Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?

Wonderful article on the topic of suffering from www.WillYouGetInHeaven.com  –  http://willyougetinheaven.wordpress.com/knowlege/suffering/ 

 

Why would a good, loving, and all powerful God allow so much evil and suffering in the world?

            The standard Evangelical response to this question is that God desires for us to love him and for that love to be real we must have free will. Humans have decided to rebel against God and sin, thus our sins have consequences (evil and suffering).  I believe that there is some truth in this response, but the existence of sin and suffering and why God Continues to let it thrive goes much deeper than that.  Let me give you some bullet points to consider to you help deal with this hard issue:

-         Remember that God possesses all wisdom and knowledge and we/you do not.

-         How many horrid and wicked schemes has God caused to never come to fruition?  You have no idea and neither do I?  He is probably saving us from hundreds of disasters everyday without our ever even knowing it.  God is restraining Evil in the world every day.

-         Hard times, pain and suffering is often how we learn life’s greatest lesions, develop positive character traits, and grow closer with God.  C.S. Lewis put it well, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speak in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a dead world.”

-         God often uses pain and suffering as a means to draw us to himself.  When times are good people can often be self reliant.  God will often bring about or allow hard circumstances in our life to break our pride, humble us and bring us to repentance.  For the person who is trusting in Christ, all circumstances are for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28)

-         If you want God to eliminate sin and suffering and its causes then would you mind if he started with eliminating you?  We are the problem!  In order to get rid of sin and suffering God would have to deal with humans.  We are the direct cause of most evil in the world.

-         If you saw humanity from God’s perspective you would probably ask, “Why does this God of Justice and righteousness allow any pleasure and goodness in the lives of humans at all?”  We are so corrupted by sin that we do not realize the stench of our sin in God’s nose. We forget that we actually deserve suffering because of our rebellion against God.  It is only because of his mercy we don’t get sent to Hell after our first sin.

-         Trials and suffering reveal to us if our allegiance to God is real, and it provides opportunities for Him to show himself faithful to his true children. (1 Peter 1:5-7)

-         God comforts his children in our suffering so that we can be of help to others when they enter times of suffering or affliction.  (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

-         God does not just point the finger and look at suffering and sin from a distance.  God became a man in the person of Jesus and he suffered more than any person ever had or ever would so that he could conquer sin once and for all time.

-         God promises that all things will be made new.  He will make this broken and sinful world into a place of perfection and paradise.  It will be a new Heaven and new earth where God’s people will enjoy him, worship him and exalt in him forever.  (Revelation 21:4)

-          God is completely sovereign, but this does not mean that human decisions are not real and that they won’t be held accountable for their evil actions.  For example we can see God’s plan for the death of Christ in Acts 2:23, yet those who were responsible for the crime will endure wrath unless they repent.  This is truly a hard concept to figure out.

-         Those who suffer in this life will be so amazed by Go for all of eternity that the trials of this world will be nothing compared to the glories of heaven and the rewards obtained if the suffering was for Jesus’ sake.  On the flipside, those who do not receive the forgiveness that Christ offers will suffer eternally at the hands of a perfectly holy and just God.

-         We could not know the fullness of God’s love and goodness if evil and suffering  did not exist, as a result we will be able to glorify God at a higher level and enjoy him at a higher level

-         God has temporarily allowed sin and suffering primarily to allow for His greatest glorification and secondarily for the ultimate good of those who truly love him.  True worshipers of God will have a far greater capacity to appreciate God and his goodness after seeing what darkness is like which will magnify the Glory given to God and our ability to enjoy him.  Christians also have the promise that any suffering endured for Christ’s sake will be repaid over and above in the life to come.  

-         God has been glorified by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a magnificent way.  Followers of Christ will praise him for eternity for the work accomplished during his time dwelling on earth.  None of His redemptive work would have been possible or necessary had sin not entered the world.

-         If sin had not entered the world then God could not show us the full extent of his love and his willingness to sacrifice for us.  Heroes and Saviors are only shown to be what they are when the circumstances are right.

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“The existence of evil and suffering proves that God does not exist.”

            On the surface this may seem to be a good objection to negate the existence of God, but I believe that if you scratch a bit below the surface, the existence of sin, evil, and suffering actually proves that God is real. 

