Strengthen your brothers!

Luke 22: 31,32 says: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Tomorrow morning I start the last of two and one half years of chemotherapy for a blood cancer called Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It has been a rough ride and it is not over yet. The doctor says that the studies on the type of drug they use for my therapy only have about a 3 year history thus far. So they will complete this last one and then stop ALL treatment. Sounds a little scary but I am confident in God that all will be well.

After this treatment and because there is no cure for my type of cancer, they will simply wait for the symptoms to return again and test to decide whether I am strong enough for the Bone Marrow Transplant.

On the day of my diagnosis I explained to the Oncologist that there was nothing that she could do outside of God’s will for my life. I explained that she was welcome to treat me but my life was in God’s hands. I have lived the last 2 ½ years with that attitude and God has blessed me beyond the measure that I expected. I have had the pleasure of praying with and leading a precious old lady to Christ, with a chemo needle stuck in my chest. God has been with me through all of it so far, and I don’t expect Him to leave me, ever.

It has taken me these 2 ½ years to develop my testimony and it is “ever changing” but it is available if anyone wishes to read it at www.nowwhataz.org.

After this treatment, my family and I will celebrate Christmas together and then Barb and I will try to do some traveling. We love to just “be gone” so we will try to do as much as we can until it becomes necessary to start treatment again. Your prayer support is primarily why we are where we are today. I could not be more grateful for those prayers and they cannot stop now. I am following the lead of the passage above and I lean totally on God’s love and grace to see me through.

Now that Rest Ministries is publishing some of my devotions, I will continue to write as much as I can. Thank you and my God show you the kindness He has shared with me.

Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma two years ago..his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com and can be reached by email at dstallings2@qwest.net.

Adendum to November 25, 2007 Post

I have been in touch with a precious new Christian friend who has shown me how to "block" certain types of advertisements from google.com without the need to severe our relationship. So the ads will remain and I will continue to monitor them closely as I can now block as I wish.

I do not need to reclaim my position. I know God loves us all, however, I am confident that He does not want us to associate with some ideaologies. If while surfing on my blog, you find something in these marketing squares that you would question, please feel free to click on the word "comment" below and express your concerns to me. I will address them immediately.

By God's Grace,

Dave

Not My Will but Thine, Oh Lord!

I heard a christian man once say "You know your depressed when the only hope you have is that you ARE GOING TO DIE, and you start winning the battle!" Obviously things were so difficult in his life that his thoughts were only directed to his reunion with the Father. I had to take a close look at that thought and wonder if this was from God or was he being "duped" by the devil once again in his mind.

The chronically ill experience so many difficult and despairing times that it is sometimes hard to tell where these thoughts sometimes come from. Then I was directed to First Thessalonians 5:16-18 which offer the simplest directive to the will of God for each of us, no matter what the circumstances are. The verse reads: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1. Rejoice always: whatever the circumstances, whatever the condition in life, God says to "Rejoice always".
2. Pray without ceasing: always live life in an attitude of pray, whether it is for yourself or someone God has placed on you heart, God says to "Pray without ceasing".
3. In everything give thanks: I can think of hundreds of situations in my own life that I am NOT thankful for and here God says "give thanks".

Here God has given us the simplest of recipes in life for His will. Rejoice, pray, give thanks. How difficult can that be? When I am laying in bed and cannot move from the pain, "Rejoice, pray, give thanks". Guess what? I tried that last night as I lay on my bed, unable to drift off to sleep and before I knew it, I was looking at my clock beside my bed and it was 6:17am and I had slept through the night.

I must give credit to a church and pastor I met last week in California for this verse application. His church is called "Set Free Church" and he is pastor Willie Dalgity and he shared this impressive, yet simplistic approach to God's will for our lives. "Rejoice always...not just some of the time (when things are going well); "pray without ceasing"...allow our minds to be in a constant attitude of prayer; "in everything give thanks"...Thank you Lord that I'm not in as bad shape as some of the people I know. And God's promise is "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How simple can it get? Don't know God's will for your life? Try this simple 3 verse application and see if God doesn't start to reveal, not only His love for you, but His will for your life as well.

And yes, if you live in the Calimesa area of California and you are not going to church somewhere, you really should check this one out.

Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma two years ago..his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com and can be reached by email at dstallings2@qwest.net.

New Gay Bible Advertisement

Dear precious Saints of God. This morning as I was searching through my blog, I ran across an advertisement (that is, evidently, on my website as Christian materials) for a New King James Bible and it states "This Free Bible Download contains all of the great text of the King James Version and a new book entitled God's New Law describing the prophecy that was declared in 2000". It also advertises

"New Additions:
- Homosexuality and Fornication Forgiven
- Gay Marriage in God's Kingdom."

By the time I finish this blog and publish it, the advertisement will be gone as these advertisements circulate every few minutes.

Concerning this bible, I must review my relationship with Google Advertisers to see if I will continue based on the content of these "New Additions", however I want anyone who reads this blog to know that even though I believe that God can and does forgive these sins, I DO NOT support homosexuality under ANY circumstance, and I DO NOT support the advertisement of any additions to God's Holy Word.

I have to do some extraordinary research as I am unwilling to "click" on the downloads from my computer to read what is prophesied, however, we who take God's Word at face value understand that there is NO NEW PROPHECY to be written and added to God's Word so without even downloading this product, I am "at odds" with it in its original description.

My best advise to any of you who might run across this advertisement is that you just simply let it pass and not help its cause by clicking on it. If I cannot get this type of advertisements separated from the Christian Genre which I requested, then I will be forced to terminate my relationship with Google AdSense.

I hope I have made my position clear "in love" as I know the power of forgiveness and also know the power of God's Wrath upon those who would try to subvert the Holiness of His Word.

Dave

How Long Is "Long Enough"?

"When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! and He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit" (John 19:30). The Bible indicates that Christ hung on that cross for about 6 hours. Some would argue longer and some, shorter. It doesn't matter because the point is that He was on the cross until the job He was sent to earth to do was completed.

Here we have a part of the Trinity that was there at the creation, was there in the garden, was there at the Red Sea, and was there until His friends and loved ones came and took Him down from the cross and wrapped and laid Him in the tomb. He was there when Mary came to the tomb to care for Him even in His death. He was there long enough to finish the task.

Most of us who suffer from a chronic illness often ask the question "How long is long enough"? How long do we suffer with the disabling difficulties of the illness or injury we have? Will there come a time, Jesus, when you tell us that we have suffered enough? We think of Job in the Bible and the terrific suffering he went through and continued to stand strong for Christ. What about the disciples who, after Pentecost, withstood the suffering and martyrdom for the sake of Christ?

What about Paul in the New Testament? In Second Corinthians 12:7ff he says, "And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me - to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me." I'm personally not one who daily appreciates the Lord's response to Paul because it means the same thing for me and when I am suffering in pain and sickness, the last thing I want to do is get on my knees and pray for or minister to someone who needs a touch from God. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Know what that means? When we are weak, He is strong. I have never seen more of Christ in my life than I have since my diagnosis, since my injury, since my illness settled on my life.

How long is long enough? I pray every day "Maranatha" which means "Come quickly, Lord Jesus". And everyday He put an opportunity in my life. Sometimes I take the opportunities and run with them. Sometimes I run from them. But every time God speaks to me and lets me know that "His grace is sufficient for me"! Is His grace sufficient for you? Only you can answer that.

How long is long enough? You may not find out this side of Heaven but thank God He had prepared a place for us!

Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma two years ago..his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com and can be reached by email at dstallings2@qwest.net..

Whatever Works!

