What Manner Of Love . . .

From BLESSAY, Number 210, December 6, 2008

Denial is setting in like concrete in the minds of millions who are sick and tired of . . . they don't know what. I believe it is because world events that affect our lives are happening so fast that it is confusing and frightening. The world is out of control and there is no force of a gyrocompass to keep it on course. And . . . I need a hug!

Denial is a “cop out.” It is a naive cover-up for issues that won't go away. Denial cannot stop the spread of cancer or killer stress build-up. The most dangerous result of denial is refusal to prepare sensibly to fight . . . whatever it is that's bothersome. The initial sting of bad news is useful in making one take action to prevent more killer stress, and to keep a clear head to find reasonable remedies.

The world does not know what it means to be “connected” to the God of all creation and to feel the warmth of His love, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to receive His mercy and grace. I cannot imagine a world without Almighty God looking down on the sons of men and hearing our pleas.

I come from a railroad family and when I think of connection I look back at the images of long freight trains standing in the yards ready to take their load of materials to Texas. I see the conductor at the back wave his lantern to the engineer and off they go . . . that is, just the engine and the first ten cars. The last 75 cars don't move an inch while the front end goes speedily away. Whoops! The brakeman assumed every car was connected.

There are many gods men worship, but there is only one God, the Lord God, and Jesus is His name, who is connected in a personal way in the hearts of believers. Men make assumptions in regard to their eternal state, but an assumption is a form of denial. It keeps them from having God in all their thoughts so that they cannot visualize the truth of the Bible in regard to eternal life. Without God in his thoughts and the Holy Spirit of Christ in his heart, man cannot think beyond his Day Planner.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not (1John 3:1).”

Who can describe the love of God that exists in the hearts of believers? Does "joy unspeakable" or "peace that passes all understanding" do it? Well, it is adequate for right now until we see Him face to face.

It is a love the world does not have nor does it know how to get, because it comes by faith through grace and it cannot be manufactured by our own efforts. Yet the Bible says “For God so loved the world . . . just think of the price He paid to redeem us to Himself.

Whoever assumes the love of God without accepting it is not connected and when the promise that we will be caught up to meet Him in the air occurs, they will be left behind on the tracks. Better check those lynch pins. Assumption is without knowledge and brings on denial.

There is a remnant of the world's population that the Bible calls "sons of God", and sets us apart from "the sons of men." The “sons of men” find deep faith in the one true God, whose name is Jesus, to be revolting. They resent believers for what we have that that they say they have. They have faith, they say. But to what and to whom is their faith aimed? A positive outlook assumes faith, but there is no connection through grace by faith, and they are left standing on the tracks.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Herm Albright (Illustrator, 1876-1944)

What they do not have is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. They see no reason for their atonement. The Christian faith is the only belief system that is based on grace through faith, not of works of righteousness. All other religions are require some form of works for purification and atonement. But faith is a gift from God and it comes by hearing the gospel and the gospel comes by the word of God. "Aye, there's the rub."

The sons of God live by faith in and from God (Romans 1:17), but the sons of men live by their faith (works, Titus 3:5), which is self-righteousness, not the righteousness of God. They live in denial with no connection.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1John 3:2).”

Lorica of Saint Patricck

Lorica, fr. Latin meaning "body armor (of Roman soldiers)," describes the evangelist priest and Bishop, who was born of Scottish and English parents. His early life in the 14th century was hard, having been kidnapped by raiders, when in his teens, twice, and sold and made a keeper of sheep. During his first escape from slavery, he was sold back into slavery in Ireland, escaped again and spent seven years in Europe. Having found Christ as his master during his sheep-herding days, he wanted to further his education and study the Christianity at the Lerin Monastery in France.

After becoming a priest and returning to England, he had a dream that the Irish people called out to him to return to Ireland to minister to them. He did and by his deep faith that the Lord was ordering his steps, he preached “Christ and Him crucified, buried and risen from the dead,” to pagan Druids. This fiery priest was made a Bishop in 432 AD. The term "lorica" or breastplate is similar to the Apostle Paul's admonition in Ephesians.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:11-17). "

Patrick and his band of dedicated followers, were responsible for many conversions. His zeal to drive paganism, symbolic of snakes, from Ireland, motivated him to write many breastplate prayers, like this one from the 4th century, attributed to St. Patrick.