 Why is stealing, murder and  rape wrong?  Most people I ask this question to respond by saying, “ because it hurts someone.”  I respond by saying, “what is wrong with hurting someone?”   Try to answer this question for yourself.  If Atheists are correct that there is no God, and we are just glorified monkey-like creatures, then where did all this fuss about evil, suffering, and sin come from? If we are purely random, materialistic cosmic accidents, then sin, evil, and suffering are just concepts humans made up.  They are not real.  The Big Bang and Darwinian evolution cannot account for evil and immorality.  If Darwin was right and it really is survival of the fittest out there then there is nothing really wrong with stealing (more for me), murder (less mouths to feed), rape (spread my seed).  This is crazy talk that leads to monsters like Hitler. Atheism and naturalistic evolution cannot account for the reality of moral laws and real suffering.  If the critics are right, then moral ills like rape, murder, and racism are not really ills at all, they are simply societal preferences. 

The Critics are not right. God is the creator of Goodness and morality.  Moral laws exist and he is the moral law giver.  He is the standard of goodness by which everything is measured.  God has in a general sense written his laws on our hearts; we call it our conscience. The fine tuning of our conscience comes when we learn what he has written in his word (the Bible).

Romans 2:14-16 (ESV) “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶ on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

What is the Purpose of life?

Wonderful article on the purpose of life— click on link or read below  http://willyougetinheaven.wordpress.com/knowlege/lifes-purpose/

 

What is the Purpose of life?

     What is the purpose of life? Before I get to the purpose of life, I quickly want you to realize that this question presupposes a purpose giver, namely God. Think about it, if God doesn’t exist and this is just a purely random, materialistic universe, then life has no ultimate meaning and we really have no more intrinsic value than a rock or a monkey. Thankfully this is not the case. God exists and his Word teaches us that he has created all things for his own good purposes.
     I have asked many college students what they thought the purpose of life is and I usually come away disappointed in their answers. Their responses usually focus on enjoying life to the max, making good money, or having a family. While these things can be good additions to life, they can also destroy your life. If you dedicate your life to fulfill God’s purposes for your life God guarantees that you will never regret it in eternity. So what is the purpose of life?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism summarizes biblical teaching on the issue by stating:
Question: What is the chief end (purpose) of man?
Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

The great biblical answer is that we have been created to glorify and enjoy our creator? After reading this statement I can think of four immediate questions I would want to be answered:
1. What does it mean to Glorify God?
2. Why should we glorify God?
3. How do we glorify God?
4. What does enjoying him forever have to do with anything?

1. What does it mean to Glorify God? Let’s first of all note that glorifying God does not mean that you are adding to his glory. He is independently glorious whether or not we ever realize it. We give glory to God when we recognize his supreme importance or weightiness which results in worship, honor and praise to Him with our thoughts, words and deeds. I like to think of giving glory to God in part like reflecting his glory and attributes back at Him and at others by living, acting and thinking the way His word commands.

In a limited way, an everyday example can be the relationship between parents and a child. When a child goes rogue and begins to disrespect all law and authority in the land, that child’s parents feel a sense of disgrace. On the other hand when your child is playing by the rules and living life to the best of their ability parents often feel “glorified”. Parallel that with our lives. God created us to live holy, God honoring, thank filled lives that will reflect His goodness and attract others to him, but all too often human’s sin and live their lives as if God does not exist and as if He is not the greatest treasure in the universe. This does not honor and glorify the Great God who made us.

We need to realize what an honor it is that God would want to use us to make his name greatly known among the nations and people groups of the world. God could appear to his people in visions or dreams but for some reason in his sovereignty he has he has chosen to use sin stained humans to deliver his message and magnify his glory.

