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2013
2013: A Year of Deep Darkness, Division, Doors and God who is Near (January, 50k)
Why do you weep? You weep for the woes that are coming upon the earth—deep darkness covering as a dark cloud. [Job 12; Daniel 2:20-23; Deut. 4:11, e.g.]
And who will find Me in the darkness? And who will grope for Me, seeking My Presence? [Genesis 15:12;
Exodus 10:21-23; Exodus 14:20ff; Psalm 18; Psalm 107]....Who Rules the World? (February 2013, 80k)
Do a search on “who rules the world” and all kinds of interesting answers pop up, everything from the Rothschilds to the Illuminati to Rupert Murdoch to the United Nations to the Bilderberg Group to whoever is the current President of the United States to China, an emerging power. But what did Jesus say?...
2012
Hello, everyone. I have just returned from the Asia mission. The call of God took our MCM mission team to seven nations throughout Asia. We are sent to bring healing and restoration to the body of Christ, to prepare the Bride for the return of Jesus, and to call the nations, wherever God sends us, to repentance and to resurrection...
This particular mission involved breaking ancient strongholds, breaking the powers of Leviathan and the red dragon, breaking the power of shame, among other things, and bringing the word of the Lord to bear fruit as He pleases in the region. This mission had high...
On October 13, 2009 I received the following as part of a larger “word” which I believe to be of the Holy Spirit:
But now I send you back to Asia to counter and uproot ancient strongholds in My Name. I go before you to prepare the way. The area is dark with violence, murder, soul sleep, idolatry, shedding of innocent blood, blood sport, uncleanness, vile behavior. These lay dead in their pride; their proud hearts puffing as they strut along ancient paths of abominations, divination, demonic wisdom....
Over the past 18 to 19 years God has sent me and MCM mission teams to 75 nations with a call to bring healing and restoration to the Body of Christ, to prepare the Bride of Christ for His return, and to go to the nations where sent, calling them to repentance, to judgment, to resurrection, and to restoration. At first the “strategy” for the nations was short; but with each successive obedience, the strategy has grown and expanded. [“Do not look to the honor, but tend to the responsibility.” Charles Spurgeon] These days it takes many months and many people praying through Scripture, declaring out Scripture, researching regions of the world, fasting as called, and bringing a mission to completion. Even withal, we trust in God Himself completing and finishing what He desires and purposes concerning the nations.
MCM is a spiritual warfare ministry. We do other things as well, like our Barnabas Project distributions and Craighouse ® Christian Fellowship, but spiritual warfare is a main part of Mary Craig Ministries. It makes little sense to people unless they believe in a Sovereign God who is in control of history, in Jesus Christ as Ruler over the kings of the earth and who is Himself King of kings and Lord of lords, seated far above principalities and powers. It takes believing that the battle is spiritual (Ephesians 6) and one of Truth overcoming lies. It takes believing in a heavenly host, the armies of the Living God, an unseen army commanded by the Lord of Hosts. It takes obedience. It takes studying God’s Word and prophetic intercession and moving out in apostolic authority as given by the Living God.
Right now God is preparing a holy people, a holy Bride, a holy temple, a fruitful bough to dwell with Him forever. He is purifying His people. And so, I and the MCM mission team, walked into Central America crowned with glory; the glory of the LORD surrounding us and being our rear guard. For example, Olivia in Honduras recognized the Spirit of the Lord upon us and joined us, touched by the power of God as we called in Honduras. A man on a bus ride heard about the atoning work of Jesus Christ and was challenged to grow in his relationship with Christ. Many others heard the gospel as well; and some wondered as God stopped the rain in every country to which we went in answer to prayer. All were divine appintments....
After teaching Bible for 16 years and counseling as a Christian counselor for seven years, I found myself standing in our living room facing the 8,000 member church we were serving at the time. I was exasperated, disillusioned, disappointed, and fed up with what I knew was a growing cancer in the church. So I cried out to God, “I want out of this church. I want out of Christianity. And if the covenant with Jesus Christ can be broken, I want it broken.” God answered that prayer, just not as I thought....
People were bringing their little children to Jesus so that He would put His hands on them, and pray. The disciples rebuked these people; but Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid His hands on them, and departed thence. Matthew 19:13-15
It’s important for parents and extended family (including the family of God) to rear children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 sits in a passage dealing with remembering God every day and tells us what to do:
And these words, which I command you this day,
Shall be in your heart: and you shall teach them diligently
To your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
And when you lie down, and when you rise up.
In the course of everyday life we are to teach, tell, show, and example to children the Word of God and Jesus, the Living Word.
You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18–21)
A ransom is something that is paid to provide for the release of someone who is held captive. Jesus paid our ransom to free us from sin, death, and hell.
...It's not enough to understand the message of Malachi. We must change to conform to what God wants of us. Failure and apathy in certain areas of our relationship with God overshadow the other things we might be doing right. Our awesome God wants to bless His people; so out of love, He speaks.
Malachi is one continual, scathing rebuke from beginning to end from the God who loves and saves His people. It is out of God’s grace that He warns through His prophets in order that they might repent and return to Him in order that He might bless them. Thus, Malachi presents the indictment of the Lord and warns of God’s curse. Malachi’s audience lived in moral degradation and indifference to their spiritual condition. He comes against the people’s objections and protests (which are actually prayers) in forcible and unbending terms (Malachi 1:2-5; 2:14-17; 3:7-13). He comes with this burden of the word of the LORD sometime after Nehemiah. The reconstruction of the temple had been completed long enough for abuses to creep in, for corruption to spread, for people to ignore the ways of the LORD.
We began The Barnabas Project in 2003 with David Patten as Director to provide encouragement and hope, a “lift,” to forgotten people groups and communities in South Florida. These free distributions of goods and sometimes food have helped a thousand families or more and demonstrate God’s free grace and goodness to all in some ways.
