Persecuted Christian

China Aid is reporting the continued imprisonment and torture of Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng. Gao was last seen on February 4, 2009.

"ChinaAid recently received another report from inside sources in China that Gao Zhisheng has been severely beaten by authorities. The report stated his current living condition is worse than death and that Gao is crying daily in pain and desperation.

The Chinese government has responded to the increased worldwide pressure for Gao Zhisheng's release by cutting off communication with two of Gao's siblings living in China and placing them under police surveillance.

In a November 26th interview with Radio Free Asia, Gao's brother, Gao Zhiyi, stated, "For every question, there are three unknowns. No one knows anything. They won't talk to us and they won't meet with us... Even if Gao Zhisheng had committed a terrible crime, his family would still have the right to know what had happened to him!"

On Saturday, December 5th, Gao's older brother (Zhiyi) and sister lost all communication contact when their phone lines were disabled, following the release of the RFA interview."

For more information please go to Free Gao dot com.

For The Lord's Day

“Welcome to earth, thou noble guest, through whom the sinful world is blest! In my distress thou com’st to me; what thanks shall I return to thee?” -- Martin Luther, 1535

For the Lord's Day

"Our God can work through means or above them. He that puts the treasure into earthen vessels, often allows the vessels to be chipped and broken, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

- Robert Murray M’Cheyne

The Manhattan Declaration

I became aware of the Manhattan Declaration late Sunday afternoon. It is a 'line in the sand' to the culture and to the government from Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical believers; that on the issues of right-to-life, marriage between a man and a woman, and freedom of religious speech we will never bow the knee to Caesar. I signed it as soon as I read it. Such a stand is necessary as Al Mohler describes on his blog. You may read the full text of the Manhattan Declaration here. I urge you to sign it as well.

For the Lord's Day

In his section in the Institutes (Book I, XVII, 6) Calvin writes concerning God's providence as solace to believers: "... the principal purpose of Biblical history is to teach that the Lord watches over the ways of the saints with such great diligence that they do not even stumble over a stone [cf. Ps. 91:12].

“O God, you have commanded us to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh; make us perfect, we pray, in love, that we may conquer our natural selfishness and give ourselves to others. Fill our hearts with your joy, and garrison them with your peace; make us longsuffering and gentle, and thus subdue our hasty and angry tempers; give us faithfulness, meekness and self-control; so that crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, we may bring forth fruit of the Spirit to your praise and glory…”

Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, 1857-1891

Veterans Day 2009, Ft. Hood

Thanks to those who served, who died, and who continue to serve to keep us free. My prayers are for the families of those killed, the wounded and their families and the Ft. Hood community - all casualties of the massacre perpetrated by Muslim terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan.