Dobra Family Blog

Cry Out America! Peoria County Illinois - Sept. 11

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
Joel 1:14

'Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure' - D.L. Moody

Everywhere I look lately, God has been revealing His mighty power at work! From people overcoming religious barriers to find Jesus' grace (had a baptism this weekend, praise God!), to men overcoming the devil's trap of isolation and getting connected to other men to share in each others burdens and grow closer to Jesus, to local churches dealing with growth issues, and to God's people walking out in faith to leave everything that is comfortable and safe and start a new church! Praise God!

Please join me in prayer. Pray specifically for your church members, your small group, your ministry, and generally for the body of Christ to continue to wake up and become His shepherd servants where they are. No program this year, just sincere prayer from the heart and in the Spirit. Please join me.

Sept. 11, 2010

Last year was awesome! It was amazing that the Gospel was boldly proclaimed in the public square!

But this year I am taking a different approach. A very humble solemn assembly. Just God's people hand-in-hand in prayer crying out for a Christ Awakening.

When: September 11, 2010, Noon to 1pm
Where: The Peoria County Courthouse Plaza, corner of Adams and Hamilton.
Contact: Mick Dobra C: 309-231-4542
Or on the web: Cry Out America at ChaplainMick.com
Video Inivitation

On September 11 our nation will pause to remember the greatest "wake-up" call in our generation, the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. As part of the Awakening America Alliance, a call is being issued for Christians across the nation to mark this significant day in our history with powerful prayer for America and the lost individuals of this country. In every one of the 3141 counties in the United States, during the noon lunch hour on September 11, Christians will unite around their county courthouse to cry out to God with focused prayer for their community, their lost friends and family, and for the spiritual condition of our nation.

Can you please help with the expenses of the event and outreach? If you feel moved to do so, please make checks payable to Richwoods Christian Church and make a note that it is for Cry Out America c/o Mick Dobra (mail to address below). We will need approximately $400 to offset 2009 and prepare for 2010 expenses, the largest of which are printing, sound system, and outreach materials. Any donations above and beyond our expenses will be donated to VOM (The Voice of the Martyrs www.persecution.com) to aid our brothers and sisters living for Christ in nations without religious freedom.

Mail checks to:
Mick Dobra, Cry Out America
Richwoods Christian Church
8115 N Knoxville Ave
Peoria IL 61615

Awakening America Alliance

Update: New PDF zero-day bug in Adobe, 9/9/10

"Adobe today warned users that attacks have begun exploiting an unpatched bug in its popular Reader and Acrobat PDF viewing and creation software."
Hackers exploit new PDF zero-day bug, warns Adobe: Criminals conduct 'limited' attacks with rigged PDF attachments

6/29/2010: Adobe brings forward security update for Reader

Update: Attackers exploit critical bug in Adobe's Flash, Reader
June 06, 2010 08:11 AM ET

Hackers are already exploiting the flaw. "There are reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild against Flash Player, Reader and Acrobat," the company said in a security advisory issued around 3:30 p.m. PT Friday.
networkworld.com

** US-CERT ** added June 5, 2010 at 10:28 am

Adobe has released a security advisory to notify users of a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player, Reader, and Acrobat. Exploitation of this vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and take control of the affected system. The advisory indicates that Adobe is aware of active exploitation of this vulnerability.
us-cert.gov

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Baptism at Lake Evans - 09-04-2010

Congrats and welcome to the eternal family, Jona!

The Bible Knights Quest! - Bible Challenge 2010 - Week 22 - 09/05/2010

Week 22 - Luke Chapter 22
 
Knights and Ladies,
 
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:20

Jesus is the final passover lamb. His sacrifice and blood make the final atonement for our sins. Praise God!

Jesus and the disciples just finished the Passover or paschal meal established at the time of the exodus. The lamb was sacrificed and the blood used to identify those that placed their faith in God. By the sacrifice and blood of the lamb, God's judgment would passover His people. This was the prophetic symbolism of God's final sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ.

Jesus laid down his life sacrificially, and if we believe and place our faith in Him, by His blood, we are forgiven!

