Reaching Out While In Chains

"Yet, What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later."
  (Romans 8:18)

Sometimes the trials and tribulations that we go through in life result in us becoming self-centered and we spend a lot of time feeling sorry for ourselves. Instead of the trial drawing us to closer to God, in some cases we turn away in bitterness and anger.
This however was not the case in the life of a very courageous Iranian prisoner. Two years ago, Farshid Fathi, a pastor of the house church movement in Iran, was arrested and put in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. His crime? Apostasy and evangelism. Farshid left Islam and became a follower of Jesus Christ. This is illegal in Iran. He was sentenced to six years in prison, leaving behind his wife and children.
The conditions in Evin Prison are both psychologically and physically cruel. There are beatings, tortures and rapes reportedly committed by guards and officials behind these walls. It would be easy for Farshid to give in to his circumstances and spend the time being depressed and bitter over the trial he is enduring. Yet that is not the case.
On December 14, The world was shocked and saddened when a crazed gunman walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut and senselessly massacred 20 elementary students and 7 adults. The news of this horrible tragedy traveled around the world and reached the ears and eyes of Farshid Fathi. Shaken and saddened by this awful tragedy  Farshid responded with the love and concern of a pastor. He composed a letter to the parents of the Sandy Hook Elementary students expressing his sorrow over their loss.
He began his letter by identifying with their pain saying, "When I imagine how hard your pain is, I forget my sufferings."

Pastor Fathi reminds me of the great Apostle Paul who spent much of ministry writing letters of encouragement to the church while in prison. Paul exhorted Christians to rejoice in their sufferings instead of being bitter and to trust in the lord.
Expressing his love and sorrow for their pain, Farshid sympathisized in his letter by saying, "I believe we will have enough time in heaven with our lovely children forever. There is no gun there, there is no prison and there is no pain."
 Paul encourages us in Romans 8:18 that our present sufferings are so small and trivial compared to the glorious future that awaits us in heaven..
We can learn a valuable lesson from Pastor Fathi. In the midst of our suffering and pain our focus should be on the promise of Scripture and not ourselves. Farshid understood there are other people in the world who are undergoing severe trials that need our prayers and love.
Pastor Fathi reached out in love and prayer while in chains. What will be your response?

Reflecting the beauty of God

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us."
                     (Psalm 90:17)

As I begin writing this blog, I feel utterly inadequate to try and capture in words, the beauty and majesty of who God is. All throughout the Bible, God reveals his character and the inspired writers, use terms such as Almighty, Holy, Majestic and many other words to paint a portrait of His character. In Revelation Chapter four, John gets a profound glimpse of the throne of God in heaven.
John describes the One sitting on the throne as "brilliant as gemstones-like jasper and carnelian  And the glow of an emerald circles his throne like a rainbow."
 Words are almost inadequate to describe the power, purity and majesty of God. God is indeed awesome and majestic and beautiful in his character.
The Bible teaches we are created in God's image and because of that, we reflect the attributes of his power and purity in our fallen world. Sin has damaged and distorted that image and yet inspite of that reality, human beings still reflect His character in many wonderful ways.
Recently, I encountered a great example of how we reflect the beauty of God. I have two Iranian friends who are both gifted and talented in painting. Yasamin and Roshanak have displayed on their facebook pages, examples of their watercolor paintings. I was so impressed by the detail and beauty of their work, that I asked if could post them on my Facebook page. They excitedly agreed! Many of my friends who saw their paintings on my page were awestruck at the careful detail and beauty of their work.

When I write my books, I am careful to be accurate in the way I paint with words. Both Yasamin and Roshanak paint beautifully with their brush strokes and are careful to reflect accurately what they see in their mind's eye.
What I found so amazing about their paintings was the choices they both made. Yasmain and Roshanak live in a culture of fear and oppression. They are surrounded by the "ugliness'' of a government that supressses their freedom. Living in Iran is a day to day struggle and despite the ugliness of life, both of their paintings reflect a beauty that captivates the eyes. They both chose to paint the goodness and beauty of life. Yasamin and Roshanak did not allow the darkness and ugliness of their culture to tarnish their creativity. Instead they painted the beauty of life to remind each one of us that despite our circumstances, the goodness and beauty of God continues to shine and quench the darkness.
My Iranian friends are a great example to you and me. We need to take the gifts and abilities that God has given us and shine them brightly into a darkened world of sin. When we do that we are truly reflecting the beauty of God in an ugly world that is desperate for hope and freedom.

Blinded By Religion

On December 5, 2012, a faulty heater exploded in the Shin Abad elementary school in the tiny village of Piranshahr and severely burned over 40 students.
Quick to cover up their incompetence, the Mullah's intelligence agents warned families to not conduct interviews with news agencies. It is a well known fact that many of the elementary schools in Iran have worn-out heaters that desperately need to be replaced. A few days later after the tragedy, two of the young students died as a result of their severe burns.
Pictured here is ten-year old Yeganeh recovering from her burns in a local hospital  When the  Mullah saw her picture, he publicly complained that she was not wearing her hijab.
Religious rituals and traditions are destructive and deceptive!! The disease of being blinded by religion is a disease that can effect all of us. God desires mercy and compassion and instead many religious leaders fall prey to a system of rules and regulations that devalues and destroys human beings.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus encountered the blindness of religious traditions many times when he met with the Pharisees and scribes. On one occasion, the Pharisees complained to Jesus that his disciples were not following the prescribed Jewish hand washing tradition before eating.
Jesus immediately rebuked the blindness of the pharisees and accused them of replacing the law of God with their man-made traditions. The Pharisee were obsessed with outward religious purity while ignoring the real problem, the sinfulness of their hearts.

Jesus pointed out their dilemma that they were busy honoring God with their lips while their hearts were far away from him. "The real problem," Jesus emphasized was the condition of the human heart. "It's not what goes into your body that defiles you, "Jesus proclaimed, " you are defiled by what comes out of your heart."
The point Jesus was making was that their religious traditions had blinded them to the real problem and had corrupted the true intent of God's law.
Sadly, the Mullah in Iran is much like the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked because of their religious traditions. Instead of showing mercy and compassion for the young burn victim, he was more concerned that she was not in compliance with Islamic law by not wearing her veil.
How deep the blindness and deception!!
Yet, let's not be too harsh on the Mullah. All of us can fall victim to the blindness of religion. We need to take seriously God's command and what he requires of us.
Micah 6:8 is God's prescription that will keep us safe from this blindness:

 "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God."

 We can be safe from religious blindness if we practice what Micah tells us by having a heart of mercy and humility. Have you examined your heart today?

A Hunger for Justice and Freedom

"God Blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice:
  for they will be satisfied."
     (Jesus: Matthew 5:6. Sermon on the mount)


I remember working at the hospital when I discovered the good news on my cell phone.
"Nasrin Sotoudeh ends her 49 day hunger strike after Iranian officials agree to her demands."
I quickly took a second look to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Its not everyday that the government of Iran listens or agrees to the demands of political prisoners. Yes, it was really true! I wasn't dreaming after all. Tears of joy flooded my eyes. I rejoiced! I was so happy! I hurriedly posted the news on my Facebook page.
 For almost 50 long and emotionally difficult days, imprisoned human rights attorney, Nasrin Sotoudeh, courageously challenged the unjust restrictions the government of Iran had put on her family. Nasrin was now in her third year of serving a six year sentence in Evin Prison for defending the rights of protesters and speaking out against juvenile executions. Iranian officials had not been satisfied to just punish Nasrin. Now they were placing travel restrictions on her 12 year-old daughter Mehraveh and barring her visitations with the rest of her family.
 There is a limit to how much a person can stand by and watch a government oppress and violate the basic rights of human beings. All of her life, Nasrin had come to the rescue of the oppressed and stood in their defense. Now even behind bars, she fearlessly stood up against the system that had imprisoned her and challenged them to a contest of wills. And Nasrin won!!
 It was a very long and difficult battle. Her husband Reza many times tried to persuade her to give up the hunger strike. Yet Nasrin remained defiant and unmovable.
Now I understand why I dedicated my new book, "The Rose of Nowruz: dreams of hope and freedom," to this incredibly courageous lady.

