South East Asian Countries Facing Huge Challenges Amid Centuries Old Traditions.

I stopped to gaze at the old woman shuffling ahead of me on slippered feet. A flurry of colour enveloped her. She wore a traditional striped apron, an orange flowered waistband, and an incongruent silken blouse. The fingers of her left hand clasped a string of worn prayer beads and her right hand stroked the letters inscribed on the crimson and gold prayer wheels around the Stupa temple. Each wheel rumbled and moaned as she passed her hand across it and her mouth muttered rhythmic prayers. Like her, I had come to pray, but without the beads or the wheels. I was prayer walking, using the sights and sounds and smells around me as inspiration. I hadn’t wanted only to pray; I wanted to touch someone’s life, offering hope, or just lend a helping hand. My prayers seemed less real than hers. She could touch and count the words she offered through the spinning wheels. I had only my thoughts. I couldn’t help wondering as I watched the old woman: how long had she been coming here to spin the prayers of the ancient wheels? As I passed by her, she glanced up at me. I offered her a shy “tashi dalek” – “hello”. A smile lightened her worn face and I saw that her eyes were a liquid blue. Then she lowered her head and continued her ritual walk.

Spinning Buddhist prayer wheels in South East Asia.

Such are some the ancient traditions of the countries of South East Asia. Some of these traditions clash with the modern age that has quickly swept across the Asian region. The older generation clings to their traditions while the younger generation, much larger and wealthier, seek to progress into the future on the wave of technology. As Asia continues to boom economically, it will continue to face huge challenges. With a mix of religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Animism, Confucianism, and other belief systems, there is certainty that there will be a clash. Not necessarily between the religious faiths, although that is not out of the question, but between the past and modernity. How will the countries of South East Asia adjust to the modern age while still maintaining their traditions? Which religious groups will be able to make this transition easier than others? It will be interesting to watch in the years ahead to see if certain faiths are able to adapt to the new age or not.

Islam in Central Asia Torn Between the Past and the Future.

Gullia is Muslim and proud of it. Her people in Uzbekistan are all Muslim and it is unthinkable that she could be anything else. She is a pretty 19-year-old student who is into the latest fashions and music just like students all over the world. Gullia has an important exam next week so today she went to a shrine outside the city. She visited the grave of a holy man who is said to have performed many miracles. Gullia tied a small piece of cloth to the iron grill surrounding the shrine before stretching out her palms and praying for the saint to help her. She ran her hands down her face to transfer the blessing and murmured a quick “If God wills.” Orthodox Muslims would condemn this kind of superstition which dates back to the animistic beliefs of pre-Islamic Central Asia. These practices continue today with the frequent use of amulets, charms, curses and fortune telling. Gullia has never read the Qur’an and the only thing she knows about Islam is what her mother has passed on to her. Still, Gullia is proud of her glorious Islamic heritage.

Once she went on a school trip to Samarkand and was amazed by the dazzling tile work of the awe inspiring mosques built by Timurlane. Arab armies brought Islam to Central Asia in the 7th century. By the 14th century Samarkand and the region beyond the Oxus river was an intellectual center of the whole Muslim world. It boasted the most advanced astronomical observatory in the world at that time, while its poets and calligraphers were emulated all over the Middle East. Gullia didn’t hear much about Islam as she grew up since the 70 years of Russian communist rule repressed religious knowledge and belief. Muslim teachers were exiled to Siberia and it seemed that only elderly villagers continued to believe. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 more and more Central Asians have become interested in Islam as they seek to recover their historical identity. Gullia’s brother is fed up with the poverty and corruption he sees around him. He has read some Islamic books smuggled in from Afghanistan - but in secret for fear of being arrested and tortured by the police. Gullia herself shudders at the thought of being made to cover up like women in fundamentalist Iran. Some days Gullia wonders if there is another way to get closer to the God who seems so far away….

How Hindu and Muslim Fundamentalists Will Change India, China and the World.

