A Christian Running for President in a 90% Muslim Country in Africa

We have a friend named N. Yeah Samake. He is from a village called Ouelesseebougou in Mali. Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. They call it Sub-Saharan because it is just below the Sahara Desert. It is hot most of the time, with temperatures often reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit. (Over 48 degrees Celsius). As a child growing up with 17 siblings, his father insisted that the children would get an education to help them break out of the cycle of poverty. Even though there were many, many times he and his family went to bed hungry, all of the children received an education and are now enjoying the fruit of their labors. Yeah is now a well-respected Mayor there.

He moved to the United States at the beginning of this millennium to complete his graduate level university studies. Fairly soon upon arriving to the United States, he converted to Christianity. His family remains Muslim, but he and his wife are Christian. His family and his countrymen are supportive of his religious choice. 

In 2011, Mayor Samake announced that he would run for President in Mali in 2012. The election is on April 29, 2012. He has many large groups of young people who are anxious for him to win because his platform includes transparency and integrity. He also has the endorsement of many other mayors in Mali. I have heard people in the USA tell him "I wish you could run for President here!" He wants to help his fellow countrymen raise their country from poverty up to the level of an emerging nation.

Samake will be the first to tell you that he cannot do this alone. If you feel motivated by his courage and leadership ability, please consider reading more about him at http://samake2012.com . You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter @YeahSamake and @TeamSamake Another place to read about what is going on in Mali is through Yeah's wife's blog at http://firstladymali2012.com . She even has Bambara lessons in her blog! (In Mali, they speak Bambara, French, and some English.)

Of course, donations are welcome. Most importantly, your prayers on Mayor Samake's behalf and the behalf of his country's citizens are very welcome. Luke 1:37 says that "with God, nothing shall be impossible." I believe that - and I know you do, too. 

Pronunciation guide:

YAY SAHM uh kay = Yeah Samake

Way lay say BOO goo = Ouelesseebougou

MAH lee = Mali

Thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers!

Jesus Christ is the Literal Son of God, Our Heavenly Father

Around the world yesterday, we celebrated one of the greatest events of the history of the planet. We celebrated the birth of the literal son of God, Our Heavenly Father. God loved us, so he sent his only begotten son. With a mortal mother and an immortal father, Jesus is the only one who could overcome death and pave the way for all of us. This was done because of love for each and every one of us.

When you read this and you feel a special feeling, this is your spirit recognizing that it is reality in an eternal perspective. The Holy Spirit is there to testify to you of all things that are true according to God's truth.

With faith, go forward. Act on all things that bring you to Jesus Christ. He wants to be your advocate. When you have made mistakes in the past, Jesus Christ steps forward to offer mercy which satisfies justice. This is true, but difficult to understand why it has to be this way. That is where our faith comes into play. In the next week or so, I will be posting some thoughts about repentance, if you would like to check back.

My heart is full as I write this. I feel like I am writing this for somebody who is really searching for information about Jesus. If it is you, dear reader, know that Jesus does live this day and He looks forward to a reunion with you. Please live worthy of His presence, so this can happen. Do good wherever you live and talk to God, Our Father in Heaven. Close your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ." It will be sure to be heard.

With love.

What If We Could Love One Another?

What if we all got along? What if we were able to "love one another" as Jesus told us to do? What would this world be like?

We have each been given the power to choose for ourselves how we will manage our thoughts, feelings and actions. Sometimes we don't feel like we have choices, but we always have a choice. We must be brave and choose to love our fellow man, even in the face of hatred and fear. If we can love one another, the world will become a better place.

While we are choosing our actions, we should consider how our actions will affect others. Will they have a positive impact or a negative impact? Will our actions cause a ripple effect?

We can always ask Heavenly Father for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we close this prayer "in the name of Jesus", we can rest assured that our prayer was heard by the great God who is Our Father in Heaven.

In following Jesus, we can become a loving soul.  The world can be healed.

Today I Was Robbed

Today I was meeting my sister for lunch. I set my phone on the table. I quickly placed my order at the counter. When I came back to the table, just a few feet away, my phone had been lifted.

Yes, it was my fault. I should not have set it down. I figured I was in a busy restaurant in an area with a very low crime rate. Now I know: It doesn't matter where I am, I will not set my phone down in public.

