Soul and Spirit

Christian Militia and VOM

Just so you know, No connection between ministry and Christian militia:

Nine members of the Michigan-based Hutaree Christian militia group face sedition and weapons charges

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the group was planning to kill a law enforcement officer, then attack the funeral procession with explosives.

The group drew much of its cult-like substance from the events described in the Book of the Revelation and the end times. As a result, according to the indictment, they seemed to see local and state police as “foot soldiers” for the federal government, the “New World Order.”

The group’s name means “Christian Warriors,” and they have a martyr’s complex. Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says, “We have not had any connection with this organization. We do not have any contact with any member of this organization. This is simply a situation where they put a link to us on their Web site.”

VOM wants to tell the stories of the persecuted church, so they have an open link policy. That doesn’t mean, however, that they endorse the group using the link. In fact, VOM functions on a different mission from the Hutaree cult. “The Voice of the Martyrs has never advocated violence. In fact, the Christians that we serve around the world respond to persecution with forgiveness.”

In a release, VOM notes, “While we understand that all are innocent until proven guilty and wait for results of the legal process, we want to clearly state that violence is not an acceptable response to religious differences.”

[…]

As a result of the terrorism charges and other extremist views being reported on this group, scrutiny is close. As the story unfolds, numerous media reports are portraying Christians as terrorists.

Critical Security Update for Internet Explorer

I grateful for the Firefox browser. And I’m thankful not to have to use Internet Explorer (except for Web page testing).

But I know the majority of the world still uses IE. So here’s my PSA for you folks:

This security update resolves nine privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for all supported releases of Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, Internet Explorer 6 on Windows clients, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8 on Windows clients. For Internet Explorer 6 on Windows servers, this update is rated Important. And for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows servers, this update is rated Moderate.

Source: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-018

HT: Small Business Computing

Health Care Reform

Some questions and comments reflecting on health care reform -- #hcr --

Some comments and some questions, none of them intended to be political even though they reflect on and about a political issue:

  1. If I take health care and turn it into real he chat, I have reformed it. Too bad I didn’t improve it. Or deliver on its promise and purpose.
  2. Most of the time I forgot to pray.
  3. I am amazed to witness a political majority going against the will of the citizen majority. Now to see on what else they defy and withstand the will of the people.
  4. The bill barely got enough votes to pass. Four fewer and it would have failed. For such sweeping, generational changes…oh, never mind.
  5. I am still kinda stunned that anyone would vote for and thus put their name to legislation without at least reading it first. I’m guessing the majority of those who voted for it will eventually be surprised at something they supported.
  6. Why does it take so long to kick in? Because it really isn’t about health care. It’s about kidnapping the health issue to expand control…and test the limits of the tolerant populace.
  7. Will any court have the integrity and spine to rule against it?
  8. More alarming to me than actual passage of the bill was that they seriously and publicly considered not voting for it directly. Such a disposition bodes no good for the country nor for the rule of law. We are in greater peril than I realized heretofore.
  9. Do they know better than the people? Quite possibly.
  10. Who gets exempted from having to abide by it? And what’s the significance of that?
  11. How does it treat the most vulnerable?
  12. It’s been six days since passage of the bill and about four since President Obama signed it. As a result of this bill, who has health care now that didn’t then?
  13. What are the unintended consequences?
  14. And perhaps more importantly, what are the hidden intended consequences?
  15. And what’s with the provisions in it that have nothing to do with health care?
  16. Maybe it would have been better to take all that non-existent money and plowed it into Social Security before it finishes collapsing. Too late. Oh well.
  17. Christians, a message for you: God is the Sovereign One. That hasn’t changed. And never will. Keep your trust in Him and fear not. Set your affection on things above. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. And pray.

Under Siege

Another Christian executed in Somalia

Earlier this month, underground church leader Madobe Abdi escaped an attempted kidnapping in Somalia.

Compass Direct News reports Islamic militants caught up with him March 15 and murdered him. What made his death more alarming is that Abdi was an orphan raised as a Christian rather than a convert from Islam.

Islamic militants have hunted leaders of the underground church movement as a means of discouraging others from responding to the Gospel.

Is it working?

1,000 attacks on Christians in 500 days

A study shows that in 500 days, there were 1,000 attacks on Christians in India’s Karnataka state alone, reports Compass Direct News.

India has not exactly been known for its peaceful attitude toward Christians, especially after several months of attacks in Orissa state in 2008. At that time, attacks were predominately made by Hindu extremists, as they appear now to be in Karnataka. Karnataka, however, never seemed a likely target for Christian persecution.

“[Karnataka] is not in that area of India where you would expect there to be as many attacks,” says Dave Stravers of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India. “It’s in the south; the northern part of India is where more of the radical Hindus live. One of the reasons it’s not surprising, however, is that this is one of the places where the church is growing faster in India.”

[…]

“What’s happening in Karnataka is perhaps a little bit ominous because a Hindu political party has control of that state,” says Stravers. “Even though these attacks are not legal attacks, nevertheless when a Hindu party gets in power, it seems to encourage the unruly elements in the country to undertake this kind of violence.”

And I feel bad because our pet hen died this afternoon….

Perspective. How we all need good perspective.

Genocide Ignored…Where?

Yeah. What country is referenced below?

“UN employees reported that over 3,300 villages have been burned to the ground,” says Klein. “It’s surpassing what happened in Rwanda and Darfur, and yet nobody seems to notice.”

Despite the nearly unprecedented conditions, the Word of God continues to permeate through the region. Klein says that even children in the Vision Beyond Borders orphanages pray for the soldiers that killed their families. Klein says the Lord is in fact using this time to draw many away from witchcraft and animism and toward Christ.

“Even in the midst of [so many] horrific things going on, the Gospel is going forth, and many people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ.”

Klein is excited that the Gospel is moving forth, but he urges the Christian world to do something for their suffering and ignored brothers and sisters.

“A lot of these Karen people feel like they’ve been abandoned.”

Source: Mission Network News (But I challenge you to first guess the country as a comment below.)

Then remember to pray for these folks and those who minister to them.

Pastor Juan Mauricio Muñoz

In the recent Chilean earthquake…

Muñoz and his family lost their own home and most of their possessions. Upon their return home, Muñoz was overwhelmed by the devastation that had leveled whole blocks and thrown cars three blocks from where they had been parked.

Yet amid the devastation, Muñoz has been working hard for the Lord. His produce business was not destroyed, nor was his house, so he has been handing out free produce to those in need of food and housing various victims in his church building. Muñoz and his church members have been spreading the love of Christ as they put the needs of their hurting neighbors before their own.

Pray that the Lord would bring good from this sorrow. Pray that Pastor Muñoz and his church would be safe and would know how to use this tragedy for God’s glory.

Source: Despite devastation, pastor and church put Christ first

Above all, love God!