GUEST POST BY AUTHOR MELISSA MAIN: They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love

“…and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another” (Zechariah 7:10).

Anyone who knows me (Lorilyn Roberts) knows my heart for children around the world. Most of us are unable to wrap our minds around the enormity of the plight of orphans and how that translates into the lives of children—until we put a face to it. Recently a friend of mine traveled to Mexico to visit an orphanage, and I asked her if she would be willing to share a few pictures and thoughts on my blog.

In Melissa Main’s Words

“We visited Door of Faith Orphanage in La Mision, in Baja California, a state in Mexico. It's odd but there is a state of California in both Mexico and the US.

I traveled to La Mision, Mexico… to build houses for poverty-stricken Mexican families and to provide support for orphanages and other charities. We distributed food to needy families and offered encouragement to workers at the orphanages and no cost day care center….there is an incredible amount of joy and satisfaction in giving to those in need and changing their lives forever. People are designed for a purpose. Helping others fulfills one of our hearts' greatest needs and helps us to discover our purpose in life.”

Children come to orphanages in Mexico because of abuse, neglect, and poverty. Some families are too poor to care for their children. They leave the children home alone while they work out of town and then they are picked up by the Mexican government and placed in orphanages. Sometimes they are left alone during the day if the parents work in town.

Tony, the 10-month-old baby in the photo, was left home alone during the day. His head was flat and dented in the back. He is very snuggly and responding well to the love and attention he receives at Door of Faith Orphanage. Sometimes babies are sent to orphanages when a mother is very young…

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I have been touched personally by two small children from Nepal and Vietnam. Here are the referral photos of my daughters—they were orphans before I adopted them.

What would God’s news headlines be if He were to script today’s top stories? I have no doubt he would urge Christians to take care of the orphans and widows. Over one hundred fifty million children go to bed hungry each night. Many have lost their parents due to aids, starvation, and lack of clean water. Whenever the news covers these heart-wrenching pieces, my heart breaks because the needs are so great. Feeling overwhelmed can paralyze you from doing anything, but one person can make a difference—and you could be that person.

If you would like more information on how you can be God’s loving hands and face to a child—who longs to know Jesus’ love, here are a few links. It doesn’t take a saint to do a heroic act—it only takes a willing servant who says yes to God’s whisper in his heart.



Hope’s Promise http://www.hopespromise.com/

Today my children are normal American kids—the transformation with a little bit of love is amazing!

You can also visit Melissa Main’s blog at http://mainwriters.com/

GUEST POST BY SHELLEY HITZ: Hope Through Suffering

Have you been through difficult times in your life? If so, you are not alone. Jesus says in John 16:33, In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Notice that He doesn’t say that we might have trouble or that if we have enough faith we will escape it. He clearly states that on this side of heaven we will walk through difficult times in our lives.

And yet we have reason to hope.

Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy is Shelley Hitz’s personal journey to finding hope after a tragedy hit her family. However, she did not want this book to be her story alone. Instead, she wants it to be a resource for you to find hope in the midst of your own difficulties. That is why she has added the sections that you will see through the book called, From My Life to Yours, where she includes journaling prompts and reflection questions for you to apply what you are learning to your life. Her prayer is that God leads you to find His hope no matter what you are currently walking through.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit ~ Romans 15:13

What Reviewers are Saying:

“A must-read for anyone who has had storms in their life. I laughed, cried, and got so excited. This book gave me the answers to many of my prayers and showed me the right way to forgive.” - TALoveRocks

“This is a book of hope, trust, faith, forgiveness, and so much more! Highly Recommended!” - Sandra McLeod Humphrey

“Wow! My eyes are full of tears and my heart is full of God's promises to the author and to each of us. Great book!” - Kristie

Shelley Hitz is the author of the book, Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy which you can download for FREE on 8/8/12 and 8/9/12 here: http://www.bodyandsoulpublishing.com/hope. Shelley's main passion is to share God's truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites, and speaking engagements. You can find more about Shelley at www.ShelleyHitz.com. 

LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: The Israel Omen: by David Brennan – “Ten Recent Catastrophes Can Be Associated With One Ongoing Current Event”

What Is It?

