A Place for - Peace - Law - http://maxpages.com/prisonministry/Silence

MerryMail
Issue #61

Dear Readers, Today's issue is dedicated to this country and all those around the world who have been brought to the point of need by this unspeakable act of terrorism, especially the families who are struggling with grief over the loss of a member of their family. I realize that some places in this world may find this type of thing commonplace, but this country has been fairly free of such incidents so that when it occurs we find ourselves overwhelmed.
I pray that all of us will remember that God is in control and that He can turn even this into good. I pray that the citizens of this country think of one thing--Vengeance is God's, NOT ours. He knows what needs to be done and I pray He guides our leaders to do what is needed. I also pray, and ask each of you to support this prayer, that no one let hatred take root in their heart. For hatred breeds more evil. God loved us all enough to allow His Son to pay the price for our sin. Do not allow your pain to prod you to cause pain to innocent persons because they are either Middle Eastern or of the Muslim faith. Only those who did this-- did this. ALL persons of Arabic or Muslim origin are not responsible for this. Allow God to fill your hearts with HIS love, because HE DOES LOVE THEM TOO.
Now let us go to:
SITES TO SEE

http://lightacandle.sol.dk/
Go here and light a candle for the end of
terrorism, for the families in crisis, for freedom,
for what ever this disastrous event brings to
your heart. Let the light of God shine.
http://www.justsaygive.com/view_flash.cfm
Go here and join in prayer for this country in this time
of need. Pray for the world and for its need for love
and forgiveness.
http://www.geocities.com/auntlinda1948/
Go here and read a tear wrenching story of a
beautiful young lady who has gone to her
Heavenly Father. Be sure to bring along your
box of tissues. I needed them.
http://www.geocities.com/mduning/index.html
If you have pets you will like this site. Go and click
on Puddin's site and enjoy your visit. Of course you
should visit Marsha while your there.
http://pages.ivillage.com/cl-hugbearu2/slp/
Nice site. Get to know Marie and share with her
and pray with her. She, like many of us, can use
all the prayers you can give. I think you will like her
site.
http://members.tripod.com/~d-ritenour/Scripts.html
Visit Dino's place and find some nice things to use on your
website. Get some help with html. Find some nice pictures.

GUEST CONTRIBUTIONS
HATRED IS UNWORTHY OF US
FROM THE MIAMI HERALD By Leonard Pitts

Episodes from the aftermath of tragedy:
In Irving, Texas, someone fires shots into the Islamic Center.
In Chicago, a passerby threatens violence against an Arab man.

The sad and awful truth is, you knew this was coming. Could have predicted it the moment four stolen planes plowed into a nation's heart. This is, after all, a troubling strain of our national personality that rises reliably to the surface in moments like this.

During the first world war. Americans of German heritage were widely treated as traitors and spies. During the Second World War, Americans of Japanese heritage were rounded up by the government and interned. During the Iranian hostage crisis, Americans of Middle Eastern heritage were reviled amid loose talk of deportation. And Tuesday afternoon, a friend of mine--though in that moment, I was embarrassed to call him that--said we should search our everyone in this country from the Middle East and send them back home.

In the wake of sentiments like those and against the backdrop of our history, let me say just one thing to my sister and brother Americans.

Don't, Please don't.

Do not give terrorist the victory a hundred Pentagons and a thousand World Trade Centers could not. Hatred on account of culture or religion is unworthy of us at any time. But in the wake of Tuesday's events, it's tantamount to giving aid and comfort to the enemy, a group of thugs who tried to bring us down to their level, make us just like them.

I'm reminded of something I heard a man say on the radio Wednesday morning: that it's important that we save Americans but also important that we save America.

As we grapple with the unthinkable, it occurs to me that his observation, which came and went in the media maelstrom of experts and pundits, encapsulates much of what is ultimately at stake here. Meaning human lives, yes. But also that which ennobles them.

As these words are written, brave and sweat-streaked women and men sift the rubble of iconic office buildings in Manhattan and greater Washington and a crash site in the Pennsylvania countryside. The work of saving America continues apace.

But the work of saving America is a trickier, knottier task whose results are less readily seen. Because it is the work of saving an ideal and an identity, preserving- and uplifting- the best of who we are. Meaning, an experiment in individual liberty, a research project in human tolerance, a people bound to one another not by blood but by fealty to an extraordinary ideal.

And if you don't understand that ideal, well....you could pore over the Constitution, you could read thoughts of Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King. Or, you could simply recall the five words at the end of the pledge we once said as children, "Liberty, And Justice For All."

In this moment when emotions are high, it seems prudent-vital-that we stop and remind ourselves of what is meant by "all".

Every one of us, no one left out. We are not a nation that is only white or only Christian. We're a people of rainbow hues and multiple faiths.

If that heritage has taught us nothing else by now, it should have taught us this: It's ignorant to think you can judge a man's soul by looking at his face. Yes, I saw Arabs cheering our pain in the West Bank. I also saw them issuing condemnations in Washington.

Take it as a reminder: The enemy is not Arab people or the Muslim religion. The enemy is fanaticism, extremism, intolerance, hate. The madmen who commandeered those planes don't represent the followers of Islam any more than the madmen who blow up abortion clinics represent the followers of Christ.

Yes, we're angry. We're supposed to be angry. We have a right to be angry. But at the same time, we must be wary of the places to which we allow anger to bring us.

