Calling You Out

Are you sick of the continuing coverage of the death of MJ? Apparently, most of you are. I've heard it from Oklahomans. I've heard it from Facebook friends. I've heard and read comment after comment. I've heard jokes and "revised" song lyrics. I've seen apathy and annoyance, hatred and condemnation.

And most of this comes from people who follow Jesus Christ.

Look, I get it. You're annoyed at the constant news coverage. Fine. I don't have a problem with that (except for the fact that it's funny to me that so many of you are so surprised about how the media is reacting - where have you been?). But I do have a HUGE problem with the attitude.

Have you completely lost the ability to recognize that every single human being on this earth has a soul that is in danger of spending an eternity separated from God?

I do not know if MJ had a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's too late to change that now. But I wonder, was there anyone in his life that was concerned about that when he was alive? Were you concerned about it?

I'm not saying that you could have done anything about it (outside of praying) - even if by some stretch you were concerned. But therein lies the problem. YOU WEREN'T CONCERNED.

Many Christians are only concerned about the Heaven and Hell issue when it comes to themselves and people who are like them. They would never wish Hell or death upon loved ones or other human beings who lead similar lives as they do. They would never wish Hell upon a soldier or a person who is "good."

But when it comes to a "freak" in Hollywood - Let him burn!

Seriously?

Most of you reading this are Christians - and probably have been for quite some time. So I don't need to remind you about just how opposite that attitude is from the attitude of Jesus Christ.

Luke 19:41 reads, "As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace...'"

That's how Jesus feels about lost people - all lost people.

If you stood and looked at Hollywood, would you weep over it? Or would you begin formulating catchy jokes about its inhabitants and make light of the fact that they lead spiritually hopeless lives as you sit back in the comfort of your own eternal security.

Remember that the next time you look at the masses. Please stop picking out of the crowd those who get your compassion and those who don't based on your own preferences. It should move you to tears every time you think about the fact that there are millions of people who are going to Hell.

There is a common theme that I've noticed in my short time here with The Voice Of The Martyrs. Nearly every time I hear a story about a persecuted Christian from another part of the world, I hear that the person being persecuted wants nothing more than for the people who are persecuting them to come to know Jesus Christ. I never hear that a persecuted person wishes death or hell upon their persecutor.

These people are often being tortured beyond imagination. Loved ones are being taken from them. They are enduring physical and mental pain that is beyond our understanding. But, they have so much compassion in their hearts for lost souls that they find the strength to share God's love with their torturers. Their attitude is that of Christ.

You may not like his music or his lifestyle. But, did MJ torture you? Did he persecute you? Did he do anything to you? If a persecuted believer can find compassion in their heart for their persecutor, can't you find compassion in your heart for lost people who have never harmed you? If you can't, then what would happen if you found yourself in a situation where you were mistreated?

My guess is that you wouldn't follow in the footsteps of Stephen when he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," as he was being stoned to death.

What a different world this would be if American Christians wept over lost people and made all lost souls their number one concern.

Ancient Wisdom - Applicable Today

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" - Matthew 16:26.

One Quarter

"More love, O Christ, to Thee. More love to Thee." - Sung by North Korean Christians as their children were being hanged by the communists because the parents refused to deny Christ.

I thought this quote might be interesting to everyone, due to the recent events making the news about North Korea. In fact, I have found that since I have been working with The Voice Of The Martyrs over the past three months, I have seen headlines a bit differently.

At VOM, I receive daily information about what is happening to Christians in places like Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, and North Korea. Then, I log on to my favorite news websites and I read what the world media is reporting about these same countries. As I see the headlines and read the stories, I can't help but make a connection.

A couple of months ago, I heard a man who works in Iran speak. He told those of us who were in the room that he would like us to simply watch and pray. Watch for news stories on TV and the web about Iran. Then pray for the people there. He commented on how, in the midst of persecution, God is moving in a dramatic fashion in Iran. We, as Christians in the US, need to simply be attentive (watch) and pray for the people there.

I have applied this to not only Iran, but to other countries as well, including North Korea. When I saw (watched) headlines today about North Korea, I couldn't help but pray for the people there. In North Korea, there are people who know Christ and are being persecuted for it, and there are people who are living in spiritual darkness and need to know what Christ did for them on the cross.

As you go about your daily business, will you watch and pray for places like Iran and North Korea?

