I recently saw an alarming video that I imagine you have seen as well about how Islam is taking over Europe. The video sites the reason mainly as being that Muslims have more babies that their European counterparts. My family and I have recently returned from a trip to France where I was stunned by what I saw in the behavior of the Muslim immigrants in Europe. So to calm your fears of Europe turning into an Islamic state by 2020 as some have purported let me give you three reasons I don’t think that is happening:

1. Muslims are still a small minority making up less than 8 percent of Europe’s population. Granted they are a vocal 8 percent but their still only eight percent. Their numbers are three times the strength of the American Muslims so we should watch what happens in Europe to prepare for what will happen in our country in following years. I had heard so much about Muslims in Europe from the news and friends I was expecting to see Muslims everywhere… but I didn’t.

2. The falling Muslim birth rate in Europe. When a Muslim moves to Europe they don’t “Muslim-ize” the Europeans but are “European-ized” themselves. Consider a recent study:

“In Austria, for example, Muslim women had a total fertility rate (an estimate of lifetime births per woman) of 3.1 children per woman in 1981, well above the 1.7 average for the majority Roman Catholic women. By 2001, the rate for Catholics had fallen to 1.3, but the Muslim rate had fallen to 2.3—leaving a difference of just one child per woman between Muslims and non-Muslims.

The gap narrowed even further in the former West Germany, where the authors relied on data by mother’s nationality rather than religion. West Germany recruited a large number of workers from Turkey beginning in the 1960s, giving Germany one of Western Europe’s largest Muslim populations. In 1970, Turkish women living in West Germany had more than two more children than German women. By 1996, the difference between these two groups had fallen to one child.”

Not only in Europe is this the case but another study suggests that Muslim birthrates, though still higher than Christian, are actually decline faster using this graph as a guide:

According to these two studies and my own experience with Muslim families in Europe have two kids, I don’t believe that Muslims will take over in population.

3. The secularization of European Muslims. Going into our hotel in France for the three nights we stayed there we observed on the streets many prostitutes. I know this isn’t a statistic but all the prostitutes that we, my wife and I, saw were North African Muslims dressed like anything but a Muslim.

Though the percentage of Muslims in Europe is gradually growing (not rapidly) they are growing only in name. Many, if not most, Muslims mirror the decadent, secular, and materialistic culture around them. The last thing they would want to see is the Islamic culture of their homelands brought to their new country.

In the end, sin usually attracts many more adherents than self righteousness when given a fair shake though both are condemning.

I had a roller-coaster conversation with my surgeon in Madrid today. He called me to confirm our appointment for tomorrow. He had previously told me to prepare for a 200 euro fee but on the phone he told me that it would be more. Specifically it would be 1,500 euro! Wow. As soon as he told me that he offered to do it at the free hospital. So we went from $300 to $2,250 to free! I was thanking him for the outcome but it left me thinking about the roller-coaster of emotions he had put me through.

We often see our lives as mountaintops and valleys. Just like that phone call in miniature our days, months, and years are like that call…only longer. At one moment we feel like it couldn’t get any worse (huge medical bills, car breaks down and no money to fix it, interpersonal problems, etc) and only a few weeks or months later we feel on top of the world (bills paid off, new car, a lost person comes to Jesus). With each valley come anger, depression, or fear and with each mountaintop comes joy and excitement. Why do we experience these roller-coaster of emotions? Because don’t have God’s perspective on time.

Reading Ps. 90 yesterday I was reminded that 1,000 years is to God as yesterday. Interesting that the Bible says yesterday. Not only is 1,000 years as one day but it is more specifically as YESTERday to God. Or the day that is already passed.

While an ant sees a huge mountain, I plains. Why? My perspective.

I am in a bit of a difficult time right now but do you think that God is experiencing the low emotions that I do? No. Because he knows the solution is only seconds away though for me it is months or years away. I feel HUGE setbacks while God feels nothings. While I am hyperventilating, God’s doesn’t even see a problem.

Why don’t we ask God to help us deal with our valleys and mountains from His perspective?

After a long time in Muslim country it can be good to get away into the free air in Europe. Though it’s filled with it’s own type of darkness, Europe has the freedom to preach at it openly and that can be like a huge weight being lifted off one’s soul after 10 months in North Africa. So that’s what we are doing this week, breathing in the freedom on a long drive.

Monday morning we pulled away early from the Basque Country of Northern Spain where I had had the privilege of preaching Sunday in Irun and Beasain with Bro. Juan Alvarez. He is a great man from Mexico with a love for God as deep as any I’ve ever met. My wife and I love the Mexican people. They are some of the kindest in all the world and the food is by far the best! Mary Ester, Juan’s wife, made some awesome tortilla soup Sunday night which was a great closer on the chicken paella we had for lunch at the Dodgen’s home (another missionary family). The Basque Country has some of the most beautiful mountain we’ve ever seen. It was truly a relaxing two days for us. We are praying that we can involve the Spanish churches more in the work of reaching the Muslims of North Africa.

So, pulling out of the Basque Country we made our way over the Pyrenees Mountains and along the coast. We pulled into Nice at the base of the French Alps and stopped at a gas station. I turned the car off and it would start again. I couldn’t find a single nice Frenchy to help jump my car but what I did find a lot of were North Africans. As soon as I started talking to them in Arabic they treated me like a brother. Two men from Algeria came to my assistance trying to power up my battery and finally popping the car’s clutch when our first idea didn’t work.

When we got to our hotel that night the Moroccan night auditor pulled a number of strings to get us a 6 euro refund, free internet, and whatever else I happened to need. When in France, I feel like a foreigner and these North Africans have become closer to me than my own people (being of European descent). So far I have made it through France with Arabic including handling a major car problem and check in to my hotel. Pretty strange.

I am right now getting our car fixed which is turning out to be a three day job and $1,500. Needed to replace the starter and the clutch! God will provide as He always has! The good news is that we made it safe and sound to my sister’s house and she is doing an awesome job of taking care of us while the care is being fixed. Good to have family in the army spread out around the world when you need them!

Still plodding my way through “Tentmaking” I read a quote that was convicting and deserves to be heeded by all young men in missions who are involved in any way in missions. It doesn’t seem like a quote worth noting except read who said it…

“I have my doubts about tentmaking…most tentmakers I know start out doing business and ministry, but in the end it is all business and no ministry.” -Phil Parshall

Phil worked for 40 years with Muslims on the foreign field and around tentmakers. He wrote a number of books on ministry to Muslims and Muslim beliefs. If anyone had time observe common traps, he did.

This week I had an opportunity to buy a business. I really wanted to. My flesh told me, “This would be a great move. More respect in society. More money (possibly) coming in.” But a friend, John Pearson, brought me down to the ground, “Funny thing about chasing two rabbits, you always loose both. Business is a beast that demands to be fed.”

So to my missionary friends, take a little advise and dedicate as much of your heart and time as possible to ministry. When you’re 70 you’ll be glad you did.

I’ll be home for a few weeks for a few conferences that I’d love to invite you to come to. One of them is the Our Generation Summit. It is always a great time in Gatlinburg, TN that will challenge you to get more involved in God’s world wide mission to the lost. Click on the above image to read more.

I’ll be home for a few weeks for a few conferences that I’d love to invite you to come to. One of them is the Our Generation Summit. It is always a great time in Gatlinburg, TN that will challenge you to get more involved in God’s world wide mission to the lost. Click on the above image to read more.

I’ll be home for a few weeks for a few conferences that I’d love to invite you to come to. One of them is the Our Generation Summit. It is always a great time in Gatlinburg, TN that will challenge you to get more involved in God’s world wide mission to the lost. Click on the above image to read more.

In response to my post the other day on church planting in the Muslim world, or the lack thereof, I got this response for a good friend who I respect deeply who is a missionary but not a church planter:

“God is not judging our usefulness, but our faithfulness. We have a saying in our home, like our grade school teacher used to say, “Keep your eyes on your own paper.” We will not be judged on where He puts us, but that we do His bidding while we are here. God bless you and keep you safe. ”

So I wanted to clarify what I meant by my comment. I stated that only 1 in 70 “Tentmaking” missionaries are successful in planting a church. I can see how that would appear judgmental of others. So let me clarify that the greatest reason there are so few churches planted is that it is not a priority to missionaries and missions organizations. Not being involved in this part of the world, it would be impossible to know that.

So I am not calling out the effectiveness of missionaries at all but OUR lack of faithfulness to plant churches. We need to focus on doing the work of God through churches.

If the failure of church planting is not that we have tried and succeeded only to a certain point but have barely tried at all. I have kids and if they are obeying I don’t get upset when they aren’t able to accomplish a job in the time period I give them but I jump in and help them. But if they are going about accomplishing their own priorities then they are in trouble.

God gives fruit and just because a church plant effort fails (apparently) it doesn’t mean the worker wasn’t faithful in his task. God is the God of the harvest. Nor is every worker given the same skill and the same task (church planter for example). However, we as His disciples are to be about the task of the glory of Christ through His bride the church.

I hope that clears it up.  We must be faithful to focus on the task of church planting in cities, town, and villages where there are no churches.