Category Archives: Uncategorized

Please see the special note at the end of this post.

There’s a guy in my small community who spends many of his waking hours walking up and down the highway. This isn’t so much a “hit my fitbit steps goal,” as maybe walking out his demons. His face is set, grim and shows the wear of countless hours of Colorado sun and wind.

A friend at church asked me Sunday morning if I would be inclined to engage this guy in conversation. In a rare burst of honesty, I said probably not. When she asked why, I gave it some thought and replied, “I have no idea what’s going on in that guy’s world.” My spidey sense (Which may often be contrary to the Holy Spirit.) says it’s best to stay back. Play it safe. It could get weird if I get too close.

This realization, of which I’m not too proud, made me wonder how many Christians experience something similar when it comes to Muslims. It’s not anger or apathy that keeps us keeping our distance, but more a sense of not knowing anything about their world, having no way to guess what’s on the other side of a “hello.”

Does this ring true with you? Do you suspect it in friends, family, fellow Christians? Given some of the popular narratives about Muslims these days, suspicion and discretion are not a big surprise, are they?

This matters because I hope Muslim Connect helps fill in that knowledge and experience gap.

If this dynamic is real, what else can you imagine that would help counter it?

How can we build a prevailing sense that the other side of “hello” looks like this: On the one hand, lots of relational work, cross-cultural awkwardness and probably some theological challenges. But on the other hand, yummy food, interesting conversations and maybe a fresh episode of the abundant life Jesus said he came to bring.

Please share your ideas below.

Thank you for this, the last Muslim Connect of 2019. I’m honored and grateful. If you’ve found value in Muslim Connect, can I ask you to consider two things? 1. Hit the forward button and share it with a friend. Or a bunch of friends! 2. Ask God if he would lead you to give a year-end financial gift to keep it going. You can do so here. Thank you.

Please see the special note at the end of this post. 

My friend Ali is Saudi Arabian and a great guy. We met when his wife pursued a masters at my alma mater, so I’ve known him a long time. We’re not super close, but we stay in touch.

I can name only two other Saudi Arabians, both celebrites: Muhammad bin Salmon, the crown prince. And, of course, Osama bin Laden. 33 million people and I only know one of them?! Is it any wonder I have a hard time wrapping my head around my country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia? “It’s complicated!” Yeah, pretty much!

An American friend (Believe or not, I have more than one of those!), David Weston wrote this past week about that relationship in his More Than Meets the Eye weekly update. I encourage you to subscribe to it.

David stresses four things:

1. Saudi individuals have been guilty of violence against Americans.
2. As one of America’s best allies in the war on terror, we’re not soon going to abandon our relationship with the nation.
3. There are significant, important world view difference between most Americans and most Saudis.
4. One of the best things people like you and I can do is get to know some of them.

David says, “Tearing down walls and building bridges is where we can impact this global phenomenon of the movement of peoples. Let’s not put it all on everybody else to try and figure us out. Let’s take the first step and see if we can understand them better. When that happens, respect will begin to grow. When respect happens at an individual level, it will soon be followed by mutual respect at the national level.”

I so want that to be true. I’m going to send a message to my bud Ali today. Join me? If you don’t know any Saudi’s, take a peek at this map to see if there are any clubs near you.

Thank you for reading Muslim Connect. I’m honored and grateful that you do. If you’ve found value in it, can I ask you to consider two things? 1. Share it with a friend. Or a bunch of friends! 2. Ask God if he would lead you to give a year-end financial gift to keep it going. You can do so here. Thank you.

Since I clearly feel freedom to complain when the U.S. government does things I disagree with, I thought it might also be fair to highlight something that looks very good.

A few weeks ago, Muslim Connect consisted of a brief lament for Uyghur Muslims who are suffering massive internment at the hands of the Chinese government. Theories on why vary from the official line of containing terrorism and separatism to paving the way for a massive economic project.

Earlier this week the US House passed a bill called the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019. It is expected to easily pass the Senate, but it’s not yet clear if President Trump will sign it into law. The bill calls for increased monitoring of Chinese treatment of Uyghurs, as well as sanctions on the Communist Party leader of Xinjiang, Chen Quanguo.

