In light of the approaching Muslim pilgrimage known as the Hajj, and the Muslim day of sacrifice on the third day, Eid al-Adha, this is a timely update. Pastor R mentioned the upcoming date in a call this week. Most readers are aware of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. This year, about 2 million Muslims are expected to journey […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…6/16/2023….Our God Has All Things Under Control!
One request that is made quite often in the Mideast Updates over the past 11 years, is for prayer. Why is prayer requested? It is because God’s intervention is needed. I wonder how many of us, yours truly included, pray in a nonchalant way, not really grasping the gravity of what we are doing and not realizing what is involved […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…5/22/2023…”When GOD’s Answer Isn’t So Prompt”
One of the things that sometimes can cause frustration in our Christian lives is when we are in difficult situations and, seemingly, no amount of prayer is changing things — or at least, not that we can see. Gary Wilkerson in his World Challenge Newsletter, addressed the subject by using King David’s prayer in Psalm 6 as an example. I […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…5/10/2023…”God Sometimes Works In Mysterious Ways!”
How does one face life as we find it in 2023, knowing that tomorrow’s news will likely be more troublesome than even today? There are those who live in constant fear. There are also those who avoid knowing what is going on in our world. Others focus on staying entertained and refuse to deal with the more unpleasant realities of […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…4/30/2023…”The Scroll of Life”
One of my favorite scriptures is found in Psalm 139. Here is just a sampling of the verses: 1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3 You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…4/18/2023…”Let Your Light So Shine…”
As the dark shadow of the approaching Great Tribulation comes ever closer, the more we as followers of Jesus must realize that what little time we have left on this earth, is crucial. If we are still here and breathing, it means that God still has a specific purpose for each of us. There are unfortunately those who, out of […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…4/7/2023…”PAID IN FULL”
Before sharing a brief update, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Resurrection Day on April 9. For 2,000 years, followers of Jesus Christ have taken this weekend every year to think through the momentous events when Jesus was crucified. As He was about to offer up His spirit into the hands of His Father, He said, “It is finished”, […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…3/30/2023…”Even The Very Old…!
In the last update, dated 3/23/2023, I shared the story of “The Dead Branch.” As is usually the case, the effects of God’s miracles and interventions continue after the initial miracle has happened. The story of Ayaet Rahmani’s challenge to Omar and what God did to meet his challenge, is spreading far and wide. Hundreds of people have already found […]
MIDEAST UPDATE….3/23/2023….”Is Anything Too Hard For Our GOD?”
Most of us have read Bible accounts of the spectacular miracles performed by Old Testament prophets, and of course in the New Testament, at the hands of Jesus and the Apostles. For most folks, it is not so hard to believe that the Biblical miracles really happened, but it’s a bit more of a challenge for some of us to […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…3/17/2021…Our GOD Never Leaves Us, Nor Forsakes Us
As I was recalling my last conversation with Pastor R, I thought back on the difficulties that our friend has gone through over the years. Snippets came to mind of stories about the first Omar, back in 2012 and 2013, when he took the first handful of Bibles over the border from Jordan into Iraq and subsequently started a House […]