Too Busy To Care?

What do you see when you look at the photo above? I hope you see a contrast between Western Christians and Eastern Christians.

On Sunday April 19, 2015, ISIS released a video showing the mass execution of 30 Ethiopian Christians. 

Half were beheaded 

the others were shot execution style 

It was on Sunday morning at 6am, as my alarm woke me up so that I could get ready for church since I was singing with the worship team, that my insomniac husband told me the news. I quickly jumped onto Facebook to see if there was news about this. I jumped on Twitter. Yes indeed, it was true.

Perhaps it was too early in the morning for Pastors and churches in the U.S. (at least in California), to be aware of this tragedy. As first service began, I could not be as energetic and smiley on stage like usual. I just wanted to tell everyone what happened and join together as one body, mourning with family we have never met, who have lost their loved ones. 

I just kept thinking...."In the OT, people would tear their clothes, put on a sackcloth, and cry out to God."

While we sing praises and sermons  are preached suggesting a false hope that everything will be OK because God will not "allow more than we are able to bear," the truth is that suffering IS part of God's will in our lives. God does allow tragedies. His ways are not our ways. Yes, things will work out for our good according to Romans 8:28, but WHAT IS GOOD? What does GOD see as the definition of "good?" His "good" is not the same as what we would consider "good." To us, "GOOD" is equivalent to good health, wealth, happiness; basically for things to go our way.

I am curious as to how many congregations in the U.S. discussed the martydom of these Ethiopians. Or how about the 14 year old boy who was set on fire in Pakistan for his faith this past week? 

If the Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn, why aren't we mourning as a whole? Why aren't churches setting a side a service specifically to discuss the harsh realities of persecution, with time of prayer and learning about what we as a body can do to help our brothers and sisters?

We are all so consumed with our own agendas and "visions." I'm not saying those things can't be done or that they should be sacrificed, but sticking to our plans sometimes forces us to sacrifice what God instructs us to do. Like Mary & Martha. 

 "Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 40 But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me.”41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. 42 Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39-42)

Sometimes we just have to pause for a moment and seek His face and intercede for others.  Yes, we have our own problems. But we are ONE BODY. When will the West wake up? When will the West finally realize the foolishness of division and unite for the common cause of Christ? 

We cannot stop persecution from happening, Jesus said IT WOULD HAPPEN. But we can help those in the midst of war. We have ministries there. People need resources. If you and I can't physically go and care for refugees or smuggle Bibles and food, then we must financially support those who do go. 

If you can't afford it, I'm sure you could do fundraisers at church or on your own. I mean, have a garage/yard sale! As much as I hate to admit that money is needed, it is the truth. 

But just as important is the awareness that is needed. What mighty things can be done when the body of Christ decides to do in unity. But it seems like many don't take it seriously, don't care, or are too busy with other ministries.

Can we at the very least, remember them in prayer, on a weekly basis, Pastors??? 

For those who are interested in learning more about how you can help, the following organizations are legit. They advocate, provide aid, and provide education:

International Christian Concern

Open Doors USA

Voice of the Martyrs

Christian Solidarity WorldWide

Radical Truth

Victor Marx

France Magazine Attack: They Finally Got Charlie

Was ANYONE surprised that this was the work of Muslims???? Terrorists want to silence people and take away their freedom of speech, thought, and expression. This is horribly sad but I would encourage the magazine to KEEP PUBLISHING THEIR CARTOONS.

Magazine Attacked in Paris Has History of Bold Satire

By Matthew Campbell and Marie Mawad  Jan 7, 2015 7:42 AM PT

Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine where shootings today killed at least 12 people, has a long history of pushing the limits of expression -- and sometimes good taste.

In 2011 it published a special edition called “Charia Hebdo” featuring Muhammad as a “guest editor.” The cover depicted the prophet threatening readers with “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter.” Shortly thereafter, Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices were firebombed in an overnight attack that caused no injuries.

Just before today’s attack, the magazine’s official Twitter and Facebook accounts published a cartoon of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi offering wishes of good health for the New Year. And the current cover is on “Submission,” a book released today about a future in which an Islamic France is led by a Muslim president who bans women from the workplace.

In recent weeks, the magazine has had two police officers stationed outside its doors because of terrorist threats, Rocco Contento of the SGP police union told BFM Television.

Founded in its current incarnation in 1992, Charlie Hebdo has skewered politicians, pop stars, and religious fundamentalists of all stripes in its weekly installments of caricatures, interviews, and opinionated essays. Its cartoon covers have included former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn dancing in a red tutu and the late singer Michael Jacksonshown as a skeleton shortly after his death from a drug overdose.

Photographer: Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images

The latest issue of the French satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris on Jan. 7,... Read More

Before Christmas last year, the cover depicted Charlie’s take on a traditional nativity scene -- a spread-eagled Mary giving birth to the baby Jesus. That image currently decorates the magazine’s Twitter profile.

Communion Condom

Though little-known outside France, Charlie Hebdo -- the name means simply Charlie Weekly -- is one of the country’s better-selling political magazines, with an average circulation of about 100,000.

In 2006, it reprinted cartoons of Muhammad originally published by a Danish newspaper, which had prompted sometimes-violent protests because Muslim tradition deems depictions of the prophet to be blasphemous. Islamic organizations sued the magazine for the drawings, a case dismissed by a French court in 2008, according to the Charlie Hebdo website.

Politicians in France, which has Europe’s largest Muslim population, have long understood that the magazine might inflame cultural tensions. During the 2006 controversy, then-presidentJacques Chirac asked media organizations to avoid “provocation” of Muslims. And in 2012 former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for restraint when Charlie Hebdo published more cartoons representing Muhammad.

The same year, Agence France-Presse reported that police had interrogated a man who called for the beheading of Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb. He was killed in today’s assault, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, along with three other well-known cartoonists: Cabu, or Jean Cabut; Tignous, or Bernard Verlhac; and Georges Wolinski.

“We are crushed,” said Jean-Pierre Schamber, 77, a regular reader who has lived for 25 years in the Paris neighborhood where the magazine has its offices. “Even if I haven’t always agreed with Charlie, this is very deep.”

The magazine’s writers and owners have long defended their content as free speech and argued that they satirize all major religions. In 2010, a cover showed Pope Benedict XVI giving holy communion with a condom. A 2012 story on gay marriage depicted a ménage-a-trois featuring the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God.

Charlie Hebdo is owned by a holding company, Les Editions Rotatives, controlled by senior staffers. They helped re-found the magazine 11 years after a previous version, which ran from 1969 to 1981, ran out of money and shut down.

(A previous version of this story was corrected to remove reference to the magazine’s editor.)

To contact the reporters on this story: Matthew Campbell in London atmcampbell39@bloomberg.net; Marie Mawad in Paris at mmawad1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong atkwong11@bloomberg.net David Rocks