Quitter’s Turnaround Produces Centuries of Non-Quitters - Jim Croft

Paul, Barnabas and John Mark

Quitter’s Turnaround Produces Centuries of Non-Quitters

Jim Croft

Rejection, misunderstanding, and hurtful experiences can be turned around by commitment to forgiveness and to God’s purposes.  There is a beautiful story of this truth hidden in the pages of the New Testament and in Church History.  It’s pertains to John Mark who authored the Gospel of Mark and to the Coptic Orthodox Church that evolved from the church that he founded in Alexandria, Egypt.

   John Mark was the son of a notable family of the Jerusalem church.  He was the young cousin of Barnabas who was a friend and supporter of Paul’s for the first 12 years after his conversion from persecutor of Christians to a champion of the faith.  Mark and the 2 men traveled from Jerusalem 300 miles north to Antioch, Syria.  Mark’s role with the team’s first missionary journey might be described as a servant deacon. (Acts 12:12, 25, 13:1-13)

   The first stop was Paphos, Cyprus and from there the threesome sailed to Perga which was a port city on the mid-southern coast of Turkey.  It was there that John Mark angered Paul and disappointed his cousin Barnabas by abruptly choosing to quit the journey and return to Jerusalem.  Paul and Barnabas continued to evangelize new regions by preaching and performing miraculous wonders in the midst of persecution riots, beatings and stoning.  About 2 years later they made their way back to Jerusalem after staying for a while with the Antioch fellowship that had sent them forth.

   We do not know why Mark abandoned the journey.  For sure he felt awkward as the two churchmen reported all that God had done through them after his departure.  It would not be unreasonable to suspect that the young man wanted to avoid direct eye contact with Paul.  In spite of his previous blunder, Barnabas insisted that Mark accompany the team on their second missionary journey.

Paul was adamant that the quitter who left the work in Perga would not be permitted the honor of serving in another outreach with him.  The contention was so strong that Paul and Barnabas parted company after years of effective ministry and loving friendship.  Paul chose Silas and set out to go deeper into Syria.  Barnabas and Mark headed for Cyprus. (Acts 15:36-41)

All rejection is painful, but spiritual rejection has to be among the hardest to rationalize.  This is because there are inherent expectations that Christians are obligated to exercise a brand of forgiveness that lets bygones be bygones without proof of change.  We do not know whether or not Mark was present during Paul and Barnabas’ heated discussion.  For sure, he became painfully aware that the apostolic powerhouse Paul did not think that he possessed the saltiness expected of believers who would stay the course no matter what.  Unquestionably, Satan haunted the young man with guilt for the responsibility of breaking up the dynamic Paul and Barnabas duo.

At this juncture, John Mark had to make choices:  Would he grovel in sniveling hurt and return to mommy in Jerusalem?  Or, would he man-up, forgive Paul’s attitude as justifiable, and determine to trust God to rectify his reputation?  He chose the latter and God endeared him not only as a favorite of Paul’s, but also of the apostle of great stature, Peter.

Here are phrases that the apostles later used in relation to previously rejected John Mark.  Paul said: If Mark comes to you, welcome him as I instructed (Col. 4:10); Mark is useful in ministry for me, bring him with you (2 Tim. 4:11); and Mark, my fellow apostle (Philemon 1:24). 

Peter referred to Mark as his son in the faith (1 Pet 5:13).  John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark.  There are credible manuscript researchers who believe that Peter entrusted the writing of his remembrance of his years with Jesus to John Mark. 

All of this represents quite a promotion from the rejection that he experienced early on in his ministry.  In addition, Mark’s determination to prove himself a non-quitter lives on in his spiritual descendants to this very day.  Mark established the first church in Alexandria, Egypt comprised of original Egyptians 600 years prior to the Arab Islamic Jihad invasion.  That church has evolved into what is known as the Coptic (Egyptian) Eastern Orthodox Church.  It has branches all over the world with heavy concentration in the Middle East stretching from Kuwait westward past Libya.

Coptic church in Aswan, Egypt

The Coptic Church has a style of liturgical service and clergy apparel similar to that of the Russian and Greek Orthodox. At this point some readers might be tempted to yawn thinking that the chants, smoke, smells, and bells of traditional orthodox Christianity has little value in effective evangelism.  There you would be badly mistaken. 

The free independent Charismatic fellowships and Evangelical churches of the West are not necessarily more effective in outreach without overt persecution than the Copts have been in the face of 14 Centuries of bloody Islamic persecution.  I am speaking of the rape of daughters; burned churches and businesses; imprisonment, beatings, and martyrdom of Egyptian Christians for their faith.

Mark’s spiritual posterity, the Copts are not quitters and have a proven evangelistic methodology.  In spite of the persecution, the Copts produce more doctors, engineers and business professionals per capita than the Muslim community.  Interestingly, the Copts have earned the reputation of being far more honest than Muslims in their dealings with employers and their customers.  For this reason Arabic speaking Copts are choice employees with many business firms throughout the Middle East.

Young Copts who want to spread the Gospel volunteer to move to other Muslim lands.  They do not press for one on one evangelistic encounters to make instant converts.  The objective is to let the differences between the quality of their home lives and vocational accomplishments and that of Muslims speak to encourage those who observe them to initiate inquiries.  This lowers chances of torture for attempts at proselytizing Muslims.

Simultaneous to this, the Coptic services are broadcast on radio and are televised from stations in free countries.  At certain times the liturgies for divine healing and deliverance are emphasized by priests over the airwaves.  Whatever the case, many Muslims listen and watch what we think are dead and dry traditional liturgies and thousands become secret believers yearly.

Contrary to what we might think, the worldview of everyone does not match that of Westerns.  We tend to imagine that if a method is not innovative that it cannot possibly be of God.  Middle Easterners are different in that they prefer traditions that have proven stability that has withstood the tests of time.  In this regard many Muslims have secret admiration for the spiritual descendants of John Mark who have stayed the course and have not quit in the face of generations of severe challenges to their faith. 

When I meditate on John Mark and the Copts, it makes me want to gird up my faith to have greater stick-to-it-tiv-ness.  What say you?

Jim Croft 

jimcroft777@gmail.com

Trojan Horse: UK Fears Islamic Takeover of Schools CBN News by Dale Hurd, CBN News Sr. Reporter

Trojan Horse: UK Fears Islamic 

Takeover of Schools

By Dale Hurd

CBN News Sr. Reporter

LONDON -- The British government has announced that schools will be required to teach "British values."

The news comes after Islamists took over several schools in the United Kingdom. This alleged plot to turn British faith-based schools into Muslim training academies has been dubbed "Operation Trojan Horse."

"Individuals with a religious motivation have taken public money and basically created madrassas, basically created religiously motivated schools that promote intolerance, and this in some cases is a criminal enterprise," Islamic expert George Igler said.

The decision comes at a time when Britain was already in an uproar over the explosion of Muslim halal food in the nation's food supply and after revelations that several predominantly Muslim sex gangs around Britain were using English girls as sex slaves.

Whether it's food or schools, Islam is advancing in Britain. Islamists want to conquer the United Kingdom.

"Look, we have around 100 Sharia courts in this country," Anne Maries Waters, who runs Sharia Watch UK, said. "We're the only Western country with a functioning network of Sharia tribunals and councils."

"They're dealing with marriages, divorce, even with criminal matters. They're marrying children," she said.

In Birmingham, with its large Muslim population, authorities say Islamists were turning schools into centers of extremism.

For instance, in one school the Muslim call to prayer was broadcast across the school playground, and non-Muslim teachers were forced out.

"In the most serious cases, a culture of fear and intimidation has taken grip since the schools were last inspected," Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of schools for England, said.

Michael Gove, British secretary of state for education, told parliament this will not happen again.

"Schools that are proven to have failed will be taken over, put under new leadership, and taken in a fresh, new direction," Gove said. "And we will put the promotion of British values at the heart of what every school has to deliver for children."

The fact that Muslims are in a position to take over several schools shows the growing influence of Islamic radicals in Britain.

Watch: CBN News - video

Israeli Ministers Propose Annexing, Abandoning 'West Bank'

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 |  Ryan Jones  ISRAEL TODAY

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Peace Process

With the collapse of the latest round of US-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israeli ministers seem to be of one accord that the Jewish state needs to take the initiative and formulate its own outline for the future, though they disagree sharply on how to seize this opportunity.

The first to enter the fray was Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the nationalist Jewish Home faction.

