FASTDOMAIN 

PRAYER AND PRAISE:

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URGENT: Save Kids Who Have Sickle Cell Anemia!

kids with sickle cell anemia Simon John in Tanzania is the director of Vision Complex Orphanage and School that provides for 50 orphans whose parents died from HIV/AIDS and kids with Sickle Cell Anemia (a genetic disorder that's most prevalent in East Africa) whose parents have died or can't afford to pay for medical care. Simon met us in our online "Morning Prayers." The URGENT NEED is for $220 by July 29 (just 2 days away!) to pay for life-saving blood transfusions when he takes them to the hospital this month. They need monthly life-saving blood transfusions to replace the defective sickle-shaped blood cells with healthy cells: last month, one kid died because the funds didn't arrive in time. Please donate – Designate Your Gift for "Vision Complex – blood transfusions." Thank you!

And check out our "Vision Complex" web-page for more info on this worthy ministry.

 

 

The Best Way To Fight Poverty: a Job!

The best way to fight povertyPrivate charity by individuals, churches, synagogues and other non-profit organizations should replace government welfare programs. Why? Because private charity is by nature more efficient! Such organizations (like ours) often operate on a totally or mostly volunteer basis, emphasize personal relationships with unemployed people, and have limited funds to dole out.

In contrast, government welfare agencies are staffed by well-paid bureaucrats who often consider it just a paycheck, are understaffed, and have a caseload so large that they can't develop caring relationships with their clients: they just check the boxes, sign the forms getting people into government handouts, authorizing the welfare checks from seemingly "unlimited" taxpayer funds so these clients will vote for the party that gives them free money. But that "unlimited" river of money is running dry now that there are more on the receiving side than on the taxpaying side. Also, government can't point its clients to moral or spiritual authority, but we Christians can: see "Work is Part of God's Plan."

The 50-year-long "War on Poverty" has failed. Poverty won. We've spent over $17 TRILLION and lost two generations of people who are de-motivated to work because big government has inculcated in them a mindset of dependency. Subsidizing a thing gets more of it, so the result of subsidizing unemployment is more of it! But nearly everyone - including disabled and elderly people - if they really want to, can find some form of work that contributes to society. So we must first help the unemployed change their mindset, overcome entropy, then show them how to and help them to Get a Job. Enroll in our free courses to see how YOU can do diakonia-ministry.... [read more...]

 


 
 

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Keep our ministry going! Use our QR code or click on "Donate One-Time or Monthly."

If 5% of the people who see this would give $5 per month (just 17¢ per day!) – two cups of coffee with your favorite friend at your favorite coffee shop – we could cover our operating expenses and do much more in spreading the word, supporting orphans, and providing accessible housing for the disabled. My wife and I left our careers over 30 years ago to serve in Russia as missionaries: we're now "semi-retired" – we've put on a new set of semi tires and keep on trucking! We live on our retirement income and volunteer our time: we receive no financial support from Agape Restoration Society. Our websites and ministry are funded by us and just a few friends. ...thanks!

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NEXT, THE NEWS:
 

IF 'ABORTION UP TO BIRTH' ISN’T 'A THING,' WHY IS IT LEGAL IN 9 STATES PLUS DC?
from: LiveAction

SYNOPSIS: Abortion advocates continue to claim that abortion doesn't happen "moments before birth." Yet state legislation and personal stories prove that it is completely legal to kill preborn babies with no restrictions at all in some states, and that women are able to obtain abortions extremely late in pregnancy for any reason. In its report, Kaiser Family Foundation appeared to contradict itself by arguing that it is not legal to carry out abortions “moments before birth” while simultaneously claiming that such late abortions "are rare." Those states are Alaska, Vermont, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, and New Jersey. In Washington, D.C. the DuPont Clinic, which advertises itself as an "all trimester" abortion business, commits abortions in DC through 31 weeks, 6 days for any reason. One woman had an abortion in the third trimester simply because she hadn't known she was pregnant until then.
Pray against the simply insane notion that we can allow women to kill their unborn babies which is leading to demographic and societal suicide. At the same time, politicians allow unchecked illegal immigration because, as they say, "We need workers. We don't have enough younger people to fill all the job openings."

