A recent article on the CNN Belief Blog highlighted the trend of Evangelical colleges inching toward culturally acceptable views of homosexuality. The article highlighted Wheaton College, which in February established an official group for “students to explore questions of gender identity and sexual orientation.” Although Wheaton College receives the most attention because of its prominence, other Evangelical schools are making similar moves…
Christian institutions will have to clearly address homosexuality as the culture increasingly affirms it and more people within the Church openly struggle with same-sex attraction. It is understandable that administrators at these schools recognize the challenges Christian students experiencing same-sex attraction face and want to help and disciple them. At the same time, historically faithful Christian academic institutions should recognize that the ultimate goal of establishing groups expressly for students who identify as LGBT is to legitimize the idea that one’s “sexual orientation” is an inherent and defining characteristic of his personhood.
Christian colleges are communities of young people who are figuring out who they are and what direction their lives will take. They are made up of broken, human people struggling with innumerable sins, all needing discipleship, mentorship, and guidance. Homosexuality is one among many issues students face, and should be addressed with genuine Christian love. Our culture is confused about what it means to be human, and uniquely a man or woman and the Church ought to be a light of clarity amid the chaos. Although a campus is not a church, these institutions play a key role in shaping their students’ lives and they are responsible to clearly teach and equip Christian students to follow God’s design for their lives, including their sexuality.
Please pray that Christian colleges and their administrations will be strong in not compromising biblical values in the face of such pressures from the homosexual community and a culture that is disintegrating morally.
The USA continues to re-establish its spiritual foundations of righteousness and political influence over the nations! Canada has been for two years named as being the country with the most integrity and most prosperous in the world. All this as a result of increased national prayer and focus.
The Nations are shaking with economic fear, political unrest and confusion and rumours of war on many fronts. There is little doubt that spiritual influence through prayer has been a driving force in these dimension and will continue to be the fuel that energizes and guides not only North America but indeed all the nations of the earth!
This note is a “cameo” on the next North America Prayer Summit (NAPS), currently scheduled for Oct 15-18, 2013. Most of you receiving this note will recall at the 2011 Summit a decision was made to continue the Summits with Canada being the host for 2012. As time has evolved it became clear that a 2012 Summit was not possible due to personal leadership scheduling conflicts and world events such as the USA 2012 election. The facilitation leadership group has now determined the timing and location for the next Summit as follows:
Location Ottawa Ontario Canada
Date Oct 15-18, 2013.
Host National House of Prayer Ottawa Ontario.
More specific details are coming as they are solidified. We are looking at very inexpensive accommodations at our Ottawa National House of Prayer and also affordable hotel accommodations. You should plan your arrival for Tuesday Oct 15 by 3 PM to allow for an evening start. We plan to finish by Friday noon Oct 18 so you can feel free to book return flights later in the day on Friday or Saturday. Some may wish to stay longer and enjoy the city! Lots to see and do!
We will be focusing on the three nations for update and prayer and worship as in previous Summits; will be meeting Canadian politicians; will be involved in a session of Parliament with accompanying prayer; touring the legislature; involving youth and children; and praying for global events as they relate to North America and as the Holy Spirit directs. Again you will receive more information on this as it unfolds.
SO……. What should you do now? Book this Summit on your schedule as the Lord directs your path. Send this invitation to other prayer leaders you feel should be involved.
SEND YOUR CONFIRMATION OF ATTENDANCE TO Murray Dodds at:
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cell 403-605-9094
Blessings on behalf of the facilitation team,
We do not rejoice in the death of anyone, even Taliban leaders that have been involved in the murder of many civilians, police and military as well as government officials; however we need to pray that they will either repent or be stopped by force and leave the “how” in God’s wise and loving hands.
1. Continued prayer request: Pray the Taliban be caught and their networks be destroyed. Pray the leaders be captured if they don't want to repent. Pray their unity be broken and their supply lines be cut off. Pray there will be no Spring offensive as has been announced.
2. Continued prayer request: Pray more tribal areas where the Taliban came from would stand up against them and not allow these terrorists to go through and/or use their lands.
3. Continued prayer request: Pray for the president of Afghanistan to change and stop making offensive/damaging remarks that cause distrust among the ethnic groups and with NATO.
4. Continued prayer request: Pray the country stays together in unity.
5. Continued prayer request: Pray for the elections for Afghanistan's president (a year from now). It is time to pray for the right candidate to come forward!
6. Continued prayer request: Pray for a good relationship between the Afghan government and NATO forces.
7. Continued prayer request: Pray for the expats and local believers to be given courage and strength to stand and pray as they are key to pray inside the country.
8. Pray for the teams that are in-country for His protection and that God will give clear direction how to pray. The Lord has revealed certain roots that need to be uprooted (the way Islam came into the country, demonic powers that are worshiped, etc.). Jer. 1:10 "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Pray that the Lord will expose the roots and use our prayers to pull them up.
9. Please pray for the expats and local believers in the country that they will not come under fear but share the Good News with others. May the Lord grant them dreams and visions of Jesus, especially to people with influence, leaders and even Taliban!
