As I began to write this Mideast Update, the Iraqi military was involved in an all-out effort to free the city of Fallujah from ISIS. As I look at the news reports I have on my desk, officials estimate that approximately 84,000 people had been forced to flee their homes since the start of the government offensive in May against […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 6/14/2016
I suspect I have read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, known as the Faith Chapter with 15 verses beginning “by faith,” more times in the last four years than I had during my entire life before becoming involved with the House of Blessing. This “faith chapter”, provided a long list of many of the heroes of the faith and why […]
“And Once Again”, MIDEAST UPDATE, 6/12/2016
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25 Stories travel fast in the Middle East when fueled by hope and a hunger for evidence of goodness, or mercy, or, ultimately, loving kindness. When Jesus walked in village or countryside, desert or shoreline, people walked great distances to hear, to see, and […]
“Sarah’s Sequel” MIDEAST UPDATE, 6/8/2016
When we heard Sarah’s story of seeing God’s glory and seeing her children alive and happy in His presence, we could only imagine the impact that had on her and those around her. To see into the heavenly realm is not easily described or even imagined, but to also see your loved ones in His Presence, is beyond our ability […]
“Sarah’s Story”, MIDEAST UPDATE, 5/31/2016
Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1 The lines of people coming to Pastor R’s tent, asking for prayer, continue day by day. People who have so little, living only moment by moment, asking for prayer, seeking the comfort of a God they have […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 5/25/2016
I have made reference more than once to the warnings Jesus left us concerning what would unfold in the period of time just prior to His return, but in light of the desperate situations in the Middle East, I would like to do so again. In Matthew 24:3-14, we have these words: Now as He sat on the Mount of […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 4/18/2016
The update is not going to be a long one today, but I do want to get out the latest information that I have received. I was very happy to receive a phone call from Pastor R this weekend. His voice was not quite normal, but that is to be expected due to the chemical poisons he was exposed to […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 4/5/2016
At the beginning of today’s Mideast Update, I would like to include the 23rd Psalm and some brief observations. It reads like this in the New King James version of the Scriptures: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my […]
MIDEAST UPDATE: 1/19/2016
Watching the news further confirming a call from Syria in the wee hours of the morning, it is obvious that circumstances continue to deteriorate in the Middle East. Many of you may have heard of the horrors happening in the Syrian city of “Deior-ez-Zor” (one of several spellings). It is located in the northeastern portion of Syria and was brutally […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 12/4/2015
The New Testament story of Saul, the Pharisee and ferocious persecutor of the Christians, who became the beloved Paul the Apostle, is one of the greatest stories of forgiveness in the Bible. The account of the transformation of Saul into Paul, is proof of the enormous grace of God and how He desires to forgive and set us free from […]