I am so pleased that in spite of being upset by the feeling of being robbed, that I was able to think of the thief. I said a quiet prayer that the Lord would soften his or her heart and my phone might somehow miraculously be returned. With it being so close to Christmas, I figured someone needed some cash. My hopes were not very high, but I trusted that the Lord had heard my prayers.

After having the phone deactivated, I headed home. When I opened my computer to change all my passwords, I discovered a note on my Facebook. Someone had found my phone and they were trying to return it to me. I got it back about an hour later.

Not only was I reminded that God does hear our prayers, but I was able today to pray for the sinner and hope he or she would repent and return my phone. I am grateful that his (her) heart was softened.

I Like This Joke!

Three buddies die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the pearly gates.

They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and
... family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say
about you?

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was the
greates doctor of my time, and a great family man."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful
husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our
children of tomorrow."

The last guy replies,
"I would like to hear them say... LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!!!!!"

haha! Hope you liked it!

Paul Wrote from Athens to The Saints in Thessalonica About 60 AD-ish

Today I saw this in the New Testament of the Holy Bible and I thought it was very cool. This is part of a letter that Paul the Disciple of Jesus Christ wrote while he was in Athens to the Saints in Thessalonica. This was probably around 60 AD or so. I like it because it gives them specific things to be aware of.

I like how he said to not do anything to quench the Holy Spirit. You know those few times when you are deep in prayer and you feel like God himself is just right there with you? Those are the times you are feeling the Holy Spirit. You can also sense the presence of the Holy Spirit at other times, too. 

I also like how he asks the brethren in Thessalonica to pray for them. That shows that Paul was very humble, even though he was a strong leader.

The reference for this is 1 Thessalonians 5:14-25 found in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, ^awarn them that are ^bunruly, ^ccomfort the ^dfeebleminded, ^esupport the ^fweak, be patient toward all men.

15 See that none ^arender ^bevil for evil unto any ^cman; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

16 ^aRejoice evermore.

17 ^aPray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give ^athanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 ^aQuench not the ^bSpirit.

20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 ^aProve all things; hold fast that which is good.

22 ^aAbstain from all ^bappearance of ^cevil.

23 And the very God of peace ^asanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

25 Brethren, pray for us.

With love.

Who Is Jesus?

Thank you for reading my blog. I can see from my stats analysis that some of you are from places where Jesus is not usually taught or talked about very much. From this analysis I realize that I should not assume that you have the same knowledge about Jesus that I have. In my next few posts, I will share with you what I know about Jesus Christ.

You will see that Jesus is greater than any other person that lived on the earth, because he is more than just a person. He is our Savior and the way by which we can have immortality and eternal life.

We can read more about him in the New Testament of The Holy Bible. Here is one website which has the King James Version of the Holy Bible: http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke?lang=eng This is a link to The New Testament in the Holy Bible. This book was written by Luke, a physician who traveled with Paul. Paul started out being active persecuting Christians until one day on his way to Damascus to persecute some more Christians, he saw a vision of the Lord Jesus. This event changed the course of his life. Paul then did a 180 degree turn and traveled to preach about Jesus. This all happened around 60 AD.

When I was a child, I learned about Jesus at a private religious school I attended. Later, I learned that He is the one who agreed to make an atonement for our sins and overcome death so that we could all choose to return to Our Heavenly Father. He was born to Mary over 2000 years ago. He died at the early age of 33 when he was crucified on a wooden cross. The most significant part is that just before his death, he took upon himself all of our sins. I do not know how he did this, but I know he was allowed to do it. The pain was so incredible that he sweated blood. He died on the cross the next day and three days later he was resurrected, meaning his body was whole and his spirit and his body were reunited. Only Jesus was able to overcome death and he did this for each one of us. It is hard to understand how he can know each one of us, but He literally knows each one of us by name. When we pray to God the Father in Jesus' name, our prayers are heard. Guaranteed.

In death our spirit separates from our bodies. However, because of the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, we will one day be resurrected. Our bodies and our spirit will reunite and be together in a healthy state forever after that.

So, is Jesus just another great prophet? I submit to you that he is greater and more powerful than any person who has ever lived on this earth. At some point, we must each recognize what Jesus did and that he is our advocate with our Father in heaven.

....more later......

With love.