A "Happy 4th of July" to all of our friends in the US! We pray your celebration of 231 years of independence will be safe and memorable of what the celebration is all about.

Speaking of freedom, here's a news item on your brothers and sisters in Gaza, dear friends of ours with whom we invested over seven years of our lives:

>Palestinian Christians trapped in Gaza, concerned about future

By Mark Kelly

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--As Hamas imposes a harsh Taliban-style Islam on residents of the Gaza Strip, Christians around the world are concerned about the welfare of believers there.

Although weeks of violence had ended for the time being, border crossings were sealed and the trickle of humanitarian aid finding its way into Gaza doesn't begin to meet the needs of Gaza's 1.5 million residents -- 80 percent of whom live under the poverty line, said Carl Moeller of Open Doors, a ministry that focuses on the needs of Christians living under the threat of persecution. (The United Nations places the poverty line at $1 a day.)

Evangelical believers trapped in Gaza have no supplies and are unable to leave, yet they are determined to share the hope of Christ, Moeller told Mission Network News. "They're caught between radical Islam on the one side and Israel on the other, and they're trying to follow the Lord's admonition to be peacemakers in the middle of that violent place," he said.

Christians who come from a Muslim background are afraid they will be discovered by militants and executed, Moeller said. Most are afraid to contact other believers.

'God so loved' includes Palestinians.

Who remembers the 9th Commandment?

How not to use PowerPoint

Priest says she's Christian & Muslim.

Who remembers the 3rd Commandment?
Student loses ruling over "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"

"...ruling against a teenager ... because the message could be interpreted as promoting drug use."

+ <L A S T  F E W  W E E K S><

+ Scott asked prayer for the preparations needed to make a permanent move to another country, away from Jerusalem... Your prayers made a tremendous difference! We found an apartment and also received training/instruction for most of what we'll be doing when we're not doing the 'real thing.'

+ Shirin asked that God's will for our lives be made clear during our vacation and the days following... Shirin writes, "Thank you for your prayers. God has called us to serve our co-workers and the people of another country."

+ Jasmine asked for a safe, fun-filled visit to Jordan... boy, did she ever! In spite of an impacted earring and emergency room visit, she still managed to have a delightful time as did her mom and dad. They found it much easier to relax and feel comfortable in an area with one language, one people, and one country.

<T H I S  W E E K ><

<>< Pray that we would be able to finish packing quickly so as to be ready for our next assignment.

<>< Pray for our personal adjustment to an increase in the cost of living expenses.

<>< Ask God to grant us a wise balance of time for personal discipleship, family obligations, the assistance of co-workers, and involvement in a local congregation.

* Pray for the Northern Azerbaijani of Azerbaijan.><

A Roadmap for Your Life

-Thom Scott, Managing Partner, Burg-Scott Communications, Inc.

It may have taken me the first 40 years of my life to really embrace, but "success" is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. To me, real success is about reaching the destination that you have chosen... the one that you have been uniquely created for - AND enjoying the journey along the way. As with any journey, in order to successfully reach your destination, you will need to create a personal plan (or roadmap) - just like most of us do for our own family vacations - that defines the following details: starting point, destination, vehicle, luggage, landmarks, and route.

Starting Point: Who you are

You can't get where you want to go, without knowing where you are. The starting point on your Roadmap For Life is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, "Hi, I'm John. I'm an electrician," or some such similar statement. That does not tell you about who John is; it only tells you his present occupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good AND not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, John may realize that he is highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. His inclination is in making things work correctly. Furthermore, he believes that life must serve a purpose.

