September 2010
September 2010 “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight, I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches in secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” Isa. 45:2,3 Hello Dear Hearts, Our Mighty God of the Universe wants us to know and remember He is the God of ISRAEL. I have written before, that the Jewish Feasts of the Old Testament have great significance for us as Christians. The Feast of Passover was fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One feast that has yet to be fulfilled in the Jewish calendar is Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. “Blow the trumpet in Zion….For the day of the Lord is coming.” Joel 2:1. During the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, a ram’s horn, or shofar, is blown as a reminder of the day when the Messiah will come back with the sound of a trumpet. God cared so deeply about this day that He called it one of “My appointed days”. Leviticus 23:2 As the first day of the Jewish New Year they were to put all normal activities aside and examine their hearts for sin, their attitudes and relationships with people and with God; a time of reflection and prayer. The traditional greeting says, ”May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life for a good year”. Rosh Hashanah also begins the ten “Days of Awe”, known as the High Holy Days that end with Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement. Israel is in the news daily. According to a CBN news report some Israeli rabbis believe the ancient prophecies of Ezekiel 38 are unfolding in today’s headlines. When Israel stopped a Turkish flotilla from sending weapons to Hamas-controlled Gaza, an international judgment occurred. Sweden, Ireland and other nations planned boycotts against the Jewish state. And Turkey, once an ally of Israel and the West, has shifted allegiance to Iran, whose Prime Minister Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly said he will wipe Israel off the map and continues to call the Nazi Holocaust, the genocide of nearly six million Jews at Auschwitz, a “myth”. I have been privileged to hear and get to know Rosemary Schindler, a great niece of Oskar Schindler, a famous hero of the Jews, who helped over 1100 to escape the Holocaust during World War 2. You may remember an amazing film that was produced about his daring and heroic rescues, ”Schindler’s List.” Rosemary continues to carry out the Schindler legacy to support the Jewish people and Israel, together with Schindler’s survivors and descendants. And they say one person can’t make a difference. It was one person, Abraham, God used to be the father of faith for many nations. It was one person, Moses, who led the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. It was one person, Joseph, who interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and saved the Israelites and many nations through famine. It was one perso, Esther, who saved the nation of Israel from annihilation. It was one person, Jesus, who died on the cross and rose again. He conquered sin, death and Satan. He redeemed us for eternity. It was one person, Peter, who went to the Centurion’s household and preached Christ and opened the door to the Gentiles. It was one person, Phillip, who joined the Ethiopian eunuch and preached the Kingdom of God. It was one person on Maui, who told of the saving grace of Jesus Christ the Messiah to a young Jewish woman. It was one person on the beach who shared the love of Christ to a lonely lady. It was one person who entered a shop to get a pedicure and was greeted by a young woman with, “You don’t remember me. You brought me to Jesus many months ago. I remember you don’t have a car, I know where you live. I’m going to pick you up, do your pedicure and take you home. Here’s my cell phone number.” I am one person and YOU ARE ONE PERSON, who shares the vision of OUR ministry. Thank YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, PRAYERS AND SUPPORT. God has called us by our name and we are ”written and sealed in the Book of Life” for Eternity. Georgia Lee
Iranian Christian Detained in Ahvaz
By Joseph C. DeCaro, Worthy News International Correspondent
AHVAZ, IRAN (Worthy News)– Members of a home-based church in the city of Ahvaz are worried about one of their own who has not been heard from since his arrest, Worthy News has learned.
The 27 year-old Neshan Saeedi was arrested by plain-clothes security forces that entered his house on July 24.
The security officers searched his home and seized personal belongings: a computer, CDs of Christian seminars and teachings, Christian books, Bibles, and family photo albums.
Saeedi’s family was taken to Chaharshir detention center in Ahvaz for several hours of questioning and harsh interrogation. Security officers said they were apostates who were unworthy of raising their 6 year-old daughter, and if they continued their Christian activities, they might lose custody of her. They were also accused of anti-government activities by acting as agents of foreign powers.
After the interogation, the wife and daughter were released, but no one has seen Saeedi since.
After the arrest, members of the home-based church who fellowshipped with Saeedi have scattered and disbanded. Security agents are desperately seeking two other leaders of the church while Saeedi is presumed to be under great pressure to reveal the names of all church members.
August Letter
August 2010
“All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God.” Revelation 7:11 NASB
Hello Dear Hearts,
As I sat down to write this letter, I was not sure what the Lord wanted me to share with you, so I prayed as I always do before I begin, but I still didn’t have His leading. I opened a book I had been reading, turned to a page where the author mentioned worship. I closed the book and opened the Word to a scripture on worship. So I’m going to write about WORSHIP.
It’s the thing we often neglect in our busy lives, but it is of utmost importance to our relationship with our Almighty God. He alone is worthy to be worshipped. He said “I AM THE LORD THY GOD, there is none else, I AM GOD.”
