From Campus Crusade Staffweb:
"Dr. Joon-Gon Kim, founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, has gone home to be with the Lord on the morning of September 29, 2009. He was 84 years old.
Dr. Kim, a visionary and a faithful man of God, has been totally committed to reaching every person in Korea, and the world, for Christ. Many have come to know him as a person who loves God and had the capacity to think big for God, and have been deeply influenced by his passion for the Great Commission.
Steve Douglass says of Dr. Kim, "Campus Crusade for Christ mourns the loss of a superb spiritual leader. God used him mightily in our ministry and beyond. We all mourn with and pray for the family, staff of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ and so many other members of the Body of Christ in Korea who counted him as a faithful friend." "
Within the first decade, Campus Crusade went international in establishing a partnership with Dr. Kim in South Korea. In the next 40 years, the country grows from receiving missionaries to being a sending nation with 270 staff serving in 23 countries.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Promise.
Bethany Dillon had this as her facebook status today:
"This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." 1 John 2:25
What a great verse. It's so simple, but thinking about this promise makes me think about all the things that God promises to us and all the things He's been faithful in providing. And I also want to say that the numbers in this verse reference represent the day we celebrate Jesus' birth 12/15 :)
"This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." 1 John 2:25
What a great verse. It's so simple, but thinking about this promise makes me think about all the things that God promises to us and all the things He's been faithful in providing. And I also want to say that the numbers in this verse reference represent the day we celebrate Jesus' birth 12/15 :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Brother Andrew.
Andrew van der Bijl, also known as Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles to communist countries earning him the nickname "God's smuggler". Brother Andrew was born in the Netherlands, the fourth of seven children. He was raised Dutch Reformed and studied at the Bible Training Institute in Scotland.
A visit to the underground church in Poland in 1955 led to many more ventures into several Communist countries, home to persecuted Christians. Two years later, Brother Andrew traveled to Moscow in a new Volkswagen, given to him by a mentor couple, full of Bibles and spiritual literature, in violation of laws banning religious literature. "He often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection" (from God's Smuggler). He later founded Open Doors, and the Volkswagen became a signature of the organization.
In the 60s, Andrew visited China, hostile towards the Christian religion, Czechoslovakia, with no religious freedom, and Cuba, after the revolution. In 1976, he wrote a book about spiritual struggle in Africa and encouraged congressional action. Brother Andrew also focused on the Middle East, visiting Lebanon, Israel and Palestine several times.
The first edition of 'God's Smuggler,' was written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published in 1976. The book tells the story of Andrew's early childhood, Christian conversion and adventures as a smuggler.
In the book Light Force, Andrew writes about Arab churches that "express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world at large is ignoring them. Also he visits some alleged Palestinian terrorists that were deported to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preaches the gospel to them." (wikipedia). His seventh book, Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.
A visit to the underground church in Poland in 1955 led to many more ventures into several Communist countries, home to persecuted Christians. Two years later, Brother Andrew traveled to Moscow in a new Volkswagen, given to him by a mentor couple, full of Bibles and spiritual literature, in violation of laws banning religious literature. "He often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection" (from God's Smuggler). He later founded Open Doors, and the Volkswagen became a signature of the organization.
In the 60s, Andrew visited China, hostile towards the Christian religion, Czechoslovakia, with no religious freedom, and Cuba, after the revolution. In 1976, he wrote a book about spiritual struggle in Africa and encouraged congressional action. Brother Andrew also focused on the Middle East, visiting Lebanon, Israel and Palestine several times.
The first edition of 'God's Smuggler,' was written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published in 1976. The book tells the story of Andrew's early childhood, Christian conversion and adventures as a smuggler.
In the book Light Force, Andrew writes about Arab churches that "express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world at large is ignoring them. Also he visits some alleged Palestinian terrorists that were deported to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preaches the gospel to them." (wikipedia). His seventh book, Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.
