Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this Friday before Christmas. They are forecasting a mega- snowstorm, with predicted snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour for part of this afternoon. Most of the schools have closed in this region. We are going through some Bleak Midwinter, though the winter season has not actually started yet. Where is the global warming that everyone has been buzzing about? Our Lord God controls the whole universe. He has the whole world in His Hands. He infuses us with His own everlasting peace in the face chaos and confusion. He gives His joy to His own.
Our grand daughter Micah called yesterday and said, "Where are you, Grandpa? What are you doing? Where in Grandmom? Have good time in church. Though it was Thursday, Micah always associates me as being over at the church.
"The Peaceable Kingdom" is the title that early 19th-century painter Edward Hicks gave to this benign menagerie of animals - wild and domesticated. He based his work on the Isaiah 11 passage that speaks of such animals as the wolf, lamb, leopard, lion, kid and calf - all sharing the same pasture, grazing and resting together. Hicks’ vision, like that of Isaiah, is of a world of peace, love, and tranquility. In 11:1 Isaiah calls the lineage of the Davidic dynasty the “stump of Jesse”. This is the only time in the Old Testament that David’s line is called by His father’s name. Isaiah predicts that the Davidic dynasty will be completely cut off, so that all that remains is the stump of its family tree. This made more sense after a trip to the Holy Land, and being informed that olive trees, though cut to the ground, will send out little shoots that eventually grow into huge olive trees. They, quite literally, are shoots out of the stump. However, in chapter 11 the prophet also predicts the future restoration of the Kingdom through the re-establishment of a Davidic Messiah. Isaiah states that out of the stump of Jesse’s family tree a “shoot” or a fresh stem will sprout and that the sprout will grow into full bloom until it becomes the Branch of the Lord. Isaiah is saying that, regardless of the destruction of David’s family tree, Messiah will come as a small shoot that will grow into a mighty Branch - the planting of the Lord. In your Bibles the word “Branch” is capitalized because it refers to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 Our world longs for peace. We live in a society where injustice, unfaithfulness, and unrighteousness abound. Each of us has been victimized by it in one form or another. Also, whether we admit it or not, we are sinners; not only have we been sinned against, but we have also sinned against others. We need to repent so that we may find peace. This is why we pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Peace - all of us long for it, yet for some reason we stubbornly refuse to yield to Him “whom the Spirit of the Lord Rests upon.” He is the Prince of Peace. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Isaiah 11:6-10 A wonderful illustration of how our lives can be transformed by God’s peace is found in the life of Archbishop of the Chicago diocese, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. In his little book, "The Gift of Peace", which he was working hard to complete just a year ago, there is a gripping and moving account of his meeting with Steven Cook, the young man who had accused Cardinal Bernardin of sexual abuse. It is an event best forgotten except for the extraordinary way in which it concluded. In 1993, the accusation became public, and Cardinal Bernardin had to live in the blare of public curiosity, constant media attention and the deep pain of experiencing his credibility and integrity questioned by many people who simply assumed that an accusation is the equivalent of guilt. Then, over time, Mr. Cook acknowledged that the charges were false and the case was dropped. The Cardinal plunged back into his busy schedule but he kept thinking about Steven Cook, his accuser, now critically ill with AIDS, living alone. Then Cardinal Bernardin did a most remarkable thing. He located Mr. Cook and invited him to meet at a seminary outside Philadelphia. Cardinal Bernardin explained that his only reason for wanting to see Mr. Cook was to tell him that he, Cardinal Bernardin, harbored no ill feelings. He wanted to pray with Mr. Cook.Steven Cook accepted that invitation and said that he wanted to apologize for the hurt and embarrassment he had caused. When the meeting happened, Mr. Cook told his story, including his alienation from the church. They talked for awhile. The cardinal said what he had come to say, and he gave Mr. Cook an inscribed Bible and offered to celebrate Mass with Mr. Cook.
Mr. Cook hesitated at first. Cardinal Bernardin took a 100-year-old chalice out of his case. "Steven, this is a gift from a man I don’t even know. He asked me to use it to say Mass for you some day."
"Please", Steven responded tearfully, "let’s celebrate Mass now." Afterward, Steven Cook said, "A big burden has been lifted from me today. I feel healed and very much at peace." Big burdens can be lifted from our shoulders by Jesus, our Savior, who carries our burdens. They are the burdens of unforgiveness, despair, anxiety, and guilt. Let us come to Christ, and lay all of our burdens at His feet. Allow the Prince of Peace to give us the peace we long for.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior, let us remember to pray for Jerusalem and for Israel. Let us continue to pray for the Church around the corner, around the nation, and around the world, so that the Lord of the Church may ignite her with holy fervor and zeal. May the Light of Christmas shine brightly and beautifully in the dark and bleak places, so that the peoples and the nations might come to Christ - journey to Jesus - where they will find life and light. As we prepare to celebrate in our homes and in our churches, may our hearts be gladdened with the wonderful good news of Christmas.
Please continue to pray for the Church in Orissa, India and in other parts of the world where the Church is being persecuted. The persecution of Christians began one year ago, on Christmas Eve, in Orissa, and thousands of Christians will be spending this Christmas in refugee camps. My brother, Potel, is still in jail. Please pray for the Lord's intervention on his behalf, that he may be released.
We praise the Lord for those of you who have sent monetary gifts to help bless the suffering Christians of Orissa. We are sending funds to purchase blankets, new clothing, and food for these precious people. Thank you again for giving with generosity and much sacrifice. May the Lord of Christmas, who became poor that we might be rich, who became homeless that we might find a home, who suffered rejection that we might be accepted grant you rich blessings - a hundred-fold, sixty-fold, thirty-fold.
We are planning, weather-permitting, to attend the presentation of Handel's Messiah tonight at 8 PM at the Forum in Binghamton. Our church is planning for a living nativity tomorrow at Nanticoke Gardens (on 26N) from 5 to 7 PM.
Our choir is planning to present our annual Christmas cantata on Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 AM.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion services are planned for next Wednesday at 7 and 10:30 PM.
Merry Christmas to one and to all. Let us rejoice and celebrate.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vf6zgxle-g
Friday, December 19, 2008
India update 12-19-08
Fri, 19/12/2008 - 7:56am Petition on line to Shri Advaniji, Opposition leader of India
http://www.petitiononline.com/advaniji/petition.html
ToMr.L.K.AdvaniOpposition LeaderLok Sabha, New Delhi
Dear Mr LK Advani,A 12 hour Bandh [shutdown] have been called in the State of Orissa by Swami Laxmananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti supported by the Viswa Hindu Parishad[VHP] on December 25 2008,the day of Christmas.
We the people of India request you to please use your influence on the organisers to postpone this Bandh which is planned for the Christmas Day, since a Bandh on a day of festivities for Christians may lead to further division of people on religious lines. The country has just suffered terrible Terrorists Attacks in Mumbai and we all need peace and unity at a time like this. This gesture of yours will go a long way towards bringing harmony and Unity amongst the people of Orissa.Thanking You,
The Citizens of India.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 9:13pm NHRC calls for protection of Christians in Orissa
Dec 18th, 2008 New Delhi, Dec 18 : Apprehending a fresh wave of clashes following radical Hindu groups’ call for an Orissa shutdown on Christmas day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to top officials asking what measures have been taken to provide security to Christians.
‘The commission has given the chief secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) Orissa three days to submit a report on the measures taken for protection of Christians during the Christmas season,
Radical Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration has failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day.Acting on Congress leader Margaret Alva’s complaint, the commission issued the notice.
‘Alva expressed apprehension that violence may erupt in Orissa in the wake of bandh call given by Hindu organization on Dec 25 and many lives may be lost during the Christmas season,’ the official added.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:44pm Breaking news-Jubaraj Digal christian leader killed in Orissa
Phulbhani;18th Dec08Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block was confirmed dead.
Hindu extremists on Dec 16th, assaulted Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block.
Digal, was returning home along with his son Muna, from Congress MLA Mrs. Ajayanti Pradhan , where he is employed as her PS.
Around 6.30 PM, extremists stopped his motor bike on the road between Telengia to Sitapanga.
The extremist started hitting them mercilessly, luckily his son escaped on the motorbike and reached G. Udaygiri PS around 9.45 pm and informed the police.
Police immediately went for spot inquiry but found nothing.
Police have registered a MISSING case under FIR NO.400, dtd17.12.08 and investigating further on the said matter.
According to GCIC regional co.ordinator, this may be communal attack by Sangh Parivar as a prelude to Orissa Bandh on 25th December, 2008, they have rulled out that aspect.
His family relatives have told us that he has been kidnapped by the RSS and BJP activists
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 4:17pm Central intervention in Orissa to check VHP -Parliamentarians
New Delhi : 18th Dec-08 Member of parliament from Kerala, Suresh Kurup, in Lok Sabha, on Thursday, charged Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP with making a systematic attempt to create "terror" among Christian minorities in Orissa by calling a 'bandh' on Christmas Day.