The sheer size of the populations of India and China means that they will shape the future of the world. Both countries are in the midst of explosive growth, with India leading the way because they don't have child birth restrictions like China has. Seventy five percent of India's population is under the age of 35. China has interfered in it's birth rates out of fear of unrest. But that will come back to haunt them in the future as their population ages and there's no one to replace them.

India, with it's majority Hindu population and minority Muslim and Christian populations is a powder keg waiting to ignite. There are over 300 million Muslims in India and Christianity is growing rapidly through conversions. More people have converted to Christianity in India during the past decade than ever before. The justice movement for the suppressed Dalit caste has helped Christianity to grow. Millions of people, predominantly women, are looking for a way out of their oppression and they are finding it in the Christian faith. The Christian faith gives them the hope that they need to survive. Even though they remain in poverty, there are many organizations that are working to help educate the Dalits and other low caste groups. Many of the women in the lower castes are victims of sex trafficking and have been turned into sex slaves. Over 250,000 young girls are currently trapped in Hindu temples and forced to serve as sex slaves for Hindu priests. Temple prostitution continues to be a major problem in India. There are over 250 million Dalits and the number of them who have turned to the Christian faith is impossible to count. India is in the early stages of an explosive growth in Christianity. Currently there are over 3,000 Good Shepherd Community churches alone in India. There is a church "born" every day in India. In the next ten years, there will be more than 50,000 new church plants in the country. In each of the next 3 years, different Christian organizations run by nationals, will attempt to train new men and women to lead church congregations.

The growth of Christianity in India will permeate the entire country. In Europe, for example, Christianity will continue to decline while Islam will continue to grow. The rise of Islamic populations in Europe will change the culture and politics of Europe. Communities and families create culture. 60% of the households in the U.K. will be run by single parents by 2030.  India has had one culture for 2,500 years and the people want to change their culture but they still want community. Will they be able to do it? Gandi, Jesus and Mohamed all wanted their followers to exist in community. Which ones will actually be able to demonstrate that their specific communities work in harmony and unity with each other?

The Hindu community in India no doubt feels threatened by the rise of Christian and Islamic communities. Recently, 3 million Hindu fanatics gathered with the aim to reconvert Indian Christians back to Hinduism. It's spiritual warfare! A clash between religious groups is currently the biggest challenge in India today. It's also a huge challenge for China. However, many see Islam as the biggest threat to India today. The Muslim population in India is also growing, mainly through high birth rates. The struggle of 1.1 billion people in India will impact the world. The unfolding drama in India today is startling.  For India and China, the future of the world lies in their hands, but fortunately the entire universe is in the hands of God.

Here is information on how to find Peace with God.

The Culture Shaping Power of Stories in the Koran, Torah, and the Bible.

Well told or written stories have the power to change people, communities, nations and the world. Stories have the power to bless or curse. There are stories that give an understanding of reality, and those that don't. Throughout history, we see that story telling has influenced cultures like the internet is doing today. The Greeks, Persians, Turks, Arabs, Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Jews, and many other large people groups have all evolved into what they are today partly due to the stories that were handed down from generation to generation. The ancient countries of the Middle East, North Africa and along the Silk Road have been heavily influenced by stories that are thousands of years old. The Koran (Qur'an), Torah, and Bible have some of the oldest stories that include Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael and the tribes that followed.

The one who can tell the best story in the best way can often have the biggest influence. Not only the story itself, but how it is told and how others hear it. When the printing press came into being, millions more people were impacted through this mass media. Today it's the internet which we see can tell the stories of live revolutions such as those which occurred in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011.

In the beginning of the world, 75% of the way God communicated to man was through stories. The Biblical story is that God created a world and then invited mankind to live in that world. The Bible is a story of reconciliation and redemption.

