Evening wolves. Habakkuk 1:8 While preparing the present volume, this particular expression recurred to me so frequently that in order to be rid of its constant demand I determined to give a page to it. The evening wolf, infuriated by a day of hunger, was fiercer and more ravenous than he would have been inContinue reading “Evening Wolves”
Category Archives: Persecution
Everything Sad Is Untrue
You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll shout hallelujah. It’s hard to describe the exact experience of reading Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue. I can’t say I’ve read anything like it before. It’s a coming-of-age memoir. It’s a Christian testimony. It’s a refugee’s inside look at religion and geopolitics. It’s the anguished cry of a boyContinue reading “Everything Sad Is Untrue”
The Fellowship of Suffering
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ isContinue reading “The Fellowship of Suffering”
Six Months of Ukraine Prayer
On the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion, today Ukraine marked a somber national holiday. Last year on August 24, large crowds flooded Kyiv to celebrate 30 years of independence from the Soviet Union. For year 31, Ukrainians were ordered indoors—yet remain defiant. “On Feb. 24, we were told: You have no chance,” said President VolodymyrContinue reading “Six Months of Ukraine Prayer”
It’s Getting Worse
There is no question that Christians in the West are facing greater hostility than ever before. There are several contributing factors to this, and they are converging to create a perfect storm. These factors—some of which we learned about earlier—are eroding what is left of the free exercise of religion. The most significant difference betweenContinue reading “It’s Getting Worse”
He Doesn’t Shield Us from Everything
My rambunctious, sometimes out-of-control sons love to wrestle and battle each other with pretty much anything that could remotely resemble a weapon. They’ve also recently learned how to deflect their brothers’ blows by crafting shields from cardboard boxes with strings attached to slide their arms through. While these cardboard shields may be effective enough forContinue reading “He Doesn’t Shield Us from Everything”
Desperation Does Not Demand
How abundant is your goodness, which you have . . . worked for those who take refuge in you. (Psalm 31:19) The experience of future grace often hangs on whether we will take refuge in God, or whether we doubt his care and run for cover to other shelters. For those who take refuge inContinue reading “Desperation Does Not Demand”
Lessons on Persecution
The phrase “persecuted church” tends to carry our minds to other parts of the world, where Christians suffer severely for their faith in Christ. But the New Testament makes it startlingly clear that persecution isn’t limited to a select group of believers. Paul summed up the plain truth in 2 Timothy 3:12 when he wrote,Continue reading “Lessons on Persecution”
Brimstone and Glory
When fidelity, honesty, society, morality and true biblical spirituality are turned on their head, and life turns upside down, most stresses and voices yield a counsel of despair. Yet in David’s day, about 1000 BC, with His Kingdom perched on the brink, and about to slide off the cliff, this “bird in the cage” wasContinue reading “Brimstone and Glory”
Are You Oppressed?
One of the most intimidating things Jesus taught was that, as his followers, we should expect to be persecuted. And one of the most surprising things he taught was that, when we encounter such persecution, we should face it with joy. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so theyContinue reading “Are You Oppressed?”
Intentional Faith 