Interesting Middle East News


Here were a couple of very interesting bits of news from today.  I
have to wonder if Russia is feeling a “hook in it’s jaw” that is
drawing it to the middle east?!  See Ezk 38:1-4… notice it names Rosh
or Russia, Tubal which some say translates to modern day Turkey, Persia or Iran, and Ethiopia… which interestingly if
you read the rest of the Somali pirate story (link below) you will find out they are
taking the weapons into ports in Eritrea, (or Ethiopia) and
distributing them to Hamas from there!  The only country left is Libya… keep your eyes open for how Libya will play into this.

Looks like the times of Ezekiel are ever closer!

Blessings, Bee

A Russian naval task force led by aircraft carrier docks at Syrian port


January 13, 2009   Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads east

“The force, which includes the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the
Admiral Levchenko destroyer and the Nikolay Chiker salvage tug, was due
to call in at the Syrian port of Tartus Monday, Jan. 12 after carrying
out joint exercises with the Turkish navy last week.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the arrival of the Russian
flotilla in wartime is unusual and especially significant given Syria’s
role as one of the staunchest backers of Hamas which is embroiled in a
war against Israel further down the coast in Gaza.

Our sources believe Moscow may be signaling its disapproval of Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip……”

Iran recruits Somali pirates to replenish Hamas arms stocks

“DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal a secret war waged by the US,
Israel and Egypt to shut down Iran’s serpentine maritime routes through
the Red Sea and Suez for refilling Hamas’ depleted arsenal by sea.
After Hamas lost an estimated 60 percent of its weapons stocks to
Israeli bombardments, Iran enlisted Somali pirates to step up the flow
of smuggled hardware to Gaza. Tehran is rearming the Palestinian
Islamists at top speed to persuade them to carry on the war against
Israel and not surrender to Egypt’s ceasefire terms.”

Read the rest of both of these articles here:

http://www.debka.com/

Bee’s Random (and Seldom) Report….


It has been quite a while since I did a news report but there was just too much news to ignore this time!  Everything from Kissinger
saying how he thinks Obama is ready to create a New World Order…  to
America’s first Senator to make his pilgrimage to Mecca … to more
examples of how fun and popular it is becoming to “bash Christians” and
more….

I couldn’t ignore it any longer… here are the excerpts…
(My comments in green italic)
  Bee

Henry Kissinger said of Obama:
“The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is
upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously,” Kissinger
responded. “You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement.
So he can’t really say there is one problem, that it’s the most
important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy
partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the
world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in
this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It’s a
great opportunity, it isn’t just a crisis.”
 source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=85442
(That’s the way it works don’t you know… you have to create a
“crisis” I mean uh… an “opportunity” and then “take advantage”… uh I
mean “lead”. )


Obama camp ‘prepared to talk to Hamas’
The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon George Bush’s
­doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist
organisation, sources close to the transition team say.


The move to open contacts with Hamas, which could be initiated through
the US intelligence services, would represent a definitive break with
the Bush ­presidency’s ostracising of the group. The state department
has designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, and in 2006 ­Congress
passed a law banning US financial aid to the group.

The Guardian has spoken to three ­people with knowledge of the
discussions in the Obama camp. There is no talk of Obama approving
direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on, but he is being
urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and
there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of
ostracising Hamas is counter-productive. A tested course would be to
start ­contacts through Hamas and the US intelligence services, similar
to the secret process through which the US engaged with the PLO in the
1970s.  Read the rest here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas
(If he does this he will be “validating” a terrorist group!  This will
embolden them in a way we have never seen. Then ALL of the terror
groups will want to be “validated” and “recognized” like this… from the
Taliban to all of the little terror-wanna-be cells all over the globe! 
Recognition is what they live for!  How STUPID can he be!!)

Five rockets from Lebanon hit northern Israel,
Israeli tanks in Philadelphi corridor
January 8, 2009, 11:34 AM (GMT+02:00)
After five rockets from Lebanon exploded in the Nahariya-Kabri
district, early Thursday, Jan. 8, West Galilee police ordered people to
stay under cover, like citizens in the south for the past month. One
rocket hit a home for retired citizens. Three were injured and 11 went
into shock. Israeli aircraft and artillery shelled the source of fire.
Schools were closed in the area and public shelters opened. Lebanese TV
reported the rockets were fired from Wadi Hamoud south of the Litani
River. Ashkelon and Ashdod also took rockets”
http://www.debka.com/index1.php
(My guess was that this war was going one of two ways.  1. Israel whoops
the snot out of Hamas… Hamas, calls for “cease fire / negotiations”
and a short time of “peace” ensues. (But it is really just a re-org for
Hamas and they will exist in small terror cells till they can gather
steam to hit again.  or 2. This thing expands into something huge.  The
rest of the muslim world becomes inflamed, (for sure Lebanon, Syria and
possibly Iran) and they will begin their assault on Israel with Russia coming down
to assist.  Kinda starts to looking like Ezk 38! We will see!! Pray for
the Peace of Jerusalem!)