10. All the like-minded organisations in these countries need more workers. Pray that He might sent the right people into the harvest Mat 9,36-38
11. Continued prayer request: In the authority of the Lord, bind and nullify with us aggressively the evil covenants of Afghan and Pakistani political leaders and Taliban / Al Qaida / Haqqani / Gulbadin terrorists with demonic powers / rulers through blood sacrifices, witchcraft & rituals. Bind and break the covenant of death and destruction! (See Matt.12, 28 - 29; 2 Cor.10, 3-5).
12. These are provincial areas from which the Taliban need to be uprooted and driven out. Pray that Afghan forces, supported by local villagers and NATO will be effective in defeating and dislodging them:
Laghman - a Taliban stronghold close to Kabul, the capital. The provincial capital, Mehtar Lam, is especially insecure. Was handed over by NATO to Afghan forces in 2010
Nangarhar - many of its districts are often attacked by insurgents - Chaprihar district lies 15km from the capital Jalalabad but is a no-go area for government employee
Zabul - this strategically important province, providing access to Ghazni, Uruzgan and Kandahar, now has virtually no NATO presence. The Taliban have filled the vacuum
Ghazni - like Zabul has almost no NATO presence, allowing the Taliban and al-Qaeda to assume control
Helmand - Kabul's writ has never run strong in the remote southern plains
Kandahar - spiritual home of the Taliban, who retain a presence in rural areas
Kunar-a Taliban stronghold in the East bordering with Pakistan and a not under the control of the Afgh government. From there the Taliban control Nuristan. Gov and NATO had many casualties there and much fighting going on.
Actually there is still a lot of fighting going on in the country and nearly daily of Afghan policemen and soldiers are being killed. The Taliban are still inflicting heavy casualties to the Afghan forces in some areas. Pray that the Afghan and NATO forces will prevail and root out and defeat the Taliban wherever they are.
Pakistan
Blasphemy law Strikes: 175 Christian homes burnt by militants
www.persecutioninpakitan.com
Almost 175 houses were burnt in a mob attack on a Christian community at the Badami Bagh area in Lahore on March 9. One Christian youth has been falsely accused and out in jail under the Blasphemy law. The militant mob comprising of almost 10 to 12 thousand attacked the Joseph colony The attack was led by Muslim Ahmed against the Christians.
Almost 150 Christian families were forced to flee the area. Another militant cleric Saifullah said that they must cut the Christians into pieces.
Fox News on April 8:
“At least 30 Pakistani soldiers and nearly 100 militants have been killed in fierce fighting in a remote, northwest valley over the past four days following a ground offensive launched by the army, military officials said Monday…The Taliban have remained a serious threat and continue to launch attacks throughout the northwest and other parts of the country with frightening regularity. There is concern that the militants could step up the pace of attacks even more in coming weeks in an attempt to derail parliamentary elections scheduled for May 11.”
1) Pray for the Pakistani army to have good success in rooting out the Taliban and defeating them in this area and across the country and that the Taliban will not be able to disrupt the national parliamentary elections in this first democratic transition of government.
2) Pray for a fair, uncorrupted election campaign and for honest, good leaders to be put into power and that the wicked will be brought down or kept from getting into power.
Background
Jordan Strategic Intercession was accomplished on February 5-7, 2013. God’s leading was very clear in every aspect. There will be many other prayer initiatives need to be done to combat the spiritual darkness in the region. As we continued to seek the Lord after the Journey, the Lord gave us insight that there should be a prayer journey for the Arab Women with similar focus. Why Arab Women? Because they are an integral part in His Kingdom, yet they have been in bondage and cursed since ancient times. Praise God for the spiritual awakening among the Arab Women! God has also raised up intercessors among them.
Focus
The Arab Women Intercessors will be standing in the gap. We will be praying on sites with identificational repentance as well as proclaiming the new day for Arab Women., specifically breaking through the dark power of bondage and curse placed on the them so that many Arab Women will be released to come to Jesus Christ and to fulfill their divine destiny. In general, they will also represent the body of Christ, that the deception and wrong mind-set in churches about women will be destroyed.
Prayer Points:
• Double protection for all who will go on the journey, as well as their families
• Strength, endurance, good health for all: before, during and after the journey
• Wisdom, vision and revelation, to specifically identify the hidden agenda of the enemy
• Protection for the vehicles and the drivers, smooth trips to each site
• Good weather condition before, during and after the journey
Please remember in your prayer that we are the team of "Global Outreach Day 25th May", we are planning to reach Nepal through gospel of Jesus Christ in one day through mobilizing whole believers of Nepal. In Nepal, we have 5423297 households, so we are going to print 6,000000 gospel tracts, Please pray for this goal of reaching these households in one day. We have already cast the vision to more than 1600 pastors and leaders in different parts of Nepal. We are mobilizing 500 short-term missionaries also during the Global Outreach Day, 25th May.
