Country of the Day: Burundi

Good news- after yesterday's post about Burkina Faso, I received a page view from, you guessed it, Burkina Faso. This is great! Hopefully, that person either read about the Truth of Christ on here, or was encouraged by reading that we are praying for movement in their country.

Today's country is another one you probably haven't heard of: Burundi. Burundi is an East African nation with a population of 9,863,117.

Of this almost 10 million people, 67% are actually Christian. Largely Roman Catholic, this is a surprisingly high number for an African nation. 23% have indigenous beliefs, and another 10% are Muslim.

Burundi is a country riddled with disease and very poor. HIV/AIDS is killing many there, as are malaria, rabies, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever. 68% of the country is below the poverty line, and the life expectancy is only in the 50's.

Let's all pray that the Christians of Burundi remain strong, and are set afire to spread the Word throughout the country to the rest of its peoples. Also, let us pray for healing, medical care, and resources for Burundi. I've never heard of Burundi, much less anyone reaching it. Let's hope this changes.

For more information on Burundi, go to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/by.html

Thought from the Retro Bible: I'll Be Your Servant This Evening

" 13 'You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." -John 13:13-17, NIV

Foot washing in Jesus' day was a nasty job. The roads back then were mostly dirt, and pretty much everyone wore sandals. You can imagine how nasty people's feet were after walking on the roads, in those shoes, all day. Usually, a servant would get stuck with washing people's feet, but here, we see Jesus doing it. Jesus showed His disciples, and anyone who wanted to follow Him, that we have to be willing to do jobs that no one else wants to do. How about you? You willing to get down and dirty to help others?

This thought has been paraphrased from Revolution: The Bible for Ten Guys.

Country of the Day: Burkina Faso

Today's country is Burkina Faso. If you're like me, you've never heard of it. It's a Colorado-sized country on the west coast of Africa. Now we've both learned something today.

Burkina Faso is 50% Muslim, and another 40% of their population practice indigenous (local) beliefs. A mere 10% proclaim to be Christian (Roman Catholic, mostly).

My prayer for Burkina Faso is that the ten percent professing to know Christ have a fire lit under them, and they are able to spread the Good News like a wildfire. This is not a case of a hostile nation toward Christianity, just one without a Savior. This is a nation that has around 14.6 million lost souls. I hope you extend your prayers out to them.

For more information, go to http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107369.html

Country of Day: Bulgaria

Lots of new things on this blog! Let's look at the makeover:

-The Archive has moved to the bottom of the page, so it's now easier to read.

-Just above the Archive, there's now a Music gadget. I put a few songs on there for now; more will come later.

-My contact info is now clearly presented at the top, including the new email for this blog: the freedbug@aol.com. Please talk to me!

-Biblegateway.com has a gadget for looking up Scripture, which is now also on my sidebar. It should be pretty useful.

One more new thing: in addition to the "Thoughts from the Retro Bible", each day we will also feature a "Country of the Day." Every day, I will post a country and what its religious prayer needs are. I have been working through a list of countries for a while now, praying for them and their needs, and I'd like anyone who reads to join in with me. Today is Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is about 84% Christian (83% Bulgarian Orthodox). Another 12% is Muslim, likely the effect of around 10% of the Bulgarian population being Turkish. The final 4% are other religions.

Let's pray for the Bulgarian Christians to remain strong, as they have a strong Islamic presence to combat. 12% doesn't sound like a lot, but that's over 1 out of every 10 people. My prayer is that the 84% are able to stay strong and true to the Gospel, and that the eyes of the other 16% be opened to the Truth.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bu.html

Jesus and Your Five Dollar Foot-Long

Well, I was preparing a completely different approach for this blog, and in fact, a completely different topic. However, God decided that He had a different point for me to write on, and struck me with inspiration in one of the more unlikely places.

As I came home from work tonight, I went to the movie store, rented a movie, and then decided to grab a bite to eat. I received a Subway gift card for Christmas, and decided that, since Subway is in the same parking lot as the movie store, it would be an opportune time to use some of that gift card. Unfortunately, I failed to beat a middle-aged couple into the building.

Now, there are two major types of Subway eaters. I have observed this over the years. The first are the ones that get the same sandwich or at least a similar sandwich every time. They know what they like, and they rarely stray from it. The second group are the adventurous, indecisive type. They flit back and forth every time through the door, changing their minds as rapidly as a hummingbird flaps its wings. "There's a new sandwich?! Let's try it!" This middle-aged couple were definitely of the second group. Predictably, I am not.

As I stood in line for what felt like an eternity, I made an observation. As the adventurous sandwich-eaters ahead debated between the multitude of sauces available, I noticed just how many options Subway offers. It's almost as if there are options for every personality and interest. Are you a Spicy Italian or a Sweet Teriyaki? Part of the Green Movement? Try a salad. Believe in "going big or going home?" Have a Philly Cheese Steak. Rebellious? Have a pizza at the sandwich shop! It's almost mind-blowing. So many possibilities, so little stomach room.

This, to me, reflects the American way of life perfectly. There's something out there for everyone. Some kind of group, some kind of hobby, some kind of something to spark your interest. Of course, this attitude spills over into spiritual matters, and that's my focus here today.

Just like the Subway eaters, there are two types of religious people. Option A are the ones who are dead-set in their own religion, believe that it is the only way, and that no one else can be correct. Option B says that everyone has to find the religion or spiritual preference that suits their personality and needs. Option B says that Option A is narrow-minded and has "tunnel vision"; it's "their way or the highway." I'm here to show you that Option B is not a valid position.

Option B is known as universalism, and I believe it has come from two different parts of modern philosophy. The first is tolerance, and the second is individualism. Let's focus a bit more..

