Salam-Hello in Arabic! I (Sal) have an uncle and cousin that both live in the Middle East. In fact, many Filipinos work overseas over in this region because of the vast employment opportunities that fit their hard working skills as nurses, maids, etc... My uncle lives in the United Arab of Emirates and my cousin lives in Saudi Arabia. These two were probably my first relation to the Middle East region.
It wasn't until college-UMM, when I really encountered and meet people from the Middle East. One of the presidents of the International Student Association (student organization) was of Middle Eastern-Kuwaiti background. From him and others that attended UMM, I became more educated and exposed of this unique culture living in the Midwest-Minnesota.
Since meeting these guys and the continued exposure while at this rural college town, I've been interested in meeting people from this region. I continue to meet more after living in Morris-Motown through the college. For example, while attending the Summer Institute of Ministry Training School-Morris Community Church, we had a teacher one week that was a missionary in Lebanon. He shared some stories that made the inner-city violence of America look small.
Arab?
I was watching this movie and found out Iranians are not Arab (just like Guatamalans are not Mexicans), so I decided to do some re"search" on this...
I then began to reflect on the Bible and remembered how Persia (Iranians) was an enemy of Babylon (Iraq), which explains the dispute between Shiites and Sunnites. When the national borders of Iraq was drawn, "ignorant imperialists" did not take this difference of ethnic groups into consideration.
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NATION
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Arabs brainwashed little girls to hate Jews
"Arabian TV program where they indoctrinate young children to hate Jews"
Ethnic Focus
Egyptian, a UMM student connection
Iran
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" Middle East Imperial History"
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"..Let me share just a word about how wonderful most Arabs treat you. When you meet a true Arab family, they treat you as a prince. When you are invited to their home to eat or sleep, then they treat you like a king with all honor and reverence. When you leave, you are a poet, you are a trumpet, you will tell the other people that you meet what a wonderful family or village you have been in. You don't tell about how good the food is or how bad, or how nice the house was or how poor. You can only speak about how good the man is or how good the village is. You do not enter an Arab village and stand in the street and begin to preach, although I do that in many other places. I enter the village and the people would be looking at me, then they offer me a cup of coffee or tea and if you seem to be friendly and love them, the Arab will then offer you an invitation to his home to eat or sleep. It is a great humiliation to be offered something and reject it. After you arrive at their home they'll want to know what you want to do or what you would like, and I always tell them I'd like to speak to the people of the town or village about Jesus. They gather the people together and I address the gathering. I eat, drink and sleep in their homes not as a stranger, but as a friend and as a follower of Jesus. I have been showered with love from these people. ..-A pilgrim follower of Jesus, Arthur Blessitt Luke 18:1 (GoodnewsEverybody.com Middle Eastern: Jordan)
Persecution by Mideast Police
"This short video documents some of the tragedies that Christians have faced while being persecuted. When a corrupt police dept has already decided to blame one Christian for a murder, they go to great lengths to get a confession out of the people that know him. WARNING! THE DESCRIPTIONS IN THIS CLIP CAN BE GRAPHIC"
Religion
ABRHAMIC (Avraham/Ibrāhīm) FAITH
*see GoodNewsEverybody: Religious
Genesis 11
"From Shem to Abram
...26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
...
