PM Steven Harper's Israel Knesset Speech

Wow!   ....I Don't think I've ever been more proud to be a Canadian!  Listen to Prime Minister Harper's speech to Israel's Knesset.

PM Steven Harper's Israeli Knesset Speech (Click to Play)

1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.^a

3I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”^{b (Gen 12)}

Human Life Begins at Conception - Greg Laurie

Today (Jan 22, 2014) marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark decision of Roe v.Wade.
Since that decision,55 Million Babies have been aborted.
This is a National tragedy.

When it comes to many of the hot-button topics of the day, you can usually find good people on both sides of the issue. But when it comes to the topic of abortion, or killing a pre-born baby, there can be no debate. The fact is, the Bible is very clear about when human life begins: It begins at conception.

Listen to David’s prayer as he spoke about being in the womb before birth: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book” (Psalm 139:13-16).

These verses show that God had a distinct plan for each of us, before we were born. In Jeremiah 1:5 He declares: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”

Each child, no matter what the circumstances of his or her conception, is created by God and should be given the chance to live. God doesn’t say, “I waited until you were born to have a plan for you, because you really weren’t human yet, but only a mass of tissue.”
Max Lucado put it this way: “You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman.”

I myself was conceived out of wedlock, and how thankful I am that my mother chose to carry me to term. God has a plan for my life! And God has a plan for every baby, regardless of the circumstances surrounding its conception. In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as an “illegitimate child.”
Despite these truths, abortions are commonplace in our culture today. As stated,since the passing of Roe vs. Wade in the early 70s, 55 million babies have been aborted in our country. An abortion occurs every 15 seconds in America, and has grown into a 500-million-dollars-a-year industry.

Abortion is not the answer to the stress surrounding an unplanned pregnancy. It leaves “one dead and one wounded” in its wake. If you have conceived a child and it’s at all possible, marry the father and raise the child. If you can’t do that, raise the child as a single mom. And if you can’t do either of these, carry the child to term and put the baby up for adoption.

PM Harper Visits Israel

Canadian PM Harper tells Israel: “Through fire and water, Canada will stand with you.” Brings delegation of 208 Canadians to Israel, including Rabbis & Pastors. by joelcrosenberg At a time when so many world leaders are turning away from Israel and trying to isolate the Jewish state, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- an evangelical Christian and the most pro-Israel world leader on the planet at this time -- arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday for his first visit, telling the Israeli people, "through fire and water, Canada will stand with you." Harper was given the red carpet treatment by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with whom he has become a close and personal friend, as well as a staunch and reliable ally. He and his wife, Laureen, dined with Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. The Harpers also toured several Christian holy sites, and plan to visit several more -- including sites around the Sea of Galilee -- during their trip. Harper brought with him a delegation of 208 Canadians, including 21 Rabbis, 27 CEOs of Canadian companies, as well as numerous evangelical pastors and Catholic priests. On Monday, Harper became the first Canadian Prime Minister in history to address the Israeli Knesset. He reaffirmed the importance of Israel as "a Jewish state," and was given a standing ovation for his long-standing and warm friendship and support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. "It is right to support Israel because after generations of persecutions the Jewish people deserve their own homeland," Harper told the Israeli parliament. "I believe the story of Israel is a great example to the world. It is a story, essentially, of a people whose response to suffering has been to move beyond resentment and build a most extraordinary society, a vibrant democracy, a freedom-loving country with an independent and rights-affirming judiciary. An innovative, world-leading 'start-up' nation. You have taken the collective memory of death and persecution to build an optimistic, forward-looking land, one that so values life, you will sometimes release a thousand criminals and terrorists, to save one of your own. In the democratic family of nations, Israel represents values which our Government takes as articles of faith, and principles to drive our national life. And therefore, through fire and water, Canada will stand with you." To read the text of his extraordinary speech, please click here (scroll to the bottom of the Haaretz article where the video of the speech is located). Harper met with Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday morning. Later this week, he will visit Jordan and meet with King Abdullah II in Amman, deeply committed as he is to encouraging peace between Israel and the Arab people. "Prime Minister Harper, my good friend Stephen, welcome to Jerusalem," said Netanyahu said on Sunday upon welcoming Harper at his office, reported Israel Hayom. "I have to say, Stephen, that you are a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people. I'm not just saying that -- I mean it deeply from the bottom of my heart and I speak for all the people of Israel....This world is often cynical and hypocritical, and you have shown great moral leadership. When it comes to fighting terrorism, you know that there cannot be any politically correct double talk, but only unequivocal condemnation and united international action....When it comes to anti-Semitism, you have stood up unabashedly at the side of Israel and the entire Jewish people, I think at the side of decency and fairness to everyone: Jews and non-Jews alike. And when it comes to Iran's repeated calls for Israel's annihilation and its unrelenting development of nuclear weapons -- you and Canada have stood unflinchingly on the right side of history." "Touching on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations," Israel Hayom noted, Netanyahu told Harper, "You recognize that a genuine peace, a lasting peace, must be based on mutual recognition and sound security arrangements on the ground. I think in all this and in so many other things, you have shown courage, clarity and conviction. And in standing up for the truth, your voice, Stephen, has been an indispensable one," Netanyahu said. "So the people of Israel and I deeply appreciate your friendship and the friendship of the people of Canada to us."

