Global Church Perspectives: Muslim Background Believers

At the Feet of Jesus
(a Bangladeshi worship song by Muslim Background Believers)
*note Isa is the name for Jesus 

At the end of a dark night I came to the feet of Isa.

I found forgiveness of my sins at the side of the cross.

Isa came and lovingly wiped the tears flowing from my eyes,

At the point of death I found hope, I, who was totally hopeless.

For sinners like you and me, He gave his life on the cross.

That glad news we will proclaim in our land of Bangladesh.

In the US we are somewhat insulated from the rest of the world.  We are literally half a world away from most of this planet's people.  As such, it can be hard for us to imagine what it is like for other believers around the world.  How do they worship?  What are their lives like?  

For the past several years I've been very interested in learning about Middle Eastern Culture and the lives of those that live in Muslim countries.  I've read several books on these countries and cultures.  While all of these books have given great first hand insights into these areas there have been five books that have especially encouraged me to pray and to never underestimate how God can and does work in even the most seemingly hopeless and hardest places.  All of these books were written either by Muslim background believers themselves or by missionaries or aid workers who minister to Muslim's directly.  

5 Books to learn about Muslim Background Believers:

1) Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi - This is Nabeel's incredible testimony of how God brought him to faith.  Nabeel has since passed away but has left a lasting insight into the powerful working of Jesus. 

2) Secret Believers by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen - Brother Andrew is best know as "God's Smuggler" as he smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.  This book details the testimonies and lives of Muslim believers.  It is a powerful reminder that Jesus still uses miracles today to reach people. 

3) Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef - This is Mosab's testimony of how he came to faith.  His father is one of the founding members of Hamas.  You will be challenged and encouraged that no one is too hard for Jesus to reach. 

4) Women Who Risk by Tom and JoAnn Doyle - I just read this book as it's new for 2021.  Tom and JoAnn have been missionaries in the Middle East for many years.  The stories these women share are brutal and heartbreaking but also beautifully show how Jesus meets each of us right where we are.  While reading this I was in tears as I thought what a privilege it is to be able to pray for these women and to know one day we will worship together in Heaven. 

5) A Wind in the house of Islam by David Garrison - I'm currently reading this book (I'm about 1/2 way through).  The song above can be found in this book.  This book is a more broad look at the movements in the different regions of the Muslim world.  It is written more as a formal study of these movements with some history, and personal testimonies interwoven.  Again, it shows the beautiful diversity of how God reaches people where they are so that they proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior and work to reach other Muslims. 

Whether it's the Middle East or another culture I would encourage you to read about our brothers and sisters around the world.  You will be encouraged to pray more for them, you will know better how to pray for them, you will find yourself growing to love the family of Christ deeper and you will know better how to reach out to these groups in your own community.

Podcast roundup!

 During the past year I've started listening to Podcasts.  I used to enjoy listening to talk radio programs but have moved away from them as it seems, like with everything, they have become very negative.  I like podcasts because 1) I have limited time to listen and want to "redeem the time" and 2) I like being able to choose ones based on subjects I want to learn about more.  So, I thought it would be fun to share some of the podcasts I listen to on a somewhat regular basis.

1) Inside the Pastors' Study - this is the new podcast that our church has started. I've really enjoyed hearing expanded thoughts on messages that have been preached.  They also are working through church history in America and it's been great to learn some of the "whys" for how we do church in the US. *note: the link is for audible but the podcast is available on all the podcast platforms. 

2) Tony Evans - Tony Evans has been preaching for over 40 years.  His podcast episodes are only about 25 minutes so they are great to put on when I'm out running errands around town.  His knowledge of Scripture, cultural issues and passion for teaching others in a straight-forward, practical way are all things I appreciate.  

3) Dan Carlin: Hardcore History - These podcasts are a commitment.  Dan does a ton of research about each topic and each podcast is several hours long.  I'll often put this one on while folding laundry or some other task that will take me awhile; and it still takes several weeks to make it through an episode.  I love history so I find these fascinating.  

4)Bedtime History - Speaking of history; this one is great for the kids.  Each episode is less than 12 minutes and the host speaks in a soft voice.  The episodes often end with a life lesson related to the story or a question for the kids to ponder.  They aren't too "kiddish" and I enjoy listening to them as well. 

5)Crime Junkie - This is one for the older kids/adults.  It's a true crime podcast; often dealing with unsolved crimes.  One of my older kids loves this podcast so we've listened to several. The episodes are fascinating and present a lot of information (and ways to help if you have any tips) but be sure to preview before letting your kids listen; since many kids won't be ready for this one.  There are episodes I skip over since I think they would be too much even for my older kids.  

Those are the podcasts I find myself listening to most often recently.  I'd love to find others so drop your recommendations in the comments. 

Quick Thought on Truth

 For several weeks our Pastor preached on the "I AM" statements that Jesus made; as recorded in the book of John.  The entire series has been encouraging and yes, sometimes a gut punch (in a good way :) ).  I was thinking about the statement "I am the Truth" (John 14:6).  So many people are trying to define what is true?  Is truth something that is constant?  Is there absolute truth?  As believers in Jesus we would say Jesus is truth (just like he said), so yes, truth is constant and absolute.  But so many say "well, the Bible is inconsistent so you can't really trust what it says"  but the more you read and study the Bible the more you see the absolute consistency of Scripture and how the truths are so interwoven.   I want to use just a couple verses to show this weaving together of this idea that Jesus is truth:

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 1:1 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."

John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth." 

I'm certainly no Bible scholar but I thought the beauty of these verses together, pointing to Jesus as the Word and connecting that with His own words of He Himself being truth was neat. Yes, I realize these verses are all from John but you can find this truth all throughout Scripture; for example, in the creation account the phrase "God said" reminds us that just as stated in John "all things were made through him" (the Word).  In Luke 4:41 and 1 John, Jesus is clearly said to be the Son of God (the Word that became Flesh mentioned above)

The image below is one I posted on Instagram the other day.  I'm so thankful that truth is absolute and no matter what people may say or do nothing will ever change truth and we can trust in every Word God has given us in the Bible.   

If you'd like to hear the entire sermon series on the I AM statements you can find them here.  Our church also has its own podcast now, titled Inside the Pastors' Study (you can also find the podcast on spotify, apple itunes, etc) and this episode is more discussion on the I AM statements.

A blog post to share for Mother's Day

 I was going to post this yesterday but, as often happens, I didn't have a chance.  So, I'm posting this today.  I recently was introduced to the website Well Watered Women through an Instagram post.  There have been a few things that have caught my eye from this site; recently this article titled A Limited Mom Serving a Limitless God was shared and has been such an encouragement to me.  As often happens, God brought a verse to my attention today that dovetails with the truths presented in the blog...namely that God is all-powerful, limitless...He wants us to depend on His power alone.  If our God can stretch out the heavens and spread out the earth by Himself; He is certainly more than powerful enough, good enough and trustworthy enough to guide us on our journey of motherhood.