US Pastor Andrew Brunson is Released from Turkey

Praise God!

Turkey to release US pastor Andrew Brunson.

Turkey is a secular state with no official religion.  However, according to the government, Turkey is 99.8% Muslim and less than 2% Christian.

However, in the first three centuries of Christianity, Turkey, which was called Asia Minor in early Christianity, was flourishing with Jesus communities.

So what happened?

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Reflections on Tribe by Sebastian Junger

According to the author Sebastian Junger, “We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding.”

The subtitle of Tribe is “On Homecoming and Belonging.”

Now, because of this fallen world we live in, not every group which gives a sense of homecoming and belonging to its members is truly good for humanity.  For example, terror cells, gangs, mobs, and so on, while they give a sense of belonging to its members, they do more harm than good to the rest of humanity.

It is here that Christ followers can shine like stars in this crooked world.

But as Christ followers, we must demonstrate love for one another–the kind of love that a watching world will be compelled to conclude that we are indeed Christ followers and want to belong–to the redeemed people of God in a crooked world.

Don’t Waste Your Summer

The summer is already here.

Perhaps you’re already making the most of it.

Have fun.

Enjoy the beach, the outdoors and so on…

But don’t waste it.

Spend quality time with your family

And your community of faith.

At the end of the day, we all need healthy relationships.

Or you might need to salvage your summer.

Well, it’s not too late to try some of the above.

Before I leave–don’t forget to read those books that will stretch and grow you in areas that need improving.

Covenant Theology and the Separation of Families at the Border

Our country has been divided over the issue of separating families at the border.

Families are not to be separated.

We only have to be separated from our families for a long period of time to know the adverse impact.

The message of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures is squarely against separating families.

Throughout Scripture and redemptive history, in particular, our covenant God has always called families, not individuals, into covenant.

There is no covenant without families.  This is loudly demonstrated throughout both the Old and New Testaments (Genesis 12, 17 and Acts 16:15, 31; 1 Cor 1:16) .

One does not have to embrace covenant theology to know this.  The devil knows that a sure and effective way to destroy society and the church is to attack undermine the traditional family structure.

Look around.

The family has become the prime target of the devil’s schemes.

Here is the bottom line, per the Creator’s design: a person truly needs a healthy family structure to grow into psychological, emotional and spiritual wholeness.

We all know this.

No one wishes to be torn apart from their families.

Therefore, I called on those of us who cherish the biblical family structure, to pray for and encourage the preservation of families, despite our political convictions.