This seems wise, bold and probably costly. Like the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of a couple of weeks ago, this legislation was met with anger and caustic warnings from Chinese officials.

I don’t for a moment claim that my country’s hands are clean. Heck, my own are so dirty as to be almost un-washable. But even the guilty need to do the right thing, no? I’m happy when we take a stand against injustice on a such a gut-wrenching scale.

I tend to think grassroots is better, a million small acts having more power than a single large one. But this seems like a situation in which the legislative power of a super power might be the right tool. Coupled with our prayers, may God use this to bring about deliverance and justice for the Uyghurs.

St. Augustine allegedly said, “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.”

Whether or not Augustine actually penned these words, they pack a heavy punch. I’ve been wondering about hope, anger and courage relative to Muslims.

I hope to see hundreds of millions of Muslims dancing in freedom and Jesus-ordained life before their creator. On the way to that, I hope that we have hundreds of thousands of grace-infused conversations. I hope God works in such a wonderful way that Muslims are no longer the enemy, either personally or of the state.

I’m angry that so many Muslims are oppressed by the enemy of our souls, by evil governments, and by other Muslims who believe differently than they do. I’m angry every time a Muslim perpetrates evil using Islam as a covering for his political ambition or in an honest, but misguided attempt to please God. I’m angry for every Muslim in my country who is falsely judged.

And, “Courage,” I pray, “Father, please more courage.” Courage to step up awkwardly and say hello. Courage to stand up when mis-information and fear is spread on Facebook or around the dinner table. Courage to live among Muslims in a city where in a week of looking hard, I might not find one who’s ever known a friend who followed Jesus.

Of course the challenge is to hope for the things of God, isn’t it? To be angry and courageous in ways that please and honor him. What’s your hope? What makes you angry? What courage do you need? May grace abound in and through you today.

I’m feeling Thanksgivingly these days. Living in southern Colorado in 2019 and typing on an Apple computer give me a pretty high baseline for gratitude!

When we think of Muslims, thankfulness might not be the first thing to come to mind. Much is said and some things are actually happening which generate concern. Not to challenge any particular bit of that, but maybe to very slightly balance the equation, here are three things for which we can be grateful to Muslims.

1. Optical Advances: Back when smart people were still puzzling out if our eyes see by generating light or receiving it, a failed dam builder and civic administrator named Al-Haytham penned a seven volume treatise on optics. He also popularized an early form of camera and the scientific method. As I look at my MacBook through prescription glasses, I’m grateful for his contribution to the understanding of sight.
2. Algebraic Achievements: Apparently who should bear the title, “Father of Algebra” is disputed. What is clear is that both the word and much of our fundamental understanding of algebra traces to Muslim scholar, Al-Khwarizmi. You may find being thankful for algebra a challenging task and I would not disagree. But I’m grateful for the algebraic underpinnings of every bridge you and I will cross today as well as Al-Khwarizmi’s contributions to algorithmic thinking that help get this email to you.
3. Coffee Culture: Santriani Bohari says, “No, Muslims didn’t invent coffee itself, the plant has been around for ages. But it was Muslims of Yemen, and then Turkey, who popularized coffee in their societies, and later on, in the Western world.” Thank you, early adopters! She goes on to say, “Muslims used to drink coffee to help them stay awake during long nights of worship,” which roughly parallels the lattes our barista proffers before I preach on Sunday morning!

Thank you, God, for these people you’ve made and the contributions they’ve made to our world.

While writing Muslim Connect this morning, My heart was warmed as I watched someone give their winter coat to an old, cold and possibly homeless guy. A quick “identify the problem, solve it” scenario pleases me. But few things work that way, eh?

Can I burden you with knowledge of a massive group of people living mostly in northwest China called the Uyghurs (we grrrs)? Twelve million strong, most are Muslim and very, very few follow Jesus.

Reasonable estimates say in the last 2-3 years over 1 million Uyghurs have been put in internment camps by Chinese authorities because of their religion. That’s almost one in every six Uyghurs imprisoned. (Tweet this.)

Leading scholar, Adrian Zenz laments, “There is virtually no Uyghur family without one or more members in such detention. . . .” Some analysts believe this may be the largest imprisonment of a group of people on the basis of ethnicity since the second world war.

There are also concerns for the children of the detained Uyghurs, who often seem to be removed from their communities and placed in orphanages or boarding schools where they are enrolled in programs promoting Chinese assimilation.

The Trump administration is taking solid action in response to these human rights abuses and legislation is moving through Congress “which would authorize regular monitoring of the situation by various government bodies.”

What can we do? Here are two actions you can implement immediately:

1. Pray. David says in Psalm 34, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Relative to the scope of this travesty, your prayers may feel like flicking a marshmallow at the moon. But if God is who we believe he is, our prayers matter.

2. Share this like crazy. Many smart, passionate Christians have no idea what’s going on. You may share with someone who shares with someone who has God-given capacity to take strategic action.

Further study: Read a detailed overview here and see additional articles here.

Want to hear something scary! Christmas is only 60-ish days away! And since Black Friday must precede Christmas, you know Thanksgiving is getting close too!

I’m going home to Indiana for Thanksgiving because when President Lincoln made it a holiday in 1863, he pretty much had midwestern moms and meals in mind. Are your plans coming together? Is there room at your table?

This may be the easiest time of year to take the plunge and invite some Muslims over. Since it might be too much for ol’ Aunt Lu to have “them” sitting next to her, you may want to have a second Thanksgiving. Either way is a win! (Tweet this.)

Make it happen:

1. Get some buds and a date
   1. Doing this with friends doubles the odds you won’t bail, halves the labor and brings others into your craziness!
   2. Thanksgiving is Nov. 29th. Friday evening the 30th provides optimal availability and a legit reason to avoid Black Friday!
2. Get guests
   Maybe you already know some Muslims you’d like to invite over. If you don’t, ask a local refugee agency, community college or university. International students sometimes have several free days, but their friends have gone home to be with Mom.
3. Make a menu
   1. There are dozens of variables when deciding what to cook, but you’ll probably be fine if you remember: No wine or swine.
   2. Try for a halal turkey. If you buy it live and local, you should be fine except for the strictest Muslims.
   3. Go heavy on the veggies. Most people can eat most vegetables.
   4. Hoosiers take note: No bacon fat in the green beans! And while we’re at it, no green bean casserole! It’s may be halal, but it’s terrible!
4. Prepare a plan (Take a deep dive here.)
   1. Be ready for expected guests to arrive with extra friends.
   2. Have some questions and conversation starters up your sleeve for dinner.
   3. After dinner play some easy to learn, high laughter-likely games.
5. Follow up
   1. Get a group photo and email it out to your guests.
   2. Start talking about a Christmas gathering right away.
   3. If you get a payback invitation, take it!

Have you done this? Share your stories here to encourage the rest of us. Questions? I’m happy to scheme with you.

In the midst of a lot of important news in recent days, I hope this didn’t slip by: President Trump has decided no more than 18,000 refugees will be allowed to enter the U.S. in fiscal year 2020.

While the U.N. estimates around 25 million refugees in the world, we say no more than 18,000 can come here. I am ashamed and angry. If this figure, the lowest cap in the history of the program, does not at least give us pause, we should not call ourselves pro-life.

So what are the concerns?

Safety: If we let in refugees, we may be letting in terrorists unaware.

Money: Refugees cost too much to take care of. And, really, we can’t afford to help everyone, right?

Triage: The overwhelming situation on our southern border needs to be addressed before we can consider other issues.

I want to hear and acknowledge these concerns, but find them woefully inadequate rationale for this decision.

If you disagree, help me understand by commenting below.

If you agree, join me in taking action.

What can we do?

Get informed: Learn how refugees are vetted. Read this book or skim this article.

Go to this Facebook page to restore your hope.

Buy this sign for your yard. Maybe get two and find a sympathetic neighbor. It can be scary to stand alone!

Advocate: In April of this year a bill was submitted in both the U.S. House and the Senate called the Grace Act. It requires the annual cap on refugee admittance to the U.S. be no lower than 95,000, the average cap since 1980 when Congress passed the Refugee Act. Find your Representative here and your Senators here. Email them requesting support for the Grace Act.

Finally, share this all over. Congress is allowed to comment on the President’s number. Perhaps there’s still time for change.