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I Found God in Soviet Russia

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Kjos Ministries

By John Noble
Published by St. Martin's Press, New York, 1959

A Mission to Fulfill

During the decade I spent in communist prisons and labor camps I saw many terrible things. I also saw some glorious ones, things more heartening than any other news I bring out of the Soviet Union.... I found God for myself through personal conversion and, even more significantly for the world at large, I met many others who had had a similar experience. I discovered that the Christian religion is surviving communist persecution in East Germany and in Soviet Russia itself.

I found that secret worship services were held and converts won for Christ even in Vorkuta itself, one of the slave-labor camps in the Soviet Arctic.

Having learned to speak and understand Russian, I found myself in close contact with Russian engineers and workers, and realized that there is deep interest in the Christian religion among both groups. In spite of their forty-year exposure to official atheism, or perhaps because of it, they hunger for the spiritual values they have been denied. This evidence I am able to bring back to the free world, and through it the glorious tidings of a faith that cannot be killed.

I have seen Christianity under the most terrible persecution it has suffered since the days of Nero, and I have seen abundant proof that faith in Christ, the Saviour, is still alive in Russia today in the very places where the Communists have tried hardest to stamp it out, the concentration camps. It is triumphant testimony I have to give concerning the Church behind Barbed Wire, and I am convinced it was Godâ€™s will that I be a member of that persecuted Church for several years in order to testify that God is with it and is sustaining it.

The fact that I survived all I had been exposed to, and was enabled to return to America in good health, before the drastic sentence imposed by a Moscow court had run its full course, is proof to me that God was with me, that there was a purpose in my survival which, as I look back upon the successive phases of my prison experiences, seems nothing less than miraculous. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for His mercy. Click here to read more of this story, courtesy of Kjos Ministries.

This article or excerpt was posted on January 5, 2009@ 4:04 am .

From: http://www.crossroad.to/

WARREN AND OBAMA WALK HAND IN HAND

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Paul Proctor - News With Views

by Paul Proctor
News With Views

American Family Association's news editor, Ed Vitagliano, ended 2008 with a curious column at their affiliated OneNewsNow.com website titled, Praying for the new president, where he chastised WorldNetDaily.com's founder and editor Joseph Farah for taking Pastor Rick Warren to task for accepting President-elect Barack Obama's invitation to lead the invocation at his upcoming inauguration.

In Farah's open letter to Rick Warren, published at WND, he wrote: "I'm sure you would not want to invoke God's blessing on the inauguration of a figure like Adolf Hitler, whose rise to power brought the destruction of millions of lives."

Calling it a "non sequitur," Vitagliano countered Farah in his article, saying: "Just because one prays for Adolph Hitler does not mean the prayer is meant to 'invoke God's blessing.' One could, conceivably, pray for Hitler's conversion, or for God to prevent the man from carrying out his wicked plans."

Yeah, but at a Nazi Party rally?

Sure, if they wanted to incite a riot.

Unless Vitagliano is expecting Pastor Warren to publicly pray for Obama's conversion at the inauguration, or that God would thwart his "wicked plans," Ed's argument is the one containing a non sequitur.Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 12:09 am .

From: http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctorA.htm

Understand the Times YEAR IN REVIEW - Rick Warren at Davos Top Story

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Understand the Times with Roger Oakland

Choosing the top twenty-five news articles for 2008 relating to the Bible and a biblical prophetic worldview was a very difficult process this year. There were so many significant items showing we are living in the last days. However, in looking over the hundreds of articles we posted during 2008, there are a number of obvious trends.

First, it is apparent, that a Christianity based on faith in the Word of God continues to be under attack from all angles. The emerging church continues to promote Roman Catholic experiences and contemplative eastern meditative practices. The gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly being redefined in order to prepare for a wide path that is open to people of all "faith."

