What to Pray For

November 10, 2006 By John Piper Read this resource on our website. If you are like me, you find that from time to time your prayer life needs a jolt out of the rut it has fallen into. We tend to use the same phrases over and over. We tend to default to worn out phrases (like the word default). We fall into patterns of mindless repetition. The devil hates prayer. Our own flesh does not naturally love it. Therefore, it does not come full-born and complete and passionate from the womb of our heart. It takes ever renewed discipline. Years ago, when I wrote Let the Nations Be Glad, I argued that prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom. God is more like a general in Command Central than a butler waiting to bring you another pillow in the den. Of course, he is also Father, Lover, Friend, Physician, Shepherd, Helper, King, Savior, Lord, Counselor. But in this fallen “world with devils filled,” prayer will function best when we keep the frequency tuned to Command Central in the fight of faith. So when I wrote that book, I gathered into one place all the things the early church prayed for. I printed this out for myself, and it has proven to be one of those “jolts” that I need. I thought you might find it helpful. You might want to print it out and keep it for a while in your Bible to guide you in your praying. It is a great confidence-builder in prayer to know that you are not quirky in your praying. To pray what the New Testament prays is a safe and powerful way to pray. Prayer remains one of the great and glorious mysteries of the universe—that the all-knowing, all-wise, all-sovereign God should ordain to run his world in response to our prayers is mind-boggling. But that is the uniform witness of Scripture. God hears and answers the prayers of his people. O do not neglect this amazing way of influencing nations and movements and institutions and churches and people’s hearts, especially your own. If you want to pray for what the early church prayed for . . . Pray that God would exalt his name in the world. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9) Pray that God would extend his kingdom in the world. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) Pray that the gospel would speed ahead and be honored. Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you. (2 Thessalonians 3:1) Pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13; cf. Ephesians 3:19) Pray that God would vindicate his people in their cause. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? (Luke 18:7 rsv) Pray that God would save unbelievers. Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1) Pray that God would direct the use of the sword. Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Ephesians 6:17-18) Pray for boldness in proclamation. Praying at all times in the Spirit . . . and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:18-19) And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. (Acts 4:29) Pray for signs and wonders. And now, Lord, . . . grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness . . . while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. (Acts 4:29-30) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:17-18) Pray for the healing of wounded comrades. Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15) Pray for the healing of unbelievers. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. (Acts 28:8) Pray for the casting out of demons. And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:29) Pray for miraculous deliverances. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church . . . When he realized [he had been freed], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. (Acts 12:5, 12) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake. (Acts 16:25-26) Pray for the raising of the dead. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, rise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. (Acts 9:40) Pray that God would supply his troops with necessities. Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) Pray for strategic wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5) Pray that God would establish leadership in the outposts. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23) Pray that God would send out reinforcements. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:38) While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3) Pray for the success of other missionaries. I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints. (Romans 15:30-31) Pray for unity and harmony in the ranks. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21) Pray for the encouragement of togetherness. We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:10) Pray for a mind of discernment. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:9-10) Pray for a knowledge of his will. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9) Pray to know God better. [We have not ceased to pray for you to be] increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10; cf. Ephesians 1:17) Pray for power to comprehend the love of Christ. I bow my knees before the Father . . . [that you] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. (Ephesians 3:14, 18-19) Pray for a deeper sense of assured hope. I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:16, 18) Pray for strength and endurance. [We have not ceased to pray for you to be] strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Colossians 1:11; cf. Ephesians 3:16) Pray deeper sense of his power within them. I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know . . . what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. (Ephesians 1:16, 18-19) Pray that your faith not be destroyed. I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren. (Luke 22:32) But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36) Pray for greater faith. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24; cf. Ephesians 3:17) Pray that you might not fall into temptation. Lead us not into temptation. (Matthew 6:13) Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41) Pray that God would complete your good resolves. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11) Pray that you would do good works. [We have not ceased to pray for you that you] walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work. (Colossians 1:10) Pray for the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12) Pray for protection from the evil one. Deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:13)

Repackaging an old religion

DEEPAK CHOPRA, M.D. Chairman and co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California. Acknowledged as one of the world's greatest leaders in the field of mind body medicine, Deepak Chopra, M.D. continues to transform our understanding of the meaning of health. Through his creation of The Chopra Center for Well Being in California in 1995, Chopra established a formal vehicle for the expansion of his healing approach using the integration of the best of western medicine with natural healing traditions. Dr. Chopra serves as the Director of Education at The Chopra Center, which offers training programs in mind body medicine (Journey into Healing). The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has granted continuing medical education credits for this program, which satisfies requirements for the American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award. Through his partnership with David Simon, M.D. and numerous health care professionals in both conventional and complementary healing arts, Chopra's work is changing the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellness. Renewsal weekend Join internationally acclaimed Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon for a profound weekend of renewal designed to help you restore, reflect, rejuvenate, and re-connect with yourself. You will be taught effective ways to manage stress, calm anxiety, respond to life's uncertainties, and achieve balance in your life. A great start for beginners, this revitalizing weekend teaches you the basics of Ayurveda--the ancient healing practice of India--and how it complements modern western medicine. Yoga, meditation, and emotional wellbeing help to balance body and mind. The Renewal Weekend Experience includes: Reception and exclusive book signing (including complimentary book) Mind-Body-Spirit sessions, nutrition instruction, relationship guidance, introduction to Ayurveda, group meditations, and interactive exercises with Drs. Deepak Chopra & David Simon Personal instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation Daily Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga classes and morning and afternoon meditation sessions Nurturing Touch Massage Workshop: Simple Partner Massage Techniques

