WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN….THE EVENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

Most of us have watched the events unfold over the last seven or eight weeks in the Middle East, beginning with the demonstrations in Egypt which focused most Americans in on the events and then leading to seven different countries and the protests there for “democracy”. It seems the beginning was in Tunisia,  then moved to,  briefly,  Kuwait, Jordan, then to Egypt,  Yemen,  Algeria,  Libya,   The United Arab Emirates and now even small demonstrations are being seen in Iran.

Many of us that have done work in various phases of interfaith efforts and other venues of bridge building between peoples have seen two sides to this coin. The hopeful side that wants real democracy and the other side that wants Sharia law installed in a government that perforce becomes a theocracy,  which could mean another Iran.

Of course there will be differences all through the mix as well. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is repeatedly sited as a moderating force, but they were NOT the ones who started the demonstrations in Egypt and are relative late comers to the show. But because they have an organised structure it may be easy for them to rise to the top of negotiations and setting up whatever government is to follow.

Supposedly they call themselves moderates, and have at least spoken that way.  But,  the other branches of the Brotherhood,  in other countries,  are not moderate and have elemants of Hamas and Hizbollah and others that are downright terrorist organizations. That naturally concerns people everywhere. Especially in the western world.  And of course Israel.

In Egypt there have been very heartening examples of the people giving succor and support one to another regardless of religion or politics and that is a great hope lifter. In many instances they have shouted,  ” Christian or Muslim, we  are EGYPTIANS FIRST!  This brings great hope that the people’s will to enter the twenty first century alongside the western secular governments that assure freedom of what ever someone believes, and that it can be practiced in safety and security. I myself believe that is the hope of most people no matter where they live or in what country they reside.

With freedom comes responsibility to one another,  as few realise who have never had true freedom before,  but it is a hard learned lesson that has been brought to the people as an example in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Hard won indeed as so many want to hold power over those who are different and subjugate them anew.

It is my fondest wish that we will see the honest brokering with the people and their militaries and current and future leaders for shared power and responsibility in the countries as they shake off the bonds of Monarchies and dictatorships that have endured for,  in some cases,  1400 years!

Let us all pray for these people and the countries they live in that they can find peace,  liberty, and true equality in these perilous times.

Rev. Bruce Holzrichter Sr.  Pastor,  Tree of The Mustard Seed Ministries  and  Co-founder..The People of Abraham,  Christians,  Muslims and Jews.

How much more of this poison do we need to hear??

The following is from Christians United For Israel’s blog and news letter, which I receive weekly I thought it time to bring some of this here so you can see what you may not be aware of, that is in the world.

Mind you this was at a meeting of held under U.N. auspices.   Is it time for some hard thinking vis a vis our relations with them and others??

Rev. Bruce

Author David Broder from his blog;

Last week, the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day, Iran’s President Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva.  Here, he did a great favor for all who love Israel — he was honest.  He allowed his virulent hate for Israel and his bizarre anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to flow from his tongue largely unfiltered.  It was an ugly performance. 
 
The delegates from most European nations walked out on Ahmadinejad’s speech.  Even the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, was moved to criticism.  Most other delegates, of course, remained in their seats.  Many cheered. 
 
But Ahmadinejad is rarely so honest.  And he is rarely so helpful.  It is what this man does in the shadows — not what he says in public — that is most dangerous.  And what he does in the dark typically gets far less attention.    
 
In a little-noted development last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing an Egyptian source, reported that unidentified warships torpedoed an Iranian cargo ship off the coast of Sudan.  The Iranian ship was reported to be laden with weapons bound for the Gaza Strip.  The warship is believed to have been Israeli
 
In January, there were numerous reports that unidentified warplanes attacked a convoy of trucks passing through the Sudanese desert.  The trucks were reported to be filled with Iranian arms bound for Gaza.  Well-placed sources have confirmed that the planes belonged to Israel.   

Israeli observers believe that this arms convoy contained Iranian Fajr rockets.  Such rockets — with a range of 70 kilometers — would give Hamas the ability to strike the heart of Tel Aviv. 
 
Looming large behind all of these efforts against Israel, of course, is Iran’s nuclear program.  Iran continues to enrich uranium in contravention of United Nations resolutions.  In February, United Nations officials acknowledged that Iran now has enough enriched uranium for an atomic weapon. 
 
Which leads us to one final news item from last week.  In hearings before Congress, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton warned that the US is laying the groundwork for “crippling sanctions” against Iran if diplomacy fails to stop its nuclear program.  This is a certainly a positive development.  Offering Mr. Ahmadinejad carrots without a stick in sight was unlikely to elicit much of a response. 
 
The Iranian threat is not going away.  And walking out on Ahmadinejad’s speeches — while important and deeply appreciated — does nothing to stop his steady, daily, determined actions to confront Israel.  Offering negotiations — while quite possibly a good way to build greater international support — must not be allowed to turn into yet another opportunity for Ahmadinejad to delay and stall.  It is time for the world to graduate from gestures to actions. 
 
Iran has proven itself able to talk and act at the same time.  The Israelis, too, are acting with constant vigilance to keep Iran from arming its proxies on Israel’s border.  There is no reason why we should not act as well.  There is indeed a time for “crippling sanctions” against Iran.  That time is now.  

 These are dangerousd times and we ALL of us owe Mr David Broder and Reverend Hagee our thanks for bringing these things to our attention when so many will not, especially our main stream media.

Rev. Bruce Holzrichter Sr……………………….Tawodi

Duck your head there’s a war out there

This was written on June tenth 2007 and comes from my blog titled Life Religion Family.
By reading this you will begin to see who and what we are and what we are up against join us it’s our country too and eventualy, God willing ,our world to live in as the article states, in peace.

THERE’S A WAR, and it’s not what you might think it would be, or even, WHO, it would be!! I was on some different venues over the last few days and got slam dunked a couple of times from….you guessed it!! Fellow Christians.

What is so hard to understand about acceptance?? I don’t follow the tennets of Islam, but to listen to some of these people I’m the worst thing to come down the pike since Judas Iscariot!!!
Nothing about me has changed, I still preach the word of God, to us, through Jesus Christ and the New Testament, I still do Hospice work, with all that it entails, I still visit the sick and the shut in’s who can’t travel to church and worship, or just need to see another human being once in a while, and of course do this work of reconciliation, proudly might I add, to stand with so many who seek peace through understanding.

I am starting to see something very disturbing out there and what it is, flies in the face of all we have been taught as Christians.It is written that Jesus said “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves, be thee therefore as wise as serpents, and as harmless as doves.” I had somebody quote this to me, in an attempt to show me the error of my ways!!!

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, he completely forgot the part about the doves!! It seems that there is, out there, a certain percentage of people who believe that the Muslims are the children of Satan and will be the armies of the anti Christ and the sooner the war comes the sooner we all get to be with Jesus in His Heaven…….Frightening to say the least!!

First off, it seems to me to be the height of arrogance on the part of some because we are told, “ No man knoweth the hour of His coming, only the Father.” We are to be as watchmen on the wall, ready, but not to stop living in the world, but to live in such a way that we may be worthy of His heaven, not force the coming of it!!! As if we could!!!

The open condemnation of literally, billions of human beings to the fires of hell, is to them it seems, almost eagerly looked forward to, almost like some kind of cosmic wienie roast, to which we, as Christians, have been invited to attend and enjoy!!
GOD, sweet loving Christ, PROTECT US!!! From such as these, who it would seem, gleefully anticipate the deaths of billiions to feel some kind of wierd justifcation in their faith.
Are the people of other faiths to be saved?? Are they to be condemned by God as sinners?? Maybe, or perhaps definitely, but I can gaurantee one thing for certain sure, there is no human being on this green earth that is supposed to do it!!! God tells us again and again, not to do that, it is HIS province to judge mens hearts, NOT OURS!!!

For centuries we condemned the Jews, only to find through exegitical studies, that they are still the people of the covenant!! They will be given the chance according to scripture to profess Jesus as Lord. We are taught through scripture that those who but live in the world, also serve the Lord our God and will be judged from their deeds, written in the book of life. by GOD, not us!! We are taught in the Lords prayer to ask to not, be led into temptation, and what do they do!!! Assume they know the mind of God, in regard to the ultimate disposition of billions of human beings, Sweet Lord, what arrogance!! It is unbelievable to me, that so many would fail so utterly to understand, the basic tennets of our faith this way!!!

I have seen time and again these people give explanations of the Quoran, when it is so incredibly obvious, they have no clue about their own Bible and, what it says in regard to these matters of guilt and innocence in matters of faith.

First there are millions of American Muslims right here in this country who have never hurt anyone and never will, they are innocent. There are literally more than a billion others, who the same thing can be said for, they are innocent !!

Are there monsters out there? YES, must they be dealt with, unfortunately, in the only way open to us to deal with them? YES, But the innocent must NOT be condemned along with them.
There are monsters among us, who call ourselves Christians, and they call themselves Christians too, and they must be dealt with also, hopefully, before we reach the point that we have reached with the terrorists of the world, but dealt with none the less. there is NO gainsaying that. I would have to be a fool to believe otherwise and I like to think, I am not a fool.
Some have accused me of trying to start some wierd hybrid Christian, Muslim religion, balderdash, this is no such thing. The people involved in this intend to leave the religion, or lack of it, in others, STRICTLY, alone. It is none of our business what some one believes, only that they believe, you and I and them, have the right, not to be murdered, for that belief!!! We have the right, to demand that our children prosper in their beliefs and have a better life than we have had. Not to be murdered because they are of a certain faith, or race, or sex.

Look to the right side of the post in the column, you will find places to go and learn about the efforts of thousands to bring peace to this mud ball before we blow it up. You need not profess their faith, just understand, they have a right to it, as human beings and as you study, you will find not one of them is authorised by God, or Jesus Christ, or Muhammad, to kill you for your faith. Yes the Quoran talks of wars in the early years against pagans and, now perverted cultural influences and governments are using it to twist their people to war, but so are those who profess to be Christians!!! help us stop this, at least in America, where we have religious freedom, at least for now, stop this, while there is still time.

In the name of Christ we pray…..Amen………. Rev. Bruce…………………………… Tawodi