Second, this wide path leading towards an ecumenical union with Rome shows that the Roman Catholic Church's "New Evangelization Plan" continues to be effective. Not only are the "separated brethren" being drawn back into the fold, it is apparent that the religions of the world are being drawn into a global plan that is uniting all religions for the cause of peace with headquarters in Rome. It is also important to note the role that "Mary - the mother of the Eucharist" and her son, the "Eucharistic Jesus" play in this global ecumenical agenda.

Third, Israel, God's Last Days time piece, continues to be in the news on a daily basis. Biblical prophecy unfolds as a plan develops by the enemies of Israel to wipe God's chosen people off the map.

Fourth, the global financial meltdown that occurred this past year has become a major factor in setting up a global economic and political entity that prepares the way for a global currency the Bible predicts lies ahead. Major political and economic leaders from around the world, including the pope, have called for a New World Order and a One World Economy this past year.

Thus current events indicate to us that a "three-legged stool= is presently under construction - a global government, a global economy and a global spirituality. While evangelical Christians in the past understood this scenario would be a sign of the soon return of Jesus Christ, the apostasy that has occurred over the past several years has blinded many from seeing the important prophetic signs that are being fulfilled.

Thus the reason, Understand The Times has chosen the Rick Warren DAVOS interview as the most significant news item for 2008 in light of Bible prophecy. The gospel of Jesus Christ that is clearly proclaimed in the Bible is now being replaced by a much more inclusive "social gospel" that is driven by the motive of "just doing good." This revised gospel is seducing millions of professing Christians into becoming part of the third-leg of the three-legged stool - the spiritual leg. In the future we expect to see various "interfaith-based" initiatives unfold that "evangelicals" will embrace thus playing an even more important role in forming the third-leg of the Last Days three-legged stool plan.

This is a time to take the warnings from God's Word seriously. It is important to follow Jesus Christ and His Word. The return of Jesus Christ is at hand. Take heed and be alert! Click here to see Understand the Times 25 Top Stories.

Also see:
Purpose Driven Unveiled

This article or excerpt was posted on January 1, 2009@ 2:06 pm .

From: http://www.understandthetimes.org

The New Spirituality Made "Great" Strides in 2008

Category: * The New (False) Spirituality
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

The new spirituality that is being ushered in has unfortunately made great strides in 2008. This spirituality is mystical, seductive, and highly deceptive--and is being portrayed and introduced as Christianity. However, once its outer layers are stripped away, this new spirituality is anything but biblical Christianity.

In 2008, Lighthouse Trails covered many stories. Two, in particular, have had dramatic effects. The first was the Todd Bentley "revival," which came in and left like a whirlwind. The second is the release of The Shack, a novel that has made it to the New York Times Best Seller List--and it is still there today, 31 weeks later. Our coverage on The Shack may be viewed on our research site. Coverage on the Bentley revival can also be accessed on our site. Both stories have shown the tremendous lack of biblical discernment in the lives of many, many proclaiming Christians and organizations.

Since our publishing ministry, Lighthouse Trails Publishing began in 2002, we have sold and given away over 100,000 books. That's a low number compared to the distribution in large publishing houses, but we believe the books we have distributed have provided useful tools and encouragement to thousands of devoted biblical Christians who are working so hard to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We won't pretend our job here at Lighthouse Trails is easy. It is expensive, low-profit, and time-consuming to publish and market books in today's world; in addition, we are often ridiculed and sometimes even threatened because of our work. Like many of you, we have lost friendships and been accused of being divisive and evil. But also like many of you, we are trusting in the Lord and seeking to keep our eyes on Him and our hearts in His Word. It is only by His grace we carry on; and it is because of that wondrous grace we are able to go forth in an attitude of love, strength, and truth. Jesus truly is the light of the world--may all we do honor Him (II Corinthians 4).

