church, where are you?

Today a week ago I started to prepare the lesson for tonight's bible class. We started a new series about the letters to the churches in the first chapters of Revelation and today was the first one, the letter to Ephesus.
During the last week by preparing it, I realized it is a really serious, I mean a deadly serious topic.
Jesus tells them, I know, you are good guys. You are patient (greek: cheerful endurance, constancy) and you work a lot for me. But you don't love me anymore as it was in the beginning (greek: when I was the number one in your life and everything you did was to please me and not the world). Repent (greek: think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider [morally, feel compunction]) and do the first works (= let me be your number one again with your WHOLE heart and your whole being) otherwise I will move your candlestick from its place - sweep you off - execpt thou repent. Note: the "repent" is mentioned twice. This message is not only for the churches, it is valid for each of us personally today.

When I was studying and praying about that whole stuff last week I recieved a "commercial" from tangle and there I found the following video. This guy puts it better than I can say it.



I tried to present the topic tonight but it seems anybody understood how serious this is. They know the right answers but I am missing the action.

One thing that cheered me up a little bit when I came home was an email from Sheritha. I had sent her the link to this above video without a comment. And she immediately draw the connection to the churches in Revelation. At least somebody grabbed the message and, what I like even more, the holy spirit has revealed it to her.

Heaven's jubilant

After a long time of praying, waiting and crying my sister is now my real sister, she got baptized last Monday! I am still overwhelmed. Finally all she knows about christianity (and she know a lot, believe me, our mom is a great teacher) she is starting to put things into action. She's like a skyrocket!
As many countries and an ocean are seperating us, I asked her today if she would be interested in sharing our bible readings on a blog and here it is: 2 sisters and 1 bible (it is still under construction, though)
If you like that and maybe want to be one of our sisters as well, let us know and we will authorize you to be a contributor.

Halloween

Dear friend, I want to thank you for thinking of me when you sent out the Halloween greeting cards, I received mine yesterday. I know you had a good intent but I wonder, if you ever thougth about Halloween. I know it is normal to "celebrate" Halloween in the US but what the world does and/or think is normal is not always good for us, who want to serve the living God. [All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Cor. 10:23]

I also know that the origin of Halloween is controversial, some say the celtic druids chose a family who had to give a child to be sacrificed as a burnt offering (treat) otherwise they would burn down their house (trick) others just say the dead are honored or it's a kind of a harvest festival. I think it doesn't matter what the origin is, if you look at the outcome. It is a day/night, when people want to look like skeletons, zombies and other undead. They can turn to be witches, wizards and any kind of a creature that you will never find in heaven, everything is like a madhouse. Plus, people think they are are 'allowed' to play tricks, which in Germany sometimes ends up in scratched cars, ruined front gardens and smeared walls.
I do not want to be a part of that. As well as Paul said "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2) My heart is breaking to see people celebrate witchcraft and death while Jesus had to suffer beyond understanding to overcome all of that.

I hope you won't be too offended, but please put me off the list for next year to get a card like that. I want to follow up Phil. 4:8 (Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.) and do not want to think about who I can trust or not... Yes, we live in the world; but we are not supposed to live like the world.
Thank you so much for your understanding, may the glory and honor be to Him, who is light and not scary darkness.

Love, Tina

For Mr. Jim

I don't know, but when I watched this video I thought Mr. Jim would like it. Have fun, everybody:

Hospital Mission

Friday two weeks ago, something cracked in my right knee just when I took the second of four small stairs getting to my appartment after work. It was such a bad pain that I couldn't walk the whole weekend, so I stayed 2 and a half days on my sofa. The following Monday I went to the doctor, got the knee x-rayed and they said it looks that much damaged that they can not tell me what the actual problem is.
As this story is nothing new to me (it happens again and again since years on different joints like ellbows, wrist joints and since one year on my finger joints as well) I "knew" that some cartilage must have broken off, blocking my knee. The doctor and I agreed to have an arthroscopy for more details, which was last week Tuesday (my facebook friends already know).

I was put into a two-bed bedroom Monday (17th) but stayed there alone as no other patient came in until Thursday. So the new patient and I spend only almost one day and a night together because I could leave the hospital yesterday morning. My roommate, Frau Seifert, is about my mom's age and very friendly. I don't know why but I strongly felt all the time to share the gospel with her but somehow I didn't find a way to start a conversation like that and so I just prayed for her and for the right moment. But yesterday morning the nurses came pretty early to pick her up for her surgery and we actually had not really much time to say good bye to each other. Then my mom came to pick me up and give me a ride home. Before I went I at least left something to read (how to find God) on her bed table but I felt like this was not enough anyway...
In the afternoon, when I was taking a shower at home, I suddenly thought of her and prayed that if we wouldn't meet again I'd really love to meet her eventually in heaven.

This morning I woke up, I don't know exactly, but it must have been around four o'clock. I felt extremly bad at all not to mention that something was wrong with my knee! I've never had that kind of pain before (I am so much used to some sort of pain that I normally know what the matter is without seeing the doctor). But this one was new to me! About 60 horrible minutes passed when I finally decided to call my mom. She said, well, I think I should take you back to the clinic, someone should be there to help you although it is Saturday.
NO!, I cried. Wasn't it Klara who left a note on my facebook saying "for I am the LORD, who heals you" (Exodus 15:26)??? I do NOT need another doctor again!!!
After a while I gave up, closed my eyes and saw me going back to the clinic, where they would say something like "Bummer! too bad you have to come back, but you can have the same bed in the same room as no one else came in yesterday because it's weekend." When I saw this picture in my had, being back in the same room, talking to my roommate again, the pain in my knee was GONE like someone had switched it off! Just as it never had been there before!
I said to my mom, "Mom, the pain is SUDDENLY gone. I NEED to go back to the clinic and talk to the lady!!! God want's me to be there and there was no other way to make me go again."

So I waited for a proper time to get up, took the bus and went back to the hospital to visit with Frau Seifert. She was pretty surprised to see me again ("my" bed was de facto not taken!) and we had such a good talk! She told me she got married at the age of 19, lost her husband because of cancer when she was 23 and later her daughter at the age of 9 because of an accident! She kind of believes in God and hopes to see her relatives again some day but she's not saved. As she doesn't come from this area her (second) husband will only visit her at the weekend and so I promised her to come back Monday afternoon when I left after almost an hour. Please help me pray for Mrs. Seifert she'll find the truth!

Made to love you - TobyMac

Toby Mac Made To Love Lyrics