Laodicea

After exploring Pamukkale and Hierapolis, we went to Laodicea. It was my second time to see that area. 

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” -Revelation 3:14-22

We talked about this passage while at Laodicea. The letter calls the Laodiceans out for being lukewarm. The Laodiceans would have known this reference all too well. You can see the white castle of Pamukkale from Laodicea. There the hot waters flow and are believed to have healing properties. There are even pipes at Laodicea where they had water piped to them from the hills. In nearby Colossae there were rivers with cool waters for drinking. By the time the waters reached Laodicea, they would have been lukewarm, no longer good for healing, and no good for drinking. The letter also mentions eye salve and it is said Laodicea had a school of medicine and had created both eye and ear salves. 

You know, just hanging out on an ancient column capital.

Rebuilding an old church

Temple to Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite. Church is just
to the right. It's crazy to think how close these two were.

The white speck in the distance is Pamukkale from
which the thermal waters came.

One of the amphitheaters at Laodicea

Puzzle pieces for archaeologists.

As we wrapped up our time in Laodicea, I still had not purchased a bus ticket to get back home. Since I was planning on heading home after Laodicea, I checked my favorite bus company and discovered the buses were full until about 7 hours later. Again, this country is changing me. In America, I would never have went somewhere without finalizing plans and things like bus tickets before leaving. 

My kind friends dropped me off at the bus station. Luckily I know a family who lives in that city so I thought that in the worst case scenario, I could stay with them. I arrived at the ticket counter and discovered they had added a bus going to my city since there was such a high demand but it didn’t leave for another two hours. I checked at a couple other counters and finally found a less known company with a ticket leaving half an hour later. I bought that ticket and stopped off at the bathroom. I found my bus and it definitely wasn’t luxurious but I had a seat and I would be home soon.

I was in the seat behind the driver. His seat had shocks and every time he would hit a bump, he’d bounce high in the air. It looked extremely uncomfortable. This particular bus made a lot of stops. At one point we stopped to pick up 2 women and later I saw them standing in the aisle. I wondered why on earth they were standing and finally realized it’s because all the seats were full. I’ve seen normal city buses with standing folks but never on the city-city buses. We stopped about 20 minutes later. Some folks had reached their final destination freeing up seats for those ladies. I was thankful I had my own seat for the whole trip. 

Philadelphia and Hierapolis

After seeing Sardis and the temple, we found some lunch. The rain had not only held off, but we saw some sunshine and blue skies. It rained again while we were eating but as we left, we saw the brightest rainbow, a reminder of God’s faithfulness. 

We made our way to Philadelphia. The site of this church is in a city center and takes up about a block. The remaining structure was originally built around 600 AD. 

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ -Revelation 3:7-13

While at Philadelphia, we briefly discussed this passage. Only Philadelphia and Sardis do we find praise and no condemnation. Perhaps it is because of their steadfastness that it says the ones who conquer will be made into a pillar in the temple of God. 

I saw a sign in my travels that said my country is the world’s largest museum. I think that’s an accurate description. It seems there are ancient ruins everywhere you go. I heard that if someone finds an artifact on their property, the government will seize their property and turn it into an excavation site. I heard about one lady who found some artifacts in her garden. She petitioned the government long enough and they allowed her to turn her garden into a museum. She was able to keep her property this way. Many people who find artifacts will claim they found them on the roadside to prevent their property from being siezed. Philadelphia serves as a depository for these found pieces. 

Depository

This wall has some washed away frescoes.
Many think the top part (with 2 white lines)
is Mary holding baby Jesus. To the bottom
and left of white streaks is an angel with a
blue head covering. It took me a few minutes
to see it. 

We left Philadelphia and headed to the nearby area with thermal waters. We spent the night in a thermal hotel. I had ran out of water so I went to the bar area to ask for a bottle for my room. The guy discovered that I was an American who could speak his language. He was so shocked that he let me have the water for free. This is one of the perks of knowing some language in a touristy place. Score!