Group That Funded Rep. Ellison’s Pilgrimage to Mecca
Called a Front for Extremism
“Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison’s groundbreaking pilgrimage to Mecca last
month was paid for by an American Muslim organization that has ties to
Islamic radicals and is “the Muslim equivalent of the neo-Nazi party,”
his critics say.”

Ellison, a Democrat, became the first U.S. congressman ever to make the
hajj pilgrimage when he visited Islam’s holy city in December. The trip
was funded by the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, a non-profit
interfaith group that is one of 55 branches of the MAS nationwide. The
pilgrimage was hailed by Muslim activists in the U.S.
Read more here:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/08/rep-ellison-makes-pilgrimage-paid-group-critics-extremism/
(And WHY is everyone looking the other way.. where is the CIA…. oh yes, I forgot they are investigating 85 year old gun carrying grannies.)


Is Feb. 10 financial doomsday for thousands?
New law could force companies into ruin
Posted: January 08, 2009
A new government regulation scheduled to take effect next month has
thousands of retailers, thrift stores and small businesses worried they
will be forced to permanently close their doors – and destroy their
merchandise.

The law is expected to have such a devastating impact that Feb. 10 is now unofficially known as “National Bankruptcy Day.”

Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, or
HR 4040, a retroactive rule mandating that all items sold for use by
children under 12 must be tested by an independent party for lead and
phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable.

All untested items, regardless of lead content, are to be declared
“banned hazardous products.” The CPSC has already determined the law
applies to every children’s item on shelves, not just to items made
beginning Feb. 10.

The regulations could force thousands of businesses – especially
smaller ones that cannot afford the cost of lead testing – to throw
away truckloads of children’s clothing, books, toys, furniture and
other children’s items and even force them to close their doors.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=85542
(As if things weren’t bad enough for small business!  Object of this
story… if you want to buy  used toys or books do it before Feb 10.  Or
better yet .. just swap amongst each other and forget the money all
together!)


New story… only developing….
“Swiss bank UBS closing hidden offshore holdings of American clients; Will shut 19,000 accounts… “
(Hmm… why would a swiss bank shut down 19, 000 American accounts?  It will be interesting to watch this one.)


Top Ten Instances of Christian Bashing in America, 2008
(You may agree or not with the severity of this list… some I kind of shrugged my shoulders on but some were pretty bad…. And I am sure this is not the half of it.

Also, I did not list the details here,  one was too offensive for me to print, those are
on the site link below.  This list btw is speaking about all things
“Christian” regardless of denomination or whether you are protestant or
catholic.  Which…  take note of here… when persecution comes.. it
doesn’t care what your “flavor”… do you believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ?… if so, then “tag you are it”.  Just look at Red China!)

INSTANCE #10: Jack Black “Prop 8 the Musical”

INSTANCE #9: Bill Maher

INSTANCE #8: ESPN Anchor Dana Jacobson curses Jesus

INSTANCE #7: Minnesota University Professor Desecrates Communion

INSTANCE #6: Religulous the Movie

INSTANCE #5: Chaplains Fired for Praying in Jesus’ Name

INSTANCE #4: Colorado Law Criminalizes the Bible

INSTANCE #3: Barack Obama Defames Christianity

INSTANCE #2: Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin Is Attacked

And finally, the #1 Christian Bashing Instance in America for 2008…

INSTANCE #1: Radical Homosexuals Assault Prop 8 Marriage Supporters in California

BONUS INSTANCE: Senator Grassley’s Abuse of Power
US Senator Grassley, a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee,
has demanded the financial records of a number of very prominent
conservative, evangelical broadcast ministries. The demand was based on
Grassley’s concern that these ministries are not spending their
contributions properly. Grassley has admitted his concerns were in part
driven by media accounts.
http://www.christianadc.org/news-and-articles/125-top-ten-instances-of-christian-bashing-in-america-2008

A Fox Special

Just a note …
If you didn’t catch it on the TV you can find it on Youtube now.  It is called “Escape from Hamas” and it is a MUST see!!  It is the story of the conversion of the son of the former head of Hamas… and it was all because a “tourist” in Jerusalem on the street invited him to read the Bible!  It is in 6 parts… and is very powerful. 

