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Around where I live, when a Muslim makes the news, it’s usually bad news. To be fair, almost all of the news is bad news, so maybe it’s not a specifically Muslim deal. 

At any rate, two news stories involving Muslims popped onto my radar this week. One troubled me and the other made me cry. 

The first involved a Byzantine Catholic priest who converted to Islam. The details as shared here bring two questions to mind: Is it wise for Muslims to celebrate, as they are, given the last station on his peace train might not be Islam? I’ve seen this happen with people who embrace Christianity, then move along to other spiritual tracks. 

It also makes me question celebrations around conversion. Jesus says in Luke 15.7 that there will be rejoicing in Heaven over sinners who repent, so there’s precedent, and I certainly want to celebrate what Heaven does. But as much as I want all people to find life in Jesus, I think maybe humility is called for and touchdown celebrations, at least publicly, should be muted. 

In happier news, although there is no silver lining to the continuing devastation in Turkey and Syria, a recent outpouring of love and empathy warmed my heart. Several years ago while spending the summer in Turkey, I somewhat randomly chose Besiktas as my Turkish soccer team. At a February 26th home game, they collected teddy bears for children suffering as a result of the earthquakes. Seeing a waterfall of stuffies flowing onto the pitch brought tears to my eyes. (This drone footage is stunning, but might give you motion sickness!)

We know too well, don’t we, that teddy bears won’t solve much. But by God’s grace may they give a bit of comfort when all the foundations have crumbled, and may they be harbingers of God’s further relief, hope and life. 

Please check out my short, new video, sharing a story of when my self-esteem took a shot. I’m new to Youtube and welcome your creative input and critique.

When did you last consider how pagan your version of Christianity is? I’m being intentionally provocative, but it’s not a bad idea to do an inventory from time to time: What is legit Bible, what is simply my tribe’s approach, what is American culture, what is the fruit of my own dark heart? With all those in mind, in what way is Christianity a tool I use to both make sense of the world and to survive in it? 

I ask this because I’m wondering about Folk Islam, the reality for most Muslims that the pure Islam of the Quran is mixed with the religion their people previously followed and a blender full of other practices and convictions. 

I know my tendency when thinking about that is to roll down hill to a place that says, “How quaint and sad (“pathetic” on a feisty day) that those people are superstitious and afraid. How pleasant that I am not.” 

Nothing renders us impotent as quickly as smug assurance (masking as confidence) that we don’t deal with what those others do. 

That said, most Muslims really do add to the Quran and Hadith a variety of practices designed to increase the odds of good things happening, ie. a baby boy being born, and bad things not, sickness, job loss, crop failure. 

Approaching Muslims in whole mannermust include curiosity beyond understanding the five pillars to include all the fascinating power grabs, desperate hopes, and merit-bearing habits that make up real Islam.

Two reasons, among thousands, this matters: 1. Empathy. Feeling another’s fear and pain knits our hearts to theirs. 2. Access. If you understand another’s fear and pain and, almost beyond belief, you have a fix for it, they might just listen to you, finding life in the process. Of course, they might also run you off. Jesus experienced both. 

Please check the two minute video I just posted telling the story that sparked this Folk Islam train of thought.

As the number of dead in Turkey and Syria passes 40,000, I’m wondering how you are handling this. Do you, like me, sometimes just turn away because you can’t process it? I’m guessing your mind is often turned toward prayer for the suffering and those serving on the ground.

If you’re wondering what you can do, here are three things I’m thinking about:

Give
Of course money helps in the immediate aftermath of such tragedies. I encourage you to give your own money, but also to mobilize your tribe. What if you set an amount to give and asked your friends to contribute to match it? What about asking your church to make an emergency contribution now and then add Turkish/Syrian relief funds to your next church budget?

There are many places to give. Here are two I trust: Frontiers and MRDS. 

Get Ready
Looking out several months, when the intense attention has faded, but the challenge still remains, how might God use us in his continuing work in Turkey and Syria? We’ll likely see an uptick in Syrian refugees coming to the U.S. How might your church respond? Is now a good time to start building a Welcome Corp plan so you’re ready to bring over a family? My friend and author D.C. Keane suggests preparing for future ministry by looking into trauma care training from Trauma Healing Institute or Multiplying Hope. 

Go
Have you ever felt a nudge to move to Turkey or Syria? I sure have. Is it possible this tragedy might serve as a catalyst for you to put your skills and passions to work there? As rescue moves to recovery to rebuilding, may God open many doors for believers from all over to extend the kindness and hope of Jesus to Turks, Syrians and Kurds. 

If you could use a little good news, hop over to this video I just posted. You’ll get to see our Colorado winter wonderland and hear an amazing report, all in about 90 seconds! While you’re there, I’d appreciate you subscribing to the channel. It’s approaching 100 subscribers!

As a novice biologist in a former life, visiting Côte d’Ivoire presented me unexpected gifts: A roadside vendor selling a freshly dead Civit Cat for travelers to take home to Mom in the city, seeing cashews grow on the bottom of an edible fruit and drinking in the glorious greens of lush West African jungle. 