After dinner, we hit the pool area. There were many options. An indoor heated pool with luke warm water. A jacuzzi with warmer water. An indoor thermal water pool with super hot water and an outdoor thermal pool. The outdoor pool felt lukewarm in the pool part. It had a mountain looking feature in the center. Apparently it started out as a pole with thermal water shooting out of it but over the years, the mineral deposits developed into a mountain looking place. The water flowing down this feature was piping hot. It felt so good in the cool night air. 

The next morning, we ate breakfast and visited the White Castle (Pamukkale) and Hierapolis. This was my 3rd time to the White Castle in five months. I’m becoming quite familiar with the place. 

Lami's third time to Pamukkale

On this cold fall day, we could see the steam rising
from the thermal waters of Pamukkale.

A fun thermal pool with ruins

Sardis and Temple of Artemis

I learned that some of my friends were going to be in my neck of the woods. They were doing a Seven Churches of Revelation tour. Part of their tour was going to take them to places about two hours from me. I decided at the last minute to go meet up with them. 

Living overseas is changing me, making me more spontaneous. Back in America, I would never have decided to leave for a weekend trip the day before I was to leave. This makes the second time in 2 months that I have done just that. I got their itinerary and booked a bus ticket to meet them a mere 14 hours before I was scheduled to leave. I then went home and packed.

The next morning, I hopped on a bus and traveled 2 hours to a random village on the highway my friends were traveling on. It was raining so I found a walking bridge to wait under. About 15 minutes later, they pulled over and I jumped in beginning my journey with them. 

Our first stop was Ancient Sardis. The weather forecast had an 80% chance of rain and it looked pretty nasty when we had first arrived. I thought about how rainy days were probably not the best for sightseeing. They had prayed for no rain while sightseeing and our Good Father answered. It only rained about 10 minutes during our sightseeing times. A rainy morning had the added benefit of sightseeing with very few other tourists to ruin pictures.

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ -Revelation 3:1-6

In Revelation 3, the church in Sardis was condemned for having a reputation of being alive but in fact they were dead. They were also condemned for not having complete works. From visiting Sardis, I learned that the Jewish synagogue was in between the Roman road and the Roman gymnasium where games were played. It seems the Jews and Jewish Christians were in bed with the Romans. They went to the synagogue and then after the service, headed over to the gymnasium to watch some raucous sporting. The letter asks them to repent. They were blurring lines and soiling themselves by trying to be in the world. 

I also learned that the legend of King Midas is based in Sardis. If you remember, everything he touched turned to gold. When he found he couldn’t eat or drink, he washed his hands in the Pactolus Stream to rid himself of this ability. Legend says, after the washing, he made the sands of the river turn to gold. The area of Sardis was actually a very rich land with lots of gold. In the letter, there is an illusion to Jesus coming like a thief in the night. Sardis would have known this imagery all too well. Being a rich land, they would have known what it takes to be ready for thieves coming in the night. They were warned to be ready spiritually for Jesus’ return. 

View of Sardis - Roman Road is on the right

View of gymnasium

While visiting ancient ruins, I have learned that it is a very tedious process to rebuild the ruins. Archaeologists take tiny fragments of things found and put them together working a life-size puzzle. You can see the numbers on the gymnasium. That was the method used in Sardis to figure out how to put the gymnasium together

Puzzle pieces

Mosaic floor in the synagogue

A fig tree

Up the hill across from the Sardis ruins, is the second Temple to Artemis. The first one is in Ephesus and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This one was started but not finished. We know this because the columns are stacked in sections but haven’t been smoothly joined together, nor have they been finished with fluting. The columns are also covered in black mold due to the marble not having been properly treated. I heard that village women come out with toothbrushes and scrub away the black mold, leaving, the clean, white marble. Sounds like a hard job to me. 

Temple of Artemis

Unfinished column with black mold

On the back corner of the temple, was a church/inn for monks. It is a small building and they believe the monks traveled through the area and mostly used the place to sleep over on their journeys. While passing through, they may have worshiped together in the tiny building. As Christianity spread through the area, it is very possible that part of the unfinished temple was used by Christians to worship the One True God. 

Back side of church - Note the blue skies!

Check out the gigantic column capital below. It’s huge and I guessed that it went on top of one of those huge columns. My friend and I wondered how on earth people got those giant round chunks of marble lifted up so high. Today we have cranes but 2300 years ago, how did humans do that? It kind of blows my mind. 