Over the years we have seen “the times.” We’ve seen donations of goods nearly dry up two years ago as people feared for the future. We’ve seen abundance as Christians give and then give more to help families in crisis. We’ve seen the increase in homelessness, anxiety, consternation, and frustration as families find that small businesses, and even large ones, cannot make it under so many regulations and demands. We’ve seen people reaching out, again and again, to those in need.
But then there comes a Barnabas distribution like the one we just finished in Jupiter, Florida, at the El Sol Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center....
We began The Barnabas Project in 2003 with David Patten as Director to provide encouragement and hope, a “lift,” to forgotten people groups and communities in South Florida. These free distributions of goods and sometimes food have helped a thousand families or more and demonstrate God’s free grace and goodness to all in some ways.
Over the years we have seen “the times.” We’ve seen donations of goods nearly dry up two years ago as people feared for the future. We’ve seen abundance as Christians give and then give more to help families in crisis. We’ve seen the increase in homelessness, anxiety, consternation, and frustration as families find that small businesses, and even large ones, cannot make it under so many regulations and demands. We’ve seen people reaching out, again and again, to those in need.
But then there comes a Barnabas distribution like the one we just finished in Jupiter, Florida, at the El Sol Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center....
Who doesn’t want family and friends? God has put that desire within us to have both. God is a Father, a heavenly Father, and has a family of His own and has people He calls His friend. The true God wants us to know how to be adopted into His family and how to have fellowship with Him and with the others in His family.
It begins with a messenger introducing us to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Why? Because we need to meet the Lamb in order to find fellowship in the family of God the Father....
Many people right now have had their dreams dashed, their hopes harnessed by crushing oppression, and their lives languishing in a learned helplessness. As dependence upon government or some other source is encouraged and more folks choose to trust those sources over God, everything may seem like getting over and getting free stuff, but at what price? I think that price is bondage; everything is free but the person.
The thing about God is that freedom in Christ is not about personal freedom, the freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want. It’s a freedom that comes as we submit (under-with) to God’s perfect will for our lives. As we trust with a hearty reliance upon the Living God and find Truth in Him, we find that God as Giver and Source of all Life and Blessing has only our best interests in His heart.
One doesn’t need to be much of a history buff to realize the influence of God and His people on the course of world history, the USA included. We see that influence throughout the Scriptures, from Abraham’s discourse with God over Sodom and Gomorrah to Esther’s influence, to David coming to the understanding that he may be the king, but he was not above the Law. We see influence for evil in King Ahab, but influence for good by Nehemiah (cupbearer to the king). We also see Jesus telling folks, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar, and unto God what is God’s.” We see secular rulers, like Cyrus of Persia, being used by God for God’s purposes, such that God designated him His anointed servant (Isaiah 45). Caesar Augustus ordered the census, being used by God to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem in fulfillment of prophecy. Even Nero was used by God as he presided over the Roman Empire, an empire that allowed the spread of the gospel....MCM World Missions Jerusalem Report December 2012
The sixth call to Jerusalem/Israel came January 20, 2012. It concerned war coming, people crying “how long” and God saying “how long.” It concerned God’s controversy with His people, His walking the streets of Jerusalem and going into every nook and cranny as El Roi searching, like Nehemiah making an assessment, and a visitation, about God coming as a Refiner’s Fire to purify His people [the elect]. Egypt comes up in these words received. Jesus comes as sovereign savior. Psalm 2 and Isaiah 30 figure into these words, Isaiah 40 and God as Jehovah Makkeh, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Gibbor, Flame of Yah, and many others....Chistmas, Christ and Sandy Hook (Dec 137k)
Senseless tragedies like that at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, touch us to the core. We move through learned responses of grief—balloons loosed into the air, memorial places with flowers, candles, pictures, and stuffed animals. We hold vigils, dinners, and church services. We talk about taking action so that “it never happens again” and ways to remember those lost to the growing violence in our nation. It’s especially heinous when death and destruction come during what should be happy times, like Christmas.
I heard one doctor on TV say that the trouble with Christmas was religion, that we needed to get rid of religion and just have gift-giving, family time, good food and friends, and all the lights and glitter; what! Just forget the Christ of Christmas? Another doctor referred to letting the psychologists and psychiatrists deal with tragedies. They have medications available, and grief counselors—this in response to a question about the role of the clergy in the Sandy Hook School Shooting.
People know, however, that through the grief, through the senseless tragedy of evil, they must find safety. We MUST find the One, True, and Living God. We must find hope in our faith in order to overcome evil with good.A Chraighouse Christmas (Dec 167k)
Christmas has gotten extremely secular over the years, but people still love the carols that proclaim the birth of Jesus Christ with joy to the world.
After just one of the best buffet dinners ever at Craighouse®, eighteen or nineteen of us carpooled to this beautiful house on the intracoastal in Pompano Beach, FL, all decorated for Christmas....
2011
Hello, everyone. I have just returned from the Asia mission. The call of God took our MCM mission team to seven nations throughout Asia. We are sent to bring healing and restoration to the body of Christ, to prepare the Bride for the return of Jesus, and to call the nations, wherever God sends us, to repentance and to resurrection...
This particular mission involved breaking ancient strongholds, breaking the powers of Leviathan and the red dragon, breaking the power of shame, among other things, and bringing the word of the Lord to bear fruit as He pleases in the region. This mission had high...
On October 13, 2009 I received the following as part of a larger “word” which I believe to be of the Holy Spirit:
But now I send you back to Asia to counter and uproot ancient strongholds in My Name. I go before you to prepare the way. The area is dark with violence, murder, soul sleep, idolatry, shedding of innocent blood, blood sport, uncleanness, vile behavior. These lay dead in their pride; their proud hearts puffing as they strut along ancient paths of abominations, divination, demonic wisdom....
When we’re born again, saved, we enter a personal relationship with God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This relationship grows over the years and for its life depends upon the Word of God, communicating with God (prayer), and God’s grace and faithfulness. It’s a love relationship, and so, I think it appropriate this month to talk with you about growing your relationship with a holy God. Actually, it’s what the Holy Spirit asked me to do.