I bind myself today
The power of God to hold and lead
His eye to watch, His might to stay
His ear to hearken to my need
The wisdom of my God to teach
His hand to guide
His shield to ward
The word of God to give me speech
His Heavenly Host to be my guard.

Patrick tried hard to see to the conversion of the King of Tara, who gave him freedom to spread the gospel throughout the land. He plucked a Shamrock from the ground and told him that there was but one stem, but three branches representing the Holy Trinity. It impressed the king greatly, but there is no evidence of his conversion, much like Paul preaching to King Agrippa, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (Acts 26:28)."

Nevertheless, Patrick and his followers were free to spread their faith throughout Ireland and did so to great effect. He drove paganism (symbolized by the snake) from the lands of Eireann.

"Patrick died on March 17th in the year 461 at the age of 76."
Source: Ireland Information
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Chuckle: When we think of Ireland, we also think of Limericks. My favorite is as follows:

The Reverend Fiddle from Tralee,
Received an honorary degree,
But he reeled in dismay,
When he heard people say,
Here comes The Reverend Fiddle, D.D.
(Author: don't know, don't ask)

Happy 100th Mr. Shea

George Beverly Shea turns 100
Associated Press - 2/1/2009 4:10:00 AM
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George Beverly SheaOn the ladder of life, George Beverly Shea says he's almost reached the 100th rung.
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Shea says he will be honored Monday evening with a birthday party at The Cove, a North Carolina facility of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Graham is among some 270 invited guests.
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The long-time Christian singer says he had a wonderful career singing at Billy Graham crusades. "I overwork the word 'privilege,' but I can't find anything better," he tells Associated Press. "It's been a great privilege to be associated with Billy and his son and his whole organization."
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He and Rev. Billy Graham have been friends for almost 70 years. "He's been a wonderful man to be with all these years," Shea shares. "I met him when he was 21 and I was 31. I was an announcer and singer at a radio station in Chicago."
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In the meantime, Shea has been receiving congratulations, including a birthday card that came in the mail from England's Queen Elizabeth.
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Shea is in remarkably good health and spirits as he completes his first century. When asked if there has been any secret to his long life, he recited a hymn about God's love and then broke into song.
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Article posted Feb. 1, 2009, by ONE NEW NOW.COM

Antoehr Article on George Beverly Shea by the Associated Press, Click link or paste in browser.
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Photo image of George Beverly Shea talks at his home in Montreat, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Even at age 100, the songs that defined his career just seem to burst out of Shea, booming in a signature bass-baritone voice that can still quiet a room in an instant. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Note: Robert and Helen Adams had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Shea sing the night we both accepted Christ as our Saviour after the preaching of Mr. Billy Graham: the 1968 Kansas City Crusade . . . Singing, Preaching, Accepting, the route to eternity.

"AND A TIME TO [BELLY] LAUGH"

(Ecclesiastes 3:4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Even today, when I think about it, there is a deep interior surge that wants to break out into a gigantic horse laugh.

It was a sitcom episode that was one of the funniest in TV history. Helen and I laughed, and we laughed harder until we could not see because of the tears. We doubled over, we clutched our sides, and when it was over, we felt drained. It was cathartic. We were completely relaxed and strangely refreshed.

Medical scientists, from Galen, Hippocrates, Aristotle and the physicians of ancient Greece, to the present time, have prescribed humor as the greatest relief of stress. Pindar, the poet, wrote, “The best of healer is good cheer." Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, was the first to consider that the physician’s job was to heal the whole person instead of only the parts of the body. It is a sense of humor that puts the whole body at ease and makes it easy for the immune systems to work.

The surgical specialist MD who shot cobolt 60 into my cranium was rather humorless. I sensed that when I first met him, so I enjoyed trying to get him to take a joke and smile. "Good morning, Doctor. How are you?" Without a lot of grace he replied, "Mngnfiskllsllll" (meanng okay). My stock and trade ice-breaker is, "Your looking good, whatever you're doing, keep it up." You would have thought I accused him of mal-practice. But he did smile eventually and was courteous - and a darn good surgeon.

