prayer

A Prayer for Sandy Hook

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Dec 172012

By Matt Barber

In light of the horrific developments in Newtown, Conn. – developments so sorrowful that no words will do – I felt it only appropriate to pull my regular column for this week. I offer, instead, the only words I can at this inexpressibly mournful time: A simple prayer. ~ Matt Barber

Please come, Lord Jesus.

Come, King Jesus.

Come soon I pray.

Yet, even still come now, Holy Spirit, until such time.

We need You.

As the banked fish gasps for that which, without, she will surely die, so too do we gasp for living water-fused crimson that flows freely from Life’s pierced side.

The people of Sandy Hook assuredly cannot endure without Your supernatural grace.

Give them grace and comfort pressed down and running over.

There are things so wicked we cannot bear.

There are things manifestly beyond our understanding. Things of which, and perhaps for our own sake, You have kept from our grasp.

Such a thing is this.

We cry out, Abba, Father!

Torrents we weep for the families of Sandy Hook.

Our souls groan for the people of Sandy Hook.

Our spirits are broken for the babes of Sandy Hook.

Hold them close, dear Alpha and Omega – the great I Am.

Comfort them.

Love them.

You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through You.

Show this to all who are alive in flesh but dead in spirit.

Show them Life in death and that Life is You.

Reveal Truth and Life in the Spirit despite death in the flesh.

You are the Way.

Pull near to your bosom forever the precious slain of Sandy Hook.

Let our lips say, “Oh, death, where is your sting?” – even until our hearts believe it.

There is no hope save You, oh Christ, and, save us, can You alone.

Evil triumphs, so it seems, sovereign Lord.

Do they mock You?

So they try.

But You will not be mocked.

Let us rest assured that vengeance is Yours, Christ Jesus.

Darkness consumed this man, and so he did the liar’s bidding – Satan’s work.

Cowards.

He has not escaped Your justice.

The enemy of the world will not escape Your justice.

But for Your bounty of blood, who can escape Your justice?

Yet, for those who believe, Satan’s ransom is paid in full.

Let us, even now, hear the laughter of our beloved Sandy Hook babes – hidden most high – while, at length, they play together, joyfully, at your nail-pierced feet.

Thank You, Jesus!

Thank You, Jesus, for John 1:1, which proclaims, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Thank You that the Word is with the bereaved of Sandy Hook.

Thank You, Jesus, for Matthew 11:28-30, which summons, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Oh, Christ, give rest to the most weary and burdened of Sandy Hook.

Thank You, Jesus, for Matthew 5:4, which vows, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Only You can comfort those beyond worldly comfort.

Comfort them, King Jesus, we plead.

We wait upon You, Lord Jesus.

We remain still.

Until You return, King Jesus.

And You will.

Oh, and how You will.

It is in Jesus’ name; the name of all names – the name at which demons shudder and both saints and angels rejoice – that I pray.

Amen.

Matt Barber (@jmattbarber on Twitter) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)

PLEASE PRAY Every Night for U.S. Election – 9:00 p.m. ET (8 pm CT, 7 pm MT, 6 pm PT)

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Sep 242012

Please join brothers and sisters across the continent – praying every night for our soldiers and the U.S. Election, Tuesday, November 6 – ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT! 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific)

An email forwarded from a friend had this text;

“This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced, and from the looks of the polls, the Christians aren’t voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees.

“Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders unfold. This scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do that. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land.

“2 Chronicles 7:14. ‘If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’

“During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill, who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute, to collectively pray for the safety of England , its people and peace. This had an amazing effect, as bombing stopped.”

