All posts filed under: Main

Are you ready for the 2020 COVID famine?

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It’s impossible to miss the virus pandemic that has spread around the world. I remember hearing the first rumours about a virus in China, in February of this year. Those rumours quickly became a fact and the disease spread to every place in the world. We all know this. Did you know this is qualifies as a biblical famine? Our reaction is now as dangerous as the disease. People will suffer from a virus infection, and some will die. Also, our social controls to resist the disease have disrupted the world economy. Now, more people will die from the remedy than from the disease. We are really hurting ourselves: READ: Coronavirus-linked malnutrition is killing 10,000 more children a month, UN warns When we think of a famine on a biblical scale, we always imagine a lack of food. That is partly true, but in ancient times, food was the economy. Everyone worked on a farm and lived by the food they produced, except for a few who lived in a village, close to the farm …

Preparing for the end times

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When the warden for All Saints’ Radford church in Nottinghamshire showed up at the church on Sunday, July 26, 2020, Lorraine Smedley discovered that vandals had painted upside down crosses and swastikas on the church building. The Nottinghamshire police referred to it as a “hate crime.” Across the English Channel in France, reports indicate the number of attacks against Christian churches in that country has increased nearly 300% in just 12 years according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE), a Venice-based organization. OIDACE reports that in 2018, the French government officially stated that there were 275 attacks, fires and vandalism, against churches in that county. That number had climbed to 1,052 attacks by 2019, representing a 285% increase. Recently, there was an arson attack on a 500-year-old Cathedral in Nantes, France on July 18, 2020. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg because these simply represent threats and attacks against physical structures. In 2018, the French government reported that there were 2,000 hate crimes against Christians. Though …

California churches battle back against Gov. Newsom

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There is a battle brewing in California between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Christian churches. According to the state’s lockdown rules, churches are limited to 25% capacity or 100 people, depending on what is lower. This means churches that can seat three to five thousand people can only have 100 people attending a service at one time. But what is bothering churches is that this 100 person cap is not applied equally to other business, including restaurants. And in acts of civil disobedience, several churches have announced that they will be returning to public services and purposefully violate the cap, with or without the government’s permission. One of those churches is Grace Community Church located in Los Angeles. Pastored by John McArthur, the church’s auditorium can seat 3,000 people, and prior to the Coronavirus was handling two services a day, with both running at full capacity. Even though there are threats that the city would cut off power to the church, in a letter posted on its website, the church said it would move ahead with …

No Cheating!

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Your cheating heart will tell on you is a line from an old song by Hank Williams called Your Cheatin’ Heart. It was recorded a few years before most of us alive today were born. Yet I find this line so relevant to what is happening now. What is a cheating heart? In the song it is a woman whose heart is bent on two timing her man. Her heart was divided between what she was doing and what she was presenting. You could say she had deceit hidden in her heart. She was a hypocrite. Today we see many people with a cheating heart. They claim to follow God and present themselves as fine Christians who follow the Bible and love their neighbors and follow the ten commandments. Then they support causes of violence and murder such as candidates who favor abortions. They turn a blind eye to the poor in their own towns and cities while spending thousands on oversea mission trips. Would this make them hypocrites? When Christians get so caught up …

Whatever happened to the Age of Aquarius?

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Do you remember the song with these words “It is the dawning of the age of Aquarius”? I wasn’t supposed to like that song, in my religious family, but for me it was easy listening, and I liked the optimism. Also, it’s a Hippy New-Age hymn, and I had friends who were Hippies. The lyrics are mostly about the positions of the planets and stars, and it’s based on Astrology, which is really a religion, and I am a Christian. The Bible is clear, wisdom comes from God who made the stars, and not from the created objects, like Jupiter in the seventh house. We are not supposed to get direction for our lives from mediums; “anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 10: 10 to 12) God can give us what we need. Maybe the singers were mediums and astrologers, …

Removing the tentacles of judgment

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Over the years, John 3:16 has consistently been one of the most popular verses for Christians. But do you know what the most popular verse is for those who don’t believe? Surveys reveal it is “don’t judge, lest you be judged.” And God has been really speaking to me about judging, because Jesus “holds space for me” and allows me to show up with all my faults and weaknesses. But am I treating others including those who are not believers the same way God treats me? Jesus embraces me despite my imperfections. He embraces me through eyes of love and nothing I do can change His perception of me. And when we get ourselves into trouble, we can ask for help and God will provide it. But notice what James adds: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5) God will provide help without finding fault. He won’t point a finger of blame or judgment when …

