Martyrdom in Yemen

During Holy Week, a parishioner from a congregation I previously served asked me to pray privately that Father Tom, an acquaintance of hers, would not be crucified by ISIS on Good Friday.

But those radical Islamist thugs and nihilists went ahead with their threat, killing a priest who bravely volunteered to minister in Yemen despite the dangers. It's tragically sad and infuriating.

Please pray for Christians being persecuted by Islamic-rooted terrorists, asking God to help them witness for Christ boldly and humbly in the face of persecution.

Ask God's Holy Spirit to use their witness to win their persecutors to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray also for the governments of sovereign nations as they employ their resources to protect their citizens from acts of terrorism and to bring terrorists to justice.

Finally, please ask God to comfort and encourage Father Tom's family and friends with the promise of Jesus in which he believed:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John 3:16-8)

After Brussels, Live

Travel expert Rick Steves shared this graphic on his Facebook timeline.

To me, it expresses an important message on this day when we grieve the senseless loss of life perpetrated by ISIS. The object of terrorists is to incite terror, panic, and fear in people. Such reactions are understandable. But when we alter our lifestyles to accommodate the possible actions of thugs and bullies, they win and we lose.

I'm not suggesting that either individuals or governments act stupidly. When the devil tempted Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem to see if God the Father would catch Him, Jesus refused. He told the devil that it isn't right to test God. So, people and governments need to take wise precautions in the face of the terrorist reality.

But if you're planning on traveling by any means, if you have tickets for a major public event, if you have to go shopping, or if there are things you need to do to live your life, I say do them.

If we let the terrorists intimidate us, we risk wimping out in one of two ways:

• Acceding to them and not doing anything or 
• Turning free countries into sterile, lifeless armed encampments

Both are fearful prospects fueled by fear which would change the fundamental qualities of living in a pluralistic democracy that includes both majority rule and a fair regard for the minority.

There are many things that give rise to Islamic-based terrorism. But among them is the palpable fear that potential terrorists see in free societies when terrorist acts do occur, something that offers them the possibility of feeling powerful. The fear of free societies is one of their greatest recruiting tools.

Terrorism must be fought on many fronts and in many ways. One of the ways is for we who value freedom and the sanctity of human life not to let fear get the best of us.

Like any other human being, I fear many things. But my faith in an eternal God Who raised His Son Jesus from the grave and promises a piece of His resurrection victory to all who repent and believe in Him, helps me to put my fear in perspective. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, for the Christian, death is not the worst thing that can happen.

In the weeks prior to September 11, 2001, my daughter and I were trying to decide whether to book a flight to Germany. September 11 was the deadline we had set for making our decision. We booked the flight that night because, we said, we didn't want Osama bin-Laden making our travel plans for us.

God has given you life. And if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you believe that God has given you life with God that never ends. So, live.

Why?

The Islamists presumably want to go back to some pristine Islamic past. So why would they set ablaze manuscripts from that past? In the end, I suppose, all radical political -ists have no ideology or religion other than their two deities: nihilism and winning.