Displaying items by tag: Praise

London buses are featuring Bible verses this Easter as part of the ‘Quote Jesus’ bus campaign. Revelation TV is spearheading the campaign. Scriptures including ‘Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die,’ ‘In my Father's house there are many mansions,’ and ‘I am the way, the truth and the life,’ will be displayed on 75 London Routemaster buses. The campaign will run for two weeks. Promoters said, 'In the wake of Westminster’s attacks the lack of hope is becoming an issue in this generation. We think the Bible has a lot to say about hope, and our vision is to influence the hearts, minds and perceptions of people, offering them hope and faith for a better future.’ Revelation TV want the campaign to draw people to Scripture, and to find hope amid a world filled with chaos, violence, and hopelessness.

Recently the BBC has received much criticism for its Christian content, but it has announced a range of new and returning religious programmes for Easter. The line-up of innovative documentaries, music, reflection and worship to mark this cornerstone of Christian faith include an emotional and personal journey to the Holy Land by Fern Britton, Franciscan Friars in Bradford, live worship from Hereford Cathedral, Revd Kate Bottley and the London Community Gospel Choir, and a Good Friday meditation with Revd Lucy Winkett. Such a wide range of programming across television and radio reflects the sanctity of Eastertide and the celebration of the resurrection.

Fundraisers for the Manchester Passion Play had planned to offer ‘The Full Crucifixion Experience’ for £750 to donors willing to help fund the £50,000 event. Members of the public were going to be hoisted onto a cross outside the city's cathedral, under one of the ideas posted on a crowdfunding website used by the organising committee to raise £8,000. The idea was branded ‘blasphemous’ and dropped when clergy found out, but the Passion play went ahead. It involved local schools, music and drama. Several thousand watched the event on stage and on big screens last Saturday, and it will be televised by the BBC's Songs of Praise.

Trials, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: live in London. What are you doing on Good Friday? Buying Easter eggs for the family? Having a much-needed lie-in? The Bible Society are saying, ‘Do it all later! Come and join us in Trafalgar Square for a re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Performances by the Wintershall Players take place at 12 noon and 3.15 pm and are free. Come early to get a good spot, and join 20,000 others who are drawn into the astonishing story brought to life before their eyes.’ This year, the performance sees James Burke-Dunsmore mark his twentieth year in the role of Jesus. He told The Daily Telegraph that strangers often come up to him in the street with a bottle of water and ask him to turn it into wine. ‘I’m flattered’, he said. ‘This is a sign in a supposedly indifferent or hostile age that people are interested.’ James weaves his own crown of thorns out of twigs for each performance. And one year, the man playing a soldier nailing him to the cross struck his leg with a hammer, fracturing his leg. He said that he had to shout, ‘Father forgive them!’ and really mean it.

Finally, after years of apathy and inaction, Washington is extending its hand to help Christians in the Middle East. US president Donald Trump recently announced that persecuted Christians will have priority when it comes to accessing refugee status. Christians and Yazidis are exposed to genocide at the hands of IS and other Islamist organisations which are moving into a vast campaign to enslave non-Muslim minorities and destroy their cultural heritage. Finally, self-interest and oil interests will take a back seat, with the UN and the USA showing solidarity with Middle East Christian refugees.

Phil Togwell from Prayerspaces in Schools writes, ‘In the UK last year, more than 200,000 children and young people visited a creative prayer space in their school, and many of them tried praying for the first time in their lives. One 10-year-old wrote in the feedback book, ‘It was fun, and I now see God everywhere I look. God has spoken to me.’ Unless we become like little children ...

Ex-Muslim Nabeel Qureshi has asked for prayers as he undergoes chemotherapy for cancer and struggles to eat. In his post he also said he saw Jesus in a dream. ‘It's something that I have never seen before. A lot of people who leave Islam and become Christians do so because they have seen Jesus in a dream or a vision. I received dreams and visions when I was seeking God, and I saw things that led me to the Gospel. Later, I was thrilled to see Jesus in a dream. I had been praying for it. I had been asking for guidance and I think I got some.’ To read his story and find out about his unusual prophetic act, click the ‘More’ button.

The Church of Ireland has launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarises how the Church has supported asylum seekers and refugees, and highlights opportunities for church members to become more involved in this area of ministry and service. Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said: ‘This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises.’ Rt Revd Ken Good, chairman of the Northern Ireland working group, said, ‘It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably, depending on the emotional impact of media coverage. This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people’s fears and concerns.’

In April 2016, we prayed for a Kickstarter account that was set up for a Wall of Answered Prayer made of a million bricks - each brick telling the story of how Jesus answered someone’s prayer. This wall will now go ahead and be built as a national landmark in the UK. It will lead people to consider and reflect the worth of prayer, through people sharing stories of how God answered their prayers. It will become a source of inspiration. The project is being led by Christian entrepreneur Richard Gamble, former chaplain to Leicester City FC. A person can pledge £5 and get one brick, which will be linked to them and their unique story of how Jesus answered prayer. A corresponding website will be created to give details of the answered prayers. It will be like a ‘database of a million prayer testimonies.’

At a time when Google, Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds are crowded with negativity, Frankly Faraci is an inspirational new Dove Channel show that can be found across the web on tablets, TVs, smart phones, and laptops. It premiered on 21 March, and promises to uplift and entertain audiences of all ages. They want to encourage viewers that good does still exist - and remind them that God can use anyone who is willing to be part of His plan. There is a perception that Christians are judgmental, angry, holier than thou, and finger-wagging, but non-Christian viewers will see that Christians are amazing and fun and cool and the kind of people that they would want to hang out with. The show has an unhidden agenda, to push back against all the negativity. It is hoped that families will tune in and children learn that the sky's the limit, as the programme gives them great role models to look up to. That's really the heart of what they want to do.