Brazil: attack on democracy
12 Jan 2023
Jair Bolsonaro lost the presidential election to Lula da Silva in October, but his supporters do not accept that he lost. On 8 January thousands stormed key government sites, ransacking Congress buildings, breaking into the Senate chamber, presidential palace and Supreme Court in Brasilia. Lula’s inauguration on 1 January was peaceful, but when Anderson Torres took over as secretary of security on the 2nd he fired the entire command before going on a family holiday. The federal intervenor in public security accused Torres of ‘structured sabotage’. The attorney general said the police commander, and governor of Brasilia have been fired. The commander of the military police, former public security chief and others ‘responsible for acts and omissions’ leading to the riots were arrested. About 1,500 rioters are detained at the police academy and 600 elsewhere. Public prosecutors want to freeze Bolsonaro's assets because he has not admitted defeat in a tight election that divided the nation.
Turkey: God’s word transforms refugees
12 Jan 2023
11-year-old Abdel at a Turkey refugee camp spent most evenings reading a New Testament that local Christian workers gave him - to the grief of his Muslim parents. Recently his mother became angry at him and ordered him to do his schoolwork. Abdel told her it reminded him of the passage he had just read in Matthew 19:13-15 about children being kept from drawing close to the Prophet Jesus, as He is known among Muslims. Stunned, his mother asked him where he had read this. Abdel told her the passage was in the Gospel of Matthew. As scripture is given to refugees the missionaries sometimes find children learning the gospel and explaining it to their parents, or vice versa. His mother explained this event to his father and together they sat down and read the New Testament. The missionary said, ‘I am not saying that they accepted Christ immediately, but truly God is doing amazing miracles here.’
UAE: oil boss to lead climate conference
12 Jan 2023
The United Arab Emirates has appointed Sultan al-Jaber to preside over the next round of climate talks in Dubai. He is CEO of Abu Dhabi’s state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts. His firm pumps four million barrels of crude daily and hopes to expand to five million, generating more heat-trapping carbon dioxide that the climate negotiations aim to limit. The Emirates’ state-run news agency said this will be a critical year in a critical decade for climate action. It quoted al-Jaber saying that the UAE is approaching COP28 with a strong sense of responsibility and the highest possible level of ambition. ‘We will bring a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach that delivers transformative progress for climate and for low-carbon economic growth.’ Al-Jaber said the Emirates had invested over $50bn in renewable energy projects across seventy countries. His nomination drew immediate criticism.
God holds 2023 in His hands
05 Jan 2023
As we enter a new year let us not forget that God dwells in eternity, outside of space and time. All of time is before Him, all at the same time, and God knows the beginning from the end. His love is for those who fear him and his righteousness flows from generation to generation. He has chosen us before creation to be His family in Jesus Christ. Father God, we praise You for revealing to us that Your love is eternal. We exalt You because while we do not know what the future holds, we know You, the one who holds and controls the future. We have the assurance in Your word that our times are in Your hands, and You have a hope and a future for each of us individually. Thank You for renewing Your covenant-faithfulness and love to us every morning; nothing takes You by surprise.
Rescuing 154 people during lethal snowstorms
05 Jan 2023
On 2 January two pastors, Al and Vivian Robinson, made headlines after going out into horrific snowstorms to save people trapped in 12-foot snow drifts that might have frozen them in record breaking -20C wind chill. They had recently sold a rehabilitation centre, and every mattress and bed stored in their church was used by the 154 people they rescued. The previous day they had purchased two weeks’ worth of food for their large family, who were expected for the holidays. That food fed around 130 people in the only building in the area with electricity. People slept and ate in the warm church. The way all these factors came together to meet their community’s needs didn’t surprise Al, who said God equipped them for the moment.
One million have found Jesus since 2017
05 Jan 2023
Sean Dunn has brought one million young people to Christ through Groundwire by meeting young people through technology and opening their eyes to the Gospel message. Some youths look at their phones 100+ times a day. Encountering them where they gather is incredibly effective: using short video pieces that grab their interest, then using sites like JesusCares.com to point them toward Christ. Only a small percentage of this generation will regularly attend church, but the majority will not put down their phones. Sean said, ‘God gave us a strategy to use messaging that captures their attention and prompts them to ask the questions that will lead them in the right direction.’
Sunak’s first major speech of 2023
05 Jan 2023
Rishi Sunak wants all pupils to study maths until the age of 18, arguing that too many of the country’s children are being ‘let down’ by leaving school without the numeracy skills to prosper in the workplace. He is making a shake-up of education beyond the age of 16 one of the defining priorities of his early tenure in No 10. The reorganisation has been in the pipeline for a while and was addressed on 4 January, when Mr Sunak said that one of the biggest changes needed in education is to reimagine our approach to numeracy. Only half of all 16- to 19-year-olds study any maths at all, in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job. Future jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before. Around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, according to Downing Street.
Cry for the next generation
05 Jan 2023
The Cry is a gathering of Christians from across the nation to pray for revival at Wembley Arena on 7 January focusing on empowering young people and refreshing the body of Christ. This is the first of a series of such gatherings, across the nation and internationally, over 2023. Please consider attending, or praying at home, for a generation of young people to arise: people who know they are forgiven, loved by Father God and know His Word. May they be a generation of overcomers, because they have seen and overcome the enemy in their own lives. We can pray for the power of the cross to rend their hearts so that they move in humility, stand in purity, withstand the culture of the world around them, and pioneer new territory for the Kingdom in today’s society. May friendship with Jesus undergird them, strengthen and lead them in all His ways.