“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40

“The Lord's supper is a sign or memorial of Christ already come, who by dying delivered us; his death is in special manner set before us in that ordinance, by which we are reminded of it. The breaking of Christ's body as a sacrifice for us, is therein brought to our remembrance by the breaking of bread. Nothing can be more nourishing and satisfying to the soul, than the doctrine of Christ's making atonement for sin, and the assurance of an interest in that atonement. Therefore we do this in rememberance of what He did for us, when he died for us; and for a memorial of what we do, in joining ourselves to him in an everlasting covenant. The shedding of Christ's blood, by which the atonement was made, is represented by the wine in the cup.”
(“Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)” 1706)

“He then took the cup, and gave thanks. The cup was provided for the celebration of the paschal feast, and was at hand as well as the bread. Drink ye all of it. Observe that he simply said of the bread, 'Take, eat;' but of the wine, 'Drink ye all,' as if he intended to uproot the Catholic innovation of denying the cup to the laity... the new covenant is contrasted with 'the covenant which God made with our fathers' ( Acts 3:25 ). Shed for many. Shed, in one sense, for all, for the benefits of the blood are offered to all; but 'many' accept it and are saved.”
(“The People's New Testament” 1891)

Commentaries:
www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries
 
Accept the challenge, take the quest!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
 
A prayer for the use of Holy Scripture:
 
O Gracious God and most merciful Father, who has granted us the rich and precious jewel of Your holy word, assist us with Your Spirit, that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to Your own Image, to build us up, and to instruct us into the perfect building of Christlikeness, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
(adapted from the “1599 Geneva Bible” Tolle Lege Press, 2006-2007)
 

TOMS Shoes!

I just have to share this. We saved enough to buy our first pair of TOMS for our family! We will continue to save and hope to buy a pair for all four of us before Christmas. That's four pairs of shoes for someone that may never have had a pair otherwise. Awesome!

TOMS: One for One, with every pair purchased, one is given to a child in need!

Campaign Update, August 28, 2010

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, you may cherish
the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost"
- - John Quincy Adams

Dear Family, Friends and Fellow Constitutionalists,

As expected, the Illinois Board of Elections (IBOE) upheld the hearing
officer's recommendations and voted to remove the Constitution Party
from the ballot. A fuller explanation of what happened will be forth
coming next week. Suffice it to say for now that with addition
objections, the objectors were able to get us under the 25,000 signature
minimum qualification for ballot access.

HOWEVER...

We are not dead in the water, yet. While the hull of this ship is most
certainly shot up, we've still got plenty of ammunition and the engines
are still running. To quote John Paul Jones when the British asked him
to surrender, "I have not yet begun to fight!" . . .

Should the judicial review fail, I am going to need your financial help.
If you are tired of the status quo; if you are tired of the corruption
that permeates every aspect of Illinois politics; if you would like to
be given the opportunity for choices (instead of candidates being shoved
down your throat); I NEED YOUR HELP!

Our attorney (Doug Ibendahl) has been severely underpaid. There is
still hope for the Constitution Party because of the representation that
Mr. Ibendahl has provided. He and Cathy, have gone far above the call
of duty and invested their heart and soul into standing up for integrity
and liberty in defense of the Constitution Party's right to be on the
ballot in November. . .

The bottom line is that win, lose or draw in this battle for ballot
access, I will continue the fight to level the playing field for all
third party and independent candidates. There's only one way to end the
corruption and stop the bleeding in Illinois (and across the nation) and
that's for there to be competition in the political arena, the same way
as it is in the market place.

WILL YOU STAND WITH ME? If so, please respond and let me know!

Sincerely yours in liberty,
Randall C. Stufflebeam
Candidate for U.S. Senate

Email:
Randy@RandyForUSSenate.com

Website:
www.RandyForUSSenate.com

Phone:
618-355-0737

At least through this round. It seems many of the signature objections by the Republican party may be fraudulent, but as of now, the Constitution Party is on the ballot!