Today there is an even bigger emphasis on storytelling. People love stories. People flock to movies all over the world. From Hollywood to Bollywood, the movie industry is big business because people love to be entertained by stories. Millions of people sit in front of their TV watching daytime and evening soap operas. Many of these people are addicted. People can get absorbed into a story so deeply that they accept it as truth even if it is fiction!

For a good book on this topic, read "The Power of the Story" by Leighton Ford

How Failures Can Help Your Job Hunt and Career.

This current Gen Y generation is so much about “me” that it needs to maintain a healthy perspective. What the Gen Y are engaged in is so much bigger than their daily tasks that they spend a lot of time working on. If our dreams are not fulfilled, it is easy to be dissatisfied and feel like a failure. When people go through a period of perceived failure, they can enter a prolonged period of depression.

There is a relationship between imagination and faith. Imagination is the foundation of faith and faith the foundation of hope, and hope is what people need who are looking for a job. 

We are given just a few years to live here on earth because when we look at our lives in the perspective of world history, our lives are just a moment in time. We are transients just passing through. Normally this would not give our lives much meaning, but with a look forward, we realize that we are a part of a very large story. As we work at our jobs, we need to understand, “What is the big picture we’re doing?”

It can help to keep an eternal perspective on our lives.

To set aside our selfishness and personal ambitions and live within the context of history is of great benefit. Even our failures can be the seed for someone else's success. But the world is a bigger story and our failures  and successes can play a key role in the overall plan. We wrestle with this concept because we want our dreams to come true. Even our failures can be the foundation by which other dreams may become a success.

David, king of Israel was an artist, a musician. He had is successes and failures written out in the Bible for all to read.

The successes and failures can be the foundation of the success and failures of others that come after us.

You are a part of something so much bigger than you can imagine. Our faith is not complete without the faith of those who came before us. There are those that have gone before us that give us perspective. The saints that have gone before us are a part of the great cloud of witnesses.

Moses persevered. He was a hero of the faith. These people were:
1.    humans with successes and failures
2.    they persevered regardless of the challenges and difficulties.

The next generation will go further than we have gone. What a wonderful joy to realize that God is using us in his bigger picture.

We are a part of a narrative of redemption that if we really understood this, we’d partner with each other with more determination.

Acknowledge moderate successes, reward great failures.

“The reason we see so far is because we stand on the shoulders of giants.”  - Isaac Newton

Are  you willing to be a door stop? If so, there will be people that can come after you, walk through the door and who will do greater things.

Things that seem tragic, God can use for his purposes. Let God write the script of the story. It’s a big story. God’s story is extraordinary.

There are real failures because we mess up, but perseverance is important. God births new things out of both successes and failures.

If a “failure” happens, it is a matter of perspective as to whether or not it really is a failure or not.

Some of your failures/successes, no one will know but you and God.

Attempt great things for God. God’s definition of success and failure is very different from how the world defines them.

The crucifixion of Christ is the ultimate example of what appeared to be a failure but was the ultimate success.

Churches and Christianity Continue to Grow in Kabyle Region of Algeria.

A growing church in the Kabyle region of Algeria was to begin meeting in their new building on Saturday, December 26. This is their usual meeting day, but they were planning to have a special celebration of the birth of Jesus. When the believers started to arrive at their new premises, they found around 50 Muslim protesters barring the doors. The church leaders contacted the authorities who responded by sending police who monitored the situation but didn’t intervene. The protesters continued their threats, saying that if the Christians continued to meet in this building, they would slaughter the pastor and his family. 

This church has seen incredible growth in the last few years, with many miraculous signs and wonders taking place while they meet. Many hopeless families and young people have found hope in Jesus through this ministry. The church leaders are not afraid or discouraged. They returned to their premises the next day and discovered 20 protesters still gathered there. They were able to share the Christian faith with them and give out New Testaments.