Jyotish Astrology Jyotish, in Sanskrit translated as “science of light,” is a profound and mathematically sophisticated form of astrology that originated in the ancient Vedic tradition of India. It describes how planetary patterns at the time of our birth give valuable clues in helping us understand our life’s journey. Through careful analysis of these cosmic influences, Jyotish Astrology can help us realistically evaluate our strengths and weaknesses in order to optimize our full potential. By forecasting the changing trends and periods of our lives, Jyotish Astrology can enable us to make more evolutionary choices. It can offer practical remedial measures to help alleviate areas of difficulty, giving us the confidence to manifest our true destiny and create success, happiness and harmony on all levels. The Chopra Center for Wellbeing is pleased to offer its Jyotish Astrology Counseling Service to help provide participants with valuable information in all areas of their lives. Birth charts are calculated and fully discussed by Program Director, Brent BecVar, M.S. Mr. BecVar has practiced astrology and counseling over the past 30 years, and has studied with respected teachers in this country and in India. A consultation lasts one and a half hours and may be conducted in person at the Chopra Center, or by telephone. All sessions are tape recorded for participants and remain completely confidential. The Chopra Center maintains its connection to the Vedic traditions of India through a direct relationship to the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati Maharaj. We are also members of the American Council of Vedic Astrologers. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journey Into Healing An Ayurvedic immersion

Continuing Education type of Healthcare Provider would benefit? Any type of healthcare practitioner stands to gain expanded healing potential, including physicians, nurses, therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and naturopaths. The foundational wisdom imparted by Deepak Chopra M.D. combined with practical application techniques taught by David Simon, M.D. and other special guest teachers will allow you to bring an intuitive mind-body awareness into your daily life to heal yourself and those around you. Healthcare providers experience Ayurvedic Knowledge Workshop/Case Study Development and learn practical and clinical applications of Ayurveda and discover mind-body medicine in a comprehensive workshop environment. Working directly with Dr. David Simon, individual study groups will review a variety of medical case studies including: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain syndromes, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. This format facilitates a deeper, more experiential application of the Journey Into Healing material and will help you draw vital connections between current medicine, the principles of Ayurveda, and your own life. Prerequisites for Journey into Healing It is recommended that you are practicing Primordial Sound Meditation. You can learn Primordial Sound Meditation from one of our certified instructors at locations throughout the world. If necessary, you may take Primordial Sound Meditation the day before Journey into Healing begins, but we recommend that you take the first step today and begin your meditation practice. Find an Instructor in your area. Continuing Education Credits are available for counselors, nurses and acupuncturists for this seminar. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and The Chopra Center at La Costa Resort and Spa.. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 20.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. The Chopra Center is an approved provider of continuing education by: -The National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC Provider #5604). We adhere to NBCC guidelines. -The California Board of Registered Nurses CEP#12332 -The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yoga Teacher Training Program "Any reason for practicing yoga is a good reason. Enhancing flexibility and releasing stress are as noble a purpose for performing yoga as the awakening of spirituality. This is the great gift of yoga – it serves and nourishes us at every level of our being and spontaneously contributes to greater well being in all domains of life. Yoga will help you discover gifts within yourself that have remained unopened since your childhood – gifts of peace, harmony, laughter, and love." The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Drs. Deepak Chopra & David Simon Practitioners of meditation and yoga around the world have long awaited the introduction of a Chopra Center yoga program designed, developed, and practiced by Drs'. Deepak Chopra and David Simon. In response to these requests, Drs'. Chopra and Simon have designed The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga – an entirely new style of yoga that is based upon and encompasses the Chopra Center’s central philosophy of uniting the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga for Every-Body. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga integrates 5,000-year-old Vedic wisdom and the yogic interpretations of Drs'. Chopra and Simon. The program blends meditation, pranayama, yoga sutras, sun salutations, asana development, sanskrit sessions, chanting, anatomy classes, and mantra study. Whether you are new on the path of yoga and self-discovery, or you are hoping to deepen your knowledge about the ancient traditions, enrollment in the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Teacher Training course will take your understanding of the true principles of yoga and conscious living to the next level.

Man of God - John Piper

Risk being thought foolish and weird. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. (Matthew 10:25) Realize that millions of people in the other religions of the world are not looking for people with more American cultural coolness or techno savvy. They are looking for a “holy man,” a “man of God.”

The question will not be, “Is he quick-witted and fast-talking and clever?” The question will be: “Does he pray a lot? Does he know his holy Book, much of it by heart? Is he self-denying and focused on God? Is he powerful in his weakness?”

Longing to be spiritually minded with you, Pastor John Piper

Face to face with eternity

David Bricker (head of Jews for Jesus) tells. Some months ago I was flying home from a meeting when the man sitting behind me began gasping for breath. An announcement over the plane’s intercom called for a physician. Soon a doctor and several nurses came to the man’s aid but to no avail. I began to pray for the man and his wife, who was sitting beside him. The pilot announced that due to a medical emergency the plane was going to land in Edmonton. I could hear the activity behind me escalate as the doctor and nurses took turns doing CPR. If you’ve never been near a person who is dying despite these efforts, I can assure you that it is not much worse than what we see on television. The sound of air being forced out of a human being’s lungs, the sounds and smells of the death rattle were horrific. I heard the doctor pronounce, “Time of death, 10:25 A. M.” And then the captain announced that the passenger’s situation had “stabilized,” and therefore we would continue to San Francisco. I don’t know how many people realized that what was announced as though it was the passing of the emergency was actually a veiled announcement of the passing of this man’s life. Certainly those of us nearby knew. The flight attendants pulled a blanket over his head. His wife, still beside him, was sobbing and moaning. And then the flight attendants began to come through the aisles . . . serving lunch! Lunch!? How could anyone in that cabin eat after what had just happened? But they did. (Jews for Jesus, Newsletter, Nov. 2006, p. 1)

John Piper on Suffering from Charles Simeon

At seventy-one, Charles Simeon was asked by his friend Joseph Gurney how he had endured so much persecution and outlasted all the opposition of his forty-nine-year pastorate at Holy Trinity in Cambridge. He answered:

My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently; we shall soon be partakers of His victory. (H.C.G. Moule, Charles Simeon, [London: Inter-Varsity, 1948], 155f.)

That’s the perspective of seasoned suffering: Forty-nine years of trials is called “a little suffering.” And the entrance into final victory, he says, will be “soon.” In the meantime, we must not mind these troubles. We will accept each pleasant moment with gratitude. But we will not use it to argue that the next moment should also be pleasant.

"Merry Christmas" in many languages

"Good news of great joy that will be for all the people" -- Luke 2:10

Here's how to wish people "Merry Christmas" in more than 80 languages. The original version of this list appeared in Brigada.

Afrikaans - 'n Geseende Kersfees en 'n voorspoedige Nuwejaar Afrikaans - Een Plesierige Kerfees Albanian -- Gezuar Krishtlindje Arabic - I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun Basque - Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Urte Berri On Bengali - Bodo Din Shubh Lamona Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo Celtic - Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda Chinese - (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun (Hong Kong) Kung Ho Hsin Hsi. Ching Chi Shen Tan Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Croatian - Sretan Bozic Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok Danish - Gladelig Jul Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar English - Merry Christmas Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon Estonian - Roomsaid Joulu Puhi Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad Finnish - Hyvaa joulua French - Joyeux Noel Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier German - Froehliche Weihnachten Greek - Kala Christouyenna Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Hindi - Bada Din Mubarak Ho Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket Icelandic - Gledileg Jol Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit Italian - Buon Natale or Buone Feste Natalizie Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Kala - Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Etos Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha Latvian - Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu Lettish - Priecigus Ziemassvetkus Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Maori - Meri Kirihimete Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh Navajo - Merry Keshmish Northern Sotho - Matlhatse le matlhogonolo mo ngwageng o moswa. Norwegian - God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr Papiamento - Bon Pasku i Felis Anja Nobo Pig Latin - Errymay ristmaskay Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia Portuguese - Feliz Natal Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua Romanian - Craciun Fericit Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou Serbian - Hristos se rodi Scottish - Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur Serbian - Hristos se rodi Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slavonic - Christos Razdajetsja! Slavite Jeho! Slovak - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto Spanish - Feliz Navidad Swahili - Krismasi Njema Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal Thai - Sawat Dee Wan Kritsamas Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym Urdu - Bara Din Mubarak Ho Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh Waray - Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga Bag-o nga Tu-ig Welsh - Nadolig Llawen Zulu - Nginifisela inhlanhla ne mpumelelo e nyakeni

Missions slogans and quotes from missionaries

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light" -- John Keith Falconer

