A word of thanks for the 40th birthday wishes yesterday and many words of appreciation for the fervent intercession that went on! While neither my landlord nor a friend surrendered their lives to Jesus, your focused intercession showered other blessings on me :-)

Well, as it turns out, I may get to live a little longer... I may have mentioned this back in March, but I don't remember :*-) Anyway, I have this "inherited disease" that's supposed to give me heart trouble. Have you ever heard of the guy who exercised, watched what he ate, and dropped dead for no apparent reason? Well, that was supposed to be me.

I went for a routine annual checkup last March and told my doctor how I'd dropped ~43 lbs. in less than two years. When he heard I'd given up meat for vegetables, he expressed concern about a certain element in the bloodstream and hesitated to request the costly test until I told him of our excellent health coverage. He and I were glad the test was given, and allow me to thank those of you in SBC groups who support us with your weekly tithe and annual gifts!

My homocystine count was 70.8 with 'normal' being in the 5-12 range. Simvastatin, a prescribed medication, dropped that to 19.9 within two months. Today, about six months later, it had dropped to 10.2!

Other results included a blood sugar count of 82 (up from 65 in April, probably due to that ten-week visit to the US this summer <g>); total cholesterol dropped to 130 after seeing 135; LDL also dropped to 66 after seeing 86 in late April and 152 in early March; HDL only went up to 32 (was 31). The doctor also found a low B12 count of 153 (normal is supposed to be 200-950), so my daily pill count is up to five with the addition of Tricardia :-(

I received the following disturbing e-mail, and perhaps you did as well:

“The Cooperative Program is not a tool to fund a denomination, but an instrument to assist local churches as they join together for Kingdom Advance." - Dr. Ken Hemphill, September 2004

All of the indicators show WE ARE FALLING BEHIND IN OUR EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE AND ADVANCE GOD'S KINGDOM ON EARTH. If we are going to significantly impact our world, WE MUST RECAPTURE THE VISION OF COOPERATION and enhance our cooperative efforts.

Click on the link below to SEE A CLIP OF THE VIDEO USED DURING THE “EVERYONE CAN” BUS TOUR, and then JOIN THE GROWING LIST OF APPROXIMATELY 1,100 SISTER CHURCHES who are committed to raising the CP vision among their members by participating in Vote CP. Please click on the link below for information. You will receive your choice of the complete Holman Christian Standard Bible or the Bible Navigator software when you sign up and commit to participate.

http://www.cpmissions.net/votecp/ecards/default3.asp

As I make these finishing touches on this week's Wednesday Weekly, many Americans are at the polls. In the scope of God's plan to bring the world back to Himself, I believe America will get the leader(s) she deserves. Some of you found the snopes.com article about the Redskins either to be eerie or beyond humorous, and I'm just hoping that Joe Gibbs doesn't develop a powerhouse team that can't be beaten in four years (if you know what I mean).

Anyway, please feel free to recommend the 'Wednesday Weekly' to other like-minded intercessors in your circle of friends. Invite them either to send me an email at scoterry31684-subscribe@topica.com or to subscribe at our Wednesday Weekly website.

Matthew 24:14

* Be sure to sign up for the Wednesday Weekly.

+ I met with a local merchant last week to discuss some of his products and needed intercession to keep our relationship from turning sour... wow, did your intercession have a deep impact! We discussed the misunderstanding and, so far, all seems well. Thank you for praying!

+ You prayed with us to have divine appointments to speak to local people about God's love and mercy during Ramadan... this is our third Ramadan in Jerusalem and, wow, have they been different from the half dozen or so we saw in Gaza! The level of "receptivity" and openness is a bit disturbing, but we're still on the lookout for those to whom God is drawing to Himself. Please continue praying as He leads.

+ Jasmine and I combined her monthly celebration of the 30th with my birthday, and you prayed with me that she would have an enjoyable, memorable time of celebration... oh, and was it ever! Every day I try to remember to listen to her giggle or laugh, and this day was easy.

<T H I S  W E E K><

<>< Pray with me that a special errand to find an engraved brass plate will be accomplished.

<>< Join Shirin and co-laborers as they pray on Thursday for each woman who attends the Bible Study in the Old City. They need encouragement and guidance on how to help the women embrace their salvation in Christ and not to turn back to their old ways.

<>< Join us in giving thanks for Jasmine's unselfish sacrifice of after-school play and her weekly ballet lesson in order to surprise me with a secret visit to Burger King. It seems she's showing how to "give."

>< Pray for the Macedonians. >

CALENDAR UPDATES

<If you're not receiving our bimonthly snail-mail newsletter, let us know so we can send it to you!><

27-28, Pray for all of Jasmine's cousins to know Jesus.

* I received an updated of one of my nieces and continued praying that she would grow up hearing His word (Ro 10:17).

29, Ask God to save Arafat.

* Wow, who would have known his condition today as we prepared this calendar? What an opportune time to pray for his salvation!

30, Jasmine is 5 + 5 mos.

* And, oh, how she grows!

31, Thank God for the Reformation!

* If the US continues in the spiritual direction she's going, we may very well need another one.

1, May our focus be on Him.

* Today was a great day to turn joint efforts at focusing on Him, and we thank you for praying.

2, Happy 40th, Scott!

* Shirin and Jasmine helped make this a great day!