It was a deeper gift to hang with the “beautiful feet” group of women and men who have pledged themselves to bring good news to the most unreached parts of their country. They will live lean and largely unseen, save for a small audience of supporters and a Father who must be delighted in their sacrifice of service.

I was also reminded of our tendency to stereotype and look down on parts of our country or state as backward or wrong-headed. For instance, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1.46) “The South,” California or in Colorado: Pueblo. In the Ivory Coast, many look down on Bouna, the city and region where our new missionary friends are working. The idea, both in and beyond the Ivorian Church that “up there” is backward and unsafe contributes to a dearth of gospel effort. 

Finally, when I began to advocate for unengaged people groups a couple years ago, God gave me the Bozo of Mali as a challenging example: They’re fishermen who live in tough places. They’re also nomads, so it’s a different tough place from time to time. But get this: One of the local missionaries we met is moving this week to a Ivorian village where Bozo live! I saw them there, fishing nets drying in the sun! The kingdom is breaking through for the Bozo.

Thank you so much to Muslim Connect readers who gave over the past year to allow this trip to happen. I believe your gifts have contributed to kingdom advance. Want to see and hear a bit of Côte d’Ivoire? Watch the 90 Second Muslim Connect videos I’ve posted. I’d be thrilled to have you subscribe to that channel and receive ongoing, fresh content. Thanks.

I love a nice overlap. Like when a sermon can be used for an article or a trip to the grocery takes you by your favorite thrift store. 

Here’s my current overlap: Today is the second day of Black History Month in the U.S., there is a shared history among Islam and African and Caribbean Americans, my friend hooked me up with an amazing Black History Month prayer calendar, and I’m writing while en route to the Ivory Coast to see if God may open a door of outreach to Muslims there!

So much fun!

Some of Islam’s first steps in the Americas were taken by West African slaves brought here. Muslim slaves made up a minority and faced many challenges in maintaining their faith. But some stood out, including one man who left an entire Quran in Arabic, written from memory. (I know you’re remembering your Sunday School teacher or Navs discipler asking you, “How much scripture do you have memorized!”)

Then in the heady civil rights days of mid-last century, some Black Americans found a home in a new version of an ancient faith, the recently founded Nation of Islam. While a side current to main stream Sunni Islam, it seemed to provide what many Blacks were looking for. 

Does your church formally recognize Black History Month? Mine doesn’t and I’m wondering why. 

So I’m planning to do two things:
1. Ask my pastor if we can distribute this calendar.
2. I’m going to listen a lot this month. For the next few days to Ivorians. I know a little north of nothing about Muslims in Côte d’Ivoire. I need to learn. 

For that matter, I also need to learn about Blacks here in the U.S. Maybe you’ve got a book you’d recommend for starters. 

If you’ve read this far, can I ask a favor? Click here to watch the first ever 90 Sec Muslim Connect video. It will tell you about the trip to CI and some ways to pray. If you subscribe, you’ll get an alert when the second one drops and maybe see the first footage you’ve ever witnessed from Ivory Coast!

You know something? Sometimes I swear at Muslims. Big groups of them and sometimes even individuals. That might be surprising if you know my bias toward them.

I love Muslims and long to see them receive the life Jesus has in mind for them, but sometimes I just don’t get it. Mind if I share with you?

Even though I detest it, I understand Sunnis and Shias battling over land and power. Heck, in my own backyard American Christians call for civil war against other self-avowed Christians. But I don’t understand killing people because they’re doing the religion wrong. 

Last week, I swore at Hassan Muawiya, a Sunni Deobandi cleric who goes around Pakistan asking the police to prosecute Ahmadis for blasphemy, a crime punishable by death there.

If you don’t know who Ahmadis are, I don’t blame you. They comprise a small and unorthodox sect of Islam, numbering between 10 and 20 million and in my limited experience are among the nicest people ever. But they’re in the bullseye. 

On January 12, nine Ahmadis were killedin their mosque in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Their Muslim attackers attempted to persuade them to recant their views and when they refused, killed them. 

Protestants and Catholics have killed each other in the past, so our slate is not clean, but I honestly don’t get this. I’m thinking these killings would be roughly parallel to an Evangelical killing a steadfast Mormon. Would God be pleased by that? Nope. 

I’ve got to think the fondness and care for minorities Jesus showed as he walked through Galilee carries on for minorities today, whether they be Christian, off-center Muslims or any other stripe of humanity.

You love Jesus, right? You want to follow his teaching and example, right? Then join me for a little happy dance: Yesterday the US State Department launched a program called Welcome Corps. Finally, American citizens can band together and sponsor refugees. 

Just the facts, Ma’am:
“Refugees” not “immigrants” (documented or not): Welcome Corps allows for private sponsorship of vetted, documented legal refugees. Most will initially come from Sub-Saharan Africa. This effort is distinct from the issues on our southern border. 

What do sponsors do? In groups of five, sponsors will “take on tasks like securing and furnishing initial housing, greeting the refugee newcomers at the airport, enrolling children in school, and helping adults find employment.”

Who pays for this? The sponsors will be required to have $2275 per refugee they sponsor. 

Two things that I like about Welcome Corps: 
It’s politically ambidextrous! If you’re blue, “Yay, we’re helping marginalized people.” If you’re red, “Good, we’re giving power from the government back to the people.” If you’re Christian, well, our Jesus does have a soft spot for people who got dealt a bad hand. 

It’s timely relative to the employment environment. Anecdotally, the Department of Corrections in my state, Colorado, currently has over 1700 openings! Other agencies are similarly understaffed. 

The pilot effort is looking for 10,000 Americans who can help 5000 refugees. A quick peek at the Church Angel website says there are over 4000 churches in Colorado alone! Seems likely that Christians around the country could step up and say, “Hey, we got this!” 

Can you think of five local friends whose gifts, resources and connections compliment yours? My mind is spinning! Get started here. And please let me know what you think about Welcome Corps. 

Special thanks to readers who weighed in with info and advice for my upcoming trip to Ivory Coast. If you haven’t yet, please open and read last week’s Muslim Connect.

Maybe you can relate to this: I love America, feel like I generally fit in the culture and, at least to a small degree, recognize the privilege that comes with being born here. That said, thinking about visiting a different country makes my eyes light up and my heart race a bit. Familiar?

In a couple weeks two really good buds and I will go to Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire if you want to be really accurate, French or you’re trying to impress a girl!). We’re going to meet a guy there from a Muslim background who loves Jesus and is pursuing a number of smart ways to enable his people to consider the claims of Christ. The four of us are wondering if some American churches might partner with him in God-honoring ways to see the kingdom grow. 

I share this with you because I think you might say, “Oooooh, fun!” But also because you might know some things or people I should know before I depart. And because I want to ask you to pray for us. 

If you’ve got advice, please let me hear it. 

If you’re inclined to pray, here are some ideas:

1. I’m not the best guy to get any ducks in a row, but that’s my role with this trip. Please pray I wouldn’t miss important details like what pants to wear, how to make phones work in CI and plane tickets. 
2. Pray for the relationships between the four of us. I love each of these guys and one I’ve not met IRL yet. But we do come from different places. We need the Holy Spirit’s help.
3. Please pray for the families and churches we’ll leave behind and ask God to bring us back to them safe and sound. 

Thank you for being with me in this. I look forward to sharing fun stuff from this trip. 

PS: If giving is your gig and you’d like to cover some of the cost of this effort, you can contribute here. (Scroll down to “Bennett Vision Trip.”) Thank you.

Got any fun New Year’s resolutions, goal, dreams? I’m hoping to build a small cadre of like-minded people who will challenge me to be the best person I can be and do the best work possible. 

It’s important, isn’t it, to have people who have your back? In all of life, for sure. And maybe particularly when you’re swimming upstream and trying to love and connect with Muslims. 

My friend Martin heads up a cool organization called Peace Catalyst that helps people become agents of peace in their neighborhoods and the world. They recently released a series of very short videos and simple prompts to get going in peace making. 

The second entry, “Lean Into Those Who’ve Got Your Back” really resonated with me:

Peacebuilding is all about relationships, so an important practice is to recognize and celebrate those who care for us, encourage us, and challenge us. Here are a couple questions to help figure out who those people are for you:

• Who’s in your support system that you can turn to when things get hard?

• Who isn’t but could be?

• What other sources of support could you look to?

I wonder about this for you. Do you have someone eager and watching to give you a high five, a quick prayer an “atta girl/boy?” We all need that. 

I’m down to be your “at a distance” cheer leader. Shoot me a message, sharing about an effort you’ve made and I’ll tell you you’re a rock star! 

Let’s also pray for each other and the many people God has rallied to extend his love and care to Muslims all over. 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

There’s a Muslim dad with kids at the same karate studio my younger son attends. I’d really like to connect with him, but we only see each other briefly at pick up maybe once a week. 

So I got an idea: Our town has a very semi-pro ice hockey team. Tickets are not outrageously priced. What if I invited the dad and his boys to join my son and me for a game? 

The upsides: 

1. Having the game to focus on lowers the required intensity of conversation. 
2. If he’s a good Muslim, I won’t have to spend a lot on beer! 
3. Win or lose, it will be a sign-post in our relationship. We’ll build memories. 

Potential downsides:

1. I fail to navigate his initial, “No, I can’t go,” thinking it means he really doesn’t want to. Or he steps into “American-mode” and declines for real, but I assume it’s cultural and awkwardly re-ask him. 
2. He has no fun. The boys get bored in the first period. We can’t think of anything to talk about. 
3. He’s not a good Muslim and I have to spend a car payment on beer!

What do you think? Should I take the risk or take another direction? What am I missing?

It seems likely that for many of us, if we’re going to connect with Muslims, we’re going to have to go out of our way. At minimum, for most, we’ll have to poke through a cultural barrier of some sort. 

May God give us grace to take the steps he puts in front of us. And, as we do, may we simply ooze and radiate the love, kindness, and truth of Jesus. 

If you’re like to give to ministries at the end of the year and Muslim Connect has blessed you, please click here (choose my name in the staff drop down) and give as God leads you.