I don’t know when it is in a person’s life when the truth about God’s power hits home. For me it was during a time of squeezing pressure, a time when I felt like a rag doll with all the stuffing gone. The circumstances are unimportant for you; only the feeling of the moment. I think you can identify.
Anyway, it was at this time that I would end my gut-wrenching prayers to God with, “But You said…” As I did this in my frustration, I began to notice something. This thought kept coming back to me: God’s Word doesn’t return to Him void. There’s power in the Word of God....
Back in February of 2003 I had this which I believe I received from the Holy Spirit for the body of Christ—
I, the LORD, am in the midst of your life, in the midst of your day, in the midst of your nights, in the midst. I was, I will be, I am in your midst, a sure hope and foundation. I am He who was and is and will be....
To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…this was the cry of Paul’s heart. Paul wanted to be made conformable unto Jesus’ death that if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He hadn’t already attained, and he knew he wasn’t perfect, for he was on the path. He desired to apprehend that for which also he was apprehended of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.10-13)
The way to life is through death....
Thinking about Christ’s resurrection this year, I couldn’t get much past John 19.41.
Now in the place where He was crucified
There was a garden; and in the garden
A new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid.
I’ve been to Jerusalem and will be heading back there in a few days in answer to the fifth call to Israel. (Go to www.marycraig.org for more on the Israel mission.) I’ve been to the place similar to where Jesus is said to have been buried and to the nearby garden. This year, though, I just kept thinking about God and gardens.....
The sky was hazy as the sun was just starting to rise over the Sea of Galilee. The birds were singing, lots of them. It reminded me of something the Holy Spirit said to my husband, Pastor Jim, concerning a previous mission to Israel. “I will meet you in the Galilee.” I am reminded of Pastor Jim’s sermon just before leaving on this current mission about Jesus the Messiah being the Everlasting Father of Isaiah 9, the meeting place, the place where we meet the Father, the Father who meets. I think of the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Meeting. It is cool, the weather. The music of the birds seems to be trying to tell people how much Jesus loved this place where so much happened....
This is a God story. I was in college (so was our son). The class was Greek and Roman Philosophy. Next to me sat a young woman. One side of her head was shaved; on the other side, her hair came down to the nape of her neck. We had little in common, but somehow she was drawn to talk with me. She would track me down in the cafeteria. It turned out that she was a highly skilled cardiac surgical nurse, and she would tell me about how many “hearts” the doctor and their team had worked on and how it all went. We shared, talking and listening, over several weeks. I don’t know what did it, but after awhile she started letting the shaved side of her hair grow in. She looked softer, but I wondered about her heart.
One day Emily came bounding into the cafeteria, walked straight up to me and said, “I know you are a Christian. I know you know how a person can get saved. You have to tell me right now!” I went through the gospel of Jesus Christ with her step by step, and as she prayed to receive Christ, it was obvious that the Holy Spirit had already been working in her life.....
Some themes have been developing in the last few weeks amid all the tension that continues throughout 2011. We’re facing in the nation and in our world disasters and destruction, disappointments and dismay at unprecedented levels. Our news is filled with talk about the debt crisis, the lowering of U.S. credit ratings, riots in London, record-breaking heat, and the deepening tragedy of those fallen in Afghanistan. Hope and change has fast become hopelessness and spiraling deficiencies in all areas of life.
The spoiler is at work. We know we have been battling Apollyon, the king over death and destruction, since 2009. This “king” spirit joins with Leviathan, king over the children of pride, and the king of torment to forge a formidable foe. The spoiler goes forth to plunder, loot, ruin, devour, destroy, rob, assault, etc.
My first encounter with the Holy Spirit was September 27, 1972, from midnight to 1:00 a.m. A battle raged over my soul between the Lord and Satan; I knew it. I collapsed under the power of the Spirit, and heard, “Mary, be still and know that I am God. I am the Living Spirit and I have come to live within you. You have died, but because I live, you live…” That launched me from being merely a churchgoer (4 to 5 times a week) to being truly “saved.” I was apprehended by Jesus Christ that night.
I had been slain by the Spirit. A death blow to my human nature, to my sin nature had occurred, and I was being raised into new life in Christ. I didn’t know the Holy Spirit, really; but He knew me.
We talk about how we want a deeper relationship with God. It’s “big” right now. We talk about wanting the power of God active in our lives. We talk about wanting to get closer to Jesus. We talk less about desiring holiness and how the Holy Spirit works to bring us closer to Jesus, increasing the power of the Spirit in our lives, etc.
So…we’re going to talk about it with some help from Andrew Murray and his book, The Secret of Spiritual Strength.
Hebrews 9.14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” If we are going to understand a new dimension of life in Christ we must understand the power of the Cross. The Cross of Christ is the highest expression of the Spirit of Christ. We must come to know the Spirit who led Christ to the Cross to truly know Jesus. Obedience and self-denial are what distinguished Jesus from everyone in heaven and earth. Obedience and self-denial are what qualified Him as Mediator on the throne throughout eternity....
Some years back I determined to take each person in my family and make a list of 20 things for which I thanked God about them. This was easier for some than others! In fact, at the time, I was having difficulty being thankful for my father and how I was raised, etc. Yet I set myself to the task and through it God showed me how he had used my upbringing to instill self-discipline, a strong work ethic, perseverance, a solution-oriented outlook, and a “can do” attitude toward life. When I gave the list of my 20 things to my father on Thanksgiving Day that year, he looked at it, read it, and put it in his pocket. He didn’t say anything; but I knew he appreciated it because he kept it. God did a work through this, both in me and in my father.
So I am saddened by the trend today in our culture. Many move right from their celebrations of Halloween or compromise with it to preparing for Christmas. The stores around me have already decorated for Christmas and are out to get the profits from the biggest money day of the year. With Halloween being second, I suppose it is to keep that spending rolling along. Thanksgiving is more and more a bump in the road, and more about food and football (and okay, family and friends) than about giving thanks to God. (By the way, it’s legal now to say Almighty God; aren’t you glad?)....
