Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Israel Photo Trivia ✡ "They Ascended and Spied Out the Land" - Israel365

They ascended and spied out the Land.... and he arrivedat Hebron.

NUMBERS (13:21,22)
 

וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּתֻרוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ ... וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן

בְּמִדְבַּר יג:כא,כב

va-ya-a-lu va-ya-tu-ru et ha-a-retz... va-ya-vo ad khev-ron

Today's Israel Inspiration

Today's verses describe a very special detour taken by the righteous Caleb, who was part of the team sent to spy out the Land. Caleb desperately wanted to avoid the slander of the spies, so he took quick action and prayed for spiritual strength at the tomb of Abraham in Hebron. Today, Hebron remains the place where thousands pour out their hearts in prayer in the merit of the patriarchs and matriarchs buried there. Support the The Hebron Fund this Purim, and gladden the hearts of the small Jewish community and the IDF soldiers who protect them in Hebron.
 

Purim Story Unveiled

Learn the story of the upcoming festival of Purim in this dynamic 4 minute video. Esther's heroism saved the Jews and taught eternal lessons relevant to our times.
 

Commemorating Victims of 1929 Hebron Massacre

The new Hebron Heritage Museum commemorates the victims of the 1929 massacre, in which 67 Jews were killed in a terror attack. Recently, a special visitor to the museum paid tribute.
 

eBook of Esther (with audio)

Get ready for the festival of Purim and learn to read the Book of Esther in Hebrew! In our eBook of Esther with audio, the full text of Esther is layed out in two columns, in English and Hebrew, together with videos of a Jewish cantor chanting each chapter.

Israel Photo Trivia

Can you name Israel's northern mountain shown in this beautiful photo byYehoshua HaleviSend me an email or post your answer on Facebook!
 

Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Jonathan Young from Columbus, Ohio. Toda Raba!
 

“Among My Favorites”

It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!
 
Your I365 sites are among my favorites... As a student of prophecy we read of the return of Am Yisrael in the Christian Bible, and today we rejoice as we see the ancient promises actively being fulfilled, week by week... We continuously support you in our prayers, May you be strengthened with all might by the hand of the LORD, and be found to be as pleasing in His eyes as you are in ours! - Pastor Tom Belcher

Rabbi Tuly, thank you very much for updating us with what is going on. May God bless Israel and the glory of God be with Israel. - Stellah Matukwamba
Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
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2015 A Time of Romance, A Vision of Purpose by Lee Johndrow

2015 A Time of Romance, 

A Vision of Purpose 

by Lee Johndrow

Identity Network

Why even announce for 2015? Why seek the Lord at all for this? Is it any different?

Throughout yesterday as the messages of hope and the future appeared, I thought, "I agree."  "Amen."  "Good for you!" I know people get caught up in resolutions and change. They want to see the New Year as better than the last. There is a hope on the table.

This prophecy sets a place of reference I believe. A course or a thought process as you may end your gym membership or determine lettuce 3 times a day is not working for you! Last year my prophecy for 2014 for the church stayed in the top 3 out of over 1,000 messages. (The vision for our church fellowship was in the top 5.)

For me there are three reasons I present the outlook I see as God giving to me for the upcoming year. None of them have to do with "have to's" or urgency, expectation or pressure. As a matter of fact I did not see this coming. I do not even think I gave any thought about it except on one occasion that I shrugged off and a text over the weekend. I actually thought I had too much to do, wanted to go somewhere, do something.

Here are My Reasons for this 2015 Prophecy

  • As a prophet I think my gift is my function and that is available to God and to the body as He sees fit or deems to be used.
  • Prophecy can shape or change paths or destinies of people and add value to the body of Christ and ultimately this impacts the world.
  • Prophecy is three fold; a result of God's message, a voice honed by hearing God and an interpretation of what is seen, dreamed or envisioned.
I think it began to unfold in my mind as I began to see rings appearing on the fingers of women. Engagement rings, wedding rings and promise rings. I began to think this cannot be a coincidence. I began to think back to a time when had I seen the flood of jewelry appearing on hands? I could not find it.

God was up to something. I did not want to miss it. So I began to investigate, to get closer to it.

For many years it felt as if we were getting further away from commitment, from promise. People used that thinking, that observation to announce "great darkness" upon the earth. But over the last year or two I began to see great treasure upon the earth.

I looked where the theme of the last few months might be leading. The overriding message was love. God had me on a path I did not see in full until just the last few days.

When I first began to dial into what I heard the Lord say for 2015 I was immediately caught up in the fact that 2015 would appear on a 24-hour clock as 20:15 or 8:15 PM. I heard the PM to mean a "private message."  I think that August 15th will have meaning for the church, but I also believe that 8:15 at night will have much meaning to many.

What is 8:15? I think it speaks of a "post" dinner moment; a time following a friendly repast where "lovers" will engage in quiet conversation.

And then I saw the dinner. The hunger, the expectation, the waiting and the readiness. I could hear a child calling out in the room, "I'm hungry!"

How do we get there? The church will experience an attitude of viral force. The experience of Jesus will over take the negativity of Facebook, Twitter and a thousand other experiences. Why? Because of love.

The Following is What I Have Been Seeing

Envision if you will a man making a date with his wife. On Wednesday or so, the plans of many months of preparation and planning have been put in play and time and date are set. "Saturday we will drive to this romantic restaurant. Saturday morning comes and there are things to do. There is sunshine and brightness, but not even a storm could dampen this day. The chores are done. Clothing is laid out with care and a quick trip to get the flowers is done. The small box rests in his hand. In this box is the sign of promise, the nature of love. This small band with shimmering stones has been hidden away, the box concealing its beauty. 

At 5 o'clock the magic begins. The door is open and she sets herself in the seat. He runs to the driver's side, whistling a little tune. As they drive, the radio is on but neither are really listening. There is traffic and people but for them the world holds only two. As they pulled up under the restaurant's awning the uniformed man came to the door. Opening the door for the lady, the man came around and handed him the keys. They were escorted into this beautiful restaurant. 

The maî·tre d' greeted them and took them to a quiet corner where out the window was a setting sun. The look in their eyes as they faced one another was light and life and love. Wine was brought to the table and the glasses were filled. As the night moved on, food was brought and drinks were had. A band played soft music and the world was a dream. And as they sat there, time seemed to stand still. He reached in his pocket for the small, blue felt box. 

As he opened the cover, tears formed in their eyes. Not tears of despair, but tears of happiness and joy. As the ring was placed on her finger with care, the moment was melded in their lives forever.

The next season of the church is that of lovers, lovers of His presence and His purpose. I feel that this season that is upon us is pregnant with purpose.

Many have been in preparation for this season, while some are just entering into it. It is as if you knew something was beautiful but one day you walked into the house and the beauty had increased. The person or the object had taken on new meaning and gathered new value.

For so long we have been caught up in "serving" mode that we missed out on the intimacy mode. It is not that serving is not right but serving without love or intimacy soon loses its "awesomeness."  Especially if you come out of a lifestyle where it has been about you and not about others.

I said it was about love and it is. Loving God, His love for us and loving those about us.

2015 is Bringing the Love to the Table

Get the plan.  You must have a plan. A game plan of sorts. Not just any plan but an understanding of the desire of God towards you and you towards others. Set the date in motion. A plan for intimacy and time spent with God and others.

A word about plans. Part of the people want no plan because they feel it is binding and religious. Others do not know how to make a plan, so they don't. Still others find plans unbreakable. Plans have the potential to bring you great freedom or great despair. So, does the reading of scripture. Where are you coming from in your thinking determines a lot of where you are going.

2015 is a Year of Planning for the Future

Set the time.  One of the hardest things to do is to set the date. Why? Because it is a "will the stars align?" moment. Will all go well? Yesterday, I was in a conversation where I began to unravel a man's thinking about "nothing will ever go right."  What if it fails? How about, what if it doesn't! To see vision become reality, setting dates and putting signposts and markers in play is important.

Like a store keeps track of sales through inventory, so does a person set plans of expectation through plans of "inventory."  What will be on hand when I reach here? Your call! Yesterday, I listened to a man plan his New Years Eve for him and his sweetheart. Restaurant reservations, hotel reservations, flowers at the hotel, music and dancing. All of this took him 15 minutes. He even had a plan if it was too cold to take a romantic walk!