2. Why should we glorify God?
Objectors often ridicule by calling the God of the Bible egotistical. Does God really need us to massage his ego? The answer is obviously no. So why should we glorify God with our lives?
Reason #1 is because he is worthy of ultimate glory. There is nothing that compares to His power and Majesty. God is the self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, infinite, unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, just, loving, merciful, gracious creator of the universe. This is something that no mere little man or woman can claim. Even if God never saved one human from their sins He is still worthy to be worshiped and glorified because he is glorious in his essence and being!
• Revelation 4:11 – “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Reason #2 is that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, thus he obviously gets to dictate the purpose of his creation. He holds every molecule in the universe together by his magnificent power.
• Isaiah 43:7; 21 “…Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made….21 the people whom I formed from myself that they might declare my praise.”
• Colossians 1:16-20 – “For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
• Romans 11:36 – “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

Reason #3 is that putting God first in our lives by glorifying Him above all else is what is best for us. God loves humanity and he wants what is best for us, and He is what is best for us. God has commanded us to love and glorify Him above all else and he has instructed us how to do this by giving us laws or rules to live by. Please remember that God has given us a set of rules to live by not because he is a kill joy, but because he wants us to experience the ultimate joy. When we sin and refuse to glorify Him, we never have God’s best for our lives because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were ultimately created, namely God Glorification. The Creator of the universe knows that knowing him and living in his will brings ultimate joy and satisfaction, and this brings God great glory. I love how Dr. John Piper puts it when he says, “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.”
• John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples….If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
• Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
• Ephesians 3:19 – “and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
• John 10:10 – “…I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Reason #3 pertains to the people who call themselves Christians. Have you repented from sins and turned to Jesus in faith for the cleansing of sin which was accomplished by His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead? If so, you have been ransomed back from your old slave master, namely sin. You have promised you life to your new master, namely God. He has paid the ultimate price for you and your glorifying obedience. He has shown great sacrificial love for us, how then can we not show great appreciation for Him in return by obeying his commands, thereby glorifying him?
• 1 Corinthians 6:20 – “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
• 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
• Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

3. How do we glorify God?
This question could potentially consume a full book, but for our purposes I will try to be brief. I know I will fail to cover some ways to bring God glory, but I hope the following will be helpful.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 “ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

a. Trust in God – Hebrews 11:4 states “and without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” It is glorifying to God when we trust his promises of salvation and provision in our lives. (also see Romans 4:20)
b. Know who God is –You cannot intentionally glorify God if you do not know who the true God of the bible is. It is imperative that you have a basic understanding of the nature of God and who he has claimed to be, namely one God revealed in three distinct persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (A.K.A. the Trinity). But don’t stop there; you need to study His attributes! The more you know about God the more there is to love, honor and adore. The difference between worshiping a false god and the real God starts with knowing who he has claimed to be. (Recommended reading: The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer, or Knowing God by J.I. Packer)
c. Faith in Jesus – Philippians 2:10-11 states, “…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Repenting of your sins and receiving Christ as Lord, God and Savior is essential if you want to god now and for eternity. The bible explicitly teaches that apart from being “born again” by the Spirit of God and drawn into a saving relationship with Jesus that we are spiritually dead and not capable of doing anything good in the eyes of God (see Romans 3 and Ephesians 2). After being filled with the Spirit of God and having our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus through faith, we are seen as righteous in the eyes of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), and only then are we capable to do the good deeds that will bring God glory. In fact Ephesians 2:10 states that, “We are His is workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (also see Matthew 5:16, Hebrews 13:21, and Isaiah 64:6)
d. Worship Him – Psalm 29:2 states, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”
e. Know His Word – God has revealed himself to us primarily through the Bible. When we the Christian puts great value what God has desired to teach us it brings him Glory
f. Obey the commands in his Word – Jesus said in John 14:15, “”If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If you want to glorify the Father you must have love for the son, and if you have love for the son the fruit of your life will be obedience to the commands of Jesus and the rest of the bible. If you do not read and know your bible then how will you obey its commands?
g. Confess your sins often – When we confess we are agreeing that God was right and we were wrong thus glorifying Him. We can see an example in Joshua 7:19 where Achan is told by Joshua, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” We should also realize that inherent in the Christians confession should be the plea for forgiveness based on the substitutionary work of Christ on the Cross. This showcases God’s glorious sacrificial love for guilty sinners.
h. Telling others about Him – God has chosen to save sinners by using sinners to spread his gospel around the whole earth. It should be obvious that as more and more sinners repent God will receive more and more worship, praise and Glory. Christians are also commanded to share the good news of God and his Christ. As we noted above, when we obey his commands we express our love for Him and bring God glory. What an honor it is to be commissioned to do God’s work on his behalf. I know evangelism is scary, but for me, telling others about God and his redemptive story is a great joy!
i. Pray – When we pray we are acknowledging God’s sovereignty over us and our dependence on him.
j. Bearing fruit / Good works – Matthew 5:16 – “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
k. Worship and Thanksgiving – Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I have a firm belief that a central part of worshiping God is done by giving thanks to Him. In fact Hebrews 12:28 tells us, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God” acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” (also see Luke 17:15-17)

How Can I be Saved?

