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Did you watch the Super Bowl last Sunday? Over 200 million of us tuned in for at least part of it! That’s the most ever, including increased numbers of Hispanic viewers via Univision and more women than ever (via Taylor Swift?!). There was even a simulcast from Bikini Bottom, courtesy of Nickelodeon, which, due an internet issue, my buds and I enjoyed for a bit! 

If you did watch, maybe you saw the He Gets Us Foot-washing commercial. What did you think? Feel? What, if anything, did it stir in you? (I’d love to hear.)

You can guess what I thought, right? I loved it!! 

First off, it’s a counter-message to an idea which seems to be growing that Christians are best at not liking stuff: Sin, bad people, political opposition, whatever. Too many of us are too often pigeon-holed as haters and identified by what we’re against. But it’s what we’re for that really rocks: The fullness of the kingdom of God in our hearts, down the street and all over this beautiful world!

Secondly, the commercial reminds us of an aspect of Jesus that probably doesn’t get as much air time as it should: He came to serve. Similarly, Christians might not get reminded as often as would be good for us that essential to our calling is loving and serving people we wouldn’t naturally love and serve. 

Finally, a Muslim woman, sitting in the lawn chair of my Indiana youth, gets her feet washed. Yes. Yes. Yes. Those of us claiming the gift of life Jesus offers (and reading this silly email) can surely agree: Part of the way we (at least some of us) steward that gift of life is by demonstrating it through service to Muslims. Amen!

Now the hard part: Actually living out and living up to Jesus’s example! You grab a towel. I’ll go fill up a dish pan.

PS: Both the wash-ers and wash-ees have bare feet in the ad! Thoughts on that? 

One of the lasting joys of my life is that I was taught how to read. It didn’t necessarily have to have happened. And further, I was taught to enjoy books and live now in a day and age in which books are readily available. What a gift. 

I read something this past week that touched my heart and imagination and would like to share it with you:

Diaspora means scattering and fragmentation, exile and loss. It means being displaced and in search of a place that could be made home. For Israel it means life among the Gentiles. Danger and threat surround diaspora life. Diaspora life is life crowded with self-questioning and questions for God concerning the anger, hatred, and violence visited upon a people.

They also remember loss— of land and place, of life and hope, and even for some of faith. Yet diaspora is also power, the power of a conviction to survive and the power of a confession to never yield to the forces that would destroy them.*

Not every Muslim you meet is part of the diaspora, but many are. And a healthy measure of those probably live in some or all of the reality mentioned above. Jesus is there with them. At the right time, may he use us to extend empathy, welcome and life. 

*Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible, by Willie James Jennings

I’m preaching about community this weekend. You know that weird, biblically mandated, annoyingly invasive, warm and beautiful tenant of Christianity that says we really need to do the Jesus things together. 

My wife, who’s scary smart, observed that Muslims are known for community. Indeed they are. The global community of Muslims is called the Ummah, and it feels like there’s a linkage among Muslims that’s deeper than the global connections among Christians. 

Of course for both of us there are lines in the (shifting) sands the crowds say mustn’t be overstepped. Just ask the Ahmadiyyas or Alistair Begg. 

What is it that holds Muslims together? I’m probably in error wondering if the motives are sickly or sinister. “We rule less of the world than we used to, so we’d better stick together.” Or worse, “We need to stick together so we can take over the world.” Maybe it’s the submission nature of Islam, maybe it’s the result of a more thorough integration of religion and life. 

One of God’s dear gifts to me over the years is connection to the Perspectives Course. In it I’ve been exposed the best Christians and congregations in a bunch of different denominations. As a result, I have reasons to appreciate many collections of believers with whom I likely disagree on several secondary issues. I feel a sense of community with a broad swath of Christendom. 

I don’t want to be arrogant here, but can we have more of that for us? Less sniping off people who disagree on secondary things and more, “That woman way over there, she’s got some weird ways of worship, but she’s my sister. She loves Jesus!” 

Maybe we could learn a thing or two from the, admittedly idealized, “Ummah over everything” approach of our Muslim cousins. 

If you prayed for my meetings last weekend, thank you! God heard and answered. We have fresh energy and direction to see Jesus people among the remaining unengaged people groups. 

As our church prepares to dive into Acts this Spring, my wife and I are searching for good ways to communicate the geography of Luke’s volume two. The Holy Spirit is the main character, but geography plays an important support role. If you’ve got ideas, I’d love to hear them. 

Clear data and information, like the geographical setting for Acts, helps us get beyond the sound bytes, first impressions and, let’s be honest, false assumptions that sometimes pepper our brains. 

Migration continues to be a challenging global reality. And if you live in the US, the deeper we descend into this election cycle, the more likely we are to hear true, mistaken and sensational claims about immigration. 

The following links come courtesy of the Dimitrov Research Center at the Continental Theological Seminary in Belgium. Their occasional email can’t come often enough for me. 

The Migration Policy Institute provides an interactive map of data on immigration to and emigration from every country based on the country of origin for immigrants and the destination country for emigrants.