Bennett proposed that Israel fully annex the portion of the so-called “West Bank” labeled as “Area C,” which is already today under full Israeli security control, and is where the bulk of the Israeli settlers live.

Under Bennett’s plan, the 70,000 Arabs who live in Area C would be granted Israeli citizenship. Areas A and B would be granted enhanced autonomy and the Palestinians living there would have their own state in all but name.

“We must recognize the truth - the Oslo era is over. After 21 years of trying one way which included unilateral withdrawals, concessions, releasing terrorists, disengagement and a unilateral separation - it’s time to admit that it does not work,” Bennett told an annual security confab in Herzliya.

“It’s time to think creatively how to build a better reality here for the citizens of Israel and for the Arabs residing in Judea and Samaria,” he added. “This plan gives the Palestinians an independent government and economic prosperity while giving us, the State of Israel, sovereignty, stability, security and a maintaining of our homeland.”

Bennett’s proposal was immediately attacked by Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who insisted that if Israel annexed one inch of the West Bank, his centrist Yesh Atid faction would not hesitate to topple the government.

While Bennett and Lapid have allied on many issues, the finance minister was adamant that the way forward is not laying further claim to Judea and Samaria, but rather further abandoning those biblical territories.

Speaking at the same conference in Herzliya, Lapid advocated a return to negotiations despite the recent entry into the Palestinian government of the Hamas terrorist organization, which still calls for Israel’s destruction.

In preparation for those talks, Lapid said Israel should draw the final borders that it would like to see between the Jewish state and a future Palestinian state. Israel would then unilaterally withdraw from those areas where no Jews are today living. As a confidence-building step, Israel would later evacuate isolated Jewish settlements, and in the plan’s final stage, Israel would conduct a land swap with the Palestinian state for areas where large Jewish settlement blocs are located.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called Lapid’s proposal a non-starter that had already been proved a failure in Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

“We saw in Gaza the results of unilateral withdrawal,” said officials in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Anyone with political experience knows that you don’t make concessions without [getting] anything in return, especially with a government partnered with a terror organization that wants to destroy Israel.”

Netanyahu’s aides also pointed out that were Israel to draw an official map of future proposed borders, that map would then forever be the starting point for future negotiations, even if Israel later determined the boundaries were unfavorable.

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A Season Of Wondering, "Have I Lost Jesus Somewhere?" - Bill Yount

Bill Yount A Season Of Wondering,  "Have I Lost Jesus Somewhere?" Posted: 09 Jun 2014  We all have those times when we wonder, "Have I lost Jesus somewhere?" Even Jesus' own parents, Mary and Joseph, lost Him for three whole days and couldn't find Him. "But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances but He wasn't there." Luke 2:44 What a shock especially for Mary to have birthed the treasure of the world and wonder where He was. "And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple." Luke 2:46 At twelve years of age He was about His Father's business to save you and me. It's easy to lose Jesus in a crowded world. If it seems you have lost Him, be encouraged. He is about to make His grand entrance into your life. But you may have to take a journey. Come Away  When God says, "Come away, My Beloved," a million "Likes" on Facebook won't satisfy. You crave to see His face. And it doesn't matter then if your favorite sports team wins or loses, for the things of this world grow strangely dim. People will say, "That was one of the best messages I've ever heard." but you felt nothing. And you were the speaker. When He bids you come, your fingers numb and your passion to write dies. You can do nothing without Him. We live by faith and not by sight or feelings, but sooner or later, if His presence doesn't return, you will check your pulse wondering, "Did I lose Jesus somewhere?" But He Keeps Calling. And You Keep Seeking. Your hunger grows. You eat off other people's plates during church now. Someone whispers after the service, "I didn't get a thing out of that pastor's message." You tell them, "It's because I got it all. I was so hungry I ate off your plate!" Unfamiliar scriptures come alive. "To the hungry soul every bitter thing tastes sweet." Proverbs 27:7 You get so hungry for God, you eat giants. They become your nourishment. They come for only one reason: to strengthen you. For you are on a quest to find God again. On the way the ravens feed you ---- people you thought God could never use are the ones keeping you alive now. With eyes straining, you start seeing God in everyone. He puts something you need in the person you don't like. Surprisingly, it's now your enemy telling you where your next meal is. And you love him for it. Your stomach growls. Like the four lepers in Samaria in the time of famine, you're starving. "And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate of Samaria: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die." 2 Kings 7:3,4 Rolling With The Gut Punches You are convinced too. You'd rather die moving, than die sitting. Up until now you've never regretted taking a risk. Your only regret were the ones you didn't take and what might have been. You know well the leprosy of rejection. Your Christian life is made up of mostly perseverance and rolling with the gut punches. But you keep going. Your gut keeps telling you, "If you can drag your weary bones past hell's gate of rejection, you can roll the rest of the way into the arms of the One who can heal all your wounds. And you will feast on the Bread of Life." Almost There The journey becomes lonely when you get close to finding Him. Even leprous friends leave you. You no longer follow the crowds. You push through them. To touch His clothes would be enough now. Like the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years. You are sick of being sick and wonder what it's like to be well again. But where is He? You heard His schedule is to raise Jairus' dead daughter today. You wonder if you can stop Him on His way to make history with you. One touch from Him and you can live through anything. The Lord is releasing His greatest hunger on earth this hour. "And I will shake all nations, and the 'desire' of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:7 That word desire means: to crave, hunger, to have a strong longing for. The shaking is making the stomachs of nations to growl. And ours too. I heard He satisfies people with an unsatisfied satisfaction. I don't know about you. But, "Would you pass me your plate, please?" Blessings, Bill Yount www.billyount.com

