accorded the distinction of a name. But Jesus quietly entered into their discouraged lives and conversation and comforted them. None can dare say or think that Jesus doesn't care about the pedestrian person! Love, with pierced feet, walks ahead to give all hope. "He seeks the society of struggling spirits, He gives His presence to sorrowing souls" (A. Raleigh). Another thought, a pastor once noted that only one of the two was named, and he suggested that the reader take his or her own place there beside Jesus and Cleopas. How beautiful!

"They asked each other, `Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:32). Our human puzzles are not solved by reason or by what seem to be rational human theories, but by what God tells us. Life can be enormously unreasonable. Every person who has any sensibilities at all has cried out a "Why?" to some unwarranted (or so it seems) work or word. When it happens, our beloved Jesus walks on our Emmaus road with us and reasons with us. He gives us a holy explanation which is wholly safe and sound. So we ask Him, "`Stay with us'...so He [comes] in to stay with [us]" (Luke 24:29). What comfort He gives. Jesus not only grants our request but becomes our Intimate, too.

Certain of God's saints had moments of discouragement:
Moses (Numbers 11:15), Joshua (Joshua 7:7), Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Job (Job 10:1), David (Psalms 42:6, 69:2, 73:16, 137:1), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:10), and these two disciples who thought there was no hope left. But! "He lifted me out...of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:2).

Why Read The Bible?

How easy is it for you to let dust collect on your Bible?

There was a time when I was first searching out the truth about Jesus Christ that I was embarrassed to let friends see the bible I had purchased sitting in my living room.

Then there was a season during which I was so proud to have my study bible laying open with a bookmark, highlighter and note paper nearby.

Then my bible started to just feel like an extension of my own body... always there, always ready.

Then the bible collection began... I wanted different versions, different purposes, different looks and different styles. A bible for my bedroom, a bible for the car and a bible just in case someone needs one.

And sadly... there has been a season in my life where my bible collected dust. How can that be?

Why read the Bible?

A. It shows you the right path.

B. It alerts you when you are getting off the right path.

C. It teaches you how to get back on the right path.

D. It empowers you to stay on the right path.

Isn't that what life is all about? Finding and staying on the right path? And isn't life always trying to get us off of the right path? The Bible is our Path Guide. We dare not let it collect dust - or worse yet, be left behind completely.

Joel Osteen and his father before him begin every service at Lakewood Church by leading the entire congregation in a simple prayer of confession and it starts like this:

"This is my Bible:

I am what it says I am;

I have what it says I have;

I can do what it says I can do."

When you open your Bible to spend some quiet time with your God - Do you believe that you are what the Bible says you are? Do you believe that you have what it says you have? Do you really believe that you can do what it says you can do?

How will you approach your Bible today?

About the Authors: Kelly McCausey and Sandra Jensen lead the Me Skills Discipleship Community, a private membership website for Christians who wish to enjoy a deeper relationship with Christ. Subscribe for free daily email devotionals at http://www.meskills.com

Christians Don't Want You Watch This Video

North Korea - Return of the Arduous March

That's what they are saying in some quarters. The "Arduous March" has returned. Arduous, as in "characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion." More like, to the point of starvation and death, in North Korean terms. The official "march" was said to have taken place when the Korean people were led through the worst famine in their history -some say anyone's history- back in the 90's, around 1994-2000 to be a little more precise. All the reasons for such an event are not clear, but governmental mis-management is never ruled out except by Pyongyang.

During the "march" years, the Public Distribution System suddenly stopped. People ate more grass than rice. Thievery increased. Death abounded then multiplied. Hunger kills. Two to three million, they say.

But in spite of recent pronouncements from the capital that by the year 2012 (Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday), North Korea will become so great a power that it will "dwarf all the difficulties" and solve all the problems it has been having, the people who know best say it aint necessarily so.