Tolerance has become the popular stance in America and no doubt the rest of the world, for some time now. Now, continue reading before sending me an email. I am about to make a clarification. Some tolerance is not only correct, but Biblical. Jesus has called us to love everyone. This means that any prejudices or racism or sexism that has infiltrated your life must be purged; you cannot love another person as you are called if you hold on to a negative prejudice towards a group of people. Tolerance becomes wrong, however, when it allows sin to continue or even be praised. The call for tolerance toward the gay and lesbian communities are the first that come to mind. Homosexuality in clearly against what the Bible teaches, as we can see:

"9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching ." -1 Timothy 1:9-10, HCSB

This attitude of tolerance has become the "politically correct" way to be, and is the Western standard now. If you do not accept everyone exactly as they are, you are an ignorant, self-righteous imbecile. Unfortunately, this has bled into the churches, and has weakened the strength of the Gospel. People are so afraid to say that someone may be wrong in their belief, as that "wouldn't be nice." Let me be frank: If someone doesn't believe in Jesus, you are condemning them to Hell by allowing them to believe that their choice of religion "could be right." Staying quiet doesn't seem as nice anymore, does it?

Individualism is another reason for the spread of universalist attitudes. This modern world is very fond of the saying "do what feels right." If you want spicy ranch on your sandwich, sure. If you want pizza at Subway, sure. If Buddhist meditation and karma suits your life better than Christianity, sure. As Burger King says, "have it your way." Many people, such as Oprah, believe that it is OK to have this stance towards religion. They say that it is all the same god, anyways, so who cares? Allah, Jesus, the Hindu gods: all the same deity, just expressed differently. I tell you that this is inaccurate.

The Quran, the holy book of Islam, holds many different views from the Bible. For instance, the Quran states that Jesus was a human prophet, and yet the Bible states that He is the same as the Father, and therefore the Creator of the universe. These two points right here clearly disagree, and are among the multitude of differences between Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others. If they are all disagreeing, how can they be all right? Simple: they cannot.

"6 Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" -John 14:6, HCSB

It can't be put anymore clearly than that. No one comes to God except through Jesus. He said it Himself. If there was ever a verse to dismiss universalist views, this was it. Mohammad? Nope. Buddha? Nope. Abraham? Nope. All of these men were just that: men, and men only. They had no ability to save you from judgment. Notice I said "had": they all died, and never came back. Only one man ever died and came back to life on His own power, and He is the only way to eternal life.

Are you looking for the correct sandwich for eternal life? I tell you that there is only one option, and his name is Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord.

Thought from the Retro Bible: You Ain't No Judge

"24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." -John 7:24, NIV

Jesus accused his opponents of making shallow, biased judgments of his ministry. That's the problem with judging strictly by appearance: your conclusions about someone else may be superficial and inaccurate(This thought was brought to you courtesy of Revolution: The Bible for Teen Guys).

Are you being judgmental with someone around you? Maybe it's someone at school that seems a bit snobby, or someone at work that's kind of weird. Jesus taught us to love everyone, and that's precisely what we should do. As hard as it is, let's try to keep it in perspective and get to know people (I mean, really know. Not learn about them through gossip) before we make any kind of judgment. We are all made in the image of God; who are we to judge His image?

An Update, and Something New to Do

Hey guys! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. I know my family and I did. It's always good to have a white Christmas, and we certainly did here! I love it!

It's been a few days since I posted, and I have a reason. I have been quite sick, and simply didn't feel like posting! However, the Lord has allowed me to start getting better, and therefore I return to you. This is not a deep, long-winded post, as that should come tomorrow (I'm working on one). I do have a few things to address, however. :)

First, I want to thank everyone that read my last post. I received a lot of nice feedback, and I really appreciate that. I makes me desire to write more about the wonders of God, if I feel they are reaching people. Which leads me to my next point..

We've made it to China! For anyone that doesn't know via Facebook, I'm really pumped about that. China is a Communist country, and thus does not promote anyone having religion. While they are not as strict as some other countries, they are tough enough that yesterday, during his Christmas speech, the Pope felt the need to call them out for their attacks on Christianity. In fact, Christianity is only allowed to exist because it profits China's ever-growing economy. When some of your biggest customers are nations like the US, Britain and Australia, which all have large Christian populations, it isn't good business to imprison their kind.

Regardless, this blog got into China, and that shows that the Internet may be an effective way to reach the people of China and other nations that are hostile to the Truth. Other countries we have reached, as of today, include: Canada, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Germany, Croatia, and Slovenia. This is great news to me, that people all over the world can be touched by God's Word through this blog. It's also a lot of pressure to make sure I do what He tells me to write, as well!

One last thing: an update on my "expedition" through the Bible in a year. I am now nearly at the end of my stay in the New Testament, as only the Books of John and Acts remain (yes, I went out of order). As I go through, I want to share something with you each day, more than a long post every few days. Therefore, a feature I kind of started on my old blog, Life in a Mason Jar of Lightning Bugs (if you would like to know the meaning behind both of these titles, please leave a comment. I will post an explanation) will be resurrected. It will now be called "Thoughts from the Retro Bible."

This will be a daily thing. My old "teen" Bible has all kinds of little boxes in the middle of passages, highlighting meanings and themes. For each day, I will find one that pertains to what my reading was. Some days I may paraphrase the Retro Bible's "helper box"; some days I won't. As an example, today's reading was John 1-4. My Retro Bible post begins now.



Thought from the Retro Bible: Stay on Your Toes

"5 His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water'; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.' 11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." -John 2:5-11

There's an important lesson here: Always be ready to do anything for God, however crazy it may seem. You never know when there's going to be a miracle just around the corner.

This thought was brought to you courtesy of Revolution: The Bible for Teen Guys.