It is a sad day in Russia today.  It is day of the funeral of long time dissident Alexei Navalny.  We are told that Navalny died of natural causes in a Siberian prison camp.  Really?  I feel as if very few people outside Russia believe this.  A thorn in the Kremlin's side for many, many years, Navalny fearlessly challenged the authorities in Russia over their autocratic and corrupt ways with speeches, videos, and more.  Even after being poisoned by Russian authorities and getting treatment in Germany, he still chose to return to Russia to advocate for the cause of freedom.

    Small wonder that the Russian authorities had him killed.  Pray for Navalny's family:  he left behind a wife and two children, all of whom continue to live in Germany.  And pray for the Russian people, many of whom continue to live and labor under the iron fist of a man whose power to oppress increases by the moment.

    Even though some counsel gently accepting one's lot as the appropriate response to systematic oppression, it yet seems as if there's another side to the story:  no deserving person should have to live without freedom.

    God didn't make us to live in chains.

Rest well, Alexei Navalny.  Rest well in the hands of God.  And thank you.