Displaying items by tag: Praise

In June we prayed for the Christian film Voices of the Silenced to influence today's culture - see  But on the eve of its premiere Vue Cinemas refused to screen it. Dr Mike Davidson, who produced the documentary, sued Vue for breaching the terms of their contract. On 15 August the cinema chain, which operates almost ninety venues across the UK and Ireland, settled in full the legal claim brought by the makers of Voices of the Silenced. Dr Davidson said that he hopes that in the future cinema operators will not fold under pressure from LGBT activists wishing to silence those who want to move away from same-sex attraction and behaviour. Shot in eight countries, the film presents reflections from doctors and theologians, as well as the testimonies of people who have abandoned homosexual relations.

When Saleem left Bethlehem in the West Bank to attend YWAM’s Discipleship Training School in Belfast, he said he felt like a nobody ‘because of my past, and who I was’. But while his outreach team were in Rwanda, he played soccer with friends and talked to them about his past, the situation in his country, and what God was teaching him about forgiveness. ‘After I spoke, a Hutu stood up and said his family was killed by Tutsis in the war, and he was getting ready to go to the Congo to join a Hutu rebel group so he could get revenge by killing Tutsis.’ But after he heard Saleem’s testimony, God touched his heart, and he said he now was choosing the grace of God. That night God spoke to Saleem, ‘He said, “See my son, your past is important, and you are everything to me”. From that night on, I knew that I was really someone!’

God spoke to us, used us to pray for others and healed some of us during this first week of New Wine 2018.  Ben Williamson from Christchurch Woking said, 'I prayed for someone whose hands had no movement or feeling and both were healed and restored while I prayed. It was awesome to see God's power at work so clearly in front of my own eyes.' Steve said, ‘I want to praise God and thank New Wine for providing a ‘thin place’ where I have felt the healing power of the Spirit. Six months of kidney and back pain gone completely, I feel so liberated.’ Sanna said, ‘I came here, widowed 10 months ago, broken-hearted and missing my other half and best friend. To my surprise, my venue was all about restoration. I have been so blessed and I’m so very happy that I picked up the courage to come here with my teenagers.’

In 2016 you prayed for Nurse Sarah Kuteh who was dismissed from her job after talking to patients about her Christian faith and giving a Bible to one patient. After dismissing her, Darent Valley Hospital reported Sarah to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), questioning her 'fitness to practise'. For nearly two years the NMC has held a series of hearings to determine whether Sarah would continue to be able to practise as a nurse. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the NMC panel unanimously ruled that Sarah was fully 'fit to practise' and revoked all restrictions on her nursing practice.

In the midst of horrific destruction, where thousands of homes were burnt to the ground by wildfires in Reading California, 67 hospital staff still went to work. All  doctors, nurses, volunteers and office personnel made sure that patient care did not suffer. ‘Some people have slept on the floor,’ the hospital chief executive said. ‘The Reading police chief lost his home, as did two of his officers, but they still went on duty to save others at risk. It was a similar story with at least one firefighter. But it wasn't just the thousands of first responders who put their own loss and devastation to one side and stepped up to help their neighbours. Many ordinary folk took in people who had lost homes, provided food, donated supplies and offered any support that they could. Hollywood movies show society falling apart when disaster strikes, but the opposite happened; people wanted to band together and help.

A recent Barnabas Aid editorial reads: ‘CH Spurgeon often said that before God could use someone He had to first break that person into pieces. Jeremiah knew the truth of this. From his youth (Jeremiah 1:6), he was called to do an impossible task that involved grief, suffering, abuse and rejection. He is known as the weeping prophet. The Lord reminded Jeremiah, as he watched the potter at work, that it was His sovereign choice to destroy and remake His people, as the potter reworked the soft clay from one shape into another (Jeremiah 18:6). He also used the image of a pot, shattered to pieces and impossible to repair, as a warning to the people of Jerusalem in their iniquity (Jeremiah 19). And yet God did restore His repentant people and, in the end, brought them back to Jerusalem out of their Babylonian captivity. God took the broken fragments and restored them into something useful. So brokenness does not have to be the end. It can be the prelude to glory. God can restore even the broken cup and use it for His purposes.’

Jamie Carlton posted a video on Facebook showing three children - Haylie, 13, brother Reagan, 6, and their friend Ashley - returning a wallet containing $700 to its rightful owner. The kids are heard saying, ‘We found your wallet outside your car and we just thought we would give it back to you’. One of them hides it by the door and says, ‘I'm going to put it over here so no one takes any money’. When the children were contacted, Haylie said that they thought it would be a good thing to do because they really didn't need the money. Jamie said, ‘This happened at my house in Aurora, Colorado. If this doesn't renew or at least refresh your faith in humanity, you need help.’

The Kingdom Choir, which sang in front of a huge global audience at the royal wedding in May, have now signed a record deal with Sony Music UK. Their debut album comes out in November. Sony Music UK said, ‘Along with the rest of the world, we were stunned by their incredible performance at the royal wedding. The choir believe in love, music and power, and we are excited to capture this on record for their fans across the globe.’

The Italian government recently closed its ports to rescue ships, arguing Italy had taken its fair share of refugees. This week Brussels announced plans to pay EU countries £5,350 to take a refugee, and the Italian foreign minister agreed to allow EU ships carrying rescued migrants to dock at Italian ports (but only for a five-week period). Unfortunately, the interior minister said, ‘If they want to give money to someone else they can do so - Italy doesn’t need charity.’ Italy demands a revision of EU’s anti-trafficking mission in the Mediterranean, as currently rescued migrants automatically disembark at Italian ports.

As Syrian people continue to flee their homes, Rt Rev Graham James praised Norfolk for its leadership in welcoming refugees. Fifty refugees have been accepted, as part of the Government’s Syrian resettlement scheme. ‘While it is no longer front-page news, as the devastating war in Syria continues into its eighth year, the need to provide sanctuary to refugees grows’, he said. ‘Norfolk has a great tradition of welcoming refugees, and it has been incredible to see the outpouring of kindness and support from faith groups, charities and local businesses since the crisis began. Our culture and economy benefit from embracing them into our community. We are proud to welcome refugees to Norfolk, and I urge communities around the UK to do the same.’ Mohamed Eldaly spoke about his experience leaving Aleppo two years ago to resettle in Norwich, unable to speak English. He is now studying for a master’s degree in molecular medicine at the University of East Anglia.