God bless Fatima, a Christian martyr in Saudi

A young Christian woman was killed several months ago in Saudi Arabia. Fatima Al-Mutari didn’t die in one of Saudi’s 93,000 car crashes a year; and she didn’t die at the hands of a stranger. Fatima’s father, a member of Saudi’s powerful Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vie (PVPV) cut out her tongue then burned he alive because she dared to love Jesus.

And she dared to say it out loud.

Being a Christian in Saudi Arabia is no safe path, especially for someone like Fatima who walked away from Islam. Being a Christian here can be a death sentence.

We don’t know how she came to Christ, for example.

We do know she read about Christianity extensively online and participated in online Christian forums – often contributing under a string of aliases. 

And we know she spoke to others about her forgiving Savior, Jesus Christ.

Doing so is what got her killed.

As part of her testimony to the family, she proclaimed that the way of Christ is the most pure and most holy way of all. After sharing with her family, she found her brother in her room with her laptop open before him…Her laptop contained notes about her spiritual journey, which he was searching in order to find more evidence against her. Her brother locked her in the room for four hours, during which time she wrote a final letter on the Internet. Fatima was killed soon thereafter.

Fatima’s final letter is in the form of a poem, and it’s slowly making its way out of Saudi Arabia and into the world – a world which didn’t know Fatima when she was alive, and couldn’t comprehend the courage it took for her to choose Christ.

Here’s Fatima’s poem.

And We For the Sake of Christ All Things Bear
~A poem written by Fatima Al-Mutairi before her martyrdom~

May the Lord Jesus guide you, Oh Muslims
And enlighten your hearts that you might love otherrs
The forum does not revile the Master of the prophets
It is for the display of truth, and for you it was revealed
This is the truth which you do not know
What we profess are the words of the Master of the prophets
We do not worship the cross, and we are not possessed
We worship the Lord Jesus, the Light of the worlds
We left Mohammed, and we do not follow in his path
We followed Jesus Christ, the Clear Truth
Truly, we love our homeland, and we are not traitors
We take pride that we are Saudi citizens
How could we betray our homeland, our dear people?
How could we, when for death---for Saudi Arabia--- we stand ready?
The homeland of my grandfathers, their glories, and odes---for it I am writing
And we say, “We are proud, proud, proud to be Saudis”
We chose our way, the way of the rightly guided
And every man is free to choose any religion
Be content to leave us to ourselves to be believers in Jesus
Let us live in grace before our time comes
There are tears on my cheek, and Oh! the heart is sad
To those who become Christians, how you are so cruel!
And the Messiah says, “Blessed are the Persecuted”
And we for the sake of Christ all things bear
What is it to you that we are infidels?
Enough---your swords do not concern me, not evil nor disgrace
Your threats do not trouble me, and we are not afraid
And by God, I am unto death a Christian---Verily
I cry for what passed by, of a sad life
I was far from the Lord Jesus for many years
Oh History record! and bear witness, Oh Witnesses!
We are Christians--- in the path of Christ we tread
Take from me this word, and note it well
You see, Jesus is my Lord, and He is the Best of protectors
I advise you to pity yourself, to clap your hands in mourning
See your look of ugly hatred
Man is brother to man, Oh learned ones !!!
Where is the humanity, the love, and where are you?
As to my last words, I pray to the Lord of the worlds
Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance
That He change notions, and set the scales of justice aright
And that He spread Love among you, Oh Muslims.

God bless you, Fatima. And may your death not be in vain.

Let's get together and pray for Rush

Rush Limbaugh is the reason so many Americans have turned away from Christianity. 

It's a bold statement, but one I stand by. Here is a man who has gained notoriety - and thus influence - by spreading hate and discontent. Here is a man who has a long and sordid history. And here, too, is a man who has gone on the public record to say he hopes President Obama fails.

Oh, and did I mentioned Rush calls himself a Christian? Worse still, his devotees call him a Christian as well. And themselves too.

There have been a lot of studies recently showing that people think Christians are more judgmental, less forgiving and more hypocritical than non-Christians. These same studies show that people who do not yet know God, are turning away in droves simply because they see so many so-called Christians -the judgmental, damning, hypocritical people like Rush - and want nothing to do with them.

It's a shame, really.

Jesus tells us we are to pray for our enemies. And this is my prayer to Rush - a man I consider to be an enemy of Christianity.

I pray that he finds Christ. Not religion, but Christ. 

He's already found religion. Or at least that's what he says.

IOW - Growing love

Karen over at In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus is hosting In Other Words this week, and has chosen a message on love from Wayne Corderio

Love needs to be based on character, if you know and love God you see He has a lot of character we are in love with. The best thing we can do for our spouse is to grow in character as listed in 1 Cor 13. It’s a love of choice. We choose to love God, He chooses to love us. Love of choice is the most powerful love, God calls that agape love, it’s a love that lasts, we should never settle for anything else between us and God and others. It’s a love that grows. Keep fervent in your love, allow it to stretch and strain as you watch it grow.

I'm going to add in 1 Corinthians 13, as well, just for reference. 

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This parenting thing can be tough. Just when you think you understand your kids - how they think and react, what they dream and desire, how to meet them where they are - something changes and everything you thought you knew is obsolete like an avocado fridge. 

At least that's been my experience as the mother of four kids...err young adults...err kids, ages 19-22. Just when I think I have things figured out, some new challenge comes up. 

"Oh by the way, Mom, I got a tattoo."

"I can't pay my rent because I bought a new car."

"I think I want to quit college."

"Did I tell you I got my tongue pierced the other day?"

"I'm not sure this whole organized church thing is for me."

Kids. They sure keep us on our toes!

They also remind us that love grows ; that love NEEDS to grow and morph and redefine itself; that love sometimes buckles under the strain of change, and that it stretches us, allowing us to go places we never thought we would go.

Kids also remind us that lasting love - the love a parent feels for a child - is unchanging, constant and uncompromised.  As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, lasting love never fails.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.

The love we feel for our children changes, but it remains love.

And I like to think its the same with our love for God - and His love for us. 

It is unchanging and unchangeable. It speaks in absolutes. It  grows and stretches and strains, but it is lasting, never failing, always patient and kind. Always love.

Us for Him and Him for us.