We are presenting our YEAR IN REVIEW in the following postings:

Year in Review: Top 10 In-House Stories of 2008

Year in Review: Top 10 Stories by Lighthouse Trails Authors

YEAR IN REVIEW: Top 10 Stories by Other Ministries

YEAR IN REVIEW: Our Top 10 Out-of-House News Stories

YEAR IN REVIEW: 2008 Conference Alerts

Lighthouse Trails Publishing 2008 Year in Review and Preview of 2009

This article or excerpt was posted on December 30, 2008@ 6:49 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Year in Review: Top 10 Stories by Lighthouse Trails Authors

Category: * General Information
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

"Churchless" Christianity by Roger Oakland: With Rick Warren saying your religion should have no bearing on your spiritual life, Erwin McManus saying he would like to destroy Christianity, and missionary societies telling new converts they can have Jesus without Christianity (or baptism), the results could be devastating and will very likely undo the tireless efforts of many dedicated missionaries around the world. These Bible-believing missionaries have risked their lives and given up comforts and ease to travel around the world sharing the good news that becoming a Christian (having Jesus Christ come into your heart and life) is the way to eternal life. Now, right behind them, come emerging church missionaries who say Christianity is a terrible religion, and Christians are out to lunch--so just become a Christ-follower, and you don't even have to tell anyone about it. In fact, you can still live like you always have.

They Say "I AM" - "For Many Shall Come in My Name" by Ray Yungen: My research has brought me to a point where the full implication of Paul's words are surprisingly real. I believe the Bible contains an important signal that the changes of times and seasons may indeed be at hand. In Matthew 24:3-5, which is a chapter dealing with the tribulation period, Jesus spoke these revealing words to His disciples concerning the signs of His coming and the end of the world (age).

The Great Heretical Idea: Oprah and Eckhart Do the New Age Shift by Warren Smith: With friend and New Age author Marianne Williamson simultaneously teaching A Course in Miracles daily on Oprah & Friends XM Satellite Radio, Oprah now offers two very public New Age classes. These classes are teaching millions of people that the way to save themselves and the planet is not by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but rather by accepting "the Christ within."

An Enlightened Race? by Caryl Matrisciana: The Germany of the 1920s and 1930s was in social and economic despair, looking for a leader who would free her from the Great Depression. The man with the promise of hope was Adolph Hitler. A man with an affinity for the occult and "an abiding belief in astrology," he claimed he was ordained by God to usher in one thousand years of peace and prosperity with a super race of humans. A student of Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine (the Theosophical Society's "bible"), Hitler manipulated an entire nation to surrender its collective mind to him.

"I Just Had a Vision!" by Kevin Reeves: I believe that most of what are reported as visions are not such at all, but could be more appropriately termed mental pictures. The two are certainly not synonymous. Mental pictures occur constantly during our waking hours but don't necessarily have anything to do with the spiritual, whereas visions always have their origin in the supernatural realm. As we speak in conversation, we see mental images, memories, etc., to correspond with the dialogue; reading gives us the same experience. Even television viewing offers the same scenario, as the images dancing across the screen click on our own past experiences or connections with our present situations. This can transpose into our times of prayer, giving us mental pictures that may or may not be of God.... The practice itself can be dangerous, actually maneuvering an innocent Christian in the wrong direction.

Obama's Fictitious Pro-Israel Team by Jan Markell: Much is being made of several Jews who are now a part of the Obama administration. Some seem to think that a few are very pro-Israel Jews and that we will thus see a new course of American-Israeli relations. I hate to burst bubbles but they are dead wrong.

Shaping the Minds of the Youth by Roger Oakland: In the late 1960s, two youth workers in their twenties, Mike Yaconelli and Wayne Rice (who happened to be working for Youth for Christ at the time), wanted to change the way youth ministry was viewed and approached. They self-published a small booklet called Ideas, began talking to senior pastors and churches, and in 1970 held their first conference. They called the company Youth Specialties. Interestingly, the late theologian Francis Schaeffer attended their second annual conference. Schaeffer would be very surprised if he had known that thirty years down the road this young, sprouting organization would become one of the major catalysts for the emerging church movement.

Those Who Resist by Kevin Reeves: These are critical days for the body of Christ. We are in the epoch of church history spoken of by the apostle Paul as "perilous times" (II Timothy 3:1). What makes the danger all the more imminent is that not much of the church believes it. Many of us have owned the glorious but erroneous vision of an end-times remnant walking in unconquerable power, transforming entire societies. The result has been nothing short of catastrophic. How soon we forget. Every cult in the world has sprouted from the fertile soil of deception, always initiated by a drastic move away from the primacy of the Word of God into the nebulous, self-defining atmosphere of experience.