Archaeological evidence discovered of the reigns of Hezekiah and Manasseh

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An archaeological discovery beside the American embassy in Jerusalem has uncovered evidence of the Hezekiah/Manasseh reigns in Judah, that took place about 2,700 years ago. King Hezekiah was one of Judah’s better kings, and his son Manasseh was arguably the worst. At the site, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered a large stone building that probably served as a tax collection centre. A large structure was needed as people often paid their taxes with produce and goods. Along with this, they found the handles of 120 jars used for storage, with many of them stamped with seals indicating ownership. The most common inscription was the phrase “belonging to the King” that was indicated by the letters ‘LMLK,’ along with a name of a major city probably indicating its origin. Other handles had the names of senior bureaucrats, whose name have been found at other sites, indicating their importance. But archaeologists also uncovered items that may reflect the reign of Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh. This included several small decorative items that were used in pagan worship …

Does the discovery of Naboth’s vineyard have a message for today?

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Archaeologists working at the site of the ancient city of Jezreel in Israel are wondering if they have found the remains of a vineyard connected with Israel’s most wicked Queen, Jezebel. For those not familiar with Jezebel, she was the daughter of the King of Phoenicia who married King Ahab, probably as part of a peace treaty between the two nations. In the process, Jezebel gained control of both Ahab and the nation of Israel leading it down a path of sin and destruction. According to the Biblical account, King Ahab noticed a vineyard near his house in Jezreel owned by a man named Naboth. Ahab offered Naboth a deal he couldn’t refuse. However, Naboth refused stating that this land was part of God’s inheritance given to his family. King Ahab returned to his house and sulked, which is where Jezebel found her husband (1 Kings 21:1-4). When Ahab told his wife what had happened, Jezebel took matters into her own hands, and she seized the vineyard. We will discuss this in more detail later. …

Dealing with procrastination

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I am the king of procrastinators. I put things off, because I can’t or won’t make a decision. When it comes to buying an item, as my wife will attest, I am scared that a better deal might come along, so I just put it off. Procrastination is a real problem and it shows up at universities when students procrastinate about completing assignments often putting it off to the very last moment. Sometimes, they don’t complete them at all. I know of a very smart man who didn’t complete his university assignments and as a result never graduated. However, he went on to have a very successful, I repeat, very successful professional career. So, the issue wasn’t ability. Typically, most blame procrastination on a time management problem or perhaps laziness. People are just not managing their times properly. And some universities even offer time management advice for their students. However, a recent study by psychologists Timothy Pyschyl and Fushcia Sirois has concluded that procrastination is not about time management, but rather an unwillingness to deal …

Just Love

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Do you recall the old Coke commercial where they used these song lyrics: “What the world needs now, is love”? The world does need love, especially now in this time of anger, fear, and division. But whose love does it need? This question and its answer relate to how we ought to solve our issues. Do we rely on social justice which is an outside approach using government programs and incentives to try and change beliefs? These programs reward certain ways of thinking or acting and punish those who are unwilling to conform to the latest standards. Programs that force compliance lead to censorship and the muting of dissension. It may create a more fair workplace or access to services but it doesn’t change the hearts and minds of people. In fact, it creates the opposite. Resentment builds and the idea that the government is showing favouritism can arise. People comply because they have to not because their heart and mind agree with it. There must be a better way. Maybe this is where love …

The Solution to Racism: Maybe God knows something.

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One word is the modern translation of the Bible word “sin.” The new word is “racism” In the Bible, one word “sin” describes anything wrong that people might do. We have ten commandments, and many other warnings, and the offence is always against God. If we hurt other people, we are offending the God who made them, and loves them. There are many ways to hurt other people. The hyper concern for racism makes one offence really matter, while other things might get overlooked. For example, it’s possible to be extreme and violent if the other person can be accused of racism. The U.S. Air Force Academy had a strong reaction to crude racist messages on their campus, and then investigators learned that one of the victims wrote the messages. The incident might be described as a stunt, but the possibility of racism required a severe correction. READ: Air Force Academy Prep School: Black cadet admitted to writing racist remarks on dorm doors I believe our concern for racism is in part based on the …

Study confirms why you need to build a big jail!