Note: If you are like many who have a hard time identifying their strengths, try finding them in your weaknesses/challenges. Oftentimes, a weakness is a strength that's being used the wrong way, or for the wrong reasons. For instance, a parent who easily slips into scolding and yelling often possesses the seeds of great leadership. They are decisive and goal-oriented. The skills just need to be developed. Someone who struggles with shyness is often very good at cultivating deep, quality relationships versus a plethora of acquaintances. You get the idea.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

One of the amazing things about the way we humans are created is that we don't have to settle for who or where we are in life. We can become who and what we desire. So, who do want to be? What do you want to spend your time doing? What do you want to have? Who do you want to help? this is your vision. Knowing yourself (where your starting point is) will help you develop a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future will also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing John, after he defines his beliefs, values, and principles in life, he may decide that he wants to have a life dedicated to creating a legacy for his children.

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission in life. Your mission is a natural extension of your vision for your life. For instance, we see that John has decided that he wants to have a life dedicated to creating a legacy for his children. He may choose to accomplish this by raising them to be responsible members of society, developing a business that is a financial asset long after he is gone and by being a consistent example of a great husband and father as well as a "servant leader" of others.

Luggage (not to be confused with baggage): Your knowledge, skills,

and attitudes

Clothing, food, drinks, medicines, and other traveling necessities are often packed for physical trips that we embark upon. Applying this concept to the Roadmap For Your Life, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. John may have realized that he needed to gain professional knowledge and skills to transform his current self-employed situation (most often trading time for dollars) into a true walk-away business that can be an asset for his kids. He may have also determined that he needed to learn better coaching and persuasion skills in order to have greater influence in his kids' lives.

Landmarks and Routes: Breaking your trip down into sections.

Living in Central Florida, if I want to travel to Georgia, I can get in my car and power on through without stopping in order to arrive at my destination within a few hours. However, if I'm going to drive to Los Angeles, I will need to break my trip down into manageable daily sections. Landmarks (sub-goals) confirm if you are on the right track and if your pace will be able to deliver you to your destination in the period of time that you desire. Your routes are the specific tasks that you perform every day that are either moving you closer to your landmarks and destination, or further away. Thus, in planning out the Roadmap For Your Life, you will also need to have landmarks and a route.

Your landmarks (subgoals) must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. I cannot realistically drive to Los Angeles in 30 straight hours. At just over 2,500 miles, it will take 36 hours in driving time alone, not including pit stops and sleep. Likewise, it may not be realistic to set a landmark of earning a master's degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the standard number of years to complete a master's degree is two years.

There are many different routes which can be chosen to reach any given destination. The key is to choose routes that fit your lifestyle and personality so that you can truly enjoy the journey rather than "gritting your teeth" and being miserable till you finally get to where you want to be.

Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes

This one is very difficult for me and may seem counterintuitive for those of us who try to think positively. It is important that you "expect the best, but plan for the worst." I've learned, with much trial and error and self-inflicted pain, that despite all my plans and route mapping, detours, delays and potholes happen. I can either fight them (and wind up in a ditch at the side of the road that I want to take), or I can follow the detour signs - as long as I see that I'm still progressing on the journey to my destiny.

In the Bible, Proverbs 16:9 tells us, "In his heart, a man plans his way [read "route"], but the Lord determines his steps." Of course, we often want the quickest, most direct route to our destination. But, more often than not, our route will be more circuitous and bring us on some detours that we would rather not take. In those moments, we can choose to be grateful for the route that is there and examine the sights and learn from the experiences that come with the perceived inconveniences. Or, we can curse the road and all the drivers around us, slam on the brakes, or attempt to drive past guard rails and warning signs to get to the road that we believe (often falsely) is best for us. Peace and progress or strife and struggling ... the choice is ours.

There is no right or wrong in creating the Roadmap For Your Life - as long as it is all based on the real desires and uniqueness that you were created with. The important thing is that you actually create one - so that you can know, every day, that you are living a life on purpose and always growing and moving towards your chosen destination. Having a Roadmap for Your Life will ensure that your daily choices (route selections) are heading in the right direction. With greater clarity than you've ever had, you will eliminate the hasty and spur-of-the-moment default decisions that cause others to lose their way. You will confidently know that you will arrive at your destination and you will be truly free to enjoy the journey along the way.