Recently I couldn’t sleep. I had spent most of the day writing the MCM Message for December on Jesus being the Son of the Highest. I was thinking about what God had shown me as I prepared that message. 3:00 a.m. and I am still awake. 4:00 a.m. the Holy Spirit speaks for two hours. He is speaking about Mary the mother of Jesus. He speaks also of 2012. This is what I believe I received from the Holy Spirit that early morning, November 16, 2011.
“Mary was pregnant with promise. She carried within her the Messiah, the One who would sit on the throne of David with a kingdom to be established forever. This Son of the Highest would rule with authority and dominion over heaven and earth, life and death, kings and kingdoms, powers and principalities.
Within her was the Child of the Holy Spirit, the Child of promise, the One of whom the prophets foretold, the fulfillment of the Word of God, Himself to be Immanuel, God with us.”.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:
For you have found favor with God. And
Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth
A son, and shall call His name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and
Of His kingdom there shall be no end….The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also
That holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the
Son of God. Luke 1.30-35“Mary would labor as every woman labors to bring forth new life from within her. This baby would be born surrounded by love, announced by angels, feared by devils, worshipped as King of kings.”........
2010
Here in the USA we associate February with love; more particularly, we associate Valentine’s Day with romance, but that wasn’t always the case. The word “valentine” has two meanings. It can refer to a card sent or given to a loved one on Valentine’s Day and it can also indicate any particular person chosen to receive a greeting on or around Valentine’s Day.
The original Valentine was a priest who came to the rescue of young Roman soldiers forbidden by Emperor Claudius II to marry; Claudius determined that marriage of soldiers was an impediment to a strong national defense. Valentine secretly married soldiers, but when Claudius heard of it, he arrested Valentine. Valentine refused to obey two royal orders and so an incensed emperor ordered Valentine’s execution
It is purported that while in prison awaiting his execution, Valentine restored the sight of his jailor’s daughter through his strong faith in the Lord. A friendship developed, and just before his death, Valentine took up pen and paper from his jailor, Asterius, to write a farewell message to Asterius’ daughter. He signed it “From Your Valentine.” The phrase endured. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 A.D.
Soon people created a holiday to commemorate Valentine. Originally, the Day did not center on passionate or romantic love, but on agape or Christian love. It wasn’t until the 14th century that the Day became associated with romantic love....
Maybe you’ve heard of the five love languages, the five ways in which love is communicated. I have put them into “T” words to remember them better: Talk (words of affirmation); Time; Tokens (gifts); Tender Loving Care (acts of service); and Touch.
What to you communicates love? Maybe you want to hear “I love you,” and someone else wants to see a little “tender loving care” in acts of service. Someone else might respond to a hug while another wants to taste that chocolate or smell the fragrance of “love.” We speak and show love with our
physical senses as well as with our minds. So we may respond with: “Sounds good.” “Feels good.” “Looks good.” “I smell love in the air.” “I can’t stomach that. Can you?”
Our testimony encourages others; but the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Our faith might move mountains; but consider the faith of Jesus, what He knows to be true.
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
“I am the bread of life…I am the living bread.”
“I am the light of the world.”
“I am the door; by Me if any one enter in, he shall be saved…”
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”
I am the resurrection and the life.”
“I am the true vine.”
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which
Is and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
“I am the first and the last: I am He which lives, and was dead;
And behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have
The keys of hell and of death.”....
We talk about true Christian fellowship, getting together and having Jesus as the center of our conversation. We talk about spending time with God in prayer. We talk about getting away, coming apart from the busyness of our daily lives, going off alone to meet with God. Sometimes, you just have to plan it; and so we did.
Saturday, May 15th, a group of us from MCM met at Fern Forest Park in Coconut Creek, FL for a half day in prayer. We showed up with our water bottles, a few snacks, sun screen lotion, Bibles, note pads and pens, journals, maybe a favorite devotional book, a watch, song sheets, and whatever else we thought to bring, like maybe a family or personal budget or calendar....
Fourth of July. Behind our house is an apartment complex, in particular, the pool and patio area. Our neighbors enjoy holiday weekends with barbecues, beer, swimming, talk about sports, and setting off small fireworks that scare the kids and cause the dogs to bark and the cats to take cover under a rug. The party continues over any long weekend, and as it goes, the cursing and vulgarity increases with the alcohol intake and the anger level escalates, sometimes to having the police called to settle some domestic dispute or other. It makes for sordid entertainment for some, I suppose; but in another way, it’s sad. Is life just a party? And if that’s life, is that all there is?...
It was time to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Nehemiah had prayed — weeping, fasting, beseeching the God of heaven to hear his prayer for the children of Israel. He confessed sins. He had concerns that the Lord’s name was not being esteemed as it should. Jerusalem was in ruins. Nehemiah wanted civil authority reestablished in Jerusalem. He wanted it to be a strategic center of refuge for the remnant Israelites. He had a plan. He had been given provisions. He had God’s help.
At one point the people gathered together. Ezra opened the book of the Law to read it to the people.
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
And all the people answered, Amen, Amen,
With lifting up their hands: and they
Bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their
Faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8.6Ezra blessed God. He thanked Him. He praised Him. He acknowledged God’s greatness. He acknowledged Him as the Covenant Lord. The people responded in agreement. They raised their hands. They bowed low, bowing their heads, bowing down. They had their faces to the ground. They worshiped.
We need to do this right now, today...
1 John 2.27 says: But the anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that anyone teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him.
The interesting thing about this verse is the use of the Greek word crisma. The word means “anointing with oil; an unguent or smearing; endowment of the Holy Spirit; anointing, unction.” This verse says that there is something about the anointing with oil that teaches us things we need to know.
The world watched as 33 miners were brought to safety after some 30 attempts to reach them last month in Chile. Plan B. I hope you have seen, heard, and read about this amazing rescue and remember all that happened to bring it about. This is what I heard during our worship time October 15th, two days after the last man came out.
Out of the belly of the earth, 70 days,
33 miners.
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish
to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed…(Jonah
1.17; 2.1)
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I,
and You heard my voice. (Jonah 2.2)
For thus saith the LORD, that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word
toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon Me, and you shall
go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for
Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity… (Jeremiah
29.10-14a) ....
Have you ever heard someone refer to Jesus Christ as the God-Man? Did you know that salvation hinges on the incarnation of Jesus Christ? Have you ever wondered, “What Child is this?”
Gabriel was on assignment from God. This one who stands in the presence of God was sent to speak to Zacharias to show him glad tidings. “Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1.13-17) What Child is this?
Six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth of Galilee to a young girl, a virgin, engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel said, “Hail, you that are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.”
The angel then continued, “Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1.26-33)Mary couldn’t figure out how this was to take place, seeing she was a virgin, so the angel said, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth, has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1.35-37)
by Wanda Barlow
After re-entry [to "normal life" from the March Galilee/Israel mission], without the intensity of the trip or job duties, as I had retired a few months earlier, I felt like a fish floundering out of water. In one of his personifications, Jesus said “I will make you a fisher of men”.
I needed debriefing. I made plans to maintain our house and downsize clutter, do some photography, complete continuing education courses to maintain my CPA certificate., travel to visit family and my mother on her 102nd birthday, the Lord willing. I resumed attending church with my husband, Bible study, Craighouse functions, and talking on the phone or e-mailing with other “sheep”. In short, I kept busy while continuing to download and reflect on insights from the trip. I prayed. Finally, I realized my debriefing was to start writing.
Driving one day, this melody I first heard at “the little brown (gray) church in the vale” of my childhood in the Bible belt, surfaced in my thoughts.
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
As I pondered about the trip insights, I recalled many teachings that I had read from the Word and heard, especially at Craighouse....
2009
The wilderness. Some are in it now. Some have been in it in the past, and you know exactly what wilderness wanderings are all about. Some sense they are headed that way. Wilderness wandering is that in-between place where a believer has been brought out of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb and by a great deliverance but does not enter Canaan and his/her inheritance in Christ because of failure to believe and take God at His Word. Now look at the redemption in Christ Jesus, the true servant/son of Israel....Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4; Luke 4). He had just been baptized by John the Baptist and experienced the delight of the Father and commissioning before the whole spirit world. The Father’s Voice rang out clearly that this Jesus is My chosen One, in whom My soul delights, or upon whom My good pleasure has settled.
With this announcement to the spirit world and those present at the time, the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, fulfills all righteousness, is pure, holy, and good; yet He must begin the time of trial and testing as God’s servant son.
Judges 3.16 didn’t seem like something you could wrap your brain around at first. “But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.” I thought, “Okay. What’s going on here? And what is God showing us in this rather obscure account of a deliverer of Israel?”
Ehud was different. He was an apple, but a green apple among red apples. Literally, he was shut of his right hand; so it is figured he was left-handed. He was ordinary; but the Spirit of God came upon him for a particular work. His name can mean “joined together,” “united,” “pleasant and sympathetic,” or as a derivative of Yehuda, “I will give praise,” or “I will give thanks.” He was also brave.
Eighteen years into domination by King Eglon of Moab, the people living in Jericho cried out for a deliverer. “Jericho strongholds” are those that have fallen back into the hand of the enemy after having been conquered. The lesson: conquered areas will have to be conquered again if we fail to persevere in the faith because the devil delights in “snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.”...Ehud was chosen to lead a delegation to the king of Moab with a present, perhaps tribute. Ehud saw opportunity and took advantage of it (cf Eph. 5.16, Col. 4.5). Ehud allowed God to use his differences to make a difference in the kingdom of God.
Right now many are suffering. It’s not all physical suffering; some of it is emotional, some mental, some financial. But people are in pain right now, praying…but in pain.I don’t need to spell it out for you; you hear it, read it, experience it. But now more than before, you (and me, too) are holding on to the Word of God for your very life. That’s good; we find comfort in the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, the One who comes alongside while we’re going through fires or floods (Isaiah 43) or adversity. He is there to comfort us in all our tribulation. There is a purpose to what we’re going through.
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1.3, 4)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about boundaries. It is God who sets boundaries, borders, and/or limits. It is God who establishes boundaries, enlarges borders, delegates authority to demarcate, and determines the destinies of individuals and nations.
All of life includes boundaries, borders, and limits. All of nature has God-set boundaries (Ps 74.16, 17; Job 26.10). It is with boundaries and borders that nations distinguish, protect, and expand (Deut. 32.8, Is 10.13, Nahum 3.13, 14).
Governments are expected to protect the borders of their respective nations. Governmental laws provide behavioral limits of people groups and control cultural norms (Pr 8.15, 16); decadent states are neither fair nor just with such limits (Pr. 28.12, 28). Ruling requires wisdom, preferably wisdom from God.
Individuals must learn to set limits on personal desires, opinions, and behaviors. People need boundaries to have wholesome relationships. People need to give definition and demarcation as to their persons, space, identity, values, behavior, etc....
I have this thing about lions. In the Word of God two lions square off in a battle for supremacy, though the imagery is applied ten times more to the Lord than to Satan. Whether imaging the devil or the Lord, the lion is tenacious, valiant, strong, fierce, devouring, and forceful, with an ability and bent toward devouring the enemies of those under his domain. The Word often mentions the teeth of lions and spans the young lion of strength and conquest to the grand, great old lion—wise, heroic, battle-tested, ruling.
Satan may be the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and rip apart, but the Messiah is the Great Lion of the tribe of Judah who fiercely defends His own. This Great Lion also roars and shows Himself stronger than His devouring contender for the crown. A conquering lion, after all, knows from experience that once his prey is caught, consuming the prey comes only as an afterthought.
