The power of life and death

I'm currently reading an excellent book by Gary Smalley and John Trent, Ph.D. It's called "The Hidden Value of a Man."

The book talks about the two swords of value in every man. There's the silver sword, which relates to a man's positional power. This includes a man's job title, academic degrees, place in the corporate hierarchy, etc. Most men focus on the silver sword and neglect the gold sword, which is the ability to develop meaningful, fulfilling relationships and strengthen our families.

There is an interesting passage on p. 28 of the book under the header "The Power of Life and Death Lies Within a Man's Reach":

Writer Gordon Dalbey describes a deeply moving church meeting where the congregation had just watched the powerful anti-abortion film 'The Silent Scream.' Stung in heart and stirred to prayer, men and women began interceding for the pregnant young women faced with the appalling choice of bringing an unwanted baby to term or destroying it in the womb.

Others prayed for the parents of the young women, for the doctors and nurses in the abortion clinics, for the unborn babies themselves, and for the conscience of the nation.

Yet Dalbey felt a strange uneasiness. Something seemed missing somehow. Overlooked. 'Lord, is there something else?' he asked.

'Almost at once the words burst forth in my mind: Pray for the men! No one is recognizing that without a man to impregnate the woman, the abortion issue would not exist.'

Smalley and Trent go on to explain that the ultimate "choice" in the issue belongs to the man. As men, we have a tremendous amount of power; we need to be aware of how we wield our swords. It is possible to have an effective balance between the silver and gold swords.

Remember Nhu

Carl and Laurie Ralston of Akron, Ohio, were so moved by the story of a sex-trafficking victim named Nhu Thanh in Cambodia that they have dedicated their lives to fighting the sex trafficking of children.

'I had heard about Miss Nhu from a missionary in Cambodia,' Ralston said in a Plain Dealer article. 'After he told his story about her, God spoke to my heart. My wife and I wanted to help this young lady.'

Before the Ralstons even met Nhu, Carl sold his insurance business to establish Remember Nhu, a nonprofit to help prevent children from entering the sex trade.

The Ralstons then took six trips to Cambodia over a three-year period to find Nhu. They finally found her in 2006 working in a hair salon.

Remember Nhu opened its first home to educate and shelter children at risk of sex trafficking in Phnom Penh in 2007. The charity now has eight homes in five countries.

It really could be...Satan.

We live in a spiritual battlefield. As we advance Christ's kingdom, Satan takes notice. I have seen it happen before.

For instance, the outstanding leader of my Heart of a Warrior group took delight in being a father. His son eventually developed a brain tumor and died at the age of seven years and seven months.

The leader of my Focus of a Warrior group got laid off from his job. He was unemployed for nine months and somehow had to manage to continue providing for his wife and four children.

I led two groups (Raising a Modern-Day Knight and Sage Series) to encourage fathers of sons to raise their boys in a godly manner, and I got laid off from my job.

It's really easy to be angry with God when these types of things happen. I believe that there is a spiritual element to this -- Satan is trying to derail us and cause us to lose faith in God. The reality is that these are the times to double down on our faith.

In the midst of being trapped up to her neck

Omayra Sanchez

In 1985, the Nevado Del Ruiz volcano erupted in Armero, Columbia, trapping 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez in debris while she was trying to rescue a sibling.

As noted on Technorati, Sanchez calmly hung in there for three days until she died of exhaustion, gangrene and hypothermia. It was noted that, during those three days, Sanchez calmed people who were overcome with emotion because of her situation, sang and held normal conversations with visitors.

God must have given her courage and tranquility in the midst of a tragedy.

Letting God speak through you

Sometimes when people pray, I am in awe of how heartfelt and specific their words are to my situation. What's their secret? It's not them -- it's God. I get a little nervous when I'm praying with people. I'm not sure if my words will be applicable to their situation.

Jonathan Payne, a senior at Jackson Christian School, also felt nervous about praying with people on a recent mission trip to Kenya, according to an article in The Jackson Sun:

[Payne] spent 13 days in Kenya, where he spoke to children about AIDS and making healthy choices.


Payne said he was nervous about speaking to the students.


'It was a God thing,' he said. 'I wanted to say the right thing. I'd been praying, 'God give the right words,' and I believe God spoke through me. It was a humbling experience.'

I pray that God will give everyone the right words in their interactions today.

Breast cancer survivor shares journey

Like most women, Sabrina Goble rarely did her self breast examination for cancer. In 2007, she had a routine mammogram. The gynecologist said that everything was fine, and to come back in a year. But God had something else to show Goble, according to a story in the Cabarrus News:

'My husband and I were touring homes on a Saturday. They had nice outdoor bathrooms with sinks and mirrors and skylights that let the sunlight come through the roof. As I went in, the spaghetti strap on my blouse, that had been falling all day, fell again. In the light from that skylight I saw an indentation on the top of my chest. I ran my hand over it and said 'What is this?' It felt distinctively different. Round. And hard. Like a BB. And I saw it with my eyes.

'So I was in the doctor's office on Monday morning. I want people to know this is not something you put off. You go immediately.

'The surgeon removed the 0.6 centimeter tumor the same week. Five days later, I got the devastating phone call. I was in shock when they told me it was malignant and that a second surgery would have to be scheduled because they didn't get it all.

'At that moment, I fell to my knees in anguish. God spoke to me and said that if I would trust Him, He would use it for something good to help others.'

The breast cancer survivor since has embarked on a campaign to educate women about the importance of self breast exams, mammograms, and how to deal with breast cancer.

Sabrina Goble

Everything is spiritual

As I am going through phase three of The Ultimate Journey/Christ-Life Solution, I was reminded of a key principle: everything is spiritual.

During this past week, our assignment was to keep track of how we spent our time. Since I have worked for public relations firms, I have experience with documenting how I spend my time.

When our class was reviewing our time sheets, I noticed that I spent a lot of my time applying for jobs and being with my wife and son. My only "religious" times were reading the Bible for a bit each morning, attending church and doing my Christ-Life Solution homework. When I mentioned that to the group, a classmate reminded me that everything is spiritual.

What an excellent reminder! Every aspect of how I go about my day and how I interact with people is God living through me. It's really easy to feel guilty for not spending enough "religious" time; remember that everything is spiritual as you go about your day.