Rick Tryon

Watchdog Alert: Continuing Christian Persecution

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It would be easy to allow the war in Iran distract us from the horrific persecution going on elsewhere in the world, but let’s not allow that to happen. Our adversary is still busy all over the globe killing, stealing, and destroying. Because he knows his time is short.

Pray for our brothers and sisters who are being relentlessly persecuted for their faith in our Lord, and do what you can to help.

Nigeria

Over 50,000 Christians killed since 2009, new report finds

A Nigerian rights group (Intersociety) reports that 52,250 Christians have been murdered since the Boko Haram insurgency began, with 18,000 churches and 2,200 schools burned. The violence continues into 2026 with over 1,000 Christians killed this year alone.

UK lawmakers warn of “persistent and entrenched” anti‑Christian violence

British MPs echoed U.S. concerns, noting that more Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than in all other countries combined. The debate highlighted killings, kidnappings, and legal suppression targeting Christians.

China

China intensifies crackdown on underground churches

China has escalated arrests of pastors and Christian lawyers, including revoking legal licenses for those defending persecuted believers. At least 18 members of Zion Church are detained, with experts warning the crackdown is now a national security priority for the CCP.

North Korea

Under Kim Jong Un’s renewed term, religious freedom worsens

North Korea continues to be the world’s most dangerous place for Christians. Open evangelism is impossible, and Christian radio broadcasts into the country have dropped by 80%, further isolating believers who already face imprisonment or execution if discovered.

Your Life And What Comes After (50): Pirate Or Explorer?

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Captain Elias set out across the open sea with a heart full of purpose. Ever since he was young, he dreamed of exploring uncharted waters, mapping hidden islands, and discovering new wonders that could help sailors travel safely. His ship, The Northwind, carried tools, journals, and a crew who believed in the mission. Every sunrise felt like a fresh invitation from the ocean itself. Elias wasn’t chasing treasure—he was chasing understanding. And with every mile, he felt more certain that his journey mattered, not just for himself but for everyone who would follow the maps he created.

Not far behind him sailed a very different kind of captain—a pirate named Brack. Brack didn’t care about discovery or helping anyone. He wanted gold, power, and fear. His ship, The Black Fang, cut through the waves like a hungry shark, always searching for someone weaker to take from. While Elias studied the stars and currents, Brack studied opportunities to grab whatever he could.

Set Sail

When sailing the seas of your life, it’s important to have goals—but what’s more important is to combine your values with your goals. Being a successful thieving pirate is as much a goal as being a successful explorer—but there’s a difference, isn’t there?

What you do isn’t as important as who you are while you’re doing it. So definitely set some long‑range and short‑term goals for your life, but keep in mind that those goals may change over time.

The kind of person you choose to be should remain at the center of all of your goals and achievements in life. Don’t be Pirate Brack; be Explorer Elias.

Have A Guiding Mission

Write out a short mission statement for yourself and refer to it often, every day is best. Your mission statement will be your compass as you sail the sea of life. It will keep you focused on the kind of person you work to become.

Here’s mine. Yours will be yours alone, so this is just an example:

To live in the presence of God, to bear His image to the world around me, and to add value to His creation.

To do my best to follow the example of Jesus Christ in character and action, to look every day for His return and the resurrection of the dead, the rescue of creation, and our glorious eternal life together with Him and His people.

To never stop learning, exploring, and developing myself in skill and wisdom.

To do hard things.

To question and challenge the comfortable status quo, starting with myself.

To wage war against darkness, hopelessness, and nihilism.

To help others in my family, faith, and community to have great hope, be well taken care of, secure, inspired, and challenged.

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Esther

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John Calvin

“In Esther we see how God governs the events of the world in secret, guiding all things to His appointed end, even when His name is not mentioned.”

Charles Spurgeon

“The Book of Esther is a record of wonders without the miracle; God is everywhere present, yet nowhere visible.”

Matthew Henry

“Though the name of God be not in Esther, the finger of God is; His care for His people shines in every turn of the story.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

“Esther teaches that courage is not the absence of fear but the decision that something else is more important. In her, we see how one life, lived faithfully, can change the destiny of a people.”