True worship begins with awestruck reverence for who God is and what He has done for us. There are so many ways to worship God. In the Old Testament there was fasting and praying, feasts and sacred days, music and dancing unto the Lord, sacrificing/offerings, prophets proclaiming God’s POWER. In the New Testament we come into the holy presence of God through our High Priest Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now God wants us to present our bodies as living sacrifices.
King David was a passionate worshiper. He gave an offering of more than one hundred million dollars of his personal treasury….”because I have set my affection on the house of my God”. Then he worshipped the Lord as he prayed, “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever. Thine O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and the earth, is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” t Chron.10b-13
When our focus is on our circumstances and our world seems out of control, we need to worship our Mighty God. There is power in praise. There may be a time when you feel such desperation, like the bottom has fallen out, your heart is breaking, you feel that you have nothing left to give; lift up your hands and offer the sacrifice of praise. We need to truly understand this power! It’s not just a cliché, it’s the Word of God. It’s a mighty weapon that drives away the pain and the enemy. It lifts you into a healing place, into another level of closeness to God. When Job was told everything he had was suddenly and tragically lost, including the death of all his children, he rent his robe, shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and WORSHIPPED. “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” As he raised the shield of faith against the onslaught of Satan he saw the victory. As the righteousness of God in Christ, when we put our trust wholly in Him, HE IS ABLE TO RESTORE our broken lives.
So many people are shattered and lost, which leads me to a new story. I went to the beach to walk along the water to praise and worship the Lord. As I was praying, I sat on a large bolder and asked Him if He wanted me to share His love with someone. A few minutes later, a lady came over. She said, “You look like a woman who could give me some sound advice.” I smiled, “I’d like to try, what’s going on in your world?” She then proceeded to tell me about her husband who left her six years ago and about the man she’s with now. She poured her heart out to me. It was obvious she needed love and I knew just the One who would give it to her. As she prayed to receive Christ, tears streamed down her face, she felt His presence. Celeste hugged me for the longest time, before we said goodbye. Please pray that she will grow in the Lord.
THANK YOU LOVERS OF GOD FOR MINISTERING WITH ME. I PRAY FOR YOU AND PRAISE GOD FOR YOU
July 2010 Letter
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM.” 2nd Corinthians 3:17 NLT
Hello Dear Hearts,
This is the month we celebrate the birth and freedom of our Nation. Freedom is not free it always comes with great sacrifice. Countless men and women have lost their fortunes and their lives for our country. Also the freedom we celebrate in Christ cost the ultimate price, His death on the cross. Our God so loved us that He gave His only Son to free us from the penalty of sin; to re-unite us to Himself through His own Blood Covenant. On this fact, the history of our nation was founded. John Adams said, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus.” Our laws were written from God’s Laws. And as we worshipped Him, He uniquely blessed our nation.
However our nation is again in peril. Bibles and prayer have been removed from our schools; as well as the Ten Commandments from our courthouses and public places. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, all have, at different time, called our nation to a Day of Prayer. Many years ago the Congress authorized an annual National Day of Prayer. This year a federal judge took steps to have it declared unconstitutional. Anti-religious activists persuaded the military to cancel The Rev. Franklin Graham’s personal participation in a Pentagon event on the grounds that it might offend Muslims. Then an Islamic advocacy group in Washington tried to keep him from participating in a prayer event on Capital Hill with members of the House of Representatives. Franklin said, “It is shocking to experience, in our own country, such open opposition to Christian prayer for the nation.”
What are we to do? We have been silent too long. It is time for us to repent and to pray for God to make us worthy of “THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.’’
I thank you, my dear partners, for your faithfulness in prayer and support of this ministry! Much has happened this last month but, I must tell you one story. My dear missionary friend from Bulgaria Diana, lovingly called “DD”, met an elderly man from Germany on the beach. She told him of her “call of God” on her life. He introduced her to his wife. They were very cordial to her. “DD” was leaving in a couple of days so she wanted me to follow up with them. Her friend, Jenna, had met them and knew where they were staying.
The two of us prayed and went to see them. We sat on their little patio, had cappuccino and talked of many things including Jesus. I invited them for dinner at my place. They readily accepted. As they arrived a CD of Mozart was softly playing. We had a lovely dinner with lots of stories, talking and laughing. As they left, I told them I would stop by Saturday to say good-bye before they left Sunday morning.
As I walked up to their cottage they were both sitting on the patio waiting for me. They stood up to greet me with hugs. I told them I not only wanted to say good-bye, but I wanted to share something with them. We sat down, each of us pulling our chairs in a little closer. I told them how Jesus came into my life and gave me a peace and joy I had never known before. I told them of His love for them and how He wanted to come into their lives. I gave them a few scriptures and asked if they wanted to receive Him. They said, “Yes, but how?”
