St Valentin

First point - the spelling is correct! "Valentine" (with an 'e') is the feminine form of the name!

However, it was earlier, on Facebook, that a friend had posted a picture - a likeness (one presumes) of Valentin with, above it, the familiar words: "Roses are red; violets are blue;" Then underneath were the words: "I was beaten with clubs; beheaded; buried under cover of darkness; and disinterred by my followers. And you commemorate my martyrdom by sending each other chocolates!" (slightly amended!).

It's an interesting point, is it not?! Those familiar words at the top usually continue: "sugar is sweet; and so are you!". They are intended to be an expression of love - but it's a love that is more "Mills & Boon" than anything else! Valentin, however, had discovered a deeper love that led to his martyrdom. It's the love of which the Paul writes to the disciples of Jesus in Corinth - a city that was known, contemporaneously, as the centre of immorality. The late Prof. William Barclay writes: "She had a reputation for commercial prosperity, but she was also a byword for evil living. The very word korinthiazesthai - to live like a Corinthian - had become a part of the Greek language, and meant to live with drunken and immoral debauchery. ... Aelien, the late Greek writer, tells us that if ever a Corinthian was shown on the stage in a Greek play, he was shown drunk. The very name Corinth was synonymous with debauchery and there was one source of evil that was known all over the civilised world. Above the isthmus towered the hill of the Acropolis and, on it, stood the great temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. To that temple there were attached one thousand priestesses who were sacred prostitutes and, in the evenings, they descended from the Acropolis and plied their trade upon the streets of Corinth until it became a Greek proverb, 'It is not every man who can afford a journey to Corinth.' In addition to these cruder sins, there flourished far more recondite vices, which had come in with the traders and sailors from the ends of the earth until Corinth became not only a synonym for wealth and luxury, drunkenness and debauchery, but also for filth."

It was to people living in that kind of environment that Paul wrote: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Cor.13).

This is the love that is based on the love of the God Who is love (I John 4:8,16). This is the love that is so great, that as we shall shortly be remembering in a special way, it paid the penalty for your sin, and for mine, on a cross outside Jerusalem. 

Sadly, much of what modern society terms love is little (if any!) more than lust. Real love is commitment! It was his commitment to the Lord Jesus that led Valentin to his death. It is that same commitment to that same Jesus that enables so many, even today, to die rather than deny Him. I don't need to remind you of those Coptic Christians who were so callously murdered and beheaded on a Libyan beach, by thugs who were serving the moon-god cult of Islam; of those who were burned alive in cages, for the same reason; of women and girls gang-raped to satisfy the lust of the Muslim men who had captured them.

So, as we come to the end of Valentin's Day 2018, please consider the kind of love that you show to others - and remember the love that Father God shows to you, and to which you may respond while you have time. As always, if I can be of any further help at a personal level, please contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the page. I don't check that Inbox every day - but I shall get back to you as quickly as possible.

Death in Ethiopia.

Yesterday's reference to the famine in Ethiopia, in the mid-80s, in which many people died, leads me to share about a death that occurred, in that country, much more recently.  When I returned from our latest trip to France, the mail that awaited me included a regular update from Open Doors - one of the organisations that we support in its work amongst those disciples of Jesus who suffer great persecution because of their faith in Him.  This is just one such situation:

Lalisa Lergesa had only been married for six months when her husband was killed. A 30-year-old teacher, church planter, and pastor, Debela Mergesa was hacked to death by three Muslim extremists.

The church he had planted had grown into a strong, independent congregation.  Many villagers in the region had come to Christ. However, Debela's 'success' soon attracted opposition, and numerous death threats.

On 1 October 2012, Debela was going to the village.  Before he left his wife he told her, "We need to remain faithful in the face of threats against our faith."  A few hours later, he was dead - a martyr to his faith.

The suspects have been arrested but, for Lalisa, the pain and the grief are still obvious, and her psychological wounds are still raw.  "She is mourning, day and night." said her father-in-law. "I lost my son, but I am scared that I am also going to lose my daughter-in-law as a result of this grief.  Please pray for her."

Lalisa and her late husband were from a small town in Oromia, a region in western Ethiopia.  There was a time when this region had the second largest Christian population in the country, but a former regional state president resettled the area with thousands of Islamic families from eastern Ethiopia, resulting in the region becoming a Muslim-majority area.  It was the arrival of majority Islam that started the opposition that is experienced by Christian churches - especially those that are involved in outreach and evangelism.

