Julie and I have been blessed to experience many things in our lives, one of which is many different cultures.
Many of Julie's coworkers are Muslims, who are currently celebrating Ramadan: Ramadan or Ramazan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Angel Gabriel, to deliver it to Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refraining from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
We have made many friends at LISA Academy. One of the guidelines for breaking fast is that you must break it with someone else, fellowship. One of the perks of knowing many Muslims is you get invited to break Ramadan. As you know I love food, especially Turkish. So, Ramadan is a good time for me.
Seriously though, I feel there are many practices Muslims use during Ramadan that are beneficial to we Christians. One of which is the act of fasting. Muslims fast from food and spend that time focused in prayer, thanking Allah for blessings while recognizing the struggles of the poor.
The idea behind fasting during Ramadan is to understand the plight of the needy. There are circumstances when Muslims do not fast, pregnancy or other illnesses in which it is important to eat. If you do not fast you sacrifice something else in lace of food, ideally money for the poor and homeless.
Fasting is a great practice for Christians, to spend extra time recognizing and worshiping God, while using our gifts to bless those less fortunate.
More of the benefits of Ramadan for Christians coming up...
Many of Julie's coworkers are Muslims, who are currently celebrating Ramadan: Ramadan or Ramazan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Angel Gabriel, to deliver it to Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refraining from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
We have made many friends at LISA Academy. One of the guidelines for breaking fast is that you must break it with someone else, fellowship. One of the perks of knowing many Muslims is you get invited to break Ramadan. As you know I love food, especially Turkish. So, Ramadan is a good time for me.
Seriously though, I feel there are many practices Muslims use during Ramadan that are beneficial to we Christians. One of which is the act of fasting. Muslims fast from food and spend that time focused in prayer, thanking Allah for blessings while recognizing the struggles of the poor.
The idea behind fasting during Ramadan is to understand the plight of the needy. There are circumstances when Muslims do not fast, pregnancy or other illnesses in which it is important to eat. If you do not fast you sacrifice something else in lace of food, ideally money for the poor and homeless.
Fasting is a great practice for Christians, to spend extra time recognizing and worshiping God, while using our gifts to bless those less fortunate.
More of the benefits of Ramadan for Christians coming up...
Thank you again to all of you who supported my trip to Kenya, follow up letters will be in the mail soon.
Since my trip, God has made His presence more obvious to me daily. I am in a good place in life, God is blessing mine and Julie's lives is so many ways. We are in awe of the way He works.
Example:
Lately, I have been re-reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He spends his life living in a small community in North Philly, where many of the members were/are homeless. Our small group that meets on Sunday evenings has been studying his work and some of us have been pricked to help the homeless in Little Rock. Not only that, this week's issue of Sync's main article was about the homeless population and there was a Homeless Outreach Event held this past Saturday under the B'way Bridge. How obvious is that?
My trip to Kenya began an awareness of my Lord in my life. He is present and I am grateful. Pray that I will continue to see Him in my life, as I pray the same for you.
Since my trip, God has made His presence more obvious to me daily. I am in a good place in life, God is blessing mine and Julie's lives is so many ways. We are in awe of the way He works.
Example:
Lately, I have been re-reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He spends his life living in a small community in North Philly, where many of the members were/are homeless. Our small group that meets on Sunday evenings has been studying his work and some of us have been pricked to help the homeless in Little Rock. Not only that, this week's issue of Sync's main article was about the homeless population and there was a Homeless Outreach Event held this past Saturday under the B'way Bridge. How obvious is that?
My trip to Kenya began an awareness of my Lord in my life. He is present and I am grateful. Pray that I will continue to see Him in my life, as I pray the same for you.