Wonderful article posted at www.WillYouGetInHeaven.com  —–    click on this link  http://willyougetinheaven.wordpress.com/knowlege/the-next-life/

Pro-abortion

I would like to invite all out there that hold a Pro-abortion position to check out www.180movie.com .  This film has over 1 million views online and has won awards!

Pro-life

I would like to invite all out there that would learn about the pro-life position to check out www.180movie.com .  This film has over 1 million views online and has won awards!

Abortion

I would like to invite all out there that would learn about Abortion to check out www.180movie.com .  This film has over 1 million views online and has won awards!

Reply to face book comments–gay history in schools / home school

First let me say I have not ruled out all public school for my children.  We have heard great things about the elementary school in our area (from Kim and others)  In my mind it is the 7 – 12 grades that concern me most.  Puberty changes kids! @ Stacey—sorry to have given such a short direct comment regarding what you said.  You are right in saying that if we take the good kids out it will be a darker place, but In my mind that is not a good enough reason to keep my kids in public school IF it is having a negative effect on them.  (@ everyone) I know that Marissa and are to be the #1 influencers in our children’s  lives.  That being said, we need to be careful and thoughtful about where we send our kids to learn.  If we send our children to public school the # of instructional hours will far out number the hours of instructional time at home and church with our children.  Christian parents who do not want their children to be swept away by the immoral current of our culture must be extremely proactive in their children’s lives and educational process weather it is at home, private school, or private school.

The new pro-homosexual legislation is just the tip of the iceberg.  I have vivid memories of jr. high and high school that consisted of kids with guns and knives at school, drugs and alcohol on campus, wild parties (many at my house), planned parenthood giving sex/oral sex talks to our class and encouraging us to come in to the clinic to get as many free condoms/flavored condoms as we wanted, girls having abortions, sexual temptation around every corner by how people dress  talk, and offer themselves,  science teachers teaching us that we evolved from a sludge pond and that great great grandpa was a chimpanzee, and of course the only time God was mentioned was during the pledge of allegiance, but yet they still told me to be and good kid and “character counts”, but never explained why (I am still not sure why I need to be good if I am a glorified monkey and it is just survival of the fittest out there).  That was 12 to 18 years ago!  Now the law requires that our schools are required to teach that who a person has sex with has something to do with their accomplishments and we are to celebrate them because of it???  Thereby reinforcing that there is nothing wrong with men having sex with men or women with women or with a person dressing up as the opposite sex and living that way.  What use to be called perversion is the new normal and the government wants to indoctrinate your children to think this way. 

If you know me at all you know that I am not one to run from debate on these issues and If I have anything to say about it (I do) my children will be well versed and able to communicate on these topics well.  Check out my blog and listen to my interviews (www.seekandsave.net) .  It is not a matter of retreat and admitting defeat, but rather figuring out how I am going to raise my children to make the greatest impact for the Glory of God throughout their whole life.  There are no guarantees of how my kids will turn, but I will have to account for how I raise my children and what influences I allowed in their lives.

To find out much more info on the topic may I recommend a book called A Queer Thing Happened to America.   This book and website ( www.aqueerthing.com) documents the amazing advances that those who support the homosexual agenda have made in our government and culture.

All that being said, I have great love for Homosexual and transgendered people, also for  heterosexual people who live a immoral sexual life style.  As Jeff said, “We all live our own lifestyle and have GOD to answer too!”  This is very true, and the bible tells us how that will go if we stand before God expecting to be vindicated by the good lives we lived…BAD.  Christians have been commanded in the word of God to sound off a warning in love that lifestyles of immorality are not acceptable to God that he will judge rebels harshly on judgment day (see Revelation 21:8 and  1 Corinthians 6:9 at the bottom of the page).  I was once a enemy of God in my mind and actions as well.  It is a comfort to know that God is willing to forgive those who repent (trun from their  sins) and turn to the God-Man Jesus Christ  and trust in his death and resurrection from the dead that ransoms sinners from the just punishment in hell that we deserve.  Romans 5 says it well “⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Unfortunately, many love sex and their sexual orientation more than they love God.  It has become an idol. 

