Tag Archives: Easter

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A Sudanese Woman Awaits Appeal of Death Sentence for Her Christian Faith…

Hello World, ibrahim

What are we willing to sacrifice for our faith? As I know that mostly Americans read my blog, I would imagine that most of you, most of us, very rarely if at all, consider true sacrifice as a part of our faith unless it’s Easter. By true sacrifice, I mean giving up something that is very costly, such our lives even, because we profess to be Christians…

However, in other countries that don’t ensure religious freedom, Christians must live in the tension of having faith in God while knowing they may be forced to give up their very lives because of their faith…

Such is the case for 27-year-old Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to death for refusing to reject her faith in Jesus Christ. According to a CNN article, Ibrahim has been in jail since January 17 and was convicted of apostasy on May 15. Complicating matters, Ibrahim was pregnant when she was jailed and gave birth to her second child, a girl, last month. In addition, her nearly two-year-old son is in jail with her. Her husband, Daniel Wani, who is Christian and an American citizen, told CNN, her case is now being considered by a Sudanese appeals court.

Although Ibrahim’s father was a Muslim, she was raised as a Christian by her mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, after the father abandoned their family when she was 6 six years old. Apparently, her Muslim relatives are the ones that turned Ibrahim into authorities.

In addition to waiting on the decision of the Sudanese appellate court, Wani is also seeking assistance from U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire, his home state.

As American Christians, we need to be, at the very least, praying for for Mariam Yehya Ibrahim and Daniel Wani. And as we pray, we should also consider what are we willing to sacrifice for our faith?

As the saying goes, Jesus is not willing to bear the cross alone…If you don’t believe me, read John 15:20-21…Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say. People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don’t know the one who sent me.

And there are many stories in the Bible and beyond that demonstrate that some of us may have to pay for our faith with our lives…

I’m not a “gloom and doom” Christian by any means, but we have to know that having sincere faith in Jesus Christ will cost us something…

So I ask this question again: What are we willing to sacrifice for our faith?

Below is a video detailing some of this couple’s story…

Any thoughts?

 

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Why It’s Okay to Doubt God…A Post Easter Post…

Hello World,

As I was out of town this weekend and separated from my beloved laptop, I was not able to post this past Easter Sunday…However, I still have some thoughts on Easter that I would like to share…

Over the weekend, I saw an Easter play about the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the Apostle Thomas also known as Doubting Thomas…The play got me thinking about why Thomas’ doubt was included in the account of Jesus appearing to the disciples and others after he was resurrected…As I’m learning the art of storytelling, I am realizing that everything that is included in the story must mean something to the story…

I believe that Thomas’ expression of doubt and the response of Jesus to his doubt is a revelation of the type of relationship that God wants to have with us…If you have not read the story, please read it below…

John 20:24-29

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Below are a few conclusions I have come to as a result of this passage:

  1. God welcomes our questions. But we have to be prepared for the answers that He gives…Although Jesus chose to directly answer the questions of Thomas, it has been my experience we may not always get direct answers to our questions like what happened in the story of Job. However, I believe that when we seek God, He always responds by coming closer to us which can be more comforting than having the answers anyway…
  2. God rewards boldness. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, He addressed Thomas first! Thomas put his need out there and Jesus met that need…This story backs up Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
  3. Doubt is okay, but faith is best. Although Jesus answered Thomas’ questions, he made sure to note that while Thomas believed because Jesus proved Himself to him, people that believe without seeing are even more blessed…And the Good News for us is that while we did not see Jesus while He was on earth, we stand to be even more blessed because we believe without seeing Him!

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

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“Heaven Is For Real” Opens TODAY!!!

Hello World,

I’ve been waiting to see this movie which I think would be a perfect family outing for Easter 🙂

Below is a description of the movie and a trailer….

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name “Heaven Is For Real” brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.

“Heaven Is For Real” stars Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) experiences Heaven during emergency surgery. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence. He describes Heaven in vivid detail, and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth … things he couldn’t possibly know. Todd is called upon by his congregation to explain the meaning of Colton’s revelations, and he and his family are challenged to examine their faith and draw meaning from this remarkable event.

The senior production executive for the movie is DeVon Franklin, senior VP of production at Columbia Pictures, and Bishop T.D. Jakes is one of the film’s producers according to Variety magazine.

Any thoughts?