Serving Rascals, Clumsy Disciples, and Physically and Mentally Ill Believers with the Unconditional Love of Jesus Christ
It’s time to attach faces to numbers. In less than 24 hours, 1577 will commit suicide. If you look closely, you can see faces.
As believers, these are our business. They are God’s business. Be aware of this. And pray.
For more valuable information see:
http://www.facebook.com/puttingafaceonsuicide AND http://nami.org/
These are the numbers for just the last seven days!
If you scan the list you’ll see the teaching ministry/witness is penetrating closed countries. A couple of months ago, we added “a translation button” that makes its way into the viewers own language. (We even got a visit from the Vatican!)
At this point we are averaging between 500-600 views each day.
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| Country | Views |
|---|---|
 United States |
2,379 |
 Canada |
180 |
 United Kingdom |
176 |
 Australia |
113 |
 Philippines |
79 |
 India |
75 |
 Brazil |
49 |
 Mexico |
37 |
 Netherlands |
33 |
 South Africa |
29 |
 Indonesia |
27 |
 Singapore |
25 |
 Sweden |
21 |
 Turkey |
20 |
 Austria |
17 |
 Finland |
17 |
 Germany |
16 |
 Italy |
15 |
 Portugal |
15 |
 Greece |
15 |
 United Arab Emirates |
14 |
 France |
14 |
 Argentina |
13 |
 Ireland |
13 |
 Thailand |
13 |
 Malaysia |
12 |
 Spain |
12 |
 Hungary |
12 |
 New Zealand |
12 |
 Republic of Korea |
12 |
 Russian Federation |
11 |
 Israel |
11 |
 Pakistan |
9 |
 Slovenia |
8 |
 Egypt |
7 |
 Switzerland |
7 |
 Poland |
7 |
 Malta |
7 |
 Denmark |
7 |
 Peru |
6 |
 Ghana |
6 |
 Ukraine |
6 |
 Kuwait |
6 |
 Hong Kong |
5 |
 Croatia |
5 |
 Colombia |
4 |
 Romania |
4 |
 Albania |
4 |
 Serbia |
4 |
 Taiwan |
4 |
 Brunei Darussalam |
3 |
 Estonia |
3 |
 Chile |
3 |
 Japan |
3 |
 Guatemala |
3 |
 Haiti |
3 |
 Puerto Rico |
3 |
 Azerbaijan |
3 |
 Bulgaria |
3 |
 Latvia |
3 |
 Panama |
2 |
 Belgium |
2 |
 El Salvador |
2 |
 Maldives |
2 |
 Jamaica |
2 |
 Kenya |
2 |
 Moldova |
2 |
 Bangladesh |
2 |
 Jordan |
2 |
 Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic |
2 |
 Viet Nam |
2 |
 Georgia |
2 |
 Slovakia |
2 |
 Zambia |
2 |
 Cambodia |
2 |
 Nigeria |
2 |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
2 |
 Macao |
1 |
 Norway |
1 |
 Bolivia |
1 |
 Costa Rica |
1 |
 Mongolia |
1 |
 Cyprus |
1 |
 Sri Lanka |
1 |
 Venezuela |
1 |
 Belarus |
1 |
 Senegal |
1 |
 Uganda |
1 |
 Bahrain |
1 |
 Qatar |
1 |
 Oman |
1 |
 Dominica |
1 |
 Barbados |
1 |
 Saudi Arabia |
1 |
 Lithuania |
1 |
 Nepal |
1 |
 Zimbabwe |
1 |
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
“I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Mark 10:15, CEV
“So Jesus called the children over to him and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom.” Luke 18:16, CEV
One of the essential tenets of real discipleship is Jesus’ insistence on his disciples becoming children. It actually is the entry point for all believers. Everyone who really believes begins here, at ‘childlikeness’.
It’s interesting to note that ‘religion’ moves in the opposite direction– a level of sophistication is cultivated. One becomes intellectual, emphasising the ‘academics’ over gentleness and goodness or love.
I think that there is an excessively high appreciation for broad-mindedness, but it is a cultivated, savoir-faire that is really is nothing but an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God. It seems our discipleship is strongest when it is simplest. Humbling ourselves is what makes us incredibly authentic– at least from His point-of-view.
And maybe– just maybe, ‘becoming small’ is exactly what ‘the doctor has ordered’. We need this, it needs to be imbedded into our hearts, and altering the way we encounter life. If we are going to be real, then we must become children. Becoming a child is an imperative.
Who do we think we are? Often, we start out ‘broken’. We esteem gentleness and brokenness. We understand that the most valuable possession we can possess is a ‘childlikeness’. This can be understood by everyone we encounter– especially believers. But this is only our starting point, we do not outgrow this, never.
Christians are set apart by their childlike heart.
“But I am calm and quiet,
like a baby with its mother.
I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.”
Psalm 131:2
“For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”
Prov. 3:12, NLT
Interesting. Some people get a double-dip. If you are a loved son/daughter you have the tremendous honor of being loved and also of being disciplined. My own son is disciplined because I love him so much. He’s my boy and I love him even more than my own life. When I do need to correct him, it is that love that makes it possible. If I didn’t really love him, I would let him do his thing without any discipline at all. It would be easier.
To be left alone, with no correction or discipline is to be in a difficult place. It smacks of abandonment. Or of being cast-off or sent away. It can be worse then abuse.
And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,
“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”Heb. 12:5-6
The connection between a loving and caring Father, and you will require you to cooperate with His correction. The writer of Hebrews knew the frail nature of people. The writer knew that people would be tempted to quit– it is so hard. “Don’t give up” in verse 5. That means we will be tempted do so, to walk away and quit. People do it all the time. It is easy.
“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?”
Heb. 12:7-9
God loves you. God loves you so much that He wants to change you. Understanding that you are a son or a daughter in His family makes life worth living.
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Broken Believers 