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A study out of Canada provides concrete evidence why every believer needs to build a huge prison. The Daily Mail tells of a study conducted by Dr. Jordan Poppenk, who serves as Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, that concluded the average person has about 6,200 thoughts a day. Dr. Poppenk and his research team had 184 people watch upwards of four video clips, while the research team used an MRI scan to monitor the blood flow in the participants’ brains. Though the scan could not determine what each person was thinking, it was able to determine when a new thought pattern, described as a “thought worm,” emerged in a participant’s brain. Based on this, the researchers concluded that a person averages about 6,200 thoughts a day. Though there has been speculation of how many thoughts we think in a day and as well a few unreliable studies involving people tracking their thoughts, this was the first study to provide a concrete number. Thousands of thoughts pop into our mind every day. Many of them …

55 | Crossing over to the other side of faith

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Hi my name is Dean Smith, and in this podcast I am asking: Are you ready to cross over to the other side of faith? But first let me tell you an interesting story involving the dramatic healing of Tony Yahle in West Carrollton, Ohio. It was so dramatic that the story was featured in several secular news sites including the New York Daily News, ABC News and WHIO TV.

A hint of how humans were to function before we fell into sin?

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I have a theory about how people were supposed to function before Adam and Eve fell into sin and it comes from Savants. Savants are people who often display incredible, super-human like abilities in certain areas such as math, music, art, memory, but it is often accompanied by other mental impairments. In an article on Psychology Today, Michael Jawer says that Savants have incredible memories allowing them to perform seemingly impossible feats. Jawer cites a 14-year-old blind boy who flawlessly played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1 after only hearing it once or Kim Peek who was able to read books extremely fast by using his right eye to read the right page and his left eye to read the left page and could completely memorize a book by just reading it once. There are others who can do incredible mathematical calculations and some who can tell you the day of the week of any given date. According to Jawer, while these people lack in other mental aspects, they have a tremendous memory, but it is narrow …

“The church has left the building”: California Revival?

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It has even caught the attention of the LA Times that is reporting a revival is breaking out on the beaches of California — Huntington Beach to be exact. It’s partially in response to California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent hypocritical ruling limiting church services to maximum of 100 and disallowing singing or chanting, while putting no limits on demonstrations, and in fact is encouraging them, where he allows people to shout and chant all they want. So in protest, Sean Feucht, who is a worship leader at Bethel Church, in Redding, California, and others decided to hold a church service at Huntington Beach on Friday, July 10, 2020 in defiance of Gov Newsom’s edict. Let’s call it a “worship protest” and include some signs and everything should be fine. Sean has also started an organization called “Hold the Line“to fight government’s intrusion in the life of the church. Writing for the LA Times, Hillary Davis describes what happened at Huntington Beach: There is a revival taking place on the sand at Huntington Beach. On Friday, …

Is God Racist?

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Does the Bible support racism? Some say it does. They might base their decision on the Old Testament story of Israel becoming a nation. Or perhaps the tower of Babel story. The story of Israel actually reflects the story of all believers in Jesus to some degree. Although this predates Jesus’s appearance as a human, the Israelis were a people trying to follow God. Christians also try to follow God. The Israelites are God’s chosen people and so were called to be holy and separate from the other nations of this world. The Old Testament is to a large degree the story of how Israel lived out this chosen relationship. This holy separation was not racism. The conflicts and wars were not based on hatred of other nations as much as a desire to follow God on the path towards holiness. Christians are called to be holy and separate from other people of this world as well. It is a decision to live for Christ by not getting caught up in the sin and the …

Those annoying Baby Boomers and God

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Did you know you belong to a generational prison? Experts have tracked the characteristics of each generation, and sometimes assigned a letter of the alphabet to each one. The ones we live with now are Boomers, and then generations X, Y, and Z. Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, and they are very numerous, in western countries. X is from 1965 to 1981; Y is the Millennials, also known as the me-me-me generation, from 1982 to 1994; and Z from 1995 to 2010. READ: From the baby boomer to the post-millennial generations: 50 years of change Baby Boomers generally annoy Millennials, or so we are told, and there is a popular insult “OK Boomer.” There are some problems with this description; we are each one person and not a generation. We can make our own choices about life, and many people don’t fit the profile. Some people are poor, even homeless, and many are immigrants from places where the dynamics are different. When we make one group all the same, we create a …

Embracing your rest?