• "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply" -- Hudson Taylor
• God isn't looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him" -- Hudson Taylor
• "The Great Commissionis not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed" -- Hudson Taylor
• "If I had 1,000 lives, I'd give them all for China" -- Hudson Taylor
• "God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him." – Hudson Taylor, missionary to China
• "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" -- William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions
• "The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." -- Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia
• "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" -- Jim Elliot, missionary martyr who lost his life in the late 1950's trying to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador
• "We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it" -- P.F. Bresee, founder of the Church of the Nazarene
• "In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been" -- Robert Moffat, who inspired David Livingstone
• "If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" -- David Livingstone
• "Sympathy is no substitute for action." -- David Livingstone, missionary to Africa
• "Can't you do just a little bit more?" -- J.G. Morrison pleading with Nazarenes in the 1930's Great Depression to support their missionaries
• "Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us." -- Keith Wright
• "The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible" -- Ralph Winter, U.S. Center for World Mission
• "Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." -- C.T. Studd
• "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." -- C.T. Studd
• "No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once." -- Oswald J. Smith
• "Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." -- Oswald J. Smith
• "The mission of the church is missions" -- Oswald J. Smith
• "We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first." -- Oswald J. Smith
• "This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!" -- Keith Green
• "There is nothing in the world or the Church -- except the church's disobedience -- to render the evangelization of the world in this generation an impossibility." -- Robert Speer, leader in Student Volunteer Movement
• "If God calls you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king" -- Jordan Groom (variations of this also credited to G. K. Chesterson, Thomas Carlyle and Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
• "If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death." -- Dave Davidson
• "World missions was on God's mind from the beginning." -- Dave Davidson
• "In our lifetime, wouldn't it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?" -- Dave Davidson
• "Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart" -- Bob Pierce, World Vision founder
• "No reserves. No retreats. No regrets" -- William Borden
• "If ten men are carrying a log -- nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end -- and you want to help, which end will you lift on?" -- William Borden, as he reflected on the numbers of Christian workers in the U.S. as compared to those among unreached peoples in China
• "The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating." -- unknown
• When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."
• "Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we -- who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not -- can be saved." -- Charles Spurgeon
• The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time" -- Carl F. H. Henry
• "Our God of Grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop." -- Kurt von Schleicher
• "Missions is the overflow of our delight in God because missions is the overflow of God's delight in being God." --John Piper
• "God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose." -- John Piper
• "You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." -- Amy Carmichael, missionary to India
• "Only as the church fulfills her missionary obligation does she justify her existence." -- Unknown
• "As long as there are millions destitute of the Word of God and knowledge of Jesus Christ, it will be impossible for me to devote time and energy to those who have both." -- J. L. Ewen
• "The command has been to 'go,' but we have stayed -- in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth ... but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland." -- Robert Savage, Latin American Mission
• "People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." -- Nate Saint, missionary martyr
• "We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God." -- John Stott
• "Believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story." -- K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia Bible Society
• "Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ." -- Francis Xavier, missionary to India, the Philippines, and Japan
• "The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity." -- Mike Stachura
• "The true greatness of any church in not how many it seats but how many it sends!" -- Unknown
• "'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world. -- William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
• "It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not." -- Peter Taylor Forsyth
• "If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere." – Edward Lawlor, Nazarene General Superintendent
• "Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is -- where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge." -- Robert C. Shannon
• "People who don't believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South." -- J. Howard Edington
• "It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions." -- John R. Mott
• "In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God's work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer." -- Dick Eastman, president of Every Home for Christ (formerly World Literature Crusade)
• "What's your dream and to what corner of the missions world will it take you?" -- Eleanor Roat, missions mobilizer
• "We can reach our world, if we will. The greatest lack today is not people or funds. The greatest need is prayer." -- Wesley Duewel, head of OMS International
• "Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions" -- Roderick Davis
• "Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love" -- Roland Allen
• "I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ." -- Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
• "If you take missions out of the Bible, you won't have anything left but the covers" -- Nina Gunter
• "If the Church is 'in Christ,' she is involved in mission. Her whole existence then has a missionary character. Her conduct as well as her words will convince the unbelievers and put their ignorance and stupidity to silence." -- David Bosch
• "Missions is not the 'ministry of choice' for a few hyperactive Christians in the church. Missions is the purpose of the church." -- Unknown
• "The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man's personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian." -- James S. Stewart
• "The average pastor views his church as a local church with a missions program; while he ought to realize that if he is in fact pastoring a church, it is to be a global church with a missions purpose." -- Unknown
• "The Christian is not obedient unless he is doing all in his power to send the Gospel to the heathen world." -- A. B. Simpson
• "The will of God -- nothing less, nothing more, nothing else." -- F. E. Marsh (also attributed to Bobby Richardson)
• "If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small." -- Pat Morley
• "If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving and going will always be found together." -- Arthur T. Pierson
• "The history of missions is the history of answered prayer. From Pentecost to the Haystack meeting in New England and from the days when Robert Morrison landed in China to the martyrdom of John and Betty Stam, prayer has been the source of power and the secret of spiritual triumph." -- Samuel Zwemer
• "'Go ye' is as much a part of Christ's Gospel as 'Come unto Me.' You are not even a Christian until you have honestly faced your responsibility in regard to the carrying of the Gospel to the ends of the earth." -- J. Stuart Holden

