Christ and Country

                    Passover message for 2022 Over 2000 years ago in an upper room in Jerusalem, an itinerant rabbi/charismatic leader was breaking bread and drinking wine with his school of disciples at a Passover meal when he announced that someone in the room would betray him. Judas did just that for a measly 30 pieces of silver. Apparently, “the Devil made him do it,” or just maybe he was upset that their leader hadn’t yet met Judas’ expectations of rescuing their country and routing the army of soldiers and murderous politicians who had occupied and now ruled their country. In either case, Judas let his baser instincts and personal prejudices lead him away from following Christ. As much as we in America and many other countries want the murderous Vladimir Putin and his army of killers and rapists to get out of Ukraine, we need to remember that Putin’s mother secretly baptized him as an infant – that he claims to be follower of Jes...

                                      Why I cry: If you are reading these posts, you may be wondering way I am blogging about Russia or you haven’t read my book Memories and Miracles, about my missionary experiences in the former Soviet republics from 1989 through 2005. I first journeyed there as a peacemaker with a group called Peace Odysseys. Then, in 1991 I returned with a group called Creating a Sober World. This American group had planted AA groups and were recruiting volunteers to start support groups for family members. In 1992 Communism collapsed and Yeltsin was elected as the first president of the new Russian Republic. American missionaries were welcomed to plant churches and I was asked to put together a delegation to teach about alcohol addiction and recovery to new church leaders.   In the years following I lead American and Russian training teams working with a Russian mi...