As BJP MPs stood up in protest, Suresh Kurup, went on to demand that the Centre immediately intervene to ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa.
"A systematic attempt is being made by the Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP to attack and terrorise the Christians. The attacks began on the eve of Christmas last year and these were followed by systematic attacks against the minorities in Kandhamal," Kurup said, while strongly condemning the moves.
When the BJP members continued their vociferous protest, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House for lunch.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:13am Sealed prayer halls in Karnataka open till January 1
DAVANGERE:18th Dec- The B.K. Somashekara Commission of Inquiry has, in an interim arrangement, directed the Davangere district administration to allow the two Christian prayer halls sealed by it recently to function from Thursday till January 1, on account of Christmas celebrations.
Justice B.K. Somashekara, Chairman of the Commission, who heard arguments by both parties here on Wednesday, allowed for an interim arrangement on four conditions. They are that those who run the prayer halls should not indulge in illegal activities and should not carry out any other activities except prayer sessions. They will be subject to scrutiny or inspection by the district administration. The other two conditions are that those who run the prayer halls should not demean the deities of other religions and not hurt the religious sentiments of people belonging to other faiths. The Commission also said that this step was just an “interim arrangement” and that the district administration could revoke the order or extend it depending on the circumstances and based on the law and order situation.
It further said the Davangere City Corporation or the district administration could take appropriate action against the two prayer halls based on certain legal factors, after January 1, if need be.
Earlier, the Commissioner of the Davangere City Corporation, Gurulingappa, told the Commission that as the two prayer halls had failed to produce the relevant documents to the Corporation, the latter was forced to seize them.
Justice Somashekara also visited the church at Bada village in the district, which was attacked a few months ago.
Justice Somashekara also asked all those people who had written petitions to the Commission to come to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday to have their statements recorded. He told them that the Commission would give them transport allowance and dearness allowance as well as legal guidance if required.
Later, at around 8 p.m., Justice Somashekara was gheraoed by a huge mob at the Inspection Bungalow.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:57pm Christians have a bleak christmas in Orissa-Orissa round up
1-Witnesses fail to turn up despite notices
PHULBANI, Dec 16: Five people who were expected to depose before the Justice (retired) Basudev Panigrahi Commission of enquiry to the Kandhmal violence of December 2007, at Balliguda yesterday did not turn up."Notices had been sent to the five but not one of them appeared yesterday," said a official attached to the commission. Today five others deposed as against the notices issued to 22 people of Balliguda area. In fact four of those who are to depose before the commission are present in jail for riot-related cases. The commission will also conduct its hearing at Phulbani for second time on 18 and 19 December and notices have been issued to eight people.Earlier 30 deponents, all from minority community, were ordered to appear before the commission in its camp court at Cuttack, but some of them had prayed that they be heard in Kandhamal district.As many as 362 affidavits were received by the commission in connection to the communal violence of Kandhmal in 2007 said reliable sources. It may be noted that the Justice Panigrahi Commission is probing into the violence of December 2007.
2-Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 - A court in Orissa Wednesday granted bail to a journalist who was arrested by the police Dec 7 for writing an allegedly inflammatory book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.Lenin Kumar, editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, was arrested for his book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) that blames Hindu groups for the violence.Police had termed Kumar’s book as provocative and aimed at disturbing communal harmony. Two others were also arrested for helping him print and circulate the book.“J.P. Das the district and session judge at Bhubaneswar granted Lenin and other two bail on a surety bond of Rs.20,000 with some conditions,” one of Lenin’s lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo told .Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.At least 100 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. About 18,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.Rights activists, journalists and writers have been demanding Kumar’s release. Last week, about 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the official residence of the Orissa governor here.The Orissa Human Rights Commission Tuesday sought a report within two weeks from the state government on the arrest of Lenin after his wife Rumita Kundu submitted a petition describing the arrest as illegal and an instance of blatant human rights violation.
3-ORISSA: Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day. Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough. The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash. "The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators," SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said. While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions. Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested. "I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught," Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence. "We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown," he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders. Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: "Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus." Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas. Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp. "We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown)," Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told . "We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps. "Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack," he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon. Christian leaders also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district. "We don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,""We will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,"Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.
http://www.petitiononline.com/advaniji/petition.html
ToMr.L.K.AdvaniOpposition LeaderLok Sabha, New Delhi
Dear Mr LK Advani,A 12 hour Bandh [shutdown] have been called in the State of Orissa by Swami Laxmananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti supported by the Viswa Hindu Parishad[VHP] on December 25 2008,the day of Christmas.
We the people of India request you to please use your influence on the organisers to postpone this Bandh which is planned for the Christmas Day, since a Bandh on a day of festivities for Christians may lead to further division of people on religious lines. The country has just suffered terrible Terrorists Attacks in Mumbai and we all need peace and unity at a time like this. This gesture of yours will go a long way towards bringing harmony and Unity amongst the people of Orissa.Thanking You,
The Citizens of India.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 9:13pm NHRC calls for protection of Christians in Orissa
Dec 18th, 2008 New Delhi, Dec 18 : Apprehending a fresh wave of clashes following radical Hindu groups’ call for an Orissa shutdown on Christmas day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to top officials asking what measures have been taken to provide security to Christians.
‘The commission has given the chief secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) Orissa three days to submit a report on the measures taken for protection of Christians during the Christmas season,
Radical Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration has failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day.Acting on Congress leader Margaret Alva’s complaint, the commission issued the notice.
‘Alva expressed apprehension that violence may erupt in Orissa in the wake of bandh call given by Hindu organization on Dec 25 and many lives may be lost during the Christmas season,’ the official added.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:44pm Breaking news-Jubaraj Digal christian leader killed in Orissa
Phulbhani;18th Dec08Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block was confirmed dead.
Hindu extremists on Dec 16th, assaulted Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block.
Digal, was returning home along with his son Muna, from Congress MLA Mrs. Ajayanti Pradhan , where he is employed as her PS.
Around 6.30 PM, extremists stopped his motor bike on the road between Telengia to Sitapanga.
The extremist started hitting them mercilessly, luckily his son escaped on the motorbike and reached G. Udaygiri PS around 9.45 pm and informed the police.
Police immediately went for spot inquiry but found nothing.
Police have registered a MISSING case under FIR NO.400, dtd17.12.08 and investigating further on the said matter.
According to GCIC regional co.ordinator, this may be communal attack by Sangh Parivar as a prelude to Orissa Bandh on 25th December, 2008, they have rulled out that aspect.
His family relatives have told us that he has been kidnapped by the RSS and BJP activists
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 4:17pm Central intervention in Orissa to check VHP -Parliamentarians
New Delhi : 18th Dec-08 Member of parliament from Kerala, Suresh Kurup, in Lok Sabha, on Thursday, charged Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP with making a systematic attempt to create "terror" among Christian minorities in Orissa by calling a 'bandh' on Christmas Day.
As BJP MPs stood up in protest, Suresh Kurup, went on to demand that the Centre immediately intervene to ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa.
"A systematic attempt is being made by the Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP to attack and terrorise the Christians. The attacks began on the eve of Christmas last year and these were followed by systematic attacks against the minorities in Kandhamal," Kurup said, while strongly condemning the moves.
When the BJP members continued their vociferous protest, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House for lunch.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:13am Sealed prayer halls in Karnataka open till January 1
DAVANGERE:18th Dec- The B.K. Somashekara Commission of Inquiry has, in an interim arrangement, directed the Davangere district administration to allow the two Christian prayer halls sealed by it recently to function from Thursday till January 1, on account of Christmas celebrations.
Justice B.K. Somashekara, Chairman of the Commission, who heard arguments by both parties here on Wednesday, allowed for an interim arrangement on four conditions. They are that those who run the prayer halls should not indulge in illegal activities and should not carry out any other activities except prayer sessions. They will be subject to scrutiny or inspection by the district administration. The other two conditions are that those who run the prayer halls should not demean the deities of other religions and not hurt the religious sentiments of people belonging to other faiths. The Commission also said that this step was just an “interim arrangement” and that the district administration could revoke the order or extend it depending on the circumstances and based on the law and order situation.
It further said the Davangere City Corporation or the district administration could take appropriate action against the two prayer halls based on certain legal factors, after January 1, if need be.
Earlier, the Commissioner of the Davangere City Corporation, Gurulingappa, told the Commission that as the two prayer halls had failed to produce the relevant documents to the Corporation, the latter was forced to seize them.
Justice Somashekara also visited the church at Bada village in the district, which was attacked a few months ago.
Justice Somashekara also asked all those people who had written petitions to the Commission to come to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday to have their statements recorded. He told them that the Commission would give them transport allowance and dearness allowance as well as legal guidance if required.
