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SEEK THE WELFARE OF THE CITY, PART 1

seek the welfare 1Where does the concept of "philanthropy" come from? Where did we get the idea of erecting hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly and infirm? Today we might think that these institutions were created by billionaires who made their money off railroads, steel mills or the stock market, or perhaps the government dreamed them up. But the historical fact is that these institutions for the public well-being were created during the one-thousand-year-long Byzantine Christian Empire. Only later did these ideas take root in Western Europe, and from there to the rest of the world.

When the people of Israel were carried away into Babylonian captivity because they had forsaken the Lord, many of them thought they should form their own closed cultural group to preserve their ethnic identity, having as little to do as possible with Babylon. But the prophet Jeremiah told them - "Seek the welfare of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its welfare you shall have welfare.... For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope for your future. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. I will be found of you, says the Lord, and I will return you from captivity". (Jer. 29:7, 11-14)

Thus the idea of seeking the welfare or well-being of society at large seeped from the Jewish nation to surrounding nations such as Babylon, Greece and Rome, but those nations limited such social programs to "their own kind," not sharing their wealth with other tribes and peoples. It took Christ's Great Commission to "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations" before this idea of sharing one's well-being with others – even one's enemies – could take root.

For the first three hundred years Christians were "in captivity" of frequent persecutions, but still reached out in love to those around them. Why? Because Christ Himself was and is the great Philanthropos, the "Lover of Mankind." This divine love for mankind enables us to perform genuine philanthropy... [read more...]

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NEXT, THE NEWS:
 

PRO-LIFE GROUP EQUIPS NIGERIAN NURSING STUDENTS WITH SKILLS TO SAVE MOMS AND BABIES
from: LiveAction News

pro-life-training for Nigerian nursing students (25 July) The future looks brighter for Nigerian mothers and their babies as Human Life International equips the nation’s nurses with pro-life education and training. The College of Nursing Sciences Adazi-Nnukwa, in Anambra, Nigeria, offered the Human Life International program to its nursing students over the summer. The course was also open to those enrolled in basic midwifery studies.

The 500 student nurses, male and female, coming out of the college are equipped with the knowledge and understanding to help combat the country’s well publicized high maternal death rate and the ideological colonization being perpetrated against African women by western organizations under the guise of women’s health.

Human Life International Nigeria Director Charles Nnagboh, explained how the student nurses are presented with pro-life perspectives to accompany the medical training they have received. The curriculum also addresses the myths and facts surrounding abortion, contraception and natural family planning, sexual relationships, and assisted reproductive technologies.

"The goal of this program," detailed Nnagboh, "is to equip these student nurses with the information, education and skills to become effective pro-life practitioners who will courageously spread the gospel of life and provide their patients with healthy, life-affirming alternatives to the culture of death being forced on Africans by those from Western nations." [read more...]

COMMENTARY: This pro-life training program for student nurses is something that needs to be adopted in nursing schools here in the U.S.! We have too much anti-human, anti-life, pro-abortion propaganda filling the information environment here.

 

US COURT RULING ON ABORTION PILL SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT FDA APPROVALS
from: BioEdge.org

abortion pill sparks concerns about FDA approvals (24 Aug.) In a significant ruling on medication abortion in the United States last week, a three-judge panel from the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a key portion of a judgment issued earlier this year by a federal judge in Texas.

Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk had effectively revoked the FDA’s endorsement of the drug mifepristone, better known as abortion medication. This was appealed. The nub of the appeals court’s decision, if ratified by the Supreme Court, would be to reverse recent FDA modifications that have significantly broadened the pill’s availability. As a result, women might have to attend three doctor visits to obtain mifepristone and could not receive it through the mail.

Reporting has focused on whether access to medication abortion will be restricted. However, the court was not deliberating the rights and wrongs of abortion, but whether the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had acted prudently and legallyu in approving it and in subsequently significantly relaxing restrictions on a potentially dangerous drug. Most users of the pill would be surprised that the Court believes that the FDA was playing fast and loose with women’s safety... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Here's an excellent resource: Her PLAN - (Her Pregnancy and Life Assistance Network). It's in 21 states and facilitates collaboration between a network of over 1,000 assistance providers that help expecting mothers with important things like Prenatal care and childbirth education; Adoption support,: Housing, food, and transportation assistance; Counseling and abuse treatment; and Financial and legal assistance. This rebuts the lie that pro-life people don't care at all about the mothers, just babies.

 

BELARUS: THREATENED WITH CRIMINAL PROSECUTION FOR SHARING FAITH IN PUBLIC
from: Forum 18 News Service
Hebrews 13:3 – "Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them..."

