The effects of war and Communism can have long-lasting impact on people groups. In the Balkan country of Albania, years of oppression from Communism followed by devastating fighting in the 1990’s had led to it being still on of the poorest European countries.
Psalm 119 and Loving God's Word
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. For a long time all I knew about this particular Psalm was its length. I skimmed over it in my devotion time because the amount of verses in one sitting scared me. They were intimidating. But God is so kind to change hearts, and he sure did with mine. A closer reading of this Psalm reveals the pleasure of treasuring God’s word and the sufficiency of his word for our daily lives.
Repost: Celebrating Dependence
I always look forward to the 4th of July. But as I prepared for the festivities today it caused me to think about what independence means for me as a Christian. Though I am very thankful today, and every day, for the freedoms that I have as an American citizen, I am not really a free and autonomous person. Nobody is. We are under the rule of the One who rules the universe. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” As a Christian, my celebration of independence should be one of gratitude for the men who died so I can have basic liberties, but I also should recognize that I cannot get caught up in the rhetoric of rights. I belong to the Lord first, America second.
Missions Wednesday: Sweden
With the rise of secularism across much of Europe, it is no wonder that in a 100 year span the percentage of professing Christians in Sweden could go from 99% to a mere 48% believing in the existence of God. But it has happened. Since 2000 the Church of Sweden has ceased to be the official state church, leaving the country of Sweden with now complete religious freedom.
Missions Wednesday: Somalia
In college I had a professor tell my class that we were facing an unprecedented missionary opportunity among the Somali people simply because thousands of them have had to flee to places like America. Often, he said, American Christians will bemoan the fact that missionaries are unable to enter countries like Somalia (or any closed country), while ignoring the reality that many of those very people are living right in their neighborhoods. I think he is right in a lot of ways. And if this is true about the increasing numbers of people from the nations literally coming to our doorstep, then we should be informed about our new neighbors.
Missions Wednesday: Kyrgyzstan
Sadly, up until a few years ago I knew very little about the former Soviet country of Kyrgyzstan. But Kyrgyzstan has been in the news in recent days and many in the world are now looking at this nation as they deal with ethnic clashes and violence. Reports say that as many as 77 people have died in the fighting between the ethnic Uzbeks (natives of Uzbekistan) and Kyrgyz, this has forced many Uzbeks to flee to the border of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Due to the influx of people attempting to enter the country, those trying to flee have been stopped at the border because Uzbekistan simply cannot handle anymore people coming in—many of them are women and children.
Counseling and Job's Friends
The book of Job fascinates me. Between the interaction with Satan and God, God’s overarching control of everything, Job’s response in the midst of great sorrow, and the subsequent response of his friends, I have always finished Job with lots to ponder and process. We can learn a lot about counseling from the book of Job. And I found myself repeatedly praying throughout the entire book, asking God to protect me from the all too familiar tendency to counsel like Job’s friends.
Missions Wednesday: Syria
I don’t know about you, but I find myself often thinking of the Middle East as some far off land where people are so different than me. The Middle East is far away from America geographically. Most of the people are followers of Islam. The cultures and food are very different. And for the most part, we don’t even speak the same language.
Good News to Start the Week
Some days I run out of things to say, or at least things to say that could have any real meaning. Today is one of those days. On days like today I am grateful for people like John Piper. I am currently reading What Jesus Demands from The World, and it is full of truths that have convicted me and caused me to think more deeply about Christ's call on my life. I struggle a lot with fear of man. So when I read a section like the following statement, I am encouraged to continue to fight my prideful tendency to fear man rather than God. I hope this gives you hope to start your week fighting sin.
Missions Wednesday: Honduras
For the last 9 years I have had the privilege of sponsoring two boys from Honduras. God has used this small investment to give me a greater desire to help those in need and make his name known among the nations. Compassion International is doing great things to help children and families in poor countries. Not only are they giving them physical care, food, and shelter, but they are giving them spiritual food that never runs out.