There were many Twitter storm events for Nasrin, many, many countless prayers on her behalf. Everyday on my facebook page, I posted the latest news about her hunger strike. There is a very important principle to what Nasrin did. Jesus promised in his famous sermon on the mount, that God blesses those who hunger for justice. Nasrin's hunger strike was more than simply doing without food to get a corrupt government's attention. It was a hunger for justice, a hunger for freedom and I truly believe God rewarded her courage and compassion  He showed Nasrin and her family mercy and moved on the hearts of the Iranian prison officials.
 Certainly there are more battles and hurdles for Nasrin to overcome. She is still being unjustly held behind bars and even after her release she will be prohibited from practicing law for several years.
 Nasrin has inspired me that the hunger for justice and freedom can be won, but its a very long and difficult mountain to climb.
Yet God promises us He is with us. We're not alone. He will bless our efforts and we will be satisfied.
 If you hunger for justice, I hope your role model is Nasrin Sotoudeh. She is a shining star in the darkness of Iran.

The First declaration of Human Rights

 Iranians love the study of Persian History. They long to return to the glory days before the invasion of Arabs in the seventh century and the domination of Islam. One of the heroes of the glory days was Apranik, a courageous female commander of the Persian Army who bravely fought against the Arabs. This was the glory days where women were treated as equals and given true dignity and respect. One of the best known examples of "the glory days" is the artifact known as the Cyrus Cylinder. The Cyrus Cylinder is a scroll like cylinder with a famous inscription written on it by the hand of Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the great was king of Babylon in the sixth century who ruled over his subjects with fairness and decency. Inscribed on the famous cylinder by Cyrus are the foundational principles of justice, liberty and freedom. It is regarded as the "first declaration of human rights." Cyrus believed in ruling with these principles and granted freedom of opinion and basic human rights to his subjects. The heritage of Cyrus was a heritage of human understanding, tolerance, compassion and freedom.
 In the pre-Iranian government of 1979, The Shah of Iran declared that the cylinder was indeed the first charter of human rights. A replica of the cylinder is housed on the second floor of the United Nations building in New York.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad could learn some valuable lessons from this famous artifact. Before the domination of Islam, Iran enjoyed a heritage of real freedom and tolerance. The Iranian government no longer reflects this heritage. They have replaced freedom and tolerance with bondage and tyranny. The freedom to think and believe is non-existent. Every journalist, blogger, protester and politician is threatened with either death or imprisonment if they dare disagree with government policy.

The Cyrus Cylinder stands as a rebuke to the present government of Iran and also a reminder of the way God intended his people to be treated. Our human rights come directly as a gift from God. The Declaration of Independence, another ancient artifact, echoes the same theme as the cylinder that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Long ago, during the glory days of ancient Persia, Cyrus got it right! He left mankind with an artifact that should be the foundational guide of every government.
The Iranian government should not ignore their own history. They do so at their own peril!

A Tale of Two Courageous Women

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which
 you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself,
 "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
  You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
                                                                  Eleanor Roosevelt

  As I draw near to finishing my new book, "The Rose of Nowruz: dreams of hope and freedom," a book dedicated to My Iranian friends, my attention is temporarily distracted by the incredible courage of two amazing women, 14 year-old Malala Yousufzai and 49 year-old Nasrin Sotoudeh.
    The world was stunned and outraged by the senseless shooting of a young Pakistani woman by the Taliban. Fourteen year old Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head for standing up and speaking out for the right of every young woman in Pakistan to receive an education. Left for dead by the Taliban Malala was airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham, England where she received emergency surgery to save her life. Doctors are encouraged by her ability now to stand up on her feet and have sufficient memory recall inspite of her life-threatening injuries.