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“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What does ‘rest’ in God mean to me? Personally, I can rest in God because Jesus has made me ‘enough’ and in the eyes of God I will always be enough despite my mistakes, failures and shortcomings. Truly, there is a liberation that takes place when one accepts Christ as their personal  Saviour. No more worry about heaven or hell.  Eternity is secured because of the rich red blood of Christ that flowed down the cross to redeem the world from sin. Through Christ’s death, we become a ‘friend of God’ and we are no longer a slave to the law of religious dos and don’ts.    A relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes easy knowing we are deeply loved as a ‘child of God’. We can talk with Him, confess our sin, failures and shortcomings and then move on, no longer restricted by them. But it takes faith, believing what God says about you, and then …

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard arrests 12 Christians with aid of house church infiltrators

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According to a report by Article 18, an organization dedicated to monitoring religious freedoms in Iran, between June 30 and July 1, 2020, the country’s Revolutionary Guard arrested over 12 Christians in three cities — Malayer, Karaj and Tehran. In addition to this, officials also secured the identities of dozens of other Christians. Article 18 reported that about 10 agents with the Revolutionary Guard stormed a house church of about 30 people in Tehran. They arrested six people who were blindfolded, handcuffed and taken away. The families have no idea where they are. Five of the people arrested were Muslims who had converted to Christianity which is illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The remainder had their cell phones seized and were forced to sign forms that the Revolutionary Guard had “not” taken their phones. The Revolutionary Guard then went to the homes of people attending the house church meeting, including the six arrested, to search for Bibles and Christian literature. Others who were not at the house church meeting were also arrested as …

Archaeological discovery reveals ‘when’ the Apostle Paul visited Corinth

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It was an incredible archaeological find in 1905 and because of it, we know that the Apostle Paul arrived in the city of Corinth some time between May 1st, 51 AD and April 30, 52 AD and he stayed in the city for about a year and a half. In Acts 18:12-17, Luke describes Paul’s visit to Corinth and his encounter with several Jews who were outraged by Paul’s arrival. Luke writes that the Jewish leaders dragged Paul before Gallio who Luke describes as the proconsul of Achaia, covering a region that included Corinth, Delphi and Athens. The Jewish leaders accused Paul of “enticing people to worship God contrary to the law.” Luke writes that this case actually annoyed Gallio who told the Jews that his job was to adjudicate matters of crime, and he was not interested in settling disputes of theology and names (obviously a reference to Paul’s claim that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah). But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a …

The secret to effective prayer may surprise you

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An article on CBN, tells of the miraculous healing of Pastor Jim Dumont. Jim and his wife Pam were visiting family in Maine, when Jim decided to go for a walk. He had been gone for a while and Pam suddenly became very concerned about her husband and went out looking for him and found Jim lying on the ground surrounded by a police car and a couple of ambulances. Pam said that her husband’s face was purple and his eyes looked like they were made of glass. Jim’s heart had stopped. After EMT worked on Jim, they were able to get his heart beating, but they estimated that there had been no heart beat for at least 12 minutes and as much as 15 minutes. Every minute is important because of the longer you are without blood, the potential for brain damage dramatically increases. After he arrived in hospital, Jim was put into a coma to prevent further brain damage. The plan was to wake him after 36 hours, but he didn’t come out …

The Suffering Truth

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While I was a student at the University of Victoria, I studied politics.  Out of curiosity, I decided to compare the facts in a Russian encyclopedia and an American encyclopedia. Events we accepted as factual and accurate were recorded from a completely different ideological angle. This often changed the facts. The two countries role in World War Two were very different yet the American version is that they won the war. The Russians claim it was their troops that won the war. When you write, or as is happening now in North America, rewrite your own history, you get to write whatever you want. Often truth suffers. According to the Baltimore Sun, a crowd tore down the Christopher Columbus statue near Little Italy and rolled into the Inner Harbour. In Canada, there is a request for a mayor to take down the statue of John A MacDonald in Regina. These statures represent discovery and growth in how America and Canada were founded and settled. The conflicts regarding Indigenous people and their culture and the way …

How much money do you need?

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“Money can’t buy happiness.” We have been told this since at least 1750. It is probably true that money can’t buy happiness, but money does generate unhappiness when it goes away. So, how much money do you need? What will make you happy? 95 thousand U.S. dollars. Researchers studied income and happiness, and they now have an answer: an income of $95,000 USD per year will give you “life satisfaction” and $60,000 to $75,000 USD per year will give “emotional well-being.” Now you know. The research is too simple, in my opinion. I know places where that money would make you the richest person in town, and there are other places where you couldn’t afford to buy a house. The researchers could probably explain and modify their findings, and it is interesting that they studied money and happiness, and they have a scientific answer. READ: Experts say there’s an ideal income for happiness — here are three ways you can reach it But is there a spiritual answer? I am writing this as a Christian, …

A study of names confirms Jeremiah

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A study of names has confirmed the historicity of the Book of Jeremiah. The Book of Jeremiah was written 2,600 years ago between 628 BC to 586 BC (the year, Babylon sacked Jerusalem). Through a series of prophecies, Jeremiah repeatedly warned Judah that God was sending Babylon to judge the nation and haul the Jews into captivity. He also prophesied that the Jews would be restored to the promised land in 70 years and Babylon destroyed (Jeremiah 25:11-12). Skeptics typically dispute the book, because basically they don’t believe in prophecy and therefore conclude Jeremiah must have been written well after the incidents recorded in the Biblical book. However, according to an article in Biblical Archaeological Review, Hebrew University’s Mitka Golub says a study of names cited in the Book of Jeremiah proves it was written at the time the incidents took place. Like today, Golub says that names are a reflection of their time. There were popular styles of Hebrew names that were in vogue at certain times and not as much in other periods. …

54 | Are you an injustice collector?

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FOLLOW OUR PODCAST ON (search opentheword): Itunes Stitcher Spotify Google Play IHeartRadio TuneIn Podchaser PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I am asking are you an injustice collector? Several years ago, my wife and I invited a newly married Christian couple over to our home. I have no idea what we are talking about. I vaguely remember it was about church — but this is important — it wasn’t anything serious. It was just a casual conversation. It wasn’t about anyone or anything. Suddenly, the husband exploded in absolute rage. Anger poured out of him like hot lava. We were shocked. His wife looked at him with her mouth wide open. After things subsided a bit, I asked him why he was so upset by what we were talking about. He sheepishly looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and said “I don’t know.” Something in what we said triggered him. It could have been a single word or phrase. But whatever it was it unleashed a torrent of rage. …

Denzel Washington says being filled with the Holy Spirit ‘scared’ him

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In a recent Instagram interview with A.R. Bernard, who pastors Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., actor Denzel Washington shared the moment that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Denzel said that there were three times in his life, when he committed his life to Christ, and on the third time, while attending the Church of God in Christ in West Angeles, Denzel was filled with the Holy Spirit. He added that this supernatural experience “scared him:” “Three times…I think we all go through that. I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me. I didn’t want to go this deep…I want to party. It was a supernatural, once in this lifetime experience that I couldn’t completely understand at the time.” […] “I went to church with Robert Townsend and when it came time to come down to the altar I said, ‘You know this time, I’m just going to go down there and give it up and see what happens.’ I went in the prayer room and gave it up and …

Constantly Changing

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This life we are living is changing almost daily. Change can be exciting but constant change is tough to digest. We need some constants in our lives to give us a sense of normalcy and security.  Here is my list of constants that are still around. Taxes.  No surprise here. Especially now that many governments are generous with their programs.  The money comes from taxes. There are always at least two people with their hands in your pockets. A politician and a pastor. One wants money for this life and the other wants money for the next life. Either way, take comfort in the fact that you get to continue paying taxes.  Politics. This may be a bit more aggressive and violent than what some of us are used to, but political differences have been around a long time.  In some cultures, violence and politics go hand in hand. It seems people have never totally agreed on how to do things let alone what is important. And it doesn’t appear that politics will go away …

Boomer, Doomers, and Systemic Racism

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In history, when armies fought on a battlefield, each side had a flag. A flag is only a piece of cloth with colors, but it is a symbol of something one side loves, and the other side hates. We have flags today, made with words: Systemic Racism, Defund the Police, Black Lives Matter, Hey Boomer. These slogans are used to rally people on one side of a struggle, and to make the other side hostile and angry. There is not much analysis, mostly just angry emotions. In the demonstrations, the flag words are written on signs and shouted. The news is also full of stories about violent demonstrations and ruined careers, when famous and privileged people offend someone with their words. These are dangerous times and it is dangerous to have an opinion different from a flag. I often visit a town called Killam, and I have a standard bad joke, “On Friday I’m going to Killam.” It sounds funny to some people. I was not there on the day, but people in the area …

A better way?

