Prayer for Malaysia

Dear friends,

A very good friend of mine, Zach Harris, as well as another friend in Malaysia have been arrested for baptizing Muslims who had found faith in Jesus. While remembering the amazing promises in the Bible that say that we are "blessed" (happy!) when we are persecuted for Jesus' sake, I ask you please to pray for these men. Please pray that God would keep them strong in their love for Christ and for the people around them. Pray that they would be able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to bless those who persecute them, as their Lord commands. Pray that those around them in jail would see their love and their humility. Pray that they would be released soon, and that they would be kept from physical harm. And pray that, through their boldness in sharing the words of life with Malays, others in the church there would be emboldened to count "all things as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus," as did our ancestors in the faith, who died as martyrs, not taking life as some modern-day "martyrs" do, but giving life and love and forgiveness and healing to all those who desire it. May they follow the example of Jesus, who though "being in very nature God...made himself nothing, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!" This is God's glory--His power and His humility. May these brothers reflect His greatness as they struggle to follow Him.

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing,

Seth

Arizona or bust

Greetings,

So, after visiting Tucson and DC and lots of thinking and talking with people, I decided to go to the University of Arizona for grad school in Near Eastern Studies, with the intention of going to DC afterwards and getting a second degree in IR from SAIS (Johns Hopkins) or some other school. May the Lord guide, and bear fruit in my life wherever I am.

I'm excited to be going to Arizona, even though in certain ways DC would be more fun. Basically, I'll be able to study Arabic and history and other stuff for two years without having to pay for it (they've given me a full ride). That was probably the main reason I decided to go, since I figured I would be learning things I'd want to learn anyway, which would also strengthen my applications when I apply to study International Affairs stuff, and also my resume in finding cool jobs in development or conflict resolution or whatever down the road. So, I think it's the best thing. And I do really like Tucson--it's a very cool (well, hot) desert town, just 45 minutes from Mexico, lots of interesting cultural mix. Espero que pueda encontrar a gente que habla español allá--I already have met a few Arabic speakers there, though most of them think my Lebanese dialect is pretty weird. =)

Still looking for a job; had an interview today that was promising, but unfortunately they're looking for somebody longer term. I hope to find something soon. It was definitely a blessing last summer to have a job just a couple days after I got back from Lebanon.

God bless you all,

Seth

Christians should be "slaves"

I wrote a response to a letter to the editor in my local paper a copule weeks ago; they didn't publish my response unfortunately. But I thought I'd put it here for you all. I should note that while I don't believe biblical teaching would preclude us from being involved politically in different ways (like Martin Luther King, Jr., or the abolitionists in England for example), we must always have an attitude of service, even "slavery," rather than seeking power for ourselves, which is idolatry.

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Dear Editor,

As an evangelical Christian, I've been greatly saddened to see the debate sparked by Mr. Richard Marelli's letter (toward bottom of page) on March 31st. Mr. Marelli seems to take pride in the political strength of the conservative Christian movement. I would advise him to read the words of our Lord who said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). Every time Christians have tried to make a political kingdom instead of a spiritual one, we've brought only oppression, violence and hypocrisy.

I do take issue with the extreme secular idea that any belief that's "religious" in nature should be barred from politics or public debate--why should "atheist" ideas be allowed and "religious" ideas not? Separation of church and state never meant or should mean separation of a religious person's own conscience from his or her politics. However, to brag about Christian political clout in order to intimidate others into submission is oppression, pure and simple. We should well learn from what Jesus warned his disciples before his death at the hands of politicians and religious leaders: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45). If Christians want to make a real difference in this country, we'd better do like Jesus and become "slaves of all."

Seth Wilson

¡Fotos y más!

Here's a link to lots of pictures I put online, from the Middle East, the Balkans and Germany. I may periodically add more pictures to it.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sethwilson1/my_photos