He Loves to Be with the Ones He Loves

Holiday travel. It isn't easy. Then why do we do it? Why cram the trunks and endure the airports? You know the answer. We love to be with the ones we love.

The four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of Grandpa.

The cup of coffee with Mom before the rest of the house awakes.

That moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and pumpkin pie.

We love to be with the ones we love.

May I remind you? So does God. He loves to be with the ones he loves. How else do you explain what he did? Between him and us there was a distance--a great span. And he couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand it. So he did something about it.

Before coming to the earth, "Christ himself was like God in every-thing.... But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant" (Phil. 2:6--7 NCV).

Why? Why did Jesus travel so far?

I was asking myself that question when I spotted the squirrels outside my window. A family of black-tailed squirrels has made its home amid the roots of the tree north of my office. We've been neighbors for three years now. They watch me peck the keyboard. I watch them store their nuts and climb the trunk. We're mutually amused. I could watch them all day. Sometimes I do.

But I've never considered becoming one of them. The squirrel world holds no appeal to me. Who wants to sleep next to a hairy rodent with beady eyes? (No comments from you wives who feel you already do.) Give up the Rocky Mountains, bass fishing, weddings, and laughter for a hole in the ground and a diet of dirty nuts? Count me out.

But count Jesus in. What a world he left. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. Earth's finest cuisine would be walnuts on heaven's table. And the idea of becoming a squirrel with claws and tiny teeth and a furry tail? It's nothing compared to God becoming a one-celled embryo and entering the womb of Mary.

But he did. The God of the universe kicked against the wall of a womb, was born into the poverty of a peasant, and spent his first night in the feed trough of a cow. "The Word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14 NRSV). The God of the universe left the glory of heaven and moved into the neighborhood. Our neighborhood! Who could have imagined he would do such a thing.

Why? He loves to be with the ones he loves.

Senses of Autumn  

I touched the Autumn today,
As I walked among God's treasures.
Where multicolored leaves abound,
Bestowing untold pleasures.

I saw the Autumn today.
It called to me unceasingly,
Hurry, come out and play
Before I have to leave thee.

I smelled the Autumn today.
Such a crispness to the air.
It filled my heart and soul;
No other season can be so fair.

I heard the Autumn today.
As the geese overhead flew high,
They were telling me, "It's time,"
And sadly I bid them goodbye.

I tasted Autumn today.
Persimions and possum grapes galore,
Deep purple jelly to see winter through
And fruitbread not found in any store.

Autumn fills the senses;
God meant it to be that way.
He's preparing us for the future;
I wouldn't have it any other way.

Author Unknown

Fill Your Heart with Thanksgiving

Take nothing for granted, for whenever you do
The "joy of enjoying" is lessened for you ~
For we rob our own lives much more than we know
When we fail to respond or in any way show
Our thanks for the blessings that daily are ours . . .
The warmth of the sun, the fragrance of flowers,
The beauty of twilight, the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew on a green velvet lawn,
The kind little deeds so thoughtfully done,
The favors of friends and the love that someone
Unselfishly gives us in a myriad of ways,
Expecting no payment and no words of praise ~
Oh, great is our loss when we no longer find
A thankful response to things of this kind,
For the joy of enjoying and the fullness of living
Are found in the heart that is filled with Thanksgiving.

- Helen Steiner Rice

One Man on One Bicycle

The Birth of a Vision

In 1995, while attending a missions conference in Cape Town, South Africa, I shared a vision I received from the Lord with a group of missions-minded people. The central message of the vision was that I should initiate a ministry that would accelerate the proclamation of the gospel in Africa by giving bicycles to pastors and evangelists who are working in parts of Africa with a very poor transportation infrastructure.

During this missions conference, I met Nic Strydom. He told me about his deep desire to go to an unreached people group. In 1996, Nic met with me and explained the need for bicycles on the large island of Madagascar. He needed "wheels" for the men who travelled great distances for training in EEIII (evangelism) and basic theology.

I immediately responded by giving him bicycles, Heart of Man chart literature and money for Bibles. Wheels for God's Word also donated medicine and medical instruments.

The Sakalava Tribe and Zezele

In early 1997, Nic returned to Madagascar, focusing his evangelization efforts on the Sakalava tribe on the southwest coast of the island. The Sakalava's native faith, animism, plays a major role in their everyday lives.

While integrating himself into the area, Nic met a man by the name of Zezele. Though he belongs to the Merina tribe, Zezele is married to a Sakalava woman. Nic learned that Zezele and his wife, Rose, were the only Christians in a fishing village called Port, known for animistic sacrificial ceremonies and the worship of ancestors.

When Zezele asked the chief of Port for permission to build a small "church" building in the village, the chief refused and threatened him. Instead of giving up, Zezele built a "church" just outside the village. Every Sunday morning, Zezele led his family out of the village to worship in the small hut he had built as a place of worship.

When Nic first visited Port in 1997, he could sense the hostility; the people made it very clear that he was not welcome. Yet, Zezele told Nic, "One day the Lord will fill this church."

