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Is it a good idea for Christians to fast during Ramadan? I have friends living among Muslims for the sake of God’s kingdom who do so as a way of empathizing with their neighbors and co-workers and opening doors of conversation.

If ever I was going to fast during Ramadan, the fall of 2003 was the time. We were living in northern England that year when the fasting month ran from late October to late November. The daylight hours, during which observant Muslims are required to abstain from food, water and many other pleasures, were few and treasured. Sunrise around 8.30am. Sunset about 4.30pm. It would have been the easiest Ramadan ever! We felt for Muslims fasting in Australia!

Given the crazy tension currently characterizing Christian-Muslim interaction, I propose we fast a bit this Ramadan, which goes from to May 27th until June 24th. I plan to skip one meal each Friday (I know, really swinging for the fence, eh?). I’ll use that fast to focus prayer on Muslims near me and far away. I’ll also pray against the violence that sometimes raises it’s ugly head during Ramadan. If you’ll join me in that, fire off an email and I’ll send you a very brief prayer outline to fuel your efforts. Please forward this to your tribe and let’s ask God for a crowd of faster/pray-ers!

If you want to take it a step further, check this out: My friends Jessey and Jeff are promoting an effort in which Muslims invite Christians to share a fast breaking meal (iftar) with them during Ramadan. Check here to see what events are happening near you.

Next week we’ll hear from a Muslim what Ramadan means to him.

Next Friday is a significant day. Mostly because our next to youngest child graduates from high school! (Congratulate Alia here!) It also marks the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. From the evening of May 26th until the evening of June 25th, faithful Muslims will avoid eating during daylight hours. They will also refrain from smoking and sex, while emphasizing generosity and good deeds.

I used to think this was a dopey way to fast. Just don’t eat during the day, then feast at night! Three things have lightened my judgement: It’s more fasting than I do. It’s got to be hard to stop smoking every day when you start again every night. And three, it’s not my religion, so maybe I should be a little hesitant to judge their fasting!

Why should you care that it’s Ramadan? Two reasons. For the food! The family oriented feasting and fun at night is a big deal. Ramadan is sort of like Black Friday for Muslim grocers! The evening fast-breaking meal is called iftar and I encourage you to try to get invited to one!

Secondly, Ramadan is a good time to pray both for your Muslim friends and Muslims generally. It’s a spiritual-seeking time for many. Pray that God would speak, guide and enlighten. If it would be helpful, quickly grab a copy of 30 DAYS Muslim Prayer Guide: 2017. This is a high quality guide that will inform and energize your prayers. They also have pdf versions for both adults and kids.

Do you ever feel like I do, that there’s no way little you can make a difference against the massive issues the world faces? Like maybe the only rational thing to do is eat Fritos and watch Jimmy Fallon cuddle animals with the Crocodile Hunter’s son?

I’ve got good news: Little people like you and me can make a difference because we’re kids of a big God who hears and responds when we pray. [tweet this]

Granted, prayer doesn’t often work the way I want. Basically because it’s tough for me to think more than 18 secs and 30 feet down the road! But here’s some solid “Piper on prayer” that never fails to give me perspective.  Piper talks of God, “beckoning us into our share in the running of the universe!” Whoa! Serious? I think so.

And if it is so, you and me praying for Muslims specifically and some of our broader issues with Muslims corporately (Perceived or real, I’m not judging here.), can make a difference.

If you’re with me so far, can I suggest you pray for yourself, for Muslims and the rest of the world the words many faithful Muslims pray many times each day, “Guide us to the straight path.” Sura 1.6 That’s what we want, right? Wisdom to follow God, for ourselves and everyone else.

My strong conviction is that Jesus spoke truthfully when he said, “I am the way.” I want you and me and Muslims everywhere to find and walk the straight path, to experience every bit of the abundant life Jesus has in mind for us.

Join me and Muslims everywhere in praying that God would help us walk that straight path.

If your church is a little edgy and you’re more than a little brave, you may want to try this.

A friend asked me to talk to some rowdy, smelly, lovely church kids recently. It didn’t take long to discover I’m not very good at that. Luckily I also found that if I posed a couple of questions, the crazy kids actually preferred their talking to mine!

I asked them if they had any Muslim friends and what they know about Muslims. Some answers were startling. A sweet little hand shot up, “Muslims worship a false god,” then amended, “Muslims worship the devil.”

This has made me think two things: One, I hope no one is asking my kids these questions! And two, what should we teach our kids about Muslims?

It’s tricky. You want to be honest, but calming. Accurate, but sensitive to minds that can’t appreciate the complexities of political will conflated with religious rhetoric. (Like we even understand that!)