Under inspiration the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1Thessalonians 5:23).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "Joy, temperance and repose, Slam the door on the doctors nose." And in seeking more about “laughing” in the Bible, I must confess that, “belly laugh” could not be found anywhere. However, it is “joy” that is most frequently given. The words “joy” and “mirth” cover the whole range of laughter from a titter and a tee hee, to an earth-shaking guffaw.

Consider the experience who, after a long weary travel from the East, ”When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10). I find it hard to believe that a rough and ready bunch of shepherds gave out anything less than uproarious gales of laughter that could be heard from Bethlehem to Damascus.

Solomon, probably the wisest man who ever lived said, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22) He also wrote that there is a time for everything, even laughter (Ecclesiastes 3:3-4). He was also the world’s greatest cynic with 1,000 wives. He understood what real stress was like. Think what his Nordstrom’s bill would have been like . . . and that's not very funny!

Solomon wrote "a time" for a total of twenty-eight times in that passage that covers everything "under the sun." But there is truth in his cynicism, else the Holy Spirit would not have dictated its inclusion in the Bible. But over the span of his life, nothing escaped his inquiry. He went from a man who had it all, materially, to a man who realized he had nothing at all, spiritually. And now, he’s not laughing, he’s just giving advice, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

I have lived over seven decades of “twenty-eight times,” and I can look back and see wars, fights, squabbles, murders and the taking of lives for lives, so I am inured to it all and understand the “times.” Ever hear of the Rehoboam syndrome (1Kings 12:6)? Young leaders abandon the advice and teaching of their elders and opt for the direction of “the wild ones.” There is a war every two decades and they get worse. We never learn from history. But I am not depressed or cynical or do I have the urge to give in to cynacism or licentious abandon (as Solomon also suggested). My Bible tells me who is in charge of it all . . . EVERYTHING, and I know a lot about His will and plan for EVERYTHING - even for you and me. He is a very personal God, knowing our thoughts, intents, and needs.

When it’s time to heal, you just have to stop what you’re doing and go to bed. With all of the issues of the world confronting us, it’s enough to make us sick and your mind-set makes healing so much harder for you, and worse yet, is that it is difficult to open that Bible to let God talk to you.

How is your approach to reading the Bible? Is it, humorless, lifeless, knowing the answer is in there, but worry has clouded over your walk with the LORD? It seems to you that you are the only one to be so persecuted with your affliction. But that belief just makes 1Corinthians 10:13 invalid. You are not alone. And yes, Jesus heals and Jesus saves, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

Call in the troops, those dedicated prayer warriors who have been in the same spot you are in and have the spiritual tenacity to go to God with importunity. There is no point in going it alone. It only makes hope deferred, which makes the heart sick, "but when the desire (hope) cometh, it is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). You will find that it is easier to laugh then, but can you laugh when sick?

Side-splitting laughter is good for managing stress - some stress is good, but it is like coughing. It forces good things to happen as more oxygen is pumped into our bodily systems, like increasing the flow of oxygen to the brain. First, it causes the stress that causes illness to break up, so that the forces that cloud your constructive reactions and keep you from having peace in your soul give way to joy and peace. It works, God made it to work, so use it.

When that is done, the body is free to do what God designed it to do: employ all the healing systems of our bodies to build us up with "Joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1Peter 1:8) and "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Bring it on and lighten up!

by Pastor Bulldog

THE CHURCH and the STATE

Let the Government Have the Stress!
by Pastor Bulldog
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Were you watching the Presidential count-down on television, On November 4, 2008? Sen. Barack Obama, became our 44th President Elect of the United States of America and on January 20, 2009, he will be our 44th President in actuality.. He is the CHANGE the American People wanted. If some were disappointed and feel their prayers were not answered, know this: God always answers prayer.
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God has a plan and it will not be diverted. We have a new President in power by a remarkable series of events. Let' keep our prayers going up in regard to President Elect Obama. I am looking and waiting to see the direction God is going to take this country and the world in general. Whoever is in the Oval Office, God put him there.
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A heart-stirring historical event has happened; something that needed to be done since the days that slave ships unloaded their cargo in our ports. I can see God's hand in this. He set the stage for overturning injustices which have kept this country from its full potential. We have only had partial greatness because of internal distresses. And now we have been given a level playing field; one nation, indivisible, for the people, by the Lord through human instrumentality.
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As I was contemplating this sudden turn of events, I went to the word of God, which is the only way to get your head on straight after expectations have been fractured. I thought to myself as I recalled the times the Lord mightily blessed Israel, His people; and also the times He intervened into their wicked ways and sent judgment upon them. In the shallowest course of history and even the chronology of civilization in the New York Times Almanac, the rise and fall of civilizations and empires, at the height of hedonistic practices and injustices, should make the most hard-hearted stop and gasp.

