Persecution in India.

Amidst all the news reports of the election, war, and the economy, one subject that always flies beneath the MSM radar is the persecution of Christians around the world. Lately, it has been particularly bad in India.

World Net Daily is reporting that another vicious round of attacks is expected after the murder of a Hindu activist by Communists.

Pray for these believers, who risk so much for the Truth, that they will be strong and steadfast. Let their faith be a beacon for those who don't believe, and may God deliver them.

Link to image source.

Praise! Update on Dasia.

You might remember my post before Christmas about Dasia Atkinson, the little girl who wanted Christmas cards from all 50 states for Christmas. Well, thanks to the efforts of her CaringBridge friends and the blogosphere, she received all the cards and more.

I'm pleased to report that her doctor says she is cured! Dasia was diagnosed in 2005 with a Pontine Glioma (tumor of the brain stem), which is usually fatal.

Miracles do happen, people, and the Lord surely is at work in the world. God bless you, Dasia.

History Link.

This has been sitting in my bookmarks for a while now. I came across it while Stumbling, and I thought it was pretty interesting. Some of the comments at the site I found it on are interesting as well. Here is a link to the original source.

Exit Question: The map's purpose is to address the question, "How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars?" Did religion itself spark the wars, or were there other factors? Do you think this map shows a bias in favor of or against a particular religion? If so, which one, and why do you think so?

Christmas Request.

Long time readers of this blog may remember my posts about Matthew Rager. I still follow his story via Caring Bridge, and while Matthew is doing well right now, I would like to pass along a request from his mother regarding one of their Caring Bridge acquaintances:

"There is a little girl named Dasia who has a pontine glioma (tumor on
brain stem) who was hoping to get birthday cards from all 50 states. Her
birthday was Dec. 3rd and her mother posted her birthday hopes on her caring
bridge site. Well I read her update tonight and sadly the little one received
only 3 cards. Here's my favor, do you think we could send her Christmas cards
from all 50 states?
-
I was made aware of this little girl from my online
pediatric brain tumor support group. We are a tight knit group and we will do
all that we can for other kids and parents in need, because we know how it is.
We are all putting this out in cyperspace in hopes that people can send this
beautiful little girl some Christmas greetings. This is her website www.caringbridge.org/visit/dasiaatkinson "

My wife and I are notoriously bad procrastinators when it comes to Christmas Cards, but this time I'm making an exception. So, dear readers, spread the word in the blogosphere and see if we can't get this little girl her Christmas Cards!

Edit: I've clipped Dasia's address from the quote. You can get it by clicking on the Caring Bridge links.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Today across America, before proceeding to celebrate gluttony, people will pause and reflect on what they are thankful for.

One thing I am thankful for is that I have a loving God who takes care of us in good times and bad, when we do right and wrong, and who gave Himself for our sake, so long as we turn to Him.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless.

The Price of Belief.

(via The Persecution Blog)

"In July 2007, an Iranian Christian couple was sentenced by the Justice Court of
Revolution to be whipped, two years after they were accused of attending a house
church. According to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), "The couple was
arrested on September 21, 2005, by government agents. They had gathered in a
house, in a town northwest of Tehran (gohar dasht) for their regular prayer and
devotional time.""

Amid the increasing hostility to Christianity in the U.S., it's hard for us to understand that there is real persecution going on in the world. As difficult as it is, we at least do not have to worry about being imprisoned or beaten for our beliefs. In some ways, this may be detrimental to our faith, as we get caught up in our own troubles and feelings of persecution, we forget about our brothers and sisters around the world who risk their lives every day just to spread the Gospel.

This couple in Iran was ordered to report regularly to the Court until their sentence was decided. The wife stopped going after being abused during one such instance. Following that, agents of the Court came into their home with a letter stating that their sentence of whipping would be carried out in their home immediately.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven" [Matt 5:10]

Pray for this couple and all who face such persecution in the world. To learn more about how you can help persecuted Christians, visit The Voice of the Martyrs.

Link to image source.

Amazing Grace.

My favorite hymn. We sang it in church this week, and I always enjoy it. It's so simple, yet right to the point about how wonderful God's Grace is. It's hard for us to understand sometimes just how much it means, but little incidents in our lives can wake us up.

