This year, the Global Day of Prayer Broadcast by God TV is very special. Not only will God TV once again broadcast a full 4 hours on 27 May but also as part of the World Prayer Assembly from Jakarta National Stadium, Indonesia, on 17 May with Graham Power and Rory Alec in the studio. This is very significant as it is also the day that kicks off the 10 Days of Prayer preceding the Global Day of Prayer. More information will follow shortly.
New Developments in the Balkans
In October 2008, I had the privilege to be with prayer leaders from most of the nations in the Balkan region. During this meeting, the Balkan Prayer Network was formed. It was one of the most amazing experiences when leaders from nations, who have been fighting bloody tribal and ethnic wars over the centuries, united in prayer and repentance. Well, that group is reuniting again on May 1-3 in Skopje, Macedonia. Every indication is that the prayer movement in the Balkan nations is growing and about to really take off.
Please Pray for This Strategic Gathering!
Another exciting development is the release of the website www.balkannetworks.org. The idea is really what the name implies, for people and networks in the Balkan region to connect, share vision, and stand together for the Kingdom of God to come. We hope that the website can serve as a gathering point for initiatives, stories, and information about what God is saying and doing in the region.
A date for a Balkan Wide Prayer Day has also been set for the 2nd of September 2012. The organizers are asking everyone to stand in unity and join one another in praying for the Balkan region. There won't be a central gathering; everyone will be encouraged to pray where they are. Visit the website for more information and to sign up for the day.
To pray effectively for the nations of the Balkans, please click on the country: www.globaldayofprayer.com
Pray for the Horn of Africa
God is calling 1 million people to pray for 100 million people who live in the Horn of Africa. Why don't you join today and pray for the Horn of Africa? http://prayforthehorn.com/
Somalia currently has little or no Christian witness among its people. In Eritrea, believers are cruelly persecuted in an effort to stamp out any vital expression of faith. Numerous people groups with no access to the gospel in their heart language live in Ethiopia & Northern Kenya. Islam remains the stronghold for the peoples of Djibouti.
To pray effectively for the nations, please click on the country on the GDOP website: www.globaldayofprayer.com
Internet porn: PM steps in to 'safeguard children'
The introduction of web filters to make adults who want to view pornography ‘opt in' is to be considered by the Government. David Cameron has intervened to insist a default block on porn, deactivated only when users make an active choice to have it switched off, is put back on the table. Today he will announce a consultation on whether to introduce automatic filters, or a less stringent system which would mean people would have to make an ‘active choice' on whether or not to view explicit sites when they sign up with an internet service provider. There is growing alarm about the impact of sexual content on the internet on Britain’s children. Research suggests as many as one in three under-tens has seen pornography on the web, while four in every five children aged 14 to 16 admit regularly accessing explicit images and video footage on their home computers. (See Prayer Alert 17-2012)
Pray: for our Prime Minister and the authorities to be able to get a grip of this problem to protect the young. (Ps.12:7)
More: http://www.mediawatchuk.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=460&Itemid=117
More Jesus and less motivational speaking
Thousands of Baptists from across the UK gathered in London last weekend for the General Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB), which also celebrated 400 years since the founding of the first British Baptist church. The weekend was spent trying to discern God’s vision for the church going forward. Agu Irukwu the senior pastor of Jesus House, in London, said some churches were too focused on trying to make Jesus and the cross palatable. The church must put Jesus back at the centre of its message he told Baptists. ‘Thank God for advances in theology, for thinkers in the church and for churches that have to be seeker-friendly. But it seems that the more seeker-friendly we get, the less of Jesus we get so when people come to church they are not sure whether they are in church or at a gathering where someone is giving a motivational speech’.
Pray: that the message given by Agu will strike a chord with all churches and that Jesus would be at the heart of what they teach and preach. (Jn.14:6)
Disappointment after Queen’s speech neglects aid
Christian Aid has expressed its disappointment after the Queen’s Speech failed to make mention of legislation on aid spending. The Government has pledged to raise the aid budget to 0.7 per cent of gross national income from 2013, but Christian Aid’s chief political adviser, Sol Oyuela, is concerned by the delay to legislating on the commitment. ‘We welcome the Government’s commitment to raising the aid budget to 0.7 per cent from 2013, but we are very disappointed that it has yet to live up to its pledge to legislate on this,’ she said. All three parties promised to make the 0.7 per cent aid commitment a legal obligation in their manifestos at the last election. It was also mentioned in the Coalition Agreement between the Tories and the Lib Dems.
