The Prodigal Witness

10/23/2026

When some Muslims in the West accuse our societies of “lacking tolerance,” it is sometimes useful to recall the actual history—not the history of slogans, but the history of facts.

This painting, dating from 1595 and housed in the National Museum of Serbia, depicts a very real scene from Ottoman rule in the Balkans: the Serbian Orthodox Bishop Teodor of Vršac is shown being flayed alive—while still conscious—by Ottoman soldiers for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.

This was neither an isolated act nor an occasional excess.
Historical sources show that, within the Ottoman Empire, Christians who refused to convert to Islam could be subjected to tortures...
..that were extreme and exemplary:
— flaying alive
— impalement
— beheading
— burning at the stake
— slow dismemberment
— being sawn in two

The objective was clear: to terrorize, to force conversions, or to eliminate those who resisted.
The Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo today are, for the most part, the descendants of Serbs, Croats, and other Slavic Christians who converted over the centuries.

Their ancestors faced the sword, the whip, slavery, violence, forced marriages, the abduction of children through the *devshirme* system—which tore Christian boys from their families to turn them into Janissaries—or precisely this type of torture, until they either converted to survive or were put to death.

This is not a “peaceful spread of religion.”
It is conquest through violence, conversion under terror, and systematic cultural and religious erasure. Recalling these facts is not an act of intolerance toward Muslims today.
It is a rejection of historical amnesia and one-sided moralizing.
Modern Western societies allow Islam to be practiced freely.
This painting reminds us that, historically, the opposite was not always true.
The painting does not lie.
The scene it depicts does not lie.
History does not lie.

Borrowed wordage author unknown .

10/21/2026

10/20/2026

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10/19/2026

Simply put, when you show the fruit of the spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and you help others in need, you are showing evidence that you believe in Jesus Christ. That is your faith.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬, ‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

10/19/2026

The word believe is a deep word. Not according today’s standards where words have been given newer or lesser meanings. But the word believe, in spite of cultural dumbing down, still means “to have ALL faith in.” “To follow and stay true to.”

In Luke 22, Peter believed in Jesus and followed him. Peter was sifted by Satan. Peter denied Jesus. Jesus had told him that he would deny him, but after he repented and came back to Jesus, he was to strengthen his brothers. Peter truly believed in Jesus and his words. He truly followed him, yet he fell. Because of his true belief, he stood back up and repented of his sin and once again follows Jesus.
Judas followed Jesus around. Judas never truly believed Jesus was everything he said he was. He didn’t truly believe in a heavenly reward or hell for that matter. His belief was more like today’s definition, “ to suppose something to be true.” He was like many today. He had seen miracles and seen how God works in people’s lives, but just never cared to grasp the full reality of it all because their was other bigger things of the world on their minds. When Judas realized how bad what he had done was, instead of thinking to repent, he took his own life instead.

When we truly believe, we will follow. When we fall we will repent. When we repent, we will get back up and follow.

10/18/2026

Imagine buying food for someone who was starving, then watching them walk away from it and leaving it where it sat.
Now imagine that starving person was in such bad shape, they didn’t even realize they were starving.
Sounds strange, but millions are starving for the bread of life, but don’t realize it.
It’s the church’s responsibility to present that bread as irresistible. If you are part of the church, you can’t blame everyone else where they fall short. You must make the bread irresistible to a dying world. That bread is Jesus, the bread of life. Feed his people.

10/16/2026

“But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.”
‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

Many people refer to the “fire” when you are baptized with the Holy Spirit as a feeling or a power. Though we are given power, the fire is something else completely. They talk about being “Baptized with the Holy Spirit and Fire” as if it is a separate thing from salvation, but it isn’t. It is the beginning of your salvation. This is what happens when you truly believe.
What that fire actually is, and those who have received the Holy Spirit will tell you, it is a burning away of the old you. Burning away of the sinful nature, the nonsense you hold onto that separates you from total surrender to God. This brings you to a new place with God. A place of reverence and obedience and a love for the works of Christ. A hunger for his word rather than a hunger for the things of this world. It is the refining fire that removes the impurities. Those who have truly come to know God have felt this fire and it continues inside of us as it burns away the trash of this world that we have collected inside of us, and it prepares us for the day that we stand in his presence in heaven.

““I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there is one coming later who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He will come ready to clean the grain. He will separate the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn. And he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ICB‬‬