2015 is a Year of Plans Set in Motion

Get the ring.  In the vision the ring represents the "prize" or the value of the time long after the date is over. What will you reveal in the coming year? What prize, what gift, will you be, after the last meeting?

While many are looking to be revealed, others are looking to be concealed. That occasional check in the "box" to make sure it is still there. Even in darkness God still opens the "box."

2015 is the Year of Promise and Value

Dress for it.  We have heard "dress for the job you want - not the one you have." I am not talking about the actual clothing but what you want to look like when you are done. To be cloaked in love, adorned with grace, shod with peace!

Too often we think our behavior or attitude does not matter. But that is our "dress code" if you will. That is what people see. Do you bring a good attitude to your friends, your family? 2015 has a dress code. It will require an attitude adjustment.

2015 is a Year of Being "Dressed for Success"

Get there.  Today is the day. It is now. We say "for such a time as this."  So be it. What is the vehicle you will bring? What will it look like? Will it get there?

When I was young and I would "go on dates" I always spent time cleaning my car. Washing it, vacuuming it. Making sure it was perfect.

Too often we forget that our vehicle often is our ministry or demeanor, revealing our method of expressing Him. Too often, voids of knowledge, ignorance and lack of care, have left ministries and people on the side of the road.

2015 is a Year for Getting There! What does it take?

Know the time.  Many times I have seen the chiros of God missed by folks who thought I "have a better plan."  1 Chronicles 12:32 tells us of those who knew the times. The sons of Issachar had analyzed their times and had perceived correctly what those times were all about. They knew what to do because they understood.

Be like the character of the rabbit "who did not want to be late for a very important date" Not out of urgency but out of desire for the meeting.

2015 is the Year for Knowing the Time and Understanding it

Get served.  There must be a decision to receive. Many of the abuses of the "give me" times have left many with their arms crossed and a shaking of the head, "no."  "Not me. Take care of everyone else." I get it. Not to be perceived as a taker. But God wants you to receive that you might pass it on to others.

It is not elitism to allow yourself to be served. In the midst of great taking many have avoided the ability to receive. Some of it might be shame, but much is about pride.You can't "pay it forward" if you won't receive the pay!


2015 is the Year to be Served and Receive

Location, location, location.  There is an increasing need to sit in a place of intimacy, to enjoy the light, to share the view and to hear the music.

Why does a date like I shared become so valuable? Because it affects all the senses - seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling.

It is in these times of intimacy life becomes alive. Determine times of intimacy with God and with one another. Love is in the air!

2015 is the Year of Intimate Times and Places

Revealing the promise.  As the ring is presented and placed upon the finger, there is a bond that is created. God has given many promises but I believe there are many who have "felt those promises were for others."

I watched a Match.com commercial. Two women are being told about the company, a relationship finding service. One says, "if I wasn't married, I would use it." The other doesn't use the service, and when asked "how is that working" she said "not so well."  A lot of people are like the first woman, kind of feeling left behind in their choices. Others, like the second, have felt they have "no choices" as they feel that "works for others" and not for them.

That is not true. God is forever working on your behalf. He is the God of promise, intentional towards you. He "wants" it more than you do!

2015 is the Year of God and His Promise

So much of what I have written is but a few moments that could change your life forever.

Some of you read it and thought about romance and love. Others thought, what happens next? I wish I could tell you. Romance and love lead to many things. They can lead to family and purpose, passion and change.

Throughout this I have spoken about purpose and living life intentionally. Because of the romantic lean you may not have noticed it. Why? Because love changes everything! Or you may have looked at the steps and thought "I can do this" or maybe you thought "but I know I can't."  Others just had eyes glaze over because it exceeded the 140 characters they live life by. What if meaning is more than 140 characters??? Sometimes I think we spend so much time working to be relevant that we forget what it is like to just breathe. He made you this way for a reason!

2015 is filled with promise. Filled with purpose. Clearly I believe it is a time of love and loving life. God brought us this far, that we might see further to go, that we would embrace the journey.

It is His plan and His purpose. Only the church can stop wars and destruction. Heal racism and bigotry. Bring justice that heals and makes whole. Love people into purpose. Mend the divides and turn anger into peace.

