Not too long ago I was sitting in church and thinking about the persecuted church. As I thought about Christian persecution I began to wonder what was truly worse - persecution or apathy? I have read stories of persecuted believers who are praying for American Christians because they see how much we have here and realize that it must be hard to walk out our faith in such a land where we literally have everything. On the other hand, as a Western Christian it is very easy to see how a brother in a foreign land who is being threatened with death, imprisonment or physical harm may be worse. The thing we have in common is the need for prayer. With that in mind, would you join me in praying for the following things this week? This is from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada office.

I would like to thank Paul Chaney, the guy who actually came up with the idea for this blog, for highlighting the Persecution Blog on his new blog called Blogs for Good.

One of the countries that has been on my mind and heart in recent weeks is North Korea, quite possibly the most-closed nation on earth and one of the worst persecutors of Christians.

Did you know that there is a poll you can take over at the main The Voice of the Marytrs website?

One of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century is the continuing genocide that is taking place in Darfur. This crisis has been a hot topic in the blogosphere for quite some time now, and I'm happy to say that bloggers continue to talk about this vital issue.

Welcome to this weeks Persecution Blog Carnival. I hope you are edified and encouraged by the entries we received this week and as you read please also pray.

The following prayer request is so important for all of us to pray for. Can you imagine if you were thrown in prison for "Actively witnessing about Christ" and while you're in prison, away from your baby - your baby dies?

How is your prayer life? Are you passionate or apathetic? Well, I hope that if you love the Lord and are praying often for the persecuted church that the following prayer requests from this weeks prayer alerts motivate you to go boldly to the throne of grace.

Hello Everyone,

I recently heard a speaker who is a legal scholar and a Christian from China. This man has helped farmers regain land illegally taken by corrupt officials, mobilized a recall and even sued the Chinese State Council.