• some homes had less food last year than during the "arduous march" years.
• the longer some people live there, they say, the less hope they have of living.
• ordinary laborers say that 2007 was the very worst year yet, at least regarding food.
• in 2007 laborers were forbidden to farm on their own.
• once again, more and more people are turning to lives of thievery to survive.
• now the thievery is turning to members of their own families.
• many North Koreans drift away into the mountains, never to be seen again.
• people are working hard all year, but the food crops last only a few months.

No one knows the future. Maybe by 2012 North Korea really will be a rich and prosperous nation, and powerful too. I'd say they'd have a much better shot at that if they will open up to the Creator of the harvest. Right now they are being told He does not exist. Though some know otherwise, the big breakthrough of spiritual and material uplift that comes when Christ is free to be preached nationwide, is still in the future.

Our job as believers is clear. Pray, pray, and then pray some more.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Who Succeeded the Apostles?

Apostolic succession. The question for many centuries. Who has authority in the Church? Who's in charge? Jesus warned us about dealing with this question, reminding us that it is the "Gentiles", the nations of the world, that are especially worried over it. In the world, everyone wants to be the top man. Top woman, today.But we are to seek the bottom. Servanthood. Bondslaves of Christ, we are called. Nevertheless, Jesus did not shy away from the topic, and He let us know that there are indeed leaders among us. First and foremost, not just "in Heaven", but right here with us, is the Chief Shepherd of the sheep, Lord of the Church, Who said, "All authority has been given to Me..."

That settles that! All authority given to Jesus. He rules. Period. Then He went on to say, "Therefore, you go, you preach, you baptize, you teach." Since Jesus is in charge, we go, in His authority.

Now, right before that final word, the apostle John lets us in on a private conversation between Peter and Jesus. It was this little glimpse that gave the Medieval Church the idea that not only Peter, but some imagined "line" following Peter, would be the true rulers of the church. You remember the incident?

Peter, do you love Me? Sure I love You. Then feed My lambs. Do you love Me? Of course I love You! Feed my sheep. Do you really love Me? Master, You know everything. Surely You must know I love You. Three denials at the arrest. Now three affirmations, as Jesus arrests Peter.

We don't have to say the opposite of Rome in every word they speak. Remember that a goodly portion of Roman teaching is straight out of your Bible. It's the other part we must oppose. There can be no explanation of this passage that denies Peter the leading role in that Jerusalem church. Yes, James was the "administrator", yes Paul was free to oppose him. It was not military autocratic rule. But it was true leadership. Peter's always in a leading position when you see him in the Book of Acts. Eventually his leading position led him to go to the cross as his Master had done. True servanthood.

Of course it must be noted, that without consulting the church of Jerusalem, "Peter's flock," Jesus called another apostle, Paul, who established a whole new order of congregations among the Gentiles, independent of Jerusalem, governed by well-chosen elders full of the Holy Spirit.

That the other apostles shared in Peter's leadership is witnessed throughout Acts, and the histories that trace each of them to a violent death. Jesus had so indicated by filling them with the Spirit even before Pentecost and giving them a charge.

So they led, they fed, they died. Their witness of the resurrection was sealed. They laid the foundation , their words were recorded and passed on. Done. Course finished.

Where we differ with Rome and all latter-day "apostles" is in the need for such apostolic work to continue. Who succeeded Peter? No one. Where was the "headquarters" for many years? That question has been contested in every age, and never settled. Most historians tell us there were at least five "centers" of the church until the growing political structure of the Roman Church forced others into submission as their predecessors in Imperial Rome had subjugated the old Empire. The church had fallen into the trap Jesus warned about. The professing visible church was no better than "the nations." The salt had lost its savour. The world was plunged into darkness.

In every generation of that Darkened church, bloody struggles decided who was the "successor" of Peter. Today, in a world decidedly democratic in its ways, Rome "votes" for the leadership of God. But whether by sword or by ballot box, it is a fleshly line of succession that has fooled the world and good portions of the church for centuries.