Moral Compass by Mati Shoshani (Revive Israel)

By Mati Shoshani  REVIVE ISRAEL

Being a follower of Yeshua requires communicating our personal version of the message of salvation. In addition, our calling, both personally and collectively, is also to be a moral compass to society, by voicing our values, standards, and understanding of “right and wrong.”

Isaiah chapter 40 speaks of a need to prepare the way of the Lord, of changing the terrain to allow for his coming. The passage is quoted in Mark chapter 1 – as John the Baptist’s call for a moral revolution becomes the precursor to the appearance of Yeshua.

Yeshua himself was a man calling for a moral revolution. He often criticized the legalistic discussion of ritual commandments, yet emphasized the values and morals behind the words of the Torah. An example of this is found in Mark 10 where Yeshua sets a higher standard of morality as it relates to the covenant of marriage.

As an Israeli Messianic Jew, I ask: who’s deciding on our society’s morality and ethics? Is it us, the followers of Yeshua, or others? If we look at some of the most important questions to our society – godliness, financial integrity, ownership of the land, marital standards – it’s clear that we are not those setting the tone on these topics.

We are required to tell people what we believe, when an issue involving moral values comes across our path. This does not always require sharing the gospel, although it might in certain cases. It means that we clearly state that we believe that something is wrong, or right. It is as simple, and hard, as that.

The people of Israel are hungry for moral content, for a clear image and vision of the goals we need to aspire to as a society. We have that content, through the Bible, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit, and I believe it’s time we penetrate society with our message.

By Mati Shoshani | Tags: compass, ethics, morality, revolution, Torah | No Comments

Life in Israel 1830-1880 as Described by a Very Unusual Woman, Lydia Mamreoff von Finkelstein Mountford

