Tuesday’s Letters to Heaven…um, on Wednesday (Ruth)

Sorry this wasn’t posted yesterday….

Dear Ruth,

I want to thank you for your testimony of a true faith in the LORD. I realize that you came from Moab, a country that did not worship God, a country despised by God. However, you chose to walk away from that heathen lifestyle and chose to walk with our LORD. That is an awesome thing! To know that you are a part of the literal family of Christ is truly exciting! I bet that you had no idea that you would play such a huge role in God’ s plan!

I love reading about you from the Bible. I see Naomi as a prime example of a backslidden Christian. She and her family walked away from God; they gave up faith that He would provide during the famine. So often we Christians walk out of God’s Will because we don’t have faith that the trials we experience will be resolved. Eventually, God chastens her by taking away her husband and children – one son your husband. She returns to God, feeling defeated at first. Nevertheless, her faith is restored. This is a true story for many that walk with the Lord, me included.

The story of you and Boaz provides encouragement and love. I think about Boaz and his reaction to you. He showed you nothing but kindness, love, and respect. I can only imagine how blessed your marriage must have been. I admit, the idea of lying by one’s feet is foreign to me (hehe), but it is a beautiful story.

It also shows a resemblance to our walk with Christ. We are to lie at His feet as He will protect and care for us. We need to allow Him to cover us as Boaz covered you. It is so sweet the love that sprang in your hearts for one another. We need to feel that genuine love for Christ.

I cannot help but smile when I read this account; I love to hear Evangelist Brian McBride preach from your book. I believe it is one of his favorites. It is so rich and full of God’s grace and mercy and love.

I pray that one day soon, the Lord will rapture us home. I cannot wait to meet you and talk to you about your life with God!

Love,

Rachel

Tuesday’s Letters to Heaven – Jesus

Dear Jesus,

I write this in anticipation of seeing you soon. I truly pray that the time you will call us up to the clouds will be soon. The idea of kneeling at your throne and being in your sweet embrace light up my soul beyond what words can capture.

I know I have made many mistakes lately. My problem is my impulsiveness. As you already know, my tendency is to act on good intentions but not wise discernment. I apologize for making things so difficult at times. I thank you so much for helping me clean up the messes I make, though! You have really spared me from some definitely-deserved heartache!

I also wanted to tell you that I really love you. To see how so many people refuse to love you breaks my heart. How could anyone not want to have you in their hearts? The peace and joy that you provide is worth it alone, not including the blessings and the guidance you give. I wonder if people just don’t realize that your grace and mercy are free for the taking. With the economy the way it is, maybe they are afraid of what it will cost. With the way society promotes the rightness in wrong, maybe they are afraid of going against the grain.

I look forward to the day I can see the gold street in heaven and the trees bearing multiple fruits. How exciting it will be to see the glorious mansion that you built for me. I am sure it will look more beautiful than the most elegant one here on earth. I wonder if you will come over and hang out at my mansion at times. If you did, I could sing to you and sit at your feet as Mary did. I am sure that I can do that anyway, though, even if not at my mansion.

I must say how truly thankful I am for the numerous blessings in my life. I could not mention them all or this blog would go on forever (literally). Here are just a few:

• for my Bible
• for my family
• for my church family
• for my freedom to worship
• for my friends
• for my health
• for my education
• for the RU program
• for the privilege and honour of serving in the bus ministry
• for the genuine blessing of teaching the peanuts’ junior church class
• for being able to sing for you at church
• for the gift of teaching in general (I could NEVER teach without you!)
• for the ability to write well (I would not know how to form a letter on a page without you!)

So much more could be said! Father, you have blessed me more than I will ever deserve! Thank you for loving me that much even when I was FAR from worthy of it!

Please watch over my loved ones for me and help my lost family and friends to get saved. If they only knew the side to you that I know, they would not be able to resist! If they only understood that the devil has created lies to trick them into believing you are a bad God. I pray that their hearts will be opened and receptive!

Father, thank you for saving me! Thank you for releasing me from hell!

I love you and ache for your presence in my life! I can’t wait to see you in person!

Love,

your daughter,

Rachel Czak

Weekly Blog Ramblings – Thanksgiving

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: – Psalm 50:14

Well, tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays. It is funny because I never used to care about it at all. Why? Probably because society doesn’t. It gets swept under the rug between Halloween (pagan holiday) and Christmas. Don’t get me wrong; I love Christmas. I just hate the way the world celebrates it! Thanksgiving – now that is a holiday!

