I recently returned from a mission trip to Brazil with eleven members of my Presbyterian church in Wilmington, North Carolina. Partnering with a Presbyterian congregation in Manaus, our team, which included three physicians and two nurses, furnished medical assistance, dental instruction, drugs, and eye glasses to more than 600 children and adults in four remote villages on a tributary of …
By Dr. GARY SCOTT SMITH
Eid al-Adha “Festival of the Sacrifice” – August 11-15, 2019
Eid al-Adha, also referred to as the “Festival of the Sacrifice”, is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and is considered the holier of the two. The other is Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. But, before Abraham could sacrifice …
Fast of Tisha B’Av: History and Laws – Sundown Saturday, August 10-Sundown Sunday August 11, 2019
Tisha B’Av Literally, the “ninth day” in the Jewish month of Av, which starts at sundown on the eighth day and concludes at sundown on the ninth day of Av. This is the day when the intensity of the entire three week mourning period reaches its peak. Tisha B’Av begins at sundown, Saturday, August 10 and concludes at sundown, Sunday, …
Raising Your Child for Something for Which You’re Entirely Unprepared
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
This week my family and I have the privilege of celebrating two significant and interrelated milestones. We celebrate the 15th anniversary of our arrival in Israel, taking on citizenship and planting our roots firmly in our historic homeland. And we celebrate (yes, celebrate) the induction into the IDF of our oldest son. When our youngest son was born in Jerusalem, …
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN