Month: October 2013 - Pray For Qatar

The Arabian oryx, Qatar’s national animal, is a long-horned white antelope that was officially classified as extinct in nature in 1972. A herd of Arabian oryx was rescued and successfully bred in captivity, then reintroduced to reserves. Poaching, while outlawed, is difficult to enforce. The oryx is well adapted to desert life. Its white coat reflects the sun, helping it survive in some of the most extreme heat on Earth. Oryx can endure up to 22 months without drinking water, absorbing moisture from plants and detecting water sources from far away. Used on logos and as mascots, the oryx symbolizes…

Read Sara’s Profile. Today we pray for Sara and others like her. Sara’s life is about finding value in her external environment and achievements. We ask You to show her that You love and highly value her because she is made in Your image. Illuminate Sara’s worth regardless of output, grades, a job, or social status. May Sara learn to distinguish between her own goodness and morality and the grace You give her through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Only one of those can give her eternal life. We pray You would use Sara’s curiosity and exposure to other ways of…

Smoking is prevalent throughout the Middle East, and Qatar is no exception. Between cigarettes and shisha (also called hubbly bubbly, hookah, and nargileh), smoking is acceptable and gaining popularity. Shisha smoking is a community event; whereas westerners get together over drinks or coffee, Qataris smoke together. Qatar residents purchase over 1 billion cigarettes per year and consume 12,000 cigarettes annually per person: more than Europe. Smoking is epidemic. Smoking shisha is more dangerous than cigarettes: some studies approximate several hundred times more dangerous. While cigarettes have filters to moderate smoke, shisha smoke passes directly into the mouth, throat, and lungs….

In Acts 10 we meet Cornelius, a powerful leader in the government and in his community. He was devout and God-fearing. He was generous. He prayed regularly. He followed the rules. Most Muslims want desperately to please God and go to heaven and raise their children to do the same. In Islam, eternal life is achieved through righteousness. Cornelius understood achieving eternal life through the same lens. But in Acts 10, God spoke to Cornelius in a vision, indicating there was more. Cornelius gathered his household and summoned Peter to explain the Good News. Peter started with common ground—“In every…