David B. Thompson looked into the England prayer event in June, 2004, when the story was brought up as a model for praying for our troops and peace in the Mideast, and wrote on his blog (http://randomruminations.net/1104/minute-of-prayer/) :

“I investigated this after I got the e-mail about it, and hope this gives you some of the info you’re requesting. –http://www.thesilentminute.org/index.php?menu=1 specifically, http://www.thesilentminute.org/article.php?sid=1&PHPSESSID=5f948303c2ae20acbd7a1ae19806db55

“John Ross, president of Daybreak Communications, Inc., received three separate similar emails on the peace prayer subject from friends. That initiated his interest to investigate the matter more. He found out from a United Kingdom website that the original “Big Ben Silent Minute” was a peace prayer initiated by Wellesley Tudor Pole, a major in the British Army. During World War 2, all over Britain and the Commonwealth, millions of people joined together every evening in a silent minute to pray for peace. After reviewing the situation, Ross and his national religious communications firm decided that America needed to know more about “The Silent Minute.” They, therefore, launched www.thesilentminute.org and www.thesilentminute.us on Thursday, March 30 at 9 a.m. (Eastern Time). Ross is hopeful that this specific prayer time can bring a peaceful conclusion to the current Iraq war. He would like to see American and world religious leader endorse “The Silent Minute” and that Americans would continue the grassroots prayer email campaign. Daybreak Communications, Inc. is a Chicago-area publicity firm specializing in fax and email distribution of religious news releases by The The Religion Wire?. — Hereamisendme 21 June 2004, 08:45″

The U.S Silent minute URL no longer appears active – but there is a United Kingdom website talking about the “Big Ben Silent Minute” and a current prayer for World Peace at http://www.thesilentminute.org.uk/. This organization was established by Ms. Dorothy Forster, who restarted the Silent Prayer in England following 9/11.

Wikipedia also tells the story with a little more detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Minute

The note from my friend continued, adding the additional concern for our current election to the previous war concerns:

“There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America . The United States of America , and our citizens, need prayer more than ever! If you would like to participate, each evening at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific), stop whatever you’re doing, and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the upcoming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land, and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

“If you know anyone who would like to participate, PLEASE SHARE THIS!

“Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

I have not yet found the group of people who are organizing the current effort, but it really doesn’t matter. Despite the opinion of Snopes, there doesn’t need to be anyone organizing it. The fact that Christians are interested and responding with prayer is all that is important. If only two Christians responded to the email with prayer, that would be all that was necessary.

Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV): 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Two sincere Prayer Warriors is all that is required. But when there are hundreds of thousands of us – well, that much stronger.

This site has a PDF that you can use to print off little cards for friends, encouraging them to pray… https://www.bigescape.info/Prayer_Life/ONE_MINUTE_EACH_NIGHT.pdf

Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to participate. ~ Email, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks!!

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Should They be ‘Turned In’ for Mentioning the Name of Jesus?

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May 292012

Please Pray for a town that honors God: Should a school district be ‘turned in’ for daring to mention the name of Jesus Christ at graduation? A person close to me was aghast that Jesus Christ was prayed to at a High School Senior’s graduation – which included both an invocation and a benediction. He told me that it was clearly unconstitutional and that something should be done about it. He said that it won’t be long and the town will be forced to stop it. He also questioned whether seniors were forced to go to the Baccalaureate the week before as well. He was assured that they weren’t, but only a couple of them chose not to go.

I had never even been to a baccalaureate before and didn’t know what one was until just the last week. I thoroughly loved it. I thought it was absolutely wonderful and the community seems to like and support it; there doesn’t seem to be any complaints.

Well, the Baccalaureate was a choice then.

Of the graduation itself – I told him I didn’t think that the pastor had even mentioned the name of Jesus at graduation. But he assured me that the pastor had. He said he was specifically listening for it – and that the Pastor had ended the prayer with “In Jesus’ name.”

I asked him if he planned on contacting the ACLU. I also asked him whether an outsider has a right to come into a community and tell them what they can or can’t do with their children in regards to Jesus Christ.

He then wavered and said he wouldn’t contact anyone, but that sooner or later someone will. He reiterated that the Supreme Court has deemed it unconstitutional.

Wow. Being turned in for mentioning the name of Jesus Christ. Our nation is getting scarier all the time.

He is a member of a Unitarian church, and has admitted to me before that yes, he and his friends are extremely intolerant of Christians. He had to think about it when I first asked him this last year, and then decided it was true because, he said, people at his church are horribly ashamed if their children become Christians – and the church practically mourns with them. And he said he would be ashamed as well if one of his children were to become a Christian.

It made me a little afraid that when he gets back to his politically active church he would tell his friends about the “backwards” event he saw and that one of those people might try to start something.

