COGOP International Assembly 2008

Today's Quote

[From Randall Wallace]

"We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Today's Quote

"When did spiritual success come to mean anything less than transformed lives and focusing on the glory of Jesus Christ?"

Prayer Request - John Payne

Please pray for John Payne who had surgery this week to remove about 7-8 inches of colon around the tumor.

John is Kathy Payne's husband and serves in the COGOP International Offices.

Prayer Request - Adrian Varlack

Please be in prayer for Bishop Adrian Varlack, Sr. He has been sick for three weeks with swelling in his legs and fluid around his heart. Medication is not helping.

Please also pray for Janice and the family.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, You have instructed me to not be anxious, worrisome, overly concerned for any thing ... but instead to bring everything to you in prayer and thanksgiving. If I do this, you have promised me that your peace, which passes all understanding, shall keep my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

I come to you now for myself and on behalf of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and for those who suffer so much due to anxiety and depression. I pray that you will fill us with your peace; that you will touch our minds and remind us that we do not need to worry. You are our God and maker. You will handle it for us. Worrying does no good. May we lean into you, talk with you, spend time in your Word and before the throne of grace.

May we fellowship with other Christians, those who will encourage us, even more so as the day approaches. Right now, this day, we give you our concerns and ask that you will work out all to our good and your glory.

Thank you, Father, for loving us and carrying our burdens. Thank you, Father, for providing our needs. Thank you, Father, for Jesus Christ our Savior and the hope He has given. For it is in His name I pray, amen.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, Friends can be so much fun, so encouraging, so good; but friends can be discouraging and pull me down too. Please help me to be a friend that is there for others; a friend who is loving and kind, but who will speak words of truth and warning when necessary; a friend who uplifts and prays for others. And God, please give me friends who will be the same way with me. All people need love and support. Please fill that need in my life with Your presence and with the presence of good, biblical friends and loving family. Thank you so much. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Movie Night at the Harvest Center

As we approach Easter 2008, all Christians would do well to reflect upon what their Lord and Savior has done for them. Christ endured the cross so that we might have a victorious life. His passion was for us to be restored to the Father.

His prayer in John chapter 17 was that we would all love one another as He loves us; thereby the world would know that we are truly His disciples.

Please join us at the Harvest Center on Wednesday night, February 27, at 6:30 PM for a special viewing of this awesome and humbling film depicting Christ’s victory over death, hell, and the grave - The Passion of the Christ.

The movie will be shown in the sanctuary on the big screen.

Today's Thought

"Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own." - Abraham Lincoln

Today's Quote

[From Randall Wallace]

"I understand that what I've been blessed to do is a part of God's plan. And as long as I please Him, then I'm pleased." -Denzel Washington

Teach Me To Pray

[From Randall Wallace]

My Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee.
Thou and Thou alone knowest my needs.
Thou lovest me more than I am able to love Thee.
O Father, grant unto me, Thy servant, all which I cannot ask.
For a cross I dare not ask, nor for consolation;
I dare only to stand in Thy presence.
My heart is open to Thee.
Thou seest my needs of which I myself am unaware.
Behold and lift me up!
In Thy presence I stand,
awed and silenced by Thy will and Thy judgments,
into which my mind cannot penetrate.
To Thee I offer myself as a sacrifice.
No other desire is mine but to fulfill Thy will.
Teach me how to pray.
Do Thyself pray within me.
Amen.

- St. Philaret of Moscow

Today's Prayer

Dear God, Here I am, in awe of Your tremendous love and power. I too am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from Your love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (based on Romans 8:38-39). My identity is not in my job, my profession, nor any other thing, but in You. I am convinced that no matter what happens, I am a precious human being in Your sight and Your love, grace, and mercy will always sustain me. Thank you so much. In Jesus' name, amen.

Protecting Our Kids From Gangs

[From The John Tesh Blog by John Tesh]

This headline grabbed my heart: “U.S. gang membership may be higher than reported." The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 700,000 gang members nationwide.

Gangs are everywhere, according to the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. Since 911, there are over 31,000 gangs in the USA. They are thriving in all fifty states and gaining turf even in sleepy suburbia.

Apparently, you’re never too young or too old to join a gang. Youths join gangs as young as six and remain in the gangs even up to sixty years of age. Female gangs make up 5-10% of the total gang population.

How much of a problem is this to adults? In a 2005 survey of California adults, 75% said that their main concern was the ‘well being of children’ and their attraction to gangs. This worry far outranked their concerns about health care, the economy or even terrorism.

Burrel Lee Wilks III, former Chicago Street gang chief, now serving as a life coach posts the dangers of gangs:

"Gangs are seductive and deadly. They promise money, power and instant gratification. They create the illusion of family but in reality offer only dead-ends and hopelessness."

Don’t jump the gun and assume your kid’s already joined a gang. However, there are telltale signs you ought to be on the lookout for:

• Has he started to dress differently, maybe cocking his hat to one side, or rolling up the cuff of a pant’s leg? As he gets more and more involved in the gang culture, he may wear gang colors: excessive amounts of clothing with two color combinations, such as blue and black, or gold and black.
• Does he want a tattoo or his ear pierced? This may be a fashion statement, but this is a huge part of the gang world as well.
• Is he using street ‘handles’ or nicknames instead of full names? All gangs have their own code words and their own unique language.
• Is he obsessed with gangster-influenced music, videos and movies, wanting to imitate what he sees?
• Do you find your child is keeping you in the dark? You don’t know where he is after school or who his friends are.
• Does your child suddenly have large amounts of unexplained cash or suddenly show up with new, expensive possessions?
• Do you see gang graffiti written on his books, clothing and even inside the brim of a baseball cap?

If you suspect your child or grandchild is in a gang or you just want to make sure he never joins a gang, here’s some helpful advice:

• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Don’t fall into the trap thinking you cannot monitor your child due to his age.
• Positive reinforcement. You need to tell your child you love him and believe in him. If he ever gets lost in his life, he’ll remember your words and always know there’s a way back home.
• Practice a zero tolerance for gang language, clothing or gangster-looking friends in your home. Inform him of the dangers of the gang life: getting hurt or killed or arrested or sent to prison.
• Plan to keep your kids away from gangs. Keep him involved in activities outside the home. Children that have a lot of unstructured time are prime candidates for gang recruitment.

The best advice is to turn up the awareness of your child’s life a few notches. Keep an eye on what he’s wearing, how he’s talking, who he is associating with and whether you see a general change in his attitude.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, Sometimes I get really frustrated and even angry when I believe someone has wronged me, not lived up to their promises, or let me down. But, people are not perfect. I pray that I will be someone who is always dependable, ethical, and honest. I pray that You will help me to always do what is right, even when wronged. As the old saying goes, "two wrongs don't make a right." So when I'm tempted to react in the flesh, move in me through Your Holy Spirit that I will remember to stop, take a deep breath, and pray so that I may respond in a Christ-like manner. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Today's Quote

[From Randall Wallace]

"Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food." -Dallas Willard