Standing Shoulder To Shoulder Together As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith A personal letter of encouragement to You, written solely

to "lift up hands that hang down".

TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-subscribe@associate.com . TO UNSUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-unsubscribe@associate.com . IN EACH CASE click "Return" when you receive confirmation request. FOR BACK COPIES go to http://associate.com/groups/shoulders . Get "LUMglobal", a praise report and prayer request letter of the Tolliver's stateside and international ministry, TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to hope4kyiv-subscribe@associate.com. Yes, it's the same old address. IN EACH CASE click "Return" when you receive confirmation request. FOR BACK COPIES or more information go to http://associate.com/groups/hope4kyiv.

"If the Church's agenda is not The Kingdom agenda, it's the wrong agenda, no matter how good it looks or how successful it appears." ---- T. Allen Robburts +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Shoulder To Shoulder #601 ---- 6/15/09 Title: "No Re-Bar In The Foundation"

My dear Friend and Fellow Co-laborer: Stormy weather has returned after a brief reprieve with showers early Sunday morning, a sunny afternoon, and then late storms and rain returning last night. The construction work for our home improvement project has already taken several days longer than planned due to "gumbo" wet clay/dirt, water-filled trenches, and subsequent working delays. Our yard looks like a battalion of Sherman tanks conducted maneuvers, leaving no doubt that major lawn renovation is on the schedule for later in the Summer. As soon as the concrete guys leave, hopefully by Wednesday, the frame construction can begin. If all goes well, it will be completed in four to six weeks. This was not our plan for the Summer; we had hoped to be completed with the entire project by mid to late June. Oh, well . . . Today's letter is considerably different . . . it has more short news clips that I feel are important, and only a brief devotional thought. That, however, does not reduce the importance of the letter, and I do hope you'll take time to click on the numerous websites. I include them each week because I feel they are important, and because I hope they help you be better prepared for the ministry God has for you each week. So, read on.

ODDS 'N ENDS: Persecution Websites: Here's an excellent website that will help you keep up to date on the increasing persecution of Christians around the world. This is a website you should visit two or three times a week and use as a prayer guide. Go to http://www.persecution.org/suffering/index.php. Another outstanding source of Christian news can be found at www.assistnews.net. Persecuted Victims of Islam: Last week I received a news report describing the arrest of two Middle Eastern women who had converted to Christ from Islam. I sent them to two of my Farsi friends, and it appears that they might have known them. At any rate, to read the stories of these two women, visit http://www.persecution.org/suffering/petitions.php. There you will also find specific ways to support efforts to expose and reduce persecution of Christians. What Is It Like To Be A Christian in Iran: AssistNews recently carried an article entitled, "Christians Suffering In Iran" in which Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors interviewed a former Muslim, now Christian, woman about what it means to be a Christian in Iran today. You can read this interview at http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09060042.htm.