. . . an interactive map of data on refugees and asylum seekers from every country based on country of origin and destination country.

. . .an interactive map of data on the net number of migrants for every country for the years 1950 to 2020 shown in five-year increments.

A snapshot of the totalnumber of people identifying as religious, as Christians, and as Muslims in each country. . .through an interactive map.

Finally, here’s a tool to help you explore unengaged peoples in areas where you have interest or burden. I’m on my way to Phoenix today to gather with the folks spearheading that website and broader effort. We’re asking God to show us how the number of unengaged peoples might be dropped to zero by the end of 2025. I’d deeply value your prayers for that meeting. (If you’re willing, shoot me a note to let me know you’re praying. Thank you.) 

A friend and I tried something this past week and I think it worked. 

Many of the people we do life with are thinking deeply about the grievous situation in the Middle East. What if we could help them with some background, practical guidance and maybe renewed hope for God’s purposes?

My friend Joseph and I hosted an event last Sunday night called, “Thinking Biblically about the Israel/Hamas War.” We gave people a bit of the biblical, historical and socio-politcal background that has led to the current situation. We built empathy for both Jews and Muslims. And finally, we all engaged in some powerful prayer. 

The agenda was pretty simple:

1. Welcome and opening prayer.
2. A ten minute video overviewing the history of the plot of land now called Israel.
3. A quick dive into the biblical history of the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac. 
4. A healthy amount of time for question and response. 
5. Fifteen minutes of prayer

Components that made the effort succeed:

1. The people at my church are inclined toward graciousness.
2. We solicited written questions ahead of time. We requested them from the front on Sunday morning and by text blast. We also invited questions from the floor at the event. 
3. Video: We think the video is pretty balanced. Your view may vary, but the more objective it is, the better. 
4. We had tea and cookies! 
5. The X factor: My bud, Joseph. He has a good handle on the Old Testament, he’s lived in Israel, has been there several additional times and he wants abundant life for Jews and Muslims. You could probably personally fill the role I played, “The guy who knows a little bit about Muslims.” The “Joseph” part might be a tougher. Is there someone local who fits the bill? If not, bring him in to do it. 

This is a timely step. If we had the ability we’d resolve this war, wouldn’t we? Since we don’t, let’s take the opportunity to help and inspire the people of God to pray and take action. 

(If you’ve done something similar recently, I’d love to hear about it. Thanks.)

One of my kids, when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, used to reply, “Engineer.” Sometimes the impressed inquisitor probed further and inquired, “What kind of engineering do you want to do? Mechanical? Computer?” But their awe would fade when he clarified, “I want to drive trains!”

If we have kids, we want good stuff for them, right? We resonate with John, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” As Christians, we want them to become wholehearted followers of Jesus. 

Would you say you want them to be radicalized for Jesus?

Recent reports have indicated that ISIS, inspired by the Israel/Hamas war, have upped their recruitment efforts targeting younger people. The principals in several recently foiled terrorist plots have been 14 years old and even younger. 

Of course the appeal is complex, the blame multifaceted. As Christians we can say, “It’s the Devil’s handiwork.” Yeah, but through whose hands does he work? 

In addition to the grim conviction that no child deserves to be targeted by ISIS, two questions trouble me: 

1. To what degree is my country, by continuing to sell military equipment and ammunition to Israel, complicit in the creation of the next generation of radicalized Islamists?
2. To what end are my own kids being radicalized and what role do their mom and I play in that process? 

To be sure, there’s a part of me that wants them to become rich enough to happily and gratefully send my wife and I on wonderful, exotic trips. But more than that, I want them to rise up like, and with, Jesus as powerful, peaceful, loving and radical forces for the Kingdom of God. I see no other alternative if evil is to someday be overcome by good. 

Got kids? Got thoughts?

In case your church calendar is covered up by discarded wrapping paper or New Year’s confetti, can I remind you January 6th is Epiphany? 

No shame if you think, “Epipha-what-now?” In most of our church traditions, Epiphany is the shy middle child of holy days, sitting quietly in a corner between loud, first born Christmas and favored baby Easter. 

But for those of us who love Muslims and love the God who desires life for them and merits their deepest loyalty, Epiphany rocks. 

It celebrates, as you may know, the revelation of Messiah Jesus to the Gentiles (Which is super good news for most of us!). While some eastern traditions pin Epiphany to Jesus’s baptism, which is cool, most of us associate it with the Magi from the East finding and worshiping Jesus. 

Talking about this at youth group last night, my super smart wife said the Magi, “Traveled great distance at great cost with great expectation.”

I love that. 

It inspires a two-fold hope in me: 

1. That Muslims, including those who now live on the dirt from which the Magi journeyed, will find Jesus to be so compelling they’ll go great distances (of all sorts) and pay great costs (of all kinds) in order to bow before him. 
2. That you and I, and many others, would go great distances at great cost, empowered by the great expectation that Jesus came to bring abundant life to Muslims and God desires to be followed by some from every Muslim people group. 

Of course I don’t know what that specifically means for you. Heck, I often feel clueless about what it means for me! But as I write, I’m praying God will show us and give us grace and courage. None of us are as wise as we wish, but Jesus is worth the cost and the journey. 

Is your family feeling it? The post-Christmas let down? The “pretty soon we’ve got to get back to normal life” realization? Maybe toss in some tenacious germs and you’ve got a recipe for a malicious mid-winter malaise. 

Well, you’ve come to the right place because I’ve got a prescription to kill the Boxing Day Blues. 

Peace: Ask God to grow your understanding of shalom. This baby we’ve been celebrating actually is the Prince of Peace. The day will come (In our day? Who knows.) when peace will reign, when the way it was made to be will be the way it actually is. Hope is the light, the antiseptic, in which malaise can hardly hang on. 

To grow hope for peace, marinate in Isaiah 2.2-4 (praying for piles of plowshares in the Middle East), Isaiah 11.6-9 and Revelation 21.1-5. The wait is always longer than the waiters wish, but peace is out there. (Level up the hope: Click here and let Peace Train be the soundtrack as you ponder those prophecies!) 

Purpose: Kevin Kelly says, “Experiences are fun, and having influence is rewarding, but only mattering makes us happy. Do stuff that matters.” Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We matter and we have great purpose!

We can be a voice of love and balance as Muslims take the blows they’re gonna take in the coming year’s election cycle. We can band together and invite a certified refugee family into new life in the U.S. We can, some of us “for reals,” go and live among the most underserved Muslim populations from Catania out to Kolkata. 

So much good stuff is ahead for you, your family, your involvement with Muslims. May God grow in your life both the hope for and reality of great peace and purpose. 

This is the last week of my semiannual funding campaign. If you’ve considered giving, now is the time. If Muslim Connect is a blessing to you and God gives you grace to give, do so here (Scroll down to the “Select Designation” drop down and choose me). Thank you very much.

As I write, it’s the shortest day of the year where I live and tonight will be the longest night. If you look around right now, it feels like the night is long.

How are you dealing with the situation in Gaza? Over 20,000 dead. It seems so wrong to be in celebration mode while so many are wondering if the next hour will be their last. It’s not just Gaza. It’s Ukraine and South Sudan and other places I don’t even know about. 

Longfellow famously wrote in U.S. Civil War days: 

“Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Though I’ve suffered nothing like Longfellow, I get it. Hate is strong, both far and near, and it mocks the song of peace. 

I wonder how much time passed between writing that stanza to the final one: 

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Sometimes it’s a quick transition for me. Other times it takes prayer, will and a white-knuckled grip on the promise that the little boy we celebrate this week actually changes things, that someday justice will flow like a river, evil will be destroyed, God will be praised by all and peace will reign on the Earth. The sooner the better, don’t you agree? 

I’d like to ask you to consider two things in response to this:

1. Join me in watching this Christmas Eve livestream from Bethlehem on Saturday morning. Let’s open our hearts to our sisters and brothers in these tough days. 
2. Please consider a year end donation to the Muslim Connect effort. As we near the seven year anniversary of Muslim Connect, I’m honored to reach out to you each week. If this is a blessing to you and God gives you grace, make a gift here (Scroll down to the “Select Designation” drop down and choose me). Thank you.

I know, I know, Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace, calm and joy. I just want to invite you to calmly, peacefully wrestle afresh with one of the questions that has knotted knickers since the dawn of time: Fate vs. Free Will? Destiny or I Decide?

Do we have a choice, and as followers of Jesus, how do we come to answer that question?

Turns out, Muslims have debated this within the ummah for a long time as well. (Not as long as us, since they’re younger overall, and us not as long as our Jewish forebears.) 

If you’ve hung out with Muslims much, you’ve heard, “Inshallah.” (If God wills.) Maybe you have on rare occasion dropped to my level and thought, “Oh, don’t blame God. Just decide to show up!” Similarly, Christians will sometimes add to prayers, “If it’s your will. . .” 

According to Justin Parrot, the debate for Muslims goes back to their early days, “This question led to one of the earliest sectarian schisms in the Muslim community, between the Qadarites, who believed in absolute human free will, and the Jabarites, who believed in absolute determinism and fatalism. Each of these groups developed an extreme and misguided theology.”

On our side of the divide, we have Calvinists and Arminians. Do you identify with one or the other?

Maybe as Justin tries to show in the article referenced above there is a middle, or multiple middle, ways. At any rate, it’s a fun debate that gives me opportunity to examine my assumptions. 

Sitting here by the fire and the tree and in the midst of my family, I’m happy that however God actually orders reality in reference to this debate, we are assured that when, “the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman. . . .” (Galatians 4:4)

If you’d like to kick this challenge around on Facebook (and can be nice!), join in here. 

A couple times a year, I invite Muslim Connect readers to contribute to keep the email going and growing. If you’ve found value in the weekly offering, and God gives you grace to do so, I’d be honored to have you make a gift here (Scroll down to the “Select Designation” drop down and choose me). Thank you.