THE MIND OF GOD

I sit here writing,
And I ask myself,
What is God thinking about?
It’s not a question one thinks about often,
But it’s something I want to know.
What is it that occupies our Creator’s mind?
What is it that fascinates Him so?
Who could it be that holds His attention?

I examine the Bible,
And I remember several of its stories,
And I’m fascinated to think
That it is us He thinks of most.
Why? Why does the God of the universe bother to think of us lowly men?
The answer?
Because we are His creation,
His handiwork.
He cares for us far more than any father could care for his children.
His concern is for our welfare.
His desire is for our souls.

He will not abandon those who choose Him.
Oh, but how few choose Him!
If only they could see His love,
If only they could know what awaits them.
I pray God uses me to get the message out
To try and impart wisdom into their hardened hearts.

As for right now, though,
In the midst of the night
When I am the only one yet to enter the land of slumber,
I shall begin a practice I hope to continue until I am dead:
To think about our Savior and our God
And to continually ask Him that burning question,
“What do You think about?”

—Robert Montoya, via e-mail

In the January 2004 issue there was a letter in “Hey Mike” asking about loneliness. I went through a time of loneliness myself. I know it can be pretty discouraging, but I learned it is not always your fault. In my case, it was Satan trying to make me feel that my testimony was ineffective. It was also me not spending enough time in the Word and in prayer. What’s more, I was hanging out with the wrong group of friends. I will pray for you and for all you other Breakaway readers who are privately struggling with loneliness and depression.
—B.S., Brooklyn, N.Y.

EXTREME PATRIOTISM?
This is a response to letters in past Breakaway magazines, which seemed to express that the United States is (a) the greatest country in the world and (b) God’s own country.

As a citizen of Germany, I was greatly troubled by these words. From exchange students, pen pals and friends, I have realized Americans are VERY friendly and open people. But I am beginning to wonder if patriotism in the U.S. is going too far.
In Germany, having lost two World Wars, committed outrageous crimes and still having people with us to tell of those days (my grandfather was a Wehrmacht soldier), Germans have become very wary of patriotism. Fly a German flag and you are stamped out as an extremist. Through patriotism the Nazis were able to control the people, and when people finally realized what was happening, it was too late. Now there is a law that states every citizen must protect his or her country from being abused by its government. I believe that all Americans must also use their rights. God bless America.
—Jakob Horsch, Bavaria, Germany

SMILE AWHILE

I’d like to share something with all the guys reading Breakaway about witnessing. My witnessing revolution started with a smile. Yes—a simple smile. It’s so amazing to see what a light you can be using 22 muscles in your face! Anyway, I came into homeroom (known as registration or “regi” here in Scotland) every day with a smile on my face and people started to get annoyed! And without anything being said on my part, people came up to me and started asking me about Jesus. How cool is that! And that wasn’t the end. People are still asking about Jesus, and not the same people either! Although some of the questions are not for their benefit but more for my humiliation, I still consider that all a part of the light of Jesus shining through my actions. So, I encourage all you guys to let Jesus shine through your actions—and even your smile.
—Seth Stewart, Dollar, Scotland

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

I really appreciate your Dare 2 Dig Deeper booklets about lust and porn. They’ve helped me a lot. I was having a lot of ups and downs with lust, some bigger than others. It seemed that if I started to get a control of my lust, every time I slipped up it would get worse and worse. When I found your booklets, I was still having a lot of trouble and was trying to get right with God and to be spiritually pure. After reading them, I realized all the problems lust could cause in my life. I decided to just stop what I was doing and ask God to forgive me and help me with this problem. I’m doing a lot better now. I find when I see something on TV that I used to look at, I’ll want to see it at first, but then change the channel. God has helped me with this and is still helping me. Thanks again.
—T.M., Olathe, Kan.


YOU ROCK!

Hey Breakaway readers, I’m an MK in Uganda, East Africa. I just want to say that, having no peer group here, I really think of all you guys as my friends. I relish every issue of Breakaway. It really keeps me encouraged and informed. I think we all ought to do a better job of showing our appreciation for this phenomenal mag, and the incredible staff behind it. Mike, thanks for your mature spiritual insight and guidance. Bob, thanks for keeping us on the right track as far as media go. You do a great job! Tom, Johanna and Jeremy, thanks for all the additional stuff that keeps this awesome publication going strong. And last, but not least, the Rebel Tonic Toads (aka Andy Fletcher) for making us smile. You guys rock!
—Micah Warf, Mbale, Uganda