“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:19

Hello Dear Hearts,

Yes, the Lord is doing a NEW THING and we do know it.  We are living in a new age, with the explosion of knowledge prophesied by the Lord, the Gospel is being preached in an unprecedented way. Satellite, satellite dishes, the computer- internet, smart phones, Droid, iPads, everything everywhere God is using to proclaim His love through Jesus Christ.  He is making a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.  He is reaching those who have never heard the name of Jesus.

The Jesus Film, as of this date, has been translated into 1121 languages.  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s project “My Hope” is using an innovative way with television in individual’s homes. It’s “one on one evangelism,” in Africa, Latin America and Asia. They are reaching millions around the world.  The exceloration of spreading the Gospel is mind boggling.

We are actually witnessing prophecy unfolding before our eyes. And just as my slogan on my letterhead is, “winning the world for Jesus, one person at a time”.

I would like to share the adapted version of Loren Eiseley’s “The Star Thrower”

An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, after a storm, he saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

“Young lady”, he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?”

“The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.”

“But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.”

The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the water, past the breaking waves, saying: “It made a difference to that one.”

The old man looked at the young woman inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined her in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

And so it is with the Kingdom of God, each one of us is called to make a difference.  Some sow seed, some water, some prune, but all share in the harvest.  “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord…”  I would like to challenge you to start off this new year doing one new thing.  Perhaps there’s something you’ve thought about doing, but haven’t gotten around to it.  There is need everywhere.

One of the new things I am going to do, is take the whole day of February the 29th, (leap year) and spend it in prayer for each one of you, individually, who have been involved with me in this ministry. I am going to pray for your family and the needs you may have.  If you want to drop me a note for a special prayer request so that I may pray more specifically please do.

A ninety year old man, who had lost most of his vision and hearing, listened intently as I shared with him the love of Christ; and as he prayed to receive Jesus, I saw a fresh light come into his face, a new zest for living and a smile a mile wide.

My heart is overflowing with praise and gratitude for YOU.  I pray this year will be a year of new beginnings, God’s Blessings and Favor in every area of your life.

In Christ’s Love,

Georgia Lee

A proposal by a Florida state lawmaker to allow “inspirational” messages, including prayer, on a voluntary basis at some school events is drawing the opposition of several major lobby groups on legislative issues, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League.

The proposal from Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, would allow districts to adopt resolutions that allow prayer of invocation or benediction at secondary school events if they are at the discretion of the student government, given by student volunteers and do not involve school personnel.

See what can happen, in “Criminalizing Christianity: How America’s founding religion is becoming illegal”

“The purpose of this act is to provide for the solemnization and memorialization of secondary school events and ceremonies, and this act is not intended to advance or endorse any religion or religious belief,” said the proposal, which this week was approved 4-1 by the Senate PreK-12 Committee.

Though the measure still has multiple legislative hurdles, Siplin  hopes it will pass this year.

But ADL lawyer David Barkey, according Gannett’s News-Press, condemned the plan for advancing religion.

“It coerces religion in violation of the Establishment Clause,” said Barkey.

And Ron Bilboa of the ACLU said Silpin’s idea would put religious expression up for a popular vote among students, and that isn’t allowed.

“We must guard against the promotion or endorsement of one particular set of religious beliefs over others,” he declared.

Siplin, whose proposal is supported by a companion bill in the House, has higher hopes.

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An Iranian pastor who has refused to renounce his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court ruled. Iran’s Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani, 34, recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: “Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?”

“To the religion of your ancestors, Islam,” the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

“I cannot,” Nadarkhani said.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January 2011. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.

An Assyrian evangelical pastor, Rev. Wilson Issavi, was imprisoned for 54 days for allegedly converting Muslims prior to his release in March 2010, Elam officials told FoxNews.com.

Nadarkhani, a pastor in the 400-member Church of Iran, has been held in that country’s Gilan Province since October 2009, after he protested to local education authorities that his son was forced to read from the Koran at school. His wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, was also arrested in June 2010 in an apparent attempt to pressure him to renounce his faith. She was released in October 2010, according to Amnesty International.

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy last September based on religious writings by Iranian clerics, including Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the fact that there is no offense of “apostasy” in the nation’s penal code, Amnesty International reports.

In June, the Supreme Court of Iran ruled that a lower court should re-examine procedural flaws in the case, giving local judges the power to decide whether to release, execute or retry Nadarkhani. The verdict, according to Amnesty International, includes a provision for the sentence to be overturned should Nadarkhani renounce his faith.

Elise Auerbach, an Iranian analyst for Amnesty International USA, told FoxNews.com that an execution for apostasy has not been carried out in Iran since 1990. Nadarkhani’s sentence is a “clear violation of international law,” she said.

“The key is to keep up the pressure and to publicize the story because it obviously outrages most people,” Auerbach said. “It’s part of the pattern of persecution based on religion in Iran.”

