In April, UNICEF issued a report on children in Lebanon, saying that what was then six months of conflict had led to deteriorated education, healthcare, water access and emotional well-being for them. A full-scale war would be devastating for their futures.

(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says that although fears are pressing the nation, they strive against it. 

“We try to to continue life as normal, and to continue to work with the kids as normal, so that the kids will also feel safe and secure and that life goes normally,” she says. “This is what we try to do, but it’s not always easy.” 

This year, TM Lebanon summer camps gave kids a brief safe space where they could have fun and learn about the God who they can trust. Kids were able to laugh with friends, play games, watch Bible story skits and more. (Read one story from TM Lebanon here.)

Nina says some of the kids had never heard about David and Goliath, Jonah, and other well-known stories from the Bible. They were mesmerized by the skits that leaders put on to retell these stories. 

“That helped so much with their feelings, because they didn’t have the thought of the today and now and the war, but they were really taken into another place (by the skits),” Nuna says. “I think this is not only healing, but it’s also sowing seeds of faith inside them that God is greater and that God can do much bigger [things], and he can take any circumstance and change it.”

Nuna shares that after seeing the story of David and Goliath, one girl said, “I know that if God is with me, nothing can conquer me.”

“This is the joy of having these camps with the kids. It’s just seeing what impact we can do and what seeds we can plant,” Nuna says.

(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

Many of the children TM Lebanon serves are refugees whose families are struggling.

“Even inside Lebanon, [refugee families] have been moving from place to place. So now that there’s another war in the horizon, they don’t know where to go. Should they move? Should they stay?” Nuna says. “The kids are feeling this. They feel the pressure that their parents are under.” 

Now that you know, would you pray for the gospel of hope to spread in Lebanon?

“[Pray] that the ministers of the gospel would be refreshed, that they will not give in to the news. The news [is] just spreading fear and anxiety and gloom, and we cannot go there,” Nuna says.

“Pray for our team members who have to fight this every day. They have to come against all the news that they are hearing every day — all the mothers that are coming with news, all the kids that are coming stressed. We have to always and every day fight.” 

Header photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.

It would be easy to turn off the news, but that’s not the call of the Church. Edward Graham of Samaritan’s Purse says these stories should urge Christians to prayer and action.

“God calls us to run to the sound of the guns, go to the fire, and help those in need,” Graham says. This starts with meeting immediate needs – food, water, shelter, transportation, and medical help. “We can have a hospital anywhere in the world in 36 hours as long as we have approvals. We have our own aircraft, hospitals, and doctors.”

But practical needs are only a start. “The most important part of the story of the Good Samaritan is that the innkeeper was paid a debt,” Graham says. “The man said,’ If this doesn’t cover it, I’ll be back and take care of the rest.’ Well, the debt is the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s why we go.”

It’s not an easy or safe task, and Samaritan’s Purse’s work in Gaza in a perfect example of that. “We have to be careful in Gaza with our team or safety in the work that we do, but we’re loving and serving on both sides of conflicts,” Graham says. “We do it all the time. Armenia, Azerbaijan – we were on both sides of the conflict there. You name the war, we’ve been trying to be on both sides if they allow access.”

But they’re also training people to serve in countries where things are safer. The goal is to provide chances for Christians to come alongside the brokenhearted in every part of the world. It doesn’t matter what skills those Christians bring to the table: “We train our staff and our team and how to respond.”

Maybe this is speaking to you. If you’re interested, Samaritan’s Purse can find a place for you in the mission field. “God will take the resources that you have; you just need to be bold enough to get out of the boat,” Graham says. “Too many Christians would be like the other disciples sitting in the boat. I need Peters who at least will take that step of faith and want to be part of a miracle and get out of the boat. He gets a bad rep for sinking, but he’s the only one that got off the boat.”

Reach out to Samaritan’s Purse here if any of this sounds like something in which you’d like to be involved. Even if you don’t go, pray for the Church as it serves the brokenhearted in the darkest and most desperate parts of the world.

Headline courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse.

The inciting incident

(Photo courtesy of Dan Kiefer via Unsplash)

In October, the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) published a discussion paper on religious intolerance which named Christmas and Easter as examples of “systematic religious discrimination.” 

Don Hutchinson, a board member with Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says, “The discussion paper caught the attention of some people who were startled that the Canadian Human Rights Commission could be discussing the idea of potentially doing away with statutory holidays for Christmas and Easter — in the opinion of those who were startled. So that was brought to the attention of the House of Commons.”

In November, the House of Commons unanimously denounced the paper. A few days later, the CHRC’s Interim Chief Commissioner Charlotte-Anne Malischewski offered this opinion piece about the discussion paper — it merits reading for further clarity into the controversy. 

