It was an honor and a privilege to hear Canon Andrew White preach at our church today.  He was the vicar of St. George’s Church in Baghdad, the only Anglican church in Iraq, until he was ordered by the Archbishop of Canterbury (the head of the Anglican church) to leave for the sake of his own security.  He was already preaching in a bullet proof vest.  Members of his family had been threatened and, heartbreakingly, some were killed after refusing to deny Jesus Christ.  I am not sure he would want me to write of the evils of ISIS; rather I believe he would want me to speak of the urgent and fervent need for the immediate and daily prayer by all Christians for our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world.  This is not Nero’s time, which hardly seemed believable.  But it is every bit as bad.  Canon White speaks Aramaic; THE LANGUAGE OF JESUS CHRIST!  Just hearing him repeating our Savior’s language was incredible.  Christ lived and Christ will come again.  When I was a little girl we used to eat a lot at this nice restaurant (probably run by Baptists — no offense) and I would have to look at this painting each time we passed by on Sundays.  It was of The Rapture and it showed all these cars crashing into one another with the peoples’ spirits ascending into heaven.  I hated it and it frightened me.  I asked my daddy about it and he told me that since the time Christ was crucified people had believed we were in the “End Times”.  And then he said that Christ shall come like a thief in the night (quoting scripture:  1 Thessalonians 5:2) and that “no man knoweth the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36) when Christ shall return and that helped me.  I do not wish to engage in a philosophical discussion of pre-millenium versus post millennium tribulation.  I only know that as a child my father gave me the reassurance that we believed in Him and that He would not forsake us.  I found Father White to be witty, engaging and wearing a mantle of sorrow I am not sure whether or not he was even trying to show.  The man is a soldier in the army of Jesus Christ and a true believer who has seen his convictions put to the test.  I am reminded of the scripture in St. John Chapter 14 verse 2 (King James Version):  “In my Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.”  Let us all stand together — sincerely praying for those who are suffering for Jesus Christ’s sake —  with the assurance that He has prepared a place for us whenever that may be.  We pray for our enemies; that they may feel the power and love of Jesus Christ.  And, whomever you are and wherever you may be reading this — do not doubt for one moment the love our Savior Jesus Christ has for you.  And do not doubt the power of prayer.

“The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing.  The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.  ~  Saint Augustine

May God have mercy upon all His children who are suffering, and may we truly and earnestly pray for all those who are on the front lines on our behalf.  For those who have read my blog, I am quite sure by now you have figured out I am fond of citing one quote each day.  But today I shall give two:

German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemolller famously wrote:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”