“The state of orphans and vulnerable children was improving for decades, then suddenly one crisis hit after another,” says Karmen Friesen, principal coordinator of World Without Orphans (WWO), a global movement that seeks to mobilize the Church to respond to the needs of vulnerable children in every nation.
Everyone longs for relationships where we can be vulnerable without judgement. TikTok creators use the app in anticipation of non-judgmental response from their viewers, expressing a God-given desire in all of us to be unconditionally loved. We can learn much from non-judgmental listening and loving in the way Jesus taught us to love one another. Perhaps, in this case, "a little child will lead them all" (Isaiah 11:6d)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven... a time to be quiet and a time to speak. The writer of Ecclesiastes notes the times, but how should we know what the time is? Here are ten indicators for each to help discern when it is a time for quiet and listening, or a time for speaking and influencing.
In a perfect world, where legal systems hold political power to account and protect minorities against human rights abuses we might expect an end to persecution. But we do not live in a perfect world. People with power continue to act with impunity against those who think and live differently to them. Christians have a way to cope with this reality and a real and living hope for a future free of persecution.
Air India flight AI-171 from from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick dominated the headlines mid-June. Like many large scale tragedies it captures our attention briefly, but for those closer to the story the impact can be longer lasting. This reflection observes that tragic news can become a wake up call to "seek first the kingdom" with renewed vigor without delay.
