US pastor ‘thanking God’ after kidnapping ends In Egypt
An American evangelical pastor is ‘thanking God’ that he and two others have been released after they were kidnapped in Egypt last week. Reverend Micheel Louis, 61, and 39-year-old Lissa Alphonse, both Boston-area residents, had been kidnapped from a bus on Friday, July 13, along with their guide, Haytham Ragab. The kidnapping took place on a Sinai Desert road by a Bedouin who was demanding the release of his uncle from prison. His uncle had reportedly been detained by Egyptian police on suspicion of drug possession. However, after three days of negotiations, Abu-Masuh released the prisoners to security officials near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish. ‘We are a people of mercy and the hostages don't have anything to do with this,’ Abu-Masuh said in published statements, monitored by BosNewsLife last Friday. Pastor Louis' Presbyterian Church in the U.S. city of Boston takes a trip to Israel every year.
Praise: God for the release of Pastor Michael Louise and the other two people and pray that his testimony will have spoken to his captors. (Mk.6:11)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/22681-us-pastor-thanking-god-after-kidnapping-ends-in-egypt
US pastor ‘thanking God’ after kidnapping ends In Egypt
An American evangelical pastor is ‘thanking God’ that he and two others have been released after they were kidnapped in Egypt last week. Reverend Micheel Louis, 61, and 39-year-old Lissa Alphonse, both Boston-area residents, had been kidnapped from a bus on Friday, July 13, along with their guide, Haytham Ragab. The kidnapping took place on a Sinai Desert road by a Bedouin who was demanding the release of his uncle from prison. His uncle had reportedly been detained by Egyptian police on suspicion of drug possession. However, after three days of negotiations, Abu-Masuh released the prisoners to security officials near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish. ‘We are a people of mercy and the hostages don't have anything to do with this,’ Abu-Masuh said in published statements, monitored by BosNewsLife last Friday. Pastor Louis' Presbyterian Church in the U.S. city of Boston takes a trip to Israel every year.
Praise: God for the release of Pastor Michael Louise and the other two people and pray that his testimony will have spoken to his captors. (Mk.6:11)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/22681-us-pastor-thanking-god-after-kidnapping-ends-in-egypt
Releasing the Fire: Healing on the Streets - HOTS
In partnership with Healing on the Streets mission teams from around the UK will be sent out from The Cornerstone, Leyton to Olympic Live Sites and other festival events in the vicinity of the Olympic Park. From Saturday 28th July until August 12th there will be two training sessions everyday in the morning from 10am - 12pm and in the afternoon from 2pm - 4pm. The
organisers of this powerful witness to London of God’s power and love are inviting Christians to come and be a part of what He is doing at this time. Basic training is provided for those who sign up at http://www.londonsburning2012.org.uk/group/group.aspx?id=183494 and Christians who are already part of HOTS in their local communities are being made welcome to join the London teams with the dates and the times they would like to come. They just need to email the organisers with the dates and times they would like to come to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pray: that many who have never previously been a part of Healing on the Streets would sign up for basic training and experience God's power and love in the coming weeks. (SoS.8:6)
More: http://www.londonsburning2012.org.uk/group/group.aspx?id=183494
London’s Christian community ready for the Olympics
London is awash with many Christian groups ministering across the city and there are many others throughout the British Isles. Please pray for: a team of former Olympians known as ‘Chaplains to the World’s Olympians’. Their ministry ‘Bridging the Gap 2012 UK Outreach headquarters is based in the Kingsway International Christian Centre. Pray also for the Olympic Village Chaplains in each Olympic host city made up of a local component and an international contingent. Please pray for the 3,000 copies of commemorative English-language Scriptures available as a welcome gift in the Olympic Village, and the ‘More Than Gold’ ministry providing sports clinics, a ministry providing cups of water on every street corner for Olympic visitors, and ‘street chaplains’ welcoming people to London and helping visitors find their way around. Prayer is the secret ingredient in any evangelism and for Olympic ministry it is particularly important as the world comes together in goodwill.
Pray: for clear unhindered communication to flow through every event, particularly between volunteers and the public, organising agencies and volunteers.
Christian athletes
Josh Davis is a swimmer who won three gold medals at Atlanta in 1996 and two more medals at the 2000 games. He is now a full-time motivational speaker, addressing secular and church audiences at least 70 times a year and has edited ‘The Goal and the Glory’. He was the only man at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games to win three gold medals. He travelsall over America telling people how great God is and reminds himself that even as his hard-earned Olympic medals are now dented and scratched from handling, God's Word is eternal. See http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-olympic-gold-medalist-josh-davis-on-christian-athletes-the-games-and-michael-phelps-78742/#8WQwtMMH3q4iTBpw.99 Being a Christian in a secular club or team can be challenging and in the UK ‘Christians In Sport Network’ gives Christians the opportunity to find and link in with other Christians actively involved in their sport. There are currently 15 different men’s and women’s sports providing sport specific resources, training and events to help believers live and share their faith in their team or club.
