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  • Hebrews 13

    as-if 

    I may not have siblings, but I do have some girlfriends who have treated me like a sister - for better or worse. Let me tell you about Liz and Darlene.
    Darlene is the sporty, competitive sweetie who laughs at EVERYTHING! She will be late for her own funeral despite her need for speed on the roadways. She's an example to me of selflessness and joy.

    Liz is the hostess with the mostest. She always has a house full of people, and makes each one of them feel special. She is the most generous person I know, and also the most direct. You NEVER have to worry about Liz playing silly little mind games with you. I love that about her, even though she's A.D.D to the max. Squirrel!

    Most friends would bail you out of jail. These two would be sitting in the cell with me saying, "That was AWESOME!" This is the kind of friendship and love that the author of Hebrews was describing when he said, "Continue to love each other with true brotherly love". Don't forget about those in jail. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself" (TLB Heb. 13:1 & 3)

    Just as these two women are not biologically my sisters, they have behaved as sisters to me. Christians in other countries may seem disconnected by distance, but we are to walk with them as though right there. It is a chosen behaviour. Sometimes these deliberate choices make a larger impact for the Kingdom than we know.

    By Vanessa Brobbel
  • In Love Not Fear


    Photo: Full of Eyes

    "For Such a Time as This...." I've been thinking a lot about this phrase in light of VOMC's so-named upcoming receptions. There are incredibly hot topics hitting the airwaves and cyberspace of North America today. Issues so volatile, one barely breaths the syllables in a soft whisper for fear of being labelled a bigot and hate monger.

    How do we, as Christians, be that unique voice which stands on Scripture and says to a world bent on sin, "You're wrong and yet you're loved"?
    Tim Keller said it so well: "We're far worse than we ever imagined, and far more loved than we could ever dream." This is the message Christians around the world are being strung up for speaking. It's a message of grace that holds true to the Word of God which calls sin "sin" but then is willing to die for the sinner.
    Increasingly, Canadians need to hear and learn from the testimonies of those who are pressed on all sides for holding tight to Christ's example. Every day, persecution steps closer to our front door. The reactionary danger is a two-fold extreme: apathy or fear. Either will paralyze you, keeping the fullness of life in Christ at bay.

    Dependency on God's Word and its inerrancy has slowly degraded to the point where a young child in vacation Bible school recently asked why the speaker repeatedly cursed. "He keeps saying, 'Jesus Christ'!" the little one explained. How sad that she only knows that most holy name as a cuss word.

    Simultaneously, we cannot live in fear of persecution. Christ warned that we'd face opposition, danger, and sword. He pointed out that if the world hated Him, and we are authentic disciples, then we would be hated too. This leaves me wondering if my biggest fear should be that I am tooloved and accepted by the world.

    By Vanessa Brobbel
  • Believe AND Follow


    Photo: "Do you Believe?"

    I met my husband when I was 15. His parents, Klaas and Nellie Brobbel, are the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. This mission and ministry to the persecuted church have been an integral part of our lives together.

    Truthfully, though mission-minded and verbally saying to the Lord, "Here I am, send me!" I pretty much ran from VOM in the beginning. The cost faced by those in hostile countries was frightening and, at times, gruesome. I wanted Jesus on my terms. He was welcome to inspire me, even interfering in my life -- to a point. 

    I came to realize that making a decision about Jesus is not the same as following Him. We need to both believe and follow. These two are the air and water of faith...one is meaningless without the other. It seems to me the North American church has put the "lion’s share" emphasis on convincing people to believe, without clearly calling them to follow. 

    Our main speakers for the September East Coast receptions hail from Iran -- modern-day Persia -- the land of Esther. It is a land rich with history; a history that has repeatedly pressed God’s people to choose between simply believing, and actually following. Come and be reminded, motivated, and moved to follow God using all that He has given you, For Such a Time as This.

    By Vanessa Brobbel

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