"The only place where the Cristian can be naked without fear is in the presence of Christ." - RC Sproul
FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications
Thanksgiving is two days away. The office is gearing up for the holidays. Thankful for our crew in this office, the crew in our international office and the reps on the front lines. Also, thankful for you Reader, for checking in on the weekly goings-on at the Uttermost Office. As we approach the online shopping season remember to select Uttermost Sports as your nonprofit of choice at Amazon Smile!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Bubby Bryan, DOC
VERSE OF THE WEEK: 2 Corinthians 4:15
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Libya
The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership and began to espouse his political system at home, which was a combination of socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners - one over Scotland, another in Northern Africa - and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically following the attacks; sanctions were lifted in 2003 following Libyan acceptance of responsibility for the bombings and agreement to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in late 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in early 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned a civil war that triggered UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community. After months of seesaw fighting between government and opposition forces, the QADHAFI regime was toppled in mid-2011 and replaced by a transitional government. Libya in 2012 formed a new parliament and elected a new prime minister. The country subsequently elected the House of Representatives in 2014, but remnants of the outgoing legislature refused to leave office and created a rival, Islamist-led government, the General National Congress. In October 2015, UN envoy to Libya, Bernardino LEON, proposed a power-sharing arrangement - known as the Libyan Political Agreement, which was signed by the rival governments two months later and subsequently endorsed by the UN. The agreement called for the formation of an interim Government of National Accord or GNA and the holding of general elections within two years.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for a unified government that will rebuild the nation with justice and peace.
- Pray for the tiny Libyan Church to be united and established despite intense persecution.
- Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to moderate and extremist Muslims alike.
- Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
- Pray for the US office.