I recently spent a couple of days last week with the leadership of the Voice of the Truth Ministries, who have ministered to Muslim around the world for 43 years. I thought I would hear despair and hand wringing, frustration at a world that seems crazy. I got just the opposite. According to the Dr. Mateen Elas who serves with the ministry, the chaos of the Middle East is actually seeing opportunity as never before. “For decades, the veil was... Read more
I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m a middle-aged government office worker who, until recently, had little exposure to the Middle East beyond pita bread and Indiana Jones movies. But now, I have an amazing opportunity to interview Christian families who have been impacted by persecution. How did I get to this place? Give me two paragraphs to tell you about this extraordinary year. First, I was invited by the Jordanian Tourism Board as one of 12 Christian writers to tour their country to see... Read more
Bowing to pressure from some activists, Whole Foods announced they would quit selling products produced by inmates of the Colorado prison system. Whole Foods said it has sold tilapia, trout and goat cheese produced through the program at some stores for years. At first, this sounds laudable. Who wants to profit from prison labor? The thought of forced labor pierces through our collective conscience. It sounds inhumane. But when you get past the headlines and hyperbole, the story changes. Walk... Read more
The news reports and the haunting faces scrambling across Europe are jarring. They are desperate images with photographers eager to capture the tear, the frightening toddler or the crippled woman. The refugee and immigration crisis is one that is knocking at nearly every European door and officials are being pressured to do more. As Christians, our hearts are pricked. Our compassion moves us and our spirit is stirred. We want to do something, anything. But it is also important to... Read more
Our black lab, Obie, was a great dog, but adventurous. Every squirrel needed to be chased, every hole in the ground held a mystery, and every fence needed to be jumped. One of those fences was just a little too tall and he opened up a festering wound on his front side. Two pills a day for five days and the infection would be gone, the vet told us. The problem was giving him the pill. Obi would hold it... Read more
This isn’t a political blog, nor do I want this to be a political post. But I thought it might be a little fun to look at the two GOP front-runners and compare and contrast their leadership styles. I had a friend the other day describe his boss as “Trumpish.” I kind of shook my head, amazed that a man’s surname morphed into a casino name, and then into a brand, then into a candidate and now an adjective. “What... Read more
Last week, Democrat Rowan County, KY, County Clerk Kim Davis was jailed because she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite a Supreme Court decision that turned her objections away. She languishes in her cell. In her words, she chose “the rules of God over the rules of man.” To some, Davis is a sympathetic hero, holding fast against a culture that has rejected God. To others, she’s a narrow-minded bigot, “standing in the way of love.” Like... Read more
I’ll never forget the first cuss word my son brought home from school. It was the first grade and this mild, quiet blonde-haired blue- eyed little boy uttered a word that had never been spoken in our home. The shocking thing was how easy it rolled off his tongue, a parrot simply mocking the words of another. He was surprised at our reaction, his innocence and ignorance in play. We quickly scrubbed the offending word out of his vocabulary. Other... Read more
I open my mailbox, and the gloss screams out “excess.” The Sunday paper spills it on my living room floor. The television ads every 13 minutes promote it. The consumer culture feeds it. It’s in the 44-ounce Big Gulp. Or the bottle of Scotch sold by Costco that costs $17,000. Or Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy ¾ Pound Triple Burger at Wendy’s, packing a mere 1,120 calories Or the jacked-up Hummer with chromed 22-inch rims that’s never seen a dirt road... Read more
(Looking for an inexpensive, personal way to visit Jordan? Check out the services of Raed Haddad at JordanExpert.com and he will guide you on what to do next. You will NOT be disappointed. It’s safe. It’s secure. It will change your life.) Earlier this year, I spent 10 days in Jordan. After much reflection and research, I believe Christians who are looking for a pilgrimage visit to connect with their faith should consider Jordan. My life was changed and I think yours can... Read more
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