Jesus Christ is alive and living in the hearts and lives of billions of Christians. I am interested in what He is saying and doing in the lives of those who know and love Him and interested in being a familiar and trusted blogger about Him
Lana’s story not only displays how God is using Help The Persecuted ’s Lightning Funds to support Christians in danger, but how evangelism, discipleship, and practical help all work together in this holistic ministry.
While home in the Middle East on a break from her graduate studies, Lana noticed a significant shift in her older brother Hussein’s personality. Though once angry and antagonistic, he was now kind and reflective.
Curious to find the source of his new found positivity, she asked Hussein what had led to the dramatic change:
While working abroad, Hussein had grown frustrated with Islam’s inability to directly answer his questions. He began searching for truth in books that refuted Islam, and, by the grace of God, miraculously landed on the Bible. Eventually, he came to faith in Christ and was discipled and supported by members of the Help The Persecutedfield team.
Hussein shared news of his conversion with Lana and challenged her to begin reading the Bible and to consider Jesus for herself. While on the plane back to school, Lana opened the Bible her brother had given her. She later told us:
“As I read the Gospel of John, I started crying. The words felt alive, like I was hearing someone speaking them to me. The Scriptures gave me what I needed, and I got off the plane as God’s child.”
When Hussein informed our field team leaders Salam and Samar about Lana’s conversion, they connected her with a local church, where she became actively involved and was soon baptized.
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Once her graduate studies ended, Lana knew she was being called back to her home country – though she knew she would face persecution:
“I felt that I had wasted my life, and I had been wrong in everything I believed. There was something inside me that made me share [the Gospel]. I couldn’t stop sharing. I just couldn’t.”
Back home, Lana had thought her mother would be understanding; instead, she was hostile. She confronted Lana, asking point blank if she had become a Christian. Lana took courage, not denying her faith, and confirmed that she had accepted Jesus as her Savior.
Soon after, Lana’s mother began tracking her every movement. Lana had to hide her activities, eventually avoiding church altogether and limiting meetings with individuals and small groups of believers to public places. But even clandestine planning didn’t work. Lana’s mom gave her an ultimatum:
“Return to Islam or face the Sharia court. You deserve to die because you left Islam.”
Lana was sure that something terrible was being planned and, with the help of Lightning Funds provided by Help The Persecuted, made arrangements to flee the country as soon as possible. Help The Persecuted also connected her with an organization that wrote the legal papers necessary to apply for asylum. But just as she was about to board the plane, Lana was stopped and told that she was banned from traveling:
“I booked a flight. Nobody knew I was going that day. I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was scared. When I got to the airport, when I was boarding, they said that ‘you’re not allowed to leave, you need to refer to the Sharia court.’”
I felt trapped.”
——
The hearings before the Sharia court lasted for six months. It was an emotionally exhausting and humiliating experience for Lana. The court was open to anyone, and her life was daily put in danger as she was publicly accused of being an apostate.
Lana was enrolled in an Islamic course as punishment and forbidden to leave the country. During this awful time, Help The Persecuted rescued her from the dangerous situation of living with her mom—helping her find a safe apartment and providing her living expenses. But even after she finished the Islamic course, her case remained open, and she was still unable to leave Jordan.
Then, Salam was investigated by the secret police for playing some part in Lana’s conversion. During the meeting, Salam, led entirely by the Holy Spirit, dissuaded the Secret Police from carrying out charges against Lana. Within a week, Lana’s case was closed, and she immediately departed on a plane bound for Europe, once again, thanks to immediate funding from Help the Persecuted.
Today, Lana is rebuilding her life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Salam and Samar are still in contact with her and try to encourage her as much as they can from afar.
“Salam and Samar gave me a hand when nobody else did. They were the only people that I could trust anywhere, basically. They helped my brother also, and they were always there for us—whether we needed advice or any kind of help. And they did so even though their own situation was difficult.”
——
Without the help provided by our field team members, Lana most likely would have faced extreme persecution, possibly death. But through the support of partners like you, God provided for her both practically and spiritually during her time of desperate need.