Get On Board And Find Your Seat

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The more I look at life and the world all around us, the more crystal clear it becomes to me that none of this is by chance. God’s fingerprints are all over His creation—visible to all who choose to open their eyes.

This world isn’t a confusing mix of random, scattered coincidences. There’s a grand purpose, and we’re moving toward a definite conclusion.

Like a bus moving down the road, get on board, find the seat with your name on it, and play your part in the journey.

Your Life And What Comes After (48): Mind Your Business

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Luke chapter 2 recounts when Jesus was twelve years old and traveled with His family to Jerusalem for Passover—something they did every year. But this time was different. When the group started heading home, Mary and Joseph assumed Jesus was with relatives. After a full day of traveling, they realized He was missing.

They rushed back to Jerusalem and searched for Him everywhere. Finally, they found Him in the Temple, calmly sitting with the teachers, asking questions, answering theirs, and amazing everyone with His understanding. When His parents asked why He had stayed behind, Jesus said something both simple and huge: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

About Your Father’s Business

Jesus started at twelve years old by learning the Scriptures, by being curious, by putting God first, and by daring to push the limits in order to understand the deeper things of God and life.

Make your heavenly Father’s business your business, and follow the example of Jesus. Jesus showed us what God’s business is.

2 Corinthians 5:19a
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…

God’s business plan is to bring His creation and His people all the way back to Him, and Jesus kept busy doing exactly that. Wherever He went He taught people about God’s love and purposes. He healed the sick, forgave sinners, fed the hungry, shined light in darkness, and brought hope to the poor and needy.

Grow, Learn, Develop

Even though Jesus knew His Father’s business early in His life, He didn’t stay in the Temple forever, He went back home with Mary and Joseph and obeyed them, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” That means Jesus grew mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

He learned and developed character and wisdom. If you want to know what you are supposed to be doing in your own life, remember these two things;

  1. Your calling and purpose in life are not about what you do; they’re about what kind of person you choose to be.
  2. As you continue to learn, grow, and develop in the knowledge of God and the world around you amazing paths will open up for you.

Next, we’ll talk more about rumbling through the world.

Your Life And What Comes After (47): Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

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Callum had been saving his allowance for weeks, tucking away each crumpled dollar with the quiet excitement of a kid who finally felt old enough to make his own choices. He’d planned to split it in half—keep some, give some—maybe to one of those charities for people in faraway countries he saw on TV. But when the first big March snowstorm hit and he saw Mrs. Halvorson’s walkway buried under a heavy drift, the idea came to him as naturally as breathing. She was nearly eighty, lived alone, and always waved to him from her window. Helping her felt like the right place for his “give‑away” half to go.

So Callum marched into the hardware store, allowance clutched in his mittened hand, and bought a brand‑new snow shovel—bright red, sturdy, and just his size. That afternoon he trudged across the street and started clearing Mrs. Halvorson’s walk, pushing the snow aside in long, determined sweeps. When she opened the door to thank him, Callum just grinned and said he was putting his savings to good use.

The second part of the Great Commandment, after loving God completely, is to love your neighbor as yourself. What does that mean, and how do you do that?

Who is your neighbor? Well, your neighbors are those close to you—people you see every day, your family, and your community.

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

It’s the same as saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Golden Rule.

Try some of these ideas in your daily life to practice loving and giving to others.

  • First thing in the morning, think of one nice thing you’re going to do for someone you see every day, and then do it.
  • Pray for a growing heart to love others, not a growing bank account. Pray for a shiny new heart, not a shiny new car.
  • Let someone else get in front of you in line if they need to.
  • Smile at folks, even if you don’t feel like it.
  • Listen more than you talk; that’s why God gave you two ears and only one mouth.
  • Tell your mom and dad, and your sister and brother how much you love and appreciate them.
  • Shovel snow off your elderly neighbor’s sidewalk.

Kindness and Forgiveness

To love your neighbor as yourself can be hard sometimes, but it’s always simple. The Apostle Paul puts it clearly in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Love God completely and treat others as you would like them to treat you. This is the not-so-secret key to plugging into God’s forever plan right now.

