I have found that in my communt of 1 hour each way to and from my Inlaws home in the Poconos and Faith Chapel that God had prepared me with a time frame in order for me to value that time alone with Him in a busy time of transition in my life. What a lesson! I have chaged a sermon and been ministered by God in my lonelyness without my wife, Doreen. He has also shown me the joy of that sinister smile of Matthew, especially when he comes to try and cut my throat with his hand. And of course the joy and wisdom of teenage humor (HAHA) that comes with Peter.
Have you had your Appointment with God
Why? - Quit Time with God. Try this and fill in the blanks.
a. Jesus set the example to spend ______________ in prayer (Mark 1:35)
b. To discover God’s ______ and receive _________. (Romans 12:2)
c. To receive _________________ and ____ from God. (John 6:63)
d. For the joy of Knowing the Savior better. (1 Peter :8-9)
e. What does that look like?
i. Bible reading
ii. Prayer
iii. Scripture application
Just spend time with him answer a - d and let the word of God speak!
Just Listen...
ET Ramblings...
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
What a WEEK!
Boy...between CWC in Michigan and Faith Chapel in NJ, my family and I were emotionally drained.
The send off at CWC was nothing short of fantastic and the reception at NJ was the same. Peter and I drove to NJ on Tuesday and then I was at work on Monday going at it with Alan, the Vice chair of FC. We purchased a projector and mics, (added two more projectors on Monday), adjusted the sound system, rearranged the stage area and prepared for a county picnic.
THAT'S RIGHT I PLAYED COUNTRY MUSIC!! I still can hear the song in my head...
It was great! Around 20-25 teens showed up and we had a big water fight and a great game of football. We had baby goats which Matt loved and could not let go of. I thought they were our food! We had burgers instead! The teens here can rock musically. Peter connected with a guitar player named Ronnie (10th grade - like Steve McCoy) and I see God doing great things through them both.
I also am blessed with a great instrumental section...Chuck - is a great guitar player and picks up stuff fast as well as Ronnie and a horn section. Sunday we did How Great is our God and a young adult, Katie, added some flute...It was Beautiful!
Dr. Wood installed me on Father's day and it was a very emotional time for me. I praise God for this opportunity and pray that I will remain faithful. I already met our police department and did not get arrested!!! I offered my services as a Chaplain and am awaiting a meeting with the big guy there.
I do miss my fellow comrades in the office at CWC. It is kinda lonely in the office by myself and I can't wait for Doreen and the kids to come back. Keep praying for my home in Michigan to sell.
God bless
ET Ramblings...
The send off at CWC was nothing short of fantastic and the reception at NJ was the same. Peter and I drove to NJ on Tuesday and then I was at work on Monday going at it with Alan, the Vice chair of FC. We purchased a projector and mics, (added two more projectors on Monday), adjusted the sound system, rearranged the stage area and prepared for a county picnic.
THAT'S RIGHT I PLAYED COUNTRY MUSIC!! I still can hear the song in my head...
It was great! Around 20-25 teens showed up and we had a big water fight and a great game of football. We had baby goats which Matt loved and could not let go of. I thought they were our food! We had burgers instead! The teens here can rock musically. Peter connected with a guitar player named Ronnie (10th grade - like Steve McCoy) and I see God doing great things through them both.
I also am blessed with a great instrumental section...Chuck - is a great guitar player and picks up stuff fast as well as Ronnie and a horn section. Sunday we did How Great is our God and a young adult, Katie, added some flute...It was Beautiful!
Dr. Wood installed me on Father's day and it was a very emotional time for me. I praise God for this opportunity and pray that I will remain faithful. I already met our police department and did not get arrested!!! I offered my services as a Chaplain and am awaiting a meeting with the big guy there.
I do miss my fellow comrades in the office at CWC. It is kinda lonely in the office by myself and I can't wait for Doreen and the kids to come back. Keep praying for my home in Michigan to sell.
God bless
ET Ramblings...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Me and My Shadow!
2 Tim 2:2 in action!
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. 1 Kings 19:19-21
Elisha means "my God is my salvation". This passage is a call to greatness as Elijah passes the torch to Elisha and Elisha leaves no way back to his old life. Elisha then goes and shadow's Elijah, the man of God.
As I shadow...
This last year, I have asked God for a double portion of the spirit He has blessed my former senior pastors/pastors/friends with:
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. 1 Kings 19:19-21
Elisha means "my God is my salvation". This passage is a call to greatness as Elijah passes the torch to Elisha and Elisha leaves no way back to his old life. Elisha then goes and shadow's Elijah, the man of God.
As I shadow...
This last year, I have asked God for a double portion of the spirit He has blessed my former senior pastors/pastors/friends with:
- Pastor Mike Saunders - former/current policeman, ever working and on the move. A great administrator and man of integrity and a stand up christian!
- Pastor Matt Mabey - a man of Grace and Truth with a creative (left-handed intelegence) and a hand grenade preacher. Blessed by God as a mentor and writer. The surface is calm but waters run deep and true! Preacher/teacher, grace giver.
