Trying to Get a Grip

For the past several weeks, I have gradually come to the conclusion that one of the main reasons for my lack of creativity lately has been that I have allowed my email to take up the best parts of my day. I decided that I needed to do something about it and so, today I sent out the following to my staff.

In order to enhance creativity and communication, I am voluntarily adopting the following communications practices:

1. a) I will generally only be reading and responding to my emails between 9:30-10:00 am and 2:00-2:30 pm each working day.
b) I will generally not be checking my emails in the evenings, weekends or holidays
c) If you send me an email that requires more urgent attention, please contact me in person or by phone/Skype and inform me.

2. Generally, I prefer to communicate or to be communicated to in the following priority:
a) In person
b) By phone/Skype
c) By email

People who communicate to me in this order will receive my highest priority.

3. Issues of a personal, disciplinary, or emotional nature will not be dealt with by email. Email will only be used in such matters to record or restate the results of the discussion afterwards.

4. Personal email will not be done during office hours.

I would like to hear from some of you how you are dealing with the tyranny of email in your life and business.

Algerian Judge Asks for Prayer

I would like to share with you a story that I recently read in an editorial by Tom White, Executive Director of our sister mission in the United States, in which he recounts a story told to him by a co-worker in Algeria.

"When I was 15 years old, I was looking for God. I tried to ask everyone. I even went to a sheikh. I told him, ‘I love God. I am looking for Him.' He told me, ‘You are a blasphemer. You only need to obey your parents and say the five [Muslim] prayers.' But I was not convinced. Every night before I went to sleep, I said, ‘God, I know You are there. If You are there, why don't You talk to me?'

"One night, I was crying on my bed and I saw heaven open and rays of light writing the words, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.' I knew this was not a dream. I ran outside on the patio to look up at the sky. I was sure God had talked to me. Later, a woman gave me a New Testament. When I found Jesus' words, ‘way, truth, life,' I said, ‘That is what You told me. You are God.' I gave my life to Jesus.

"When I married, I told my husband that I was a Christian. My family reported me to the police. The police in Algiers filed a court case against me for despising Islam - blasphemy."

"One morning they took me to court. The judge was sitting at his desk between two advisors. He leaned over and asked me, ‘Are you a Christian?' I said, ‘Yes.' He asked, ‘What did you find in Islam that you didn't like?' I replied, ‘I was looking for God in Islam and I didn't find Him.' Then I told him about my night vision and the words I found in the New Testament. I don't know if he was curious or wanted to trap me, but the judge asked, ‘How do Christians pray? What do they say?'

"I tried to explain to him what we say. He still didn't understand how we talk to God. He asked, ‘Where do you pray? What do you pray?' I replied, ‘We can pray anytime, anywhere.' He leaned forward and asked, ‘Can you pray now? Here?' I said, ‘Yes.' He sat back and said, ‘Okay. Pray.'

"I stood before him and raised my hands and started to pray. I knew that in my prayer this would be an opportunity to give a message of salvation. I began, ‘Thank you, Jesus, because we are sinners and You died for us....' I took 10 minutes to finish this prayer. I prayed for the president of Algeria that God would bless him. I prayed for those in this court to see the salvation of Christ.

"When I said ‘Amen,' the officials in the court turned to look at each other. The room was quiet. They were speechless. The judge said to me, ‘This case is dismissed. Go home.'

"I turned to walk down the long aisle to the door. I heard someone running behind me. I turned and saw the judge. He caught up with me and said, ‘Woman, when you pray to Jesus, please pray for me.'

In the Shadow of the Cross Available for Free Download in Chinese

Recently, the Chinese translation of my book "In the Shadow of the Cross" was completed and 9,000 copies were published and distributed in China. This is an exciting development for us. However, it is obvious that we will never be able to distribute enough copies given the difficulties, logisitics, and the vast numbers of Christians in mainland China. We have decided, therefore, to make the book available onlne for free distribution in Chinese. While we know that our main website is often blocked by the Communist authorities, we hope that others make the link available known in one way or another, that perhaps believers there might be able to secure copies whether online or by CD. Anyway, here is where "In the Shadow of the Cross" in Chinese can be downloaded for free: http://www.persecution.net/download/itsc_chinese.pdf. It can also obtained on our online catalog in the ebooks section.

Duck! Someone is Speaking in Love Again Withdrawn

Today I received a gentle rebuke from one of the readers of my earlier blog "Duck! Someone is Speaking in Love Again" who rightfully pointed out that its content and spirit was rather contrary to what is normally expected from me and expressed disappointment that I had written it.

This reader was right. I felt chastised by the truth of what was said and decided to withdraw my earlier blog and remove it from this website. I would like to thank this reader for their wise words and timely correction.

Report from London

I just finished meetings here in London with the other members of the Leadership Team of the Religious Liberty Partnership that was founded earlier this year. I truly believe this partnership will contribute significantly to serving persecuted Christians as we create an environment where ministries can learn to trust each other and cooperate together, share information and avoid duplication of work.

Amoung our decisions today, we passed a draft copy of Best Practices for Ministry With and For the Persecuted Church that several of us worked on earlier and which will now be taken to the Membership of the Partnership next March when we meet in Zurich for final acceptance. This is a significant document, in my opinion, in positively addressing many of the missteps that ministries that work in this field often commit but could avoid. I look forward to seeing it become public in the future.

Well, I have a couple of days of meetings with other ministries. Thank you to those who have been praying for me during my time here.

Prayer for Trip to England

I would appreciate your prayer as I leave on Monday for the United Kingdom for a week. This is my first international trip in about 16 months and the first since my stem cell transplant in December. My loved ones are, of course, concerned about my health and whether I will get sick while overseas, but I believe that God wants me to go on this trip. The purpose of the trip is to continue working on the Religious Liberty Partnership that was launched earlier this year. I am on the RLP executive and believe that this is a strategic endeavour. I will also be meeting with the staff of Christian Solidarity Worldwide and our sister mission, Release International and hopefully with our friends at Forum 18. So, it should be a valuable trip.

Pray specially for strength. I do struggle with stamina and am concerned about hauling my luggage around Heathrow airport.

I will try to make the occasional entry while in London and fill you in on how things are going.

VOMC's Annual Online Garage Sale Begins Tomorrow

This is the sale many of you have been waiting for and asking us about. Tomorrow, VOMC's annual online garage sale begin with lowest prices you are likely to ever see on a number of books that the mission is discontinuing. Many books are selling for only $1.00. Others that would ordinarily sell for between $15.00 - $30.00 are on sale for only $5.00! This will be your last chance to get some of these resources from The Voice of the Martyrs. Order right away for best selection because once they're gone, they're gone!

Note: these resources may only be ordered by residents of Canada and are only available for ordering online. Phone or mail orders will not be accepted.

Taliban Vows to Abduct More Foreigners

For those who think that I might have overstated, made up or exaggerated the risk I mentioned in Wednesday's posting of further kidnappings because of the recent concessions that the South Korean government made with the Taliban in order to secure the release of the nineteen hostages, read the following couple of paragraphs from yesterday's Guardian:

Taliban militants released the last seven South Korean hostages on Thursday under a deal with the government in Seoul, ending a six-week drama that the insurgents claimed as a ``great victory for our holy warriors.''

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi vowed to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea's decision to negotiate directly with the militants would embolden them.

``We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful,'' he told the Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location

God with us!

by Bernie Daniel, International Projects Manager (The Voice of the Martyrs)

In early August, I went to couple of African countries on a mission assignment to assess the persecution situation in the region, and to conduct extensive consultations for projects development in the service of the Persecuted Church. My prayerful consultations with our co-laborers in the ministry were very fruitful. But the living conditions in one of the cities were very challenging. That unnamed city and the African country as a whole are emerging from a devastating war, and the terrible after-effects of the conflict are still there. Although I was told that I was staying in a reasonably good hotel, there was no water, no electricity, no air conditioner (and the nights were about 30 C), the backup generator was broken, and the food was not good. Almost every night, from 7 pm in the evening, I was sitting in the dark till midnight and then sleeping for about 2 or 3 hours. I never knew that darkness, especially the one you can not get rid off, can be so oppressive. Oh, how I yearned for the morning to come so that the sun can drive away the darkness!

Visiting the washroom in the pitch black of night, I opened and closed my cell phone to get some light (not one of the uses in the mind of the inventors of the cell phone, eh!). And I had to be very careful in using it as there was no way to recharge it. Sitting in the dark, I made Bible games such as remembering as many comforting verses from each book in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Well, many books were easy but can you remember a comforting verse, or any verse, from Amos, Obadiah, Micah, or Zephaniah? Oh yes, I remembered the one from Zephaniah 3:17. A former colleague had shared it in a devotional at a ministry essentials training we attended together about 7 years ago. The presentation was so powerful, I remember it as if it was yesterday. After sharing the devotional, he played beautifully a song based on that verse written by a noted gospel singer. The verse says:

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

By His Word, God gave me His peace although the living conditions remained the same. More often, God does change us while leaving our conditions intact. And during the last night of my stay in that country, when my body was starting to feel the cumulative effects of the challenging living conditions, the cell phone gave light in the dark room and started ringing. I got my first and only phone calls during the trip - two timely phone calls from my cherished colleagues Glenn and Floyd. More than they can imagine, God used the phone calls to demonstrate His abiding presence with me, to strengthen my spirit, and renew my hope in Him. Obviously, my short experiences of discomfort in the African city are infinitesimal compared to the plight of many persecuted Christians languishing in darkened prison cells and suffering various abuses for the sake of our Lord in many nations around the world. But the God of all grace who never forsakes His own does comfort and sustain them by His Holy Spirit. Similarly, He never forsakes us in our daily walks and struggles. In all, He is Emmanuel. God truly is with us!

Thinking Through the Price for the Release of the Korean Hostages

In today's Persecution and Prayer Alert (VOMC's weekly email news service), I made the following statement concerning South Korea's decision to prevent missionary work in Afghanistan:

"Ultimately, it seems that the only real concession that the South Korean government was prepared to publicly make (to the Taliban) was the religious freedom of its own citizens. Make no mistake, this decision to withdraw missionaries from Afghanistan and to prevent others from going there is a violation of religious freedom. It is telling Korean Christians, 'You can obey Christ's commission but not in Afghanistan.' This no government has the right to do, even in the name of protecting their citizens. We are also concerned that this concession by the South Korean government could further endanger the safety of Christian missionaries of all nationalities in other countries like Afghanistan where Christianity is viewed with hostility. Religiously motivated militants may conclude, having seen the Taliban successfully drive out South Korean missionaries in this manner, that kidnapping missionaries in the hopes of negotiating similar concessions by other governments concerned over the safety of its citizens is a legitimate and potentially successful strategy.

The Voice of the Martyrs urges governments to refrain, even with the best intentions, from interfering in rights of its citizens to carry out their faith even in dangerous environments and we urge Christians in free nations to recognize that there are risks in taking the gospel to many parts of the world and to accept the consequences of their obedience. This is biblical Christianity at work and we should not be surprised by it. God does not lead us only to safe places."

In an interview with Mission Network News (to be aired tomorrow), I make similar comments that this action on the part of the government in Seoul is an action that no government has the right to make and I am disappointed to read reports that South Korean church groups have already agreed to abide by it. Some family members of the kdnapped have apologized to the Korean people for the inconvenience that their relatives caused by going to Afghanistan. Korean mission leaders are suggesting that this incident may mark a "maturing" by the Korean missions movement. Perhaps, but not, in my opinion, if Koreans start to emulate the practice of many western missions groups who refuse to go where their governments say it is too dangerous and who flee countries whenever things get potentially hazardous.

Some will say to me, "Oh, it is so easy for you to point your finger and criticize. What if it was your family, your church, your friends?" Don't think for a minute that I don't think about this but I keep coming back to two things: 1) the example and testimony of today's persecuted believers around the world, many of whom refuse to be silent about their faith even if it means abuse, torture, imprisonment and even death, and 2) the teaching of scriptures. My study of the biblical teaching of persecution and discipleship is the framework for why I believe what I believe about these things. It comes down to this: what is more important, safety or obediece, my life or that of others, love or fear?

Of course, I am glad that my South Korean brothers and sisters have been released. I mourn and am enraged by the killing of two of them. But I think that the South Korean government made serious errors in judgment in how they secured their release and I can only wish that there will more reflection by Korean Christians on the ramifications of this particular concession once the rejoicing is over and their loved ones are safely home again.