Later, at around 8 p.m., Justice Somashekara was gheraoed by a huge mob at the Inspection Bungalow.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:57pm Christians have a bleak christmas in Orissa-Orissa round up
1-Witnesses fail to turn up despite notices
PHULBANI, Dec 16: Five people who were expected to depose before the Justice (retired) Basudev Panigrahi Commission of enquiry to the Kandhmal violence of December 2007, at Balliguda yesterday did not turn up."Notices had been sent to the five but not one of them appeared yesterday," said a official attached to the commission. Today five others deposed as against the notices issued to 22 people of Balliguda area. In fact four of those who are to depose before the commission are present in jail for riot-related cases. The commission will also conduct its hearing at Phulbani for second time on 18 and 19 December and notices have been issued to eight people.Earlier 30 deponents, all from minority community, were ordered to appear before the commission in its camp court at Cuttack, but some of them had prayed that they be heard in Kandhamal district.As many as 362 affidavits were received by the commission in connection to the communal violence of Kandhmal in 2007 said reliable sources. It may be noted that the Justice Panigrahi Commission is probing into the violence of December 2007.
2-Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 - A court in Orissa Wednesday granted bail to a journalist who was arrested by the police Dec 7 for writing an allegedly inflammatory book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.Lenin Kumar, editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, was arrested for his book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) that blames Hindu groups for the violence.Police had termed Kumar’s book as provocative and aimed at disturbing communal harmony. Two others were also arrested for helping him print and circulate the book.“J.P. Das the district and session judge at Bhubaneswar granted Lenin and other two bail on a surety bond of Rs.20,000 with some conditions,” one of Lenin’s lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo told .Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.At least 100 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. About 18,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.Rights activists, journalists and writers have been demanding Kumar’s release. Last week, about 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the official residence of the Orissa governor here.The Orissa Human Rights Commission Tuesday sought a report within two weeks from the state government on the arrest of Lenin after his wife Rumita Kundu submitted a petition describing the arrest as illegal and an instance of blatant human rights violation.
3-ORISSA: Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day. Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough. The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash. "The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators," SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said. While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions. Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested. "I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught," Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence. "We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown," he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders. Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: "Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus." Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas. Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp. "We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown)," Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told . "We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps. "Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack," he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon. Christian leaders also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district. "We don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,""We will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,"Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update12-18-08
Good morning,
Christmas has become a time of lights ever since the time of Martin Luther, who over 500 years ago brought an evergreen tree into his home and decorated it with candles. My wife goes all out to decorate the house with multiple Christmas trees of all sizes with diverse decorations. We got our "real" tree - 9 feet tall - this past Saturday. It is in and all decorated. I love to drive around and see the lights adorning the villages and cities. Throughout December, the evenings are lit up as homes, businesses, and even city streets fill the night with beautiful colored lights and decorations. It seems fitting since that first Christmas was also decorated with lights. There were angels who lit up the night for the shepherds and there was the star in the East that led the wise men to Jesus. In John 1:6 & 7 – “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”The image of light is not unique to Jesus. The God of the Old Testament was a God of light, who appeared to Moses as a burning bush and led the Israelites out of slavery as a pillar of fire. The image of light is a powerful picture of God. Light cannot be contained. Light has no shape or form. You can’t hold it in your hand, or close it up in a box. In fact, if you look in the dictionary the first definition for “light” is “something that makes vision possible.” Light is mentioned 71 times in the gospel of John. It puts chaos to flight and shows things as they really are and it guides or leads the way. Spiritually speaking, people are living in a world of darkness. “The Sounds of Silence”, a Simon and Garfunkel song from the 70’s, could very well be the theme song for today’s generation. “Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again. . .” Our world needs those who are willing to point others to the light, to be a witness to the light in the same way that John was a witness to the light. Vs. 8 – “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.” Our role is to point others to Christ Jesus, to point others to the light of Christ. We cannot bring light to the darkened souls of others, but we can direct them toward the light. We can reflect the true light and be representatives of the light of Christ. Ghost Whisperer is a TV program in which a young woman attempts to help earth-bound spirits resolve some problem so that they can go into the light. I see this as our job as Christians, to help troubled, earth-bound people to go into the light of Christ. Perhaps the most precious gift we can give another person is the gift of the light of Christ. We light our homes, we light our trees, and we even light candles on Christmas Eve. The surest way to bring light into our dark and hurting world is by introducing others to the light of the world, Christ Jesus.
In His Light,
Brown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu9zhl6zLFs
Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:57pm Christians have a bleak christmas in Orissa-Orissa round up
1-Witnesses fail to turn up despite notices
PHULBANI, Dec 16: Five people who were expected to depose before the Justice (retired) Basudev Panigrahi Commission of enquiry to the Kandhmal violence of December 2007, at Balliguda yesterday did not turn up."Notices had been sent to the five but not one of them appeared yesterday," said a official attached to the commission. Today five others deposed as against the notices issued to 22 people of Balliguda area. In fact four of those who are to depose before the commission are present in jail for riot-related cases. The commission will also conduct its hearing at Phulbani for second time on 18 and 19 December and notices have been issued to eight people.Earlier 30 deponents, all from minority community, were ordered to appear before the commission in its camp court at Cuttack, but some of them had prayed that they be heard in Kandhamal district.As many as 362 affidavits were received by the commission in connection to the communal violence of Kandhmal in 2007 said reliable sources. It may be noted that the Justice Panigrahi Commission is probing into the violence of December 2007.
2-Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 - A court in Orissa Wednesday granted bail to a journalist who was arrested by the police Dec 7 for writing an allegedly inflammatory book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.Lenin Kumar, editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, was arrested for his book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) that blames Hindu groups for the violence.Police had termed Kumar’s book as provocative and aimed at disturbing communal harmony. Two others were also arrested for helping him print and circulate the book.“J.P. Das the district and session judge at Bhubaneswar granted Lenin and other two bail on a surety bond of Rs.20,000 with some conditions,” one of Lenin’s lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo told .Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.At least 100 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. About 18,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.Rights activists, journalists and writers have been demanding Kumar’s release. Last week, about 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the official residence of the Orissa governor here.The Orissa Human Rights Commission Tuesday sought a report within two weeks from the state government on the arrest of Lenin after his wife Rumita Kundu submitted a petition describing the arrest as illegal and an instance of blatant human rights violation.
3-ORISSA: Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day. Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough. The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash. "The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators," SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said. While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions. Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested. "I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught," Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence. "We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown," he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders. Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: "Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus." Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas. Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp. "We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown)," Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told . "We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps. "Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack," he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon. Christian leaders also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district. "We don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,""We will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,"Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:42pm Christian leader abducted in Kandhamal?
Phulbhani-17th Dec-08Hindu extremists on Dec 16th, assaulted Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block.
Digal, was returning home along with his son Muna, from Congress MLA Mrs. Ajayanti Pradhan , where he is employed as her PS.
Around 6.30 PM, extremists stopped his motor bike on the road between Telengia to Sitapanga.
The extremist started hitting them mercilessly, luckily his son escaped on the motorbike and reached G. Udaygiri PS around 9.45 pm and informed the police.
Police immediately went for spot inquiry but found nothing.
Police have registered a MISSING case under FIR NO.400, dtd17.12.08 and investigating further on the said matter.
According to GCIC regional co.ordinator, this may be communal attack by Sangh Parivar as a prelude to Orissa Bandh on 25th December, 2008, they have rulled out that aspect.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Wed, 17/12/2008 - 6:30am Govenment says no Shut down permitted on Christmas day by radicals
Bhubaneswar (16th Dec 08)
The Orissa government on Monday announced that it will not permit the state wide shutdown called by some Hindu groups on Christmas Day, demanding arrest of all those involved in the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader on August 23 that led to communal violence in the state.
"No shutdown will be permitted on December 25," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the assembly while replying to a discussion on the communal violence in the district of Kandhamal.
"The government will come down heavily on those who try to create any trouble," Patnaik said.
Orissa tops in communal violence
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram at Jaleshpata.
While the police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.
Thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. At least 38 people were killed in the violence.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
Christmas has become a time of lights ever since the time of Martin Luther, who over 500 years ago brought an evergreen tree into his home and decorated it with candles. My wife goes all out to decorate the house with multiple Christmas trees of all sizes with diverse decorations. We got our "real" tree - 9 feet tall - this past Saturday. It is in and all decorated. I love to drive around and see the lights adorning the villages and cities. Throughout December, the evenings are lit up as homes, businesses, and even city streets fill the night with beautiful colored lights and decorations. It seems fitting since that first Christmas was also decorated with lights. There were angels who lit up the night for the shepherds and there was the star in the East that led the wise men to Jesus. In John 1:6 & 7 – “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”The image of light is not unique to Jesus. The God of the Old Testament was a God of light, who appeared to Moses as a burning bush and led the Israelites out of slavery as a pillar of fire. The image of light is a powerful picture of God. Light cannot be contained. Light has no shape or form. You can’t hold it in your hand, or close it up in a box. In fact, if you look in the dictionary the first definition for “light” is “something that makes vision possible.” Light is mentioned 71 times in the gospel of John. It puts chaos to flight and shows things as they really are and it guides or leads the way. Spiritually speaking, people are living in a world of darkness. “The Sounds of Silence”, a Simon and Garfunkel song from the 70’s, could very well be the theme song for today’s generation. “Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again. . .” Our world needs those who are willing to point others to the light, to be a witness to the light in the same way that John was a witness to the light. Vs. 8 – “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.” Our role is to point others to Christ Jesus, to point others to the light of Christ. We cannot bring light to the darkened souls of others, but we can direct them toward the light. We can reflect the true light and be representatives of the light of Christ. Ghost Whisperer is a TV program in which a young woman attempts to help earth-bound spirits resolve some problem so that they can go into the light. I see this as our job as Christians, to help troubled, earth-bound people to go into the light of Christ. Perhaps the most precious gift we can give another person is the gift of the light of Christ. We light our homes, we light our trees, and we even light candles on Christmas Eve. The surest way to bring light into our dark and hurting world is by introducing others to the light of the world, Christ Jesus.