A different perspective

Canada is a diverse country, home to a large number of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and ethnic religions.
(Photo courtesy of Mihai Surdu via Unsplash)

Hutchinson thinks that people made a bigger deal about the matter than it warranted.

He explains that while Canada has a strong influence of Christianity in its history, it is not a Christian nation in its constitution. It’s reasonable that it would raise questions like this.

“We also need to be mindful that other religious communities are going to have concerns about our Christian heritage in terms of the statutory holidays, when they have dates that they consider to be prominent and important — particularly some communities where people are using their vacation time to celebrate their holy days,” Hutchinson says.

He adds that Christmas and Easter have been long-held, even largely secularized holidays in Canada. There is room for differences of religions even within that. Certain 24/7 industries (such as hospitals) have collective agreements that allow employees to exchange their days off for other preferred ones. In short, Canadians of many different backgrounds are used to these holidays and how to function with them. The House of Commons saw no need to alter the nation’s statutory holidays.

The response for next time

Hutchinson recognizes that this won’t be the last time government agencies discuss topics that stir up concern among Christians. He encourages believers to respond to these types of events with prayer first, remembering 2 Timothy 1:7 and Ephesians 6:12-18.

“We’re seeing this increasingly, I think, in the church in Canada that there are parts of the Christian church that are fearful that we’re going to lose our religious freedom — either because religious freedom is granted to another religious community or because the government is taking action that that we find contradictory to our religious beliefs,” Hutchinson says.

In a democracy, there is indeed the risk that things will change due to political behavior, but Hutchinson says “it’s not something that tends to happen instantaneously. So there’s a place for us in the church to pray, and then to engage where we have concerns.” 

He adds, “I think that the best thing for us to do is be the Church. Instead of becoming the political activists who are going to stand up for the Church, be the Church. The political activism will flow from being the Church when we’re focused on Christ first.”

Join Hutchinson in praying “that we search the Scriptures together, that we pray together — that rather than just reacting when we see something in the media or some rumor about what’s happening with government, that we pray, we confirm the details of what we’re praying about, and then, from our place of prayer, we determine what action might or might not be beneficial.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Ben White via Unsplash.

In such perilous times, what should Christians do? Is disconnecting from the news a biblical response?

Ron Hutchcraft of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries says, “In the countdown days before He would return, Jesus said [there would be] the ‘increase of wickedness.’ (Matt. 24:12) In other words, there’s always been wickedness, but an explosion of wickedness. The Greek word is ‘rapid multiplication.’

“Because of a rapid multiplying of wickedness, [Jesus] says here’s what will happen to His people: ‘The love of most will grow cold.’ It doesn’t say they will all become wicked. They’ll be cold, apathetic, sitting out the battle.”

(Photo courtesy of Feliphe Schiarolli/Unsplash)

While we do not know when Christ will return, each moment brings us closer to that day. In the meantime, both obsessing over the news or shutting it off entirely leads to cold inaction.

Worrying and fretting over the latest devastating headline without taking every thought captive for Christ (2 Cor. 10:5) leads to anxiety and paralysis.

Yet, avoiding the suffering of the world leads to ignorance and apathy.

On the hope side, Hutchcraft continues, “[Jesus] went on to say, ‘…and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.’

“For me as a believer between those two explosions – the garbage and the Gospel both spreading rapidly – I’ve got one of two choices. I’m going to be cold or I’m going to be bold. I didn’t see a third choice there.”

Ultimately, being bold with the Gospel in a world filled with wickedness and suffering means engaging the news with wisdom. So we better understand the context of Ukrainian refugee neighbors. So we know how to faithfully encourage friends with connections in Israel or Gaza/West Bank. So we know how to pray for the Church in Afghanistan, Nepal, or Myanmar.

So we know how to tell the world about Jesus Christ who meets them where they are with hope and salvation.

(Photo courtesy of Good Faces/Unsplash)

It also means being missionally wise with the time and resources God has given us, rather than seeking distractions.

“This call to boldness says this: Whatever lesser passions have been defining how I spend my time and my influence and my money, if it isn’t going to matter in Heaven, it shouldn’t be mattering very much right now,” says Hutchcraft.

Ask God how He would use you for His Kingdom in such times as these. Then, listen.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has several resources to help you share your faith — your “hope story” in Christ. You can check them out here!

Header photo courtesy of Nijwam Swargiary/Unsplash.

The barrage of devastating news out of Syria can leave viewers and responders with a dizzying sense of compassion fatigue.

(Photo courtesy of Adrian Swancar/Unsplash)

Compassion fatigue can be defined as “the feeling that you have no more empathy left to give.”

Samuel with Redemptive Stories says, “It’s a coping mechanism that we have in the West. We’d like to be able to disconnect from some of those things, and that’s a natural human response, because we can only take in so much pain. So to be able to engage with this, it requires effort. It requires intentionality. It requires engagement.”

An antidote to compassion fatigue is meaningful engagement in the story with eyes to see how God is moving.

There is some good news coming out of Syria as Samuel describes how God has used Syrian believers as His ambassadors to quake survivors.

“The Church responded with compassion. They responded with togetherness across denominational walls, and an ecumenical spirit that really showed what the Church is supposed to be in times of crisis,” says Samuel.

“They gave of their own resources before they even had resources from the outside, which, again, if anyone who knows the understanding of the realities of Syria, not many people have much right now.”

Praise God for activating His Church in Syria! It’s already producing a harvest of righteousness.

Samuel says, “There’s continuing to be an openness, particularly among Muslims and people of different faiths, as they see the church respond.”

(Photo courtesy of Horizons International)

We’ll end on a good story Samuel shares from Syria:

“There was a young lady, she’s 17-years-old and she was in the earthquake and her parents were in the other room. She got down on her knees as soon as everything started shaking because she knew she couldn’t get out. As she got down on her knees, she began to pray.

“The whole building collapsed. Her parents were able to get out with her younger brother because they were in the front and they got down the stairs, but the top roof collapsed onto her room.

“As she says in the story, there was this man dressed in white that actually caught the beam and placed it on the ground. She was actually able to be protected under this building’s space. As she was sitting there praying, she saw this man standing there.

“She’s a believer and she understood Who this was that had protected her. But she wanted to make sure everyone else knew, and so she was beginning to tell this story to all of her friends — Muslim and Christian — about this man all dressed in white who protected her and saved her. I’m sure that God is going to do some amazing things in that young lady’s life.”

Header photo courtesy of Ahmed Akacha/Pexels.

The city cited in the social media story isn’t even in Afghanistan; it’s in Iraq. The story may date back to a 2007 incident in which 27 South Korean missionaries were kidnapped by the Taliban and two were killed. The story appeared most recently on Facebook but has popped up in various forms on WhatsApp.

Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “I would encourage people to be very careful about what you share and what you post on social media. Make sure it’s accurate, make sure it’s true. And understand that we can pray for a situation without knowing all of the details. God obviously knows all of the details. I think posting something that isn’t accurate sort of undermines the goal of helping people to pray for our brothers and sisters.”

Nettleton says it’s very challenging to get any information out of Afghanistan right now, meaning any information that does get out is hard to confirm.

How to pray

Certainly, Afghan Christians face a dangerous situation. The Taliban has announced the formation of a new government. The new interior minister was behind some of the worst attacks of the last two decades.

Ask God to protect Afghan Christians and give them wisdom about how to respond. Nettleton gives some tips for finding accurate news sources. “I’d encourage people to connect with the VOM and persecution.com. We are very cautious about what we post. Is it accurate? Can we confirm it? We’re also very cautious about putting people in danger. And so those are the two questions about any sources: are they careful about accuracy? Are they careful about security?”

The header photo shows Taliban fighters in August of 2021. Photo courtesy of Voice of America, Public Domain)

But Nuna of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says the strikes amount to little more than political theater. “The fact is that all those rockets were fired into empty fields, both ways. From the Lebanon side, they were sending rockets to empty fields and from the Israeli side, they were sending rockets to empty fields. So no one got hurt, no one got injured, and nothing was destroyed. There was nothing.”

Instead, Nuna says Hezbollah intended for the incident to distract from the anniversary of the Beirut explosion, and the demand for justice from Lebanon’s people.

The real news in Lebanon

Nuna encourages people to listen to sources inside Lebanon for news about the country. “And if it’s from a Christian perspective, it’s even better, because then you have the kingdom perspective in it. You don’t have the fear of, ‘Oh, this is going to escalate. Oh, this is becoming World War III.”

“Because God is not a God of doom, you know. It’s true that some things are escalating in some places. But God is the God of salvation, not of doom.”

The biggest story in Lebanon right now? The continuing work of God’s Spirit. Nuna says, “Pray for the unreached groups in this area. Pray for the salvation of many, and pray that God would just show up with wonders and signs. Pray that we as Christians in this land would stand firm in this warfare.”

Ask God to break the power of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The people don’t want them in charge and don’t want their influence in the country. Nuna says, “This would open the way for the relationship between Lebanon and Israel. The borders would be open. So many things would be better when this force, this principality that is over Lebanon and Iran crumbles.”

