Help Free a Brother in Christ

DAY 308: GAO ZHISHENG TORTURED, FAMILY REPRESSED!

(from The Voice of the Martyrs blog)

ChinaAid recently received another report from inside sources in China that Gao Zhisheng has been severely beaten by authorities. The report stated his current living condition is worse than death and that Gao is crying daily in pain and desperation.

The Chinese government has responded to the increased worldwide pressure for Gao Zhisheng's release by cutting off communication with two of Gao's siblings living in China and placing them under police surveillance.

In a November 26th interview with Radio Free Asia, Gao's brother, Gao Zhiyi, stated, "For every question, there are three unknowns. No one knows anything. They won't talk to us and they won't meet with us... Even if Gao Zhisheng had committed a terrible crime, his family would still have the right to know what had happened to him!"

On Saturday, December 5th, Gao's older brother (Zhiyi) and sister lost all communication contact when their phone lines were disabled, following the release of the RFA interview.

Now more than ever, Gao Zhisheng needs our help!

In a recent visit to Washington, D.C., ChinaAid met with several leading congressmen who have been moved by their constituents (those like you) telling Gao's story - and they have proposed a Congressional Resolution on Gao Zhisheng's behalf. Our American leaders have begun to listen, and with more voices, we can make that resolution a reality!

So far, 5,284 people have contacted their local U.S. Representative to speak out on behalf of Gao Zhisheng. Continue to add your voice! We have to keep the momentum going on behalf of this innocent man who himself was a defender of the persecuted.

Please take action now.

1) Encourage others to Sign the Petition to Free Gao Zhisheng. You can forward this email to all your friends.

2) Email your U.S. Representative. Even if you have already done this, you can do it again with the updated information. Encourage your friends to do likewise. Learn more about contacting your U.S. Representative

We thank you for your support of ChinaAid, and urge you to continue spreading the word. Gao's story is gathering force in Washington, DC. With your help, our leaders will know that we concerned American citizens will not rest until Gao Zhisheng and his family are free to enjoy their fundamental human rights.

For more ways to take action, visit http://www.freegao.com/.

For more information on other cases of religious persecution, visit http://www.chinaaid.org/

I've Been Tagged!

A big thank you goes to Cora for tagging me!! I don't think I've ever been tagged before. :-)

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the award.
3. Post it in your blog.
4. Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know.
5. Link 7 new bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with comment on their blog.
7. Keep being an encouragement!

So here's seven things you don't know about me (hopefully). :-)

1. When I was born the nurses thought my red hair was just blood . . . but my mom knew it was red hair!! And of course mothers are always right. :-)
2. I'm a die-hard Packers fan . . .wait a minute, some of you probably already know that . . . well maybe you don't know that my mom grew up in Wisconsin, so I got it from her (but she has turned traitor on Green Bay because she likes Brett Favre, who is now playing for the MN Vikings!!).
3. If you're into the temperament thing at all, I'm part Meloncholy and part Sanguine - some of my characteristics include: outgoing, friendly, talkative, emotional, sensitive, creative, perfectionist . . . etc. In other words, pretty typical first-born. :-)
4. As far as being creative, there's some things I love, and some things I don't!! I can't draw or paint at ALL, I don't particularly enjoy sewing, but I do really like photography, videography, and graphic design.
5. I (or we) receive several different magazines/newsletters, including: Answers, The Voice of the Martyrs, Kids of Courage, Send!, Prayer Point (Samaratin's Purse), Legal Alert, and The King's Blooming Rose, all of which I really enjoy!
6. My favorite instrument: to play is piano, to listen to is everything bluegrass, to make a CD of is harp. :-)
7. I want to enter a movie in the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival next year, but I'm not yet sure what!! :-)

Now I will tag 7 people:

Andrea
Andrew
David
Ruth
Mrs. Bartlett
Peter
Best Life

You don't have to do this if you'd rather not . . . and if you can't think of 7 people to tag, you could just write 7 interesting things about yourself!! :-) Whatever you want to do is fine . . .

Now, I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post - it was GREAT to hear from you all! But I know there are more out there who haven't commented yet . . . I want to hear from all you lurkers!! :-)

My 100th Post!!!

I started blogging on August 11, 2008, and I'm finally at Post 100!!! I want to hear from every single one of you who read my blog, whether you've read every post from the beginning, or whether this is your first time on my blog. Please tell me:

Your first name (unless it already shows up with your picture)
Where you're from
How you found my blog
Anything else of interest about yourself and/or your family
And just for fun, what your favorite instrument is :-)

And while you're at it, vote on the poll on the sidebar. :-)

Thank you!

Psalm 84:11
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." (emphasis mine)

A New Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Elliot

Those who call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day," I suppose, take some such view as this: Unless we have Someone to thank and something to thank Him for, what's the point of using a name that calls up pictures of religious people in funny hats and Indians bringing corn and squash?

Christians, I hope, focus on something other than a roasted bird. We do have Someone to thank and a long list of things to thank Him for, but sometimes we limit our thanksgiving merely to things that look good to us. As our faith in the character of God grows deeper we see that heavenly light is shed on everything--even on suffering--so that we are enabled to thank Him for things we would never have thought of before. The apostle Paul, for example, saw even suffering itself as a happiness (Colossians 1:24, NEB).