All of that and more!

I have a few questions…

Are you ready to participate? Will you embrace purpose? Will you allow for love? Will you devote time? Do you want to change the world?

I humbly offer this to you not as a guide, but the view and the vision of one man who loves God.

Lee Johndrow


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World War I in the Holy Land. Kiwi Soldiers Describe their Encounter with Jews

Posted: 23 Feb 2015   Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

Commemorating the centenary of World War I, we present the picture history of the battles in the Holy Land, with the soldiers from Turkey, Austria and German on one side and the British army with its contingents from Australia, New Zealand, and India on the other. We will also post pictures showing the Jewish soldiers and volunteers from Great Britain, Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Palestine itself. The Jewish soldiers also provided incredible pictures of the Jewish communities they found in Palestine.



The Turkish Army preparing to attack the Suez Canal, 1914 (Library of Congress)


In January 1915, the German-led Turkish army attacked British forces along the Suez Canal. The British blunted the assault and took the hard-fought war into the Sinai Peninsula.

By March and April 1917, the British army attempted to push through Gaza and up the Mediterranean coast in battles that involved as many as 60,000 soldiers, British and French ships firing on Gaza from the Mediterranean, the use of poison gas, and the deployment of newly developed British tanks. The British suffered a disastrous defeat.


Remains of a British tank, 1917, Gaza


In a risky maneuver in October 1917, the British army flanked the Turkish army in Gaza by moving through the desert toward Be'er Sheva. The garrison and the crucial wells of Be'er Sheva were captured in a daring cavalry charge of Australian Light Horsemen described here.

The British pushed on toward Jerusalem, and the New Zealand troops were sent westward toward Jaffa. See photo album by Jewish soldier Charles Broomfield here.

The following are excerpts from THE STORY OF TWO CAMPAIGNS: OFFICIAL WAR HISTORY OF THE AUCKLAND MOUNTED RIFLES REGIMENT, 1914-1919, a collection of battle reports and diaries.

The following morning [November 15, 1917] the village of Ayun Kara [near Rishon Lezion] was reported clear of
the enemy, and, with a company of "Camels" on 

Synagogue in Rishon, 1917, Jewish soldier in doorway, British flag flying

the left and the 1st Light Horse on the right, the brigade moved forward towards Jaffa, meeting with no resistance. On the way they passed through the village of Richon le Zion, where for the first time they met Jews. One member of the community was a brother of Rabbi Goldstein, of Auckland. The joy of these people at being freed from the tyranny of the Turks was unbounded. They treated the New Zealanders most hospitably—an exceedingly pleasant experience after the tremendous effort they had just made, and the harsh hungry times spent in the south with its hostile Bedouins.

Jaffa was occupied without opposition, the Turks falling back to the line of the river Auja, a few miles further north. While this fighting had been taking place, great success had been achieved to the south. Ramleh, on the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway, was taken; and the enemy, whose receding line extended in a south-east direction from Jaffa, had reason to feel anxiety for Jerusalem itself.


Jewish soldiers from Australian and New Zealand Light Horsemen (Australian War Museum)

In normal times Jaffa had a population of 60,000 people, including 30,000 Moslems, 10,000 Jews, and 10,000 Christians, but during the war its population had gone down considerably, and it had lost its prosperity, partly through there being no fuel for the engines which had been used to pump the water from the wells to irrigate the orchards. Within a few days of the British occupation, Jews and Christians, who had been expelled by the Turks, started to return, bringing their goods and chattels in all sorts of conveyances.

During the night the 53rd Division pushed up the Hebron road and occupied Bethlehem.


Turks evacuate Jerusalem, 1917

General Allenby's report goes on to say—"Towards dusk the British troops were reported to have passed Lifta, and to be within sight of the city. On this news being received, a sudden panic fell on the Turks west and south-west of the town, and at 5 o'clock civilians were surprised to see a Turkish transport column galloping furiously cityward along the Jaffa road. In passing they alarmed all units within sight or hearing, and the wearied infantry arose and fled, bootless and without rifles, never pausing to think or to fight.