Will God intervene to restore this country's core values and Bible morality? Our nation's history, while noble, is not "squeaky clean." God promises judgment upon all presumptuous wicked actions of men and countries and civilizations.

It takes no great historian to determine this. Regular systematic reading of the Bible for believers reveals heavely wisdom to even the simplest of souls the direction of God's will in carrying out His plan. I believe that the biggest differences in understanding the Bible is in how it is usedt. Do you want to find a verse of passage that you can use to prove that God approves of killing unborn children, or to come up with a revelation that homosexuals are God's gift to humanity?
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You've heard it said that you can make the Bible say anything you want it too, and that seems to be true. With little or no knowlege, we see Bible verses flung into our faces, extracted out of context from the word of God in order to support private agendas. Our oldest son has an expression for such hypcritical disembling fools: "educated above their intelligence."

More and more we are seeing an exodus of Biblical morality which God gave us to keep us from killing ourselves. But the unredeemed of the world have an authority problem and are saying, "We want no king but Satan (What other choice is there?) So, we have the choice of which version, which part, which verse of the word of God we can choose to omit or change according to what we want people to read and prove an unpricipled doctrine.

So in praying and watching to see what God brings about, we have these questions to ponder as we meditate from our daily time in the Bible:

• Will the church be attentive to its God-given mission to bring many to Christ and to take care of the afflictions of their own without governmental intervention, or will they be forced to take their ills and hurts to undogly psychologists and psychiatrists?
• Will the Lord insert the stopper on the moral spiral that is draining the strength out of our country?
• Will the false prophets in our old-line churches continue to lead innocent and ignorant sheep astray by preaching erronious doctrines?
• Will this nation repent for the moral injustices committed by our country, as Daniel did for Israel in exile?
• Will we undergo the Lord's national chastening by letting our enemies overthrow us from within and by causeing us to live under Socialism?
• Will we take the Lord's chastening like well-born-again children of the Lord? "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6).
• Will we pray for our President Elect as we give worship to our heavenly King?
  

The ancient Church at Antioch, Syria, was without guile, no biases, and gave no offence to the Jews and Gentiles or to the Church (1Corinthians 10:32). It began and “fleshed out” as they just went about doing the work of the Lord. It is a good model for effective local churches, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). But they lived, worked, and worshiped while under a cruel and unfriendly government.

A true believer wants to be approved of God and seeks the thrill of ministry opportunities. Let us be approved of God as workmen that need not to be ashamed and know that our ministry is to shed light; when the light is turned on, cockroaches scramble back into darkness.

”Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” (1Thessalonians 5:4-8).

The Fellowship of Auld Beloved Acquaintances

Let's hoist our cups of kindness (ginger ale?) and greet each other with "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3John 1:2)

Don't you agree there should be some options open to New Year greeters other than "Old Lang Syne"? Here's the thing, revelers get teary-eyed at the stroke of mid-night and hug and kiss whomever is around and sing "Should auld acquaintances be forgot . . .  Instead, why not greet each other with,"Beloved I wish you prosperity and health for 2009, and that God blesses you richly. But being practical it is not a likely to happen.

According to a Wikipedia article "auld lang syne" in the poem by Robert Burns, in Scotish language means "old long since." But the English translation simply means "long long ago", "days of long ago", "in olden days', or even "once upon a time."

But for a 3rd generation Scotsman, whose heart stirs at the mournful squeals of the pipes, Auld Lang Syne is okay by me. It is traditional but unfortunatly it is assotiated with millions of revelers getting "snockered" by downing a cup or two of Dugan's Dew of Kilkarny. It's a cinch that auld acquaintances WILL be forgotten, not only in days
of auld lang syne, but on the first day of 2009. It's absolutely certain that Christians wake up on January 1 feeling a lot better than they.