Verses on missions: Christian missions in the Bible

Old Testament and missions

• Genesis 12:1-3 (repeated in Gen. 18:18, 22:17-18, 26:24 and 28:12-14)
• Exodus 9:14-16 -- purpose of the plagues
• Exodus 19:6 -- Israel was to be akingdom of priests
• Numbers 14:21 -- glory of Lord fills the whole earth
• Deuteronomy 4:6-8 -- show your understanding to the nations
• Deuteronomy 10:19 --You are to love those who are aliens
• Deuteronomy 28:10 --all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord
• Deuteronomy 32:1 -Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
• Joshua 4:24 --so that all the peoples of the earth might know
• 1 Samuel 2:10 --The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
• 1 Samuel 17:46 --the whole world will know there is a God in Israel
• 1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33) --so that all peoples of the earth may know your name (Solomon's prayer at dedication of Temple)
• 2 Kings 19:15 --Hezekiah prayed . . . : O LORD, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'
• 1 Chronicles 16:31Let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord reigns!'
• 1 Chronicles 16:24 --Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples
• 2 Chronicles 6:33 --so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you
• Psalm 2:7-10 --You are my Son . . . I will make the nations your inheritance
• Psalm 7:7-8 --Let the Lord judge the peoples
• Psalm 8:9 --How majestic is your name in all the earth!
• Psalm 18:49 --I will praise you among the nations
• Psalm 22:26-28 --all the families of the nations will bow down
• Psalm 19:1-4 --their words to the ends of the world
• Psalm 22:27 --All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord
• Psalm 24 --The earth is the Lord's
• Psalm 33 --Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
• Psalm 45:17 --The nations will praise you for ever and ever
• Psalm 46:10 --I will be exalted among the nations
• Psalm 47 --God reigns over the nations
• Psalm 48:10 --Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth
• Psalm 49:1 --Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world
• Psalm 50 --From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets
• Psalm 57 --I will sing of you among the peoples
• Psalm 59:13 --It will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.
• Psalm 65:5-8 --the hope of all the ends of the earth . . . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy
• Psalm 66 --All the earth bows down to you . . . Praise our God, O peoples
• Psalm 67 --your salvation among all peoples
• Psalm 68:32 --Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth
• Psalm 72 --all nations will serve him
• Psalm 72:9 --the desert tribes will bow before him
• Psalm 72:17, 19 --All nations will be blessed through him . . . May the whole earth be filled with his glory
• Psalm 77:14 --you display your power among the peoples
• Psalm 82 --all the nations are your inheritance
• Psalm 83:18 --You alone are the Most High over all the earth.
• Psalm 86:8-13 -- all nations will come and worship
• Psalm 87 -- the register of the peoples
• Psalm 96 --sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations
• Psalm 97 --The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice
• Psalm 98:3 --All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
• Psalm 98:9 --He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
• Psalm 99:1-3 --He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name
• Psalm 102:15 --The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
• Psalm 102:22 --when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord
• Psalm 105:1 --make known among the nations what He has done
• Psalm 106:8 -- reason for dividing the Red Sea
• Psalm 108:3 --I will sing of you among the peoples
• Psalm 108:5 --Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
• Psalm 110:6 --He will judge the nations,
• Psalm 113:3 --From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised
• Psalm 117 --Praise the Lord, all you nations
• Psalm 126 --it was said among the nations
• Psalm 135 --our Lord is greater than all gods
• Psalm 138:4 --may all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord
• Isaiah 2:3 --Many peoples will come and say,Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
• Isaiah 6:3 --They were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'
• Isaiah 11:9 --fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord
• Isaiah 11:10 --in that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations . . .
• Isaiah 12:4 --Make known among the nations what He has done
• Isaiah 24:16 --From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'
• Isaiah 25:6 --the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples
• Isaiah 42:4 --in His law the islands will put their hope
• Isaiah 42:6 --I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.
• Isaiah 34:1 --Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!
• Isaiah 37:16 --O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
• Isaiah 42:4 --He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.
• Isaiah 43:6 --I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
• Isaiah 45:6 --from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.
• Isaiah 45:22 --Turn to me . . . all you ends of the earth
• Isaiah 49:1-6 --I will make you a light for the Gentiles
• Isaiah 49:22 --The Sovereign Lord says:See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples.
• Isaiah 52:10 --The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
• Isaiah 56:7 --my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations
• Isaiah 59:19 --From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory.
• Isaiah 60:3 --Nations will come to your light
• Isaiah 62:11 --The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth
• Isaiah 66:19 --They will proclaim my glory among the nations
• Jeremiah 3:17 --All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord
• Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say,Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.
• Ezekiel 36:22-23 --The nations will know I am the Lord
• Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 --Surely your God is the God of gods
• Daniel 7:13, 14 --all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him
• Jonah's story -- the missionary book of the Old Testament [ e-book on Jonah ]
• Micah 1:2 --Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it.
• Micah 4:2 --Many nations will come
• Micah 5:4 --His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
• Habbakuk 2:14 --The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea
• Zephaniah 2:11 --Nations on every shore will worship him
• Zephaniah 3:9 --Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord.
• Haggai 2:7 --Desire of all nations
• Zechariah 2:11 --Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people
• Zechariah 8:20-23 --Many peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come
• Zechariah 9:10 --He will proclaim peace to the nations
• Zechariah 14:9 --The Lord will be king over the whole earth.
• Malachi 1:10-11 --My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun

New Testament and missions

• Matthew 4:8-11 -- Temptation of Jesus
• Matthew 6:9-10 -- The Lord's prayer
• Matthew 10:18 --On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.
• Matthew 13 (Ezekiel 17:23) -- parables of sower, weeds, mustard seed, fishing net
• Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel will be preached in the whole world
• Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 - The Great Commission (which many say is a re-statement of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12) [ Rev. Susan Fitkin's reflection on the passage ]
• Mark 11:17 (Isaiah 56:7) -- a house of prayer for all nations
• Mark 13:10 --the gospel must first be preached to all nations
• Mark 16:15 (see Matthew 28:19-20)
• Luke 2:32 --a light for revelation to the Gentiles
• Luke 10:2 --harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few
• Luke 10:27 --love your neighbor as yourself
• John 3:16 [ text of verse ]
• John 12:32 --I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.
• John 21:4-14 -- some Biblical commentators have said the 153 fish equals the number of all the tribes and nations which the ancients thought existed on earth
• Acts 1:8; 2:5-12 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6) -- witnesses in all the earth
• Acts 3:25 --He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.'
• Acts 9:15Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings.
• Acts 11:18 --They praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'
• Acts 13:47 --I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
• Acts 14:27 --They reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
• Acts 28:28 --Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!
• Romans 1:5 --We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience.
• Romans 3:29 --Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too.
• Romans 10:12-15 --How can they hear?
• Romans 15:10Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. (Deuteronomy 32:43]
• Romans 15:11Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples. (Psalm 117:1)
• Romans 16:26 -- So that all nations might believe
• 2 Corinthians 4:15 --grace that is reaching more and more people
• Galatians 3:8 --The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you.' (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
• Galatians 3:14 --He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles.
• Ephesians 1:10 --To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
• Ephesians 2:11-19 --you are no longer foreigners and aliens
• Philippians 2:10 -- Every knee shall bow
• 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 --to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved
• Hebrews 6:13-14 -- God's promise to Abraham
• 2 Peter 3:9, 12 --not wanting anyone to perish
• 1 John 2:2 --He is the atoning sacrifice . . . for the sins of the whole world
• Revelation 5:9 --you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation
• Revelation 7:9 -- Every tribe, tongue, people and nation
• Revelation 14:6 --The angel had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, language and people.
• Revelation 15:4 --all nations will come and worship before you
• Revelation 21:23-24 --The Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light
• Into whatever groups we divide humanity -- races, nations, languages, cultures -- it is clear that God loves all of them and wants people from all those groupings to be reconciled to Him.
• The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest -- Luke 10:2 (New King James Version)

The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning Multnomah 1990,200

http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/ragmuffin114.html The American Church today grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we believe that the fundamental structure of reality is grace, not works - but our lifves refute our faith. By and large . the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived. Too many Christians are living in the house of fear and not in the house of love. As I listen to sermons with their pointed emphasis on personal effort - no pain, no gain, no gain - I get the impression that a "do it yourself" spirituality is the American Fashion. Though the scriptures insist on God's initiative in the work of salvation - that by grace we are saved, that the Tremendous Lover has taken to the chase - our spirituality often starts with self, not God. Personal responsibility has replaced personal response. We talk about acquiring virtue as if tit were a skill that can be attained like good handwriting or a well-grooved golf swing. In the penitential seasons we focus on overcoming our weaknesses, getting rid of our hang-ups, and reaching Christian maturity.

A simplified history of Missions

Fulfilling Christ's Great Commission 1. 0-400 AD Winning the Romans: Evangelizing the empire of the Caesars 2. 400-800 AD Evangelization of the Barbarians [ read more ] 3. 800-1200 AD Evangelization of the Vikings [ read more ] 4. 1200-1600 AD Evangelization of the Saracens / Muslims 5. 1600-2000 AD Evangelization of the Ends of the Earth [ read more ] Researcher David Barrett has also divided that same period into five eras. Approaching it from a statistical point of view, his epochs of mission history are a little different: 1. 30-500 AD The Apostolic Era (Luke and Paul) 2. 500-1750 AD The Ecclesiastical Era (Cosmas Indicopleustes and Francis Xavier) [ read more ] 3. 1750-1900 AD The Church Growth era o William Carey, the "father of modern missions" [ more info ] o Henry Venn -- "self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating churches" 4. 1900-1990 AD The Global Mission era (John R. Mott and Kenneth Grubb) 5. 1990- present The Global Discipling era from "Five Statistical Eras of Global Mission" by David Barrett, published in Missiology, January 1984

