Beacon2Light

Angels in the Sky: How a Band of Volunteer Airmen Saved the New State of Israel   is a great book I would recommend. If you love history, love Israel and marvel at the miracle of the Jewish nation’s rebirth and successful fight for survival, this book is for you. It is an especially appropriate read as we near the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. It was only a few years after the Holocaust when the Jews declared their independence on May 14, 1948. The modern state of Israel was born. However, five neighbors were determined to defeat the new country and the balances were weighed heavily against her. One of the reasons for this was that each of those nations had well-equipped militaries while Israel did not and international law forbade the importation of arms and able bodied men into the area of conflict. However, Jews and Gentiles, many of whom fought in World War II, volunteered to be the fledgling air force of the new Jewish state. Amazing efforts were brought...

How can a book be both an easy and a difficult read? It can be easy to read when the author is Johnnie Moore and the writing style and size of the volume (a mere 155 pages) are reader friendly. The subject matter, however, makes it difficult to read. What you are hearing in the headlines, reading in your newspapers or online are a mere fraction of what is actually going on. Moore’s book, Defying Isis , is a call for the Western Church and Western society as a whole, to wake up to what is happening in the Middle East. His argument is presented in three parts: What ISIS is Doing, Why ISIS Matters to You and What We Are Losing . Clearly, we are horrified by the accounts that do make the news but our sense in the Western world that it matters enough to really do something is just not there. In What ISIS is Doing , Moore gives accounts of atrocities. While including some that you have heard, he also includes personal accounts of terror that devastates and faith that...

Syrian Christians Told: Convert, Pay or Face the Sword Voice of the Martrys February 28, 2014 Christian leaders in the city of Raqqah, Syria, have reportedly signed an agreement to pay the jizya protection tax and accede to the demands of radical Muslim rebels who now control their city. The agreement was announced online by The Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS)  [ click link to read more ] "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."  1 Peter 4:12–13 (NIV) Nigeria:  Violent school attack shakes the Church PUBLISHED BY KATEY HEARTH ON FEBRUARY 28, 2014 Boko Haram terrorism in northern Nigeria is shaking the Church. According to Open Doors USA sources, an unknown number of believers were killed in a violent school attack earlie...

pic found at  World Magazine Kenyan pastors murdered as tensions, violence escalate  Posted Nov. 4, 2013, 02:15 p.m. | JULIA A. SEYMOUR Little girl talks about her love for her adopted brother with Down’s Syndrome Persian Gulf officials, tired of waiting for U.S., move to boost aid to Syrian rebels Washington Post What Small Churches Can Do by Joe Thorn "The small church is not limited in its fruitfulness by its size. It is only limited by the will of head of the church, Jesus Christ. A small church may be relatively small in number, but it wields the power of God through the ministry of the word which the Lord has been pleased to use to accomplish the impossible since the beginning. The Lord will use you to accomplish his work not because you are right, but because you are his. You will trample the devil under foot not because of your size, but because of your Savior. Many small churches can do far more than they believe, and part of the key is to stop focusing on its...

from  http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4001/abbas-un-speech What Abbas Missed in His UN Speech by Khaled Abu Toameh October 2, 2013 at 5:00 am For the Palestinian Authority leadership, the security fence in the West Bank, which has put an end to suicide bombings, is more problematic than the killing and displacement of thousands of Palestinians in Syria. Not surprisingly, Abbas did not condemn any of the Arab countries for mistreating and humiliating Palestinians, especially in recent years. So what if the Egyptian authorities are shooting and killing Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria? So what if the Lebanese authorities are imposing severe restrictions on the entry of Palestinian refugees? So what if Palestinians are being killed every day in Syria by the forces of Bashar al-Assad and the "rebels?" Abbas does not seem to have time to talk about the suffering of his people at the hands of Arab governments and terror groups. It's about time! MEPs...

