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The news from Kenya today is ugly… Demonic rage is loose in this country that professes to be Christian. An estimated 66% of Kenyans say they’re Christians; 28% are Roman Catholic, and 38% belong to Protestant churches. But the majority of ethnic Kenyans also hold traditional African beliefs. Today, the darkest side of those tribal beliefs has taken over the lives and souls of many of Kenya’s people.
How do I know that? Evil rules–in the streets, in the countryside, and in the chambers of government. Kenyans are burning, looting, raping, mutilating, and murdering each other in unfathomable numbers and with reckless, overt, violent abandon. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been thinking about Matthew and his life-changing encounter with Jesus:
Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)
When Jesus called to Matthew, Matthew responded immediately. He just got up from his work table and went. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever met someone whose invitation filled you with such longing and passion that you just left everything behind–all your cash, all your belongings, all your “connections,” even your own family–and went with them? Matthew didn’t even have to think about it. Read the rest of this entry »
Grief hangs over the world like a midnight shadow today. The violence and political upheaval in Kenya is claiming the lives and futures of thousands of innocent children. Why do we universally sacrifice our children at the first sign of challenge to our own self interest? From Herod’s destruction of the innocents following Jesus’ birth, to the annihilation of millions of children during the Holocaust, and throughout human history, our insatiable craving for absolute power and control has expressed its demonic obsession by abusing, molesting, torturing, and killing our children. There is no appeasing this demon.
Today, widely available medical technology has enabled us to carry our mad lust insidiously even into the womb. We routinely suck the life out of millions of pre-born infants worldwide. Lord Jesus, deliver us and save our children.
Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.” (Matthew 2:16-18)
Unrest has erupted in areas of Kenya again, following Opposition Party calls for “mass rallies,” despite heavy police presence and rain. The New York Times is reporting the uprisings with a new slant–”Muslim discontent and American sponsorship of the current government.” BBC is calling it a “generational revolution.” Click this link for the BBC photos. And pray, pray, pray, pray, that the children are protected, that the Lord will raise up generations of Kingdom citizens and leaders for Kenya, that the Lord’s peace will calm troubled hearts and souls, and that His Justice and Mercy will reign! Our God is sovereign and His Will trumps anything darkness can mobilize.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. (John 14:13)
They raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord . . .you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?’ . . . Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Healing sometimes takes a complicated route. When the Lord first told me to ask for healing for the ravages of sin in my life, the first thing I did, after I prayed in that first moment, was to quiet down. I don’t know any other way to be with Him. When the Lord volunteers to do something Himself, it’s good to just get out of the way and let Him. John understood that…
This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. (John 3:30)
Nightmares are strange. Two nights ago, I dreamt that an old dead hag with bony, dehydrated, tea-stained fingers was gripping my hand. Feeling that grip woke me out of the nightmare, and made me cry out “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” until the hag and her bony hand vanished. The whole thing really freaked me out.
I got up and prayed for awhile, then went back to sleep. Later in the morning, when I walked out of my house to go to work, both my knees suddenly gave way under me and and I crashed down onto the concrete patio, creating some serious pain. That sent me spinning into another cry for help. I went to work anyway, but all day long my knees were so swollen I could hardly walk. I spent the rest of the day, between work tasks, praying for healing but also thinking that either my prayer for Kenya and my friends were annoying darkness big time (YESSSSS!) or that guacamole salad I had for dinner might have had some serious side effects! Read the rest of this entry »
If riots in Kenya and the Iowa Caucus results in the US have anything in common, it’s the call for radical change, in the face of an escalating crisis of authority and growing economic fears. Citizens have grown increasingly anxious in the wake of growing financial instability, and the failure of current governments around the globe to meet a growing list of social, healthcare, and economic challenges. They’ve also grown intolerant of leaders who betray citizen interests to gain political advantage, improve their own financial condition, and build their own power kingdoms. It’s time for change. Read the rest of this entry »
The immediacy of this week’s riots in Kenya and other global instabilities has me reflecting on the disparity between the economics of world power and the economics of the Kingdom of God. In this season of “Peace on Earth, good will toward all,” our world has been seriously rocked by power struggles, political violence, and social upheaval, from Pakistan to Kenya, and beyond.
We’ve witnessed the evil fruit of the struggle for power and domination “up close and personal” as cunning and ruthless men, driven by the demons of personal greed and political ambition, order assassinations, rig elections, steal the right to govern, and murder thousands of dissenting citizens. It’s been an ugly Christmas season.
Churches are burning in Kenya . . . Kenyans seeking refuge and sanctuary are losing their lives as mobs torch local churches. The violence has become a deadly force, striking every neighborhood. Public gatherings have been banned, but the strength of the country’s resistance to mob rule has weakened and citizens and missionaries are in danger. Please pray, please pray, please pray . . .
New Year’s Day has always been bigger for me than New Year’s Eve… In the Philadelphia region, it has huge family and community significance. It’s an open-house holiday for most families. You prepare traditional foods that can be eaten all day long, buffet style–like pork & sauerkraut, ham & bean soup, or ethnic dishes, cookies, cakes, pies, and candies–and you expect people to show up, with more food, more cookies, pies, cakes, and more candy. It’s the tradition! Read the rest of this entry »