Seeing Resources From God's Perspective

I have been recently been challenged to change the way I view God's ability to provide and the resources that He has available to His people. It seems to me that if I can grab hold of God's perspective on this, that it will have a revolutionary impact on my life and on that of The Voice of the Martyrs here in Canada.

Too often, ministries like VOMC see themselves in competition with other ministries for donations from supporters or potential supporters. We see the resources available in the world today as a concrete, limited amount that is divided up for everyone to get a piece of, depending on how hard or smart they work. A good illustration might be that of a pie. There is one large pie in the world, so to speak, containing all of the money available to Christian ministries and we need to make sure that we get as big of a piece of that pie as we can, because if we don't someone else will. We also fear that if we are not careful, someone may steal part of our piece. And so we compete for our share of the pie.

The fact is, the real source of our resources has no limits to what He can provide. There is no pie. Hence, our competitiveness as organizations reflects, I believe, a worldly perspective rather than a godly one. One consequence of embracing God's perspective would be a willingness to work together far more freely as organizations. We need not fear that other organizations will steal support from us if we cooperate with each other; God has the ability to supply the needs of both if they are faithful to Him. Pastors could relax and stop seeing parachurch organizations as competitors for their congregant's dollars.

Is this naïve? Some will say so, but only those who continue to hold to a limited universe with a limited God. I, for one, will not dishonour God in this way any longer.

Thou Shall Not Stalk Birds

Well, I am back from vacation and feeling much more rested than I did a couple of weeks ago. I would have enjoyed another week or so but that's life. My wife and I spent a couple of weeks back in our hometown of Didsbury, Alberta, located about 40 miles north of Calgary.

Like most people, there are things about one's hometown that you both love and cringe about; little quirks and idiosyncrasies that make home, home. Things like the road sign to the Didsbury cemetery, which has a sign underneath that reads "No Exit." At least this is an improvement over the old sign that read... "Dead End."

Didsbury's latest quirk is Bylaw 2007-10 that seeks to control cats in town (an impossible task if I ever heard of one). The bylaw sets out the offences and responsibility of the cat owner and the various acts that are forbidden to cats in Didsbury. Cats may not run at large, defecate on public or private property, bite or attack people, or wander about without a collar and tag. But then there is Part 3,2,f which makes me absolutely love my hometown. Hereby let it be known that the town council has officially forbidden cats in Didsbury, Alberta from stalking or killing birds on public or private property.

Tell me, how are you going to stop a cat from stalking a bird? As a law-abiding person, I drove around the streets of Didsbury during my two weeks of vacation, making it a point to keep an eye out for stalking cats. Oh the anxious looks I saw on the faces of tabbies and calicos from all sections of town as they slunk around, peering over their shoulders, fearful of being accused of stalking those of the avian species. I personally assisted many of them as they seemed in danger of forgetting their criminal inclinations by pointing at them and solemnly reminding them of their civic responsibilities. I wondered if I should call 911 when I saw an unaccompanied feline slinking towards a grove of trees.

It does make me think though, of our growing tendency here in Canada to create laws for just about everything and the ridiculous lengths we go to appease every single interest group that makes a tweet of protest about some real or perceived offense. Common-sense seems to have flown the coop.

A Great Sacrifice Indeed

I've been reading a book called Strange Scriptures That Perplex the Western Mind by Barbara M. Bowen, which seeks to clarify several scriptural passages by explaining relevant biblical customs and traditions. Although the book's purpose is to highlight the culture of the biblical past, many of the customs and conditions it deals with are still present today. And so, not only is it a window into the historical context of the Bible but it is also a glance into the current culture of the Near East. I'm having a fascinating time reading it, as I've been constantly bombarded with new facts and surprising details.

Today I would like to share an excerpt dealing with Luke 7:37-40, when a "sinful woman " washes Jesus' feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. The 'strange' aspect of this story, at least for me, was how/if the woman had been able to produce enough tears to actually wash Jesus' feet. I had a hard time trying to picture her hovering over Christ's feet, waiting for the tears to drip down her cheek and drop onto his skin. Strange Scriptures, however, explains that it is quite likely she wasn't using freshly wept tears at all but in fact pouring them out from a 'tear bottle,' an object that was customary of the times:

"We find reference in many old books to the custom of collecting the tears of the whole family and preserving them in bottles. Thus King David prays, "Put though my tears in thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" Tear bottles have been found in very large numbers on opening ancient tombs. They are made of thin glass usually, although the very poor sometimes had just simple pottery bottles, not even baked or glazed. They were all made with a slender body, broad at the base, with a funnel-shaped top. Every member of the family owned a tear bottle and they collected the tears of the whole family.