So – having loved how Jesus Christ was so thoroughly included – I would just like to ask for prayer for protection over this town and high school, and their choice to honor God throughout their graduation ceremonies.

9-Year-old Christina Taylor Green; 9/11 Hope, Victim in Tucson

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Jan 102011

IN all the rhetoric about who is to blame for the shooting, there has been little talk about 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green.

Her Grandfather, Dallas Green, who managed the Phillies to the World Series in 1980 and one of the few men to manage both the Yankees and the Mets, was confused when his wife, Syliva, came into the living room after talking to their son on the phone Saturday. She was in shock and tears, barely able to get out the words, “They shot our beautiful Christina.”

Christina was killed in the shooting spree at U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ meet-and-greet in Tucson, AZ, Saturday. One of the bullets had been fired directly into Christina’s heart.

“I can’t believe our princess is gone,” Green said to a friend. He then told the Daily News, “I’ve had a lot of tough things happen to me in my life but this is one I’m never going to get over. We’re all hurting pretty bad. My son is devastated.”

Christina, who was the daughter of his son, John, a Dodger scout, had gone with neighbors to meet Rep. Giffords so she could see how government works.

Her mother Roxanna, told Fox News that Christina was “very interested in government …how she could help her community.”

The Arizona Republic, interviewing her uncle, Greg Segalinia, outside her house, reported that a neighbor had invited Christina along because she thought she would enjoy it. “The next thing you know this happened,” Segalini said. “How do you prepare for something like this. My little niece got killed-took one on the chest and she is dead.”

Segalinia told the Republic that his niece was involved several extracurricular activities ranging from ballet to baseball, the sport of her father and grandfather.

According to TV station KVOA, she was a passionate dancer who loved ballet, hip-hop, jazz and gymnastics. KVOA also noted that Christina was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team, “The Pirates,” and played second base. She also loved horseback riding, swimming, and animals. Family members described Christina as vibrant and excited about life.

Her parents called her “the best daughter in the world.”

The 9-year old had just been elected to her student council at the Mesa Verde Elementary School. “She was a good speaker,” John Green told the Arizona Star. “I could easily have seen her as a politician.”

John Green later reflected on his daughter being born on September 11, 2001, and now dying in this massacre. Born – and died – on two very emotional, senseless and tragic days for America; yet, said Green, the nine years in between were magical for his little girl as well as for them.

Christina was one of the babies featured in a book called Faces of Hope, Babies Born on 9/11, by Christine Pisera Naman. When she was old enough, her parents had told her about the day she was born. Misunderstanding, Christina then told a few people that she was born on a “holiday.”

Big Journalism.com had an additional, sad perspective on this national tragedy; “Christina’s birth brought hope to America, taught us that in the face of tragedy life goes on. Her death was used by the media to destroy hope and generate political divisiveness, a sad tribute to this young girl’s life.”

It was tragic that “CBS found the time to exploit the shooting for it’s own progressive slant, but didn’t have the time to show this picture, or to tell Christina’s story in their report.”

As for the personal, family perspective, Dallas Green said, “I can’t believe this could happen to any 9-year old child, much less our own,” and that it’s “The worst thing to ever happen to us.”

“Slain in the Spirit” – Is it for Real?

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Dec 152010

As a Christian, I have seen many charlatans, including having gone once to a Benny Hinn event where, sitting in the stands, I watched as they manipulated the seating to make it appear to cameras that the arena was full, and people pushed and shoved each other to be the first down the stars to the floor, where they could get in line to be touched by Benny - if Benny’s guards, who were stopping and questioning each potential sick-person-in-need-of-healing, allowed you to. The air was thick with the power of a spirit in action; only I don’t think it was the Holy one…

And yes, I have stood at the prayer altar and felt a pastor try to push me, with two fingers on my chest, back into the arms of someone standing behind me. I stood straight, and kept praying to Jesus that what ever His will was, that I would do. But I wasn’t going to lay down for any man. The pastor seemed to get frustrated with me, and moved on.

However, there was once, at an average chapel service at a small church one evening, where services were sincere and open hearted, but somewhat uneventful, and where the sermon hadn’t even begun yet, that something happened.