"After four centuries of conquest the Turk was ridding the land of his presence in the bitterness of defeat, and a great enthusiasm arose among the Jews. There was a running to and fro; daughters called to their fathers and brothers PAGE 168concealed in outhouses, cellars and attics, from the police who sought them for arrest and deportation. 'The Turks are running,' they called; 'the day of deliverance is come.' The nightmare was fast passing away, but the Turk still lingered. In the evening he fired his guns continuously.

"At 2 o'clock in the morning of Sunday, December 9th, tired Turks began to troop through the Jaffa gate from the west and south-west, and anxious watchers, peering out through the windows to learn the meaning of the tramping were cheered by the sullen remark of an officer, 'Gitmaya mejburuz' (We've got to go), and from 2 to 7 that morning the Turks streamed through and out of the city, which echoed for the last time their shuffling tramp.

On this same day, 2082 years before, another race of conquerors, equally detested, were looking their last on the city which they could not hold, and inasmuch as the liberation of Jerusalem in 1917 will probably ameliorate the lot of the Jews more than that of any other community in Palestine, it was fitting that the flight of the Turks should have coincided with the national festival of the Hanukah, which commemorates the recapture of the Temple from the heathen Seleucivs by Judas Maccabæus in 165 B.C."


British General Allenby enters Jerusalem's Old City, 1917

On December 11th the Commander-in-Chief, followed by representatives of the Allies, made his formal entry into Jerusalem. The historic Jaffa gate was opened after years of disuse for the purpose, and he was thus enabled to pass into the Holy City without making use of the gap in the wall made for the Emperor William in 1898. The General entered the city on foot—and left it on foot.

Monday, February 23, 2015

After Beating Cancer, Here's What Darlene Zschech Is Praying About Now

After Beating Cancer, Here's What Darlene Zschech Is Praying About Now




Darlene Zschech
Darlene Zschech (Facebook)
I've been really praying about this topic: worship and mission. These two words are like fire in my belly; they daily give me my purpose and reason. They are not entirely separate from each other; they are almost like a bride and groom—hard to have a wedding with just one of them.
Yet mission will always be trumped by worship for worship abides forever. As we continue to create God's throne room here among us, building his glorious throne of praise and going deeper in our understanding and experience, we will realize the passion God has for the lost and broken, that everyone needs to hear, see, and know the goodness of the gospel.
Revelation
I continually find myself in John 4, seeing and hearing the scene where "true worship" is discussed by Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Seeing once more that when Christ's Lordship is established, living waters are our promise, our inheritance, our radical need, and God's even more radical provision.
As we continue to reveal Jesus in every area of our lives, I see God's throne being established among us in our churches, in our communities, in our families, in our new experiences and in our traditions. For wherever He is enthroned, there you'll find hearts that are open and thirsty for the one thing none of us can acquire elsewhere, only from relationship with Jesus: Living Water.
How can truthful and authentic worship be anything but missional? In genuine worship we are constantly declaring God's goodness, always announcing and declaring that he is with us, always being filled with joy in his presence, always announcing freedom, always dependent on the Holy Spirit to fill us, change us, lead us, and turn our sorrows into joy, our mourning into dancing.
More Than a Song
To worship with our life means that it is not just in the singing of songs that we find our hearts emblazoned with mission, but it is the result of a worshipful life where mission finds its expression in the going, the sending, and the daily expression of our faith in the ordinary. As Christ followers, all that we are should be somehow resulting in bringing the love and light of Christ to our world. Is this mission? Yes. Is this worship? Yes.
Limitless Connection
I'll never forget sitting in the South African dirt with a beautiful four-year-old boy in an orphanage in Johannesburg. It seemed nothing could reach his lonely little heart, no toys or games, not even the crazy young musicians traveling along with us could find a way to connect with him. His eyes were glazed over; I cannot bear to think about what he had endured at such a young age. So in the dirt, into his gorgeous, perfectly formed little ears, I started to sing, "Jesus loves me." It only took moments for his stunning tear-filled eyes to look up, and it was like our hearts connected right there and then. Building Jesus a throne in the middle of the dirt. As we drew near, he drew near to us (Jas 4:8). That's the promise.
There is no other name like the name of Jesus to heal our wounds, calm our fears, walk with us through suffering, and to even hold an aching four-year-old heart tenderly in his hands. This little boy's heart was opened to the love of Jesus, and he experienced what it was like to draw from a well that could never be taken from him, and certainly never run dry.
I may not have been leading lots of worship through music over the last 12 months, but the mission of my life, as a worshiper, has not changed one bit. As I've sat in doctors' waiting rooms and laid in bed for many months, that call to take Jesus to every sacred place burns in me just like leading people to his glorious courts through praise does. Living our lives poured out ... in response to his great love for us...
That the world may know!
Darlene Zschech is the former worship pastor at Hillsong Church. She is now a popular Christian singer and songwriter.