These are the realities for so many disciples of Jesus in the world today.  If you would like to know more, and find out how you may best offer support, please use the links to some of the relevant organisations, that may be accessed by scrolling down this page, and clicking on one of the names in the right-hand-side column. 

NIGERIA — Militants Kill 10 Family Members

It is some time since I shared, on this blog, about the persecuted church.  This is not because I am no longer aware of such persecution, but simply because I do not want to overload readers with information that is so horrific.

However, having just read this story, I feel that I want to share to with as many as possible.  Such reports do take time to get out of the country of origin, which is why they are often dated some weeks previous to the date of publication.

"Islamists (Muslim terrorists) killed 10 members of one family on Feb. 21 in an evening attack near Jos. Five of those killed were children, ranging in age from 9 months to 5 years old. At about 8 p.m., around 40 armed militants entered the home of the Musa family near the entrance of Kogom Village. They broke down the doors of a home shared by four adult siblings and their families, then brutally killed everyone they encountered with machetes and automatic rifles. Two family members in their 20s, Habila Musa, and Regina, the wife of Jacob Musa, were the only survivors of the attack. Regina is deeply traumatized; the militants killed not only her husband but also her three children, ages 9 months old, 3 years old and 5 years old."

If you are a disciple of Jesus, in the relatively free 'west', please do not forget your brothers and sisters in Christ, and their families, who suffer in ways that most of us can barely comprehend.  With Paul, they may truly say, "I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." (Gal 6:17)

Mothering Sunday

Today, as the various retailers have ensured we don't forget, is Mothering Sunday - that day in the year when mothers are given a special recognition.  This morning, in Wishaw Baptist Church, I was able to share some thoughts on Timothy, the recipient of two of the New Testament letters written by the apostle, Paul. 

One of the points made about that young man was the Godly upbringing that he enjoyed: "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo'is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you." (II Tim 1:5).  "... as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (II Tim 3:14-15).

However, while acknowledging the part that parents, and grandparents, play in the upbringing of children - and also pointing out that those who are childless, for whatever reason, may 'adopt' a child whom they know, to pray for that child and even, if the family is known to them, to provide gifts for the child that might point him/her to Jesus - I also reminded folk, including the children who were present, that not everyone is in a position to wish their mum "A Happy Mothers' Day"! 

Now that is pretty obvious for someone of my generation, whose parents have both been dead for a number of years.  I was thinking a little more widely than that!  This morning's Radio 4 Appeal was on behalf of an organisation named Winston's Wish.  This is a charity for bereaved children, that helps young people re-adjust to life after the death of a parent or sibling.  The case that was highlighted involved a young mum who was killed when a car mounted the pavement and hit her.  Her husband, and two-year-old son were just a few paces ahead of her.  Here is a little boy who cannot tell his mum that he loves her, or bring her a card and a gift.

Then I thought of even further afield.  I remembered Danna, a 14 year-old who lives at a centre run by Open Doors in Colombia, South America. She has been there since she was 11. Before she arrived at the centre, Danna’s mother was an evangelist who led many people to Christ.  However, as a result, the guerrilla rebels told her to stop or there would be "consequences".  Her mother rebelled, and secretly continued bringing people to Christ.

One day, Danna’s mother and many other people were having fellowship on a local green. A friend came running to her mum, warning her to run as the guerrilla rebels were after her.  At the time, Danna’s mother was carrying Danna’s baby sister. As a result, the rebels caught her. Two minutes later Danna found her mother lying face down on the ground, having been shot 15 times in the face by the rebels. 

Mothering Sunday.  Let those of us who still have a mum whom we love with us; and even those of us who are orphans because of the natural deaths of our parents at a good age; take a moment to remember those who have to grow up without their mother - those for whom Mothering Sunday may bring only sadness.

Convert from Islam to Christianity beheaded

Video footage of a convert from Islam to Christianity being murdered by Muslims has been shown on Egyptian TV. The graphic incident, which is reported to have taken place in Tunisia, was aired on a programme called Egypt Today. The footage shows a young man being held down by masked men with a knife to his throat. One man chants a number of Muslim prayers in Arabic, mostly condemning Christianity. The man holding the knife to the Christian convert’s throat begins to cut, slowly severing the head amid cries of “Allahu Akbar” (“god is great”).  This is, in fact, worse than what we normally think of as "beheading" as it is not done, sharply and quickly, with an axe or a sword.

