“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the
holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
~ Hebrews 12:14 ESV
In 1977, the Ugandan government, which was led by Idi Amin at that time, prohibited Pentecostal Christians from gathering to worship. He ordered for their churches to be closed, and announced that any noncompliance would lead to arrests, imprisonment and possible death.
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change [their] religion or belief, and freedom
(either alone or in community with others…in public or private) to manifest
[their] religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
~ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18)
As a Christian, I uphold the Biblical basis for human rights, which acknowledges that all people are created in God’s image, and thereby worthy of dignity and respect – regardless of their religion or belief. Consequently, I agree with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, while the intentions of this statement are admirable (since persecution because of one’s faith or belief is wrong), there is an essential element missing in the “freedom of religion or belief” (FORB) discussions held by the various political, religious and special interest groups that champion it.
“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link
between His will and its accomplishments on earth.
Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege
of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer.”
~ Elisabeth Elliot
As prayer is an essential core value of VOMC’s mission and ministry, it’s important for our ministry team to continue living lives of relentless prayer. So, at the beginning of the year, I challenged each staff member of VOMC to find a Bible verse on prayer to memorize and reflect upon throughout the year. I personally selected Colossians 4:2, which says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (ESV).
“...and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
~ Romans 5:5 ESV
I used to make it a point to watch the late-night news because I felt that a responsible person ought to stay up to date on the issues of the day. I rarely lost any sleep over the reports I consumed, but I did discover over time that my heart grew cold and my outlook cynical. To alleviate these symptoms of data indigestion, I began to limit my intake of daily news reports.
“Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29 ESV
I recently watched an episode of Everything Music on YouTube. It was hosted by Rick Beato, a multi-instrumentalist, music producer and educator, who took the time to honour the life of recently deceased Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot (November 17th, 1938 - May 1st, 2023). While growing up in the northern part of New York state, Rick and his brother were big fans of Gordon’s music. Rick shared a story of how his brother who – while playing him one of Gordon’s greatest songs, If You Could Read My Mind – had pointed out a subtle guitar slide in the song. Even though Rick wasn’t able to detect it at first, when he put his ear closer to the audio system speaker, he heard it. “That’s what makes this song great,” his brother said. Those musical details can quickly go unnoticed by the untrained ear but raise the bar of excellence in artistry.
“Jesus promised the disciples three things – that they would be
completely fearless, absurdly happy and in constant trouble.”
~ G.K. Chesterton
Within a moment, life can change – in the blink of an eye, a turn of the head, or the attention given to one’s surroundings…. One second, life is as ordinary as a little boy running across the road to join his friends on the other side. Then, just as quickly, there is the screeching of tires, the smell of burnt rubber on hot asphalt, and the sickening thud of chrome hitting flesh.
![Head table at the prayer breakfast in Ottawa](/images/general/prayer-breakfast.jpg" "Head table at the prayer breakfast in Ottawa")