1.   October 30, 1991. The Perfect Storm off the New England Coast.

2.   August 24, 1992. Hurricane Andrew strikes South Florida, the fourth most powerful storm to make landfall in the United States.

3.   April 1993 to August 1993. Rains bombard several states and becomes one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

4.   January 17, 1994. Most financially damaging earthquake in U.S. history strikes Los Angeles.

5.   June 5, 2001. Tropical Storm Alice hits the Houston area. Called the “Great Flood of 2001”.

6.   September 10, 2001. 9/11. The worst attack on American soil in U.S. history.

7.   April 30, 2003. Worst weather in U.S. history began on this day.

8.   June 2003 until August 2003. Worst heat wave in over 250 years strikes Europe.

9.   August 23, 2005. Katrina forms in the Gulf and become the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history.

10. Week of July 23, 2007. Financial collapse across the globe.

According to The Israel Omen, by David Brennan, each of the above disasters was associated with an attempt by the U.S. and/or other nations to remove the “Promised Land” from the Jews and give them to the Arabs to establish a Palestinian State. Mr. Brennan has carefully documented the correlations and presented a compelling argument to support his conclusions.

I was studying in Israel from January 1 through January 15, 1991, when the State Department requested all nonessential Americans leave Israel. After being shown how to use a gas mask and shoot nerve gas antidotes into my thigh, I decided I didn’t want that much of an adventure. I took the last flight out of Tel Aviv to Switzerland and went skiing for a few days before returning home. The Persian Gulf War started the day after I left Israel on January 16, 1991.

Often when we visit another country, certain memories are etched in our psyche and become a filter through which we evaluate all future events and information; and so it was with my time in Israel.

Israel is small—too small to be chopped up more than it already is. The Jews live with the looming threat of war and all-out war. They are surrounded by Arab nations that do not like them. The Israelis want to live in peace and would do almost anything to make that happen—except forfeit land given to them by God.

There will never be land for peace because the land is not for the Jews to give. It belongs to God. Nothing angers God more than for world leaders to take what God gave to the Jews, as clearly stated in the Bible, and deliver it to the Arabs on a counterfeit peace platter. There is not any leader in the world that can negotiate a lasting peace in violation of God’s will without suffering under His judgment—as seen in the catastrophes that have happened each time a nation has tried.

While many will refuse to accept the premise given in The Israel Omen, I would encourage Christians to consider this:  Have all the lands given up by the Jews for peace brought peace?

As an American, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for our leaders to be Israel’s staunchest ally. Genesis 12:3 says, “And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

As a Christian, I pray for my Jewish friends, both believers, and unbelievers. Peace starts with me and God gives wisdom to those who ask; and always, hope springs eternal.

To purchase The Israel Omen from Amazon, click here.

THE MAGIC OF THE OLYMPICS: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

The music starts, the drums beat, and the culture of the country sparkles in the dazzling lights. The Olympians burst forth and we wait in anticipation for one of the greatest spectacles in the world to begin. July 27, 2012, London. An estimated 10,500 athletes from 205 countries will be competing.

The Olympics have special meaning for me. I am looking forward to being part of the team of captioners who will be providing closed captioning for the games on television. I also have a more realistic idea of how much work goes into being an Olympian. One of my daughters is a level eight competitive gymnast who has been doing gymnastics since she was four. She spends twenty hours a week in the gym, and I drive her an hour and a half five days a week back and forth. 

Now almost fourteen, I look back through the years at how our lives have been wrapped around her training—and the thousands of dollars spent flying and driving across the country to attend competitions. This year she was the level eight state vault champion for Florida.

Recently we were watching the Olympic trials and I asked her, “How much better than you are they?” She laughed and shook her head. The ones who go to the Olympics truly are the best. I have often thought about what it takes to make it: You have to have a talented coach, parents that are supportive (that’s a biggie because it takes years of preparation to get there), plenty of money, not being injured at critical times, an athlete who is able to receive instruction and criticism, experience crippling failure and never give up; the self-discipline to sacrifice a social life and other typical things that children and teenagers do; the God-given physical and mental ability, and then peaking at the right moment—the Olympics are only held every four years. And probably thrown in there is fate—being in the right place at the appointed time and exposed to the one sport that the individual can excel at, and then having the coach who can transform a gifted athlete into an Olympian, like magic bound up in providence. Of the thousands who aspire to make it, only a few do.