You Scare Me: Lou Pritchett is a retired senior executive for Proctor and Gamble, one of America's largest consumer products corporations. While many have claimed that a "You Scare Me" letter written to President Obama was a hoax, Pritchett acknowledges that he indeed wrote it. It has experienced over 500,000 hits on YouTube. You can read it at http://www.afa.net/youscareme.asp It's interesting reading from a man who spent decades in high levels of American business and finance. EU Rejecting Current U.S. Economic Policies: A very interesting article at OneNewsNow.com reports that a recent meeting of the European Union, known for its liberal policies and values, has outright rejected the very type of economic policies that the U.S. government has adopted under the Democratic leadership. It makes one wonder how Europe will relate to the U.S. in coming months and years. Read it at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=559214. Further Evidence of Attacks On First/Second Amendment Rights: Did you hear about the individual in Sacramento County, California, who was informed by the Registrar's Office that he could use any ceremony he chose as long as it did not mention God or didn't have any religious connotations? Unbelievable! Fortunately, the ruling was rescinded, but it is further evidence that we are steadily losing our religious freedom, and will continue to do so until people begin taking a strong vocal stand. Read the story at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=562186. Another Big Letterman Blunder: As is typical of many talk show hosts, especially the late night ones, David Letterman made another crude joke, this one concerning Sarah Palin's 14 year old daughter hypothetically being raped, and Palin dressing like a "slutty flight attendant". Not only was his joke not funny, according to most Fox News reporters, but it was in terrible taste, and his so-called "apology" wasn't an apology at all, but was an attempt to justify his poor judgment and gloss it over. Digging the hole only deeper, he indicated he was referring to the older daughter . . . as if it was alright to rape someone that age. See video here. Interestingly, not one of the major newspapers carried even a paragraph report on the incident, which they certainly would have done if the person had been from the liberal political camp. Another example of indescribable media bias in America. Comments and editorials from journalists who insist on taking the high ground have been scathing toward Letterman. One such example can be read at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives /Default.aspx?id=564916. A poll by OneNewsNow asked the question as to whether or not CBS would chastise letterman. 87% said they wouldn't. After all, how can they? He's a big money maker for them. Another Blow Against The Ten Commandments: In case you haven't heard, last week the Appeals Court in Oklahoma declared a Ten Commandments monument placed by a private citizen on public grounds according to tradition and policy was declared unconstitutional because it espoused a particular religion. Read the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com /ct/2009/juneweb-only/123-42.0.html. Europe at "Tipping Point" and can go either way: Sometimes we forget that there are many strong evangelical voices being heard throughout Europe, particularly since the development of the prayer walking movement, the praise marches, and the 24-7 "Boiler Room" prayer movement. Much of it is spearheaded by youth led by determined young adults such as Pete Greig and Andy Freeman. They produce daily video podcasts confronting challenges for Christians and noting opportunities for Christians. Currently they are calling for hundreds of thousands of Christians to pray for Europe. Greig said "there are destinies being shaped right now and it is time to pray and realize what's going on." Freeman, meanwhile, encouraged Christians to get involved with politics and government." The video podcasts will be posted daily on 24-7 Prayer's YouTube channel. Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/247Pray to see the initial video. Second Year of "One Prayer" movement in U.S. is huge: There are so many prayer movements going that it's hard to keep up. Maybe you've heard of "One Prayer" that began last Summer out of a sense of the need for repentance within the church for isolation, sin, sectarianism, and refusal of spiritual unity. This year over 1,700 churches representing nearly a million believers kicked off the second annual emphasis. The emphasis joins churches globally together for four weeks of prayer, fasting, preaching, and ministry. Last year "One Prayer" churches helped start over 660 churches in southern India, Sudan, CAmbodia, and China resulting in over 7,000 baptisms and 44,000 involved in Bible studies. The goal for this year is to plant another 500 churches in the same regions plus another 100 in northern India. Go to www.2009.oneprayer.com for reports and more information. You can also follow developments on Facebook and Twitter. An Unimaginable Goal For Campus Prayer Movements: The 24-7 founders, Pete Greig and David Blackwell, have a vision of seeing a prayer movement develop on all 2,614 college and seminary campuses in America in 2010. They see this as an open invitation to a generation that could actually change the course of history in impacting thousands of lives, ministering to the poor, and sharing the Gospel. This has been on their hearts for five years, and already 20% of those campuses have 24-7 Prayer Rooms. Greig commented, "The idea of seeing these prayer rooms multiply on every campus seems thrilling and terrifying . . . Exciting because we have reason to believe it could impact the nation. Terrifying because this thing is utterly impossible unless God makes it happen."