Blessings, Bee

A New Ministry

Hey everyone check out Xangpastor’s page (link below) as he is introducing a new ministry.  It sound very interesting and exactly what is needed today!
Blessings, Bee

http://www.xanga.com/xangpastor/688325244/i-need-your-help-please-read-.html?nextdate=last&leftcmt=1

Might as well laugh as cry!

You have got to read Dave Barry’s 2008 in Review… it is pretty funny.  It is long… but stick with it… it gets funnier as it goes on!

Love, Bee

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/826965.html

SOOOO Glad I live in the South!!

Wow.. get a load of these weather forecasts!!  I didn’t know any place
got that cold except maybe Antarctica. I sure hope it is not coming
down here!
  Bee

“FAIRBANKS – Bitterly cold weather slid over from Canada and settled
into Interior Alaska with forecasters saying temperatures could
continue to slide to nearly 50 degrees below zero in coming days.


Over the weekend, the mercury at Fairbanks International Airport
dropped to 39 degrees below zero. Areas in the Interior outside the
city were even colder; 46 below on the Yukon Flats, 41 below in Fort
Yukon and 44 below in Central, according to the weather service.”
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/123008/sta_372411706.shtml

“Inhabitants of Oymyakon a Siberian town in Russia, may face the
coldest temperature ever as meteorologists expect the weather to plunge
20 degrees lower than the last coldest temperature ever registered on
earth.

Oymyakon is known as the coldest town on earth after it reached a
temperature of minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit. But in the following days
meteorologists expect it to decrease to minus 83.2 to 90.4 degrees
Fahrenheit .


“In the next few days we expect a cold spell in the towns of
Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, with weather likely to drop to minus 64-68
degrees Celsius (minus 83.2-90.4 Fahrenheit),” a spokesman of a local
meteorologist service informed according to Russian information agency
Novosti.

The spokesman said that the temperature forecasted is due to an influx of a cold polar air mass.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081222/oymyakon-population-face-coldest-temperature-ever.htm

Resolve to be “Weak”


Here is a different New Years resolution thought….

Most of us want to resolve to be … thinner… wealthier…
stronger… smarter… just improved in some way or the other.

What about if we resolved to be “weaker”… less self important… less
self focused… less self protective and less preoccupied with our
possessions.

I think that would be a novel idea, and a definite “contrast” to how
the rest of the world wants to begin the New Year.  This could be the
year that we as Christians get the opportunity to shine as the
brightest of lights in a very dark place!

Below is a wonderful devotional by “Pastor Roy”….

Enjoy! Bee

“Our country and our world are not only about to begin a new year, we
are about to begin a new era that is more and more out of our control
and less and less secure.  As God’s kids, we know that our Heavenly
Father has already developed his perfect plan to include all the
changes that are about to take place.  The question that we have to
deal with is, ‘What kind of person does God want us to be as we follow
him through the changes’?  Paul had to deal with the same problem in
his life as God sent serious challenges that seemed to complicate what
he was doing.  Paul sincerely prayed three times that God would take
this painful problem away, but God refused each time.  God’s point was
that the more effective he had become as a witness, the more danger he
faced in keeping his spiritual balance.  God gave him his painful
problem to keep Paul on the right road to increased spiritual
effectiveness.



Paul’s response can be a lesson and a pattern for each of us to
follow.  Paul recognized that his weaknesses would be the source of his
dependence on God to do God’s appointed work.  He knew in a whole new
way the joy of being used by the Holy Spirit to do what only God could
do in his particular situation.  He recognized that his limitations
would show others the goodness of his Savior, Jesus, as he continued to
be effective and not defeated by the challenges they caused in his
life.  Paul recognized that he had to look differently at the negatives
that his pain caused him in order for Jesus to fully take control of
his heart.  What did this new outlook give him?  He was a contented
man.  Now that he understood the reason for the challenges he faced he
could be content with the weakness he lived with.  He could be content
when he was insulted or faced hardships or persecutions or seeming
disasters.  Paul recognized what we need to realize as well.  When we
openly recognize our weakness, and become fully dependent on our
Savior, we will become the strong people that God needs to convince a
watching world that there really is a God who cares and a Savior who
will go through all their hardships with them.”

A Must See Christmas Miracle!

