A blog on mercy seemed such an easy task until today’s sermon. It has been a hard week. Actually, ten days. That was when I received a message that a co-worker, a brother, a friend, had been picked up and taken in for questioning. This injustice took place in a country where sharing about the hope of Jesus will get you arrested, and worse. The means used for questioning are not things I want to write.

My grandparents owned a small service/gas station and motel in the Ozark mountains of Missouri. There was a small general store and their living quarters were a few rooms in the back. There was a lovely, warm kitchen that you could see into from the general store and there was always something cooking, the aroma enveloping you as you came into the front door of the station. There was a long counter with stools that twirled and that was where home cooked meals were served to weary travelers.

A couple of weeks ago, when preaching from John this was the phrase that rang in my ears. And the answer:

As I prepared for this Sunday I ran across an older BLOG that laid the ground work for much that I want to discuss on Sunday. I am including excerpts of the key points that I found helpful and have also included a link to the entire article, Missional: More than a Buzz Word by Brad Brisco.

Sheryl Shaw- Global Teams This coming Sunday we are remembering the Persecuted Church. Below are a few statistics to help give a small picture of what is the reality for so many of our brother and sisters in Christ. More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in all the rest of church history combined. One third of the world’s people live in areas where preaching of the gospel is restricted in some way.