Matthew 1:23 tells us: “They shall call Him Immanuel (which means God with us).” When we read those words, we imagine the baby Jesus in the arms of His mother Mary, or in a sheep’s feeding trough. But “Immanuel” literally means GOD with us. Jesus is God Himself, and He came in human flesh to dwell among us. “He is […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/29/2026 …. “God Has All Things Under His Control”
As most readers are aware, a large gathering of the House of Blessing community of believers, including many leaders, elders, and teachers as well as students and new believers suffered a major mustard gas attack. Many civilians were also in the proximity. Dr. Bandis was one of the ones nearly killed, along with Pastor Abdelrahem, Hayel, and Arshid. Dr. Bandis […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/25/2026 …. “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
In Luke 9:3 we read Jesus making this statement: “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff nor bag nor bread nor money…” We have a tendency to read right through that statement without thinking much about it — or we pass it off as something that was specifically for Jesus’ disciples — or maybe for missionaries in a foreign field. […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/19/2026 …. “Sometimes Through The Fire”
In a devotional from 23 years ago, author Chris Tiegreen shared some thoughts about the “Spirit of Sacrifice.” I have included an excerpt from his devotional below: “Jesus’ life can be described as a life of sacrifice. Not only on the cross did He pour out His blood to redeem us from our sins, but during His ministry He constantly […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/7/2026 …. “Perilous Times” Part Two
I have received several emails from the House of Blessing in the last two or three days. As I did in Part One, I am going to forego my own introductory comments. I have received a tremendous volume of information in the past three days. As I stated in Part One, I hope you can take the time to read […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/6/2026 …. “Perilous Times”… Part One
Normally, I begin with some thoughts of my own to share before sharing the current House of Blessing update. Due to the volume of information I have received in the past three days, I am forgoing my comments and going straight to the House of Blessing. There is a part two to this update that has already been written and […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 5/2/2026 …. “Loving God….How Much?”
The greatest commandment says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and all your strength.” In spite of the extraordinary calling — which is to experience God’s love and to love Him in return — we tend to fill our lives with idols. Given the fact that the […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 4/28/2026 …. “The Gift Of Life”
After visiting a young man in the hospital, who had been within seconds of losing his life, I was reminded of how tenuous life really is. In Psalm 90:10 we find these words: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for […]
MIDEAST UPDATE …. 2/7/2026 …. “We Become Blessed as We Become Blessers”
In 1 Kings 19:11-12 we find these words: “And after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice.” One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 46. This psalm refers to the earth shifting below […]
MIDEAST UPDATE…1/18/2026…”They Who Know Their God Shall Carry Out Great Exploits”
As I was compiling the reports I received within the last few days, I could not help but think of the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Because this update is a bit lengthy, I will only touch on one aspect of this story. As we all know, Lazarus had become deathly ill and Jesus had purposely stalled going to his […]