This incident was reported in one of the national newspapers, El Watan. According to the paper, the protesters were local residents who were upset at finding that a church building with many visitors from outside the area would be opening up next to their houses. The article highlighted some of the misconceptions that Muslims have of the church growth in Algeria, stating that they were afraid that their youth would be lured into the church with promises of money, visas, foreign wives or cell phones. The newspaper tried to play down the involvement of the Muslim fundamentalist groups, but it is highly likely that these groups will capitalize on local unrest and use this as an opportunity to further their agenda.

Dramatic Changes Along the Silk Road.

Two men from a Central Asian country recently flew to Afghanistan. They were on a spiritual mission. Upon arrival, they drove to a city in the north. After resting and changing into local dress, they picked up their backpacks of Christian literature. They had plans to visit five towns during their two week stay. 

These were places where no foreigner has ever preached the message of Jesus Christ. The men befriended a taxi driver who took them to his house, showed them around town, introduced them to his friends and invited them to stay the night. Many relatives and friends came to dinner. The men shared openly and a young boy who had been beaten and left disabled by religious Muslim leaders listened with tears. The men then prayed earnestly for the group of guests, especially for the boy. No one had heard prayer like that before. 

The same taxi driver continued with them from town to town. Everywhere people seemed poor and desperate. Islam had not provided them with what they had hoped for materially. Many pushed passport size photos into their hands begging them to give these to anyone who might be able to come and help them. The men considered ways in which they might help the people better themselves. Could they start some income generating business there?

In one town they made contact with a shoemaker who had converted from Islam to Christianity. His parents had been killed because of their Christian faith. They learned from him that there are at least one hundred families who follow Jesus though their understanding of the faith is weak. If teachers came they would be eager to learn. Soon the two men were full of ideas. "Choose 10 leaders from among yourselves. Gather them in a safe place and we can send someone to teach them. They in turn can teach the others. Perhaps two or three could even come and stay with us a for a time of leadership training."

Back home, at the end of this life changing trip, they shared their experiences and spread out the photographs on the table. They remembered their pleading, "Come and help us. Give us hope." Two small churches in Central Asia, who are very poor themselves, decided to "adopt" the new Christian believers in northern Afghanistan and help them grow in their faith. Such are some of the dramatic changes along the Silk Road.

One way that Christianity is being spread in Afghanistan is through radio. Pamir Productions has contact with many Afghan Christians. More stories like this can also be found at: More than Dreams.

Baptism in a Turkish Hotel Pool Surprises All

Seven years ago, a Turkish man named Yousef was tormented by demons. After recently accepting Jesus into his life, he was delivered from his tormentors and he wanted to be baptized. The Lord truly had touched his heart in a great way. One day while driving with a Turkish pastor, they stopped to eat at a hotel restaurant. The pastor saw a pool behind the hotel and it came to his mind that he could baptize Yousef there. But then he realized that it wouldn't be possible because lot of people were in and around the pool. In many Turkish churches, the common thing that can be heard is, "Don't let anybody see it happen." or "Don't let any people outside the church see the baptism." The pastor prayed while thinking these things and as they approached the pool he said to Yousef, "I suppose we couldn't do it here?" Yousef said, "Just a minute." and hurried to the reception of the hotel and asked, "Is it alright if I get baptized in your swimming pool? It will only take 5 minutes?" You can imagine how surprised the person at the reception desk must have been!

The next surprise came as Yousef emerged from the hotel with tens of people and the pastor thought they were coming to start a fight. They approached the pastor and said, "Mr. Priest, is it OK if we watch the baptism too?" Yousef had explained to them all what was happening and had invited them to come and watch.

The Lord had done this and Yousef was baptized in the pool with 20-30 Muslim spectators watching! The clapping after he came out of the water was more than the pastor had ever heard at anybody's baptism in his church and almost all of it being from unbelievers! Before they parted they were able to talk to the group of people at the baptism and distribute all the New Testaments that they had.

The Lord once again reminded Yousef and the pastor that He prepares everything and He will lift up his holy name. People need to simply give themselves to God and watch as He is the one who does everything.