Like I said, Christy and I have been here three months. Christy is continuing with her work as Apartment Manager/Assistant To The Facilities Director. It has been an awesome opportunity to meet guests and volunteers from all over the world. I am continuing my work with the Bibles Unbound program and with Order Fulfillment. I love the crews that I work with along with the work that we do.

A busy time is coming up for both of us. In a couple weeks, VOM will be moving some of their operations out of their current warehouses and into a brand new facility! Everyone is very excited about the move, but at the same time, it is a huge task. Please pray that everything goes smooth and that important VOM work is not unnecessarily interrupted due to glitches. Christy and I are excited to be a part of this moment in VOM history.

I also want to point out a few things on a personal level.

• We had a great visit from Christy's mom, aunt, and cousin recently. One of the many highlights was going to watch an outdoor production of the musical "Oklahoma!".
• Our 8th anniversary is coming up on June 23!
• Please continue to pray for our house in Ohio to sell. God is providing for our needs in a tremendous way (partly through your support and prayers). We believe that God can sell our house in this tough economy.
• Christy and I are the "Missionaries" for a week of camp at Woodland Lakes in Ohio on June 21-26. We are honored. I wish so badly that I could be there for the week, but I can't. Please pray that the message of the persecuted church is communicated to the students at that camp through the literature I sent and through the web based communication that we'll be using with them. It's a bit unconventional, but I know God will work through it.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers.

Our Second Month

It's hard to believe that we've been serving with The Voice Of The Martyrs in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for two months.

On one hand, time has flown by. It doesn't seem like it was two months ago that we were packing up our vehicles and heading west.

On the other hand, it seems like we've been here for a long time. I feel this way for a couple different reasons. First of all, some of the friendships that we've made feel a lot stronger than just two month relationships. It has been great to meet people that we really "click" with. Also, when I compare how little Christy and I knew about this ministry two months ago to what we know now, it seems like it would be impossible to learn it all in two short months. And, obviously, there is still so much to learn!

But, I think the main reason that I feel like we've been here longer than 2 months is because it is so clear to us that this is exactly where God wants us to be right now. When that happens in your life, when you know that where you are is where God wants you, you can't help but feel a peace and assurance that is really unexplainable.

We have only committed to being here for one year. After that, we have no idea what God will lead us to do. But, for right now, we can clearly see that this step was the step that God wanted us to take! Thanks to all of you who prayed for us and supported us as we decided to go this direction.

As far as what's been going on the past month, we do have some cool news.

Christy got the job as Apartment Manager for the guest/volunteer housing here on the VOM property. We moved in to our new apartment (The Pearl), and she began her new job on May 1st. It has been very eventful so far. Along with being the apartment manager, she is also the assistant to the facilities director. Obviously, she has been learning alot over the past couple weeks!

The main thing that I want to say about this job is what a huge answer to prayer it is. As most of you know, we committed to being volunteers here for one year, which means we were not getting paid a dime. Therefore, we raised support from friends and family. Thanks to the generosity of so many people and churches, we were able to make this move! One of the key factors in making this all possible was the sale of our home in Ohio. This key factor still hasn't happened (please continue to pray!). Due to the fact that we still own our home, we still have costs associated with that. These costs were above and beyond the amount we had budgeted and raised for our year of volunteer work.

Well, God took care of it. He provided this position to open up for Christy. The salary that is provided to her is actually just over the exact amount we need to cover our home expenses in Ohio!

The position of apartment manager is Christy's for 6 months. Will God sell our home in 6 months? Will he provide another source of income to cover our home costs once these 6 months are through if our home has not yet sold? Like I said, please continue to pray for this situation. And please thank God for providing in such an awesome way!

Another cool opportunity that we've had recently is to help lead worship in the chapel service that The Voice Of The Martyrs has for their volunteers and employees every Tuesday morning. We helped to lead worship a couple of weeks ago, and we will help again next week. As most of you know, Christy and I both love being a part of leading worship. Without having a church home here in Oklahoma, we were wondering if we would have the opportunity to serve in this way. But, once again, God provide for us by opening up these opportunities at VOM.

Speaking of not having a church home, I wanted to let you all know about what we've been doing every Sunday. Christy and I have rarely had the opportunity to visit a variety of churches on Sunday mornings. So, over the past couple months, we have done just that. It has been a very cool experience for us to be a part of different worship services in churches of all different shapes and sizes.