Nevertheless God's true church prospers. For He has a people and He provides them with leaders whenever they call upon His Name. Elders are moved into place, and the true ones give their lives to protect and feed their flocks. And upon what do true ministers feed them? Why the words of the apostles, what else? For you see, the answer to my original question is, "No one succeeded the apostles." They do not need succeeding. Their words have remained, by God's miracle, for these 1,900 years, and added to the words of the prophets, they constitute everything we could possibly need.

Who are the leaders of my church? To whom do I submit? Jesus, Peter, Paul, Matthew, John, and the rest. And every minister of God who speaks their words. The apostles still lead God's church. Let all would-be "apostles" in our day be sure to speak exactly what they spoke. Those who do not need to be challenged and stopped.

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com - There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

He Refused to Drink It

Two amazing things took place just before the crucifixion of Jesus. First, someone was caring enough in the midst of that hardened crowd, to reach out to the Master and offer Him a way to ease His pain. Was this the standard thing to do? Doesn't seem to me that one would be "nice" to a murderer or thief. But somehow compassion reached the Son of God, as someone was able to see the senselessness of this particular crucifixion.

The other amazing thing is that Jesus refused to drink what He was offered. It's amazing to me because I tend to be an escape artist when it comes to pain and suffering. If they would, I'd let them put me out at the dentist's office.

But through the years I've been able to say with the Pharisee, I'm sure glad I'm not like the people of the world. I don't drink or do drugs or smoke. I don't alter my mind or body at all, and escape my troubles and fears by some substance. Then it hit me, not too long ago. I've been using the television to dull my senses to the pain of Christ in the world today.

By God's grace, on June 26 I was delivered from the real culprit of American society. There are many believers like myself who would never think of hitting the bottle, but when they need "fellowship", they turn on the TV. If they lack companionship, they turn on the TV. When things get tough, they turn to television. When they're feeling good, even about the Lord, they celebrate by watching a little TV. When their mind gets hungry, when they're bored, they lack vision, they want to relax, escape...oh for any number of reasons, television is king.

I believe now that the television-movie industry is drugging American Christians, de-sensitizing them to the realities of the Holy Spirit, and delaying any true revival.

Could it be that Christ Himself would like to be the One we turn to in all the above situations? Could it be that God would have us fill our minds with God's vision, not tele-vision?

How many times did I lose the program that God had just given me in His Word by having it buried in the program of some man. How many times have I laughed my way out of the deep walk in the Spirit He was desiring. How many hours-days-years gone, with no way of recovery...

I speak not as judge. I speak as one set free, who wants his friends to have the same joy. I have not regretted my decision. Though it is only 3 weeks old, life is already taking much better turns. I am thinking my own thoughts, going the way I was intended to go, hand in hand with Christ. Doors are opening. Life is fuller. I highly recommend a Hollywood-free life to all who can hear me.

If Christ Jesus refused to drink the cup that men gave Him so that He could drink the cup the Father gave Him, well, should that not be the Model I place before me?

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Church-Hoppers, Beware!

It hit me again this morning. I was praying in preparation for our weekly Bible study. I'm supposed to be in I Peter, but my mind and heart were led over to the Book of Revelation. There's a curious truth hidden there that many Protestants need to hear.

Since our exit from Romanism lo these many hundreds of years, we protest-ors have been dividing and re-dividing and sub-dividing until we are more known for our splinters than our solid wood. We love to think of ourselves as "separated" when many times all we are is separate. There's a huge difference.

A truly separated, or holy brother, stands out in a crowd. And that's the point. He has to be in the crowd to begin with before he can stand out. He stands out not because he leaves but because God has filled Him and He is different.

Too many of the bretheren are just out-standing, not standing out! Imagine a guy going to a picnic and spending the whole time sitting under a tree thinking nasty thoughts about the picnickers. Some of us are like that. Everyone else is enjoying Jesus, while we sit back and "spy out their liberty", just knowing that they couldn't possibly be real.

