First posted on middleeastnews.org.uk, a blog contributed to by westerners commentating on living life in the Middle East. Follow their blog for interesting stories, poetry, recipes and applied theology. There are many times when we have heard devastating stories from people’s lives. I have been learning how to respond with love, faith, empathy and compassion. …
Now, lets go forwards in time to Jesus. Jesus went to live in the region of Galilee. Matthew tells us that this was, “to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people …
People of the Middle East love word plays. We use rhyming phrases all the time, for example: Kul Franji Branji = which means “Everyone foreign is exciting.” Late night conversations outside our building with our neighbours are richly flavoured with these short sayings, proverbs and rhyme. It is part of the Art of Middle Eastern …
We moved apartments at the beginning of December, partly because (due to the economic situation here) our rent had got very expensive, but also because we’d found that local friends no longer visited us in our old apartment because it was too far away. This was something we wanted to change. By God’s grace, we …
“We are never going to see a world saved with an extraordinary few, we are going to see a world saved with an ordinary multitude.” This is a quote from Andy McCullough at the recent Unreached conference. If you were unable to make the conference and have not had a chance to listen yet, I …
An Ordinary Multitude – Reflections on Unreached21 Read More »
An honest account of a church-planter who came to the end of herself and why it was just what she needed Pulling my mask aside to sip my coffee, and thankful that the people around me in my local coffee house didn’t know English, I poured out my heart down the phone to a mentor …
I’m really enjoying Moffett’s History of Christianity in Asia, and am struck by this paragraph summarising Jacob Baradaeus (Yaqub al-Barada’i) and his extraordinary church-planting impact. Here’s the paragraph: “Jacob never really lived in Edessa, his episcopal seat. The police were too hot on his trail… For over thirty-five years, from 542 to 578, Jacob eluded …
Andy McCullough’s new book is coming out soon. Below is a sample from the story of Rahab. Jericho. One of the oldest cities in the world. City of palms, where the Judean wilderness meets the Jordan valley, and date palms stretch as far as the eye can see. It’s harvest time, early spring, when the …
The Bethlehem Story: Mission and Justice in the Margins of the World, by Andy McCullough Read More »
One of our friends in the Middle East was in the mountains last week and bumped into a shepherd. They had a chat about the Parable of the Good Shepherd and caught it on video. Enjoy a brief watch.