This is my prayer for us all — Philippians 1:9-11

⁹And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

 

 

 Revelation 21:8

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

 

 9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Kenya Orphan School ~~ Facebook Fan Page

 

Become a Fan of

“Kenya: School for Orphans and Poor Children”

 on Facebook! 

Just click on the picture below or the Facebook button above and it will link you to the facebook page where you can become a fan!  ~~~~God Bless~~~

 

 

Sriua Aulo Academy is a Christian school founded by Emmanuel Tarsur. The purpose of this school is to provide quality Christian education for orphaned and disadvantaged children in Kenya.
230 Children currently are enrolled as of 4/13/10. If funding allows for further building we hope to enroll up to 600 children.

Mission:

To Glorify God by caring for the physical, spiritual and educational needs of orphaned and poor children in Kenya. Sriua Aula Academy is a Christian boarding schoolThis page is posted by a school supporter–Jarod Ramirez
———————————————————————Report:
Sirua Aulo Academy

Hope for Maasai Children’s Future in Transmara, Kenya

Sirua Aulo Academy’s mission is to prepare children for a future where they are able to provide for their families and to make meaningful contributions to the world.

The Sirua Aulo Academy is located in the village of Oronkai, district of Transmara, Kenya and currently serves 230 children. The Academy hopes to expand their school compound to include dormitories, a library, and a community clinic.

Integrated sustainable development and environmental protection are fundamental beliefs of the Maasai. NMW believes that, through education, the Maasai will have the ability to enhance their future with the opportunity to provide a meaningful impact on their communities and the global community at large.

Maasai People and Education in Kenya

The Maasai people live in both southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania in the Great Rift Valley (often referred to as Maasailand). Transmara is 2,846 km in size with a population estimated at 200,000. The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who lived under a communal land management system. For hundreds of years the Maasai roamed, herded and moved freely about the East African land, preserving their traditional culture apart from Western influences. The movement of livestock is based on seasonal rotation. Since the onset of European colonization a century ago, however, the vast majority of the Maasai’s land has been taken away and the government has marginalized the Maasai.

The Maasai people are often associated with the well-known game parks and tourism in their region, however, the Maasai do not benefit from the tourist industry and have few government clinics and only a few scattered and dilapidated schools. Consequently, Maasailand has the highest primary and secondary school dropout rates in Kenya. The students in Maasailand must walk an average of six miles to school from outlying areas.
Kenya is among the most literate countries in Africa, and primary school attendance is over 92 percent. The Maasai literacy rate, however, is 18 percent, compared to a national literacy rate in Kenya of 85 percent. In a recent interview, Emmanual Tasur cited:

The legacy of two British treaties dating back to the early 1900’s that “closed off Maasailand” from the rest of Kenya and delayed infrastructure and communication- due in part to British fear of the Maasai warriors.

Because the Maasai have been isolated from Western civilization for so long, many traditional ways of life are still practiced. Young girls are often promised to men three times their age in marriage before they reach adolescence, and therefore it is considered a waste of money to send these young girls to school for any length of time. Young boys are also often needed by their families to help with herding and other household responsibilities. Between these responsibilities and making the long trek to school every morning and evening, it is not surprising how many children drop out before reaching secondary school.

In the past, if a child graduated from secondary school, all post-secondary education was fully funded by the government. However, the Maasai schools were so far and few between and the challenges to just attend school were so great, that the Maasai children were left behind. (STAT)

In 2003, the government initiated funding for primary school education through the Free Primary Education program (“FPE”). The FPE goal was to ensure minimum literacy skills for the entire population. The FPE, however, did not require parents and communities to build new schools, but they were to refurbish and use existing facilities such as community and religious buildings for educational facilities.