According to recentGallup, there are 74% fewer confessing Christians on America's campuses than in the population at large. Unless something happens quickly, the Church in America will be almost decimated within this generation. Campus America is a simple call to prayer that begins on the 1st of January 2010 and ends on New Year's Eve. What happens as a result of such an unprecedented wave of prayer is really up to God. More information can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpZ1tIIlZ0A and http://campusamerica.org/ Congressman Corrects Obama on America as a Christian Nation: Sometimes we forget that the majority of our elected officials in Washington are honorable men and women who understand our Nation's heritage. One such person is Virginia Congressman Randy Forbes who presented a brief but impassioned and accurate lesson in our Judeo-Christian origins and heritage. Watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpQOCvthw-o. It is one of the most concise presentations I've ever seen. Another excellent reminder that our spiritual roots are deep (even though the "plant" has been blighted and the fruit has become rotten) can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0GvjdHKohU&NR=1 where Indiana Representative Mike Pence reminds his colleagues on the National Day of Prayer that, even though President Obama was the first in decades to not publicly observe it, America is still a nation of prayer. Christian Nation -- Historical Documentation and a Concise definition: David Barton, founder and president of Wallbuilders and one of the foremost authorities on America's Judeo-Christian roots wrote an outstanding response to President Obama's assertion that America is no longer a Christian nation, and that it would be one of the largest Muslim nations in the world (an absurdly false and completely unprovable claim). I urge you to read his article at http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=23909. It is outstanding, and soundly dismantles the President's claims. In Case You Missed It: In the event that you missed the website I listed several weeks ago on the document evidence of Muslim influence around the world, here it is again at the request of one of our subscribers ---- http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU&NR=1. Flag Day Yesterday: Yesterday was Flag Day in America. I still get chills up my back and tears in my eyes whenever I see the American flag displayed in all its splendor, and I still get irritated when I see people wearing shirts, skirts, ties, and kerchief's symbolizing our flag. It deserves more from us than being a piece of wearing apparel. David Barton, whom I mentioned earlier, sent an excellent short article via his e-mail subscription list yesterday about Flag Day and how it came about. Unfortunately, It doesn't appear on the www.wallbuilders.com website, but in that it was yesterday and July 4th is only three weeks away, I think it's good enough to include it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Flags are an object of national attention; the Bible also pays great attention to them: + Prepare the way for the people; lift up a flag for the nations. ISAIAH 62:10 + He lifts up a flag for the distant nations; He whistles for those at the ends of the earth, and here they come, swiftly and speedily! ISAIAH 5:26 + His banner over me is love. SONG OF SOLOMON 2:4 + You have given a banner to those who fear you, to be displayed because of the truth. PSALM 60:4 The American flag came into being on June 14, 1777, when a resolution was passed in the Continental Congress stipulating "that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation." Hence was birthed the official American flag and the original Flag Day. It was 108 year later, in 1885, that a Wisconsin schoolteacher had his pupils observe June 14 as "Flag Birthday," or "Flag Day." By 1891, the New York State Board of Education had adopted the practice, as had the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia. The idea caught on, and across the country, school children assembled on June 14, carrying small flags as patriotic songs were sung and speeches delivered. In fact, in 1894, over 300,000 children celebrated Flag Day in Chicago's city parks. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation calling for the national celebration of Flag Day (see the poster printed the next year for Flag Day, 1917); and in 1949, President Harry Truman signed into federal law a congressional act establishing each June 14 as National Flag Day. Flag Day is a harbinger of Independence Day now only three weeks away.