Greek Catholic Boris Khamaida arrested (25 Aug.) Prosecutor Fyodor Mikhovich refused to explain why he threatened Baptist Vladimir Burshtyn with criminal prosecution if he continues to share his faith in public. "I do not know who you are," he told Forum 18. The threat came after a court fined Burshtyn a month's average pension for sharing his faith. Border guards detained Greek Catholic Boris Khamaida as he travelled to a pilgrimage. A jail term prevented him from attending. A draft new Religion Law is set to reach Parliament in September.

On 27 July, Malorita District Prosecutor Fyodor Mikhovich in the south-western Brest Region summoned Council of Churches Baptist Vladimir Burshtyn. The Prosecutor threatened him with criminal prosecution for "Incitement of racial, ethnic, religious or other social hatred or discord" if he continues to share his faith in public.

Burshtyn had earlier been fined in 2005 and 2008 to punish him for exercising freedom of religion or belief. Asked why he threatened Burshtyn with possible criminal prosecution, Prosecutor Mikhovich refused to give any response. "We never refused to receive him here and we explicitly explained everything to him," he told Forum 18. "I do not know who you are, and will not give you any additional information." Deputy Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Sergei Gerasimenya – who was appointed in the summer - had put the phone down before Forum 18 could ask why Burshtyn had been threatened with criminal prosecution... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: More atheistic anti-Christian persecution, lies and obfuscation from former-USSR old communist mouths!

 

TWO-THIRDS OF NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOT FULLY ACCESSIBLE
from: Disability Scoop

two-thirds of New York City public schools are not fully accessible (25 Aug.) More than two-thirds of New York City public schools are not fully accessible for students with physical disabilities, making many programs out of reach for children in wheelchairs or with limited mobility, according to a new report out this week.

At four in 10 schools there are no accessible classrooms at all, stranding hundreds of kids at the schoolhouse door when classes resume in just a couple of weeks, researchers found.

"No child should be turned away from a school because the facilities are not accessible," said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, which published the analysis.

Under federal law, people with disabilities are entitled to equal access to public programs and services, including public schools. While the city has taken long-delayed steps in recent years to move closer to that promise, scores of children are still shut out of their neighborhood schools.

Just short of 500 local public school students have disabilities classified as “orthopedic impairments” on their individualized education programs, according to city data. But that figure obscures more than 2,500 students categorized as having "multiple disabilities," which may include a physical condition, or without specifically designed programs. The rough sketch also does not account for the untold number of children briefly on crutches or otherwise struggling to get around... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Too often the reality in public schools lags far behind the legal requirements for students with physical and psychological disabilities. Christians need to pick up the ball, not passively sit back and "let the government do it."

 

RUSSIAN OCCUPIERS SEIZED A ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL IN SKADOVSK, UKRAINE
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk (23 Aug.) Yesterday, on the evening of August 22, Russian occupiers launched an attack on the Roman Catholic parish in the town of Skadovsk, located in the Kherson region. Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine wrote about this incident.

"A contingent of armed specialized forces in masks and wielding weapons encircled the Roman Catholic chapel. With determined force, they breached the chapel's entrance and advanced into the premises, commencing a meticulous search, as underscored by the bishop's account. The occupying forces declared that their actions constituted a deliberate operation designed to counteract terrorist activities."

"Fortunately, there were no people in the chapel at the time, otherwise, they all would have been captured as terrorists," stated Bishop Stanislav. "Access to the chapel is denied to everyone, and the searches are ongoing. Strangely, they also broke windows. I believe they will find whatever they want there: weapons, explosives, you name it. And they've labeled Father Dominik, the parish priest who left for Poland before the war, as the main drug lord, falsely putting him on the wanted list."

"As we can see, the methods of the KGB haven't changed... Therefore, I ask everyone for prayers so that the good Lord may shorten the days of the devil's actions and the days of suffering for our people," emphasized the bishop. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: As this article states, the KGB and Russian military haven't changed, they are still atheist with just a veneer of Orthodoxy that is used for disinformation purposes.

 

HARD-OF-HEARING PREFER A DIFFERENT SOUND WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC
from: Disabled World

various music sources passing through a sound mixer (24 Aug.) Millions of people around the world experience some form of hearing loss, resulting in negative impacts to their health and quality of life. Treatments exist in the form of hearing aids and cochlear implants, but these assistive devices cannot replace the full functionality of human hearing and remain inaccessible for most people. Auditory experiences, such as speech and music, are affected the most.

In JASA, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Oldenburg studied the impact of hearing loss on subjects' enjoyment of different music mixes. Modern pop or rock music is built from several individual tracks, such as vocals, instruments, and synthesized sounds, all recorded separately and mixed to make the final product. To cater to listener preferences, this mixing might entail raising or lowering the volume of one of the tracks or amplifying the high- or low-frequency sounds.