What do I love about Thanksgiving? Glad you asked. Sure, the wonderful food and its awesome aromas are a blessing. Seeing family truly makes me smile (especially my precious niece and nephew). However, those things are secondary in my eyes. What do I love about Thanksgiving? It is a day to truly count our blessings!

We should ALWAYS be thankful for our blessings, but it is great to have a day we can truly dwell upon them. It is awesome that we can spend a day truly reflecting on the things of the Lord. The very first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims praised God for their freedom and their new life in America. We should follow in their foot steps.

Here are just a few blessings (of many) I praise God for:

My salvation!!!
my King James Bible
second (and third and fourth and fifth…) chances
my family
my church family
a pastor who walks closely with the Lord
my call into the mission field
the freedom to openly worship my Lord
my health
my friends
my opportunity to go to the WalkRight Bible Institute
the blessing to be able to teach the peanut class on Sundays
my job
the blessing of working in the bus ministry
the blessing of being allowed to sing at church for the Lord
my involvement in the nursing home ministry in Independence Township

There are so many other things I could praise Him for! God is so good not part of the time but ALL of the time!

I am also thankful for the fact that the Christmas season begins afterwards. Regardless of what many think, I truly cherish the time to worship my Lord. I feel blessed that I have a Lord I can celebrate His existence before the earth; I can celebrate Him for His birth; I can celebrate His life lived on earth; I can celebrate His death and resurrection for our sins; and I can celebrate that He is alive and in Heaven right now! There is a lot to celebrate!

Christmas is a great time to reach people. Many are in a softened state and as we explain the birth of our Saviour and how he died for our sins, it could prove to be a fruitful season!

I praise the Lord for His Goodness, Mercy, and Grace! Have a great Thanksgiving!!!

DISCOVERING JESUS (Daily Devotional by Open Doors)

This was too wonderful not to share on both FB and wordpress . . .

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. – 2 Timothy 2:2

 Camping experiences for me were always positive experiences. There you must live and practice your Christian faith twenty-four hours a day. And that deeply impacts the other campers.

Around the world, Open Doors sponsors camps—especially for discipleship training for young people. Twenty-three-year-old Roton is one of those youths who attended a camp in Bangladesh in early 2011 for young believers from Muslim background (MBB). He said, “To attend this camp, I traveled for seven hours. I walked thirteen kilometers before getting on the bus. It was exhausting, but I wanted to know more about Jesus.”

In a brief encounter with Open Doors during the camp, Roton shared that he felt pressure when he was just a new follower of Christ. “Many times, my Muslim friends would ask me why my family and I became Christians. They wanted to know how much [money] we got for converting. They asked me if the people who converted me stepped on the Koran or ate pork. I lost all my Muslim friends; everyone hated me and my family.”

Roton’s father was the first believer in the family, and boldly shared his faith with others. He read from the Koran, searching for portions that mentioned Jesus. Later on, however, his eyesight deteriorated to the point of blindness. So, he asked young Roton to read to him every day some passages from the Koran that specifically talked about Jesus.

“I just followed what I was told to do. In the beginning, I was reading for my father. But after a few days, I realized that I was becoming more curious to find the truth myself. Because of the witness of the Koran, I found myself believing Jesus as the Holy one, the Messiah. I became a Christian soon after; I gave my life fully to Jesus,” Roton testified.

Discrimination soon followed Roton’s new found faith. His religion teacher mistreated him. When the school principal learned of his conversion, he was watched and compelled to recite Muslim prayers. People questioned him about Jesus Christ, but all that Roton knew about Christ he learned from the Koranic passages he read for his father. It was time to learn more. Instead of succumbing to the religious pressure he experienced, Roton—with encouragement from his father—set out on a journey to learn more about his Lord and Savior.

“I am so happy to be in this MBB youth camp. It’s my first. I saw that I am not alone! Many work together for Christ. In this camp, I discovered Jesus in the Old Testament. I will read the Old Testament more – together with the New Testament – so that I am prepared to answer questions people ask me. Someday, I want to study in a Bible school, so that I can help others who are on the same road as I am.”

RESPONSE

Today I will pass on to others all that I have learned and experienced in my relationship with Jesus.

