Day Twelve of Gulf War II
Just in case you can't think of a practical way to help during this crisis, here is one suggestion:
World Vision.
This Christian organization has been such a blessing to me. We have a sponsored child in Malawi; her name is Jennifer Zakaria. Through a regular giving of small monthly amounts, she is being greatly aided in her native country. We are able to write, and we have received mail back. It is truly wonderful to know that our money reaches one precious child.
Please think about sponsoring.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 7:03 PM

Day Eleven of Gulf War II
Interesting article in the Philadelphia Inquirerer this morning: Weapons sales to Iraq.
It says that "more than half of all technology sales with military applications, including sales of technology used in the production of nuclear weapons, came from Germany."
Wonder if all my protesting fellow Germans are aware of this. German companies such as Degussa, Siemens and Carl Zeiss have been making good money off of arming Iraq. Since it is constantly pointed out to me how guilty the US is of delivering arms to Iraq, I believe it's time for the pointers to move on to another argument.
The research about arms sales to Iraq was done by the research group The Wisconsin Project, a "non-profit, non-partisan foundation operating out of Washington, DC, under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin", according to their website.
They link to another site, called Iraq Watch, which features an article outlining which companies have sold what to Iraq.
It also features an Iraq Supplier Index. I am happy to report that my employer apparently did not sell anything to Iraq.

From the spiritual front:
I have been reflecting on Psalm 51 in the last two days.
Here are verses 10-12 from the Contemporary English Version:
"10 Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.
  11 Don't chase me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me.
  12 Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey! "
Keith Green sang a beautiful rendition of this but he used the more traditional text from the King James Version:
"10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
  11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
  12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."
(For those of you who are not familiar with Keith Green, a believer who died in his late 20s with two of his young children in a plane crash, I invite you to visit his still ongoing ministry, Last Days Ministries, now led by his wife Melody who was pregnant with the fourth child when Keith went home to be with the Lord - what a huge impact Keith's music has had on my Christian walk!)
How easy it is to lose the joy of one's salvation by not staying close to His Word! I have experienced this first hand and want to exhort you to read your Bible daily.
Listen to Christian music; read Christian books. I have never experienced greater joy in the Lord than when I actively wrapped my mind around Him.
God is so faithful to those who stay faithful to Him!
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 2:22 PM

Day Ten of Gulf War II
We received an e-mail today that our dear friend Tim has received the care package we sent to him last Saturday. It only took a week to get there!
I encourage everyone who knows someone in Afghanistan or Iraq to make sure they stay filled up on cookies and goodies. Just remember it may be pretty warm where your package is going, so lay low on the chocolate.
There is now constantly news of allied soldiers being killed in this war. I told my son that a lot of these guys are only SIX years older than he is (he is 13). I can't even imagine losing my son to war in six years time. It makes me hurt like crazy inside to think of the pain inflicted to large numbers of mothers and fathers right now. Some of these guys who just a short while ago sat on their parents' laps or played Monopoly with them are now dead or severely injured. Sometimes I feel that the pain of war is simply intolerable.
I saw a noteworthy (and really stupid) news blurb this morning in the German newsletter I receive daily. It came from Spiegel, a German magazine. They were reporting that a German doctor is refusing to treat American, British or any other "sympathizers" in his office. He has a poster stating so on his front door. I hope the German health insurances yank his billing authorization to them. The article says they have at least publicly voiced their bewilderment with his actions. In case you would like to tell him what you think, the article references him as Dr. Eberhard Hoffman in Rendsburg. I have found his contact information but will leave that up to your detective work in case you really think this is worthy letting him know your thoughts. I suggest a prayer for a change of his heart will be the better option.
I read a very cool passage in my Bible reading yesterday. It comes from Deuteronomy 9:4-7:
"4 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people."
(Source: Bible Gateway)
I love God's Word - it teaches me to understand what is going on, i.e. to see the evil forces battling with the angelic forces of God even though we may not be able to see it with our own eyes.
Continue to lift up the troops in prayer. Pray also for quick delivery of humanitarian aid to the hungry Iraqi civilian population. Pray for our leadership to make wise decisions. Pray for the war to end soon.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 11:05 AM

Day Eight of Gulf War II (and Elke's Birthday)

I haven't listened to the news all day, but instead filled my head with thoughts of Christ - a very healthy exercise if you haven't tried it.