"Mixing is tailored to suit the needs of normal-hearing listeners," said author Kai Siedenburg. "We wanted to explore whether there are actually differences in mixing preferences between normal-hearing and hard-of-hearing listeners." To do this, the researchers played different music mixes to listeners with and without hearing loss. They found that those with hearing loss preferred louder lead vocals, higher frequencies, and sparser mixes with fewer frequencies overall. [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Being hard-of-hearing myself, I can attest to the difficulties of understanding loud music and speech. Often it hurts my ears so much that I have to turn my hearing aids down or off completely. But I thank the Lord for my hearing aids!

NOW, OUR VIEWS:
 

 

THE RISE IN ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE

 

 

mob attacks in Pakistan For the past few weeks we've been receiving reports about a sharp increase in the burning down of churches and homes, and other anti-Christian violence led by Muslim extremists. Our contact 'Y' in Pakistan sent us this message as he was driving his family to a safe location after leaving his home and all his possessions behind: "Christians are requested to pray for the Christians of the Christian Colony of Baraf Khana, Rawalpindi, because the Christians spent the last night in fear. There is a church near Chhoti Palli in Baraf Khana Christian Colony."

"Someone has mischievously said that Christians have committed blasphemy here, while according to initial reports, no such incident could have happened. However, in the night, all the Baraf Khana Christian Colony was evacuated and the Christians there temporarily left their homes along with their wives, children and family like in the Jaranwala tragedy. Which is the state where the guards ask the minorities to leave their homes for fear of these few evil elements and cannot protect them."

The army and police in Pakistan are doing very little to stop this violence, so their passivity and complicity encourages the extremists to continue. In Prov. 29:2-4 we read – "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. The king by justice makes the land stable, but he who takes bribes tears it down." This applies both to Pakistan and to the U.S., as well as other parts of the world: we've recently received reports of anti-Christian riots and persecution in India and Africa.

Persecution of Christians is to be expected, as the Lord and the Apostles foretold. It's not only in faraway countries, but also here in the West: We've been conditioned by centuries of social pressure, first under the Moslems who conquered the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, the Balkans, and parts of France, Italy, Russia and Hungary, and who at best consigned Christians to second-class "dhimmi" status and forbade them to have any social outreach – only Moslems were allowed to do that. Christians were limited to only hold religious observances within four church walls. At worst, Christians were persecuted and killed if they wouldn't convert to Islam.

Then in Western Europe, after driving the Moslems back and after several religious wars that decimated the populations, the various Edicts of Toleration reinforced the notion that people should stop fighting and show "tolerance" to those of other religious convictions, not pushing their religious beliefs on others. Today this has led, however, to the widespread notion that everything is relative, there are no absolutes, and that's the absolute truth...

Get the full article on our ARC-News blog at blogspot.com and share it!

 

 

Here's how we've planned our move to our "new" 1st-floor condo, so that we won't have to go up and down stairs: We've rented a U-Haul truck and a POD for the week before closing. We'll see this weekend how many young guys from church can help us move stuff by truck from our place to the POD on Saturday, Sep. 9, then Cheryl & I can move smaller items to the POD bit by bit, day by day, up to Sep. 15 when we close on both places. Our son will help load & make a few trips with our cars to the POD, and after the closing unload from the POD only what we need for the first week there. The flooring installers come on Sep. 19 for 3 days, then we can begin moving all our stuff out from the POD into the "new" condo. So we'll be "camping out" with minimal stuff for about 2 weeks!

 

 

PRAYER AND PRAISE. To read and pray for one article each day, click HERE and add the link to your browser's Bookmarks!

Sun. – Pray for Christians to understand that the Great Commission includes doing practical ministry!

Mon. – Ask God that the pro-life training program for Nigerian student nurses be adopted here in the U.S.

Tue. – Pray for the abortion pill to be outlawed, and instead that Her Plan will be adopted in all states.

Wed. – Intercede for Baptist Vladimir Burshtyn, threatened with prosecution for sharing his faith in public.

Thu. – Ask the Lord for more Christians to get involved in providing accessibility for disabled students.

Fri. – Pray that the free exercise of religion for non-Russian Orthodox be restored in occupied Ukraine.

Sat. – Thank the Lord for this research into perception of speech and music for heard-of-hearing people.

 

Who Are We?   Please remember to pray for Christians in Secularized Countries, and for...

  Your fellow-servants,

  Bob & Cheryl

  p.s. The greatest advantage of speaking the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said.

 

 

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