Praying hands for missions http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/hand.htm "Pray for us." -- Hebrews 13:18 Making your "concerts of prayer" effective: Praying for world evangelism's front-line workers Want to know how to pray for those working to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission among those yet unreached? You can use your fingers as memory aids when you pray for missions. Here's how: 1. Thumb Since your thumb is nearest to you, begin by praying for those missionaries closest to you. They are the easiest ones to remember. C.S. Lewis said that praying for those we love is a "sweet duty." 2. Index or pointing finder Let your "pointing finger" remind you to pray for missionaries who teach, instruct, and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and evangelists. They need support and wisdom for pointing others in the right direction. 3. Middle finger Our tallest finger reminds us of our church leaders. We can never pray too much for them. Pray for those who supervise and direct missionary outreach. 4. Ring finger Surprisingly, the ring finger is our weakest finger (as any piano teacher will testify). This weak finger reminds us to pray for those missionaries who are discouraged, in trouble, or in pain. [ read more ] 5. Little finger Our little finger is the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place our individual wants and desires in relation to world evangelism needs. The Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for the people of the world who have the greatest need to find Jesus. Pray that they will open their eyes and see Him. --Author unknown contributed by Bev Borbe, former General Nazarene Missions International President

The Triumphs of Mother Angelica

Love Bears Fruit An article In Crisis Magazine I thought this appropriate after my post on the TV in the modern era. ------- I watched Mother Angelica Probably all day sometimes, she said. ------- her life too a dramatic turn when she met up with a stigmatist named Rhoda wise who livd near the city dump. Wise led a doubting Rita in a novena to the Little Flower. At the end of the seven days of prayer, her stomach ailment disappeared. Wise became her tutor in Catholicism. The text for her lessons: Mary Agreda's The Mystical City of God. Thus, the future Mother Angelica informed her faith by reading private revelations, nourished it with novenas and chaplets, and found her inspiration in painted statues and holy cards(Icons or Idols). It's a style of Catholicism that, for all its seeming gaudiness, is resilient and imaginative(a DIY form of religion) [stigmatist - a person whose body is marked by religious stigmata (such as marks resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ)] ------- " I am convinced God is looking for dodoes," She once told Protestant Televangelist Jim Bakker. " He found one: In me! There are a lot of smart people out there who know it can't be done, so they don't do it. But a dodo doesn't know that it can't be done. God uses dodoes: people who are willing to look ridiculous so God can do the miraculous." ------- Hensel is a production assistant for EWTN, one person on a staff of 300. Forty percent of the employees are Protestant (maybe they mean non-catholic), 60 percent are Catholic. ------- Now, Mother Angelica's Monastery has moved off the Lot to a grand new Location an hour away in Hanceville, and she no longer visits the studio. But she's still present. You see her everywhere you go, gazing out from wall poster, smiling warmly from cards pinned to bulletin boards, sitting like a logo on the front of brochures and pamphlets. She's there in the names the staff have given their children. "Since December 2001 when she had her stroke, EWTN has had its largest single period of Growth, Warsaw told me. One of the secrets of EWTN's success is her constant prayers in front of the Blessed Sacrament(why does the location matter to the omnipresent God of Heaven) ------- Mother felt the Need to respond to the critics in her conversations with Arroyo. "I don't want to be conservative and I don't want to be liberal," she told him. " I want to be Catholic. Now if that off the liberals tough. If it offends the ultraconservatives, tough. I can't be influence by any of them. I want know what the Church teaches. ( here is the stark difference between a Catholic and a protestant. Protestants want to know what the Bible teaches, not the Church) ------- The listeners realized that Mother Loved them, Steltemeire said. they could see that Mother loves them. The power of the Lord's love compels us to do what God wants us to do. That's dynamite stuff. ------- You know what faith is? Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling the stomach. ------- "It's love that bears fruit." ------ I commend her humility and dedication, but neither are assurances of the her true spiritual condition. It is telling that she says that here early life was around rituals and Icons(many protestants would classify them as idols and by the way that many use them it seems a proper determination) The Novena to the Little Flower is to St. Teresa asking for her to intercede. This will be a larger topic later, but for now look at Romans 8:26. Asking anyone to intercede for us other than the God of Heaven is not to put our faith in Christ, but in something else altogether probably a demon. As God in the person of Christ could only pay for our sins only God can intercede for us with GOD anything else is idolatry. The unique aspect is that this TV ministry seems to be similar to its protestant brethren. Rather than teach, the essentials of Christian/Catholic belief they soft peddle these and focus on the mediocrity, a pleasing message, Oprah with a stronger religious overtone. They fool people into believing that they are having some religious experience, that by merely watching TV they can get close to God. This is no better than the Benny Hinn entertainment show, that said for people to put there hand on the TV receive healing (then to call and send the money). Benny Hinn might have been more blatant but no less pagan serving a different God than Jesus the Christ.