"I'm tired of fixing or replacing everything she destroys. I'm tired of her
doing the same thing over and over and over without learning to be better. I'm
tired.And then I'm reminded: what if God felt the same about me? What if He
said, "That's it Tim. I've had it. You're obviously never going to get it right.
Time to get rid of you.""

Isn't it wonderful that we have a God that is so much better than we are, with so much more patience and love? Amazing.

Under God.

Over the past week or so, there has been a running argument in the editorial pages of The Indianapolis Star over whether the United States is a Christian nation or not. The argument has been among letters to the editor, not the newspaper staff, so I'm unable to link any specific examples to you. I also don't remember which article the initial letter-writer was responding to, but she proclaimed that we are not, in fact, a Christian Nation. Other respondents wrote stating that we are, or that we were a nation founded under Judeo-Christian values. One man even amusingly wrote that we owe our bicameral legislature to the Almighty. Strange gift, no?

Let me refer you to this article addressing this very subject. As Mr. Cherry states, our Founding Fathers, whether Christian or Deist, did believe in God, and that our rights as men are given to us by God, and not by government. Add to this the fact that all of them grew up in the Christian tradition, as opposed to say, a Hindu tradition, and it is easy to see that our national identity arises from Judeo-Christian values.

Nevertheless, the Founding Fathers understood that there is a power greater than Man, upon whom man is dependent for liberty and morality. Tocqueville (yes, him again) remarked on the religiosity of Americans and the importance of religion in democracy, echoing, as it were, John Adams:

""We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human
passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge,
or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes
through a net. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious
people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.""

It is no surprise, then, that the immoral and irreligious Left continually try to distort the Constitution or ignore it altogether.

What's in a Name?

If you read the comics in the newspaper, you might have noticed that Cathy has run strips for several days about the stress that new parents undergo to pick a name for their child. It pokes fun of the lengths that some parents go to pick a name that is unique, marketable, or Google-able. Sometimes I think the old advice is best - pick a family name or a Biblical name.

Names are powerful things. They are the core of our identity, so much so that we may insist on being called by one of our names (first or middle) to the exclusion of the other. Tolkein understood this; in the Two Towers, Treebeard cautions the hobbits not be hasty lest they give out their real names. Names, according to Treebeard, tell the story of those they belong to.

Names also give us control over someone. If you have some one's name, you can Google it and perhaps find out more about that person than they want you to. In Jurassic Park, the main character marvels at children in museums who master the complex names of dinosaurs that their parents are unable to pronounce, as if by saying the name, they have gained a measure of control over the terrible beasts.

It might seem strange that something which we are given can have such power; but once given, it defines us for all our days. There is little wonder though, if you look at the Bible. All the names in the Bible have a specific meaning; Moses is similar to the Hebrew for "draw out," as he was drawn out of the water. Jesus is a translation of Joshua, which means, "the Lord saves." The Bible clearly illustrates the importance of name to a person's identity. The Third Commandment even forbids profaning the name of God.

Perhaps the best example from the Bible comes from three people whose names changed: Abraham, Jacob, and Paul. All were chosen by God, and none were what you would call saintly material in the beginning. Abraham was a nobody, Jacob was a conniver, and Paul persecuted and murdered early Christians. But God chose them not for their qualities, but to illustrate his power to take something bad and put it to use for good. He does this with every Biblical hero, but these three are special in that their identity changes completely, evidenced by their names.

Abram was chosen by God to be the foundation for His chosen people. He became Abraham, "father of many." Jacob, "the supplanter," stole his older brother's inheritance. He became Israel, because he "struggled with God and with men and [overcame]" [Gen. 32:28] Saul, the Pharisee, the strict religious Jew, became Paul (from Paulus, a Roman name), was "humbled" and became the Apostle to the Gentiles. Once they belonged to God, these men were not the same as they were before; they were new persons.

God can change your identity as well; by letting him come into your life, by accepting His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ you become a new person, as surely as if you changed your name.

Release: Final Thoughts on the South Korean Hostages.