It was still in the middle of worship, and a guitarist had stopped playing. After a few moments, it became obvious that he was sobbing. And then…a few in the congregation began to cry. I don’t know what happened, but within a matter of minutes, several people were sobbing in the congregation…and from there, some began kneeling in their tears, praying and sobbing….and others went to the side of a crying person, hugging or putting an arm around a shoulder, and began praying for them and with them…and then… I saw someone laying on the floor, and another person, and another, and by this time, almost everyone was praying for someone or crying. I looked across the heads of praying, crying people, and saw a friend across the room; we caught each other’s eyes. We were the only two left standing.

My friend and I smiled at each other across the room, then turned, went to someone nearby crying, and knelt down and prayed.

This all happened in a matter of minutes, but the prayer went on like that for almost two hours. The Sermon didn’t even take place. The pastor was sitting down on the steps of the altar, crying and praying too. Something like this had never happened before, and I have never experienced anything like it since.

I do believe it is the first and only time I have truly witnessed slaying in the Spirit.

No, it wasn’t mass hysteria. I knew all these people. Some of them didn’t even like each other. And although we went on to have many “good” worship services together, this event has not been repeated – because it wasn’t a cooked up show and no one would want to try to cook up a mimic. It was too beautiful in it’s simple spontaneity to mess with. Why would one want to ruin the memory of a night like that by trying to force it to happen again.

But I pray the Lord WILL allow me to experience an event like that again – and again and again – because the feeling of being present during an honest move of the Spirit is too tremendous to describe. I want more of that.

An Open Letter from the Afghan Christian Community to the Body of Christ Worldwide

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Jun 302010

The letter was written on June 8, 2010 by Afghan Christians “who are currently living in exile from their beloved homeland because they were forced to flee their country in order to save their lives and the lives of their families, due to orders of execution issued against them by the Afghan government for choosing to convert to Christianity.”

The full text of the letter follows.

“To the Body of Christ:

“This letter is written by the Afghan Christian Community in India which is a small community of 150 Afghan Christian refugees and asylum seekers.

“We left our country because we were sentenced to death on the account of our Christian faith (conversion), as Afghanistan is a Muslim Country, the Afghan Government is an Islamic government, and Islam is the only formal religion of the country, and according to the Constitutional law of the Afghan Islamic Republic, conversion is considered as a big crime, Christian are called pagans and infidels and are sentenced to death by the Afghan Government. Christians are considered criminals. Death penalty is waiting for all those who want to leave the darkness and come to the true light, repent from their sins, and put their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Savior of all human being.

“We believe that you (the Body of Christ) have already heard that some pictures and movies of the Afghan believers (from Delhi and Kabul) were shown by an Afghan Private TV (Noorin TV), this TV channel showed these picture in a especial program (Sarzameen Man), and the Government and people were encouraged and provoked to think about the issue of conversion, to make a stand against it and to take serious and practical measures and actions to destroy Afghan Converted Christians (Sons of God) and those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Lost.

“The Afghan Parliament, Senate, Religious Council and Islamic Parties and leaders made statements that the Afghan Government has to search, find, arrest, deliver to courts and executes all Afghan Christians, and the Christian NGOs and Organization have to be stopped too. University students protested against Afghan Christians in Kabul and Herat Provinces, and the Afghan Government also made a statement that all Afghan Christians will be arrested and executed, and the Christian NGOs and Organizations which involved with the issues of conversion will be closed.

“Mr. Mujajdi, the Chairman Of Afghan Senate, said that if the Afghan Government does not take serious action, he and other Islamic leaders will call and request the Afghan people to take practical measures to kill all Afghan Christians. President Karzai himself showed his personal interest in this regard and said that all Afghan Christians will be arrested and executed and Christian organizations which are involved with this issue will be stopped. He ordered the Afghan security organs to take serious measures in this regard. The Afghan Home Minister and the Chairman of the Afghan Intelligence told the Afghan Parliament that 4 Afghan Christian individuals and one family have been arrested and they are under investigation, 13 NGOs have been named and suspended, the names of Afghan Christians have been listed, and the Afghan Intelligence agency is trying to arrest them. Two Church organizations have been closed. As we are in contact with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, many believers are arrested, our houses are checked by police and intelligence people in Afghanistan, our families and parents (though they are Muslim) are under investigation and even arrested, and all Afghan believers are misplaced.”

