Living with the Hope of a Different Life

It's time to pay attention. When women are stolen and forced into marriage, trafficked, raped, or even murdered, it should be hard to walk away and do nothing. When kids disappear for years or for good. When men are tortured, sent to prison for decades or just killed to satisfy the whims of an evil regime, it is time to do something.

Open Doors International is an agency that works with persecuted people in order to restore hope, dignity, and the right to live out a faith which costs many their lives. There are more people killed for these reasons in Nigeria (above) every year than in most other countries combined. 

Two out of every five Christians are facing severe persecution if they live in Asia; one out of five in Africa. The staggering number of people persecuted comes in at 365 Million last year. That's more people than the entire population of the United States.

Don't be lulled into thinking things are rosy in North America! You'd expect things to be bad in Cuba, but Mexico comes in at number 37 in the list of Top 50 Countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Check out the full list here- then participate in helping make a difference.

Spy Cars from A Different Decade

Time for something a bit different. Communist era cars from two different locations- Cuba and the former Soviet Union. Don't these just take you back to the time of 50's and 60's James Bond?

Thanks to the opening of Cuba and the renewed interest in the formerly closed country, exhibits showcasing the area are gracing the United States. This automobile is fully restored to its original grandeur. Totally cool.

Sometimes an unknown make a model get revealed, and it catches my eye. I'm told this is a USSR "Volga". It's not nearly as sleek as the model above, but I could swear I've seen some Russian spy driving it!

The Kids Visit Cuba

Well to be specific, the kids are really visiting Cuba via the Denver Science Museum and their great exhibit. I thought this photograph turned out particularly well!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Gloria!

A successful European tour. The same in Latin America. One busy lady. It is time, Gloria Estefan, for a new album. Your warm voice needs to be heard once more. Tell us it will be soon...