Friendless No More

Several months before I packed my bags and moved across the pond, I went to an Anthropology and Culture Shock seminar. The lecturer showed a culture shock graph of what most people think culture shock looks like. He then showed another one that in fact shows that emotions are all over the place and culture shock can hit at any time. I heard that for most people, the honeymoon phase lasts about 6-9 months. The lecturer then explained that there is no typical when it comes to culture shock. He said it is a normal response to living in another culture. He explained that when you have all of your foundations, routines, support groups, etc. knocked out from in under you, it WILL feel stressful and it can hit at anytime.

I hit a wall at the 3-4 month mark. Up to that point I had both good and bad days. But that 3rd-4th month was a doozy. I got really sick, like I needed an antibiotic and shots twice a day for 7 days sick. The day I got the last shot in the rear end, my throat started hurting again. I felt poorly for several more days. Then I got pink eye. Then I got a cold. Then I got pink eye again. Rough. During this same time period, I had ordered a phone from America and had my friends bring it to me. Once I got it registered, I was messing around with it and realized that although I had paid for a 32gb phone, the seller had sent a 16gb. There was no easy solution to rectify the mistake. I finally conceded that it was just a phone, meant to be a tool and not worthy wasting my emotions on. Just a few days later, I dropped the phone on the ceramic floor and cracked the screen rendering the phone useless. Luckily, I could purchase a new screen for the low price of $100. 

It was around this same time that the first bout of real homesickness hit. I had been trucking along until I realized how long it might be before I see my family again or before I set foot in my beloved homeland. It was a sucker punch to the gut and suddenly I felt the need to grieve long and hard about the distance of space and time separating me from my family. 

During this same time, the loneliness lies trickled in. You don’t have a husband for companionship. You don’t have a roommate. You don’t even have a friend in this place. If you wanted to go to the movies, there is NO ONE in this city who would go with you. And you know what, if if happens at all, it will be a long time before you have a companion in this city. You are ALONE. You are FORSAKEN. It will be like this for a LONG time if not FOREVER. The lies that are mostly true with just a hint of a lie are the hardest to shake. Low blow enemy. 

Those were some dark days. I have some really great expatriate friends here though and they loved me well and in their loving, I was able to combat the lies. Then one day, I was walking at the university. Minutes before I had felt anxious and stressed and as I walked, the darkness and lies lifted and felt lighter and freer than I had in weeks. I was thankful. It seems like the worst part was over.

I remembered all of this recently as I sat in between 2 friends, one American, the other local, at the movies. It didn’t take a long time, it didn’t take forever. In fact, I was already forming some friendships within a month of the dark period. Six months later and I have some good relationships in the city:

On that same day, I sat with Harry and Shelly at the university laughing about things like Snoop Dog and The Flying Purple People Eater. Shelly bought me a coke without asking because she knows I enjoy them. I visited my friend Evi at her new shop. I taught her daughter how to play paper football. CFS called and told me to come over for dinner. I had to decline the offer because I had plans to go to the movie theater with my other 2 friends. CFS told me to cancel my plans for going to the movies. Take that enemy, not only am I not friendless, I have people competing for my time.

A Week in the Life Episode 5

Recently I made an appointment with Mr. E to see if he would be interested in giving private lessons. I ended up meeting with him, Mr. O, Mr. A, and Captain. I learned that they are all too busy to give private lessons. They were more than willing to help out in other ways. My friend Lisa went to the meeting with me. While there, she explained my many frustrations with their program. Why do I have 5 teachers teaching me instead of 1? With 5 teachers, how do they know what each other is teaching? Why do the classes start one day at 1pm and the next at 9am? Why are some teachers 25 minutes late while others start exactly on time? Why does the program seem to change so frequently? Why, in Captain’s grammar class, are we talking about the alphabet and what sounds each letter makes in a level 4 class? 

It turns out there are valid reasons for all of those things. The schedule is all over the place and there are a variety of teachers because generally the students are 17 & 18 year olds who are bored easily. Having changing schedules and teachers helped keep the students’ attentions. Around 85% of the students come from nearby countries who already speak a version of the language. We covered the alphabet on our first day because these students can speak and understand with great comprehension but their letters and pronunciations are different. Basically, they are catering to the students who make up the largest population. 

