And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. (Judges 4:14)

A Remarkable Woman

I intended to write about something else this week, something about Israel’s political situation.

Then came word that a dear friend is near death.

Ramona Lewis, the wife of my late mentor, David Allen Lewis, is in hospice care at her Springfield, Missouri home. Many in the Rapture Ready family remember them. David Allen Lewis Ministries operated for many years in Springfield, just up the road from where I live. David and Mona remain among the very best people I’ve ever met, and that includes their children, Becky and Sandy, and their families.

In the 1950s, David married Mona, and promised her adventure and love. When he died in 2007, he left with no regrets. David was a giant among men, and I dearly loved him. I saw him a month before he died and he whispered, “I love you” as I left him that day.

The one-time Assemblies of God evangelist and his young bride set off on the adventure of a lifetime. More than 40 trips to Israel and their two wonderful girls were just part of a life lived well.

In all of it, Mona remained the rock. Simply a good woman, she also had that steely resolve that helped them weather storms.

Eventually, Becky Brimmer would head Bridges of Peace, the Jerusalem-based pro Israel juggernaut. Sandy Howell would help manage David Allen Lewis Ministries. When I went to Israel for the first time in 1998, it was with the Lewis family. It remains forever one of my very best memories.

David was a character. He and I traveled around the country gathering interviews for what would become the book, The Last War. It was through him that I met iconic figures, like Ariel Sharon and David Bar Illan. We had beluga caviar at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv, and met with the journalist Yehuda Levy.

In Tel Aviv, we had a memorable evening meal with the Dry Bones cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen. Over the sounds of silverware and clinking glasses, I listened as the two men discussed everything from Israeli politics, and biased international media, to Ezekiel’s timeless prophecies.

In every moment, though, Mona was there as a pillar of strength.

An extremely gracious woman, she was however more circumspect than her flamboyant husband. She was protective of him, and was of course his lifelong confidant. People followed David Lewis, but they were drawn to Mona.

I was David’s book editor for a number of years, and Mona’s help was invaluable there, too. I’m not a naturally “personable person,” but I was always drawn to Mona and felt much better for having been in her home.

I feel odd (and maybe macabre, though I don’t intend to be!) writing about Mona in the past tense, but it’s clear she will see her beloved again soon. So I wanted to honor her and make what will be a feeble attempt at simply shining a spotlight on her. She rarely had that in life, but without her, there would have been no David Allen Lewis Ministries. The positive work they did for Israel is literally incalculable. God knows, and He has His rewards at the ready.

I will always see her with that serene smile, and a face shining with love for her beloved. They were a true team. Now they will have eternity to explore God’s Kingdom.

The Lord always went before them.

If you would like to drop a card to the Lewis family and let them know how much they’ve impacted your life, you can send to: 304 East Farm Road 186, Springfield, Missouri 65810. You may also consider a gift to Bridges for Peace. Thank you!

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

Future Egypt

Born in Old Cairo in 1954, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is not a radical Muslim. As Egypt’s current president (from a 2012 coup that toppled the diabolical Muslim Brotherhood chieftain Mohammed Morsi), al-Sisi is perhaps the most Western-friendly leader from this legendary country.

Recently, it came to light that al-Sisi is far more open to the Jewish community than any previous Egyptian leader.

New York political consultant Ezra Friedlander met with al-Sisi during a gathering to present an award to the widow of former Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat. From news reports:

“’President Sisi spoke fondly not only of Egypt’s past vibrant Jewish community, but also said that should there be a resurgence of the Jewish community in Egypt, the government will provide every religious necessity required…  that was a very warm embrace,’ he said. ‘He [Sisi] basically said that should there be a resurgence of the Jewish community, the government will build synagogues and other related services.’”

This is in keeping with a thawing of relations between Israel and Mideast states in the past few years.

“Sisi’s comments came a couple of weeks after the United Arab Emirates officially recognized its small Jewish community, in a move seen as an effort to present itself to the West as a country that is tolerant of other religions. While there was never a historical Jewish community in the UAE – although there is now a small synagogue in Dubai – the Jewish community in Egypt extends back to antiquity. Before the establishment of Israel in 1948, an estimated 75,000 Jews lived in the country. “They were expelled in the 1950s, and only a handful of Jews are believed to live in Egypt today.

“The commission’s founder said that Sisi also promised to clean up the ancient Bassatine Cemetery in Cairo, a cemetery dating back to the ninth century and believed to be the second-oldest Jewish cemetery in the world. In December, Sisi also announced a multimillion-dollar project to restore Jewish heritage sites in Egypt.”

So is all this prophetic in nature? Well, the Bible does have things to say about future Egypt:

“And the LORD will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the LORD, and He will be entreated by them and heal them” (Isaiah 19:22).

“Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance” (Isaiah 19:25).

One of the most awe-inspiring aspects of God’s love is that He loves all people. All nations. Today, we live in a fallen world that is disintegrating, it seems. Humans cannot/will not solve their problems. Sin is the problem.

Yet God gives us the big picture and the future picture by letting us know that one glorious day, He will bring in righteousness and heal relationships.

Let us hope that al-Sisi’s changing heart is genuine. We do know that he opposes the Muslim Brotherhood. Let us pray fervently that the Lord is beginning that redemptive work, as we look greatly forward to a future that is bright and holy unto the Lord.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com