PRAYER

Pray for young believers around the world who are in the process of developing their knowledge and discipleship in following Jesus. Pray too for camp leaders and trainers.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS) – A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks

© 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission

Open Doors works in the world’s most oppressive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ’s light in these dark places. Open Doors empowers persecuted Christians by supplying Bibles, training Christian leaders, developing Christian communities and ensuring prayer, presence and advocacy for these suffering believers.

Ramadan Series: Galatians 5:22; Day 14

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, – Galatians 5:22

Day 14: Kindness

Egypt – A crowd of smiling boys gathered in a small stuffy room, their ages ranging from 8 to 11 years. They all lived in a village where poverty and hunger were commonplace. In addition, that they were Christian added to their desperation…yet still they had eager, carefree smiles as they awaited the evening’s activity.

In each boy’s hand was a large, empty maize bag. The youth leader then shouted, “Tonight you will ‘invade’ our little village. Go to every house in every street and ask if they have enough bread to eat or not. If there is more than enough bread in the house, ask them to place any extra bread in the bag.”

“Once your bag is filled to the top, then the fun part of the evening starts. Go back to all the homes where there was not enough bread to eat and give them some bread so that every family in our village will have enough bread to eat for the next week.”

Although in themselves these young boys do not have the means to provide food for the hungry, they have become instruments to eradicate hunger in their village.

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Over the month of August, Open Doors ministry has a special mission they are encouraging all to partake in. “During the month of Ramadan, from August 1-30, 2011, Open Doors is calling on Christians in the West to pray for Christians living in Islamic dominated countries… praying specifically for God to fill and strengthen them with the ‘Fruit of the Spirit.’ This ‘fruit’ embodied in each believer; molds, shapes and transforms us – expressing the image of His Son. And through this image, shining through a believer, God draws people to salvation.”

I signed up for their daily prayer emails for this mission. Each day, they send an account of a Christian who is living in Islamic-dominated countries. I pray this will help us to remember to pray for those who are ministering to hearts in foreign countries with the gospel.

“Open Doors works in the world’s most oppressive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ’s light in these dark places. Open Doors empowers persecuted Christians by supplying Bibles, training Christian leaders, developing Christian communities and ensuring prayer, presence and advocacy for these suffering believers.” (www.OpenDoorsUSA.org)

New Life Rescue Mission: 50+ years of Serving God

My thoughts lie on tonight. I will be going with my wonderful friends to the New Life Rescue Mission, which opened its doors in downtown Detroit by my grandparents about 53 years ago. My preacher friend that I have mentioned before, and several others also discussed before, will be heading down to do the service tonight. I am super excited!

I remember going down there as a child. We would go and help pass out the food to the men, and at Christmas time we would sing Christmas carols. The men there were so nice to us; most seemed happy to see young people there. As off-key as we probably were singing, they clapped and thanked us for our service.

What sticks out in my mind too is that some referred to my grandma as mom. She would love on them and scold them as a mother would. To look at grandma, one would not guess she could be tough as nails with these men. The regulars would not allow the new ones to treat her badly, either. It truly was wonderful!

When I think about the fact that the doors to the mission opened about 53 years ago, it causes me to rejoice in God’s glory. This ministry is not state funded. This ministry is purely God funded! Because of their faithfulness, the doors have been open since 1958, helping the homeless and winning souls.

Homelessness is a growing problem that may never disappear. It has been around since the days of the Bible. However, those that are in this situation need to know that they can have a home in Glory! That is exactly what the mission offers them: the truth of Jesus Christ and the truth of heaven!

Now that my grandma has moved into a nursing home, due to mini strokes several years back, two of my uncles run the mission (with my aunt also helping). I praise God for family members that love Him and serve Him! I praise the Lord for proof that when a ministry exists in faithfulness to God, the fruits will continue to be born!

The New Life Rescue Mission offers hope to men that otherwise would have none. These men may never rise above their earthly circumstances (some do however!), but they can have the hope of eternal life! The mission offers them the joy of Jesus Christ! There is nothing greater than that!!

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: – Colossians 1:27

It still amazes me that my grandma and my grandpa were such great missionaries, and I didn’t even really realize the ramifications of that until the last few years. It also humbles me that God called me to work in missions as well. To know that He trusts me to hold the powerful task of serving him full-time to get the word of God out is exciting and almost scary. I pray for His leading as I know I cannot do it on my own!