Jesus has an encounter with a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (Jn.3:3)

After 56 years of looking over the world we live in, I have discovered that we live mostly among the philosophical "pragmatist". The ideology of a pragmatist is that "whatever works" is what the game plan is. Today we see so many people, young and old with that philosophy. "Yeah, if that works, let's do it that way". We want to be ahead of the competition so let's do it this way. Disturbingly, I see it in the Christian world as well. "The Bible has dried up somewhat, so let's use some other materials to draw people into the pews". Let's modernize the church services and offer benefits that make people more comfortable. I've even seen, in my lifetime, a "Drive-in" church. They remodeled a drive-in theatre and the church goers would drive up to the speaker, place it in the window and listen to a message, then replace the speaker and just drive away. Please don't get me wrong. I love good worship music and praise songs. Don't even mind a cup of coffee with my message. I just see the church getting away from using the Bible as its primary teaching material.

Remember the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells the rich young ruler that it would be..."easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"(Matt.19:24)? Jesus has been telling us for hundreds of years now that this philosophical ideal of pragmatism just won't work. You can't just put together your own ideas and plan an eternity in Heaven with Jesus. Early on in His ministry, He made it very plain..."You must be born again!"

Things are, and have been happening in the world that indicate that Jesus is planning His return. He promised that He would come back for His own and it looks like someday soon, that will become a reality. Where will we be when He returns? Will we still be looking for that "nitch" that the world thinks will work? Or will we be declaring to the world "You must be born again"? As Christian men and women, we have an obligation to the "lost" in the world. Jesus commanded us to "Go" and to "Tell" the world about Him and His return for the church.

Let's all try to do our part.

P.S. I am writing devotions for Rest Ministries Online Magazine so look for me at www.restministries.org

Do you have a troubled heart?

"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (Jn. 14:1-4,6)

I was lying in bed tonight thinking about the activities of the last couple of years and I just had to take a moment to thank the Lord for the strength and courage He has given to Barb and me. On April 19, 2005 I had a major surgery that would eventually lead to the discovery of an "incurable" form of cancer within my body. Having had to prepare and endure treatment for this cancer, without the ability to recover from the back surgery, has certainly brought the need and ability to put my faith in God.

In the middle of pain I have never experienced before, I have been introduced to more people, needy people, struggling people, that I would never have known without being taken down this path. I have already lost one of those dear friends during this past year and was privileged to share Christ at his "going home" celebration just a few short months ago. With well over 100 friends and family members present that day, who's to say they would have ever heard the plain and simple Gospel of God without God directing me there. I have seen "overwhelming" fear in the faces of a lot of people I have met, that just seemed to disappear with just the "mention" of His name!

So laying in bed trying to get to sleep (it's 2am) I heard the voice of God telling me to share a little something with those of you who experience some of these trials.

I have been truly blessed over this past 2 years with the opportunity to be used of God, trying to stand in the gap, and be a faithful servant to Him and tonight I can feel God's smile. And believe me when I say, I have done nothing in my own power through it all. Oh, I know that there is a tremendous amount yet to be done, but tonight I feel the Lord's joy.

Over the last 30 plus years of walking with the Lord (most of the time, ahead of Him), we have always looked forward to the Lord's Second Coming. In fact, I believe that we are close, so close to His return that sometimes, I swear, I can "feel the brush of angel wings" on my cheeks.

If your reading this and feel you have some "unsettled issues" that need God's attention, please take the time to go to Him and let Him find that "soft or wounded" spot in your heart, and when He does, rest assured that He, and only He, can cover it with His love and make you whole.

Dave

In The Beginning....God

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters".(Gen 1;1,2)

You know we talk about a lot of stuff on this blog but sometimes it is good to go back to the beginning. I look out at the world today and see the turmoil and pain taking place and have to say "Maranatha, Lord Jesus"! Please come quickly. There are people in the world trying to make ends meet with no arms or legs, some with viruses that cannot be healed, there are some who walk around with terminal diseases like cancer, MS, and so many other medical difficulties that makes me feel like a well person compared to them and it just doesn't seem far for the lot of us.