- Pastor Mick Veach - Although I know him for a short time, he is a man of his word and lives for God. Truly a leader with a vision and a prayer warrior.
- Pastor Garry Beecher - although not a senior pastor, we worked together for five years and weathered the storm of transition with me for 6 months at CWC. He has the heart of God, sensitive and caregiving.
- Larry Whitcomb - although not a "senior" pastor nor a pastor, he has openned a door to the spirit with his calm voice to let something loose... SO COOL ... HOJAHSDPIUGHEOQH(there I wrote in toungues!) The spiritual connection, a true man of God in every sense and a great worship leader.
Each have given me a vital piece of wisdom and friendship which I know has been ordained by God. Each obedient to the task that God has given them for such a time and each I am proud to call my friend for life. For I would have truely taken a bullet for anyone of them...ALL MEN OF GOD!
Being shadowed...
Having Jason share in this is great.Here is what I wrote in 2004 to the LBA in regard to Jason...
- Called By God to lead this ministry
- He is a natural Shepard!
- A proven and dedicated leader with the adults and teens
- Ministerial student seeking ordination
- A valuable asset to God’s kingdom and CWC’s youth ministry
Being shadowed and passing the torch is cool. We have been doing it for five years and He is God's man for such a time as this! God had shown me this over three years ago and to see how God has worked this out is amazing! I cannot wait to see the greatness He has for the CWC youth group as well as what He has in store for Faith Chapel in NJ.
May God bless HIS church as we remain obedient!
ET Ramblings...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tiger's Game
Here are some pictures of us at the Tigers Game. Obviously at the Big Boy Resturant in the Park.
Don't worry it's only a statue! (I think!) I wonder how many people tried to get a picture with this dude?
Don't worry it's only a statue! (I think!) I wonder how many people tried to get a picture with this dude?
When in Rome...wear a Tiger's cap...but only backwards. (Sorry METS!)
All in all there were 50 of us in attendance that day and we had a great time and only missed White Castles by three blocks (Thanks Jason, sorry Carl).
ET Ramblings...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
(GAPP) Youth Room is Finished - Michigan
The youth room is finished thanks to the trustees and David Engle. We are ready to rock the gates of Heaven with worship tonight from 6pm to 8pm.
Here is David in the sound booth!
Here is David in the sound booth!
Come and hear us worship : Come and fill me up
You're worthy of my praises
More love more power
Holiness
The Message: Life in the Spirit - The Joy Filled Life (John 15)
The colors OF THE WALL are actually COOL: Maroon and Blue...
Et Ramblings
Monday, May 21, 2007
Michigan house needs to GO!!!!
One Month...Two Months?????
We have opened the pool and are ready for our last couple of weeks in Michigan, however, we need someone to buy our home. We have already lowered the price by $10,000 and would listen to any offer.
Shadow, our dog, is Lovin Summer!
Please pray that God would bring in a buyer or we will have to sell one of our kids to pay the mortgage in Michigan and live in NJ. I am leaving with Peter for NJ around June 12th. Doreen and the kids should meet me later in the week to be in church on Father's Day (Installation Sunday for us). Then Doreen, Peter and Matt will come back to Michigan until we have a place to live in NJ. Me and Brianna will be staying at Doreen's mom's house in PA. God has a plan...
ETRamblings...
Saturday, May 19, 2007
PK WEEKEND
This is our annual East Michigan Pastor's Kids retreat weekend so Peter and Brianna are off to a destiny unknown with other PK's. Last year they went to a Tigers Game and then had devotionals.
Matthew, Doreen and I opened the pool in an overcast day and it was not as bad as last year!
Matthew, Doreen and I opened the pool in an overcast day and it was not as bad as last year!
We went to eat at Texas Roadhouse ("NY STRIP"...STEAK BABY!)
and then went to see Shriek 3.
We woke up and Matt was out on the deck
playing with Shadow.
What A day!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Grupido Funeral
Today I am officiating the funeral of Larry Grupido who accepted Christ at the age of 59 on April 29th. I just thought I would praise God for what He has done in chasing Larry and providing Grace for a hurting soul to find rest.
Excerpts from the Funeral Sermon:
Phil 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
When I read this verse I can’t help but think of Larry.
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church at Phillipi, the circumstances of his life weren’t exactly ideal. He was in prison - under house arrest in Rome – chained to a Roman soldier as his guard. Paul was a prisoner and yet this entire letter shouts with triumph. In 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:10, Paul tells us “do not lose heart, though our outer man is decaying . . ."
Here is the threat he is dealing with:
· His body--"the outer man"--is decaying; it is wearing out.
· He can't see the way he used to. He can't hear the way he used to.
· He does not recover from beatings the way he used to.
· His strength walking from town to town does not hold up the way it used to.
· He sees the wrinkles in his face and neck.
· His memory is not as good.
· His joints get stiff when he sits still.
· In other words, he knows that he, like everybody else, is dying. His outer man is decaying.
That's the threat to his courage and joy.