In His Light,
Brown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu9zhl6zLFs
Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:57pm Christians have a bleak christmas in Orissa-Orissa round up
1-Witnesses fail to turn up despite notices
PHULBANI, Dec 16: Five people who were expected to depose before the Justice (retired) Basudev Panigrahi Commission of enquiry to the Kandhmal violence of December 2007, at Balliguda yesterday did not turn up."Notices had been sent to the five but not one of them appeared yesterday," said a official attached to the commission. Today five others deposed as against the notices issued to 22 people of Balliguda area. In fact four of those who are to depose before the commission are present in jail for riot-related cases. The commission will also conduct its hearing at Phulbani for second time on 18 and 19 December and notices have been issued to eight people.Earlier 30 deponents, all from minority community, were ordered to appear before the commission in its camp court at Cuttack, but some of them had prayed that they be heard in Kandhamal district.As many as 362 affidavits were received by the commission in connection to the communal violence of Kandhmal in 2007 said reliable sources. It may be noted that the Justice Panigrahi Commission is probing into the violence of December 2007.
2-Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 - A court in Orissa Wednesday granted bail to a journalist who was arrested by the police Dec 7 for writing an allegedly inflammatory book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.Lenin Kumar, editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, was arrested for his book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) that blames Hindu groups for the violence.Police had termed Kumar’s book as provocative and aimed at disturbing communal harmony. Two others were also arrested for helping him print and circulate the book.“J.P. Das the district and session judge at Bhubaneswar granted Lenin and other two bail on a surety bond of Rs.20,000 with some conditions,” one of Lenin’s lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo told .Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.At least 100 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. About 18,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.Rights activists, journalists and writers have been demanding Kumar’s release. Last week, about 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the official residence of the Orissa governor here.The Orissa Human Rights Commission Tuesday sought a report within two weeks from the state government on the arrest of Lenin after his wife Rumita Kundu submitted a petition describing the arrest as illegal and an instance of blatant human rights violation.
3-ORISSA: Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day. Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough. The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash. "The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators," SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said. While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions. Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested. "I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught," Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence. "We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown," he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders. Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: "Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus." Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas. Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp. "We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown)," Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told . "We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps. "Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack," he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon. Christian leaders also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district. "We don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,""We will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,"Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:42pm Christian leader abducted in Kandhamal?
Phulbhani-17th Dec-08Hindu extremists on Dec 16th, assaulted Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block.
Digal, was returning home along with his son Muna, from Congress MLA Mrs. Ajayanti Pradhan , where he is employed as her PS.
Around 6.30 PM, extremists stopped his motor bike on the road between Telengia to Sitapanga.
The extremist started hitting them mercilessly, luckily his son escaped on the motorbike and reached G. Udaygiri PS around 9.45 pm and informed the police.
Police immediately went for spot inquiry but found nothing.
Police have registered a MISSING case under FIR NO.400, dtd17.12.08 and investigating further on the said matter.
According to GCIC regional co.ordinator, this may be communal attack by Sangh Parivar as a prelude to Orissa Bandh on 25th December, 2008, they have rulled out that aspect.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Wed, 17/12/2008 - 6:30am Govenment says no Shut down permitted on Christmas day by radicals
Bhubaneswar (16th Dec 08)
The Orissa government on Monday announced that it will not permit the state wide shutdown called by some Hindu groups on Christmas Day, demanding arrest of all those involved in the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader on August 23 that led to communal violence in the state.
"No shutdown will be permitted on December 25," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the assembly while replying to a discussion on the communal violence in the district of Kandhamal.
"The government will come down heavily on those who try to create any trouble," Patnaik said.
Orissa tops in communal violence
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram at Jaleshpata.
While the police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.
Thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. At least 38 people were killed in the violence.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update12-17-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this Holy Season. The world all around us longs for peace, and we as believers pray for peace as we anticipate celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. The angel and the multitude of the heavenly host declared to the lowly shepherds, "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on earth and good will to all men with whom He is well pleased". Isaiah 2:1-4 gives us a wonderful picture of God’s peace. Verse 4 poetically states that the weapons of war will be transformed into items that are constructive. Swords will beaten into plowshares. Spears will be beaten into pruning hooks. At that time, nations will no longer train their militaries for war any more. The transformation of these weapons is from instruments designed to kill into tools that are used in farming. They become instruments that support life. It is God who gives us the fruits of the field. It is also God who makes peace possible. The United States did not enter WORLD WAR II until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both civilians and service men alike remember that event. That day and that event marked a time in the history of our country when no one living at the time would ever forget where they were or what they doing when they heard the news December 7, 1941. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described that day as a day that would live in infamy. Those who were not living at that time have learned about the events of that historic day from the history books. From the moment that Pearl Harbor was bombed onward, the name of the place known as Pearl Harbor became known as a battle cry. For the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was a victory. Years before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, there was a young Japanese boy by the name of Mitsuo Fuchida who, at the age of three, aspired to become a national hero like the Japanese national hero Admiral Togo, who had at one time destroyed the Russian fleet in a surprise attack. Years later, Mitsuo Fuchida became the equivalent of the modern day American TOP GUN in Japan. It was Mitsuo Fuchida who led 360 Japanese planes in the attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born in a town called Bethlehem. Far too many times we make light of the significance of this fact. Jesus is the PRINCE OF PEACE (Isaiah 9:6). The name "Jesus" means Savior (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is our Immanuel, which means that He is God with us (Matthew 1:23). He died in our place as the sacrificial lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). German theologian Karl Barth once said, "In Christ both creation and humanity are reconciled. Forgiveness and reconciliation are one in the same. For God forgives us of our sins through Jesus Christ." It was only through Jesus Christ that Jacob Deshazer, U. S. soldier and ex-POW, was able to get rid of his hatred for the Japanese. Jacob Deshazer had just finished flight school when he heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a result, Jacob began to hate the Japanese with a passion. He had an axe to grind, a score to settle. In fact he was so hot with passion that he even volunteered for a bombing mission into Japan that was known as the "Doolittle mission". While he was on that mission, he ran out of fuel. Shortly thereafter, he was captured by the Japanese. The next 40 months of his life were spent as a POW. 34 of those 40 months he spent in solitary confinement. One day, he saw a fellow POW die of starvation; that enraged him all the more in his passionate hate for the Japanese. However, instead of building on that hate any more, he reflected on the idea of how he once heard that Jesus Christ could turn hate into love. He spent the next few months begging for a Bible. Finally, his captors got him one. After his conversion, he would pray for his captors even when they beat him. Obviously, through Jesus Christ, God had changed Jacob’s axe to grind and his score to settle into a cross to carry as a disciple of Jesus Christ. God had emotionally and spiritually turned his sword and spear into a plowshare and a pruning hook. One day, years later, Jacob Deshazer and Mitsuo Fuchida ran into each other. It was a meeting that changed Fuchida’s life forever. He had been called to a courthouse as a character witness for war crimes. He had been sent as an investigator to Hiroshima and back to Tokyo along with twelve others after the atomic bomb had been dropped in Hiroshima. Of the thirteen who went to investigate what had happened to Hiroshima, Fuchida was the only one who did not die from radiation. As Fuchida stepped outside the courthouse he saw a crowd around Jacob Deshazer. He noticed that Deshazer was handing out pamphlets of his testimony about how he had turned from hateful U.S. soldier and POW to a new creation in Christ (Second Corinthians 5:17). Paper was scarce, so many were lining the soles of their worn out shoes with these pamphlets. Fuchida took one and read its contents instead. As a result, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He, too, had allowed God to emotionally and spiritually turn his sword and spear into a plowshare and a pruning hook. The spiritual battle has already been won, but the victory that comes from Jesus Christ cannot be our victory until surrender takes place. Sometimes we have been guilty of carrying an axe to grind long for far too long, long after the initial battle or confrontation. We do not have to bear arms to find ourselves fighting with God and each other. All we have to do is refuse to be the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) that Christ has called us to be as His disciples and we will discover that we have allowed the devil to get a toe hold for his bidding as trouble makers who will in the end only keep biting and devouring one another until we have destroyed each other (Galatians 5:15 paraphrased).