The "Hell" of A Syrian Hospital -- a story of how rebel-held area hospitals lack medicine, experienced caregivers, safe water -- and the list goes on with horrendous results.  It's not that outsiders don't care.  The Syrian government won't let the Red Cross and others into rebel-held areas. Please understand I hate the trivialization of Hell by utilizing the term to speak of terrors, traumas and troubles in this life, thus the quotes around the word in the link to the article. Seven Reasons Pastors Burn Out September 28, 2013 by Thom Rainer Speaking of pastors.  Kindle Deal -- $1.99 On Being a Pastor: Understanding our Calling and Work  Derek Prime and Alistair Begg by Moody Press, 300 pages Kindle Deal for Ladies -- $1.99 Devotional book in Kindle format The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings [Kindle Edition] Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Author) Obama Urges Iranian President to Release Pastor Saeed BY ANUGRAH K UMAR Finally! An ...

Note: I don't claim to be an expert on early American colonial and settler life and the conflict with Native Americans.  If my history is at all off, alert me to it and understand that I am seeking to make a comparison with the current conflict, not to demean, diminish or alter history to my own ends.   In the early period of American history, colonialists and settlers had two different types of Native Americans to deal with. There were the ones who sought to peacefully co-exist with the pale-faces and yet have a land for themselves that had been theirs for centuries. In addition, there were those who were rightly called savages. Warring tribes without regard for age or gender would assault the pale-faced intruders with stealth and severity. One of the most feared techniques was the scalping of their victims. As word spread, fear did too and all Native Americans got lumped in with their savage counterparts. Slanderous generalizations caused much death, destruction and ...

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”  Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.   Revelation 6:9-11 (NIV) The cry of the martyrs given above I understand fully.  When wholesale slaughter happens against a Christian population under an evil ruler/group, one can get how the cries would ring out, "How long, O Lord?"   What is harder to understand, though, is the response.  The Lord states that it would continue to happen until everyone who is to die a martyr's death does.   It is apparently within the will of God that His people suf...

  Evin Prison in Iran It is a question that is often times a riddle to Westerners.  How do persecuted believers do it?   What is it within them that enables them to withstand the extremes of persecution? In Nigeria, a pastor's son was hacked to death by machete-wielding Boko Haram terrorists.  His response to the tragedy was that he still loved his son's attackers.   Iranian American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in Iran's notorious Evin prison for over a year.  Reportedly, he came out of solitary confinement, meant to break a prisoner, actually elated and encouraged from the experience.  What happened in that confinement?  More on that in a minute.  image from International Christian Concern's website   Stories abound of Christian ministers and laypeople being imprisoned, beating, etc., and seeing the situation as a God-given opportunity to minister to prison guards and fellow prisoners.  What make...

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/starfish/ I'm not sure if you heard the story of the little boy who was seen throwing starfish back into the water. You see, a bunch of them had washed ashore and the boy was picking them up and tossing them back in.  A man was amused and said, "What do you think you are doing? Look at all the starfish! You can't possibly save them all. What possible difference can you make?" At first, the boy was discouraged but then he picked up another starfish and tossed it in. He looked at the man and responded, "I made a difference for that one!" The plight of the persecuted church may seem similarly discouraging and overwhelming. Which represents your response? The little boy who makes a difference for some or the older man who shrugs and discourages any effort for the sheer magnitude of the problem? Persecution on the upswing: do we care? POSTED: 6 SEPTEMBER, 2013 (Photos courtesy Voice of the...

pic from The Guardian Update:  Great development today (09/09/13) as Secretary Kerry was asked a question about what Syria could do to avert a strike.  His answer was that they could turn over their chemical weapons' stockpile to be destroyed.  Russia seizes the moment and gets Syria to agree.  A skeptical Obama said that this indeed could avert a strike but (to paraphrase), he's not holding his breath.  With Congress and the American public dead set against this, this could be the way nearly everyone wins.  Obama gets to keep his peace prize (literally and symbolically), Syria and Russia don't get the blow that strikes would represent, Congress and the American people avoid another conflict.  The only ones who loses would be al-Qaeda!  Now imagine that!  What a great way to celebrate 9-11-13!   pic found on The Guardian One week is all we have. One week and the U.S. Congress begins to debate and perhaps sets in motion a si...