They Called Him Rabbi Abraham Lincoln

They Called Him Rabbi Abraham Lincoln

Monday, February 23, 2015 |  David Lazarus  ISRAEL TODAY
We all know how much Abraham Lincoln did for African-Americans, but until now very little was known of the special place Honest Abe held in his heart for the Jews. In fact, Lincoln showed so much favor to the Jewish community of his time that they called him “Rabbi Abraham.”
When Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 there were fewer than 3,000 Jews in the United States. By the time he died there were 150,000. Many of Lincoln’s contemporaries were alarmed by this development. Anti-Semitism, like the plague, had spread from Christian Europe to the New World, but Lincoln, a staunch Christian Republican, stood up for the Jews, much in the same way he would for African-Americans.
Lincoln was a devote student of the Bible and often quoted from the Old Testament in his public speeches. Lincoln rejected the notion held by many Christians of the time that the Jews were responsible for killing the Son of God. He made it a point to treat the Jews with respect right from the beginning of his career. Lincoln boasted many Jewish friends, often represented them in his law practice, and even appointed Jews to offices in his administration. Many Jews served as President Lincoln’s personal advisors.
A number of Lincoln’s generals regarded the Jews as hostile intruders to the North American continent and tried to have them expelled. General Ulysses Grant tried to force them out by issuing an edict barring Jews from selling goods to Union soldiers. Lincoln would have none of it, and confronting his commanding general immediately rescinded the shameful order.
When the Union Army wanted to “appoint Christian Chaplains to care for the spiritual needs of our brave soldiers,” Lincoln insisted on also appointing Jews to serve as chaplains to the army, something that had never been done before. Lincoln then signed the act into law and Jewish chaplains have been serving in the US Armed Forces ever since.
It was Lincoln who was the first to acknowledge the need to recognize Judaism as an official religion of the United States. At the time it was common to call the United States a “Christian Nation.” In order to make sure that the growing Jewish population also be included, Lincoln insisted that America be called “a nation under God.”
In 1863 Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation declaring that “all slaves under the Confederacy were from then on forever free.” Shortly afterwards, Lincoln met with a Canadian Christian Zionist named Henry Wentworth Monk who explained to him that Jews who were being oppressed in Russia and Turkey also need to be emancipated "by restoring them to their national home in Palestine."
Lincoln replied that this, the rebirth of Israel as a nation-state, was "a noble dream and one shared by many Americans."
When Lincoln was assassinated, the Jewish response was unprecedented as communities around the country mourned him in the traditional Jewish way for seven days by sitting “Shiva.” Eulogizes for the fallen president were offered by rabbis in every synagogue across the nation.
In what surely must have been a divine toss of the coin, the new copper penny minted in 1909 in celebration of Lincoln’s 100th birthday and adorned with his own iconic portrait was designed by the Russian-Jewish immigrant Victor David Brenner.
More of this fascinating story can be found in the new historical documentary “They Called Him Rabbi Abraham” by Gary Phillip Zola.
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Kansas May Be 1st to Ban 'Barbaric' Abortion Method

Kansas May Be 1st to Ban 'Barbaric' Abortion Method



Kansas could be the first state to outlaw a certain type of abortion commonly used during the second trimester of pregnancy.
    
A bill banning what's known as the "Dilation and Evacuation" procedure, commonly known as partial birth abortion, passed Friday in the Kansas Senate. 
The abortion method, which includes extracting the fetus in pieces, was described by lawmakers supporting the bill as "gruesome" and "barbaric."  
Another state senator said it's "unimaginable that such a procedure could be used by a medical practicioner."
    