"Abraham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
. "
Abraham (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם, Standard Avraham Tiberian ʾAḇrāhām Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom ; Arabic: ابراهيم, Ibrāhīm ; Ge'ez: አብርሃም, ʾAbrəham) is a man featured in the Book of Genesis and an important figure in several monotheistic religions. Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions regard him as the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites and Edomite peoples. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Judaism and monotheism. Abraham means "Father of Nations" - "Av" is Hebrew for "Father", and "Raham" is the Arabic for "Nations or Multitude". Also considered to mean "High Father", coming from the Aramaic words "Aba Rama"
Abraham's father was Terah, the grandfather was Nahor. Abraham's brothers were named Nahor and Haran.[2] According to Genesis, Abraham was brought by God from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. There Abraham entered into a covenant: in exchange for sole recognition of YHWH as supreme universal deity and authority, Abraham will be blessed with innumerable progeny. According to Jewish tradition (based on the Anno Mundi era), Abraham lived AM 1948–2123 (1812 BCE to 1637 BCE). Christian traditional dates are about 2000 BCE to 1825 BCE.[3]
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions", because of the progenitor role Abraham plays in their holy books. In the Jewish tradition, he is called Avraham Avinu or "Abraham, our Father". God promised Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations of the world will come to be blessed (Genesis 12:3), interpreted in Christian tradition as a reference particularly to Christ. ..."
Abraham (bible movies) 1/19
"Genesis 16
Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
"
Haran-How does the ancient city of Haran play into Bible history? , from allaboutarchaelogy.org
"...Haran was the city which Abraham's family settled in after leaving Ur of the Chaldees. Abraham's father Terah took Abraham and his brother Nahor with him to Haran following the death of his son who coincidentally was also named Haran. Haran was Abraham's brother and Lot's father (Lot was Abraham's nephew). After staying in the city of Haran for sometime the Lord called Abraham to leave the ancient city and to travel to the land of Canaan, just south of Haran. Canaan was to become his inheritance and was passed on to his descendants, the Children of Israel.
..."
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Middle Eastern-Turkey
Abraham (bible movies) 2/19, from youtube.com
*click link for separate page to watch and follow readings...
"... 7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [a]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward [b] all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen [c] the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [d] ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
..."-Genesis 16
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Middle East-Syria
Related Sites:
Ishmael
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"...Ishmael (Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Standard Yišmaʿel Tiberian Yišmāʿêl; Arabic: إسماعيل, 'Ismā‘īl) is a figure in the Torah, Bible, and Qur'an. Jewish, Christian and Muslim believers regard Ishmael as Abraham's eldest son, born of his wife Sarah's hand maiden Hagar (Genesis 16:3). Though born of Hagar, according to Mesopotamian law, Ishmael was credited as Sarah's son (Genesis 16:2)[1] According to the Genesis account, he died at the age of 137 (Genesis 25:17).[2]
.."
Both Jewish and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael as the ancestor of northern Arab people.[1]
Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant.[1] Judaism maintains that Isaac (the father of the Jewish people) rather than Ishmael was the true heir of Abraham.[3] The New Testament contains few references to Ishmael. In Christian biblical interpretation, Ishmael is used to symbolize the older—now rejected—Judaic tradition; Isaac symbolizes the new tradition of Christianity.[1] Islamic tradition, however, has a very positive view of Ishmael, giving him a larger and more significant role. The Qur'an views him as an Islamic prophet. According to the interpretation[citation needed] of some early Islamic theologians whose view prevailed later, Ishmael was the actual son that Abraham was called on to sacrifice, as opposed to Isaac...."
*see my personal start on understanding this "family feud" (see Trip To the Philippines 01'
"Festival of Sacrifice"
Monday, May. 19, 1930 (time.com)
"
Only two sons of Abraham, traveling, idol-smashing Hebrew, became famed— Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac, son of Sarah, Abraham's half-sister by another mother, was the younger. He became two sons of Abraham, traveling, idol-smashing Hebrew, became famed— Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac, son of Sarah, Abraham's half-sister by another mother, was the younger. He became the ancestor of the Israelites (of whom the Jews are the professedly sole remnants). Ishmael, born of Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant, was the elder. After Sarah's jealousy nagged Abraham into driving Hagar and her Ishmael into the wilderness, Ishmael became an archer, married an Egyptian girl, begot twelve sons who became ancestors of the Nomad tribes around Palestine from whom the Arabians are descended.
As Isaac is to the Jews, so Ishmael is to the Mohammedans, whose culture is mainly Arabian. Many of Isaac's traditions Moslems apply to Ishmael, including Abraham's miraculously finding a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac..."
Abraham (Bible Movies)3/19
, from youtube.com
"Genesis 12
The Call of Abram
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go 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. ...
*see GoodnewsEverybody Life-Dreams
Abraham (Bible Movies) 4/19, from youtube.com
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Middle East-Israel
Abraham (Bible Movies) 5/19, from youtube.com
"...18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river [d] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."....-Genesis 15
Canaan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
".. is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel and Lebanon, the Arab Palestinian Authority, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt. In the Hebrew Bible, the "Land of Canaan" extends from Lebanon southward across Gaza to the "Brook of Egypt" and eastward to the Jordan River Valley, thus including modern Israel and the area presently ruled by the Arab Palestinian Authority. In far ancient times, the southern area included various ethnic groups. .."
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Middle Eastern-Jordan
Abraham (Bible Movies) 6/19, from youtube.com
"Genesis 13
Abram and Lot Separate
1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
*see GoodnewsEverybody African-Egypt
Abraham (Bible Movies)7/19, from youtube.com
"Abram in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels..."-Genesis 12
Abraham (Bible movies) 8/19, from youtube.com
"....
17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
"-Genesis 12
Abraham (Bible movies) 9/19, from youtube.com
"Genesis 13
Abram and Lot Separate
1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold...."
Abraham (Bible movies) 10/19
"Genesis 14
Abram Rescues Lot
1 At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, [a] Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim 2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea [b] ). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled..."
Abraham (Bible Movies) 11/19, from youtube.com
"... When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem [d] brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator [e] of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be [f] God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."
..."-Genesis 14
Sodom and Gomorrah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Biblical text
....In Ezekiel 16:48-50 God compares Jerusalem to Sodom, saying "Sodom never did what you and your daughters have done." He explains that the sin of Sodom was that "She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me."
..
Jewish views
The people of Sodom were seen as guilty of many other significant sins. Rabbinic writings affirm that the Sodomites also committed economic crimes, blasphemy and bloodshed[1]. One of the worst was to give money or even gold ingots to beggars, after inscribing their names on them, and then subsequently refusing to sell them food. The unfortunate stranger would end up starving and after his death, the people who gave him the money would reclaim it...
Christian view
...This idea is paralleled in the Gospels when Jesus compares an inhospitable reception to Sodom:
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
—Matthew 10:14-15"
Islamic view
The major difference between the Islamic view of Lot and the Biblical version of Lot is that the Bible includes later stories of Lot's incestuous relationship with his daughters, which are implicitly denied in Islam. Since Lot is referred to as a prophet of God,[5] and Islamic prophets are considered to never break God's law, Lot would not have had such an incestuous relationship.
.."
*see GoodnewsEverybody:
Social Issues-Homosexuality
Abraham (Bible Movies) 12/19, from youtube.com
Abraham (Bible Movies) 13/19, from youtube.com
"
Genesis 16
Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abraham (Bible Movies) 14/19, from youtube.com
"... 23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. 27 And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him."-Genesis 17
Abraham (Bible Movies) 15/19, from youtube.com
"...15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"
19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. [d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
..."-Genesis 17
"Abraham Pleads for Sodom
...20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
..."-Genesis 18
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
"...23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. ...-Genesis 19
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Science-Geology
Sodom and Gomorrah
The Cities of the Plain
Ash and brimstone remain
, from arkdiscovery.com
"...Biblical Warning For All
The cities of the plain were destroyed as a warning for all that this same event will happen again one day to the wicked. One would think God is capable of preserving this ancient lesson for us to see and to learn from.
"Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens" Genesis 19:24. "Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" II Peter 2:6. (The word for "example" means an exhibit for warning.)
...
*see GoodnewsEverybody: History-Archaeology
Abraham (bible Movies)16/19, from youtube.com
"Genesis 20
Abraham and Abimelech
1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her....