It's old news now, but I didn't want to leave the subject of the South Korean hostage release without a few final thoughts. Eugene Cho and Michelle Malkin have the details of the release as it happened, so I won't rehash it here.

Firstly, don't forget that there are still hostages being held by the Taliban, a German man and four Afghans which the Taliban want to exchange for their jihad goons.

Second, it's possible that South Korea paid a ransom for the hostages release. As I noted a few posts ago, that only encourages the Taliban to continue to target aid workers and other innocents. Each instance of capitulation by allied governments increases the Taliban's political clout, as well as providing them much-needed funds.

I'm glad that the Korean hostages are free, but I don't like it that their freedom was bought, either monetarily or with concessions such as the withdrawal of all of South Korea's aid forces (which, incidentally, had already been proposed; why the change of heart, Taliban?). Even more outrageous is that now, the hostages feel compelled to apologize to their countrymen and government for putting themselves into danger in the first place!

"'I've had sleepless nights, thinking of what we have caused the country. I
am deeply sorry,' Yu Kyeong-sik said at a press conference."

Excuse me?! The South Korean government caves like a wet lily to a group of criminals, and the hostages are to blame? Yes, they should have been careful, but venturing into an unstable country is a risk that missionaries and aid workers take. The Bible illustrates in several places that spreading the Gospel is dangerous. I'd like to think that if I were in their place, I would be willing to accept even death in the effort to spread the word about Jesus, rather than have my homeland buy my way out.

This is not to condemn the hostages for wanting to be free, or for apologizing now, but Christians should not be ashamed of those who have given or will give their lives for their faith. We must remember that there is more than this life here on Earth, and though evil may seem to grow stronger, the victory of the Lord is already assured.

Matthew Rager Update.

If you've read this blog for a while, you'll remember the story of the little boy with a brain tumor that I found at Michelle Malkin's website. I've been following his story at Caring Bridge, and I thought I'd update all of you on his progress.

Matthew's tumor was discovered when he had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. He had surgery to remove the tumor, but the pathology report has proved problematic. The pathologists determined that the tumor was malignant (what they call a 'high-grade' glioma, or cancerous brain cells), but they have not been able to determine what exact type of brain cell it is. The family is now in Houston, where Matthew is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

My heart goes out to them, and it's a joy to see how strong they are in their faith. Their other son has had a history of seizure s, but has not had one since Matthew's ordeal began. If anyone needs proof that God doesn't throw more at us than we can handle with his help, then there it is. The Ragers are an inspiration to me because of their faith and courage in trying to maintain as normal a life as they can at their home away from home.

Matthew also touches me because when I look at his pictures I'm reminded of my oldest son. They both have the same joy on their faces, in spite of what they must endure. My son has an Autism Spectrum disorder as well as a brain tumor. Thankfully, my son's tumor is not malignant, but it's location in his brain means it would be inoperable if it became so. He must have an MRI every nine months or so to monitor the status of the tumor. Yet like Matthew, my son has that same joy of life and of other people. Matthew's parents have remarked that Matthew is always more concerned one of their Caring Bridge friends that with himself. My son is the same way.

I spent a lot of my youth in the children's hospital undergoing surgeries to repair a cleft lip and palate. That's nothing compared to what some kids go through, and I met many who had terminal cancer or otherwise untreatable or difficult to treat conditions. I'm amazed at the resiliency these kids display in the face of situations that would cow most adults. Indeed, I've seen adults whine and moan about going to the dentist more than kids who have had multiple open heart surgeries.

Please take time to pray for Matthew and his family, and for my son as well. His name is Josh. Pray for their doctors and nurses, and pray for them to be healed. With God, nothing is impossible.

Image from Matthew's CaringBridge album.

The Third Commandment.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." [Exodus
20:7]

Perhaps you have seen this story already. Needless to say, I was suitably outraged, but not necessarily surprised. More and more people are loathe to say or do anything that can be construed as offensive to Islam, and are bending over backwards to seem inclusive. One is thought to be enlightened these days if one believes that 'there are many ways to God.' There was even a letter in the Indianapolis Star by a pastor's wife that professed such a thing.

Today I found a strong rebuttal to that sort of thinking. Hal Lindsey doesn't pull any punches, and says what few dare to say by comparing Allah to Satan.