Names of things are important. Today people give a lot of thought when they name their children. Most try to think of the long-term implications. They want their children to succeed, and so they give them names they think will benefit their children in life.
God names people, too. He sometimes changes people’s names, usually in terms of their destiny or purpose. God gave Adam the task of naming the animals. In Hebrew, three different words are used: ‘ari’ which is directly a lion, sabal, which denotes a lion with a fierce countenance, and lebe, an old or grand, great old lion. The Lion of Judah is all of these. He was the young lion, strong and conquering; the older wise lion over the ages; and the fierce lion protecting His own.Joel 3.16 says that the LORD will roar out of Zion. What do we know about lions roaring?...
If ever there was a time for Christians to be awake and alert, it is now. Now is the time to have our lamps filled with oil, to be ready, to be watchful, to pray, to repent of our sins, to think about our lives and the choices we make daily. Now is the time to get it right with God. We need to repent sincerely; and with God’s grace, recover ourselves from every snare of the devil. Now is the time to redeem the time given to us. Now is the time to put away the things of
darkness, to put off the “flesh” and sin nature, and to put on Christ, to manifest in ourselves the fruit of the Spirit. Now is the day of salvation, and we are to rejoice and be glad in this day.Now is the time to reflect upon “whose we are and whom we serve.” It is time to crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts, to walk in the Spirit as led by the Spirit. It is time to be done with the works of the flesh, which make evident that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and to put off lawlessness by seeking the Spirit to manifest in us the fruit of the Spirit.
Healthcare reform is a big issue right now in the USA. Some think of it more as health insurance reform. People are up-in-arms over all kinds of things, from the quality of care, to the cost of care, to how much the government will step in to control life spans, or even if one gets born at all. Death and destruction vie for dominion in this nation and around the world; but God is the God of the Living. Think! Pray!
Sanctity of Life. God made human beings in His image and likeness. He made Adam and Eve deathless. He gave them qualities like reason, personality, and intellect, and a capacity (though animals have souls) higher than other creatures. He commanded man to have dominion (not domination) over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Genesis 1.27, 28) He made the Sabbath for man that both people and animals and even the land might rest. (Genesis 2.3; Exodus 20.8) Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden to tend and to keep it alive. Adam gave names to each living creature. (Genesis 2.15, 19-20) As Adam was created to live in relationship with his Creator, so also Adam was to live in relationship with God’s creation, the work of God’s hands. The point is; he was to live and to sanctify life....
Proverbs 17.22 declares that a merry heart does good like a medicine; but a broken spirit dries the bones. Other translations say “rejoicing heart” or “joyful heart” or “laughter.” We need to laugh, giggle, and just roll over in laughter; not all the time, but sometimes.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up
That which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down,
And a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn,
And a time to dance…Ecclesiastes 3.1-4
Scripture warns against coarse jesting, delighting in indecency, obscenity, and foolish talking. Wholesome laughter, however, is to be encouraged. We don’t need to tear others down and/or laugh at other’s tragedies, like someone slipping on a banana peel. We can laugh at things that are just plain fun and silly, or when something unexpected happens to make us laugh.
David the psalmist cried, “Remember, O Lord, your tender mercies and your lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to your mercy remember me for your goodness’ sake, O Lord.” Psalm 25.6, 7
Have you ever cried out to the Lord like that? Or have you prayed a heart cry like Hannah? “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give unto your handmaid a man chi ld, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” 1 Samuel 1.11
Certainly we want God to remember us always, though in desperate times we cry out to him from the depths of our being. The time of Malachi was such a time because prophets had predicted God's blessings but years had passed and those prophecies of hope were yet unfulfilled. With expectations blasted, dreams shattered, hearts broken, and many lives laying in ruin, people knew disappointment, disillusionment, and discouragement. To add to that, they were hypercritical of God's ways; faith and worship eroded
or when something unexpected happens to make us laugh.
The year was 1997. Even then, we had been celebrating Christmas at Craighouse with a Christmas dinner followed by caroling in the streets for some four years.We approached our last house Men, women, and children, thirty in all, walked the streets of Ft. Lauderdale with the trumpet, the trombone, the tambourines, and the voices of Christmas. Grouping ourselves in a huddle, we made our selection. The carols of Christmas filled the air, testifying to our neighbors the announcement that Jesus Christ, God’s final Word, has come.
Moved by the words and the sudden trueness of our voices, we sang with increasing boldness and beauty. Two thousand Christmases became real to us as we stood there in the long tradition of carolers carrying to the world the joy of Jesus’ birth.
2008
“Just a stray.” That’s what the woman across the street called her cat Buddy. Buddy likes to come visit us. Just as darkness descends, he makes his way across the street to the safe place between our house and the garage. I have a place there for him. He’s rarely hungry, but I bring him out a little cat food and some clean water and I have a nice blanket for him to lie on. But one night he showed up with a one-inch gash in his forehead and cuts; so I took him in a cat carrier to his owners to let them know he had been injured, most likely by a raccoon....
Seeing lives transformed brings me joy. Like Paul said, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thess. 2.19, 20) Over the past 15 years of Mary Craig Ministries, we have seen hundreds of lives transformed by the power of the gospel. We specialize in small group ministry because Jesus demonstrated his interest in the one. He died for individuals. He took time to minister to people individually. He may have spoken to crowds, but He discipled twelve. He may have fed thousands, but most of those left when He began giving “hard sayings.” He may have inspired multitudes, but when He started revealing the cost of following Him, only a few remained....
We recently returned from our mission to the Rhineland. The prophetic word to Belgium is on our website in the prophetic section 2008. We were there to root out and destroy ancient strongholds and to build and to plant the kingdom of God, among other things.Netherlands was another target nation. While Rev. Jim Craig and I were in Amsterdam, two of our Board Members, David & Betty Patten, were in New York City. There they prayed a prayer strategy concerning the roots of New York (which the Indians deeded to the Dutch and which went back and forth between being New Amsterdam and New York
before ending up as New York)....