GOD IS AT WORK: During stressful times such as we've been facing the past several months, and in light of so many congregations bearing little or no spiritual fruit, it is encouraging to hear people and places where God is at work. Sometimes we forget, and need to be reminded. Here are a couple of recent examples I've learned about that I think will bless your heart . . . and, more importantly, hopefully stir up your confidence and intentional obedience to the Lord. 1. South Pacific -- Remote villagers waited for legend's 'precious' gift: This report comes from a recent ASSIST News letter, and shows again that God is powerfully at work where He is allowed to simply be Himself, and His people respond obediently to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. For more than five centuries the Sayang people have eked out their existence on the remote South Pacific island of Yang Jauh, virtually cut off from the outside world. Here, the Sayang have survived as farmers, growing crops on rocky soil nearly too poor to farm. Rain has been the only source of fresh water. They've had no electricity or phone service, not even a doctor. Twice government troops have tried to force the village of 10,000 to relocate, once at gunpoint. But the Sayang refuse to leave because they are bound by a legend's promise - the arrival of a foreigner bearing a precious gift. When missionary Michael Martin arrived on the island three years ago, he quickly realized the Sayan weren't on anybody's map except God's. He felt goose bumps when a villager, Agus, told him the legend and also that previous visitors "didn't reveal anything precious to us." "I was afraid something got lost in translation," Martin remembers. "This was too good to be true. I know a lot of people probably would have jumped on that and laid out the plan of salvation. But I wanted to learn more about this story and the culture; their worldview is very different from ours." "Each time I go out to the village, someone new has had a dream and questions about who Jesus is." That night, Agus had a dream. "I saw a big field in front of my house where everyone ran and gathered to see a helicopter come," he says. Suddenly, Martin "appeared and lowered a rope to me. Then the helicopter rose slowly into the air - I grabbed the rope and was lifted up. Everyone watched." Though he didn't understand what the dream meant, Agus felt compelled to strike up a friendship with Martin. Agus repeatedly shared the story of the legend to make sure Martin understood. Little by little, Martin shared the Gospel with Agus. Then one day Martin got the news he'd been praying for Agus had surrendered his life to Jesus, becoming the first Christian in Yang Jauh's history. Since his conversion, Agus has been working to help Martin convince others that Christ is the precious gift the Sayang have been expecting. But it hasn't been easy. Many in the village - even Agus' younger brother - believe the legend refers to some sort of financial gain. Others have lost faith in the story altogether. The ministry among the Sayang is still in its infancy. "But each time I go out to the village, someone new has had a dream and has questions about who Jesus is, why we're coming and what this precious thing is that we have to share with them," says Martin. "God's plan for the Sayang started hundreds of years ago before I ever showed up. I'm just glad to know that I can be a small part of it." Source: Michael Martin, Don Graham 2. Report From Bridges of Faith Ministries: Jo Ann and I met Tom (American) and his wife Larissa (Ukrainian) several years ago in Kyiv while waiting to catch a flight back to the States. We struck up a conversation and quickly connected with each other's respective ministry. Their ministry, "Bridges of Faith", minister extensively to thousands of orphans throughout Ukraine. A few years ago God blessed their ministry with a ministry and conference center in Southeastern United States. The following events took place recently, and I felt it would encourage you. As we remain alert to the fact that God is always at work around us even when we don't see it, events like these can become commonplace. Jo Ann and I remain awed at how God is using this ministry both in Ukraine and at home. Enjoy this! As teams from across America prepare to charge the runways, hurtling across the ocean to share God's love with orphans, the least of these around BridgeStone come to drink the water of life. Over the last month, we have baptized 26 folks, young old, and every other age. Here's what happened: Less than two months ago, a rough looking fellow rolled into BridgeStone, our 140 acre retreat center . . . , hoping to rent some pasture. His family visited our interdenominational Saturday night dinner and worship. One thing led to another; he