All of this, combined with a great visit from my mom last week, has made for an exciting month. We thank all of you for your support and prayers. We would love to hear from you if you get a chance.

Above all, please continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in chains all over this world.

Hebrews 13:3

Jake In The House

This morning I had a brand new experience. I won a radio contest. Here's how it went down.

The DJ asked for the 7th and 8th callers to play the game "What's In My Hat." I was the 7th caller.

I asked, "Is it soft?" The DJ said, "No." So I guessed, "A CD." I was wrong

The other contestant asked, "Is it alive?" The DJ said, "No." I can't remember what he guessed.

I asked, "Does it make noise?" The DJ said, "No." So I guessed, "A coffee mug." I was wrong again.

The other contestant asked, "Does it move?" The DJ said , "No." He guessed, "A remote." He was wrong.

I asked, "Is it a toy?" The DJ said, "No." So I guessed, "A pen." I was RIGHT!

I am the smartest man in the universe!

I actually did have a bit of a strategy. I assumed the DJ would have put something in a hat that was readily available to him in his DJ booth. But, obviously, my guess of a pen was completely out of no where.

Try It, You Might Like It

Props to David Millar for his comment on my Pickle Sickle post. This man stands behind his product. And, by the looks of the website (www.bobspicklepops.com), his product is doing quite well. In fact, I feel kind of bad about publicly saying how disgusting it was. And, while I still think it tasted pretty nasty, I hope all of you will try it and form your own opinion. Maybe you'll become one of the many endorsements found on the website.

Our First Month

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 5:10

Christy and I have finished our first month of volunteer work with The Voice Of The Martyrs. Here are just a few of the highlights.

• Both of us have been working with the Bibles Unbound program. We have helped to send hundreds of Bibles to individuals in China. We will soon be sending Bibles to individuals in other countries as well. One cool thing about this program is that you can be directly involved! Go to http://www.biblesunbound.com/ for more information.


• Christy has spent a lot of time helping out at the VOM main office. She has helped in a variety of ways there, including signing receipts, writing thank you cards, and putting together children's workbooks that teach about persecution across the world.


• I have been working in the warehouse in the order fulfillment department. VOM offers a ton of different materials that are all focused on persecution. We ship out many books, newsletters, other literature, t-shirts, and DVDs everyday. VOM offers these great resources to educate the world on persecution. I encourage all of you to visit http://www.persecution.com/. From there, you can sign up for the absolutely FREE monthly newsletter! You can also find a link to all the other materials that VOM offers.


• In May, Christy will assume the role of Apartment Manager. For 6 months, Christy will be in charge of the volunteer housing that is owned by VOM. She will also be assisting the Facilities Manager during those 6 months. This position is a huge answer to prayer for Christy and I. We are excited about this opportunity!


• Every Tuesday, VOM offers a chapel service for its staff and volunteers. Christy and I have really appreciated these chapel services. Recently, we had the honor to go out to breakfast with one of the special guest speakers. I loved the opportunity to sit and talk with this man. He is an Iranian man who is involved with ministry to the Iranian people and he is involved with ministry to people right here in America. He told us many stories about the amazing things that are happening among the people of Iran right now. The Spirit of God is moving in the Middle East.

It has been a great first month for us. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for us. We would really appreciate your prayers concerning the fact that we still need to sell our house in Ohio!

As I write this on Good Friday, I am reminded of the cross. We see crosses everywhere in the USA. We freely display them in, on, and around our churches and homes. We freely wear them in the form of jewelry and on our clothing. The cross has become common (and often times, meaningless). Unfortunately, the message of the cross, while never meaningless, has also become common. We freely share it and hear it - especially this time of year.

There are places in this world, though, where the cross (both the symbol and the message) are not common and meaningless. There are places where the symbol is not freely displayed and worn, and where the message is not freely heard or shared. There are places where doing these things are a literal death sentence.

A note that was once smuggled from the underground church in Communist Romania stated, "We don't pray to be better Christians, but that we may be the only kind of Christians God means us to be; Christ-like Christians; that is, Christians who will bear willingly the cross for God's glory."

On this Good Friday, thank God for the cross. Thank God for the act of love that was displayed there. Ask God to give strength to those who bear willingly the cross in parts of this world where it is dangerous to do so. For we know that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."