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, 18 for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah.
Genesis 21
The Birth of Isaac
Abraham (Bible Movies) 17/19, from youtube.com
"Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac...
He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. ..
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt." -Genesis 21
Abraham (bible Movies)18/19, from youtube.com
"The Treaty at Beersheba
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you." ..
32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time."-Genesis 21
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Middle Eastern-Palestine
Natural Allies by Rev. Lee Woofenden
Bridgewater, Massachusetts, October 17, 2004
Sermons on Audio
"....Abraham and Abimelech had clashing ideas. Abimelech saw the land on which he was living as belonging to him and his nation. But Abraham believed that God had promised this entire land to him and his descendants. Each had his own view of things, his own "truth." And those conflicting ideas were expressed outwardly in their conflicts over water.
...
In contrast to the sea, a well represents a higher and more living source of truth and understanding. Specifically, a well represents spiritual truth, or the Word of the Lord.
What, then, is the conflict here? And how is it resolved?
"Beersheba," Swedenborg tells us, "represents merely human rational ideas that are allied with religious teachings." In the Lord’s life, the treaty of Beersheba meant that he could use all he had learned from religious leaders, and make it a part of his ministry to the people. And in the Gospel story, we find him very effectively using his thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and of Jewish customs in preaching his own higher message
....."
Abraham (bible movies)19/19
"Genesis 22
Abraham Tested
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."...
8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. ..
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram [a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
...
Abraham and Isaac, (cartoon) from youtube.com
Abraham & Isaac A Prophetic Journey, from youtube.com
"Was God testing Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son? That was part of it, but I contend it was meant to be a model for the future sacrifice of his son. Often we can not see that God has a much larger purpose for the trials we face. In this case Abraham modeled the Father's redemption of mankind. "
*see GoodnewsEverybody: Passion
-Music
Abraham Where Is The Lamb
"Great song by Wendy Francisco wife ot Don Francisco. Hope you enjoy."
Father Abraham, from youtube.com
"Bible School Song "
Father Abraham Techno, from youtube.com
"Hagar and Sarah
21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27For it is written:
"Be glad, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth and cry aloud,
you who have no labor pains;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband."[b]
28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son."[c] 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman."-Galatians 4
FROM THE JUNE 30, 2003 ISSUE OF TIME MAGAZINE; POSTED SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2003
...Some experts see their clumsiness as the product of nondenominational churches lacking the resources for proper training programs. Others suggest that the culprits are "short termers" who don't stay in the region long enough to witness the cycles of retribution their confrontational styles can touch off. Says Robert Seiple, the State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom until 2000 and himself an Evangelical: "There is a lot more good than bad. The major denominations get it right more than wrong. But what I discovered is that well-intended people have in many, many cases eroded the message they were trying to communicate through inappropriate methodologies. Persecution results, and there are times you wish they had stayed home...."...
....A missions strategist named Ralph Winter suggested in 1974 that Christians turn their attention from areas already exposed to Christ to "unreached people groups" who had never heard the Gospel. The plan held special allure for those who read literally another verse in Matthew suggesting that when every nation is reached, the long-awaited end times can commence. In 1989 Argentine-born evangelist Luis Bush pointed out that 97% of the unevangelized lived in a "window" between the 10th and 40th latitudes. This immense global slice, he explained, was disproportionately poor; the majority of its inhabitants "enslaved" by Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism and, ultimately, by Satan....
..."Henry" and "Sarah" practice a kind of evangelism that might satisfy the staunchest agnostic. In the early 1980s they arrived in the North African country where they serve as missionary-team leaders. "We didn't want to run through, do our thing and preach," says Sarah. "We wanted to live." They founded an adventure-travel business and made friends. They talked sports and taxes and children with their neighbors, went camping with them and gathered with them on Muslim feast days. They didn't hide their faith, but they didn't press it on others, so when a friend's friend who had taken a Christian correspondence course approached them on behalf of his family, they shared Christ on his terms. "They pursued us," Henry insists. The two clans grew close and still are; eventually several of the Muslims embraced Christ. To tentmaking theorists, this is "relationship evangelism." Henry prefers to speak of the difference in connotation between two Arabic words, tansir and tabshir. "Tansir means to coerce people to change their religion," he explains. "Tabshir means to share, to be a witness."...