 

LEADING U.S. MEDICAL JOURNAL TRIES TO TERRIFY PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS
from: Mercator

SYNOPSIS: On July 25, one of America’s leading medical journals, JAMA, published an editorial calling for more help for transgender youth to keep them from committing suicide. "In the time it has taken you to read this, a transgender youth has attempted suicide," it said. Coincidently, across the Atlantic, an even more vehement debate over the effectiveness of trans pediatric medicine is taking place. At the moment, puberty blockers are only available in Britain on an experimental basis, they are not being prescribed as a matter of course. Professor Louis Appleby, of the University of Manchester, found that: "The evidence on suicide risk in children and young people with gender dysphoria is generally poor."
Ask the Lord to cleanse the minds of parents and transgender children from the incessant trans-indoctrination of the media and even professional journals such as the JAMA. The suicide rate for such youths, especially when they fully comprehend they have mutilated their bodies and will never have children, is more than twice the rate of normal young people.

 

ARMENIA: FEW CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ALLOWED ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
from: Forum 18 News Service

SYNOPSIS: Alternative Service Commission is "A compromise not in accordance with the law" and is "not well educated in human rights issues." Some applicants are given a second chance, others are not Does Armenia's Human Rights Defender actually defend human rights? The Human Rights Defenders' office also did not explain what, if any, action it is taking to end Armenia's repeated violations of its legally-binding international human rights obligations by jailing conscientious objectors to military service and not respecting their right to a genuinely civilian alternative service. "This is a multilayered problem that needs to be solved," Edgar Khachatryan, head of Peace Dialogue NGO, told Forum 18.
Intercede for conscientious objectors in Armenia, especially for the Baptist Davit Nazaretyan, who are being denied their right to civilian alternative service and are being jailed if they refuse military service to be trained on how to kill people. Pacifism is a basic teaching of early Christianity, until the state and church were joined in an unequal union.

 

HOME DEPOT TWEAKS HIRING PROCESS TO AID THOSE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
from: Disability Scoop

SYNOPSIS: One of the nation's largest retailers, Home Depot, is teaming up with disability advocates to make its hiring procedures more welcoming toward job applicants with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In addition, Home Depot is training its staff on the changes and on inclusive and accessible hiring practices more broadly, the advocacy group The Arc said. "By proactively listening to people with disabilities, The Home Depot is taking decisive action to dismantle employment obstacles,” said Katy Neas, chief executive officer at The Arc. "This collaborative approach marks a shift toward true equity and respect for people with IDD to pursue meaningful careers.”
Thank the Lord for such opportunities for employment, moving people with disabilities from public welfare to decent jobs where they can join the rest of their peers as productive members of society, thus gaining a sense of self-worth and dignity.

 

UNESCO COMMITTEE STRONGLY CONDEMNS RUSSIA'S DESTRUCTION OF UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE
from: Religious Info Service of Ukraine

SYNOPSIS: A recent study reveals that the war in Ukraine has caused unprecedented destruction of its cultural heritage, surpassing even World War II. Thousands of cultural sites, including previously unrecorded ones, have been damaged or destroyed due to the conflict. Libraries, churches, and medieval cemeteries are among the casualties. Additionally, UNESCO has verified damage to 387 sites through satellite imagery analysis and on-site assessments. The situation demands urgent attention to safeguard Ukraine's rich cultural legacy. The deliberate destruction of over 500 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites is considered a war crime and has been described as cultural genocide. The bombings of churches, libraries, and residences have devastated major areas of Ukraine, causing immense loss. The repeated attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites must stop.
Pray against this willful destruction of Ukraine's cultural heritage by Russian rockets and guided bombs. It amounts to cultural genocide, attempting to obliterate the cultural identity of the Ukrainian people and make them into Russians.

 

CANCER MEDICATION MAY IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SOME AUTISM CASES
from: Disabled World

SYNOPSIS: New research highlights a therapeutic target that could make thinking easier for patients with Rett syndrome and other neurological disorders. ADH-503 (GB1275), an experimental oral pancreatic cancer medication, also reduces the number of immune-supressing cells that enter a tumor. Researchers also found that the synapses of typical neurons experienced impaired functioning when Rett syndrome microglia were introduced, further confirming the role of the immune cell in brain function and development. Rett syndrome is a rare disorder linked to autism, according to new research from the University of California San Diego – a discovery that could lead to therapies for patients with other neurological conditions.
Thank the Lord for this research and discovery of a possible treatment for both pancreatic cancer and some forms of autism. Medical research and science can serve as a tool to restore humanity to the image of God as He originally created us.