I was afraid Captain might take offense since I questioned his teaching method but he didn’t seem offended. He was actually quite complimentary and explained that he had seen improvement in my writing in just a few short weeks. He said I might be one of the better writers. Later in the week when I actually showed up to his grammar class, he announced that we would cover the alphabet again that day before grinning at me. Well at least he can joke about it. Afterwards, we actually had a pretty great grammar lesson. 

In between classes, I’ve been hanging out with Harry and Shelly. We’ve been working on reading out loud together. We also take breaks and I learn about their home country. I’ve put pieces together that Shelly is here with her family fleeing the war. They don’t have plans to return and hope eventually to move elsewhere as a family. I’ve learned that Harry is sick of corruption in his home country and is wanting to make a new home here. I’m sure the war is part of his reason for his being here as well. The rest of his family would like to come but for now they must stay put. One of the first times we hung out, Harry was doing something else so I told Shelly I was buying her snacks. The next time, Harry insisted on paying for mine. I resisted but he insisted. The following day, I insisted that it was my turn. He refused because it’s not part of their culture to let someone pay for their things. I’ve been so thankful for their friendship. Even though they are about 15 years younger than me, they look out for me and take care of me. They always get excited when I show up to class. I have also noticed how we can converse with each other for long periods of time. I’ve been remembering back to our first level days and how little we could talk to each other. It’s neat to see how we have all grown.  

One day I left art class early because I was making fajitas for my friend. I told art class about this and Ellen said she’d like to try them. The following day, I took some to share with the class. I think the fajitas were a hit because I didn’t take any home with me. Quickly into the taste testing, they made sure I hadn’t cooked them with pig meat or oil. I told them that I respect their culture and would never do something like that. 

Afterwards, Marty told me that he had never talked to a foreigner before talking to me. He had seen some and thought they were strange insinuating that maybe I’m not so strange. Later while we were working both he and Kadie made several comments that I need to remember them after the class. I think my statement that I respect them flipped a switch in our relationship. I think in that moment that I switched from weird foreigner to friend. 

One day, I saw Roni on the bus. I had met her one day when her class was combined with mine because my teacher was absent. She has the kindest smile. She knows some English and told me that I could ask her questions when I get stuck. I had a chance to get to know her better on that bus ride. She moved to this country 2 years ago with her immediate family to escape the war. She still has relatives back in her country. I asked if she missed her home country. She does. They would have never moved here if it weren’t for the war. She said that everyone loves their home country the best. She hopes the war will end soon and she can go home. I told her that war is evil and I was sad for her. 

I hosted Thanksgiving this year for the first time ever. We had trouble finding a Turkey. Finally one of the ladies called her village friend. The villagers killed and cleaned the Turkey for her. I’d say we had one of the freshest turkeys this Thanksgiving. We had quite the spread of food. I can’t really say that anything was missing from our meal. I made deviled eggs for the first time ever.

Earlier that day, I went out to the University to meet with Mr. O for our private lesson. He hadn’t shown the previous week and so I conferred with him the day before Thanksgiving that he would in fact be there. He got a little huffy and said that he came and didn’t find us the previous week so he left. In spite of this, he said he would be there the next morning. So Thanksgiving morning, even though I had lots to do, and it was raining, I put on my rain boots and jacket and headed to the University. He didn’t come. After 20 minutes, Harry and Shelly went to his office to see if he had forgotten. I waited to see if he showed up. Another 15 minutes went by and Mr. A informed us all of the teachers had been in a meeting and they were coming in a few minutes. After another 25 minutes passes and I had waited a total of an hour, I decided to bail. I was frustrated at wasting 2 hours of my life on a busy day. But in the midst of all situations, there are things to be thankful for. I was thankful for the rain and especially thankful at how the dreariness of the day made the fall leaves even brighter. 

Also thankful for a Thanksgiving Day rainbow.

And thankful for friends who send
packages and they arrive on Thanksgiving.