If these two men, who were enemies due to the war that they fought in, can become brothers in Christ then why is it so hard for some of us to do the same? The reason it is hard might be because we have not been willing to surrender our swords and spears so that Christ can reconcile us to each other and to God. We cannot proclaim God’s peace unless we have proclaimed it in our own lives. In Jesus our Saviour,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpgaWm2pnNs
Praise the Lord for this Holy Season. The world all around us longs for peace, and we as believers pray for peace as we anticipate celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. The angel and the multitude of the heavenly host declared to the lowly shepherds, "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on earth and good will to all men with whom He is well pleased". Isaiah 2:1-4 gives us a wonderful picture of God’s peace. Verse 4 poetically states that the weapons of war will be transformed into items that are constructive. Swords will beaten into plowshares. Spears will be beaten into pruning hooks. At that time, nations will no longer train their militaries for war any more. The transformation of these weapons is from instruments designed to kill into tools that are used in farming. They become instruments that support life. It is God who gives us the fruits of the field. It is also God who makes peace possible. The United States did not enter WORLD WAR II until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both civilians and service men alike remember that event. That day and that event marked a time in the history of our country when no one living at the time would ever forget where they were or what they doing when they heard the news December 7, 1941. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described that day as a day that would live in infamy. Those who were not living at that time have learned about the events of that historic day from the history books. From the moment that Pearl Harbor was bombed onward, the name of the place known as Pearl Harbor became known as a battle cry. For the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was a victory. Years before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, there was a young Japanese boy by the name of Mitsuo Fuchida who, at the age of three, aspired to become a national hero like the Japanese national hero Admiral Togo, who had at one time destroyed the Russian fleet in a surprise attack. Years later, Mitsuo Fuchida became the equivalent of the modern day American TOP GUN in Japan. It was Mitsuo Fuchida who led 360 Japanese planes in the attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born in a town called Bethlehem. Far too many times we make light of the significance of this fact. Jesus is the PRINCE OF PEACE (Isaiah 9:6). The name "Jesus" means Savior (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is our Immanuel, which means that He is God with us (Matthew 1:23). He died in our place as the sacrificial lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). German theologian Karl Barth once said, "In Christ both creation and humanity are reconciled. Forgiveness and reconciliation are one in the same. For God forgives us of our sins through Jesus Christ." It was only through Jesus Christ that Jacob Deshazer, U. S. soldier and ex-POW, was able to get rid of his hatred for the Japanese. Jacob Deshazer had just finished flight school when he heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a result, Jacob began to hate the Japanese with a passion. He had an axe to grind, a score to settle. In fact he was so hot with passion that he even volunteered for a bombing mission into Japan that was known as the "Doolittle mission". While he was on that mission, he ran out of fuel. Shortly thereafter, he was captured by the Japanese. The next 40 months of his life were spent as a POW. 34 of those 40 months he spent in solitary confinement. One day, he saw a fellow POW die of starvation; that enraged him all the more in his passionate hate for the Japanese. However, instead of building on that hate any more, he reflected on the idea of how he once heard that Jesus Christ could turn hate into love. He spent the next few months begging for a Bible. Finally, his captors got him one. After his conversion, he would pray for his captors even when they beat him. Obviously, through Jesus Christ, God had changed Jacob’s axe to grind and his score to settle into a cross to carry as a disciple of Jesus Christ. God had emotionally and spiritually turned his sword and spear into a plowshare and a pruning hook. One day, years later, Jacob Deshazer and Mitsuo Fuchida ran into each other. It was a meeting that changed Fuchida’s life forever. He had been called to a courthouse as a character witness for war crimes. He had been sent as an investigator to Hiroshima and back to Tokyo along with twelve others after the atomic bomb had been dropped in Hiroshima. Of the thirteen who went to investigate what had happened to Hiroshima, Fuchida was the only one who did not die from radiation. As Fuchida stepped outside the courthouse he saw a crowd around Jacob Deshazer. He noticed that Deshazer was handing out pamphlets of his testimony about how he had turned from hateful U.S. soldier and POW to a new creation in Christ (Second Corinthians 5:17). Paper was scarce, so many were lining the soles of their worn out shoes with these pamphlets. Fuchida took one and read its contents instead. As a result, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He, too, had allowed God to emotionally and spiritually turn his sword and spear into a plowshare and a pruning hook. The spiritual battle has already been won, but the victory that comes from Jesus Christ cannot be our victory until surrender takes place. Sometimes we have been guilty of carrying an axe to grind long for far too long, long after the initial battle or confrontation. We do not have to bear arms to find ourselves fighting with God and each other. All we have to do is refuse to be the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) that Christ has called us to be as His disciples and we will discover that we have allowed the devil to get a toe hold for his bidding as trouble makers who will in the end only keep biting and devouring one another until we have destroyed each other (Galatians 5:15 paraphrased).
If these two men, who were enemies due to the war that they fought in, can become brothers in Christ then why is it so hard for some of us to do the same? The reason it is hard might be because we have not been willing to surrender our swords and spears so that Christ can reconcile us to each other and to God. We cannot proclaim God’s peace unless we have proclaimed it in our own lives. In Jesus our Saviour,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpgaWm2pnNs
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update12-16-08
Good Morning,
In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna. They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards, but they are significant players in the first Christmas pageant. Both of these individuals were waiting for something -- actually, they were waiting for someone. Luke uses a Greek word of anticipation that identifies them as waiting with expectation for the coming of the Messiah, or Savior. It literally means that they were “alert to His appearance, and ready to welcome Him.” We see this word in Luke 2:25 in reference to Simeon where we read that “He was waiting...” and in Luke 2:38 to describe a woman named Anna who was, “...looking forward to...” Simeon was Waiting For Comfort: We’re introduced to Simeon in Luke 2:25, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.” Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ would bring. Among Jews of Simeon’s day one of the popular titles for the Messiah was Comforter. They were longing for the Messiah to come and bring His comfort to them. The desire to be comforted is a universal human need. We all struggle at times with loneliness, emptiness, insecurity, and even desperation. In fact, the Christmas season is one of the major crisis times of the year for depression and suicide. It is a part of the human condition. The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time on just the right day that Joseph and Mary were bringing their infant to the Temple. When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus, now about 6 weeks old, he knew that God’s promise had been kept. Here was Immanuel, “God With Us,” to make everything right, to provide significance by His presence, and to eliminate rejection, fear, and loneliness. Luke 2:28 says that Simeon reached down and took Jesus out of Mary’s arms and began to praise God. As he broke out into praise, he acknowledged that God had not only fulfilled the individual promise to himself, but also the promises of the prophets to send the Anointed One to comfort both Jews and Gentiles. The other Christmas Character waiting with anticipation was Anna. After her husband had died, she had dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple. In fact, the Bible says that she never left the temple but worshipped day and night. She was looking forward to the same person as Simeon was, but with a different orientation. Instead of looking for comfort, Anna was looking for forgiveness. Take a look at verse 38: “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” The word redemption is related to the idea of captivity. The Old Testament Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate redemption and the symbol of God’s power to release captives. Ultimately, Passover pointed ahead to that day when God would provide deliverance from the slavery of sin. When Anna saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for redemption. Here, at last, was the One who would save His people from their sins. When Jesus came, He provided the very things that Simeon and Anna were waiting for -- God’s comfort and His forgiveness. How can we not find what we have been looking for? Once we have found it, how can we keep quiet about it? Once you have the Son, you have everything. Many years ago, there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works by Picasso and Van Gogh adorning the walls of their family estate. As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram saying that his son had died. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the door he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hands who said, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.” The soldier mentioned that he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. The paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man’s son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars worth of art. Then the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given.The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored. The following spring, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. Dreams were to be fulfilled that day. The auction began with a painting that was not on anyone’s museum list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” No one spoke. Finally someone said, “Who cares about that painting. It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s move on to the good stuff.” The auctioneer responded, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a neighbor of the old man offered $10 dollars. “That’s all I have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.” The auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice…gone.” The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can bid on the real treasures!” The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, “What do you mean, it’s over? We didn’t come here for a painting of someone’s son. There are millions of dollars worth of art here! What’s going on?” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the Father, whoever takes the son gets it all.” This is the message of Christmas. Because of the Father’s love, whoever takes the Son gets it all.
