100 years ago today - the present day Middle East Crisis began.

Today marks the beginning of the present day Middle East Crisis.

Without any agreement of the Ottoman Parliament, ships belonging to the Ottoman Royal Navy bombarded two Russian ports in what is today Ukraine. These ports were Odessa and Sevastopol. Admiral Wilhelm Souchon was a German military officer.

The next day, Russia began its war against the Ottoman Empire.

World War I brought about the end of the Ottoman Empire, the death of millions of Russians, Ukrainians and Turks. Over 1,500,000 Armenians died in the conflict in what is today eastern Turkey. Over 5,000,000 Ottomans died in the agonizing collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the borders of present day Middle East were drawn by English and French politicians.

Galipoli became a house word name as eight months of cruel battle shaped the political destinies of far off New Zealand and Australia.

Today is a very sad day - but not as sad as the day that all the men in the photo made their attack on Russian war ships, and then faced their own deaths later on.

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The Lion Whisperer: "Eyes, and hugs, only for Kevin" -

In South Africa, Kevin Richardson is applauded for his amazing rapport with adult lions. In this, and other clips, the adult lions interrupt Kevin, hugging him, as he explains of how he "adopted" them as cubs after the mother abandoned them.

Video here. 

The Anglicans: One of their finest hours. (Or, Why don't we celebrate such great stories?)

Traveling in India, one cannot help but note the influence of England: trains run on time, cricket captures and endlessly ensnares the passions of young men and the court system is based on British concepts of law.

How did all this happen? It was due to one of the Anglican's finest moments. India drew British missionaries, some of the most capable to ever graduate from Oxford and Cambridge.

Henry Martyn (1781-1812) translated the New Testament into Urdu and Persian, and this translation work founded the development of a national language. Many other scholars influenced the groundwork of education and the development of India's modern languages.

Decades of sacrificial service by Bible translators made it possible for the British government to agree to making Hindustani their court language at the lower levels of administration.

This meant that a peasant in North India could go to a British court, and understand the prosecutor, witness, lawyers and judge. Gifted Indian writers could write in a language that even the most humble could appreciate. Previous to this, the court language under Akbar (15556-1605) was Persian.

Claudius Buchanan (1766-1815), Charles Grant, Alexander Duff, Charles Trevelyan (1807-1886) and Lord Macaulay (and hundreds more) showed an interest in enriching Indian vernaculars, educating the masses and preparing India for self-government. John Borthwick Gilchrist (1759-1841) developed "Tables and Principles" of Hindustani.

These men, their wives and  others, were supported in England by giants of the faith, such as Charles Simon (1759-1836), whose ministry in Cambridge constantly challenged students in the university to serve India. Together with others, such as William Wilberforce, (1759-1833). they opposed the lucrative slaver trade, of which the British Company was most famous.

Sir William Muir, (1819-1905)  founded the University of Allahabad as Muir Central College, which influenced many of India's greatest statesmen and women. "It's educational and political culture forged by its municipality, High Court, university, press and a strategic location gave India five of her first seven prime ministers. (p. 207, The Book that Made Your World.)

Charles Trevelyan could not have been more blunt. He foresaw, and encouraged, India's Independence!

He was 120 years ahead of his time when he wrote: The existing connection between two such distant countries as England and India, cannot, in the nature of things be permanent; no effort of policy can prevent the natives from ultimately regain their independence. That was written in 1838!

The influence of the Bible and the application of the teachings of Jesus to "Love your neighbor as yourself" led to opposition of traditional beliefs and practices: widow burning, infanticide, untouchability, temple prostitution, polygamy and idolatry.

Most important of all, the concept of "one person-one vote" illustrated the dignity of all citizens, with freedoms guaranteed by a Constitution and free elections. Today, when elections take place in India, the process for so many hundreds of millions to vote is an epoch event: it takes days to vote and more days to count the votes.

Mahatma Ghandi, a Gujarati, and Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali, met in the 1920's and decided that Hindi, not Sanskrit, and not English, had to be India's future.

For a fascinating "re-discovery" of many ways that our modern world has been influenced by these giants of literature, education, science, music and other aspects of culture, I highly recommend the book The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, by Indian writer, Vishal Mangalwadi. (published by Thomas Nelson, 2011)

If you are looking for a great book as a Christmas present, one that will keep you going back to it over and over again (unlike most websites these days!), I suggest this book as a modern day treasure!