Wow… I have goosebumps!  If you all have not seen this you need to….

Here is the link to the Fox News video about the Christmas miracle.
This is so awesome of God to do this!! It really displays to all the
world how He values life… even the life of someone who “the world”
would not consider as a “valuable” contributor to society.
Love, Bee
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3365757&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/

You know Mary and Joseph as they traveled the road from Nazareth to
Bethlehem surely must have been wondering… “Why now Lord at this
very time! This is the absolute worst timing for something like this
census to come up.”   As they were approaching Bethlehem and Mary
began to feel the hints of the first contractions and notified Joseph,
I imagine he must have cried out to God…. “Oh Lord! We have a
promise from you concerning this child and now we aren’t even going to
be in our own home when the baby arrives!  No familiar midwife, no
other women of the family to be near to assist Mary… what if she
should have trouble?!  God if this is your plan shouldn’t it go a
little smoother than this?  To top it all off there are no rooms
available anywhere… and the pains of labor are upon Mary now… Oh
God why now…why Bethlehem!”

From times past there were hints of the roll that Bethlehem would
play in the amazing story of God coming to earth. 

Another woman
hundreds of years earlier named Rachel was on the road to Bethlehem
with her husband Jacob, (who was also called “Israel”.)  As she travailed in
child birth she had a very difficult time in labor, and
so she named her baby Ben- Oni meaning “son of my sorrow”, then she passed a
way.  But the child’s father Jacob called him Benjamin meaning “son of
my right hand.”   (Gen 35:16-18)  Why Bethlehem?



Fast forward…. Israel through much travail did indeed bring forth a Son in Bethlehem
and he was both a “Son of Sorrow” and a “Son of the Father’s right
hand.”

Many years after Rachel and Jacob were gone from the scene… a Gentile woman named Ruth was gleaning barley in the
town whose name means “Place of Bread” when she was discovered by her
“Kinsman Redeemer.”  That town was Bethlehem, and Ruth and Boaz began a
linage that only a couple generations later would give birth to King
David!  Why Bethlehem?

The “Place of Bread”, that little town of Bethlehem, would many years in the future bring forth a man who would be called the
“Living Bread”… a type of “Kinsman Redeemer”… and a King that would forever sit upon David’s throne!

Isaiah spoke of a great “Light” (perhaps a “star”) that shall rise…
Gentiles shall come to it … and Kings shall be drawn to it!  (Is.
60:1-3)  Where did this happen?  Bethlehem!

Of course Jesus would be born in Bethlehem… it only makes sense!

What perhaps didn’t seem to make sense to Joseph at first does indeed make very
good sense… for the prophet Micah  stated:

The difficult road of doing the will of God…. of being a “key player”
in His great plan sometimes doesn’t look like it will succeed.  In fact
sometimes it looks like all hope is lost!  We even begin to wonder if God knows what He is doing, (although we would never admit
it.) But then the story takes a quick unlikely turn and in the
twinkling of an eye you witness the birth of His perfect will… the
fulfilment of His greater plan… and to think you almost gave up…
you almost didn’t believe when the circumstances became difficult. 

Just
like there were little “hints” hidden in God’s Word that Bethlehem
would
be the place where it all would happen for Joseph and Mary.  For the
children of God that desire to do “His will” there are also hints or “breadcrumbs”. 
Little bits of sustenance scattered all along the path to keep us
going, keep us following and hanging-on till we
reach our destination and see that God was unfolding something great
and beautiful.  Then when all is said and done we can look up and say
“Glory to God in the Highest”  and we will hear the
Angels sing for great joy!

Jesus spoke these words in a very interesting setting.   The Feast of
Tabernacles was beginning to come to an end, (see Jn. 7:37.)  During the Feast of
Tabernacles everyone would come from all over the region to camp in the
fields around the Temple.  What a huge campground this was.  Imagine the sight of it… especially at night!  All of those tents…. thousands of
them sprinkled across the hills, each one twinkling with golden lamp
light against the backdrop of a dark Israeli sky.  It must have been a
dramatic sight during the quiet of these special nights.  This “pilgrim
campground” would soon be dismantled however and disappear until next
year.  Too soon it would all be gone, the celebration would be over, all
of the beautiful light would be turned back into darkness.  It is in this
setting that Christ proclaimed, “I am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 

We must remember no matter how dark the night one light will remain and
His light will never go out!  Just as the light did not go out during
Hanukkah, and a light did not dim but shown brightly over where the
Christ child lay, there will be a Light Forever in Zion.