Header photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon on Facebook.

The coronavirus continues to spread in China and other Asian countries – there are over 20,000 cases worldwide. It is a time of fear for many people, but Denise Godwin of International Media Ministries (IMM) finds a parallel between the coronavirus and a plague that ravished Rome and the surrounding lands roughly AD 250-270.

(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

She says IMM was shooting the story of Cyrprian, a bishop of Carthage. The plague was actually named after him because he rallied the Christians to care for the sick and even attend to burial for the dead. “But the thing that struck me the most [is] now as we see this modern day plague creeping into our newsfeed . . these Christians in the third and the fourth century, went and helped people who [were] being shut out in the streets by family members who were panicked because of the illness that they were seeing.”

Cyprian himself remarked the plague was so severe it seemed like the world was ending. The plague, combined with near-constant wars, left the Roman Empire depleted, and famines followed. While the exact nature of the disease is unknown, some experts point out similarities to Ebola.

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Godwin says, “I’m inspired by the believers in the third and fourth centuries who made a mark on their community by serving people who were harmed by the plague of their times.”

Certainly, the coronavirus is not as serious an illness as the Cyprian Plague.

Godwin says, “I don’t think we live in those kind of times where people are going to be shut in the streets and we as Christians are the only ones called to help them. But I think it does [cause us] to reflect and think. Who am I in a crisis, who am I when the plague hits? And what is Christ calling us to do to love our neighbors?”

Christians can help by not contributing to panic. The media in the US is filled with horror stories about the coronavirus; many are now using the word “pandemic.” China recently reprimanded the US government for adding to the fear by pulling citizens out of China and instituting travel bans.

The truth is the flu virus currently making its way through the United States has claimed many more lives than the coronavirus in China, and this has not been a bad flu season. 8,000 people have died in the United States from flu this year, compared to under 500 from coronavirus worldwide.

How can Christians in areas not affected by coronavirus live like those Christians during Cyprian’s plague?

(Image courtesy of International Media Ministries)

Godwin says believers can understand that the Gospel makes a difference in any time and circumstance. “Where is our hope? Where is our salvation? Where do we truly base our foundation? And of course in the times of crisis this is tested. And it’s time to say I can be compassionate to people around me and I can have hope. Despite what the news media says, despite what is going on in my community, I can be a person of hope, and [offer] the hope that is in Christ.”

Pray also for the protection of Asian Christians and mission workers there. Just as the world witnessed Christians caring for people in the plague of Cyprian, may they see Christians caring fearlessly for those afflicted with coronavirus.

The angel of death striking a door during the plague of Rome. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Standing behind two women at the grocery store, they spoke loudly as they waited their turn for the cashier to tally their orders.  One mother commented on the likelihood of the United States going to war as the tensions rise with Iran. The other responded with fear over possible reprisal terror attacks. They both shared concerns over the adult world their children would enter in just a few months at graduation.

What was more interesting was that this topic of conversation is rare in a grocery store line. People rarely discuss current events anymore, especially with people in line at the store. The things that stood out were the fear both women expressed, and that set into motion a few questions Greg Yoder, executive director of Keys For Kids ministries answered about how much different the discussion might be among the body of Christ.

The importance of discipleship and leadership

Photo Courtesy Keys for Kids

At the same, this is the reality in North American churches if the latest Barna research holds. “We see 18-year olds leaving the church in droves. Some of them are coming back, but a lot of them aren’t. And the question is why?” wonders Yoder.   Answering his own question,  he said,”We’re constantly led to believe it’s because they don’t know their own Bible. They go to church all their lives, but they’re not studying it. They’re not reading it. They’re not understanding it. I think that’s back to us, as parents.”

When the world edges toward the brink of chaos, what are we teaching? “Our top priority, as Christian parents, is to disciple our kids,” Yoder observes. “As I look at how there’s fear in people’s lives, the number one thing that we need to do as parents is to model the fact that we can’t be afraid about things that man creates, but that God is in control, He is sovereign, and He has it all figured out.”

(Photo courtesy Keys For Kids)

“How many times does Jesus mention, ‘don’t be Afraid’ or how many times does the Bible say ‘Don’t be anxious about anything?'”, he asks. Yoder says Scripture is clear about issues of fear and anxiety, but that means parents also need to be familiar with it to model it. “We can make a huge difference in the lives of our kids, as we’re faithfully leading them, reading the Word whether it’s through our Keys For Kids, or our Unlocked (for teens)–challenging them in their walk with the Lord every single day with stories kind of like Jesus did. He told parables, and he always linked those parables to some biblical text or some theological truth.”

