Oct. 4 - "Muslim Youth Torch Church, Riot in Kenya after Imam Killed," -- http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=2169 - "Young Muslims set fire to a church, burned tires and clashed with police in Kenya’s main port city of Mombasa on Friday, after the killing of an Islamic cleric his followers blamed on security forces..."
As the Lord leads, please pray: 1) About ongoing radicalization of youth across sub-Saharan Africa by factions of Al Qaeda. 2) For Christians of Kenya as they become targets of Islamist terrorism.
9/30 UPDATE: President Obama Calls for Pastor Saeed's Release," - CBNNews.com; September 30, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/September/President-Obama-Calls-for-Pastor-Saeeds-Release/ - "President Obama asked Iran's President Hassan Rouhani to have American Pastor Saeed Abedini released from prison, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. Mr. Obama talked by phone with the new Iranian president Friday afternoon, marking the first conversation between leaders of the two nations in more than three decades. ... This is the first time President Obama has addressed Abedini's plight despite publicity campaigns for him to do so." [For more info on Pastor Saeed, see below]
NEWS FLASH: "Syrian Rebels Execute Christian Villagers," - CBNNews.com, September 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/September/Syrian-Rebels-Execute-Christian-Villagers/ - Syrian rebel fighters apparently executed three Christians fleeing the fighting in Maaloula this week, Britain's Sky News reported. Hundreds of Christians held a funeral in Damascus for the men, who were cousins. Sky News reports the men were trying to escape the Christian town of Maaloula, which has been under attack by rebel troops. The men reportedly were killed by forces with the al Qaeda linked Jabha al-Nour. Mourners say two of the victims had their throats cut and another was shot. Most of the mourners are also refugees from Maaloula, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. [PRAY for the Christians throughout Syria who face greater persecution should rebels, particularly Islamists along the line of the Muslim Brotherhood, end up in charge of the country.]
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
[EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST- Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.
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"The Truth and Matthew Shepard - Facts, Narratives, and Power"; by: John Stonestreet|Breakpoint.org : October 3, 2013; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/23479?spMailingID=7091302&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=91388048&spReportId=OTEzODgwNDgS1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story of Matthew Shepard has shaped our culture. But his tragic murder was exploited, and there's a lesson here for all of us.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the late U.S. Senator, once famously said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” A sad and disturbing example is the tragic story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old from Wyoming who in 1998 was brutally murdered, because—both activists and news media assured us—he was gay. His story was supposed to be evidence of a deep anti-gay sentiment in society—a stain that had to be addressed through hate-crimes laws, sensitivity training, and other measures. And so Matthew Shepard became part of the cultural narrative, a key component of the reshaping we’ve seen of American public opinion on homosexuality.
But even Aaron Hicklin of the pro-gay publication The Advocate admits that much of the accepted narrative is false. Citing the new book The Book of Matt, written by gay journalist Stephen Jimenez, he acknowledges that Shepard was beaten to death not because he was “gay,” but for “reasons far more complicated” than being homosexual—most likely a drug deal gone bad. Jimenez’ doubts about the narratives go back at least to 2004, when in a 20/20 interview he countered the dominant way of telling the story.
This says something important about the power of story. Whoever seizes control of the story controls the debate—and actual facts become secondary. Another tragic aspect of the Matthew Shepard story is that his murder has been hijacked to serve a cause. And Hicklin actually admits this in his article, when he writes: “There are valuable reasons for telling certain stories in a certain way at pivotal times, but that doesn’t mean we have to hold on to them once they’ve outlived their usefulness.” So Hicklin thinks it was acceptable to wrongly tell Shepard’s story as long as it was useful for the agenda. Friedrich Nietzsche couldn’t have said it better. He believed that truth was an illusion, so all that was left is the will to power. Use stories to accomplish your purposes, not to tell the truth.
Now my purpose here is not to fight over this already-exploited life and death. Rather, it’s to point out this very real temptation to power, and to challenge us—Christians—to avoid committing the same sin as other would-be cultural power brokers. There is no justification for telling a version of a story that we know, or suspect to be, untrue, for omitting or embellishing details, for impugning motives, or using any other tactic to hijack narratives, even for a higher cause.It’s tempting to use cultural narratives this way, and fall into an ends-justify-the-means mindset, especially when we feel we’re in the cultural minority and not playing on a level playing field. Because our “cause is just,” we rationalize untruth.
Examples abound: Christians embellishing their supposedly radical Muslim or atheist upbringing, apologists ignoring evidence that threatens their air-tight case for their position on something, or claims of religious discrimination when there’s more to the story.
But we must fight this urge. The God we worship is always true. He cannot lie, the Scripture says. So neither should we. And when we embellish our narratives to accomplish our “good” ends, we lose sight of the certainty of the kingdom of God. We somehow think the future depends on the outcome of this story or this event.
Christian, let’s remember that we have history’s overarching narrative, the big story, from the master Storyteller himself, the One who is the Truth. This is His world. He made it, and in Christ redemption and the restoration of all things is secure, Paul assures us.
So, yes, let’s tell stories, and especially stories that point to the truth about God in the world and in our lives. But in doing so, let’s do our best, with His help, to tell the truth.
[bold and italics emphasis]
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
Matthew Shepard not murdered for being gay, new book claims - Joshua Rhett Miller | FoxNews.com | September 23, 2013; http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/23/book-claims-matthew-shepard-murdered-for-reasons-far-more-complicated-than/
Matthew Shepard, Trayvon Martin and the Power of Leftist Myth - Ben Shapiro | Townhall.com | September 19, 2013 http://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2013/09/19/matthew-shepard-trayvon-martin-and-the-power-of-leftist-myth-n1704035/page/full
Not Sermons but Stories - Eric Metaxas | BreakPoint.org | January 8, 2013; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/21183?spMailingID=7091302&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=91388048&spReportId=OTEzODgwNDgS1
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