USA: praying light into darkness
We conclude our 6‑week journey of prayer this week by turning our hearts toward the one nation that holds the key, the future, and, to a large extent, the military arsenal shaping the war in the Middle East: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WHATABOUTISM: the art of dodging the issue
Whenever I post an article on the suffering of the innocent in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and, recently, Iran, I would always receive a standard response from the pro-war lobbyists: “But what about Hezbollah firing missiles at Israel?” “What about Hamas using civilians as human shields?“ “What about the oppressive regime in Iran?” Or,…
DEATH BY DESIGN: A starving Christ in a hungry Gaza
Take a moment to let that sink in: Two months of war in Iran equals eight years of food supplies for 2 million starving people in Gaza.
PAKISTAN: praying light into darkness
In previous weeks we prayed for Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. This week we continue the journey of prayer by calling “light into darkness” as we turn our hearts toward a nation uniquely positioned at the crossroads of conflict and reconciliation: PAKISTAN.
THE SUFFERING CHURCH: and the sin of selective sympathy
A Christian village in Lebanon was recently completely destroyed by Israel. And the Church in the west was silent. It exposed an inconvenient truth that selective sympathy is the moment when loyalty for the perpetrator speaks louder than concern for the victim. For fifty years I have served the persecuted Church across the globe. And one of the most painful truths I have encountered is this: the compassion of the Church in freedom is not always consistent. We raise our voices boldly when persecuted Christians suffer at the hands of those we already view as enemies, but we grow noticeably quiet when persecuted Christians suffer at the hands of those we consider friends. This is the sin of selective sympathy
DÉJÀ VU AT THE HILTON: two Presidents, two moments, two lessons
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan had just finished addressing a labour gathering at the Washington Hilton when John Hinckley Jr. stepped out from the crowd and fired six shots at him. One bullet ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest, puncturing a lung and causing severe internal bleeding. He…
SAUDI ARABIA: praying light into darkness
During the previous three weeks we prayed for Iran, Israel and Lebanon. This week we continue the journey of prayer in the war zones of the Middle East by calling light into darkness as we turn our attention to one of the most strategic, complex, and spiritually significant nations of the world: SAUDI ARABIA.
“WHO CAN I BELIEVE” and who is telling the truth?
For more than two years — ever since 7 October 2023 — every conversation about the Middle East has carried the relentless undertones of anger, accusations, suspicion, and a deep uncertainty about who to really believe. Meetings, interviews, church gatherings, advocacy circles, even casual conversations all seem to circle back to two persistent questions: Who can I believe? What is the truth? I have come to the conclusion that truth is found in the Container, not in the content…
SELECTIVE HOLINESS: the plank-eye disease
A double standard is born the moment my truth becomes a mirror for your faults but never for my own. It is the quiet hypocrisy of a heart that demands repentance from others while excusing itself. In other words, I judge myself by my motives but others by their actions. It is the subtle belief that righteousness is something I enforce outward, not something I embody inward. Here are some examples
LEBANON: praying light into darkness
Minutes after President Trump announced on Friday that “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” saying that the U.S. had “PROHIBITED” them from doing so, reports emerged that an Israeli drone strike had killed one person in southern Lebanon. What unfolds next — a break in the bombings or a break in political alliances — is uncertain. …