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltX-6HblGJI
In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna. They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards, but they are significant players in the first Christmas pageant. Both of these individuals were waiting for something -- actually, they were waiting for someone. Luke uses a Greek word of anticipation that identifies them as waiting with expectation for the coming of the Messiah, or Savior. It literally means that they were “alert to His appearance, and ready to welcome Him.” We see this word in Luke 2:25 in reference to Simeon where we read that “He was waiting...” and in Luke 2:38 to describe a woman named Anna who was, “...looking forward to...” Simeon was Waiting For Comfort: We’re introduced to Simeon in Luke 2:25, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.” Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ would bring. Among Jews of Simeon’s day one of the popular titles for the Messiah was Comforter. They were longing for the Messiah to come and bring His comfort to them. The desire to be comforted is a universal human need. We all struggle at times with loneliness, emptiness, insecurity, and even desperation. In fact, the Christmas season is one of the major crisis times of the year for depression and suicide. It is a part of the human condition. The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time on just the right day that Joseph and Mary were bringing their infant to the Temple. When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus, now about 6 weeks old, he knew that God’s promise had been kept. Here was Immanuel, “God With Us,” to make everything right, to provide significance by His presence, and to eliminate rejection, fear, and loneliness. Luke 2:28 says that Simeon reached down and took Jesus out of Mary’s arms and began to praise God. As he broke out into praise, he acknowledged that God had not only fulfilled the individual promise to himself, but also the promises of the prophets to send the Anointed One to comfort both Jews and Gentiles. The other Christmas Character waiting with anticipation was Anna. After her husband had died, she had dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple. In fact, the Bible says that she never left the temple but worshipped day and night. She was looking forward to the same person as Simeon was, but with a different orientation. Instead of looking for comfort, Anna was looking for forgiveness. Take a look at verse 38: “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” The word redemption is related to the idea of captivity. The Old Testament Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate redemption and the symbol of God’s power to release captives. Ultimately, Passover pointed ahead to that day when God would provide deliverance from the slavery of sin. When Anna saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for redemption. Here, at last, was the One who would save His people from their sins. When Jesus came, He provided the very things that Simeon and Anna were waiting for -- God’s comfort and His forgiveness. How can we not find what we have been looking for? Once we have found it, how can we keep quiet about it? Once you have the Son, you have everything. Many years ago, there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works by Picasso and Van Gogh adorning the walls of their family estate. As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram saying that his son had died. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the door he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hands who said, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.” The soldier mentioned that he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. The paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man’s son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars worth of art. Then the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given.The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored. The following spring, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. Dreams were to be fulfilled that day. The auction began with a painting that was not on anyone’s museum list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” No one spoke. Finally someone said, “Who cares about that painting. It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s move on to the good stuff.” The auctioneer responded, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a neighbor of the old man offered $10 dollars. “That’s all I have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.” The auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice…gone.” The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can bid on the real treasures!” The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, “What do you mean, it’s over? We didn’t come here for a painting of someone’s son. There are millions of dollars worth of art here! What’s going on?” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the Father, whoever takes the son gets it all.” This is the message of Christmas. Because of the Father’s love, whoever takes the Son gets it all.
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltX-6HblGJI
Monday, December 15, 2008
Brown's Daily Word & India update12-15-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord, for it is Monday. The Lord blessed us wonderfully yesterday all day. We gathered for our family breakfast, a breakfast buffet, at 7a.m. Tom, Dean , Kathy, and Terri cooked up a storm. The St. Petersburg Men's ensemble presented a wonderful concert, presented in Russian. "Love in any language is fluently spoken here." Glenn gave his testimony. It was great morning.
The Lord blessed us during our morning worship services. We went our for caroling in the evening. Praise the Lord for the songs of Christmas. Praise the Lord for Christmas lights. Praise the Lord the way Christmas changes the world.
The Old Testament reading for yesterday, the third Sunday in Advent was taken from Isaiah 61. The prophet Isaiah ministered some 700 years before Jesus was born and brought a message that contained both bad news of judgment and good news of joy, peace, forgiveness and hope. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. [JOY] He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, [PEACE] to proclaim freedom for the captives [FORGIVENESS] and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor [HOPE] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness [JOY] instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…”Isaiah looks ahead to the time when glad tidings will be preached to the sad and the sorrowful, to the depressed and the despondent. To “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” was a promise of a joyful jubilee. This must have been good news to those who were grieving. The “garment of praise” would replace the sackcloth of sadness. Ashes represent anguish while oil stands for joy in the Bible. God’s people had been pummeled with problems and yet, in the midst of the mess of their lives, these words filled them with a longing for something more. They had waited a long time for a special gift from God.
That reminds me of the woman who frantically bought a box of 50 identical Christmas cards so she could get them in the mail on time. She hastily opened each card and signed her name without bothering to read what was printed inside. Several days after they had been mailed, she came across one leftover card and discovered to her dismay that the inside had these words: “This card is just to say, a special gift is on the way.” (She should have read the card before she sent it.) Joy throbs throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the delights and disasters which may dog God’s people. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances. The Hebrew word means, “To leap or spin around with pleasure.” In the New Testament the word refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration.” We can be helped greatly in our journey towards joy if we learn to see the Almighty not as a taskmaster, but as the God of the Universe with a smile on His face. Listen to how God feels about you from Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” God delights in you and breaks out into song when He thinks about you! That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I love how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: “Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.” Luke 10:21 says that Jesus “was full of joy.” Acts 16:34 says that the Philippian jailer “…was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.” Is joy really what we want this Christmas? If so, then we must receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Christ was born in Bethlehem but He must be born in you. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.” It’s easy to get all sentimental during this season, but we must not substitute sentimentality for salvation. This good news of great joy is “for all people.” God’s mega-message was never intended to just be for one group of people in one part of the world. God’s good news of great joy is for all people everywhere. It is “joy to the world.” “Rejoice, ye who feel that ye are lost; your Saviour comes to seek and save you. Be of good cheer ye who are in prison, for he comes to set you free. Ye, who are famished and ready to die, rejoice that he has consecrated for you a Bethlehem, a house of bread, and he has come to be the bread of life to your souls. Rejoice, O sinners everywhere, for the restorer of the castaways, the Saviour of the fallen is born. Join in the joy, ye saints, for he is the preserver of the saved ones, delivering them from innumerable perils, and he is the sure perfecter of such as he preserves. Jesus is no partial Saviour, beginning a work and not concluding it; but, restoring and upholding, he also perfects and presents the saved ones without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing before his Father’s throne. Rejoice aloud all ye people, let your hills and valleys ring with joy, for a Saviour who is mighty to save is born among you.” - Charles Spurgeon.
Joy to the world,
Brown
Hi Pastor Brown!
I had a real neat thing happen to me at dinner today, and I want to share it with you.
Okay, I decided to go to Boscov's right after church to pick up one last gift. I thought I could pick up something to eat at their little restaurant there. Well, the restaurant was closed. So, I started home. I then decided to stop at Christie's to eat because one of my cousins works there. She wasn't working, so I asked for a table "out of the way". I ate my meal...all the time enjoying the conversation of two nice looking young men sitting across from me. (By young, I mean young enough to be my grandsons!) I thought I heard the word "God" used once in a while. So, I strained to hear more. Sure enough, they said their blessing when the food arrived. Then I listened more closely, and it was obvious they were truly believers. I was thrilled. I only tell you this next part because it is such a vital part of the story. I asked the Lord if He wanted me to pick up their check. I felt strongly He wanted me to do that. I felt all giggly and thought I would just tell them to leave the tip when I left. So, I tore a piece of the paper tablecloth off and wrote a note to the waitress. It said, "I want their check, too." I put an arrow pointing towards them. Lo and behold, when the waitress arrived, I was handing the note to her, and one of the young men said, "She wanted to pick up our check, too." I was speechless, but I finally told the waitress to show them the note. Then they were speechless. They had a questionmark written all over their faces. I said, "I'm a Believer, too, and I enjoyed so much your conversation about God." None of us could believe what was happening. Okay, here's the bottom line: they go to Davis College. One boy is a preacher's kid, and the other boy is from India. I asked him if he knew you. He said no, but he decided that your brother teaches at Davis. The other boy (preacher's kid) said he had met you. I bragged about you to the Indian boy and told him to go out of his way to meet you because he would just love you. I wouldn't be surprised if they show up in one of your services some day. The preacher's kid's name is Steve. Can't believe I didn't get his last name. But the boy from India is Sam They're both beautiful kids and glow with the Love of Jesus. Do you think my meeting them was a coincidence? I don't. I get so discouraged with the way the world is today. These two encouraged my heart soooooooooo much. Believe me, Pastor, I'm not bragging. I'm just so tickled that I had to share this with someone. I thought you would be the logical one. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Love in Christ,
Your Sister....L
Dear Friends,
Good morning. Merry Christmas. We are just under two weeks away from celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. We praise the Lord for the Christ of Christmas, who came to preach Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Thank you for your continual prayer for the persecuted and oppressed Christians of Orissa, India. As you know, over 70,000 Christians have been made homeless. Many are still living in refugee camps, under deplorable conditions. It is winter in Orissa now, with night-time temperatures falling to near-freezing. There are over 10,000 refugees living in the camp in G. Udayagiri. This camp is located on the grounds of Hubbock High School, the school which I attended, and from which I graduated in 1964. I personally know many of the people who are living in this camp. We have been sending some financial support to them from time to time, as the Lord has made it available. We would like to be able to send them a special Christmas gift of blankets and saris (women's wear). We would also like to send some gifts for the children - particularly clothing and shoes - at the Dugudi campus. Only 15 of them are still living on the Dugudi campus - because of safety considerations, the rest of the children were sent back to their families.
