Has the Western Church Lost Its Love For Persecuted Christians?

In a time when violence is on the rise, we are bombarded with news of severe persecution against Christians. Story after story of imprisonment, torture, rape, beatings and beheadings are reported daily. 

The question I must ask is: Is there still a disconnect between the American Christian culture and the persecuted believers overseas?

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is on November 2nd. Organizations are working tirelessly to bring unity to our dysfunctional spiritual family but research shows a lack of interest in participating in the IDOP.

Calling Millennials to Stand Firm in a Demoralized Nation

The morals of a nation do not rest on the shoulders of politicians but on those who call themselves followers of Christ.  When moral corruption takes hold of a nation, perhaps we should get our eyes off of the government and run a spiritual checkup on the church.

But maybe we need to take it a step further and start with asking God to evaluate our own hearts? 

Has the Culture Influenced a Spiritually Ignorant Generation?

In an article entitled "Evangelical Christian Leaders Fear Teen Believers Abandoning their Faith", Laurie Goodstein writes, 

"Despite their packed mega churches, their political clout, and increasing visibility on the national stage, evangelical Christian leaders are warning one another that their teenagers are abandoning the faith in droves.  

"If current trends continue only 4 percent of teenagers will be Bible-believing Christians as adults. While some critics say that the statistics are grossly exaggerated, there is widespread consensus among evangelical leaders that they risk losing their teenagers."

Barna Group Says "The Nature of Churchgoing is Changing"

"While tens of millions of Americans attend church each weekend, the practice has declined in recent years. According to our 2014 tracking data, overall church attendance has dipped from 43% in 2004 to 36% today. But beyond a dip in attendance numbers, the nature of churchgoing is changing" states the Barna Group. 

"Regular attenders used to be people who went to church three or more weekends each month—or even several times a week. Now people who show up once every four to six weeks consider themselves regular churchgoers."

Liena's Prayer: Counting the Cost In Syria

Liena's children counted the cost to follow Jesus

This past week I was struggling with discouragement. I don't believe it is merely coincidental that personal trials become complex when we shift our gaze off of Christ. It's easy to blow things out of proportion and minimize how self-centered our struggles really are.   

I found my wakeup call through the testimony of a woman in Syria. Liena and her family turned down offers of asylum in Western countries after civil war broke out in Syria. They knew the cost that might be required, but they chose to remain as witnesses to their Muslim neighbors and as an encouragement to other Christians.

Contrary to Osteen's Humanistic Message, Bonhoeffer Calls Us to Die to Self

Deep within us there rages a battle to be like God. This self-made image in our hearts begs to be identified as master and lord of our universe. The flesh wants life to revolve around itself, Not Christ. But Bonhoeffer begs the Christian to realize, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

Victoria Osteen's message justifies my natural fleshly desires: "Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself." 

At the very core of her message is a humanistic philosophy.

Victoria Osteen Preaches, "We're Not Doing it For God. We're doing it For Ourselves"

According to Victoria Osteen, wife of megachurch speaker and author Joel Osteen, “I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we’re not doing it for God—I mean, that’s one way to look at it—we’re doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we’re happy,” she declares in the undated 36-second clip with her husband standing by her side and nodding. “That’s the thing that gives Him the greatest joy…” 

Her sermon has gone viral as the Christian community protests its humanistic and scripturally antithetical message. 

Experiencing Rest in a Time of Busyness

"When we are crazy busy, we put our souls at risk. The challenge is not merely to make a few bad habits go away. The challenge is to not let our spiritual lives slip away." -Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem

My life is crazy busy. 

I wake up at 5:00am every morning and work 8-10 hours a day.  

When I'm not sleeping or working, I'm squeezing time in my day for my family, talk to my boyfriend at night, and meeting up with friends for early morning coffee chats. 

Three Reasons to Choose Your Resolutions Carefully

"I said to a man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown'; and he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way!'" (quoting from a poem by M. L. Harkins)

It's January 5th. Assumedly most of you have already created your New Year's resolution list. Your resolve is high and it feels good to practice new disciplines and meet new goals...but what happens to that resolve by the end of the year? Why are we so quick to create a list of good things, only to fail by December 31st?

Praying for Our Government

God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.... - E.M.Bounds

Paul exhorts believers in I Timothy 2 that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

8 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor." -George Washington

1) Approximately 46,000,000 turkeys are sold annually just for Thanksgiving. Since the average weight of each bought turkey is 16lbs, all the turkeys eaten on Thanksgiving could equal the weight of almost 750 filled Boeing 747-8 airplanes.

The Blessing of Pain: Embracing God's Goodness in the Midst of Grief

"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain." (C.S. Lewis)

When dealing with life's hardships, it must be realize that mankind walks in a limited perspective of what he or she believes to be so. For the Jews, Jesus' death was a mistake. Over 2,000 years later, we perceive it to be the ultimate story of redemption.

The Jews anticipated victory when Jesus came on the scene. Assumedly this was the leader they had hoped would deliver them from their oppressors and rule as their king. God's people were right to suppose their Messiah would deliver them...but not in the form they had hoped.

Remember Meriam: Chained, Jailed, and Sentenced to 100 Lashes and Hanging

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3)

In our society, it is easy to become so entangled in our own life that we forget our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are endangered because of their faith. 

But Christ commands us to remember those that are in prison, as if we were there with them.

If His word implores us to do this, should we not be burdened by the news of those around the world imprisoned, tortured and killed for their faith?

Recently in Sudan, 27 year old Meriam was imprisoned because she named the name of Christ. She was sentenced to 100 lashes because of her marriage to an American Christian, and death by hanging because she would not renounce her faith. 

What would you do in that situation?

I often wonder what it would be like to be in her shoes facing a choice between being put to death or denying Jesus, my Savior. What would you choose?

She chose death. At the time she was pregnant with her second child, and now both of her children are with her in prison.

We are to remember those who are in prison. We are called to remember Meriam and her family...as if we were there with them.

Last week, 40+ organizations gathered in front of the White House and the Sudan Embassy to protest Meriam's case. Shortly after the protest, the State Department broke the silence and officially condemned Sudan for its conviction and imprisonment of Meriam! 

Maybe you are wondering what you could do to help this sister of ours? Most importantly, you can pray! Pray that God gives her peace whatever happens to her and her children, that she would be released, that her children would be allowed to be reunited with their father and that the whole family’s faith would remain strong.

Also, you can talk about Meriam on your social media using the hashtag #RescueMeriam. Please visit www.rescuemeriam.com and sign a petition that will go to your senators, congressmen, the White House and the Sudan Embassy. 

Remember, your sister is in that prison with a death sentence… Pray as though you yourself were there in that prison with her. 

For more information about what you can do, visit www.mutenomore.com and www.rescuemeriam.com.

Written by Sandie Jalbert

Is Facebook Stealing Our Time?

"The biggest deception of our digital age may be the lie that says we can be omni-competent, omni-informed, and omni-present." (Kevin Deyoung, Crazy Busy)

Whether I'm in line at Chick-fil-A, checking out at grocery store, or relaxing with my family, Facebook is a world where I can go at any second of the day. It has a strange pull to my heart because I feel connected to people. I get an adrenaline high when one of my new profile pictures has 50 more "likes" than my last one. My popularity hinges off of the volume of comments on how beautiful I am. This unrealistic virtual world influences my moods and behavior. 

When I Refuse to Give the Lord Control Over My Time and Priorities

"We don’t expect to be able to buy anything we want, because we know there is a limit to our money. But somehow we live as if time knew no bounds, when in fact time is much more limited than money. Wealth can be created, but no one has the ability to grow more time." (Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy)

I waste time. Do you? This post is a glance into my own heart and the realization that I don't "Redeem the time" in a way that glorifies God. Like most Millennials, I've bought into the lie that I can manage the high demand of social media, enjoy an active social life with my friends, keep up a busy schedule and devote time to ministry projects. Deceptively, I believed I could manage my life in this fashion but recently God revealed the blunt truth:

"It's time to grow up" 

10 Ways Teenagers Can Leave a Lasting Impact on the World

“Go after God-do whatever it takes. Don't give the excuse, ‘I'm just or teenager’ or ‘I'll do that later’. No, God wants you NOW.” - Rachel Joy Scott, martyred April 20,1999 during the Columbine High School shooting.

So you want to change the world, do you? I’d like to share with you some practical insights on how you can start making an impact for the Kingdom.

Before we go any further, there are some things you need to be aware of: the life of a “world-changer” also denotes a life of sacrifice, a life of discipline and a life that is fully in-sync with the heart of Christ. This lifestyle isn’t for the weak-hearted Christian. It is for those who are willing to leave behind the comfortable “American dream” and follow God’s plan (whether or not it includes a relatively comfortable experience!). 

How Can I Impact Society if I'm Just a Teenager?

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” - Joel A. Barker

Teenagers can change the world! Have you ever felt that your age group defined your behavior or potential? Think about this for a moment: society actually goes to great lengths to promote the idea that immaturity and rebellion are either acceptable or just “phases” that all teens go through at one time or another. This myth is mind-boggling (not to mention crazy)! This subtle mindset is, in reality, putting an entire subset of the world’s population in a box! 

Confessions of a College Girl

Imagine this: a college freshmen walks timidly on campus for the first day of classes. She doesn’t know anyone, but she hopes to soon… People are friendly enough, but I long for the deeper relationships that I shared with my friends from church back home. “It will come” I tell myself confidently.

A couple of days later I suddenly see the man of my dreams walk past me [insert your dream man here: tall, black hair… or…skinny jeans, skateboarder, black converse…or… athletic, strong, etc]. After picking my jaw up from the ground, I decided that I would watch this guy….closely. It didn’t take long for me to check off His spiritual state from my checklist. He seemed to love the Lord with all of His heart and it showed in His love for those around Him.

Let Men Be Men: Inspiring the Lost Art of Chivalry

Chivalry. It is a lost art among our culture and greatly scorned upon by the feministic movement. But in the heart of a every guy there is this yearning to succeed as a man, a desire that is often crippled by the actions and words of women.

Sometimes chivalry comes in small packages: boys. Yesterday I had my own encounter with kindness while navigating my cart through the grocery store. 

All I Want for Christmas: Filling the Void of Loneliness

"It's that time of year, when the world falls in love; Every song you hear seems to say, Merry Christmas! May your New Year dreams come true." (The Christmas Waltz) 

Christmas is in the air. You can hear the holiday classics blaring in every department store. The month of December is full of Christmas parties, church cantatas, neighborhood caroling and exchange gifts with those you love. 

It certainly seems like the "time of year when the world falls in love" and everyone appears to be...happier. But the glaring truth for those who deal with loneliness is, it seems to be that time of year when the world has a significant other except you.