Back in the beginning God spoke to us and He explained about the beautiful world He created for us and He had so much fun and love in making this place for us to dwell upon until He finally completed our mansions in glory. Its just too bad that the devil and some of his helpers wanted to create such chaos in the process.

I was just sitting here tonight thinking about God's new creation in the beginning of Genesis and suddenly Darwin's Theory popped into my mind (probably because of some notes I have written down on the margins in my bible about him. He seemed to want to work so hard to convenience us that we came from the apes and that we evolved into the men we are today. Well I gotta tell you, I have some pretty heavy back aches from the surgeries they have done on my back and I really doubt that I spent much time flying along the treeline using branches because I just know it would have created and trip to the ER for my back.

His theory was all based on a "Chance of happenings" for each situation?????? Wow, That was profound. He called his postulated theory ..."Fortuitous Concurrences of An Accidental Circumstance".

What a meat head! If that theory were proven correct then it would be interesting each time you opened a can of peaches to see what you might find inside. Ha! Ha! "Accidental circumstances" indeed.

But the God of the universe said, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"! I have to tell you at this point that it takes LESS faith in my life to believe this situation than the "Fortuitous Concurrences of An Accidental Circumstance" How absolutely ridiculous. I close my eyes and can see, by Faith our God the Father standing off in a distance waiting to hold me in His arms. He knows I have cancer and that I will be home soon. He's standing right there waiting with nothing else on His mind but to make me whole again. I love the Lord, don't you?

Dave

Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma two years ago..his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com.

A Father's Advice

"Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, and give attention that you may gain understanding", (Proverbs 4:1)

Ever feel that you have passed on your father's advice because you feel a need to achieve something that his advise suggests passing on? I have! My father has given me "sound teaching" and I have turned my head not wanting to receive the understanding. But I remember that my father would always tell me to "hold fast to his words...that I might keep the commandments and live", (Pr. 4:4)

I consider myself intelligent and understand most things. Problem is that I don't always wait on the "wisdom" to fall from perhaps advice given prior to acting. I don't always make decisions using the wisdom that God has promised me. My body hurts from the pain over the sickness and injury, and I am anxious to find a solution "in my own understanding". But there is so much of Proverbs 4 that tells us that the person who waits on wisdom will eventually make the correct decision. I always find myself looking to the problem and not through the problem to see the wisdom on the other side.

Here Solomon uses the analogy of a wife to make his point. Verses 13ff say "Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble".

Just think! Taking the time to look at our daily life situations with "Wisdom" can keep us from stumbling! I don't know about all of you, but I have enough scabs on my knees from stumbling in the misunderstanding of my life events. I trust God and desire to wait on His wisdom for me. How about you?


God's very best,

Dave

Trust In The Lord

One of the first passages of scripture I memorized as a new Christian, over 30 years ago was Proverbs 3:5,6 which reads "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight".

Never has that passage been more applicable in my life than in the last 5 years or so. On a daily basis, we as Christian men and women, see things happen, not only in our own lives but in the lives of those we love dearly, not being able to help or understand why. So the Lord tells us to "Lean". Lean on what? Lean on Him and not trust our own understanding because His is divine and ours is not. So when we just simply don't understand, we can know that He is directing our paths. I confess that I need a lot of direction in my life. But there is one thing that I understand very clearly. That is that God has my "best interest" at heart and He will not direct me into a path that will not eventually give Him the glory.

The writer goes on to say "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones". I have spent plenty of years being "wise in my own estimation" or so I have thought. But when I play the way the Lord intended me to, I receive healing. Not the kind of healing that I expect sometimes, but healing in my spirit and a closeness with God. Want to be close to God? Do not consider your wisdom above God.

In one of my favorite books the author says to "Anchor Deep". His analogy is a sailboat but his subject is faith in God. He says "Stability in a storm comes not from seeking a new message but from understanding an old one. The most reliable anchor points are not recent discoveries, but are time-tested truths that have held their ground against the winds of change. Truths like: My life is not futile; My failures are not fatal; My death is not final. Attach your soul to these boulders and no wave is big enough to wash you under" (Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado). Change comes into our lives almost daily. Trust in the Lord.

Have a great day today.

Wisdon Brings Security

Proverbs 2 begins by saying, "My son, if you will receive my sayings, and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity..."

I was listening to "The Savage Nation" with Michael Savage on the radio tonight and was a little surprised at the advice he was giving. He got my attention right away because he was discussing the advantages in reading the Bible when you get up in the morning. He commented on what we do when we rise from our sleep. Some will make coffee and sit and read the morning news in the newspaper or on the internet and this is how they will start their day. By doing so, his rational was that the spiritual day for this person would start out and continue at about an "80" throughout the day. Another person my get out of bed and go to the internet and turn on the porno right away and his day would start out at a zero (out of 1000 by the way) and that is how this persons spiritual day would continue (as a big zero). Another person may get up in the morning and pick up his bible and read something from God in the morning and his day would begin at 1000 and probably continue at that scale throughout the day.

All interesting statistics as he was talking about the dignity and integrity of the spiritual man in today's society. Realizing that we all have a spiritual component to our lives, Michael Savage, not known for his preaching, was offering this wisdom just as though it were from God's word Itself. Earlier I quoted Proverbs 2:1-7 and it seems to me that this was exactly what Michael Savage, a "mostly" political advisor, was trying to explain to his radio audience. I thought, "here's a man, not known for his spiritual expertise, telling us that we will gain more from the day if we are willing to invest some of our morning time to God and His Word. I have to admit, I was shocked. I was also, all ears because what he was sharing was the TRUTH as I see and read it from scripture. Even if we invest one or two minutes in the morning in God's Word, whether we completely understand what we are reading or not, we will come out of the day with a better, stronger spiritual perspective in life. So when the author of Proverbs was saying in verse 2, "Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding..." this is really what both the author and Mr Savage were talking about. Look for the better part of life and see if it doesn't "rain" down on you throughout the day.

Do you get your news from the television or newspaper; perhaps the internet or radio, first thing in the morning, or are you one of these people who start their day out at 1000 by giving God the first few minutes of your day. He sure does make the day more tolerable when you take Him along with you, don't you think?

I just thought that was interesting. I normally seek out wise sayings (wisdom) from famous preachers that I am familiar with and tonight God opened another door, for just another "slice" of His wisdom from somewhere I would never thought of looking. I was impressed. In the morning, I plan to start my day out at 1000; how about you?

The Proverb goes on to say in verse 8 "Guarding the paths of justice, He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul..." So, here is a good place to drop a name and recommend a good book to go along with reading the Bible. Having a "Non-Curable" form of cancer, I read encouraging materials frequently and I found a wonderful book by Max Lucado titled "Facing Your Giants". I bought the book and then bought the book on CD so I could listen to it over and over again as I drive down the road. I can assure you, anyone facing life's difficulties, will be uplifted by his writing.

Would love to read your "feedback". Just click on comments at the end of this post.

Try reading a chapter from Proverbs each day. There are 31 so you can read through the book in a month and then start all over again.

Dave

Today I have "Seen" & "Read" Everything!

This afternoon, as I sat in the waiting room at my wife's doctors appointment, I picked up the August 27, 2007 Edition of Newsweek Magazine and read a story with the headline reading "BeliefWatch: Reincarnation -- China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation" I have included the date of the article and the "by line' just so you don't think I've gone off the deep end myself. This is an actual story that someone in Newsweek Magazine authorized the waste of paper and ink on. And America is developing a "Problem" with Christianity! Wow!

"BeliefWatch: Reincarnation -- China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation"
By Matthew Philips
Newsweek
Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.