Although diagnosed on August 2005, Larry lived the last couple of months of his life a prisoner in a body that was filled with sickness – eventhough he asked WHY? He never really complained. He showed an appreciation of his loving, caring wife, ever protective of his children and trying to understand this God that he now believes in.
Ill: 1980’s Triathlon, Julie Moss (swim 19 miles, cycle 100 mi, run 26 mi). She was leading by over seven minutes when she hit a wall and colapsed. She fell again within ten yards of the finish line and crawled accross the finish line in second place.
A writer once wrote: Intense is the agony when the eye begins to see, the ear begins to hear, the heart begins to pound and the fact that the soul can feel the flesh and the flesh can feel its chains.
On April 29th, Larry walked the isles at our church and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior by faith! I quoted Romans 10 and he took communion and said to me “ I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” He asked me to come and talk to him about this God that he now believes in but does not know. He had questions!
He was a doer! He felt if he was a good person that that would be enough. I shared with him about the godliest person I ever read about “Mother Teresa” She admitted that she had mistakes in her life and had not treated some people the way she should have and needed the Cross of Jesus to make up for the gap between her and a holy God. Same with Bi8lly Graham.
He said he felt like a hypocrite, but I assured him that god had been chasing him all his life (Like He cahsed Adam and Eve). He said how can I believe in Jesus if I have not been with him. The early apostles wrote about Jesus but they were with him. I told Larry that God had been showing him unconditional love through his wife who had been faithfully praying for him since they met as young teenagers.
He also said that He did not understand why he was sick. He thought he had done something wrong in his life. That is why I chose 2 Cor 4:11 - 5:10 as the scripture today.
He loved his children the most and wanted His kids to love him.
I can hear Larry now saying Ed, make it quick! In the end, Larry chose God’s plan for the gap between him and a holy God.
...His wife of 37+ years said "The last 3 weeks of His life were the best three weeks of our marriage!" Praise God!!!
ET RAMBLINGS...
Excerpts from the Funeral Sermon:
Phil 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
When I read this verse I can’t help but think of Larry.
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church at Phillipi, the circumstances of his life weren’t exactly ideal. He was in prison - under house arrest in Rome – chained to a Roman soldier as his guard. Paul was a prisoner and yet this entire letter shouts with triumph. In 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:10, Paul tells us “do not lose heart, though our outer man is decaying . . ."
Here is the threat he is dealing with:
· His body--"the outer man"--is decaying; it is wearing out.
· He can't see the way he used to. He can't hear the way he used to.
· He does not recover from beatings the way he used to.
· His strength walking from town to town does not hold up the way it used to.
· He sees the wrinkles in his face and neck.
· His memory is not as good.
· His joints get stiff when he sits still.
· In other words, he knows that he, like everybody else, is dying. His outer man is decaying.
That's the threat to his courage and joy.
Although diagnosed on August 2005, Larry lived the last couple of months of his life a prisoner in a body that was filled with sickness – eventhough he asked WHY? He never really complained. He showed an appreciation of his loving, caring wife, ever protective of his children and trying to understand this God that he now believes in.
Ill: 1980’s Triathlon, Julie Moss (swim 19 miles, cycle 100 mi, run 26 mi). She was leading by over seven minutes when she hit a wall and colapsed. She fell again within ten yards of the finish line and crawled accross the finish line in second place.
A writer once wrote: Intense is the agony when the eye begins to see, the ear begins to hear, the heart begins to pound and the fact that the soul can feel the flesh and the flesh can feel its chains.
On April 29th, Larry walked the isles at our church and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior by faith! I quoted Romans 10 and he took communion and said to me “ I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” He asked me to come and talk to him about this God that he now believes in but does not know. He had questions!
He was a doer! He felt if he was a good person that that would be enough. I shared with him about the godliest person I ever read about “Mother Teresa” She admitted that she had mistakes in her life and had not treated some people the way she should have and needed the Cross of Jesus to make up for the gap between her and a holy God. Same with Bi8lly Graham.
He said he felt like a hypocrite, but I assured him that god had been chasing him all his life (Like He cahsed Adam and Eve). He said how can I believe in Jesus if I have not been with him. The early apostles wrote about Jesus but they were with him. I told Larry that God had been showing him unconditional love through his wife who had been faithfully praying for him since they met as young teenagers.
He also said that He did not understand why he was sick. He thought he had done something wrong in his life. That is why I chose 2 Cor 4:11 - 5:10 as the scripture today.
He loved his children the most and wanted His kids to love him.
I can hear Larry now saying Ed, make it quick! In the end, Larry chose God’s plan for the gap between him and a holy God.
...His wife of 37+ years said "The last 3 weeks of His life were the best three weeks of our marriage!" Praise God!!!
ET RAMBLINGS...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
MEMORIES OF MICHIGAN (EXCERPTS FROM MY ANNUAL REPORT)
Leaving CWC was a hard decision but one that has been confirmed by God in both my and my wife’s spirit. I will never forget the love and kindness shown to our family from the first day I came to Michigan. I have learned and grown in my walk with God as both a follower and a leader.
