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Christmas exists because of a pretty special kiddo and it exists for kiddos. Of course we keep Christmas around for a lot of other good reasons as well, but kids do factor pretty hugely into the whole deal. 

With the kid-centric nature of the holiday in mind, I want to invite you to drop a little seed into some wee brains. If you get a chance to chat with kids and make it past the next sweet thing they hope to pop into their mouths or the sick toy they’re hoping to get under the tree, consider laying some “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” truth on them. In no way dissing a really pretty good song, maybe we can help kiddos connect the dots between the creche and the craziness of modern day Bethlehem. Here are some talking points: 

Did you know Bethlehem is a real place? It’s a city with traffic and stores, restaurants and movie theaters. 

Around 25,000 people live there. That’s about half as many people as visit Disney World on a given day! (Or whatever contextual stat might make sense to the munchkins you’re engaging.)

Most of the people who live there are Muslims. But most of their nearby neighbors are Jews. The Christians have mostly moved away. Since Jews and Muslims usually don’t like each other (That’s a long story!), it’s sort of like Mentos and Coke over there. 

Let’s pray the remaining Christians will be safe enough to stick around. Ask God that the Jews and Muslims would learn more about this sweet baby and the rock star he grew up to be. 

Next time your parents ask what you want for Christmas, tell them a trip to Bethlehem!

Ok, so it’s possible you’ve got a busy month ahead of you. Not only is the World Cup heating up and the temperature falling, but maybe you’ve got, oh, a tiny bit of Christmas prep on your plate? 

We tend to stack a lot of good things on December: Food drives, services at church, parties you want to attend and maybe a couple you don’t, cookie plates for neighbors, Christmas cards, Christmas movies, family visits, and finding an amazing present for my amazing wife. (Suggestions here, please.) 

Here’s a way to pull your mind back to your love for Muslims in the midst of the merriment. Every time you enjoy a slice of pie, see a pie, see a picture of pie or even smell the yumminess baking in the oven take a moment and lift up the following acronymic requests, asking God to work so that Muslims will. . . 

Participate in God’s story. May Muslims inherit their place in the abundant life Jesus came to earth to bring.

Impart the God-given gifts of their cultures to Christians and others in their midst.

Experience the kindness of Jesus expressed through the interest, love and hospitality of people like you and me. 

Of course you can sub in your own words for the acronym. You can also go for longer words like STAR: S: Seek Jesus, T: Turn from everything false, A: Aquire eternal life, R: Reproduce disciples among all Muslim peoples. Or CHRISTMAS TREE (You’ll have to do that one yourself!) 

May God hear our PIE (participate/impart/experience) prayers and answer them beyond our wildest imagination.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

I hope this brief email finds you dog paddling in a warm pond of winsome gratitude. I don’t know what your life is like right now, but may the good things of God comfort and cheer you in the midst of whatever. 

Here’re five things I’m thankful for today:

1. You. I appreciate you reading this weekly email and opening yourself up as a conduit for God’s love to Muslims. If enough of us take enough steps, we’ll shift the tide. 
2. Muslims. I get a little misty-eyed remembering the kindness Muslims have shown me all over. 
3. Good work. I love my jobs: Husband, dad, pastor, writer, mobilizer.
4. Hope. The magnitude of goodness ahead is shattering. Jesus said in Rev. 21.5, “Look, I am making everything new!” 
5. God. That the likes of us should be known and loved by the likes of Jesus. SMH!

With Thanks, Shane

Thanksgiving Blessings! 

My name is Joseph-Joshua and I consult with Shane regarding “Muslim Connect.” Thank you for taking a moment to read this brief note. 

The humble heart that Jesus has cultivated in Shane has paved the way for a steady stream of godly challenges and thought-provoking questions. We recently surpassed 300 consecutive Muslim Connects (Yay!) and we are on track to 400 (around November 2024).

Because of the laser-focused mission of this ministry via weekly emails 📧 we aim to consistently present quality Jesus-centered writings that empower believers to “love Muslims like Jesus does” in their day-to-day lives.

You might also be interested to hear we recently passed 3000 subscribers on our way to a goal of 5000 by March 2023 (with your help). And if you’re a total email nerd: Between 45%-50% of subscribers regularly open the weekly email. (That’s huge in this space and among the best of those I consult.)

Giving Tuesday is next week (11/29) and I want to personally ask you to prayerfully consider giving a one-time financial donation to strengthen this ministry that will fuel ⛽️ us into 2023 AD with encouragement and provision. 

The Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the faithful believers etched in Philippians 4:17 encapsulates our sincere request:

“Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.”

Here is the secure giving link to participate.

THANK YOU SO MUCH😀!

For the Lamb,

Joseph-Joshua Torrez

Kingdom-Building Consultant

Contact: 719.653.5898

ELPACTO@icloud.com

havAs the delightfully K-Love-y lyrics of Zach Williams say, “Fear is a liar.” Usually. The fear that kept me from getting on a skateboard and dropping into my friend’s homemade half pipe was a truth-telling friend! But usually fear lies. 

Did the midterms go as you’d hoped or not? Or are you still waiting to see? Here in Colorado’s third congressional district, we’re still biting our nails, awaiting a likely recount. 

Makes me revisit the basics:
If you’re a Christian, must you only vote a certain way? Don’t think so. 
Are there issues that matter? Definitely.
Is democracy in danger of dying? That’s that lying fear talking again. 

Given I have the political sophistication of an axolotl, I’ll spare you any broad comments on the results of the midterms. But can I tell you about one little, winsome, hopeful outcome?

In January 2023 a 23 year old Muslim woman will be sworn in to the Illinois General Assembly. Nabeela Syed, U.S. born daughter of immigrants from India, went from dodging religious attacks in high school to now helping lead her state. 

Although you might disagree with some of her policy positions, why might her election be a good thing? 

1. This can happen in America. Good on us. We’ve come at least as far as allowing women to vote, to run for office and young, second generation immigrants can win elections.

2. I look at my 20 year old daughter who just got her FFA American Degree (IYKYK!) and wonder about her future: How will she lead and what will the country in which she leads look like? I look at my 13 year old daughter and think, “Ten years from now when she’s 23, what will we see? What might she do?”

3. Hopefully Nabeela’s victory will spark two unplanned consequences: 1. A bunch of young Muslim kids will be less afraid when they go to school tomorrow. 2. Some Jesus-loving crazies, whether Republican or Democrat, will lever her newsiness to initiate a conversation they’ve long wanted to have with a Muslim neighbor or co-worker. 

Last week, I asked for one church to go with me to the Ivory Coast in February to help consider a potential partnership with a Muslim background believer who’s reaching out in wholistic ways to underserved Muslim tribes. If you missed that message, search “Ivory Coast” in your email and you’ll find it.

When I grow up I want to be Chris Clayman. The guy has befriended Muslims all over the place and actually lived in Mali! In a brilliant recent article on the Crescent Project website, Chris shares four things unreached people wish we knew about them. I’m going to briefly list them here in hopes they’ll intrigue you enough to ingest the whole article. 

1. Muslims – Like Everybody – Want to be Treated As Humans, Not Tasks
Ask for and listen to their story. Share your story. Then look together into God’s story.

2. Muslims Will Happily Discuss Topics You’re Accustomed to Avoiding
Imagine your upcoming Thanksgiving table. Muslims often love to discuss those topics you’re already planning to avoid!

3. Muslims Would Like to See You More
In Muslim relationships, we might need to take our hang-out time norm and square it! 

4. Muslims are Moved By Love More Than Logic
The love of Jesus, oozing through the cracks of broken vessels accomplishes much.

Consider yourself teased and go read the article. And get Chris’s engaging book, Superplan. I’m reading it right now. 

+++++++++++++

I’m a big fan of getting out of our home culture and among people who neither look, think nor see life like we do. You can probably do this ten minutes from your house. You can definitely do it by going to a different country. 

