Written: Sept. 10, 2016 As followers of Christ, we talk about faith and obedience and trust, but many times fail to reflect that to the world around us when things don’t make sense. Maybe it’s a sudden illness or even death, maybe it’s the loss of a job or a wayward child. Perhaps it’s just … More When There are No Answers
Written: July 27, 2016 I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber…(Ps. 121) What a day this has been: I started it thinking about … More Leaving the Door Open
Written: April 5, 2016 Now I lay me down to sleep…and I close my eyes saying: “This is the day the Lord made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” All of a sudden, I’m wide awake, thinking about all the conversations I’ve had in just this one day… I check in on a … More Not alone in this journey of life
Written March 31, 2016 This poem/prayer was placed just before my by-line in the Mission Mosaic Magazine this month. When I read it this morning, I said, “Yes, Lord…this is my prayer.” Once again, I’m so thankful for those who are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and act on it. May this be your prayer … More A Well-Placed Poem
Written: Jan 21, 2016 I like this thought from Our Daily Bread today: “Our loved ones may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons – but they are helpless against our prayers.” Thank you, J. Sidlow Baxter for reminding me of the power of prayer for those we love. Grace … More Helpless against our Prayers
Last night I was visiting my sons in Cookeville, TN, where they go to college. After attending a fundraising dinner for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, we came back to their house. Within 30 minutes their small living room was full of friends, laughing, pulling out instruments to play, and talking about what was happening in … More Not your typical college students
Happy Birthday, Billy Graham! This man of God is 98 years old on this day in 2016, and though the body is weak, he continues to find his strength and hope in the Lord. Raouf loved Billy Graham, and learned a lot from his method of evangelism. He would also credit Graham with teaching him … More A Man of God
Written Nov 14, 2015 I have a tendency (or some very close to me would say an obsession) with getting information. Much of this relates to the news or just keeping up with the hundreds of people we’ve known around the world. Yesterday, before I left work, I got an alert on my phone about … More News Hog
Today, Nermine was helping me finish translating the last of Raouf’s journal notes for the book I’m writing. The majority of the entries of the past 25 years were stories of each person he led to the Lord and the circumstances of their conversion. However, the last entry, written in 2012 said: I asked the … More What’s Next?