Kiri Kankhwende, a spokeswoman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization that specializes in religious freedom, told FoxNews.com that Nadarkhani was asked for the fourth time to renounce his faith during a hearing early Wednesday and he denied that request.

“We’re waiting to hear the final outcome,” she told FoxNews.com. We’re still waiting to hear what they’ve decided.”

Kankhwende said Nadarkhani could be executed Wednesday or Thursday.

“Iran is unpredictable,” she said. “We can’t say when it might happen. It’s a very real threat, but we can’t say when exactly.”

Officials at the U.S. State Department declined to comment when reached on Wednesday.Attempts to reach his attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, were not successful.

House Speaker John Boehner said Nadarkhani’s case is “distressing for people of every country and creed,” according to a statement released on Wednesday.

“While Iran’s government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith,” the statement read. “This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran’s leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Nadarkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release.”

Father Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York and an analyst for Fox News Channel, said Nadarkhani’s case is “unmistakable evidence” that Iran is executing Christians simply because they refuse to become Muslims.

Morris continued: “Will President Obama, and the free world, allow the United Nations to continue in its cowardly silence on this matter?”

“All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

Do you know or can you sense, when that special opportunity comes for you to share your faith with someone whose path you may cross? Not as a big planned project or performance, but just simply being available to the Lord’s will and call anytime and anywhere. Simply sharing what you know about Jesus, and what He’s done for you. (2 Corinthians 4:5). The Holy Spirit working through you, giving you what to say and how to say it. It could even be done over wine!

“We don’t go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord.”

While flying back home from Georgia, I was enjoying the plane ride. A young man seated next to me was reading and studying some papers pulled from his briefcase. While eating airline snacks, we began to engage in conversation. He asked about California, and I shared a little about it. He shared that he had to fly into San Francisco for his job, and he was to be at a winery in the Napa Valley for a meeting the next day.

He asked if I drank wine and my response was, “For communion I do.” He then responded back with a smile and began to share his memories with me of him serving communion as a child. He then asked, “Are you one of those ‘new’ Christians?” and He shared that he was not.

The Holy Spirit gave me the opportunity to share with him a little about my upbringing, and how one day I had become a born-again Christian. This was a time of me simply sharing the message in this scripture. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Sharing our faith with unbelievers is what we as believers have been called to do. God has given us the privilege of being His ambassadors in this world. While writing this, I couldn’t help but think of the joy and delight that comes when sharing my faith. We don’t have all of the answers and responses for people that we cross paths with, but we can simply share what the Holy Spirit gives us, remember to pray for them, and leave the rest to God.

To share on this plane with this stranger is something I will never forget. I don’t even know that persons name, but God does!

Over the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at several Sunday morning worship gatherings. Recently, I was thinking about one when a guy fell asleep (I’m pretty sure before I took the stage — I hope…) during the service.

It was a wide room, and he was a rather large man, seated somewhere in the middle. In otherwords, it was impossible to miss him as I would scan the audience to make eye contact.

I won’t lie. Deep inside, something in me wanted to stop what I was talking about and ask someone to wake Church Sleeping Man up. When I would raise my voice a bit to make a point, I would focus right on him, hoping he’d snap out of it.

Nothing.

He was practically in a coma.

When I travel, I spend a lot of time in reflection on my flight home. I usually don’t read or write, but pop in my earbuds to some Album Leaf, Explosions in the Sky (sounds like a death wish, I know), or Sigur Ros. No real lyrics, just music and mumblings. I allow myself to nod off a bit into that lucid state where I’m able to just allow thoughts to enter, I process them, and tuck them away.

On this flight home, I found myself not being able to move on from Church Sleeping Man.

Now, I don’t know Church Sleeping Man personally. And what I feel inside (I’m tempted to call it anger, but am too chicken to actually do so) isn’t directed specifically at him. But I do find myself getting really, really upset.

Because Church Sleeping Man represents so much of our culture today. Although we may not actually fall asleep during a church service, many of us are sleepwalking in our faith.

Myself included.

God has so many words for us to hear, so many opportunities to pursue, so many visions to chase, so many people to love, so many lives we can physically save with the resources we have and yet…

We sleep.

We live for the moments when we find ourselves alive, awake, and fulfilling a purpose. But those moments have become special because they are exceptions to our normally sleepy lives.

Sure, we dream a lot…but what do we do with those dreams after we wake up?

I truly believe that God has wired humanity the other way around. When our norm is constantly living in that state of being alive – fully, abundantly. While we’re asleep — and dare I say it…only dreaming — we are being robbed of our very purpose in life.

Anne Jackson is author, speaker, and transformational activist who lives in the Nashville area with her husband, Chris. Her highly-anticipated book, Mad Church Disease – Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic (Zondervan) released in February 2009. Her next book is due to be out in Fall 2010.