It’s not too late

(Photo Courtesy Keys for Kids via Facebook)

Schools report increased depression, anxiety, and discipline issues. Teens also confront problems related to sexual abuse, addiction, LGBTQ,  and identity.  They turn to peers for advice, help, and support. That’s where Unlocked comes in. Already, says Yoder, they’ve heard from young people who gave their hearts to Christ. “We’re also hearing that some of these stories are encouraging young people to go deeper. What I love about Unlocked is that it’s not only in print, but the app is available (Download it by searching for “Unlocked Devotional” at the App Store).  You can actually take notes on the app and save it and go back as you’re journaling through the app.”

We’re just a few days into 2020.  Although not everyone makes a New Year resolution, some families are making commitments to going deeper into God’s Word.  Yoder says, “If you just lack resources, and you don’t even know where to begin in leading your family and devotions, this is a great place to start.” (Click here for a free sample)

A year to grow

A final thought: just as Keys For Kids is for elementary-aged children, Unlocked is for high school-aged teens.  Families desperate for discipleship tools are rediscovering Keys For Kids all over again, sometimes multi-generationally. “We’re anticipating being able to distribute 300,000 copies of Keys For Kids and Unlocked devotionals in print, not just here in the United States, but in other places around the world.” It means 2020 is a year for growth.  Given the uncertainty growing in the headlines, now’s the time to act. “We’re also available in Spanish and Albanian, Arabic, Greek, and Macedonian as well as Spanish. We are currently developing some of the print materials; we have a lot of it in electronic materials.”

(Headline image courtesy Trending Topics.Marco Verch/Flickr/CC)

These stories are sometimes difficult to hear, especially for kids. But according to Greg Yoder of Keys For Kids Ministries, these stories offer unparalleled windows into God’s plan at work.

“It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of hope,” Yoder says. “There are not a lot of people who are watching the news today because they are tired of the bad news. And frankly, I would be too, except I know the good news; we have hope in Christ.”

Keys For Kids wants to show young people the miraculous ways God works amidst tragedy to advance His kingdom and provide hope in the midst of desolation. They’re providing resources for kids, teens, and families via radio programming, the Keys For Kids app, printed devotionals, camp resources, and Storytellers.

Fire detections from NASA satellite between August 15 and 22 across the Amazon rainforest.
(Photo courtesy of NASA)

Their material is designed to be easy to understand and helps kids interpret tragedy and struggle through a Scriptural lens. “Scripture clearly explains how to apply these lessons that we’re learning in these stories to their life and make it applicable to their everyday walk,” Yoder says.

Keys For Kids resources are also designed so that parents can not only participate in their children’s journey into faith but learn from it, too. “As parents, we need to model the fact that even when we go through these rough, difficult, unexpected, tragic times, that we have to remind ourselves that God is in control,” Yoder says. “[Imagine] if we can’t tell our kids that ‘Oh, my word, this is terrible. Yeah, it’s awful, but isn’t it good to know that God has it? God has our six, God has our back? God has it all figured out?’”

That’s not to say suffering won’t happen. This week’s news will still be rife with struggle and uncertainty. But Keys For Kids wants families to search those tragedies for specks of hope.

That’s why one of the most important and most common lessons Keys For Kids wants to teach is trust in God. “We can rest assured that God isn’t surprised by any of this; He has a plan in place, and He’s going to use it for His glory.”

It’s easy to fall into temptations of business that distract from time with Scripture, but Yoder urges parents to make space, even if it’s not for very long. “Sometimes you don’t have the conversations, you don’t have those times with your kids,” Yoder says. “[Keys For Kids] gives you an opportunity to, at least once or twice a week or maybe every night, you can open up those lines of conversation and communication and find out exactly where they are. Maybe they are struggling internally with fear, anxiety, and depression. Maybe they’re in the same situation maybe you were in when you were a kid, or maybe they’re pretty strong, and they’re going to help you get through your struggles. It can be a real win-win opportunity for kids as they go through this.”

Refugee camps in Lebanon (Photo courtesy Heart For Lebanon)

In short, stick with God as He works in even the darkest corners of the world, and pay attention to what’s happening so that you can see His handprints.

“The news is what gives you an opportunity to be relevant in your own culture. And if you don’t know what’s going on, how are you going to talk openly about something that you don’t know anything about? So watch the news, but watch it through the eyes of a follower of Christ, not through the eyes of the world.”

Check in with Mission Network News for daily updates on what’s happening in the world, how God’s people are responding to it, and what your place in the story can be. You can also browse the Keys For Kids website to find resources to help fuel your conversations with kids about God’s plan in the world.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.