The lights are dimmed.
The air is chilled.
The snow is soft and crunchy.
So why is there no candles?
Why am I deserted?
Why do I hunger in the night
I cry in the evening,
And in the morning I am left alone,
Yet not alone
For someone still speaks.
A friend's rebuke alerts me to the day.

Today is the day of salvation
A day of joy and celebration.
God will help, as he has promised.
He knows he has been missed.
I confess my sin and cry out for pardon.
"How blessed is he who knows he is forgiven."
I cling to his Word;
his voice calls me back from taking Naboth's vineyard.

I wait each day to find strength,
Now I must rise against the fog and warm my heart by running.
I will be carried along to my destination.
The driver will stop.
And I will settle in to be with the Lord
at the back of the crowd.
Waiting for an open door to speak of love restored.
Work awaits, I must only do it.
Lord help me pick apart the feast,
Eating the meat and the bread.
Drinking the milk.
Sharing the vineyard's harvest
Eating the fat-things
I have been blessed at last.
And if we are blessed with God's love,
we need not fear His wrath.
For wrath is merely the consequence
of ultimately rejecting His offer of love.

Lord God,
My path has strayed;
My eyes have wandered far;
My arms have over-reached;
My ears have cherished lies;
My tongue has tasted iniquity;
My head has been lifted in arrogance;
My own work has divided your people.

Prince of Righteousness,
Redirect my vision;
Reign in my grasping hands;
Remove deception from my hearing;
Restrain my heart with love;
Relish my mouth with truth;
Remove my pride;
Restore our peace.

Almighty God,
Clothe my feet with readiness,
Cover my chest with righteousness,
Drape zeal over my back,
Salvation over my head,
Faith within my grasp,
Truth around my waist,
Join me hand to hand with the brethren.

Good Shepherd,
Tranquility shall be my staff;
Clarity shall be my sight;
Charity shall be my offering;
Veracity shall open my ears;
Humility shall mark my heart;
Sincerity shall dwell upon my lips;
Equity shall become my treasure,
Until at last,
I rest within your arms
forever.

Two hearts are knit as one. The past is put
behind; the best is yet to come. Their eyes
aglow with joy for festivities, but
ahead will be their heartfelt cries.

Parental blessing, exchange of ancient vows
the bliss of love conceals small wrongs.
Alone, a pair form one another now.
At first their days are filled with songs.

Two souls are knit as one. Today their love
begins to crack, the marks of birth
to come which stretches their imaginat-
ion. Home becomes a place of worth.

The hungry cry of nights and day wear-
isome, in time the baby grows;
but not without more trips and falls and tears--
All this expands what babies know.

Three lives are woven as a tapestry.
then others come to fill the home
with time to work and play, relax and weep.
"Our Father, save the child who would roam."

With teenage drivers, mother prays for safe-
ty and good sense. The youth become
adults, somehow they keep the faith.
"God, grant new life to those now young."

The generations span a handful of dec-
-ades. Joy and sorrow ebb and flow.
Our God restores those lives once horrid wrecks
"Thank you, Lord, for helping us to grow."

To an Unknown God, the altar read,
Weak evidence that sheep had bled
And Epimenides had come to pray--
A graven reference all that remained.

Daily quests for something new and bright
Had left old Athens short of truth and light
Because the thoughts of men remained their cave
And home from birth unto their final grave.

Paul's direct appeal to think on Christ
Remained beyond the gaze of earthen eyes
The idol-hardened hearts would mock the grace
Of God because their context hid His face.

The temple of our Lord preserves His name
So always stand prepared to spread Christ's fame.

Six points landing
On warm hands disappears—
Leaving tiny puddles of cold.

Winter tasted fresh on delicate buds
For the water gourmet—
Patient for the flavor, unashamed of the luxury.

Cool crown of crowns:
Royal reception for the ordinary
Snow storm struggler.

Speck of dirt catalyzing crystalline beauty
That will fall on arrays of arbor coats of color
Lingering on frozen stages.

Bane of travelers and shovelers.
Friend of children and skiers.
Mystery to the arrogant.
Décor for the suburban sprawl.

A Sonnet for God's Glory
Among the Least, the Lost, and the Last

We learn of pagan lands still far away,
Their kids born dead in sin and wrath I'd say.
We bend our hearts to intercede and wait
Alert in prayer to God whose name is great.
We give in love that they may fully hear,
Receiving truth with love and holy fear
We tell our neighbors of the road to God:
How Jesus came with shepherd staff and rod.
We send our brightest wisest boldest best:
All common souls whose paths pursue the Blest.
We go both near and far to spread the word
Till all are reached and all have fully heard.
We celebrate the changes God has made,
As peoples praise from lives redeemed and saved.

Some random thoughts that encouraged me when I was down:

The Lord is my Sufficiency & my Abundance;
my Feast & with me in times of famine;
my Adequacy & my Excellence;
my Cup of Salvation & my Fountain of Life;
my Joy and my innermost Delight;
my Hope and Love poured out from on High.
Though the land is barren, the Lord will bear me up.

But with the Lord ...
... better a little beating, than a lot of bleeding.
... better a little rest, than failing the test.
... better a harsh rebuke, than being nuked.
... better a word of caution, than becoming caustic.
... better a time apart, than a losing heart.
... better a desert blast, than living too fast.
... better to be slow, than refuse to grow.
So let us ...
... take the pain with the gain.
... take a break and have johnny-cake.
... take a verbal blow, and truly know.
... take advice from those who paid the price.
... take some time and squeeze life's lime.
... take a drink of water before we get hotter.
... take a snub and leave the club.
Going
... outside the tent.
... Outside the camp.
... Outside our home.
... Based on Jesus,
... Built up in love,
... Sharing the feast,
with the lost, the last, and the least.