and his family -- and some neighbors -- accepted Christ. We baptized them in the swimming pool. These people began bringing others, especially children. Many of these came from an area known as 'Meth Lane' because of the drug traffic. I can't betray these people, but let me just say that there are some very rough and abused people. One child has an uncle doing 25 years to life for what he did to the child. We can't post the picture of another because the child's parents sold pornographic photos of the child to internet purveyors. Before service Sunday morning, one of these newly baptized folks came in my study. He handed . . . our front line 'site pastor,' a phone number. "Call this number -- now!" The call couldn't wait until after worship. A young couple had lost a child at 18 weeks. At least one area church completely refused to help, even declining to do the funeral. This couple had no car and was very much in need. Our new neighborhood evangelist assured them, "BridgeStone will help you." [Our frontline "site pastor'] counseled with the family and offered to hold the funeral in our chapel Wednesday night. Visitation began at 5:30, the funeral at 7:00. Our BridgeStone family gathered around this couple, their family, and their friends. We shared a sumptuous meal afterward. Of course, there was no charge to the family. [Our frontline "site pastor'] asked if they would feel embarrassed if we received an offering. Their monthly rent money had gone to care for the body of the child. They didn't mind; we received an offering. Of course, the best part of the whole event happened at the end of the funeral. Six people made public professions of faith in Jesus Christ, including the childs father! Before dinner, the entire funeral party and congregation visited the pool. We baptized all six new believers! One of those, just weeks before, had left that same pool after her son's baptism saying that we had all just wasted our G** d***** time. But God loved her enough to bring her to repentance and life in Christ!! Over these weeks, "Meth Lane" completely closed down. Families have been and are being restored. Children, youth and adults have come to faith, inner healing, and life in Jesus. But there is so much more to do; I implore you to pray for us. We have no greater need than for godly men and women to call our names before the Father. Please pray for this community.

NO RE-BAR IN THE FOUNDATION: We bought our house in the Spring of 1997. It was built to sell by a young man who had previously built two others and subsequently built three more after ours. His idea was to serve as his own contractor, use sub-contractors for things he couldn't do himself, make some profit, turn around and put the profit back into another house to sell, . . . and so on, until he had enough money to build his own house, coming out debt free. That's a great idea . . . IF you're qualified to do it, and IF you find good people to do the work you can't do. Over the past twelve years we've run into several minor areas where he or the sub-contractors either forgot some things or intentionally tried to cut corners. Nothing major, mind you, but certainly irritating. We still love our place, and have no plan to move in the near future. We're thoroughly enjoying being able to finally do some of the projects we've had to postpone all these years. As I mentioned at the beginning of the letter, we've just undertaken the first major project since we moved here twelve years ago . . . that of adding a Four Season Room on top of a storm shelter basement area. It started out as a simple screened in porch. After debating posts vs. concrete foundations, . . . and several episodes of severe storms and tornadic activity all around us, . . . I decided it would be good to go with concrete and have the contractor add a small room large enough to get into if a tornado came directly our way. He agreed, but since he could do an entire basement area with an eight-foot ceiling for the same amount of money, he recommended we take the latter route . . . which we did. It has been intriguing to watch the guys work so diligently and precisely. They are clearly masters of their art. We had total confidence in their honesty and workmanship because they did the concrete work on our garage and workshop twelve years ago, and there's still not a crack to be found anywhere in that project. Today they will remove the forms from the walls, coat the foundation and walls with water-sealing tar and, if it doesn't rain, probably either pour the floor after they pump out the water, or begin digging the trench for the deeply-buried drain-off pipe to keep water from seeping into the basement. Part of the project also included cutting an access entry into the crawl space of the house itself so I could close off the old crawl space now difficult to access because of interior modifications. Through the use of an amazing $1200 concretecutting chain saw, the guys had it done in less than an hour. I remember when it took a crew two days to cut a door so we could have a walk-out basement at our place in Wisconsin years ago. The block came out in one smooth piece, and I

