Afghanistan: unsaved people are dying
02 Feb 2018
Bombings are so frequent, the media hardly notice. Last week's assault on Kabul’s luxury hotel received attention because some westerners were victims. Days later, a car bomb killed 100+; last month a suicide bomber killed 41 and a truck bomb killed 150. Afghans live this reality daily. But the greatest conflict is not terrorism, poverty, or drugs. It is spiritual. 99.9% of the population are Muslim, and 72 people groups do not have the Gospel. A missionary writes, ‘A dear sister was murdered in the Kabul hotel bombing, then two days later the office of an NGO working here for many years was attacked and many were killed. This increase in armed aggression against foreigners and NGOs needs re-evaluation by Christian missions. Please pray for wisdom as to how we can improve the safety of our workers, and for much-needed peace and security in the country. There are serious differences between the governor in a northern province and the president. Tension is rising, and there are fears of a feud within the government. Pray that this will be stopped.’
South Africa: Cape Town water crisis
02 Feb 2018
South Africa has the worst drought in 23 years. Climate change and massive population growth are blamed for the crisis. They are extracting water from underground springs and developing wastewater treatment and better water conservation, but the crisis worsens. By November 2017 schools were urging students to bring water from home, and asking them to attend school in sports gear so that parents do not need to wash two outfits. It is expected that on 12 April taps will be turned off in the Cape Town area, leaving residents to use 200 water collection points. Commercial areas, hospitals and settlements will be exempt. The city is getting tougher on people who stockpile water and unlicensed stores selling drinkable water. A plant to turn seawater into 15 million litres of usable water every day is planned, but it is not built yet. See
Pope Francis is sending the Vatican's top expert on sexual abuse to Chile to investigate accusations that a bishop covered up for an abusive priest. The Pope met the priest's victims on a recent visit, but then affirmed his belief that Bishop Juan Barros was innocent, and accused people of slandering him. He later apologised for the comments. Critics have insisted the choice to ordain the bishop should be reviewed, and asked for further action. Investigator Archbishop Charles Scicluna will visit Chile and ‘listen to those who want to submit information in their possession’.
Australia: bishop advocates for refugees
02 Feb 2018
The assistant bishop of Melbourne, Philip Huggins, has worked with film-maker Richard Keddie on a video advocating for South Sudanese school students in Melbourne. It says that many of these children are frightened, and asks people to ‘give them a wave and a smile to make them feel welcome’. In the state of Victoria, there have been recent high-profile political and media comments about ‘gangs’ of young Africans, which have resulted in discrimination towards and fear of the community. Hundreds of families have survived a dreadful war and seen millions killed. But they’re frightened again, because of messages spreading hate and fear against innocent children.
Police arrested senior members of the Turkish Medical Association, and President Erdogan branded them ‘terrorist lovers’. The association, which represents 80,000 doctors, publicly voiced opposition to the offensive against Syrian Kurdish militia, warning: ‘Every clash, every war, causes physical, psychological, social and environmental health problems, and human tragedy.’ After publishing their statement they were inundated with threats of violence via telephone, email and social media. The New York-based Physicians for Human Rights group condemned the intimidation campaign. ‘It is a bleak commentary on the state of affairs in Turkey that a group of doctors can’t make a peaceful statement without being targeted with physical threats and condemned by the head of state’, said Dr Homer Venters. ‘Medical professionals must have the freedom to call out threats to public health without fear of retribution.’
Kenya: Odinga inaugurates himself
02 Feb 2018
Last November Mr Kenyatta was officially inaugurated as president, but his victory was not recognised by Raila Odinga, who argues that Mr Kenyatta was elected by a small section of the country. On 31 January he declared himself the people's president, at a controversial swearing-in ceremony that the government warned is treason. Authorities shut down TV stations to prevent live coverage of the event. Holding a Bible in his right hand at a Nairobi park, he declared he was answering a ‘higher calling to assume the office of the people's president of the Republic of Kenya’. He said that people had had enough of election rigging, and the event is hoped to be a step towards establishing a proper democracy in the East African state. Mr Odinga turned up for twenty minutes, signed a statement, swore an oath, and left the low-key affair. His deputy, Kalonzo Musyoka, was not at the event.
I Love Prayer
01 Feb 2018
I LOVE PRAYER BY RACHEL HICKSON
CONNECTED TO GOD, CHANGING THE WORLD.
Prayer is powerful – It writes the capital letter at the beginning of each sentence of history.
I believe that, as we intentionally connect to God and pray in agreement with His heart, we shift and alter the destiny of nations. What a privilege we have to pray. In days of uncertainty and uproar, it is easy to pray “worry prayers”, those conversations that just speak of our anxiety rather than prayers of hope and declaration. In this book we look at our devotional life of prayer, study the place of intercession, and explore the journey of prayer walking and staking our nations for Jesus. We will learn to become friends of God who understand the days in which we live and know how to pray.
Connected to God, now changing the world.
As we get connected to God’s heart, I believe that God wants the Church to become His house of prayer and write history – His story – in these turbulent days. Prayer is this special place where we connect to the heart of God and then change the world. I do not know why you pray, but I love to hear the stories of lives changed, people envisioned and hope awakened; but more than the answers to prayer, I love prayer. I love the incredible privilege we have to talk to God and become His friend.
Faith in the Making
01 Feb 2018
Faith in the Making by Lyndall Bywater
Price: £7.99
If 'faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see' what does that look like in practice today? In a world that is largely unsure and uncertain, how do we gain our confidence?
Faith in the Making recognises the problem and seeks the answer in the list of faithful heroes found in Hebrews 11. This accessible, devotional resource will inspire individuals and groups to live more confidently for God in today's world. Heroic faith is far more attainable than we often think!