We are living in times of dangerous upheaval; times which demand more from us than we have been used to giving. These are days for standing boldly for truth, and not giving in to intimidation, cultural pressure, and the ubiquitous deceit thrown at us by politicians and news anchors.
I’ve recently been reading some of the works of the Soviet Dissident, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, who spent eight years imprisoned in the Russian Gulags for criticizing Josef Stalin in a private letter. The day he was arrested in 1974 he released “Live Not by Lies” to the Soviet people. The short essay seems especially appropriate for Christians in the 21st century. Below are a few teaser quotes from the piece, with a link to the entire article for further reading.
“Violence has nothing to cover itself with but lies, and lies can only persist through violence… And therein we find… the simplest and most accessible key to our liberation: a personal non-participation in lies. Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule… let their rule hold not through me… For when people renounce lies, lies simply cease to exist. Like parasites, they can only exist when attached to a person.”
“We are not called to step out into the square and shout out our truth; to say out loud what we think – this is scary, and we are not ready. But let us at least say what we do not think… Our way must be: Never support lies.”
“The more of us set out together, the thicker our ranks, the easier and shorter this path will be for all. If we become thousands, they will not cope, they will be unable to touch us. If we grow to tens of thousands – we will not recognize our country.”
Read more at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03064220408537357
Dispatches from the Shadowlands: Hopeful glimpses of a Kingdom 
Once again you’ve spoken what’s in my heart, my friend. Thank you for sharing yours with us.
Peace…
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I always appreciate your perspective. Lots of food for thought! Have you published anything yet? I’m sorry if this is a misuse of your comments section, but I don’t see any other way to contact you. I really think you should publish your posts into a devotional book and I’d like to talk to you about this more. Here’s one way to make it happen, if you’re interested:
https://willowfeller.wixsite.com/mysite . Thank you for humoring me, and please feel free to pull this comment down after you see it–I don’t want to mess with this excellent message.
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Willow! THANK you for your encouragement! A book is on my to-do list, and your site looks like a promising tool for making it a reality. At this point it’s a matter of confidence and discipline. I need a massive infusion of both! Bless you, my friend!
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