100 Reasons I Give Thanks

1. I have a merciful Savior who loves me, warts and all.
2. The leaves change color in the fall; they don’t have to, but they do.
3. My mother is a creative person who “gets” me on so many levels and who loves me to death.
4. My father is a humorous and loving man who provides well for our family and would do anything for us.
5. My little brother may be a twerp sometimes, but he’s my twerp and I know that he loves me…deep down.
6. I have a part-time job with my family that allows me to make a regular paycheck and have plenty of time to listen to books on my iPod.
7. I am incredibly blessed to have so much extended family living nearby; my grandparents are amazing.
8. Foggy mornings.
9. While I may not have many friendships, the ones I have are deep and full of meaning, purpose, beauty, and laughter.
10. I am in on the Goodwill Secret—and am not afraid to utilize my knowledge.
11.  I have the freedom to experiment, to explore, to create a future that’s perfectly suited to me.
12.  I have access to an awesome public library filled with thousands and thousands of books, DVDs, and audio CDs.
13.  My country grants me freedom of religion, and I need have no fear to worship.
14.  I am physically fit, capable of doing everything I want to do.
15.  There are Panini sandwiches and gallons of pesto in the world.
16.  I have been able to pursue a non-traditional education through homeschooling, CLEP and DSST tests, and online college.
17.  Despite the fact that my body does not like my fingers and frequently attempts to sever them, I have never been seriously injured.

Book Review: Bonhoeffer - Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

" The first call which every Christian experiences is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.” 

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

My Alternate Title:

The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Abandoned to Christ

Do you have any idea who Dietrich Bonhoeffer was? He was a German theologian and pastor who lived from 1906-1945. He had something to do with a plot against the Nazis, and his death was decidedly from unnatural causes. That was about all I knew when I embarked upon reading his biography.

One of my new year goals was to read some biographies of famous Christians. As I searched the internet for titles I came across this one, found that our library had the unabridged audiobook, and checked it out. I knew so little of this man’s life and legacy, and now my view of the Christian walk has been changed forever.

Bonhoeffer was born into a decent, upper-class German family at the turn of the twentieth century. He had all the advantages of a good upbringing, fine education, and close friendships. His father was an areligious man, his mother a devoted Christian, and Dietrich decided to study theology in school. His doctoral thesis, Sanctorum Communio (which he wrote at age 21), concerned the theology of the church and delved into the complex subjects of authority, freedom, ritual, and eschatology. His career would only climb from there.

Becoming a pastor and mentor to many, Dietrich seemed poised for a life of academic and religious achievement—when the unthinkable happened. Hitler came to power and the church began to buckle. German Christians had just as much patriotic fervor as their neighbors and began backing the Fuhrer (a man gifted in speaking “Christian-ese” at appropriate times). Dietrich saw trouble and began gathering together men who were dedicated first of all to Christ, not Germany.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life story is the story of the church in Germany during the period of the second world war. What he did was far from easy. He was patriotic too, and recently engaged to the love of his life, Maria von Wedemeyer. As things progressed, however, he found himself fighting against his country and going into more and more danger. “Christians” were caving in all around him, the rotten girders of their theology giving way under the pressure of escalating hostilities. Bonhoeffer wrote of his identification with Jeremiah, who “was upbraided as a disturber of the peace, an enemy of the people, just like all those, throughout the ages until the present day, who have been possessed and seized by God, for whom God had become too strong . . . how gladly would he have shouted peace and Heil with the rest.”

Beauty for Ashes

Does this picture shock you? Can you imagine looking like this? This is the face of a girl who gave more than most of us could ever dream of giving, all for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And she is still smiling. Below are portions of a blog post from jcrobertsspot.blogspot.com that express my sentiments perfectly:


I receive a monthly newsletter from The Voice of the Martyrs (if you don't receive it, I recommend you contact them to do so - it's free - www.persecution.com). This month, the cover is a picture of a woman, Yubelina, from Indonesia. She was burned in an attack by Muslims on her Christian village.

But she is smiling. A huge smile. Joy radiates from her. Why?? She must receive stares. Children are probably afraid of her. The world would call her damaged. Ugly.

Yubelina has figured out where her identity lies. She is a treasured child of the King. She has traded "a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning" (Isa. 61:3). Her smile reveals Jesus.

Yubelina is beautiful. I guarantee she has a joy, a contentment, that no name-brand, trendy clothing; no perfect haircut & makeup; no flawless skin or toned body can bring.

I want to be beautiful like that. I want my face to shine like Moses, because I have been in the presence of God. I want my treasure to lie in heaven & not in the tangible, the material. I want to be joyful & content & full of peace.

Jesus, make it so.

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." 

-Isaiah 61:10

The Truth about North Korea

Mansudae Grand Monument, Pyongyang, North Korea, originally uploaded by yeowatzup.

If I asked you to tell me five things about people in North Korea, especially Christians, could you tell me? It's probably not easy. (Forgive me if there are any professors of "North Korea in the Modern Age" reading this!) Not that this is something of terrible importance for everyday life, but it is kind of challenging when you realize how little you really know about such a large subject (about 24 million people are North Koreans). 


I'm going to share with you a link to a very powerful podcast, one that made me want to laugh and cry, and exposed me to so much that I had no idea about. But first, here are my five things I know about people in North Korea:


1. Many boil grass and eat tree bark because they have no other food.
2. It is estimated that over 150,000 people, many of them Christians, are in brutal concentration camps.
3. If a family is caught with a Bible, everyone within a two-house radius of them is arrested.
4. North Korean defectors to South Korea have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
5. The "national religion" of North Korea was actually modeled on Christianity, but with Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il as "gods".    


And here is the link to the page where you can listen to the podcast or download it (Persecution Podcast is also available for free on iTunes). The man talking about North Korea comes after the prayer section.

http://www.persecutionpodcast.com/?p=321

It is amazing, and might just turn your prayer life upside-down.

When is Enough, Enough?

When will the people of America wake up to the lengths "political correctness" has gone to in this country? 

At the University of Illinois, doing your job could get you fired. Or so Dr. Ken Howell found out when he tried to explain the church's doctrine on moral issues in his course "Introduction to Catholicism." When the 12-year veteran briefly explained Roman Catholic teachings on homosexuality in an email to his class about natural law, a student complained to the department head that Dr. Howell was using "hate speech." Based on that one email -- not a hearing or an investigation -- the University decided to hush the professor permanently. Since his firing in May, more than 5,000 students have protested. "We're all disgusted by it," said one. According to Alliance Defense Fund attorneys, they should be. This was a gross violation of Dr. Howell's First Amendment rights. Professors of religion must be free to talk about religion no matter how uncomfortable it makes certain students. Yesterday, after the story made national news and ADF threatened to sue, UI officials announced that Dr. Howell had been reinstated to his position as associate professor. 

-Information from Here