Our son has a 3x5 index card wedged into his bedroom mirror. It says, “Don’t ignore God.” I thought about that reminder one day as I sat watching the people of Amsterdam go about their daily routines. Jesus said in Matthew 24.38 that “as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”...
More than five years ago the Board of MCM set out to glorify God by displaying His goodness and graciousness to all; to advance the Christian faith through representation and recommendation; to minister to Jesus by serving His people; and to be in a position of being blessed by God by being a blessing to others. With this in mind, we set a goal under the direction of the Holy Spirit to break the strongholds of the curse and remove barriers to the blessing of God by serving as a “paraclete” to those in need of a Barnabas through symbolic, strategic, and specific acts of good done in Jesus’ Name and for His glory.The Barnabas Project seeks out forgotten people and communities in the South Florida area and targets them for blessing, a little lift up, a little encouragement, to give them hope. The Barnabas Project has gone everywhere from Belle Glade, Florida, to Homestead, Florida, and many places in between. It began with a handful of people and one small truck and has grown and grown into major distributions....
Fifteen years ago this ministry began because Dr. George Callahan of New Covenant Presbyterian Church challenged us to organize it behind the three-fold call I had received. That call was to bring healing and restoration to the body of Christ, to prepare the Bride of Christ for His return, and to call to repentance and resurrection those nations where God would send me. Fifteen years later we are an international ministry with a thriving community outreach called Craighouse®, an expanding Barnabas Project, media ministry, and a world mission outreach that has taken 34 mission teams to 63 nations on all seven continents.....
We’re in a race, not to earn or merit eternal life, because eternal life is a free gift of God’s grace merited by Jesus Christ who lived and died and rose again that those who heartily put their confidence, reliance, and belief in Him might receive Him. In receiving Christ, we receive eternal life; for Jesus lives by the power of an endless life.
We’re in a race for the believer’s crowns. We are to endure hardness and fight the good fight of faith. We are to overcome. We are to fulfill the destiny that is ours in Christ Jesus, living out the purpose for which God created us. We are to be witnesses unto Him that loved us and that brought us out of bondage, out of darkness into His light, redeeming us with His own precious Blood....
Dusty, dry, dead religion, cities of the dead, pyramids built for the dead, temples to the no-gods, desert regions, deceptive hidden rooms in the tombs of the pharaohs, people walking around in fear of the next terrorist attack and possible death; yet in that spiritual darkness there was the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a light shining in that darkness.
It was a mission filled with contrasts. Against the spiritual darkness with its apathy, the mocking, and the ridicule of Jesus’ miracles, stood the Truth. Even as some pastors took their theology from movies like Bruce Almighty and others taught that Jesus is not the only way to God as one travels on the journey that leads to everlasting life, the Truth came forward in the Word of God, that Word which some denied as being inerrant and infallible....
2007
I believe 2007 will be a year of prosperity for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe we will see the Spirit of Burning and Judgment moving across the globe but we will also come to understand that it is through judgment that deliverance comes to God’s people. I believe that many will come to repentance and faith and thus the gospel will begin to prosper in their lives. In an atmosphere of perfect judgment will grow a division between the holy and profane and more believers will abandon their desire for compromise, corruption, and complacency in their walk with Christ....
There is no place on earth like Ethiopia. It has its own unique culture, history, calendar, way to tell time, geography, and church. It is truly another world....
...
To our surprise we find that Ethiopia is considered the head of all African nations. The Eighth Africa Union Summit was preparing to meet at the U.N. building starting Monday, January 29th. Leaders from 40 African nations come together to discuss the problems and issues of Africa. They came with their entourages, Mercedes cars, flags, and much excitement. Security was high. The weekend God chose for us to be here was no accident....
If anything stood out on our mission to Ethiopia, it was access to God. The prophetic word to Ethiopia was well received. The people in the Assemblies of God church in Addis Ababa applauded, cried “Amen,” and participated with outstretched arms pointing North, South, East, and West. This 14,000 members and growing church has come to the knowledge of Christ opening the way to the Father through His Blood sacrifice. They freely come within the veil even as they meet Christ without the gate.
But in Axum, a place whose culture extends back to the Queen of Sheba, kings and kingdoms, the Falasha Jews, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, access to God blurs in a blend of progressive revelation. Women and children cling to gates of a church open only to men. The free grace of the gospel is cloaked with the garments of a religious system of ritual re-enactments designed to help illiterate people understand the Bible’s message but which can also become a religion of works-righteousness, a form of godliness but denying the power of God...
While we were in Ethiopia, we had only one 8 oz. bottle of water a day rationed since we had decided to carry with us as much as we could for the street children in Addis Ababa. That meant that by the time we got to the last day of the mission trip we were out of water and dry, dry, dry....
Jesus Christ shed His blood to cancel the guilt of our crime. In addition to showing His own love for us by dying the death we deserve, He became a ransom, forgives our sins, takes away our condemnation, gives us the basis for a clear conscience, brings us to faith, absorbs the wrath of God, and “does the devil in.” He reconciles us to God, frees us from bondage, secures our resurrection from the dead, opens access to the Holy of Holies, and shows us that the worst evil is met by God for our good and for His greatest glory.Jesus didn’t stay on the cross....
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Peter and Andrew were fishermen. They knew how to catch fish. But they straightway left their nets and followed Jesus into the unknown. Jesus transformed their lives. He still transforms lives today....
How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. We are, today, the sum total of the choices we have made day by day over the years....
The world’s a big place. You can barely see the two people walking along the shore in this picture, but they are there. Sometimes we feel that way; we feel very small in a great big world. We may seek power, to feel like we are more in control, but essentially, we hang at the fulcrum between life and death, death and life. We live at the edge of existence, somewhere between the beginning and the end.I just went through an experience that abruptly demonstrated this to me....
