Brown's Daily Word & India update11-11-08

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Today is Veterans Day, a holiday in the USA. Praise the Lord for our nation, the land the Lord has given to us. Praise the Lord for His abundant provisions. Praise the Lord for His providence. Praise the Lord for all His promises. He has given us every thing we need. He is extravagant in His love and in His care. He invites to live our lives trusting fully in Him. He dispels anxiety from us. He infuses us with His abiding peace.
There is a magazine, “The Smithsonian Institute,” which has said that “we are in the golden age of anxiety.” Pastor Rick Warren came across a study done by Dr. Walter Calvert, giving us the results of the sin of worry. He writes: “Forty percent of what you worry about will not happen. Thirty percent of your worries concern the past. Twelve percent of your worries are health issues. Ten percent of your worries are insignificant and petty issues with only eight percent of your worries having actual legitimate concerns.” “What is worry?” “Worry” or “anxious” (merimnao) means to be troubled in thought and heart so as to cripple you. (The Complete Word Study Commentary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek, New Testament; Dictionary of Biblical Languages) The application implies to be pulled in different directions. Our hopes and dreams pull one way, but fear takes us another direction, thus preventing or crippling us from enjoying all that God has for us. The Old English root word from which we get our word “worry” means to “strangle.” You and I have fallen into this type of worry, thus we find ourselves not thinking clearly, no longer being productive, and looking for other avenues through which to work. Hours are wasted daily because of this sin and vision is not prayed through to completion. (The Bible Exposition Commentary) From a spiritual point of view, worry is wrong thinking and wrong attitude of heart about circumstances, people, and things. Worry is a great thief of joy. Being surrendered to anxiety binds people and causes them to withdraw, fall into hesitation, cowardice, depression, discouragement, and a defeatist attitude, perform quick and unplanned actions, make unwise and harmful decisions, and suffer physical sicknesses, emotional problems, spiritual backsliding, distrust, and unbelief. C. Kingsley understood the heart of this portion of the message and it is so clearly presented as he wrote, “Be not anxious about tomorrow [or anything]. Do today’s duty, fight today’s temptations [through Christ] and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see and could not understand if you saw them. Enough for you that the God you serve is just and merciful, for He [rewards] every man according to his [labor]. The heart of this message is that Christians are to be concerned about the things of this present life, but with a heart that enables them to look to the Lord with such a confidence that it frees their minds, strengthens visions and embraces the peace of God through Jesus Christ. This is done by taking to heart 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him [Christ Jesus] because He cares for you.” Once Christians grasp the truth that worry is sin, keeping them from enjoying the true peace of God, they are to pray. “...but in everything, by prayer and petition, …present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Ephesians 6:18 says, ““And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 repeats the theme with advice to, “Pray continually.” Paul stressed that we can take everything to God in prayer. There is nothing too great for the Lord and nothing too small for His attention. Christians may take their disappointments and their triumphs to Him. When no one else will pray, each child of God may take His own petitions, supplications and requests to God. Christians can pray for forgiveness of the past, for their circumstances and for their future. A.B. Simpson wrote, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying is too small. Our expectations are too limited.” Thankfulness in tough times begins with not being anxious, by taking everything to God in prayer and by having a heart of thankfulness in all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” To fail to give God thanks is a symptom of unbelief. (Romans 1:21) The true victories enjoyed in this life are obtained through joy, prayerfulness and gratitude. As long as the child of God is joyfully and prayerfully seeking God’s guidance, he can look at aggravations, temptations, afflictions, and persecutions as being opportunities for being transformed into the image of Christ Jesus.
Give Thanks with a grateful Heart,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbRGksthTHQ

Maoist elements threaten to kill four persons
Threeat posters come up in Kandhamal aginst VHP leaders involved in killing of Christians

‘These may have negative impact on peace in other parts of the district’
BERHAMPUR: After the communal violence the Kandhamal district is now shivering under Maoists’ ‘hit list’ .
Despite the massive presence of police including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the district the Maoists are successful in increasing their presence through the tactics of psychological terror. On Sunday posters by suspected Maoists were located at Paburia under Sarangagada police station of Tikabali block of Kandhamal district. Through this poster the Maoist elements had threatened to kill four persons Kabi Bindhani, Sahadev Pradhan, Dilip Pradhan and Sunil Pradhan for their alleged links with the Sangh Parivar. As per the posters these persons would be murdered like the recent killing of Dhanurjaya Pradhani.
This poster has come up five days after the killing of a Sangh Parivar activist Dhanurjaya Pradhani at Kumbharigaon under Brahmanigaon police station of the district. Pradhani was in the hit list of Maoists, which they had posted earlier. Police is in a fix as Paburia has no past record of Maoist movement in the area. Either it means that the naxals have started increasing their base in Kandhamal district despite the heavy presence of police or miscreants are trying to fan communal tension in the area through these threats and killings.
It may be noted that 14 persons who worked for frontal organisations of the Sangh Parivar in Kandhamal district were threatened to be killed by the Maoists after the killing of the VHP leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Pradhani’s name was also in the list. A person named Bikram Raut of Brahmanigaon was recently advised by police to leave Kandhamal for some time. Bikram’s name was also in the hit list. The others in the hit list are also in a state of panic as they were not sure of police security. With the murder of Pradhani the Maoists have also gained ground by proving that they could kill their targeted person despite so called heavy presence of police.


Orissa
Bhubaneswar10th Nov-08
Shri Naveen PatnaikHon’ble Chief MinisterGovernment of OrissaBhubaneswar, Orissa.
Date: 10th November 2008.
Respected Sir,
First of all we want to convey to you our sincere thanks and appreciation for giving us this appointment to meet you.
Further we want to place before you the following points for your kind consideration and necessary action on an emergency basis.
1. 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, Jhanla, Berhampur and also settled down in rented houses and in the homes of relations, friends, acquaintances etc. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 Christians of Kandhamal district are living outside the district.
A large number of Christians of Kandhamal district have gone to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat etc. People in the relief camps of the costal belts, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur etc. want to return to their villages, but are afraid because of the reasons (a) They may be attacked on the way or in their own villages (b) They are forced to become Hindus under pain of death or loss of properties. They are told to become Hindus or leave the village, the district or even India (c) Many are unwilling to return because the criminals are still at large and moving about with swords, guns, weapons etc. as in Kothingia/Tiangia of Raikia block and Sarangodo block.
The Christians who have returned to their own villages and homes are forcibly converted to Hinduism; they are forced to accept Hindu Samskaras under oath and under pain of divine punishment. Their movements and meeting with people are restricted by the fanatics for instance in Padangi, Sankarakhol.2. Acts of injustices against Christians.a) Christians are chased away from their homes and villages.
b) Even though the State Govt. had promised to allot land to the landless (after the last attack) it has not yet been done. Many do not get money for the gutted down houses or damaged houses because the administration applies rules absolutely and strictly to the Christians in such a way that the landless will not get allotment of land or they even loose what they have.
c) A man was not allowed to be buried in the village as he did not become a Hindu in village Sarthaguda of Tikabali block.
d) Christians are not allowed to harvest the paddy from their own fields in many Gram Panchayats if they do not become Hindus.
3. Looting of houses, Churches & Religious Houses.As the people had fled out of threat and fear criminals are looting the homes, churches, religious houses, institutions and destroying/burning whatever is left over.
4. Non Acceptance of FIRsFIRs are not accepted in Daringabadi and Sarangoda Police Stations.
5. Attack on Christians is not an Ethnic Conflict.Hindu Fundamentalist groups have been trying to name the communal violence as an Ethnic Conflict between the Tribals and the Pano Christians. A cursory look at facts reveals that this conflict is a calculated and preplanned master plan to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal district, Orissa, in order to realize the hidden agenda of Sangh Parivar of establishing a Hindu Nation. Therefore to keep the hidden agenda a secret they have tried to manipulate the facts:
- That the victims of attack were Christians
- That not only Panos but Christian Tribals also were killed, their homes and properties burned, destroyed and looted (list attached).
6. Fast Tract CourtWe are happy that the state Govt. has decided to establish FTC at Kandhamal for expeditious trial of cases relating to communal violence. Looking at the geographical area it is suggested that the said Fast Tract Court may be set up at G. Udayagiri as it is centrally located to all the villages that have been affected by violence. Further it is requested that the Judge of the FTC should be from any other religion other than from Christian or Hindu Religion.