I had the most amazing experience today:
A colleague sent me an e-mail asking me what "GODISNOWHERE" meant to me.
I replied that since to me "GODISEVERYWHERE", this was not relevant.
Then I went to lunch, not awaiting his reply.
On the way to lunch, I felt sad because it was my birthday, but nobody was at the office, and I felt lonely. I prayed for God to humble me and make me less selfish. I prayed that instead of feeling the way I did, God would show me just one more Christian brother or sister at my company.
When I returned from lunch, there was another mail from my colleague who explained to me that instead of my interpretation of "GOD IS NOWHERE", it actually was referring to "GOD IS NOW HERE", a Christian apologetics website hosted by, among other people, another colleague from our company.
I almost fell off my chair with surprise at the beautiful, loving and sovereign nature of God who so immediately replied to my prayer. Praise His name forever!

On the war:
And here I thought that our Canadian friends were not very happy about the US going to war, but I found this very encouraging: http://www.friendsofamerica.ca/.
A Canadian friend sent it to me today.
He writes:
"I would also wager that there are apparently 5 times as many anti-war people in New York City (of all cities) than there are in all of Canada. I can't believe that 100,000 Americans in NYC held a protest only days into this war, and less than 2 years after 9/11 ???"

Continue to pray for peace.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 10:46 PM

Day Seven of Gulf War II

Quote of the Week:

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by
the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of
empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent
many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return
is enough to bury those that did not return."

It became very quiet in the room.

In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 12:21 AM

Day Six of Gulf War II
As I am enjoying another day of mild temperatures, beautiful flowers and lovely views onto a lake and wildlife here in Florida, our soldiers are battling not just Iraqi troops but also blinding sandstorms, thunderstorms and whipping winds. How I wish I could at least beam them out for a nice hot shower!
Busy day today, not leaving me much time for reflections on what has happened in the war today.
I am shuddering at the reports of up to 500 dead Iraqi troops after an intense battle today. 500 mothers are crying, 500 children may not have fathers anymore, 500 wives may not have husbands anymore.
May God provide great comfort to those families. May God provide comfort to the families of the British and American soldiers who have died.
At the same time, I am thinking about my colleague in Israel who just had a baby. How scary this must be for a new mother with a tiny baby!
My prayer is that we all may be exposed to Truth, the ony truth there is, that of Jesus Christ who came and died in our place and rose again to defeat death because of a God who loved us so and realized we would never be able to approach His holy presence on our own. If you don't know what I am talking about check out this page.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 11:30 PM

Oh my goodness...I am falling apart at the seams:
They are just showing a soldier talking to his wife who just had a baby girl - the first child - while he was gone.
He is completely comforting her, asking about the baby and telling her how much he loves her and that he will be home soon. He hadn't talked to her in several weeks, and she can now see his image on TV. What an indescribably emotional moment!
My husband was not there when my son was born - he was deployed for six months at the time and could not come home. To have your husband at war while you are having a baby has got to be the hardest experience a woman can go through.
THANK YOU, JESUS, for allowing one woman to have such an incredible comfort during this difficult time.

posted by Elke at 11:56 PM

Day Five of Gulf War II
Not much too report today - have been busy at the conference all day.
Turning on MSNBC tonight brought me back to the ugly reality of this war.
I was reading "Where is Raed?", a blog written apparently by a person in Baghdad.
There were no posts the last few days, but now there is an update. Fascinating to see this side of the war!
Most of all, I pray that the truth will come out in all of this. How I wish there was untainted news on this planet.
Another thing that has me worried is what is going on at the Turkey-Iraq border right now.
I am comforted tonight by a verse from the letter of Romans:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV).
I keep to that promise!
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 11:49 PM