Meditation Explosion - 17 Million Meditators! by Ray Yungen: In 2003, Time magazine reported (in a feature article on meditation) that 10 million Americans practiced meditation. Now, four years later, Dr. Rick Levy, in his book Miraculous Health, claims that number is now 17 million in the United States alone.

"Servant Leadership" ... A Christian Idea ... Not Exactly by Warren Smith: Today, there is much talk about teaching people to become good leaders. In reality, what is happening is people are being taught to be good followers. The term (and the concept) Servant Leadership, used by many of the most prolific Christian authors and teachers today, did not originate with them.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 4:43 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Year in Review: Top 10 In-House Stories of 2008

Category: * General Information
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

The Election is Over--What About the Department of Peace: Now that the election is over, Lighthouse Trails has a question, and that is, "What about the Department of Peace?" Most Christians have probably never heard of it. Those who have been tracking the news through Lighthouse Trails for some time most likely have. One thing that may happen with the new administration is that the Department of Peace will become a reality.

They Say the Emerging Church is Dead - The Truth Behind the Story: According to a September 19th Christianity Today blog article, the emerging church is dead. "An overused and corrupted term now sleeps with the fishes," the article states. But is this even remotely true? Or rather could it be that the emerging church, or what we call the "merging" church, is morphing into its next "higher" level, and just as a butterfly would not want to be called a worm, neither do many in this evolving movement want to be called "the emerging church" any longer. However, unlike the beauty of a golden butterfly broken from its cocoon, the merging church does not share such grandeur. In reality, it is a dangerous pied piper leading millions over a deadly cliff of deception. And just as the "birth" of the emerging church was a well-thought out, highly-financed "dream" of millionaire corporations and futurists, so too will be its supposed "death" and rebirth. But don't be fooled, the emerging church and the spirituality behind it is alive and kicking.

Why Christian Leaders Should Not Promote Henri Nouwen: Henri Nouwen embraced a New Age spirituality after many years of drawing from the wells of mysticism. From his earliest writings, Nouwen was interested in Thomas Merton (whom he met once at the Gethsemani monastery in Kentucky), the Catholic monk who helped to bring contemplative spirituality out of the monasteries and into Christianity at large. After turning to mysticism himself, Merton came to believe that Divinity (God) dwells in all human beings.

Brian McLaren's Hope for the Future - The Minds of Your Grandchildren: In McLaren's recent book, he gives a detailed analysis of how the emerging church is God's answer to a stifled, fearful Christian church. He explains that this merging church must infiltrate the "institutions that rejected it," adding that "conservative Protestants have repeated their Catholic sibling's earlier mistakes (referring to the Catholic church's one time rejection of Galileo). Then he says: "But over time, what they reject will find or create safe space outside their borders and become a resource so that many if not most of the grandchildren of today's fundamentalists will learn and grow and move on from the misguided battles of their forebears [biblical believers]." You see, McLaren and his emerging church fellows (Pagitt, Sweet, Warren, et.al) want to change the minds of our children and grandchildren. That is why Rick Warren once said that the older traditional ones will have to leave or die because they won't change, thus the emphasis in the emerging church on the youth.

Will Department of Defense Turn to Meditation?: An article, "A proven enlightened counter-measure," written by Dr. David Leffler, an eight-year US Air Force veteran, now the Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS), appeared in The Aljazzera Magazine, an "independent media organisation established in 1992 in London" reporting on world events that affect the Middle East.