The Coming Psalm 83 War - Psalm 83

Asaph here gives prophecy on the the coming war....remember this could not have come to pass until just recently, because Israel was not "born" until 1948.  Only recently has Iran threatened to "wipe Israel off the face of the world!"

Psalm 83^a

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1O God, do not remain silent;

do not turn a deaf ear,

do not stand aloof, O God.

2See how your enemies growl,

how your foes rear their heads.

3With cunning they conspire against your people;

they plot against those you cherish.

4“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,

so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”  

(editor's note:  Have you heard Iran publicly threaten Israel this way over the past few years?)

5With one mind they plot together;

they form an alliance against you—

6the tents of Edom (Palestinians) and the Ishmaelites (Saudi Arabia),

of Moab (Jordan) and the Hagrites (Egypt),

7Byblos, Ammon (Iraq) and Amalek (East of Egypt),

Philistia (Hamas), with the people of Tyre (Hezbollah).

8Even Assyria (Syria) has joined them

to reinforce Lot’s descendants.^b

9Do to them as you did to Midian,

as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10who perished at Endor

and became like dung on the ground.

11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12who said, “Let us take possession

of the pasturelands of God.”

13Make them like tumbleweed, my God,

like chaff before the wind.

14As fire consumes the forest

or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15so pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your storm.

16Cover their faces with shame, Lord,

so that they will seek your name.

17May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;

may they perish in disgrace.

18Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—

that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

The Coming Four Blood Moons - Pastor John Hagee

Something BIG is about to Happen on Planet Earth!

GOD, "the DEFENDER of Israel" is about to send signs in the heavens and the earth....are you listening?

.....Listen to Pastor John Hagee's recent sermon on 

"The Coming FOUR Blood Moons" concerning the 18 month period from April 2014 to September 2015.

25“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  (Luke 21:28)

_____________________________

• 4indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Ps 121:4)
• And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years (Gen 1)
• ....He made the moon to mark the seasons (Psalm 104)
• ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, (Exodus 4:22)
• 1Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.(Joel 2)
• 31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
  before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
  32And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; (Joel 2:30-31)
• 25“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob^d and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. 27When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. 28Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. 29I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 39)
• 29“Immediately after the distress of those days, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,
  and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.30“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^c will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.^d 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.(Matthew 24)
• 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the heavens above

  and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(Acts 2)
• 15Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^a He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written... 
  
  
  KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.(Rev 19)

THE KING IS COMING!

Focus on the Family: Maintaining Sexual Purity

Men, don't miss these Focus on the Family's "Best of 2013" audio's:

Click on these links:

Best of "2013 Focus on the Family" -Maintaining Sexual Purity -Part 1 of 2

Best of "2013 Focus on the Family" -Maintaining Sexual Purity -Part 2 of 2

Canadian PM Harper set to make first state visit to Israel this month. Will also visit King Abdullah II and Chairman Abbas.

Canada's PM Stephen Harper is making his first state visit to Israel this month. Here he is meeting with Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the side lines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. (Photo by Reuters )

At a highly sensitive moment in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, I'm pleased to note that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- the most pro-Israel leader in the world at the moment -- is set to make his "first-ever visit" to Israel on January 19," reports Haaretz.  

The Israeli paper reports that Harper "will be staying in the region for four days, during which he will also visit the Palestinian Authority and Jordan." 