If this sounds like a spy novel, know that it’s par for the course in the Middle East. There are thousands upon thousands more like Lana that reach out EVERY DAY. Today, help us carry out our mission to Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild more lives like Lana’s by supporting Help The Persecuted so we can continue providing immediate crisis funding.
——
P.S.
It may be easy to fault Lana’s mother for this entire ordeal, but Lana would remind you to pray for her mother. Indeed, her mother is simply scared for her daughter. She believes what Islam would have her believe; they play to her fears.
Rejoice always for Lana’s rescue. Pray without ceasing for Lana’s mother. Give thanks for the Holy Spirit’s intervention in this situation. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, for us, and for Lana.
"[God] is behind all of our deep longings for relationship, and He personified it when His Son walked the earth." — Kate Merrick
Can I Get a With-Ness? by Kate Merrick, from Here, Now
Tel Aviv is a tangle of concrete, buildings, cars, exhaust, and armed guards. At first, we were swept up in the metropolis, gasping for air. We definitely felt like outsiders, unwieldy and unwelcome, trying to find a place to fit in. After a few hits and misses, we finally found a respite to turn to and ended up spending countless lunchtimes at a corner café called Streets. It was a hip little joint on the corner of a busy street, with black metal chairs, black-and-white photos on the walls, and a cement trough sink in between the men's and women's bathrooms — so progressive. The kids working there were all so beautiful in their own way. The girl with half her head shaved and huge glasses. The boy with the curly black afro and striped tee shirts. The high-waisted pants, the looping hem of the fluorescent tank tops, the worn high-top sneakers. They wore piercings and jewelry anywhere they pleased with hair cut angular and asymmetrical. The hip uniform of the young and the free, of the kids who had shrugged off the religion of their parents. They looked like they were from my hometown, and they captured our hearts. The café was a few blocks down from the clinic, so it became our go-to before or after treatment. Daisy and Isaiah usually opted for the schnitzel, while Britt and I noshed on salads and pizza. We would sit, the four of us, in our same spot on the patio. Britt a head taller than most of the population, tan and blond. I was fifteen inches shorter than him, also sporting the fresh-off-the-beach look (which secretly means I don't brush my hair and totally get away with it). Isaiah was the coolest little blondie wearing black Ray-Bans with prescription lenses, and Daisy sparkled with her magnetic personality, freckles, and bald head. Needless to say, we stuck out a bit among the Israeli hipsters. From the first day we walked into that café, the servers were friendly to us. We would sit for a couple of hours sometimes, killing time before treatment. We played cards over and over, our bottoms planted on those trendy black chairs. And, without fail, those darling young Israelis would show us kindness, usually in the form of a treat on the house. Sometimes it was a huge and luscious wedge of cold watermelon garnished with mint and feta; other times it was a perfectly round scoop of icy pink gelato. Once it was tall skinny glasses of lemonade slush, particularly refreshing in the sultry weather.
We came to love those kids, love the way they treated us. We learned their names and shared hugs, and they loved us too. They had become a sweet connection to the land, to the people. One day, as the boy with the afro brought over yet another gift for us to eat, my husband looked up at him and said, "Why are you so nice to us?"
Embarrassed, he looked away and, in a voice barely intelligible, said, "It is our mitzvot." Mitzvot, the plural of mitzvah, is a commandment from God. God commanded His people to perform acts of kindness — a tangible way to give and receive His love. The boy with the afro and his coworkers saw a dying girl and her family and poured out love the best way they knew how.
This was a stunning revelation.
The kindness, the love, the intentional connection with what's right in front of us — all this was God's idea. It came back to Him.
He was behind the comforting gestures, the feeling of fitting in and simply being with each other. He is behind all of our deep longings for relationship, and He personified it when His Son walked the earth.
Mary of Bethany has haunted my thoughts for a while now. I imagine her in that ancient, dusty, delightful place. Her story shows me that something really precious lies beneath our need for being people of presence. Something more than unplugging, more than putting overconnection and overcommitment in its place. Something more than just rising above our current circumstances, more than just enjoying a physically and emotionally healthy way of being. There's a profoundly sacred reason we are driven to discover what's most important.