Maasailand needed more schools that would close the distance between schools and allow more children access to education. This new initiative did not address marginalized communities who were already disadvantaged. Although school enrollment went up on a national level, pastoralist community enrollment rates were much lower than the national average. The program exacerbated the problem of school facilities and the need for quality teachers, which were lacking even before the program was initiated. Although the national average of gross enrollment rates is 100% considerable regional disparities in enrollment still exist.

Introduction of Organizations

Village Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington that partners with and is a fiscal agent for Namunyak Maasai Welfare (“NMW”), a Kenyan non-governmental non-profit organization founded in 2004.

Village Volunteers (VV)

Village Volunteers works with rural villages to support the development of sustainable solutions for community survival, education and growth. Village Volunteers was founded on the belief that partnership is a key factor in the renewal and healing of areas plagued by poverty and disease. Committed to preserving autonomy and cultural heritage, Village Volunteers works in collaboration with community based organizations to support the achievement of their goals and objectives by integrating international volunteerism, sustainable community development projects, and program assistance.

Village Volunteers recognizes that many innovative villagers know how to solved their community’s’ problems, but do not have access to the necessary resources and support to make them a reality for their community. Rather than hindering village growth by creating a dependency on the management of Western staff members, the Village Volunteers model is based on self-empowerment and capacity building; all village projects are managed by locals.

Namunyak Maasai Welfare (NMW)

NMW was founded to alleviate the harshest conditions of its most marginalized individuals through enabling local access to education, health care and public health information. NMW’s goal is to bring a positive difference to the indigenous Maasai community and their neighbors through orphan support, education, economic development, organic farming, natural resource management, and local capacity building. By focusing on disenfranchised members of society, NMW hopes to break the cycle of despair and hopelessness common among the rural poor, through self-empowerment and interdependence.

In 2008, Emmanuel started the construction of Sirua Aulo Accademy and today he has over 200 students and many beautiful school buildings constructed.

Project Description

Sirua Aulo Academy

Without the help of the government in increasing and improving school facilities, NMW began a community school on its own and the help of many people who believed in the leadership and vision.

Currently, the Academy has five temporary timber classrooms (open air classrooms that provide shade) five permanent brick classrooms (one of which is currently being used as a dormitory), a temporary office block with seven offices and a temporary library. A modest dormitory that houses 300 children.

The school’s long-term goal is to serve 600 children on the seven acres of land. The Academy will need another dormitory and three more permanent brick classrooms (with the ability to add classroom buildings in the future), a dining hall and kitchen, staff housing, and a library and clinic for the Academy and the community.

Since the next nearest medical clinic is 84 km away it is imperative that a local clinic to serve the surrounding communities with a maternity ward be built in Oronkai.

Goals and Objectives

In order to continue the autonomy and independence of Oronkai and the Sirua Aulo Academy, the equipment used in building the necessary dormitories, classrooms, kitchen, library and clinic must be sustainable so they plan to have:

Solar panels on the buildings,
A library with modern technology (made possible by the solar energy),
A medical clinic with a maternity ward,
Energy efficient and no carbon emission cooking stoves in the kitchens, and,
Rainwater catchment systems/cisterns to provide a continual supply of clean water for community consumption and irrigation for the Academy garden.

1. Classrooms:

The capacities of the classrooms have been constructed to accommodate 50 children. When the Kenyan government initiated free primary education they did not take into account that the small, dilapidated rural schools served very large areas of Maasailand and thus were overcrowded already. Because the children who board are currently sleeping in the permanent brick classrooms, the children are crowded into the temporary classrooms for their daily lessons. There is a dire need to build more classrooms so that the children can receive the proper attention from their instructors in appropriately sized classes.

2. Dorms:

For hundreds of children, the Sirua Aulo Academy is the closest school but still the distance to and from school is prohibitive, and therefore the Academy boards as many children as they are able. The Academy is currently in the process of building a dormitory with grant money from the Tides Foundation along with the help of personal donations. Right now, 126 children board in classrooms that have been converted to dorms, sleeping two to a bed, 3 high. Once the second dormitory is built, the building currently used as a dorm will become classrooms.
(construction is nearly complete as of 4/13/10)

3. Dining Hall and Kitchen:

In Kenya, firewood is most often used for cooking meals and boiling water. The smoke from burning these fuels turns a kitchen into a death trap. It has been known that indoor smoke leads to the deaths of over 1.5 million men, women, and children each year in developing countries, a death toll greater than that caused by malaria. Epidemiological studies in Kenya have linked exposure to indoor air pollution from dirty fuels with at least four major categories of illness: acute respiratory infections in children, chronic obstructive lung disease such as asthma and chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, and stillbirths and other problems at birth. The cooks at the school will travel long distances to collect wood for the daily meals served at the school.