“I look forward to visiting the Middle East early next year to explore ways of strengthening peace and security, stimulating sustainable economic growth, and promoting essential Canadian values, such as tolerance and human rights, across the region,” the Canadian premier said in a speech to a Jewish group last month.

Harper further noted that "Canada will continue to support Israel in the United Nations and in every other international forum," reported Haaretz. "The head of the pro-Israel lobby in Canada, David Koschitzky, welcomed Harper’s announcement. He said that relations between the two countries are excellent, but there is always room for improvement – especially when it comes to trade relations. Netanyahu considers Harper one of the leaders closest to him – both personally and politically. Netanyahu has visited Canada three times in the past five years and he speaks to Harper on the phone very frequently."

Let's be praying that the visit goes well, that Harper's relationship with Netanyahu, Abbas and King Abdullah will be strengthened, and that the Canadian leader will be a source of  wisdom, moral support, and encouragement to each of them.

Last June, I had the honor of spending several days in Ottawa, Canada, with several colleagues. We met with nearly two dozen Members of Parliament (including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, the President the Senate, various members of the government, and members of the opposition party, the NDP) to discuss the crises facing Israel, Iran & Syria. 

First and foremost, I thanked the members of the ruling party (the Conservatives) for their strong support of Harper and for being part of the most pro-Israel governmenton the planet. Canada is pursuing a principled and profoundly moral position with vigor, integrity and consistency.

Second, I noted how important it would be if Harper made a state visit to Israel to show his solidarity with the Jewish State. On the same trip, he could meet with Palestinian leaders, and visit King Abdullah II in Jordan who needs to be encouraged as a man of peace and strengthened against Radicals trying to bring him down and impose a Islamist regime in Amman.

Surely others were encouraging the PM and his team along the same lines, and I'm very encouraged to see the trip will come to pass this month.

—————————

>> New novel, “The Auschwitz Escape,” will release March 18th. Inspired by true story of the greatest escape of all-time.

How To Not Feel Like a Fool Around The Bible -by Patrick Morley

One of my seminary professors told the story about a man who went hiking on a cold winter day. He came to a river that appeared to be frozen over. But since he was unfamiliar with the area, he didn’t know how thick the ice was. 

Naturally, he was afraid to walk out and fall through. So he got down on his stomach and slowly began to inch out onto the ice. When he had crawled near the middle of the river, the air began to tremble as he heard a rumbling sound draw closer and closer. Suddenly a wagon with four horses at a full gallop shot over the crest of the riverbank, thundered across the river, then disappeared over the ridge on the other side. And there he was, lying on the ice, feeling foolish. It’s difficult to trust something we don’t know much about, isn’t it? The man had difficulty trusting the ice because he didn’t know much about the river. But it isn’t odd he felt that way. What would have been odd is if he had walked up to an unfamiliar frozen river and confidently stepped out on it. That would make him a fool. So it is with the Bible. Nothing builds confidence and faith like using it enough that we're the seasoned wagoner, not the casual hiker.

Soften My Heart

by Graham Kendrick
Soften my heart, Lord
Soften my heart
From all indifference
Set me apart
To feel your compassion
To weep with your tears
Come soften my heart, O Lord
Soften my heart

10 Well-Known Christians Who Met the Lord in 2013

10:00AM EST 12/31/2013 J. LEE GRADY

 

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From left, clockwise: Richard Twiss, Edith Schaffer, Samuel Lamb, Pat Summerall

Media outlets have published lists this week of celebrities who died in 2013—lists that include Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, novelist Tom Clancy and actors Peter O’Toole, Jean Stapleton and Paul Walker of Fast and Furiousfame.

But religious leaders often don’t make these lists, mostly because the work of the Spirit is rarely celebrated on this side of eternity. As this year comes to a close, I decided to look back at 2013 and honor the memory of church leaders who died this year. They include:

1. Samuel Lamb. This brave Chinese pastor died in August at age 88. He spent 20 years in prison for his faith because he refused to bow to his communist oppressors. He taught his flock: “The laws of God are more important that the laws of men.” Today the illegal church he planted in the city of Guangzhou has grown to 4,000 members.

2. George Beverly Shea. Perhaps the best-known gospel singer of all time, Shea performed at Billy Graham’s crusades for decades and recorded more than 70 albums. A Canadian known for his booming bass-baritone voice, he teamed up with Graham in 1947. Ever willing to stand in the shadow of the more famous evangelist, Shea prepared audiences for Graham’s message by singing trademark songs such as “I’d Rather Have Jesus” and “How Great Thou Art.” He died in April at age 104.

3. Edith Schaffer. She and her husband, Francis, both Presbyterian missionaries, established L’Abri Fellowship, a retreat center in Switzerland that became a think tank for Christian theologians and activists. Some believe Edith and her husband—through their many books and lectures—galvanized the Christian Right in the 1980s by encouraging believers to challenge culture rather than hide from it. She was 98.

4. C. Everett Koop. Hated by some members of Congress because of his personal opposition to abortion, this distinguished pediatric surgeon was tapped by President Reagan to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. When Dr. Koop took office in 1981, 33 percent of Americans smoked; when he left in 1989, the percentage had dropped to 26 percent because of his strident campaign against tobacco use. A devoted Presbyterian who wrote a book about his faith journey, Sometimes Mountains Move, he also defended the rights of the elderly and children with birth defects. He was 96.

5. Richard Twiss. Once a monthly columnist for Charisma, Twiss was a rare breed: An outspoken charismatic Christian from a Native American background. His ministry, Wiconi International, focused on promoting reconciliation between whites and Native people. Born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, Twiss wrote the popular book One Church, Many Tribes, and used his pulpit to reach Native people for Christ. He was only 58.

6. Pat Summerall. Perhaps the best known sportscaster in the U.S., he was fondly referred to as “the voice of the NFL” because his career spanned more than 40 years—and 16 Super Bowls. But what many TV viewers did not know was that the man with the famous voice experienced a dramatic conversion to Christ in 1992 after battling alcoholism. He wrote in his autobiography: “My thirst for alcohol was being replaced by a thirst for knowledge about faith and God. … I felt ecstatic, invigorated, happier, and freer. It felt as though my soul had been washed clean.” Summerall became a Southern Baptist before he died at age 82.

7. Paul Crouch. Raised in the Assemblies of God and driven by a desire to spread the gospel through television, Crouch built his Trinity Broadcasting Network from scratch, starting in 1973 with a station in Tustin, California, using $20,000 of his own money. When Crouch died in November at age 79, TBN had more than 18,000 network affiliates. His fund-raising tactics and spending habits made him plenty of enemies, but millions of donors looked beyond his flaws to help him build the largest Christian TV ministry in the world.

8. Dallas Willard. Considered a leading authority on spiritual formation, Willard was a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California whose books included The Spirit of the Disciplines, The Divine Conspiracy, Renovation of the Heart and Hearing God. He was a passionate proponent for rigorous discipleship, and he chided the American church for thinking we can be Christians without being disciples. He wrote: “The spiritual life is a life of interaction with a personal God, and it is pure delusion to suppose that it can be carried on sloppily.” He was 77.

9. T.L. Osborn. This unassuming Oklahoma-based evangelist always kept his focus on evangelism, and he preached in 90 nations before he died in February at age 89. Never a showman, he did huge outreaches in developing countries that drew crowds as large as 500,000—but he didn’t brag about his accomplishments. (In one of his crusades he shipped and delivered 56 tons of literature!) Throughout his life he reminded Christians of their responsibility to obey the Great Commission. He summarized this in an interview I did with him in 2011. “I once had a vision of the Lord,” Osborn explained. “But in the vision, God didn’t have any hands. Then He looked at me and said, ‘You are my hands.’”

10. Faye Pama Mysa. Few Americans have ever heard of this 47-year-old Pentecostal pastor who served as secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria. But he died a martyr’s death in May when Islamic militants burst into his home in Borno state and shot him. He is only one of hundreds of Christians who have died in Nigeria in recent years, victims of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Organizations that monitor the persecution of Christians say the numbers of martyrs increased in 2013, especially in Nigeria, Egypt and Pakistan. In September in Pashawar, Pakistan, 78 worshipers were killed in a bomb attack at a church. In May, officials at the Vatican announced they believe 100,000 Christians are killed annually because of their faith.

I can’t list all their names here. But I pray our hearts will be filled with the courage of a martyr as we head into 2014.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of Fearless Daughters of the Bible and other books.