Pray: for Christian sport initiatives and Christian athletes to shine during and after the Olympic season. (Heb.12:1,2)
More: http://www.christiansinsport.org.uk/networks.asp?section=25§ionTitle=Sport+Networks
Sunday trading laws suspended for Olympics
The Government has lifted Sunday trading laws for the duration of the Olympics in an attempt to boost the economy, the BBC has reported. Currently, laws permit shops with a floor area of more than 280 square metres (3000 square feet) to open for no longer than six hours between 10:00 and 18:00 on a Sunday. But a spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that shops would be ‘free to choose their opening hours on a Sunday’ with ‘no restrictions on these hours’ until the Olympics Games are over in September. The move has been criticised by the shop workers’ union Usdaw who claim that there is ‘no evidence’ that the suspension will help retailers to maximise profits. Concerns have also been raised that the move will pave the way for a permanent relaxation of the laws restricting Sunday trading.
Pray: that the Government would abide by its commitment that this would be a temporary suspension and not lead to extending Sunday opening hours. (Gen.2:3 & Ex.35:2)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/employment/sunday-trading-laws-suspended-for-olympics
Plan to weaken gambling laws come under fire
Betting shops should be allowed to install more high-stake gambling machines, according to a committee of MPs. The machines, dubbed the crack cocaine of the high street, allow players to place bets of up to £100 with prizes of up to £500. An editorial in one national newspaper said it was ‘appalled that a Conservative-led group of MPs is seeking to revive the liberalisers’ discredited agenda’. The report, by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, suggests that strict rules on gambling machines should be relaxed. The report, an investigation of the 2005 Gambling Act, recommends raising the number of high-stake (B2) machines in casinos from four to 20. And it says that local authorities should be free to allow betting shops to install more than the current maximum of four if it would prevent betting shops clustering together.
Pray: against this move to legalize further higher stakes gambling machines. (Pr.1:15)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/mps-plan-to-weaken-gambling-laws-come-under-fire/
Christian campaigners hit out at tax evasion
A Christian movement to end poverty has spoken out against tax evasion by wealthy people.The group Micah Challenge is calling upon church leaders to hold the super-rich to account after a report by the Tax Justice Network suggested that up to $20trillion was being siphoned off by the world's wealthiest people into tax havens. The movement says that Jesus would have hit out at such excessive greed, especially at a time when millions remain in extreme poverty and without access to basic health care. The campaigners are urging churches the world over to raise their concerns with politicians. ‘Once again
the poor are paying the price of the greed of the wealthiest,’ said Head of Campaigns Amanda Jackson. ‘The money being siphoned off to tax havens is more than the American and Japanese GDPs put together. Yet millions of the world's poorest are suffering. It is so wrong.’
Pray: that greed will not govern the hearts of men and for the poor to be treated fairly. (LK.12:15)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.campaigners.hit.out.tax.evasion/30336.htm
TV watchdog slammed Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent stunned parents by failing to censure ITV for outrageous performances by Rihanna and Christina Aguilera on The X Factor. Now Ofcom has done it again – this time clearing Britain's Got Talent despite parents complaining about the broadcast of a burlesque performance before the watershed. In one routine Beatrix Von Bourbon – real name Stephanie Brooks – gave a performance in front of judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon which saw the burlesque dancer remove jacket, skirt and bra to reveal nipple tassels, corset and stockings. Almost 100 people made formal complaints and scores more took to social networks to complain for the fact the performance took place before the watershed and questioned whether it was suitable for children. The regulator is facing accusations of being 'permissive' and 'toothless' after it found the reality show did not breach guidelines.
Pray: that Ofcom will take seriously the complaints of the public and use its authority to control the media.
“There are both some hopeful things coming out of the North and the ongoing difficulties...
On a positive note, it seems that China is seeking to do more in the way of investment in North Korea which will help the economic situation some… We are also beginning to see some hopeful signs that Kim Jong Un may really be interested in opening up to other foreign investment and creating a more open business environment. If he does follow through on this, it could mean not only a better life for the people but also gradual lessening of repression and restriction as happened in China (although China still has a long way to go.)
On the negative side: The country has beefed up their identity card system to make it easier to control people, especially those who have been involved with activities that the government frowns on. Four North Koreans returned from China were recently executed and a number more put into prison camps.
We also have the increasingly serious drought situation in the North, especially in the main bread basket area of Hwanghae Do where farmers have just about given up on this summer's crops and beggars have been dying of starvation. The drought has even affected the capital where many residents are having difficulty getting water.
It has not been easy for people in China and elsewhere seeking to help those leaving NK in search of food or a better life. Four South Korean activists have been detained in China for a few months now although there are hopeful signs that they may be released. An activist has also recently been arrested in Vietnam as well.
The people of North Korea need your prayers. Please keep praying.”