The Sad Unraveling of the World-wide Anglican-Episcopal Church Communion

This article, from The Anglican Curmudgeon, is a summary of events taking place in the Anglican Communion. Beginning in the 1980's a more liberal theology led to startling changes in the early 2000's, especially on the nature of Jesus Christ, Salvation, and approaches to human sexuality. The Anglican Communion, the world's third largest grouping of Christians, is facing a unparalleled struggle to keep itself together. The Anglican church in the 2/3'ds world is growing dramatically, while in England, USA and Canada it is shrinking very quickly.

I highly recommend that you read this article. You might want to bookmark the blog site. The author, who is a practicing lawyer, deals with issues of vital importance to Americans in general and Anglicans in particular.

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In times like these, how should we pray for our elected officials?

Take a minute and learn how to pray for your elected officials. This is not an easy time for people in public office and we should pray for them. Read more.

REFUGEES FROM SYRIA: Syrian Christians take Refuge in an Istanbul Church

A fine story appeared today in Istanbul. A family of 18 persons took refuge in a church in Istanbul.

The Meryem Ana (Mother Mary) Church of the local Syriac community in Istanbul’s Samatya neighborhood is also hosting Syrian Armenians and Berbers. Turgay Alınışık, the manager of the foundation for the Syriac community, told Hürriyet Daily News that the number of refugees taking shelter in the church was constantly changing.

The church provides refuge for all, regardless of their religion or sect, Alınışık added. Read more.

A Unique Day: Jewish Yom Kippur (with no blood sacrifice) and Muslim Kurban (with sacrifices)

In a unique coincidence, this year's Jewish and Muslim most holy religious holidays fell on the date. It may be a hundred years or more until this happens again.

The Jewish "Yom Kippur", or Day of Atonement, - for forgiveness of sins - started on Friday, October 3rd and continued all day until the evening of Saturday, October 4th. Because Herod's Temple was destroyed in AD 70, no blood sacrifice was made.

The Islamic "Kurban Bayrami", or Day of Sacrifice, - for forgiveness of sins, fell on Saturday, October 4. Millions of animals across the Muslim world were killed, or "cut" as a knife severed the necks of the sacrifice animals. In Istanbul, the waters of the mighty Bosporus  changed color with blood from the sacrifices - read here.

Jews remember the sacrifice made by Abraham, which according to the Torah, tell of a ram being caught in a bush close by to where Isaac was bound on the altar.

Muslims tell the same story, but say that Abraham was stopped from offering Ismail.

Christians do not celebrate the Jewish holiday, which falls on the "blood" being taken into the most holy place and the "body" taken outside the camp on the tenth day of seventh month".

Instead,  Christians hold that Jesus Christ - Yeshua Messiah - fulfilled all the requirements of Leviticus 16:1-34, and 23:26-32 by making one sacrifice - himself - so this sacrifice does not need to be repeated.

In the time of the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, once a year the High Priest was to offer 1) a young bull and take the blood into the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle; 2) a ram for a burnt offering; and 3) another ram taken outside the encampment and deserted in the wilderness. Atonement involved both the shedding of blood and the removal of the body of a scapegoat.

Hebrews 10:19 shows the fulfillment of this: 1) We are to enter with confidence "the most Holy place - heaven - by the blood of Jesus;  and 2) we are to go to him outside the gate - where Jesus body suffered - Hebrews 13: 12.

Thus, non-Jews - Christians - celebrate the Lord's Supper, where we remember his Body and his Blood - given as a sacrifice for the sins of the world; the "blood" which Christ has taken into heaven; and the "body" which was hung outside the city gate on a cross.

In Jesus Christ we see all the images coming together: the shepherd of the sheep, the Passover Lamb, the day of Yom Kippur - with a bull and a ram being sacrificed, and another ram being led "outside the gate".

Compassion and the Kingdom of God - Part11 in a Series

Our culture keeps telling us, "You don't have ENOUGH!"

TV: "You've got to buy this! Here are the new styles for summer! You've got to get them!"

Newspapers: "Here's the latest fad in diets!"

Magazines: "The ten best cars, and why you have to move up in life!"

"The interest rates are low right now! Get a bigger house! You'll be happier than you've ever been before in your life!"

Refusing to go along with the crowd is a sign that the Spirit of God is giving us the ability to live out the Kingdom of God in a broken, impoverished world. Living within our means, saving for the future and sharing with others: learning to live responsibly and unselfishly is encouraged by stories like this farmer's wife.

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This story will touch your heart.