The letter-writers,

“(Afghan Christian Community) along with our other Afghan Christian brothers and sisters who are in Afghanistan” request you to:

“Pray for us and for this critical situation, pray for those who are arrested, and those who are under investigation. Please come together and help your Afghan brothers and sisters in Christ, as we are sentenced to death, we are arrested, we are under investigation, the Afghan Government kills us because we believe on Jesus Christ, we know that we should consider it pure joy when we suffer (James 1: 1 -4), and we are enjoying all suffering all joy. But we also know that faith without deeds is useless (James 2: 14 – 17), and this is the time to raise your voice for your brothers and sisters, for our children, for our old parents, for the execution of thousand Afghan believers. “This is the day that all of us should come together and pray, think, help and raise our voices to the International Community, to put pressure on the Afghan Government to stop killing, persecuting and executing Afghan Christians, to give us freedom of religion, to respect and accept us as Afghan Christians.

“We do not know how the whole world and especially the Global Church is silent and closing their eyes, while thousand of their brothers and sisters (Body of Christ) are in pain, facing life danger and death penalty, and are tortured, persecuted and called criminals because they believe in the Truth.

“We need to wake up, get up and speak up today, and to prove it that we are really in concern, and care for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we should help the persecuted part of the body of Christ, for His Glory. If we really believe that Lord Jesus Christ is God, then, He commands us to love Him and to love our neighbor, if our own brothers and sisters, are in pain and suffering, and we are silent and we ignore them and their suffering, then the question is that do we really obey Lord Jesus’ commandment to love Him and our neighbor?”

The letter concludes:

“So, dear brothers and sister (the Body of Christ), we (Afghan Christian Community in New Delhi) on behalf of all Afghan Christians request you to support us by your prayers and practical measures, let us tell the Afghan Government that we are not pagans and infidels, we are not criminals because of our Christian faith, and let us tell them not to sentence us to death.”

Recent Anti-Christian Outcry Highlights ‘Institutionalized Danger’ To Converts In Afghanistan

CSW, a UK-based human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all, has expressed its concern at the situation Afghan believers are facing.

In a media release, CSW says it is “gravely concerned that the ongoing rise in threats to the lives of Christians in Afghanistan is evidence of the ‘institutionalized danger’ to converts.

“Recent weeks have seen calls from high-level leaders within the country for the immediate arrest and execution of converts to Christianity. According to sources in the region, over twenty Afghan Christians had been arrested as of last week. Non-Christians known to be associated with Westerners are also being targeted for interrogation.”

CSW says the current situation was triggered in late May when a private television station aired photos of Afghans being baptized. Since that time, protest groups in four provinces have called for the execution of apostates, President Karzai has ordered a full investigation into the matter, two Christian humanitarian aid organizations (NGOs) are under scrutiny.

CSW explained:

“Afghanistan is one of ten Muslim-majority countries officially declared as Islamic nations. In matters with which the Afghan Constitution does not deal explicitly, Islamic Shari’a Law applies. This includes the question of apostasy, for which the death sentence is prescribed. Afghanistan has however ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the individual’s ‘freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.’”

CSW’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said:

“Christian converts in Afghanistan have long faced extreme obstacles and threats but recent events have brought to light the institutionalised nature of the danger. Groups continue to flee the country and an urgent plea for help from Afghan Christians in Delhi has been circulated among Christians around the world. We call upon the international political community to act for the security of Afghan Christians and to urge the Government of Afghanistan to adhere to their obligations under international law.”

Crisis in Afghanistan Prompts Evangelical Response

The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA RLC) is also deeply disturbed over the recent developments in Afghanistan, calling for the death of converts from Islam to other religions.

The group says the anti-Christian reaction followed the airing of a controversial television documentary on May 27, 2010, on ‘Afghan Christian Converts’ by a local television station in Afghanistan wherein they revealed the identities of a some supposed Afghan Christian converts.

In a media release, WEA RLC says it is also

“deeply troubled by the statements made by Afghanistan Officials including the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan H.E. Hamid Karzai. It is reported that the President has instructed government officials and the Afghan intelligence agency to take immediate and serious action to prevent further conversions from Islam.”