Dirk Willems.
Dirk Willems, a martyred Anabaptist, was born in the Netherlands in the 1500s. He was rebaptized as a young man, and rejected infant baptism that was practiced then by Catholics and Protestants in the Netherlands. This rejection, along with his devotion to his new faith and rebaptism of others in his home, led to his condemnation from the Roman Catholic Church. Somewhere along the way, he in imprisoned.
During his escape, Willems flees across a frozen lake. Risking recapture, he turns back to save the life of his pursuer, who had fallen through the ice. He was burned at the stake near his hometown on May 16, 1569. Today, he is one of the most celebrated martyrs among Anabaptists.
During his escape, Willems flees across a frozen lake. Risking recapture, he turns back to save the life of his pursuer, who had fallen through the ice. He was burned at the stake near his hometown on May 16, 1569. Today, he is one of the most celebrated martyrs among Anabaptists.
Friday, September 11, 2009
unknown.
"The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating."
Author Unknown. But I think they may have been to a Lutheran Church before.
Author Unknown. But I think they may have been to a Lutheran Church before.
perspective.
"In a desperate search for significance, validation and fulfillment, we attach ourselves to money, relationships, power and prestige...until one day we awake and realize we have connected ourselves to leeches. In darkness, we have reached for the closest tangible thing; however, rather than comfort and healing we find ourselves united with something that is sucking out our life. When the light is turned on, we see ourselves, empty, lifeless, deflated and covered in leeches. The truth emerges-- we are in desperate need of redemption...we must receive a blood transfusion or death is our fate. Blood that is pure, without blemish or defect, is the only thing to save us from our current state of emptiness. As the eyes of our weary heart open, before us we see a Lamb; a gentle creature who has willingly sacrificed Himself. With a last gasp of breath He whispers, Drink this all of you. After the last drop of blood makes its way down--covering us completely--the Lamb comes to life again. But now He lives inside of us."
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life...but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life...but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18
Sunday, September 06, 2009
the problem.
There's got to be some reason for all this misery
A secret evil corporation somewhere overseas
They're pulling strings, arranging things
It's a conspiracy
Or what about the ones who shape the course of history
What if we petitioned for one grand apology?
I'll write to my prime minister
You, write your president
Everybody's wondering how the world could get this way
If God is good, and how it could be filled with so much pain
It's not the age-old mystery we made it out to be
Yeah, there's a problem with the world
And the problem with the world is me
Some will say the devil and his legions
They put us in a headlock of submission
But they lost all power over me
A long, long time ago
And since I was a kid you know I've caused a lot of hurt
And no one ever taught me how to put myself first
It came so very naturally
But I'm not a prodigy
So I will look no further than a mirror
That's where the offender hides
So great is my need for a redeemer
That I cannot trust myself
No, I cannot trust my self
I dare not trust myself
So I trust in someone else
The sooner you can sing along
The sooner you can sing this song
The happier we'll be
The problem with the world is me
the problem//downhere
A secret evil corporation somewhere overseas
They're pulling strings, arranging things
It's a conspiracy
Or what about the ones who shape the course of history
What if we petitioned for one grand apology?
I'll write to my prime minister
You, write your president
Everybody's wondering how the world could get this way
If God is good, and how it could be filled with so much pain
It's not the age-old mystery we made it out to be
Yeah, there's a problem with the world
And the problem with the world is me
Some will say the devil and his legions
They put us in a headlock of submission
But they lost all power over me
A long, long time ago
And since I was a kid you know I've caused a lot of hurt
And no one ever taught me how to put myself first
It came so very naturally
But I'm not a prodigy
So I will look no further than a mirror
That's where the offender hides
So great is my need for a redeemer
That I cannot trust myself
No, I cannot trust my self
I dare not trust myself
So I trust in someone else
The sooner you can sing along
The sooner you can sing this song
The happier we'll be
The problem with the world is me
the problem//downhere