 
 

 
 FASTDOMAIN 

NOW, OUR VIEWS:
 

 

Caring, Not Just Voting

 

 

Caring, Not Just Voting[This essay was composed in 2016 by our friend Viktor and was translated into German and published. The version below is a Google back-translation from German into English with just a few corrections. Viktor mentions support for mothers with new babies: the best form would be for churches to create such ministries!]

With regard to the upcoming [2016] elections in the USA, it is interesting to see to what extent the two candidates represent the moral values of a society. An American political scientist from the University of Madison, WI describes the situation as follows:

Many people do not agree with the election platform of either the Democrats or the Republicans. The Democrats are a long-established Catholic party. But who should a Catholic vote for today? It is our duty to vote, but neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump meet our expectations. Americans do not see either of them as qualified enough to take the position of president. The idea that one should choose the lesser evil, or that one candidate knows better how to deal with Putin, is uncomfortable for many.

In the end, laws are made by the senators. We call ourselves a democracy but do we really call the representatives to tell them our wishes? We Americans have the power to influence our politicians. We should tell them what they should stand for, not the other way around. Often it is about making the maximum profit. Our American consumerism leads to nothing but selfishness. We are so preoccupied with ourselves that we have become blind to how we can really change society. The presidential candidates behave according to this very American norm. For example, we kill children and soon old people too, just to be able to live a comfortable life. Many people think our system is sick because voters rarely exercise their rights. We no longer know who we can vote for. Maybe we need a third party.

We rarely ask ourselves whether we are fighting the right battle. The most important question is, what are we doing to change society so that it stands up for children instead of killing them in the womb? We must work to build a child-friendly society. Don't we have any personalities left who try to live according to the laws given to us by God and love children? If someone is against abortion, they are immediately told they are ultra-conservative and that women's rights must be protected. "Mothers should have the right to self-determination. Caring for children enslaves them."

Where are the moral values that make up a society? We allow a mother three weeks of maternity leave and say that our economy can no longer afford it. But isn't it about a child who, as an adult, will contribute his talents and labor? A father has to work 16 hours a day to feed his family reasonably well. We prefer to produce in China because it is cheaper there. In doing so, we have destroyed our entire middle class. Large families are the mainstay of a society. But today we have single parents who work several jobs to make ends meet. Statistics show that poverty and hunger are increasing in such households. We need more and more food cards for the poorer population.

In the past, I mean in the old days, in the Bible, people talked about one denarius as a daily wage. That was enough to feed a family and also gave the father time to spend with his loved ones. And today? What can you get with 9 dollars an hour? You can't feed a family with that. To ensure that he can provide for his family, a father must earn at least 20 dollars an hour. I can give many more examples and would like to pick out just two here to give an insight into the current situation:

What options does a woman have when she is pregnant? I knew a woman who had a job as a shoe salesman. After the birth of her child, she was given 3 weeks of maternity leave. That is the time she has here in the USA. In our godless society, I wonder what a woman is supposed to do after 3 weeks. She is forced back to work after the birth of her child. What is she supposed to do with the child? If she doesn't work, she loses her health care. So-called day care centers for infants cost between $1,200 and $1,600 a month. That's not as much as this woman earns. What options does she have? Take the child to work?

You can read and download the rest of the article at https://agape-biblia.org/PeaceOnEarth/, and share it! Or...

Get the full article on our ARC-News blog at blogspot.com.

 

 

A Personal Note: Thank you for praying about our recovery from Covid: the congestion and tiredness has gone away now. And the pain in my left shoulder from falling on it is almost gone too.

My latest book, The Ministry-Driven Church, is still on the introductory sale at Amazon.com/dp/B0D8TFNFWT at 50% off through July 31: $9.99 instead of $19.99 for the paperback or $4.99 instead of $9.99 for the Kindle eBook. Take a look: if you want to get it, write me and I'll tell you how you can have it for free!

 

 

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

  Your fellow-servants,

  Bob & Cheryl

  p.s. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

 

 

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