Standing out against trafficking in Nepal
http://blog.viva.org/index.php/2013/03/19/shattering-silence/
Our partner network in Nepal has been busy. Working together, a group of churches are using creative ideas to talk about the reality of trafficking and sexual exploitation of children for profit. Read more about what they’re doing to stand out against injustice and protect children…
Shattering the Silence
As we all know only too well, advertisers spend millions each year to grab our attention and influence our buying decisions. In Nepal, there’s a much more important message that desperately needs to be heard, and a determined and vocal group of churches in Viva’s partner network in Kathmandu are making sure it’s coming across loud and clear to those who need to hear it most.
They are working to break the silence that surrounds the shocking reality of the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children for profit. By alerting and informing parents and children, they hope to save many from these very real dangers and to train people to intervene effectively when they recognise that abuse is taking place.
Their creative juices are flowing, and they’re getting the word out in as many ways as they can—in the last few months, they have flooded their communities with information and reminders about the vulnerability of children by pasting up 9,000 posters, handing out 6,500 flyers, hanging large hoarding boards at 15 traffic junctions and talking to 2,000 children and teachers through a child-friendly, picture-based resource.
Knowing how much children have to contribute to this issue, seven new children’s clubs have been formed. They’ve been busy putting on street drama shows that depict the reality of trafficking issues and have impressed a couple of local non-profit organisations with their efforts. These organisations have now joined in to help reduce trafficking by partnering directly with the network, adding to the growing volume of campaigning and awareness-raising.
These concert efforts are estimated to have reached over 23,000 people—people who we hope and pray will now do what they can to stand out against injustice in their country.
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For UN Officials, Diplomats, Ministry Leaders, and Praying Youth and Children
Theme: “Children and Youth - Investing in the Future: A Time to Pray and Partner for Action at the United Nations”
Since its inception, the United Nations has been on a mission to ensure that all people have hope for the future. Whether in peacemaking, food production efforts or education, the goal has always been a better world for future generations.
The children and youth of the world represent our future. Actually, children are the future. When the U.N. established the eight Millennium Development Goals, in 2000, the central idea was a safer, more secure future for our children. Many organizations and churches are also deeply involved in sharing Christ’s love through helping to improve the lives of children worldwide.
As the end of the 15-year MDG window approaches, and as governments, agencies and civil society assess and report, one thing will be clear: There is still so much more to be done!
In recognition of the need for global partnerships and in support of the work of the United Nations' efforts to serve the children and youth of the world, a global consortium of Christian organizations will convene in New York City on November 18-20, 2013.
In conjunction with Universal Children's Day, November 20, the goals of this gathering are:
1. To engage partners from Christian NGOs around the world in a more focused effort to better the lives of children.
2. To seek God together in prayer for His help, guidance and transformation for the youth and children of our world.
3. To express support for the work of the United Nations and member states in their endeavors to create a more hopeful future for the children of the world.
4. To connect U.N. personnel and diplomats with leaders from Christian non-governmental organizations and other ministries for mutual benefit and greater collaborative action on behalf of children and youth.
We hope you will be able to take part in this strategic and crucial initiative in New York City. We will hear heart-gripping presentations by various organizations on the situation of youth and children and respond with times of concerted prayer and deliberation. Through setting up a booth and/or personal interaction, you will also be able to share your organization’s work on behalf of children with ambassadors, UN officials, other Christian NGOs as well as with hundreds of ministry leaders, youth and children from around the world.
Directions for registration and reserving hotel accommodation will be sent to you by this next month. Space will be limited at the UN so please respond soon. Our program will begin on November 18 with dinner together at 6 pm followed by an introductory session of worship, prayer, briefing and sharing. The initiative will conclude on the 20th after the evening session at the hotel at 9 pm. Please book your flights to depart on November 21.
A Children in Prayer Global Consultation for those who seek to raise up children in prayer as His agents of transformation will happen just before the UN initiative, November 15-18. If your ministry focuses on youth and children and you would like to take part in this consultation as well, you will be able to register for it on the same website which will be available very soon.
For more information, please contact the International Prayer Council office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
UN Prayer Initiative planning team:
Geoff Tunnicliffe and Deborah Fikes, World Evangelical Alliance
John Austin, Christian Embassy
Joel Edwards, Micah Challenge
Roberta Hromas and Mark Pritchett, American Christian Trust
Ian Cole, World Prayer Centre
Jody Wood, New York Intercessors
John Robb, International Prayer Council/Connect
The government has been cracking down on Christian workers in Khartoum. They deported around 150 foreign workers. It is hard to know how many national Christian workers have been arrested. Estimated number is around 55.
We will appreciate prayer:
1 for the release of the believers
2 for God's presesnce to be with them
3 for grace and strength for their families in Sudan
4 for religious freedom in Sudan
5 that God will expose the atrocities of this regime
6 the people of Darfur, Nuba Mountain and Blue Nile provinces who are under aerial bombardments and attacks by the armed forces of the government of Sudan
7 Human rights activists and politicians who seek freedom and justice and are now in prison for their stand against the atrocities of the government.
8 the government officials to have a ‘Saul-experience’. Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.