I have been thinking of something that stifles thanksgiving. It is the spirit of greed--the greed of doing, being, and having.

When Satan came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, his bait was intended to inspire the lust to do more than the Father meant for Him to do--to go farther, demonstrate more power, act more dramatically. So the enemy comes to us in these days of frantic doing. We are ceaselessly summoned to activities: social, political, educational, athletic, and--yes--spiritual. Our "self-image" (deplorable word!) is dependent not on the quiet and hidden "Do this for My sake," but on the list the world hands us of what is "important." It is a long list, and it is both foolish and impossible. If we fall for it, we neglect the short list.

Only a few things are really important, and for those we have the promise of divine help: sitting in silence with the Master in order to hear His word and obey it in the ordinary line of duty--for example, in being a good husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, or spiritual father or mother to those nearby who need protection and care--humble work which is never on the world's list because it leads to nothing impressive on one's resume. As Washington Gladden wrote in 1879, "O Master, let me walk with Thee/In lowly paths of service free...."

Temptation comes also in the form of being. The snake in the garden struck at Eve with the promise of being something which had not been given. If she would eat the fruit forbidden to her, she could "upgrade her lifestyle" and become like God. She inferred that this was her right, and that God meant to cheat her of this. The way to get her rights was to disobey Him.

No new temptation ever comes to any of us. Satan needs no new tricks. The old ones have worked well ever since the Garden of Eden, although sometimes under different guises. When there is a deep restlessness for which we find no explanation, it may be due to the greed of being--what our loving Father never meant us to be. Peace lies in the trusting acceptance of His design, His gifts, His appointment of place, position, capacity. It was thus that the Son of Man came to earth--embracing all that the Father willed Him to be, usurping nothing--no work, not even a word--that the Father had not given Him.

Then there is the greed of having. When "a mixed company of strangers" joined the Israelites, the people began to be greedy for better things (Numbers 11:4, NEB). God had given them exactly what they needed in the wilderness: manna. It was always enough, always fresh, always good (sounds good to me, anyway, "like butter-cakes"). But the people lusted for variety. These strangers put ideas into their heads. "There's more to life than this stuff. Is this all you've got? You can have more. You gotta live a little!"

So the insistence to have it all took hold on God's people and they began to wail, "all of them in their families at the opening of their tents." There is no end to the spending, getting, having. We are insatiable consumers, dead set on competing, upgrading, showing off ("If you've got it, flaunt it"). We simply cannot bear to miss something others deem necessary. So the world ruins the peace and simplicity God would give us. Contentment with what He has chosen for us dissolves, along with godliness, while, instead of giving thanks, we lust and wail, teaching our children to lust and wail too. (Children of the jungle tribe I knew years ago did not complain because they had not been taught to.)

Lord, we give You thanks for all that You in Your mercy have given us to be and to do and to have. Deliver us, Lord, from all greed to be and to do and to have anything not in accord with Your holy purposes. Teach us to rest quietly in Your promise to supply, recognizing that if we don't have it we don't need it. Teach us to desire Your will--nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Coming Soon . . .

... my new Christmas harp CD!


We hope to have copies ready for sale late next week. The CD is finished, and all we have left is to put them together. You can visit my website to find out more. http://www.gloryandgrace.com/harpcds.htm

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!! What are you doing (or what did you do) today?

Caleb and Carl at the Brain Bee

If you haven't yet, read the post below to find out what Caleb and his friend Carl are doing at the brain bee. Oh, and, before you watch this movie, vote on the poll on the sidebar! :-)

Caleb's Foot and Bake-Off

I'll start out by updating you on Caleb's foot.

He is able to move his big toe, and, since the main reason he was going to have surgery was to fix his tendon, the doctor said that if we wanted to we could wait to see if his bone will heal on its own. So we decided to wait, and in maybe 6 months or so he'll have an x-ray to see if it's healing. PLEASE be in prayer that it will heal completely so he won't have to have the surgery next year. We want to avoid the surgery if possible, so pray that God will perform a miracle!

A couple weeks ago we went to our annual homeschool bake-off. Each of my siblings made something . . . and here's the directions on how to make what they did . . .

First, for Ethan's No-Bake Bars, mix the Cheerios, M&M's, and whatever else together. Be sure to put the cereal box on your head, as it helps you stir better.

 

Second, yes, I know it's hard to come inside from riding your bike, but you have to mix in the caramel sauce and press it into the pan.

 

Third - win first place! (yeah, he was the only one in his age category for bars, but hey - he did a great job and had fun!)

 

For Lydia's cakes, start out by playing with and eating the decorations.

 

Next, frost the outside (and be sure to lick out the bowl and utensils).

 

Third, decorate one special for your dad.

 

And last, bring it to the bake off and smile! :-)

 

For Daniel's chocolate Lego cake, you first follow the directions on the back of the box mix, then make the peanut butter frosting.

 

When you're done with that, decorate the top with all your coolest Legos!! (just don't eat them)

 

Caleb made super yummy Rocky Road Bars. Directions: Make 'em and eat 'em. That's all there is to it.

 

 

While the judges were deciding the winners of the bake-off, a brain bee was going on. Caleb and his friend Carl were the ONLY ones in the high school category - so they had fun with that. I hope to post a video soon of them on stage. :-)