I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned here. Being on staff here for five years has felt like getting a Doctorate in ministry! I feel that I have been the one who has been developed. My heart goes out to the staff and the church people for their investment in me and allowing me to invest in them.
I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned here. Being on staff here for five years has felt like getting a Doctorate in ministry! I feel that I have been the one who has been developed. My heart goes out to the staff and the church people for their investment in me and allowing me to invest in them.
I will miss the teens the most! Memories of smelly teens, weird hair, attitudes, yearning for love and understanding, looking for someone who cares, bumming a dollar for a pop, complaining, wild worship, did I say teens are smelly! Overnighters, Jason losing a kid in Indiana, young adults playing with my kids in my home, Delbert trying to rap, trying to talk to Steven McCoy after an all niter, crying with kids when their parents divorce, being the heavy (not the fat guy) the disciplinarian, speaking with parents/police, wishing parents would love and pay attention to their kids, Rita fixing Brianna’s room as she cried, telling teens the truth, messing up and asking for forgiveness, WHITE CASTLES double cheeseburgers, praying with Rod, the look in a teens eyes when they get it, the look in their eyes when they don’t get it, pure excitement to know God, getting Ordained, praying in nursing home with a 75 year old man to accept Jesus for the first time, the way teens want and need adults to mentor them and give them boundaries, teens embracing holiness and being with God, teens yelling “Pastor Ed…Dude” in the school hallway, having science teachers mad at me about creation questions, worship on the Romeo Peach Parade float, watching Janise standing on the counter aka “The Evangelism Linebacker”, Baptisms at Stony Creek, watching Dan and Riley play video games during a message, knowing Kristy will be fashionably late due to Belizean time, swimming in the mud at Wesleyan Woods, seeing Jason Fullum and Peter healed before our eyes, doing the Hokie Pokie in the office, feeding the homeless in Detroit, prayer and fasting, thanking God that Ruth finally will change her last name, working alongside teens in Pontiac and hanging with the Discipleship group! Having Cheri yell at me, that sweet feeling when you connect spiritually and musically with Larry Whitcomb on the Guitar, seeing Kris Johnson serve and worship, seeing friends rise above the hurt, GRACE, how I hate country music (thanks Jason Bailey), slapping Jacob Haupt and Austin Stulz in the back of the head, seeing close to 400 people accept Christ in five years, dodge ball, Kylasaurus and Cubasaurus (enough said), meeting Jon in the emergency room (over and over again), getting thrown out of the hospital, Gibbie’s broken arm…ouch, Peter’s ability to remind me what God saved me from, Brianna’s innocent heart, Matthew’s slick smile, Doreen’s strength and watching God show up and save the day over and over again! I pray God never takes these out of my memory.
In all, I pray that CWC continues to obey God!
“But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and commands…”1 Kings 8:61
God wants our Obedience…Not our Opinion!
ET rambalings...
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Christian Missionaries Killed!
IZMIR, TURKEY — When Necati Aydin accepted Jesus his Muslim family rejected him. His boldness as a pastor led him to pass out Bibles in villages throughout eastern Turkey – and two trips to jail based on fabricated charges. After he played the role of Jesus in a passion play, he shared in the Lord’s sufferings and untimely death.
Aydin, 35, was one of three men martyred for their faith on April 18 in the city of Malatya, following a gruesome attack that involved several hours of torture partially recorded on their young assailants’ cell phones. Also killed was a 46-year-old German missionary, Tilmann Geske, who was preparing notes for a new Turkish study Bible.
The third victim, Ugur Yuksel, 32, also arrived that bloody morning for what he thought was a Bible study at the offices of Zirve Publishing. Zirve prints and distributes Bibles and other Christian literature throughout Eastern Turkey. As early as February 2005, a local newspaper warned that Zirve was under threat due to its activities.
Ugur YukselAydin felt the sting of rejection from his earliest moments as a believer. His family —staunchly Muslim — rejected him outright after his conversion. Disheartened that he married a Christian, they failed to attend his wedding. True to their convictions, they even rejected him in death and refused to attend his funeral.
“He was a very gentle man, very committed to the Lord,” recalls a long-time friend from his former church in Izmir. “He knew what it was like to love the Lord and put his life on the line.”
Chosen to play Jesus in a passion play at his church in 1999, he jumped at the chance, but the production faced obstacles. Local police conducted a mass arrest of the entire church a few months before the play began. “They said we were meeting illegally,” recalls one church member. While the church prevailed in the ensuing court case, police sealed-off the church, and no one could meet there for three months.
When they finally put on their first performance, the seats were jammed, and word about the successful production spread to other churches.
Tilmann & Susanne Geske & family
The following year, a church in Ankara requested the play. A month before it was set to begin, police arrested Aydin a second time, as a result of his Bible distribution efforts. Local authorities held him for a month on charges that he defamed Islam and “forcibly” sold Bibles. Finally, police released him after several accusers confessed they fabricated the charges.