     Forty nine year-old Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights attorney in Tehran, Iran began a hunger strike on October 17, 2012 in Evin Prison, protesting the unjust restrictions put on her family visits.Prison authorities have forbidden her to hug her daughter and husband during visits and are denying them the right to leave the country.  In 2010, The Iranian government convicted Nasrin of acting against national security and spreading propaganda, sentencing her to more than 6 years in prison. Nasrin spent her professional career defending the rights of activists and dissidents and speaking out against unjust executions.
   This is a tale of two extraordinary courageous women who fearlessly stand up against the establishment and risk their lives for the cause of freedom. The selfless and courageous acts of these freedom fighters are very similar to the story-line of my new book, "The Rose of Nowruz." In a male dominated society where women are scorned and discriminated against, Malala and Nasrin are two "shining stars,"  lights in the darkness of fear and oppression. They have looked fear and death in the face and have put their lives on the line for the rights and freedom of women everywhere. 
Women in the Islamic world are crying out and standing up, refusing to be treated with contempt and cruelty. They are tired of senseless laws and restrictions which serve to reduce them to mere possessions and slaves. 
I am in awe of the courage and convictions of both Malala and Nasrin. They are the reason I will stop at nothing to get my new book into the hands of women's rights and human rights organizations all over the world. My friend Atefe, who lives in Tehran has challenged me to be her voice. She recently told me  in a chat that she hopes, "God causes my book to be famous so that every reader will hear the cries of every woman in Iran."
 I am humbled by Atefe's challenge. I intend to be her voice and further the cause of Nasrin and Malala. 
 I pray that the Taliban Gunmen are soon caught and punished. I think a fitting punishment for them would be to have to sit in a locked room with Malala for 48 hours and listen to her preach about the dignity and rights of women.

Hope in the face of death

"I am the resurrection and the life.
 whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
    (John 11:25)


All of us face the inevitable reality of death one day. It's a subject we prefer not to talk about and instead continue to make plans and pursue our dreams. Yet it's unavoidable. Death is all around us. Our lives are rudely interrupted by the tragic news of a best friend killed in a car wreck or a next door neighbor facing terminal cancer. The headline news is filled with murders, violence, and stories of incredible suffering and evil. The lives of people are shattered by this painful reality. Are there any answers that can give us hope in the face of death?
Nearly two thousand years ago, words of hope were spoken to a Jewish woman named Martha and her sister Mary. Their brother Lazarus had suddenly died and their lives were filled with grief and mourning until Jesus arrived on the scene.
Jesus gave Martha words of hope that shattered the darkness and reality of death.
Jesus proclaimed, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
 This is an incredible declaration that looks death right in the face and says, "I have the final word!"
 Jesus wasn't just trying to encourage Martha with a pep talk to soothe her hurts and pains. NO!

Right before the eyes of Martha and Mary and others gathered in the village of Bethany, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus come forth!" Still wrapped in his grave clothes, Lazarus emerged from the tomb to the astonishment of Mary and Martha. Death and decay were powerless against the command of Jesus and Lazarus was living proof that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be, "The resurrection and the life."
 Millions of followers of Jesus courageously risk their lives everyday, refusing to recant their faith because they have the assurance that at the instant of their death, they will stand before their living savior never to die again.
We live in a culture of fear and hopelessness with the certainty of death lingering all around us, interrupting our plans and dreams for "the good life." As a result many put their hope and faith in science or the latest diet fads to help them prolong their lives.
 However, the incredible promise of Jesus is the only words of hope that can overcome and destroy the sinful curse of death upon the human race. The promises of scientific progress and the claims of diet fads are built upon a shaky foundation in comparison to the promise of Jesus.
 You and I can confidently look death in the face and have real hope and assurance when we trust in Jesus. He alone has the words of eternal life. The curse of death is forever swallowed up by the greatest words ever uttered, "I am the resurrection and the life."