Twenty-five dollars will buy two blankets or two saris. We would also like to be able to make a gift of at least twenty-five dollars for each child, for the purchase of clothing and shoes.
I appeal to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to seek, to save, and to serve the lost, the last, and the least, that we joyfully and prayerful step out in faith to help our brothers and sisters who have lost so much for the love of the Savior. You can make your checks payable to the Union Center United Methodist Church, with the memo line reading "Orissa Mission". Then send your check to the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY 13760. Thank you for caring and sharing at this time of great need.
"Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'"
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06xqOjoMEfw
Mon, 15/12/2008 - 1:34pm The Exodus of Christians from Kandhamal District of Orissa-attention of the Human Rights organisations
The Exodus of Christians from Kandhamal District: There is considerable reduction of refugees in Relief Camps (from 24,000 to 11,000). The claim that those who leave the relief camps are going back to their own villages and settling down in their homes is not true. Most of them have migrated to relief camps in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Berhampur and also settled down in rented houses and in the houses of relatives, friends, acquaintances etc. elsewhere. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 Christians of Kandhamal district are living outside the district.
There are 9 camps in Kandhamal run by the government where nearly 12,000 people are staying at present.
Another 5 camps are outside Kandhamal: in Cuttack-1: 140 (65 families), in Bhubaneswar-2: 800(200 families), in Berhampur-1: 400(160 families), in Jharsuguda-1: 2000.
1200 families have left the state.There are also other victims who have left Orissa for Maharastra, Kerala, Goa and other states. The old, women and children are already suffering under the biting winter as they do not have sufficient warm clothes. A dead man was not allowed to be buried in his village as he did not become a Hindu in Sarthaguda of Tikabali block.
Christians are not allowed to harvest the paddy from their own fields in many Gram Panchayats if they do not become Hindus. Ms Lalitha Digal, 45 yrs, wife of Jemadar Digal, was killed at Dodabali village, under Gandringan G.P, under Sarangard police station on 25thNovemeber 2008. Late Digal was staying at the relief camp K. Nuagam, and on 21st Novemeber 2008 she had gone to the village to harvest the paddy. It is reported that she was staying at her friends' house of the same village. She was dragged from the house and killed, thereafter the body has not yet been found. Mr. Jamadar has lodged an FIR at the Sarngard police station through K.Nuagam police out post.
The children/students are the worst sufferers as they are languishing in the camps instead of going to schools.
Looting of Houses, Churches & Religious Houses: As the people had fled because of threats and fear, criminals are looting the homes, churches, religious houses and institutions. They are destroying and burning whatever is left behind.
Non Acceptance of FIRs: FIRs are not accepted in Daringabadi and Sarangoda Police Stations.
There is a strong rumour that the saffron forces have distributed flags to each household and to be put on the housetop so that they would be spared from the attacks in the next round. For this, preparations are underway for making new weapons and country made guns.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sun, 14/12/2008 - 10:14pm Christmas, moment of peace and hope for young widows of Orissa
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13997&geo=2&size=A
Christmas, moment of peace and hope for young widows of Orissaby Nirmala CarvalhoThe husband of Asmitha Digal, a 25-year-old mother of two daughters, was killed by Hindu fundamentalists during the first days of the pogrom against Christians. The woman testifies to the violence she has suffered, but says that she will not give in to the logic of violence. A Christian activist denounces treatment as "second-class citizens."
Bangalore (AsiaNews) - Leaving behind the trauma, pain, and violence suffered; testifying to the martyrdom suffered by one's loved ones without giving in to the logic of hatred, and issuing a message of peace and hope ahead of Christmas. In this spirit, 24 young widows of the district of Kandhamal, in Orissa, have recounted the anti-Christian pogrom unleashed by Hindu fundamentalists.
The women have left the refugee camp in Orissa, and have come to Bangalore. The trip was organized by activists of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), in order to permit the women to celebrate the Christmas holiday. In Orissa, tension remains high, and the Christian community has been threatened with new violence in the case of celebrations connected to Christmas.
Among the many stories of women marked by pain and suffering, AsiaNewshas gathered that of Asmitha Digal, from the village of Bataguda, 25 years old and with two young children, whose husband was barbarously killed by fundamentalists: "On August 26th [editor's note: one of the first days of the anti-Christian violence in Orisa] my husband Rajesh came by train, got off at Muniguda station and began walking to Kandhamal as there was no other transport and all the roads were blocked with felled trees. He was accompanied by a young Hindu boy Tunguru Mallick."
"At around 9 am," Asmitha continues, "they had reached Paburia village, they were stopped by a mob of nearly 60 RSS extremists [editor's note: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a nationalist paramilitary group] armed with long wooden clubs and batons, they snatched Rajesh's satchel, which had a Bible and gospel tracts. Mallick ran away and hid in some bushes, they thrashed Rajesh and told him to embrace Hinduism which he meekly refused. This angered the extremists who threw him into a pit and covered him with mud neck-downwards, and once again told him to become Hindu, yet again Rajesh refused, then they took huge stones and stoned him to death."
Asmitha says that she tried to report the case, but received no response or compensation. For her, the trip to Bangalore represents an opportunity to issue a message of hope. "I have to live for my children, my husband is with Jesus, and Jesus will be born for us at Christmas to bring us a new life. Jesus comes as a little baby, so helpless and born in a stable, our relief camps are like stables - bare tents, and we like Jesus are shivering in the cold, but Christ is alive and this is what makes the radicals afraid, we pray and believe in a living God."
Praise the Lord, for it is Monday. The Lord blessed us wonderfully yesterday all day. We gathered for our family breakfast, a breakfast buffet, at 7a.m. Tom, Dean , Kathy, and Terri cooked up a storm. The St. Petersburg Men's ensemble presented a wonderful concert, presented in Russian. "Love in any language is fluently spoken here." Glenn gave his testimony. It was great morning.
The Lord blessed us during our morning worship services. We went our for caroling in the evening. Praise the Lord for the songs of Christmas. Praise the Lord for Christmas lights. Praise the Lord the way Christmas changes the world.
The Old Testament reading for yesterday, the third Sunday in Advent was taken from Isaiah 61. The prophet Isaiah ministered some 700 years before Jesus was born and brought a message that contained both bad news of judgment and good news of joy, peace, forgiveness and hope. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. [JOY] He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, [PEACE] to proclaim freedom for the captives [FORGIVENESS] and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor [HOPE] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness [JOY] instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…”Isaiah looks ahead to the time when glad tidings will be preached to the sad and the sorrowful, to the depressed and the despondent. To “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” was a promise of a joyful jubilee. This must have been good news to those who were grieving. The “garment of praise” would replace the sackcloth of sadness. Ashes represent anguish while oil stands for joy in the Bible. God’s people had been pummeled with problems and yet, in the midst of the mess of their lives, these words filled them with a longing for something more. They had waited a long time for a special gift from God.
That reminds me of the woman who frantically bought a box of 50 identical Christmas cards so she could get them in the mail on time. She hastily opened each card and signed her name without bothering to read what was printed inside. Several days after they had been mailed, she came across one leftover card and discovered to her dismay that the inside had these words: “This card is just to say, a special gift is on the way.” (She should have read the card before she sent it.) Joy throbs throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the delights and disasters which may dog God’s people. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances. The Hebrew word means, “To leap or spin around with pleasure.” In the New Testament the word refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration.” We can be helped greatly in our journey towards joy if we learn to see the Almighty not as a taskmaster, but as the God of the Universe with a smile on His face. Listen to how God feels about you from Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” God delights in you and breaks out into song when He thinks about you! That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I love how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: “Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.” Luke 10:21 says that Jesus “was full of joy.” Acts 16:34 says that the Philippian jailer “…was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.” Is joy really what we want this Christmas? If so, then we must receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Christ was born in Bethlehem but He must be born in you. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.” It’s easy to get all sentimental during this season, but we must not substitute sentimentality for salvation. This good news of great joy is “for all people.” God’s mega-message was never intended to just be for one group of people in one part of the world. God’s good news of great joy is for all people everywhere. It is “joy to the world.” “Rejoice, ye who feel that ye are lost; your Saviour comes to seek and save you. Be of good cheer ye who are in prison, for he comes to set you free. Ye, who are famished and ready to die, rejoice that he has consecrated for you a Bethlehem, a house of bread, and he has come to be the bread of life to your souls. Rejoice, O sinners everywhere, for the restorer of the castaways, the Saviour of the fallen is born. Join in the joy, ye saints, for he is the preserver of the saved ones, delivering them from innumerable perils, and he is the sure perfecter of such as he preserves. Jesus is no partial Saviour, beginning a work and not concluding it; but, restoring and upholding, he also perfects and presents the saved ones without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing before his Father’s throne. Rejoice aloud all ye people, let your hills and valleys ring with joy, for a Saviour who is mighty to save is born among you.” - Charles Spurgeon.