God never called His church to walk alone. Once we have come out of Babylon we are to come together in Zion. We are not called to be loners, judges, monks. The calls to one-mindedness as in I Peter 3, are not calls to doctrinal purity but calls to the compassionate mind of Christ, the brotherly love of believers, tenderheartedness, and the like. These things we can experience. Doctrinal unty will not happen until we are all made perfect with Him.

One does not reject his infant child because the child lacks understanding and "agreement" intellectually. So in the churh we do not exclude those with whom we disagree. If they are born again, eventually one or both of the 2 arguing parties will see things exactly the same. Eventually.

But I was talking about the Book of Revelation. You remember the seven churches. Consider, and weep with me when you do, because I have spent much time at the "church picnic" sitting under my tree of judgment, that not once does God tell believers to leave the churches that are described. And some of them are pretty bad. One is lukewarm, one is corrupt, one is actually dead!

But the command is to repent, to hold fast, to continue on, not to walk out! Leaving a church dooms it, if perchance you are the last hope that church has.

Stay with your congregation. Lay down your life for it. Offer your gifts and your prayers and your finances and whatever you have. More importantly, avail yourself of all the giftedness that is available to you in that fellowship. When you stop seeing all the faults God will open your eyes to your own great needs, and to a member of that body that has the answer for it.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

The Sign Jesus Gave Of The Beginning Of The End

Let me say it as directly as I can. We have not been told the whole truth about Matthew 24. Scholars have seen historical "facts" and reached what they considered to be obvious conclusions. But "facts" cannot be allowed to confuse what is even more important, namely truth. It was facts that blinded the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land. Ten spies, you recall (Numbers 13) saw one set of "facts", that the giants were real and would eat them up! Two spies saw facts that differed , through eyes of faith, on the same trip. We must read the Scriptures with eyes like the faithful spies, ever believing God is able to do even the most spectacular things. The truth of Matthew 24 can only sink in if every word of it is allowed to hit us full force, attached to our faith.

Let "history" wait. Let men's theories wait. Let us read it as it is! If you have ever read the conclusions of men about Matthew 24, and went away a bit unsatisfied, the reason is that you were made to "understand" rather than to believe. Many scholars feel it is their calling to explain away texts that are "too hard". They do not deserve a following.To the text.Jesus pronounced an amazing statement of doom in Matthew 24:2. He claimed that everything in the beautiful temple site around them would be reduced to rubble! Not one stone would be left upon another. The common people must have been a bit annoyed. And the religious leaders could use this gloom and doom talk against Him later. But the disciples were given grace to come to Him privately and ask merely when it would all take place. The Herodian Temple of Jesus' day had taken decades to complete. Some say it was still under construction during the life of Jesus.

It was an awesome structure, and as the text implies, was made of several "buildings", not just a place of worship. There were a number of separate courts for a number of separate groups of people. There were porches, and stairways leading everywhere, rooms like our "storefronts" to be used for shops. There was even attached to this structure an entire fortress to be used by the Roman Governor when he was in town. And there were huge walls surrounding the entire site, one of which still stands...Were you listening? I just said one of those walls still stands. In plain sight to all of us humans for 20 centuries has been a wall from the days of Herod's Jerusalem that was not destroyed when the Romans changed the course of Israel's history in the year 70 A.D. In fact, Rome, it is said, left it there to remind the Jews of what they, the Romans, had accomplished in their war of near annihilation.

Now, the Jews like to point out that the standing wall was a sign of God resisting the Romans and letting Israel know that His bond with them was unbroken. Whether your viewpoint is Roman or Jewish, the text before us is in trouble. Jesus: not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2).We are either off to a bad start here or we have stumbled onto something. From the beginning of our search for truth we are being asked to rearrange thinking that has settled in since scholars have convinced us not to look further than their findings. Their findings are that Jesus' words about the coming destruction were fulfilled in A.D. 70. But they have trouble explaining the sequence of the wording that follows in this chapter. And for sure they cannot deal with a certain "western wall" (sometimes called the "wailing" wall by those less respectful of Israelite feelings) that nullifies the literal acceptance of Jesus' words.