Thoughts on the Refugee Crisis Part 2

In my previous post, I wanted to remind you and me of the gospel before I move on to answering arguments and pointing to some informative resources. None of the resources will make sense unless we are grounded in the truth of the Word. Outside of the gospel, it doesn’t make sense to give sacrificially, open our hearts, homes, and countries to outsiders, or to love our enemies. But Jesus dying for us doesn’t make sense either. I’ve said for years, the gospel is the most scandalously Good News to have ever existed. But it is gloriously scandalous Good News. 

Point #1

“If we let refugees in, we may let in some terrorists as well. We have to be wise and concerned for our own safety.” I’ve seen this argument over and over the past few days. And yes, we should be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. As Americans we are among the shrewdest. Did you know that it is almost a 3 year process for a refugee to be allowed entry into the United States. No one is loading people onto planes from Europe or Syria and dropping them off in Middle America. Refugee officers from the Department of Homeland Security are thorough in their investigations. If you’re tired of the fear-mongering and want to get some actual facts, check out this article. The Boston Bombers Were Not Refugees -- Neither Was The Paris Attacker 

You can also check out this link that details the rigorous process refugees entering the US must undergo. You can also read here about how since 9/11, only 2 refugees have been arrested for terrorist charges. Have there been terrorist activities since 9/11? Yes. Has it been from refugees who were not properly vetted? No. Many were citizens, asylum seekers, or on student visas. In Paris, many of the attackers were actually European converts to Islam. Is this a problem that needs to be addressed? Yes. Does it mean we should ban all refugees? No.  

Point #2

ISIS wants us to hate refugees. Have you thought about how turning away refugees is actually helping ISIS? Did you know that Muslims make up the largest target of persecution? That’s why they’re all fleeing their home countries. They’re fleeing terrorist attacks on them. ISIS is ticked that they’re fleeing. They have made essentially jealous statements that the Muslim population would rather live in “infidel” Western lands. They have made comments that they want the West to start destroying the gray-zone (refugees) themselves. Muslims flee persecution. They are met with people who are deathly afraid of them and they are therefore shunned, unwelcomed, left to die. This informative article said, “What seems almost certain is that the Islamic State wants you to equate refugees with terrorists. In turn, it wants refugees to equate the West with prejudice against Muslims and foreigners.” Basically, ISIS wants us to be unwelcoming and wants the refugees miserable with us so we turn on each other and destroy one another. Well, it’s working. 

Not much of a reader, here’s a video for your viewing pleasure. ISIL Is Weak  

Point #3

We’re not saying we don’t want to help. Can’t we just slow down? Slow down? There are 1.9 million refugees in Turkey and America has agreed to generously accept 10,000. roughly 0.5% of them. And now we don’t even want to accept those. Turkey simply can’t support the number of refugees. Every day, 42,500 people are forcibly displaced, becoming refugees. The influx of refugees is not slowing down. 

Point #4

Can’t we just send money to Europe. I confess that often, I just want to give some money so I don’t have to get my hands dirty. But giving money is better than doing nothing. A month or so ago, I decided to not by unnecessary things for a whole month. I kept track of what I would have spent and decided to give double that money to an organization who is working with refugees. I encourage you to do the same. Consider doing Christmas differently. Everyone speaks of how things are tight in America but I know that everyone can make some sacrifices to help out. 

Point #5

Shouldn’t we be worried about the refugees who are already here, our vets, wounded soldiers, orphans, foster kids, homeless, drug addicted, sex trafficking, our insane amount of debt? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes. It makes me wonder why we’re not. Why is the church so complacent? A complacent, dull bulb on hill is not who we are meant to be. Let’s wake up and pour our lives out for our neighbors and our enemies. Do something. The Spirit of the Living God dwells inside of you. Become who you are. Let us become a city on a hill shining brightly for our cities, nations, and the world. Read the Word and let it read you. Live in light of that Book of Truth and honor Jesus with your life wherever he may call you. Christ is the hope of the world. It’s time we wake up, purge ourselves of comfort, entertainment, indulgence and complacency and begin pouring ourselves out for others like He poured Himself out for us.