I've been going on and on about presence, about choosing peace and contentment. I've talked about being with — truly with — each other, about living intentionally and openly. These are healthy things, yes. They are beneficial and wise and fruitful things. But beyond that, there is a fundamentally better reason for shifting our hearts to practice these things, one that I believe Mary saw as she sat at Jesus' feet with all the chaos swirling around her. One that caused her to make a cameo in another story that made history, as told in the book of John.
Let's enter Bethany again. Another dinner party, more time with Jesus, more of Martha's bustling about. Another dinner in Jesus' honor, another time of human connection, of sharing food and space and trust. Another evening when God Made Flesh came into a little house in a little town and broke bread with a little group of friends. And by this point, as His short and powerful ministry was winding down and He was making his way to Jerusalem to perform the most loving act in history, this Emmanuel had shown Himself to be Healer, Teacher, and Lifter of unruly heads. This Miracle Maker had walked on water, healed the sick, given sight to the blind, and offered living water. He had shown Israel who He really was — by His words, His deeds, His presence. Redeemer. Bread of Life. Prince of Peace. Lamb of God. And He was right there. With them. With the stress case (Martha). With the activist (Simon). With the traitor (Judas). With the formerly dead (Lazarus). With the tax collector (Matthew) and the country boys (Philip, Bartholomew, Andrew) and the sons of thunder (James and John). With the garrulous (Peter). With the doubter (Thomas). With all these ragamuffins He loved so much.
And Mary. Doe-eyed, present, peaceful Mary. Mary, who had discovered the better thing, the thing most worth being concerned about. Who made room for with-ness, who experienced the peace and joy that with-ness sustains. Mary gracefully entered the scene, among all the bubbling conversations, debates, and personalities, among the various scents and tapestries and clay pitchers and wooden bowls. Quietly, she slipped into the room, maybe catching her brother Lazarus's eye, maybe taking a deep breath. She carried with her an alabaster jar of perfume, one that cost an entire year's wages. All of her wealth, all of her trust, all of her future she carefully held in that thin, fragile, ethereally elegant vessel. I can see it now, the careful steps she takes, tiptoeing into the room bursting with masculine voices and smelling like spicy food and men sweaty and dusty from the journey. The whole room, swirling with distraction, thick with cultural expectation and tradition. She kept her eyes on Jesus, regardless of the trepidation she must have felt, knowing her actions might again be criticized.
And yet.
The draw of Jesus was so cogent that, right there, in the middle of all the distractions, in front of all the befuddled dinner guests, Mary moved toward Jesus as if it were just the two of them in the room. There, she gave all she had. She broke the jar, poured it out over Jesus' feet, and, using her hair as a towel, she lovingly covered Him in her most precious possession. She was with Him, in the distraction, in the wake of miracles, in the face of His impending death. She was with Him, in love and adoration, knowing He would be gone soon. And her worship and with-ness filled the whole house with an intense fragrance. Mary had learned what was most important, all right. What had started with giving Jesus her full attention, choosing to listen in the face of distraction, had culminated in an act of worship that went down in history. Worship flowed from their intimacy, from their with-ness. Talk about relationship goals.
Excerpted with permission from Here, Now by Kate Merrick, copyright Kate Merrick.
* * *
Your Turn Jesus deeply values intentional connection. He wants it with us and for us with others. We can be like Mary in our hearts and our actions by just wanting to break any barriers and stale traditions to sit with Jesus and love Him. And, let's practice our mitzvoth today, too, and spread kindness to those around us. We'll never know how much it may mean! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily
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Your People Need Your Full Presence...
Get inspired by... Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World by Kate Merrick
Kate's writing is beautiful and inspiring - never preachy - yet convicting, funny, and REAL! I couldn't put this one down. ~ Jaime Guthals, FaithGateway
What if our truest life is the one right in front of us?
Does life sometimes seem to be passing you by? Are you so busy—with email to check, Instagram to scroll through, and friends to be envious of—that you've become disconnected from your actual life? You know, the one you are living right here, right now?