Robert Burns' verse is truly for Scots and for those who claim to be Scotish to avoid the embarrasment of not being Scotish, but "Beloved" is for everybody. It's the mark of a loving acquaintance like that between the Apostle John and Gaius. Endearing terms come naturally to those who have the Spirit of Christ in their hearts. I chose 3John 1:2
as my signature verse and greeting because it is pleasant to hear and read and full of teachable opportunities. When I give a verbal greeting, many smile and stop as if to say, "Oh, how nice."

It assumes a mutual understanding of fellowshiip in the spirit, not in the spirits. It is something more than the automatic greeting, "How ya' doing?" Although well-meaning it is shy of impact, especially when the giver of the salutation turns his head to look at
someone else. When I am greeted that way, I am tempted to reply, " Hold on now. Look at me. Do you want the long, short, or revised version?"

I believe that 3John 1:2 is a good template for greetings. "Hey there, I hope God has blessed you richly Are you keeping well? Did you enjoy the Bible study last Sunday morning as much as I did? How is the Lord blessing you? As Jesus said to His disciples, Pray in this manner.

John greets Gaius as a brother in Christian fellowship. For us his greeting is to all the brethren in Christ. It causes one to be sensitive to the needs of one's neighbor. The Apostle Paul sincerely suggests in four places, "Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss" (1Thessalonians 5:26). But I think I'll pass on that. I'm still trying to get past a manly and bonding hug. I'm just not the huggy kissy type!

BELOVED," the Apostle greets us. He is addressing Christians, not to those "who are without." One who can call another person "beloved" and mean it from the heart is a true believer who loves the brethren. It is like Jonathan and David loved each other in inseparable fraternity, as two who will know each other in eternity.

It is an internal joy from being in the presence of another whom is a friend indeed and a friend in deed. It is a bond that brings empathy and floods of importunate tears and pleas to the throne of grace from the congregation when one in in dire affliction. So let the Holy Spirit give you a well selected verse from the word of God as your
signature verse. It leaves the brethren feeling good . . . somebody actually cares about their welfare.

"PROSPER" - in all things concerning spirit, soul, and body (1Thessalonians 5:24). That is the kindest thing to say in closing an email or snail mail message, to anybody, not just to the body of Christ. Prosperity finds its way into the coffers of believers as
well as greedy unbelievers, like God's rain on the just and the unjust. (Romans 1:10-11) means to have a prosperous journey that yields fruit for the kingdom; . . . Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some
spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; (Also 1Corinthians 16:2).

"HEALTH" In Genesis 43:28, Joseph in Egypt inquired of his brethren as to their father, Israel. They did not know who he was. They answered, "Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive." I am grateful for the reply our oldest son gave to a mutual
friend he had not seen for a long time. "His mind is still sharp". (Also Proverbs 16:24; Acts 27:34)

"PROSPEROUS SOUL" It has to do with growing in the knowledge of Christ. 3Jn 1:3-5) "For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;" There is no other way to expect the Lord to prosper us than to walk with Him, listen to Him speak to us through His word, and to be as obedient as Caleb who wholly followed the Lord.

"What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with them thatfear him; and he will shew them his covenant". (Psalm 25:12-14)

What I Liked About the Latinos in North Africa

Posted by: Jeff Adams in Ministry Musings, December 2, 2008.
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I continue to reflect on my recent visit to North Africa, seeing a dream fulfilled before my eyes. For 30 years I have said that Latin Americans have the potential to be wonderful workers and representatives of Jesus Christ in places like North Africa. Let me give a couple of specific examples of why I liked what I saw. . First, Latin America culture is normally very warm and personable. Latin Americans who have relocated to places like North Africa seem to have a relatively easy time of making friendships and mixing with people in the context of the local culture. North Americans and Europeans often struggle in this area, being used to guarding their “personal space.” It seems to be much more difficult for them to jump in and mix with the local culture. . Second, many of the Latinos have a wonderfully mature understanding of the doctrine of vocation. They don’t need a “cover” or excuse to live an Islamic culture. Many of them would view this as dishonest or giving the impression that they are there merely to “convert” people. My Latino brethern seem to be very comfortable with who they are and just as they are. Whatever vocation has opened the door for their presence in their guest culture is a legitimate part of their personal identity, and they believe it their biblical responsibility to serve God through that vocation while making a genuine contribution to the community with no expectation of receiving something in return. Seeing the tranforming influence that many of them have garnered as a result is very encouraging indeed.