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.

Our Big Mistake In Iraq.

Once again, the media (and most of the rest of the world) ignores the plight of Christians in Iraq.

As evident in my post on the Petraeus and Crocker report to Congress, I'm a supporter of our current strategy in Iraq; however, I have not written at length about my views on the War as a whole. As an American, I support the military and want them to succeed, and I feel that having a democratic state in the Middle East that is friendly to us is in our interest.

I don't worry overmuch about whether President Bush's stated reasons for invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein were valid or not. I don't know if there were WMD's or what happened to them if there were; my opinion was and is that we were doing what should have been done in 1992.

However, I think that we made some serious mistakes in 2003-4 that are being blithely ignored now by proponents and defenders of the surge. One of those, and the most serious, is to allow language like this to get into the Iraq Constitution:

"Article (2):
1st — Islam is the official religion of the state and is a
basic source of legislation:
(a) No law can be passed that contradicts the
undisputed rules of Islam.
(b) No law can be passed that contradicts the
principles of democracy.
(c) No law can be passed that contradicts the
rights and basic freedoms outlined in this constitution.
2nd — This
constitution guarantees the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people
and the full religious rights for all individuals and the freedom of creed and
religious practices."[Emphasis added.]

This gives Islamic Law precedent over the laws of the state, effectively making the declaration of religious freedom worthless, in theory now, possibly in practice later. So far Maliki is giving lip service to that freedom, but the danger remains.

As a Christian, I'm dismayed that our country dropped such a big ball at the outset, no matter how our military strategy has been successfully revised. I think this mistake could come back to bite us in the future. Unfortunately, Christian persecution is nothing new, but statements like this bother me as well.

"Msgr. Sako is not discouraged and guarantees: “One thing remains absolute and
unshakable for our community here in Kirkuk, we will persevere with dialogue to
build and strengthen peaceful coexistence”."

I hope the Gospel is part of that dialogue. I get nervous when church leaders talk about "dialogue" and "coexistence" with Islamists, because it usually is code for appeasement.

Remember our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who suffer in His name. Pray that they keep strong in their faith, and that God will deliver them.

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.

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.

Tragedy.

Update 11/05: The child that survived the accident is now in the hands of the Lord. Continue your prayers for this man and his family. The donation information has changed; see below.

Originally posted on 10/22/2007:

I can't imagine anything more horrible. Follow the link in Michelle's post and read the whole article; take a box of tissue because you will cry.

Pray for this brave man and his family. If you have the means, you can help financially by giving to the Ashley and Logan Johnson Memorial Fund at any Bank of America.

Emergency Rule.

The big news story of the day is President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan in an effort to stay in power. He's fired the Chief Justice and surrounded the Supreme Court with the military. His claim is that it's for the good of the country.

""Extremists are roaming around freely in the country, and they are not scared
of law-enforcement agencies," the president said."

This presents a Catch-22 for the United States. On the one hand, Musharraf has been a fairly reliable ally in the war on terror. By contrast, the opposition is increasingly Islamist and anti-American. The sticking point is that Pakistan is a nuclear power. Americans naturally wish for free elections and do not like cozying up with dictators, but you have to consider having a nuclear arsenal in the hands of a jihadist government would be far worse. In this light, the U.S. response is predictable.

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the declaration of
emergency rule was "highly regrettable" and called upon Pakistan to have
free and fair elections."

One thing not reported however, is that neither side is friendly to the Christians in Pakistan. Persecution tends to increase in times of political upheaval, so keep the Pakistani Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.

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.