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Easter Day Massacre–When prayers go unanswered
On this particular Easter morning, I woke up with a sinking feeling in my stomach. As I prepared to drive our nice minivan, to our nice church in our nice clothes I couldn't help but think about the global plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I prayed that morning—a prayer that God didn't seem to answer. An unholy foreshadowing of the events to follow crossed my mind and I whispered a faint prayer against attacks. I grabbed for my bright green scarf and threw on my yellow earrings for a pop of color and asked God to save his people from death and persecution on Easter Sunday. After…
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We, the Persecuted?
Coptic Christians beheaded on the beach. Russian believers told they will be stripped of their religious freedoms. And Syrian Christians driven from their homes. The bad news bombards us. And add to these the fact that, due to war and persecution, the number of the world’s displaced people has reached 60 million—half of them children. (This number represents more people than at any time since World War II.) With all this persecution making headlines, believers frequently hear a familiar quote: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Some of us have heard the words so often we have to remind ourselves it’s not in the Bible.…