To reduce the health risks, ease the burden of firewood collection and combat vegetation depletion, the Sirua Aulo Academy would like to introduce energy-saving cooking stove technology to the school and to the community. Two energy saving cooking stoves will be purchased and installed. The staff will be trained to use, care and maintain the stoves so they can train others in the future in the community.

To serve the needs of the Academy boarders, we propose to install rainwater catchment systems with rain gutters on each school building. The ferro cement water tanks will be set up to provide water for human consumption and irrigation for the school garden. Each water storage tank holds about 12,000 liters of water

4. Staff Housing:

5. Library:

A school without electricity is a school that cannot use technologies that are central to a modern education, which includes access to computers and the Internet. Without these tools, experienced teachers will not be drawn to work in underprivileged areas and consequently the cycle of poverty continues.

Solar energy is necessary to power the computer room and library and in general to power the school.

6. Clinic:

Access to modern healthcare is essential for the children and for the community at large. Since the closest clinic is over 80 km away, people often die from treatable illnesses.
The children and the community at large have no immediate access to medical care and as a result many preventable diseases go untreated, emergencies go unattended, and babies are delivered without medical attention. As a result, many people die without access to medical care.

While many orphans are HIV negative, all AIDS orphans are profoundly vulnerable to social exclusion and sexual exploitation and are a high-risk category for infection. Foster families and guardians, who have limited resources in the midst of Africa’s poverty and underdevelopment, are often helpless to assist the growing number of orphans. Without the education and medical attention that the Academy will bring to the Transmara district, the cycle of poverty and infection will continue.

Leadership

Emmanuel Tasur, Director of Namnuyak Maasai Welfare:

Emmanuel Tasur, a Maasai man from Transmara, says he used to “run 10 miles to school” when he was young. This distance between home and the closest school is the norm for most Maasai children. Emmanuel was an exception in this commonality. After begging his father to allow him to continue his education, he went on to secondary school and eventually college.

Emmanuel was born “some time in 1972”. His parents did not keep track of the birth dates of their children so he chose his own birthday: April 23rd, 1972. His father is married to four wives and he has over 40 siblings.

Emmanuel’s mother had a strong will and she fought for her children to receive an education. He began school with no shorts, no shoes, and no shirt and ran 7 km to the only available public school at the time, Shartuka Primary School. He later transferred to a boarding school to finish grade eight. He attended an all boys’ high school. Emmanuel qualified for one of the few public universities in the country- MOI University. Before attending university, Emmanuel had to raise money and thus worked for the City Council of Nairobi (from 1998-2001) and the Siyiapei Children’s Home in 2002.

Namunyak Maasai Welfare:

Namunyak is a Maasai word meaning “blessed.” It was while working at the orphanage that Emmanuel and his wife decided to pursue their dream of transforming Maasailand through the education of its children. They wanted to significantly improve the chances of Maasai children to attend secondary school and ultimately, university. This was the drive behind starting Namunyak Maasai Welfare.

Initiatives:

Through the support of Village Volunteers and donors who believe in the capability of leadership, Emmanuel and his wife, implemented a Bikes Project that benefited over 70 young people, a Bee Keeping Project that has benefited 40 people, and a Milking Cows for Widows project that has benefited over 100 women. Emmanuel brings volunteers to his village on safari to the nearby Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve, donating 100 % of his profit to the construction and running of the school- including paying for salaries and buying food for the children. Through Village Volunteers, there are over 150 sponsored through school.

Emmanuel hopes to eventually build this enterprise into an Eco Tourism Village that is closer to the reserve that would create employment for families from the village and also be able to support the school, clinic and other community projects.

Emmanuel Tasur is a leader who has the vision and the capability to bring about a renaissance for the people of Transmara.