I have a resting place;
I will now show My Face;
I will feed my children;
And they'll stand up again.

I'll clothe my chosen priests;
I'll help the very least;
I'll grant a heart of Joy;
And death shall be destroyed.

I've come so close to you;
I've proven to be True;
I'll dwell within your land;
And you will see my Hand.

Please pardon the lengthy testimony, but glorify God for the Way He saves, even in Arabia!

Praise:

We give thanks to God for bringing new members into our team that will be in country in August and September. Our team in the capital city has had several families leave the country recently due to family situations.


Petition:

Pray for the pastor of the evangelical church. Pray that he would know God's vision and way forward. Pray for God's strengthening in the face of difficulties. Ask for God to send others to encourage him and uphold him.

Pray for the schooling needs of the Arab National worker in our region. His oldest son has an excellent opportunity to study medicine in North America, but they need additional funding for him to attend the university. This young man loves the Lord and wants to use his medical skills as an open door for the Gospel in the Arabian Peninsula.

Pray for the tent makers with teaching positions. Ask God to rejuvenate them during the summer weeks off of term time. Pray for the new students – particularly the National Muslim students - they will have in their classes starting in August and September.

Pray for the effectiveness of the outreach teams in London to share the Good News with Gulf Arabs – particularly in light of the recent bombings. Pray for divine appointments.

Pray for the security of 2 MBB young men that are in hiding in their country due to family pressure for them to return to Islam. Pray that they would grow strong in their faith in Jesus during this tremendous time of testing.


Testimony:

Living in a rural part of his country, Abdullah and his family struggled to make ends meet. He was good with his hands and even had a mechanics certificate. But there was very little work in the southern part of the country where they lived. He traveled to the big city to find work. He knocked on many doors and finally got a job with a small repair shop. The workplace was poorly lit, untidy with many safety hazards. Many of the workers were National Muslims like him, but many of them chewed a drug that numbed them to the dull and mundane existence they shared.

Abdullah knew that he couldn’t stay in this place long. He traveled to a more prosperous country in the Arabian Peninsula. He found better paying work in the new country. The cost of living was much higher in this country but he thought his chances of providing for his family would be better. He managed to scrape together enough money to have his wife come to the new country so they could both work and try to get ahead. They both worked long hours. They lived in a small, run down, 1 room apartment. The money that came in only seemed to cover their immediate needs. They weren’t able to save money so they could start a family. They became frustrated with their lives and small arguments often became big fights. He would shout and scream and blame her for their problems. Abdullah often hit his wife. During this stressful time his wife became pregnant and was sent back home because she couldn’t keep her job.

Abdullah plodded on in his struggle. He was hoping for a boy – a son to make him more respected in his community – both at home and in his working country. After a few months his wife had a miscarriage at a hospital not too far from their rural home. Some Christian doctors and nurses had tried to help her but the baby boy did not survive. Abdullah was crushed and angry. He was angry with those Christian medical people who were responsible for the loss of his child. On his next trip home, he went to the hospital with a gun. He wanted to get even with the Christian medical staff. When he went into the hospital with his gun under his kondura, he was met by a female Christian doctor who expressed real sorrow over the loss of their baby. She was so kind and sensitive. She gave him a Bible. Then she was called away to care for some emergency. Abdullah was alone, with his gun and his new Bible. He decided to leave the hospital. He returned to his work in the other country without telling his wife what had happened in the hospital.

One day after work he met an Arab Christian man from another country. He asked this man many questions and told him he even had a Bible. Over many weeks and months, Abdullah began to study the Bible with this Christian man. He began to see how bad he was, how poorly he had treated his wife and that his anger was a big problem. After more weeks of soul searching and discussions with his new friend, he placed his faith in Jesus. He began to change. He budgeted his money so that he could call his wife once a week. He grew in his walk with Jesus. He read his Bible. He was rarely angry. He had a good attitude even though his low paying work was below his skill level.

He went to his home country for a short holiday and asked his wife for forgiveness. She was shocked and amazed at the changes in her husband. His wife asked what had happened to him. He told her about Jesus and his Arab Christian friend in the other country. She called this man to find out what he could tell her about Abdullah’s change. After a short while she too came to faith in Jesus.

Today they are living in their home country working in whatever jobs they can to make ends meet for them and their children. They are active in the lives of the people in their region, sharing the Good News of Jesus with whoever will listen. They have been hassled by the police, they have been detained when traveling, but they can’t stop telling of the great things Jesus has done in their lives.

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Praying Thru the Arabian Peninsula
ptap@srginc.org
www.pray-ap.info
USA #: 800-376-5876
Encouraging & equipping believers & churches around the world to pray through the heart of the Muslim world so that church planting movements will spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, to the ends of the earth & the islands ... to the glory of God in Christ.

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To learn how you can support this & other ministry for the Middle East, visit:
http://www.srginc.org

Or write:
PTAP
c/o Strategic Resource Group
P.O. Box 1809
Easton, MD 21601
USA

N. American Coordinator & family is now a legal resident in the Great Lakes State. The Lord is renewing his work in various places & ways. To see God's people awakened to His presence & power is very encouraging!! The sweetness of our Savior is the savor in the midst of suffering. Please pray for our daily needs & let us know how we might pray for you. May the Lord be our Guard. - MJH ptap@srginc.org