Day Four of Gulf War II
Made it to Florida in one piece after a lengthy flight delay.
Being here is bizarre - people enjoying the warm weather and palms while some of our fellow countrymen are in warm weather with palms under much different circumstances halfway around the world.
It's amazing to me sometimes how people are able to just disconnect from what is happening in the world and pretend the world is normal.
I feel like Deanna Troy from Star Trek many times - the empath in the crowd. Does everybody else have it more together? Am I built "too close to the water" as they say in Germany? I cry always and everywhere.
One surprise for me today: While I find it totally despicable that Al Jazeerah showed pictures of dead US soldiers after an ambush, I also don't agree with the US complaining about the US POWs being shown on TV: I distinctly remember one of the embedded US journalists walking around in the middle of the night yesterday and having his cameramen show up-close shots of Iraqi POWs cowering on the desert ground. I think that was equally wrong. I am not sure how far the Geneva Convention speaks to the depiction of prisoners of war. MSNBC says that showing pictures of POWs is against the Geneva Convention. In this case, I think we are equally guilty - albeit the Iraqi POWs were not shown in the demeaning manner ours were on Iraqi TV. At any rate, I pray that both groups are treated with dignity according to the Geneva Convention.
Interesting, too, that there may now be the proverbial smoking gun since they apparently found a well-disguised chemical factory. Can't wait to find out what it is they were making there.
What will the world say if this is so??
Carl, our pastor, gave a very emotional sermon this morning before I left. He talked about the last book of Acts and recounted the faith Paul displayed under the most extreme circumstances even while in chains and in prison for a long time in unbelievable conditions. He also read a story about how Paul's death may have eventually played out. What a great man of faith!
I would pray that our brothers and sisters in Christ in the armed forces now would operate with equal faith while they are surrounded by so much turmoil.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 10:49 PM

Day Three of Gulf War II
Just found another blog, which I found interesting to read:
On Government and Freedom
I also looked at the White House Iraq War Page and found some interesting press quotes. While I can't really say they all really exist, I do draw comfort that we are doing the right thing. I also found an intesting link on the bottom of the page on the timeline of what happened in Iraq since the first Gulf War.
Finally, for those of you who have never read it, here is the text of UN Resolution 1441, calling for Iraq to disarm or face the consequences. Here you can read that "the Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violations of its obligations". This was adopted by the UN on November 8, 2002. Notice I said the UN, not just the US and UK...!
I think history will ultimately tell us whether disarming Saddam Hussein's regime by force was the right or the wrong path, but I do trust that God is sovereign in all of this. Nothing is allowed to happen outside of His will. We are studying "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel in our Sunday School class. One of the things discussed there is that God sometimes chooses the short-term (seemingly) evil course to secure the greater and long-term good for all.
Interesting thought to leave you with for the night.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 11:05 PM

Our son went to play paintball today with the youth ministry group from our church. They prayed for the real soldiers, which makes me feel better about my son playing war while there is a real one going on. He loves to play paintball, and I don't mind him going, but I can't stop but think of the soldiers who are really out there getting hit with real bullets instead of being sprayed with paint and bringing home a little welt at the most.
I pray that my son understands the difference.
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 6:40 PM

Day Two of Gulf War II
I have been inspired to start a blog because Alan Rickayzen has gotten me excited about the concept. Alan is one of my colleagues from SAP and a really great guy. His page can be found at http://www.workflowing.com/.
The events of the day, as you can imagine, are keeping me glued to the TV. There have been so many protests against the war, but there are also so many people (more in this country) more quietly for the war. I am really not sure where I stand. There are so many factors. The fact that Iraqi troops are surrendering by the thousands and that Iraqi villagers are helping tear down Saddam's portraits makes me hope the US is doing the right thing.
I received a great newsletter today, from Dennis Rainey of Family Life. He was writing about how families should react to the war.
I hope Dennis doesn't mind that I quote from his newsletter:
"But there are actions that we can take in the midst of such a crisis. The most important thing we can do is pray. Pray for our president, that God will give him wisdom. Pray for victory, for safety for our young men and women, and that God would use these days to create a spiritual awakening and a revival.
As Barbara and I have watched the news reports coming in from Kuwait and other locations, we've noticed that every chapel service is full--standing room only. Perhaps God is getting the "spiritual attention" of our nation through the young men and women who are contemplating the possibility of death. They are listening. Are we?
1 Timothy 2 says, "First of all then, I urge that in treaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men--for kings and all who are in authority in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." This is a great opportunity for fathers and mothers to give spiritual leadership to their sons and daughters by encouraging the family to gather around right now and pray."
Praise God that we can see His hand in the midst of something as horrible as war.
Pray without ceasing for a speedy resolution!
In Christ,
Elke

posted by Elke at 10:14 PM