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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Life in Israel 1830-1880 as Described by a Very Unusual Woman, Lydia Mamreoff von Finkelstein Mountford Posted: 10 Jun 2014  Von Finkelstein (Set in Stone, Fixed in Glass)  We never heard of Lydia Mamreoff von Finkelstein Mountford (1855-1917) until we came across several clippings in a New Zealand archives from the 1880s.  She was born in Jerusalem to a Russian family, apparently Jewish, according to historian Ron Bartur. She spoke Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, German, and French.  The family converted to Christianity and it appears she later became a Mormon.   She was a popular actress, missionary, and news correspondent. She traveled to the United States, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand presenting Bible-based plays.  She filed news reports on the German Emperor's visit to Jerusalem in 1898, and probably appears in the bottom left of this picture with a reporter's pad in hand. One of her most interesting articles appeared in the Aroha News (New Zealand), October 24, 1888, entitled "PALESTINE FIFTY YEARS AGO AND PALESTINE TODAY."   Her observations about life in the Holy Land for Christians and Jews are fascinating, and we present excerpts below in blue: Inside the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem's Old City as it appeared in Lydia  von Finkelstein's days, circa 1870. (New York Public Library) About fifty years ago, with the exception of some Polish Jewish families, and a few Latin monks, there were no European residents in Jerusalem. At that period the Jews did not contribute either to the civilisation of the inhabitants or the improvement of the city, but adapted themselves to the manners of the people and the exigencies of the place.  The monks confined themselves to their daily avocations in the convents, and to the entertainment of wealthy pilgrims and travellers, whose visits, like those of angels, were few and far between.    Von Finkelstein, in  costume, 1885 (Imagining the Holy Land) Receiving the German Emperor in 1898. Von Finkelstein, the reporter, is presumably at the bottom left. (Library of Congress) The Jews, as well as the native Christians, throughout Syria and Palestine, were daily and hourly subjected to oppression, extortions, exaction, robbery and insults from their Moslem neighbours. It was no unusual occurrence for the Moslem to enter their houses, ransack closets and boxes, and appropriate any article of wearing apparel, furniture, or food that took the marauder's fancy.  The local Government authorities would occasionally, when in need of funds, levy blackmail to the amount of hundreds of pounds on the Jews and native Christians, threatening them with massacre and plunder in default of payment. Consequently, Jews and native Christians dared to make any display of wealth only at the risk of losing life or property, and often both.... ... With the advent of the American and English missionaries came the dawn of a brighter day tor the Holy City, and indeed for the whole country. On account of Moslem fanaticism and prejudice, these messengers of the Gospel, and consequently pioneers of civilisation, were obliged for a certain period of time to adopt the Oriental dress for safety. The Oriental furniture, utensils, and cuisine, though in  Hezekiah's Pool in Jerusalem's Old City. All those windows and not a pane of glass, 1865 (New York Public Library) many respects better adapted to the climate and surroundings, were so entirely different to those of Europe and America, that those early settlers, wealthy or otherwise, may truly be said to have endured hardships and privations great and innumerable.  Occidental furniture, utensils, crockery or glass, were not to be had for love or money; and only those fortunate families or individuals possessed them who had had sufficient foresight to bring such articles from their homes in Europe. Further, there was not a window in any house in Jerusalem that had a pane of glass in it; wooden lattices, shutters, and iron bars being the order of the day.  Portrait of von Finkelstein and three unknown people taken by Krikorian, a well-known Armenian photographer in Jerusalem (circa 1885, Library  of Congress) About the year 1845, a European merchant first imported —at great inconvenience, risk, and cost, having to travel to Beirout and Alexandria to make the purchase—Occidental furniture, crockery, and windowglass. There were no facilities for travel, and no steamers touched at the port of Jaffa.  Once, and later twice a year, the Jewish, Latin, and other communities sent messengers to Beirout from Jerusalem, a journey of about 150 miles overland, to fetch the mails and other matter that might have been brought by the steamers from Alexandria and Constantinople, which at stated periods touched for a few hours at Beirout. About the year 1845 steamers began to stop occasionally at the port of Jaffa...   The American Colony on the beach near Jaffa, 1866 (with permission of the Maine Historical Society) In the year 1866 a large American colony came out, and settled in Jaffa. It was called the American Adams colony. The colonists held their estate under great disadvantages. Mr Adams, either through design or in ignorance of the laws, possessed no title deeds; neither were the colonists, who purchased lots, provided with the necessary documents — all holding the property under bills of sale and pm-chase, whose legality and validity could have been questioned at any moment. Consequently interested parties took advantage of their position, and the best and the largest portion of the land they had paid for was lost, and all the trees out of a fruit plantation cut down, rooted up, and carried away... Von Finkelstein's performance - not in Jerusalem - but at a replica of Jerusalem at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair (from Set in Stone, Fixed in Glass) For more on "Jerusalem" at the 1904 World's Fair click here. Note the Christian and Jewish banners on the stage

Treasure Every Moment With Your Earthly Father - LEONARD R. DAVIDSON

Cherish every moment you can with your earthly father. (iStock photo)

Treasure Every Moment With Your Earthly Father

 6/8/2014 LEONARD R. DAVIDSON

Over thirty-three years ago, my paternal grandfather passed away. We called him Paw Paw and my dad loved him very much. 