Back to reality, please! Now if I understand this right, China has written a law that states that the next Dalai Lama, can only be reincarnated from within the confines of the country of China. I read several "posts" to this ridiculous article on the Internet and some were "witty" some concerning and others just down right funny. China's proposal, using the law, says that they are taking over the duties of the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and no longer need His services as they have the ability to accomplish such a task as "Planting & Placing" a man's soul.

Here is a blog from a person simply known as Alistair which I thought was particularly funny and pointed...

"Chuckles... I can't really see there's any way they can begin to enforce this. I wonder how the monks themselves and the Dalai Lama feel? Maybe he will argue politically over it?

I can see the headline now. And the subsequent report.

Drama Lama Ding Dong!

In an amazing turn of events the Dalai Lama today revealed that, unless China releases its hold on Tibet, he plans to reincarnate, not in the east, but in a remote Swiss town!

Fears of a slaughter "en mass" of the kind not seen since Herod (allegedly) had away with first born babies in an attempt to kill off the King of the Jews before he got out of the manger manifested when, China moved to put a stop to reincarnation by banning it within Tibet without governmental permission!

The Dalai Lama issued a statement saying that, although he saw this as a classic example of the totalitarian regime Tibet is against, abiding by the laws of the land is something which has to be observed, so as to demonstrate that, it is possible to circumvent such things! "Switzerland is a well known neutral country and is ideal for the purposes of this." He also added in a characteristic show of humour that, "Because of their history with timekeeping, I can get my rebirth timed perfectly down to the last second".

A statement from a Chinese official on the Dalai's cunning plan to bypass these new laws read simply "It's not unusual in the world for a Lama to spit in the eye of those who wish to try to control it."

If this wasn't so serious it would actually be funny. Here we have a government (China) all away around the other side of the world, using government money, power and influence to determine, WHERE, WHEN, and WHO the soul of the next Dalai Lama will reincarnate into. Christians , PLEASE SPEAK UP! Do you see any 1st Century political similarities here? God help us to get OUT OF YOUR WAY before we screw something else up! My Bible says that God and God alone, breathed "life" into Adam and gave him his soul. Can we stand by and watch these "unlearned" go to hell because the believe in a tradition rather than a Savior? According to this story, Chinese Doctors would be standing in the "Delivery" rooms of hospitals watching for someone to "hand" the Dalai Lama's soul to. Can they get anymore arrogant?

Below this line is the entire story as it appeared in Newsweek in August 2007.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation
By Matthew Philips
Newsweek
Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.

At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control. Assuming he's able to master the feat of controlling his rebirth, as Dalai Lamas supposedly have for the last 600 years, the situation is shaping up in which there could be two Dalai Lamas: one picked by the Chinese government, the other by Buddhist monks. "It will be a very hot issue," says Paul Harrison, a Buddhism scholar at Stanford. "The Dalai Lama has been the prime symbol of unity and national identity in Tibet, and so it's quite likely the battle for his incarnation will be a lot more important than the others."

So where in the world will the next Dalai Lama be born? Harrison and other Buddhism scholars agree that it will likely be from within the 130,000 Tibetan exiles spread throughout India, Europe and North America. With an estimated 8,000 Tibetans living in the United States, could the next Dalai Lama be American-born? "You'll have to ask him," says Harrison. If so, he'll likely be welcomed into a culture that has increasingly embraced reincarnation over the years. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 20 percent of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation. Recent surveys by the Barna Group, a Christian research nonprofit, have found that a quarter of U.S. Christians, including 10 percent of all born-again Christians, embrace it as their favored end-of-life view. A non-Tibetan Dalai Lama, experts say, is probably out of the question.

Maybe I'm missing something important...but this much I am well aware of. God is not the focus of this story and event, but rather mankind is the focus, and for their efforts, according to God's Holy Word, they will be judged!

Just Dave's Thoughts...