WEA RLC says the events of the past few weeks where Afghan Officials suspended two church based aid organizations on alleged charges of proselytizing and the crack down on converts from Islam are “further disturbing developments which signify a non tolerant attitude toward religious freedom.”

An Afghan Christian leader who fled to safety, in an appeal to the WEA RLC, stated: “We do not know how the whole world and especially the Global Church is silent and closing their eyes while thousands of their brothers and sisters (Body of Christ) are in pain, facing danger to their lives, death, torture, persecuted and called criminals.”

WEA RLC calls on the worldwide church to pray for Afghanistan that there will be respect for the freedom of religion and that the government of Afghanistan will take a all necessary action to safeguard the lives and the rights of all Afghans and expatriates working in Afghanistan.

“It is a cause of serious concern that the mere accusation of converting from Islam has resulted in such strong and violent reactions by the Afghan authorities and the public. While we recognize the challenges faced by the Afghan government in rebuilding and restoring peace in Afghanistan after decades of war and division, we urge the Afghan government to take urgent and immediate action to protect the lives of all Afghans,” said Godfrey Yogarajah, Executive Director of the WEA RLC.

World Evangelical Alliance is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in 7 regions and 104 associate member organizations. The vision of WEA is to extend the Kingdom of God by making disciples of all nations and by Christ-centered transformation within society. WEA exists to foster Christian unity, to provide an identity, voice and platform for the 420 million evangelical Christians worldwide.

_______________________________________________

For further information from Christian Solidarity Worldwide or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 020 8329 0045, email kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

World Evangelical Alliance Contacts:
Godfrey Yogarajah, Executive Director – Religious Liberty Commission; wearlc@sltnet.lk
Sylvia Soon, Chief of Staff – WEA; sylvia@worldevangelicals.org
Reprinted from Assist News Stories

Women, Children and Elderly being Slaughtered!

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Jun 272010

Will we as Americans sit back while another Rawanda takes place? Why has Secretary Clinton not spoken out about what is happening to these people? Please call your Congressional Delegation today and ask them to urge President Obama and State Department to take a strong stand against mass murder & genocide…

Turkish World Outreached - Saturday, 19 June 2010, 18:31 (EST)

The founder of Turkish World Outreached received a distressing letter from his Russian contact in Kyrgyzstan, seeking for aid and detailing desperate situations, including slaughtering of woman, children and the elderly.

Steve Hagerman, the U.S. director of Turkish World Outreach received the following message on June 15, 2010:

“We are in the center of a war in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. It is impossible to imagine the horror of the situation here!! The news is only reporting a small portion of what is actually going on. It is ethnic cleansing if you can call it that. Whole blocks of Uzbek homes have been torched and burned.

Women and children are being mercilessly killed. Many bodies and injured people are lying in the streets without anyone to help. Kyrgyz youth under the influence of alcohol and drugs are running wild in the streets killing anyone and burning whatever lies in their paths.

This ethnic tension (between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks) has existed under the surface for many years but recently has been stirred up for political purposes.

Because of this, it appears that authorities are doing nothing to stop the conflict and are silent. It seems that the whole situation was planned out in advance and that no one planned to put a stop to it.

One of my relatives went out today at great risk to get groceries for his household. On his way he saw an old man badly injured who was lying in the street. He wanted to help him and turned him over onto his back.

Immediately a group of young men ran up and started kicking the old man fiercely.

My relative heard one of these youths say, “He’s Kyrgyz” Another said, “No he’s Uzbek, let’s set him on fire.”

When my relative returned the old man lay burned to death.

Officially the government has issued an order to shoot to kill anyone with a weapon but in reality no one is carrying out this order.

These horrendous acts are continuing to take place. Police and soldiers are patrolling the streets but doing nothing to stop the violence.

Last night bandits broke into an army storage facility where weapons, helicopters, tanks, etc were stored.

We couldn’t imagine where these simple people had obtained so many weapons before and now they have even more weapons, plus army equipment! On top of all of this there is a shortage of food as the stores have been vandalized. When our food supply runs out we will go hungry.