The measure is expected to pass in the Repubican-controlled state House of Representatives then gain the signature of Gov. Sam Brownback, a strong
abortion opponent.
   
Similar bans on this type of abortion are being considered in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Do You Want God to Use You in Mighty Ways? - R.T. Kendall

Holy Spirit
(Lightstock)

Spirit Led Woman's Power Up Logo
Do you want God to use you in mighty ways? How great is your desire to be His anointed instrument in setting captives free, healing and bringing Him glory?
I have said many times that I would rather have a greater anointing than anything. I suppose that is a God-honoring request, but I am not so sure. I want it so much that I cannot tell whether this desire is natural or spiritual. The anointing is the power of the Holy Spirit that makes our gift function with ease. When I live within my anointing, my gift works without effort, but the moment I go outside my anointing, I find myself struggling.
God does not want us to struggle. He wants us to cast our anxiety on Him (1 Pet. 5:7). But at least twice in his life Moses struggled. First, he was overwhelmed by people coming to him in droves to get his verdict on civil matters among the children of Israel. His wise father-in-law, Jethro, saw all that Moses was doing for the people and said to him, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself while all the people stand around you from morning until evening? ... What you are doing is not good. 18 You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and these people who are with you, for this thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself" (Ex. 18:14, 17-18). Jethro then advised Moses to designate authority to others—appointing capable men as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens—letting them handle the simple cases and Moses the more difficult (vv. 19-26).
The second occasion was when the people complained about the food—pining for what they ate in Egypt and complaining that they now "never see anything but this manna!" Moses brought this to the Lord and told him he could not bear the burden of their constant complaining. Moses was then instructed to choose 70 elders.
God assured Moses that he would lighten his load: "I will take of the Spirit which is on you and will put it on them, and they will bear the burden of the people with you, and you will not bear it by yourself" (Num. 11:17). After that the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke with Moses. God "took of the Spirit that was on him, and gave it to the seventy elders, and when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do it again" (v. 25). However, two of them who had remained in the camp prophesied, and Joshua was upset. "My lord Moses, forbid them," he said to Moses. "Are you jealous for my sake?" he asked Joshua. "Oh, that all the people of the Lord were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!" (vv. 28-29).
Why would Moses want everybody to prophesy and all to have the Spirit on them? Because when one person is in leadership and sees people struggle with their maladies, he realizes he needs all the help he can get! Joshua had not yet inherited Moses' mantle and wrongly assumed that Moses wanted to be the head and center of everything. How wrong Joshua was. The transfer of anointing to others lightens the load of the one with whom the buck stops. When all the people have the Spirit on them, it will mean that the work of God functions with ease—and with no rival spirit in control.
We learn from this how God can take from our anointing and pass it on to others. We are not told that Moses laid hands on the 70 elders. The impression is given that God merely did it by Himself—taking from Moses' anointing and passing it on without Moses losing any measure of the Spirit in the process. This is the wonderful thing about Christian ministry; what we give away we keep.
Nothing would be more thrilling than God taking from one's ministry and passing it on to others. I have longed for the day that not only would my anointing change lives and increase their measure of the Holy Spirit but also even heal people's bodies under my preaching. But if we want to keep the Holy Spirit to ourselves, it is unlikely that God will use us much.
We also learn from this account that God does not want us to bear a heavy load. He knows how much we can bear and will step in—never too late, never too early, but always on time.
Ask the Lord today to give you an ever increasing anointing to operate under, and then for it to be transferred to many people for His honor and glory.
Kendall-bookAdapted from 40 Days With the Holy Spirit by R.T. Kendall, copyright 2014, published by Charisma House. If you want to experience more of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit this book is ideal. Take 40 days to focus on getting a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and encounter Him in a fresh new way. To order your copy click here.
Prayer Power for the Week of Feb. 23, 2015
This week ask the Lord to give you an ever increasing anointing to operate under, and then for it to be transferred to many people for His honor and glory. Ask Him to give you divine connections for impartation and ministry. Continue to pray that the gospel would spread around the world and ignite a global revival. Remember Israel, the persecuted church and those who continue to suffer persecution and losses for the gospel's sake. Lift up our leaders and ask God to give them godly wisdom and direct them in making the right decisions (1 Pet. 5:7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).
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