I think we can agree: We bear responsibility to train our kids to think and act like Jesus relative to Muslims. [Tweet this]

Here are three things we can tell them:

1. Some Muslims have done some terrible things, but almost all of them don’t do things like that.
2. God loves little Muslims kids just like he loves little Christian kids: Big time! Deep and long and wide and he wants them to have great lives now and forever. [Tweet this]
3. You don’t have to be afraid of Muslims. Almost every Muslim you’ll ever meet would rather be your friend than your enemy. And if you bump into someone who wants to be your enemy, Muslim, Christian or Martian, God’s got your back.

By God’s grace, may our kids do better than us. May they love deeper, with action and authority, courage and kindness. May they share the life of Jesus you’ve shared with them with many people everywhere.

Yesterday was my birthday. I was reminiscing and recalled a dinner years ago in India at the home of a lovely Muslim family our group had befriended.

As soon as we sat, drinks appeared, followed by bowls, plates, platters and baskets, filled with yummy delicacies. I was hungry and partook freely! We laughed, talked, asked questions, learned and ate more, until we were stuffed, both mind and body.

At this point, our host, Uncle Fahrid, boomed, “Clear away the snacks! Bring dinner!” Had there been room, my heart would have sunk! “Dinner? What have we been having? Ack! Unless ‘dinner’ is kale chips, I’m in trouble.” It wasn’t: Rice, yogurt, vegetables, bread, all surrounding a huge mutton curry.

Plates were piled high. I timidly tucked in, immediately spreading food out to look like I’d eaten more than I had. Sitting next to me and seeing my slowness, Uncle Fahrid questioned, “What? Is the food not good?”

“It’s wonderful,” I honestly replied, poking more in. He beamed and deposited another huge chunk of mutton on my plate!

As I contemplated my inability to even begin to eat this, he stepped away to the kitchen. Opportunity! I drove my fork deep into the mutton and with ninja-deftness, plopped it onto his plate! He returned and continued eating unaware!

I won the battle, but lost the war. Staggering home that evening, my tummy hurt more than it ever has in India!

“Vigilante Hospitality” we called it. It’s one of the things I love in most Muslim cultures. I don’t understand all that’s behind it, but know I could learn a thing or two. [Tweet this] 

Tummy aches aside, vigilante hospitality is a hidden benefit of befriending Muslims. Better plan to run extra miles or buy bigger pants!

Know someone who’d like some good news about Muslims? Please forward this to them.

As I levered out a killer piece of concrete from the yard, I felt rising gratitude for simple machines. You know:  wheels, pulleys, levers, inclined planes, wedges and screws. And more gratefulness when a lever and wheel combo, in the form of a dolly, let me move heavy boxes of cabinets parts from the garage to the house where my rock star wife assembled them! Simple, elegant, essential. (Both the machines and the wife!)

Kind of like prayer. Uncomplicated, powerful, effective.

Have you ever prayed for a Muslim? Put your hand on her shoulder and asked an all powerful God to help her with her problems, ease her pain, comfort her fear? I have, but much less than I may’ve. One of the best ways to love Muslims like Jesus does is to pray for them. [tweet this] 

Personal experience, and confirmation from others, says most Muslims are happy to have a Christian pray for them. Many believe that Jesus healed the sick, drove out demons and raised the dead. And who among us, Muslim or Christian, couldn’t use some of that occasionally?!

If in-person, out-loud prayer pushes you too much right now, no worries. Start praying with this in the privacy of your home and build capacity.

When you do pray for a Muslim, aim to bless them. When it’s appropriate (And it is more often than we think!), simply ask, “Can I pray for you now?” Pray Jesus-centered prayers, listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading, and realize we share a common humility before an all-powerful God. [tweet this] 

As we celebrate Easter, remember, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” Let that reality encourage our hearts and empower our prayers.

Most of us are pretty much normal, right? I figure I am and assume you are. Yesterday I met a guy who definitely wasn’t normal. Not abnormal like he can whistle out his ear or throw a baseball with his foot. Rather he’s a middle-aged Israeli-American, born in the homeland, raised in New York City, of a Jewish mom and an Catholic Arab dad. His name is Isa and he works at an MCL Cafeteria in suburban Ohio! His life could be five legit short stories and a made-for-tv movie! On top of all this he is warm and friendly. You know, in an Jewish-Israeli-Arab-Catholic-Bronx Midwest way!

As you might guess, Isa’s religious outlook rings with, “Why can’t we all just get along?” (I imagine Eastorkippor being celebrated in his house!)

Issues ancient and complex often keep Muslims and Christians from “just getting along.” But this week can I remind you of something about which we agree: Jesus is alive. [click to tweet]

In the midst of all the things that separate us: theology, culture, language, fear, issues both real and fabricated, we find common ground in the conviction that Jesus lives. I love that. Over half the planet thinks Jesus is alive. Muslims and Christians are not completely at odds with one another.