The passion play moved to Istanbul in 2001, and this time it was filmed, with the video informally distributed to other churches throughout Turkey. The cast of 40 – mostly Turkish believers – knew this could be costly for them. Indeed, as their own video equipment recorded the event for church use, the secret police were also there filming the participants.
“He was not hiding his face,” recalls Fikret Bocek, pastor of the Izmir Protestant Church, and a close friend of Aydin’s. “He was open and courageous about sharing his faith,” he says. “Aydin was receiving threats in Malatya from ultra-nationalists and Islamists for distributing Bibles.”
Widows Susanne Geske & Shemsa AydinAydin became the pastor of the Malatya Protestant Church after he moved there from Izmir in 2003. Its 22 members met mostly in his living room, according to Bocek. Of these, eleven left Malatya after the killings, he said.
Malatya is far-removed from the cosmopolitan, European influence of Istanbul. Nationalistic and religious passions form a turbulent undercurrent in Malatya, which is also the hometown of Mehmet Ali Agca, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981.
In 2001, the political climate throughout Turkey changed after the National Security Council made statements implying that Evangelical Christians posed a threat to national security. A campaign began in the media, as leading commentators and politicians railed against missionaries who “bribed” young people to abandon Islam.
Entering this poisonous atmosphere were a group of impressionistic teens who joined a group of “faithful believers” in Malatya known as a tarikat. “Tarikat membership is highly respected here ; it’s like a fraternity membership,” notes Darlene Bocek, the pastor’s wife, in a letter she sent out about the killings. “In fact, it is said that no one can get into public office without membership in a tarikat.”
Two of the assassins from the tarikat feigned interest in Christianity to gain the trust of Aydin and Geske, and even attended an Easter service some weeks before their crime.
The autopsy report has not been released, but various reports describe anywhere from 16 to 156 knife wounds as gruesome confirmation of their torture. The Turkish Daily News quoted Dr. Murat Uğraş, a spokesman for the Turgut Özal Medical center. He described the hospital surgeons’ fruitless efforts to save Yüksel, the only one barely clinging to life when he arrived at the hospital.
“He had innumerable scores of knife wounds,” Dr. Ugras said. “It is obvious that these wounds had been inflicted to torture him," he said. “His fingers were repeatedly sliced to the bone lengthwise. His buttocks, his testicles, his rectum, his lower and middle back had dozens of cuts. There was a very long and open cut on his neck from ear to ear.”
When Aydin’s wife arrived at the morgue to identify her husband, the attending official urged her not to remove the sheet covering his body from the neck down. “You don’t want to remember him that way,” she was told.
Despite Aydin’s sufferings, his face had a beautiful expression — frozen at his passing — as if he beheld heaven’s open embrace.
In a culture marked by an endless cycle of revenge killing, German missionary Tilmann Geske’s wife, Susanne, shocked many Turkish commentators when she offered the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to the perpetrators. In one of her first statements to the press she quoted Jesus on the cross, saying to surprised reporters, “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Pastor Bocek affirms this attitude. “Overall, the reaction in our church is forgiveness,” he says. “There really is not fear, but a little more caution in the way we bring people to church. We already feel we are ready for whatever comes. We continue to evangelize, do our Bible studies, and have prayer.”
He sees evidence that God is already turning this horrible offense around for good. “Over the last 10 days, we’ve had four commitments to follow Christ,” he notes. Even a Jewish man in Jerusalem received word of the Turkish martyrs, contacted Pastor Bocek, and gave his life to Christ. “They didn’t die in vain,” he says. “God is really going to use this event. We all sense that something is coming.”
*************************************
THIS IS HAPPENING TODAY!~
ARE WE READY!
ETRAMBLINGS...
Aydin, 35, was one of three men martyred for their faith on April 18 in the city of Malatya, following a gruesome attack that involved several hours of torture partially recorded on their young assailants’ cell phones. Also killed was a 46-year-old German missionary, Tilmann Geske, who was preparing notes for a new Turkish study Bible.
The third victim, Ugur Yuksel, 32, also arrived that bloody morning for what he thought was a Bible study at the offices of Zirve Publishing. Zirve prints and distributes Bibles and other Christian literature throughout Eastern Turkey. As early as February 2005, a local newspaper warned that Zirve was under threat due to its activities.
Ugur YukselAydin felt the sting of rejection from his earliest moments as a believer. His family —staunchly Muslim — rejected him outright after his conversion. Disheartened that he married a Christian, they failed to attend his wedding. True to their convictions, they even rejected him in death and refused to attend his funeral.
“He was a very gentle man, very committed to the Lord,” recalls a long-time friend from his former church in Izmir. “He knew what it was like to love the Lord and put his life on the line.”
Chosen to play Jesus in a passion play at his church in 1999, he jumped at the chance, but the production faced obstacles. Local police conducted a mass arrest of the entire church a few months before the play began. “They said we were meeting illegally,” recalls one church member. While the church prevailed in the ensuing court case, police sealed-off the church, and no one could meet there for three months.