“Just pray out loud after me.” When we finished praying, I pulled out of my purse a Bible I had brought for them. As I walked away I praised God, their sins had been forgiven and they had a new purpose in life. I looked over my shoulder and saw them standing waving and throwing kisses.
Because of YOUR PRECIOUS PROVISON FOR OUR MINISTRY you allow me the freedom to share God’s love and bring in the harvest. I’M SO GRATEFUL! GOD BLESS YOU.
Georgia Lee
June Letter
“And when the day of Pentecost was FULLY come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…” Acts 2:1,2,4a
Hello Dear Hearts,
In the Feast of Passover we see the death of Christ. In the Feast of Firstfruits, we see the resurrection of Christ as the Firstfruits. In the Feast of Pentecost we see the descent of the Holy Spirit, the New Covenant entered into with God and the Birth of the Church.
Fifty days from the day the firstfruits offering was waved before the Lord, the children of Israel celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. Devout Jews from all parts of Israel and the Mediterranean world traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate these feasts. According to the well-known Jewish historian, Josephus, there were as many as three million Jews gathered together in Jerusalem during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
May News Letter 2010
“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:6,7
Hello Dear Hearts,
I attended an amazing Hawaiian Hula Worship Celebration. Churches of all denominations, from all the Hawaiian Islands, came together to worship our Lord through Hula dancing, music, Scripture and song. “How Great Thou Art” was sung in Hawaiian, as were many of the songs. The Hula praise was glorious. Many of my friends from different churches participated.
The opening ceremony was preceded with the carrying of the Hawaiian flag and the Israeli flag. The pastors of Grace Church here on Maui are Messiahanic Jews who have received Jesus Christ as Messiah. The wife, Nora, with two other ladies worshipped the Lord in Israeli dances.
The disciples asked Jesus after His resurrection, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The King James Version reads, “To the uttermost part of the earth.” And someone said during the ceremony “Hawaii is the uttermost part of the earth from Jerusalem.”
Paul wrote, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ..Where there is neither Greek nor Jew… bond nor free: but Christ is all and in all.” Galatians 3:14, Colossians 3:11
“And if you are Christs’, you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:2
I’ve told you about different ministries in which I’ve been involved. It’s such a privilege to be working with Feed My Sheep. The organization has six major locations Island wide, making essential groceries accessible weekly, to all who are below the poverty level. Because of a well established collaboration between Feed My Sheep, the Maui Food Bank and many other food pantries and soup kitchens working together, to quote Joyce the CEO, ” We are able to feed the hungry in body, mind and spirit. We are so fortunate that every time we go out to distribute food, we spend time with and pray for the people we serve.” One lady that came for food, Susan, I have ministered to and prayed with, on a personal basis, several times in the last two months.
Another quick story about Melissa, a very pretty young woman in her twenties. She has a darling two-year old daughter and a sweet husband. She was born with only one kidney and her parents were not given much hope for her survival. As we talked she told me that her mother was a very active Jehovah’s Witness, but when Melissa was thirteen, her mother went astray. The family faltered.
As I shared with her the love of Jesus, she readily responded. When she prayed to receive Him as her Lord and Savior, the tears streamed down her cheeks. After I had prayed for her she said she had felt so LOST.”
Because of your great love, prayers and sacrificial support WE ARE REACHING OUT WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS TO A LOST WORLD.
I thank you again, you truly are SPECIAL SAINTS!
Your co laborer in Christ.
Georgia Lee
God’s Secret Agents
By Greg Laurie
Is it correct to assume that angels are the nonthreatening, loving beings that many people believe them to be? That all depends. We find instances in the Bible when angels were sent to deliver specific messages from God. They often began their messages with phrases like “Do not be afraid,” or “Do not fear.” But we also find instances in which God used angels to execute His judgment, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah and elsewhere.
That Kind Of Mother
I’m not supposed to be here. Well, at least not according to the doctor who told my mother that she would have problems conceiving. Obviously, and thankfully, God had other plans for both my mother and me.
If anyone deserved to have kids, in my humble opinion, it’s my Mommy (yes, I still call her that as a grown woman). She is a lovely, intelligent, sweet and godly woman. She prayed, despite what the doctors said, for children. And she told God that she would give her children back to Him if He granted that request. Sounds very similar to a woman named Hannah in the first chapter of 1 Samuel.
Demon possession, healings are common beliefs in Africa
ERIK TRYGGESTAD | The Christian Chronicle
Isaac Daye remembers watching the young woman writhe in agony.
“She’s jerking. She’s shaking. She’s moving. … I had to hold her head,” said Daye, an African missionary in Gambia, a tiny nation in West Africa where most people profess Islam as their faith.
The woman’s parents, both Muslim, had taken their daughter to traditional healers, but to no avail. Desperate, they brought her to the Church of Christ minister and asked him to pray for her.