Pray: that our government would keep its pledges and remember those who are needy. (Pr.14:21)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/disappointment.after.queens.speech.neglects.aid/29844.htm
Primary school kids expelled for sexual misconduct
Children as young as four are being removed from school for sexual misconduct, figures have revealed. They are among almost 15,000 youngsters who have been expelled or suspended for sex offences – including assaults on teachers – in the past five years. More than 1,100 were primary school children, some in reception classes. Boys aged just four have been kicked out of schools in Dorset, Yorkshire, Wiltshire and the West Midlands. Incidents in County Durham included indecent exposure and possessing sexual material. In Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, a boy of ten was suspended for inappropriately touching four pupils. Offences catalogued from all the figures included sexual abuse, assault, harassment, and lewd behaviour. The statistics were revealed in a Freedom of Information request made by The Sun answered by 148 of the 174 local education authorities in England and Wales.
Pray: that these shocking figures can be reversed and the Education Authorities find ways of dealing with the problem. (Ps.37:30)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/primary-school-kids-expelled-for-sexual-misconduct/
Olympic Torch
With the arrival of the Olympic Torch to the UK less that two weeks away More Than Gold are launching their '70-day Prayer Relay' - that tracks the same route the Torch will travel. Every church in the British Isles has the opportunity to pray during the 70-day Prayer Relay from 19th May to 27th July 2012. Jesus said we were to 'shine like lights' with our actions leading to others believing that our God is to be worshipped. In the ten weeks leading up to the Games, the Olympic Torch is to pass through over 1,000 communities throughout the UK. In every place it will generate a torrent of celebration, sensation, media coverage and Olympic fervour. The Torch represents many things to many people. But at its heart it is a flame – and flames have been used throughout Christian history as a reminder of Jesus Christ, the true Light of the World.
Pray: that the light of the world will go before the runners as they carry the torch. (Jn.8:12)
What is ahead for Europe?
Eurozone’s pro-austerity and pro-Euro policies are in trouble. Right wing rule came to an end in France as socialism won. In Greece there is a dramatic reset of political landscape. In Germany the junior coalition partner gained in state elections while the support for Angela Merkel’s dominant party is eroding. As the Eurozone sinks deeper in a recession some expect bank turmoil. Italy and Spain’s economies may no longer be‘too big to fail.’ 63 years ago a European experiment to ‘put an end to war and guarantee an eternal peace’ was started and the European Union was created. On the 16th May 1949 in Strasbourg Robert Schuman said, ‘The European spirit signifies being conscious of belonging to a cultural family and to have a willingness to serve that community in the spirit of total mutuality, without any hidden motives of hegemony or the selfish exploitation of others'. The root of the EU was to bless the world. See:
Pray: for the EU to return to the vision of its roots and be a blessing to the rest of the world. (Zeph.3:9)
What is ahead for Europe?
Eurozone’s pro-austerity and pro-Euro policies are in trouble. Right wing rule came to an end in France as socialism won. In Greece there is a dramatic reset of political landscape. In Germany the junior coalition partner gained in state elections while the support for Angela Merkel’s dominant party is eroding. As the Eurozone sinks deeper in a recession some expect bank turmoil. Italy and Spain’s economies may no longer be‘too big to fail.’ 63 years ago a European experiment to ‘put an end to war and guarantee an eternal peace’ was started and the European Union was created. On the 16th May 1949 in Strasbourg Robert Schuman said, ‘The European spirit signifies being conscious of belonging to a cultural family and to have a willingness to serve that community in the spirit of total mutuality, without any hidden motives of hegemony or the selfish exploitation of others'. The root of the EU was to bless the world. See:
Pray: for the EU to return to the vision of its roots and be a blessing to the rest of the world. (Zeph.3:9)
Child online safety plans unveiled by Brussels
The European Commission is considering setting up an age-based authentication system that limits where children can visit online. The system is part of a series of proposals Brussels has put forward to make the net safer for children. It says children are in danger of finding inappropriate material because ways to control where they can go are ‘fragmented’. More details of the authentication scheme will be published on 30 May. In its draft proposals, the commission warns that neglecting protections for children could have a ‘profound impact’ on European societies. It says children's particular needs and vulnerabilities must be addressed so the net becomes a place of opportunities for them. It also notes that a uniform set of protections would help European businesses aiming services at children. (See Prayer Alert 17-2012)
Pray: that these proposals will lead to a system that would protect our young people. (Ps.5:11)
Child online safety plans unveiled by Brussels
The European Commission is considering setting up an age-based authentication system that limits where children can visit online. The system is part of a series of proposals Brussels has put forward to make the net safer for children. It says children are in danger of finding inappropriate material because ways to control where they can go are ‘fragmented’. More details of the authentication scheme will be published on 30 May. In its draft proposals, the commission warns that neglecting protections for children could have a ‘profound impact’ on European societies. It says children's particular needs and vulnerabilities must be addressed so the net becomes a place of opportunities for them. It also notes that a uniform set of protections would help European businesses aiming services at children. (See Prayer Alert 17-2012)
Pray: that these proposals will lead to a system that would protect our young people. (Ps.5:11)