I’m currently looking for one church to help set up that possibility among underserved Muslims in Ivory Coast. Just one church who’s shaking off the Covid malaise and hearing interesting, new nudges from God to get back at the task, to receive fresh vision and direction, to take a gutsy step into the unknown of his kingdom. 

Do you know that church? Attend it? Pastor it? Reach out and let’s chat about a vision trip in early 2023. The cost will be higher and the work less defined than you might be totally comfortable with. It will be, in the words of my mentor, Steve Hawthorne, “a Christopher Columbus Cruise.” The potential upside though is huge.

Check out the opportunity to win a $300 Amazon card below!

I’m all up in the hermeneutical weeds lately, pondering God’s purposes for women in ministry. This is largely fueled by concern for what some of us might be missing due to the limitations we put on certain roles. 

This made me wonder about Muslims. As you may have noticed, some Muslims don’t have the best track record when it comes to how women are treated. Further, I had never heard of a woman imam.

An imam is not an exact parallel to the pastor role as we generally view it, but imams do give weekly sermons, lead prayers and impart knowledge. While I’m hesitant to say there are no female imams among Islam’s nearly 2 billion adherents, I suspect you could host them all at your house for Christmas. (How cool would that be?!?) 

My initial look at this has surfaced a couple of things:

1. The Quran does not explicitly forbid women from being imams.
2. Precedent to date has been almost entirely that they are not. And the concept of bid’ah says, “We don’t innovate the religion, Dude!” Ergo, non-dudes need not apply. 
3. One of the key reasons women are “obviously” not imams is because imam basically means “in front.” Women shouldn’t be bowing in prayer in front of men because men wouldn’t be able to concentrate on their prayers. Before we condemn all Muslim men, I do remember having my own concentration issues during a sacred dance performance at church when I was a teenager! 

Today Chinese women continue to serve as imams of women-only mosques and there’s one in France! (You know the French!)

Part of me suspects a limit on women in leadership actually thwarts the overall growth of Islam. So maybe we shouldn’t advocate for it.

Don’t miss your final chance in this last week to win a $300 Amazon gift card to celebrate the 300th edition of Muslim Connect! To enter, simply share the following on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: 

“Check out this interesting article, “Seven (Maybe Surprising) Things We’d All Do Well To Keep in Mind About Muslims” and consider signing up for the author’s helpful, weekly email. I get it!” (You can add that you enjoy it, you know, if you do!)

Once you’ve shared it, click here to let me know you have. I’ll randomly choose one cool respondent for the gift card. 

Check out the opportunity to win a $300 Amazon card below!

You know that feeling when something just keeps coming up? Like when the Holy Spirit is trying to get through to you. Maybe: “Stop gambling! I don’t care if the Powerball is $800 million!” Or in my case, “You don’t need a donut and pancakes, you carb-freak!” Or within a few days, from two totally different directions, the BEMA Podcast was recommend to my wife and I. (Turns out it is amazing!) 

Similarly, I can’t get away from Chad. As we close out this month of October praying through the 10/40 Window I want to bring us back to that country that keeps coming back to me, mentioning one thing that makes kingdom progress so difficult, one that gives me hope and ask you one potentially terrifying question. 

Challenging Isolation
One of the key reasons Chad has 80 unreached peoples, of which a staggering 46 are unengaged is that its 17 million people are so spread out and speak over 100 languages. Living in the pleasantly highway-ed U.S., it’s hard to imagine how difficult it is to get place to place in Chad. And then when you get there, needing to speak a different language.

Powerful Church
According to Operation World, between 10 and 30% of Chadians follow Jesus. A small, but growing cadre of them are training and reaching out to Muslims both near and far. This is helping to offset the decline of foreign missionaries. Grace and love and power to them.

Wide Open Doors
I would love to go to Chad. . .for a visit. Living there feels pretty scary to me. How about you? Missionary and development visas are available, making official residency more possible than many places. Want to do something risky? Look at this list of opportunities one agency has open. What if you fit one of them!?!? (I give that challenge trusting your maturity and boundaries.)

I’m scheming with an insightful friend to catalyze a Chadian student conference focused on unengaged peoples next summer. Reach out if you’d like to be in on that.

Last week was the 300th edition of Muslim Connect! To celebrate this milestone, I’m giving away a $300 Amazon gift card. To enter, simply share the following on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: 

“Check out this cheeky article, “Seven (Maybe Surprising) Things We’d All Do Well To Keep in Mind About Muslims” and consider signing up for the author’s helpful, weekly email. I get it!” (You can add that you enjoy it, you know, if you do!)

Once you’ve shared it, click here to let me know you have. I’ll randomly choose one cool respondent for the gift card. 

How about a hat trick of happiness today? 

This is the 300th edition of Muslim Connect! Makes me shake my head in happy wonder. Thank you for reading and as God gives you grace, putting this stuff into action. A subscriber in Salt Lake City recently shared about her interaction with a new Pakistani friend, inspired in part by Muslim Connect. Thank you, Jesus. 

To celebrate this milestone, I’d like to give you a chance to win a $300 Amazon gift card. To enter, simply share the following on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: 

“Check out this cheeky article, “Seven (Maybe Surprising) Things We’d All Do Well To Keep in Mind About Muslims” and consider signing up for the author’s helpful, weekly email. I get it!”
(You can add that you enjoy it, you know, if you do!)

Once you’ve shared it, click here to let me know you have. I’ll randomly choose one cool respondent for the gift card. 

That’s two good news-es. Here’s the third: The 2022 World Cup opens one month from today! Not a froth-at-the-mouth soccer fan? No shame in that. But this is a big deal for a lot of Muslims, not only for the games, but the fact that it’s hosted for the first time ever in a Muslim country. 

In honor of that, the host, Qatar is our 10/40 Window country of the week. Please join me and a ton of believers world-wide in praying for the people of Qatar. May God use this event to bring about unprecedented growth of his kingdom there. 

If you enjoy soccer, please share your pick for the four teams who will reach the finals. Follow along and allow that attention to remind you to pray for the countries of the winning and losing teams! I’ll choose one correct prediction and help you host a finals watch party with food and decorations to invite your Muslim friends to.

Do you ever ask yourself, “What, ultimately, is God trying to do?”

The fundamentals for my answer to that question come from the front and the back of the Book: Genesis 12.3 where God says he’ll bless Abraham so Abraham can be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. And Rev. 7.9 where John sees the result of that pledge. 

Someone from somewhere must take the beautiful blessing into the people groups who’ve yet to have it. Until that happens, John’s vision of some from all peoples worshiping God is not realized. 

Therefore, as recipients of the blessing of God, it is our collective (and maybe personal) responsibility to do our part to get that blessing where it isn’t yet. 

That conviction has led me and a band of colleagues to pledge ourselves to doing what it takes to see the blessing of God get to the 1600 people groups who have yet to have a start. We call them “unengaged.” They are unreached for sure, but form a subset of unreached peoples who do not have anyone trying to reach them yet. 

Our focus 10/40 Window countries this week are Chad and Sudan. Together they have about 100 unengaged Muslim people groups. One hundred units of humanity who have no one in their midst living out and giving out the life of Jesus. 

I’ll go out on a limb and guess that Chad and Sudan are not at the top of your vacation list. (Although Sudan has some world class scuba diving. Wanna go with me?!?) They are challenging places to live if you’re born there and quite rigorous if you move in. In fact, Chad has the planet’s lowest life expectancy. Poverty, disease and corruption battle against the blessing of God. Tribes cross the border, but given the vast geography and low population density, it’s tough to even get to people to hang out. 

But the church in Chad will not give up. They’re growing and going to some the most challenging assignments on the planet. Let’s get behind them in prayer and perhaps in presence. 

Be sure to catch next week’s Muslim Connect for a celebration, a contest and a chance to join a growing, global prayer movement.