Displaying items by tag: Praise

Luis Tejada is Panama’s record goal-scorer. He grew up in some of the toughest neighbourhoods of Panama City, learning to fight for his dreams in an environment in which kicking a ball well was one of the few ways out. ‘I have lots of friends who are now in prison, others who have died. The truth is, I don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t become a footballer. For this reason, I thank God that He grabbed me in time and took control of me.’ Read his story by clicking the ‘More’ button.

The World Cup,from 14 June to 15 July, provides an amazing opportunity for Christians to reach sports people in their local areas through putting on events like a sports quiz or a five-a-side tournament. Christians in Sport have partnered with Scripture Union to provide resources to be used in sports clubs, churches or schools. They have also created a short film, ‘The Greatest Event in the World’, to show at events or share on social media. The film looks at the wonder of the World Cup and compares it to what is an even greater story - that of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

You recently prayed for a change in visa rules regarding trained medical staff because they were not working in the best interests of NHS patients. The Home Office has now decided that foreign doctors and nurses will be excluded from the government's visa cap. This will be a huge relief for NHS trusts across the country, which have been really struggling to fill their doctor and nurse vacancies. Some believe that Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s latest move could indicate a new direction for immigration policy post-Brexit.

On the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster, many survivors describe their inability to forgive and their need to find someone to blame. In the midst of darkness and sorrow Ray’s story stands out. He welcomed seven of his neighbours into his top-floor flat, offering refuge while awaiting rescue. Later it was found that they had sat on his bed, while Ray sat on the floor at their feet. In an inquiry full of sadness and grief, we heard Ray's family describe him as a hero. His actions that night reflect a love that is so often absent from our society. He welcomed his neighbours into his home and gave them a space on his bed as they took their final breath. Ray loved his neighbours as himself.

‘Sometimes, the world can conspire against you. My mother died of leukaemia, and my business started to fail. I suffered severe depression, and one night I was actually standing on the balcony of my flat in London, getting ready to jump.’ In that moment of desperation, Majumdar experienced something quite profound. ‘The people in the flat below started cooking and opened their windows. The smell of beautiful Lebanese food came up to me.’ He suddenly found himself more hungry than suicidal; he came down from the ledge and cooked a meal  (later named ‘life-saving dahl’) for himself. As he did so, his life began to turn around. He is now an author, TV personality and food aficionado who has made a name for himself in the food and entertainment worlds. To read Majumdar’s story of hope, click the ‘More’ button.

The Metropolitan Police has dropped an investigation into Rev Canon Andrew White - known as the Vicar of Baghdad - who was accused of sending money to IS extremists. He had allegedly done this in order to secure the release of some Yazidi women being held as sex slaves in Syria and Iraq. He had always insisted that the captives had been freed thanks to successful negotiations, utilising his contacts in the region - and not by any illegal payments. Speaking on Premier's News Hour with a touch of sarcasm, the 54-year-old said, ‘I have had this police investigation hanging over my head because I did the awful thing of trying to get back sex slaves from IS’. Canon White was also suspended from the charity he founded for relief and reconciliation, please pray for his reinstatement.

A gospel choir and a friar will be among the competitors in the penultimate stage of Britain’s Got Talent. In April when Fr Kelly sang Everybody Hurts, Simon Cowell said it was one of his favourite auditions ever, and many in the audience were moved to tears. His singing previously went viral on Youtube when he sang Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah at a wedding in 2014. It received over 60 million views. The DMU Gospel Choir was the university gospel choir of the year in 2016 and has been a BBC Songs of Praise choir of the year finalist. Members impact and transform the lives of many as they engage in community outreach, visit hospital wards, do schools workshops, charity performances, and sing for societies and organisations like Global Hands (Run for Africa). See

Mamoudou, a Malian migrant living in Paris, caught the world’s attention when he bravely saved a child who was dangling over the edge of a balcony of a high-rise apartment complex. He has been nicknamed Spider-Man for the incredible way he scaled four floors of the building and lifted the child to safety. When asked why he undertook such a dangerous climb, he simply replied, ‘I didn’t think about it, I climbed up and God helped me.’ He added: ‘I like children. I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and looked for solutions to save him, and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony.’ Mamoudou has been awarded French citizenship. The child’s father is under investigation for neglect, and the child has been placed in care.

Prayer Alert readers were recently asked to pray against a back door to assisted suicide and euthanasia being opened in the United Kingdom. After a three-day debate, the parliament of Guernsey voted by 24 to 14 to reject the private member’s bill for assisted suicide made by the chief minister, Gavin St Pier. He released a statement expressing his regret that the measure had not passed.

Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex created a huge media reaction. Many UK newspapers quoted it on their front pages. The Sunday Times said that no one delivers a church sermon quite like a fire-breathing American revivalist preacher, while the Sunday Telegraph said that his sermon was ‘sure to wake royal wedding guests up. It was quite a gear change.’ Sky News described him as ‘the unexpected star of the wedding’. Thousands of people from across the nations are tweeting about his sermon on love: ‘Love, the love that comes from God in Christ, is the only way.’ If people were stunned by the presentation, the message of Christ’s love and God’s love for His creation got through to millions.