I do not know if I will be running a mission like my grandparents, working in America, or working in another country. All doors are open until God shuts them. I do not know if I will be blessed with a godly husband to serve with or blessed with serving single, only time will truly tell. I do believe whatever I do will include the Islamic community, but considering how wide-spread the Muslim faith is that places no restrictions at all really!!

I praise God for His calling on my life! I cannot wait to see what is in store for the future. As many of my wonderful friends may tell you, I can be obnoxious. Because I get so excited and caught up in the ministry, I tend to be overly zealous and may come across pushy. I just don’t know how to channel that excitement at this point.

I pray tonight experiences the blessing of the Lord’s Spirit sweeping down and capturing the hearts of the men there. I pray we see salvation and encouragement. I pray that God will use us as His vessels, and that we will step back and let Him reign. I pray that it will be a sweet-spirited service that only God can provide!!

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Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. – 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

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Check out this article on America’s growing issue of homelessness: http://www.ehow.com/about_4697760_funding-for-homelessness.html

Do we praise God in ALL situations?

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

– Psalm 34:1

As I reflect upon some things, I am reminded how GREAT God truly is. I praise Him that two days ago one of my closest friend’s dad received Christ as Saviour. My friend has been burdened for him for years, and I know that I started praying diligently for him as well (as well as many others I am certain). The Lord softened his heart and did His work, and a new Christian was birthed into the family. I also praise Him that at the Midwestern Baptist College graduation ceremony last Saturday, two other souls were saved as well.

I think about my prayers for finances. What a mess I made when I was away from the Lord. It takes a lot of patience to muddle through, wondering how God is going to guide in fixing this chaos. Well, to start, he placed a second job opportunity in my lap. Amen to that! I know that He will light my way!

The Lord truly is good! It is easy to praise Him in the good times, however. So often, we don’t take the time to praise Him in the trials. Today, my grandma fell and hit her head. When I look at that, I wonder what perception I can take to praise Him. Although it is tough, I did just that. God is good, and I believe His hand is on the situation. She is in the best place anyone could be – in God’s hands. He will protect her and won’t let anything happen that isn’t supposed to!

My grandmother is a great blessing to me! She has been a strong Christian her entire life – a missionary. My grandfather and she opened the doors to New Life Rescue Mission in downtown Detroit about 60 years ago, and God is still blessing that ministry (now run by my uncles). She truly has a heart of Christ!

If someone were to stand and look in on my life, they wouldn’t see much on a worldly realm. They’d probably see debt about the height of Mount Everest, and they would see little to no material riches. However, I have more to praise God for than I could ever truly accomplish! Instead of listing a million pages worth, let’s just talk about some of the major things.

I have a wonderful family! I know that my parents, my sister, my brother and sister-in-law, and my grandma are all saved now. I must say my sister has been a true blessing to me lately in seeing God’s fruits recently bearing witness in her life. God truly has captured her heart over the last few months. I know some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins are also saved (please pray for those that are not!). This alone offers a great blessing!

I am blessed in receiving the call to serve the Lord in full-time ministry in missions work. He has not revealed the entire plan yet, but I look forward to where He leads with this! Not long ago, I felt Him place a strong burden upon my heart for the Islamic community. I pray that He will use me to win them to Christ!

I am blessed to be able to train at the WalkRight Bible Institute in Houghton come January. I believe God has big plans for me there, and I am excited about the path He will place me on (I confess I am dreading leaving my friends and family though!). I often wonder why He would want someone like me to serve when half the time I feel like a big screw up! Praise God, though, because He does! Obviously, He’s just going to have to help me step aside, so He can do the work.

I am EXTREMELY blessed with my church family and my friends! My non-Christian, or non-practicing Christian, friends often wonder why I spend so much time at God’s house. The answer is easy; it is my favorite place to be! I have an amazing church family and a godly pastor who truly loves the Lord with all his heart! I have a group of friends there that are truly the best! They are an encouragement to me and push me to keep moving forward in my walk! We have a great time together! As my one friends says, “We put the FUN in Fundamental Baptist!”

So, even though my life may look blahzay and unproductive, I truly do reap blessings that I will never deserve! God gave me more blessings than I could deserve just by saving my soul! Everything after that amounts to more than amazing! My Father is the best Father that a girl could ever have: how about yours?

What blessings has God showered on you lately? Have you received the blessing of salvation yet?