In the article, Leffler discusses US Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Gates' recent speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Gates said that "[e]nlightened counter-measures ... will bolster the internal strength of vulnerable states so they will not harbor violent networks seeking to launch the next attack." Leffler suggests that in the DoD's "struggle to eliminate violent extremism," eastern-style meditation techniques should be used

Rick Warren "Annoyed" with Those Who Challenge Him - Serving Two Masters Not Working:A recent USA Today article, "Saddleback founder Warren driven to expand his reach," begins by asking the question "Could California pastor Rick Warren possibly be everywhere at once?." The article mentions Warren's global travels, while promoting his Purpose Driven Peace Plan and the recently launched Peace Coalition. The question that should be asked is "Can pastor Rick Warren possibly serve both God and man at the same time?." With modern technology, jet travel, Internet and other high speed communication, and millions of dollars at Warren's disposal from book sales, the first feat may not be too difficult to accomplish--in essence Rick Warren is everywhere at once. But the second, serving both God and man at the same time, is utterly impossible.

Saddleback IS a Contemplative Church As Lighthouse Trails has reported many times in the past, Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church) has been promoting the spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative prayer) movement for many years. This report will show that Saddleback Church is directly recommending numerous contemplative materials to those under their influence through "spiritual formation" and what they term "maturity."

Christianity Today Proclaims Ancient Future Church At Hand: In the February issue of Christianity Today, the cover article titled "The Future Lies in the Past"" proclaims that the "ancient future" church is now a reality. The cover photo shows a young man kneeling in a pile of sand (shovel sitting next to him), and he has just dug up a medieval looking Christian cross. The caption reads "Lost Secrets of the Ancient Church: How evangelicals started looking back to move forward."

Warren, Blanchard, Hybels, Laurie, Buford - Launching New York Leadership Center: the New York City Leadership Center. This is a inter-religious venture that is being supported by some of the country's most prolific Christian figures including Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Greg Laurie, Ken Blanchard, Bob Buford and Frances Hesselbein (representing the late Peter Drucker). The new Leadership Center hopes to "see the redemption of [their] communities through leaders leading together."

Obama Foreshadows Coming Spirituality (Mar. 2008): Rick Warren and Barack Obama share views on global peace and world-wide unification. Obama, who was a speaker at the "Pentecost 2006: Building a Covenant for a New America" conference, used "the speech as a call for continued dialogue and bridge-building between religious conservatives and progressives." This "bridge-building" is the same kind of talk Rick Warren uses when he is discussing his "new reformation" that will include all religions, in which he states that he will do "whatever it takes" and work with anyone at all to accomplish this new reformation in his lifetime.

In Obama's address at Pentecost 2006, he talked about the "connection between religion and politics." This is what Rick Warren talks about with his "three-legged stool" philosophy that government, religion and business have to work together if global peace is ever going to happen. In light of the popularity of both these men, and given the possibility that Rick Warren could potentially be "the President's pastor," their views on global peace should not be overlooked.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 3:12 am .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Lighthouse Trails Publishing 2008 Year in Review and Preview of 2009

Category: * Publishing NEWS
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

In 2008, through our publishing ministry, we released two new books, Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman and Out of India by Caryl Matrisciana. We also released Standing Fast in the Last Days DVD by Warren Smith and started carrying Roger Oakland's 4-DVD series on the emerging church and the new spirituality.

Things We Couldn't Say is the true story of a Christian resistance worker in Holland during WWII. Diet Eman is alive today at 88 years old. Her story is one of incredible courage and faith. Lighthouse Trails is so honored to be able to represent both Diet Eman and Anita Dittman (Trapped in Hitler's Hell), two women who survived one of the most horrific times in human history.

Out of India, an apologetic biography, tells the story of India-raised Caryl Matrisciana, who is a long-time Christian film producer and the founder of Caryl Productions. Born and raised in India, Caryl saw firsthand the effects that Hinduism had on the people of that nation. After leaving India as a young adult, she became involved in the counter-culture New Age movement, only to find that the elements of Hinduism and the New Age were very much the same. Later as a Christian, Caryl discovered that this same spirituality had entered the Christian church through various avenues.

Coming in 2009
In 2009, we will be releasing a 3 part DVD lecture series by Ray Yungen, addressing the New Age, mysticism, contemplative spirituality, and interspirituality.

