Asia Bibi: In Danger for Her Faith

I am a supporter of Voice of the Martyrs, a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization that works on behalf of Christian martyrs and their families around the globe. I received this startling message from them in my inbox the other day:

On Nov. 8, 2010 Asia Bibi was the first woman to be sentenced to death by hanging under Pakistan's blasphemy law. Asia Bibi was arrested...

Beauty for Ashes

Does this picture shock you? Can you imagine looking like this? This is the face of a girl who gave more than most of us could ever dream of giving, all for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And she is still smiling. Below are portions of a blog post from jcrobertsspot.blogspot.com that express my sentiments perfectly:


I receive a monthly newsletter from The Voice of the Martyrs (if you don't receive it, I recommend you contact them to do so - it's free - www.persecution.com). This month, the cover is a picture of a woman, Yubelina, from Indonesia. She was burned in an attack by Muslims on her Christian village.

But she is smiling. A huge smile. Joy radiates from her. Why?? She must receive stares. Children are probably afraid of her. The world would call her damaged. Ugly.

Yubelina has figured out where her identity lies. She is a treasured child of the King. She has traded "a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning" (Isa. 61:3). Her smile reveals Jesus.

Yubelina is beautiful. I guarantee she has a joy, a contentment, that no name-brand, trendy clothing; no perfect haircut & makeup; no flawless skin or toned body can bring.

I want to be beautiful like that. I want my face to shine like Moses, because I have been in the presence of God. I want my treasure to lie in heaven & not in the tangible, the material. I want to be joyful & content & full of peace.

Jesus, make it so.

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." 

-Isaiah 61:10

The Truth about North Korea

Mansudae Grand Monument, Pyongyang, North Korea, originally uploaded by yeowatzup.

If I asked you to tell me five things about people in North Korea, especially Christians, could you tell me? It's probably not easy. (Forgive me if there are any professors of "North Korea in the Modern Age" reading this!) Not that this is something of terrible importance for everyday life, but it is kind of challenging when you realize how little you really know about such a large subject (about 24 million people are North Koreans). 


I'm going to share with you a link to a very powerful podcast, one that made me want to laugh and cry, and exposed me to so much that I had no idea about. But first, here are my five things I know about people in North Korea:


1. Many boil grass and eat tree bark because they have no other food.
2. It is estimated that over 150,000 people, many of them Christians, are in brutal concentration camps.
3. If a family is caught with a Bible, everyone within a two-house radius of them is arrested.
4. North Korean defectors to South Korea have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
5. The "national religion" of North Korea was actually modeled on Christianity, but with Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il as "gods".    


And here is the link to the page where you can listen to the podcast or download it (Persecution Podcast is also available for free on iTunes). The man talking about North Korea comes after the prayer section.

http://www.persecutionpodcast.com/?p=321

It is amazing, and might just turn your prayer life upside-down.

"Beyond Anything I Have Ever Seen"

It's a sobering truth: while we have so much religious freedom in America, there are others, in nations not too far from us, who are tortured and murdered for the faith so many of us take for granted.


"Dr. Kim," the director of VOMedical, has been a medical professional for more than three decades. He's worked emergency rooms and performed autopsies. But none of the horrors he has encountered measures up to the devastation he found after radical Muslims attacked Dogo Nahawa and two other northern Nigerian villages last March.


Just take a moment and watch this short video:





Just listen to the song they are singing at the end. Here are the lyrics in English:


’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

• Refrain:
  Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
  How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
  Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
  Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

How powerful! If you are an atheist, just watch this and know that there is power in the word of God, sustaining power that gives real meaning to life and love. If you are a Christian, just remember these stalwart Christians when you are mocked in chat-rooms, avoided by influential people, and stereotyped within an inch of your life. Stand strong, knowing that the same God who is carrying these people through their pain and misery is the one Who can stand by you in yours.


-Video and Info from Here