Lions Don’t Have Masters

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Photo via cottonbro studio at pexels.com

So far this year, I’ve read two books on Israel’s history and military—The Lion’s Gate by Steven Pressfield and Six Days of War by Michael Oren. Anyone who thinks Israel and the IDF need the USA to do their work for them should read up on the modern history of Israel and the region.

Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, the Six-Day War in 1967, and their numerous subsequent fights for survival have proven time and time again that Israel can take care of itself quite ably in a very, very rough neighborhood.

Israel has been surrounded by hostile enemies who hate them with a perfect hatred and who have ceaselessly sought to annihilate them since their modern rebirth in 1948. They have prevailed against astonishingly superior forces every time.

And they have beaten impossible odds even without American help—just read the history.

Israel is definitely not America’s puppet, and America is definitely not Israel’s puppet. Israel is our friend and ally, as it should be, since they are the only Western‑style democracy and modern free society in the region.

Israel is not our master, and we are not Israel’s master, because lions don’t have masters—lions can handle the wolves and jackals together, or on their own if need be.

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Nehemiah

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Four interesting quotes from about the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah:

Charles Spurgeon

“Nehemiah teaches us that when God calls a man to build, no opposition can finally prevail against him, for prayer and perseverance are stronger than all the enemies of the wall.”

Matthew Henry

“The success of Nehemiah’s work was owing more to his piety than to his policy; he prayed over all, and then set his hand to the work.”

F. B. Meyer

“Nehemiah shows what God can do through one consecrated soul who feels the burden of His people and will not rest until the ruins are rebuilt.”

Derek Kidner

“Nehemiah’s story is a reminder that renewal requires courage, vigilance, and above all a heart aligned with the purposes of God.”

Your Life And What Comes After (46): Heart, Soul, And Mind

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Thomas Cole – The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

So, how do you love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind? What does that mean?

Heart
Love God from the center of who you are, not just with emotions, but with your decisions and heartfelt goals.

Soul
Love God with what makes you you—with your whole life, not just one part of it on Sundays at church.

Mind
Love God with your thoughts, your attention, and the way you think deeply about the world around you.

Love Is Action

Here are some things to do daily to put love for God into action.

  • Pray. Start every day by talking to your Heavenly Father and listening as He talks to you.
  • Tell God the desires of your heart; you must speak your desires before God. You must speak them.
  • Read and study God’s Word. God has revealed Himself, His endless love, and His grand plan in the Bible. It also tells us how we are to obey His will for us so that we will live the awesome lives He desires for us.
  • Praying and reading the Word of God put you in His presence, and when you’re in His presence, your heart, soul, and mind will worship Him and praise His glorious works.
  • Be aware during the day that you live your life before God, not just other people.

Make these love actions habits in your daily life, and you will see how putting yourself into God’s heart will make your life a wondrous dream come true.

Now, how do we do the second part of the Great Commandment? That’s next.

Your Life And What Comes After (45): How To Live Today

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Taking everything we’ve learned so far in our journey into “Your Life And What Comes After: Plugging Into God’s Forever Plan Now,” let’s start zeroing in on what you can do today—and every day—to live a fantastic life that is pleasing to God and helps you find your perfect, special place in God’s grand plan.

The best recipe for tapping into God’s purposes and living our best lives the way we’re meant to is found in the Great Commandment in Matthew chapter 22.

Jesus Hits a Homerun

Right before Jesus gives the Great Commandment, the religious leaders are basically tag‑teaming to trip Him up. They try a trick question about paying taxes, and Jesus answers so cleanly that they back off. Then they jump in with a wild question about marriage in the resurrection, and Jesus shuts that down too. At this point, everyone who tried to trap Him has struck out in front of the crowd.

So they huddle up again and send in one of their “experts” to ask what they think is the perfect trap: “Which commandment is the greatest?” They’re hoping He’ll pick the wrong one. Instead, Jesus cuts through all their debates with a perfect, simple answer:

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

That’s the Great Commandment—love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

And that’s our North Star for plugging into God’s grand plan. It doesn’t mean you have to be churchy and religious all the time. But what does it mean, and how do we actually live it out?

That’s what we’ll look at next.