The Bible speaks in I Corinthians 9:25:  “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  I wonder if we were to take our faith as seriously as the Olympians pursue their training, what could we not do?

As I watch the Olympics, I will contemplate the enormity of what athletes can accomplish when they devote themselves to a sport greater than themselves; always amazed that for two weeks every four years, countries will lay down their arms and participate in a tradition that’s as old as Ancient Greece and the Parthenon; that we will sit glued to our television screens esteeming the talents of athletes whose names we can’t pronounce, but wanting to know everything about them; that we will celebrate together all around the world in a mystic tradition of mythic proportion—of diversity, of unity, of beauty, of art, of perfection, of gold.

What humankind can achieve through perseverance and an unquenchable desire to be the best at a sport is pure brilliance. The Olympics is magic in motion, art and destiny intertwined for a few. And for the rest of us, a moment to pause and reflect, living out vicariously the success of the winners—and anyone who competes is a winner. The world will be mesmerized by young men and women who will take our breath away and remind us that in a sense, we are one. We celebrate with them as their brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. 

For a moment we will enter their world and be a part of it. We will cheer them on and applaud broadly, knowing they are truly Olympians. I can’t wait for the games begin!

NOTHING IS HIDDEN IN ALL THE EARTH, Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

By Lorilyn Roberts

A current news story prompted me to ask this question: How much information gets shared on the internet, television, radio, and cell phones? And how many people board an airplane each day? I did some digging and here are some interesting statistics I uncovered.

According to http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technology/, there are 175 million active users on Twitter, which is probably now the fastest way information is disseminated.

1,966,514,816 people use the internet. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/10/three-stats-that-reveal-much-about-our-digital-culture/1#.T9AuTdVrPfU and Wiki.answers.com claims about twelve million people watch television each day. After some extrapolations from information I found on the web, I calculated approximately 261 million Americans listen to the radio each day.

How many cell phones are there in the world? Over 5.6 billion—here is a link that breaks it down by country: http://www.howmanyarethere.org/how-many-mobile-phone-users-in-the-world/

Because this news story involved traveling on a plane, I wondered how many people fly each day? According to answers.ask.com, over three million people board a plane every day.

These figures are mind-boggling, and when you consider there are almost seven billion people in the world, you wonder how one person could be significant. Who am I that God should take note of me in my little corner of the world in Gainesville, Florida?

That brings me to a recent news story out of Canada. I do not want to even mention the man’s name because I don’t want to give him any notoriety, which is what he was seeking, but this man is alleged to have murdered a student from China, cut up his body, and shipped body parts to various schools and government offices in Canada. He then flew to France and later Germany, where he was spotted by an astute internet café employee in Berlin who contacted the local police. He is now sitting in jail awaiting extradition back to Canada.

While the case is horrible, I am committed to finding good out of evil as a Christian news blogger. There is always something God can redeem out of the most tragic stories. But for the networking of all the information that gets shared, what are the chances that this fugitive who fled from Canada, out of a population of seven billion people, would be spotted and recognized by another individual across the Atlantic?

Each of us does matter and is significant to God. How many more people could this murderer (if found guilty of his alleged crime) have hurt were it not for this internet cafe employee in Berlin? I’m sure this man did not wake up that morning and say, “I am going to turn in one of the world’s most sought-after criminals today.”

The Bible says in Daniel 12:4 (ASV):  “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

I take comfort in the fact that we live in a world that is not out of God’s control, that God predicted the world we live in today thousands of years ago, that criminals can’t escape the just governments that God has put in place, and that the increase in knowledge God uses for good. 

If an evil man is able to be spotted by another person on another continent, how much more does God keep His loving and watchful eyes on those who worship Him? I am sure it was not by happenstance that God used this Good Samaritan to catch this fugitive. May we find comfort that nothing escapes an all-knowing God who is everywhere all the time.