When they finally put on their first performance, the seats were jammed, and word about the successful production spread to other churches.
Tilmann & Susanne Geske & family
The following year, a church in Ankara requested the play. A month before it was set to begin, police arrested Aydin a second time, as a result of his Bible distribution efforts. Local authorities held him for a month on charges that he defamed Islam and “forcibly” sold Bibles. Finally, police released him after several accusers confessed they fabricated the charges.
The passion play moved to Istanbul in 2001, and this time it was filmed, with the video informally distributed to other churches throughout Turkey. The cast of 40 – mostly Turkish believers – knew this could be costly for them. Indeed, as their own video equipment recorded the event for church use, the secret police were also there filming the participants.
“He was not hiding his face,” recalls Fikret Bocek, pastor of the Izmir Protestant Church, and a close friend of Aydin’s. “He was open and courageous about sharing his faith,” he says. “Aydin was receiving threats in Malatya from ultra-nationalists and Islamists for distributing Bibles.”
Widows Susanne Geske & Shemsa AydinAydin became the pastor of the Malatya Protestant Church after he moved there from Izmir in 2003. Its 22 members met mostly in his living room, according to Bocek. Of these, eleven left Malatya after the killings, he said.
Malatya is far-removed from the cosmopolitan, European influence of Istanbul. Nationalistic and religious passions form a turbulent undercurrent in Malatya, which is also the hometown of Mehmet Ali Agca, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981.
In 2001, the political climate throughout Turkey changed after the National Security Council made statements implying that Evangelical Christians posed a threat to national security. A campaign began in the media, as leading commentators and politicians railed against missionaries who “bribed” young people to abandon Islam.
Entering this poisonous atmosphere were a group of impressionistic teens who joined a group of “faithful believers” in Malatya known as a tarikat. “Tarikat membership is highly respected here ; it’s like a fraternity membership,” notes Darlene Bocek, the pastor’s wife, in a letter she sent out about the killings. “In fact, it is said that no one can get into public office without membership in a tarikat.”
Two of the assassins from the tarikat feigned interest in Christianity to gain the trust of Aydin and Geske, and even attended an Easter service some weeks before their crime.
The autopsy report has not been released, but various reports describe anywhere from 16 to 156 knife wounds as gruesome confirmation of their torture. The Turkish Daily News quoted Dr. Murat Uğraş, a spokesman for the Turgut Özal Medical center. He described the hospital surgeons’ fruitless efforts to save Yüksel, the only one barely clinging to life when he arrived at the hospital.
“He had innumerable scores of knife wounds,” Dr. Ugras said. “It is obvious that these wounds had been inflicted to torture him," he said. “His fingers were repeatedly sliced to the bone lengthwise. His buttocks, his testicles, his rectum, his lower and middle back had dozens of cuts. There was a very long and open cut on his neck from ear to ear.”
When Aydin’s wife arrived at the morgue to identify her husband, the attending official urged her not to remove the sheet covering his body from the neck down. “You don’t want to remember him that way,” she was told.
Despite Aydin’s sufferings, his face had a beautiful expression — frozen at his passing — as if he beheld heaven’s open embrace.
In a culture marked by an endless cycle of revenge killing, German missionary Tilmann Geske’s wife, Susanne, shocked many Turkish commentators when she offered the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to the perpetrators. In one of her first statements to the press she quoted Jesus on the cross, saying to surprised reporters, “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Pastor Bocek affirms this attitude. “Overall, the reaction in our church is forgiveness,” he says. “There really is not fear, but a little more caution in the way we bring people to church. We already feel we are ready for whatever comes. We continue to evangelize, do our Bible studies, and have prayer.”
He sees evidence that God is already turning this horrible offense around for good. “Over the last 10 days, we’ve had four commitments to follow Christ,” he notes. Even a Jewish man in Jerusalem received word of the Turkish martyrs, contacted Pastor Bocek, and gave his life to Christ. “They didn’t die in vain,” he says. “God is really going to use this event. We all sense that something is coming.”
*************************************
THIS IS HAPPENING TODAY!~
ARE WE READY!
ETRAMBLINGS...
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Home Plate 2007
For the 21st consecutive year, SCORE Ministries and Baseball Chapel for the Detroit Tigers hosted an exciting outreach event called HOME PLATE on Saturday, April 28
The program included an autographed baseball give-away, souvenirs, and most importantly, the sharing of salvation in Jesus Christ through the personal testimonies of several professional athletes.Program participants included: Detroit Tiger pitchers Mike Maroth, Todd Jones, Jason Grilli, and Nate Robertson, Tiger outfielder Marcus Thames, Tiger first baseman Sean Casey, Tiger coach Andy Van Slyke, Tiger broadcasters Rod Allen, and former Detroit Tiger Frank Tanana. Each person clearly explained when he trusted Christ and shared Scripture as part of his testimony. To close out the program, former Detroit Tiger pitcher Frank Tanana boldly and compassionately shared Gods plan of salvation.
