From the Desk of James W. Goll

In he Hebrew Calendar, today at sundown marks the beginning of a New Year as we celebrate Rosh Hashanah this week which leads us into the Ten Days of Awe. So, this week in our Global Prayer Storm, we will prepare ourselves, along with Jewish people around the globe, to “start the year” off right.

Mark Roye, International Director of Compassion Acts, brings us A View From My Chair with an update report on the ravaging fires that have devastated the state of Texas. We are partnering with other ministries to reach out to Bastrop, Texas with Compassion Acts latest Disaster Relief response to help these precious families whose homes have been burned to the ground. Mark is also including a few photos to show the magnitude of the destruction and help us identify with the needs. Your help can give hope, and change the life of a family.

We are continuing our Health Recovery Fund for the rest of the fall as I head back to Germany to His Place Wellness Center in October. We still need your help! We are asking the Lord for 350 more people to donate a one-time gift of $100 to help us through this season. Also, pray about joining us at our FIRE ON THE ALTAR International Prayer Storm Convocation, November 3–5, 2011 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This is for you!

Remember, in Jesus, We Make a Great Team!

James W. Goll, Mark Roye and the EN-PS-CA Team

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>>Click Here<< to Become a Compassion Acts Monthly Partner.

On September 4th, the fires in Bastrop, Texas began to rage, and people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution. What started out as an inconvenience, quickly turned into a nightmare for over 1,600 families that lost their homes when 35,000 acres of forestland burned.

One such family Pastors the First Assembly of God - Bastrop. He and his wife had just finished their Sunday morning worship service, and then went to lunch with some friends. His wife then returned home to rest before their Sunday

evening worship service. Shortly after arriving at the house for a nap, the police were at the front door telling her to leave their home immediately. She called her husband, who was at the church, and frantically asked him to come home and help her get what they could from their home. Only minutes later, he arrived at the road to their house and found that it was blocked. He could not get to his wife or to their home.

He called to tell her that he was unable get to her, and that she should leave as quickly as possible. It was truly a situation of life and death. He did not know if she would make it out. She grabbed a few personal papers and family treasures and then jumped into her car and rushed out of their driveway. As she got to the main road, the smoke grew thicker and thicker. In fact, the smoke was so thick that it was only because of her familiarity with the route that she was able to make the drive out of the area.

It would be over a week later before this Pastor was able to go back to see their house. It was completely destroyed. Their lives were reduced to a foot of ash. In the days that followed, they would spend time sifting through the ashes hoping to find any personal items. They found one item spared by the fire - a Precious Promise plate that said “Praise God Anyhow”. What a startling moment and reminder…

This is just one of many stories that I’ve heard over the past few weeks from the people of Bastrop who have lost so much. Just a few days after the onset of the fires, I felt I needed to go and see what we could do to help. In partnership with Blood’n Fire San Antonio and other ministries, we are doing on site what we could to bring assistance to those in need. We’ve delivered aid, given away gift cards to families that needed clothing, and have done what we could to help the many people that are just beginning to rebuild their homes and lives.

It seems that disasters are coming every few months, and Compassion Acts desires to be there to help. When disasters hit, we quickly move to do what we can. We like to come alongside local churches that are working in their communities. Disasters are a great time for the “Church” to do what we often do best, bring hope to those who are suffering. It is in these extreme and painful circumstances that we get to see the "Body of Christ" come together - everyone doing their part for the greater good.

Thank You for Giving and, Thank You for Praying for Those in Need.

Mark Roye
International Director of Compassion Acts
www.compassionacts.com
www.bloodnfiresanantonio.org

Click Here to Be a Part of the Relief Effort in Texas

Click to Play: Get God's Perspective – by Doug Stringer

Doug Stringer of Somebody Cares International shares his heart and some of his life's testimony with you. This message was given at Compassion Acts Light Belongs in the Darkness Conference in the spring of 2011, and has jewels of wisdom for each of us.

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Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe

The Head of the Year

On Wednesday night, September 28, 2011, Jews will begin celebrating one of their most important religious holidays, Rosh Hashanah, which commemorates the creation of the world. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means the "head of the year." It is also called the Feast of Trumpets. The blowing of a ram's horn (shofar) proclaims Rosh Hashanah, and summons Jews to religious services. Jews used the ram's horn as a trumpet in Biblical times to announce the new moon, holidays, and war. As the Jewish New Year, this is a celebratory holiday but there are also deeper spiritual meanings tied to it.

Putting Your Spiritual House in Order

While it does have its festive side, Rosh Hashanah is not one big party as the New Year's celebrations of December 31 tend to be. Jewish tradition teaches that it is also the Day of Judgment. On Rosh Hashanah, God is said to inscribe the fate of every person for the upcoming year in the Book of Life or the Book of Death. The verdict is not final until Yom Kippur which comes 10 days later. The period between the two holidays is known as the Ten Days of Awe during which Jews reflect upon their actions over the past year and seek forgiveness for their transgressions in hopes of influencing God's final judgment. It is an important period for personal introspection and prayer and plays an important part of the process of spiritual growth.

Teshuvah (Repentance) and Forgiveness

The Hebrew word for "sin" is "chet," which is derived from an old archery term used when an archer "misses the mark." This helps give us clarity on the Jewish view of sin: all people are essentially good and sin is a product of our errors, or our missing the mark, as we are all imperfect. A critical part of Rosh Hashanah is making amends for these sins and seeking forgiveness.

Teshuvah (literally "returning") is the process by which Jews atone on Rosh Hashanah and throughout the Ten Days of Awe. Jews are required to seek forgiveness from people that they may have wronged over the past year before seeking forgiveness from God. Teshuvah is a multi-step process for demonstrating true repentance. First, one must recognize that they have made a mistake and genuinely desire to change for the better. They must then seek to make amends for their actions in a sincere and meaningful way, and finally demonstrate they have learned from their mistakes by not repeating them. When a Jew is sincere in his or her efforts at Teshuvah, it is the responsibility of other Jews to offer forgiveness during the Ten Days of Awe.

Mitzvah of the Shofar

The essential mitzvah (commandment) of Rosh Hashanah is to hear the sounding of the shofar. This instrument is generally made from a hollowed out ram's horn that is then blown like a trumpet on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. There are several different shofar calls used on Rosh Hashanah. The tekiah is one long blast. The teruah is nine short blasts. The shevarim is three blasts. And the tekiah gedolah is a single long blast, much longer than all the rest.

Apples and Honey and Festive Meal

There are many Rosh Hashanah food customs but the most common is the dipping of apples into honey, which is meant to signify our wishes for a sweet new year. A festive meal shared with family and friends to celebrate the New Year is central to this day. A special round loaf of challah bread, which symbolizes the cycle of time, is generally served and dipped in honey with a special prayer for a sweet new year.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, we present ourselves to you at the beginning of the New Year. We are asking for the work of the Holy Spirit’s conviction to move upon each of our lives. Remove from us those things which are not pleasing to You. We consecrate ourselves freshly by the blood of Jesus and commit ourselves, our families and our spheres of influence into Your hands for such a time as this. Yes, we look forward to sweet new things as we choose to “start the year off right.” Amen and Amen!

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