Point #6

Refugees are Part of the Answer. I read this recently: “It [the refugee crisis] can be depressing, BUT GOD! The Bible is full of stories of forcibly displaced peoples. Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Lot, Hagar and Ishmael, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Esau, Joseph, Moses, All of Israel, Naomi, Ruth, David, Elijah, Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther, Daniel, Jesus, the early church, Philip, Peter, Aquila and Priscilla. REFUGEES ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION. They carried the promise and gospel as they went. God is continually revealing Himself during forcible displacement. He’s in it from the beginning. God is in it on the other side. (The resettlement and recovery) The local church involved in recovery - Wherever the heart of God is, the church needs to show up.” Have you thought about the possibility that maybe these refugees might be for our good? I have classes with some of these displaced people and they are some of the kindest people and brightest parts of my time at the university. 

Point #7

It is not well with their soul. One of my main points in my first post is that we don’t have to fear because it is well with our souls. Have you thought for a minute that the refugees pouring out of their countries into the West may be coming so that they can hear the Good News for the first time ever? Have you thought that part of the solution to ending this kind of wicked violence is the Gospel? It has the power to transform enemies into friends. Remember Paul? An enemy turned friend who ended up giving his life to advance peace through sharing the Good News.  

Point #8

What is your response? What do you need to do? I’m asking myself this same question. At minimum we should pray for refugees, pray for our enemies. We can give money. Sometimes it’s easier to write a check, feel a little better, and then move on with life. And understand as I’m writing this, I’m wondering if I’m doing all that I can. Should I have some refugees move in with me? Should I make a short trek over to Greece to help the ones coming in on boats? I’m seriously considering these things. Why? Because Christ’s love compels me. What are you going to do?

Thoughts on the Refugee Crisis Part 1

Oh man, where do I even begin in this whole issue of the refugee crisis? My heart is broken. Broken for the atrocities that are going on. Broken for those who have lost loved ones in Paris and Beirut. Broken for the refugees. What hell they have been through and are still going through. The things they have lived through is a glimpse into depravity, a dark hole of evil, the absence of good, the absence of God. My heart is broken at how everyone feels bad for the refugees but not enough to make sacrifices to love them well.  

I don’t usually write about these kinds of things. I don’t like contributing to media enflamed frenzies. I think sitting down and having real conversations are better. Things can be clarified, body language can be seen, hearts can be heard. But I live in Central Asia and that makes it hard for me to sit down with my friends in the States. Since I live in Central Asia, in a country with the highest concentration of refugees, in a country that is 99.9% Muslim, I think it gives me a different voice and a different perspective on this issue. 

My intention is to address my Christian brothers and sisters back in the States. I know this is a volatile issue right now and I expect I will make people mad and step on toes. I’ve stepped on my own as I’ve written out my thoughts. I expect many will hear but not hear what I’m saying due to their own biases. My hope is that some will hear and wrestle with these issues as I have and at the end of the day, we will do everything we can to shine a little brighter in this bleak world. I’m breaking this into two posts. In this first one, I’m explaining my point of view beginning with Scripture. In the second post, I’ll address more practical questions and give some good resources on this topic. 

Do Not Fear

Fear. I’ll start there. Do not fear. How many times does the Bible tell us not to fear? Psalm 46 says that the earth can crumble underneath us, an entire mountain can be dumped into the sea, that nations can become unstable and our kingdom/government/country/seemingly safety net can crumble and WE.WILL.NOT.FEAR. We choose to not fear. Why? Because God is our REFUGE and STRENGTH. Because the LORD of HOSTS is with us and we.will.not.be.moved. The psalm continues. 

Be still....  (are you still yet?)

And know... (dwell on this, meditate on it)

That I am God... (have you anchored your heart and trust to the Rock?)

I will be exalted among the nations. (even Muslim ones)

I will be exalted in the earth. 

Later, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you WILL have tribulation (trouble.) But take heart; I have OVERCOME the world.” (Jn 16:33)

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, 

or ISIS or terrorists or refugees? 