8,020 people representing 258 groups from Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, and Pennsylvania participated in HOME PLATE 2007.
134 people indicated making a decision to receive Jesus Christ as Savior (62 adults, 44 teens, 28 children).
1,320 people indicated making a decision to renew their dedication to live for Christ (820 adults, 340 teens, 160 children).
134 people indicated making a decision to receive Jesus Christ as Savior (62 adults, 44 teens, 28 children).
1,320 people indicated making a decision to renew their dedication to live for Christ (820 adults, 340 teens, 160 children).
ET Ramblings...
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
YOU HAVE RIGHTS!
YOU HAVE RIGHTS!
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
2 Peter 2:9
We are Sons and Daughters of the King, a Chosen Generation, A royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people belonging to God and when you are the king’s kid you have superior rights, when someone infringes on those rights they literally have offended the King Himself. In history, if the King didn’t invite you into their presence you could not appear before them or else it was death that you faced. When the devil infringes upon you, he has done so without permission from the King and therefore must be put to death. You have the RIGHT to put that devil to death in your life because you are a Chosen Generation, A royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people belonging to God.
We are Sons and Daughters of the King, a Chosen Generation, A royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people belonging to God and when you are the king’s kid you have superior rights, when someone infringes on those rights they literally have offended the King Himself. In history, if the King didn’t invite you into their presence you could not appear before them or else it was death that you faced. When the devil infringes upon you, he has done so without permission from the King and therefore must be put to death. You have the RIGHT to put that devil to death in your life because you are a Chosen Generation, A royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people belonging to God.
STOP being violated by the Devil, Know your Rights:
1. You have the right to have life and life more abundantly.
2. You have the right to Praise the Lord.
3. You have the right to be Healed.
4. You have the right to be delivered.
5. You have the right to eternal life.
6. You have the right to be more than conquerors.
7. You have the right to be called the Sons & Daughters of God.
8. You have the right to be FREE.
When you understand your rights then the devil will not be able to make mince-meat out of you anymore. Remember you are a Chosen Generation, A royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people belonging to God...ET Ramblings
Friday, April 27, 2007
OUTBACK STEAK CHURCH!
Exerpts from : writing by Keith Drury
After a delicious steak dinner with our best friends the other night, I couldn't help wondering what church would look like if done with the Outback Steak House method. How would you do it?
1. You'd limit your programming.
The Conventional Wisdom in the restaurant business is find a good location, operate as many hours as possible to spread the fixed costs, and keep the food costs as low as possible. The Outback Steak House breaks all three rules. When Chris Sullivan and Robert Basham started the chain they wanted to have some life beyond steakhouse management for their two interests: boating and golf. Figuring their managers should get the same, they determined the Outbacks would only be open in the evenings - one shift a day. They thought offering everything all the time would water down the product. They decided to open less hours and do it better. What they discovered was both their waiters (and their pastor) avoided burnout (industry average manager turnover = 35%; Outback turnover = 5.4%). The point: doing less and doing it better. The Outback Steak-Church would do a few things really well.
2. You'd limit the seating.
Most Americans in love with vision more than Steak, prefer to dream big and build likewise. Hey, if you've got people lined up two hours for a steak dinner what would you do? Tear down your barn and builds a bigger sanctuary, right? Not at the Outback. The typical Outback is 6,000 square feet (with the kitchen taking more than half of that) and seats only 220. Only 220. Why? Because that's the optimum seating to guarantee a quality steak, according to Sullivan and Basham. Great Steak is their goal -- everything else serves the Great Steak goal. Is this an anti-church growth philosophy? Not necessarily. They just plant more Outback steak-houses in new locations. Which is exactly what they've done to the tune of more than 200 steak-house-plants in the last five years. They argue that an optimum facility is better than a gigantic one. An Outback Steak-Church would decide the optimum size then spin off other churches.
3. You'd recruit qualities then train for competence.
A friendly decentralized flat company, the Outback is committed to a friendly informal atmosphere. They worry more about friendliness than previous experience in their hiring. Instead of recruiting experienced cooks and waiters, the Outback hires 75-80 friendly people then trains them to cook and serve. They believe it is easier to add competence to friendliness than the reverse. The application is obvious.
4. You'd treat your workers well.
Outback managers only work from 3 PM to midnight and make about $120,000 a year doing what they love. The Outback's waiters start later yet and earn about $125 a night. Both work only one shift straight through. Morale is high, the managers stay put, (and the Sunday school teachers love it.) An Outback Steak-Church would value its workers, making sure they see their intangible eternal rewards which are far greater than a mere paper $120,000.
5. You'd serve first rate Steak-preaching-teaching.
The Outback serves Steak with a capital S. You don't go there for desserts or vegetables. You go for Steak. Every Outback Steak grew up in a particular area of either Nebraska or Colorado which produces the tastiest Steaks. Sure, the Conventional Wisdom is that people are eating less red meat, and entertainment is what they want from pulpits, but the Outback folk know better. If you serve great Steak, prepared well and seasoned delightfully, people will wait two hours to get a seat. It just might work.
