A sobering scene of heaven is described by Jesus in the book of Matthew chapter 25: “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on […]
As a college student I was inspired and challenged by the life of J. Hudson Taylor. He was a medical student in England in the mid-1850s, who against great odds moved to Shanghai to share the message and compassion of Jesus Christ. Taylor’s vision was to influence every province of that remote nation. Over
In our era of natural disasters, social unrest, and economic turmoil, this question is more than academic. We want our personal lives and our organized efforts to be significant, even virtuous. A first step is to identify with whom to invest our good will, and so the question: What people group is most distressed?
How would you work to improve the health of an entire community, rather than just one person at a time? We NEVER talked about this when I was in medical school, not even during our tiny public health course. I could wax poetic concerning all the reasons for focusing on health needs of individuals
Worldwide the number of urban poor is increasing steadily throughout Asia, Latin American. Emanuel lives in one such shantytown that surrounds the city of Lubango in Angola, southern Africa from where I’m writing at this moment. Emanuel’s family is in crisis. His youngest child Elena, three-years old, started vomiting and passing bloody diarrhea. Her
For two years I lived in Angola at the height of their civil war. I observed first hand exactly why the nations of conflict are also the nations of child death – death from hunger and disease far more often than from direct violence. How often do we glorify violence? Just observe the glee
Each year some 5,000 healthcare teams depart the US to service in a developing country – usually for 7-10 days duration. A growing number of authorities are questioning the efficacy of this enormous outlay of time and resources, posing the questions like, “Do short-term medical missions actually contribute to improving the overall health of
“In Haiti over eight days we saw 900 patients, treating infections and diarrhea. The people are desperately poor and were so very grateful for the medical care.” Anna, a family physician, spoke with enthusiasm. Then her voice turned somber. “But people also came to us with diabetes, asthma, and convulsions. We gave them a
Disasters and epidemic disease continue to mark this new century: Haiti’s earthquake, Pakistan’s flood, measles’ blight, and Zimbabwe’s cholera. The title waves in Japan last week are the most recent reminder of life’s vulnerability. The heartening response from many is to donate personal time, talent, and treasures to provide rescue and assistance to those
When Bill Gates or Bill Clinton have an important announcement, whom do they call? CNN, FOX, and MSNBC – of course. But when God announced the birth of our Messiah, he chose the lowest people in society – the equivalent of our landscapers and waste collectors – to receive and disseminate the news. Luke