With hilariously relatable confessions and profoundly beautiful insights, Kate Merrick invites us to stop running away from the lives we're living today and instead walk in the peace and fullness God offers moment to moment. She shows us how to
kill your Wi-Fi, put down the tech, and find deeper contentment,
redirect the FOMO so you don't miss out on your own life, and
go on a diet of fewer choices to discover the blessings of the quiet, the slow, and the intentional.
Only when we look honestly at our hearts and have the courage to live truly present do we receive the gifts of God found in all of life's seasons—the painful ones, the big and beautiful ones, and even the ordinary ones.
This book not only reached deep into my heart as a 54-year old "young" at heart and in-the-fight mama, worshiper, and worker; but just as deeply impacted my soon-to be daughter-in-law who is 26! This is so greatly needed as women who love the Lord and those in their lives are trying to find the balance as we see overconnectivity pulling us down and away from what God has for us! Loved the author's style, humor, grit and wisdom- this will stay by my bedside- and it is excellent on audible! Read Less
Also from Kate....
Is it possible live fully—even joyfully—in the middle of overwhelming pain?
Kate Merrick examines the Bible's gritty stories of resilient women as well as her own experience losing a child — a journey followed by more than a million on prayfordaisy.com — to reveal the reality of surprising joy and deep hope even in the midst of heartache.
In the excruciating aftermath of her young daughter's death from cancer, Kate Merrick struggled to find a way to live. Not just to survive or go through the motions, but to live fully. Faithfully. With real joy amid inevitable tears.
To discover how, Kate delved into the stories in the Bible of real women who suffered deeply and emerged somehow joyful. How did Sarah, after twenty-five years of achingly empty arms, learn to laugh without bitterness? How did Bathsheba, defiled by the king who then had her husband killed, come to walk in strength and dignity, to smile without fear of the future? In her encounters with these heroines of the faith, Kate discovered how to have contentment—and even joy—whatever the circumstances.
By turns heartbreaking and humorous, And Still She Laughs reveals the secret to finding hope in the midst of devastation. In the end, no matter what hardships we face, we can smile, cry, and come away full—laughing without fear and eagerly looking for what is to come.
Kate Merrick is one of those women that I always wish I had more time with—her honesty, sincerity, and messy straightforwardness are different, in the very best way. Her book, And Still She Laughs, is the same way. It's one of those books I will keep coming back to it for truth and inspiration. —Lindsey Nobles, COO of the IF:Gathering
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If you are wondering where the pages that contained the words "excerpt", "Introducing" or other words indicating I was quoting a book have all gone, I migrated all of them over to Posts and Posted them all on August 18 and August 19 2024. I did that so you could use the search widget that is built in to the blog on the upper right hand corner. You will be happy to know that there are more of them than just the batch that were migrated, there were also lots of posts that contained the same words that did not have to be migrated over, they were there all along. I am really enjoying doing introductions and excerpts because it really makes for powerful and fascinating reading when I do them. You get the feeling you are in a bookstore holding a book in your hand looking at the table of contents and deciding whether or not to buy the book.
Jesus Christ is alive and living in the hearts and lives of billions of Christians. I am interested in what He is saying and doing in the lives of those who know and love Him and interested in being a familiar and trusted blogger about Him
Dallas Theological Seminary Fighting Human Trafficking video on youtube
Human Trafficking Victims Program Introduction
She said two urls that are no longer the urls to use. The first one, www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking automatically becomes www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign The facebook site was the old site which does not automatically update to the following, the new facebook site is http://facebook.com/dhsbluecampaign Click this link to search all of the DHS site for mentions of the Blue Campaign
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This song is on the album "Sovereign" From Michael W. Smith Sky Spills Over · Michael W. Smith Sovereign ℗ 2014 The MWS Group, under exclusive license to Sparrow Records Released on: 2014-01-01 Producer: Christopher Stevens Composer Lyricist: Michael W. Smith Composer Lyricist: Christopher Stevens Composer Lyricist: Ryan Smith
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