We also have signed a contract with Carolyn A. Greene, a Canadian author who has written a novel, Castles in the Sand. This will be Lighthouse Trails' first fiction story. It is about a young Christian college girl named Teresa, who is introduced by her Spiritual Formation professor to the writings of a young mystic girl from the 15th century, Teresa of Avila. The story shows the dramatic influence this has on the 21st century Teresa, as she plunges into mysticism. This will be "fiction with a message" that will hopefully help readers to see the true nature behind contemplative spirituality (Spiritual Formation), which has so quickly pervaded Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities across the globe.

In 2009, we also hope to release Roger Oakland's biography, Let There Be Light. Roger, raised in a Christian home, received his degree in Biology and became a devout believer and teacher of evolution, until he discovered there was a Creator and a God who loved him and all of humanity. Roger's biography reveals the intimate details of his life, including the death of two sons and the victories and heartbreaks of ministering around the world. The book will be another Lighthouse Trails Apologetic Biography, showing the faithfulness of God in a believer's life while providing information and truth for the exhortation and edification of the saints and an evangelistic emphasis for the unbeliever.

Lighthouse Trails will also be releasing its first Spanish translation, Faith Undone. This edition will be distributed in North America as well as Mexico, Central and South America. We are very grateful to our translator, Sally, and the editors she works with in Columbia. She is currently translating A Time of Departing, which will be released in late 2009 or early 2010.

This article or excerpt was posted on December 29, 2008@ 2:34 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Franklin Graham on Rick Warren: "He must be doing something right."

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

LTRP Note: The following recent article by Christianity Today quotes Franklin Graham as saying that Rick Warren is a "minister of Jesus Christ" and that "he [Rick Warren] must be doing something right" if the gays and the liberals are mad at him.1 We present this article as an example of how Christian leaders (such as Graham) are not warning the body of Christ about Rick Warren's teachings and beliefs that include a three-legged global peace plan and the new reformation/new spirituality. The Christianity Today article states they are presenting a "special section" on Rick Warren in this month's online edition. The section lists numerous articles CT has written on Rick Warren over the past decade. Lighthouse Trails would like to provide its own "special section" on Rick Warren as well. Please click here to view our special section on our coverage over the last 1/2 a decade.

"Franklin Graham: Obama/Warren Criticisms Ludicrous"

Sarah Pulliam
Christianity Today

Evangelist Franklin Graham knows a thing or two about getting flack for praying at an inauguration. He took heat after praying in Jesus's name at President Bush's inauguration in 2001. I just spoke with Franklin Graham, who gave his take on Obama's decision to ask megachurch pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. We have also compiled our coverage of Warren over the years in a special section.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

[Obama] is including evangelicals at his inauguration, but I don't know if he'll include them in his administration. Time will tell. But Rick Warren will have Obama's ear on important issues.

Do you have any advice for Rick Warren?

My advice to Rick is to stay true to your convictions, and don't back up one step. I don't think he will. When you have the far left and the gay advocates mad at you, you must be doing something right. Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 3:17 am .

From:

A Christmas Story - Germany 1940s

Category: * Holocaust
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

by Anita Dittman (Holocaust Survivor)
Christmas in a German Labor Camp during WWII:

We prayed that God would miraculously sustain our strength; each day our food rations diminished so the German soldiers on the battlefronts could receive more food. Shortly after all of us Christians had prayed for physical strength, the neighboring farmers again rallied for us. Risking their lives, they smuggled us sausage, bread, and cheese and told us to eat the nourishing mushrooms in the forest where we cut trees. God seemed to pack a thousand calories in each tiny mushroom and bite of bread as we who trusted Jesus were given physical and spiritual sustenance.

Two horrible realities faced us women in December: winter and the traitors among us. To make life more comfortable for themselves,some women were reporting others to the guards for such things as conversations, attitudes, or anti-Nazi sentiment--anything that would make their lives more comfortable. Many of them spent the night with the guards and were given preferential treatment.

