The communist government is trying to eliminate or control Christianity. The Laotian government has begun "The Program" to rid their country of rural churches while maintaining state approved city "churches" to look good to foreigners according to Laotian church leaders.

Christians are forced to choose between their homes and their faith. They must retract their faith or lose their houses. Not only do they lose everything, but they also must then help build "spirit homes" to show that they have truly recanted. 60 Christian families are in prison because of their faith in the Lord. Christianity today reports that a 46 year old pastor has been in prison for more than a year. He is in stocks 24 hours a day and sometimes denied food. Economic stresses in Asia have led governments to crack down on "subversive" groups and Christianity is considered subversive.

I know this week is not a medical update, but it is a health check on the Body of Christ. Do we really believe all the things we read in the Bible or hear in church? Do we believe to the point that we’d sit in stocks 24 X 7? Fortunately, in America we don’t have to make these decisions. But just like we all need to make living wills to make decisions hard decision before the fervor of an emergency, the body of Christ needs to make some tough decisions regarding our beliefs about our Lord.

Do we really believe what we read in the Bible? The Lord tells us He is good all the time. He tells us He loves us with an everlasting love. He tells us He has a hope and a future for us. He tells us He holds the future. He tells us He is omnipotent and omniscient. If we really believe the last statements, what kind of parents we would be?

If you knew someone who knew the future, you would spend all your time with him because he could warn you, guide you, and advise you. You would trust him when he spoke even when it didn’t make sense (i.e. like selling in a bull market). You could trust your loved ones to him. Now imagine that person also had every power known to man and then some at his disposal. This person also loves you to the point that he would die for you. He would be your best friend.

Get the point? We need to be parents of faith to parent in this world. And this isn’t a leap into the dark either. He has filled His book with love letters to us and "step-by-step" instructions. How our parenting would change if we believed these things…