Displaying items by tag: Praise

Young people across the UK have the opportunity to win funding to help tackle climate change, as part of a ground-breaking initiative from the Woodland Trust. The youth innovation competition offers young people the chance to secure part of a £20,000 prize to support their environmental projects. The competition comes against the backdrop of an alarming Met Office announcement that 2022 was the warmest year in the UK on record, highlighting the desperate need for climate change action. Nine individuals or small groups (aged between 16-25) will win up to £5,000 project funding each, along with mentorship from leading industry experts to deliver projects which directly fight the climate crisis. The projects must fit into three categories: inspire, protect and create.

Robby was a homeless drug user after becoming addicted to opiates prescribed for a painful back injury. He said, ‘Opiates were the biggest lie I have ever been associated with. Only by the grace of God am I still breathing today. I should have died more than once. Addiction landed me homeless at the Salvation Army.’ Mia, his wife, was an alcoholic before they met. She had grown up in the church but lost her way and sought help to stop her dependence. Both of their lives dramatically changed when they found Jesus. Robby’s conversion set him on an incredible path away from homelessness and into God’s plan for his life. Now he and a colleague are sharing the Gospel at their Revelations Café that nourishes people physically and helps them grow spiritually so that they live a full and robust spiritual and physical life.

Recently, a joint military operation between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo successfully rescued over one hundred civilians who were being held hostage by the Islamic extremist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The military task force launched airstrikes on the ADF rebel camps for over two months before the rescue operation. One of the rescued women said, ‘The soldiers arrived when we were praying. They fired several bullets, which allowed us to flee to the middle of the bush.’ The ADF started as a force opposing the alleged mistreatment of Muslims by Uganda. It later expanded to the DRC, where it has grown and spread. It is the most violent of 120 armed groups in eastern DRC and has committed crimes against Congolese civilians, including many Christians.

The Roman god Janus, after which January is named, has two faces, one looking forward, the other backward. In mythology he may represent a door or gateway. Praise God our call is to look forward, to press on (Philippians 3:12b -14), following our Lord with a sure and certain hope of his promises (Hebrews 6:19-20). He promises to open new doors, ones that cannot be shut, and closing those we do not need to worry about (Revelation 3:8-11). Jesus himself is also our gate, our doorway into the very presence of God and to our future hope (John 10:1-10). He is our good shepherd leading us in the right paths whilst guarding what is behind, following us with goodness and mercy (Psalm 23). In 2023, pray that our focus will not be on what the future holds, which will do us no good, but rather on the One who holds the future.

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.

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.

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.’

Derek Timms, chaplain at Solihull Marie Curie hospice, was told by the hospice’s senior chaplain to remove his small cross pin because it 'might offend' patients. Derek had worked at the hospice for four years, wearing his cross every day without any complaints. Yet the new senior chaplain told Derek he'd need 're-training' if he refused to remove it. With support from the Christian Legal Centre, Derek wrote to the Methodist minister to query the unreasonable request, which was then escalated to the regional office. In response, Marie Curie regional office offered unreserved apologies for the distress caused to him, confirming that there was no policy against wearing the cross.

When Sean, a preacher’s son, was stirred by the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’, it became God’s call for him to reach out to the margins of society. I Both in the UK and in other parts of the world, he launched God’s Squad motorcycle clubs, sharing the message of Christ with those whom many regard as misfits. It helped that Sean loved bikes himself. His mission widened to embrace the homeless and others struggling to make sense of life. Their ‘church’ Zack’s Place, named after the tax collector Jesus loved, is in a Swansea backstreet. Regulars are encouraged to pour out their troubles in a caring atmosphere where love and concern are demonstrated in more than words. Informal services are in a bar-style setting where meals are shared and spiritual food for thought is served.

Cancer survivor John Dunn, who had served in the Special Forces, was interviewed under caution and subsequently summonsed by the police for alleged 'homophobic' behaviour after preaching on Swindon High Street. When his case went to court, the Crown Prosecution Service argued that parts of the Bible are 'abusive' and 'no longer appropriate in modern society'. The case was thrown out of court when the women making allegations against him ‘refused to engage with the case’. Another Swindon street preacher, Shaun O'Sullivan, who was arrested in March 2020, was also found not guilty of 'hate speech'. He found salvation in Christ after hearing the gospel preached by John, and has experienced radical transformation. They both said they will never give up preaching Christ on the streets. Hear how God has worked in both men's lives: