Displaying items by tag: Praise

Technology is a powerful tool for light and life in this pandemic. A surge in Google searches around the theme of hope and faith plus a phenomenal increase of people searching Christian websites means that more are hearing the Gospel. Global Media Outreach registered a 170% increase in clicks on search engine advertisements about finding hope. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Campus Crusade (Cru) created special internet tools for ministry in the pandemic. Cru’s student page is expected to receive 20 million more visitors than last year, and BGEA’s outreach had 191,000+ online visitors and 11,000 decisions to accept Jesus as Saviour. See also Intercessor Focus: praying for the local church.

During these days of isolation, United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) is now offering an alternative to the negative news bombarding us 24/7 by bringing a new radio programme, ‘Hope For Every Home’. Their vision is to spread God’s Word far and wide with real-life stories of what God is doing in people’s lives. Prayers of thanksgiving for all the good things happening right now, and celebration as they welcome the many new listeners receiving hope directly into their homes by listening to UCB Radio. They hope to reach more people than ever before with an hour of life-changing messages. To listen now, click the ‘More’ button.

Missionary workers are a special kind of people: restless, visionary, with a touch of adventure and a rock-solid belief that the message of the Gospel deserves to be heard by everyone. The impact of the pandemic will be enormous in the predominantly poor areas where missionaries work and where social abstinence is not an option. They are used to badly stocked stores and substandard medical care, and accept situations as they occur. They give us hope and confidence that a transition in challenging times is possible. To read their encouraging stories, click the ‘More’ button.

99-year-old Captain Tom Moore pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden just after hip surgery - and just before his 100th birthday (on 30 April) - to raise money for the NHS. He captured the hearts of the nation and raised over £28million for hospital sleep pods and ‘wobble rooms’ where staff can release emotions after a traumatic experience. Wellbeing packs for staff, described as ‘Hug Boxes’, provide mental health support for staff and volunteers involved in dealing with the pandemic. Electronic tablets will be available for patients in isolation, enabling contact with families. The money raised will go to NHS Charities Together. Later in the year Captain Tom will be awarded a Pride Of Britain Award at an awards ceremony.

Poorer school children could lose out when lessons are being taught online. Now disadvantaged teenagers will be able to borrow laptops to help them study at home while schools are closed. The Department of Education is supporting 180 free online lessons for primary and secondary pupils through to year 10 with laptops or tablets for those without access to a computer, taking the pressure off parents who have children at home.

The Luis Palau Association produces a website and social media, Hope with God. It is a growing community that shares the Gospel through targeted ads and daily encouragement. Hope with God is seen by an average of 36,000 people each month, indicating a commitment to Jesus Christ through this platform. The team has seen that the number of decisions to trust and hope in the Lord has more than doubled since the Covid-19 outbreak began.

‘Praise God for the compassion and creativity that survivors of bonded-labour and sex-trafficking are showing within their own communities in this season. We are so impressed by many of the survivors we serve who have overcome heart-breaking violence as they offer to distribute food aid, sew face masks, or do anything else they can to help others who are less fortunate. It has been a great surprise and delight for IJM staff to see these women and men grow in leadership and empowerment this way. Pray for their ongoing health and safety, and for God to bless their outreach within their communities.’

Coronavirus dominates our headlines, but we can make the conscious choice to lift our eyes from the headlines and fix them on Jesus. Even in all the uncertainty we know no sickness, quarantine or fear can diminish his beauty and worth, nor can they silence our worship. He reigns! All things are under His feet: sin, death, viruses, everything! For a video to remind us of these eternal truths and lead us in prayer, see In the midst of uncertainty, sickness and death, the best thing we can turn our eyes to is Jesus, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. To help you worship, click the ‘More’ button.

The Lighthouse Medical Mission landed in Venezuela in March to provide medical attention and distribute 3,000 meals daily. Johnny took pictures and translated. He was appalled by stories of dead family members and the squalor people lived in. Johnny said, ‘While the doctors saw patients, the pastors and lay leaders were praying for people, many of whom got healed even before they received medical attention. Because witchcraft is widely practised in the region, several people were delivered from demonic spirits. They practise witchcraft and spiritism because of their circumstances. They are reaching out for help. But when we came to them with the gospel, they were open.’ He added, ‘We were swarmed by people. They were grabbing us crying, “Pray for me. Pray for me.”’ Johnny was staggered by what he saw.

American food stores are offering early-morning ‘senior hours’ to vulnerable shoppers during the pandemic. Recently, nearly 3,000 shoppers taking advantage of these hours at 44 Atlanta Kroger stores were surprised when actor-filmmaker and local resident Tyler Perry paid for their food. He also paid the bills for vulnerable people at 29 Winn-Dixies in New Orleans, where he was raised. Then, over the weekend, he gave £16,825 to bless 42 out-of-work servers at his favourite restaurant, giving each of them £400. The media advertised his actions and Tyler used Facebook to challenge his followers: ‘I dare you to still yourself and listen to this song. This has been my prayer and meditation.’ The song was the live version of Bethel Music’s ‘It Is Well.’