Ten of us (Rev. Jim took the picture) trekked up to Belle Glade, Florida, July 21st. Any kind of missions work, local or global, requires a spirit of adventure. Our MCM team certainly has that!...
Mother Teresa intrigues people of all faiths and even people with no faith. Maybe it’s because she won a Nobel Peace Prize or because the Roman Catholic Church is considering her for sainthood. She is widely known for her great works among the poor of Calcutta and for the Order of the Missionaries of Charity which she founded.Time magazine recently featured her in their September 3, 2007 issue in an article entitled “Her Agony” by David Van Biema. Apparently, Mother Teresa battled dryness, darkness, loneliness, torture, and doubt of the very existence of heaven and even of God for some 50 years after receiving a call from the Lord in a vision. She describes a dark night of the soul that never lifted but for a brief moment. She may have been right when she wrote in 1951 “that the Passion was the only aspect of Jesus’ life that she was interested in sharing: ‘I want to…drink ONLY (her emphasis) from His chalice of pain.’” (Time, page 41)...
We experienced a shortfall in funding of $4,000 this summer. Shortfalls mean cutbacks in ministry, and, of course, lead us to pray all the more earnestly to our Heavenly Father. He is the Source and Sustainer of MCM since its inception in 1993.
While praying for everyone connected to MCM, as I do, I was lead by the Holy Spirit to Psalm 5. This psalm of David is in itself a prayer for protection and guidance....
Do you have Christmas traditions in your family? Do you have certain foods you associate with Christmas Dinner, someone who always hands out the packages, special dinnerware, decorations passed down from the generations? Do you have a tradition of giving certain gifts only at Christmastime and/or a tradition of giving to others less fortunate? Do you put up the tree on a specific date?
These are ways we bring continuity to Christmas in our individual families, but one thing we do as Christians remains constant for the past 2007 years. We marvel at the glory of the Incarnation and wonder that our God should be so gracious as to send His Son to be our Savior....
2006
Kroy Ellis and Pastor Jim gave such an informative, insightful, and exciting presentation on Jerusalem’s Destiny that many want to know more about this city that God chose as the place where He would put His Name. Kroy’s testimony about how God worked in his life through the prophetic word and personal guidance is also helpful to you who want to know more about how God moves in our lives to find and perform His will....
I remember standing in the Majdanek concentration camp in Lublin, Poland a few years back. In the midst of memories of the horrors of the holocaust, with hundreds of little shoes piled up fifty years after the fact and the shower rooms and death chambers still trying to tell us the story, I marveled as I looked up and saw such a blue sky overhead. There in the camps the walls were crying out, but up above, the glory of God overruled....
I remember. Years ago that was the fear. If you became a Christian, God might send you to Africa as a missionary. Or, you would be witnessing to someone on the street and out of the blue they would try to divert your attention and hope to catch you off guard by asking, “But what about the heathen in Africa?”Well, folks, there aren’t so many heathen in Africa any more and the “dark continent” is shining with a lot more of the light of Jesus Christ these days. As to being sent there, yes, God just might send you to Africa. I’m now going back there for the third time....
Mozambique became the 60th nation where MCM mission teams have gone. Stephen, Sue, and I thank you for your prayers, as they were all answered, from the luggage, timing, weather, finalizing contacts, staying healthy, everything! We worshipped with the Maputo International Christian Fellowship and called in the nation at their Sunday evening prayer service. We declared the prophetic word at that service and everyone prayed for Mozambique. It was truly set up by God.On Monday we met Delci at the House of Ants. I’ll be writing about this unique ministry to 500 children at the outskirts of Maputo in my message of the month [See Missions - Mozambique]. This Brazilian woman, a Presbyterian, has devoted her life to the poorest of the region. Her commitment to Christ challenged us and her love for the children inspired us.
The $800 we brought House of Ants along with the suitcases of clothing, toys, and supplies came as a surprise, and as an answer to prayer. You see, in Mozambique there is no public education, no free schooling for children. Everyone has to pay, even the poorest of the poor. So, House of Ants pays for schooling for as many children as they can. The bill was due, and we were God’s way of providing the means for paying the school bill. Every dollar went for
education.....
...The first pictures come from Casa das Formigas (House of Ants), a residential home caring for 500 children daily. Read more about the faith-walk of its founder, Delci, in my message of the month for June [See Missions - Mozambique]....
Summer’s here and most of the nation is celebrating our freedom, Independence Day. Like this beautiful little fish, who is all alone and away from “school” and a support group, we often think of freedom as being independent, on our own, and not under the tutelage or influence of another. The interesting thing is that in the Word of God, true freedom comes as we recognize our utter dependence upon our Creator, entrust our lives to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, and yield control to the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete.....
...As we celebrated 13 years of ministry Saturday night at our Africa Night Fellowship Dinner, I looked out at the people who attended. I was so happy to know that many of those who came had received the opportunity to fulfill their callings and destinies in Christ at Craighouse®. Many had been on mission trips, from Jamaica to Singapore, to Jerusalem, to Eastern Europe, to Africa, to Antarctica, to Europe, to Brazil, to Chile, to Argentina, etc. People had witnessed for Jesus on all seven continents through MCM....
Recently, someone gave me a prayer based on the premise that we can “command the morning” and create our own destiny, not our destiny in Christ—just our destiny. As I went through this prayer I was greatly disturbed, not just because scripture verses had been taken out of context, misconstrued, and used for personal gain, but also because I could see something brewing in the caldrons of hell, a deadly potion so intoxicating, so fascinating, so appealing to the flesh, that it could tempt the very sons of God to miss all that God has for them in Christ.I prayed about this and asked the Holy Spirit what He was saying to the Churches, and this is what I received August 11, 2006:...
Leading the thirsty to living waters is something we do regularly at Craighouse. It involves getting over ourselves in order to pay attention to someone else. It means seeking connection with people who may have different backgrounds, different "worlds," and different ways of looking at things than we do. It means, therefore, asking questions with a sincere desire to know someone, being authentic, and giving what we have....
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