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“Now eagerly desire the greater gifts And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31) Strong’s Greek Dictionary defines “way” in this verse as a road or a journey: A way – (Strong’s Greek 3598 – A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; a mode or means This verse is talking about the specific journey that God has for all of us. The first step is learning to love ourselves because we were created in the image of God and that means we cannot hate or despise ourselves. How can we love others while hating ourselves? This verse also talks about the many gifts God gives His children to serve Him. We serve God best when we embrace our unique gifts and talents that have been given for us to serve this world.  Each one of has a purpose that we can step into and live out our journey through life. This verse has been ringing in my ears these past months because life’s …

Why is Instagram censoring Sean Feucht’s worship videos?

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According to CBN, Sean Feucht, a worship leader associated with Bethel Music, recently shared several social media posts that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are now censoring worship and praise videos. Apparently, Feucht was going to places where there has been rioting and then posting videos of praise and worship from these locations. And while these social media corporations allowed posts of actual rioting, somehow praise and worship songs was considered insensitive or harmful and removed. Feucht tweeted: While @Facebook @instagram @Twitter promote the content of violence, rioting & destruction, they are actively CENSORING worship, prayer, peaceful protest & anything going against their fear-mongering narrative. My feed and many others is proof.#ChangeTheNarrative — Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) June 23, 2020 Feucht reports that Instagram justified the removal of his praise and worship videos because they were classified as “harmful” or containing “false information”: This is what we’ve come to in America! Instagram is now classifying my WORSHIP videos as “harmful or false information” Religious Liberty? Freedom of Speech? Big Tech censorship? pic.twitter.com/I7s6HUfKH4 — Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) June …

California Church shut down because it doesn’t financially fit in?

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The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) has announced it will be appealing the court case of New Harvest Christian Fellowship (NHCF) located in Salinas, California after a Judge ordered it shut down because it didn’t fit in. NHCF has been operating a church on the city’s main street for over 25 years and in 2018, the church bought a larger building because its growing congregation no longer fit in its previously rented facility. The city took the Church to court demanding it be shut down because it did not fit in to the vibe that the city council was trying to build for the city’s main street. It wants a pedestrian-friendly environment along its main street full of shops and entertainment facilities. The city would only allow the church to continue if it held services on the second floor of the building, instead of the main floor. In a court case over this dispute, the Judge ruled in the city’s favour stating that it did not fit the vibe the city was trying to create and …

Last words: Never give up your faith in Jesus

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You have probably never heard of Kande Mudu, 27, but the Apostle John mentioned Kande in his vision of the end times found in the book of Revelation. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) recently reported on what happened to Kande, a Christian living in Khunti district in Jharkhand state located in the North East corner of India. CSW is an organization that monitors religious freedom in 20 countries. According to CSW, Kande and his wife Bindu became Christians in 2016, and they along with their two daughter were the only Christians in the small village where they lived. On June 7, 2020, a mob of armed Hindu extremists started pounding on the door of the family home around 8 PM. They eventually broke down the door and dragged Kinde out of the house. They then started beating him with their weapons and Kinde was killed when an assailant slit his throat. Kinde’s body was discovered later that night on a deserted road. This was not the first time the family had been assaulted because of their …

The Lying Truth

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I am so sick of the news lately. And I am a news junkie. The problem is that all the news outlets cover all the same stories with all the same angles. Here is a summary of every mainstream newscasts. Covid19 will get you. Trump is bad. Terrorists are peaceful protestors. Oh, and my favorite news item. A celebrity who knows nothing about what is happening released a statement saying the Covid19 and Trump are bad and here is a million bucks to help the protestors who are victimized by the police. And then there is good old Canadian Pamela Anderson. Her news item was about if she would pose nude one more time for Playboy. This according to Fox News Entertainment Section. Thank you, Pam! In case you’re wondering, she said no. Now this is about as newsworthy as the woman who was offended by the man who held the door open for her. But it is a bit of relief in a news world gone mad with intent to scare and divide. The …

Burning Cities: Why are we doing this?

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There is an old saying, “People who believe nothing will believe anything.” A man named G.K. Chesterton said that or something similar, and I know it is true. We all believe, we are incurably religious, and if we don’t have truth, we will attach our belief to something false. If life has no meaning, we will find a purpose; and some purposes are bad for us. When I was a boy, my family went to church. Every adult in my life was strict, and apparently, following their rules was the way to God. I didn’t always believe them, but I learned early that it was important not to get caught. I grew up in the days of beatings, and at school the principal had a regulation strap issued by the school board. I only got one regulation punishment, around the age of eight, and that was enough for me. I didn’t want more of that pain, so I carefully stayed out of trouble, and avoided anyone who could punish me. My parents were also generous …