The Egypt Today presenter was visibly distressed by the scenes. Then, referring to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis, who together hold the majority of seats in the country’s parliament, he asked, “How are such people supposed to govern?”

The footage of this brutal beheading is the latest alarming indication of the violent threat to religious freedom in the post-Arab Spring order.

We give thanks to God for our Tunisian brother’s life, and for a faith that would not waver, even unto death; and pray that his witness will touch the hearts of even his murderers, as well as those who have seen the footage of his death - that they will turn to Christ.

To learn more about how true disciples of Jesus suffer in 2012 A.D., check out the links at the bottom of this page.  This particular report is from the Barnabas Fund, at

http://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox/138386c40c2c3ea7

Christian mother-of-four murdered by Islamist extremists.

Islamist extremists in Somalia murdered a mother-of-four, in front of her community, after tapping her phone for proof that she had become a Christian.

Al Shabaab militants arrested Asha Mberwa at her home in Warbhigly village on the outskirts of Mogadishu on January 7 – and cut her throat in front of villagers the following day. One of Asha's relatives, who spoke to Compass Direct news agency on condition of anonymity, said he believed al Shabaab had monitored calls between him and Asha on January 5.  He said he presumed that the militants had been able to confirm she had become a Christian through their conversation. He was trying to make arrangements for her family to leave the area.

Asha, who was 36, had been receiving threatening messages for some time, he said.
Asha's four children – who are aged between four and 12 – are being cared for but are said to be very distressed. Their father, Abdinazir Mohammed Hassan, who was not at home at the time of his wife's murder, has reportedly fled and gone into hiding.

Al Shabaab insurgents control much of southern and central Somalia and are trying to impose strict Sharia (Islamic law) across the country. The transitional Government in Mogadishu has also embraced a version of Sharia which makes apostasy – leaving Islam – a capital offence.

We pray God's perfect peace, healing, comfort and protection over Asha's family; and we continue to pray for the church in Somalia, which has been forced underground by both government policy and extremists' threats, asking God to build Somali Christians' faith, and multiply their number, for His glory.

Another brutal killing.

For some months, now, many of us have been praying for a young Somali girl named Nurta who, having accepted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, was being ill-treated by her own family.  just a few minutes ago, I learned that, in spite of having managed to escape from the treatment that was being meted out to her by her family, she has been murdered.  Here is the report:

"NAIROBI, Kenya, December 3 (CDN) — A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death last week in an apparent “honour killing,” area sources said.

Nurta Mohamed Farah, who had fled her village of Bardher, Gedo Region to Galgadud Region to live with relatives after her parents tortured her for leaving Islam, died on Nov. 25. Area sources said they strongly suspected that the two unidentified men in Galgadud Region who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on their behest.

“Reports reached the relatives in Galgadud that Nurta Farah had converted to Christianity,” one source said. “The suspicion that the family is responsible is a solid one. The sister was killed in Abudwaq, a district in Galgadud Region, and the place where the incident took place is about 200 meters from where the sister was staying with relatives.”

Relatives buried Farah, sources said. Her parents had severely beaten her for leaving Islam and regularly shackled her to a tree at their home, Christian sources said. She had been confined to her home in Gedo region in southern Somalia since May 10, when her family found out that she had embraced Christianity, said a Christian leader who visited the area.

Her parents also took her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a “mental illness,” he said. Alarmed by her determination to keep her faith, her father, Hassan Kafi Ilmi, and mother, Hawo Godane Haf, decided she had gone crazy and forced her to take the prescribed medication, but it had no effect in swaying her from her faith, the source said.

Traditionally, he added, many Somalis believe the Quran cures the sick, especially the mentally ill, so the Islamic scripture was recited to her twice a week.

She had declined her family’s offer of forgiveness in exchange for renouncing Christianity, the source said. The confinement began after the medication and punishments failed.

Area Christians had reported that Farah was shackled to a tree by day and put in a small, dark room at night.

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government generally did not enforce protection of religious freedom found in the Transitional Federal Charter, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report.

“Non-Muslims who practiced their religion openly faced occasional societal harassment,” the report stated. “Conversion from Islam to another religion was considered socially unacceptable. Those suspected of conversion faced harassment or even death from members of their community.”

We thank God for Nurta's faithful witness; we thank Him that she is now 'Safe in the arms of Jesus'; we pray that her death will be seen to have been not in vain, as others are led to question what it is about this Jesus that would cause a teenager to die for His Name's sake.