Read Illinois GOP behaving like Chicago Democrats, ". . . what you probably don’t know is that the Republican Machine is putting the Democrat Machine to shame right now. . . now Pat Brady is heading the effort to keep Constitutionalists and Libertarians from having a vote too – for ALL of their candidates. . . Oh well, at least Pat Brady is consistent in his opposition to the right to vote. . . I can also see as clearly as anyone that our GOP has at least two candidates on the statewide ballot who aren’t even Republicans in any sense of the word. I’m talking about Mark Kirk and Judy Baar Topinka. At a minimum, I personally want another choice when it comes to those two. . . "

[Updated 8/9/2010]

Or, you can send a check or money order to:

Stufflebeam for U.S. Senate
304 Lincolnshire Blvd.
Belleville, IL 62221

Thank you, for your generous donations!

Randy Stufflebeam

Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
618-355-0737 office 618-978-3946 cell
email: Randy@RandyForUSSenate.com

Campaign Manager - Marshall Swing
618-566-0888 office 618-581-8917 cell
email: mswing@RandyforUSSenate.com

Delight in the Lord"

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

The last two days I fasted lunch and went to a park and sat and read my bible and just delighted in the Lord. No agenda, no program, just me and my Heavenly Father sitting on a park bench listening, looking, and delighting.

Thank you Father.

Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you . . .

Jesus said to the scared disciples, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
Matthew 14:22-36

Undertaking a “Hazardous Enterprise”

Picture it, your sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake during windy and stormy conditions. It's a situation in which everyone would be clinging to the boat. I mean clinging as if for dear life! No one would want to get out of the boat. . . unless it were docked along solid ground!

What if the boat were a safe aspect of life in this world, and the stormy conditions are the realities of this life? Perhaps a job that provides for you and your family in tough economic times.

And what if, in the midst of life's turmoil, Jesus comes to you? What if he comes to you in the form of an opportunity to live out your passion, what you sense is your calling in life? Would you jump out of the boat into the storm and unknown?

I'm facing this very question in my life. Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you!

1) Study the Scriptures to know Jesus' heart. You know Jesus is involved if it concerns loving people, finding the lost, building His kingdom, His church, and discipling people in loving authentic community. If it is Jesus, “Take courage!” Do not be afraid.

2) Pray. Peter didn't just jump out of the boat. He asked, “Lord if it is you...” and he waited for Jesus' command, His call to get out of the boat, “tell me to come to you...”

3) Count the cost. Peter was reminded of the hazardous nature of Jesus' call to get out of the boat after the first committed steps. Jesus tells us to count the cost of following Him. Peter had the physical presence of Jesus and knew His voice. Today we must depend more on scripture meditation, prayer, and . . .

4) Seek wise counsel. Seek out the wisdom and advice of those you can trust; those you can trust to tell you the truth and not just tell you what you want to hear.

5) And finally, have the faith to follow Him!

Lord, if it is you, give me the faith to follow you no matter how hard the wind howls!

“ Nothing needs be a terror to those that have Christ near them, and know he is theirs; no, not death itself...

It is an instance of Peter’s affection to Christ, that he desired to come to him. When he sees Christ, whom, doubtless, during the storm, he had many a time wished for, he is impatient to be with him. He does not say, Bid me walk on the waters, as desiring it for the miracle sake; but, Bid me come to thee, as desiring it for Christ’s sake; 'Let me come to thee, no matter how.' Note, True love will break through fire and water, if duly called to it, to come to Christ... When Christ is coming towards us in a way of mercy, we must go forth to meet him in a way of duty; and herein we must be willing and bold to venture with him and venture for him. Those that would have benefit by Christ as a Saviour, must thus by faith come to him...

It is an instance of Peter’s caution and due observance of the will of Christ, that he would not come without a warrant. Not, "If it be thou, I will come;’’ but If it be thou, bid me come. Note, The boldest spirits must wait for a call to hazardous enterprizes, and we must not rashly and presumptuously thrust ourselves upon them. Our will to services and sufferings is interpreted, not willingness, but wilfulness, if it have not a regard to the will of Christ, and be not regulated by his call and command. Such extraordinary warrants as this to Peter we are not now to expect, but must have recourse to the general rules of the word, in the application of which to particular cases, with the help of providential hints, wisdom is profitable to direct.”

(“Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible” 1706,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/matth...)