The next two years were a trying time for Zezele and his family. Angry villagers burned down his house, cut his canoe to pieces and destroyed his fishing nets. His life was made miserable on a daily basis. But, through it all, Zezele refused to leave the village. He was only more determined to serve the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Nic invited Zezele to take Christian courses to strengthen his faith and Christian witness. Initially, Zezele had to walk 40 miles to Belo to be trained. On Sundays, he continued to worship in his "church," with only himself and his family present. He never stopped sharing the gospel with his community and had a desire to share the gospel with people in villages in the surrounding area. However, he could not cover this area (a radius of 40 miles) by foot.

The Breakthrough

In 2000, Nic again requested more bicycles and literature for his ministry. One of these bicycles was given to Zezele. For the first time, Zezele had a means of transportation and could travel to Belo more frequently for his theological studies. The bicycle also had a profound impact on his evangelization ministry in Port and the surrounding villages.

Then, something wonderful started to happen. The Spirit of the Lord began to move in the people of the village. Zezele's faith and steadfastness in the Lord was rewarded, and some villagers accepted the gospel. The community's attitude toward him began to change.

In 2001, Nic visited Port. As he entered the village, he could clearly sense the change in the village. The residents made him feel welcome. He encountered a totally different spirit in the village than the previous times he had visited. However, the best was still to come.

The next year, Zezele informed Nic that he had a surprise for him and invited him to Port. On the Sunday morning when Nic arrived, Zezele was smiling broadly with his Bible in his hand. The scene that awaited Nic will remain with him for the rest of his life. The church?made of grass and reeds?was full of singing people, praising the Lord.

Nic was overjoyed; thankfulness filled his heart. He praised the Lord and asked God to give him the perseverance that he saw in Zezele. For nearly three years, only Zezele and his family worshiped God in the little church outside the village. But, ultimately, their persistence in praising the Lord?despite and in the midst of difficult circumstances?paid off.

Since 2002, things have changed rapidly. Zezele has been chosen as chief of the village and the surrounding area. The church has become too small, and souls are continually added to the congregation.

Today, there is a church is Port, even though it was forbidden in the past. Zezele is busy with his formal theological training, and Nic has free access to the village and surrounding villages.

Where satanic rituals, witchcraft and demonization were once a major problem, people are now being set free by the Spirit of God. The people are attending church services, cell group meetings and discipleship training classes.

However, Zezele is still the only one ministering in this area and needs help urgently.

Raymond Lombard
Director of Wheels for God's Word

. . . . .
2007 Church of God World Missions

DISCLAIMER: Church of God and Faith News does not necessarily endorse or sanction all or any part of this news item.

A Child’s Thought Of God

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

They say that God lives very high;

But if you look above the pines

You cannot see our God; and why?

And if you dig down in the mines,

You never see Him in the gold,

Though from Him all that’s glory shines.

God is so good, He wears a fold

Of heaven and earth across His face,

Like secrets kept, for love, untold.

But still I feel that His embrace

Slides down by thrills, through all things made,

Through sight and sound of every place;

As if my tender mother laid

On my shut lids her kisses’ pressure,

Half waking me at night, and said,

“Who kissed you through the dark, dear guesser?”

“Henry Wadsworth Longfellow didn’t feel in much of a holiday mood either when he heard the bells on Christmas Eve during the Civil War. His wife had been killed in a house fire in 1861 and his son had been critically wounded in the War in December 1863. The famous poet is believed to have penned the following words in 1864:”

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,
‘For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.’

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

“Longfellow’s hope was in the One who originally wished, “Peace on earth, goodwill to all people on whom His favor rests.”

May the Lord bless you with His peace this Christmas, and all through the New Year!

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

It came upon a midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth

to touch their harps of gold:

'Peace on the earth, good will to men,

from heaven's all-gracious King!'

The world in solemn stillness lay

to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come

with peaceful wings unfurled;

and still their heavenly music floats

o'er all the weary world;

above its sad and lowly plains

they bend on hovering wing,

and ever o'er its Babel sounds

the blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long;

beneath the angel strain have rolled

two thousands years of wrong;

and man, at war with man, hears not

the love song which they bring;

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

and hear the angels sing.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

Oh come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

come and behold him, born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

God of God, light of light,

lo, he abhors not the virgin's womb;

very God, begotten not created:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,

sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;

glory to God in the highest:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

See how the shepards summoned to his cradel,

leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;

we too will thither hend our joyful footsteps;

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;

Jesus, to thee be glory given;

word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

What Child Is This?

What child is this, who, laid to rest

On Mary's lap, is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring him laud,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,

Come peasant king to own Him,

The King of kings, salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise the song on high,

The Virgin sings her lullaby:

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Away In A Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head,

The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,

the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,

and stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay

close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in your tender care,

and take us to heaven, to live with you there.

Joy To the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:

let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room,

and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:

let men their songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks,hills and plains

repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground:

he comes to make his blessings flow

far as the curse is found.

He rules the earth with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousnes

and wonders of his love.