The news is reporting that humanitarian aid is getting in but the supply is very limited. Not long ago bread was given out but for some reason they refused to give it to the Russians. We are not concerned about humanitarian aid, we simply want to live! Some news reports are saying that things are getting more stable but the truth is it is getting worse.

My goal in writing this is to the get word out to the world about what is actually happening here. We are afraid that we will be forgotten and alone in this crisis with no one coming to our aid. Presently they are not coming against us as Russians but we believe it is only a matter of time before they turn on us.

People have “tasted blood” with no consequences and will not stop the killing. We are living in a state of fear. Please send this information out to as many people as possible. This is our urgent plea for help.”

Permission to reproduce granted by Steve Hagerman, with Christian Today’s blessing, June 26, 2010

Yes, Virginia, there is a Jesus! Blackwell’s Commentary on Police Praying in Jesus’ Name

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May 212010

.
No one could have said this Better. Includes awesome history tidbits.
- Article in full….

World Magazine - Ken Blackwell, April 30, 2010

Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is catching flak from the ACLU because it does not like the fact that he has lifted the ban on police chaplains praying in Jesus’ name. Virginia’s former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine had issued the ruling in 2008, and the ACLU gang charges that McDonnell is giving in to conservatives and Christians in revoking the Jesus ban.

Well, maybe another former Virginia governor influenced McDonnell—Thomas Jefferson. The author of Virginia’s famed Statute for Religious Freedom, Jefferson never tried to suppress Virginians’ or Americans’ free exercise of religion. In fact, as president in 1802, Jefferson invited Elder John Leland to preach a sermon in the U.S. House of Representatives. Leland, a Baptist lay preacher, surely mentioned Jesus. In that assembly sat Secretary of State James Madison, Jefferson’s close friend and collaborator and the author of the First Amendment. I suspect Jefferson and Madison knew more about the Constitution than the ACLU does.

Of course, the ACLU thinks child pornography is constitutionally protected. We’d rather see children constitutionally protected—from people like the ACLU.

The ACLU is in reality an “Anti-Christian Litigation Unit.” Its Virginia leader, Kent Willis, said the governor’s job is to protect “religious freedom for all.” Indeed, it is. But to deny Christians the right to pray in the name of Jesus is to disfavor them over others. No one says that a Jewish chaplain cannot mention the Torah. Muslim chaplains certainly cite the Koran.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Word made Flesh. To deny them the right to mention His name uniquely disfavors Christians. That invidious discrimination is what McDonnell rightly revoked.

McDonnell’s lifting of the ban on Jesus comes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to go along with atheizers who wanted to tear down the cross in the Mojave Desert, which was erected to memorialize World War I soldiers.

U.S. soldiers who fought in World War II are remembered at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. That beautiful memorial park was seen on television worldwide when Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama went there to observe various D-Day anniversaries. What strikes the visitor to this cemetery is the acres and acres of quiet, dignified white crosses. Every few yards you see a white Star of David as well. No one protested. No one complained. Americans felt humbled and honored to have such a moving tribute to the young men who gave up their lives so that we might live in freedom.

The American Cemetery is, after all, U.S. sovereign territory. It was deeded to our country in perpetuity by a grateful French people. President Reagan often said the only territory the United States gained from World War II was the verdant acres in which we buried our dead.

McDonnell’s bold actions follow in the footsteps of another great Virginian—George Washington. As president, Washington told the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, R.I.:

“[H]appily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that those who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. . . . May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

Where did President Washington get that wonderful phrase—”the stock of Abraham”—and that beautiful sentiment about the vine and fig tree? They come from the Bible, of course, the same Bible the ACLU regularly attacks whenever it is publicly quoted.

The ACLU’s attacks on Christianity would bulldoze all those Normandy crosses, all those Stars of David. Too often this radical outfit—whose court costs for their anti-Christian intifada are often reimbursed by the federal government—relies on intimidation and bluster to get its way. That’s why we should applaud Gov. Bob McDonnell for defending Virginia values, for upholding the religious and civil rights of all, and especially for standing up to these courtroom bullies.

http://online.worldmag.com/2010/04/30/yes-virginia-there-is-a-jesus/
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