immediately thought . . . "That will make a great step for my new garden shed!" However, one thing was noticeable absent ---- there was no evidence of any reinforcement bar, commonly called "re-bar". That, frankly, angered me. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that you do not pour concrete walls or floors without re-bar. While it won't keep concrete from cracking, re-bar keeps concrete from shifting up or down or side to side in the event the ground shifts. You see, where we live there is a tiny ground fault line every forty-two feet separating sections of ground. Shifting is inevitable; it's not a matter of "if", but simply of "when". Re-bar creates stability for the entire structure when such shifting takes place. Evidently, the foundation of our house has no re-bar anywhere in it, even though I understand there should be at least one layer in the footing and two layers in the foundation itself. Having experienced other errors in the house (a closet door hung out of plum, a sagging spot in the roof, cracks in the foundation, "ripple" effects from poor drywall finishing, unpainted walls in closets, etc.), this fact doesn't really surprise me. Now, don't get me wrong; we're in no danger, our house is absolutely beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoy living here. We have no regrets in purchasing the place. You'd never know these flaws were there unless we pointed them out to you. But, the fact remains true . . . there is no re-bar in the foundation of the house. As I made that discovery this past Friday, the Holy Spirit whispered a little lesson in my spiritual ears . . . . "your spiritual foundation must contain re-bar." Well, . . . having spent significant portions of my life on the farm where we did lots of construction projects, and also having some personal experience of my own on our ministry center in Wisconsin, I understand full well the importance of building construction. And, it is pretty similar to constructing a mature and reliable spiritual life. In both cases, the sub-structure is sure to determine the outcome of the overall development. When I say "sub-structure", I'm referring to soil preparation, footings, and foundation walls. They all must be prepared and constructed properly. If they are not, the above ground structure will eventually expose the weakness in the hidden areas. I'm sure you've seen the evidence of such failures in people you know. I like to think of the sub-structure of Christian living as Jesus Christ being the footing and God's Word being the foundation. The great old song, "How Firm A Foundation" says it clearly ---How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He way than to you He has said, To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? "Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous, Omnipotent hand. "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I will not desert to its foes; That soul, . . . though all hell should endeavor to shake, . . . I'll never, no never, no never forsake!" God's Word says it even better; I'll not take the time to quote Psalm 119, Heb 4:11, II Tim 3:16-17 and other profound declarations, but rather ask the question, "If God's Word is the foundation, then what is the "re-bar"?" In other words, what is it within the nature and character of the Bible that makes it stand out above all other religious books + The Sovereignty of God ---- In order for the Bible to be trusted, let alone obeyed, we must recognize that the one thing that ties it together is the authoritative sovereignty of God. From the divinely inspired writing of sixty-six books by over forty authors in three languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic) on three continents over a period of some 1,500 years to an explanation of the vast scope of events and human characters contained therein, it is clear that a sovereign God, Who does

as He pleases and records what He pleases simply because He is God is not only the author of the book, but the initiator and controller of all things. + The Inerrancy of Scripture ---- The "re-bar" of Divine Inerrant Inspiration of the Bible is absolutely essential. If there is no such internal stability in the Bible, it is subject to question,suspicion, and rationalization by inadequate human minds fully incapable of interpreting or understanding many of its passages. If the Bible is not without error, it cannot hold together, and the entirety of biblical doctrine is subject to erosion. Man does not have the luxury of deciding which part of the Bible he believes is divinely inspired; consensus would be impossible, therefore content would vary. It is Divine Inspiration that validates the Bible and makes it not only believable, but workable. + The Reliability of His Promises ---- In addition to God's sovereignty and the Bible's inerrancy, there must be the capacity to believe what God's Word says. It must all be trustworthy and true. Otherwise, one is relegated to the task of trying to decide which promise is real and which is not. Having such a tentativeness completely disqualifies one from trusting in His promises, and makes all of them suspect. + The Message of the Gospel ---- If it were not for the Good News that Jesus Christ came into this world to redeem man and reconcile the world to Himself, there is actually no valid need for the Bible to even exist. It is the message of the Gospel imbedded from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 that makes the Bible necessary. That message was voiced into the hearts and hands of the writers, unexplainably preserved over the centuries, held true from the first book written to the last and then on to our generation, revealed by the Holy Spirit to the hearts of man, written about, and proclaimed around the world. + The Assurance of His Return ---- Just as Paul exclaimed that if Christ had not risen, we are of all men most miserable, so likewise it is concerning the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The promise of His return that is hinted at in Genesis, shadowed throughout the history books, foretold by patriarchs like Job, predicted through the prophets, announced by Christ Himself, and then preached by the early Apostles is what has provided hope, confidence, and anticipation for followers of Jesus Christ for over twenty centuries. If there was no assurance that Jesus was coming back, there would be no need for the Bible. If even one of these five elements is missing from God's Word, then it seems to me that the Bible is reduced to simply another religious book destined to gather dust on an upper shelf full of long-forgotten treasures. Without the sovereignty of God, the events of the Bible raise doubts concerning whether or not God is really capable of handling our affairs. If the Inerrancy of Scripture is missing, it incubates thousands of doubts concerning which part is true and can be trusted and which part is false and can be ignored. If one cannot depend on the promises of God, then the outcome is to live in fear, apprehension, and uncertainty. If the message of the Gospel is missing, the book itself will crumble over time, having lost its primary usefulness. If Christ's return is not assured, then everything else the Bible teaches is simply so much literary nonsense . . . sovereignty is meaningless, the Scripture is useless, His promises are myth, and the Gospel is pointless.