Joy to the world,
Brown
Hi Pastor Brown!
I had a real neat thing happen to me at dinner today, and I want to share it with you.
Okay, I decided to go to Boscov's right after church to pick up one last gift. I thought I could pick up something to eat at their little restaurant there. Well, the restaurant was closed. So, I started home. I then decided to stop at Christie's to eat because one of my cousins works there. She wasn't working, so I asked for a table "out of the way". I ate my meal...all the time enjoying the conversation of two nice looking young men sitting across from me. (By young, I mean young enough to be my grandsons!) I thought I heard the word "God" used once in a while. So, I strained to hear more. Sure enough, they said their blessing when the food arrived. Then I listened more closely, and it was obvious they were truly believers. I was thrilled. I only tell you this next part because it is such a vital part of the story. I asked the Lord if He wanted me to pick up their check. I felt strongly He wanted me to do that. I felt all giggly and thought I would just tell them to leave the tip when I left. So, I tore a piece of the paper tablecloth off and wrote a note to the waitress. It said, "I want their check, too." I put an arrow pointing towards them. Lo and behold, when the waitress arrived, I was handing the note to her, and one of the young men said, "She wanted to pick up our check, too." I was speechless, but I finally told the waitress to show them the note. Then they were speechless. They had a questionmark written all over their faces. I said, "I'm a Believer, too, and I enjoyed so much your conversation about God." None of us could believe what was happening. Okay, here's the bottom line: they go to Davis College. One boy is a preacher's kid, and the other boy is from India. I asked him if he knew you. He said no, but he decided that your brother teaches at Davis. The other boy (preacher's kid) said he had met you. I bragged about you to the Indian boy and told him to go out of his way to meet you because he would just love you. I wouldn't be surprised if they show up in one of your services some day. The preacher's kid's name is Steve. Can't believe I didn't get his last name. But the boy from India is Sam They're both beautiful kids and glow with the Love of Jesus. Do you think my meeting them was a coincidence? I don't. I get so discouraged with the way the world is today. These two encouraged my heart soooooooooo much. Believe me, Pastor, I'm not bragging. I'm just so tickled that I had to share this with someone. I thought you would be the logical one. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Love in Christ,
Your Sister....L
Dear Friends,
Good morning. Merry Christmas. We are just under two weeks away from celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. We praise the Lord for the Christ of Christmas, who came to preach Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Thank you for your continual prayer for the persecuted and oppressed Christians of Orissa, India. As you know, over 70,000 Christians have been made homeless. Many are still living in refugee camps, under deplorable conditions. It is winter in Orissa now, with night-time temperatures falling to near-freezing. There are over 10,000 refugees living in the camp in G. Udayagiri. This camp is located on the grounds of Hubbock High School, the school which I attended, and from which I graduated in 1964. I personally know many of the people who are living in this camp. We have been sending some financial support to them from time to time, as the Lord has made it available. We would like to be able to send them a special Christmas gift of blankets and saris (women's wear). We would also like to send some gifts for the children - particularly clothing and shoes - at the Dugudi campus. Only 15 of them are still living on the Dugudi campus - because of safety considerations, the rest of the children were sent back to their families.
Twenty-five dollars will buy two blankets or two saris. We would also like to be able to make a gift of at least twenty-five dollars for each child, for the purchase of clothing and shoes.
I appeal to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to seek, to save, and to serve the lost, the last, and the least, that we joyfully and prayerful step out in faith to help our brothers and sisters who have lost so much for the love of the Savior. You can make your checks payable to the Union Center United Methodist Church, with the memo line reading "Orissa Mission". Then send your check to the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY 13760. Thank you for caring and sharing at this time of great need.
"Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'"
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06xqOjoMEfw
Mon, 15/12/2008 - 1:34pm The Exodus of Christians from Kandhamal District of Orissa-attention of the Human Rights organisations
The Exodus of Christians from Kandhamal District: There is considerable reduction of refugees in Relief Camps (from 24,000 to 11,000). The claim that those who leave the relief camps are going back to their own villages and settling down in their homes is not true. Most of them have migrated to relief camps in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Berhampur and also settled down in rented houses and in the houses of relatives, friends, acquaintances etc. elsewhere. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 Christians of Kandhamal district are living outside the district.
There are 9 camps in Kandhamal run by the government where nearly 12,000 people are staying at present.
Another 5 camps are outside Kandhamal: in Cuttack-1: 140 (65 families), in Bhubaneswar-2: 800(200 families), in Berhampur-1: 400(160 families), in Jharsuguda-1: 2000.
1200 families have left the state.There are also other victims who have left Orissa for Maharastra, Kerala, Goa and other states. The old, women and children are already suffering under the biting winter as they do not have sufficient warm clothes. A dead man was not allowed to be buried in his village as he did not become a Hindu in Sarthaguda of Tikabali block.
Christians are not allowed to harvest the paddy from their own fields in many Gram Panchayats if they do not become Hindus. Ms Lalitha Digal, 45 yrs, wife of Jemadar Digal, was killed at Dodabali village, under Gandringan G.P, under Sarangard police station on 25thNovemeber 2008. Late Digal was staying at the relief camp K. Nuagam, and on 21st Novemeber 2008 she had gone to the village to harvest the paddy. It is reported that she was staying at her friends' house of the same village. She was dragged from the house and killed, thereafter the body has not yet been found. Mr. Jamadar has lodged an FIR at the Sarngard police station through K.Nuagam police out post.
The children/students are the worst sufferers as they are languishing in the camps instead of going to schools.
Looting of Houses, Churches & Religious Houses: As the people had fled because of threats and fear, criminals are looting the homes, churches, religious houses and institutions. They are destroying and burning whatever is left behind.
Non Acceptance of FIRs: FIRs are not accepted in Daringabadi and Sarangoda Police Stations.
There is a strong rumour that the saffron forces have distributed flags to each household and to be put on the housetop so that they would be spared from the attacks in the next round. For this, preparations are underway for making new weapons and country made guns.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sun, 14/12/2008 - 10:14pm Christmas, moment of peace and hope for young widows of Orissa
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13997&geo=2&size=A
Christmas, moment of peace and hope for young widows of Orissaby Nirmala CarvalhoThe husband of Asmitha Digal, a 25-year-old mother of two daughters, was killed by Hindu fundamentalists during the first days of the pogrom against Christians. The woman testifies to the violence she has suffered, but says that she will not give in to the logic of violence. A Christian activist denounces treatment as "second-class citizens."
Bangalore (AsiaNews) - Leaving behind the trauma, pain, and violence suffered; testifying to the martyrdom suffered by one's loved ones without giving in to the logic of hatred, and issuing a message of peace and hope ahead of Christmas. In this spirit, 24 young widows of the district of Kandhamal, in Orissa, have recounted the anti-Christian pogrom unleashed by Hindu fundamentalists.
The women have left the refugee camp in Orissa, and have come to Bangalore. The trip was organized by activists of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), in order to permit the women to celebrate the Christmas holiday. In Orissa, tension remains high, and the Christian community has been threatened with new violence in the case of celebrations connected to Christmas.
Among the many stories of women marked by pain and suffering, AsiaNewshas gathered that of Asmitha Digal, from the village of Bataguda, 25 years old and with two young children, whose husband was barbarously killed by fundamentalists: "On August 26th [editor's note: one of the first days of the anti-Christian violence in Orisa] my husband Rajesh came by train, got off at Muniguda station and began walking to Kandhamal as there was no other transport and all the roads were blocked with felled trees. He was accompanied by a young Hindu boy Tunguru Mallick."
"At around 9 am," Asmitha continues, "they had reached Paburia village, they were stopped by a mob of nearly 60 RSS extremists [editor's note: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a nationalist paramilitary group] armed with long wooden clubs and batons, they snatched Rajesh's satchel, which had a Bible and gospel tracts. Mallick ran away and hid in some bushes, they thrashed Rajesh and told him to embrace Hinduism which he meekly refused. This angered the extremists who threw him into a pit and covered him with mud neck-downwards, and once again told him to become Hindu, yet again Rajesh refused, then they took huge stones and stoned him to death."
Asmitha says that she tried to report the case, but received no response or compensation. For her, the trip to Bangalore represents an opportunity to issue a message of hope. "I have to live for my children, my husband is with Jesus, and Jesus will be born for us at Christmas to bring us a new life. Jesus comes as a little baby, so helpless and born in a stable, our relief camps are like stables - bare tents, and we like Jesus are shivering in the cold, but Christ is alive and this is what makes the radicals afraid, we pray and believe in a living God."
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