When serious trouble or a death occurred in the home, all the relatives came and each one brought his tear bottle with him. As they wept and wailed, the tears rolling down their cheeks, each person took his or her tear bottle and gathered tears from the faces of all present.

This bottle was exceedingly sacred to them. It represented all the heartaches, sorrows and bereavements from the grandparents down to the small child. When a person died, his tear bottle was buried with him, as one of his most sacred possessions.

This helps us to a better understanding of what the woman did for her Master. She noticed the very discourteous way in which Christ was treated as a guest in the house of Simon the Pharisee.

He provided no water to wash the Lord's feet and no oil to anoint his head; so this poor, sinful woman, longing for forgiveness and a new life, took her tear bottle, poured the tears over his tired, dusty feet and wiped them with her long hair. A great sacrifice indeed, done in love and gratitude to the Saviour. They could "not be replaced and she might die without a bottle of tears to be buried with her in her tomb."

This woman's actions exemplify the spirit of sacrifice and servant hood that we are all called to possess when serving the persecuted. When we speak, write or pray on their behalf, we are not only spilling our own tears in response to their pain; we are collecting the tears of our suffering brothers and sisters themselves and pouring them out the feet of the Saviour. This offering is both communal and individual, just as the woman's tear bottle belonged both to her and to the family members whose tears she had collected.

It matters not if we will go to our graves with our hands empty and bodies weary from living in the way of the cross. It matters only that we be willing to completely surrender ourselves and our fellow believers over to the One who will come to wipe every tear from the eyes of the faithful.

Egypt Arrests Members of Toronto-based Copt group

Last week, two members of the Middle East Christians Association (MECA), a Toronto-based international Coptic Christian association, were arrested by police from their homes in Cairo on August 8. MECA has ties to Egyptian convert Mohamed Hegazy who, as we reported in last week's P&P alert, has been fighting for legal recognition of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. Hegazy had reportedly gone to the association for help and became a member.

The arrested men are accused of insulting Islam, confusing the public security and converting Muslims to Christianity. The founder of MECA, Nader Fawzy, maintains that the organization has done nothing illegal. He also said that the Egyptian authorities did not like the work of the organization and were attempting to "kill our branch in Egypt." Not only has the story been reported by Christian persecution news agencies such as Compass Direct and main news services such as Reuters, it has also been picked up by national papers such as the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

By now it shouldn't surprise me that stories which initially seem to involve only one specific restricted or hostile nation often end up also involving Canadian individuals. I know that the world is wholly interconnected, as is the Body of Christ. And yet, I have to admit to being especially jolted when a story literally hits close to home, as this one did with its link to an organization based in a city that is less than an hour from my home.

Of course, I don't believe that I (or other Canadians) should care more about stories which directly involve people living in Canada. However, since persecution stories are largely underreported by the media, I firmly believe that when they do break on to the pages of a national/local newspaper we have a responsibility to pay special attention and to be on guard for unique opportunities to raise awareness of the Persecuted Church within our communities.

Any information put in the hands of the Canadian public is fodder for discussion and therefore has the potential to communicate information that might otherwise have been overlooked or even deliberately ignored. Although I believe our newsletter, email alerts and webpage are doing an excellent job in spreading the news of the Persecuted Church, major newspapers remain the most regular, accessible and widely spread source of information for the people of Canada. Thus their articles may reach people and places that ours do not. Newspapers relay world news to Christians and non-Christians alike, making it possible for even those without the slightest interest in the persecution or, for that matter, religion to read stories such as this situation in Egypt while sipping their morning coffee or waiting for the train.

So I encourage you to keep an eye out for persecution stories in your newspapers and urge you to try and find ways to discuss these stories with others. Whether you are engaging in a discussion with a friend or a five minute conversation with a neighbour, you are playing a part in communicating the message of suffering church to your fellow Canadians.