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    “How Often Do You Fast?” –A Question to Make Christians Uncomfortable

    Are you looking for a way to shut down a conversation at church? Ask your casual acquaintances how many times a month they fast and watch them squirm. As the Muslim month of fasting approaches, this topic will come up in conversations with Muslims. I have gotten out my copy of the excellent book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Donald S. Whitney, to reread the chapter on fasting. Christians fast and engage in other disciplines to pursue godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). But bring up the topic of fasting and a great many Christians will immediately start explaining why they don’t. Yesterday I met with my Muslim friends and…

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    Frail Woman, Fierce Faith

    I remember sitting on her emerald and cream flowery sofa. She appeared frail with her coiffed white hair, arthritic hands, and five-foot frame. But as she spoke, I noticed something fierce gleaming from behind her gentle demeanor. This woman—widowed, aging, and often forgotten—possessed great faith. Now as a married woman myself, I hold such women in high esteem. It’s difficult to be a widow. In Paul’s day, it was downright dangerous. Consider the description he gave the Ephesians regarding the widows entrusted to the church’s care. “She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day”…