Maybe the Lord is allowing you to go through some difficult circumstances today to prepare you for something He wants you to do tomorrow. I realize that thought might not comfort very that much in your present distress. You may be thinking, "No, this suffering doesn't make any sense at all. It's meaningless. There's no point to it."

Joseph might have thought that same thing at several points in his life journey. It's certain that Job did! But the truth is, God might very well be preparing you to touch someone else's life in a way no one else could.

If someone just found out they have cancer and you are a cancer survivor, you have no idea how much encouragement and perspective you can bring to such a person, who might feel as though he or she has been handed a death sentence. more >>

The head of the world’s largest evangelical body said Friday that he welcomed the unanimous condemnation of one church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran but challenged world leaders and the media to do the same for radical actions committed against Christians.

“Speaking out strongly against the proposed burning of Korans was the right thing to do and we warmly welcome the unanimous condemnation from politicians, religious leaders and the global media in this case,” expressed Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance.

“As we consider the outcry against this one small, obscure group, we now plead that the world’s leaders and media demonstrate the same kind of outspoken condemnation when radical actions on an equal or larger scale are committed against Christians.” more >>

I once pulled a lion’s tail at the zoo just to see what would happen. The results were not good. Suffice it to say that in the terrifying moments that followed I almost lost control of my bodily functions. I have never heard a lion roar from two miles away, let alone two feet away. Take my word for it, angry lions roar loudly when they want to eat you.

By the way, I wasn’t a three-year-old toddler or a thirteen-year-old teenager when I tugged on the tail. No, I was a thirty-year-old pastor out enjoying a date at the zoo with my soon-to-be-embarrassed wife.

Why do I bring this up? Because I’m sure that you, like me, have heard all about another not-well-thought-out idea from the pastor in Florida who has got a love for matches and a hatred for the Koran. On September 11, he and his gullible followers have been planning on burning a pile of Korans during what they have dubbed “Burn a Koran Day” But now they are re-considering. more >>

As thousands of Muslims worldwide gathered over the weekend to protest one Florida group's plans to burn copies of Islam’s sacred text on the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Christian leaders – liberal and conservative – reaffirmed their opposition to the burnings.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, said the council had chosen to reiterate its statement in response to "many requests from persons of good will who wish to make it abundantly clear to the international community that millions of Americans reject the anti-Muslim expressions of some communities who seem to be reacting out of fear and a misunderstanding of the true nature of Islam."

“Misguided or confused about the love of neighbor by which Christ calls us to live, leaders and members of [the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.] and others are engaged in harassment of Muslims, and in the planning of an ‘International Burn the Qur'an Day,’ to be held on September 11th,” stated the NCC’s original Aug. 11 statement. more >>

A group of religious and civil rights groups and family members of 9/11 victims announced on Wednesday the formation of a new coalition in support of an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero.

Calling themselves the New York Neighbors for American Values, the coalition stood near City Hall in lower Manhattan defending religious freedom and diversity.

"We share the pain ... and yes, even the lingering fear caused by the September 11 attacks. But we unequivocally reject the political posturing, the fear mongering and the crude stereotyping that seek to demonize the project whose goal is to build bridges among the faiths," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. more >>

The nation’s largest evangelical body is urging the Florida church behind “International Burn A Quran Day” to cancel its plans.

Plans to burn Islam’s holy book on the ninth anniversary of Sept. 11 shows “disrespect” for Muslims and would only “exacerbate tensions” in Christian-Muslim relations worldwide, stated the National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday.

“It sounds like the proposed Quran burning is rooted in revenge,” said NAE President Leith Anderson, in a statement. “Yet the Bible says that Christians should ‘make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else’ (I Thessalonians 5:15).” more >>