The Outback Steak-Church
1. You'd limit your programming.
The Conventional Wisdom in the restaurant business is find a good location, operate as many hours as possible to spread the fixed costs, and keep the food costs as low as possible. The Outback Steak House breaks all three rules. When Chris Sullivan and Robert Basham started the chain they wanted to have some life beyond steakhouse management for their two interests: boating and golf. Figuring their managers should get the same, they determined the Outbacks would only be open in the evenings - one shift a day. They thought offering everything all the time would water down the product. They decided to open less hours and do it better. What they discovered was both their waiters (and their pastor) avoided burnout (industry average manager turnover = 35%; Outback turnover = 5.4%). The point: doing less and doing it better. The Outback Steak-Church would do a few things really well.
2. You'd limit the seating.
Most Americans in love with vision more than Steak, prefer to dream big and build likewise. Hey, if you've got people lined up two hours for a steak dinner what would you do? Tear down your barn and builds a bigger sanctuary, right? Not at the Outback. The typical Outback is 6,000 square feet (with the kitchen taking more than half of that) and seats only 220. Only 220. Why? Because that's the optimum seating to guarantee a quality steak, according to Sullivan and Basham. Great Steak is their goal -- everything else serves the Great Steak goal. Is this an anti-church growth philosophy? Not necessarily. They just plant more Outback steak-houses in new locations. Which is exactly what they've done to the tune of more than 200 steak-house-plants in the last five years. They argue that an optimum facility is better than a gigantic one. An Outback Steak-Church would decide the optimum size then spin off other churches.
3. You'd recruit qualities then train for competence.
A friendly decentralized flat company, the Outback is committed to a friendly informal atmosphere. They worry more about friendliness than previous experience in their hiring. Instead of recruiting experienced cooks and waiters, the Outback hires 75-80 friendly people then trains them to cook and serve. They believe it is easier to add competence to friendliness than the reverse. The application is obvious.
4. You'd treat your workers well.
Outback managers only work from 3 PM to midnight and make about $120,000 a year doing what they love. The Outback's waiters start later yet and earn about $125 a night. Both work only one shift straight through. Morale is high, the managers stay put, (and the Sunday school teachers love it.) An Outback Steak-Church would value its workers, making sure they see their intangible eternal rewards which are far greater than a mere paper $120,000.
5. You'd serve first rate Steak-preaching-teaching.
The Outback serves Steak with a capital S. You don't go there for desserts or vegetables. You go for Steak. Every Outback Steak grew up in a particular area of either Nebraska or Colorado which produces the tastiest Steaks. Sure, the Conventional Wisdom is that people are eating less red meat, and entertainment is what they want from pulpits, but the Outback folk know better. If you serve great Steak, prepared well and seasoned delightfully, people will wait two hours to get a seat. It just might work.
hmmm....ET Rambling...
Thursday, April 26, 2007
AMERICAN IDOL RAISES $30MIL +
I ended up watching the American Idol "GIVES BACK" Yesterday and thought that this is what the Church is suppose to do! This is supposedly our greatest hour to reach out and carry out Gal 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens and in this way fulfill the Law of Christ". This is the only place in scripture that "THE LAW OF CHRIST" is mentioned.
Is the CHURCH missing the mark ?
Is Bono and American Idol doing the work of the church? Are we being isolated instead of being insulated!!!
ET Rambling...
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
NEW CHURCH HOME
Although it has been official for over a month, we are moving to Clinton, NJ to minister at Faith Chapel Wesleyan Church in the Penn-Jersey District."THE CORE"
...was started to highlight our families answer to plant a church in obedience to God and start a prayer partner information site. Little did we reallize that God had a plan to jump start the program! Faith Chapel started as a church plant and is now an established church. I will be taking over as the senior pastor and am excited at the opportunity to allow God to work through me and His people.
...was started to highlight our families answer to plant a church in obedience to God and start a prayer partner information site. Little did we reallize that God had a plan to jump start the program! Faith Chapel started as a church plant and is now an established church. I will be taking over as the senior pastor and am excited at the opportunity to allow God to work through me and His people.
Connecting with God...connecting with others!
I pray that we could have real faith for real life as we build lives for eternity and make a difference in our church, community and beyond.
The authority of Christ and His Holy Bible,
…the necessity of a re-birth, and
…the necessity of a re-birth, and
…the urgency of evangelism.
Please continue to pray for our housing, we need to sell our home in Michigan and find a home in NJ.
Our God is big enough!!!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Nicaragua Connection
Two weeks in Nicaragua ministering with a medical mission team and I come back with the possibility of having another daughter??
Details to follow...
Details to follow...
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Detroit revisited!
Hanging out after work!!!
The pitfalls of youth Ministry!
The blessings of youth ministry!!!
Why has God laid this on my heart? This years scripture was Gal 6:2 "Bear one anothers burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ."
I believe something big will come out of this. God is showing us what He needs us to concentrate on.
The "Law of Christ"....Let me show you the most excellant way...LOVE!!!
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