As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Rm 8:31-32, 35-38

Now take a deep breath. Let these truths wash over your mind and soul. Do not fear. It is well with your soul. The enemy working through ISIS and a myriad of other things wants you to be paralyzed by fear. Don’t let them win. Anchor yourself to the Truth in the Word. Don’t rely on human methods of safety. Rely on the One who created your soul, on the One who could have destroyed you for your sin but instead took your sin and gave you His righteousness. He is trustworthy. Lean into Him. 

May I remind you that human safety is an illusion. We are as safe as God wants us to be. I live in a country with almost 2,000,000 refugees. I don’t fear because I trust God’s sovereignty. No one can touch a hair on my head unless He allows it. I am essentially untouchable until He says otherwise. This is such a freeing thought. I have nothing to fear. If He chooses to let someone harm me, I cannot thwart His plan. I cannot escape His purposes. And should he choose to use my suffering for His glory, what an honor it would be that I was counted worthy to bring Him glory. Again, it’s freeing. He is trustworthy. And maybe I’ll forget this in a month or a year. I need you to remind me that He is trustworthy even when the foundation is crumbling. 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses and some trust in presidents/governments/border controls/guns/security systems/self-insulation but we CHOOSE to trust in the name of the Lord.

Comfort and Complacency

Christ has already overcame the worst thing that could possibly happen to you. He defeated eternal separation from God. He defeated Hell. You think the things that ISIS are doing are atrocities. It is nothing to the level of eternal separation of only evil and no good. It is well with your soul. If you follow Jesus, this life is not your final life. Death and suffering are actually promised to you. You will die. Paul told Timothy, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) There is nothing in Scripture that I can find that says our lives should look easy and comfortable requiring little from us. In fact, I find a whole lot of promises that the road following Jesus is hard and narrow. Stop trying to insulate yourself from pain and discomfort. Take comfort in the fact that the absolute worst thing you could face on earth is but light and momentary in the face of the GLORY that awaits you. 

And I get it, Paris hit a little too close to home. I understand that there are atrocities going on and we can’t possibly imagine enduring those things. We want to self-preserve at all costs. Our self-preservation instinct is so high that we’re willing to say, “Syrians, Iraqis, Middle Easterners, we know you’ve been through these things and we feel bad but not bad enough to risk that we might be next.” 

The fear, I know it’s coming back now. Don’t let it. Breathe in the truth again. Trust in your Protector Savior. Anchor back to him. Don’t fear. 

Love Your Enemies

Jen Hatmaker said she likes Jesus about 64% of the time. For every 6 things he said, she’s willing to ignore or discredit 4 of them. God told us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We are to love our kind, sometimes annoying, but still normal (in our minds) neighbors. Oh how many times I’ve failed at that one. Love them as much as myself? That makes me squirm a bit, brings up some selfishness. But then he says to love our enemies and do good to the ones who hate us. (Mt 5:44-45, Lk 6:35) WHAT?!?!?! Our enemies. Surely He didn’t really mean this. Surely we can ignore just this one command. Refugees aren’t our enemies. ISIS is our enemy. He tells us to love ISIS. He basically covers all people in his command to love. Love nice people like your neighbors and evil people like ISIS and everyone in between like refugees. 

Why would Jesus say such an outlandish thing like this? Because he loved us when we were enemies. He died for us. Have you forgotten? Like my friend told me today, we get soul amnesia. We forget that He could have destroyed us with his wrath. We were his enemies. We were ISIS. We forget what kind of evil we have been saved from. We forget just how atrocious and abominable our sins are before a terrifyingly holy God. We just think we’re not that bad. We are. We were rebels against our very Creator, the One who gave us breath, the Essence of all things good, pure, holy. We had the gall to look him in the face and say, “No. I choose my own path.” He loved and rescued us while we were enemies. And now he calls us to follow Him in his love, in his death. We are meant to love our enemies to the point of death. Hard? Yes. Impossible? No. We have the same exact Spirit living in us that enabled Christ to not only live a perfect life, but to endure the suffering and death bringing life to many. 

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” -1 Peter 2:21-24

Perhaps He wants to use my wounds to heal others. And He is worthy for my body to be broken and my blood to be spilled out. I pray regularly, “Teach me to suffer well.” When my turn comes, I want my life or death to make His glory shine to nations. For now, I want to do my best to love my neighbors and the refugees.