Paw Paw loved to listen to his "45" of Tennessee Ernie Ford on his console record player and walked through the house singing at the top of his lungs. He had a lava lamp on top of the TV and an old fashioned cuckoo clock on the wall. Even with thick coke-bottle glasses he still had to use a magnifying glass to read his Bible, which he did the first thing every morning and the last thing every night. He loved Jesus with all of his heart. In church he would "amen" after almost every sentence.

Paw Paw died suddenly from a massive heart attack while at work. He was 80 years old. I remember my dad hugging me and saying, "I hope I can make it without him. I talked to him so often. I already miss him ..."

My grandmother, Dad's mom, was 10 years younger than my grandfather and we called her Gran Gran. They got married when she was 16 and were married for 54 years. Gran Gran was so special. She was a hairdresser (we called them "beauticians" back then), and always smelled like the solution she used when she gave permanents. Every night she would rub lotion on her hands, and it was a treat for each grandchild to sit next to her and let her rub the extra (by design I think) on our hands. We argued to see who would sit next to her at church, because she always held the hand of the child sitting next to her.

One time, when I was very young, I got in trouble while my family was visiting her home. I ran into the kitchen where she was cooking, and hid behind her skirt. She turned and looked at my dad and said firmly, "Ramon Eldon, you are not going to spank this boy in my house!" Right then I thought that it might be a very good thing if we moved in with her permanently. 

Although he traveled all over the world, Dad never missed a day calling her, and when she died at 96 my dad was holding her soft sweet hand. For many weeks after she went to heaven, Dad caught himself picking up the phone to call her. He loved her deeply.

May of 2010, shortly before Father's Day, Dad stepped onto the shores of heaven. Many sermons have been preached, and many songs sung about a saint who has gone home wanting to see Jesus first. You know, I believe our Savior is so gracious that He looked at my dad and said, "Go hug your mom and dad. Visit with them. Catch up. You and I have eternity together." And Dad would do just that. He would hug the two people he had loved more than words could say.

While he was here I talked to him every day. In the last four years of his life he spent many days sitting on his recliner praying for me. Every time I talked to him he finished our conversation by saying, "I love you Leonard ... with all of my heart!"

Someone said that my dad lost his battle with cancer, but Dad lost no battle. My dad loved Jesus deeply. Fervently. Passionately.

Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:54 that "when this mortal is clothed with immortality ... death has been swallowed up in victory" (HCSB, emphasis added).Jesus said in John 11:25-26 that He is the resurrection and the life. If we believe in Him we will never die. Today, Dad would declare that, "to be alive was Christ ... but to die is so much better."

 A man who is one of my dearest friends and mentors has expressed often that we should give honor to whom honor is due. So, please understand when I would say, "Dad, this devotion was written to honor you. Well done, brave Warrior. You finished strong. You were my best friend. I miss you more than words could express. You finished well. I love you ... with all of my heart!"

This Father's Day, treasure the time you have with your earthly father. Embrace the wonderful memories and discard any negative ones and the emotions attached to them. Let the God of all comfort remind you of His great love and if your father is now in His presence, know that you will be reunited and spend eternity enjoying both.

Prayer Power for the Week of 6/9/2014

As we approach Father's Day this week, take time to thank God that He is eternally our Heavenly Father and will never leave or forsake us. Thank Him that He's promised to be a father to the fatherless, and the One who takes us in even if our natural fathers and mothers forsake us. Pray for those who have lost their dads through death, divorce or abandonment, and take time to honor yours if he is still available, and his memory, if he's not. Pray for our military and their families, especially those dads currently away from home. Continue to pray that believers would work and pray together for revival in our nation and the expanding of God's kingdom. Remember Israel and pray that our leaders would have wisdom in dealing with the issues affecting the nation and the world. Psalm 27:10; Psalm 68:5; Heb 13:5b; John 11:25  

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Jerusalem Dateline: Legitimizing Hamas - Chris Mitchell, CBN News

Chris Mitchell - CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief

Jerusalem Dateline: Legitimizing Hamas

This week on Jerusalem Dateline: Legitimizing Hamas. The U.S. recognizes a Palestinian government that includes the terrorist group.

And, a Muslim radical is in custody for killing three people at a Jewish museum in Brussels. Why European leaders fear there could be more like him.

Plus, Christians abused in Egypt. Will political change mean a better life for the Copts?

Source: CBN News