Conclusion

It is the vision of Village Volunteers and NMW to empower the villager of Oronkai to be able to self-sustain all operations developed and built in the village. Volunteers will be provided to help with the building, training of villagers to maintain the community garden, to use and care for the carbon neutral cooking stove, etc, and help with the recruiting of teachers and doctors to work in the school and medical clinic. Village Volunteers supports the education of four young women through scholarships to colleges in nursing and teaching.

NMW believes that the concepts of sustainable development, environmental bio-diversity and empowerment are appropriate to establishing a generation of Maasai that are educated with the same deep understanding of their core values and their community and empowered to navigate through the social, economic, and environmental challenges that lay ahead of them

 

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The Shack Review

I am a bit frustrated/righteously angry that Christians are embracing The Shack as an acceptable “Christian” book.  Why?  It misrepresents the God of the Bible.  I was told today that I should not read it for its theology, but just as a fiction book.  Then this lady proceeded to tell me about the many people that have been saved at her son’s church as a result of reading the book (then obviously people are paying attention to the theology of the book–right?). Does the shack even present the true God of Scripture and a Gospel message that can save?

Enough of me ranting——-Please read and watch some of the reviews I have posted below, and if you are discerning, maybe read the book.  If you do read the book, don’t buy it —  get it from the library.

Reviews on The Shack Below

Chuck Colson  –  Prison Fellowship and Break Point

http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/2439-diminishing-glory

Tim Challies.com

http://www.challies.com/articles/the-shack-by-william-p-young

The Shack Review.com

http://theshackreview.com/

Insight For Living—Bible Teaching Ministry of Chuck Swindoll

http://daily.insight.org/site/PageServer?pagename=shack

Dr. Michael Youseff –  Leading The Way Ministries

To see this full sermon and a list of Dr. Youseff’s 13 Heresies found in The Shack click
http://www.leadingtheway.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sto_TheShack_13heresies 

 Mark Driscoll on The Shack

Wretched TV and Todd Friell on The Shack

 

 

 

 

Has The Bible Been Corrupted?

Despite the claims of Mormons, Muslims, Divinci Code lovers, and a multitude of college professors, I believe the Bible stands as the uncorrupted Word of God. As evidence we could talk about the 23,000 or so partial  New Testament manuscripts, which is far more than any ancient text by far. Or we could even talk about how the New Testament could be reconstructed even if every bible on earth was destroyed because the early church fathers quoted the New Testament so extensively (that is very a very strong piece of evidence in my opinion). Instead I would like to take a little simpler approach that cuts right to the core of the Christian message and gives great validity to the core New Testament message.  Please read the following passage, determine in your mind who the passage is speaking about, and then following the passage I will tell you why I think it is a great help to determining the reliability of the Bible.

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression [a] and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. [b]

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life [d] and be satisfied [e] ; by his knowledge [f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

          I once read about a Jewish man that was given the above passage by a Christian friend.  The Christian asked the Jewish man to read the passage and to figure out the identity of the man spoken of in this passage.  The Jewish man replied that this was obviously speaking about Jesus from a Christian perspective.  The Christian Proceeded to inform his Jewish friend that this passage was actually taken from his Jewish scriptures, Isaiah 53 to be exact.  The Jewish man replied by saying that the Christian had a “Trick Bible”. 

         This passage is obviously speaking about the Death of Jesus Christ and his atonement for the sins His people.  This Gem in the book of Isaiah was actually written about 800 years before Jesus even steped foot on earth and several hundred years before crucifixion was even invented.  Obviously this is a great prophecy of the wrath Jesus would drink down on the Cross, but beyond that you might be wondering way this text is significant in proving that the bible is not corrupted today.  In the latter part of the 1940’s a boy threw a rock into a cave in near the Dead Sea.  That rock struck and shattered a clay pot that was holding ancient texts.  This was the begining of the discovery of thousands of ancient texts over the next ten years.  Arguably the most important text that was discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls was a full copy of the Book of Isaiah.  This manuscript has been determined to have been copied about 200 years before the birth of Jesus.  The Great thing is that this text proved that the book of Isaiah that we have today is the same as the one Jews used before the birth of Christ and obviously the basic message is still the same as seen in Isaiah 53——–Jesus was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;…by his wounds we are healed. 

You can trust the bible———-You can trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins!  Please Repent and trust in Him today.

 

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