ASSIST NEWS SERVICE
PO Box 2126
Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126
USA
E-mail: assistcomm@cs.com
www.assist-ministries.com
www.christianity.com/assistnews
September 13, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY RESPONDS TO TERRORIST ATTACK
Wayne, Pennsylvania (ANS) -- Officials at this Christian Satellite Television Ministry to the Middle East and North Africa recently joined with their Arab Christian counterparts on staff throughout the Middle East in reaction to the tragic terrorism attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
"It is clear that when the disaster hit us here in America, it also struck deep into the hearts of fellow believers all over the Middle East and North Africa," said SAT-7 North America President Ron Ensminger. "We have had such profound expressions of sympathy for American Christians from Arabic fellow believers that I want to pass some of them along as encouragements." [NOTE: a partial text of these quotes is attached to this release].
"At the same time, we have heard positive expressions of support for our ministry in the Middle East from many American Christians. They are encouraging us to continue our efforts to send the Good News of Jesus Christ into homes all across the region with our Bible-based, Arabic-language programming. It would be easy to allow Tuesday's events to turn our hearts towards bitterness to all foreigners," said Ensminger, "Fortunately, Christians are telling us that our job has never been more important and they have specifically expressed compassion and mercy to Christians living in Arab lands."
"We intend to continue our efforts in the aftermath of this terrible terrorist attack and we welcome those who choose to join us," said Ensminger. "We are grateful to our Christian partners who have voiced their encouragements during these difficult days, both our neighbors here and overseas. The joy of the Lord is our strength!"
MUSLIM Cleric CONVERTS to CHRISTIANITY
"Father Zakaria is an Egyptian Coptic priest who was kicked out of his country for converting Muslims to Christ. Today he has a ministry to the Muslim world through his satellite TV broadcast, 'Truth Talk.'
Broadcast daily into the Middle East, the program challenges Muslims to examine their faith and encourages them to discuss issues in an Internet chat room on Pal Talk.
Watch the interview to learn how those broadcasts are leading Muslim clerics to Christ.
www.CBN.com/cbnnews/35307.aspx
Truth Talk' To The Muslim World, General: October 7, 2006 (prolifeblogs.com)
"
Travel
Syria, Jordan: The Middle East- Travel Video PostCard™
"The faces of Jordan and Syria of the Middle East may seem strange to us, but they are warm, open and expressive of the dreams and hopes of all of us. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, all the Aram-Middle east countries are not about terrorism or Islamic Fundamentalists or backward people. These Travel Video PostCards™ take travelers through the lands of the Middle East. The Travel Video PostCards let you hear the sounds of the music of the Arb lands. The Travel Video PostCards let you experience the beauty of ancient Syria and the castles of Jordan. Experience the Middle east. Experience North Africa. Experience Jordan and Syria with these Travel Video PostCards. "
Youth
Young Voices from the Middle East
" The Jordan, Baghdad, and Iran clips are from Chat the Planet. Visit them at chattheplanet.com.
Let the Youth from the Middle East say what they really feel. These are just some excerpts from topics ranging from religion and war to family values and sex. Inshallah I will able to get more of these because dialogue is the most powerful tool.
tags: marriage friends dialogue chat the planet link tv lebanon beirut baghdad cairo jordan amman syria iran tehran farsi arabic pakistan hindi urdu spanish bush iraqi saddam execution koran george bush hussein muslims young youth marriage sex family interfaith guns death murder killing tanks lebanese israel israeli jewish christian christianity kuwait"