If we let it deliver us to the doorstep of fanaticism, extremism, intolerance, hate, we might as well give up now. Because everything that matters has already been lost.
Published Thursday, September 13, 2001

POETRY CORNER
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT US
AND FOR WE WHO WILL MISS THEM
WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME
Sent by Marie Elena Mastro Author unknown to me

When tomorrow starts without me And I'm not there to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes are filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry the way you did today
While thinking of the many things We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me, As much as I love you
And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand
That an angel came to get me, and took me by the hand.

And when my place was ready In Heaven far above.
And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away, A tear fell from my eye.
For all my life, I'd always thought I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for, So much left yet to do
It seemed almost impossible That I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays, The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized that this could never be.
For emptiness and memories would take the place for me.

And when I walked through Heaven's gates I felt so much at home
When God looked down and smiled at me from His great golden throne.
He said, "This is eternity and all I've promised you.
Today your life on earth is past but here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last,
And since each day's the same way, there's no longing for the past.
You have been so faithful, so trusting and so true,
Though there were times you did some things, you knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven, And now at last your free
So won't you come and take My hand and share My live with me?"
So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart
For every time you think of me, I'm right here in your heart.

FROM THE WORD OF GOD

Psalm 27: 1-3 "The Lord is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life
of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against
me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack
me, they will stumble and fall. Though and army besiege me
my heart will not fear; though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident."

The tragedy that America has experienced this past week has caused me to search God's Word for comfort. The above verses reached out to my heart.
God is truly my light and salvation. He is in control. Though evil men attack my world, I need not be afraid because I am His child. Jesus is my shield and my protection. I do not need to fear the evil around me if I trust in Him.

I weep inside for those who do not know Jesus in an intimate, personal way. Their pain must be so great without Him to buffer the agony they feel, to reassure those who have lost loved ones in such a way. I am watching as God works in this tragedy. I am seeing Him bring this country back to Him. I am seeing individual people recognize their need of Him and I am seeing the regret in peoples faces who have turned from God.

I thank God for His love that is so great that He longs for us to turn from our wickedness and remember Him who created us to be His. Be comforted for if we seek Him, He will be there.

Please, dear readers, spend time in prayer daily. Seek God's face often. Reach out to your neighbors and give comfort that God has given you. And above all TRUST GOD FOR HE IS IN CONTROL

I will end this issue with the following poem sent to me by Jo Huppatz

MILLENNIAL SOLDIER
Author unknown
As we march into the millennium
Let God's people stand and roar
Jesus Christ is coming back
It's time to go to war
Don't let your neighbor burn in hell
God's Word he needs to hear
Stand up you mighty army
Hold forth your shield and spear

March on in ranks united
Salvation is our goal
Let no distraction take you
God's love they need to know
So rise up anointed army
God's power is in your hands
Reach out into your nations
Bring His victory to your land
Then shall God's voice go forth
And speak to the hearts of men
Grace, mercy and salvation
Through the blood of the Risen Lamb

.
Blessings and Love

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MINISTER’S MUSINGS

"For in the time of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." Psalm 27:5

It’s a strange feeling. Gates through two high fences slam shut with a loud clang. Armed guards watch from their posts as you enter the visiting area.

Although the day is warm, you feel a chill .... a sense of foreboding. Several things remind that you’re on Death Row in Texas. More than 400 people here are waiting to be killed.

A few feet away from you, a mother breaks down in pitiful crying. Guards have just announced that her visiting time is over. She’s talked the last time with her son – through a glass partition – never allowed to touch him. He will die that afternoon at six o’clock. Words to comfort her are hard to find.

In that grim setting, you wait for the prisoner you’ll visit to be brought in. Uneasy with the delay, you pace the floor.

Then, looking through a tiny window, you notice it. Rolls of razor wire are coiled around the top of the fence. Dangerous, sharp, threatening, this wire is designed to seriously injure any who would try to cross it. It stands as a symbol of bondage, fear and loss of freedom.

But look! There’s a bird’s nest. It’s been built by fat little birds inside the wire. They twitter and chirp while freely coming and going. They’ve built a safe happy place right on death row. They see razor wire – not as a threat – but as a safe place to nest.

You reflect on how amazing it is that God gave these feathered friends the ability to take terror and transform it into shelter.

You’re reminded of the Psalmist’s words, "You prepare a table before me – in the presence of my enemies." In the very proximity of what frightens and destroys; God provides safety for those whose trust is in Him.

Throughout the Bible, are numerous examples of God’s providing security in the midst of trouble.

He teaches that when life hands us a lemon, we can make lemonade of it. Surroundings may be tough, but God helps us use them to our advantage.

After Joseph had been left to die in a cistern, then sold as a slave by his own brothers; he later became Prime Minister of Egypt. One day those brothers stood trembling before him while he held the power of life or death over them. They feared the worst. Joseph said, "You meant it for evil, but God intended it for good." He’d learned to build a nest of faith in God – even though surrounded by their razor wire!

Our attitude toward trial determines whether it becomes enslaving or liberating. We have the options of being scared away by the razor wire or building a nest despite it.

Stumbling blocks may be turned into stepping stones.

God can help you turn razor wire into a nesting place.

Rev. Albert Maggard, Pastor

First Pentecostal Holiness Church

1700 Alcock – P O Box 1451

Pampa TX 79066-1451

Phone: 806-665-8192

Fax #: 806-669-2375

e-mail: alandmary@netjava.com

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Dove Prison Ministry International
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Page Updated Mon Sep 17, 2001 1:47pm EDT