In God's Underground

I recently finished reading "In God's Underground", by Richard Wurmbrand. I really enjoy reading and I enjoy the challenge and blessing of reading biographies and books about my brothers and sisters in Christ.

As I was reading this book, my heart broke time and time again, as I kept expecting Christ to free this man from his imprisonment, because God is a loving God right? He doesn't want His children to be in prison does He? He doesn't want His children to suffer does He? In one moment God could free him! In one moment God could make everything right (at least in my eyes). Why does He not?

But Richard had a better attitude about his suffering then I did. He was willing to serve God where God placed him and through his suffering and obedience God saved hundreds of souls right there in those communist prisons. What better life could there be? What more joy could you have? His family stayed true and faithfully, following God through prison, losing everything they had, and being shamed.

Perhaps the reason it bothers me is the fact that I wonder could I hold up? Under this torturing? Could I endure? I"ll be honest, I enjoy my comforts! Could I hold up under the severest persecution without denying my Lord? I want to say Yes! But how can I? I cringe just reading the pages, would I be one that deserted my Lord? That blasphemed and cursed Him? Would I be true, and follow Him through the worst of persecution with a doctor standing by just to make sure you don't die. Your body malnourished, your mind on the verge of going insane from years of solitary confinement, your strength gone yet you are forced to go on lest they trample on you and beat you more, hold on through brainwashing and emotional abuse of the worst kind. Yet, love and pray for your guards, and all that do evil against you. Continue to tell fellow prisoners of Jesus Christ, when you look around you and it seems that Christ has forsaken....

But in it all there is such a beauty, how true is the faith of a christian who has held true in persecution, what a deepness they enjoy in Christ. They have partaken of His sufferings and they are honored and thankful that they are allowed the privileged of drinking from that cup. So once again I find myself jealous of this richness they have found and experienced in Christ, but I don't find myself asking God to allow me to partake of this suffering....I only find myself praying that if it comes to me, God please, let me stand true. Don't let me shame your name.

I believe, help Thou mine unbelief....

Sky Scenery....

These are some early morning and late night photos we have taken around the orphanage and our house.

When reading "The Cross Centered Life" by C. J. Mahaney. I was inspired to read the Bible, by seeing everything as either pointing the way to the Gospel, or pointing back to it. I have been surprised by how much I am able to see this is true! When I started looking for it, it just jumped off the pages at me, and I see how God is continually pointing us to the Gospel.

And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh  hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Colossians 2:10-13

This evening Natasha and I decided to have a "cookout" redneck style, so we speared our hot dogs on a knife and roasted them over the gas burner..... It was great! Not quite like grilling but much better than boiling! We enjoyed them with our Campbell baked beans (I didn't even know Campbell made them!), chips, and cabbage! We are developing quite an addiction to ice cream too! We had it twice today! I have never eaten ice cream this much......this is not a good thing!

Jumping on the trampoline is becoming one of my favorite after supper activities! It brings back a lot of childhood memories for me, and its good exercise after the ice cream! I even did a flip the other night, Natasha was a little worried (so was I!), its been quite a few years since I have done one of those! I had just realized that two little boys were watching from upstairs.....

So here's to all the hours I have spent on the trampoline, childhood, memories, fun and beautiful nights!

Reckless Faith

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

I just finished reading this book....Reckless Faith by Beth Guckenberger

It has a powerful message that stirred my heart, compelled me to have more compassion, and dared me to trust God more, for my every need, for He is my God and Father!!

Throughout the book it kept mentioning promises that God has made to orphans so I decided to do a little research of my own and these are promises that I found that God has made to orphans.

Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. Psalms 10:14

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. Psalms 68:5

The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. Psalms 146:9

~ Cause (someone) to stop feeling distressed or anxious about something.

Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me. Jeremiah 49:11
~ to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction

Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. Hosea 14:3


Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; Exodus 22:22-23


It has been amazing to look into these verses and see that God has promises for each and everyone of the children here!! They are His own! He knows each one by name and loves them!

God providing for the orphans through warnings to us....

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: Proverbs 23:10

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17
~ Defend, bring justice to

If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Isaiah 7:6-7
~ exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner

Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. Isaiah 22:3

We are to be the voice of the voiceless, the hands for the helpless, the friend of the lonely, using all of our means to defend and care for those in need!!

I found it amazing that one of Gods curses for the wicked man is that his children will be orphans.

For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lordof hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Isaiah 9:13-17

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul. But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness. I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads. Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it. Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. Psalms 109

A Martyrs Crown

I have not often considered the heavenly crown that Christ lays up for those that love Him.

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5:4

But recently I read "Tortured for Christ", by Richard Wurmbrand. It was a challenge, heartbreaking, encouraging, and eye opening! I suppose that is the normal response but I also felt a tinge of jealousy for their crown in this life and in the next.

Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Isaiah 62:8

How beautiful is one who suffers for their God....

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45

They have never ending love for their torturers! They have compassion, sorrowful over their blindness, crying out to God over their souls, even taking their punishments! They see not the communist, but a lost sheep that Christ is seeking.

Forgiving the ones that are destroying their lives, ruining their health, taking their earthly possessions, beating, leaving their families homeless or even killing their loved ones!

Their body's, scarred, weakened, disfigured from countless torturing sessions! Playing with their minds, lying to them, beating them, torturing them beyond imagination, solitary confinement, killing or beating their families, mothers watching their children go hungry, fathers watching their families left on the street, wives told their husbands dead, or they had denounced their faith, parents forced to pay for their children's atheistic schooling, watching on as someone else raises their children, deprived of sleep and food, until their bodies collapse and their minds a blur, but yet they will not deny their Christ!

They love Christ, they are not trained theologians, many of them have not ever even held or read from a bible, have not heard scripture for years, yet they hold fast to faith and minister the gospel to others! These people truly have met with Christ!

Unspeakable joy in the worst circumstances, without bitterness, without complaining, forgiving, loving, giving any little thing they have, even the little food that stands between them and malnourishment. Greeting their persecutors with love and a smile, encouraging one another. No joy can be found in these circumstances but an unnatural, heaven sent joy in the Creator and Savior of the universe, whom they know so intimately and are partaking of His sufferings so willingly!

Perseverant to the end, speaking of Christ when they know the outcome, arrested, beaten, released, and in the same hour speaking of Christ again! Speaking of Christ, being trampled on, standing up and resuming their speech!

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Matthew 10:28

I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God. 

Revelation 6:9

"In a letter smuggled out secretly, the Underground Church said, "We don't pray to be better Christians, but that we may be the only kind of Christians God means us to be: Christlike Christians, that is, Christians who bear willingly the cross for God's glory."

O what a crown will be theirs throughout all eternity! They who have willingly suffered for Christ, will this not spur us on? We western Christians who have so much yet so little fruit. Who say we love Christ, yet are submersed in the world? We who call ourselves Christians, yet refuse to give any of our comforts or conveniences to minister to a lost a dying world! O Christian do not forget, what Christ has done for us, or others who have laid down their lives that we might know and have the truth! O may we pick up in this battle and fight against the enemy, fighting for the souls of men! May we not forsake our brothers and sisters in bonds but faithfully pray for them, and provide them with the tools to advance the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:22

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:10-12

Pray for their persecutors, Christ has overcome them already, they are not to powerful a foe! Communists are being persuaded to believe!

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 

1 Corinthians 12:25-27