Amusing ourselves to Death: The Age Of Show Business

In watching American Television, One is reminded of George Bernard Shaw's Remarks on his first seeing the glittering neon signs of Broadway and 42nd street at night. It must be beautiful, he said, if you cannot read. American television is indeed a beautiful spectacle, a visual delight, pouring forth thousands of images on any given day. The average length of a shot on network television is only 3.5 seconds, so that the eye never rests, always has something new to see. Moreover, television offers viewers a variety of subject matter, requires minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification. Even commercials, which some regard as an annoyance, are exquisitely crafted, always pleasing to the eye and accompanied by exquisitely crafted, always pleasing to the eye and accompanied by exciting music. There is no question but that the best photography in the world is presently seen on television commercials. American television, in other words, is devoted entirely to supplying its audience with entertainment PG 87 The Problem is not that Television presents with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining, which is another issue altogether. �.. No matter what is depicted or from what point of view, the overarching presumption is that it is therefore our amusement and pleasure. That is why even on news shows which provide us daily with fragments of tragedy and barbarism, we are tragedy and barbarism, we are urged by the newscasters to "join them tomorrow." What for" One would think that several minutes of murder and mayhem would suffice as material for a month of sleepless nights. We accept the newscasters' invitation because we know that the "news" is not to be taken seriously, that it is all in fun, so to say. Everything about a news show tell us this - the good looks and amiability of the cast, their pleasant banter the exciting music that opens and closes the show, the vivid film footage, the attractive commercials - all these and more suggest that what we have just seen is no cause weeping a news show, to put it plainly, is a format for entertainment, not for education, reflection or catharsis. Pg 87-88 Now ...This.... All that has happened is that the public has adjusted to incoherence and been amused into indifference. Which is why Aldous Huxley would not in the least be surprised� Indeed he prophesied its coming. He believed that it is far more likely that the Western democracies will dance and dream themselves into oblivion than march into it, single filae and manacled. Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcoticized by technological diversions. Although Huxley did not specify that television would be our main line to the drug, he would have no difficulty accepting Robert MacNeils's observation that "television is the soma of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World." Big Brother turns out to be Howdy Doody. PG 110-111 Shuffle off to Bethlehem(religion on the TV) The first is that on television, religion, like everything else, is presented, quite simply and without apology, as an entertainment. everything that makes religion an historic, profound and sacred human activity is stripped away; there is no ritual, no dogma, no tradition, no theologye, and above all no sense of spirityal transence. On These shows, the preacher is tops. God comes out as second bababa. Pg 116-117 ... Most american, including preacheres have difficulty accepting the truth, if they think about it at all, that not all forms of discourse can be converted from one medium to another. It is naive to suppose that something that has been expressed in one form can be expressed in another without significantly changing its meaning, tecture or value. Much prose translates fairly well from one language to another, bu twe know that poetry does not; we may get a rough idea of the sense of a translated poem but usually everything else is lost , especially that whyich makes an object of beauty. The Translation makes it into something it was not. pg 117 For the most part preachers have not seriously addressed this matter they have assumet that wahat had formerly been done in a church or a tent, and face-to-face, can bedone on television without loss of meaning, without changing the quality of the religious experience. Perhaps their failure to address the translation issue has it origin in the hubris engendered by the dazzling number of people to whom televison gives them access..pg118 I think it is fair to say that attractin an audience is the main goal of these programs, just as it is for ' the A-team" and Dallas." As a consequence, what is preached on televeision not anything like the sermon on the mount. Religous programs are filled with good cheer. They celebrate affluence. their featured players become celebrities though their messages are trivial, the shhows have hight ratings, or rather because their messages are trivial, the shows have hight ratings I believe I am not mistatken in saying that Christianity is a demaninding and serous religion. when it is delviere as easy and amusing, it is another kind of religion altogether. pg121 It is well understood at the national council[ of Churches, if they have figured it out it must be real] the athe danger is not that religion has become the content of television shows but that televison shows may[have] become the content of religion. pg124 Reach Out and Elect Someone Television does not ban books, it simply displaces them. Hw delighted would be all the kings, czars and f�hrers of the past(and commissars of the present) to know that censhorshi is not a necessity when all political discourse take the form of a jest. pg 141 Teaching as an Amusing Activity We now know that "Sesame Street" encourages children to love school only if school is like "Sesame Street." Which is to say, we now know that "Sesame Street" undermines what the traditional idea of schooling represents. Whereas a classroom is a place of socail interatction, the space in front of a televeision set is a priveate preserve. pg 143 As a television show, and a ood one, "sesame Street' does not encourage children to love school or anything about school. It encourages them to love television. pg 144 The Huxley Warning We would be better off if television got worse, not better. "The A-team" and "Cheers" are no threat to our public health. "60 Minutes," "Eye-Witness News" and "Sesame Street" are. pg 160 ...in the end, he was trying to tell us that what afflicted the people in Brave New World was not that they wer laughting instead of thinking, but that they did not know what they were laughing about and why they had stopped thinking. Amusing ourselves to Death Public Discourse in the age of Show business Neil Postman Penguin, 1985