FINALLY: So, my friend . . . it seems to me that there must be running throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the awareness that God is indeed an awesome and sovereign God Who has everything under His full control, there must be an absolute confidence in the trustworthiness of His Word, we must have confidence in the promises He makes us, we must recognize that the good news of salvation is good enough to be true, and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ provides confident hope to see us through every situation. It takes more than just saying, "I believe in the infallible, inerrant Word of God." That Word must, in your heart and mind, be reinforced, so as to avoid any shifting from His absolutes, by those "re-bars". If they are not visibly present, everything else you believe about the Bible will eventually shift, crumble, . . and collapse. It's just a matter of time. Do you have the re-bar in place? You'd better have. In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom, Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11 Copyright June, 2009 Life Unlimited Ministries lifeunlimited@centurytel.net If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.

Please do NOT hit reply to this letter. This is an automated unmanned system. If you want to write Bob, send directly to lifeunlimited@centurytel.net. Replying to "Shoulder To Shoulder" mailer gets you nowhere.

REMEMBER ---- "Service before the Cross is what man can do for God; service after the Cross is what God can do through a man" ---- T. Allen Robburts It's our desire to provide you links to helpful resources. However, the contents of these sites do not necessarily represent the views we personally hold. These are sites we have found helpful in the past for various topics, and want you to know about them. Use at your own discretion. Websites Crucial For Today:
Consider these special websites that are particularly important in light of world conditions.

Resources and News from balanced and Family Friendly Perspectives:

www.onenewsnow.com -- an excellent news website giving you more thorough news reporting. www.cnsnews.com for daily world news without a liberal, godless bias. www.assistnews.net -- Another excellent news source for things the western media never reports. http://www.wnd.com/ -- an excellent news website for news from a family-friendly Christian perspective containing news the liberal media will never report. http://www.leadershipletters.com/ -- an outstanding resource for anyone wanting to become or help raise up a great leader. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page -- excellent on-line encyclopedia on almost every topic, usually unbiased. http://prayercentral.net/baghdad/today -- to pray for troops in Iraq. www.wallbuilders.org -- Tools for understanding and responding to America's moral decay. http://www.faithandevolution.org/ -- Good resources for evolution and creationism.

Resources on Middle East, Israel, Bible Prophecy:

http://www.aish.com/search/article_search_results.asp?article_author=Rabbi+Ken+Spiro&title_text=&date_amount=&date_option=year -- one of the most COMPREHENSIVE HISTORIES of Israel I've ever seen, written from a Jewish Perspective. A Profound resource for those interested. http://www.persecution.org/suffering/index.php -- Outstanding website on persecution of Christians. www.bible411.com/nationofmiracles/index.htm -- excellent website on Israel http://favorminded.com/pray/3300israel.html -- excellent website on Israel www.sidroth.org -- excellent website on Israel, especially evidences of God's supernatural intervention www.hallindsey.org -- current events as relating to Bible prophecy www.christiantrumpetsounding.com -- excellent source of articles on Israel and Bible prophecy and other topics www.levitt.com -- strategic newsletter, reports, resources, particularly on Bible Prophecy www.jewishsoftware.com excellent Jewish sources on Hebrew language, Jewish history, beliefs, practices. http://www.4922trust.org/ -- an excellent site on Christian relationship to Israel. http://www.ajhs.org/ American Jewish historical society. www.israeltoday.co.il Israel today news and resources. www.jpost.com Jerusalem Post newspaper. www.jewishvoice.com Jonathan Burness ministry with excellent info and resources www.jerusalemconnection.org good Jewish culture/beliefs source www.favorminded.com good source for those supporting Israel www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org exceptional sour of information on Israel, ancient and modern www.aish.com comprehensive site on Jewish history including famed "Crash Course In Jewish History" www.israelimages.com hundreds of excellent photos, old and new, of Israel and her people. www.jerusalemshots.com/en another great source of pictures. www.technorati.com/tag/antisemitism a sobering source of anti-Semitic photos. www.yadvashem.org martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust www.favorminded.org excellent historic and contemporary information on Israel

Helpful General Resources

www.biblos.com -- EXCELLENT Bible study tools and resources. www.bibletraining.com -- EXCELLENT pastoral training global opportunity source. www.dota.net -- AMAZING Bible training materials via PDF downloads and radio programs in several languages. http://www.impactapologetics.com/default.asp?cookiecheck=yes& -- Great source for information on Christian apologetics. www.sermonindex.net for access to over 3900 downloadable audio sermons. Exceptional site. www.bible.christianity.com an excellent general source for quality Bible study tools and other things. Links to other great sites. www.illustramedia.com a great site for video on creation and evolution. www.livinit.org a super source for Christian extreme sports witness to youth www.creationscience.net an excellent source for dealing with evolution and creation www.crosstv.com a great site for video on creation, evolution, and apologetics www.onechurchsource.com a good site with links for many resources. www.biblemaster.com for great Bible resources and downloads. Exceptional site. www.e-sword.net ---- one of the best free download Bible study sites I've ever seen! http://www.discipleshipdirect.com/ for new and fresh evangelism & discipleship materials. www.multilanguage.com -- a great source for resources for language ministries. http://www.answersingenesis.org/ ---- one of the best Creation websites I've ever seen. http://frangipane.org ---- for excellent brief words of encouragement from one of America's premier evangelical writers/thinkers. www.worldprayerteam.org ---- A world-wide network for praying together. www.watchword.org ---- excellent resources on revival, prayer, missions. www.waymakers.org ---- resources on prayer, evangelism, etc. www.missionvisionnetwork.org ---- resources on prayer & missions www.global-prayer-digest.org ---- resources on world-wide prayer

http://www.nppn.org ---- "National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter. ~ email: phil@nppn.org. Register your PPG: http://www.nppn.org/ppg/ . www.LifeAction.org ---- "Life Action Outreach".

Valuable Resources on Islam: http://khanepedar.com ---- a NEW evangelistic website for Muslims. Please share this with others, especially those who know Muslims or have a ministry to Muslims.
www.muslimjourneytohope.org filled with testimonies and resources. http://bibleprobe.com/islamapostates.htm ---- fantastic website on ISLAM (amazing testimonies and excellent resources) www.johnankerburg.org ---- excellent resources of facts, testimonies, and tools http://cbw.strang.com/c.cgi?ProdID=8847&Source=CNSITE www.elam.com ---- source of testimonies and resources www.ethnicharvest.org ---- resources www.answeringislam.de/main/farsi ---- resources www.persianchristianity.com ---www.farsibible.org ---- Bibles

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