Since the Quran teaches that Jesus didn’t die, our Muslim friends likely won’t join us this Easter in declaring, “Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!” Even so we do have a common place from which to begin conversations about Jesus. And I figure the more normal it is for us to talk about Jesus, the more he gets talked about. And hopefully, the more he gets talked about, the more he gets loved and followed.

Quick idea: Would this work in your bulletin or church newsletter this Easter? Please pass it along to the appropriate person!

Looking forward to Easter? If you love Jesus (or chocolate) there’s hardly a bigger day. I’d like to throw a wrench in your plans, though. If you don’t want that, now’s a good time to retreat to a tray of Peeps. There’ll be no shame. (Well, unless you eat the whole package!)

If you’re still here, I’d like to tentatively suggest you chew over the possibility of maybe considering perhaps contemplating asking a Muslim family to share Easter Dinner with you. Are you game? (Tweet this)

Reasons

This is our best holiday. Easter marks a central reality of our faith. It provides a wonderful opportunity to offer hospitality and talk about Jesus. Finally, it’s just a couple weeks away and you can do this.

Roadblocks

I don’t know any Muslims. Go to International Students Incorporated, click your state and email the nearest worker. (Alternatively, ask God for a Muslim friend by Memorial Day! Or email me for help.)

I don’t know what to cook. Trade lamb for ham and don’t serve wine. To be super careful, check zabihah.com for the nearest halal grocery. If your food’s from a place like that, it’s cool for most Muslims to eat.

I don’t know what to do? Eat and talk. (Persevere through the awkwardness.) Read the resurrection story together. Hunt for eggs! Everyone loves hunting eggs!

I think they won’t come. Some won’t, but my friend Umar says, “I would graciously accept the invitation and encourage my kids to participate in the egg hunt and other traditions. I would use this opportunity to teach them about the importance of building bridges and making friends with our neighbors. . .”

This could deepen and enrich your Easter celebration. Let me know what you think.

You expect the headlines, maybe even dread them, but still it’s a shock: Four dead in terrorist attack in London. The perpetrator, yes. But also a policeman, a mom picking up her kids and a husband from Utah. Dozens injured and thousands whose lives have been permanently marked.

What do we do? How should we feel? Does either really matter?

The mantra for this email, and increasingly my life, is think like God thinks and love like Jesus does. In Matthew 14 we see Jesus get hammered with the similarly crushing news of his cousin’s murder by the terrorist Herod. What did he think and do?

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. . . . When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Jesus headed to the hills. Often when Jesus “got away” it was to pray, to reflect and hang out with the Father. I wonder if maybe to also ask why.

But then the crowds crashed the retreat. Matthew says Jesus had compassion on them, he healed the sick, he fed them. I think we’re safe guessing he also told them some cool stories. Basically he got on with the work of God’s kingdom.

I’m not saying this is the correct, complete response for everyone. It neither erases anger nor eliminates confusion, but it’s not a bad place to start. Get some time to pray. Pour out your heart to the father, the good, the bad and the ugly. (In case that doesn’t just describe my heart!) Then see the crowds and wade in. Heal the sick. Feed the hungry. Tell the stories of Jesus to whoever will slow down for a minute and listen. [Tweet this]

There’s a barn near our house that local kids say is haunted. “When you step inside, you can feel the temperature drop!” I know. Spare the logic. It will do you no good! There is such mystery about the place, even with sun-to-shade realities being what they are, the reputation is hard to shake. Similar mystery also swirls around others’ places of worship.

Have you ever visited a mosque? If so, good for you. If not, it’s a good idea. A Christian isn’t cheating on Jesus by visiting a mosque.  In fact, it will probably make you a better Christian. (Tweet this.) Both Jesus’s words and his example encourage us to connect with people we tend to view as outsiders.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Call ahead: Mosques aren’t always open and the leaders may prefer visitors at specific times. Go Friday mid-day, and it will be the busiest. But you’ll also get to (have to?) sit through a sermon!
2. Go with friends: Pre-arranging with some buds will push you to actually go when the time arrives! Be aware, women should take a scarf and may be directed to their own place.
3. Sock foresight: You’ll be asked to take off your shoes. This will feel weird, but it’s ok. And no one will steal them. (Unless you go to this guy’s mosque!)
4. Kind and curious: Aim for a learner posture. Think of your visit as a class, not a crusade. Ask good questions. Sit in the back during prayer. Observe and pray.
5. Expect to connect: Ask God to lead you to people who might be up for coffee and further conversation.
   

Feel free to email me if you want to visit a mosque, but have more questions. (shanedar@gmail.com)