But what he says is truth that any Christian should understand. If we are sincere in our belief in Christ, then all other gods by definition are false. Jesus himself said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." [John 14:6] It does not get any plainer than that.

I think that many Christians today give in too easily to the idea that faith is relative, or we do not want to be stigmatized as "intolerant." It should be clear by now, that no matter what we do, the world will judge us to be intolerant anyway, so we should stand firm on our principles and be faithful to Christ. He tells us that we will be despised because of him, and the world will persecute us.

Therefore, if you are a Christian, do not be afraid, but trust in the Lord. Spread the gospel! There is a basic truth missing from all religions; that Jesus alone can give us the peace of salvation, and through him we can have a personal and eternal relationship with God.

Devotion.

This post really convicted me today.

"Ironically, though we live in a free society, we often act as if we were in a restricted nation like North Korea without access to God’s Word. Our Bible reading is sporadic and seldom—as if we did not have a copy of Scripture at all."

How many times have I decided to start a routine of Bible-reading and then fall behind after a couple of weeks? I have at least five or six Bibles laying around the house, and yet it takes a supreme effort sometimes to pick one up and read a few verses. It's humbling and shaming when I hear about the excitement of someone who hears scripture for the first time, or someone who hears it only sporadically because it is not available, yet I cannot remain consistent when I have the Word of God constantly at my disposal.

However, though I'm not perfect, I'll still take comfort that God can still use me in my imperfection. After all, if he can use an adulterer and a murderer for His good purposes, what can he not do with me?

Spare a Quarter.

You see them everywhere. Maybe you're like most people and you walk by trying not to catch their eye because you know the inevitable will come. "Hey, buddy, can you spare a quarter?"

They are called disgraceful, dirty, blight, a sign of the government's failure, a sign of society's ills. They are fathers, sons, mothers, daughters. many of them are veterans. Some never went to school, others may be PhDs. You can't tell because they all are marked by years of living on the street, depending on the good will of passers by who know nothing about the demons they are unwilling or unable to face.

I've heard how there are professional bums who make a better living by panhandling on street corners than they would at a full time job. Many people use this as an excuse to duck their head and keep walking. I used to do that.

But then I started working in a poor inner-city neighborhood. I remember the guy I worked with my first night on the job. He was a recovering drug addict who was not very reliable. After I had been there about six months, he finally lost his job because he couldn't make it into work. A year later I was surprised to read an article in the paper about street beggars which featured my former co-worker. I've also seen the guys in the neighborhood that get along by panhandling. I've seen them beg for a dollar and by a cheap bottle of wine; I've also seen them beg for a dollar to buy a pack of bologna.

I think of how blessed I am to have a good job, a good wife, a roof over my head, and a car to get around in. I know that even in the tough times when I have to use almost all of my paycheck to pay bills and I have $20 to live on for the week, I still have a place to stay and plenty of canned goods in the pantry. I trust God to provide what I need, and He is always faithful, whether I get through the week with no new bills coming in the mail, or someone in the grocery line having a quarter when I'm short for lunch. I realize now that there are others who have nothing but that faith, and God does not abandon them. I realize that I'm in a position to be his agent, because I have what I need, and can spare a dollar or two.

Now, when I walk down the street, I don't avert my eyes when I see some guy sitting on a brick holding a cup in his hands. I reach into my pocket and drop some change in. I don't know why he's there, or where he came from. I don't know what he's going to do with my money. I just know that I have it and he doesn't. I do know that he probably sits all day with people walking by as if he doesn't exist. Which is more valuable to him, do you think: a few coins, or simple recognition by a fellow human being? The answer, I think, is in the way they always respond.

"Thanks, brother. God bless you."

Blood of the Martyrs.

If you've been following this story, you'll know that the Taliban have killed another hostage. Al-Jazeera, of course, has video of the hostages.

The breaking news is being covered by the blogs, but I do have some thoughts about this horrible situation.

The first is that in all the reporting of this story, I had to go online to learn that the hostages are Christians, primarily nurses and teachers. I've seen three stories from the AP in our local paper in the last few days, and not one of them mentioned this fact.