As the winter winds increased, everyone's spirits sank. Our uniforms were terribly inadequate, and many of us were sent clothes from home. Father sent me some warm socks, gloves, and a jacket. If we worked long enough and hard enough, we could keep ourselves relatively warm on the work line. But marching to and from the work area was difficult because the wind raced through our clothing.

Again we anxiously awaited the whistle when the horse cart would bring us warm, lumpy soup. But it tasted awful, and usually it was cold by the time it reached us. The chunks in the soup were like tree bark. I watched Gunther one day as he took his bowl of soup to a mock grave. Pouring the soup in the grave, he covered it with dirt. Then he took a large stone and placed it over the grave site. On the stone he wrote: "Hier ruhet still una unvergessen, unser heutiges Mittagessen." ("Here rests, still and unforgotten, today's menu.")

Just before Christmas I met another beautiful believer: Christian Risel. We met on the work line while cutting trees and, in our own silent way, quickly fell in love. Though I loved Rudi, Wolfgang, Gerhard, and Gunther, the love in my heart for Christian was different. A little older than I, he was strong and handsome in spite of the months of labor and deprivation. His eyes virtually sparkled, while the eyes of others in the camp were glassy and dazed. He had a smile when everyone else had a negative word, for he loved everyone in a special way. He even had Christian compassion for the Nazis. But he loved me the most. Of course no time was allowed for romance in the camp. It was too cold to stay outside much in our thin clothing, and we couldn't go inside each other's quarters. But we cut trees together frequently and got to know one another better. Each day that we were together, our love was reaffirmed.

"Someday, Anita, we will be gloriously free and happy once again," Christian said as his axe cut into a thick pine tree. "We will have money to spend and food to eat, and we will have loved ones surrounding us. We'll never have to dread another knock on our door. Do you believe that too, Anita?"

"I do. God reaffirms it every day. But I would rather be locked away and have Jesus than to be my sister, Hella, safe in the free world but denying the very One who gave her freedom."

"Nothing happens without a purpose, doesn't it?" Christian said. "What do you suppose is our ultimate purpose for being trapped in Nazi Germany? I think it is to glorify God in the end. Do you think that is true?"

"I do, Christian."

"Anita, do you know what day it is today?"

"No."

"It is Christmas Eve. I have a surprise for you and the other Christians in the camp."

"Why have you waited so long to tell me, Christian?"

"Because it was just confirmed at lunchtime." Christian's eyes really sparkled with excitement now. "Mr. Anders has given me permission to take all the Christians to a Christmas Eve service in Ostlinde tonight! Of course a guard will accompany us, but he will be exposed to the gospel too."

"Christian, you don't mean it! A real Christmas Eve service. We must spread the news. Oh, it is another miracle of God." To war-weary Christian prisoners who loved Jesus, this was the best news in months, perhaps years. But the camp's unbelievers had no time for our happiness; most of them felt no special comfort each day as we believers did. Whether they were jealous or skeptical, they preferred that we keep to ourselves, which only drew us closer together.

Twenty of us trudged over the snow-covered hills and meadows that night to a little country church at the edge of Ostlinde. The snow was falling lightly, and both melted snowflakes and tears dampened my face as Christian took my hand. "This will be the most meaningful Christmas I've ever had," I told him. "It shows God's very special love for us. It tells me He cares for us and that we'll be all right in the end."

"The birth of Jesus must have been like this," Christian said quietly. "He was poor and persecuted, and He was misunderstood and rejected, yet He always forgave. We have to forgive too, Anita, even the Nazis."

That night we huddled in the little church with a hundred or more of the farmers and townspeople. We sang Christmas carols and praised the Lord until well after midnight. As we read the Christmas story, we were reassured that Jesus knew our every ache because He also had been a man and had experienced human grief. In the dim candlelight we all gathered at the altar on our knees and prayed for Germany and our separated families; the guard stood careful watch in the doorway. Then we trudged home in the moonlight, for the snow had stopped falling. No one spoke a word; we all were savoring every minute of this blessed Christmas Eve.

