As Muslims worldwide continue to observe Ramadan, praying for a revelation from heaven, and praying daily that they will know the ‘Right Way’, join with millions of Christians who will also be praying each day - for Jesus to be unveiled to them in dreams and visions, and through meeting believers who love them.

(written by Gordon Hickson, Mahabba Network)

Our election has resulted in a hung parliament and the prospect of a minority government - so there is all the more reason to pray. ‘Father, we ask You to bless our new Government, so that the United Kingdom will display God’s Kingdom in all decisions made by our politicians. Bless them and their advisors with clarity and wisdom. Father, bless and anoint our politicians as they settle into their new responsibilities. We pray that You will give the Prime Minister supernatural revelation and strategies from heaven that will lead this country easily and purposefully into and beyond Brexit. Father God, we ask you to raise up Josephs, Daniels and Esthers in governmental circles, and anoint them to bring about the revisions and transformations that are exactly what we need in this uncertain season that we are entering. Father, Your word says, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall” (Matthew 12:25). Lord, bless our MPs with unity and vision.’

(written by Linda Digby of Prayer Alert)

Churches across Britain are being asked to ‘adopt’ care homes to provide comfort and succour to lonely dementia sufferers. When former nurse Tina English had a vision of churches across Britain adopting care homes to alleviate a crisis, she did a simple sum. ‘There are about 50,000 churches in the UK and 17,500 care homes,’ she says. ‘I thought, if one in three churches started a care-home-friend project there would be a lot less isolation and loneliness.’ Tina, director of Care Home Friends, now has the chance to make it happen after receiving funding from Cinnamon Network, a Christian charity, to start projects across the country. A video that she posted on YouTube has been an effective recruiting tool. She has built up a network of fifty volunteers visiting seventeen care homes in the borough of Richmond upon Thames over the past two years. ‘God has given me a heart for older people,’ she says.

The jihadists’ fetish for anniversaries should not go unnoticed. The barbarity on 3 June in London was four years to the day after Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder by terrorists. Haras Rafiq of the Quilliam Foundation (an Islamic thinktank) has called on political parties to take terrorism threats more seriously, with strong, committed leadership. He said: ‘Barely thirty words appear on counter-terror in the three major parties’ manifestos - not the razor-sharp focus that the single biggest threat to our way of life warrants. It is time for British Muslims to self-diagnose the malaise seeping through our community. It is not enough simply to distance our faith from these monsters: we must categorically refute the Islamist ideology that fuels their twisted worldview. We must hold our community, our religious leaders and our mosques accountable when they say something that just doesn’t sound right. We must work together and collaborate on counter-extremism programmes such as Prevent.’ (See article below, on Prevent)

Islamist groups in Britain are undermining the fight against terrorism by peddling ‘myths’ about the government’s key anti-radicalisation policy, according to the country’s most prominent Muslim lawyer. Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor, warned that some groups were spreading misinformation about the Prevent strategy, set up by the Blair government to intervene early and to provide support for those deemed at risk of being drawn into violent extremism. Prevent is estimated to have an annual budget of £40 million, but has faced criticism for implying that Muslims are a ‘suspect community’ full of potential terrorists. Mr Afzal condemned ‘self-appointed’ community leaders who present Muslims as victims and not as those who are potentially becoming radicals. He singled out the Islamist-dominated Muslim Council of Britain, saying its annual general meeting last year stated ‘nothing about radicalisation and nothing about the threat of people going to Syria’.

The Church of England will vote in July on creating a ‘baptism-style’ service for congregants who have changed their sex. The proposed service will celebrate the person’s transition from one sex to another. Transgender priest Rev Rachel Mann, rector of St. Nicholas Burnage and a minor canon at Manchester Cathedral, praised the scheduled vote on the issue. ‘Trans people feel powerfully called to be recognised in their “chosen” name’, Mann said. ‘An opportunity to be publicly introduced to God is therefore significant. I think this is what the proposed liturgy aims to do. It will be symbolically powerful. The extent to which it is baptism will be debated by General Synod, of course, but this liturgy is a welcome move to affirm trans people.’ Others have spoken out against being so welcoming of the transgender lifestyle. Speaking recently on Radio 4, Mann said this is not a ‘transgender’ liturgy but a ‘transition’ liturgy, solely for people who have had sex change operations.

We live in a stressful world. It is stressful to hear that British authorities are currently investigating 500 active terrorist plotters, 3,000 persons of interest, and 20,000 others with links to militancy. Security officials say the number of radicalised individuals has become unmanageable and the latest terrorist attacks in Great Britain are ‘just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s an enormous iceberg. Meanwhile a transgender man who stopped taking testosterone is now pregnant, and the CofE is to vote on creating a liturgy to celebrate sex changes (see article above). Are your stress levels increasing when you read the news? A new report indicates that those who attend church services may reduce their mortality risk by 55%. The remedy for stress is not found in our fallen culture but in our risen Lord.

The German foreign minister has announced extra aid to improve conditions at refugee camps. He warned of growing instability, and urged warring parties to overcome their differences and support the UN-backed government. Berlin will provide 3.5 million euros to Libyan authorities to improve conditions at refugee camps in the country. The money is expected to complement relief funds provided by Germany aimed at easing Europe's migration crisis. It is Germany’s goal, to work with the Libyans to resist the instability that has arisen from the absence of established structures. Meanwhile the UNHCR said that Libya must release refugees held in detention centres. Germany called the three rival Libyan authorities to overcome their differences through dialogue and said that conflicting parties should abide by UN-brokered agreements signed in 2015, which established the government of national accord led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

Experts from Microsoft, Audi and others gathered with UN leaders and academics to debate the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Geneva. ‘AI is probably the most significant technology we will ever create,’ said Peter Diamandis, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Experts discussed the huge unleashed potential of AI that can heal healthcare, make travel safe, and boost wealth. There is a desire to harness AI for good, but also a stark warning that AI also has the power to harm. Weapons already in service are capable of selecting targets, and there are no technical boundaries to machines making(?) decisions to take a human life. Automation of the battlefield lowers the threshold for the use of deadly force and transparency, meaning that accountability in the use of force is needed to keep these AI tools in check.

South Africa needs change, and churches there have just completed fifty days of blessing the nation through prayer (16 April to 4 June). Human Rights Watch reports that ‘public confidence in the government’s willingness to tackle human rights violations, corruption, and respect for the rule of law has eroded’, and ‘an estimated half-million children with disabilities have no access to basic education’. The government continues to fail to combat the high rate of violence against women and the continued under-reporting of rape. The national police commissioner is deemed unfit to hold office, and xenophobic attacks on businesses and homes of refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants increase. We can stand with the South African Church and declare, ‘IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE’. Pray for an end to the spiritual drought over South Africa. Pray for God to rain down His righteousness on His Church and drench His people with power. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s power to flow like a river through the streets, families, police, commerce, industry and government. See also