Second, let no one doubt what kind of people we are dealing with. Though the liberals would like you to believe otherwise, we are at war with an ideology. They pick their targets according to their beliefs, and they stick at nothing. I don't condemn all Muslims because of the actions of these thugs, but don't believe that they have hijacked a religion. If that is the case, then Muslims everywhere should stand up and loudly condemn such actions. They don't; and the ones that do give half-hearted attempts at best.

Third, pray for the hostages. Most of the ones remaining are women; pray that they will remain strong, setting an example of their faith, and pray that they will be rescued or set free; if not, pray that God will receive them into His arms with love and honor.

Update: Reuters reported a rescue operation, then withdrew the story. The Afghan army has been dropping warning leaflets, but South Korea and the US have ruled out military action. As of yet, the hostages are still alive, though the final deadline has passed.

Keep praying. Maybe someone will do more than drop leaflets.

More info: Predictably, the US media report the Taliban's side of the story.

A Question of Liberty.

This article appeared Monday at Christianity Today. The author poses this question near the end:

This hits on what I think is the biggest question for western Christians
right now: Should Christians in democracies work to make governmental actions
reflect biblical priorities? If God loves human "freedom," should we then get
the government to act for "freedom" worldwide? If God loves the poor, should we
get the government to enact polices aimed at reducing (or eliminating)
poverty?

The answer is that we should be preaching the Gospel. The Bible does not speak of human freedom in terms of individual liberty and democratic government. The freedom spoken of in the Bible refers to the freedom Christ's sacrifice has given us over sin. That is, if we accept God's gift of salvation through Christ, we are free from the bonds of sin and death forever. We should keep this in mind when we discuss spreading liberty throughout the world. Does the President understand this?

I honestly don't know, but his critics apparently think he doesn't. Dreher, Sullivan, and Douthat point out that that just because God wants us to be free does not mean we should impose our form of government on other countries. Yet they also seem to think that Mr. Bush is implying that the spread of liberty is inevitable. There is evidence to suggest that they are right, but that idea is troubling to me. The inclination of man is toward tyranny. Our Founding Fathers understood this, as did Tocqueville; he detailed several ways in which government in America was designed to prevent a tyranny of the majority. Our Constitution ensures that power is not concentrated in one part of the government, nor is it concentrated in either the Federal Government or the States. Tocqueville also points out that given a choice between tyranny and democracy, people will naturally choose democracy, since democracy better protects individual liberty.

Mr. Bush's critics also point out that our form of democracy may not be suited to all cultures. True, especially in the case of Iraq, but Arab culture is no stranger to self-government, and I don't see that we have imposed our form of democracy on them. We merely insisted that their new form of government be established with the consent of all the Iraqi people. I'll not address justification for the invasion in this post; I'm for it, and I think we should finish the job but I'll not go into detail now.

I think it is admirable to encourage democracy and liberty wherever it struggles to take hold, but Christians should not lose sight of the liberty offered by God. Changing governments is good; changing hearts is better.

They Shall Become One Flesh.

My wife and I saw these trees while on vacation at Turkey Run State Park. It is an oak and a beech growing so closely together that they are growing into one another. I think it makes a striking metaphor for marriage, in that you have two different bodies, anchored at the same point, one stout and strong, the other tall and graceful. They are obviously different, yet at the roots they appear the same, each one sharing a part of the other. Though they share the same space, they are not in competition for resources; both are tall and healthy. You look at them and get the impression that they would never separate, even if they could.

The beech tree is marked with the signs and symbols of passing hikers, covered in initials of people professing their love for one another. Like a woman, she wears the light of love openly, while her companion the oak resists all such displays. Yet like a faithful husband, his trunk is straight, never far from the slender body beside him; it is he who provides the support, and his roots wrap around hers, protecting her and strengthening her.

My wife and I often talk about the state of marriage in the world today, and I've blogged about it before here as well. We stood silent and looked at these trees for a long time, amazed at the way God displays himself in his creations, and provides us lessons for our lives.

With Great Power...

Heh. I'm a big Spider-Man fan, so I guess this is appropriate.

You Are Spider-Man

Quick and agile, you have killer instincts (literally). And that kind of makes up for the whole creepy spider thing.

What Superhero Are You?

I normally don't go for these silly types of things, and I don't ever take them seriously, but this one strikes me, because it actually seems kind of accurate (not the description, but the actual character). I grew up liking most of the comic book superheroes, but Spider-Man was always my favorite. I think it was because he wasn't the most powerful superhero, and the books focused as much on Peter Parker as they did Spider-Man. He was really the only character where the actual person (Parker) was more important than the superhero persona. If you think about Batman, Superman, and all the others, the superhero is who they are -- the alter ego is just an empty suit.

Not so Spider-Man. Everything he does as a hero is impacted by his life as Peter Parker -- he is always aware that what he does as Spider-Man has a consequence in Peter Parker's life. This is evident in the theme of all the Spider-Man comics; with great power comes great responsibility. In a way, Spider-Man of all the comic characters most closely espouses Christian principles. He is gifted with a power he didn't deserve, yet humbly uses those powers to serve others. Like so many of us, it took a terrible lesson to teach him this; I can think of a time or two that God confronted me with the consequences of my selfish actions to make a point to me. Spider-Man also struggles with his powers, sometimes to the point of walking away, much like we do sometimes when we try to hide from God because we may not want to hear what he has to tell us. I can't think of any superhero that deals with issues like this; Superman is a being beyond normal humans, and Batman is vengeful. Captain America is certainly selfless, yet he is a little too perfect.

Finally, there is another reason I identified with Spider-Man: I was a lot like Peter Parker. I was always rather bookish, but was not attractive or coordinated, nor was I popular. I saw myself in the skinny nerd who was given amazing powers by spider bite. It was a nice escape to imagine myself in the snazzy blue and red tights (I never like the black outfit, even after Venom was gone), wisecracking as I righted the wrongs of the world. I'm sure I was not alone.

Every Man's Battle.

I'm truly blessed to have a wife who cares as much for my spiritual well-being as she does for my physical well-being. Not long after we bought our iPod, we began downloading various podcasts about stuff that interested us. Naturally, I downloaded podcasts that had to do with Neverwinter Nights, Dungeons and Dragons, conservative politics, and Walk in the Word. My wife, though, is always on the lookout for podcasts she thinks I'll like and should listen to. She subscribed to one called Every Man's Battle. It's a series of short episodes based on a ministry workshop of the same name. It is full of advice and tools for men to maintain their spiritual life in today's world, as well as illustrative pieces. I listened to such a one today.

It tells the story of an old man who shares a passion for art collecting with his son. The son volunteers to serve during a war, and is killed in action shortly thereafter. A few months later, the father is visited by a young man whose life was saved by the son. The young man gives the father a portrait of his son, and the father takes it and cherishes it, even though it is a humble picture, and no masterpiece.

Years later, when the father dies, all of his paintings are being sold at auction. The auction opens with an item not on the docket: the portrait of the son. Bidding starts at $100 dollars, but there are no takers. Someone asks the auctioneer to move on to the "good stuff." Finally, and old man says, "Will you take $10? It's all I have, but I know the lad, and I'd like the portrait." The auctioneer relents and sells the portrait to the old man, then to the astonishment of the crowd, closes the auction. When questioned, he replies that according to the will of the father, whoever takes the son gets it all.

What a wonderful illustration of the Gospel!

An Empty Space is Filled.

This was posted on Hot Air a few days ago while I was on vacation. I think it is interesting that it has not been given much play in the media, and as the post states, was buried in the Wall Street Journal.

It is not surprising to me that there is a resurgence of Christianity in Europe, particularly charismatic, evangelical Christianity. It has been more than a decade since I travelled through Europe, but I remember well the deep-seated sense of spirituality I noticed in the people I met. The rise of secularism in Europe could have only led to this. There is a deep need in all of us to know God, an empty space in our hearts. Many of us, whether we grew up in a Christian home or not, seek to fill that space with other things, such as money, sex, drugs, or false religions. We soon find that though these things gratify us, they do not fulfill and satisfy us.

The Bible is clear: only Jesus can bridge the gap between us and God, and only He can fill that empty space inside of us. I suspect that many Europeans are finding this out, and are turning away from secularism. Thank God for that.