[A]s we headed back to the camp over the snowdrifts, in the stillness of that dark, dark night, nobody spoke. Our silent communication conveyed a oneness that superseded all verbal expression. Saturated with the restful music and with gratitude to God, I sank into a deep and restful sleep on my straw mattress. (Anita Dittman was 17 years old when this story took place. Today, she is 79 and lives in Minnesota. For more about her story, see Trapped in Hitler's Hell)

This article or excerpt was posted on December 24, 2008@ 1:00 am .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Rick Warren Scrubs Anti-Gay Language from Saddleback Site

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea is reporting that Rick Warren has removed language from the Saddleback website that forbad practicing homosexuals to become members of Saddleback. Please click here to read the Slice posting.
This article or excerpt was posted on December 23, 2008@ 1:36 pm .

From:

Rick Warren Wins Approval by Homosexual Singer

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

LTRP Note: The following out-of-house article by the Huffington Post is for research and informational purposes. The writer, Melissa Etheridge, who met Rick Warren a few days ago at the MPAC Convention, believes that the world is on the brink of a new era. Note in the article that Rick Warren is softening his public opinion regarding the practice of homosexuality. Just as was predicted by MPAC last week, Warren is rethinking his views.

"The Choice is Ours Now"
by M. Etheridge, Huffington Post

"This is a message for my brothers and sisters who have fought so long and so hard for gay rights and liberty. We have spent a long time climbing up this mountain, looking at the impossible, changing a thousand year-old paradigm. We have asked for the right to love the human of our choice, and to be protected equally under the laws of this great country. The road at times has been so bloody, and so horrible, and so disheartening. From being blamed for 9/11 and Katrina, to hateful crimes committed against us, we are battle weary. We watched as our nation took a step in the right direction, against all odds and elected Barack Obama as our next leader. Then we were jerked back into the last century as we watched our rights taken away by prop 8 in California. Still sore and angry we felt another slap in the face as the man we helped get elected seemingly invited a gay-hater to address the world at his inauguration." Click here to read this entire article.

Related:
Rick Warren "Annoyed" with Those Who Challenge Him - Serving Two Masters Not Working

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 12:50 pm .

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America on the Brink

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

A Commentary Worth Thinking About - What May Lie in the Future

Paul Walter was born in socialist Yugoslavia in 1945. He and his family emigrated to America in 1959. He served 3 years in the U.S. Armed Forces and became a U.S. citizen in 1963.

By Paul Walter
NewsWithViews.com

PREDICTIONS

Political Correctness and Freedom of Speech

The first thing that Socialists do when they gain power is try to silence free speech. Conservative Talk radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Laura Ingram, Lou Dobbs, etc. are already being criticized by Ã¢â‚¬Å“ProgressivesÃ¢â‚¬ in Congress. There is a serious effort underway right now to bring back a failed law, the oxymoronic "Fairness Doctrine," in a bold, open attempt to silence opposing political views. Internet news sites such as WorldNetDaily.com, NewsWithViews.com, DrudgeReport.com, InfoWars.com and many others will be silenced along with talk radio. In order for darkness (lies) to prevail, light (truth) has to be snuffed out.

Public scrutiny and criticism of elected officials will be forbidden. Any person exposing political corruption will be labeled anti-government. If they persist in attempting to correct that political corruption, they will be called a terrorist! All police departments around the country will be required to have terrorist units.

[In a communist country of my birth I remember that one could criticize any capitalist country one wishes as long as it wasn't yours or another communist country. Criticism of any official brought police in black uniform to your door usually at night when everyone was asleep.]

Religious Persecution and Sharia Law

Traditional churches will be attacked by Socialists, Feminists and Homosexuals. Christians will increasingly be ridiculed and called bigots because of their religious beliefs. Church services will be regularly disrupted. Under pressure, many church leaders will give-in, capitulating for the sake of peace. They will give up their moral principles, or face the anti-discrimination laws that will be passed to force churches, organizations and people to comply with the immoral doctrines of the socialist, secular humanists.Click here to read this entire commentary.

This article or excerpt was posted on December 22, 2008@ 11:32 am .

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