"Assuredly I say to you, So here is one important truth upon which to build when trying to understand the end-times: The prophecy of Matthew 24 has not yet been fulfilled! Knowing that leads to some startling conclusions.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

North Korea - Where Have All The Squirrels Gone?

North Korea watcher Dr. C. Kenneth Quinones narrates this tragic personal recollection in his Idiot's Guide to understanding this nation. As a lover of nature myself, I was taken aback at how serious North Korea became just a decade ago. This information is vital for those who will continue praying and working for North Korea...

He was in North Korea in August, September, and October of 1995. Incredibly fierce rains in August caused floods that made Korean, if not world, history. The corn and rice harvests were destroyed. He saw women and children dressed in rags wandering in the fields looking for leaves, grass, anything they could eat. They found more than he had imagined possible.

It suddenly dawned on him that the wildlife was strangely quiet. All during this time he saw not one bird or squirrel or any other animal one would expect to be outdoors at this time of year. It became clear that they had all been put to good use helping to fend off starving . The Koreans had eaten them all.

North Korea is not out of the woods yet, though somewhat improved. Just how many died during the famine? One organization says 3.5 million. A north Korean document traced monthly death rates in one mining town. 19% of the town died between 1995 and 1998. That's not counting 20% who fled, and many others who died of a cholera epidemic.Another group interviewed 440 refugees from North Hamgyong and concluded that the death rate was around 13%. If that statistic was true of the whole country this famine was the worst in human history.

Even a North Korean official admitted in 1999 that 220,000 had died from 1995-1998.

The misery of those years and to some extent these years is indescribable. Many despaired and took poison. Many took their children to railway stations so that perhaps someone else could feed them. Others sold their children.Cannibalism was widespread. A man was caught and shot after they found the head of a corpse in his house. A couple was executed for murdering 50 children and salting and storing their flesh, mixing it with pork and selling it in the market. A family of five was shot for luring small children into their house, drugging them, chopping up their bodies...

Enough. Enough hopefully to bring us to a place of prayer for a nation and a government. Enough to ask God to raise up His Word and our Lord to rule over North Korea. Where Christ rules, little children are not eaten. Oh that North Korea will hear about Jesus and proclaim His Lordship! (Some of these facts gleaned from Becker's 'Rogue Regime.')

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

We Need North Korea

So who needs North Korea? The Christian Church of the West, for one.

Last spring I attended a life-changing conference in Wheaton regarding North Korea. Incredible. Here I met my first North Korean. A truly broken man who sat in a wheel chair as he ministered to us. He had been wounded severely in the Korean War days, but not before, he said with deep sorrow, he had killed many American soldiers.

He told us the story of what it is really like in NK and left indelible impressions all around. I certainly won't forget him.

But perhaps my most unforgettable moment at the meeting was when a speaker was comparing our way of life in the church with that of the North Koreans. He stated that believers here have developed a great theology of worship, and even of thankfulness, a theology born out of abundance. And so it should be, he said. The abundance. And the gratefulness. Who can deny it?

But the speaker went on to add that what is lacking in the West is the theology of the cross. Now, we all know about the cross of Christ and greatly appreciate it. But the theology of my cross and your cross ... that, he concluded, seems to be sadly lacking. We hear messages about it now and then. It's part of our doctrinal stand. But is the cross being lived out in most lives?

The speaker concluded, and I agreed though regretfully lacking myself, that we need North Korea at least as much as they need us. Probably more. It would seem to me that the cross trumps abundance. Often seems to wipe it out altogether for a time.

Jesus' Calvary stay was not an example of the abundant life being preached on TV these days, except that it measured His abundant love. North Korea calls us to examine our fruit, to see if our hearts are Christ-filled, or, like the "Juche" folks in Chosun, filled only with ourselves, self-reliant.

North Korean Church, we need you. Thank you for carrying the cross of Christ. Pray for us that we will be as willing as you to go to Golgotha and die.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.